LOL, too funny To me, heavy is having my muscles shaking to exert themselves on the last rep. I'm going to have to fine tune that part. I don't think I'm pushing myself hard enough some days. I can definitely feel the burn when I do the leg press machine. I've gotten in about 120g protein today and am feeling fine, we'll see how things go for the rest of the week. How do you check your ketone levels? Ketosticks? I heard those weren't very accurate. Anyhow, I'm off to be auntie... Take care


~ Cori ~

Cori,
I keep a bottle of the stix in a drawer next to the "throne." It's fast and easy and it has always worked for me. I've never heard that they weren't accurate. For me, its reenforcing that something is happening even if I can't see fat melting off my thighs! It also helps you gage what you can handle and what you are sensitive to.

I carbed that day before a heavy work out, was out of ketosis that night. Worked out the next day and by that night I was back in. I wouldn't have known it w/out the stix.
-Phat

Also, about the lifting. It really helps to have a partner or someone to spot you when you are pushing yourself. Cuz you can do a few more reps with a little help than you could otherwise. So you get several reps w/ max resistance/effort.

I found that lifters are always willing to spot even if you're not lifting together. Its a great way to get to know others and learn alot, too. A community thing.

good night,
Phat

It's interesting, too, isn't it Phat, the way it brings out competition just a wee bit? Even if I'm lifting with someone who lifts lighter or heavier than I do, I still find I push harder with somebody there. It's silly, but I have to admit it's true.

Yep, and I watch my form more, too.

So, looks like you posted at 1am. Do you get any sleep?

Well today I'm up 0.5 lbs, but still in ketosis. I haven't dropped out of it as far as I know. But I hit 120g protein yesterday instead of my usual 100g. I took my vitamins late and didn't exercise other than doing some sit ups, crunches and planks. So who knows what caused the gain. Could just be water for all I know. Anyhow, I'm back to the gym today so we'll see how things go. I'm still working through the max contraction book. It's alot of technical reading about how muscles work and why contractions increase muscle mass. It's really interesting.


~ Cori ~

Hi built

I am female and I have to say that I am VERY impressed by how far you have come since you started lifting. So many questions are flowing through my mind...hope I remember them all?

I still have a lot of fat to lose and I LOVE weight training and think I train pretty hard but I know I can do more. If I increase the weights I use, will I still burn fat AND build muscle? I once had some fool at the gym tell me that I need to lose and focus on "toning" before building muscle so I was not pushing myself to the limit.

Is the protein shake absolutely essential? And what is PWO?

Why do you not recommend the use of the Smith Machine?

This is my first year really training and I want lose and build muscle in the process. Hope you can help

beeshoney1 PWO = post-work-out

Beeshoney,
Check out the CKD forum
http://forum.lowcarber.org/forumdisplay.php?f=52
Jag

Is it low blood sugar that gives you the shakes after working out? Today was teh first day I didn't have protein before my workout. I had a LC cereal and LC milk and that was it about an hour before lifting. I lifted with quite a bit of energy, but when I was done I was shaky and dizzy. After I got home, drank my pwo protein shake and had some veggies I was fine. Was it my morning meal or my workout that causes that? I've never had that kind of reaction before so was just curious if anyone knew anything.

~ Cori ~

P.S Does anyone know how much protein per ounce hamburger has?

IMO
smith machines force you to be in a specific plane of movement throughout the lift - one that could cause injury for some people - most lifts need to arc, not travel in a straight vertical line.
Plus, you don't use any balance or stabilizing muscles, so the exercise is probably less useful than the same motion with a free weight.
If you are worried about safety, use a power cage and/or a spotter. But get away from the sm*th machine.

Yes, that's true too.

I sleep! It was 11PM my time

GREAT post Lisa. That's exactly it. I don't actually have one at my gym, but even if I did, I wouldn't use it for squats, that's for sure.

You probably just worked out really hard and didn't have enough food in you.

Check www.fitday.com to look up foods and track macronutrient breakdowns.

Hey there bee

The way I understand it, when you go to the gym, you really aren't BUILDING anything - you are actually destroying muscle (catabolic) in a controlled way.
You go home, you rest, you eat protein, and your body "sends in the troops" to rebuild the muscles you wrecked, and build them up a bit more because they obviously need it (the anabolic part).

Women don't have a lot of testosterone. We don't build up very much.

But the repair work takes a LOT of energy.

This is why the rest of your day post-lifting brings up your metabolic rate. The more muscle you wreck, the higher the caloric requirement to do the rebuilding.

Cardio is also catabolic to muscle tissue. You DO burn fat while you do it, but it also burns off muscle. It doesn't stimulate the same kind of repair work to happen afterward as lifting does (beyond this point, there be dragons - I don't know why this is, but I bet somebody here does).
With cardio, you burn more fat WHILE you're doing it, but almost none when it's done.
With lifting, you burn less fat while you're doing it, but continue to burn extra calories for the rest of the day, and even into the next day.
Different energy systems. Cardio is aerobic, resistance exercise is anaerobic. Aerobic exercise will burn through sugar first, then burn fat.
Anaerobic exercise not only burns sugar, it uses it to give your muscles a pump. You actually need it, because your muscles will do a better job of "controlled destruction" with it.
CKD is one way to do this, but it's a bit of a commitment. I did TKD for a long time, and I come back to it again and again.

What is it?

Well, the way I did it was to eat about 40 g of fast carb (read: sugary treat) about half an hour or less before lifting. ONLY ON LIFTING DAYS!!!

NO CARDIO pre lifting, of course - it would only burn off the blood sugar, and you actually WANT it for the lifting.

Do your lifts - you'll have a really good workout. Then do a little cardio afterward to burn off the rest of the blood sugar and you should be back in ketosis by the next day. If not, try fewer carbs.

It might take a bit of fiddling, but I found it bloated me a lot less than CKD. I'm almost wondering if CKD might be better suited to men, and TKD for women, because of the testosterone thing. I don't know enough about hormones yet, I'm afraid.

The other things I liked about TKD:
*less of a commitment, less of a risk of going overboard
*I found I REALLY looked forward to lifting days! It's a nice hit of encouragement to eat a <COUGHdonutCOUGH> sugary treat with NO guilt, and know that not only was I going to get RID of it, I was going to USE it to get more muscular and burn off more fat! (I'd get some funny looks a the gym walking in with it, eating it, doing my situps, then heading straight for the weights though... )

Now that's my kinda workout... Donuts then lift weights. What a motivation to keep at lifting. K, little girl... here's your donut, now hit the gym! LOL! I'm soooo addicted to sugar I'm not sure I could eat a donut then workout and leave sugar alone the rest of the day. I'm kinda an all or nothing gal. The frosting can was staring at me last night. Every time I opened the cupboard there it was... I stuck that sucker in the back of the cupboard where it belongs! Cori - 1... sugar - 0 I win again! I'm feelin' good today, went and worked my arms today then wrestled with the kids in the lawn. I think I'm gunna be sore tomorrow, but it was fun and worth it.
Is it alright to do sit-ups daily? I like to do a few sets of 25 every day but then was worried about working the muscles too much. But I figured I did leg work outs then walk on the same legs...Not like they get a break. I'm still using the muscles. Annnyhow, I'm off to play auntie tonight. I'll worry about lifting and gettin' all buff-n-stuff tomorrow. Take care all


~ Cori ~