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Official Fitness Thread of Triceps Kickbacks, Swiss Ball Squats, and Testosterdrama

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Etrian Oddity

Member
I've actually been really pleased with how I've been dieting. Maybe I'm doing it wrong if I'm enjoying it? Haha, critique me GAF.

  • For breakfast I have a bowl of oatmeal
  • For a snack I have an apple
  • For lunch I have a green salad with roasted chicken thrown in (topped with olive oil vinegarette and teriyaki sauce)
  • For a snack I have either an apple or a small bowl of oatmeal
  • For dinner I have either above salad, or some chicken with brown rice/some veggies
  • For a before-bed snack I have either a cup of light yogurt or cereal

I got a rotisserie chicken and one of those spinach/kale mixes, and that shit's lasted me for days. DAYS. I went to Walmart and got one of those whole rotisserie turkey breasts...I'm salivating at the thought of my next several meals.

Edit: On the subject of cheating, I prefer cheat meals over cheat days. When you dedicate a whole day to cheating, the calories can really sneak up on you and nullify some gains. I personally prefer cheating on a restaurant outing.
 
M

Masta_Killah

Member
Etrian Oddity said:
Edit: On the subject of cheating, I prefer cheat meals over cheat days. When you dedicate a whole day to cheating, the calories can really sneak up on you and nullify some gains. I personally prefer cheating on a restaurant outing.
Click to expand...


You'd be surprised at how much calories you really are consuming if you cook your own meals. Even with large amounts of spaghetti or a box of pizza, I was probably only consuming around 3000 or so calories. That's basically maintenance level. By Tuesday, I was back to my regular weight and I was still losing the fat.

If you keep your cheat days consistent in what you eat, you can pretty much figure out how much calories you are consuming for that day. What throws off cheat days is when people go out to restaurants. The amount of calories dishes have is ridiculous compared to homecook meals since the ingredients used are really rich.
 
D

DragonKnight

Member
Etrian Oddity said:
I've actually been really pleased with how I've been dieting. Maybe I'm doing it wrong if I'm enjoying it? Haha, critique me GAF.

  • For breakfast I have a bowl of oatmeal
  • For a snack I have an apple
  • For lunch I have a green salad with roasted chicken thrown in (topped with olive oil vinegarette and teriyaki sauce)
  • For a snack I have either an apple or a small bowl of oatmeal
  • For dinner I have either above salad, or some chicken with brown rice/some veggies
  • For a before-bed snack I have either a cup of light yogurt or cereal

I got a rotisserie chicken and one of those spinach/kale mixes, and that shit's lasted me for days. DAYS. I went to Walmart and got one of those whole rotisserie turkey breasts...I'm salivating at the thought of my next several meals.

Edit: On the subject of cheating, I prefer cheat meals over cheat days. When you dedicate a whole day to cheating, the calories can really sneak up on you and nullify some gains. I personally prefer cheating on a restaurant outing.
Click to expand...

I take it you're cutting? Tuna, chicken breast, cottage cheese, and pumpkin seeds along with some almonds are great. All low fat, all low carb, and all high in protein.
 
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rando14

Member
Hey GAF, another question.

How do you guys handle cheat days? I've heard of once a week, I've heard of 5000 calorie cheat days, I've heard of cheat meals... what's your opinions? I gotta say, crazy cheat days once a week sound awesome. It'd be nice to pig out at Hometown Buffet every once in a while.
 
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DragonKnight

Member
I'm surprised that so many of you guys are accepting of cheat days but I guess this IS my first cut.

Man I got my chinese food (steamed chicken and broccoli) and I saw that fortune cookie and white rice and I felt like a lioness about to pounce on a wildabeast. It's amazing how my body knows what it wants. I also felt a little tired in the afternoon.
 
R

reilo

learning some important life lessons from magical Negroes
Since I'm trying to gain, the only thing I've actively cutout is sweets and overly greasy foods (pizza -- unless I make one at home from scratch, or certain Mexican food).
 
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Etrian Oddity

Member
DragonKnight said:
I take it you're cutting? Tuna, chicken breast, cottage cheese, and pumpkin seeds along with some almonds are great. All low fat, all low carb, and all high in protein.
Click to expand...
Yep. I'm already a bulky guy, so any attention for muscles is to retain it as I slim down. Weight loss is the biggest goal for me.
 
M

Masta_Killah

Member
DragonKnight said:
I'm surprised that so many of you guys are accepting of cheat days but I guess this IS my first cut.
Click to expand...

Probably because we experienced how hard it really is to stay disciplined with a calorie deficit over the course of 3+ months. When I went on a cut last year, I stayed pretty disciplined up to my 2nd month. After that the mental grind begins and it really does get hard staying with the diet. I eventually just fell off the wagon and when it came time to bulk, I just gorged myself back to my pre cut weight, gaining mostly fat.

My second cut was from January to about March/April of this year. This time I planned my cut according to my wants/needs. I knew I couldn't stay with the diet without cheating, so I took that into account and planned my diet so that I had a cheat day/weekend. It made going through the same meals during the week bearable, knowing that I had some delicious cheat meals coming up during the weekend.

You have to remember that unlike a weight loss diet, while cutting you have to keep your strength gains up while lifting at the gym. With so few calories to power you through am intense workout, it really gets hard to keep pushing yourself. The only thing that kept me going was seeing the inches melt away and starting to see muscle definition.
 
D

DragonKnight

Member
Masta_Killah said:
Probably because we experienced how hard it really is to stay disciplined with a calorie deficit over the course of 3+ months. When I went on a cut last year, I stayed pretty disciplined up to my 2nd month. After that the mental grind begins and it really does get hard staying with the diet. I eventually just fell off the wagon and when it came time to bulk, I just gorged myself back to my pre cut weight, gaining mostly fat.

My second cut was from January to about March/April of this year. This time I planned my cut according to my wants/needs. I knew I couldn't stay with the diet without cheating, so I took that into account and planned my diet so that I had a cheat day/weekend. It made going through the same meals during the week bearable, knowing that I had some delicious cheat meals coming up during the weekend.

You have to remember that unlike a weight loss diet, while cutting you have to keep your strength gains up while lifting at the gym. With so few calories to power you through am intense workout, it really gets hard to keep pushing yourself. The only thing that kept me going was seeing the inches melt away and starting to see muscle definition.
Click to expand...


I agree. I did some cardio this morning about 15 minutes after waking up and I felt completely drained afterwards.
 
M

MjFrancis

Member
DragonKnight said:
I eat three whole eggs a day along with chicken breast. Should I be concerned about the high cholesterol?
Click to expand...
Not in the slightest. Dietary cholesterol is not necessarily linked to blood cholesterol levels.
 
E

Etrian Oddity

Member
Got the Kashi honey almond flax cereal earlier, so hopefully that'll add some extra nutrients to cover my bases (plus 2% milk).

Today was gonna be my off-day for jogging...but a sexy blonde I saw at the grocery store motivated me to do some more cardio. :D
 
C

Cooter

Lacks the power of instantaneous movement
DragonKnight said:
I'm surprised that so many of you guys are accepting of cheat days but I guess this IS my first cut.

Man I got my chinese food (steamed chicken and broccoli) and I saw that fortune cookie and white rice and I felt like a lioness about to pounce on a wildabeast. It's amazing how my body knows what it wants. I also felt a little tired in the afternoon.
Click to expand...


Like I suggested earlier I think it is best if you have your cheat meal or meals late at night. It limits you to a reasonable amount. How much damage can you really do if you start eating at 8 or 9 and are in bed by midnight? I've had Sat nights where I've consumed 3 pints of Haagen Dazs. As bad as it sounds it's only a bit over 3,000 calories and after that you are set for another 6 or 7 days of sub 2,000 calories a day and little to no carbs. My understanding is it also has the added benefit of jump starting your metabolism for a while. I also feel that the cheat day is important to keeping your muscle mass and strength.

Anyway, work hard and reward yourself. Your life will be more enjoyable and you will still be ripped. Don't sweat it.
 
D

DragonKnight

Member
Cooter said:
Like I suggested earlier I think it is best if you have your cheat meal or meals late at night. It limits you to a reasonable amount. How much damage can you really do if you start eating at 8 or 9 and are in bed by midnight? I've had Sat nights where I've consumed 3 pints of Haagen Dazs. As bad as it sounds it's only a bit over 3,000 calories and after that you are set for another 6 or 7 days of sub 2,000 calories a day and little to no carbs. My understanding is it also has the added benefit of jump starting your metabolism for a while. I also feel that the cheat day is important to keeping your muscle mass and strength.

Anyway, work hard and reward yourself. Your life will be more enjoyable and you will still be ripped. Don't sweat it.
Click to expand...

My cheat day will probably be Sundays cause that's when I have a big Sunday dinner. And sub 2000? I'm trying to eat around 1750 a day.
 
C

Cooter

Lacks the power of instantaneous movement
DragonKnight said:
My cheat day will probably be Sundays cause that's when I have a big Sunday dinner. And sub 2000? I'm trying to eat around 1750 a day.
Click to expand...

I don't understand the question mark. By eating 1750 a day you are sub 2,000 calories. Stick with that amount and work your ass off in the gym a you shall see any results you desire.
 
D

DragonKnight

Member
Cooter said:
I don't understand the question mark. By eating 1750 a day you are sub 2,000 calories. Stick with that amount and work your ass off in the gym a you shall see any results you desire.
Click to expand...

My question mark was because I didn't understand your question mark lol. But yeah...i'm sticking to my routine and i'm faithful to my cardio.
 
C

Cooter

Lacks the power of instantaneous movement
DragonKnight said:
My question mark was because I didn't understand your question mark lol. But yeah...i'm sticking to my routine and i'm faithful to my cardio.
Click to expand...

I didn't have a question mark. Now I'm all sorts of confused. lol. Good luck.
 
M

MWS Natural

Member
MWS Natural said:
On another topic. Ever since I started lifting heavier weight it feels like I have a different kind of soreness outside of DOMS. Like I do feel normal soreness two days after my workout but I also feel a deeper "achy" feeling as well, almost like it's below my muscle. I notice it most in my upper body several days after doing heavy bench press. Anyone else ever experience something this?
Click to expand...
Well I guess I am the only one who has experienced this lol.
 
C

Cooter

Lacks the power of instantaneous movement
MWS Natural said:
Well I guess I am the only one who has experienced this lol.
Click to expand...


No, you aren't. I lift heavy also. Usually to failure most sessions. I notice the feeling you describe more when I'm cutting on a calorie deficit. I treat it as a byproduct of a productive day in the gym.
 
S

SeanR1221

Member
I was hoping for some feedback from you guys.

I'm 24, 5'8, 170 pounds. My goals are to tone up a bit, maybe cut down on some belly fat.

My workout plan is...

**Every workout starts with a 5 min run, and ends with a 20 min run**
**Everything is 3 sets of 10 reps**

Saturday - Chest
- isolateral bench press
- isolateral incline press
- isolateral decline press
- Dumbbell flys
- Cable crossovers

Sunday - Back
- Lateral pulldown
- Bent-over rows
- Deadlift
- Reverse flys
- Back extensions

Monday - REST

Tuesday - Legs
- Squats
- Calf raises
- Leg curls
- Reverse hypers
- Leg Press

Wednesday - Tris/shoulders
- Dumbbell shoulder press
- Side lifts
- Skull-crushers
- Tricep rope extensions
- Machine dips
- Shrugs

Thursday - Biceps
- Seated bicep curl
- Hammer curl
- Preacher curl
- Seated rows
- Palm up wrist curls

Friday - REST

I always drink a scoop of whey in water post workout.

As for my food, I usually try to eat cereal with skim milk or oatmeal and a protein shake for breakfast.

Lunch is typically a peanutbutter sandwich and almonds.

For dinner, I try not eat carbs, so usually grilled chicken or fish and vegetables.

Looking for any tips, fine tuning, etc.
 
C

Cooter

Lacks the power of instantaneous movement
SeanR1221 said:
I was hoping for some feedback from you guys.

I'm 24, 5'8, 170 pounds. My goals are to tone up a bit, maybe cut down on some belly fat.

My workout plan is...

**Every workout starts with a 5 min run, and ends with a 20 min run**

Saturday - Chest
- isolateral bench press
- isolateral incline press
- isolateral decline press
- Dumbbell flys
- Cable crossovers

Sunday - Back
- Lateral pulldown
- Bent-over rows
- Deadlift
- Reverse flys
- Back extensions

Monday - REST

Tuesday - Legs
- Squats
- Calf raises
- Leg curls
- Reverse hypers
- Leg Press

Wednesday - Tris/shoulders
- Dumbbell shoulder press
- Side lifts
- Skull-crushers
- Tricep rope extensions
- Machine dips
- Shrugs

Thursday - Biceps
- Seated bicep curl
- Hammer curl
- Preacher curl
- Seated rows
- Palm up wrist curls

Friday - REST

I always drink a scoop of whey in water post workout.

As for my food, I usually try to eat cereal with skim milk or oatmeal and a protein shake for breakfast.

Lunch is typically a peanutbutter sandwich and almonds.

For dinner, I try not eat carbs, so usually grilled chicken or fish and vegetables.

Looking for any tips, fine tuning, etc.
Click to expand...


Well, 1st off I think you need to eat more protein.

Regarding your routine I think you have too much going on. Five exercises for chest, back and bi's is too much IMO.

Dedicating a day for back and chest is cool but I don't see why you need one just for bi's. Maybe combine bi's and tri's in to one arm day with 3 exercises for each. This way you can have a dedicated day fro delts and traps.

Tell me what kind of sets and rep ranges you are doing.

Your actual exercises look good. I'm not sure if isolateral bench is a fancy name for BB bench but if it's not I would stick to BB and DB bench. For back I consider pull ups a necessity. For shoulders I would stick to the standing BB shoulder press over seated DBs. For bi's I consider BB curls a must and for tri's close grip bench press should be a staple of your tri routine.
 
J

JB1981

Member
Supposed to hit gym today but friends 30th is tonight .... Everyone is meeting up at 5:30 .... I hate skipping the gym ... I guess I can go tomorrow but this is going to screw up my 3 day gym schedule.

@Sean - on a program like that you are going to need to eat a lot more. You are going to burn out real fast.
 
T

thomaser

Member
It seems impossible to find a foam roller in Norway. Neither in stores or online. Any Norwegians or Scandinavians here with tips about where to find them? The only place I found was a personal trainer who imports them and sells them for five times the usual price, and I'm not paying that.
 
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parrotbeak

Member
Terrible day at the gym. My squats were ok, but I had to drop 5 lbs from my press after the first set, and then another 5 lbs after the 3rd set and I couldn't finish my last 2 sets without resting in between reps. Felt completely weak after that although I finished my dls and then did cardio. The cardio was ok, but when I did core and stretches afterward I could feel the total lack of energy. Didn't even want to finish my stretches.

Number of factors: didn't sleep much last night, changed workout days, did cardio last night, didn't eat much carbs yesterday or this morning besides some potato, and probably didn't eat enough after taking the cardio into consideration.

Oh well, gonna eat big now and maybe take a nap.
 
M

Masta_Killah

Member
parrotbeak said:
Terrible day at the gym. My squats were ok, but I had to drop 5 lbs from my press after the first set, and then another 5 lbs after the 3rd set and I couldn't finish my last 2 sets with resting in between reps. Felt completely weak after that although I finished my dls and then did cardio. The cardio was ok, but when I did core and stretches afterward I could feel the total lack of energy. Didn't even want to finish my stretches.

Number of factors: didn't sleep much last night, changed workout days, did cardio last night, didn't eat much carbs yesterday or this morning besides some potato, and probably didn't eat enough after taking the cardio into consideration.

Oh well, gonna eat big now and maybe take a nap.
Click to expand...

Damn, same here. 4 hours of bad sleep last night. I was so dead tired that I probably should have delayed my gym time. Ended up going because I was going to train with a friend. Added 5 lbs to my squat and ended up doing 160 lbs, but I had to take an insane amount of time to recuperate between sets. Even with that I ended up running out of steam by my 3rd set and I was only able to do 5/5/3/3/2. From there I was in zombie mode and forced myself through straight leg dl's, rows and hang cleans. Almost hurt my back doing the cleans since I was near empty on the tank. Tried to do my mile run and I ended up cramping up halfway thanks to the pre I took.

Got home and tried to take a nap but I was just too wired from my preworkout drink that I ended up just tossing around bed for a few hours. At least I no longer feel like a zombie, but I'm still damn tired and my body is aching. I won't even be able to sleep until late tonight since my friends are throwing me a farewell guys night out before I leave for boot.
 
B

Bernbaum

Member
Okay, starting a diet with more protein and less carbs. Goodbye pasta dishes, hello lots of steak, chicken breast and breakfast fruit.
 
P

parrotbeak

Member
Oh and I ripped my crotch during squats (I assume). It ripped clean on the seam so I didn't notice until I was stretching. Luckily my shorts are so baggy there was lots of extra material to make it not noticeable. Also my boxer briefs were about the same color.
 
P

parrotbeak

Member
Masta_Killah said:
Damn, same here. 4 hours of bad sleep last night.
Click to expand...
Shitty. I got a good solid 5 hours of sleep, but I like to get 8. Unfortunately I have trouble sleeping once the sun is out, so if I don't go to bed early, I'll just wake up whenever the sun is out.
 
A

alex chilton

Member
The weird thing about cutting is when you start craving foods that you don't even normally eat or like much of. I normally never eat nor desire candy bars but after a couple of weeks of cutting, the need to eat one just completely takes over my brain (among other foods).

In fact, the only times I do eat candy bars is ironically while I'm cutting. Same thing goes with ice cream, syrup, Cap'n Crunch, etc.

Anyway, after 1.5 months of bulking, I've outgrown many of my jeans.They are the skinny but not skintight type.. The thigh areas feel embarrassingly tight now and I can't even zipper it to completion let alone button them closed. And they used to fit so perfectly. This sucks lol
 
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BlueScrote

Member
alex chilton said:
The weird thing about cutting is when you start craving foods that you don't even normally eat or like much of. I normally never eat nor desire candy bars but after a couple of weeks of cutting, the need to eat one just completely takes over my brain (among other foods).

In fact, the only times I do eat candy bars is ironically while I'm cutting. Same thing goes with ice cream, syrup, Cap'n Crunch, etc.

Anyway, after 1.5 months of bulking, I've outgrown many of my jeans.They are the skinny but not skintight type.. The thigh areas feel embarrassingly tight now and I can't even zipper it to completion let alone button them closed. And they used to fit so perfectly. This sucks lol
Click to expand...

When my jeans stopped fitting comfortably it was an indication to stop bulking. Then again my pants were always big/loose to begin with.
 
M

MWS Natural

Member
Cooter said:
No, you aren't. I lift heavy also. Usually to failure most sessions. I notice the feeling you describe more when I'm cutting on a calorie deficit. I treat it as a byproduct of a productive day in the gym.
Click to expand...
Ah cool to hear I'm not the only one. It pretty much takes me 5 days to completely recover from my Monday workout.
 
C

Corky

Nine out of ten orphans can't tell the difference.
Gaf halp

I need to stretch these muscles. Kinda where the ass and back meet if you catch my drift and more towards the side than the spine.

Ltfg0.png
 
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parrotbeak

Member
Lying down knee to chest. Can pull the knee across to the opposite side also.

Also kneel face down with arms above head palms on floor and stretch arms as far as you can.
 
C

Corky

Nine out of ten orphans can't tell the difference.
parrotbeak said:
Lying down knee to chest. Can pull the knee across to the opposite side also.

Also kneel face down with arms above head palms on floor and stretch arms as far as you can.
Click to expand...

thank you good sir, although I'm pretty sure I'm visualizing them right a picture would be great if you had one at hand.
 
B

blanky

Member
Wouldn't a Glute/Ham raise help aswell?

no wait, i missed the stretch part. Excuse me, I thought you wanted strength exercises. sorry.
 
P

parrotbeak

Member
There's a bunch of stretches that will hit that area. Most of these will stretch the lower back and glutes also, but you'll feel it more in other areas, depending on your flexibility in other areas. For example, you can sit on floor with legs out and touch your toes and it'll stretch your back and butt, but if your hams are tight, you'll probably feel it there the most.
 
D

DragonKnight

Member
I added all the carbs I am getting on the diet cutting and I got the following results

2 serving of low fat milk --26g
1/2 cup of pumpkin seeds--8g
1 scoop whey--5g
1/2 cup of low fat cottage chese--6g

This totals 45g of carbs daily. Is this considered low for a low carb diet?

Edit: I researched the answer
 
D

deadbeef

Member
Some people would say that it's lower than you need to be. Why not start at like 100g of carbs and see how your body responds before dropping to < 50g?
 
N

NomarTyme

Member
DragonKnight said:
I added all the carbs I am getting on the diet cutting and I got the following results

2 serving of low fat milk --26g
1/2 cup of pumpkin seeds--8g
1 scoop whey--5g
1/2 cup of low fat cottage chese--6g

This totals 45g of carbs daily. Is this considered low for a low carb diet?

Edit: I researched the answer
Click to expand...
Eh if you're doing heavy lifting you can increase your carb intake. I recommend carbs from roots and tubers instead like yams or sweet potatoes.
 
D

DragonKnight

Member
I'm doing a strenuous calisthenics routine. I guess I can throw in a baked potato and see how that goes.

Edit: the only problem is that I'm trying to get less than 1750 calories in a single day. A baked potato would put me over the limit and compromise my protein intake as my other meals are set up to provide at least 40g of protein. I'm not working this summer so if I do get tired I can just sleep (just passed out in my couch for about 2 hours)
 
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