The Rock-Your-Body Fitness Thread
We talk about health and exercise in a lot of different threads. It's time for a one-stop shop.
As you all have read ad nauseam, I have a super slow metabolism so I'm always looking for ways to increase my fitness.
I'm going to join a gym next Wednesday (most likely). Is it true that I should leave a day between working muscle groups? I'll likely only be at the gym on Wednesdays and Thursdays, so I'm not sure what the best excercises are if I'm only going to be working that area once. Like, Wednesday for legs or front and Thursdays for arms or back. Something like that? I'll have about an hour between work and when yoga starts and the gym will be relatively empty, so I'll have plenty of time and access to equipment.
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I recently read that dehydration leads to a drop on body temperature and a drop in temp triggers a body to store fat. Of all the dagnabbit, underhanded, flea-analogue bitten things! My normal temp is in the 97.1 - 97.3 F (36.2 - 36.3 C) range.
HH--
:)>>>
When I had a personal trainer, we worked out twice a week and worked different muscle groups each time. I think that is because if you're doing it right, your muscles will be somewhat sore, so you want to give them a day off and work something else.
My trainer always told me to try and fit in one more workout to make it 3 a week. Maybe do cardio. Or, if you're like me and HATE cardio, do 20min of cardio before your workout, and squeeze in another short workout on Sunday or something.
Good luck!
When i read the title i thought it was a thread about the backstreet boys (rock your body) haha.
But you are supposed to alternate muscle groups to allow them time to heal and regain strength.
Yes, double h, it is better to leave a day or two between specific muscle exercises. When you work out, you're tearing the muscle, and they need a day to mend themselves back together.
Also, to help boost your metabolism, make sure you eat small portioned meals multiple times a day (between 6 and 8 meals).
Yeah hh, you can either split it by front one day, back the next day, or upper/lower. You definitely don't want to work the same muscle groups two days in a row. I usually split it by upper vs. lower body so that I can do a really intense cardio workout at least every other day, which requires all the leg power I can muster (so I don't do lower body those days, except maybe lunges to work my glutes).
Don't forget your abs too!
+1 to what CK said about the meals. YOU NEED TO EAT MORE. Think of it like 6 snacks if you want. Also, think of it like a blessing. You get to eat more snacks!
Also, lol@ flea-analogue-bitten.
I won't be working out hard for the next few days because I am going to NYC with K for the weekend. But when I get back on Monday I'm gonna start posting my workouts like I started to do in that other thread. Yesterday I did 20 min of sprinting intervals on the treadmill, 20 min elliptical, and 20 min on the godforsaken stair machine. Mercy.
I just registered on FitDay as of Monday, and I'm hoping that a week of seeing what I eat will inspire me to pay more attention, and maybe to start BURNING some of those calories. I really need to work out regularly, but I don't have the motivation.
Thing is, I am a very competitive person, and I have no one to compete with since my former workout buddy is about 7 months pregnant right now. Maybe you guys will inspire me!
^-^
Go, jc!
In terms of food, I now have a refrigerator (yay!) and I'm going food shopping. During the past week, I've eaten chips, ice cream, candy, soda, and coffee. Yikes! Today is the reset day. I'm going to try to get my calorie intake up to 1,500 a day. I know it doesn't sound like much, but I eat a lot of high fiber food so it feels like a whole lot.
I was last at a gym about 15 years ago so I don't remember exercises. And I'm on a recession paycut at work so I can't afford a trainer. And the gym I'm going to join isn't known for it's stellar intro tour. What types of exercises should I be doing?
Is this what you're talking about, kmk?
Wednesday: legs
Thursday: shoulders, biceps, triceps, chest, back, abs, more intense cardio
I think you should do abs on leg day. I dunno why, the legs just look lonely.
What kind of exercises are you wanting to do? What areas are you wanting to tone?
lol, jc. That's what I thought. Sad, lonely legs.
ck - I need to tone all areas. My legs are naturally strong and my arms are super weak, if that helps.
Okay, I'll give you some suggestions when I get back from lunch.
;)b
hh, I do abs everyday, but it's up to you. I also work on them when I'm walking, running, on the elliptical, etc, by always keeping them tight. And yes, that's what I meant by the upper/lower split. But depending what type of cardio you do you could split it by front/back (like, do biceps, chest, quads, abs, maybe shoulders for front, triceps, back, hamstrings, calves, glutes for back). It's up to you really. You can try different things.
Also, you should eat something high-protein after you workout to increase the benefits.
If you go to sparkpeople dot com, you can see videos of all types of exercises for different muscles. It's good!
Double h, since it's been a while since you were last at a gym, I would do mostly cardio workouts for the first few weeks to get your heart rate up. Walking, jogging / running, biking, shadow boxing (this is a great exercise), and using an elliptical are all great ways to do this. That is basically what I did for the first month.
What I did after that: I was going to the gym 3 - 4 times a week. I would do cardio one day, upper body / arms the next, cardio on the third day, and then do lower body / legs at the end of the week because I was sore afterwards and walking around at work sucked.
Most of the equipment will tell you what muscles you will (should) be working if you are doing it properly, and other people will probably let you know if you are doing something incorrectly. And + 1 to everything KMK said, too.
I need to get back to the gym...I haven't been able to afford to go recently, but you know why that is, don't you? ;) 8-)
Thanks for your advice. I now have to wait until payday to join. I'm getting a three-month membership that costs $99, but I only have $150 in the bank and I'll need $60 for gas.
That's a good idea, ck. I'll focus on cardio for the first couple of weeks. I can't run or put a lot of stress on my feet because about a decade ago I detached/nearly detached the tendons on the arches of my feet and they'll still seize up if I stress them out. Feet-impact exercises/activities are out - so it's good that I have an extra week because it will give me extra time to plan my exercieses.
That's a good idea, ck. I'll focus on cardio for the first couple of weeks. I can't run or put a lot of stress on my feet because about a decade ago I detached/nearly detached the tendons on the arches of my feet and they'll still seize up if I stress them out. Feet-impact exercises/activities are out - so it's good that I have an extra week because it will give me extra time to plan my exercieses.
I know how you feel. I dislocated my knee in a mosh pit when I was 17, and I still have problems with it. Not to mention that I have bad knees to begin with. If I were you, I would avoid using a treadmill, especially for jogging / running. My knees would hurt so bad after I got done using it.
And by the way, you will be (should be, at least) eating more than 1500 calories a day. Just sayin'.
I use the eliptical for 36 minutes every day after work. A 30 minute interval or hill climbing program with a 3 minute warm up and a 3 minute cool down. In the mornings I do a 10 minute low impact stretching DVD to wake me up. I try to do ab work before going to bed but I've been slacking a bit on that lately. I've also recently started using a DVD that has 10 minute (each) upper and lower body workouts.
Okay, so I talked to Josh about wanting to lose weight. I told him I'd like to lose about 30 lb. I used to weigh around 140. So, I'd like to get to that again. I'm setting a goal for March, 2010. That means about a pound a week.
I can do that, right? ;)b
I just need encouragement. So, we made a deal that we'll go jogging together at least 3 times a week, and we will only eat out twice a week (and it will be healthier than usual). And, I'm using FitDay to track my eating habits, and that's really helping me think about what I eat before I eat it. I mean, if I have to actually CLAIM it, I'm gonna think about it! I also refuse to weigh myself more than once per week, because that just gets discouraging.
SO!!!!
Josh said "Okay, lets go jog right now." And we did! And I'm tired. :(
I am so out of shape. But that's okay. One pound a week. It's not much, but by next spring I'll be super-hawt!
HH, we can totally support each other over the internet! :-*
Sweet! ;)b Half the battle is doing it, so congrats on your run.
I don't know if it will help because I haven't used it myself, but I know someone who likes Spark People. My understanding is that you enter how much you want to lose and by when and they come up with a food and fitness schedule for you. And it's free.
eta: I just registered to see what it's like. You can say you're vegetarian and select different goals. It then comes up with a menu plan and also strength and cardio exercises.
DUDE... I JUST (like, two minutes ago) saw a friend of mine on FaceBook say something about being on Spark People and I was like "does that have to do with her fitness goals?"
I'm gonna go check it out right now. Thanks!
Does anyone do the Bollywood Dance Workout? I do that 2-3 times a week, yoga 1 or 2 times, and swim a couple of times, but I do NO weight stuff. I should. jc, I know how you feel, I recently gained some weight--wasn't able to exercise for about 5 months--and would like to lose about 15 pounds.
Nope. Currently, I shred about five days a week, go to yoga one day, and do home repairs and landscaping on the weekends.
On payday I'm joining a gym so I'll be at the gym at least two days a week before yoga. And I'll still be shredding and home/yard stuff.
My problem with the shred is the two minutes of cardio. I can't jump because of my feet. I have to make up cardio moves that have minimal lower leg & foot impact.
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