Question about working out.

[gavkiwi]

so yeah, now that 2006 is upon us, im finally trying to shed some of this dam weight ive gained while having an office job for the last 3-4 years.

Im changing my eating habits (to healthier foods), going cold turkey on cokes, reg soda's. having a diet soda every now and then (once/twice a week).

Working out, using the stairs/avoiding the elevators at work.

Working out consists of riding 8-10miles 3 - 4 times a week on my bike...

BUT

im also wanting to build up my arms, get some definition showing. Im a pretty stocky build, but havnt really tried to apply myself much over the last 5 years to work on my arms and get some definition.

Does anybody out there have any tips or a link to a good forum/msg board about building up your arms...biceps/triceps etc, im a bit of a noob when it comes to that sort of thing....

cheers

Gav

[AtomSmasher]

I'd recommend picking up a set of dumbbells and a bench, you should be able to find a used set pretty cheap.

[spriggy]

'Track & Field' builds great forearms...

[SithMaster]

Might i suggest guitar hero its the upper body version of ddr.

[ChadTower]

Don't even really bother... focus on one goal at a time.  If you try to lose weight AND gain muscle you're probably putting too much on yourself unless you plan on devoting your entire life to it.

Lose the weight, then build the muscle, or vice versa, but doing both requires far more dedication than most people have to give.

[AtomSmasher]

Don't even really bother... focus on one goal at a time.

[ChadTower]

I understand that gaining muscle is A way to burn more fat.  I used to be a powerlifter.  The problem is that gaining muscle is counterproductive, during the process, to losing fat.

You cannot be anabolic and catabolic at the same time.  You would have to put the muscle on, then use your increased metabolism to lose more fat, in serial.  Trying to do both at the same time is almost always a recipe for failure.

[AtomSmasher]

I agree with that statement if you're workouts are geared toward muscle gain, but not if their geared toward fat loss.

[AtomSmasher]

Something else interesting I found:

A study in the International Journal of Sport Nutrition (8(3): 213-222, 1998) showed that 5 days a week of 45 min aerobic training for 12 weeks had no effect on body composition over dieting alone. Obviously even at these high levels of activity there is still a problem.

[ChadTower]

I am very knowledgeable about how the body works.

However, since you seem to have a handle on the situation, go with that.

[DrewKaree]

One simple thing I've found to help lose weight is drinking a ton of water, as in a gallon or more a day.  You'll lose a few pounds of water just from doing this in the first few weeks.

Anyone ever heard of hyponatremia?

* DrewKaree raises his hands.

Not this again   Coma, death, blah blah blah. 

MODERATE your water intake, and don't go overboard until you've talked to a doctor so your family has someone to sue if you drink yourself into a coma.

[AtomSmasher]

One simple thing I've found to help lose weight is drinking a ton of water, as in a gallon or more a day.

[DrewKaree]

I'm not certain if you interpret "rare" to mean "unheard of and will never happen to you", but I don't.  I also think you missed the part where I said to moderate your water intake and don't go overboard until you've talked to a doctor.

It's flat out irresponsible to say that something won't hurt him unless you're his doctor, and it's even more so when the potential problem that may be caused is DEATH!  I bring up something you've admitted you've NEVER heard of, and after reading a little on the subject, you feel confident enough to tell us "average" people shouldn't have problems with what you're saying, when you weren't even aware that there COULD be a possibly lethal problem with the advice you're dispensing.  Hyponatremia isn't the only issue that could result.  Distended bladder.  Heard of that too?  Can also be caused by excessive water intake.  These AREN'T the only 2 things that can happen, so STOP arguing a point because you THINK it's insignificant.  You've got NOTHING to base your ideas on other than your interpretation of "rare" and who you THINK will be affected.

I don't care WHAT you feel the odds are about your advice being possibly lethal or not, the fact that it COULD even happen isn't a debatable issue (and to clarify, "rare" DOES NOT mean "won't ever happen", and "rare" DOES NOT specifiy what level of fitness will be affected) , whether you "feel confident" about it or not.  It DOES happen, it COULD happen, and unless you're a doctor, DON'T tell people to increase their intake of ANYTHING because "there's no way it could hurt them". 

The first thing that should EVER be recommended for someone is to talk to their doctor and get specifics about what their doctor believes is ok for them to undertake.  Exercises, reps, form, FINE!  Anything else, you might as well tell him it's ok to fiddle around his monitor and don't even worry about that anode cap.  After all, it's "rare" that he'd ever kill himself

[AtomSmasher]

Damn dude, alright, water bad. Apparently you know a lot about this illness.  gavkiwi, you better keep drinking your cokes until you speak with a doctor.  I can't imagine how a gallon of water could hurt a full grown adult, especially since drinking 1/2 to 2/3 of a gallon is considered the minimum amount of water one should drink a day, but apparently it can.

The first thing that should EVER be recommended for someone is to talk to their doctor and get specifics about what their doctor believes is ok for them to undertake.

[gavkiwi]

Well first of all thanks for all the replys.

second, I hate water, I despise it. There is no way in hell I could drink a gallon of soda in a day, let alone water.

In saying that, i am growing partial to Bottled water as oppose to water out of the tap/faucet...it tastes less metallic.

also, my doctor has given me the go ahead for some bike riding, the main reason for riding a bike is to me its alot more fun than runnning/jogging, and I dont really like the impact on my knees from Jogging.

as for now, ive got to get my mountain bike serviced and get my digital speedometer fixed, im also thinking about joining the local rec' ctr near my house and doing some sort of water aerobics/work out with free weights.

again thanks for all the info, the biggest thing ive found soo far is that im always feeling hungry, im basically halving what I ate before, its not the greatest feeling in the world, but ive got to cut back on my portions of food that I intake.

cheers

Gav

[ChadTower]

Dude, to kill yourself with water, you're talking about so many gallons that it would be difficult to manage without a funnel while you're standing in front of a urinal.

[DrewKaree]

Dude, to kill yourself with water, you're talking about so many gallons that it would be difficult to manage without a funnel while you're standing in front of a urinal.

There's more than a few cases where alcoholics can develop this problem without even knowing about it because they continue to beat their kidneys up and reduce their efficiency.  "Starting fresh" in the new year could quickly and easily cause the problem with very little water intake.  It's been theorized that blackouts while drunk could be a symptom of this as well.

I'm not saying it IS going to happen to him, I just think it's irresponsible of us to tell someone to up their intake of anything unless we happen to be a doctor, and even then, if we're not THAT person's doctor, we could cause them more harm than good, and anything with a potenial to cause death shouldn't just be thrown out there without knowing that there's something potentially lethal that could arise due to that advice.

Think about it.  For all we know, the guy could weigh 400 lbs, get drunk every night to the point he almost passes out, have 2 or 3 arteries looking like a soda straw with sand packed in it, and he thinks "I just have to lose those 10 or 15 lbs" because he thinks that'll jump start him on the road to weight loss and is too ashamed to state that he SHOULD lose 150-200 lbs.

There's far too many variables to give someone advice about his intake of any substance unless medically qualified, which thus far doesn't seem to be any of us.  It's not like cutting out a CP or something, and even in those instances, people still tell of the dangers of MDF dust.  I just don't want someone to get seriously effed up, because they may never get the chance to tell us what went wrong with what was suggested to them here.

[ChadTower]

Well, to that end, it's irresponsible of us to tell him to keep breathing.  For all we know he could be sitting in a room full of hazardous gasses.

[gavkiwi]

FWIW, im around 218 right now, should be ideally at around  185lbs or so.

Thanks for everyones concern   

Gav

[Zakk]

Gav, these guys are a bit twerky at times.

[ChadTower]

That's pretty much the key right there.  The guy, like most people, are looking for "what is the best I can do" without considering that there is NO WRONG ANSWER.

Get out and get active regularly = better you.

Just do something, anything, more than you do now, and you'll win.  It is that simple.

[Zakk]

Heh, yeah I hear you, but the thread went south, and I think someone drowned or something. So i thought I'd get it back on track a bit.