Thread: 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

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

Anyone else?