Capitol Hill Blue Forums Science and Technology Health, Medicine & the healing Sciences Weight Lifting

Dahlin, I'm not body building or in training.
I just changed up my routine a little bit.
No way can I eat immediately after a work out.

What I'm doing seems to be working enough to suit me anyway.
I don't want to turn this into a big chore.

Nothing to discuss, really, olyve. A federal law was past in 1994 mandating that all new toilets be reduced to a 1.6 gallon water flow. They apparently do not work as well.:-)
Yours,
Issodhos

And I don't doubt that or necessarily know that either just on your words.
Nothing sinister or snotty here.
I was just trying to keep that discussion from getting in the way and encouraging it to move to another thread so we could investigate your allegation.

The only reason I'm going to go further into this here (instead of in a PM) is so others might benefit from my advice.


It has nothing to do with (your perception of) "body building", it has everything to do with proper nutrition for an regularly active person.
Do you eat before you work out, usually? If so, how long before? If you're leaving too large a gap between eating and exertion, you could essentially be starving your body.
What I was most concerned about here is your body catabolizing your muscle mass. You already have a lovely slim figure, with very low BMI/body fat, so when you do weight resistance training your body draws on your muscles to feed the caloric deficit instead of food or fat stores - that is, if you don't eat soon enough. Women, as they age, are already fighting to keep their lean muscle mass ( source ) , so when you exacerbate the situation by depriving your body of calories you could just be accelerating the process. You may not see the results of this now, but problems may arise later.

And you are in training. You are body building. These terms mean that you are actively exercising and shaping your body to be healthier, stronger, and more toward your ideal. What in the world did you think you were doing in the gym?
And a chore? Eating a small snack, or drinking a protein shake takes mere minutes... and this is only on the days that you lift. A glass of milk would even suffice.

As the old saying goes: "Muscle is made in the kitchen, not the gym."
Here are some more sources on what I'm talking about:

Tipton KD, et al. Ingestion of casein and whey proteins result in muscle anabolism after resistance exercise. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2004 Dec;36(12):2073-81.

Elliot TA, et al.Milk ingestion stimulates net muscle protein synthesis following resistance exercise. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2006 Apr;38(4):667-74.

Hartman JW, et al. Consumption of fat-free fluid milk after resistance exercise promotes greater lean mass accretion than does consumption of soy or carbohydrate in young, novice, male weightlifters. Am J Clin Nutr. 2007 Aug;86(2):373-81.

Karp JR, et al. Chocolate milk as a post-exercise recovery aid.
Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab. 2006 Feb;16(1):78-91.

Tipton KD, et al. Timing of amino acid-carbohydrate ingestion alters anabolic response of muscle to resistance exercise Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab. 2001 Aug;281(2):E197-206.

Tipton KD, et al Stimulation of net muscle protein synthesis by whey protein ingestion before and after exercise. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab. 2007 Jan;292(1):E71-6.

Cribb PJ, Hayes A. Effects of supplement timing and resistance exercise on skeletal muscle hypertrophy. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2006 Nov;38(11):1918-25.


Bottom of it all, I'm really glad that you're in the gym. You're far more active than many women your age (and many that are much younger!). Tweaking your nutritional routine a bit should ensure that you will be able to lift weights and stay beautiful well into old age.

Also, I wish women would own the term 'body building'. If you're in the gym, working hard and doing weight resistance training (along with cardio!) then you are body building. It's not about getting bulky, it's about sculpting your body! I've been lifting for over a year, and I can tell you right now that NO part of my body is physically larger than what it was when I started. I've lost fat, and gained lean muscle mass. I'm also the smallest, yet heaviest, I have ever been! At 5'2 I'm 150 lbs and I fit into a size small (or extra small) tshirt, and a pants size 6.

Likewise, I wish more young women would own the term 'feminist'.

Nickie, most of the time I got to the gym about an hour after lunch. Sometimes I go early afternoon about an hour before supper. On a rare occasion I go shortly after supper.

I understand your points and don't disagree with you.
I think we've got a problem with semantics here though....my bad.
I've been at this (exercise) long enough to understand it.

You're right that what I do at the gym is a form of body building. I do it to stay fit and stay toned and for mobility later in life.
If your mention of feminism is because of my reference to not doing body building I can understand that too but I assure I don't have a problem with women body building my style or any other.
All I'm saying is that when I started back 3 or 4 years ago I went at it with a different attitude. I'm just as dedicated but I'm not going to pretend I'm 30. I do a concise but effective routine every other day. It takes about an hour. I'm in and I'm out. I'm pleased with the results as much as a person my age can and that's all I want. I probably do a workout a little harder that some people my age but I don't push myself all that hard anymore.
I think of what I used to do as more "body building" but you're right on that point. Big time.

As far as the protein bars or shakes....alright already. Sheesh. If you think I need to do that on the way home. I'll try it. They sell them at the gym actually.

Thanks for all the great information.

You're awesome.

I was thinking about the original post that started this thread as I was working out yesterday and had these thoughts:

For women the reasons could be:
-a basic lack of knowledge about how their bodies work, and an overuse of the term "weight loss". Because those 2 words are pounded into their brain they don't understand that muscle is denser than fat and that when doing a resistance routine, it is very possible they will gain weight even though they are trimming down. They also don't realize that the more muscle on your body the more energy you'll burn at rest to maintain it. So while some may try a resistance routine they quit as soon as the results don't measure up on the scale... personally I think every woman should throw out her scale and get a good tape measure, because that's what matters.

For Men:
-Macho factor. They don't want to be seen in a public place doing an amount of weight they view as "wimpy", especially if they are surrounded by guys doing a lot more weight than them; this can vary a bit from gym to gym, I've belonged to many, it is a big factor in a Gold's or World type gym where you do tend to have a lot of big guys, less so at a 24 hour or Bally's fitness.

For Both:
-Some people are just lazy. There is also the meat market effect of the gym, too many people socializing instead of exercising, I quit going to the gym for about 3 years for that very reason and just worked out at home the best I could with a limited set of dumbells, a door gym to do pull ups and an exercise ball. Only in the last year did I go back after I found a gym where it wasn't as much of a factor, mostly because I was tired of doing umpteen million pushups just to get a burn and I missed doing heavy weight.

And my recommendation for people just starting out. Get a trainer, if just to get you on a routine and teach you how to do exercises properly. Nothing leads to injuries faster than improper form except maybe doing more than you should.

How about this one, numan?

Yours,
Issodhos

Issodhos - the site denied your hotlink.

Sorry, tiger. It is working for me. Anyone else having a problem?
Yours,
Issodhos