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  #1   ^
Old Thu, Mar-06-14, 21:09
Ellipsis's Avatar
Ellipsis Ellipsis is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 199
 
Plan: LCHF
Stats: 292/249/150 Female 5'4"
BF:
Progress: 30%
Location: Inland Empire, CA
Question Please forgive the probably ignorant questions re: resistance exercises, but...

...if I really wanted to gain muscle as fast as I humanly could (and me = currently very little muscle at all), should I go for as high-intensity as I can stand so I get terrifically sore the next day?

Basically, I have the understanding that the soreness is from the muscle damage that occurs naturally when exercising/weight training, and gains are made when the muscle repairs itself over time, so I'm assuming that OMG-CAN'T-WALK-OR-MOVE-AT-ALL soreness is what I really ought to be shooting for?

Am I totally off-base here? I just want to know if I should be pushing myself a lot harder than I currently am. (I'm a weenie doing bodyweight exercises with a couple five-pound dumbbells, haha.)
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  #2   ^
Old Fri, Mar-07-14, 10:58
iseeku's Avatar
iseeku iseeku is offline
WhatCanIDoThisTime?!
Posts: 777
 
Plan: Modified Atkins
Stats: 240/230/135 Female 5'3"
BF:too dang much!!!!
Progress: 10%
Location: itty-bitty-ville Montana
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I don't think getting "teriffically sore" is the solution to building muscle. It is a side effect of exercise - and as all of our bodies are so different, we all have different timeframes.

I think the key (an my Physical Therapist who specializes in strength and conditioning would agree) is simply getting into a regular routine. When weight training you need to break it up - and have a day of rest in between. On the in-between days do some cardio - swim, zumba, yoga, anything - just keep moving every day.

Good luck! Stay motivated! Keep moving your body!
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  #3   ^
Old Fri, Mar-07-14, 11:10
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MandalayVA MandalayVA is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 2,545
 
Plan: whole foods
Stats: 240/180/140 Female 63 inches
BF:too f'ing much
Progress: 60%
Location: Pittsburgh, PA
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If you weigh 275 pounds and you're 5'4", chances are you already have a lot of muscle if you're able to walk around and move, because that takes serious muscle. I agree with iseeku, you're better off with a routine rather than trying to kill yourself with the weights. Good luck.
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  #4   ^
Old Fri, Mar-07-14, 11:43
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Seejay Seejay is offline
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Posts: 3,025
 
Plan: Optimal Diet
Stats: 00/00/00 Female 62 inches
BF:
Progress: 8%
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If you want to gain muscle yes at some point you have to stress the muscle. You can do it many ways and there's schools of thought - there's Super Slow where you work with a trainer to 100% muscle recruitment and then wait 5-7 days between sessions; or you can do it with split body parts like the bodybuilders have perfected. I say, do what appeals to you.

It might be worth it to have a couple of sessions with a trainer so you can learn what it's like to push as hard as is safely possible. Very informative for beginners! And most park districts now have weight rooms and trainers for us taxpayers.

Also just because some of us are fat, doesn't mean we have a lot of muscle. Some do, but some have wasted musculature inside. A very interesting article from Doug McGuff, author of "Body by Science."

Speaking about obese clients...

Quote:
... Carrying around with them a progressively increasing load that would necessitate the development of stronger muscles, I expected them to be hiding significantly enlarged muscles. I felt that if the obese would simply strip away their body fat and perform resistance training, they should be able to unveil a very pleasing physique. Consistent with this thinking, when I began training clients, I consistently overestimated the amount of resistance they should use in their workouts. I was always surprised to find that they would struggle and be unable to complete even a couple of reps. As I would adjust the resistance, the amount required would actually be much less than a typical non-obese subject of similar stature. In my flawed thinking, I always assumed this was due to a lack of toughness or discipline. I never considered that their muscles might be profoundly atrophied. ..


http://www.bodybyscience.net/home.html/?page_id=57
Quote:
The important concept behind all of this is not that the obese have these problems just because of excess body fat. These problems occur because of muscle atrophy that occurs as a result of nutrient partitioning that occurs with the metabolic derangements associated with a modern diet. These problems can be reversed by restoring a normal metabolic environment and a return to proper insulin sensitivity. Following a diet that is in line with our ancient ancestors will decrease the massive sugar load of the modern diet. High intensity exercise will empty the largest glucose reservoir in the body, making improved insulin sensitivity possible. The situation is somewhat like a tub overflowing, you want to turn of the faucet and unplug the drain. In short, eat a natural evolutionary-based diet, and workout hard, so that a brief and infrequent workout is necessary. If you do these two things, almost everything else will fall into place.
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  #5   ^
Old Fri, Mar-07-14, 19:42
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inflammabl inflammabl is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 2,371
 
Plan: Atkins
Stats: 296/220/205 Male 71 inches
BF:25%?
Progress: 84%
Location: Upstate SC
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Ellipsis
...if I really wanted to gain muscle as fast as I humanly could (and me = currently very little muscle at all), should I go for as high-intensity as I can stand so I get terrifically sore the next day?

No not at all.

Quote:
Basically, I have the understanding that the soreness is from the muscle damage that occurs naturally when exercising/weight training, and gains are made when the muscle repairs itself over time, so I'm assuming that OMG-CAN'T-WALK-OR-MOVE-AT-ALL soreness is what I really ought to be shooting for?

Soreness is a symptom of resistance training not a cause of muscle hypertrophy. Soreness is actually indicative of muscle with "poison" in it. In fact the Crossfit dumb bunnies are causing an increase in fatalities due to rhabdomyolysis which is kidney poisoning due to excessive muscle breakdown.

Quote:
Am I totally off-base here? I just want to know if I should be pushing myself a lot harder than I currently am. (I'm a weenie doing bodyweight exercises with a couple five-pound dumbbells, haha.)

Well, five pounds aint gona do it. When you are in a muscle building phase, you'll typically do three or four sets each with 12 to 15 reps to exhaustion and no more than 90 seconds (iirc) between sets. I'd recommend getting Serious Strength Training by Tudor Bompa.
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  #6   ^
Old Fri, Mar-07-14, 22:20
Ellipsis's Avatar
Ellipsis Ellipsis is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 199
 
Plan: LCHF
Stats: 292/249/150 Female 5'4"
BF:
Progress: 30%
Location: Inland Empire, CA
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All very very thoughtful and interesting responses. Thank you -- you've all given me food for thought!
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