Tips for the gym

[MysteryWoman]

I know you shouldn't eat for at least 2 hours before working out (apart from a light snack), Is there a time limit for not eating after a workout to burn off the calarories?

 

[Cogent Ops.]

Really?

I thought it was good to get a lot of carbohydrates about an hour before the workout. I read somewhere that it helps you to put more effort into lifting.

 

[Templeton]

Mystery -

To the contrary, you want to eat straight away after training to assist in recovery and benefit from the receptive state (to nutrients) your body is in after a work-out. Carbs AND protein - especially if you have performed resistance training or INTENSE and relatively brief cardio - as you should - both of which will serve to break down muscle tissue. Additionally, a carb and protein drink sipped shortly before AND during a workout can be of great benefit - not least in helping to offset the catabolic effects of training.

 

[LionFox]

You should eat some time before working out (1 hour) and then immediately after.

 

[MysteryWoman]

Thanks for helping me!

 

[Soshyopathe]

If you take in high-quality protein 45-60 min before workout, there are 2 huge benefits:

1) By the time you finish your workout, the protein has already stared breaking down and getting into your system.

2) Whey, for instance, has been proven to give lifters a fair amount of HGH synthesis during workout when the protein is taken pre-workout. HGH synthesis without whey was almost non-existant.

 

[Shiftkey]

If you wanted to bulk up, you should eat before and after working out. It might be different if you want to lose weight. This might not be the best place to find that information because most of the guys here are looking to gain weight.

 

[Templeton]

If we knew of your training goals Mystery it would be easier to give specific advice

 

[Templeton]

Originally posted by Soshyopathe
If you take in high-quality protein 45-60 min before workout, there are 2 huge benefits:

1) By the time you finish your workout, the protein has already stared breaking down and getting into your system.

2) Whey, for instance, has been proven to give lifters a fair amount of HGH synthesis during workout when the protein is taken pre-workout. HGH synthesis without whey was almost non-existant.

Never come across point 2 before, sounds a little dubious but i'm more than willing to be convinced! - Any chance you could explain that more fully and where I could read up more on that? Thanks.

 

[MysteryWoman]

I want to lose more weight and tone up (although I losing a lot at rapid rate), I definately don't want bisceps

 

[Viroid]

Originally posted by MysteryWoman
I want to lose more weight and tone up (although I losing a lot at rapid rate),

Focus on losing FAT! Not weight. The fact that your losing at a rapid rate means you are burning muscle as well as fat. Burning muscle is not good if you want to keep the "weight" off long term. It will slow down your metabolism. Remember, fat is burned in the mitochondria of muscle cells. You NEED to preserve as much muscle as possible. To do this, try increasing your protein intake to 1-1.5 grams per lb of bodyweight.

I definately don't want bisceps

Too late, you already have them. Seriously, dont worry about getting big muscles. Its hard for men to get big muscles. it will be twice as hard for a woman loaded with estrogen to get big muscles.

 

[The Great Juan]

MysteryWoman, you were partly correct in your first post and i think the first couple of guys who replied didn't realise you were a woman and that your goals were totally different to most of the guys on this board. When you hear that you shouldn't eat 2 hours before working out, it is actually that you should do CARDIO on an empty stomach, this can be done 2 ways:

1) If you are only doing cardio that day, do it first thing in the morning on an empty stomach so that your body uses body fat to fuel your workout (and therefore lose the fat).
2) If you are weight training and doing cardio the same day (i recomend you do weight training by the way, it has great health benefits especially for women by increasing bone density), have a good meal 1-2 hours before going to the gym and do your weight training first for an hour. Then do your cardio afterwards. This way, by the time you finish weight training your body will have used the energy from your meal and your body will use body fat for the cardio once again.

Oh, and Viroid made an excellent post and is absolutely correct, your weight doesn't mean anything, throw your scale away because it is useless. When a guy looks at a girl, he doesn't think "hmmm, she must weigh about 120 pounds, she must be HOT!". At the same time, some guy might weigh 220 pounds and be a big fat slob, or he might be a mountain of lean muscle, you cannot tell by just looking at how much they weigh (which is why the BMI pisses me off so much, grrrrrrr ) . The only thing you have to worry about is your bodyfat %, get it tested regularly and try to lower it while maintaining muscle.

This post is turning out to be pretty long, i'm studying exercise dietetics and i tend to go on and on when talking about this subject

 

[Templeton]

Originally posted by MysteryWoman
I want to lose more weight and tone up (although I losing a lot at rapid rate), I definately don't want bisceps

Go easy on how quickly you lose weight or you may just gain it back at a similar rate and then some. Losing weight quickly will lead to you losing muscle tissue. Muscle is active tissue so it burns energy even at rest thus helping to keep bf levels in check. The workout nutritional guideline I gave earlier still apply irrespective of your goals - just adjust the amount of protein and carbs. Obviously a guy trying to bulk up would eat a lot more after his workout.

Oh and dont worry about getting big muscles - it aint gonna happen in a girl. You did say you wanted to "tone" though which means your muscles will develop to an extent but they sure aint gonna get big. So dont shy away from the weights and you can actually train in a way that you THINK will make you big (remember, it aint gonna happen!) to get the best "toning" effects. (dont like the term toning) Anyway, a toned or athletic look looks good on guys and gals.