So I joined a gym...

[Mockery]

I've already been taking martial arts lessons for a little over a year now, and I decided to join a gym so I can work out on the days that I don't have classes. Mainly for weight training, something I've never done before.

I did it for the first time last night and kryste... it really fucked my world up. I felt nauseous as hell and couldn't finish all of the sets of 12 repetitions. My legs were fine because I'm used to having them worked out a lot in my classes, but my arms and chest were like mush by the end of the night. I barely had the strength to even lift my arms... it was like having muscle atrophy or some shit.

Is this normal?

[Dole]

Dude, dont worry thats exactly how you should feel the first time. It will get slightly easier each time....weight training only works if you can barely do the last couple of reps. There is no point at all in doing 50 reps of something and thinking 'hey this is easy!' -it wont exercise your muscles adequately.
Work until you can do what you did last night without feeling sick or major pain, and then slowly add to it. But do it S L O W L Y, most people injure themselves when they try to do too much too quick.

And dont eat for an hour either side of the exercise, but make sure you DO eat something substantial afterwards.

Oh, and avoid chin up bars...hehehehe!

[glowbelly]

yup. pain is good.

and bananas are good for pain.

[Supafly345]

Pain happens the first few times as already stated. But if you keep intensifying your workouts it will change from an ache to a burn, and that is what you want. If you come home and your body isn't jello, you didn't work hard enough.

Just make sure not to work out for more than an hour a day. You will lose too much energy and can possibly injure yourself.

[Mr. Vagiclean]

If you are into Martial arts, then you should do some squats... you can buck harder, faster, AND get a bubble butt

[Snatchtastic]

I had the same crap where I felt like I was going to ralph all over myself after working out for half an hour. But gradualy once my body started getting back into shape I felt better.

Do you just lift or are you running before hand to get the cardio going?

I live about 2 miles from the gym so I run to the gym then lift for 45 minutes. Theres a store next to it so I get a beer and then walk home

Then the next day I'm to lazy to work out.

[wreckreation]

what a bunch of crap.
You should be nourished before you work out, so eat like an hour or more before. That way you can push yourself without running out of energy or nutrients. Then IMMEDIATELY (like definitely within 45 minutes) afterwards eat a portion of protein. I drink two large glasses of skim milk and eat a banana. As far as working out, since you just started your muscles are not yet "activated". I'd reccomend taking it easy but still working hard for like 3 more weeks, then add. You will feel when they finally turn on. The human body adapts a lot and it is really important to keep everything in line. I work out at night and eat my protein, then the next day i eat more protein. You MUST have protein for muscle growth or you WILL atrophy, but i don't think you need any powder protein or anything. Once you activate, I do 2 sets of 10 or so depending on what i can do and by the last rep i can't go any further at all. I circuit train since you can push yourself harder and isolate the muscle better with no wasted energy on stabilization. I work out for about 45 min to an hour and i do cardio and tone other days. For tone i rock climb and do martial arts to get the long toned muscles that take forever by lifting weights. For cardio i don't do anywhere near enough
this is likely to start into a debate on fucking working out, but I really take my shit seriously so i read up a LOT on this. I worked out over a year with little to no effect because i was doing it wrong.

[Geggy]

no pain, no gain.

during the offseasons when i'm not biking, i hit the gym 3 times a week to keep myself in shape and i jog 3 miles once a week to keep my lung capicities intact. it's very important to warm up for 15 minutes before strecthing and after you've finished wroking out, do another set of streching. try not to overdo it, though, you might tear muscle tissues if you do. it sucks but when it gets dry and warm enough to go outside, it's worth all the crap i had to do to keep myself in shape. the biggest challenge is keeping yourself commited.

[Mr. Vagiclean]

So I am guessing Mrs. Mockery no longer needs a gym partner?

[sspadowsky]

Originally Posted by Mockery

I've already been taking martial arts lessons for a little over a year now, and I decided to join a gym so I can work out on the days that I don't have classes. Mainly for weight training, something I've never done before.

I did it for the first time last night and kryste... it really fucked my world up. I felt nauseous as hell and couldn't finish all of the sets of 12 repetitions. My legs were fine because I'm used to having them worked out a lot in my classes, but my arms and chest were like mush by the end of the night. I barely had the strength to even lift my arms... it was like having muscle atrophy or some shit.

Is this normal?

You know, Rog, if the weights tore you up that that badly, it kinda makes me wonder what your martial arts teacher is having you do?

[AChimp]

Mock, pilates doesn't count as one of the martial arts.

[Cosmo Electrolux]

don't knock pilates, bitch

it's about time you got your lazy ass to a gym, Rog...

[ProfessorCool]

I tried to go to a gym once, and then some guy dropped some weights of my badly infected toe. Good thing it was only the week trial membership.

[Mockery]

Thanks for all the responses...

So I went to the gym again today and stayed a bit longer this time. I'm still sore, but not as bad as yesterday and I didn't get nauseous this time, so I guess that's good. I also used a wider variety of machines too. And yeah, I still do a little cardio before I begin my workout and then have some protein aftewards.

Spadowsky, in regards to the martial arts... I've never had a workout that is as consistently exhausting as what the grandmaster has been teaching me. I'm not always in the best mood afterwards, but I *always* know I had one hell of a workout. Drenched in sweat everytime and the improvements I've made in the last year have been very noticeable to me. Like I said though, weight training is totally different from the kind of workout you get in a martial arts class... plus I've never had super upper-body strength to begin with, so that's why my arms were so sore while my legs were fine.

[pissed off salesman]

Were other men checking you out in the locker room?

[Mockery]

Not unless they had x-ray vision :o

As much as I'd love to see huge muscle-bound 70-year old dudes completely naked in the shower, I live 5 minutes away from the gym, so I shower at home.

[Geggy]

it will take up to 3 months, depending on what you eat, how your body functions, to build up the muscle strength and mass for your upper part of body. once the muscles have reached to it's maturity you can start focusing on the muscles you want to build and cutting them up. if you want quicker responses, buy a blender and make yourself protein shakes everyday. i used to cheat by adding 2 spoonful of creatines per shakes, but it seriously fucked my already fucked up ankles up so i stopped cheating.

[ScruU2wice]

So I went to the gym again today and stayed a bit longer this time. I'm still sore, but not as bad as yesterday and I didn't get nauseous this time, so I guess that's good. I also used a wider variety of machines too

I don't think your suppose to workout 2days in a row.

When I used to work out i got strangely addicted to it and went every other day working for like 2 hours. But my grades started slipping (which meant it got a C+ in math) so I stopped, and now im fat and unhappy

[glowbelly]

pilates are fucking HARD

and you can so work out 2 days in a row.

[Geggy]

it depends. you shouldnt work out two days in a row if youre going to focus on the same part of muscles as you did the day before. the processionand the growth of your muscles takes two days for it to complete. if you go back and do the same thing, it's going to stunt the procession and you're going to be in the world of hurt. however it's ok to go back the next day if you focus on other parts of your body.

[da blob]

From time to time I need to be reminded why any kind of sport / gym / whatever was not meant for me.
So thank you.

[executioneer]

what are pilates is that like washing your hands with weights on nny

-willie

[Cosmo Electrolux]

Pilates is tough stuff, buster

I work out five days per week...cardio six.

[glowbelly]

pilates is super controlled slow movements that isolate certain muscles and work them hard. then there's the breathing. and you have to roll on your back and balance on your butt and slap your feet together like a seal and not jiggle around

[executioneer]

nobody laughs at my jokes anymore :'(

-willie