Hi all,
Looking through Andi's thread 'A week at the gym' and the somewhat exagerated statements by a certain fellow Monitor, I wondered if my once hobby of weight lifting would be of any use to those wanting to use weight training in their fitness routine.
I was trained and certificated at the Central YMCA in Tottenham Court Road, LOndon, made famous by Freddy Mercury, then went onto Gold's and finished up at the Jubilee Hall center in Covent Garden where I had great fun training along side the dancers from the theatres. The females were gorgeous, though the males were a bit dodgy in the showers!!! though of course perfectly nice persons in their own right (PC correct!!).
So any of you who want to know the difference between reps and sets or what exercise to accompany the chant of 'I must. I must, increase my bust',,,, just ask.
Leo
RE: Nervous offer
Hi Leo
I'll be first - they'll be queing up round the block soon I am sure!! ha ha!
Thanks for the offer, I am hoping to start my strength training up again soon, problem is my other half is a fitness instructor....oh bugger that what ever you can suggest for building my strength bak up in all areas would be great! 😉 he'll never know ha ha ha!
Thanks
Maria
RE: Nervous offer
Hi mariaob1
Firstly, you are a guinea-pig,, that's what comes of being the first !!!!!
Secondly, my approach to weight training is a three stage one of question and answer"
1. identify the muscle or muscles you want to exercise or develop,
2. identify the NATURAL action of that/those muscles,
3. devise a method of resisting that action.
For stage 1. I am afraid you need at least a reasonable knowledge of anatomy, after all you wouldn't attempt to repair your car without a manual in front of you, or a good knowledge of how how cars operate in general.
The second stage necessitates a lot of moving about in total freedom in front of a set of mirrors. It is by no means easy to identify what say the lower pectorals do and almost impossible without two oposed mirrors or a friend, to see what say the middle lats do.
Notice that I say a method. I mean ANY method,, gravity, ie body weight, for example the best, and hardest exercise for the triceps, back of the arms, are dips between parallel bars, free wieghts, these have the almost ideal combination of freedom of movement and rapid change of resistance, but the disadvantage of only working vertically,
Machines, these can be worse than no exercise at all, because they almost all confine your movement to one path and more seriously to a fixed variation of resistance through that path.. therefor choose with great care.
Springs or rubber bands. These can be very good indeed, as they give freedom of movement throughout the path of action and are easily varied in resistance....
There you are, my philosophy of weight or more correctly resistance traing.... If you want to bale out,, I will completely understand..
Leo
RE: Nervous offer
Hi Leo
Thanks for that I will keep you posted. and ask if I come unstuck!
Love
Maria
RE: Nervous offer
Gosh Leo, you are a man of many talents! Ok, here is a question. Can you suggest any good exercises for getting rid of these nice pads of fat that sit above my bum and go around the sides under my waist (gosh, doesn't that sound attractive)? I believe some people call them saddlebags.
Yours in anticipation...
RE: Nervous offer
....or love handles?
Lesley
RE: Nervous offer
Hi Siobhan and Aromababe,
What you are talking about is 'spot fat reduction', and contrary to all the gimmick, sweat bands and cream adverts, there is NO WAY that any exercise or device will get rid of just these areas. Each sex lays down fat, which is the result of you consuming more calories than you use up, in different area, Women tend to lay down fat on their buttocks and men in their gut area and the so called love handles. The only way to get rid of fat is either to eat less or to use up more of the calories you consume. There is then less left over to make fat. However, exercise CAN help you here and it is because our bodies are very efficient things in that they will only process the calories into energy to enable you to live and move at the minimum rate needed. If you are sedentary, this rate, called you metabolic rate is very low and to keep slim, you have to eat like a rabbit. If you go in for a concentrated, continuous, eg every day, session of aerobic exercise, coupled with high repetition, low weights, resistance program, your body will be shocked into raising its metabolic rate. More food calories wil be converted into energy to supply your new lifestyle, you will feel more energetic and bingo, your fat goes ALL OVER.
Of course the converse happens, that is why, as we get older, and our metabolic rate slows down, we put on fat. This is because we do not cut down on our calories.
Have a look at the physiques of the various runners. The marathon runners have a very very high metabolic rate and are less than 5% fat. Sprinters on the other hand,who use very few calories in their sport, should, by my argument, be fat. They, however are not because they have a very high proportion of quick twitch muscle fibres and these are very high/fast consumers of calories.
So get to the gym, and ask for a combination, medium aerobic (used at the start to get your heart rate up and your sweat rate high) and high reps, say 15 to 20, high rate weight exercises, ,with very short rest intervals between sets, say 10 secs. This doesn't allow your pulse rate to fall. After getting your puse rate up, you should mainatain it at 50 to 80% your safe age max, for 20 to 30 mins. Believe me after six months you won't beleive the new you.
Leo
RE: Nervous offer
Sorry Leo. I've been going to the gym 4-6 times a week for 8 years now - still have the love handles and all the other bits. Mind you, I would be a lot bigger if I didn't go.
Lesley