An activity that challenges one or more aspects of your body's abilities (strength, endurance, agility, etc), often with measurable resistances: weight, time, reps.
38
votes
3answers
3k views
Effect of protein intake on muscle recovery
"Protein shakes" and other high-protein dietary strategies are believed by some to improve muscle recovery times after workouts. However, there is some opinion to the contrary: that protein intake ...
28
votes
9answers
1k views
What can I use to monitor my running workout?
After a period of inactivity I recently started running again and want know what gadgets or tools I use to monitor my workout.
Some requirements:
It should offer workout programs (based on my level ...
23
votes
5answers
6k views
Should you not work out within an hour of waking up?
Is there any truth to the claim that you should wait (at least) an hour after you wake up, before you start a workout. I've heard something about "the back is not lubricated enough before that" but ...
18
votes
16answers
1k views
How can I make exercise more interesting?
I want to exercise. I really do. But it's boring.
From conversations with others, I gather that exercise gives people a natural high, but I don't seem to get one myself. I used to try to play sports ...
17
votes
3answers
4k views
What is the purpose of 'cooling down'?
After a hard work out, it's generally a good idea to not stop immediately, but rather to cool down. What is the specific purpose of cooling down? Does not properly cooling down affect the actual ...
15
votes
2answers
699 views
Excessive caffeine consumption effect on heart/body
Each day I drink lots of coffee and energy drinks (redbull 355ml cans). I go to gym 3 times a week (on evenings). Are there any effects on my workouts? I stopped drinking any caffeine (at least from ...
14
votes
1answer
1k views
Should I drink water during my workout?
When I do my workout, I often feel very thirsty. And I like to drink water after each set of exercises.
I often drink something around 1.5 liters of water during workout.
Is it okay to drink water ...
14
votes
3answers
108 views
Advice on finding a training partner
I regularly workout on my own but on the occasions I workout with a training partner I find my motivation increases, my output increases and perhaps most importantly, my overall enjoyment increases.
...
13
votes
5answers
1k views
Is it possible to “tone” up your muscles?
I hear a lot of people talking about going to the gym to "tone" up their muscles. What they usually do to improve their tone is to do relatively high reps with relatively low weights - say 30-50 reps ...
13
votes
1answer
498 views
What are the trade-offs of weight versus repetition?
When doing work out with weights, what is the impact of trade-off between
amount of weights working with
number of times an exercise is repeated
For example, I can repeat an exercise 10x3 times ...
13
votes
3answers
2k views
I missed a Starting Strength workout and squats are getting intense - should I change my schedule?
As recommended by SS (Starting Strength) I am running workouts A and B, alternating every other day. However, with only a two day break in between squats I feel like I haven't fully recovered most of ...
12
votes
5answers
489 views
What exercises would make up the minimum, complete, general fitness workout?
What exercises would be in a complete, but minimalist, general fitness workout? This would include strength, conditioning, and mobility. I am looking for the quickest workout using the fewest, ...
12
votes
4answers
5k views
Cardio vs. Weight lifting. Which one is better for losing weight?
Cardio burns more calories during the exercise, but weight-lifting builds more muscle which in turn raises your RMR (Resting Metabolic Rate). I have a little over an hour to workout each day during ...
12
votes
1answer
8k views
For better muscle growth, how many hours' sleep are recommended after doing a workout?
I heard to help muscle growth one has to sleep a lot after doing a workout. How long is the recommended one? Does this mean the best time to workout is at night so you can go to sleep immediately ...
11
votes
3answers
2k views
Can I workout six days a week with only 6 hours of sleep a night?
For the past two weeks, I've been getting up at 5:30AM every day to workout. I do a DVD-based workout at fairly high intensity. Because of my life demands, I've only been able to fit in about six ...
10
votes
5answers
908 views
What should be recorded in my workout journal
What kinds of information should be kept in my workout journal? Should it just be a matrix of stats (exercise name, weight, reps, and date) or is there other important information that should be ...
10
votes
3answers
1k views
How does sleep affect your workouts?
Are there any documented studies that show how sleep effects your workouts or athletic performance?
It would seem that more sleep would help and less sleep would hinder performance, but that's just ...
9
votes
6answers
4k views
How to Get Bigger And Stronger with no gym or weights
How can one get bigger at home without weights such as bench press, dumbbells or anything else. I don't have any weight equiment at home but I workout everyday such as push-ups, sit-ups and dips but ...
9
votes
2answers
2k views
How to prevent getting nauseous during workouts?
Last night at the gym, I pushed myself a little too hard apperently, and I threw up all over the shower. I'd rather not do that again, so:
What causes this?
What can I do to increase how much work ...
9
votes
1answer
181 views
Do sports drinks make a difference in a workout?
Both Gatorade and Powerade claim to help fill your bodies needs of electrolytes, vitamins, and other nutrients. I'm looking to find out if there's documented proof that these drinks really make a ...
8
votes
3answers
784 views
Home Gym: Is an elliptical trainer alone enough?
I own a gym quality elliptical at home I'm using mainly to do cardio for weight loss purposes. Should I be looking into adding other equipment to my home gym or other exercises to my routine in order ...
8
votes
3answers
4k views
Troubleshooting “Body By Science” workout
I've been doing a workout inspired by Body By Science for the last 5 weeks. I can't do the whole book justice in a quick post, but in a nutshell it recommends doing a single set of 3-5 exercises ...
8
votes
1answer
135 views
What's an appropriate recovery period after a summit event?
After a big event (in my case a weekend tennis tournament), what's an appropriate recovery time before continuing to workout again?
8
votes
3answers
282 views
Working Out in the Morning vs. Evening
I work out at the gym and do weight training and cardio alternately. Like the general working population, I work from 9 am to 5 pm. And I am a software developer, so for the most part, I am seated at ...
7
votes
4answers
1k views
How do I prevent and/or treat dehydration?
There have been a few times that after a workout that I've gotten dehydrated. Are there preventive steps to dehydration that can be done before/during the workout?
If, after the workout or during ...
7
votes
3answers
567 views
Am I gaining anything more by doing accessory work with Starting Strength or is it potentially not contributing anything?
I'm a new lifter about two months into Starting Strength. Recently I bought myself a dip tower so I could add some chin-up/pull-up accessory work. My gym buddy mentioned that potentially I may be ...
7
votes
2answers
613 views
Working out when tired
How do you get yourself out of the trap wherein you start using tiredness as a reason (not an excuse) to skip your workouts ?
I do feel great after a workout and usually use this as motivation but is ...
7
votes
2answers
264 views
Is just a pair of dumbbells enough?
I started consulting in November 2012. The 4-hour a day commute tires me out and leaves me with absolutely no time to do anything else, much less go to the gym. So, I haven't gone to the gym since ...
7
votes
3answers
153 views
Does my workout time have to be consistent?
How important is it to have a consistent workout time?
If I workout one day at 6am, the next day at 8pm and then the next day at 3pm for example, will this have a negative impact or a negligible ...
7
votes
3answers
170 views
should I use of energy/electrolyte drinks if I feel fatigue, exhausted and dried throat during exercise
I workout in gym daily morning for 1 hour with high intensity. But after 30 minutes, I start to feel very exhausted, fatigue and dried throat. Because of that, I couldn't push myself for much. e.g. If ...
7
votes
3answers
166 views
Nap after exercising
I'm a grad student I find it hard to concentrate on my work after exercising (cardio+weights) and I can only do after taking a nap.
I would like to know if its healthy to have a nap after the work ...
7
votes
6answers
8k views
What is the best way to cool down after a workout?
It takes me 10-15 minutes to cool down - body temp wise - after a work out, this is after a 'cool down' in the gym and a cold'ish shower. It becomes an issue when I workout at lunch time. Does ...
6
votes
1answer
203 views
Recommended workout duration vs working out with a partner
I've read about / been told / agree with the fact that my workout should not be exceeding around 1 hour, however most of my workouts approach the 90 mins - 2 hour mark because I work out with a ...
6
votes
3answers
2k views
Should I “feel the burn” during a workout?
I am aware of the other question on feeling the burn, but that question seems to be about feeling the burn after a workout.
My question is, should I feel the burn during the workout.
At the moment ...
6
votes
2answers
322 views
Post workout carbs
The general advice is that after resistance training you should consume plenty of simple carbs to spike your insulin level and thus help getting nutrients to your muscles (and to replenish your ...
6
votes
7answers
4k views
Will I effectively lose weight only by running? Is it better than doing full body workout?
Just what the title says. What will be the tradeoff of losing weight only by running on a treadmill instead of doing separate muscle group workout?
6
votes
2answers
137 views
Concentrated calories in a small snack as energy boost before gym
I typically eat a big lunch around 1PM and work until about 6:30-7. I get home around 7:30, and after a few domestic errands, go work out. The problem is, by that time I am typically hungry yet I ...
6
votes
1answer
219 views
Is it not worth it to go for a workout over 1.5 hours?
Last Friday me and a friend of mine went to the local gym for a workout. It took us 2.5 hours, cause we pushed each other and made a lot of things. After that another friend of us has called us and ...
6
votes
3answers
5k views
Any reason for feeling nausea when working out?
I seldom exercise and hardly even go for a jog. I have been living this way for over 20 years. I have high metabolism and have a body shape of an ectomorph; I am skinny.
Recently, I wanted to bulk ...
6
votes
3answers
11k views
Is taking a nap before workout good idea?
When I come home from work (as a programmer) I am mentally very tired, and thus not able to concentrate on my exercises fully, yawning at the gym even.
Is it a good idea to take a nap for an hour ...
6
votes
5answers
644 views
My legs still ache 3-4 days after legs day
I have been working out for ~6 months and have worked my legs once per week throughout this time, on their own day.
My legs, especially my quads, ache to the point of finding it hard to walk, ...
6
votes
2answers
474 views
Why do I sometimes get suddenly hungry 15 minutes into my workout?
During my run today I suddenly felt weak with hungry about 15 minutes after I started. This only happens some times -- not every run. I feel very hungry and weak, and I can usually only make it to ...
6
votes
2answers
1k views
Eating before/after an evening workout?
If I'm working out in the evening (an hour of cardio at, say, 8pm-9pm), should I have dinner before or afterwards? What effects will it have on a) my workout if I eat beforehand and b) my recovery if ...
6
votes
1answer
186 views
How to improve symmetry in both strength and size
I have noticed lately that I lack symmetry in my arms (biceps and triceps, not forearms). This lack of symmetry also follows through to the strength and endurance in the weaker arm.
With my dominant ...
5
votes
3answers
3k views
Started lifting again and am gaining weight but my clothes seem to fit better. What is the cause?
I've been lifting consistently for over a month and have noticed that i'm gaining weight (unfortunately) but you wouldn't know by the way my clothes are fitting. I would think that the extra weight ...
5
votes
5answers
209 views
How to train to make the most out of only 90 minutes of training per week?
Once I'm asking a question on behalf of someone else who isn't comfortable to write on an English site:
My wife wants to get in shape, i.e. lose some fat, gain some muscle, increase stamina, increase ...
5
votes
2answers
267 views
Intensive training after 8 years
Long time ago I used to run in the mornings, workout in the gym 2 days a week, and some martial arts. I was not a gym freak at all but I had some nice definition.
Now 8 years later (and 30 years ...
5
votes
7answers
769 views
Any social website for sharing and tracking fitness workouts?
I track my running on DailyMile. The interface is simple, I can share with Facebook and I get inspired watching the running logs of my friends.
Is there a similar social website for general fitness? ...
5
votes
2answers
1k views
Will developing my leg muscles improve my running?
Will doing strength exercises and working out the leg muscles like the thigh and calve on machines improve speed or endurance in running?
5
votes
4answers
189 views
Which muscles would I need to train for ambulance work?
TL;DR Version:
Which muscle groups would I use when
lifting an object from the floor with a straight back
holding an object at chest height for an extended period of time whilst climbing stairs
...
