Not sure what to do

[BC123]

Hey kids thanks for taking the time to look at this thread; i'm just after a bit of advice as to what to do in terms of diet and exercise based on how much I weigh and what I want to acheive.

Boring Backstory:

I'm male 19 years old & around 6 foot 2 to 6 foot 4 (havn't checked in the last few years) and weigh 82 kg (roughly 180 lbs). I've been overweight since I was 10 years old as I lost interest in running around then. Anyways I was gaining at least 10 kgs (22 lbs) or more each year since then & got up to 96 kg (211.2 lbs) when I was 16 years old.

Decided to start walking and eventually jogging as I used to get ripped on being called Cartman heh with cutting out a heap of junk food and got down to 83 kg (182.6 lbs) at the start of 2007; then went bat shit and got down to 74 kgs (162.8 lbs) in 3 months but eventually got back up to 82 kg due to a knee & back injury along with having to be on steriods for a month due to a weid rash on my chest (not herpies haha ).

Anyways even when I lost the weight & all my family and friends noticed; I wasn't doing the proper thing as I was hardly eating due to not being hungry (I had chronic fatigue in 2004 but got it really bad late 2006) and lost a bit of muscle mass as well as still having a fair bit of fat on me (its mainly in my gut & bum with a bit of some man bewbs action). I'm wondering if lifting weights and toning the rest is the best way to go (obviously with cardio) as 2 of my friends who lift weights are surprised I havn't due to my build (somehow I have large traps).

I'm guessing weights is the best way to go as a third of that weight loss was probably muscle as I feel super weak now; However although I have different sizes of free weights; I have no idea of how I should start up and begin to build muscle in my biceps, stomach, chest and the fat ass & to eventually turn the fat into muscle. It would be great if someone could direct me into a routine of what to do each day to start off and to build up from as I have absolutely no idea. I've been doing trial and error since 2006 and havn't worked it out =(

In terms of exercise I jogg on the spot for 45 minuets each day and take my dog for a 4-6 km walk 3 times a week. Also i'm not sure what I should be eating as i've completelly messed up my motabolism from hardly eating and drinking diet soft drink the past few years (I'll go days without eating until I feel hungry which isn't right).

Any help would be appreciated; i've obviously got no idea of how to properly lose weight and need some directions on how to get started and such.

Cheers,

Kevin

 

[Dougster]

Hi BC123

For a number of reasons I dislike the BMI standards, but putting that aside for the moment, even according to your you don't have a weight issue at all.

So, it seems you want to build muscle and burn body fat (fat doesn't turn into muscle btw, it gets metabolized or burned - adding muscle helps you burn calories and thus burn fat off).

--

Here are some general principles for weight training:

If you are relatively inactive or just starting a weight lifting routine, your first goal in resistance training is to simply build a base level of strength fitness from which you can work to reach more specific goals.

Eventually no matter what routine you settle on, you'll want to add to, change and "mix up" your resistance training for a variety of reasons. Mixing it up helps keep injuries at bay, keeps you from being bored and keeps your body from staying in a rut (hitting a plateau) for to long.

It's important when starting out to choose light to moderate weights mostly as it is exceedingly easy to injure yourself when lifting really heavy weights. In fact, injuries are probably the most common end result of people taking up weight lifting.

Weight routines should be made up of "sets" (usually 3-6 sets per session).

A "set" is a series of repetitions or "reps" of a given movement (like bench press or dumbell curl) of a particular exercise.

Between sets you rest from 1-2 minutes usually. "Rest" doesn't mean "a day off" (that's called "recovery"). Rest means the time you take between sets (usually from 1-2 minutes). The heavier you lift the longer the rest (up to 5 minutes for super heavy weights). Resting allows the muscle to reconstitute it's energy supply (ATP) for the next set and to get rid of things like lactic acid which inhibit muscle function.

A set normally consists of somewhere between 8 to 20 reps (or "rep max").

"Rep max" refers to how many repetitions you can perform in one set to the point of not being able to do even one more. That is called your point of "failure".

In general, the higher the weight (the more the resistance) generally means the lower the reps. This approach is best for building strength (strength building routines typically call for 6-8 reps max).

Lower weights allow you to do more reps and is good for building muscle endurance, burning calories, developing speed and power, and easing your way into heavier weight lifting. (I recommend 16 to 20 reps max for those starting out).

Moderately heavy weights (not extremely heavy) are good for body building. This generally means lifting about 8-12 reps as your maximum ability (ie you can't lift more than that many reps).

The first time someone takes up weight lifting they may be able to only manage one set of reps before they tank. That's fine. Shoot for at least 2 sets at first if you can. After a week or 2 you should be able to do 3 sets.

After a session of weight training, the general protocol is to take the following day as a recovery day - ie no lifting. "Recovery" means you don't lift the very next day after a session. You should strive for 48 hours minimum between weight training sessions. Recovery is the time your muscles repair and rebuild themselves called the "anabolic" phase. Without the anabolic phase, you cannot build muscle so the recovery time (aka days off) is extremely important.

As you progress in your strength training (generally adding 5-10 % weight every one to two weeks) even though your muscle tissues may be relatively strong and ready for heavier loads your tendons and ligaments may still not be ready for lifting heavier - not to mention a possible lack of neuromuscular coordination due to not enough lower intensity weight training. So keep that in mind when increasing your weights.

I am obsessed about not getting injured while lifting. You need to know the difference between stress and strain, between push and pain. If you don't know the difference, you WILL get hurt!

Any sharp pain (no matter how tiny) any pain in a joint that you are questioning or have doubts about at all and it is time to STOP. This is different than being stressed or tired or feeling "the lactate burn". KNOW THE DIFFERENCE, so many people don't and even I sometimes can't tell.

Always do warm up movements and then follow that up with warm up sets (lifting light weights).

If you don't warm up with low intensity movement before you start to "lift heavy" you will get injured. Warm, blood engorged muscles and more importantly tendons and ligaments are much more protected from injury and are much more ready for the stresses to come.

I strive always to be in control of the weight, no wobbles, no awkward levering or sudden swinging movements, and I try to keep the weight in close (to the center of my body mass) unless I am training specific muscles that require another type of motion (and then I am using lighter weights).

SUGGESTED BEGINNING ROUTINE:

1-3 sets of each - up to 6 sets per session later

~ Bench Press/Push Ups - 15 to 20 reps
~ Curls/Pull Ups - 15 reps for curls - what ever you can manage for pull ups
~ Bicycle Crunches/Sit Ups - 30 to 50 reps or more
~ Squats and or lunges - 30 or more if not using weights, whatever you can manage

You may not have needed all that info but there it is. Ive lifted weights for many years and seen a lot of strange stuff in the gym..,.good luck and if you can, study up on the topic because no one knows your body like you do.

Dougster