Just started working out...

[cpals]

So today was my first day jumping in the gym after a long stretch, but I had varied results. I just started taking Man Scorch after seeing it recommended a couple times here to help me with the weight loss and also getting energized so early in the morning.

So here is what happened this morning:

4:30 AM - Wake up and go to my work's gym.
5:15 AM - 30 minutes on the elliptical
5:45 AM - 45 minutes doing kind of a circuit on all the machines/benches. Just doing low weights and getting back into the hang of things. The last thing I did was some squats with minimal weight (35s on each end) which got my heart pumping pretty good.
6:30 AM - Take Shower
7:00 AM - Work

So after finishing with the squats I felt very queasy and thought I was going to throw up. I'm not sure if it was because I pushed myself so hard or if it was the pills... I took the recommended dosage of 3 pills.

Comments?

Thanks.

 

[RagingBITCH]

I made the mistake of taking caffeine pills once before a leg workout. Of all the times I've ever felt light headed and about to absolutely hurl, it was never close to being as bad as that day. I literally sat on a bench for 10-15 minutes trying to get myself together. Managed to finally get up and head to the locker room, where I laid down on a bench for another 10 minutes.

I'd break up your circuit/weight work to a different day than your cardio, or not take those pills. You can make a few adjustments to your diet to reduce the calories you're taking in.

 

[cpals]

What are of the workout would the pills be more beneficial... the cardio? Also, I took the pills 30 minutes before eating a granola bar, but that was all I had before working out. Maybe I need to eat more? Not sure.

 

[gramboh]

I have no experience with any type of diet pill so I hesitate to comment other than to say I think it's a bad idea to take a stimulant at that hour without eating properly/being awake for a while, especially if your body/mind are not used to exercising at that time of the day.

I'd recommend eating a healthy breakfast prior to working out (try to make it at least 30-45min before, that works for me). Say some oats, yogurt, fruit and juice (at least that works for me, not a huge amount, I'm lazy and don't count calories even though I know I should).

I've known people who use caffine pills for the stimulus to bust through a plateau in their workout, but I've never felt ok with doing that myself.

The key to weightloss and gaining strength is a healthy clean diet with the appropriate amount of calories for your goal (losing weight = caloric deficit over your maintenance level of calories, gaining = surplus). See the sticky at the top of the forum. I'd recommend trying this approach before using pills which could have adverse health effects.

As far as your workout, since you are a novice check out the sticky which will recommend Starting Strength. It is a 3x a week lifting routine based around the core compound movements (squat, bench, deadlift, OH press and clean/row). Doing that program 3x a week with cardio AFTER lifting (or on your off days) will give you results and a logical program to follow which is instrinsicly motivating.

Good luck

 

[cpals]

Cool... I plan on working out 4xweek - Mon/Tue - Thur/Fri. Any recommendations? Also, isn't cardio last usually backwards what people usually do?

 

[Megatomic]

Cardio last is the recommended order. For two reasons:

1. You will be too fatigued to do your strength workout if you do cardio first. It WILL deplete your glycogen.

2. You will experience more fat burning when you do the cardio after strength. I've read it multiple times in fitness mags, triathlon training books, and online.

Try it for yourself and see.

 

[TallBill]

Originally posted by: Megatomic
Cardio last is the recommended order. For two reasons:

1. You will be too fatigued to do your strength workout if you do cardio first. It WILL deplete your glycogen.

2. You will experience more fat burning when you do the cardio after strength. I've read it multiple times in fitness mags, triathlon training books, and online.

Try it for yourself and see.

I cant comment on #2, but working out hard after a strenuous cardio session is nearly impossible. Definitely lift first. I'd also probably get into a regular gym routine before adding stimulants. Your body is going to experience enough initial weirdness.

 

[RichardE]

You probably felt sick from your lack of food. If you want to do just say Cardio on a granola bar (and eating afterwards) you should be fine, whenever I work out (weight training) on an empty stomach though I feel as if I am going to throw up everywhere.

 

[jiggahertz]

I haven't tried Man Scorch. Thermorexin bothers my stomach but none of the other thermos I have tried do, even on an empty stomach. You may want to ramp up to the recommended dose when you first start them. Or do your routine for a week to see if it's the supplement or your routine.

 

[onlyCOpunk]

Yeah switch your cardio to the end. Put your main energy into weights, and burn the rest in cardio.

 

[skace]

Originally posted by: TallBill

Originally posted by: Megatomic
Cardio last is the recommended order. For two reasons:

1. You will be too fatigued to do your strength workout if you do cardio first. It WILL deplete your glycogen.

2. You will experience more fat burning when you do the cardio after strength. I've read it multiple times in fitness mags, triathlon training books, and online.

Try it for yourself and see.

I cant comment on #2, but working out hard after a strenuous cardio session is nearly impossible. Definitely lift first. I'd also probably get into a regular gym routine before adding stimulants. Your body is going to experience enough initial weirdness.

The idea behind #2, cardio is based on exhausting your stored energy and then burning fat stores. Well, one of the concepts behind cardio, definitely not the only one. If you exhaust your stored energy lifting and then move to cardio before your body can rebuild those energy stores you should be getting an immediate gain in time. But you will have to push yourself that much harder from the get go.

 

[wheresmybacon]

"Fat-burners:"

I've taken ephedra-caffeine pills before. I took Yellow Jackets for about 2 months when I'd hit a plateau in my cut. They work, the problem is the side effects. At first they were tolerable: Racing heartbeat, the jitters, drastically higher BP, mildly upset stomach. After about 2 months I had a full-blown anxiety attack and just stopped using them the next day.

Personally I'll never use a thermogenic pill again simply b/c my body doesn't react well to them.

These are powerful stimulants. If you're just starting in the gym I'd seriously consider holding off on fat-burner pills until you get a baseline of how you should feel "normally" after an intense workout.

Oh, and cardio after weights.

 

[cpals]

Originally posted by: hungfarover
"Fat-burners:"

I've taken ephedra-caffeine pills before. I took Yellow Jackets for about 2 months when I'd hit a plateau in my cut. They work, the problem is the side effects. At first they were tolerable: Racing heartbeat, the jitters, drastically higher BP, mildly upset stomach. After about 2 months I had a full-blown anxiety attack and just stopped using them the next day.

Personally I'll never use a thermogenic pill again simply b/c my body doesn't react well to them.

These are powerful stimulants. If you're just starting in the gym I'd seriously consider holding off on fat-burner pills until you get a baseline of how you should feel "normally" after an intense workout.

Oh, and cardio after weights.

Good info, thanks.

What's weird is that other than when working out I don't feel any weird symptoms that some people complain about. Maybe it's because I used to drink 2-3 cups of coffee everyday at work so I'm used to a lot of caffeine? I've dropped back to two of the pills right now instead of the three where I do feel a little queasy after taking them.

Thanks again everyone.

 

[SociallyChallenged]

Originally posted by: cpals

Originally posted by: hungfarover
"Fat-burners:"

I've taken ephedra-caffeine pills before. I took Yellow Jackets for about 2 months when I'd hit a plateau in my cut. They work, the problem is the side effects. At first they were tolerable: Racing heartbeat, the jitters, drastically higher BP, mildly upset stomach. After about 2 months I had a full-blown anxiety attack and just stopped using them the next day.

Personally I'll never use a thermogenic pill again simply b/c my body doesn't react well to them.

These are powerful stimulants. If you're just starting in the gym I'd seriously consider holding off on fat-burner pills until you get a baseline of how you should feel "normally" after an intense workout.

Oh, and cardio after weights.

Good info, thanks.

What's weird is that other than when working out I don't feel any weird symptoms that some people complain about. Maybe it's because I used to drink 2-3 cups of coffee everyday at work so I'm used to a lot of caffeine? I've dropped back to two of the pills right now instead of the three where I do feel a little queasy after taking them.

Thanks again everyone.

Why do you have the need to take these pills? Wouldn't you prefer to know that your heart rate and blood pressure won't be raised by the amounts of caffeine in these pills? You can lose 1-1.5 pounds of fat on your own without the use of stimulants. Do it utilizing your own body's natural methods. The caffeine will take its toll on your body and you should be careful with that. Pills aren't the answer. Diet and exercise are. Diet even moreso. Especially if you haven't been doing anything yet, pills aren't the answer. You have to see the results without the pills to realize anything.