Ab Machines

[Ralph]

more repititions = more definition ... 6-pack abs.

Defined abbs are determined by your level of body fat. Doing a thousand sit ups wont give you defined abbs if your BF is 20%.

If you want defined abbs-----it's 95% diet.

 

[Loon]

El Greco = my hero.

Well, the reason I said I prefer running is that generally it consumes more energy. Sure, you can sit on the bike and burn some calories, but if I judge from my gym, 10 minutes of me on the treadmill are 1 hour of some people on the bike, as far as energy expenditure is concerned. And I wouldn't keep my workouts longer than 1 hour, since how much cortisol increases depends on the duration (and not intensity) of the exercise. For me, spending one hour just to burn 200-300 kcals just isn't worth it. I'd rather eat 2 apples less.

So the benefits of aerobic exercise are only burning calories? Aren't there other benefits?

One hour of exercise total? That includes warm-up, stretching, lifting and cardio?

sing the eliptical trainer would mean switching from the gameboy to the iPod. An hour on one of those machines can be very boring...

What is a safe/reasonable rate to lose fat? Would an expectation of 2 kg/ month be too high (assuming you didn't have problems with snacking or "Dinner at the cholesterol barn"). Could you safely lose more? (I hate to say this publicly, but my bodyfat is well over 20%)



This is all very cool, but fantastically complicated. Can you recommend any books to help plan a better exercise program? That way we can all use the books to build a program and you don't get pounded with questions.


Thanks again, El Greco.

 

[El Greco]

So the benefits of aerobic exercise are only burning calories? Aren't there other benefits?

Of course, there are a lot of other benefits. However, the majority of these benefits can also be obtained through traditional bodybuilding routines. It has been proven that weight training improves not only strength but also muscular endurance, cardiovascular condition and flexibility. Besides, some benefits unique to endurance training require rather hard training near the 'lactate threshold' and lots of hours.

One hour of exercise total? That includes warm-up, stretching, lifting and cardio?

1-1.5 including everything. You can do more, but you'd better sip a carbohydrate/ protein drink in that case. Which is a good idea anyway. But I don't think that a recreational fitness enthusiast needs more than 1 hour / day anyway.

sing the eliptical trainer would mean switching from the gameboy to the iPod. An hour on one of those machines can be very boring...

It doesn't have to be elliptical or treadmill. You can still go with the bike, as long as it is hard enough so that you don't waste your time. So hard that you can't easily hold a conversation and you have to focus on the exercise. Most machines have a calorie counter which may not be accurate but it is consistent. Aim for about 150kcals / 15 min, not for any particular reason other than that I consider anything less to be a waste of time. But if you enjoy just pedalling at a low intensity, hey, just go for it. You just need to know how much time & intensity burns how much food, you may then decide it's not worth it.

What is a safe/reasonable rate to lose fat? Would an expectation of 2 kg/ month be too high (assuming you didn't have problems with snacking or "Dinner at the cholesterol barn"). Could you safely lose more? (I hate to say this publicly, but my bodyfat is well over 20%)

If it is like 25%, and you don't weigh too little, then you could lose even 4kg in a month without significant muscle loss. But as weight loss progresses you'll have to take it easier and easier. The leaner you are, the more muscle you lose along with the fat when dieting.

This is all very cool, but fantastically complicated. Can you recommend any books to help plan a better exercise program? That way we can all use the books to build a program and you don't get pounded with questions.

I'd hesitate to do this, not because there are no good books, but because you are either experienced, in which case you have to read many books, or a beginner, in which case you can find all you need around the net. You can come over at the HST forum for example, where all questions are answered and newbies are welcome (provided they have read the FAQ )

 

[Ralph]

El Greco = my hero.


I think El Greco gave a lot of good advice but I'll recommend a book since it helped me a lot---after several years of non-progress.

Read Stuart McRoberts "Beyond Brawn". There are several books in the series---this is the second and I think the best one.

He suggests keeping things simple and staying with basic compound lifts. SQUATS & DEADLIFTING are key. Most of your gains will come from these lifts. Overhead press,bench press,
chin-ups and dips will do for upper body. Throw in some ab & calf work and that's alll you need.

Two days a week--45 min-1hr per session are plenty if you're working as hard as you should be. You don't need to spend 4 hrs a day in the gym.

While squating and deadlifting are safe if done correctly----it's important to learn how to do these properly or you WILL hurt yourself.

I'd be reluctant to trust your typical gym PT as too many of them are idiots.

The local powerlifters are more likely to able to help you than the typical personal trainer will.......or learn from the book.

I went nowhere for 2 years until I started following McRoberts training methods..................

Well worth the effort though IMO...................ralph




So the benefits of aerobic exercise are only burning calories? Aren't there other benefits?

One hour of exercise total? That includes warm-up, stretching, lifting and cardio?

sing the eliptical trainer would mean switching from the gameboy to the iPod. An hour on one of those machines can be very boring...

What is a safe/reasonable rate to lose fat? Would an expectation of 2 kg/ month be too high (assuming you didn't have problems with snacking or "Dinner at the cholesterol barn"). Could you safely lose more? (I hate to say this publicly, but my bodyfat is well over 20%)



This is all very cool, but fantastically complicated. Can you recommend any books to help plan a better exercise program? That way we can all use the books to build a program and you don't get pounded with questions.


Thanks again, El Greco.

 

[dissonance]

Actually, I would be really happy with my body if my boobs were bigger. Technically, that's more fat, not less. And while eating mroe would help, it wouldn't just be confined to my chest region.

I'm a small-chested woman who has hips that are a bit more generous that I would really prefer. Basically, I'm a total pear shape.

I found that building up my upper body made me look a lot more proportional. I used to have total noodle arms (when I gain fat, it all lands on my hips and thighs), whereas now I've built up my upper body through weightraining and feel really good about myself. Also, I lost weight overall, so my lower body is now smaller (and also more muscular).

Weight training=good!

And if I can put in my 2 cents on cardio, I also prefer the treadmill, simply because I can burn more calories faster. Elliptical trainers almost invariably overestimate the calories burned by a wide margin.

I'm also a big fan of 45 minute to an hour long spinning classes (indoor cycling). That's a great interval training workout, and with the right instructor, the time just flies by.

Cardio, really, depends on your goals, however. At the moment, I'm doing more treadmill because I like to run 5 and 10k races in the spring/summer, so I'm starting to increase my running time to prepare for those. And with the weather getting nicer, I'm moving more of my running outdoors. While I was losing weight, my single goal with cardio was to burn more calories.