Take More Time Off!

Bigjack- You’re overworking your muscles. You need time to allow your shredded muscles to recuperate. After i switched to a slow & short weightlifting routine, I gained 10 to 15 lbs in a few months(lost fat, increased metabolism, & gained muscle). I also quit running and “cardio,” which is a sham. Cardio & running was a fad beginning with Kenneth Cooper’s book “Aerobics.”

The most “cardio” i ever do is a walk around the block. The rest of my time is spent on enjoyable recreation(sports, sex, pool, watching t.v.) & jelqing.

Look at the people in a gym and then look at them a year later. They probably look the same. I suggest if you don’t do super-slow weighttraining(very boring but i love it) try “high-intensity” weighttraining by Ellington Darden. If you spend more than 40 minutes at the gym, you are overworking your muscles.

I’m ruminating over your jelqing theory on the microfibers. I am still not well versed enough to understand the “reason” for penile growth. But I agree with you on the jelqing. I only give one day off for it. I shall experiment later.

Try this website to read about the “physics” or the “science” behind superslow or to read about the sham society has fallen for, aerobics.

I’m glad you are hitting the weights. It is good for the bones and your soul.

EnrichedFlow, I appreciate your thoughts on bodybuilding!! My post may have been misleading, though. Actually, I still only do resistance training 3 days a week. M-W-F. But I now throw in some bicep work on one of my lower body days, and some calf work on one of my upper body days.

Some of the big guns in pro bodybuilding are now suggesting that biceps should be worked 2 days on 1 day off for massive gains, and that calves should be worked every other day. I don’t go to that extreme, but I have found that those two sets of muscles need more that one shot every 4-5 days, in my case.

Like you, I feel that aerobics are highly over-rated as fat-burning and body-building methods. I only do enough aerobic work to get a good warm-up before pumping iron (usually 5-10 minutes worth). I have gained 30 solid pounds in the past six months, and my body fat is between 10-12%.

I agree with the short, intense work-out routine! Unless the gym is packed, I can get through my workout in 45 minutes without a problem. Bill Phillips and Rob Faigin both suggest short, intense workouts, though Faigin has a lot more science behind his suggestion. His book, “Natural Hormonal Enhancement” is one that many here might want to read regarding diet and exercise patterns that lead to natural increases in Testosterone and HGH.

I will definitely check out Darden and the link you posted to superslow.

Thanks again!! :up:

bigjack

Hmm, just took a look at that site. A lot of the stuff they say there is wrong. 10 hours to burn 1 pound of fat? They’ve gotta be joking. One pound of fat is about 2300 calories I believe. Let’s say you’re a 180 pound man, and with your resting metabolism, you would be burning 1800 calories a day. It’s increased to about 2000 a day if you do excercise regularly. You add about 4 miles to that a day of walking/running, and your burning more than a pound a day. Trust me on this. I started running regularly two months ago, and lost about 5 pounds in the first month. Then, in just the last 4 weeks, I lost 16 pounds. Now, I’ve added weight training for my arms, so my metabolism is much higher.

I don’t know how aerobics will affect jelqing. I started jelqing in the period i was a hard-core and psycho trail/beach runner.

How much of that weight was water & muscle loss? Just kidding. I do drink a gallon of water a day though. Of course you will initially lose the weight. You just started. Now it is intense to run. But once you continue the steady state activity of running over long distances or times, you will reach a plateau, which may lead to lowering your basal metabolic rate.

Anyways, I shall not proselytize you, my jelqing compadrel. Do what you love. But I will stick to the science of “exercise” and that is what Ken Hutchins provides.

BTW, since early 99 I partook in trail/beach running, which emaciated me while doing navy seal exercises. I stopped this october. I cried too. I never really injured myself running, but i did sprain my ankle while walking of all things and then ran on that foot, which really fucked me up. I only ran to “sweat” and get a tan. Now I don’t even sweat while doing the weightlifting and i get my tan and vitamin Dwhile reading in the sun one hour a day.

I am surprised though that you were able to consume the entire website regarding the subject. I like opposing thoughts though and i keep an open mind on things. So thank you for your commentary.

Dunno, I’m kinda biased on this kind of thing. I’m in martial arts, and I never really tried weight training because I’m afraid it would slow me down. I needed to increase endurance, so I started running. I don’t believe I’ve lost any water weight, since my urine is almost clear. I don’t think I’ve lost muscle because I can do more reps for my arms. I’ll try weight lifting after the holidays. You’re doing Navy SEAL excercises? I’ve heard they’re the most hardcore. Thanks for telling me about the site man, I’m more open-minded about weight lifting and will probably get a membership when I save up some cash. Keep it up man (heh, no pun intended.)

Guys, I split this thread off and moved it here.

Tity, you’re wrong about easily burning off a pound of fat with aerobics. Your figures assume you aren’t eating anything at all while exercising your ass off. Good recipe for losing muscle and slowing metabolism.

A pound of fat contains about 3500 kcal (Calories). To maintain one’s weight requires approximately 15x bodyweight per day. It varies due to amount of exercise, LBM v. fat, etc., but in general a 180 lb. guy will break even at around 2700 Calories per day.

A 180 lb. person will burn somewhere around 130 kcal per mile, whether he runs it or walks. The 130 figure isn’t exact - I remember it’s a bit over 100, and with biomechanical variances it can’t be pinned down exactly anyway. So, this guy runs 4 miles and burns off about 500 kcal - not quite 3 cans of A&W root beer.

Assuming he eats at maintenance, it would take 7 days of this (28 miles) to cause enough caloric deficit to burn off a pound of fat. However, even when dieting under the very best of conditions some muscle will be lost.

One of the best resources on dieting, especially as it pertains to bodybuilders, is Lyle MacDonald. He has written two books, and he hangs out on the newsgroup misc.fitness.weights. Do a Google search on him to turn up some good articles on the web.

Edit: I spelled his name wrong. It’s McDonald.

Ok, thanks man. If I get into weight lifting, do you guys recommend free weights or a bowflex?

I’f you’re lookng at bowflex, take a long hard look at the new weider crossbow. Very similar, includes a lat tower and leg extension that bowflex charges extra for, for less than 1/2 the price. I have always wanted a bowflex, no room for the weights I’d want to have, no gymn in our area worth going to. I tried the crossbow at Sears, and was sold. It seems that it could be very effective for resistance training. Granted, I am not lifting to become the next Ronnie Coleman, but have on and off for over 20 years, and think the crossbow and bowflex have merit…

Here’s a link to the crossbow. What do you think?

I think free weights are hard to beat if you have the room. A power cage, bench and Olympic barbell set is really all you need. Some power cages have a round bar on the top front to use for chins.

Don’t have the room.

DAMN! Thanks RB! I’m gonna check it out at the Sears here. This looks great, and a lot cheaper than a Bowflex! Thanks again man!

Anytime, but if you get one, I expect a full report… :)

Hehe, will do!

Not that I’m trying to sway to toward real, uh… I mean free weights, but the space taken up with a minimal set-up isn’t much more than the Bowflex I saw. Granted, the Bowflex would be easier to move around if that is a requirement.

A power cage is about 5’ wide, 3-4’ deep, and maybe 7’ high. A flat bench can be stood on end for storage. An Olympic bar is 7’ long (I think). The plates can be stored anywhere. With this equipment you can do all the major exercises safely. Power cages have adjustable safety pins that keep you from getting squashed when doing bench presses and squats. The fancier ones come with a lat pulldown attachment and/or a dip bar. Or if you don’t have the dough, an adequate safety set-up can be fashioned from saw horses or lumber.

Krista has a good site at http://www.stum … om/weights.html

It is excellent reading for anyone interested in resistance training.