Cajunmalakai Member

Also, 100 lbs is a significant amount of weight, so you will want muscle to fill in the empty space left by the vanquished fat.

Start strength training if your not doing it already. The more lean muscle you have, the more effectively your body will burn calories, and therefore fat when your not exercising.

You absolutely do not NEED to join a gym, especially if your goal is to get into shape after a long hiatus. You can strength train with only your bodyweight. Squats, lunges, pushups, pullups .Etc; There are dozens of variations of each and can give you one hell of a workout.

If the goal is to just be active, thats one thing. Hell, you can take a couple laps around the block to do that, and if that's your goal, that's awesome. If your trying is to lose fat and get into better over all shape, some methods are better than others. The more muscle you have, the more effectively you can burn fat and…

It depends on your goals. If your looking to increase endurance or say if your a long distance runner, or training for a marathon, than consistent steady cardio is fine, but in the case of losing fat while maintaining muscle, there is no contest. Just compare the physique of a sprinter to that of an endurance runner.

Just to clarify, because I once touched off a lengthy argument about this very thing and its best to avoid confusion. Technically, muscle does not weigh more than fat. a lb is an lb. However, muscle tissue is much denser if fat and muscle tissue fill the same VOLUME, the muscle tissue will be heavier. So, if we look at in…

There is nothing wrong with doing cardio everyday in and of itself, but..and this is a BIG but. if your goal is to lose fat, and not just weight than too much cardio will actually trip up your weight loss rather than help. Far and away, it is your lean muscle tissue that is your body's fat burning furnace. The more lean…

Ahh..evolution. Aside from a bit of belly, what is your body fat percentage? Remember, that putting on muscle will make you heavier(but healthier) than if you didn't. Those last 6 lbs could very well be extra muscle.

As the others said. If your already built small, losing weight can be tough. A smaller person can generally carry less lean muscle mass relative to their size than a larger person. That being said, your muscles are your fat burners. Out of all the structures in your body, your muscles require far more calories to maintain…

I went through something very similar. I suffered a knee injury when I was younger that literally prevented me from doing any significant running and sometimes even brisk walking. After a long stint of rehab and recovery, I was given the all clear to start running again. But I just couldn't. Almost everyday I would go out…

It's really not a matter of being "better" its about relative intensity. Those people running 7 minute miles while having normal conversations probably had to work their *kitten* off to get to that point. Your intensity level should be where you are comfortable. If you can't handle a 7 minute mile than there is no reason…

Plyo can certainly get your heart pumping, but a proper plyometric workout is also brutal on your muscles(the purpose being to build power and explosiveness), so combining it with a routine as intense as 5x5 can be tricky. I'm with you on the boring cardio, but there are tons of options other than just toughing it out on a…

Not at all. Its about progression and intensity. If a half-our is all you can do, than that is perfectly fine, and a damn sight better than nothing. On the other hand, if the intensity is high, a half hour can be all you need.

First off, "toning" is basically a fitness urban legend. It's muscle growth, plain and simple. I say this because the pursuit of toning can lead to all kinds of incorrect assumptions, flawed exercising methods and all sorts of other problems. That being said, exercise is always, ALWAYS a great lifestyle change, but your…

Well, it depends on your goals. Insanity is a very cardio based routine, but indeed is very strenuous. The Biggest Loser workouts are good, and not to tough. Jillians Body Revolution is a great program that is effective and simple. Technically speaking Insanity and the like are desgined for people who are already in good…

In my opinion, straps are sort of hit or miss. They can be helpful with very heavy loads, especially if your training for strength, but in general I find that they fall into the same group as lifting belts. The problem is that they can remove a lot of the mechanical function of proper lifting. Using the belt as an example,…

sorry for the wait. I've been away on business.

Your core is more than just your abs. It includes your back, hips, shoulders and glutes. The purpose of your abdominal muscles is to resist movement, (specifically rotation) in order to protect the spine., and it is key to train your entire core to achieve a lean, strong mid-section. Don't worry about your abs being sore.…

Although, if you want to use the gym more often, it is possible to combine a strength training routine and Insanity in a more comprehensive program.

you can go to the gym to walk on the recovery days if you want to, but other than, Insanity is pretty inclusive.

I don't think it's necessary. Alot of the moves your doing in the workouts will hit your your core pretty hard especially in the Plyo and Power and Resistance routines. Plus, there is already a dedicated ab workout in the program. What kind of ab workout do you do?

Isolation vs. Split training really depends on your goals. Split training can help you develop lagging muscle groups and can be especially helpful if your injured or if you want to focus on something specific. In general however, body part splits, especially the 6 day splits Dav mentioned are designed for body builders.…

Insanity is really great if you can stick with it. And yes, you can lose alot of weight, but that is true of any high intensity workout routine. It depends on your goals really. Insanity is HEAVILY cardio focused and will help you lose lbs. but is not ideal for building muscle. You will build some with the plyo and…

Your probably okay walking on recovery days as long as its not real intense. However, you should leave your rest days alone. Insanity is a very intense workout series and resting is just as important as working hard. Your body needs those days to recoup and rebuild. Extra days can easily lead to over training, which in…

Yes and no. If you have lost a significant amount of fat quickly than loose skin comes with the territory. Some of of it will tighten up with time but if you have alot than there is a chance some of it will hang around. There are some things you can do. Lots of water, to help your skin retain elasticity , and weight…

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They are all correct. LIFT MY FRIEND, LIFT! Also, when or where we lose fat is something of a crap shoot. It can be very individual. Generally, however men do tend to carry fat around their bellies and upper body.

Sorry, I mis-spoke. What I meant was if you took a pound of fat and a pound of muscle and laid them out on the table. The lbs of fat would take quit a bit more space than the muscle. Sorry for any confusion

I have also done Insanity....whew, thats alot of cardio. If your not seeing results, it might be that with all the college food, that you a are consuming more calories than you are burning without realizing it. Of course, the opposite could also be true. See, your body wants you to stay fat. That probably doesn't make alot…

Well, I'm not a lady, but I can try to offer some insight as this seems to be a fairly common issue. The basic concept to keep in mind is that muscle weighs for than fat. If you are replacing your fat stores with new muscle it is possible that the number on your scale won't budge, it might even go up a little. If your…