And another question...

I read in a very old faq that one should exercise on or almost on an empty stomach... Does this still apply?

You dont want a full stomach, but eat a balanced protein/carb/fat calorie source (ex. energy bar) that contains 200-400 calories 1/2 to 1 hour before exercise.

The reason why you should workout with an empty stomach is because if you have food digesting in the stomach, then part of your energy will be diverted from workout to digest the food.

[vivace]

Read in "Mens Health", that those energy bars are fine but expensive. They claim that a piece of white bread with peanut butter gives the same nutrients , enegy, and last longer without the typical body sugar crash. I have been doing this and it and I know it to be true. I have been doing weights and excersizes since in started PE, I am buff and ripped. My elbows hurt . What am I doing wrong? I also have some flabby skin on by stomach (seen only when I do push ups or the ab slide. Will that skin eventually tighten up?

Hey vivace,
When do your elbows hurt and what do u think maybe the problem?

I don't know if you mean flabby skin, or fat below the skin??

Unless you lose a huge amount of weight(100+ pounds), your skin should tighten up if it is loose skin. Even people who lose over 100 pounds can have their loose skin tighten up.

If it is fat you are talking about, then that last bit of fat needs to be dieted off combined with intense cardio.

Big Nilla Jizz25

About the empty stomach question...

I think it's best to work out on as close to an empty stomach as possible. Especially if you will be doing compound leg excercises like squats, leg presses, or even deadlifts. I once threw up after a leg workout and sometimes I still feel sick if I've eaten too recently.

Maybe you could lift weights, then drink a protein/carb shake and then do your bike ride?


Vivace - your elbow pain might be tendonitis. I'm saying that because I read an article at www.testosterone.net (http://www.testosterone.net)

I think this address will take you to the article... t-mag.com/html/114eex.html (http://t-mag.com/html/114eex.html)

Good luck,
SMF

A shake, but doesn't those taste sh*t? Oh well, maybe I'll try that. I tried some other exercises today, and I found out that doing the bicep curl felt more effective to do sitting down than doing it standing up. Why is this? I'm still a beginner in lifting weights and I am currently doing 16 kg with one arm (about 35 lbs).

I have been doing the Triceps Kickback (35 lbs here as well, since I have run out of weights, gotta buy som e more) for a while and today I tried the Overhead Triceps Press. It was unsuccesful, I was lucky that I was near the bed, otherwise I would have a hole in the floor by now. I can easily do 35 lbs with the Triceps Kickback, but with the Overhand Press, my arm couldn't support it. Why? Does this exercise use different muscles? Should I stick with the Kickback?

I'm gonna start going to a gym when school starts again (my final year in college, yay!), since I don't have the money to do so now. This brings up another problem. I have never been able to bench press. I tried this exercise when I was in high school. I barely could do 50% of my body weight, which at the time was ca 100 kg. Has size of the upper arms and lower arms anything to do with the ability of bench pressing? Or could it be a psychological problem, since a bookcase fell over me when I was 3 or 4 years old. I'll be really happy if someone could answer my questions.

The theory is this; cardio on a empty stomach after fasting(sleeping) will signal your body to release some fat stores for energy! Hence(theoretically) you will burn more FAT exercising this way. Bill Phillips(no longer a fan) and his expert friends also purport that you may also benifit in the same fashon by lifting first thing on an empty stomach. I'll buy the cardio and probably the rest but I don't like to lift so early and I've never been above 10% bodyfat so I don't worry about it! Hows that for a run on sentence:)
Soma

[vivace]

six months on PE and Exersize, barbell, ab slide, etc. I know it sounds arrogant and there is no way to prove, but I look great. Getting lots of stares. Question, do push ups over build the pecs. I do not want huge pecs, but I do want good definition. Also, Thanks for your advise guys. My six-pack is still illusive, however, is am starting to see something peaking out after two and half weeks. Can you do ab exersizes and curls--biceps be done everyday, or should it be as my other workout, every other day?

I wish pushups would "overbuild the chest", but they won't! Believe me!lol
Soma

shinryuu,
If you can't even bench half your weight, uh, you shouldn't even worry about doing exercises such as kickbacks.
Your arms would get bigger faster by doing heavy bench and heavy back work thru the secondary effect of those exercises.
You need to concentrate on compound basic exercises to build up overall body strength.
squats, deadlifts, bent-over rows, chins, bench, tbar rows

Build the foundation before you start doing little isolation exercises such as kickbacks.

I see. So I guess I'll have to buy me a barbell and a bench. Too bad I can't afford them until school starts again... All I have is dumbbells, but one can not really do many squats with dumbbells, am I right? I can't understand people who say money doesn't matter... Yeah right!

But in the meantime, are there any websites with pictures on how to do squats etc...? And BTW, my benchpress problem was when I was 16, and most of my weight then was on my belly... =) My body is bigger now (through natural growth and through bodyslamming my younger brother, lol), in the right places and my belly is going away day by day. So I assume I can benchpress a little better by now.

Hey shinryuu,
Didn't u say something about getting a membership to a gym?!

You can squat with dumbbells, but it is pretty much pointless, at least to me.

Of course I'm getting a membership to a gym, when school starts that is. But it would be nice to have something at home too, like a barbell and a bench, can't bee too expensive can they?

not here in the US, dont know how expensive in Sweden.

And keep up the good work with bodyslamming your brother.