To burn fat you must stress the muscles just enough to convince them to grow. Then keep growing them till they burn fat. Then if necessary really ditch the french fries, or not quite so much highly concentrated lipid sources in the diet.

Work the biggest muscle groups first. Then move to the smaller groups. Take six months to recondition and work harden to the point of a full body workout if you are sedentary for a long time before hand. Tendons, ligaments, origins & insertions are the weakest links then - not usually muscles.

If it's been a while since you tried workingout deliberatly under achive and you will be ahead.

Do not do a real heafty weight and three or four sets. Only do a moderate weight and one set till you feel the muscles moderatly tired and no more. The next 24-48 hours you will get sore. That is the time that siginals that the body has recovered enough energy to begin causing the muscles to repair & grow during the soreness phase.

Your recuperation ability is more important that how much you can workout or how much you lift. The older you get the more you have to take stock of weak links when working out and go no faster than your weakest link allows minus 20-30%. Only train 70-80% max - if that much and allow yourself to recuperate and things will grow. Never use a steroid bodybuilders routine it equals disaster.

Do not ever train to failure. The muscles get over compensated & do not grow & injuries pile up. Especially the connective tissues.

More later after someone responds, or I will assume intrest has died & wait till it resumes.

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Edward F Sutton

[This message has been edited by Edward F Sutton (edited March 28, 2001).]

Hi Ed! Please don't stop. I sent you an email forwarded from my husband Howard who is very interested in your info. I'm not sure if you got it or not, but he would like you to personally email him with this info. Meanwhile, I've been sending all your little tidbits to him to use. He's starting to look great!!! He's 220 that was all flab for the most part. Now he's about the same weight and size, but it's getting really nice and beefcake looking. So keep it up! Just in case you didn't get his email before his addy is: howard_forsyth@hotmail.com

Thanks so much Ed!

God bless,
Wendy

Putting it here for all to share. Lots of irons in the fire & not enough typing fingers & time. Just keep doing the basics & use variety in the excercises. More later.

Ve Vant TOOO PummmPH You UPPP

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Edward F Sutton

Hey Aanold! Keep up the good vork!

Wendy
--------------
Maranatha!!!

I've read a lot of conflicting, confusing info on gaining muscle/losing weight (though I don't need to lose weight by any means). Mostly I'm interested in finding a workable way to strengthen the muscles in my back, so it will give me better support.

Do you write from personal experience, Ed? Did you read this from a book or something?

Hi Tony,

I write from both as I research widely in many subjects and have been into bodybuilding/strength training since the 1960's as a personal hobby. Respiratory Therapy by trade for years (CRTT) and Sleep Disorders since 1985 (RpSGT). I literally grew up in Hospitals as a "Shriner's Kid" due to Cerebral Palsy. Bodybuilding could not markedly increase my levels of agility, but it toughened me physically a lot .

I too have seen a lot of hype & marketing. My first consideration is when reading an article, is this. Is this an effort to get me to buy their product ? If so I then suspect a collusionary motive or vested interest in writing the article by the author or sponcer(s). Then I read the article accordingly.

When such red flags are not present I place the article's info beside Inspiration's revealed light about the laws of health that the articles content refers to. Then I look for good science in the article that agrees with Inspiration. If I find it, well & good it gets retained. If not it gets round filed & ignored.

If you are having back problems I would recommend this first.

1. Through physical plus remedial exercises by a well referred sports/exercise physiologist - MD

2. Go to Walmart or wherever and get one of the large "Swiss or exercise balls" probably 24 inches plus in diameter and built for exercise not kicking. Abdominal & back exercises should be included with the ball.

This will develop the functional supporting muscles of the whole abdominal/ trunk/lower back area instead of just the cosmetic "six pack" of abs. . When lifting something, the spine needs the support of the internal abdominal muscles.

3. With MD go ahead, try these exercise to begin to work harden to prepare for serious iron later.

First: (only) one set of --- Light bent knee or try straight legged bending from the waist only (stiff legged dead lifts){not both in same workout} . Use a pronated / supinated wider than sholder comfortable grip on the bar and deadlift using repetitions to do the work not the weight.

Move at a moderate speed and exhale upon lifting the weight & inhaling on lowering the weight. Keep the hips & legs still if doing stiff legged deadlifts.

Will also feel a strong pull in the glutes & hamstring/ thigh biceps areas.

If any twinges stop immediatly & ice things, elevate, rest the areas(watch out for the backs of the knees).

Notify the sports MD if any sharp or strong pain or bruising occurs ever during or after a workout.

If you are diabetic or have medical problems take the sports MD / excercise physiologist's directions as the focus of your workout plans.

If you can find any SDA bodybuilder/ strength athlete MD or excercise physiologist/certified trainer --- convince them to join.

(Prone)Pronated means palms down, knuckels up position. (Supine)Supinated means palms up, knuckles down position.

Second : (only) one set of abdominal "Swiss ball" style abdominal exercise, for upper abs. and obliques and internal trunk muscles & one set for lower abs. .

Third : (only) one set light-moderate weight bentover rows with a barbell or dumbbells or one dumbbell at a time with the other hand upon a support.

Fourth : Barbell or dumbbell high pulls. Let repetitions do the work not weight. Go light to moderate as it feels to you. Remember this is work hardening not blitzing.

Go to the Bill Pearl site I put the URL link to under bodybuilding thread & read there. He is very experienced, but does not have the light given to Seventh-day Adventist's so remember that when you read.

Do not train to failure, that kind of workout is for fully work hardened rare use and even then is risky.

Steroid users might recuperate from such but even they often get injured then & natural bodybuilders & all natural strength athletes care more about the temple God gave them, than to use dangerous and illegal chemicals to supercede natural laws.

Keep me informed. Take the MD's words first before exercise. I do not know your medical condition and am not an MD.

[This message has been edited by Edward F Sutton (edited March 30, 2001).]

What about for an eXtremely overweight person?
Diabetic, heart disease, osteo arthritis and breathing problems?
My doc has said I can lift weights ( he encourages it as it builds muscle and burns fat), but I have no idea where or how to start.

Any suggestions?

1. Start with walking & streching & gentle pushing & pulling on things that are not going to move - like a door frame, wall, steps, ETC. Progressivly push or pull harder over time.

The idea is to begin to accustom your joints, ligaments & tendons & their attachments into the bones and muscles to toughen up enough to workout and minimize the risk of injury. Streching will do the similiar things for the muscles.

Start more gently that you think you ought to, and work up to it. After streching & pushing & pulling (isometrics) wait one-two days at minimum to see if anything hurts & lets you know you overdid that area.

This is an important foundation because a reasonably active 20-30 something will have stronger attachments (tendons, ligaments, origins & insertions {where muscles are attached to the bones by ligaments & each other by tendons}. However some one who is very inactive for any reason has not built up the safe margin of internal connective tissue & joint strength and toughness to safely start weight lifting workouts unless they are experienced.

2. What equipment and space to workout do you have ?

3. What are your dietary needs in general plus your medical conditions dietary requirements ?

4. Explain about your health problems, each one seperatly and what happenes either good or bad when you do something, or eat something. Like if you move a certain way it hurts & gets inflamed, or a food or foods does not agree with you or you are allergic to it or it digests poorly. I can always tell if what I eat digests poorly by how fast family members complain & run to open windows from the radioactive remnants of Taco Bell type gorilla fallout. NO IT'S not gurilla (thats little latin men in jumpsuits crawling through a briar patch with weapons.)

IT'S GORILLA - AS IN KONG HAS LANDED AND EVEN THE COCKROACHES HAVE DIED AND THE WALL PAPER IS ON FIRE.

So too much protein or protein that an individual has too much trouble digesting properly, has this not so subtle way of letting it be known.

This is not compedative bodybuilding so the goal is health, longevity, strength. Not winning contests - except with the mirror spare tire company & the calender.

5. Read in the Bill Pearl website (and bookmark it) he has a place for older folks just starting bodybuilding.) If memory serves me correctly.

6. Write down what your big goals are, then split them up into much smaller goals. Then split those goals into workable "babysteps".

For instance - major goal - recondition total body to walk five rapid miles without fatigue.

Secondary or smaller goals - recondition my legs to climb stairs easily. Recondition my abdomen & lower back to be trimmer and stronger and more flexible. Recondition my upper body to be stronger and more enduring and more flexible and have more endurance and less strain on my heart.

"Babystep goals" - Findout what equipment I need to reach my goals and get it or improvise. Use as little money as possible in getting it done and include my family in the gentle but progressive process.

"babystep goals" - Take longer & longer walks with my wife & be able to keep up with my kids & grandkids more & more.

"babystep goals" - begin to make my shirts & pants looser because I am burning excess bodyfat.

Here is an important fact : No ones body burns fat or builds muscle and connective and support tissues in a linear (streight line) fashion. Everybody's body will reduce fat & grow muscle & support tissues in a ebb and flow cyclic fashion.

The first thing your body wants to rebuild is it's basic functions that support life and chemically stored energy supplies in the muscle cells. Those muscle cell energy reserve areas are like little chemical batteries. They are called Mitocondria.

The energy that is stored is a pre-processed package of chemicals from the food & beverages and the bodies chemical reserves, used just for that purpose. That is how the energy stored in food gets into a usable form in your body.

So working out is the first part of reconditioning. Recharge & rest along with pure air & water & proper food for your specific needs and health & sunlight & trust in God are vital parts of the big picture. The older we get the more important the details of the big picture are, in being able to recondition and workout.

Oh yes gardening is excellent reconditioning & the great thing to show for it is better physical conditioning and HOMEGROWN FOOD - bye for now.

If you decide to post your answers to 1-6 without getting uncomfortably personal, here on this thread it will help all the other "not 20 something anymores" as we work through these things together.

You and I will volunteer to be the SDA "test subjects" leading the way for our other world wide "not quite 20 something anymore" brothers and sisters around the globe - till by God's grace we are given new bodies and never need reconditioning again.

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Edward F Sutton

What equipment and space to workout do you have ?

I have a weight bench that was given to me by a friend. No weights, just the bench and bar.
Roomm is at a premium, but as the weather warms and I can get outside, I want to use it as an excercise bench.
With my girth, it's difficult to get up off the ground. ( does the term Bay City crane ring a bell?)
What are your dietary needs in general plus your medical conditions dietary requirements ?
I am a NIDD, low sugar, low starch,moderate protein ( want me to eat meat, but willing to work with me on a vegetarian diet)

I also have CHF, so have to watch fatty foods and chloesterol.
Morbidlt obese, when I get down to my desired weight, I can honestly say I'm half the man I was.

I'll get back to you on the rest.
I'll need to type it up in a word document then post it.
Ole one finger typing takes a while.

Gerry,
Been there done that on the battle of the bulge. Got very fat as a kid in my pre SDA days & have had to starve to get lean (literally).

Start with what you have & if there is no room for equipment, & no money or transportation for a gym membership, start walking to build your endurance. Use water filled bleach bottles for dumbells. Use a strong plank & two equal size strong wood crates as supports under each end of the plank & a strong wood crate under the barbell plates on the bar for a place to rest the barbell while doing excercises(like bench pressing -etc. The plank would be @ 12 O clock & 6 O Clock & the other two crates at 9 O Clock & 3 O Clock.

Keep using your cpap. If lack of humidity is a problem, here is a homemade solution I e-mailed one of the sleep patients.

Can you get a cool bypass humidifier and a wall electric receptacle(ground fault interupter) that resets if it gets wet, a power bar rated high enough on wattage to easily handle the cpap machine wattage & the wattage of a thermostatically
controlled heating pad ?

If so swap out the wall receptacle in your bedroom & plug the power bar into
it, run the cpap machine & the heating pad from the power bar. Wrap the
heating pad around the cool bypass humidifier and snug down with string that
is bow-tied to easily undo for washing. Anchor the wrapped humidifier down
however is the most secure & run the short hose from the machine to it & the
long hose from it to you. Go to Walmart & get a roll of 72+ inch wide
bubble wrap & some stretchable plastic tape. Lay the big bore tubing (cpap
hose) out on the bed and cut a length of bubble wrap big enough to go around
the circumference of the tubing as it wraps around it and be sure the sheet
is long enough to go the length of the corrugated part of the tubing. Put a
narrow strip of tape(as long as the bubble wrap piece), on the bubble wrap
running lengthwise & allowing half of the tape to overlap. Lay the overlap
on the big bore tubing as it is stretched out & rub till it sticks securely.
Wrap the bubble wrap around the big bore hose & tape down with another
lengthwise strip as long as the bubble wrap.

Now your tubing is insulated & won't condense the heated air & water vapor
out so much in a cool room. Adjust the amount of humidity by the temperature
setting controls on the heating pad. Use distilled water , (bottles sell @
Walmart for aprox. 50 cents/gal.); so no mineral deposits in the equipment
from tap water, wash per homehealth care instructions daily to keep bacteria
growth down. Do not put disinfectant into humidifier water to breathe while
using cpap with sleeping, rinse well. Happy snoozing.

Barbell excercises without & with a bench (some of them) bench press, (lying)triceps press - bench or floor. Floor is safer if no spotters, dead lifts, high pulls, curls & rowing & high pulls & overhead presses. Good for starters.

Woops, you said no weights. Use the bleach bottles as dumbells, and as they get easier pour in water cup by cup using a measuring cup(big one is fine) so you will get same amount of water (ie: weight) in each bleach bottle. Use the same capacity bottles (2qt, gallon etc.)

Once you do that post & let me know. Probably lots of folks with little or no equipment. Use a half a bike inner tire cut long ways for expander cables.

Bye for now.

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Edward F Sutton