The Escapist and Exercise

[DanielBrown]

I started working out a lot around Christmas after having spent four years doing almost nothing but sitting on my ass. I didn't look that fat(I'm really tall, so it spreads out better mebbe?) but I was pushing 115 kilos. Just turning over in bed made my pulse skyrocket.
Begun with simple weights, but quickly upgraded. Started eating a lot better and less. Tried getting out a bit more and eventually begun using my old exercise bike, which I wish I had done from the start since my stamina is still quite shit compared to my strength.
Two months ago I got a part time job for an IKEA sub-company that delivers the boxes to the customers. Since then I haven't been able to work out at all since it's so physically demanding. On the plus side my weight has dropped a lot since I started there.

In these seven months I've gone from ~115 kilos of fat to 88 kilos with muscles. Still got a bit of stomach fat left to get rid of, but damn does it feel good. Haven't got a clear end goal yet, though I want to lose all excessive fat and get a bit more buff.

 

[giles]

Sorry, but fitness doesn't work like that. You can't lose fat and put on muscle at the same time, the body just does not work that way. When you're putting on muscle you're putting on fat and when you're burning fat you're losing muscle. To "gain muscle and lose fat" you first have to "bulk", which involves eating a surplus along with heavy training, and then "cut", which involves eating at a caloric deficit and continuing to train hard to minimize muscle loss. At the end of this process you'll have an attractive physique, but will lose it if you continue to cut; you can either eat and train at perfect maintenance, which is incredibly difficult, or go through another cycle of bulking and cutting.

I think this is too simplistic. I definitely put on some muscle on the legs while I was still in the process of losing weight from my running. Also, currently I'm training hard and I'm very conscious of my food intake (worth around 4-5 meals a day depending how you count the supplements before&after the training, obviously bigger portions on cardio days) and I'm definitely seeing effects without having to build excess bodyfat first.
So I think if you, like me, have the luxury to completely control your food intake you don't need to resort to bulking up for training?

 

[Something Amyss]

[quote="Dirty Hipsters" post="18.857030.21235132"

Oh man that really sucks. I have a cousin who played football in high school, and he was good, and was going to go to college on a sports scholarship, but then got a spinal injury in his senior year. Not a super bad one mind you, but it completely ruined his chance at the scholarship, and he's had a hard time working out and doing really strenuous physical labor ever since, not just because of his injury but because mentally he's very afraid of re-injuring himself or aggravating the injury. I really feel for you, the spine is one of the worst things to injure because it's what holds up your entire body in more ways than one. Where is your spinal injury if you don't mind me asking?[/quote]

Yeah, I was fairly active until somewhere around 2008. I mean, I've always been fat and I've never exactly been an athlete, but I had been taking Aiki Jujutsu and Karate up to that point, walked everywhere, etc. Now I have trouble walking, well, anywhere. The worst part is I gained a bunch of weight that's hard to get rid of when you can't do your routine. I've changed my diet and done what I could, but it is sloooooooooow and the extra weight ain't helping any.

The bulge is L4/L5, and the arthritis is around that region, too. I think the last doctor I saw said it was a larger region than that, but my brain goes on holiday when I hear 'MRI,' because I'm 6'5" and have a broad frame. I'm not normally claustrophobic, but when I have to lie still with my eyes closed for 20 minutes in a tube where my arms touch both sides? I lose it like I've never lost it before.

 

[FPLOON]

Yeah... Unless you count "walking/dancing to and from certain stores/friend's houses around my neighborhood" as a form of "exercise", then I don't exercise... especially at a "gym" since those things intimidate me in a negative sort of way... (Must be a SoCal thing or something... )

Anyway, I have tried some "self-taught yoga", however I mostly enjoy plugging in my DDR mat into my PS2 or GC and playing some DDR Extreme or Mario Mix whenever I'm at home... Other than that, doing yard work, in general, keeps my endurance in check, I guess... (even if my asthma wants to ruin any of my chances at "exercising"...)

 

[giles]

(even if my asthma wants to ruin any of my chances at "exercising"...)

I have asthma aswell. It's not severe because I've had a lot of treatment while I was still very young, but it used to come up during exercise. When I picked up running I used an inhaler because I felt like a stinging sort of pain. I've since stopped using an inhaler when I felt I didn't need it (and checked with a doctor ofc)... and it's pretty much gone from my life now!
Don't let it get to you! Even if your case might be more severe than mine, you can still do something!

 

[lacktheknack]

It depends.

If I'm on a long-term schedule that makes it viable to sign up for an annual gym pass, then I exercise often (and lose little ;___. I tend to mix weightlifting and swimming with bouts of elliptical jogging.

When life is chaos (like right now), then my exercise suffers. Walking around outside just isn't my bag.

 

[Boris Goodenough]

Losing fat gives you the appearance of building muscle because you appear more cut, but are you actually making strength gains while losing weight? It's possible to control your nutrient balance so that you're gaining weight in muscle with very little fat, but I stay firm to the fact that your body won't gain muscle and lose fat at the same time.

It would seem a lot of people who do it disagree with you.
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/kelly3.htm
http://www.muscleforlife.com/build-muscle-lose-fat/

 

[giles]

Losing fat gives you the appearance of building muscle because you appear more cut, but are you actually making strength gains while losing weight? It's possible to control your nutrient balance so that you're gaining weight in muscle with very little fat

I guess I didn't make myself clear, I'm not currently losing bodyfat because there's not all that much left. I'm definitely building strength though.

but I stay firm to the fact that your body won't gain muscle and lose fat at the same time.

Based on what? Unless there's a mechanism that converts bodyfat into muscle this doesn't seem necessary (and as far as I understand it, the body doesn't work that way). I know the body will start "eating" the muscles if it can't take the resources from anywhere else during exercise (that's accompanied by a distinct smell) but if you take care to avoid that and are careful about your protein intake, I don't see the need to build bodyfat.

 

[Boris Goodenough]

(that's accompanied by a distinct smell)

A nice way of saying ammonia stink

 

[giles]

A nice way of saying ammonia stink

Haha I've never experienced it. It's just something my sister (who is a nurse with some specialization in nutrition) warned me aboout

 

[Phasmal]

I'm trying to exercise more and eat better at the moment. My boyfriend needs to lose weight so we're kind of doing it together, even though I'm in my ideal weight range- I wanna lose like half a stone to a stone.

We're trying this thing were we only eat red meat once a week and try and have veggie meals some nights too, but we've only recently started it.
I also work on my feet, but I don't think that really counts.

 

[Boris Goodenough]

Haha I've never experienced it. It's just something my sister (who is a nurse with some specialization in nutrition) warned me aboout

I have a few times, also sometimes when I do Brazilian Jiu Jitsu some of the people there don't eat enough carbs so getting your nose stuck in an armpit is not fun
I was pretty scared the first time it happened, because I thought something was wrong with my metabolism...

 

[FPLOON]

(even if my asthma wants to ruin any of my chances at "exercising"...)

I have asthma aswell. It's not severe because I've had a lot of treatment while I was still very young, but it used to come up during exercise. When I picked up running I used an inhaler because I felt like a stinging sort of pain. I've since stopped using an inhaler when I felt I didn't need it (and checked with a doctor ofc)... and it's pretty much gone from my life now!
Don't let it get to you! Even if your case might be more severe than mine, you can still do something!

Well, in all honestly, it's not as severe as it was when I was in high school and I was trying out for the track team... I have this one type of inhaler that I have been using for some time now that can prevent my asthma from triggering even just a little bit beforehand, so as long I use that, I barely have any problems "exercising" for example... Other than that, I never let my asthma get the better of me (like it did to my dad) no matter what exercising-like activity I decide to do for the day!

 

[Dirty Hipsters]

Every day for the last 5 or so years. I run every other day. I started off doing 2 miles on treadmill/eliptical. I do weights every day I'm not running, with a 12, 15, 20 minute run/walk after ward. I had a 20 pound weight vest that I used until it fell apart. last year I got a 40 pound weight vest that I use everyday with my workout. Now I walk 3 miles, 45 minutes at a 4 MPH pace with the 40 pound vest on.

Why? training for the pack test for wildland firefighting, or to be firefighter/police officer/EMT. Also want to get into martial arts.

I actually do all of my training at home. have a set of free weights and this book, Men's Health: Power Training. except lack of certain equipment means I do quite a bit of improvising. I used to not be able to do any push-ups. Now I can do almost 50 in a minute.

I've been meaning to buy a weight vest and some ankle and wrist weights for a while now, mostly for when I'm hiking or walking my dog. Is there any brand or style that you'd recommend?

 

[2012 Wont Happen]

At the moment I don't really do what I would consider exercise. I do cardio, but no weights. I'm on a diet and have dropped about fifty pounds in the last three months between that and cardio.

I still have about 20 pounds to lose before I'm in a healthy body fat range. I'm going to start lifting lightly when semester starts, but even then probably won't be able to do heavy stuff for a while. Fat and a smoker is not a good combination for serious lifting. Once I'm done cutting out the one (admittedly not the more detrimental one) I will be much more able to get seriously into lifting. Looking forward to that. I used to quite like lifting, just too unhealthy to do it for more than really short bursts these days.

 

[BiscuitWheels]

I've been doing DDP Yoga for about three months now. I'm pretty banged up, just from 40 years of wear and tear, so the low impact nature of it is working well for me. I've lost about 30 pounds with and definitely have gained some strength. I can actually feel muscles that I couldn't before. It's a good feeling.

 

[Drake the Dragonheart]

Every day for the last 5 or so years. I run every other day. I started off doing 2 miles on treadmill/eliptical. I do weights every day I'm not running, with a 12, 15, 20 minute run/walk after ward. I had a 20 pound weight vest that I used until it fell apart. last year I got a 40 pound weight vest that I use everyday with my workout. Now I walk 3 miles, 45 minutes at a 4 MPH pace with the 40 pound vest on.

Why? training for the pack test for wildland firefighting, or to be firefighter/police officer/EMT. Also want to get into martial arts.

I actually do all of my training at home. have a set of free weights and this book, Men's Health: Power Training. except lack of certain equipment means I do quite a bit of improvising. I used to not be able to do any push-ups. Now I can do almost 50 in a minute.

I've been meaning to buy a weight vest and some ankle and wrist weights for a while now, mostly for when I'm hiking or walking my dog. Is there any brand or style that you'd recommend?

My first vest was I think gold's gym. It was held in place by buckles in the chest and waist areas, and it lasted I think around 2 2 1/2 years or so. at the end I had electrical tape all over the place on the thing as the material was tearing. My current vest is "perfect weight vest" and it is 40 lbs. It uses velcro that straps to the front of the vest around the waist. I have had it around a year, and I have noticed the velcro is wearing out. When I do weights I somtimes can't get through a set without it coming undone.

How often would you use it? How fast would you be going? I think the reason my current one is wearing out is I use it when I do weights and I use it everyday, so I put it on and take it off at least once a day. When I do weights I take the vest off in the middle of my sets for about a 3-5 minute cooldown, so on weight days it is being put on and taken off twice. I think for what you are telling me you would use it for a vest like the one I currently use would work fine for you, and as for velcro or buckles, I say find whichever you find most comfortable and go with that. A few weeks ago I walked to the school track not far from my house with the vest on but without it strapped up, and it did start to get heavy on the shoulders. Have you used a weight vest before? From my experience it's heavy at first but if you use it consistently you get acclimated and now I don't even notice the extra weight really.

 

[Harpalyce]

I've just in earnest started exercising again and I'm pretty damn proud of myself for it (and why yes I will take this opportunity to brag, thank you).

I realize that 20 minutes 3 times a week makes me sound like the weeniest of weenies from weenie hut junior's, but SOMETHING is at least better than NOTHING.

It's been a pretty much constant struggle to find anything I could do that doesn't set my chronic pain problems off. Sure, getting to the gym might kick it up two points on the scale or so, but that's a hell of a lot better than "go to pain level 9/10, go directly to pain level 9/10, do not pass go, do not collect $200" that it used to be. 20-30 minutes on the nustep machine or bike isn't exactly pro bodybuilding workout of the year, and I recognize that, and I'm okay with it.

Itty bitty baby steps to be sure, but hey, itty bitty baby steps will get you there eventually. c:

 

[Dirty Hipsters]

Every day for the last 5 or so years. I run every other day. I started off doing 2 miles on treadmill/eliptical. I do weights every day I'm not running, with a 12, 15, 20 minute run/walk after ward. I had a 20 pound weight vest that I used until it fell apart. last year I got a 40 pound weight vest that I use everyday with my workout. Now I walk 3 miles, 45 minutes at a 4 MPH pace with the 40 pound vest on.

Why? training for the pack test for wildland firefighting, or to be firefighter/police officer/EMT. Also want to get into martial arts.

I actually do all of my training at home. have a set of free weights and this book, Men's Health: Power Training. except lack of certain equipment means I do quite a bit of improvising. I used to not be able to do any push-ups. Now I can do almost 50 in a minute.

I've been meaning to buy a weight vest and some ankle and wrist weights for a while now, mostly for when I'm hiking or walking my dog. Is there any brand or style that you'd recommend?

My first vest was I think gold's gym. It was held in place by buckles in the chest and waist areas, and it lasted I think around 2 2 1/2 years or so. at the end I had electrical tape all over the place on the thing as the material was tearing. My current vest is "perfect weight vest" and it is 40 lbs. It uses velcro that straps to the front of the vest around the waist. I have had it around a year, and I have noticed the velcro is wearing out. When I do weights I somtimes can't get through a set without it coming undone.

How often would you use it? How fast would you be going? I think the reason my current one is wearing out is I use it when I do weights and I use it everyday, so I put it on and take it off at least once a day. When I do weights I take the vest off in the middle of my sets for about a 3-5 minute cooldown, so on weight days it is being put on and taken off twice. I think for what you are telling me you would use it for a vest like the one I currently use would work fine for you, and as for velcro or buckles, I say find whichever you find most comfortable and go with that. A few weeks ago I walked to the school track not far from my house with the vest on but without it strapped up, and it did start to get heavy on the shoulders. Have you used a weight vest before? From my experience it's heavy at first but if you use it consistently you get acclimated and now I don't even notice the extra weight really.

I would probably be using the weight vest probably once a day, maybe a little more or less. I plan on using it when I walk my dog, and when I go hiking. I walk my dog 3 times a day for about 40 minutes to an hour at a time, but I wouldn't use the vest in the morning, and I'd probably mostly use it on days when I don't do weight training. As far as how fast I'd be going, it would be a walking pace on hills, and I'd be stopping to do push ups every block or so. Once I get used to the weight I might try using the vest on running days, specifically the days when I do stair runs.

I have used a weight vest before, but not for extended periods of time. Back when I ran track in high school we used to use weight vests when practicing our starts off the blocks.

 

[Olas]

I've started exercising infrequently, which means roughly once a week for about an hour. I should be exercising more, but honestly even this is pretty good for me, and I don't want to push myself too hard and burn out like I'm prone to do.