Exercise and supplements

[Zmurray]

exercise and supplements

So my wifes work just got us both setup with a Gym membership, which starts in february, so thats cool. I've always wanted to be a lot more healthy and fit then I am right now.

The thing is, I'm scrawny. I'm 6' tall and Im only pushing about 145 right now. I have a desk job so I've been getting very little exercise. I've never had a gym membership or a set work out routine so I'm not sure how to start. I want to put on some good weight, build some muscle and stregth, and just have a stronger ability for cardio.

I've been looking on the internet trying to find a good workout routine to try, but I don't really know what most of the different types of exercises are and I'm not sure what would be a good one having IBD and all. Any suggestions?

What about supplements like protein powder and creatine, are they a strict no no or are they something that can really helped if used right? I want to have good results, but it will do me no good if everytime I excersize and use a supplement I go into a flare up and then loose everything I just worked for.

Thanks for all the info!

 

[Brando]

working out an crohn's disease.. it is a very delicate balancing act i have been doing it for a long time now and if you really get serious about this it will require alot of tweaking and adapting on your part because all of us are different in what we can take physically, mentally, etc.

here are a few hints, tips, and facts for you that i have found to be helpful in my routine.. in order to gain weight while working out you have to eat eat eat. this of course poses a problem for us with crohn's. my tip is to boil or slow cook (crock pot) all your meat which makes it alot easier to digest because it breaks down the proteins into amino acids. also eat alot of vegetables for the antioxidants and vitamins because they will play an important role in getting rid of free radicals and recovery (beano if gas is a problem).

on the point of supplements, there are a few different types of protein powders you can get and they do different things. whey protein is fast acting and fast digesting and is mostly used for post-workout supplementation to get protein to your muscles quickly. casein protein is used right before you goto sleep because it is slow digesting and gives you a ample supply all night long while you sleep. also glutamine i find helps with crohn's disease as well as recovery from working out. it is an amino acid and is said to be a major component in digestion and motility. other than that a good multivitamin would be good.

you will have to experiment around with everything to see if you can handle it. protein can sometimes irritate you because the molecules are fairly large compared to other things and your body could view it as foreign material and cause a reaction, cramps, etc. that's why i suggested boiling or crock potting meats. remember to drink alot of water to keep yourelf hydrated and kidney's going good.

as for workout strategies, muscle and fitness magazine will help alot. has pictures of how to do workouts and routines etc.

 

[jjs16]

Hi Zmurray,

I work out every day.

If you can, do your workout early in the morning, I go at 6:00am I find if I don't go in the AM excuses happen during the day to not go to the gym after work.

Set goals, weigh yourself, measure your arms chest, waist thighs, calfs etc. Repeat the measurements monthly, you will see an improvement. Get your wife to take some pics as well, we have a lot of fun looking back even after on month.

Whatever you decide to concentrate on try to keep track of time and intensity of cardio workouts and build on them as you become stonger, also keep a log of weight lifted and reps performed.

I always start with brief cardio, riding a bike for 15 minute to get warmed up.
I alternate days working on upper body one day and lower the next and so on. Your muscles need rest to grow so alternating allows for this. Try to find exercises that are simple and work certain areas, such as curls for biceps and bench press for chest area.

I use the machines because they are always available, are easy to use on your own and easy to keep track of.

I don't take any supplements but am now looking into it.

Hope this helps.

j

 

[Jeff D.]

I am a person who knows a lot about exercise and nutrition but don't put it into practice...yet. If I were you I would start off with some body weight exercises. There is a website called www.bodyweightculture.com which has a lot of exercises and other people's routines that may help you. With body weight exercises you get more stabilizing muscles and practical muscles rather than huge muscles but you can still get pretty buff with body weight exercises, you will get the type of muscle that is lightweight and strong rather than large and weak. Most of the guys that you see doing tons of weight on a bench press can't do any pull ups or muscle ups. To get into working out you have to live and breathe exercise. It will never work if you go out one day and wait a few days and workout again because exercise is an ever complicated thing to do. You can't do the same exercises every day for the most part except for running and ab work. Always keep your reps to under 15 after that point you are building up endurance muscles, which is not bad, but to start I would say stay in that 12 to 15 range. If an exercise is too easy do a harder version of it.

Example: If you can do regular push ups real easy then you can add fist push ups and after that finger push ups. Or you could try clapping push ups or raising your feet up or arms up in elevation to make things harder. It's an unending amount of exercises you could do. I once saw a guy who did a clap push up as he jumped up with his feet. That was the most impressive thing I have ever seen anyone ever do with or without weights.

Also add variation. Variation adds an interesting factor because you won't get bored doing the same exercise over and over.

If you can't find a workout plan give me some more info on what you want to achieve and what your short term and long term goals are. Actually this makes me think that when I start my Remicade treatments and after my move to Alabama in a few weeks I should start my own workout plan which I will post every day. Keep track of your data somewhere even if you keep it in your head which I am rather good at.

Best of luck and sorry this post turned out so long, I wish I was helpful.

 

[jawny]

Hey ZMurray

I'm about your height and weight ( 5 10' 140 lbs) and I too just got a membership to a gym near my place. I have been checking the internet for routines and advice and have found there is a lot out there. I'm guessing from talking with different people that coming up with a routine is for the most part personal and everybody is different. I think that motivation to go will be my biggest hurdle. Check this site out they have a nicely laid out routine for the first week http://www.thetrainingstationinc.com/beginner-workouts.html

-johnny