[leighlee]

Wow this is all great information! I'm going to order some BCAA powder today. Is it ok to add to your post workout shake?

[Jaded Jade]

Wow this is all great information! I'm going to order some BCAA powder today. Is it ok to add to your post workout shake?

I do, I scale the ammount of suppliments to how hard I am working out. A little protein with cardio keeps you from burning muscle. Larger amounts and the inclusion of BCAA's start to make sense if you are doing weight training or other muscle building exercise routines. (Pre workout NO boosters, post workout creatine, are for INSANELY heavy workouts. If you are working to and past your point of fatiuge. The latter particularly can cause bloating and water retention, it has specific helpful effects too, but it also has multiple drug interactions.)

Check if your protein powder already contains BCAA's, some do. Fair warning, the Bodtech BCAA's taste kinda gross, but the protein shake will mask it, mostly. But then I am not drinking it for the flavor...

If you plan on doing some more extreme workouts with suplments past the basics, I would advise you to start reading and researching a bit on it. The basic stuff is pretty straightforward, but doing some reading will let you find a ton of information relivant to your situation and goals.

Also, once you are starting to look past protiens and BCAA's read all of your labels, and don't ever take anything until you understand it. There some dangerous things on the shelves, and some flat out snake oil too.

There are no magic potions for this stuff, just some things that will make your hard work count for some more gain.


- Jaded Jade

[danim]

Thank you Jaded. You know a lot about this. How much a person can lift weight without breaking muscle ? 45 min ? 60 min etc ( when is too much ?)

[Jaded Jade]

Thank you Jaded. You know a lot about this. How much a person can lift weight without breaking muscle ? 45 min ? 60 min etc ( when is too much ?)

I am just going to info dump on this question, because I figure the people that already know won't care, and those that have not heard some of the standard advice need to hear it.

(Please anyone who notes a mistake correct me, I just want people to be safe and succeed in their goals! )

For a starting point, weight training, or muscle building exercises that use body weight are something that you should make sure you slowly start your way into. You need to listen to your body and go at your own pace.

I am not an expert, but I know some stuff that has worked for me. If you are new to this sort of exercise, make sure to find quality youtube videos, and articles on good body building exercises for their advice on exercise routines, exercises and safety.

When you exercise you actually damage the muscle some, when it heals, it gets stronger. But it takes protein and such to heal, that is why supplementing can help reduce recovery time and boost results. This is where the good hurt (effective exercise) versus bad hurt (injury) comes in to play. Start slow until you know what these feel like for you. If you go slow, you can tell what is too much and back off before you injure yourself.

Weight training is not about how long you do it in time duration, it is more about working your various muscle groups to their safe maximum levels, potentially to exhaustion, without injuring yourself. (Cardio is more about how long you do it for.)

With most exercises, if you cannot do 8 repetitions, the weight is too high, back off and try a lighter weight, or a safer exercise.

Once you can do 20-30 repetitions it is probably time to increase the weight.

Once you do a given weight/exercise to exhaustion, you can do the next lighter one on down to the smallest.

Doing exercises back to back that work opposing muscles will give you allot of bang for your buck.

For hand weights I use increments of 5 pounds, if you are new to this, and of lighter frame, get a 3 and an 8 also so you can progress at your correct pace.

For wrist and ankle weights for yoga and other floor exercises go super slow with weight increases, even a pound or two geometrically increases strain at your hips, shoulders, and back. I use ones that have pockets with 1 to 2 pound weights that can be removed. As with hand weights

Do not ever use a barbell without a person as your spotter or it could kill you. (A spotters primary job is to keep a loaded barbell from crushing your head, neck, or chest if/when your arms give out. Make sure your spotter is 100% attentive, and know what they are doing.)

Weight training can strengthen bone, consider calcium supplementation.

Exercise all of your muscles, upper body, lower body, and core. Being deficient in any area increases the possibility of injury either in exercise or daily life.

Don't worry about bulking up with muscle, generally muscle will only make you look better. It weighs twice as much as fat, so the scale might get infuriating when it doesn't move, but you can lose sizes with out losing a pound. If you get too muscular for your preferences, don't worry about it, ease off on your exercises and it'll atrophy fast enough.

Proper for is the most important thing, if you can maintain the proper form with control, smoothness, and stability you usually are going to be ok.

The goal is not to move the weight fast, that is more likely to injure you, and won't build as much strength through a range of motion.

Use youtube if nothing else to make sure you know exactly what proper form looks like for a given exercise. (Plus decent trainers there also give you warnings about what not to do.)

If you increase weights too quickly you can damage bone and ligaments. You are unlikely to unless you push yourself way to hard, but it can happen. (This tends to be more of a dumb male mistake. But if you have a light frame, this sort of injury is more likely. Bad form can also cause this. Be careful.)

With Yoga make sure your wrists and ankles can do the moves without pain or instability. You do not want to fall or strain yourself in many of those moves. Strengthen your wrists first if you need to.

Yoga is even more about proper form than weight lifting. It is also super rewarding with increased flexibility, endurance, strength through range of motion, and overall body toning. (I am sure many people here already know this.)

A foam roller can help increase range of motion even further.

If you use weights with yoga, be super careful. I have come closer to injury with 5 pound ankle weights and yoga than I ever have with 25 pound hand weights.


- Jaded Jade

[Wishin]

[quote='danim' pid='133000' dateline='1412823372']With most exercises, if you cannot do 8 repetitions, the weight is too high, back off and try a lighter weight, or a safer exercise.

Once you can do 20-30 repetitions it is probably time to increase the weight.

Jade has given some great information here! The only thing I would mention is if you want to build up your butt you need to build the muscles. For growth you want higher weight / lower reps. I move up in weights when I can do 12 reps, 20-30 is just too high for building muscles. I do 8-12 reps on my lower body and as small as my boobs are I have to admit my butt is awesome.

[Wishin]

No idea why my last post is showing as blank...I'm trying it this way...

[quote='danim' pid='133000' dateline='1412823372']With most exercises, if you cannot do 8 repetitions, the weight is too high, back off and try a lighter weight, or a safer exercise.

Once you can do 20-30 repetitions it is probably time to increase the weight.

Jade has given some great information here! The only thing I would mention is if you want to build up your butt you need to build the muscles. For growth you want higher weight / lower reps. I move up in weights when I can do 12 reps, 20-30 is just too high for building muscles. I do 8-12 reps on my lower body and as small as my boobs are I have to admit my butt is awesome.

[missboobshirt]

I found this really cool page that can help you out

http://www.exercisegoals.com/growing-a-b...works.html