In my last post, I commented on diet pills and that the drugs they used to possess are not allowed in diet pills anymore. I went on to say that you can still get them, just not together. I would like to give some warning about them from personal experience.
When I am taking Bronkaid and Caffeine, I find that I have no appetite, increased body temperature, and I constantly feel nauseous. I am not even taking the full daily dose (1 of each pill 3 times a day for 2 weeks) and I feel twitchy (and not in some kind of fun way) and like my heart is going to explode!
Now, I don't mean to scare anybody with this note. I am only saying that this is how I feel. My boyfriend also takes these pills (and he does the full dose) and feels no different than how he normally does. I would not recommend this if you are sensitive to stimulants.
Remember, my lifting posts are only for the purposes of informing, not scaring. I am sorry if I scare anybody with these posts.
More lifting information soon! My next article is on lifting attire!
<3
~Mag-elicious~
Showing posts with label Working Out. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Working Out. Show all posts
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Monday, September 28, 2009
Lifting Essentials 2: Myths and Facts of Weight Loss
OK, so many people (including myself) have at one point suffered from believing myths. I am going to set some of them straight!
Myth: Magazine diets actually work!
Fact: Magazine diets induce loosing muscle and water weight. It does nothing for fat loss and the second you stop the diet, you WILL gain every ounce back. Sorry, but fad diets don't work. Rule of thumb - If it sounds like it won't work (cereal diet, coffee and peanuts, etc.) it probably won't.
Myth: Diet pills actually induce fat loss!
Fact: This was at one point a true statement. The drugs used in diet pills that made them work before are banned because they actually worked (I still think its stupid that they were banned from diet pills). You can, however, still get your hands on these drugs. Caffeine and Ephedrine are still highly available in most drug stores and grocery stores (that have a pharmacy). Ephedrine must be purchased at the pharmacy section. It is under the name of Bronkaid. It is also helpful if you have some breathing problems (it is actually used for asthma). Don't worry about needing a prescription. It is the same kind of deal for getting sudafed.
Myth: you can target fat loss by working only the muscles in that area.
Fact: Fat is gained evenly all over your body. Fat is lost in t he same way. You don't want to end up with one part of your body REALLY strong, and the rest pathetically weak, do you?
Myth: I'm a girl, so I need to lift low weights on high reps so I don't get bulky.
Fact: Girls gain muscle at a much slower rate and don't have the risk of becoming body builder bulky. Most women in body building competitions take testosterone supplements to become that bulky. Lift like a guy and see the amazing results. I am a girl who lifts like this, and I can already see the difference! I don't see bulk, I see a natural, sexy tone!
Myth: Machine lifts are just as good as free weights!
Fact: Machine lifts actually don't allow the same amount of motion. You really are cheating yourself by only doing machine lifts. Free weights are more intimidating, but most people in gyms are more than happy to help you out with form and as being a spotter. You always want to do research on your form so that you don't end up hurting yourself (I used to do hyper extentions by arching my back ALL the way up and ended up with a lot of back pain. I started going high enough to make my back even and the pain stopped).
Myth: Running is a good way to loose weight!
Fact: This gets exagerated so much. Running is a good aid to weight loss. There are many different kinds of running you can do (ex: distance training, interval training, etc.) Running is more effective, however, if paired with wight lifting.
Tips for running: Don't run on tredmills, concrete or other very hard surfaces, sand and other extremely soft surfaces. Cushioned tracks and grass are the best places to run as they won't induce knee injury (take my word for this, I learned this the hard way...)
Stay tuned for the next Lifting Essentials. Sorry for the delay between the first and this edition. I didnt feel qualified to write on a topic I wasn't taking part in (I stopped lifting over the summer)
<3
~Mag-elicious~
Myth: Magazine diets actually work!
Fact: Magazine diets induce loosing muscle and water weight. It does nothing for fat loss and the second you stop the diet, you WILL gain every ounce back. Sorry, but fad diets don't work. Rule of thumb - If it sounds like it won't work (cereal diet, coffee and peanuts, etc.) it probably won't.
Myth: Diet pills actually induce fat loss!
Fact: This was at one point a true statement. The drugs used in diet pills that made them work before are banned because they actually worked (I still think its stupid that they were banned from diet pills). You can, however, still get your hands on these drugs. Caffeine and Ephedrine are still highly available in most drug stores and grocery stores (that have a pharmacy). Ephedrine must be purchased at the pharmacy section. It is under the name of Bronkaid. It is also helpful if you have some breathing problems (it is actually used for asthma). Don't worry about needing a prescription. It is the same kind of deal for getting sudafed.
Myth: you can target fat loss by working only the muscles in that area.
Fact: Fat is gained evenly all over your body. Fat is lost in t he same way. You don't want to end up with one part of your body REALLY strong, and the rest pathetically weak, do you?
Myth: I'm a girl, so I need to lift low weights on high reps so I don't get bulky.
Fact: Girls gain muscle at a much slower rate and don't have the risk of becoming body builder bulky. Most women in body building competitions take testosterone supplements to become that bulky. Lift like a guy and see the amazing results. I am a girl who lifts like this, and I can already see the difference! I don't see bulk, I see a natural, sexy tone!
Myth: Machine lifts are just as good as free weights!
Fact: Machine lifts actually don't allow the same amount of motion. You really are cheating yourself by only doing machine lifts. Free weights are more intimidating, but most people in gyms are more than happy to help you out with form and as being a spotter. You always want to do research on your form so that you don't end up hurting yourself (I used to do hyper extentions by arching my back ALL the way up and ended up with a lot of back pain. I started going high enough to make my back even and the pain stopped).
Myth: Running is a good way to loose weight!
Fact: This gets exagerated so much. Running is a good aid to weight loss. There are many different kinds of running you can do (ex: distance training, interval training, etc.) Running is more effective, however, if paired with wight lifting.
Tips for running: Don't run on tredmills, concrete or other very hard surfaces, sand and other extremely soft surfaces. Cushioned tracks and grass are the best places to run as they won't induce knee injury (take my word for this, I learned this the hard way...)
Stay tuned for the next Lifting Essentials. Sorry for the delay between the first and this edition. I didnt feel qualified to write on a topic I wasn't taking part in (I stopped lifting over the summer)
<3
~Mag-elicious~
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Lifting Essentials 1
So I go into the gym, and every time I see a slew of people doing exercises wrong, or doing a useless workout. Everything I see is absolutely ridiculous! Here are some tips for in the gym
Clothing: Loose, comfortable shirt, stretchy pants or capris (I recommend not wearing shorts for a variety of reasons, but the main one is because it is physically painful for certain exercises), and the proper shoes. I wear converse low tops because I have a lot of ankle mobility, and I am not fighting against a lot of cushion for some of my exercises. Don't go and get really stylish clothing for the gym. It makes you stand out and it looks ridiculous and is not necessary at all (there is a girl at my gym that dresses like an '80s music video dancer).
Knowledge: Know what you are doing, how to do it, any why you are doing it. Before trying a new exercise, look up videos of how to do it. ExRx is a great place to see how an exercise is done properly. It also gives a nice description of what it does and breakdown of how to do it (the videos are small and in black and white, making them hard to see). It shows you perfect form so you can see EXACTLY how to do it. Youtube is a bit spotty with these kinds of videos...it ends up mostly being videos of people showing off how much they can lift (usually with not very good form). However, good lifting videos DO EXSIST on Youtube. I found one for bench press and the guy talked everything through. It was amazing!
A spotter: Not only is it safer to have a spotter, they can tell you how to improve your form (assuming they know what the proper form is). Don't risk it and rely on your own strength. Don't cheat yourself and not do as much as you know you can if your spotter isn't there. If you can't have your normal spotter, ask around in your gym. Most people there are more than happy to help another in need!
Water: Being properly hydrated eneables you to lift more and it prevents you from being really dizzy. I cannot stress enough the importance of proper hydration. Years ago, I ran cross country. Our coach always told us that if you are only 10% dehydrated (which would not sure in your urine), you would be about 15 seconds slower. If that is what 10% does, then I don't want to know how what happens when its more than 10%...
That's all for now. Stay tuned for more lifting essentials (I didn't want to overwhelm everybody)
XOXO
Mag-elicious
Clothing: Loose, comfortable shirt, stretchy pants or capris (I recommend not wearing shorts for a variety of reasons, but the main one is because it is physically painful for certain exercises), and the proper shoes. I wear converse low tops because I have a lot of ankle mobility, and I am not fighting against a lot of cushion for some of my exercises. Don't go and get really stylish clothing for the gym. It makes you stand out and it looks ridiculous and is not necessary at all (there is a girl at my gym that dresses like an '80s music video dancer).
Knowledge: Know what you are doing, how to do it, any why you are doing it. Before trying a new exercise, look up videos of how to do it. ExRx is a great place to see how an exercise is done properly. It also gives a nice description of what it does and breakdown of how to do it (the videos are small and in black and white, making them hard to see). It shows you perfect form so you can see EXACTLY how to do it. Youtube is a bit spotty with these kinds of videos...it ends up mostly being videos of people showing off how much they can lift (usually with not very good form). However, good lifting videos DO EXSIST on Youtube. I found one for bench press and the guy talked everything through. It was amazing!
A spotter: Not only is it safer to have a spotter, they can tell you how to improve your form (assuming they know what the proper form is). Don't risk it and rely on your own strength. Don't cheat yourself and not do as much as you know you can if your spotter isn't there. If you can't have your normal spotter, ask around in your gym. Most people there are more than happy to help another in need!
Water: Being properly hydrated eneables you to lift more and it prevents you from being really dizzy. I cannot stress enough the importance of proper hydration. Years ago, I ran cross country. Our coach always told us that if you are only 10% dehydrated (which would not sure in your urine), you would be about 15 seconds slower. If that is what 10% does, then I don't want to know how what happens when its more than 10%...
That's all for now. Stay tuned for more lifting essentials (I didn't want to overwhelm everybody)
XOXO
Mag-elicious
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