The Fitness Thread

[FootballCardFreak]

Good post, and yeah I meant to say Diet, not Cardio.

Ok, I'm a licensed personal trainer and graduated with a degree in Fitness. I can tell you just from skimming this thread, there is a lot of bad information on here. Anyone who is looking to find more out about working out etc etc is welcome to contact me and I'd love to help. Just a couple suggestions: if you are younger, I wouldnt say that protein shakes are bad for you but i do think they are most likely unnecessary. You get protein from eating your everyday meals and the only reason for taking more protein is if you are not getting enough through your meals and you are looking to increase your muscle mass. Protein is what synthesizes muscle growth so if you were to take it the best time is after your workout because that is when your muscles have been broken down and are most vulnerable. However, most of the general population gets enough protein throughout the day that you dont need to waste your money on protein supplements that will either turn into fat because you are not active enough or will come out in your urine because your body is in excess.
One other issue i'm seeing in these exercise prescriptions that people are giving on here: Working out is much more than bench press and bicep curls. Sure thats what you may see most on the beach but to really be in good shape if thats the bulk of what you do every day you're just gonna end up looking really weird and be functionally off-kilter! Also, 70% of weight loss is not just cardio. Cardio is important but it is a balance of resistance training, cardiovascular training, and you diet. Your diet is actually 60-70%. If you want to lose weight you have to burn more calories than you take in (eat)

[drtom2005]

Dieting is not correct. Eating healthfully is better. As for protein shakes unless you are building muscle mass they are useless. You need to look at and calculate your Resting metabolic Rate. If you just want to lose weight, take in less calories then your RMR. There are many sites. Here is one I like.

http://www.shapeup.org/interactive/rmr2.php

You are also 15 and shouldn't be trying to get huge just yet as you are still growing. You could cause yourself long term damage if you push yourself too hard.

A good cardio class that I like that builds lean muscle mass is kick boxing. A good combo class is cross-training. You spend 2 minutes doing low weight/high rep lifting and then 2 minutes of cardio. Check out your local gym for the classes.

[roro17]

Like I stated before I am a personal trainer and do you have drinks and nutrition bars that I recommoned please pm me if interested I would love to help out