Another question for ya......

I want to tone my arms and not build up too much muscle. Are push-ups the way to go or should I lift light free weights?

It's not legal in the U.S. any more, but GHB will stimulate fat-burning....it's legal in Sweden. There's also another product that would work which is legal there, but people have been known to die while taking it from overheating in hot climates.....Ripped Fuel. There is also Clenbueterol which could help you stimulate fat-burn and is VERY effective. I've tried it a few times. I wouldn't recommend it for two reasons...One, it makes my skin oily. Two, I took 5-2 mg pills a day and when I would do cardio I would check my heartrate.....Usually my heart rate would be around 186-196. Normally, without it, at my peak during my cardio my heart-rate would be around 146-160. I got a bit scared by those differences and decided to stop. Also, if you smoke ciggarettes I've been told not to do so while taking that. It's something about having a stroke while smoking and being on that stuff.

Though they do tone your arms a little bit, push-ups will mainly tone your chest. I'd say free weights, but not too much.

still...excess protein creates pathways for fat storage...which usually ends up in the abdominal region.

The first two weeks of the Atkins diet, know as the Induction Stage, is the most restrictive of the four (Induction, On-Going Weight Loss, Pre-Maintenance, and Lifetime Maintenance).

Once you get past the Induction phase, you are supposed to gradually increase your carb load until you are no longer losing weight. To maintain your goal weight, you are to say at your newly found ACE (Net Carb gram level).

Not all carbs should be treated equally. The ones that count toward your blood sugar level are called the "net carbs", the ones that count in your food intake.

For more info check out the website, www.atkinscenter.com

ETA: I just read some of previous posts and it seems as though you have the right amount of info. Sorry!!!

Thanks for trying to help. :)
I have given up the idea of dieting. I think that I am at a good and healthy weight and size for my body. I have even worn quite a few bikinis this summer. :)

Well, firstly injecting yourself *period* is a bad idea unless you are acting under expert advice from a physician. It isn't just a matter of prodding yourself with a pointy hypodermic and hoping everything's great. Without knowledge of the body's anatomy, an artery, vein or nerve may be hit. A damaged nerve can cause partial loss of sensation or movement. The injection has to be intramuscular (into a muscle) NOT intravenous (into a vein). I'm not sure where you get the idea the abdomen is the place to plunge the needle in either? Athletes report that the best areas for self-injection are the thighs (quads) or the buttocks (gluteus maximus). The buttocks, having fewer nerve endings than the thighs, are a less painful site of injection, but much harder to reach.
Re Human Growth Hormone (tradenames Humatrope, Protropin). My suggestion to you is: stay away.
Use is not widespread, principally because of high cost. Therapeutic doses over one year would cost approx $14,000 dollars (dose for that would be same level as a 'gym' dose by the way). The drug is primarily used by the elite corps of professional bodybuilders and Olympic athletes. (We're talking Mike Matarazzo level here, Sverige; whereas you said "I just want to change my frame a little bit, more broader than bulkier and harden the stomach more than what it is"). Another comment (from Mike Matarazzo, on GH, was: "...everybody is different. I knew a guy who spent $15,000 on it and only got pimples) :) . Potential side effects range from enlargement of the bones in the face and extremities to hypertension (high blood pressure), arthritis and heart failure. There is also a possible cancer connection in people with acromegaly (a condition caused by an excess of HGH) who are treated with HGH.
I'm not going to advocate steroid use. Especially not at non-competitive level. All I will say is that HGH costs and side effects ouweigh most anabolics and other nonsteroid drugs. Suggest - avoid.
Protein shakes may not be the nicest things but as far as I know it won't have the same damaging effects on your body or wallet!

Source of info for facts in this post: Robert Kennedy's Musclemag International, Encyclopaedia of BodyBuilding by Gerald Thorne & Phil Embleton

P.S. A heads up on the wider frame, bone/cartilage thing. After about 20-21 there's little you can do to for rib-cage expansion (cartilage not bone). Or rather at least it's much harder to do so. Mainly due to the cartilage having begun to harden and lose its pliability. (Talking in terms of Breathing Squats here).

Free weights if you have access to them . . . otherwise push-ups and chair dips . . . maybe buy some dumbbells.

Don't overdo the cardio . . some of the "bulkiness" will depend on how much fat you have on your upper arms.

20mg of ephedrine and 200mg of caffeine.

I'd like to comment on a few things, respectfully.

About the vein thing. I've actually went through many veins while injecting myself. It's not that bad. If you know what you're doing you wont die from it. As long as all the air bubles in the seringe are out and you actualy go all the way through the vein....I've always been fine. There were a couple of time when I shot myself in the buttock and pull the needle out and blood come shooting out of it. That was more scary because I don't like blood. I've also pinched a few nerves before. One time I was taking an injection and my tricep started shaking, after I was finished and pulled out everything was ok. It's not that big of a deal. If one area starts to get sore you move to the next.

I'ce been told by professional body builders that it's better to shoot HGH in the abdomen rather than other parts of the body. All the other stuff...Test, d-ball, Fenoplex, Anadroll, they all should be shot in the arm, butt or thigh. ***Disclaimer*** I don't reccomend any of this to anyone. I actually know the man who won the MR. South USA competition this last time. There is a web site that you can check out that can and will give you all the knowledge you need on these matters. There are men who have been on this sight for 10 yrs running.....It is: greatmanjohn.com Many of the national winners for the U.S. and some previous Worlds Strongest Man competetors are on this site.

As for the HGH, I think I'm going to stay away. I'm just not enough of a "baller" to play that game. I can't waste that kind of money just to keep it real for the ladies. And thats even if I decide to even go that route again. My main concern is that in 10 yrs my doctor may have to have to put me on cholesterol medication because of what I may or may not do, that and other things.

One question. Didn't HollyWood Hulk Hogan and Triple H from the American Wrestling league do HGH? If you look at pictures of them both their jaws are much larger than the norm for a man. Thats one of the things that has kept me at bay about Human Growth Hormone.

Bump because I have a question.

Most mornings, after running, I feel a lot of pressure both above and below my knees. The pressure gets to the point where I'm just not able to run anymore, and need to walk to work out the pain.

Now, I don't run an extraordinary amount - tops about 4 miles per day, maybe around 15 miles a week (again tops), but I've been running for quite a few years now.

My question I guess is, are there any stretches I can do to relieve the pressure in my knees, or is the problem more serious than that?

Hi James

My problem/question is I am underweight, How do I put on extra weight? I'm 5'2 and weight 98lbs. I don't want to put on a lot of weight but at least 5lbs. I go to the gym just to lift weights only, because I need to build some muscle.

So what's your solution

Ok, you might want to go to some runner specific sites for this one. Or talk to an expert.

I will say that it seems that most of these problems involve trigger points. These are points where muscles have become shortened or damaged so don't function correctly.

Here is a link that describes them basically:

http://www.triggerpointbook.com/kneepain.htm

Or www.myotherapy.com

You know the answer to your question: you are going to have to eat more calories.

First assess how many you eat now and their composition by keeping a journal. Write down meal values and times that you eat.

Once you know that it should be failry easy to slowly increase your calories and lifting intensity to require your body to put on 5 pounds.