gym etiquette?

[DerekStangGT]

actually glad i came across this thread. i actually joined the gym a week ago myself, i was a memeber about a year ago but i gave up on with with my new job and i just didnt have time for it. And i quite smoking as well, been just about a month, and i must say just being there a week i allready am starting to feel a little better. Being that i work two jobs and some pretty weird hours, i am actually having more motivation to do things. And i have also changed my diet as well, eating more fruits, veggies, chicken, tuna, red meats etc. no mcdonalds and crap. And i also do the Creatine and whey protien as well, i will usually do a creaitine shake before i go work out then usuallay take a protien shake when i get home, and then eat something like chicken, with a salad or something like that.. But Usually i try and run or ride a bike for about a half and hour just to get things moving then ill lift for another 20-30 minutes with Nautical machines, waiting to get back into the swing of things before i hit the free weights. and im 6'4 240 so im allready a big guy but im more worried about just getting back into shape than getting huge and ripped, nice definition would be nice but the dudes in the mags are just to big.. Anybody feel the machines over the free weights or vice versa??

But anyway just thought i would chime in..

cool man, you can be my e-motivator. yeah, i actually like the machines more than free weights. i dont have enough control yet for frees. the machines are very user friendly. i just got back from the gym about 20 min actually. just hopped on stangnet before my shower, lol. im taking a whey protein shake after my workouts too, but no creatine before. i dont really want to retain any water. my number one goal is to just lose weight. the definition will come after the fat leaves. then i plan on working on muscle building. im only doing the protein shakes b/c im taking hydroxycut for energy, which burns muscle along with fat. ive been told protein right after a workout will help retain muscle cant hurt i figure

 

[kramer03gt]

yeah i was thinking about the whole hydroxcut as well, i mean i want to get down to about 225 but then put all the weight back on as muscle, figure i would like to stay 235-240 but with a decent amount of muscle should be good.. yeah i was told the same thing about protien, but i guess its better to take it before hand that way your body has more to work with, but idk.... my roomate is prety big into that stuff and he takes some weird supplements that contain all kinds of cool stuff but i figure i need to get my motablism back and get into a decent routine and like you lose the weight before i start to get hardcore..yeah i notice with the creatine, its just the powder i mix with water or something and it just helps me go a little longer during workouts.. so idk time will tell.. ha

 

[SGTSTANG]

gym

alright man, first off, you gotta think about how much time your gonna have and find somethin that fits. If your trying to lose weight and maintain strength at the same time, do 3-4 solid workouts a week, this means your core exercises such as bench press, dead lift, squats, and military press. If you pick up the latest copy of muscle and fittness magazine they have a great program for beginners. I use their workouts all the time. I came to Iraq weighing 270 lbs, 26% body fat, 6 months later Im 225 Lbs, about 12-13%.

Cardio is essential. Dont try starting off running, running with that much extra weight will kill your joints, spend about 3-4 weeks doing the stationary bike for about 45 minutes a day, 3-4 times a week. Itll help you lose weight, and as you begin losing weight you'll feel alot more comfortable running. Then you can move to the treadmill and slowly start improving your run, which will double your fat loss.

Your diet is key, especially if you dont wanna lose any strength. Im not gonna suggest any specific one. What is important with diets is to eat clean. This means cut the soda, sugar filled drinks, use fat free salad dressings. Your doin good with the eating every 2 hours, thats the best way to keep your metabolism burning. Avoid sugar and fat filled deserts, It hard but worth it. Again for diet advice I use muscle and fitness magazine. they have plans for beginners, body builders, and those of us just wanting to be more healthy and fit.

The absolute most important part is to stay motivated. Dont get discouraged if you dont drop 5 lbs the first 2 weeks, just keep working at it. people are gonna try to give you all kinds of advice, but with time youll learn what works for you.

and finally on ettiquite, just follow all the suggestions on this forum and youll be fine. espeically the one about the mirror

 

[csledd]

+1 for protein

you have to be careful with cardio because too much will cause you to lose muscle.

 

[tontot77]

I'm a fan of machines... and I'm ****ing huge. If you have money to burn, buy a bunch of creatine and megamass bull****... I think it costs too much and cuts into my booze fund.

 

[SamMan]

Protien supplements + Farts = Bad gym etiquette

 

[VPStang]

I usually just rip A$$ on the treadmill--the fans blow it around pretty good and no one can tell where it's coming from. That's good etiquette, right?

 

[CENTENNIALSTANG]

I usually just rip A$$ on the treadmill--the fans blow it around pretty good and no one can tell where it's coming from. That's good etiquette, right?

 

[padge]

Exercises: Squat, Deadlift, Benchpress, Military Press, Pull-ups, Rows, Heavy Abs, Dips, etc.

Cardio: Can't run 2 miles a day? Walk for an hour every day and a brisk pace, it will burn fat the best and won't wear you out. The low intensity digs into your fat stores and not your carbohydrate stores. Maybe run once a week if you feel like it.

Cut out carbs in the evening.

Train two or three times a week, more than that is overkill unless you are genetically gifted. Or in other words, train within your ability to recover (ie. lifting more weight than last workout).

Don't do Max-OT or whatever or HST or beyond failure training or any of that bull****, just stick to the basics.

Check out www.ironaddicts.com and be amazed at all the f**king AWESOME information for lifters there is on that site. Thank me later.

Peace.

 

[DerekStangGT]

update

sorry to bring this thread back from the dead, but i just wanted to update you guys. its been a lil over two weeks since ive started my new "lifestyle" and im pretty impressed to say the least. ive always heard "the bigger you are, you faster you lose weight". i guess its true. i really started on the 6th of may. since then ive lost 11 lbs, dropped one waist size, and increased my weight routine.
SGTSTANG was right, running distances at my weight is very hard on my joints. so today i just started using the stationary cycle machine, but still in addition to my 1/2 miles jog.
question: what should my target heart rate be? my average seemed to be ~150 bpm, so i tried to keep them above 160, and hit ~188 twice during hard spurts. that sounds a little high though, doesnt it? the old guy next to me was cycling at a leasurely 109 bpm

anyway, im not really sure what kinda weights i should be using, but i work out on leg press 3 sets, 10 reps at 495 lbs. bench at 130 lbs for 10 reps, 3 sets. crunches on the machine (dont know what its called but youre sitting upright and pull the bars from behind your shoulders into a crunch position) at 125 lbs, 15 reps and 3 sets. then various other resistance exercises. i think im targeting every mucsle. biceps, triceps, abs, calves, thighs, and love handle area (dont know the name).

ok guys, critique me

 

[SamMan]

First off use the eliptical runner if you can. Its way easier on your knees and ankles.

Second if you want to lose then do high reps. 3-4 sets of 15-20 reps. Last the regiment I see most people losing the most with is to run a lap or maybe a minute between each set of resistance training.

 

[DocG]

Good luck man and stick with it! Not to rub it in...but I'm 5'10" and do good to weigh 155. I can't gain weight for the life of me....and I smoke and drink way too much and could benefit from being healthier. I know it sounds bad saying I'm skinny, but a guy wants a little meat on his bones and being skinny can be just as bad!

Anyways, if it already hasn't been said...BE CAREFUL taking all the vitamin supplements, energy pills, and eating correctly. If you eat correctly, you don't really need vitamin supplements. If you get too much of certain vitamins, it can be toxic and it'll be counterproductive and possibly very unhealthy. And all the talk of running, walking will do wonders until you can build up to running. There are people who walk around the subdivision I live in for about 45 minutes a day....and I can see the pounds dropping off them. Much safer on your knees since you're a big guy.

 

[Gearbanger 101]

Do three sets of 40-rep squats, leg press, or hack squats on leg day and let us know if it get's your heart going. You'll burn more calories with weight training that you will with any cardio excercise......and with the above excercises, you're really bring up your cardio to boot.

 

[jstreet0204]

Do three sets of 40-rep squats, leg press, or hack squats on leg day and let us know if it get's your heart going. You'll burn more calories with weight training that you will with any cardio excercise......and with the above excercises, you're really bring up your cardio to boot.

And please bring your own mop to clean up the vommit!

 

[88Stang331]

First of all you need to develop a routine, and no more fast food/chinese food (the no chinese food was hard for me, as i love chinese food) Be sure to eat carbs before you go work out as a sufficient source of energy, which allows your muscles to operate at peak performance and build up after you tear them down. Last but not least, hydrate, drink lots of water and gatorade! Hydrate a day before you plan on going to the gym, and from then on keep drinking water.

As for workout routine, i usually do Chest and Triceps, Back and Biceps, Shoulders and traps, and last but not least, Abs and Legs. Work two sets of muscles a day, and then the next day or next time you go to the gym go to hte next set of muscles. This does two things, allows you to get maximum effort out of your two muscle groups, and then come back the day after and work another set of muscles just as hard.

 

[DerekStangGT]

First of all you need to develop a routine, and no more fast food/chinese food (the no chinese food was hard for me, as i love chinese food)

ive completely cut out fast food, sweets, high sodium foods, dessert, and the obviously fatty foods. havent had chinese either in a while, even though i love it. chinese actually isnt that bad, its just the MSG, right?

Be sure to eat carbs before you go work out as a sufficient source of energy, which allows your muscles to operate at peak performance and build up after you tear them down. Last but not least, hydrate, drink lots of water and gatorade! Hydrate a day before you plan on going to the gym, and from then on keep drinking water.

ive been drinking a lot of gatorade lately. i drink one bottle right before hitting the gym, and try to drink as much water as possible. has anyone heard that cold water is bad? i keep hearing to drink only room temp liquids, but havent heard a reason.

As for workout routine, i usually do Chest and Triceps, Back and Biceps, Shoulders and traps, and last but not least, Abs and Legs. Work two sets of muscles a day, and then the next day or next time you go to the gym go to hte next set of muscles. This does two things, allows you to get maximum effort out of your two muscle groups, and then come back the day after and work another set of muscles just as hard.

i found that if i work only 1-2 muscle groups a day, they get too tired too quickly. plus i only hit the gym every other day.

 

[kramer03gt]

good to see your sticking with it.. im going on week #4 and everything is starting to take effect, ive jumped up 10 lbs on every maching that i have been working on, i usually start out with riding the stationary bike for about 30 minutes then ill lift for another 20 or 30 minutes, then try to get back on the bike or walk for another 15 min or so.. and it seems to be working out pretty good lost about 8 pounds, but im putting on muscle as well.. and that was a big thing i cut out fast food and soda, and anything that has high fructose corn syrup, so ive been sticking to the vitaman water, and gatorades here and there.. so keep it up man!!

 

[DerekStangGT]

good to see your sticking with it.. im going on week #4 and everything is starting to take effect, ive jumped up 10 lbs on every maching that i have been working on, i usually start out with riding the stationary bike for about 30 minutes then ill lift for another 20 or 30 minutes, then try to get back on the bike or walk for another 15 min or so.. and it seems to be working out pretty good lost about 8 pounds, but im putting on muscle as well.. and that was a big thing i cut out fast food and soda, and anything that has high fructose corn syrup, so ive been sticking to the vitaman water, and gatorades here and there.. so keep it up man!!

hey, youre doin pretty good too i see! yeah, i think the hardest thing for me to cut out were sodas and the like. i never really ate desserts anyway, and sweet things never really enticed me too much, but good lawd do i love my carbonated beverages.
anyway kramer, did you ever get any "before" measurements? i wished i had gotten some waist, bicep etc measurments. the only thing i did was a body fat %. i was at 26% and the trainer said after about a month, i MAY be able to lose 8 lbs and 1%. already at 11lbs after 2 weeks, so im assuming i dropped a % too

 

[kramer03gt]

hey, youre doin pretty good too i see! yeah, i think the hardest thing for me to cut out were sodas and the like. i never really ate desserts anyway, and sweet things never really enticed me too much, but good lawd do i love my carbonated beverages.
anyway kramer, did you ever get any "before" measurements? i wished i had gotten some waist, bicep etc measurments. the only thing i did was a body fat %. i was at 26% and the trainer said after about a month, i MAY be able to lose 8 lbs and 1%. already at 11lbs after 2 weeks, so im assuming i dropped a % too

Acutally no i didnt get any before measurements, ha now that you speak of it i wish i would have, but yeah soda was difficult for me as well, ha i used to wake up an pop a good ol mountain dew every day or drink atleast 2-3 20 ounce bottles throughout the day to keep me going, ha i did it for a couple of years like that,and ICECREAM was another huge thing for me as well, ha i always had pail or box of something or going to culvers or dairy queen, haha, but cutting alot of that out has made a huge difference, and yeah you should have dropped some body fat as well i would assume, i know i put on weight, but it is becuase im putting on body mass (muscle) i will proabably gain a little but chisel the fat off at the same time, but yeah i actually work till midnight tonight them im off to the gym, so it works out pretty well, plus i dont have to worry about all the morning people haha, but anyway keep me updated, ill probably update once a week with this thread even though ha im in here every day..

Steve

 

[DerekStangGT]

Acutally no i didnt get any before measurements, ha now that you speak of it i wish i would have, but yeah soda was difficult for me as well, ha i used to wake up an pop a good ol mountain dew every day or drink atleast 2-3 20 ounce bottles throughout the day to keep me going, ha i did it for a couple of years like that,and ICECREAM was another huge thing for me as well, ha i always had pail or box of something or going to culvers or dairy queen, haha, but cutting alot of that out has made a huge difference, and yeah you should have dropped some body fat as well i would assume, i know i put on weight, but it is becuase im putting on body mass (muscle) i will proabably gain a little but chisel the fat off at the same time, but yeah i actually work till midnight tonight them im off to the gym, so it works out pretty well, plus i dont have to worry about all the morning people haha, but anyway keep me updated, ill probably update once a week with this thread even though ha im in here every day..

Steve

hittin the gym at midnight? that would be awesome. no lines, no crowds, whole place to yourself. nice