I'd say give up on the curls and focus on Chinups/pull ups. That way you don't only hit your biceps but also your back as well



Congrats tho on the weight loss and stick with your diet!



Hard to imagine what a difference hard work and a little time can make.

Welcome allison.



Diet is key. First challenge i'd give is to write everything you eat for a week or two (and drink) down. How much and then look at calories consumed, protein, fat and carbs.



From there get in some cardio (don't push it too hard or fast) on the eliptical. Running would be too hard on your knees at this weight. Once your down about 50lbs it won't be near as bad.



Mix in some weight lifting. By adding some muscle you'll burn more calories and also start to grow/tone. This isn't a bad thing. People forget that muscle is a good thing. Ask all the older folks who wished they had developed sad.

I can tell ya blour but first i'll need your social, pin # and mothers maden name...



I've gone to less 'crunches' per say and more to core exercises that I really feel. Pallof press, log chopping, Cable backhands, Ball thrusters, bridges (prone and side), weighted pushups or inverted rows with weight on the core, those kinds of things where keeping your core tight through the whole time is key.



I did the 200-400 crunches/leg raises a day in HS for polevaulting and i'd like my 10-30minutes back please for each day...

Got to agree with Rachael.



Don't waste money on any 'weight loss' suplliments.



Best advice is exercise, eat right, and take a multi vitamin. Sure you can take a few 'extra' like flax/fish oil, or what not to help with recovery but there isn't a 'magic pill'.



Save that cash, buy some good protein powder and take 1-2 drinks a day for a better you.

<-- Just happy I can BW+weight chinup...



As for grip stuff doing Dumbell lunges helps too. I carry 45+ and by the 3rd set of 8 for each side my grip is startin to get tired... would almost start having to do farmer walks

I'd try chalk but Gym just doesn't like it.



I do some grippers after my deadlift days back in the office and a few thor hammer's... so trying to build it up.



I lost alot of strength in the 4-6 weeks I laid off... used to be able to close my 250lb gripper with a little work... now the 200 is tuff as I hadn't touched those for almost 5 months.

Glad to see see some good info from folks.



Rachel - Doing the weights between your Tri's what type of lifting are you doing? Not a big fan of them but since Tri's require good endurance you might look at time based movements (squating for 1 min or so). I think you would do best to stay with the big lifts (squats/deadlifts/glute ham raises) and focus on those legs.



Bour - Thats some nice #'s and some good goals. If I hit those around 3 years of solid training I'd be pumped. I did BW+60lbs for my max chin and was amazed since last year I struggled to do 3 @ BW alone. For your Deadlift/squats u using gear or just raw? I'm raw here and would think I'd almost need straps for that kind of weight on the deadlift.



CM - Protect those shoulders! Gluck with the 5 day a week plan. I felt best doing 5 days a week.



Mikeala - running i'd focus on some shldr work. It helps with your running to have that solid upper body for moving those arms. Core work what are you doing? Could try some cable woodchopping, reverse crunches, ball thrusters and more to work on core/abs a bit differently.



Dan -amazed to see 8 years straight. What do you think has led to the shape you experience now with that kind of reguiment? Have you been focused on plans for goals during those workouts or just randomly doing stuff? Haven't done the full body workouts before. I know there is always mixed opinions on them but how have they been working for you?

Well if your having shoulder issues I'd say do some reading by eric cressey. He has alot of good articles on exercises to to help strengthen troubled shoulders, hips, etc.



If their hurting that bad and depending on how much time you have you could do a chest workout on say Monday and a shoulder workout on Wed or thursday to give them a little rest.



Depending on how much time a week you can give would really play a part as well as what your goals play into LGN has usually a 'mixed' amount of weights for toning & muscle mass, while the cardio helps to speed the burning of calories to strip the fat and show the muscle.



Remember that the diet is key also in reaching LGN.



I would like to see at least one day of legs tho in your workout.

Could do

Mon = Chest, Tricep

Wed = Legs

Fri = Back/Biceps/Shldrs



Would leave cardio for Tue/Thursday.



Gluck and let us know how it goes



Also remember to take before/after pictures & measurements. This helps give a visual and physical ability to measure whats working or not.

Thought I'd make a post and ask a few questions on those of us out here weight lifting.



1. Are you doing weight lifting as the main part of what you do or as a suppliment to say more cardio based.



2. Whats your current goal for weightlifting/why are you doing it?



3. What is your current maxes if you max out?



4. What training program are you currently following?



5. How long have you been doing weightlifting on a regular basis?



6. Anything else you feel like throwing in.



---------------------------

I'll start:



1. Mainly weightlifting for strength and LGN (Looking Good Naked).

2. Goal is to bench 305lbs & 225lbsx10 Consistently, Squat 500, Deadlift 450+

3. Bench 270, Squat 445, Deadlift 365

4. Eric Cressey's Maximum Strength

5. 1 Year as of this month.



I noticed we don't talk much about our weightlifting stuff and that alot of people ask questions all the time. So I figured why not gather some of us who do it. Sure we'll have different opinions and ideas on whats best but we all have to remember that some people respond differently to programs.



I think we have a decent core of folks who can help those who want to get into weights more. Today at the gym I showed a 65 year old woman a few exercises and though we did mainly body weight stuff, she realized her legs are not as strong as she thought they were. Sure she runs 4miles multiple times a week but she didn't realize the difference between strength and endurance. I was just glad to help

At one point (April) I had hit 305 once, and managed to do 225x10 one day (felt great both of those days). Sad thing is month of June I really missed about 4-5 weeks straight of lifting. Hadn't hit it as hard as I had hoped/wanted.



I did the 5x5 for a bit and enjoyed it. Had a little shoulder pain for a bit, so have moved to the Maximum Strength program. My shoulder feels great and I'm actually alot more flexable in some of the tighter spots I had before.



Yeah my deadlift/squats has always been flip flopped. It blows so many people away to see that. Form is an issue and I am really trying to change the way I perform it. I'm shooting for a 450lb deadlift by the end of the 16 week program.



If I ever think of it I'll bring a camera and video my deadlift to look at my form.

Started back working out last year in Nov.



When I started I was at 182 with 20%-22% body fat.



My Max lifts @ the time were

Bench 205

Squat 305

Deadlift 245



I maxed out 4 weeks ago before I started the program I'm on now and with 1 year of training (hard first 6 months, slacking last 6 months)



Bench 270

Squat 445

Deadlift 365



I'm up to 192-193 with about 16% or so Body fat (dang i'm to lazy to run more) and feel like a totally different person. Its hard to imagine lunch times and not working out during them.



I might post some pictures again if I think about it but http://www.traineo.com/14_5846_0.html is link to my 6 month pictures.



Just felt amazed I've been at it a year and wanted to shout out to keep it up if you feel down about staying at it.

I find that my foodbill is cheaper to buy and eat healthy vs going out to eat and not...



I buy chicken breasts and for 7-10$ for a 5lb bag i get a weeks worth of meals out of it. Fruit is what fruit is, buy frozen, save and do that if you can. If you need fresh its the price we pay (Or grow some if u can).



Bread & Milk, i go through a gallon a week and a loaf a week.



Eggs I buy a 2.5 doz and save that way.



I would be interested in what your spending for certain items that looks high.

<-- agrees.



More Legs, more compound lifts.



Guns = 'nice' but don't spend to much time working out on them.



Do the 5x5 set Bour recommends. Its a great program for both beginners and intermediates.



And if you 'feel' like u have something left in the tank after doing your workout spend 10 mins or less on the corresponding muscle for your arms (Tri's on bench/push days, biceps on back/pull days).

I cheat and just copy/paste my profile info



Was a really ruff day tho catching up on 2 days of lifting into one (all in 1 hour of lifting to make my lunch break only 1 hour and 20 mins.



10/31/08 Friday Lunch Week 3 Day 3 & 4 Mix



Deadlift from Knees

275x4x6



Bulg Split squats

50lb dbells x4x6



1arm Dbell Press

55x6x6



CLose Grip Chins

BW+25x4x6



Pushups

4x10



Dbell Rows

60x4x8



Week got ruff with Tuesday getting me out of wack workout wise. So had to combine day 3 and 4 with some changes.



No front squat as no way really to do them outside of dbell's.



Didn't get a few of the core exercises done during lunch. Will have to do them tonight.



RUFF RUFF workout as I had alot of volume and really pushed it hard. Sweatin like a pig (probably smell like one too) and really felt I pushed it well considering the time constraints.

Let me know how it goes Bour.



It was an interesting diet. Just can't see plunkin down 700$+ for their stuff for it.



I'd almost try the metabolic choco drive just to see how bad they can be... was a point where I was eating tuna, eggs, milk & protein shakes in the office every day. Funny thing was my visitor count went down real low.

Bought my F11 on Ebay a while back. Almost 2 years old and works great still..

Just factoring int the cost of cig's vs health costs, meds and more



Welcome and stay healthy and active!

Minute or so of pushups shouldn't matter.



Tell them your just getting the blood flowing to help you think better so you can make sure you send your TP report in with the right cover sheet.

Grats and looking good Keep it up!

People are talking about two types of soreness:



Sore but functional - Slight discomfort, tender muscles, and the 'tight' feeling. Able to move but feels slower. NO real pain but your not feeling 100% (maybe 75%).



Sore non functional - Muscles are totally wore out. Unable to move, but no real pain other than tenderness when pushing on the muscle. Lots of lactic acid probably in muscles.



If you suffer from the first type you can still work out. You shouldn't try to do any maximul lifting but provided that you maintain proper form you will be fine.



The 2nd type shouldn't be anything more than some easy walking, jogging, swimming or stretching. Some good foam rolling or a massage will all help with the ridding of the lactic acid. Drink alot of water.



If the soreness you feel is worse (bruising, inflamed, swelling) i'd go look at a doctor and stop all forms of exercise until cleared.



Hope this helps

Wow.. 1000 calories is bad bad bad.



@ 185 you should normally probably eat about 2000-2500 (simple numbers there is more details to be checked on based weight/size/activeness/etc).



When dieting I almost NEVER recommend going below 1800 for most guys with 1500 being the cut off point. Below that and you'll enter starvation mode where everything you eat gets stored, and your body will start to break down muscle to feed itself. So you lose that Lean Body mass and start to gain fat.



I'd eat 1800 for 2 days, then go to like 2100 for a day, then back to 1800, etc. Give your body that cycle to break it out of its rhythem. Following that you should start seeing some results in a few weeks.

Just as an example for ya David here is my success.



Nov 07 182 @ 20% BF

May 08 194 @ 16% BF (was lower but i'll be safe on #'s)



12lbs gained in 'easy' view for 6 months



However it went beyond that.



182 @ 20% BF = 145.6lbs Lean Muscle 36.4lbs Fat

194 @ 16% BF = 163 lbs Lean Muscle 31lbs Fat



So in 6 months i gained 17+lbs of muscle while losing 5+lbs of fat.



I ate CLEAN (VERY CLEAN) and worked out 5 days a week for the most part. Its possible just takes work.



Since then I have maintained as I don't eat like that anymore and don't train like that for the most part.



I'm going to start doing 4x's a week on a 16 week program and will monitor my food intake but my goal isn't bulk as much as losing some more fat. We'll see how that goes



http://www.traineo.com/14_5846_0.html



Link to forum that had pictures (can't see at work) so not sure if their still there.

Gratz! Keep it up!

Few questions.



How old are you?

How much time do you have to dedicate to proper lifting?

How dedicated are you to making sure you eat right 100% of the time?

What is your final goal? Strength? Mass Size? Sports? Looking good Naked?



These questions play what kind of lifting you should do and what you should really expect gain wise from the program you follow.



IF and this is a BIG IF, you eat right, train hard, and all goes well you could get 25lbs of muscle (good stuff vs bad) in the 1st year. Provided your new to lifting and work hard that won't be 'too' tuff. Some gain more, some less but 25lbs is safe.



Year two is going to be tuffer. 10-20lbs is another safe bet but again its hard to gain just muscle (you can add fat easily as Angie said).

Tina where did you come up with the 1400 calories? Is there a calculator your using based on height, weight, lean body mass?



Here's something fun.



3500 calories = 1 lb of fat ruffly.



You could exercise 4 days a week & burn 350 calories (easy number to hit)

That mean 1400 burnt. That leaves 2100 / 7 days = 300 calories cut from ones normal intake to lose 1lb of fat in a week.



Is that doable? Yes, but difficult. Add an extra day of working out and you gain some extra food. Drop a day and you lose some.



My parents did weight watchers many times and had hit or miss luck. Points are tuff measurements... calories are plain and simple.



Learning how to eat, what to eat, and when to eat can really help meet those goals



Gluck and hope my ramblinghelped some

<-- Was sick last week with stomach bug. Didn't lift for reasons listed above.



Need to recover physically and need to not spread germs on all the equpment you touch

By staying in shape, keeping your energy levels high, i'd say your better focused and that in turn will help during studying.



I found that when I took 'study breaks' in college and did some pushups/situps/whatever I came back able to study better and longer.



My 2 cents spend them how you feel.

Dreams do come true



I was just giving you a hard time



Was glad to see them hijack someone elses thread tho... dang spammers.

Rachel! Why are you bumping the post you OBVIOUSLY made a fake account for to promote your plan of taking over the world by the amazing sales you'll make from traineo...



Side note: I think i'm going to get involved on this whole make an account, post in bad english (I do that already) and try to get money...



Visit my store: www.sendmemoneyandgetnothingback.com

I don't mind when people have other ideas about what works best



Clifford's opinions are based on his experience. I base mine on mine.



Thats the other amazing part of weight lifting in how different people get different results. Yes there is a common thread but each body type does have its own reaction to workouts.





Like Cliff says I'm not a big fan of the 'ball' lifting. It does work some core muscles but at what risk? Your ankles/knees get put in stressful positions that may not be the best to have while lifting weights. I belive one can really work and develop the core without ever doing lifting on those balls (that require standing). I'll bench press on a ball ocassionally with dumbells and it works my core some.



I agree that what you find in 95% of most 'average' gyms are folks who come in and run, jog, cardio whatever. Most are not 'toned' and most still have that fat they can't seem to lose.



When people use weights, lift correctly, have a good plan and eat well, then you see amazing people with amazing results. I like to look at it this way.



If you lost all your fat and had 5-8% body fat (VERY LOW) what would you look like?

Scrawny & some muscles?

Slightly Toned with muscles?

Well developed with muscles?

Very Musclar?



I'd say most would be between the scrawny and slightly side. Its because they never develop the muscles outside of normal daily life.