Breathing/Exertion, tips and advice... -newbie

Hey all,

OK let me start by entertaining(or boring you )with my situation: I just lost a good amount of weight(or rather lost a good amount of flab) December2003-Jan2004 on a sandwich diet + (almost) daily 30-min runs at late evenings. Lost my handles, tummy, weight off my face/neck, etc. In Feb, i chanced upon an article about how resistance-training is vital in keeping weight off and i decided to venture into it(i was gym-phobic). Now im working at home with freeweights-dumbells, barbell and a Swiss Ball. Im just starting out and am on a schedule for 2 days of weight training, 2 days of Abs, 1 day of 1hr swim, 2 off-days per week. Would love to put on more muscles and get a decent definition yes. I didn't discover the world of exercise until recently. And all my life i have been searching/procrastinating and with exercise i have found focus, clarity, _this thing called Mental Fortitude, it builds character, (natural endorphin rushes!) which i apply to other areas of my life. I am glad i discovered this aspect later than never. I am 26 this year. And would appreciate any tips and wisdoms from you guys no matter how irrelevant they might be.

There are also some things i was told.. so i thought i'll run them by to get opinions if it were true or truely myths:

1. Inhale/Exhale upon exertion? I have read in many articles that promote exhalation on exertion. Currently i have been inhaling/exertion which i'm more comfortable. Tried exhaling; throws everything off-balance as i forced myself to exhale. i came across _this article while doing a search on the forums. Are there any potential problems i should be aware of and should i switch?

2. Anaerobic vs. Aerobic. Aerobic trims my body and keeps my fat-level in check; Anaerobic builds muscles. Am i getting this right?_Swimming is an aerobic activity-- but what happens if i swim single 50m laps (for 10 laps, rest of 1.5mins in between) the fastest i could while doing as many pulls i could with each breath- anaerobic or aerobic?_

3. Swims after weights/Abs-training. Would the swims 30-45mins after the weights/Abs sessions be beneficial?

4. Time. How much time should i spend lifting weights? Currently, each session takes me 1.5hours. Is that too little or too much; i understand there's no hard-and-fast rule on this... but is there a guideline? Should i also increase my weight sessions to THRICE a week(currently on a upperbody-twice, ABS-twice, cardio-twice week) instead?

5. Muscles are Assets. Having more muscles means higher metabolism. And hence, sumone with muscles doing nothing the whole day(or a similar workout) will be burning more calories than sumone with less muscles? True?

6. Diet. Since eating itself sparks off metabolism... Would the consumption of celery(any others?) sticks 10-20mins before the workout be beneficial? How much proteins/carbs/etc should one consume for dinner after a workout without negating? Stupid question: Is Non-Fat(Low-Fat) yoghurt after dinner(or any time) any good? Cottage cheese?

Sorry for the amount of questions and i do apologise if any of them seem obvious or idiot-proof or inane...


Thanks for your time.

~gumshoe

2 many words

1) I guess it depends on personal preference. As long as your breathing your fine.

2) I'm willing to bet that swiming like that is still aerobic. That would be like sprinting, and sprinting is aerobic isn't it?

3) It would be just like any other cardio activities. I don't know if doing it after a workout would be any more effective then doing it any other time, though.

4) I try to keep mine under an hour, any longer then that and my energy levels start droppin.

5) Yea, thats true.

6) I dunno about the celery thing, but I know that the yoghurt and cottage cheese are both good sources of protein, and many people here like to snack on them.

Hope that helps some.

Hey Sweep14, thanks.... will consider doing splits instead of long sessions...

Anyone else?