I would have to agree with liftnlady.

When I weighed 170 pounds and had a gut and back fat, I could easily run 10k - I did it 3x a week. While my resting pulse and recovery pulse were low and "healthy", my total cholesterol was through the roof and I hardly looked like anyone's definition of "fit".

I was NOT running for my health. I was trying to look good, and it wasn't working. And it was a LOT of work - it took a LOT out of me to try to keep doing all that running, plus long walks on non-running days.

When I ditched this routine in favour of heavy weightlifting, I finally got the look of fitness that I was after - lean, much lower bodyfat, and ironically, I can now eat a LOT more than I could in my running days. I understand why, now, of course - I had the fuel needs of "economy car", but was eating like a v-12.

Now, I have the fuel needs of a v-12.

MUCH better.

I think one would be hard-pressed to find on this board anyone whose goal it is to be able to subsist on LESS food - which is what happens as the capacity for endurance activities increases. I don't think I'm out of bounds when I say it's probably the case that most people would like to be able to get away with eating MORE, while still maintaining the look they desire. This is what happens with increased muscle mass, and excessive (note the word EXCESSIVE) aerobic training only interferes with this.

The other sad irony here is that a higher-carb diet works MUCH better with lifting than it does for aerobic activity because it uses the carbs to destroy muscle, it uses more carbs in the rebuilding process, and the higher muscle mass burns still MORE carbs just sitting around.

Sadly, also, I know plenty of die-hard weightlifters with exactly the same problem as my neighbor, the runner. This would include the head personal trainer at my main gym. I am always surprised when he signs up new clients, with the huge gut that he has, but he does have bulging muscles everywhere.

J.

Oh, excess carbs'll make you fat, no ifs ands or buts. You just get away with MORE of them if you lift. It's STILL not a licence to drink beer every night.

Hey Built,

I have noticed that you seem to give a lot of credit to the adrenal glands. Much more credit than I ever have given. Does this come from your study of natural hormone enhancement?

J.

P.S. I guess it's okay to threadjack my own thread....

???
Adrenal glands?

Edited to add: do you mean the cortisol thing?

Hey....whattabout Natty TD? He`s looking pretty ripped these days too. I don`t know how to incorporate photos into the post though....Built, will you do the honors?
I feel he deserves the compliment.

Give me another 2-3 mos, and I`ll be on proud display too. Just in time for my 30th B-day! Tee hee.

I was going to - but I didn't have his permission to post them. mps graciously allowed me to post his. Do I have it that TD would be okay with this?

Yep. TD says: "g'head, I`m the type of guy that likes to show off."

And show off he should. Such a lovely upper body. Yum.

-db

Our very own Monster Truck TrainerDan, lookin' MIGHTY FINE

TD, Built, MPS, legwarmers....

Y`all look fabulous. I will join your ranks soon-- I wanna be a success story when I grow up.

And just to add my two cents to this thread, I did aerobics for YEEEAAAAARS--- even classes that involved resistance training. However, the low-weight, hi-rep, non-stop anaerobic mania that made up those classes did NOTHING to help me achieve the look I was going for. I literally became convinced that my body was a super-adaptive thing that defied all traditional thought on diet and exercise.

At one point, I was down to less than 1000 calories a day, and working out 5 days a week-- all cardio. I was surviving on vegetables and non-fat frozen yogurt. All carbs, veggies, and NO protien.

But within a month of lifting HEAVY and doing *MODERATE* cardio a few times a week, my body composition changed drastically. Not only that, I feel better than I ever did when I was doing aerobics.

Also, I had to buy new skinny jeans.

Anyway, I`m convinced that excess cardio is useless and totally overrated. It`s all about hi-protien, low/moderate carbs, and BIG CHUNKS OF IRON.

-db

Especially the BIG CHUNKS OF IRON. They're delicious

With tahini sauce especially....

oops. I think I`m mixing threads.

Built,

You have tended to make comments and referrences to Cortisol and anabolic/catabolic metabolism. In my understanding, those are referrences to adrenal functions.

I am incorrect in my understanding?

Where have you developed your understandings about adrenal functions or the adrenal glands?

J. (who wants to learn more about this)

Here's a link that describes the adrenal function, if this is what you're after...?

http://users.rcn.com/jkimball.ma.ul...A/Adrenals.html

I don't recall discussing adrenals in particular. I have mentioned that different types of physical activity stimulate different types of hormonal responses in the body, but these are common knowledge, and posted elsewhere on this board.

Is there something in particular you were trying to get at?