so i started running...

[Journer]

well, i've finally become un-busy enough to get some exercise in. i got up early the other morning and ran my ass of in the freezing cold...it sucked. not the running, the cold though. however, i had one question. after i was finished, my calves (sp?) were killing me, almost like i couldnt move my leg. now, i know i'm a fatty, but damn, i thought that was overboard. so, maybe it is because i didnt stretch? i dunno, go any tips? also...any recommendations on running would be nice. one of my friends who works out a lot said if i just did sprints back and forth (maybe 30 yards) i would loose the fat and tone up nicely. all ive been doing is starting off with a brisk walk, then jogging for as long as i can, walking, repeat. i dont know if this is what i should be doing though. honestly, i'm not concerned with looking good or whatnot, just trying to be a bit healthier...

anywho, thanks in advance.

 

[GenHoth]

Calves hurting is normal and stretching is ALWAYS important. Remember that a sharp pain could mean something bad, but stiff and sore are usually good!

Good luck!

 

[Kirby]

Warm up first, then stretch, run, then stretch afterwards. And cut back on the broccoli and cheese soup.

 

[mjh]

Originally posted by: nkgreen
Warm up first, then stretch, run, then stretch afterwards.

Ditto on this advice.

A lot of people tend to stretch while their legs are still cold, and end up over stretching, sometimes to the point of injury.

 

[CatchPhrase]

Stretch then warm up then run harder.
Stretch when you are done.

 

[Vidda]

Originally posted by: Journer
loose the fat and tone up nicely.

The day you 'tone up nicely' is the day James isn't a Jew.

 

[ja1484]

Originally posted by: mjh

Originally posted by: nkgreen
Warm up first, then stretch, run, then stretch afterwards.

Ditto on this advice.

A lot of people tend to stretch while their legs are still cold, and end up over stretching, sometimes to the point of injury.

More than that, it's been pretty decisively shown in the literature that stretching before warming up does f*ckall. There appears to be significant benefit to stretching after a warmup, however.

 

[sash1]

Originally posted by: mjh

Originally posted by: nkgreen
Warm up first, then stretch, run, then stretch afterwards.

Ditto on this advice.

A lot of people tend to stretch while their legs are still cold, and end up over stretching, sometimes to the point of injury.

pretty much. never stretch cold muscles. stretching before exercise is more likely to cause injury than to prevent it.

 

[Journer]

genhoth: i dont remember if it was sharp pain, but it hurt like hell
nkgreen: I :heart: the cheese and broccoli...sadly though, ive been eating nothing but ramen and hamburger helper...where is man night when you need it :'(

what do you all mean by warm up THEN stretch? you mean, like do a bit of walking, jumping jacks or something, then stretch? what kind of streching should i do before running? just my legs and back?

vidda: well james will always be a jew but you never know, i might loose some. i'm pushing 285 right now and my "goal" is 250...not much weight but over the summer in japan i was down to 245 !!! gotta loose a little if i want them japanese honeys on me...hell...or gain a little, they like it...apparently >.> i dont have a SINGLE going away card from a japanese girl that doesnt say something about my belly, lol. thats like..30 notes too

 

[ja1484]

Originally posted by: Journer
what do you all mean by warm up THEN stretch? you mean, like do a bit of walking, jumping jacks or something, then stretch? what kind of streching should i do before running? just my legs and back?

Light jog or fast walk for about 10 minutes, get the blood flowing to the working muscle. It's been hypothesized, and seems likely, that a lot of working muscle's elasticity is due to increased fluid volume, which takes place during exercise. Obviously, this extra blood/interstitial fluid isn't present before you actually start activity, so your tissues don't really stretch...they injure.

As for what to stretch, the legs at a minimum, but frankly I'd go whole body. You run with everything, not just your legs.

 

[jiggahertz]

Originally posted by: Journer
well, i've finally become un-busy enough to get some exercise in. i got up early the other morning and ran my ass of in the freezing cold...it sucked. not the running, the cold though. however, i had one question. after i was finished, my calves (sp?) were killing me, almost like i couldnt move my leg. now, i know i'm a fatty, but damn, i thought that was overboard. so, maybe it is because i didnt stretch? i dunno, go any tips? also...any recommendations on running would be nice. one of my friends who works out a lot said if i just did sprints back and forth (maybe 30 yards) i would loose the fat and tone up nicely. all ive been doing is starting off with a brisk walk, then jogging for as long as i can, walking, repeat. i dont know if this is what i should be doing though. honestly, i'm not concerned with looking good or whatnot, just trying to be a bit healthier...

anywho, thanks in advance.

Your friend is most likely referring to HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training).

 

[KoolDrew]

one of my friends who works out a lot said if i just did sprints back and forth (maybe 30 yards) i would loose the fat and tone up nicely.

Doing that will make you lose weight, but without proper exercise in the form of weight training, a lot of it will be muscle, not fat. Leaving you a lighter, skinny-fat person with a slow metabolism who can't keep the weight off. I hate saying this in every single topic about weight loss, but it needs to be said. Cardio's great, but if you really want to "tone up" (which is really just low body fat percentage with enough muscle mass to show), then lifting weights will make it a whole hell of a lot easier.

Concentrate on diet first, then weight training, then cardio last. Cardio only creates a small calorie defecit, but it can help to add more flexibility to your diet and is great for overall health. Diet should be where the real calorie deficit comes from.

 

[tjaisv]

run at night

 

[Wonderful Pork]

first, to lose weight you need to consume less than you burn. If you want to retain muscle mass make sure to do resistance training in addition to any cardio workout you do. Losing weight is 75% diet based! Make sure you clean up your diet.

second, if you are truly serious about running, go to a store which specializes in running and get fitted for shoes. My running shoes are about $100/pair but I don't have any pain while running. Also, check out the couch potato to 10K program, its a solid beginners workout.

best of luck.

 

[NGC_604]

Originally posted by: Wonderful Pork
first, to lose weight you need to consume less than you burn. If you want to retain muscle mass make sure to do resistance training in addition to any cardio workout you do. Losing weight is 75% diet based! Make sure you clean up your diet.

second, if you are truly serious about running, go to a store which specializes in running and get fitted for shoes. My running shoes are about $100/pair but I don't have any pain while running. Also, check out the couch potato to 10K program, its a solid beginners workout.

best of luck.

Listen to this man. I could not run for the longest time, no matter what shoes I got it simply hurt my feet too much to run. I finally went to a real running store and got fitted with shoes that compensate for my incredibly flat feet, as well as keeping my foot stable which was another problem. My shoes cost me about $115, but it was well worth it. I've been running with them for about 2 weeks now and the difference is incredible.

 

[Estrella]

Originally posted by: KoolDrew

one of my friends who works out a lot said if i just did sprints back and forth (maybe 30 yards) i would loose the fat and tone up nicely.

Doing that will make you lose weight, but without proper exercise in the form of weight training, a lot of it will be muscle, not fat. Leaving you a lighter, skinny-fat person with a slow metabolism who can't keep the weight off. I hate saying this in every single topic about weight loss, but it needs to be said. Cardio's great, but if you really want to "tone up" (which is really just low body fat percentage with enough muscle mass to show), then lifting weights will make it a whole hell of a lot easier.

Concentrate on diet first, then weight training, then cardio last. Cardio only creates a small calorie defecit, but it can help to add more flexibility to your diet and is great for overall health. Diet should be where the real calorie deficit comes from.

You should have just told him:
Running = Skinny
Weight lifting = Buff

Which is why I try to encourage all the females to run

 

[KoolDrew]

Originally posted by: Estrella

Originally posted by: KoolDrew

one of my friends who works out a lot said if i just did sprints back and forth (maybe 30 yards) i would loose the fat and tone up nicely.

Doing that will make you lose weight, but without proper exercise in the form of weight training, a lot of it will be muscle, not fat. Leaving you a lighter, skinny-fat person with a slow metabolism who can't keep the weight off. I hate saying this in every single topic about weight loss, but it needs to be said. Cardio's great, but if you really want to "tone up" (which is really just low body fat percentage with enough muscle mass to show), then lifting weights will make it a whole hell of a lot easier.

Concentrate on diet first, then weight training, then cardio last. Cardio only creates a small calorie defecit, but it can help to add more flexibility to your diet and is great for overall health. Diet should be where the real calorie deficit comes from.

You should have just told him:
Running = Skinny
Weight lifting = Buff

Which is why I try to encourage all the females to run

Wow... :roll:

Gaining or losing weight is all about calories in versus calories out. You eat less than you expend in a day, you lose weight. You eat more, you gain. This includes losing/gaining either muscle or fat.

Weight training is one of the best things somebody could do for body composition, regardless of their goal. If their goal is to lose fat, lifting with a small calorie deficit will ensure more fat than muscle is lost. Since muscle is what gives the body a lean and appealing shape, it is muscle you want to retain, not lose.

As far as it goes for females, it's bull. Women seem to think they're somehow "different" and should train differently than men. In terms of stress-response to the body, women respond nearly identical to men. Yet, most are afraid to lift like men. They figure they train like men, they'll look like men. Men get larger because they have about ten times the testosterone than women do. So women can grow muscle to an extent, but without taking drugs they're never going to get "big." Even then, the women that do get big have great genetics and eat in excess to get big. You're not going to get big while in a calorie deficit. It's just not going to happen.

A lean and sexy body is made up of the development of muscle and the removal of fat stores. Which is why I try to encourage all the females to lift weights.

 

[Journer]

well i did what was suggested and walked for a bit to warm up, then stretched, then jogged/ran for a bit and stretched again. everything was fine.

anywho, for those suggesting weight training: i'm not interested in building up muscle mass...at all. I honestly could care less as i don't really desire a muscley physique and i hate weight lifting. however, i'm a bit confused. some of you say that cardio makes you loose muscle and fat? how so? all i am concerned about is getting rid of some fat stores and just being healthier in general. i don't give a shit what my physique is like.

as far as dieting..i've started to cut out any sugar drinks like coke and whatnot and drink water just about any time i need a drink unless i am boozing it. it is kind of hard to diet with food because i'm a college student with a full time job (atm) and it is almost impossible for me to cook for myself. and when i do have enough time it is usually either rice, ramen, or something quick and easy. suggestions on this would be helpfull, but i dont care enough about this to eat salads all day...blagh

i think what i've decided to do is try to go to the park 4 days a week and the pool at least one. i think i'll by a bicycle and do the following:

1 day at park: run/jog/walk with dog
1 day at park: HIIT as someone said, basically sprints
2 days at park riding the bicycle as long as i can. the park is a 2mile track so i should be able to do a good bit of cycling
1-2days at pool: just doing laps.

as far as i see it...what i was doing before was just eating, working, and being stressed out, which explains a big jump in my weight. if i can just get back down to a stable 250, or hopefully lower then ill be happy. i think this plan should help, even if i dont modify my diet very much.

 

[KoolDrew]

some of you say that cardio makes you loose muscle and fat? how so?

Basically, when dieting your body is going to try and lower energy requirements. Since fat takes very little energy to sustain, that's not the most optimal way to do it. The most optimal is to get rid of muscle mass, as it requires quite a bit of energy to sustain. Lowered muscle mass = lower energy requirements = slower metabolism. Add that to the fact that without weight training, your muscles aren't really being used much, why wouldn't your body get rid of the muscle first? Yes, you need a bit of muscle to get around, but as far as your body is concerned any more than that is unnecessary and just brings energy requirements much higher. So of course your bodys going to want to get rid of it when the supply of energy is lower.

Either way, even with weight training its hard to diet and not lose any muscle mass. However, weight training is important to keep muscle loss to a mininum. I don't care that you don't care how you look. You don't want to be skinny-fat with a slow metabolism, do you? That's why so many people go on diets and run, end up losing weight, but then stop and end up even fatter than they were before.

 

[rstrohkirch]

Should also note that concept works both ways. Since you are a fully grown adult, your body's primary energy requirements/variations will be largely determined by the amount of muscle you have.
Since muscle requires drastically more energy to maintain, like mentioned above, the more muscle you have on your body the more calories you will need to eat to maintain it. So if you gradually build lean muscle mass and do not increase your caloric intake, you will eventually be creating a natural calorie deficit....assuming you don't drastically over eat.

A good weight lifting routine has drastically better results and benefits than a cardio based one in my eyes. Assuming you have time to do only one.

 

[Wonderful Pork]

Originally posted by: Journer
well i did what was suggested and walked for a bit to warm up, then stretched, then jogged/ran for a bit and stretched again. everything was fine.

anywho, for those suggesting weight training: i'm not interested in building up muscle mass...at all. I honestly could care less as i don't really desire a muscley physique and i hate weight lifting. however, i'm a bit confused. some of you say that cardio makes you loose muscle and fat? how so? all i am concerned about is getting rid of some fat stores and just being healthier in general. i don't give a shit what my physique is like.

as far as dieting..i've started to cut out any sugar drinks like coke and whatnot and drink water just about any time i need a drink unless i am boozing it. it is kind of hard to diet with food because i'm a college student with a full time job (atm) and it is almost impossible for me to cook for myself. and when i do have enough time it is usually either rice, ramen, or something quick and easy. suggestions on this would be helpfull, but i dont care enough about this to eat salads all day...blagh

i think what i've decided to do is try to go to the park 4 days a week and the pool at least one. i think i'll by a bicycle and do the following:

1 day at park: run/jog/walk with dog
1 day at park: HIIT as someone said, basically sprints
2 days at park riding the bicycle as long as i can. the park is a 2mile track so i should be able to do a good bit of cycling
1-2days at pool: just doing laps.

as far as i see it...what i was doing before was just eating, working, and being stressed out, which explains a big jump in my weight. if i can just get back down to a stable 250, or hopefully lower then ill be happy. i think this plan should help, even if i dont modify my diet very much.

couple things:

1. as long as calories out > calories in you will lose weight. All weight is NOT the same, the body will burn muscle first, fat second. You want it to burn fat, therefore you need to keep the muscle you have. Resistance training will help this.

2. Just running will make you look like a long distance runner. Weight training & doing HIIT will make you look like a sprinter. Obviously it isn't that cut and dry, but picture as the 2 extremes.

3. Weight training will not make you "huge". It takes a LOT of work to look like that, it most certainly will not happen because you do a simple resistance routine 3 times a week and eat less than you burn.

 

[PlasmaBomb]

Originally posted by: nkgreen
Warm up first, then stretch, run, then stretch afterwards.

Sounds good

 

[apac]

Originally posted by: Wonderful Pork

Originally posted by: Journer
well i did what was suggested and walked for a bit to warm up, then stretched, then jogged/ran for a bit and stretched again. everything was fine.

anywho, for those suggesting weight training: i'm not interested in building up muscle mass...at all. I honestly could care less as i don't really desire a muscley physique and i hate weight lifting. however, i'm a bit confused. some of you say that cardio makes you loose muscle and fat? how so? all i am concerned about is getting rid of some fat stores and just being healthier in general. i don't give a shit what my physique is like.

as far as dieting..i've started to cut out any sugar drinks like coke and whatnot and drink water just about any time i need a drink unless i am boozing it. it is kind of hard to diet with food because i'm a college student with a full time job (atm) and it is almost impossible for me to cook for myself. and when i do have enough time it is usually either rice, ramen, or something quick and easy. suggestions on this would be helpfull, but i dont care enough about this to eat salads all day...blagh

i think what i've decided to do is try to go to the park 4 days a week and the pool at least one. i think i'll by a bicycle and do the following:

1 day at park: run/jog/walk with dog
1 day at park: HIIT as someone said, basically sprints
2 days at park riding the bicycle as long as i can. the park is a 2mile track so i should be able to do a good bit of cycling
1-2days at pool: just doing laps.

as far as i see it...what i was doing before was just eating, working, and being stressed out, which explains a big jump in my weight. if i can just get back down to a stable 250, or hopefully lower then ill be happy. i think this plan should help, even if i dont modify my diet very much.

couple things:

1. as long as calories out > calories in you will lose weight. All weight is NOT the same, the body will burn muscle first, fat second. You want it to burn fat, therefore you need to keep the muscle you have. Resistance training will help this.

2. Just running will make you look like a long distance runner. Weight training & doing HIIT will make you look like a sprinter. Obviously it isn't that cut and dry, but picture as the 2 extremes.

3. Weight training will not make you "huge". It takes a LOT of work to look like that, it most certainly will not happen because you do a simple resistance routine 3 times a week and eat less than you burn.

Agreed, it's unlikely that weights willl make you look "muscley" unless you devote your life to it. It does make you feel much stronger though, and kicks your energy levels into high gear. It would be a good supplement to a cardio workout.

 

[mflacy]

Originally posted by: Journer

anywho, for those suggesting weight training: i'm not interested in building up muscle mass...at all. I honestly could care less as i don't really desire a muscley physique and i hate weight lifting. however, i'm a bit confused. some of you say that cardio makes you loose muscle and fat? how so? all i am concerned about is getting rid of some fat stores and just being healthier in general. i don't give a shit what my physique is like.

The point of weight training is to keep your body burning fat when you are at rest. More muscle increases your metabolism and burns fat. Less muscle means less burning fat. Ever watched an episode of Biggest Loser on NBC? They are huge on strength training.

Like KoolDrew mentioned, the weight will come back on much easier once you reach your target weight if you only do cardio. It would be a breeze to keep the weight off if you incorporate a few days of weight training each week.

If you are looking for a little guidance, check out the "Abs Diet" or the "Body for Life" books. They are excellent launching points for someone in your situation, as far as mindset is concerned anyway. Good luck!

 

[spamsk8r]

Originally posted by: Journer
well i did what was suggested and walked for a bit to warm up, then stretched, then jogged/ran for a bit and stretched again. everything was fine.

anywho, for those suggesting weight training: i'm not interested in building up muscle mass...at all. I honestly could care less as i don't really desire a muscley physique and i hate weight lifting. however, i'm a bit confused. some of you say that cardio makes you loose muscle and fat? how so? all i am concerned about is getting rid of some fat stores and just being healthier in general. i don't give a shit what my physique is like.

*snip*

No offense to you, but it's funny/frustrating when people say they don't lift weights because they don't want to be all muscley. I know you're not dumb or anything, you just aren't experienced in this area, so I don't mean to be harsh here. To be honest, it is very, very difficult to build a lot of mass, and it takes a lot of time, hard work, and specific training.

The sad truth, though, is that if you don't engage in resistance training while losing weight you're going to lose muscle. Guaranteed. And it doesn't matter if you want a nice physique or just want to be healthy, losing muscle is always bad (and losing fat is (almost) always good). You say you don't care what your physique looks like; that's fine, but with good fitness a good physique usually follows.

I lost quite a bit of weight a few years ago just by running. Within a year I had gained it all back plus more, because much of it was muscle, so I actually made my metabolism slower than it was when I was fatter (because more muscle mass = higher metabolism). Sure I lost fat along with it, and I weighed less, but scale weight is not what counts. Fat loss is the goal.

Weight training can also be really fun, especially if you do olympic lifts and train with a partner. Nothing feels better than setting a new personal record.

But you know what? You don't have to lift weights if you don't want to. Doing bodyweight exercises provides enough resistance to ensure minimal muscle loss. Things such as pushups, pullups (even assisted/cheating ones), bodyweight squats, situps, etc. will keep your muscles from wasting. So if you hate lifting weights, throw in a few rounds of these exercises (preferably in some kind of circuit so you get a cardio and resistance workout all in one) and you will be much better off. And heck, if these feel too easy add some dumbbells or kettlebells in and really feel the burn.

EDIT: Forgot the most important part: DIET! You mentioned eating a lot of rice/ramen because you don't have a lot of time to cook. Totally understandable. But you can cook up some meat in the same amount of time it takes to make rice. With a George Foreman grill I cook up chicken breasts in the morning before work, takes about 10 minutes from frozen to done. Rice/noodles/other starchy carbs along with sugar are the biggest contributor to obesity in this country, in my opinion (an opinion which is backed by a large quantity of scientific data). Lay off of them as much as possible, eat vegetables, especially leafy green ones. If you're going to eat rice have some brown rice, it's tasty and much more nutrient filled than white rice. Don't be afraid of dietary fat, a little olive oil or nuts won't hurt. If anything starch and sugar are the enemies to sustainable fat loss.