[SohailPistawala]

Vikram: Perfect, i never thought that way too, as rippergo pointed out. Will try this for my arms!!

Originally Posted by Shan2nu

If you're a vegetarian, you might find it diff to put on muscle. You will have to eat loads of proteins (growth) and complex carbs (energy).

Soya is supposed to be rich in proteins. You can also use Whey protein supplements to make up for the lack of proteins in your diet.

Shan2nu

I'm already on tonnes of soya everyday. also decided to go back to fish for the cardiac benefits it offers.
anyway, my original aim is to lose weight, so I dont mind if my muscle mass doesnt increase dramatically.

my doubt is- soreness takes a week to go away, which means I can do each body part once a week. is that enough? or should I hit the part again even if I'm in pain?

I'm also doing cardio-1 hr a day- but, motivation is a problem. it doesnt give me the kick that weight lifting does.

I tried interval training in cardio which is fun, but again soreness is a problem, so I have to skip days to recover.

any suggestions?

[tsk1979]

Excess protein increases your chances of getting gout. esp protein from suppliments.
Eat a healthy diet and have lots of pulses and soyabean if you vegetarian, and try getting protein from chicken/fish if you are non veg.

[Shan2nu]

my doubt is- soreness takes a week to go away, which means I can do each body part once a week. is that enough? or should I hit the part again even if I'm in pain?

The soreness is normal. It's called DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness) which is caused by microscopic tears in the muscle fibers when you workout and usually occurs maybe 15-20 hrs after you've finished lifting weights.

This sort of soreness is experienced when you're new to bodybuilding, have started working out after a long gap, used a heavier weight than you usually do or tried a new type of exercise.

People say DOMS doesn't mean anything but im kinda adddicted to it. If i feel that i don't get DOMS with a certain routine, i either increase the weight or change the exercise.

As your muscles get used to weight training, the recovery time will decrease to maybe just 2-3 days. It's better to avoid lifting heavy when you're experiencing DOMS since your muscles haven't yet recovered from your previous workout.

If you're feeling DOMS for a whole week, then you might wanna reduce the number of sets you do. You should workout in such a way that you manage atleast 3 training days in a week.

BTW, how long does your workout last?

Shan2nu

[SRShrikanth]

Getting back to certain amount of exercise routine after a longg gap.Stable weight 3 yrs back was 80kgs for 177cms height.

Current weight is 97kgs and feeling strained in prolonged physical activities really.

Got back to the gym for a month now and here's what's happeneing so far.

Wed-Sat-Sun - Weight training - upper & lower body together for abt 90mins at a go. Training includes 20reps of increasing weight scale across 11 different machines.

Mon-Fri - Cardio training - 25mins of treadmill @ 6.5kmph, 35mins of cross-trainer & 20mins of cycling - followed by steam session lasting 20mins.

All gym days include 1 litre of water cosumed in the process with 6 spoons of Glucon-D to keep myself going.

How can i better myself.......any personal experiences plss.

If there any t-bhpians willing to workout collectively - am around S'Cruz in B'Bay and am sure it can be a good collective effort.

Look forward

[vikram18]

Originally Posted by rippergeo

at the moment, I'm just beginning to get back to excercise after a gap of 4yrs. and am hitting each group once a week. I push quite close to failure in my last set.
at present- I'm 15kgs heavier than I would like to be.

I'm hoping to pile on muscle first and then use the extra mass to help me burn calories later. will that approach work?
Note-My diet is now vegetarian(used to be a vicious carnivore), with no high calorie junk.

can you please point out any mistakes?

Here's what I would do if i were in your place. I'd go on a cutting cycle first and get rid of the excess flab first. If you go anabolic right now, you'll end up increasing your fat percentage even more and that'll end up with a LOT more kgs. to lose. If you go on a muscle gain cycle right now, your fat will also go up. But, If you drop weight right now, eating right, you'll lose more fat with just a bit of muscle, so your muscle to fat ratio will always be in favor of muscle, and at a lower body weight!

I'd do circuit training for 3 days a week and cardio for 3. If you eat well, you won't lose that much muscle mass; you'll look a lot leaner and feel a lot more energetic too. This will give you greater confidence to lift heavy when you want to bulk up.

I wouldn't recommend eating too much Soya. Soya is estrogenic ( gives rise to female hormones) and that is why it freely recommended to women. You'll never find any serious bodybuilder eating soya. Since you are veg now, I'd suggest lots of zero-fat curds and low fat cheese / paneer as substitutes.

You could consider supplementing with Whey, Casein or a blend of these. L-Glutamine is also considered to be very helpful in preserving muscle mass when on a weight loss cycle.

Green Tea works wonders while losing weight. It is also chock full of antioxidants. Do try and introduce that into your diet. Green tea has also been proven to help in more intense workouts, so have a few cups before your workout and see the difference.

What I do is I brew a liter of tea in the morning, let it cool and bottle it and put it in my fridge. Then I keep having some at regular intervals till I finish the bottle pre-workout.

[vikram18]

Originally Posted by SRShrikanth

All gym days include 1 litre of water cosumed in the process with 6 spoons of Glucon-D to keep myself going.

Do refer to my previous post regarding workout. Drop the Glucon-D altogether; you're doing yourself ONLY harm, no good. If at all you want a pick-me-up, try Gatorade.

[sujaylahiri]

Originally Posted by Shan2nu

Yeah that will do. You can increase your pace for the first few mins to get to your target heart rate, once there, you can reduce your intensity level to a point where it lets you maintain that heart rate.

Shan2nu

With me I've seen that my maximum heart rate was in the 190's when I first used to run on the treadmill. Now it has eventually come down to the 170's despite me increasing the intensity (or speed) by about 25% and I don't even feel tired.

So I think as you do more and more cardio, your heart gets more accustomed to it and your stamina increases (lower heart rate). That's why most of the athletes and cyclists have their peak heart rate at around 130-140 even when they are doing the harshest of all training.

[Shan2nu]

With me I've seen that my maximum heart rate was in the 190's when I first used to run on the treadmill. Now it has eventually come down to the 170's despite me increasing the intensity (or speed) by about 25% and I don't even feel tired.

So I think as you do more and more cardio, your heart gets more accustomed to it and your stamina increases (lower heart rate). That's why most of the athletes and cyclists have their peak heart rate at around 130-140 even when they are doing the harshest of all training.

Ofcourse, the body adapts to cardio training and keeps improving it's aerobic efficiancy.

In such cases you can use your Resting Heart Rate to calculate your lower and higher end of your target heart rate zone.

Find Your Target Heart Rate

Shan2nu

[Proxima]

Originally Posted by vikram18

Green Tea works wonders while losing weight. It is also chock full of antioxidants. Do try and introduce that into your diet. Green tea has also been proven to help in more intense workouts, so have a few cups before your workout and see the difference.

What I do is I brew a liter of tea in the morning, let it cool and bottle it and put it in my fridge. Then I keep having some at regular intervals till I finish the bottle pre-workout.

Vikram - I didnt know about this, glad you have mentioned it. 2 questions:

Do you use Green tea or just plain tea (black tea)?
Which time do we take the tea?

Originally Posted by vikram18

I wouldn't recommend eating too much Soya. Soya is estrogenic ( gives rise to female hormones) and that is why it freely recommended to women. You'll never find any serious bodybuilder eating soya. Since you are veg now, I'd suggest lots of zero-fat curds and low fat cheese / paneer as substitutes.

You could consider supplementing with Whey, Casein or a blend of these. L-Glutamine is also considered to be very helpful in preserving muscle mass when on a weight loss cycle.

Green Tea works wonders while losing weight. It is also chock full of antioxidants. Do try and introduce that into your diet. Green tea has also been proven to help in more intense workouts, so have a few cups before your workout and see the difference.

What I do is I brew a liter of tea in the morning, let it cool and bottle it and put it in my fridge. Then I keep having some at regular intervals till I finish the bottle pre-workout.

thanks for the suggestions. it definitely makes sense.

I didnt know soy was estrogenic...damn! not touching that stuff again.
also- milk protein , unless artificial is not an option for me-I'm lactose intolerant.

looks like I'm going to be back on meat.
so much for protecting my heart and the environment.

about green tea and whey protein, where can i find them? which brands?
does it make more sense to go back to being a meat eater?

[Shan2nu]

does it make more sense to go back to being a meat eater?

You don't really have to eat meat. You can eat egg whites also. Each egg white contains about 3.5 grams of proteins and is fat free.

Shan2nu

[jassi]

make sure though u have atleast one egg yolk along with the whites to get the complete amino acids and to ensure proper protein absorption. Infact according to the USDA database, the egg yolk contains a lot more nutrients (efas, amino acids) than the egg white. The only reason you need to avoid the too much yolk is because of the fat/cholesterol in it.
When i was on a bodybuilding and diet routine and used to eat right I ensured I had one yolk along with 4-5 egg whites.

edit - this maybe useful reference The Incredible, Edible Egg Yolk

[vikram18]

Originally Posted by Proxima

Vikram - I didnt know about this, glad you have mentioned it. 2 questions:

Do you use Green tea or just plain tea (black tea)?
Which time do we take the tea?

I use green tea, which is very different from black tea. Timing is immaterial. I drink it throughout the day, but make it a point to have at least 2 cups before a workout.

[vikram18]

Originally Posted by rippergeo

about green tea and whey protein, where can i find them? which brands?
does it make more sense to go back to being a meat eater?

As far as bodybuilding is concerned, almost everyone is a meat eater,so...

Green tea is green tea, brand is according to taste.

Whey I would recommend is either SAN or Cytosport. These are arguably the best tasting brands along with Labrada. Optimum is very popular, but tastes like crap. I've never liked it.

Do look for lactose free or very low lactose amongst whey supplements; they're certainly available.