Bodybuilding & Lifting

[Barmacral]

Re: The guy swimming the English Channel - Temperature would have played a role in that too, not just the swimming. Channel water is generally cool or cold and the body has to expend extra energy keeping you warm. You can use this for weight loss benefit too, have a 20 minute ice bath a couple times a week and you'll see a difference. For about 3 weeks I tried having ice cold showers in the morning, but I gave up quickly because they were miserable and I didn't see any particular difference in my weight loss. This may be related to the very short time that I was willing to subject myself to the cold water though.

 

Re: Nerdfitness - Amazing site, I highly recommend. Super friendly community. I'm on their forums as Barmacral as well and have been semi-active for about 2-2.5 years.

[SinisterDeath]

Re: The guy swimming the English Channel - Temperature would have played a role in that too, not just the swimming. Channel water is generally cool or cold and the body has to expend extra energy keeping you warm. You can use this for weight loss benefit too, have a 20 minute ice bath a couple times a week and you'll see a difference. For about 3 weeks I tried having ice cold showers in the morning, but I gave up quickly because they were miserable and I didn't see any particular difference in my weight loss. This may be related to the very short time that I was willing to subject myself to the cold water though.

 

Re: Nerdfitness - Amazing site, I highly recommend. Super friendly community. I'm on their forums as Barmacral as well and have been semi-active for about 2-2.5 years.

Definitely. Being outdoors in the cold, you can easily expend 5-15,000 calories a day. <_<

[Tyler Glembo]

So, some misinformation in the thread so far but I'm not going to be bothered to address much, mostly because I don't care that much.  AJ's workout is legit. 

 

One thing I want to mention is the argument that either cardio or weight training is better for losing weight. For the average person weight training and cardio will cause equal weight loss, however you will lose more fat with weight training while retaining more lean mass.  Check the study that followed weight training v. cardio v. no exercise and compared Resting Metabolic Rate and Fat Free Mass: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9280173

 

As for keeping the weight off, though, we have to begin talking about getting to leaner body masses.  Check this study: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10204826

 

Of course, don't slouch off while weight training.  If you're not breathing hard and sweating during your weight training you aren't going hard enough. 

 

Finally, there is a question of how to build muscle versus strength.  I don't have the paper in front of me but there was a study done using FMRI results on different methods of weight training.  The results were this: if you want to build more muscle, do every set until failure.  Doesn't matter if you do light weight or heavy weight, just go till failure and you will build muscle mass.  However, if you want to build strength, you must do heavy weight and go until failure. 

 

Also, if you want to build strength/muscle then using a pyramid scheme in training (either full, upside, or downside) has been proven to build strength more quickly than doing a flat scheme.  E.g. Do 4 sets where you do 12 reps first set, increase weight so you can only do 8 reps next set, increase weight so you can only do 6 reps, increase weight so you can only do 3-4 reps (or do that in reverse order starting heavy).  Proven to build more strength over time than just a flat 5x5 scheme.

 

As for weight training personally, this is how I got to my 300lb bench: http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/randy14.htm

 

During that time I also got to a 405lb squat, a 400+ Deadlift, doing pull-ups with 80lbs attached, and doing dips with 135lbs attached.  I worked out 5-6 days/week and can give people my workouts if anybody asks.  My body weight at the time was about 185lbs and I'm 6'1".

[SinisterDeath]

 

So, some misinformation in the thread so far but I'm not going to be bothered to address much, mostly because I don't care that much. AJ's workout is legit.

 

One thing I want to mention is the argument that either cardio or weight training is better for losing weight. For the average person weight training and cardio will cause equal weight loss, however you will lose more fat with weight training while retaining more lean mass. Check the study that followed weight training v. cardio v. no exercise and compared Resting Metabolic Rate and Fat Free Mass: http://www.ncbi.nlm..../pubmed/9280173

 

As for keeping the weight off, though, we have to begin talking about getting to leaner body masses. Check this study: http://www.ncbi.nlm....pubmed/10204826

 

Of course, don't slouch off while weight training. If you're not breathing hard and sweating during your weight training you aren't going hard enough.

Fun thing about this topic is, you're always learning new things. (Specially over time!)

It also allows a person to better articulate what they are attempting to get across.

 

As you point out, you 'slouch' while weight training, you won't see positive results. I still see 'heavy breathing & sweating' as 'cardio'. Anything that gets your heart rate up is.. really. We all probably already know the benefit of losing weight & gaining muscle at the same time.

 

So it seems when it comes to 'weight loss' and 'maintaining weight loss' you have '3' things to always keep in mind.

Diet

Building Muscle

Cardio

 

And there is benefit to not doing the same exercise to often, to long.

I.. really can't remember where the hell I read it.. They had one of those 'buzz words' to go with it. (Not muscle confusion either... though that is semi-related)

It has a lot to do with your body becoming more efficient at burning calories.. It's why an 'office worker' and a 'construction worker' can burn the same amount of calories doing two wildy different things... It's also why some long distance runners burn fewer calories then you'd think... often not even hitting that 'wall'. (Meaning they are only burning the calories they ate before the big run!)

 

Course due to human evolution; the human body is remarkably efficient at cardio. So we actually burn less calories doing cardio then you would think... It's why a person only on cardio, has to exercise longer and more often to have the same weight loss as someone on weight training!

[Tyler Glembo]

Plateau effect might be what you're looking for.

 

And I associate sweating and heavy breathing with weight training *almost as much as with cardio.  Equally so when you try to stay in the "fat burning zone" while doing cardio.

[SinisterDeath]

Plateau effect might be what you're looking for.

 

And I associate sweating and heavy breathing with weight training *almost as much as with cardio.  Equally so when you try to stay in the "fat burning zone" while doing cardio.

No, I don't believe so. bleh.. I hate when I remember the results of a study but not where I read it! >_<

It was comparing calories burned under a sedentary lifestyle, versus that of someone who exercised regularly.. I believe one of the results was that someone who did the same exercise all the time. (like 40 minutes of eliptical 4 days a week) burned the same calories as someone who is sedentary. So this might be what is referred to as the 'plateau' effect, but the science behind it has another name... I think. ><

 

(Course its like muscle confusion has real science behind it. But shouldn't be confused with the marketed version which is just trying to sell you their exercise method.)