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Thread: Weight training & diet advice needed.

  1. #1

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    Question Weight training & diet advice needed.

    I used to be very strong and fit - similar to Linda Hamilton in Terminator 2 - but when I wasn't paying attention I got really fat. Since January I have dropped 14 kilos (about 31 pounds) and three dress sizes but I wasn't exercising and I've lost quite a bit of muscle, too.

    For the past two weeks I've been working out five times a week. I walk every day, do "Callanetics" twice a week and do a (light) weight work-out three times a week at home. However, I don't feel quite right and I think something is missing from my diet. (BTW, my diet is mainly fruit & veg, wholemeal bread / pasta, brown rice, non-fat soy milk, tofu, plus various nut-butters, olive oil & vegan margarine and occasional sweet-treats like low-fat vegan ice cream.)

    So the questions are:
    1. How much protein do I need?
    2. I only have some dumbells - I can't afford to join a health club atm. So is there a way of doing lat exercises at home?
    3. Can anyone recommend a book or offer any other advice?

    Thanks in advance.

  2. #2
    Wishin986's Avatar
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    Default Re: Weight training & diet advice needed.

    PM Bodybuilder - he's the expert on that on this forum
    "An outside enemy exists only if there is anger inside."
    - Lama Zopa Rinpoche

  3. #3
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    Default Re: Weight training & diet advice needed.

    Crap - I just wrote a long post and then lost it!

    Basically, go to www.veganfitness.net - because they have lots of experienced vegan sports people and bodybuilders on there.

    Also - anywhere between 0.75 - 2 grams of protein per KG of bodyweight will be recommended. I personally thinkt that 1g per KG of bodyweight per day would suit your needs.

    Glen

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    Default Re: Weight training & diet advice needed.

    Add beans. Add a B12 supplement. Make sure you are not overdoing the training - you will not get stronger if you do not let your body recover between weight sessions in particular. Try lifting heavier weights for shorter training sessions. Can advise on training equipment without knowing where you train at home; e.g. do you have a garage? If so, a barbell and squat racks, possibly with some sort of squatting stands will be enough. A chinning bar is also a good idea if you are able to do one or more chins.

    Take it slowly and steadily without running yourslef into the ground. You will need to be careful with this since you are clearly on quite a restrictive diet, since you have lost a lot of weight quite quickly, about which: congratulations!

    Cheers

    Mike

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    Default Re: Weight training & diet advice needed.

    I am a certified personal trainer and a vegan. First, if I had to recommend one book to give you the most bang for your buck with an at home workout, it would definitely be Core Performance by Mark Verstegen. Mark runs the finest training center in the world where he trains elite professional athletes as well as olympic athletes. His book is fabulous, easy to read and will give you workouts you can be doing at home. The only negative to his book is the nutrition section which I would ignore.

    Protein is an overrated component of weightlifting. True, if you wish to be a competitive body builder, protein supplements and the like are necessary. But to get into great shape and to look extremely fit and muscular, I can tell you with 100% certainty that the muscle magazines etc have it all wrong. On an ideal vegan diet, based on whole plant foods, you should get 40 to 60 grams of protein per 1000 calories. This is more than sufficient to build muscle.

    Plus, while you are losing weight, your body is burning it's own fat for energy. This fat is protein sparing --- meaning that you will not be using up protein for energy/calories, instead it will be used mainly for recovery and muscle building. Once you reach your goal weight, to continue to build muscle, you will have to increase your healthy fat intake in the form of nuts, seeds and avocados. These high protein foods are also high in fat, and will continue to provide you with the calories and protein sparing needed to continue to build muscle if you wish.

    I am very familiar with the usual advice stated earlier: ("0.75 - 2 grams of protein per KG of bodyweight will be recommended."). This is the advice offered by most trainers, and is the advice I learned while becoming a certified trainer. While this is fine for building muscle, it is not necessary nor is it health or longevity promoting. The way I suggested above is the healthiest way to gain muscle and lose fat.

    It would be helpful if you posted a typical day of eating for you, so I can see what the diet looks like.

    If you have more questions for me, I'd be happy to answer on this forum or through a pm.

    Best,
    Josh

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    Default Re: Weight training & diet advice needed.

    Thank you all very much.

    Glen - thanks, I just had a quick look at the website and it looks great. (I'll go back when I have more time.)

    Michael - I don't have a garage; I train in my loungeroom atm. Hopefully when I move house (later this year) I'll have more room. And I used to be able to do chin-ups ... but it's going to be a while before I can again. Thanks for your advice & the congratulations!

    Josh - thanks, I'll look for the book. My mind went blank when I tried to think of a typical days food intake so I'll write everything down for a couple of days then post it here to get your opinion.

    Thanks again for all the help & encouragement.

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    Default Re: Weight training & diet advice needed.

    Quote j&k
    It would be helpful if you posted a typical day of eating for you, so I can see what the diet looks like.
    For two days I noted everything I ate - so this is fairly typical.

    Wednesday.

    Breakfast: 2 slices of wholemeal toast with peanut butter. Cup of *coffee.

    Mid morning: small apple juice.

    Lunch: veggie burger (bread roll; 98% fat-free lentil & vegetable burger; “lite” vegan margarine; 97% fat-free vegan mayo; lettuce).

    Mid afternoon: 2 Oreo cookies & cup of *coffee.

    Dinner: apple & orange plus a handful of mixed nuts.

    Thursday.

    Breakfast: 2 slices of wholemeal toast with tahini & 100% fruit spread (no cane sugar). Cup of *coffee.

    Mid morning: nothing.

    Lunch: steamed veggies & vegan sausages (cooked in a teaspoon of olive oil).

    Mid afternoon: 2 Oreo cookies & cup of *coffee.

    Dinner: fruit salad & 97% fat-free vegan “ice cream”.

    Please note: I work at home and try to have my main meal at lunchtime. It’s winter here now, but in summer I eat more fruit and salads.
    I drink water throughout the day.
    I just found out that Oreo’s are vegan so they are a bit of a novelty atm.
    And the *coffee is made with a non-caffeinated coffee substitute; non-fat soy milk; no sweetener.

    I would appreciate any imput / advice.

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    Default Re: Weight training & diet advice needed.

    Hi Nest. OK, the question is how far down the road of health do you wish to go? I can take you all the way down to the diet that performed the best of any controlled study ever done in terms of immediate and long-term weight loss, which I also believe happens to be the healthiest diet you can possibly eat.

    Or, we can go a few steps back. Tell me what you wish to see, and I'll give you that.

    Looking at your diet currently, I can say it is not bad, but it is far from being ideal. First, you are not consuming anywhere near enough veggies during the day. You should be aiming for one pound of raw vegetables a day, consisting largely of green leafy vegetables (which are the most nutrient dense food we eat). But when you eat this, find a salad dressing you can enjoy that has little to no oil and little to no salt. Vinegars are a great dressing mixed with some all fruit jam. Also, you are not eating beans, which are essential for fighting off food cravings, and are also one of the most nutrient dense foods in existence. I'd like to see your lunch be a huge raw salad, with one cup of beans (either in the salad or on the side -- beans with no salt) be your big lunch meal.

    I'd also like to see you incorporate more fruit into your diet. You should have at least one fruit with every meal, and can easily have 5 fruits a day.

    I can go on if you wish once you tell me how healthy you wish to be. Just by cutting out salt, I wouldn't be surprised if you dropped 3 to 5 pounds in the first couple of days just from water weight.

    I'd also like to see you taking a quality nutritional supplement that fills the voids in your diet (e.g. b-12, d etc.)

    Best,
    Josh

  9. #9
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    Default Re: Weight training & diet advice needed.

    Quote Nest
    I've lost quite a bit of muscle, too.
    Hi Nest,

    If you have been muscular in the past, there is no need for you to fear. Whats happened now is you have just lost the mass. Your muscular definition is still there, but to put on mass you need a lot of protien. The bulk on the muscular definition will be visible if there is adequate intake of protiens. The best way is to avoid fatty foods but at the same time ensuring that you take protien rich diet like soya, beans etc.

    You will know you have lost fat. This is perhaps easy to observe with changes to your body, such as your veins being visible directly under your skin is an indication that you don't have much fat. This is healthy.

    For the past two weeks I've been working out five times a week.
    In my opinion this can be good or bad. Weight training for 5 days is bad. Its wrong to think that the more weights you lift on a daily basis the more muscle you gain. Please remember that your body needs to shape itself. So give it rest. Isolated muscle training is a good way to build mass. For example concentrate on maximum one or two muscular regions in a single session. Like Chest and Triceps is a good combination. Do a heavly work out. Go home and give your body a rest. It will develop. Next day you could probably do some warm up and basic cardios plus a different set of muscles.

    3. Can anyone recommend a book or offer any other advice?
    There are many books on Training. It looks like you want to build muscle rather than just fitness.

    I'd recommend

    Weider Book of Bodybuilding for Women by Joe and Betty Weider

    The New Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding : The Bible of Bodybuilding by Arnold Schwarzenegger . The book itself is pretty heavy and you could train using it. Well written and excellent presentation that will help you track your progress.

    You will find plenty of other books. There is sureley no dearth of fitness books.

    Hope that helps. Good luck.

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    Default Re: Weight training & diet advice needed.

    Hi Josh - thanks for sharing your knowledge. When I read your post I nearly had a fit at the thought of eating a pound of raw veggies per day - because I immediately imagined a kilo (2.2lbs) of veggies. I'm not as interested in a healthy diet as I should be but the salad will sound far more appealing when the weather warms up again.
    I don't actually know what to do with beans - aside from the "baked" variety - so I'll look for a good recipe book, and take your advice one step at a time. (I'll check how much salt is in the packaged food I eat, too.) And if you have the time & the inclination, I would be interested if you would post some guidelines about the "healthiest diet" anyone can eat.

    Hi Kiran - thanks. I can feel my muscles / body changing shape but beneath the fat. Oh well, so far, so good.
    I am careful about my exercise regime. I do weights (for the upper body) on Monday / Wednesday / Saturday & Callanetics (for the lower body mainly) on Tuesday and Friday.
    I went looking for books on weight training today actually (at the best bookshop in town) and all they had was "Weight training for Dummies" But on the upside, they are fantastic about ordering books in for me - I just wish I could see what I'm buying first though, because books are so expensive here. (Generally at least double the US rrp.)

    Thank you both again for your advice and encouragement.

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    Default Re: Weight training & diet advice needed.

    Woo-hoo! My housemate told me today that she can really see a difference in my arms, legs & shoulders! I can feel a difference but it's nice to know that one is visible too.

    BTW, I probably should have said that I'm not totally clueless about weight-training but I used to work out at a gym with state of the art exercise equipment - they had a machine for every body part - and now I only have dumbbells at home. That's why I'm a bit lost.

    Can anyone tell me how quickly it is "safe" to lose weight? Does that question make sense? It's just that I'm beginning to look like I'm wearing someone else's skin. (My skin hasn't caught up with my weight loss yet.)

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    Default Re: Weight training & diet advice needed.

    Nest,

    Here we go. This is a diet laid out by Dr. Fuhrman in his book Eat to Live. This is the only diet shown in medical studies to reduce cholesterol lower than cholesterol-lowering medication (medical journal Metabolism 2001). Here is a quote from his blog:

    "In fact, a recent study conducted by Dr. Sarter of USC (pending publication) revealed 63 people following my Eat to Live diet-style showed more weight loss, cholesterol lowering, and diabetic reversal than any other study in medical history. The average patient lost 52 pounds and they were followed for two years."

    So without further ado, here is the basic plan for the diet:

    1) 1 pound of raw veggies a day (focusing largely on the most nutrient dense foods which are raw leafy greens -- excluding iceberg lettuce for the most part).

    2) 1 pound of steamed veggies a day (choose two steamed veggeis that are either green leafy veggies or green vegetables like brocolli, green beans, artichoke, asparagus etc.)

    3) 1 cup of beans

    4) 4 to 6 pieces of high water content fruit a day (this does not include bananas for instance, although those can be used in moderation). Make sure you are getting lots of berries.

    5) Eat one ounce of nuts, seeds or half an avocado.

    6) Limit cooked starches, like squash, potato, sweet potatoes, grains etc. to three or so servings a week.

    6) Avoid concentrated calories, excess nutrients and refined foods. These include sugar, salt, white flour, oils, cheese and butter and margarines.

    That's basically it. The most important to one to watch out for is salt. Salt is in everything and you should really use none of it in your diet. Just take in the natural sodium from foods -- salt will halt your weight loss greatly.

    I would also recommend a high quality vitamin and mineral supplement to ensure you are getting all your nutrients (I take VITAFORCE from organichealthandbeauty.com). You can also take a vegan dha sold on Dr. Fuhrman's website. Other than those two, most supplements for you are probably unnecessary and a waste of time and energy.

    Here is a sample diet day:

    1) Breakfast - two to three pieces of fruit, served on some lettuce with a few raw nuts.

    2) Lunch - Huge salad with lots of good raw veggies, and beans. Piece of fruit. Don't use oil in the salad, instead use just vinegar or a fruit/avocado based dressing.

    3) Dinner - Another salad, and two steamed greens, more beans if you wish. Another piece of fruit or two.

    Try not to snack much inbetween meals -- if you need to snack, snack on raw veggies or fruit. You might detox for the first week or two -- that is normal You will get rid of what is called toxic hunger, which encompasses any feeling associated with hunger other than a pleasant sensation in the back of your throat which just makes foods taste better. Any sensation of stomach gurgles, pain, discomfort, etc. is toxic hunger that will go away with time.

    If you want more in depth menu ideas, let me know. You can expect to lose a ton of weight on this program. You may lose weight very quickly, but it is still safe because your diet is very nutrient dense -- meaning your body is still getting everything it needs. When you lose weight too quickly on other less healthy diets, that can develop into a medical issue.

    Hope this is helpful...and keep me in the loop!

    Best,
    Josh

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    Default Re: Weight training & diet advice needed.

    Thank you very much, Josh. That's great!

    Just a few questions.

    Is there something wrong with iceberg lettuce? What is DHA? Any particualr type of beans or are they all good? What about home-made coleslaw, (with low-fat vegan mayo)? I realise it's not fantastic but could it be included? Coleslaw is something my housemate & I both enjoy.

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    Default Re: Weight training & diet advice needed.

    Hi Nest:

    There is nothing wrong with iceberg lettuce. It is just not nearly as nutrient dense as other green leafy vegetables. What I did not say in the previous message is that the whole concept for this way of eating is that everything you eat should be nutrient dense. Anything that you eat that is not nutrient dense is wasted calories. The one thing that has been shown over and again to increase longevity is to reduce calorie intake. So, the best way to do this is to get the most bang for your buck with each calorie. In order from most nutrient dense foods, to least, is (1) green leafy vegetables; (2) green veggies; (3) fruits; (4) beans; (5) cooked starchy veggies; (6) nuts and seeds; (7) whole grains; and then much lower is all animal foods.

    DHA is the healthy fat found in fish that has been receiving so much press over the last few years. It does everything from reduce inflammation, lower heart attack risk, improve quality of skin, improve brain development, fights depression etc. Your body manfactures DHA from vegan omega three fatty acids like flax, avocado, nuts and seeds. But, your body does this at an inefficient rate of about 10%, and some people are much worse at this conversion than others. This is a large reason why some vegans feel better when they go back to eating fish (they are probably bad at converting omega 3 to dha). There is a vegan algae derived dha that is very high quality. But because DHA is unstable, the only one I recommend is from Dr. Fuhrman's website, because as of right now, he is the only one that keeps the product refrigerated in storage.

    All beans are good, just get a variety. Always strive for variety with all foods.

    Coleslaw is great to the extent it has raw cabbage. Raw cabbage is one of the most protective things you can eat against cancer. Indeed, the more cruciferous veggies you eat the better (e.g. cabbage, brocolli, watercress, cauliflower, kale, collard greens, chard, bok choy, turnip greens, brocolli sprouts etc.) Check to see how much salt, fat and calories are in the mayonnaise you are talking about. The cabbage will likely have about 30 calories per 5 or 6 ounces. If the mayonnaise has too many calories, you are turning a low calorie meal into a high one which will counter the point of the diet. Also make sure not too much salt. But, you can certainly use it in transition while getting adjusted, and if it is low in calories and salt and sugar, I have no problems.

    Here is the recipe for coleslaw on Dr. Fuhrman's site you may want to try. It's good, I've tried it:

    Dr. Fuhrman's Raisin Coleslaw
    Joel Fuhrman

    Serves:
    Preparation Time: 15 minutes

    Ingredients:
    1/2 cup raisins
    1/2 cup apple juice
    1/2 cup baked potato, skin removed
    1 teaspoon mustard
    1 tablespoon lemon juice
    4 cups cabbage, shredded
    2 cups carrots, shredded
    2 cups apples, peeled and shredded
    1/4 cup scallions, finely chopped
    1 cup beets, shredded (optional)


    Instructions:
    Blend or Vita-Mix the raisins, apple juice, potato, mustard, and lemon juice. Then mix with rest of the ingredients. Use this in place of a lettuce salad for lunch or dinner.



    If you have any other questions, let me know. Hope these responses were helpful.

    Best,
    Josh

  15. #15
    Is Vegan Want2BVegan's Avatar
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    Default Re: Weight training & diet advice needed.

    Hi Josh,

    I've been interested in following the Eat to Live diet, but drink coffee. About 2 weeks ago I tried to cut it out for 5 days, and I don't know if it was the withdrawal, mental or physical, but for 5 days straight I was extremely tired, moody and just a pain to be around (normally I'm very happy, bubbly etc)

    Do you think if I started this diet again, should I reduce my coffee, or just cut it out completely? I only have about a cup a day, with 2 sugar cubes and a bit of soy creamer.

    Thanks!!
    But for the sake of some little mouthful of flesh we deprive a soul of the sun and light, and of that proportion of life and time it had been born into the world to enjoy.
    Plutarch (in Moralia)

  16. #16
    Eating Wildflower's Avatar
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    Default Re: Weight training & diet advice needed.

    I just glanced through the posts and still need to read them fully - but I would recommend checking out www.veganbodybuilding.com for tips/info.

    I (try to) lift weighs regularly. One thing I have noticed as a female, is that some other females seem to be cautious about lifting heavy weights. I am not sure why, a few friends I have say they are afraid they will end up looking "bulky" like a professional body builder.

    I think this is absolute crap! First of all, it is hard to acheive the look that female body builder's have! Give them some credit, you can't possibly compare yourself to them unless you are REALLY trying to follow a simillar plan. Second of all, it can be argued to be difficult for women to gain so much "bulk" anyway, because of the role of testosterone in gaining muscle mass (I am not saying it is impossible, i am just saying you don't need to worry about it happening inadvertently). Third of all, I think natural female body builders look awesome! So why be afraid of acheiving such a wonderful look anyway?

    Anyway, it irritates me so much because i often recommend weight lifting to friends, they go home and lift 1.5 lb weights for 50 reps at a time and then wonder why they don't see any difference! i can't imagine 1.5 lb weights being right for anyone of good health - they are far too light! For god's sake, a bean burrito weighs about that!

    Anyway, if you are lifting at home, make sure you read up on how to do it with good form, and lift away with heavy weights. To gain muscle mass, you should be lifting heavy (within reason) weights and do low reps (less than 10-15). If you are able to do a high amount of reps, your weights probably aren't heavy enough.

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    Default Re: Weight training & diet advice needed.

    Want2BVegan,

    Hi! Sounds like typical detox from caffeine to me. The truth is, if you wish to do Eat to Live, but are simply unwilling to give up coffee, obviously I think you should do Eat to Live and have the coffee for now. You are far better off eating the healthiest diet possible while having coffee, then not doing it at all. But do try and cut out the sugar!

    But, if you want to do Eat To Live all the way, I would recommend giving up the coffee altogether. It will be a big change, and don't be surprised if you are detoxing some in the first week or two, but it is amazing how much healthier you will be and how much better you will feel when on the other side. If you have specific questions, or need further help, please ask me. I'd love to help you out!

    Best,
    Josh

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    Default Re: Weight training & diet advice needed.

    Wildflower:

    I looked through the link you posted briefly (www.veganbodybuilding.com), and I'm sure there is some good information on there. BUT, I would like to throw out a few cautions about info on this site:

    (1) Their diets may be optimal for bodybuilding, but they are not optimal for general health. Similarly, these diets are not at all necessary for the average person at the gym to see great results.

    (2) The lifting advice on this site seems geared to bodybuilders who wish to gain maximum muscle mass. I think the average person is far better off developing functional strength to be able to do daily activities (Whatever that is for the individual from gardening to mountain climbing), and to prevent injuries. Functional training will also give you the body that you long for, but without the disproportionate strength. The average person should strive for funcitonal strengh, appropriate flexibility, mobility in all three planes of motion, and appropriate cardio conditioning. Of course, if you wish to be a bodybuilder, then I am sure much of this advice is excellent.

    Best,
    Josh

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    Default Re: Weight training & diet advice needed.

    I'd agree with the Josh about teh caffeine withdrawal. Same thing happened to me. It almost made more irritable and fazed out than when I gave up cigarettes.

    I'd also agree with what he says about some of the bodybuilding site diet diet advice.

    I'm not sure what he means by functional training - different people mean very different things by it. And here's the real word of caution: there almost as many opinions about the perfect exercise and diet regime as there are people to have them. In the end you need to feel freee to experiment and find out what works for you, irrespective of what other poeple tell you is "perfect".

    I use a combination of bodyweight training and weights (the classic "olypmic" lifts) that I very much enjoy. And the ENJOYMENT is key if you are to going to carry on with it for long.

    As for diet I eat a fair amount of raw and not much processed food, with very loittle if anything at all in the evening. That's works best for me at my age. Your mileage will vary.

    Cheers

    Mike

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    Default Re: Weight training & diet advice needed.

    Not all of us on the bodybuilding site push the hard core regimin. We also have fitness people on board. It just depends on what you want to accomplish in the end.

    I noticed some great advice here as well, but don't be afraid to pop by vegan bodybuilding as well....we won't bite.

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    Default Re: Weight training & diet advice needed.

    Mike -- You raise a good point -- the term functional fitness has become almost meaningless since people throw the term around so casually. To try and be clearer, when I use functional fitness, I mean training that is geared toward making you more capable in your daily activities. For some, this may just mean being able to lift your baby, do gardening and run 3 miles. For others, it may mean being primed to play professional level sports. Whatever it is that a person does in life, the training should prepare you to be strong, capable, and have a low chance of injury in those activities.

    Accordingly, I believe the average person should be training movement patterns rather than isolated lifts. Movements in the gym should be similar to functional movement patterns in life. Fitness should similarly address postural distortions so as to make the body more injury proof. Also, training should occur in all three planes of motion to prevent injuries (e.g. most injuries occur in the transverse plane (rotational movements) because people's bodies are not adequately prepared to handle rotational situations. Most people who lift do so in only one plane of motion -- the sagittal plane (forward and back -- e.g. presses, squats etc.). While this is great for building muscle, it is not ideal for injury proofing.

    Through training "functionally", people will inevitably notice spectacular aesthetic results as well as the ability to function far better in their everyday lives.

    Best,
    Josh

  22. #22

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    Default Re: Weight training & diet advice needed.

    Quote Wildflower
    I (try to) lift weighs regularly. One thing I have noticed as a female, is that some other females seem to be cautious about lifting heavy weights. I am not sure why, a few friends I have say they are afraid they will end up looking "bulky" like a professional body builder.

    I think this is absolute crap! First of all, it is hard to acheive the look that female body builder's have! Give them some credit, you can't possibly compare yourself to them unless you are REALLY trying to follow a simillar plan. Second of all, it can be argued to be difficult for women to gain so much "bulk" anyway, because of the role of testosterone in gaining muscle mass (I am not saying it is impossible, i am just saying you don't need to worry about it happening inadvertently). Third of all, I think natural female body builders look awesome! So why be afraid of acheiving such a wonderful look anyway?

    Anyway, it irritates me so much because i often recommend weight lifting to friends, they go home and lift 1.5 lb weights for 50 reps at a time and then wonder why they don't see any difference! i can't imagine 1.5 lb weights being right for anyone of good health - they are far too light! For god's sake, a bean burrito weighs about that!

    Anyway, if you are lifting at home, make sure you read up on how to do it with good form, and lift away with heavy weights. To gain muscle mass, you should be lifting heavy (within reason) weights and do low reps (less than 10-15). If you are able to do a high amount of reps, your weights probably aren't heavy enough.
    Hi Wildflower. Thanks for the link.

    Did I give the impression that I'm afraid to lift heavy weights??? The reason I mentioned that I do a light weight work-out was simply to explain that I work-out at home (as opposed to a gym) and I only have some light dumbbells atm. I'm also still too heavy to do chin-ups - which I used to do. If I tried I'd probably dislocate both shoulders.

    My biggest problem - apart from being fat & unfit - is that I used to live in a city and work-out at a gym with state of the art fitness machines and now I live in a small town and couldn't afford to join a gym even if there was one to join! I have limited space & limited money so I was hoping for some free advice to get me back on track.

    But for the record - I used to lift heavy weights.

  23. #23
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    Default Re: Weight training & diet advice needed.

    Hi Nest - No, you didn't give me the impression that you were afraid to lift heavy weights at all! Sorry if I offended you, you asked for any general information and I was just sharing based on previous feedback I got from friends.

    J&K - I don't really understand your defination of "functional fitness" as you say it is to train to do whatever it is you do in your daily life, from lifting a baby to running 3 miles. Doesn't this encompass any excercise then? If weight lifiting is what you like to do in your daily life, then how is this different? I am not clear on that one...

  24. #24

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    Default Re: Weight training & diet advice needed.

    Wildflower -- Boy, I'm just having a difficult time being clear. Sorry about that -- please suffer me one more shot at clarifying. Let me give an example. Let's say a woman comes to me and says she has a one year old baby that she carries around and picks up often, and she has backaches and shoulder pain etc from this repetitive work. She also wants to get fit and look good as well. What would be a good fitness routine for her? Well, if you choose a generic body building routine or a generic other routine that isn't suited to her daily life, then you will accomplish one of the two of her goals. She will get fit and look good. But will she get out of pain? Probably not unless one looks at her specific situation and gives her a workout program that suits her specific needs.

    So what I mean by "functional" is let's choose a workout plan that will mimic some of those movement patterns she is using to strengthen her muscles and particularly hit areas that are weak on her. Then, let's use appropriate flexibility training to lengthen tight muscles. And we can use cardio in there as well appropriately. So, for instance, a program for her would likely include multiplanar squats (to help her leg strength in picking up her baby, also help to build her rotational strength to prevent her back from going out). We would do a ton of core work. We would work her shoulders in all planes of motion as well to hit all the weak areas that causing her pain from the repetitive stress. We would likely use motions that will lengthen her chest to unround shoulders, and lengthen lats, while focusing on strength in rotator cuffs and rear delts etc.

    This is a very brief idea of what would be done in that situation. Similarly, if a person is a basketball player, then the time at the gym would be targeted towards explosive power movements, single leg movement patterns, agility drills, plyometrics. An elderly person might just do simple movement patterns with weights to ensure proper mobility and going through their daily activities without injuring themselves.

    So when I say "functional", I mean doing specific work at the gym to improve everyday activities, whatever those may be. Each person is different, so each person will have somewhat different and unique programs. Of course, pretty much everyone can use certain functional elements -- because most of us develop certain postural distortions from sitting at a desk all day, most people have tight chest and lats, and weak rear delts and scapular muscles -- tight hammies and hip flexors, and weak glutes and glute medius etc.

    Hope this is more responsive.

    Best,
    Josh

  25. #25
    Eating Wildflower's Avatar
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    Default Re: Weight training & diet advice needed.

    Sure, thanks Josh.

    I got into weight lifting to assist with my swimming, so I suppose this was functional per se.

    I don't really have many other complaints in my life to work on specifically (i suppose I am lucky) but I do try to swim and do yoga for strength, flexibility and relaxation. I also walk and swim for cardiovascular activity and lift weights to help maintain muscle and keep my metabolism high as well as assist in my swimming.

    So I suppose I was functionally training without knowing it!

    Thanks!

  26. #26
    Ex-admin Korn's Avatar
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    Default Re: Weight training & diet advice needed.

    I would also recommend a high quality vitamin and mineral supplement to ensure you are getting all your nutrients (I take VITAFORCE from organichealthandbeauty.com). You can also take a vegan dha sold on Dr. Fuhrman's website. Other than those two, most supplements for you are probably unnecessary and a waste of time and energy.
    You are manufacturing Vitaforce, and you have mentioned that you think it's the best product if it's kind several times already. Please read our FAQ and stop the spam.

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