training in general...misc. questions

[Brad]

I have many questions, actually.

first of all, when I do any kind of squat involving holding a dunbell, I normally fall over and bust my ass after about 5 repetitions. I noticed going slower helps a bit, but it also tends to put alot of strain on my back...

Would anyone have a youtube video that shows the correct way to do several of the leg workouts out there? (involving conditioning my legs for tricking)

Oh, so they say there are these 50lb vests and 30lb shorts at my school that only the football team are allowed to use...that pisses me off. Are there any homemade alternatives to this? Is using a packpack filled with weights a bad idea? I get the feeling that if i try to go 3 miles like that I'll end up falling backward and get ran over.


another thing about running...

Is avioding sidewalks and sticking to roads the right way to go? I saw that somewhere before, and it sounds kind of rediculous, and may have been a typo.

are you supposed to run on your toes or on your feet? (flat). I've heard different stories.


and last but not least, they say 30 repetitoins of whatever is normally a good max before resting, and everything after that is waste...

so, if I did 3 sets of 100 pushups/situps, would that be an alternative method for fat burn, rather than muscle building?

I plan to run alot after that workout, so yea, I'm not planning on simply replacing running.







holy shit that was alot of questions...
better bring out the water hose, this has "flame" written all over it...


-Brad

[Steve]

rediculous

[anfeyd]

For leg workouts with weights, see the sticky "Weight-Training for Tricking."
If you do not know what one is, then search on google.

Do not run with a backpack full of weights, it will cause extra stress on your knees. The same goes for a weighted vest. Regardless, the benefits of doing it are outweighed by the negatives.

Unless the road is a spongy surface (it isn't), the running on the sidewalk would be a better idea to avoid cars. An alternative is to find grass to run on because it is a softer surface.

If you're sprinting you want to stay on your toes, exploding with each stride.
When jogging, the whole foot will contact the ground.

Who says 30 repetitions are best? 100 pushups and situps are not going to advance your muscle building, or advance your fat loss.

Losing fat comes from having a clean diet and exercise. If you have both of those in place and youre still not losing fat either up the exercise or lower the calories.

[Brad]

thank you for the help
I hear lots of myths from many people, so I'm just trying to go down the list.

now if only I could find something packed with protein and all that goodness, but less calories :/

am I allowed to eat "Ramen noodles"? -_-

[NightHunter]

I have many questions, actually.

first of all, when I do any kind of squat involving holding a dunbell, I normally fall over and bust my ass after about 5 repetitions. I noticed going slower helps a bit, but it also tends to put alot of strain on my back...

Get someone to critique your technique. Preferably someone who knows what to look for. Perhaps trying a lighter weight to start with would be good for you to learn proper form. Also, it's a dumbbell.

Would anyone have a youtube video that shows the correct way to do several of the leg workouts out there? (involving conditioning my legs for tricking)

No, but if you google an exercise, or go to exrx.net you'll find examples of many exercises. Look at the weight training for tricking thread for some ideas.

Oh, so they say there are these 50lb vests and 30lb shorts at my school that only the football team are allowed to use...that pisses me off. Are there any homemade alternatives to this? Is using a packpack filled with weights a bad idea? I get the feeling that if i try to go 3 miles like that I'll end up falling backward and get ran over.

Yes the backpack with weights is the easiest home alternative. Make sure you put a towel or thin pad in there to keep the weights from hitting you on the back. Don't use this for running, use it to add resistance to bodyweight exercises. If you have some need to run with extra weight, do it on something very soft, like a sandy beach.


another thing about running...

Is avioding sidewalks and sticking to roads the right way to go? I saw that somewhere before, and it sounds kind of rediculous, and may have been a typo.

Yes, blacktop is a bit softer than concrete, but there's a much higher chance of getting hit by cars. Best stick to tracks, grass, or unpacked dirt.

are you supposed to run on your toes or on your feet? (flat). I've heard different stories.

Sprinting is on the toes and distance running is heel-toe or flat footed.


and last but not least, they say 30 repetitoins of whatever is normally a good max before resting, and everything after that is waste...

so, if I did 3 sets of 100 pushups/situps, would that be an alternative method for fat burn, rather than muscle building?

"They" are sure lying to you a lot. I don't want to get into this so read the weight training for tricking as I believe it has a section on loading parameters.

I plan to run alot after that workout, so yea, I'm not planning on simply replacing running.

holy shit that was alot of questions...
better bring out the water hose, this has "flame" written all over it...


-Brad

Running distances is not the best way to lose fat.

[tricker_d]

Backpacks with weights is a good way to kill your back and shoulders.

[NightHunter]

Backpacks with weights is a good way to kill your back and shoulders.

Explain

[Syvo]

I stopped reading the first post once I saw "dunbell"

[tricker_d]

Explain

http://www.webmd.com/back-pain/news/20040813/heavy-backpacks-can-hurt-student-backs

[Pale Nimbus]

http://www.webmd.com/back-pain/news/20040813/heavy-backpacks-can-hurt-student-backs

They have back pain due to being a bunch of fucking failures.

[Steve]

But it's true, ha ha

[Lobo]

Roads are generally softer than sidewalks/pavements.

[Trickstar]

I also know the trouble of the squat. I cannot do them very well.

[tricker_d]

I do 100 unweighted squats, 50 squat jumps, then 25 squat knee-tuck jumps for my warm up.

[Swartz]

That's "rediculous"

You should use "dunbells"

[tricker_d]

I gotta buy some then.

[PaRaSiTe_X92]

Try here:
http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing.aspx?id=92358771
They're selling dumbells AND a bench press!

[dark_knight_will]

http://www.webmd.com/back-pain/news/20040813/heavy-backpacks-can-hurt-student-backs

haha... im pretty sure they are refering to 5yr old grade oners who dont cant even erect their penis. not only are their cartlidge still in a growth phase but have practically no muscle in their backs. you could hardly use that as evidence when you are comparing that to someone heaps older and heaps stronger.

[tricker_d]

Army backpacks it is!

[Ashtar]

when I do any kind of squat involving holding a dunbell, I normally fall over and bust my ass after about 5 repetitions. I noticed going slower helps a bit, but it also tends to put alot of strain on my back...Where are you holding them? Bars are usually used because you rest it behind or in front of your neck. With dumbbells, a lot more strain is on the hands because you can't put it on you very well. I'm not sure why they'd strain your back though, unless it's harder to keep stable.

Oh, so they say there are these 50lb vests and 30lb shorts at my school that only the football team are allowed to use...that pisses me off. Are there any homemade alternatives to this? Is using a packpack filled with weights a bad idea? I get the feeling that if i try to go 3 miles like that I'll end up falling backward and get ran over.Why do you want a backpack instead of shorts/vest? Do they chafe? Falling over's a risk with any running. You have to be careful about homemade stuff because it usually swings around a lot, doesn't have proper padding or weight distribution, and it might fall apart and drop a rock down your pants.


Is avioding sidewalks and sticking to roads the right way to go? I saw that somewhere before, and it sounds kind of rediculous, and may have been a typo.I'm not sure where you got that. Keeping off the road is nice because you don't have to worry about traffic. If you run on a road (it's unavoidable sometimes) look both ways before crossing intersections, run against traffic, but if you're running uphill, get off the road. You won't be able to see a car coming over the slope if you're running uphill.

are you supposed to run on your toes or on your feet? (flat). I've heard different stories.They're different stories, and no way is exactly right. Including or avoiding the heel alters the stress on your foot, ankle dorsi/plantar flexors, and probably alters your form a bit on knee angles and stuff. Using both, and switching to whatever is least painful when running mixed, makes the most sense. For all-out sprinting, using only the ball without heel seems to be the better way. Google 'Pose Method' for info on heelless running. It's very informative, even though I still think hitting with the heel is a good ability to practise.


and last but not least, they say 30 repetitoins of whatever is normally a good max before resting, and everything after that is waste...Additional repetitions are never a waste. The reason they say that is because using higher resistances is always good, and if you can do 30 reps with 1 resistance you can probably move up a resistance level. It doesn't really matter so much though if you want to wait until 100 or whatever. More reps just means you won't be going up resistance levels as frequently. You'll be focusing more on endurance than strength. Endurance is very valuable.

so, if I did 3 sets of 100 pushups/situps, would that be an alternative method for fat burn, rather than muscle building?Those exercises do burn calories, and doing things for more reps/longer duration burns more calories. Building muscle is useful for calorie-burning too though, so I can't exactly say if it's better. More is better, in general.

I plan to run alot after that workout, so yea, I'm not planning on simply replacing running.A variety of exercises means you can expend more calories than the endurance/strength of the muscles in a single exercise like running would allow. Essentially, you could kill your legs in running and be able to do no more, but have fresh arms so you can burn more calories by doing pushups. There is a lot of overlap though.

Do not run with a backpack full of weights, it will cause extra stress on your knees. The same goes for a weighted vest. Regardless, the benefits of doing it are outweighed by the negatives.Extra knee stress doesn't make any sense at all. You know what causes more stress on the knee? Running faster, pushing off harder, jumping higher, kicking harder...so what's the criticism? Actually, the force multiplication on the knees is negligible compared to the force multiplication on the SPINE. That's what people should really be worried about. That's why I'd probably only do it with something like an X-vest because it's ergonomic and keeps the spine aligned properly for bearing weighted. If you were just running with a weight on your back you could slouch or something.

To understand why hurting the back is a higher risk than hurting the knees, try running across a field carrying someone on your shoulders. You feel it in your back/core far more than your knees. It's the same as with squats. Piggyback isn't so bad because the weight's more spread out and you used your arms to carry some of it which is more natural than just having something on top of you.

Unless the road is a spongy surface (it isn't), the running on the sidewalk would be a better idea to avoid cars. An alternative is to find grass to run on because it is a softer surface.Why don't we all just run on trampolines or run through water and snow then, because they're so soft? Yeah, hard surfaces have less give, so there's more of a 'jolt', but it's not the end of the world or something that'll kill you. It just means you'll adapt to a stress. Jogging lightly on concrete is a lot less stressful than sprinting on grass. Going harder multiplies impact just as running on something hard can.

100 pushups and situps are not going to advance your muscle building, or advance your fat loss.

Losing fat comes from having a clean diet and exercise. If you have both of those in place and youre still not losing fat either up the exercise or lower the calories.All resistance the same, higher reps will advance muscle building, just at much less reward per rep the more reps you do. His wanting to do more reps IS upping the exercise, so it would advance his fat loss if he was keeping the same diet, compared to doing nothing.

Backpacks with weights is a good way to kill your back and shoulders.In theory, squats can kill your back and shoulders too. If someone starts off real light and does it with control and is conscious about managing the weight and keeps a nerve open to feel pain, there's not really any issue. It's just that like weight lifting, it's not something to do recklessly.

[anfeyd]

All resistance the same, higher reps will advance muscle building, just at much less reward per rep the more reps you do. His wanting to do more reps IS upping the exercise, so it would advance his fat loss if he was keeping the same diet, compared to doing nothing.

If you can do 100 reps, chances are you're not going to be building muscle. How many body builders or anyone wanting to gain muscle train with 100 rep sets?

And answering your second part, 'compared to doing nothing.' Of cours doing something is better than nothing, but do you expect fat loss by upping your pushup numbers?

[Ashtar]

Well, if not 100 reps in a set, they've totalled 100 reps through the combined reps of multiple sets. Arnold did something like that. I'd expect someone would lose fat by upping pushup numbers because doing more pushups is more work, so it burns more calories. Of course, someone might just get hungrier and eat more by working more, so it's not that straightforward I guess.