It depends what you are doing though. An exercise that only works cardio might raise the metabolism whilst you are doing it, but fall again once you have finished, creating more of a 'spike' in your routine; whereas doing weights for the same amount of time has an affect on your metabolism that can burn up to several days later, putting it in overdrive. I've found it effective to have a weights session on a friday afternoon, (being that i don't do anything on the weekend except drink and eat), because it burns all weekend. The best workouts are the ones that are part of the lifestyle, and is why the hard tradies are usually pretty fit, because they are working for half the day, which is how we were built. So, effectively 2 hours could be useless for too much bodies but great for others. I personally think that 1-1.5hr of mixed weights and cardio is plenty for results for most people, but if you really wanted to get the metabolism burning all day, maybe 2 or 3 sessions a day, short and sweet, with maybe weights in the morning to really kick start the metabolism and then a fat burning exercise at night to help get rid of unwanted energy stores. I've found personally that endurance and weight loss aren't necessarily the same thing, and that really, a lot of people are different and need different approaches. Unfortunately, most people can't spare 2 hours a day to exercise though.
Speaking generally about the majority of people, who work during the day, do normal things, etc etc, how many times a week ideally should one be aiming for? (keeping in mind what Rick has said about different types of exercise)
To be honest man i think it all depends on how fit you really want to be. You can't play guitar 3 times a week and expect to be as good as someone who does 5 times. Blokes like Jackman put in HOURS a day to look the way they do, so yeah, i'd say it depends on your goals. Healthy 2-3 times a week or 2-3 hours of moderate exercise i think is the guideline. I aim for 5 these days, or between 5-8 hours. It really comes down to discipline and sacrifice. Do you want to go out for beers on Wednesday nights or go to the gym? Normal is hard to define, because a lot of people who work 8-5 still make time for 1-2 hours a day in the gym. I'd say, generally, 3-5 times is what would aim for of moderate / vigorous / weights as well as some walking a week if you wanted results. If you were interested in say being and maintaining a boxing weight grade, and maintaining a certain skill level down the line, it may take more than that. That's mostly based on personal observation etc though. I know guys who drink beer every night, and box, and would see results from some walking and 2-3 sessions a week, so yeah, it's pretty hard to define. What are you trying to do?
That song's stolen straight from Team America, unless of course Team America stole it straight from there.
I just did legs and now I can't walk. God fucking damnit. I was still sore from Monday but my training buddy wanted to get me back for beating him yesterday, and legs are supposed to be his 'thing', while I've never actually done anything more than quads. I kept up with him until we got to calves, which I'm pretty proud of... Anyway, anyone got tips for easing the fucked up pain I'm no doubt going to be in for the next 2-3 days? I'm already on protein powder + heavy protein meals, do Deep Heat and the like do anything for muscles after weight training?
Haha, nice one man. When i was a bit bigger and in to it a bit more, i fucking LOATHED legs. I get really intense DMS, and can barely walk for several days after doing legs. Practical tips like avoid too much leg related strain (so don't fking run or jog), etc are obvious. Just hang about, it is the weekend after all. You shouldn't really exercise on sore muscles though, it will just take longer to heal. Legs are really important though, becuase they are majority of your muscle mass, and if you work them too, your metabolism will be much higher than someone who doesn't. I'd stick to lighter exercises for future times though, and build a slight resistance. In any case: Sit back, lounge around, get some carbs and protein into you, deep heat does help, though watch where you put it, and how close you put it to things, and take the pain!
You've got a few options here, you can go with the classics like Survivor - Eye of the Tiger or Burning Heart, or Bill Conti's 'Gonna Fly Now' (Rocky theme). Other options include You're the Best by Joe Eposito if you want more of a Karate Kid vibe, or if you're aiming to become the best superhero ever, maybe Trey Parker/Matt Stone's Now You're A Man. Use of the Team America montage music should avoided and saved for special occassions.
Bumpin' dis because I want Rick to post about how much fun going to the gym with me is. A good piece of advice is to stick with it, it can take awhile to see results but when you do, you feel like a million bucks. I've been going for about 2 months now and I feel so much better, both physically and mentally. The effect it's had on my self esteem is pretty awesome, and the feeling you get when you notice how far you've progressed is kickass. Whether it's lifting more, running longer, or doing more reps.
Haha, nice one Zen. Well, considering i don't Wenda around here anymore (!), i thought i would go through and highlight some points that might be relevent to what we are doing now. You can read through the rest of the forum, you lazy bastard.
http://www.smh.com.au/news/sport/bodybuilding/2009/05/19/1242498740793.html "Bodybuilding championship cancelled as contestants flee when anti-doping officials show up"
Swap your chair at the computer for a gymball. No, seriously. I have a chronic back condition, so core muscles are a must. Over the years, I have found that I recover much faster from any down-time due to my back playing up, by constant use of the ball. Because it keeps everything moving, and you are using all the right muscles. But you must adopt correct posture when using it, or you are wasting your time. As for major strengthening, like say in the gym, I am sure some of the other guys could answer that better than me. I am very limited in my workouts at the gym, due to my back.
