[Makaveli]

Stomach cramps. I exercise about three times a week. If I do lighter exercises (like walking), then my stomach's fine, but if I start doing cardio, then my stomach starts cramping. I thought it was because I just ate or something, but I've noticed that it still happens even after I wait for quite some time ):

Your body is not conditioned enough yet. Start at a light jog first then
work your way up gradually after jogging for a week or so. If by cardio
you mean running then yea I can understand why. As with anything just
do it at medium intensity before pushing it. The cramps will go away
with time as your body adjusts to the cardio. Also make sure you're hydrated
during the day. Drink at least 8 glasses a day minimum.

[yokemun]

hie i just joined a gym a week ago and they offered a lot of yoga and pilates classes.
i've been attending 1 or 2 classes everyday.
i wanted to lose at least 10kgs in a month, is that possible??
besides the yoga n pilates classes, i'll run on the threadmill for half an hour and the machine where it has this handles and ur leg moves along with it as u pull the handle (i hope i'm making sense here...i dunno what to say what the machine is) for another half an hour.

so is there anything wrong with my workout...??
what else should i add to it??
or should i go gym twice a day??
morning : threadmill and the other workout
evening/night : yoga/pilates classes
or stick wit my current routine that is going to yoga n pilates classes at nite

[Makaveli]

hie i just joined a gym a week ago and they offered a lot of yoga and pilates classes.
i've been attending 1 or 2 classes everyday.
i wanted to lose at least 10kgs in a month, is that possible??
besides the yoga n pilates classes, i'll run on the threadmill for half an hour and the machine where it has this handles and ur leg moves along with it as u pull the handle (i hope i'm making sense here...i dunno what to say what the machine is) for another half an hour.

so is there anything wrong with my workout...??
what else should i add to it??
or should i go gym twice a day??
morning : threadmill and the other workout
evening/night : yoga/pilates classes
or stick wit my current routine that is going to yoga n pilates classes at nite

Sounds fine. However you're not going to lose 10kgs a month.
Not trying to be negative or anything but it's just highly unlikely.
You will be losing weight if your diet is in check and you're doing this
exercise. However, it wont be like 10kgs a month. It'll probably be closer
to 3kgs.

[bananax]

Your body is not conditioned enough yet. Start at a light jog first then
work your way up gradually after jogging for a week or so. If by cardio
you mean running then yea I can understand why. As with anything just
do it at medium intensity before pushing it. The cramps will go away
with time as your body adjusts to the cardio. Also make sure you're hydrated
during the day. Drink at least 8 glasses a day minimum.

ohh I see (: THANK YOU!

[soadorkable]

i just stared doing tons of cardio. 30 mintues of cycling at 24 hour fitness then streching then doing ab workouts, then either going back on the bike or run on the tredmill. im trying to lose fat in my stomach. now im starting to go to the gym three times a day. morning run afternoon workout night bike. and everyother day at night do ab workouts. is this a good workout plan?
also i drink muscle milk light. but im about to swicth over to the regular muscle milk cuz i ran out of the one i have already.

[Makaveli]

i just stared doing tons of cardio. 30 mintues of cycling at 24 hour fitness then streching then doing ab workouts, then either going back on the bike or run on the tredmill. im trying to lose fat in my stomach. now im starting to go to the gym three times a day. morning run afternoon workout night bike. and everyother day at night do ab workouts. is this a good workout plan?
also i drink muscle milk light. but im about to swicth over to the regular muscle milk cuz i ran out of the one i have already.

Why are you training 3 times a day? Also what are you hoping
to gain out of drinking muscle milk? "either going back on the bike or run on the treadmill"
for how long? Please try to list your workout clearly so I can help you
better.

[soadorkable]

Why are you training 3 times a day? Also what are you hoping
to gain out of drinking muscle milk? "either going back on the bike or run on the treadmill"
for how long? Please try to list your workout clearly so I can help you
better.

sorry well i havnt started doing the 3 times a day thing. yet
im drinking muscle milk to get more bigger but not like body builder big so im doing tons of cardio.
so the workout im currently doing is
cycling for 30 mintues than strech my legs.
basic cruches left obliques, then right obliques everything for about 40 secs but keeping count. toe touches reverse cruches
than i either go run or get back on the bike.( if i go on the bike i go for another 30-40 mintues if i go run it depends how i feel most likley just 1 mile )
and ij ust started doing this before i only worked out
each day a different muscle group what im trying to do is get rid of the fat i have in my stomach + lose some weight ive weighed the same weight for the past few months 170-175. im not fat or anything but its just that fat around your belly button is what im trying to get rid of so im trying to do as much cardio as i can.

deng i hope this is less confusing but it seems i just went all over the place.

[Makaveli]

sorry well i havnt started doing the 3 times a day thing. yet
im drinking muscle milk to get more bigger but not like body builder big so im doing tons of cardio.
so the workout im currently doing is
cycling for 30 mintues than strech my legs.
basic cruches left obliques, then right obliques everything for about 40 secs but keeping count. toe touches reverse cruches
than i either go run or get back on the bike.( if i go on the bike i go for another 30-40 mintues if i go run it depends how i feel most likley just 1 mile )
and ij ust started doing this before i only worked out
each day a different muscle group what im trying to do is get rid of the fat i have in my stomach + lose some weight ive weighed the same weight for the past few months 170-175. im not fat or anything but its just that fat around your belly button is what im trying to get rid of so im trying to do as much cardio as i can.

deng i hope this is less confusing but it seems i just went all over the place.

I don't think the muscle milk is really necessary because you're trying to lose weight.
Your workout seems ok. You just need to make sure your diet is clean and the weight
should come off.

[kawaikiss]

Hi i need some help!
First of all, I'm a 17yrs old, female, 5'5, 117lbs.

I want to slim down to at least 110lbs and i was wondering, what kind of exercise would be best for me.
I tried jump roping, but i only feel like my calves are getting bigger (and i dont want that).
Would yoga/pilates be sufficient enough to lose those lbs without gaining bulky calves?

Oh and I'm changing my diet to no fast food, no junk food, no soda/juice, LOTS of water, lots of vegies & fruits.
Plus, no food after 6,7pm.

Thanks in advance!

[soadorkable]

I don't think the muscle milk is really necessary because you're trying to lose weight.
Your workout seems ok. You just need to make sure your diet is clean and the weight
should come off.

well good thing i ran out ofmusle milk haha.
so now for sure what ime doing is.
afternoon workout. im starting to tone now because im satified with how big my arms are and such.
when i do
biceps 2 sets of 40 on 5 different bicep workouts(can i also get some recommended bicep workouts i feel like im doing the same thing even though one is the bar one is freeweights one the other two are machines.)
triceps dips with weights (can i get some recommended exersises for triceps.)
shoulders i got it covered. haha
the chest bench and etc.
for shoulds and bench im planning to do what i usally do because i want those to be bigger and their more toned then anything eles.
then at night
bike for 30 mintues then strech
then next day i would run
and alternate each day
and everyother day do ab exersies.(whats the best way to get rid of the fat around your belly button?)

so is this workout ok? or am i doing to much of course i wouldnt workout more than two different muscle group in one day.
and you think muscle milk is not needed?
whew i feel like a nusense sorry haha

[Makaveli]

well good thing i ran out ofmusle milk haha.
so now for sure what ime doing is.
afternoon workout. im starting to tone now because im satified with how big my arms are and such.
when i do
biceps 2 sets of 40 on 5 different bicep workouts(can i also get some recommended bicep workouts i feel like im doing the same thing even though one is the bar one is freeweights one the other two are machines.)
triceps dips with weights (can i get some recommended exersises for triceps.)
shoulders i got it covered. haha
the chest bench and etc.
for shoulds and bench im planning to do what i usally do because i want those to be bigger and their more toned then anything eles.
then at night
bike for 30 mintues then strech
then next day i would run
and alternate each day
and everyother day do ab exersies.(whats the best way to get rid of the fat around your belly button?)

so is this workout ok? or am i doing to much of course i wouldnt workout more than two different muscle group in one day.
and you think muscle milk is not needed?
whew i feel like a nusense sorry haha

Honestly it depends on your diet. If you're getting adequate protein, why would you need
to overdo it with muscle milk? Also your training routine is very unclear to me
Please type it like this

<day>(example monday)
<exercise 1> <repititions> <sets>
<exercise 2> <repititions> <sets>
etc

so on and so forth. Cover the whole week for me.
Repititions are how many times you do it at once. So let's say i'm curling
and I curl a 30lb dumbell 10times. The 10 is the reps, and the set is 1.
if you do it again for another 10 then it's 2 sets. Your arms will still
grow because you want your chest to grow. The chest exercises use the arms indirectly.
I already stated various times that you cannot spot reduce. Meaning doesn't matter
if the fat is on your face, fingers, neck, near the belly button or whatever.
You need to lose weight in general to lose the fat. Now this is why I said taking
muscle milk right now is a waste. You either lose the fat or you gain muscle mass.
You cannot do both at the same time. Please post your entire week's workout routine
in the format I request if you want me to try and help you further.

Hi i need some help!
First of all, I'm a 17yrs old, female, 5'5, 117lbs.

I want to slim down to at least 110lbs and i was wondering, what kind of exercise would be best for me.
I tried jump roping, but i only feel like my calves are getting bigger (and i dont want that).
Would yoga/pilates be sufficient enough to lose those lbs without gaining bulky calves?

Oh and I'm changing my diet to no fast food, no junk food, no soda/juice, LOTS of water, lots of vegies & fruits.
Plus, no food after 6,7pm.

Thanks in advance!

You don't have to do the no food after 6 or 7pm. You just don't eat carbs after 6 or 7 or even later depending
on when you sleep. I'd typically keep the carbs to the meal before and after working out along with breakfast.
That being said, at night you should only be eating vegetables and meat. By vegetables I mean leafy greens.
I'd highly suggest using an eliptical machine or stationary bike, or simply running outside if you don't like
the skipping. Keep in mind regardless of what exercises you do, you will gain a slight bit of muscle mass to
support the activities that you are doing because your body currently doesn't have what it needs to function
properly in that environment. Yoga/pilates will take you a long time to slim down as you're only 117lbs at 5'5.
You're already quite skinny for your weight.

[soadorkable]

im not sure of all the names but ill try my best.


mondays afternoon:
biceps curls withdumbells 40reps 2sets 15-17lbs
biceps curl on machines 40reps 2sets 20lbs
bar 40reps 2sets 20lbs
pulling 30lbs on this thing sorry idk what its called 40reps 2sets 30lbs
and i need more vairied bicep workouts what eles can i do
and i dont do those in any particular order

monday night:
cycling 30 mintues
strech legs
ab workouts i dont think i need to be spefic on those

Tuesday afternoon:
bench 10reps sets of 3 starting from 25 to 35 to 45
flys on machine 10 reps sets of 3 not sure about weights
the thing wehre you lay down on the bench with dumbells and same motion as your benching. 10 reps 3sets varieied on weights depends how tired i am.
Tuesday night:
run a mile
strech

Wesnday afternoon:
the thing where your sitting on the chair wiht a back and you ahve freewights and your arms are in a 90 degree angle hands upward.
shoulder press i think 10reps 3sets 35lbs to 37.5lbs to 40lbs
shoulder fly on machine 10reps 3sets weight is varied
deltoids when you have dumbells then you start with your arms down then bring them up in front of you . 10reps sets of 3 15lbs
deltoids you start at the sides then bring them up on the side of you this time 10reps sets of 3 15lbs
Wsnday night:
cyclying for 30mins
strech
ab workouts

Thursday afternoon:
dips 10reps 3sets sometimes weight added soemtimes not depends how i feel
the machine where you push down 10reps 3sets weight varies
i need recommened tricept exersizes please
Thursday night:
run a mile
strech

thats what i have but the thing is like i dont really have a scheule for each day i jsut do what i want to but i do follow these sets and reps i put above just not on a spesfic date. but if following a scheule gives me better results then ill do it . friday saturday sunday i was planning on just starting with what i do with monday and so on i hope thats not confusing.
also at night i always go steam room so i sweat alot and idk i heard heat relaxes your muscles? i hope i did this rightt!

[Makaveli]

K a couple issues here.

1. Why do you do so many different curls for so many reps?
I wouldn't go past 20 reps. I'd cut out the machine curl and the dumbell curl.
Just do a barbell curl with a Wider than shoulder grip and then with a shoulder width
grip. The three set approach is good.

2. Chest routine is fine, you might want to try inclines though.
Instead of doing a dumbell flat and a barbell flat.

3. "the thing where your sitting on the chair wiht a back and you ahve freewights and your arms are in a 90 degree angle hands upward."
I'm pretty sure you're talking about an overhead tricep extension with this one. Should be grouped with the tricep days.

4. What happened to working the back?

5. Your groupings are a bit off. You should never work Chest/Shoulders/Triceps
in that order. If you're splitting muscle groups it should be more like Chest, Back, Shoulders, Biceps, Triceps.
Reason being the chest exercises work the shoulders and triceps indirectly. Back works rear delts and biceps along
with forearms indirectly. You always want at least 24-48 hours recovery time for a muscle.

6. If you're doing shoulder press, it works your front delts. You don't need to do the front raises
anymore. You can alternate them on a weekly basis. One on one week and the other on the following.

7. For Triceps you can use the rope to do push downs, you can do overhead forward rope extensions,
you can do kick backs, close grip bench press, etc.

8. If you lift 4 days a week, put all your effort into lifting for those days and don't do cardio unless you have
a good amount of energy. If you do intense cardio for an hour on the 3 days off I feel it would be more
beneficial to you. Rather than giving minimal effort on those days where you're trying to overload your body
with training.

These are just some issues I identified of off the top of my head. Feel free to disagree. Just my $0.02.

[KuYA II]

do you reccomend taking creatine cycle? i was planning to try superpump 250.

i have tried creatine a year ago, it felt good, but when i got off of it, i felt much weaker and smaller.

just want to know your opinion on it.

[Makaveli]

do you reccomend taking creatine cycle? i was planning to try superpump 250.

i have tried creatine a year ago, it felt good, but when i got off of it, i felt much weaker and smaller.

just want to know your opinion on it.

I assume you're trying to put on size. There's nothing wrong with taking creatine.
You probably took one that wasn't so great. Either that or you're using it as a placebo.
It helps a little bit, not to the point where you should notice a huge difference.
I myself don't really use it, but it's not a bad thing to use. Given that you hydrate yourself
properly. When you're on creatine you should be drinking approximately 1 gallon of water
a day.

[raishel]

i'm 5'1" and weigh approximately 100 lbs.
i gained 5 lbs when i went on vacation with my grandmother, since she SHOVES food in my face. and we only ate out. and there were sooo many pastries in montreal. . .
it's all flab around my torso though.
so i want to weight 90 lbs
[i have a small frame.]

[kivvi]

Okay, so first of all: THANK YOU! You don't know how much conflicting information I'm getting right now from my friends and family. I'll start off with a little about myself:

I'm a student, approx. 5'7'' or 5'8'' and weighing around 140 lbs. I look absolutely normal in clothes, but I've got some confidence issues with my body when I'm in a bathing suit or tight clothing. My eating habits are horrible because I eat when I'm bored/stressed. I'm making a major effort to stop that and have a better relationship with food. I'm not very sporty, but I've got an elliptical at home and lifting weights as well as the weights you can strap to your ankles/wrists (not sure what those are called, haha). I'm trying to build a routine where I run on the elliptical or on campus a few times a week and do some types of lifting or crunch-like exercises at home. The only trouble is, I'm REALLY, REALLY busy. I'm pretty much scheduled from the moment I wake up to when I'm ready for bed, so fitting something in is going to be the hardest part.

I don't want to lose tons of weight or anything, just enough to lose my belly flab and gain a little confidence (not sure how much that would be. any idea??) So if you could just give me a broad idea of what i should do for exercises (& for how long) and how many calories i should eat per day, that would be GREAT!!

thanks so much!
-kivvi

[vanilla-yam]

HI! im hoping someone can help me with my questions

recently, i have lost approx 8lbs/4kg after crash dieting (and yes i know this is bad, but i was desperate for a quick fix). in 2 weeks, i have been eating only fruits and veges and eating around 3000kjs/850cal
so now my problem is, ive become really flabby and have a lot of loose skin which is quite disgusting.
i have been running, jogging, walking for long lengths of time, been doing aerobics etc, but it doesnt seem to be making a difference.
any suggestions and tips for excercising and/or diet will be appreciated. thanks!

[KuYA II]

thanks Makaveli.

I have another question. I want to put on mass, but at the same time lose the fat on my gut. Doing a clean diet would be high protein moderate carbs and fat? I try to consume carbs in the morning pre and post workout (for this one simple carbs for fast absorption). and thoughout the day just protein and vegetables? (dark leafy ones...either fresh or steamed). And i remember i have to go at least 200 or 300 above my maintenance calorie.

Also how many times should i do cardio? I pretty much do low intensity cardio (biking, elipitical for about 30mins to an hour) about 3 times a week and workout 3 times a week as well. I pretty much do the squats, chin ups/ pull ups, rows, bench (flat/incline), military press, deadlifts...i think theres more but i can't think of...or which ones do you reccomend?

I was kind of thinking of going back to mark ripptoe's starting strength program again. i did it about 2 years ago and it helped a lot, but i kind of did the same routine for a year. I stopped doing the program for about half a year since i wanted to lose weight, but ended up losing TONS of my muscle mass...dropping quite a lot of pounds which i wasn't satisfied -.-.

also i was wondering if your putting mass...is there such thing as 1 cheat meal per week? just curious since i see it most of the time in cutting xD

can you help me out? thanks for the tips of the creatine. I'm debating whether i should do it or not...

[Makaveli]

HI! im hoping someone can help me with my questions

recently, i have lost approx 8lbs/4kg after crash dieting (and yes i know this is bad, but i was desperate for a quick fix). in 2 weeks, i have been eating only fruits and veges and eating around 3000kjs/850cal
so now my problem is, ive become really flabby and have a lot of loose skin which is quite disgusting.
i have been running, jogging, walking for long lengths of time, been doing aerobics etc, but it doesnt seem to be making a difference.
any suggestions and tips for excercising and/or diet will be appreciated. thanks!

Well your "quick fix" was probably the reason why your skin is all flabby and such because
you lost weight too fast. You can't really do much about the flabby skin. Just exercise and hope
it goes away but if worse comes to worse and there's a lot and it's very noticeable you'd have to
get it surgically removed. You shouldn't even be doing anything physical when you're only
intaking 850cals. If you keep going with this horrid diet program you're just going to be asking for
medical problems sooner rather than later. I'd advise you up your caloric intake to at least 1200 cals
if not 1600. Also you're not doing your immune system any favors by only eating fruits and vegetables.
If you don't eat meat what typically happens is an iron deficiency which leads to immune dysfunctions.
Also your muscles need protein to maintain and grow. I doubt you have much protein in your diets.
What most people try to do while dieting is control carbs not just east solely carbs aka fruits and some vegetables.
What would make the greatest impact is fixing your diet and increasing the intensity of your cardio routine.
If you want it that badly do cardio workouts 7 days a week. Different workouts, don't just run everyday. I'd say
not to run more than 4 times a week. You can do plenty of other things on other days like a circuit with skipping/burpees/jumping jacks.

thanks Makaveli.

I have another question. I want to put on mass, but at the same time lose the fat on my gut. Doing a clean diet would be high protein moderate carbs and fat? I try to consume carbs in the morning pre and post workout (for this one simple carbs for fast absorption). and thoughout the day just protein and vegetables? (dark leafy ones...either fresh or steamed). And i remember i have to go at least 200 or 300 above my maintenance calorie.

Also how many times should i do cardio? I pretty much do low intensity cardio (biking, elipitical for about 30mins to an hour) about 3 times a week and workout 3 times a week as well. I pretty much do the squats, chin ups/ pull ups, rows, bench (flat/incline), military press, deadlifts...i think theres more but i can't think of...or which ones do you reccomend?

I was kind of thinking of going back to mark ripptoe's starting strength program again. i did it about 2 years ago and it helped a lot, but i kind of did the same routine for a year. I stopped doing the program for about half a year since i wanted to lose weight, but ended up losing TONS of my muscle mass...dropping quite a lot of pounds which i wasn't satisfied -.-.

also i was wondering if your putting mass...is there such thing as 1 cheat meal per week? just curious since i see it most of the time in cutting xD

can you help me out? thanks for the tips of the creatine. I'm debating whether i should do it or not...

It's hard to lose weight and gain muscle mass at the same time. That being said you should probably
cut off whatever fat you don't want now then start gaining mass on a clean diet. Either that or bulk
first then cut the fat off and just maintain. I'd limit cardio in the bulk, and do intense cardio in the cut time.
If you've already done rippetoe's and like it and it's still giving you growth you can go back to it. I personally
have never done it. Do yourself a favor and don't deadlift and bench 3 times a week if you're doing them with
any intensity. Deads and benches tax your body quite hard as most compound movements. Most people Dead really
hard 1 day of the week and let themselves recover for the rest of the week. Like I said creatine is your choice but it's
not some miracle supplement that's gonna make you massive like Mr.Olympia just cuz you take 1 tub. There is no
easy way to gain mass. It takes time.