How important is physical conditioning to you?

[Nick1984 10]

I would recommend you don't get up and run on an empty stomach it's highly catabolic. Make sure you have a small meal before you run.

 

In terms of shoes good running shoes are New Balance and Asics. Go to a specialty sport shoe store and get your feet tested to see how you step cause then you can get the right shoe for your feet.

[Reaver 10]

Running on an empty stomach like that is great if you are trying to lose weight...it will burn fat very well.....but I wouldn't do that if you were just doing it for conditioning, as, like Nick said- it is highly catabolic...

[darthtrader 10]

reaver, how are the kettleballs? Do they really feel that much different than just doing the same stuff with dumbells? I watched some stuff on them months back, was already to get into it then found the price of them, damn.....

[Reaver 10]

reaver, how are the kettleballs? Do they really feel that much different than just doing the same stuff with dumbells? I watched some stuff on them months back, was already to get into it then found the price of them, damn.....

 

 

Yeah on an absolute basis...they seem kind of steep...but man, you can do anything with them.

 

So when you look at how versatile they are...it is worth it to me....I have a nice home gym set up with Olympic weights, bumper plates heavy bag chin/dip tower weighted vest, dumbells, and all that stuff....and a lot of it goes unused thanks to the kettlebells...

 

It's really a matter of personal preference though...

[darthtrader 10]

Ahh well that makes sense if you already have a home gym going.

Did you buy a set? One of them? Two?

 

What does your home gym dumbell setup look like? I completely want to get a home gym going at some point. I remember the bow flex adjustable dumbell set from TV awhile back. When I looked it up though it only went to 55lbs a side, that sucks. How much did it cost?

 

I found a cheap gym pretty close that is 40 a month, I'm still dragging my feet on if to join or just invest and convert a room in my house to a small gym and add on when the money comes.

 

Hell, I would be more than happy to just be able to do shoulder flies and incline dumbell presses to look good for the women starting out.

[james_gsx 16]

I would recommend you don't get up and run on an empty stomach it's highly catabolic. Make sure you have a small meal before you run.

 

In terms of shoes good running shoes are New Balance and Asics. Go to a specialty sport shoe store and get your feet tested to see how you step cause then you can get the right shoe for your feet.

 

What if I ate breakfast? Or would it just be better to run at night?

[dalby 10]

while kettlebells are a nice training tool, i think they are a (at this point waning) fad in the same way swiss balls were.

 

and i've used both, but they are hardly the magick device that tsatsouline et al will have you believe

[Reaver 10]

Hmmm..yeah but coming from my own experience, they are an extremely viable training tool.

 

Yes, there are plenty of things that work for training..but they are hardly a fad.

 

Ask the Navy SEALs and USMC if they are a fad, see what they have to say.

[james_gsx 16]

I played a hard game of basketball today, and I haven't played a team sport in at least 2 years. Now my leg - mostly my kneecap - is absolutely killing me. I put some ice on it, and now it just feels swollen and it hurts to put any pressure on it.

 

Any idea what I did? And how to fix it?

 

If it helps, I have extra long ligaments so I used to get a lot of shin splints. Not sure if that would play into my leg though.

[Sparrow 10]

When injury rates are expressed per hour of activity, risk of injury can be ranked by sport. Not surprisingly, such rankings show that sports like rugby and lacrosse produce the most mayhem, with about 30 injuries per 1000 hours of activity (rates above 5 per 1000 hours are considered high). Basketball and squash are also problem producers, with around 14 injuries per 1000 hours. Running and high-intensity aerobic dance follow fairly closely, with 11 injuries per 1000 hours (or about one per 100 hours).

 

Upgraded strength protects and stabilises joints and prevents muscles and connective tissues from literally being torn apart by the repetitive forces placed on them during activity.

 

James if you haven't trained a lot your risk of injury is higher, especially if you go at it full throttle. Start with light training and increase the intensity over time, otherwise it might have a bad effect on your motivation. Being sore is not necessary for a good workout.

[james_gsx 16]

Thanks, I played soccer for too long and never learned how to play at 50%. I've always been extremely competitive, so when I play I go 100% regardless.

 

I guess I should lift more weights along with training myself to be more fit if I plan on doing this regularly (which I do).

[Nick1984 10]

James basketball is a tough sport on the knees. I dislocated my knee about 6 months ago playing it. If your tall and heavy like me then it makes it worse. The bigger they are the harder they fall after all!

 

Warm up your legs before you play by doing some small stretches. Do some exercises that involve the flexion of the knee i.e squats, or lunges to limber up.

 

Make sure if you have knee problems that you strap your knees up. Take some glucosamine suppliments to help with joints and also fish oil to help your cartelige grease itself up.

[Reaver 10]

James basketball is a tough sport on the knees. I dislocated my knee about 6 months ago playing it. If your tall and heavy like me then it makes it worse. The bigger they are the harder they fall after all!

 

Warm up your legs before you play by doing some small stretches. Do some exercises that involve the flexion of the knee i.e squats, or lunges to limber up.

 

Make sure if you have knee problems that you strap your knees up. Take some glucosamine suppliments to help with joints and also fish oil to help your cartelige grease itself up.

 

Nick's right, also look into Cissus Quadrangularis...good stuff for the problems you mentioned...

[darthtrader 10]

My gym problems are solved. Just got a flyer in the mail this gym is opening down the street thats 19 bucks to join then 19 bucks a month.

Finally someone figured out that most people don't want to pay for a swimming pool, raquetball and 10 on site personal trainers that they will never use.

[Reaver 10]

Congrats man...just make sure you read the fine print, etc....A lot of gyms are pretty unscrupulous and will attempt unauthorized charges on your account even after you cancel...among other things...Sounds like a good deal man, just read the fine print to see if they have any traps in there....I work at a bank so I am just passing that along to you as I see it fairly often!

 

Best of luck...if you have any problems with them, drop me a line and I'll let you know what channels are available for you to get your money back in the banking world.

[rock 10]

$19!!! u lucky

Come to think of it, I may need to start taking glucosamine.

[rock 10]

james:

Isn't it better to run in the morning. The rest of the day you will feel better and it has an effect on your metabolism that you need during your waking hours.

Perhaps Nick can comment on this. He seems to know the science behind this kind of stuff..hehe

[Reaver 10]

It induces ketosis. Yes there is more science behind that that I could elaborate on..but it would serve no practical purpose.

 

Try taking a few R-Alpha Lipoic Acid capsules 15-30 minutes before a run to scavenge glucose to help with ketosis before running......

 

You'll know what I mean once you try it...

 

For strictly weightloss it works wonders..but don't make a practice of running on an empty stomach if your goal is to get bigger (muscle-wise)

[Nick1984 10]

Cardio before breakfast will make you loose fat but it will make you loose a lot of muscle as well. I'll base this post on the assumption that most people here are men so I'll limit this post to male fat loss.

 

Men tend to store fat in the abdominal region of their bodies both under the skin and around the internal organs. Under skin fat is seen as flab while organ fat is hard. You want to loose both types of fat.

 

The theory behind doing cardio on an empty stomach is that you will deplete what little glycogen is left in your body in the morning and use your fat for energy. However what happens when you do your cardio in a fasted state is that your body releases cortisol which will in turn release the amino acids which in turn produce glucose which leads to muscle loss. You'll notice you're dopping weight but you'll look not much different cause your're eating your muslce off as well. I call this "skinny fat" where you get a person who is not physically large but still looks flabby.

 

By eating before you do cardio your body will use the calories from the food for energy during your workout but after your metabolism will use fat from your organs for energy. If you make your cardio high intensity your body will use glycogen for energy but after will use fat. The opposite applies to low intensity cardio i.e jogging.

[darthtrader 10]

Congrats man...just make sure you read the fine print, etc....A lot of gyms are pretty unscrupulous and will attempt unauthorized charges on your account even after you cancel...

 

http://ww2.fitness19.com/

they are expanding all over the country. Part of their business model is they only offer monthly memberships, they don't even offer a bogus long term contract. Its really smart, i've been waiting for ever for someone to low ball golds and world gym.

[Reaver 10]

Good to go Darth, sounds like a sweet deal to me man. Nick, you're right, also though insulin mediation can cause massive shift in how your body will utilize macronutrients for fuel....inducing ketosis through not eating carbohydrates (again, R-ALA helps tremendously with this, trust me I know) basically creates a futile energy cycle ( in the body that is highly inefficient...your body uses ketones for energy and this results in a drastic decrease in the amount of net ATP production from the Krebs cycle)....ie burns tons of calories...and I mean tons. More recent research indicates that primitive man lived in a state of ketosis more often than not due to the hunter/gatherer nature...so it (ketosis) is not considered unhealthy or dangerous as it was once thought....

 

Generally in ketosis your body will burn fat over muscle, but not by much...this, over time will result in the phenomenon that Nick mentioned that us gymrats call skinny fat....though over a longer period of time you will still burn more fat than muscle, especially if you are obese or already overweight....your body does know when it is storing too much fat.....

 

Try looking into a Protein Sparing Modified Fast...it takes advantage of the body's shift to ketosis and massive reactions to fasting, but by eating the protein in the manner prescribed, it will also protect the body from losing muscle as much as is possible.

 

Seriously no BS give it a shot.....it is wicked and it will drop weight faster than you can imagine.

[james_gsx 16]

I did a small 35 minute cardiovascular workout last night (mostly running then lifted some small weights). I haven't done anything like that in a while, it felt great but when I hit the pillows I was out and actually slept 8 hours. I think I will have to do this more often.

[Reaver 10]

Yeah after working out, as long as you don't overtrain...the sleep is great!

[Reaver 10]

I actually just remembered my favorite physical training activity...throwing on a pair of cleats and letting my dogs chase me all around the back yard. Hard core..You will be on the ground gasping in no time.....and getting licked to death while you're trying to breathe...It builds character. lol

[Nick1984 10]

LoL @ Reaver great idea! Now I just need to get a dog!

 

James you'll find that as you exercise more your body will crave adequate rest periods. Sleep is when your body repairs itself and helps your muslces grow, recover, and strengthen. All the hard work you do during the day is not what actually changes your body, its the sleeping period that does it all so make sure you're always getting enough of it!