Why everyone should EXERCISE! *part1*

[RogueFactoryKid]

This is the type of class I would LOVE to teach! This is a class in college or High School? I've heard of a few high schools here in NJ that have such a class.

High School, way up here in Maine. Great class the teacher isnt like the other gym teachers i've had. He doesnt just sit there while we do the drills, he participates or at least shows us a few times. Very relaxed class as long as you do the drills to the best of your ability.

I have a quick question also, could playing sports be subsituted in place of a 30 minute cardio exercise? Lets say I play a game of tennis for 1 hr 30 min-2 hrs? This is with minimal breaks. Just need some advice and pointers in general of stuff to do to STAY on the right track. I know what I need to do. I need to get off the computer and get on the treadmill, but I need some advice on how to stay on doing this and not do it for 2 weeks and stop, that is my biggest problem.

Our teacher taught us that it isnt how hard your working out. Your supposed to get to around 75% of your maximum heart rate and just stay at that pace. Most people think that they can just goto the gym for 15-20 minutes if they just do a lot more than normal. He says that isnt the case and that in order to lose weight and get in shape you have to work up to 75% and stay at that pace.

[SAW]

Mango, I'd like some help with my routine.
I'm a healthy 5'8", 125lbs HS student. As some may know, the wrestling season is over. During the season, I was actively involved with strength and flexibility workouts. Nothing special: crunches, pushups, squats (tons of reps, in the 250s+), pullups, all the usual stuff. For endurance, we ran relatively lengthy distances; about 2 miles/practice. I felt this kicked me into shape and therefore wasn't inclined to change.
Now that the season is over, I would like to experiment with other exercises / drills. I am not going to be completely out of the game (track and field starts mid-March), but I want to retain / increase what I have gained strengthwise during the past few months. I (personally) feel that I'm alright in the lower-body department (Legpress 340lbs consistantly, squats aren't a big deal) but do not believe I have met my upper-body potential.
ANY help, of any kind, will be greatly appreciated!

[Mango]

I have a quick question also, could playing sports be subsituted in place of a 30 minute cardio exercise? Lets say I play a game of tennis for 1 hr 30 min-2 hrs? This is with minimal breaks. Just need some advice and pointers in general of stuff to do to STAY on the right track. I know what I need to do. I need to get off the computer and get on the treadmill, but I need some advice on how to stay on doing this and not do it for 2 weeks and stop, that is my biggest problem.

RogueFactoryKid brought up an excellent point. While I know that playing tennis IS intense (I love to play tennis personally), and depending on how frequently you played it MIGHT be able to substitute for a bout of cardiovascular excercise, it is not the ideal replacement. Essentially what I am getting it is nothing can replace a regular cardiovascular training program because the key is to maintain your heart rate in your "Training Heart Rate Range." This is, for apparently healthy adults, between 60 to 75% of your maximal heart rate. This is computed by the following formula:

220 minus your age multiplied by .60 and by .75. This yeilds your training hear rate range. You can of course adjust to maintain intensity levels as you get more fit.

Playing tennis as you do is GREAT! Don't get me wrong, but it shouldnt replace the sustained levels of training you get at the proper intensity, that lets say...jogging for 30 to 40 minutes will give you.

[Mango]

Mango, I'd like some help with my routine.
I'm a healthy 5'8", 125lbs HS student. As some may know, the wrestling season is over. During the season, I was actively involved with strength and flexibility workouts. Nothing special: crunches, pushups, squats (tons of reps, in the 250s+), pullups, all the usual stuff. For endurance, we ran relatively lengthy distances; about 2 miles/practice. I felt this kicked me into shape and therefore wasn't inclined to change.
Now that the season is over, I would like to experiment with other exercises / drills. I am not going to be completely out of the game (track and field starts mid-March), but I want to retain / increase what I have gained strengthwise during the past few months. I (personally) feel that I'm alright in the lower-body department (Legpress 340lbs consistantly, squats aren't a big deal) but do not believe I have met my upper-body potential.
ANY help, of any kind, will be greatly appreciated!

First of all, I would lay off the high repetitions of squats/leg presses that you are doing. 250+ repeptitions!??! Now this is where I go into a rant about coaches being uneducated in biomechanics/kenisiology!! This sets you up to be a PRIME candidate for an abnormal bone growth disease known as Osgood Schlatters Disease. While those most prone to this disease are growing young adolescents just entering high school, generally anyone under the age of 20 or so can get this disease if they are exposed to a high number of weight bearing excercises that involve a squatting/leg press type of compound movement. It is extremeley painful to those who get it and it is causes by excessive rubbing on the front of the "shin" bone (Tibia).

That being said...for someone in a situation similar to yours, I would recommend a regular jogging/running program that would start with 3 training sessions a week of actual running/jogging and eventually lead up to 5 days a week. Mileage would start around 1.5 to 2 miles and cap out around 4-5 miles, 5 days a week. A program like this, however, would need to be worked up to over the course of many weeks. This would be ideal for someone who runs track or to prepare for practices in track. I do not know what you plan to do in T&F so I cannot recommend specifics.

To strengthen the upper body, the usual excercises will do just fine. I am neurotic about telling people to strengthen the rotator cuff muscles AND the shoulder girdle muscles because almost NOBODY trains these. They are CRUCIAL to performance in ALL area of uppber body movements.

Upright rows
Luggage Lifts
side lying raises
internal/external rotations using the arms
etc.

These are all excellent for training these muscle groups I mentioned earlier.

Remember, the body is a kinetic chain and so it is only as strong as its weakest muscle!


Do these in conjunction with the usual chest press, incline and decline chest press, shoulder raises, biceps curls of all angles, core training, etc.

2 to 3 sets, 8 to 12 reps to muscle fatigue.

I cannot give specific programs since it requiers much more extensive testing, etc. These are just general and I would feel horrible if someone got injured because of what I said.

[SAW]

Thank you Mango. I'll let you know what happens!

[behemoth]

Alright mango.

Im 6'3, and around 295... Ive got a bench, and a punching bag, but i dont know what to do, as far as a routine..

I need to watch what i eat, and all too, but its harder than it seems.

So, Obeese kid with athsma and a smoking problem.

Any suggestions?

[gimp]

Losing muscle

You say that I can gain 2-4 lbs of muscle, and get 40-60% stronger in 2 months with a good routine. Now, if I stop working out, how fast does the muscle go away? When I was in high school I did a lot of lifting and fitness stuff. I was really scrawny, but I was pretty strong and fast. Once I got to college I got lazy. Now I just had surgery and I'm recovering. I tried doing some light lifting, but I did it to soon and hurt myself, now I'm gonna wait a little while to make sure I don't do that again. Now that I can have actually have pecs, I'm psyched to work out. I'm worried though. Once I graduate, I'll have a real job, and I won't be able to get to the gym nearly as much. If I go to the gym a lot during school and build up a good base of muscle, will I lose that muscle if I all of a sudden go to the gym a lot less? Or will I sort of hang around the muscle base I built up. My best friend at home is majoring in excersise science/kinesiology or something like that at UNH and he told me some statistic once but I can't remember it. It had to do with how fast you lose muscle.

Thanks

[PyRo]

Alright mango.

Im 6'3, and around 295... Ive got a bench, and a punching bag, but i dont know what to do, as far as a routine..

I need to watch what i eat, and all too, but its harder than it seems.

So, Obeese kid with athsma and a smoking problem.

Any suggestions?

Step one stop smoking

[Mango]

Alright mango.

Im 6'3, and around 295... Ive got a bench, and a punching bag, but i dont know what to do, as far as a routine..

I need to watch what i eat, and all too, but its harder than it seems.

So, Obeese kid with athsma and a smoking problem.

Any suggestions?

For someone in your situation with those availible peices of equipment I would recommend a good calistenics program. This involves pushups, dips, a fun boxing program etc. It's basically a very military style program (also known as Combat Conditioning but that is primarily a marketing gimmick) since most of what the military emphasises is body weight excercises. These are extremely challengeing and are EXCELLENT for fat burning.

This program would be minimum 3 days a week to start for that same 3-4 week adaptation period. Eventually, you can do this 5 days a week and thats the first goal. High number of repetitions is what this type of program is about. Also short rest periods.

A good program would include active stretching to warm up (3 minute jog, jumping jacks, mountain climbers, frog leaps, crunches or bicycle kicks) and lead into the training. Pushups (standard), Hindu pushups, 8 count body builders, body weight dips on the bench, body weight squats, etc.

I'm sure you can find examples of the excercises I've outlined above somewhere on the net.

For each exercise, shoot for 2 to 3 sets each with a goal of 15 repetitions for the first 4 weeks. After, Add another set till you reach 5 sets for each one at 15 repetitions. Next you can use periodization to REALLY kick it up. But you must first build a good foundation of endurance and strength and you will be amazed at how much weight you can lose and how great you will feel just doing this.

Also, nutrition plays a crucial role. Download and read that form I linked in the first post. It has some excellent information in it on Nutrition.

Oops, forgot to address the smoking and asthma. The single best thing you could do for your health is to STOP SMOKING. But, that is easier said than done. That is something only can stop and you will need to deal with that issue yourself. All the talking in the world will not change that unless YOU want to stop. Willpower and support from family and friends will be the best aides in that regard.

Regular exercise has been shown to GREATLY increase the bodies ability to utilize availible oxygen that is inhaled by the lungs. It makes the body more efficient at processing oxygen basically, so it does have a profound effect on asthma sufferers at the times of an attack. Since asthma is an uncontrolled constriction of the bronchial tubules it cannot cure it obviously,but it DOES have nothing but POSITIVE effects for those who suffer. In some cases excercise has been shown to stop or seriously limit the number of attacks some exercises have had.

[slade]

I need to workout My family history is just of I guess easily gaining weight. I have always been athletic and been good at sports but since I've gotten into highschool and stopped playing all sports except paintball my shape has went downhill. I am 5,8 170 lbs. That brings be at a what, 26 bmi, about. I like to eat and lately have just been eating till I am satisfied but not full. I lost 5 or so pounds just doing that. My biggest problem is my ever changing life and lots going on. It is not that I don't have time to do stuff, but it is the fact that lots of time stuff gets inbetween my routine and my normal life. I got to get on the treadmill in the basement and start running.

wow. that sounds almost exactly like me. (except i weigh ~190)

[WicKeD_WaYz]

You say that I can gain 2-4 lbs of muscle, and get 40-60% stronger in 2 months with a good routine. Now, if I stop working out, how fast does the muscle go away? When I was in high school I did a lot of lifting and fitness stuff. I was really scrawny, but I was pretty strong and fast. Once I got to college I got lazy. Now I just had surgery and I'm recovering. I tried doing some light lifting, but I did it to soon and hurt myself, now I'm gonna wait a little while to make sure I don't do that again. Now that I can have actually have pecs, I'm psyched to work out. I'm worried though. Once I graduate, I'll have a real job, and I won't be able to get to the gym nearly as much. If I go to the gym a lot during school and build up a good base of muscle, will I lose that muscle if I all of a sudden go to the gym a lot less? Or will I sort of hang around the muscle base I built up. My best friend at home is majoring in excersise science/kinesiology or something like that at UNH and he told me some statistic once but I can't remember it. It had to do with how fast you lose muscle.

Thanks

It typically depends on whther you have lean muscle or fatty muscle. In general though muscle will probably start deteriorating after about a month of not lifting at all. In 6 months you probably wont see much of it anymore. When I broke my hand and couldnt work out for like 8 weeks I lost a lot of muscle mass but it came back a lot quicker than i expected. Working out isnt something you do for a little bit and then expect your results to stay forever. Its sort of a way of life that you have to develope and over a long period of time you will see HUGE gains.


BTW guys, instead of everyone asking Mango for him to make a rutine for them. Check out these forums on bodybuilding, all the info you'll ever need.

http://forum.bodybuilding.com/

[MantisMag]

keep in mind with that, maintenance is much easier than building. if you don't have the time you can do very short workouts and not lose much if any muscle. then when you have the time you'll still be able to pick up pretty much where you left off.

[Bluestrike_2]

Track starts in a few months.

Now, obviously upper body strenght plays a key part of long distance(moreso in XC than track). While I've been doing a lot over the past month or two(Winter track), what key muscle groups should I spend more time on, when taking into account that I run the 1600, 3200, and 5000 in XC?

I've got the running and cardiovascular work down pat, while, so far, averaging about 40 miles per week. I also try to do a lot of distance on a mountain bike, however getting on trails in winter isn't the smartest idea....

Thank you!

[Mango]

BTW guys, instead of everyone asking Mango for him to make a rutine for them. Check out these forums on bodybuilding, all the info you'll ever need.

http://forum.bodybuilding.com/

I really was not making any kind of specific routine or program for anyone since due to legal and ethical values it would not be prudent. Most of those bodybuilding forums are extremely dangerous places. You're lucky if one person is certified and has any background in Exercise Physiology, Biomechanics, Health Education etc.

I don't even waste my time with them since I cannot read them for more than 3 minutes without going insane at the incorrect information I see on them.

[Mango]

Now, if I stop working out, how fast does the muscle go away?

Muscle is highly sensative to use and disuse. When our muscles get bigger due to exercise, for example, that is called muscular hypertrophy. When a muscle gets smaller because of disuse that is called muscle atrophy. When we stop working out due to injury or other factors, many things happen inside the muscle. Basically most adaptations that occured during exercise now happen in reverse.

Capillary netoworks shrink since they do not need to supply as much oxygen rich blood to the mitochondira (powerhouse cells inside the muscle) and the number of mitochondria decreases. Muscle fibers shrink and the number of amino acids decreases. There is not set timetable for which these actions occure since they are highly dependent on the individual metabolism and specifically which type of muscle fiber is undergoing atrophy. It is safe to say that you can expect a 10-15% reduction in strength every 2 months or so.