Which free weights for "toning?"

[PentjackSilat]

By the way, Flash is right about toning. There is no such thing. To get that cut look you need to cut fat. Eat slow burners, and High Quality protein. Eggs are some of the best protein you can get. A High Quality protein is one that has a high conversion rate. That means if you eat 10 grams of protein, all 10 grams will be used by your body. Some proteins have a low conversion rate where if you eat 10 grams, only 2 will convert. I am not sure which proteins are better than others, but I know eggs are good. Meat usually has a high conversion rate too because it's cells are so similiar to ours that it gets converted quickly. Whereas vegetable protein is radically different because plant cells are different than animal cells, and doesn't convert as easily. But I have not researched this area heavily yet, so don't take my word for it.
Don't do any Atkin's type diets where you cut out almost all carbs and eat mostly protein. Yes you will lose the fat, but you're Kidneys can fail, and there a number of other diseases that have been associated through research with this type of diet. It is worse for you than it is good for you. As a matter of fact I have a friend whose Kidney failed because of this diet...don't do it! Too much protein is very bad for you.

[Flash]

Toning...

Meat usually has a high conversion rate too because it's cells are so similiar to ours that it gets converted quickly. Whereas vegetable protein is radically different because plant cells are different than animal cells, and doesn't convert as easily. But I have not researched this area heavily yet, so don't take my word for it.

I read somewhere that plant proteins are "incomplete", i.e. they need components from other foods to make them "complete" and useable by your body.

Don't do any Atkin's type diets where you cut out almost all carbs and eat mostly protein.

I agree - it can't be too healthy eating nothing but protein (not to mention a bit gross as well - but there's no accounting for taste). However, I can see an advantage to a diet that FOCUSES on proteins. Let's face it, in our daily lives, we usually ingest quite a bit of carbohydrates "incidentally" without even thinking about it. A piece of fruit here. A cookie here. A piece of toast here. However, getting enough protein to grow on is another thing altogether. I read somewhere that drinking a lot of water helps to flush the kidneys and may help prevent some of those kidney ailments that come from overdosing on protein.

[SpeedKing9]

So eating fruits is bad if you want to lose the gut? I thought it would be healthy for you. In terms of eggs, what part has the protein? The egg whites or the yolk? Because, I've heard that there is a dangerous amount of cholesterol in egg yolk, but I actually love egg whites. Thanks for the help.

[PentjackSilat]

You're right about plant proteins being incomplete. That's why I posted mixing beans and rice earlier. The two together are a complete protein. Soy and Quinoa too. Now, I dont know which veggies to mix to get a complete protein.
Also I have read studies with mixed results on how much protein and carbs Americans eat. Some say we don't eat enough protein and too many carbs. Some say the opposite. All I know is the you want to eat a little more than twice as many carbs as protein. And I also know that you want a minimum of .60 grams of protein to every pound of weight everyday. For people trying to put on muscle, that figure rises quite a bit. If I remember correctly 250 grams of protein a day is asking for a failed kidney. Unless ofcourse your already a big person. That figure is for someone of average size. I personally try to eat to .72 grams of protein to every pound of body weight, every day. That's about 117 grams a day. And that is a high end figure because I work out twice a day six days a week. But in reality I eat anywhere from 95 grams to 115. From my understanding .72 grams per pound is the high end.

[PentjackSilat]

Both have the protein, but egg whites are better for you because the yolks have so much cholesterol.

[Flash]

Eggs and stuff...

Eating enough protein to actually gain muscle is very difficult. It can get really gross sometimes unless you're one of those people who can eat constantly. It doesn't seem like a lot but once you sit down and add up how much protein is in each thing you are eating, you'll often fall short of the recommended .75 grams of protein per pound of bodyweight rule of thumb. Personally, I feel that this, more than anything else, accounts for why many people fail to gain mass as a result of a strength-training regime.

Eating fruits will not help you lose fat if you don't do something to burn off the calories ingested. Incredible as it may seem, if you eat a ton of fruits but do nothing to burn off those calories, you will gain fat.

As for eggs - I just eat the whole thing.

[SpeedKing9]

What about skim milk in terms of gaining protein and losing weight?

[PentjackSilat]

skim milk is fine, fat free yogurt, fat free cottage cheese is usually gross, so I just eat lowfat cottage cheese. If you want to lose the fat you need to excercise at 65% of your max for 30 minutes a day, 3-4 days per week. To calculate your Max, subtract your age from 220. That is your max. For instance, if your 23, you'd go 220-23=197. SO your max is 197. 197x65%=128.05. So you'd want to excercise with a constant heart rate of 128 for 30 minutes to lose fat. Go above that and your are reaching aerobic instead of fat burning. A good way to test if you're at your target heart rate is to talk. If you can talk, your fine. If you can't, slow down. You should feel a little short of breath, but not where you have to talk...breathe...talk some more.....breathe....talk. You should be able to hold a conversation if you had to.

[likuid]

just a side note, i think you guys are right in that Speedking9 has the wrong definition of 'toning'. However, isn't 'toning', or a 'tone' muscle, a muscle that has the ability to efficiently expand and contract?

[Flash]

Toning?!?!

Argh!!!!

Not the "T" word again.

I think when people talk about toning, they're talking about getting to the point where they can actually begin to see the definition of their muscles as opposed to lumps of girly-man fat.

[likuid]

sorry to bring it up again...but my point is that most people have the wrong definition of the 'T' word. There is a technical definition for it...it just doesn't mean what most people think it means. the misunderstanding comes from the fact that most people with 'tone' muscles are in excellent shape because a muscle becomes efficient with proper exercise, stretching, etc.

[MercuryTurrent]

i heard muscle endurance is based on how well-defined you are. is this true?

[Guest]

Weight Training

Weight training is almost as complicated (and probably just as dangerous) as the martial arts. Many people have damaged their bodies irreperably by doing the wrong exercises, or the right exercises in the wrong way.

There is a guy called Stuart McRobert. He is to weight training what Bruce lee is to the Martial Arts. Check out his web site here on this link. If the link doesn't work, the address is www.hardgainer.com

http://www.hardgainer.com

Whatever you do, don't look at the freaks and the advice in the glossy Body Building magazines. The overwhelming majority of those people are on steroids (which are very harmful in the long term) and the advice they give will only work for the same kind of knuckle-head.

In a nutshell SAFE weight training is all about being steroid fee, looking after your rest, sleep and food, as well as learning the major compound exercises (i.e. those that use many joints, like the Squat and the Pull Up etc.) in a safe manner, and increasing the weight very gradually.

Good luck!

[SpeedKing9]

Question: Chicken salad and tuna salad...good food if you're on a diet? Is there a lot of protein?

[Guest]

Protein

Theres a lot of protein in both chicken and tuna. But don't get too hung up on all those silly "no carb" diets and the rest of the rubbish advice out there. Just make sure you only put healthy things in your mouth, and train like mad. Do that and you'll do fine.

PS - and forgive yourself if you slip up and eat some rot. Just start again and eat healthy. Your body will tell you when it needs extra, coz you'll still feel hungry.