Ramblings of a weight lifter

An example of an exercise plan that will not do anything and is frankly hilarious;

1- Running for hours on end will help me shed the pounds

One of the major misconception is that today people feel that cardiovascular exercise and steady state aerobics are the best way to get fit, healthy and lose weight. However, as i have mentioned in my previous writings, it is not the most effective way of doing so as the effects of steady state cardio can often be negligible, and without proper diet and resistance training will probably yield minimal results.

2- But i dont want to use weight because i dont want to get too big

Lots of people i talk to are of the opinion that if they start using weights or start doing resistance training within a few months they will look like this guy;

but this kind of look would take many years and copious amounts of 'vitamin S'to achieve, so trust me on this get in the gym.

3- Women who use weights will end up looking manly

Men and women have very different muscle make ups. Men can build much stronger heavier physiques than women, the only way a woman could look manly through weight training is through using steroids. In fact weight training for women has many benefits including; a higher sex drive, reduce in osteoporosis in later life and a higher metabolic rate increasing fat loss.

4- I can turn fat into muscle

This is a pet hate of mine. Fat and muscle are two completely different tissues which serve very different functions in the body. Increasing muscle mass will burn more calories and aid fatloss but you cannot turn fat into muscle.

5-Training more is better

I personally know a couple of guys who are in the gym 6 days a week consume 2000 calories a day with a goal of getting bigger. What they don't know and what i have been trying to tell them is your body adapts through rest, in fact training only starts the process. Rest and eat well you will get the results you want.

6-Eating very little will help me lose weight

True eating very little will help you lose weight but this will mainly be water and equal proportions of fat, muscle fiber and internal organ tissue aswell as putting your body under a great deal of stress and possibly getting very very sick. By far the best way to diet is to work out how many calories you need a day then minus 500. Consume these in six small meals a day, do not go over 3 hours without eating as this will make you tired, grumpy and more likely to give up.

Have you seen this? i went to this today and quite honestly the film was one of the best epics ive seen in a long time plus they did it all on a relatively low budget. The story of the battle of thermoylae is an amazing on and if you haven't seen it get urself to the cinema.

This is one of the many articles and schools of thought i base my idea of staying fit, healthy and overall without the lard. Everyone should read it as it is great food for thought.....

http://www.mikementzer.com/bodyfat.html

As of now im in a situation that affect alot of students im sure, i am home with the family over easter and have no access to the gym.

It is important to remember that above all diet is the most important thing when trying to lose the lard, the amount of calories you burn when you exercise can be inconsequential relative to what you can put in your mouth. For example half an hour jogging may only burn 150 calories which can easily be compensated for in two slices of bread.

Best thing to do is;

1- Use harris benedict to find your basal metabolic rate

(66.5 + (13.75 x your weight kg) + (5.003 x your height in cm) - (6.775 x age)) X 1.3

2- minus 500 from this to make sure you are in caloric defecit so you'll be losing weight

3- if possible place a demand on your muscles so you do not lose muscle mass and to maximise fat loss

4- watch the weight fall off