halo_zero
April 6th, 2008, 02:41 AM
Some weight loss info for the non-professional athlete:
- Each pound of muscle in your body burns 50 calories a day.
Which means you want to maintain your current muscle, if not increase it. Low weight, high repetition sets can be considered for weight loss. Note, however, there is a difference between weight loss and fat loss. Lots of cardio will certainly make you see a drop in pounds, but consider what you're losing.
- HIIT is one of the most effective forms of cardio for fat loss.
High Intensity Interval Training. Plenty of information through google, but in short, this is shorter session cardio on an elliptical or other solid state machine where you train in bursts of high speed high intensity and then return to a jogging/slower pace.
So, combine the two. 5-6 days a week of alternating between cardio and lifting. Start out with a full body lifting routine for 3 weeks, then switch to split routines (Legs, Chest/Back, Arms, etc) Dirty Martini was right about weight lifting creating a "high metabolic effect" it's called an anabolic state. Depending on the individual and the training the anabolic state can last for up to 48 hours. When your body is in an anabolic state it is using all available energy (calories) for muscle repair. (That's a generalization, but it's mostly true.)
Geez. I could probably write a small essay here. Anyway, I'm happy to answer questions, or the best programs I've run into are: The Abs Diet (For beginners) and Will Brinks Fat Loss Revealed/Body Building Revealed (Members of their private forums range from absolute beginners to world famous body builders.)
Ok, one more thing. Pre and post workout nutrition are incredibly important. How much nutrition your body can shuttle to the areas that are in need of repair/growth effects your results greatly. High quality protein and carbohydrates are needed. This is another thing you can search through google, the free abs diet forums, or find everything out about at FLR/BBR.
Essentially you need:
High Quality Protein - Vegetarian = Whey protein, Vegan = Brown Rice/Pea Protein
High Quality Carbs - Maltodextrin, sucrose, dextrose, etc. Sports drink powders usually have these.
Glutamine - Increase protein metabolism, helps prevent muscle deterioration. I could probably write an essay about this too! Dietary sources are mainly animal derived, it exists in spinach (what doesn't!) and parsley. Very easy to find it in a powdered form. I've even seen it in wal-mart (Though I would suggest buying it online or from a local business rather than supporting them :D)
Creatine - Another essay-worthy supplement. Protein synthesis, energy, etc. We vegetarians respond greatly to creatine supplementation since most dietary sources worth mentioning are from meat.
I'm such a nutrition nerd.
- Each pound of muscle in your body burns 50 calories a day.
Which means you want to maintain your current muscle, if not increase it. Low weight, high repetition sets can be considered for weight loss. Note, however, there is a difference between weight loss and fat loss. Lots of cardio will certainly make you see a drop in pounds, but consider what you're losing.
- HIIT is one of the most effective forms of cardio for fat loss.
High Intensity Interval Training. Plenty of information through google, but in short, this is shorter session cardio on an elliptical or other solid state machine where you train in bursts of high speed high intensity and then return to a jogging/slower pace.
So, combine the two. 5-6 days a week of alternating between cardio and lifting. Start out with a full body lifting routine for 3 weeks, then switch to split routines (Legs, Chest/Back, Arms, etc) Dirty Martini was right about weight lifting creating a "high metabolic effect" it's called an anabolic state. Depending on the individual and the training the anabolic state can last for up to 48 hours. When your body is in an anabolic state it is using all available energy (calories) for muscle repair. (That's a generalization, but it's mostly true.)
Geez. I could probably write a small essay here. Anyway, I'm happy to answer questions, or the best programs I've run into are: The Abs Diet (For beginners) and Will Brinks Fat Loss Revealed/Body Building Revealed (Members of their private forums range from absolute beginners to world famous body builders.)
Ok, one more thing. Pre and post workout nutrition are incredibly important. How much nutrition your body can shuttle to the areas that are in need of repair/growth effects your results greatly. High quality protein and carbohydrates are needed. This is another thing you can search through google, the free abs diet forums, or find everything out about at FLR/BBR.
Essentially you need:
High Quality Protein - Vegetarian = Whey protein, Vegan = Brown Rice/Pea Protein
High Quality Carbs - Maltodextrin, sucrose, dextrose, etc. Sports drink powders usually have these.
Glutamine - Increase protein metabolism, helps prevent muscle deterioration. I could probably write an essay about this too! Dietary sources are mainly animal derived, it exists in spinach (what doesn't!) and parsley. Very easy to find it in a powdered form. I've even seen it in wal-mart (Though I would suggest buying it online or from a local business rather than supporting them :D)
Creatine - Another essay-worthy supplement. Protein synthesis, energy, etc. We vegetarians respond greatly to creatine supplementation since most dietary sources worth mentioning are from meat.
I'm such a nutrition nerd.