started going to the gym, need advice

[Mark_88]

Example:

200 lbs x 12 = 2400
2400 x .2 = 480
2400 - 480 = 1920

Limit your calories to 1920 a day.

Hmmm, that's a pretty neat formula...only problem with it is it isn't accurate for some people...like myself...this is where resting heart rate is important and MVO2 measurements because it will define caloric consumption much more accurately...

As an example, if you have a high MVO2 (maximum volume of Oxygen uptake) you're likely to have a lower resting heart rate and so you can push the "acceptable Heart Rate limit" up or down a few beats (or as many as you're capable of) and this will affect where your body burns calories most effectively...

It doesn't have to be that complicated...and the formula will work for most people...only if you're blessed with an incredibly athletic body (as I was...lol) does it become an issue...

 

[goodie85]

i highly recomend creatine. it causes your muscles to retain a little water wich speeds up recovery and increases gains tremendously. back in highschool i wrestled and trust me that is easily the most strenous exersizes that exist so maby find out if there is a wrestling club in your area and see if you cant work out with them a few days a week. when i started wrestling in 9th grade i was about 230 and within the first couple weeks i was down to 210 and when i had my body fat tested to start it was close to 25 percent wich was terrible and the last time i was tested at the start of senior year i was down to 7.5%. and you got to remember muscles burn calories not fat so the more muscle you build the faster the fat will burn.

DONT EVER USE CREATINE.......EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! after 3 months of using that a kid on my hockey team had to take mustard shots before every shift so he wouldnt cramp up. then once he quit creatine the cramping stopped.....my trainer told me this will happen as well hence the reason i dont use it...and im gunna trust a trainer that trained sidney crosby and other pros in the NHL...

 

[JohnnyO]

Agree with the diet advice. I'm not sold on supplements either unless you need them to GAIN weight.
I got to be an F'n brute when I was in college and for a few years after and I never did more than eat right and take a Centrum every day. Which I still do, except I've moved up to Centrum Silver since I'm old now.
The soreness will go away after a few workouts.
Moderate carbs, moderate protein, low fat, no junk food, sugar, soft drinks, or candy. The sweetener in diet colas is bad for you too. I mostly drink unsweetened iced tea. In a lot of dishes that call for ground beef you can substitute ground turkey and never know the difference.

BTW, I turned 50 a few months ago and can easily pass for 35 to 40. Based on observation of other people in my family, here's my advice for keeping the age demons away.
Don't smoke.
Keep your weight down.
Drink a lot of water.
Don't drink a lot of alcohol.
Stay active.
Take vitamins.

.02.

 

[baxtej44]

WATER WATER WATER

all the supplements you will need at this point is a good multi vitamin (centrum works fine) and fish oil (not necessary, but great for heart health, etc)

your biggest supplement will be food. don't try any of these super restrictive diets (atkins for an example). you don't want to be wiping out any food groups, such as carbs or fats.

example foods
carbs:
oatmeal (great for you nutritionally ((fiber, healthy carbs)), make sure you get the non-instant kind as it has better nutrition)
whole wheat bread, pasta
sweet potato (try to stay away from the white ones)
quinoa

protein:
chicken
salmon
turkey
93/7 beef (if you have to, honestly wiping red meat out of your diet will help in the long run)
pork
tuna

fats:
cook with OLIVE OIL
seeds/nuts
fish oil (pills available)
advocado


if you can go to the gym 5 days a week, it would be best. look up a "5 day split" weightlifting routine to get great workouts

and also, for cardio - look up HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training), studies have shown that this form of cardio is superior to just jogging/running at a constant speed


one of the biggest things is get out there and do stuff. anything extra that you can do will help a ton! walking/biking to work, walking the dog, just taking walks/jogs for fun to see the area, playing a pickup game of bball with some friends, tennis, etc



the biggest thing is get more active, less sitting, and do stuff you don't normally do because your body responds to change the most!





*note* if you have an office job or if you're going to be spending time sitting, check for a stability ball and use that instead of a regular chair, it will cause you to work muscles the whole time

 

[BlackBII]

A lot of good advice, and a lot of bad advice.

What are you looking to do? Lose some fat? Get stacked? Get 'in shape'?

Knowing this will tell us what you need to do.

Creatine works, and is awesome.

Protein is only needed if you are on a diet that limits your protein intake.

Amino acids and multi vitamins are the only legal 'supplements' that will be worth taking, aside from Creatine, and a pre-workout, in the terms of a nitric oxide booster, like L-Arginine, which will improve vascular function and even erection quality for when you are in the bedroom.

As far as calories go, Jim provided the best formula. Reduce calories by about ~500 to lose 2 lbs a week.

As far as the actual training goes...this will vary alot, but remember, weight training on average can burn 4x the calories as say, jogging on a treadmill. There is no such thing as 'targeting' an area of a body to lose fat...so doing a million sit-ups will not get rid of belly fat faster.

I could go on and on...but what are your goals???

DONT EVER USE CREATINE.......EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! after 3 months of using that a kid on my hockey team had to take mustard shots before every shift so he wouldnt cramp up. then once he quit creatine the cramping stopped.....my trainer told me this will happen as well hence the reason i dont use it...and im gunna trust a trainer that trained sidney crosby and other pros in the NHL...

This will only happen if you do not drink enough water while taking creatine.

 

[kimcrwbr1]

Eat healthy weight training for 20 minutes three times a week light weights fast repetitions for mustle tone and speed, heavy weights slow reps for bulk. Always stretch good and use isometrics to loosen up. It is easy to overdo it at first so start out slow and work up a schedule where your tired at 20 mins with short breaks between tasks dont let your heart rate drop too far between. Swimming or a good brisk walk to begin with for cardio running is bad for your knees especially if your over weight. The most important part is food intake you can still eat just dont stop in at Mcdonalds on your way home from the gym subway is better. Let your body rest eat good food and drink alot of water. You can train for a marathon later first you need to lose the lard and bring your metabolism up.

 

[BlackBII]

light weights fast repetitions for mustle tone and speed, heavy weights slow reps for bulk.

This has been proven to be not true.

The idea is that doing high volume with low weight will burn more calories, making you lose fat, making you more 'toned'. This simply isn't true.

Training the muscle until failure, regardless of weight/reps, will force the muscle to rebuild itself, making it larger. Incorporating a variety of low/heavy and high/light will be the best way to put on muscle. Changing it up over time is the key.

Losing fat is all about burning calories. Building muscle is all about training it until it is forced to grow, in order to keep up with your training schedule. Remember, the more muscle you put on, the more calories you will burn everyday. X amount of muscle requires X number of calories to just stay alive and stay the same size each day, so having more muscle will increase your required calorie intake. This is where Jim's calorie guide starts to change....

 

[Mark_88]

I think, since they are just joining, their levels would be very basic and where to start would depend on what they want to achieve...goals as BBII put it...very important!~

So, supplements are not required and should not be used (my PROFESSIONAL opinion, lol) until advanced levels of fitness are attained...and goals have been established...

Just getting on a good overall body strength/tone workout would suit most people that have been otherwise couch-bound or limited physical activity...

I think we tend to overlook the fact that starting a work out can be intimidating enough without having the matter confused by too much information...other than thorough fitness evaluation and a medical clearance, that is...

 

[pontiac_fiero_g]

Creatine is all water weight, it doesn't make you strong. It makes you gain weight and it dehydrates you very quickly I took it in hs to.gain weight it worked but when I stopped taking it lost all the weight, weigh protein is the best it makes muscle and is healthy you drink it after you work out and you recover way faster

creatine does make you stronger if used properly. i used it to recover faster so that i could lift more weight and more reps and when i first started using it i gained 30lbs on bench in about 2 weeks, but you are right when you quit using it you could lose some of the gains. i dont think that whey protein is that helpful for the average american who eats plenty of protein to build muscle, now for a professional body builder they extra protein is definatly helpful.