Help!

[Morox]

Before I ask my questions, i'm going to say that I own a Bowflex. Yes, everyone here hates it. Please don't bash me. I have virtually no room for free weights so I need an all in one kind of thing. Plus I have no time for the gym and more than one person in my family wants to work out. So in the end, the Bowflex was our investment. I didn't make this thread for people telling me on what I should have purchased. So just accept the fact that I bought a Bowflex. Okay, here's my questions.

1.) Are drinks actually worth buying to add weight? Like stuff sold at GNC?
2.) Does it work if you buy a drink to help burn fat but also drinking a shake that adds weight? Do they cancel eachother out? This may sound stupid, but I have no knowledge for this kind of stuff.
3.) How many meals a day should I be eating? And what are good things to eat while weight training?
4.) What drinks/food should I avoid while weight training?
5.) I don't have anywhere to run outside in winter since it get's severely cold outside. What are some other options for a workout? Does skipping rope help a lot?
6.) Biggest problem of all. Fat in the tummy region. What is the fastest way of getting rid of it? I'm not a big guy at all. (5"8 and about 150 lbs). I just have some extra fat hanging around in that area and it bugs the hell out of me. I am guessing that drinking beer every weekend has caused this? And drinking Pepsi?

Thanks for the help.

 

[BigDyl]

What kind of girly man buys a bowflex?



































1.) Protien powders are. They are more affordable online. But if it is convience you want, I guess you can pay more and goto GNC. Drinks though? No. Drink water. http://www.allthewhey.com
2.) Don't drink a shake to burn fat. Modify your entire diet.
3.) I think most will say 6. For good foods, search the forum and ye shall find.
4.) It depends on if your bulking, cutting, etc?
5.) Stop being a baby and run outside.
6.) You can't spot reduce fat. Stop running and modify your diet. Running is for heart health. It won't do anything if you don't stop eating junk.

 

[Morox]

-I take it you don't live in the same region as me. It's on average -40 celcius where I live. I can not run outside in that kind of weather.

-Bulking is what I want. Not huge because that looks gross. More like toned with some muscle.

-One more thing, should I be sore after work outs? Ever since I got a job that has quite a bit of manual labour, i've never felt any soreness at all from working out. I've had this job for about 10 months or so. I keep thinking that my workouts are doing nothing at all since I am never sore.

 

[lnvanry]

cardio on an empty stomach first thing in the morning.

eat every 2-4 hrs too keep you metab moving.

shakes can replace meals, but I prefer to avoid the costly supplements.

where do you live....40 C...that's pretty hot. If you say celcius than its clearly not in the US

 

[cha]

cardio on an empty stomach first thing in the morning.

eat every 2-4 hrs too keep you metab moving.

shakes can replace meals, but I prefer to avoid the costly supplements.

where do you live....40 C...that's pretty hot. If you say celcius than its clearly not in the US

Actually, he said -40C. Oddly enough that converts to -40F as well - so that pretty friged and snowy I would imagine not hot.

 

[cha]

cardio on an empty stomach first thing in the morning.

eat every 2-4 hrs too keep you metab moving.

shakes can replace meals, but I prefer to avoid the costly supplements.

where do you live....40 C...that's pretty hot. If you say celcius than its clearly not in the US

.

 

[Morox]

I live in a crappy province in Canada. It's not unusual for weather in winter to go right down to -50 celcius.

Another thing, what is good to eat throughout the day? I work full time and I DO NOT get breaks. I can only do a breakfast, lunch and supper. I could possibly bring something small before lunch and something small after lunch. What is a good choice to eat? One helping of salad before lunch and one before supper? Is that a good choice?

Like I said before, i'm not getting sore from working out. I know everyone here thinks the Bowflex is a piece, but i'm sure it DOES work. I've been at a manual labour job for almost a year now. Do you think it's because of the job I am not feeling and soreness? Or does soreness have nothing to do with actual muscle building?

 

[Emma-Leigh]

1.) Are drinks actually worth buying to add weight? Like stuff sold at GNC?

The GNC products - in my opinion... no. But other protein powders (plain whey, casein, egg or soy proteins) are useful to use for things such as shakes or to add to recipes to increase the protein content.

2.) Does it work if you buy a drink to help burn fat but also drinking a shake that adds weight? Do they cancel eachother out? This may sound stupid, but I have no knowledge for this kind of stuff.

A shake can not really 'help you lose weight'. It is a source of calories that can help you increase your protein intake and help you to stick to a calorie/macronutrient intake which, when used in addition to a good training program, will help you lose weight.

BUT a powder can certainly help you GAIN weight (and that does not necessarily mean the good type of weight! )....! Some of the 'weight gainers' will help you add a lot of calories to your diet - and this will, if it increases your intake above maintainence, add mass... How much of that is muscle and how much is fat is going to be up to your genetics, your training, the rest of your diet, and just how many calories above maintainence you are taking.

3.) How many meals a day should I be eating? And what are good things to eat while weight training?

I would aim for 5-6 meals. Below 4 is probably too few... Once you get above about 8 then it is a little much.

Foods - just your healthy stuff:
lean proteins (chicken breast, turkey breast, seafood, eggs/egg whites, lean game meats, lean red meats etc etc)
vegetables (the more the better... with the exception of starchy veg like potato, peas and corn)
fruits (a few serves a day is great)
legumes (chick-peas, lentils, kidney beans)
whole grains and whole-grain products (pearl barley, oats, rolled oats, oat bran, essene/manna/sprouted grain breads)
Nuts/nut butters (walnuts, almonds, peanut butter)
seeds (flaxseeds)
Avocado
Olive oil

4.) What drinks/food should I avoid while weight training?

Just your regular unhealthy stuff -
soda
candy
fries
pizza
pre-packaged foods (cookies, muffins, donuts)
ice-cream
chips

Basically, anything wrapped in foil with ingredients that contain long, un-readable words or numbers...

5.) I don't have anywhere to run outside in winter since it get's severely cold outside. What are some other options for a workout? Does skipping rope help a lot?

Skipping is great.
Running up and down stairs (if you have some available) is good.
Full body plyo or curcuit training (tuck jumps, hurdles, jumping jacks etc)

6.) Biggest problem of all. Fat in the tummy region. What is the fastest way of getting rid of it? I'm not a big guy at all. (5"8 and about 150 lbs). I just have some extra fat hanging around in that area and it bugs the hell out of me.

It is not necessarily fast but:
Good diet.
Exercise.

No real secrets there...

I am guessing that drinking beer every weekend has caused this? And drinking Pepsi?

Well... it is not going to help!

But you can help by:
Swaping to light beer and only having 1 or 2/week as a 'treat'...
Swaping to diet pepsi...

 

[Morox]

But if I am eating up to around 6 meals a day, won't it be harder to lose the excess fat in the tummy area. Or would it still go away by eating proper and with a large amount of meals a day too?

 

[Gordo]

Use the cold environment to your advantage.....people who live in cold climates typically have a slightly higher metabolism....just is.

5.) I don't have anywhere to run outside in winter since it get's severely cold outside. What are some other options for a workout? Does skipping rope help a lot?

You just bundle up, suck it up and do it. During my cutting last year I walked into work every day of the week regardless of weather (I live on the prairies in Canada and -40C is typical winter weather). The walk was 50-60 mins at a good clip. Just throw on some clothes and get it done....simple.

What drinks/food should I avoid while weight training?

Beer and Pepsi would be a good idea....Sugar free pepsi would be a good sub.

 

[cha]

But if I am eating up to around 6 meals a day, won't it be harder to lose the excess fat in the tummy area. Or would it still go away by eating proper and with a large amount of meals a day too?

No it will not as long as you exercise properly. Eating fewer smaller meals per day increases your metabolism, You, also, have to remember that when you eat clean, you have to eat more to keep up with your daily caloric requirements. If you don't get enough calories, you body is going to keep the fat for energy.

 

[Morox]

My question still remains. I am never sore after working out. An hour after or the next day, I don't feel sore at all. Does this mean my workout sessions are not working? Or does that not matter at all? I've started to eat clean since two days ago and I am working out in the process. I am a little worried that my workouts might not be great enough to keep up with I eat. So I am fearing that I am going to just get fat. Did you ever worry about this? This is my exercise routine. (Yes it sucks and I probably can improve a lot more. I know nothing).

Right before I work out, I do 300 skips with a rope. (roughly 7-10 mins).

Bench Press- 3 sets of 12
Butterflies- 3 sets of 12
Tricep Extension- 3 sets of 12
Curls- 3 sets of 12

 

[Psch91]

My question still remains. I am never sore after working out. An hour after or the next day, I don't feel sore at all. Does this mean my workout sessions are not working? Or does that not matter at all? I've started to eat clean since two days ago and I am working out in the process. I am a little worried that my workouts might not be great enough to keep up with I eat. So I am fearing that I am going to just get fat. Did you ever worry about this? This is my exercise routine. (Yes it sucks and I probably can improve a lot more. I know nothing).

Right before I work out, I do 300 skips with a rope. (roughly 7-10 mins).

Bench Press- 3 sets of 12
Butterflies- 3 sets of 12
Tricep Extension- 3 sets of 12
Curls- 3 sets of 12

Not being sore the next day doesnt mean your workout wasnt successful. Your body is used to the excercise and therefore doesnt get sore all that much. Unless you really throw some hard workouts at it, then you can be sore. Just push yourself when working out, you should know when you had a good workout or not.

 

[Morox]

How long should I be working out a day? I usually go for about 30 mins. Should it be longer? Does it matter if you work out at night or in the day? I am thinking of starting out in the morning since I am exhausted after I work and I just feel like sleeping.

 

[Moonlight]

Just on the alcahol, I used to be a fat bastard and I cut down my alcahol intake to something like once a month, it makes it a hell of a lot easier to wake up the next morning and go for that run. although now, im pretty fit (not as fit as the rest of you) but i get plastered every weekend, but i also train at least once a day and i havnt had any problems since.

Train to live, dont live to train.

 

[boilermaker]

No way in hell I'm running anywhere when my water bottle would freeze solid before I got to the end of the driveway. Gordo, you must be really crazy, or really tough, or both.

 

[Gordo]

No way in hell I'm running anywhere when my water bottle would freeze solid before I got to the end of the driveway. Gordo, you must be really crazy, or really tough, or both.

A little of both.

Naw winter is a way of life.... with the new clothing available now, it's actually not that bad....thank God for gortex