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[Nodaisho]

Your biceps shouldn't have any affect on whether you can do pushups, pushups primarily utilize the chest, triceps and anterior deltoid. Also, I'm not sure if you meant those exercises would do your arms, because if they are what I am thinking of (I don't do isolation / machine exercises, and even then the description is kind of vague), but the exercises you listed work the chest, lats and back, respectively.

Well, I know that when I do push-ups, it is muscles in my arms hurting, they might not be biceps, but they are in the same part of the arm. My stomach also ends up hurting, hopefully the sit-ups will help the condition of those muscles.

In regards to the machine exercises, the first two you are right, but they also strengthen my arms, the latter strengthens my lower arm, but I like that one, and I need to switch around the muscles I am using anyway. The latter one, I think I ended up describing the wrong exercise, I'm talking about taking hold of a couple of handles and pulling them towards myself, I don't like that one all that much, though. Could just have to do with needing to not be barefoot on tile while trying it. I also started doing the machine's equivalent of bench press, with a weight around 1/3 my body weight. I can comfortably do sets of 20, but it still takes a decent amount of effort, so I'm sticking with that until it gets easy.

I am very happy that I'm not having to watch what I eat for this, I'm not pigging out on sweets or anything, but I'm not having to be careful with my food either.

[Spluff]

It would be your triceps, your tricep is the muscle that extends your arm.

If the exercises you are talking about are this, this, and this, there will be little to no arm development in those exercises, as the muscles in the arm are only used as synergists or stabilizers, if at all (they are not used in the first exercise at all).

[Nodaisho]

Those pictures don't work. The last one isn't what I am talking about, just by the name. The first one is, and I guess you are right in it not being on the arm that it gets, it is more of the very edge of the chest, another place that I have had issues with being too weak. I managed to find the second one on the website, and that isn't what I am talking about, it uses the same bar, though. When I do it, the only part of my body moving is my arms, so I would be very surprised if it isn't working my arms.

Oh, and if the muscle chart I am looking at is correct, I am talking about the biceps, I have more issue doing the down part of the push up than the up part, the down part I have trouble not just dropping to the floor.

edit: having just looked at the chart on the wall, I see a lot that agrees with what you were saying, but my body is still telling me that my arms are getting the exercise. I think I am doing it wrong, and getting exercise on muscles that wouldn't normally get it, at least for some of it. Also, I found what the muscles I was talking about are. Biceps and Deltoids, deltoids are what most of those exercise, I will need to find a new one to exercise biceps.

[St.Germain]

I've decided I'm going to jump on the healthy train, or thread, as it were.

My problem is that I don't really know what to do in order to lose a little weight and become overall healthier. As it is, I'm basically a vegetarian, and I walk to class and work everyday (Technically they're in the same place, but still). I'm cutting down on soda, mainly because I'm too poor to buy it.

We have a Rec Center on campus where I could go to work out, but I have no clue what I should do once I get there. I know running is a good place to start, but I lack the ability to run, for unknown reasons. I'd ride my bike, except there's a foot or so of snow on the ground. Any suggestions on what I should do?

For reference, I'm female (if you didn't know), 5 foot 7, and 135-40 lbs. I don't own a scale, so I can't be sure. My driver's license (which I got 4 years ago, when I was 17) says I weigh 125, which I did at the time, so I know it's possible. I would like my license to stop lying.

[bicostp]

One of them, the handlebar is loose and it's dangerous to use.

There should be 2 bolts on the handlebar where it meets the fork shaft. Tighten those and it should be fine. If it's tightened all the way, you may need to either shim it, grind some of the metal away to make the gap between the sides larger, or replace the part it tightens to.

The other, the tire is flat and won't fill back up.

Is the tire itself fine? (No giant slashes in it?) If so, you just need a new inner tube. $5 and 20 minutes will fix it, even if it's your first time changing one.

[jhocking]

aargh fucking postal service is pissing me off by not delivering the fucking package

I will complain about them more in the blog thread, but the reason it's relevant here is because I couldn't work out today because I spent the entire day sitting around waiting for the delivery guy.

[pen]

You could have done jumping jacks while waiting. 

[jhocking]

In retrospect, there are a lot of things I could have done while waiting. But I mean, I didn't expect the delivery to be so late in the day, so I didn't expect to start doing anything until after the delivery was made.

[Darkbluerabbit]

We have a Rec Center on campus where I could go to work out, but I have no clue what I should do once I get there. I know running is a good place to start, but I lack the ability to run, for unknown reasons. I'd ride my bike, except there's a foot or so of snow on the ground. Any suggestions on what I should do?

Does your REC center have elliptical machines?  Most usually do, and they look something like this: 



Some also have handles that work your arms too.  My campus has a few of each.  They're way more fun than a treadmill, and it's really easy to work at your own pace.  I think they're a great way to start doing cardio.  If you have a hard time running, it's a similar movement but without the impact on your joints.

[J-cob9000]

I just realized what would be amazing. A treadmill with a table sort of thing. I could just put my computer up there and walk while using it. That would be perfect.

[Runa]

I'm jumping on the healthy train.

There was a time I worked out everyday, but due to my inconsistant work schedule (opening the store at 5:30 in the morning, getting off at 1:30 or 2) I find myself coming home and just simply passing out. I work at a Panera Bread, with a 65% discount I still struggle to eat decently (Bread store=Fat). I'm a bit of a gluttonous person, I indulge in food until I feel as if I'm going to vomit. Then at times I forget to eat, don't have time to or just cannot afford it. Lately, after reading this thread I've tried the small meals idea. I feel a whole lot better after trying it, it's hard to stick with though.

I'm not an outdoors type person, I do love to float around my swimming pool, using my arms to hold me up and curl my legs into my chest tightening my stomach muscles, but it's winter and I'm moving from my parents house at the end of January. I want to get rid of my little "pouch" on my stomach, tighten my thighs (I'm about to turn 20 and have noticed I'm getting cellulite), under my arms, my lower back (muffin top), and my "armpit area" (don't know a decent term for that). I've noticed when wearing tank tops my arms appear huge, and I'm self consious of the extra tiny folds I have in the arm pit area. I look about 20 pounds bigger than what I really am.

Ugh those arms:


Thing is, no matter what I do I cannot lose that pouch, my stomach is flat until about an inch before my belly button then it's like a akward bump. I can sit there and do 200 crunches (I don't feel anything when I do sit ups) almost every day, it does not go away. I know I have really strong stomach muscles, it's just getting rid of that little sack of annoying fat I've been trying to lose since I was 17.

I have DDR, and I have a exercise ball. DDR is my way of doing atleast some cardio. I don't make enough money to go to a gym, I have fit tv.. I used to do Gileads Body Sculpt, I loved it. I wanted to buy the DVDs but never really did, and I'm not financially able to at this point.

My diet is horrible which may be why I have a hard time losing the tummy fat. I've cut back on fast food and soda, mcdonalds maybe once a month when I'm in desperate need of food.

I have a hard time finding energy to do anything, and I have constant migraines. So going to the store to shop for simple things, or cooking a meal is hard for me. I'm not lazy, I want to do all of these things, I went to a club with a friend a few months ago and all I wanted to do was sit there because I was so tired I couldn't dance or anything. My boyfriend pointed out to me that I may have bad blood circulation, we were in bed on night and his feet touched mine and he about jumped out of bed. My legs have a tendancy to be cold from the knees down. At work I'm very active, I'm running back and forth, making orders, lifting things, climbing shelves, but I get faint feeling I guess. I just feel like falling over and sleeping. I can get a full nights rest and I'm still incredibly tired, caffeine doesn't help me at all. I took a 5 hour energy shot once during my 4.5 hour drive to see my boyfriend and all it did was give me the shakes so bad I had to pull over. I'm very against energy drinks, I'd say maybe once every 6 months I'll try em, I'll be disgusted and I get no energy from them. I get shooting pains from behind my head near my ears, I get thrown off balance. When I have those pains I usually just lean against whatever is closest to me until it goes away.  A girl I work with has the same problem as I do with the migraines, but I'm going to a doctor sometime soon to be sure. She said it was due to stress and the brain will shut down. I try not to stress so much, but I'm stressing over work, health, financial issues, and my dad has cancer. Found out a few days ago it's benign though. =]

All of this is causing me to gain more weight. So I'm trying to eat egg white, two pieces of bacon and a slice of toast in the mornings at work. I'll snack on some yogurt and a fruit cup. I'll eat half a salad for lunch maybe, and sometimes half a sandwich if I get hungry again. Hard to diet when I'm around pastries, making sandwhiches, salads, and pouring soups. I get one smell of one of my favorites, and it's all over.

[Spluff]

I wouldn't really be comfortable recommending any courses of action to lose that extra fat until you've seen a doctor about your headaches. That really doesn't sound good for you.

[Katherine]

I used to get migraines all the time in college.  I found out that my sporadic eating and sleeping habits were exacerbating the problem.  You said that you're going to the doctor soon, and that's great because you really want to get an official diagnosis, but in the meantime you might find that it helps to stabilize your meals (as in at least three per day instead of forgetting to eat or not having time).

Also, doing crunches won't get rid of your belly fat.  Crunches will tone and strengthen your abdominal muscles but the only way to lose the pouch is to lower your overall body fat.  I'm really jealous that you have DDR.  I would love to buy that for myself but I live on the second floor of a two family house and I don't think the landlady would really appreciate me stomping around like a maniac every other day.

[tania]

to minimize that paunchy area below your belly button, you gots to do exercises that work the lower abdominal muscles. crunches work the upper abdominals more than the lower ones.

[Spluff]

You can't spot reduce fat anyway, so it doesn't really matter what area you hit with your crunches.

[est]

After a certain point stomach & abs is more about diet.  My house mate is a very fit guy, exercises every day running, weights or ju jitsu. He's been doing all this for probably about ten years and it's only been in the last say, six months when he decided to also get a bit more serious about his diet that he has started to get muscle definition on his stomach.  I mean, he's never been fat, it's just that he's still had he little stomach flab that everyone has.  It is hard to get rid of!

[Alex C]

Re: Runa's problems

Obviously seeing the doctor is the best course of action, but in the meantime I'd consider trying to drink more water (slowly) as well. There's various ways a person can have unusual amounts of fluid loss (which is exactly why you still need to see a doctor even if the more water thing helps; there'd still be something weird causing the fluid loss) and prolonged mild dehydration can lead to mild hypotension (low blood pressure), and that's certainly capable of causing the symptoms you're talking about. Of course, since I'm not a doctor or any sort of medical professional, odds are I am completely and horribly wrong, and even as a layman I can think of all sorts of other things that could be causing the problem. The nice thing about suggesting water (and frankly, the only reason I'd feel comfortable giving advice at all) though is that out of all the temporary quack home remedies out there in the world, it's easily one of the most harmless.

[Runa]

I do drink a lot of water. I'm constantly thirsty no matter how much water I drink. They joke on me at work because I'm running to the bathroom 3 times an hour. Me being a smoker doesn't help much either. Smoking decreases oxygen flow to the brain, and can cause poor blood circulation. I am cutting back on my smoking, limiting myself a certain amount a day. It's hard, people say "oh it's just a mental thing, you just think you need them." but no, when I've tried to quit cold turkey (I hate being a smoker and hate wasting money on cigarettes) the withdrawls are hell for me.

I've had these migraines since I was 12, at that time everyone shrugged it off assuming it was just me hitting puberty and my hormones being out of whack but I'm 19 now and still have them. It's just gotten worse with stress, and they may be worse now because of my wisdom teeth.

As for lower abdominal workouts, Gilead's show taught me how to do those a while back. I do those as well. Guess I gotta stop caving once a month and giving in to the McDonalds temptation, it won't be easy since I'm moving in with a guy that I call the human garbage disposal. I met him about 6 months ago, and he's gained some weight since then. He loves to eat, and doesn't eat healthy anymore. Said he gave up on eating healthy after he had major knee surgery about a year ago.



Motivation to quit smoking: I spend about $800 a year on little sticks that will eventually kill me.

@Katherine:

I sprained my ankle a few years ago, and it's the only "running" active thing I can do without my ankle giving out on me. I love it. Plus, I kick some ass at DDR. I can do some Heavy, but everyone else I know can only do light so I look totally cool next to em. 

[Darkbluerabbit]

I'm going to come down and get all serious regarding Runa's dilemma, just because a few alarms went off when I was reading it.  I developed some disordered eating habits when I was about seventeen, and I recognize some of the thoughts and behaviors. 

In the picture you posted, you do not strike me as a big girl at all, in fact I think you look pretty.  Yet, you can pinpoint everything you hate about your body.  You mentioned that you sometimes eat until you are sick.  In most cases that's not gluttony, that's a sign of a bad relationship with food.  Feeling tired and having headaches can be related to diet, definitely, but you also seem to be under a lot of stress and feeling badly about yourself.  Talk to your doctor soon, and not just about nutrition, but about what you are thinking.  It's possible that you are sick, or not getting enough of certain nutrients, but it's also possible that you could be depressed.

Maybe I'm reading too much into it, but I just thought I'd mention that side of things.  The mind/body connection is pretty strong. 

I will stop being such a downer now.  Hooray workouts?

[nobo]

the way i've lost some of my gut is working everything but my abs. doing shoulder, leg, chest, arm, and back work outs cut out the fattiness in those parts and i've started running an playing basketball. having more muscle boosts your metabolism because it takes more calories to maintain a more muscular body.

and when it comes to eating, you shouldn't' be so strict. If you don't eat enough calories your body goes into shut down mode where it'll hold on to whatever reserve fat you have. so i encourage you to eat often and eat healthy, and if you want to exercise do some strength training along with your DDR.

[Eris]

The low blood pressure, constant thirst even when drinking a lot and migraines makes me think of diabetes. I am pretty sure they can be symptoms that are indicators that someone has diabetes (I'm not saying that's what it is, but it was just something that jumped out at me.

Also, about the "pouch". I have that exact same thing, and I have had it all my life, even when I was down to about 40/45kg and a walking skeleton. It got to the point that I have just learned to deal with having it; it's not that it is not annoying, but I have to remember that most people have it and that it doesn't mean I am a fatty or anything.

I couldn't find anywhere where you mentioned your height/weight, so I don't know for sure, but you look like you have a similar body shape to someone I know (although you look taller), and she is a stocky lady; not fat, more solid, I guess. The good thing about her shape is she is curvy; she can wear things I sure can't because she fills them out better. Every body shape has its positives.

[Alex C]

Yeah, adding excessive thirst to the feeling ravenous is kind of a red flag.

[Runa]

I've thought diabetes too as well, mainly because a lot of people in my family have it. My insurance just kicked in yesterday, so after making a dentists appointment I will call about a doctors visit.

I have curves, I'm 5 foot 4 and a half inches, last time I weighed myself I was 141 lbs. I'll post a full body shot in the picture thread I don't wanna flood this thread with my face.

@ Darkblue:
I do have personal problems, but I try to overlook them. I draw and make stuff in order to make myself feel better. I do hurt a lot, past friendships and relationship still affect me in a negative manner. I've been taken advantage of, lied to, cheated on, mentally abused in almost every relationship and I'm happy to have found my current boyfriend, he is the sweetest guy I have ever met and he's a gentleman to me. Regardless of him being almost perfect I still have a fear of him lying, or cheating. I ignore that fear and tell myself I'm being silly, but it's always there in the back of my mind.

[Alex C]

and when it comes to eating, you shouldn't' be so strict. If you don't eat enough calories your body goes into shut down mode where it'll hold on to whatever reserve fat you have. so i encourage you to eat often and eat healthy, and if you want to exercise do some strength training along with your DDR.

This, particularly in Midnight Umbreon's case since he very well might not be done growing yet. It's a lot better to hit all of your nutritional bases and then working on a mild calorie deficit via exercise and cutting out the "empty" foods than it is to just cut down on eating in general. I mean, really, my weight loss plan basically consists of exercising a bit more and trimming off about 200 calories per day from my diet; that's so little that cutting out a can of coke a day from my diet gets me 3/4s of the way there. Over a week though that's over a 1,000 less calories going to fat.

[J-cob9000]

Good lord, I hope I'm done growing. I don't want to be any taller. 6'1" is just right.


DIET NEWS. *fancy CNN music!*
Jacob is going to hold back on his dieting and just get exercise somehow while Christmas and stuff is going on. Once school starts back, he will back in the diet routine.
I just can't diet with all of this wonderfully unhealthy food around me. I won't eat too much though. I'll watch my portion sizes.

[St.Germain]

@ Darkbluerabbit: There is a good chance that we have elliptical machines. I'll have to go try that after Christmas break (I'm leaving the day after tomorrow).

They also have stationary bikes that I tried once, and it wasn't too bad. The machines seemed to be smarter than me, though. But I'll probably give that another go, too.

My big problem with the Rec Center is that people are always staring at me. I have no idea what their problem is, it's not like I wear neon spandex or anything (more like a grey tank top and black knee-length shorts). Whatever, I'll just have to work on ignoring them, I guess. I shouldn't let other people get in my way.

[Juxtaposition]

Runa, I'm the same height, weight and body type as you almost exactly, and I'm in great shape! You look great in your picture, so don't get in shape for other people. If you want to be healthier because it makes you happy, go for it. but don't do it for other people, or for looks, because you already look great. Also, it's a good thing that you're seeing a doctor because I think your trouble exercising has nothing to do with your personal determination!

[ViolentDove]

Regarding the stomach "pouch." With some people, that's just the way your body is shaped. It isn't necessarily fat, it's just your internal organs and such. Some people are just meant to look this way, so it's not something you should worry about unless you're genuinely overweight.

Last weekend I was up at my parent's house for Christmas lunch with the extended family, and I noticed that everyone was fat except me (and except for my three cousins, who're all little girls).  When did my whole family get fat? Why have I only just noticed?

Hmm.   

[Jace]

Here's a pretty handy tip people who are going to work out on any sort of workout machine:

Don't sit there and watch TV or listen to music that has words you know, you need to focus your mind, that way, you'll feel a lot more rested at the end of the day. If you've ever wondered why you work out and don't feel any better, the reason is that you are working out your body while keeping your mind preoccupied. Focus on your workout and don't think about anything else while you are working out. That will help your mind as much as your body.

For example. I'm probably going to go home and go through the Five Element punches with the 10/10/10 method.
Thats 100 punches, 10 pushups, 10 sit ups, and 10 leg presses. Then another 100 punches, 10, 10, 10. Then 60 punches, 10 10 10. 100 punches, 10 10 10. 100 punches (since this is the last set) 15, 15, 15.
From there, I'm going to work on my form. This whole process will take me less than an hour, and I'll feel great afterward.

[Spluff]

Honestly, if you can concentrate on something else whilst excercising, you aren't working hard enough.

[nobo]

I agree with spluff. The only thing on my mind while working out is how much pain i'm in, how far i can push myself, and how good it all feels.

[jhocking]

My big problem with the Rec Center is that people are always staring at me.

At Carnegie Mellon the workout rooms were right next to the food court, separated by enormous glass walls. You would have loved that!

[Alex C]

Yeah, back when I was less lazy, I found that two hard, focused sessions of 20 minute interval cardio (with half of that merely as warm up/cool down time) a few times a week actually did more for me than fucking around for an hour a day with an ipod and channel surfing. Fair warning; you do have to learn how to push yourself a bit though for it to work, but when you do, it works very well.

[Aimless]

Honestly, if you can concentrate on something else whilst excercising, you aren't working hard enough.

Depends on what your goals are. That vigorous exercise unnecessary (er, so to speak) if you just want the basic health benefits.

My minor contribution to the advice list:

1. Take all fitness and health tips and advice you come across--in magazines, on the internet, from friends, even from medical professionals--with a large pinch of salt.

2. Set realistic and reasonable long-term goals for yourself. If your primary concern is health, then it might be helpful to remember that being active and round is hella better than inactive and slim. If your primary concern is changing the way you look, then it might be helpful to remember that you can only do so much in the long term by putting in a reasonable amount of effort. If you find yourself at a point where you feel you can't dedicate any of your time and energy to working out, then try to be okay with it




Runa, hopefully you'll be able to rule out diabetes by the time you read this the problems you describe may certainly all be related to diabetes, but I've had two teachers note that excessive fluid intake (and consequent polyuria ) is related to disordered eating, and frequently occurs in young women such as yourself.

Episodes of excessive eating can sometimes precede migraines (ie. it can be a part of the migraine prodrome). Have you noticed such a pattern?

Until you have yourself checked out, the single most important thing you can do to improve your physical health is to quit smoking. Now may not be the right time, but when you feel you can give it a serious shot then I hope you do.

One very good thing you may be able to do right now is something you've already tried out... work out a good routine for your daily life. You can't influence everything, but you can and should make sure you can regularly destress. Chronic stress--without sufficient time to relax and recuperate--is bad for your health. There's a lot going on, there're a lot of demands on you, but see if you can take the time to wind down at the end of each day.

You get plenty of physical activity from your job. Routine and relaxation should be more pressing concerns.

You look great, hope you feel great too in a not-too-distant future

Cheers.

-- P, who's finally been able to return to an ordered and healthy life

[Spluff]

Yeah, back when I was less lazy, I found that two hard, focused sessions of 20 minute interval cardio (with half of that merely as warm up/cool down time) a few times a week actually did more for me than fucking around for an hour a day with an ipod and channel surfing. Fair warning; you do have to learn how to push yourself a bit though for it to work, but when you do, it works very well.

Many studies have shown that short periods of high intensity cardio will be much more effective than a long period of low intensity cardio. 20 minutes of HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training), including warm up and cool down, every second day is much more effective than doing an hour or more low intensity cardio every day. It burns more fat whilst burning less muscle.

[Aimless]

Many studies have shown that short periods of high intensity cardio will be much more effective than a long period of low intensity cardio. 20 minutes of HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training), including warm up and cool down, every second day is much more effective than doing an hour or more low intensity cardio every day. It burns more fat whilst burning less muscle.

Er, what do you mean with "more effective" and what do you mean with "burning muscle"?

[Spluff]

More Effective:

By more effective I mean that it will burn-up/utilize a greater total amount of calories compared to standard low intensity aerobic excercise, whilst also giving greater benefits to your cardiovascular system.

Burning Muscle:

During cardio, your body will utilizes energy from various sources. When the body is running low on energy, the body will start getting energy from alternate (non standard, as in not from carhbohydrates/fat) and start cannibalizing muscle to break down the muscle proteins within for energy. So essentially the body starts 'burning' or breaking down muscle for energy. It's not really that much of an issue in most people, unless you are attempting to gain strength or size.

[Aimless]

More Effective:

By more effective I mean that it will burn-up/utilize a greater total amount of calories compared to standard low intensity aerobic excercise, whilst also giving greater benefits to your cardiovascular system.

Which benefits, exactly?

You may burn a greater total amount of calories, but if you're training anaerobically (which I'm guessing you will be, if you're talking high-intensity interval training) then you'll be utilising your carbohydrate reserves throughout. Reducing those reserves won't automatically reduce your fat reserves.

During cardio, your body will utilizes energy from various sources. When the body is running low on energy, the body will start getting energy from alternate (non standard, as in not from carhbohydrates/fat) and start cannibalizing muscle to break down the muscle proteins within for energy. So essentially the body starts 'burning' or breaking down muscle for energy. It's not really that much of an issue in most people, unless you are attempting to gain strength or size.

Your body is continuously breaking down protein from muscles. They become particularly important fuel sources during anaerobic training, because they (like lactate) can be converted to glucose and that's what your muscles can use under those conditions.

It's not some form of cannibalisation, such as what occurs during prolonged starvation, uncontrolled diabetes, etc, where you have actual muscle-wasting due to the breakdown of important structural proteins.

What you're speaking of is a normal and natural adaptation to aerobic training, where your skeletal muscle fibres change to work better at moderate intensity under aerobic conditions. So yeah, their cross-sectional area goes down--reducing muscle size and "strength"--but that's not a bad thing unless your goal is specifically to increase muscle size and explosive power. In principle, it's just like the way your body adapts to other forms of training by getting bigger and more butch.

It's all about what your goals are. There haven't been many high-quality studies done on normal people comparing eg. HIIT with other forms of exercise. HIIT seems to be great for well-trained people, though

[EDIT] To clarify: HIT is useful for increasing performance, but that doesn't mean it's a better option for someone whose primary concern is eg. losing weight rather than becoming eg. a better athlete.

[Eris]

Ok, it took me a while, but I finally bought a skipping rope today. I had to go to a sporting goods store to find one that is plastic and simple, rather than pink and sparkly, but it is worth it, it is just what I wanted (well technically not exactly what I wanted, but they didn't have a school skipping rope that wasn't ridiculously long). I will start my skipping regime tomorrow and work my way back up to the speed skipping that I used to do years ago.


I also got a cold and have been eating junk recently, but hey, I eat junk all the time anyway and have been the same weight for years, so it's not that big a deal.

[Spluff]

You may burn a greater total amount of calories, but if you're training anaerobically (which I'm guessing you will be, if you're talking high-intensity interval training) then you'll be utilising your carbohydrate reserves throughout. Reducing those reserves won't automatically reduce your fat reserves.

You may not reduce your fat reserves during the excercise, but because of the high intensity of the excercise you undertook, you will end up using those reserves later on during the day due to EPOC (excess post-exercise oxygen consumption), which means, due to the large metabolic increase, you can burn up to eight or nine times as much fat as if you had done a moderate-intensity set of exercise for twice as long as you did HIIT.

Your body is continuously breaking down protein from muscles. They become particularly important fuel sources during anaerobic training, because they (like lactate) can be converted to glucose and that's what your muscles can use under those conditions.

It's not some form of cannibalisation, such as what occurs during prolonged starvation, uncontrolled diabetes, etc, where you have actual muscle-wasting due to the breakdown of important structural proteins.

Whilst this is true, that muscle protein is being utilized at any point in the time, the amount is significantly increased during long term aerobic excercise - because of the long duration of the excercise, the body can run out of it's standard energy reserves and enter a catabolic state where it is actively breaking down muscle tissue for fuel.

What you're speaking of is a normal and natural adaptation to aerobic training, where your skeletal muscle fibres change to work better at moderate intensity under aerobic conditions. So yeah, their cross-sectional area goes down--reducing muscle size and "strength"--but that's not a bad thing unless your goal is specifically to increase muscle size and explosive power. In principle, it's just like the way your body adapts to other forms of training by getting bigger and more butch.

To clarify: HIT is useful for increasing performance, but that doesn't mean it's a better option for someone whose primary concern is eg. losing weight rather than becoming eg. a better athlete.

I agree that it is "not really that much of an issue in most people, unless you are attempting to gain strength or size", as I posted earlier. I would, however, argue that it is still relevant to the average person. HIIT is a very effective way of burning fat and increasing overall cardiovascular fitness in a short period of time (not everybody has enough time to go out and run for an hour or more a day).

---

[Edit] Also, hey, that is pretty fantastic Hannah. Skipping is fun.

[Aimless]

You may not reduce your fat reserves during the excercise, but because of the high intensity of the excercise you undertook, you will end up using those reserves later on during the day due to EPOC (excess post-exercise oxygen consumption), which means, due to the large metabolic increase, you can burn up to eight or nine times as much fat as if you had done a moderate-intensity set of exercise for twice as long as you did HIIT.

Esp. in fitness circles, it's often hard to get info on the applicability--not to mention the validity!--of the research being referenced. So, small, short, limited, poorly controlled and unverified studies end up getting the same amount of attention and credibility as more thorough research.

I sometimes have a tendency to talk out of my ass, so this time I went ahead and looked at the literature before replying. The number you cite is interesting, because studies looking at EPOC after different kinds of exercise at different intensities have yielded very inconsistent results wrt magnitude and duration. Few studies have directly compared different regimens, and none have been long-term.

If you're really interested in the current literature, I can send you this article:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17101527?ordinalpos=1&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_DiscoveryPanel.Pubmed_Discovery_RA&linkpos=4&log$=relatedreviews&logdbfrom=pubmed

[...]Notwithstanding the aforementioned, the earlier research optimism regarding an important role for the EPOC in weight loss is generally unfounded. This is further reinforced by acknowledging that the exercise stimuli required to promote a prolonged EPOC are unlikely to be tolerated by non-athletic individuals. The role of exercise in the maintenance of body mass is therefore predominantly mediated via the cumulative effect of the energy expenditure during the actual exercise.

It's good reading if you're interested in sports science

I didn't realise HIIT has a large aerobic component, however. And I'll concede that it may have an advantage in that the short duration may make it easier to adhere to.

Whilst this is true, that muscle protein is being utilized at any point in the time, the amount is significantly increased during long term aerobic excercise - because of the long duration of the excercise, the body can run out of it's standard energy reserves and enter a catabolic state where it is actively breaking down muscle tissue for fuel.

Your muscles preferentially burn fat, and during aerobic exercise they burn more fat. Can you think of a normal scenario where a normally trained individual, during normal aerobic exercise, depletes both his fat reserves and his glycogen reserves--to the point where the body can't keep up the blood-sugar without breaking down muscle fibres?

The protein the body breaks down under normal circumstances to get glucose doesn't come from the cannibalisation of muscle fibres. It's better to think of it as "excess" protein, that continually flows between muscles and the liver.

If you're talking about a skinny person who goes for a long run after a long overnight fast then I'm with you.

I agree that it is "not really that much of an issue in most people, unless you are attempting to gain strength or size", as I posted earlier. I would, however, argue that it is still relevant to the average person. HIIT is a very effective way of burning fat and increasing overall cardiovascular fitness in a short period of time (not everybody has enough time to go out and run for an hour or more a day).

They should start skipping instead that IS fun.

Thanks for bringing up EPOC btw. The sports physiology dept. at my uni is prolly the best in Sweden, and I'm thinking it might be fun to do a project with them on this very matter

cheers

[RedLion]

Today is the day I start going to the gym again!

[Katherine]

Way to go, RedLion!

[Alex C]

I hate skipping and definitely don't think it's fun, but hey, whatever, I think pretty much all exercise sucks. That's why I used to go heavy on the brutally effective but short options, since pretty much all exercise fits under the "Time I'd rather be doing something else with" category.

[Che_Lab]

I always say I'm going to start eating healthier, although I don't know why.  Then people tell me I'm not fat and I need to stop being so insecure about myself.  *goes back to looking in the mirror and /wrists*

[tania]

exercise and good diet isn't just about losing weight and being skinnier. skinny people can still have high cholesterol, and being healthy is good for your mental + emotional well being. often when people are depressed or feel like they can't concentrate one of the main questions they are asked is, what is your diet like and how often do you exercise? obviously there is still such a thing as clinical depression which affects a lot of people and for which the only treatment that works is medication, but for others just having a healthier lifestyle can make a pretty big difference in how their brain functions.

[Aimless]

Absolutely! Being active and in control of your life can do so much for your happiness.

But there's a down-side as well. I think most of us know at least one person who's slim and fit and healthy and active, and still obsesses about food, saying he can't eat this or that and has to work out if he even looks at a chocolate bar (eg. because of cholesterol, and never mind that in the absence of other risk-factors they have no medical reason to worry about it). Okay so maybe that's what works for them, maybe they aren't stressed and unhappy, but that kinda stuff affects people around them too.

There's just no point in being obsessive.

[RedLion]

So I really did go to the gym yesterday! For two hours! But, having not worked out for ages, it took me 12 minutes to run one mile.    And, having foolishly decided to pick up where I left off 6 months ago in terms of weight lifting, my muscles are killing me today. I should have re-started at a lower weight, obviously. Oh well! It felt good to sweat and get my blood pumping again.

[Runa]

Runa, I'm the same height, weight and body type as you almost exactly, and I'm in great shape! You look great in your picture, so don't get in shape for other people. If you want to be healthier because it makes you happy, go for it. but don't do it for other people, or for looks, because you already look great. Also, it's a good thing that you're seeing a doctor because I think your trouble exercising has nothing to do with your personal determination!

@Juxtaposition:

I'm not doing it for anyone but myself. I feel loads better exersizing, and I've always wanted to be the proud owner of a flat toned tummy. I've been close before but when "that time of the month" comes I definitely do not feel like lifting a finger and then I just stop.

[Runs_With_Scissors]

Ahhh getting in shape.

Pretty much, when I went into rehab I gained like...10 pounds. It's pretty horrible, since I'm used to being pretty fit. We weren't allowed to do much. Mostly because I was in a unit with a couple self injurers and a few kids who were suicidal and obviously you are going to try to kill yourself with weights. Does anyone have any at home exercises? Mostly for core, since I Irish dance my legs are pretty toned.