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Post by Bossocity on Jul 10, 2004 16:44:40 GMT -5
I am 15, 5-6, and weigh 142. Though I'm no longer overweight, I would like to flatten out my chest completely by September 2 (8 weeks). I started my "plan" a couple days ago, which is basically to stay away from high calorie/fat foods. You will notice a couple obvious slip-ups (almonds & muffin), but if see anything that will possibly slow down my fat-trimming please tell me. members.lycos.co.uk/specialed099/intake%20outtake.htmNotes: I don't believe in a carb-free diet, but I still try not to over eat them. Those figures from DDR aren't speculations, they're right off the screen from workout mode. Hehe, I remember when I started playing DDR, reaching 400 calories in a single wrokout session was the highlight of my month. All of the calorie figures are off package labels, and the fruit is from www.calorie-count.comMy weights off the top of the chart are from my home scale, which is 6-7 pounds below the doctors. It's already getting easier to button up my 31" shorts. ;D |
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Post by abrannan on Jul 10, 2004 18:53:36 GMT -5
What you may find, being at the weight you're at, is that you'll have an easier time flattening your chest by doing a little weight training.
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Post by Bossocity on Jul 11, 2004 13:44:15 GMT -5
Thanks for the reply ;D
Do sit-ups and push-ups count, and if so how effective are they compared to traditional workout machines?
EDIT: Also, should I continue my low calorie diet if I pick up weight training?
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Post by abrannan on Jul 12, 2004 7:44:02 GMT -5
Honestly, at the weight you're at, I wouldn't be doing a low calorie diet at all. You're at a healthy weight already. Your body will burn about 1700 calories/day on it's own, without any workout. I'd stay at this level, and use exercise to trim of that last little bit.
Sit-ups (specifically crunches) and Push Ups can be effective muscle gaining exercises, but you have to vary them a bit to get full effect. Here's what I'd recommend:
AB workout:
10 reps each
1. Crunch. Lay on your back, knees up, hands behind head. Lift your head straight up (look at the ceiling, and lift your head toward the ceiling) but do not lift your shoulder blades off the floor.
2. Right oblique crunch. As above, but with your knees laying over to the left side.
3. Left Oblique crunch. As #1, but with your knees laying over to the right side
4. Leg up crunch. Lift your feet off the ground, keeping your knees bent, so your thighs are vertical. Crunch elbows to knees (legs don't move)
5. Superman crunch. Legs straight up in the air, extend your arms in front of you, thumbs locked. Reach up to try to touch your toes.
6. Leg lifts. Hands under butt to support your lower back, legs straight, lift legs from 10 degrees (just off ground) to about 45 degrees, and back down.
7. Knee lifts. Hands under butt as before, legs straight and off ground. Bend your legs and bring your knees to your chest, and extend back out.
8. Frog lifts. Hands behind head, bottoms of feet together, knees out to the sides. Lift your legs up and down.
9. Bicycles. Hands behind head, one leg straight, one knee up. Touch right elbow to left knee, then left elbow to right knee, while alternating which knee is up.
10. Full body crunch. Lay flat, arms outstretched above head. Pull everything in, bending knees. End position will be like #4 above. Extend back out.
Push Up workout:
7-10 reps each
Regular Push Ups, hands about 6 inches wider than your shoulders.
Wide Push Ups (These will work your chest and Lat muscles more). Hands about 12 inches wider than your shoulders.
Tricep Push Ups. Hand directly under shoulders, keep your elbows in near your sides.
You won't gain as much muscle mass doing these ab and push up exercises as you would with full weights. You just can't generate enough resistance to maximize your intensity. Just make sure you get enough protein to support any muscle gain you do make.
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Post by Bossocity on Jul 12, 2004 19:35:29 GMT -5
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Post by abrannan on Jul 13, 2004 8:09:48 GMT -5
...I have very little muscle mass for my age. I think I should loose more fat. Right there, you've said it. You have very little muscle mass. You need to build some muscle. You've got a good weight going, you just need to convert some of the remaining fat to muscle. Speaking as someone who was 5'6" and 135 lbs all through his teenage years, if you drop too much more fat without gaining muscle, you're going to look like a stick. The end decision is yours, I'm just giving my opinion (and I am neither a doctor nor a personal trainer). From your pics, I'd suggest working the upper body to build your pecs, lats, shoulders, triceps, and biceps a bit. If you can add 5 lbs of muscle, you'll burn an extra pound of fat every two weeks, and you'll see a large improvement in definition. |
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Post by Bossocity on Jul 13, 2004 12:30:45 GMT -5
I'm gonna take your word (and my dad's), and switch from dieting to muscle building. We've been planning on getting a weight lifting machine soon, but for now I'll stick to the pushup and situp variants you suggested. But I have a few questions about the exercises: On the wide push ups, when you say 12", do you mean each hand is 6" away from the shoulders, or each hand is 12" away from each shoulder? On the tripec ones, when I am down, should my arms be relevantly paralell to the rest of my body, or should my elbows be more outward? And how many g's of protien should I be taking in a day for maximum muscle gain? Thanks for all your help, Jonathan  |
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Post by abrannan on Jul 13, 2004 12:45:08 GMT -5
But I have a few questions about the exercises: On the wide push ups, when you say 12", do you mean each hand is 6" away from the shoulders, or each hand is 12" away from each shoulder? Wide enough that you feel the strain in your Lateral Muscles (the ones at the back of your armpits, down your ribs), which for me happens at about 9-12" away from the shoulders. Play around with the hand spacing to see what feels right for you. Your elbows should be in at your sides as much as possible. Picture yourself doing push-ups in an area only as wide as your shoulders. 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight per day is, I believe, what they say the optimum amount is. You'll probably have to get a protein powder to get that much, unless you're a beef jerky fiend. Any cheap brand pre-digested whey protein powder will do. |
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Post by abrannan on Jul 13, 2004 12:57:22 GMT -5
I'd also like to take this opportunity to plug a great weight training site I've found. The WeighTrainer. This site provides a great amount of knowledge on the basics of training and lifting, without supplements, steroids, or other nonsense. |
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