Daily Caloric Intake During Break-In

[mooker]

Hey folks,

Well, I decided that today is the day and began my break-in period. All I can say is OW! I think I got some good weight amounts figured out for my first time out, but I went a bit heavy during my first set of lunges, so anytime I sit down in a chair I feel a split second of weakness . I suppose that's good though. I'm doing the 2-day per week routine. I'm in relatively good shape, but want to spend some time gaining muscle (I got pretty lean during my weight loss).

So anyways, I'm wondering how many calories I should be taking in during the break-in period. Right now I'm currently at 182 pounds (5'11"), which is up about 10 pounds more than I usually am. So I figured that the extra fat that I recently gained will come off as I get into the routine and eventually build muscle. So should I be eating less than my daily caloric need to lose weight, or eat the maintenance level, or more? I don't expect to gain much muscle during the break-in, but wasn't sure.

Also, for those who have already done the break-in (or are still on it), what type of warm-up do you do? I read the warm-up chapter, but didn't know if it applied to the break-in workouts. Since my first squats were with an empty bar (so I could make sure my form was correct), I just went right to it, and then added weight.

Thanks for your advice!

[Paradigm]

I go through my typical stretching routine when I get to the gym; though it's not as thorough as one of the dynamic stretching routines, it gets me warmed up enough. Then I do what you do, which is to do some squats with just the bar in order to check my form and get my body a little loosened up before attempting the lift with weight.

[svd201]

As for a Warmup, Lisa just gave me some pointers on dynamic flexibility. You might want to check out this thread.