When I made the comment in my interview with go.with.the.flow that medical researchers would some day introduce a pill that would "give you 6-pack abs while you crush Big Macs", I had no idea how close to reality that was. Scientists have just discovered that the hormone irisin converts the bad "white fat" that currently surrounds my midsection to good "brown fat" that just melts away.
Are you ready for the really good news? It works without a single pushup, leg lift, or breathless five minutes of jogging. That's right, kids. This drug makes you skinny while you sit on the couch murdering half-racks and pizza. They say it could be tested on humans as soon as two years from now.
I'm all of 13 days into my new exercise regimen, and boy does it suck balls. It's mostly running because I'm trying to get in shape for a half-marathon in March, and I hate running with the white hot intensity of a thousand burning suns. I hated running in high school, I hated running in the Marines, and I hate running today. The notion that a pill could eliminate the need for all this exercise makes me breathless with anticipation.
The other thing I love about the pill is the freebie aspect of it - the reward with none of the work. I know people who have spent years killing themselves in the gym, and it just cracks me up that some lard ass who makes up a significant portion of Frito-Lays' annual earnings will be able to achieve the same look with no effort.
The thing that scares me about the pill is what it might do to me. What I mean by that is this: I eat pretty well and when I drink it is almost always straight liquor or red wine. I don't make these choices because I necessarily want to, I make them because I'm already fat and they won't make me fatter, for the most part. In other words, I don't lose any weight, but I don't gain any either.
But if I could take a pill that would make me lose weight and would slim me down and I could eat and drink anything I wanted to, there would be absolutely nothing stopping me from killing a 12-pack of beer every night and pounding greasy burgers and fries four or five nights a week. That's what I would really do if I could, that's the dream for me. But when I think about how that might effect my family, I'm kinda taken aback.
I mean, do I really want to sit and watch my wife crushing Big Mac after Big Mac before bed? Because there's no reason to suspect that she wouldn't also want to do the same thing. Likewise, would my kids dig seeing me plow through a half-rack of beer every night? Probably not.
But you can bet your ass I'll be the first one in line for this pill when it's released. I don't give a shit if growing a tail is one of the side effects. If there's a way to indulge my gluttony without offending my vanity or disrupting my sloth, I'm all over it.
This could be a boon for young analysts and associates as well. You know you guys have a hard time getting to the gym, and many of you are dealing with the "Seamless spread". You're already gulping Adderall by the handful, why wouldn't you take a pill that kept you thin?
Finally, the marketing folks are gonna want a catchy name for the pill. How about Americanax? Or Fatassiol?
And to all the gym rats who've spent years of their lives staying in shape, allow me to offer my most affectionate Rodney Ruxin:
SUCK IT!
Have a great weekend, guys.
you'll be slim but you wont be strong... until they make a superman pill there will never be a pill that beats banging the plates... this is great for women
Fat people are usually pretty strong due to lugging all that weight around all day.
Good luck with the half. If you want an easy (and free) training system that will make it seem really easy try this:
http://www.halhigdon.com/training/51131/Half-Marathon-Novice-1-Training…
Fat burning pills won't improve your cardiovascular health. You'll still be just as likely to drop dead of a heart attack. You may have 6 pack abs (doubtful), but the heart attack is still coming.
That said, as Conan pointed out, nothing beats stacking plates.
Dude, Eddie, if you hate running, why not swim?
I have a pretty bad footstep when I run. After about a mile of jogging, I am getting stomach ache from all of the jostling. It's hot and it's humid.
Swimming is totally different. 18 strokes, 25 yards, Flip turn. 18 strokes, 25 yards, flip turn. Constant, cool 80 degrees in the pool (feels like 60 due to the higher heat transfer of water). You're using your arms to move, not just your legs. Get bored? Do a surface dive to the bottom on your next turn.
36 round-trip laps= 1 mile. 1 mile~= exercise from three and a half miles jogging or walking at a similar level of exertion.
I need this pill and I needed it yesterday!
Former athletes need exercise to lose weight.
Nerdy engineers need exercise largely to stay calm. We're already burning hundreds of calories from nervous energy.
Unless it comes with a massive serotonin boost, this pill doesn't help me.
I was under the impression that no fat will just melt away like the sticks of fried butter... You have to actually burn calories by physical exercise or eat less calories than your body needs to use just to maintain it's systems.
If this were an actual product to come to the market, I would almost immediately put money into whatever drug companies have the best high blood pressure medications and watch their prices skyrocket.
Side effects might be lethal?
Shit sounds too good to be true.
25 50 yard Sprints per week, lift high intervals at medium capacity 2 - 3 days a week, 300 push ups per week and 300 situps pre week, the weight will drop off you like hot butter...
8 hrs of exercise out of 168 hrs in a week (4.7% of the week)
lol at a hot butter reference in a weight loss forum
fat women should be deported to an island, there's no need for them.
but keep all the Phat ones lol
http://www.google.ca/images?q=bria+myles&rls=com.microsoft%3A*&ie=UTF-8…
http://www.google.ca/images?q=amber+rose+smooth&rls=com.microsoft%3A*&o…
http://www.google.ca/images?q=bernice+burgos&rls=com.microsoft%3A*&oe=U…
sounds like a slightly safer version of dnp.
I would personally not substitute good ol exercise for this crap. Not saying there wont be a huge demand for this. Women who starve themselves,dry heave and smoke cigarettes to stay in shape will be the biggest consumers of this. But like others pointed I cant help feel something's gotta give; and its not just gonna be ya belly.
Eddie you are one fat bastard.
This is nothing new. The market is already cluttered with fat-burning, weight loss pills. Your statement that this pill will achieve the same effects as working out in the gym is patently false. It might burn fat, but it will not build muscle. Even if you take steroids, you still have to work out to gain muscle--sitting on your ass all day will not suffice. The only thing that this pill could conceivably achieve is making you skinny-fat (i.e. skinny with no muscle), not a physique considered ideal by most men. There is no substitute for hard work in the gym.
Just another thing to make people lazier
Just like people thought steriods were a 'free ride' to bigger muscles, and then watched their balls drop off, this shit will have some side effect that no one can anticipate. I'm going to pass.
Problem is, there may be 168 hours in a week, but assuming most people wake up around 6-7am to get ready for work, commute, get home from work around 6-7 pm, that is 12 hours a day out of commission (60 per week). Factor in sleeping 7-8 hours per night and that is another 49-56 hours per week off the market.
That leaves people with effectively 52 hours per week to exercise 8 hours. Most people (Americans?) are not going to devote 20% of their free-time to working out.
I try to go to the gym about 6 days per week. Heavy lifting 3 days (1 hour 15 minutes a pop) and run 4 miles 3x per week (~30-35 minutes with a little cooldown). Averages about 6 hours per week and I'de say I'm in very good shape. Factoring in work, studying for the CFA, and working out, it really becomes one of your only "activities" during the week and something you look forward to to keep you sane.
Most people would rather watch 4 hours of TV then physically exert themselves.
I hear and understand that 100%... but that was a workout regimine prescribed for Uncle Eddie... not the average american... Uncle Eddie is, in the words of Miami Rapper Rick Ross, "A BAWSE"... he has reached the point in his life, that we all dream of, where money is not an issue and has disposable time, he just needs to generate an easier routine. 8 hours a week and that regimine is totally doable.
as for the rest of average north americans i've seen firsthand what time committments and lack of effort does... I remember (and can look at photos) when my dad was lean and buff for the first 5 years of my life and then when his business took off... he got lazy and unmotivated to work out after pushing the company... we joke all the time about how he's got "big strong arms and an equally big and strong belly" lol
And regarding that pill, if you only take the pill and don't exercise, you are still going to look flabby as fuck. Anyone know the term "skinny fat?" That's exactly what you are going to look like, and it is disgusting.
Skinny fat girls give me the creeps.
Ive been in the gym consistently for the past 15 years lifting and doing a lot of sport specific training. There is no better reward than results that are earned through sweat and hard-work. This work ethic has permeated every aspect of my life ranging from college sports, personal relationships, career, etc. There just isn't as much value or personal satisfaction derived from things that are not earned. Plus, that pill will never make you look or feel like me (or anyone else that actually works hard in the gym and gets the physical and psychological benefits of strenuous exercise).
Well, I may have found my new profession...Sales Rep for whatever Pharma puts this out. $$$$$$$$$$$
I'll stick to diet and exercise.
Being lean doesn't make you healthy. If the pill does what it claims to do, it will only mean a lot of skinny corpses instead of fat corpses.
I would take it, but I would supplement the pill with real exercise...although rather mild cardio. As many people pointed out, this will only make you skinny, not muscular. Luckily I retain my mass rather well so trimming the fat back would yield great results but I will still go to the gym to maintain the muscle.
Regards
yo do you lift and do cardio same day or do you break them down? I am trying to gain muscle and shed some body fat..im trying to stick with Mark Rippetoe's exercise plan: 1x8 Bar 1x6 50% 1x4 70% 1x2 90% 3x5 100% (Work Set)
Workout 1
Core lifts Squats = warmup then 3 x 5 Bench = warmup then 3 x 5 Deadlift = warmup then 1 x 5
Accessory Work Dips = 3 sets Pendlay rows = warmup then 3 x 5 Abs = 3 sets
Workout 2
Core lifts Squats = warmup then 3 x 5 Overhead press = warmup then 3 x 5 Power clean = warmup then 3 x 5
Accessory work Pullups = 3 sets Abs = 3 sets
can you tell me if this plan is solid? and when should i drink protein shakes? do you take any other supplements except for protein shakes?
Crossfit is all you really need. Only 1hr a day.
Back in the day I usually worked out twice a day...one for the Army in the morning (generally cardio type stuff) and then I would go to the gym at night and lift for about an hour and then about an hour more of cardio.
My honest opinion is that you are better off not doing both everyday, especially if you are in finance and have limited time. Either alternate lifting days with cardio days or just bulk up first and then cut or vice versa. It's hard to say whether a workout is going to be good for a specific person because everyone's goals are different. I am not some bodybuilder and I am not a trainer...so all of my advice is opinion and of an anecdotal nature.
For me, gaining muscle is easy and I bulk up pretty fast. Most people would say the more muscle you have, the faster you will burn calories...so I would probably suggest lifting more than cardio if you bulk up fast. Conversely, there can be a great benefit to being in the gym when you are leaner. I know when I cut some weight a few years back and was getting ready for the standard Mexican spring break trip, I got some extra motivation every time I would look in the mirror and actually see that my muscles were growing vs feeling they are getting bigger under a fat arm...so consider which would motivate you more.
Losing weight and bulking up at the same time is hard because you typically need to eat two separate ways for each activity. If you want to lose weight you want to reduce your caloric intake and up the amount of calories burned, which cardio is good for. If you want to bulk up, many people would suggest higher caloric intake depending on how well your body builds muscle. That is something you will have to figure out for yourself.
I think working in 'cycles' is usually the best way to go for several reasons. One, your body adapts rather quickly to your activities, so switching them up will allow you to maximize the time you spend working out. Two, doing the same shit gets boring, so switching up your exercises can make you keep with your routine longer. I think sprinting and doing circuit training is also great if you have the time and/or space. You can apply this 'cycles' method to most of the things in your workout routine, whether it's the food you eat in your diet or the actual exercises you are doing and the machines you are using. Once you get to where you want to be with your body, then you can transition to something more conventional that you can keep doing forever.
Right now, I'm in horrible cardiovascular shape, so I have a routine where I do an intense 5 minutes on a stair stepper (I have bad knees but fucking think the elliptical is a waste of time) and then get off and do two different sets of exercises, alternating between the two...so maybe 1 set of rows then 1 set of curls, do that 3 times with little rest in between to help keep my heart rate up and then go back to the stair stepper for another 5 minutes...then repeat a few more times with different exercises in between the stair stepping.
I life heavy and fast and usually do 6-8 reps...so I will do standing curls of 8 reps @40lbs, 8 front shoulder raises with a 45 lbs plate (hold it like a steering wheel), 8 curls @45lbs, 8 front shoulder raises, 8 curls @50lbs and then 8 more front shoulder raises with the 45lbs plate. Hopefully, if I can stay dedicated I can get my strength back to where it was...especially now that we finally got some 80lbs dumbbells back in the gym at my condo.
I think I'm at the point where I can just start focusing on doing cardio so I am going to try and stick with the Insanity workout for a least a few weeks to see what the results are like. I think my muscles are large enough, now it's time to dig them out from beneath the lard that has been insulating them for some time.
As far as shakes and stuff. Once in a while I use Jack3D...which is a pretty intense preworkout supplement. I think I've mentioned before on WSO that I literally will feel like the Hulk when I am working out, like my skin is the Hulk's shirt and that my muscles are about to tear my skin open. Probably sounds crazy, but I'm pretty sure anyone who has taken it can attest that you have more energy, you can lift heavy (maybe psychological) and that your muscles get absurdly pumped. No homo.
I usually follow up my workouts with a general, lean whey protein shake, have a small meal for dinner and then have a Casein protein shake before bed. I am just about out of the regular whey and will be trying some whey isolate protein, although that might be less necessary if I'm not lifting as much. If I can stick to a decent workout routine I will probably sub in a protein shake for breakfast.
Let me know if you have any other questions. There are actually some much more knowledgeable guys on WSO than myself, when it comes to nutrition and exercise and there have been other threads about working out and weight loss, etc so do a search for those. They had some great advice in there. Diet is really the main point, followed by exercise.
Regards
you won't shed much fat doing power lifting style workouts like rippetoe does. I have been doing the SS Novice routine for over a year now.
I don't think you need to do the assistance exercises when you're doing three big lifts in a day. Your muscles should be pretty worn out after squatting, BP, and DL.
Does your time not allow you to split up the days more than two variations?
E.G. Week 1: M - squat, bench, pull up W- squat, overhead press, deadlift/power clean F - squat, bench, chin up Week 2: M - squat, overhead press, pull up W - squat, bench, power clean/deadlift F - squat overhead press, chin up
Where you alternate the DL/PC based on what you did the week before...
Yea you alternate between Workout A and Workout B
Week 1: Mon - Workout A Wed- Workout B Fri- Workout A
Week 2: Mon- Workout B Tue- Workout A Thur- Workout B
Also increase weight 2.5% every week
how big r ur guyz armz (flexed and not flexed)
haha thats sounds so gay
this is awesome for those of us with poor genetics...
i used to frequent the gym back in college. one of my roommates was this latino guy who ate junk food and didn't work out . he would walk around with his shirt off like a d-bag... dude looked like a fucking Abercrombie model, 6-pack and all.
I have gotten into really good shape recently using the following routine that includes alot of boxing (every other day)...
Day 1 - Strength endurance workout...i use Ross Emanait "Never Gymless" and rotate workouts from that...they are all bodyweight exercises and are usually high intensity interval workouts that act as good cardio also. This book is great, I highly recomend it.
Day 2 - Boxing workout....standard 15-17 three minute rounds of skipping rope, shadow boxing, heavy bag, double-end bag, upper-cut bag, etc. I also do abs on this day.
Day 3 - Power Strength workout...I do a full body weight workout centered on power-lifts. Squat, Bench, Deadlift, Cleans, etc. with some assistance lifts. I also try to get some cardio done in these workouts...for eg I will do a half mile sprint on treadmill, do my squats, do another half mile sprint, do deads, etc etc.
Day 4 - Box again Day 5- Strength endurance agagin etc etc ...take a day off once a week.
This workout program has taken me from good shape to really good shape (at least for a finance geek).
Can't get swole off no dieting pill brah.
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