[hawkshockey11]

I'm looking at your diet again, with whole milk a gallon a day would be about 2300 calories and about 130 g of protein. You say you are getting only a little more than bw in protein, so I will assume below 160 g of protein. If you are eating between 3500 and 4500 calories a day, I don't know how you aren't getting more protein. Do most of your meals mainly consist of carbs and fats? any vegetables? What other foods are you eating (you may be underestimating your intake)? If you don't want to buy protein powder to replace some of the milk, other possible foods you could buy are Fage Greek Yoghurt (23 g of protein per cup), Kashi Go lean Cereal (13 g per cup), Barilla Plus Pasta, and of course tuna and chicken breasts (I don't pay attention to the price of these products, so I don't know if they fit in your budget). About the water intake, milk is about 85-90% water, so you're probably getting enough water. 6 hours of sleep may be a little low though. Based on the lift stats you gave, I am assuming you are following the beginner routine in the OP. You can always try to add some more lifts - pullups and parallel bar dips for instance. And again, you need to be patient - as long as you are gaining some weight and increasing your lifts consistently.

Guess I was under-estimating my protein intake then.

I have 3 eggs, greek yogurt, buttered toast for breakfast

lunch I just eat whatever leftovers I can find in the refrigerator. This week it was mostly homemade mac and cheese. (Lot of cheese, carbs from the breadcrumbs, and the pasta)

For dinner I eat whatever is made. My dad makes good stuff. Usually pasta and meat dishes.

And then the GOMAD.

I have protein that I use for workouts and whenever else I feel it. Peanut butter sandwich before bed sometimes. I don't track anything since it would be too hard to track since I usually don't prepare the food.


I can think of another problem. Wednesdays and Fridays I eat shitty sometimes. I go right from school to work (and the work is fairly strenuous) Weekends are also a slight problem since I work 10-12 hour shifts and only get 1 half hour break to eat,

[Para bailar La Bomba]

Was your neck in neutral position while doing pullups or were you looking up. I'd just rest, probably just a tweak. I would not take relaxants because it will not help you stay in a good position.

I think this was the problem. I was exhausted last night and my form was all over the place. Thanks bro.

[Vincent Alexander]

Age: 24
Height: 6 foot
Weight: 126-130
Goal: 145-150
Current Training Schedule: None
Current Training Equipment Available: 1 20-pound & 1 25-pound free weight. Wide-array of resistance bands.

Comments: I work 40-hour weeks sitting at a computer desk. I don't have a car, which means 5 days a week I'm walking 3.4 miles altogether (distance home to work and back again). I'm very interested in adding weight, be it through fat or muscle---don't care. Really, I'm tired of being able to my ribs so easily. Need some meat for these bones. My meal for "lunch" at work at around 4:00 PM is where I think I take my biggest calorie hit---I have to find something with a good amount of calories that I can bring to work and have eaten in 20 minutes. Without a specific plan or routine, I forget food a lot and sometimes just have to settle for a hot pocket from nearby gas station.

[Timedog]

I mixed in about 3 tablespoons of ground flax and like 2 small handfuls of oats with my protein shake, put it in the blender on high, and it ended up adding a kind of peanut buttery taste to my shake, delicious.

I PR'ed in deadlift today and on my 6th rep had to put the bar back because my grip was failing, fuck...

Also starting deadlift from a nearly standing position instead of from the floor makes me dread the exercise a lot less.

[Mr.City]

Age: 24 Height: 6 foot Weight: 126-130 Goal: 145-150 Current Training Schedule: None Current Training Equipment Available: 1 20-pound & 1 25-pound free weight. Wide-array of resistance bands. Comments: I work 40-hour weeks sitting at a computer desk. I don't have a car, which means 5 days a week I'm walking 3.4 miles altogether (distance home to work and back again). I'm very interested in adding weight, be it through fat or muscle---don't care. Really, I'm tired of being able to my ribs so easily. Need some meat for these bones. My meal for "lunch" at work at around 4:00 PM is where I think I take my biggest calorie hit---I have to find something with a good amount of calories that I can bring to work and have eaten in 20 minutes. Without a specific plan or routine, I forget food a lot and sometimes just have to settle for a hot pocket from nearby gas station.

How how how how are you 120 lbs at 6 foot tall? How? Read the OP, eat food, eat all the food. It sounds like you know what the problem is; you just need to take the actions to do it.

And get a gym membership.

PR'ed in deadlift today and on my 6th rep had to put the bar back because my grip was failing, fuck... Also starting deadlift from a nearly standing position instead of from the floor makes me dread the exercise a lot less.

[BlueScrote]

I mixed in about 3 tablespoons of ground flax and like 2 small handfuls of oats with my protein shake, put it in the blender on high, and it ended up adding a kind of peanut buttery taste to my shake, delicious. I PR'ed in deadlift today and on my 6th rep had to put the bar back because my grip was failing, fuck... Also starting deadlift from a nearly standing position instead of from the floor makes me dread the exercise a lot less.

Isn't that a lot like doing half-squats? You don't get the full range of motion.

[Alrix]

Looking to buy some new running shoes soon...currently have Nike Lunars of some kind, but they're getting old. I'm leaning on trying Under Armours, as I've heard a lot of good things about their quality and I bought a pair of their basketball sneakers that have been fantastic. Although the reebok zigtechs are also interesting but I don't know if those are actually good shoes or they just get all the commercials and athlete endorsements and stuff. I run a lot so I'm not worried about really spending too much on sneakers since it's a worthwhile investment...and the cheaper sneakers never have the good arch support that I need. Any recommendations?

[Petrie]

Isn't that a lot like doing half-squats? You don't get the full range of motion.

Yeah, Timedog, you're not dreading it because you aren't doing the excersice. You're cheating yourself...big time.

[Timedog]

Err, how am I not getting the full range of motion? It's just easier to pick up the bar at the beginning?

[Petrie]

Err, how am I not getting the full range of motion? It's just easier to pick up the bar at the beginning?

Because you aren't starting from the floor. Im not sure exactly what you're doing, but it isn't a proper deadlift. Almost sounds like negatives or something.

[Timedog]

Because you aren't starting from the floor. Im not sure exactly what you're doing, but it isn't a proper deadlift. Almost sounds like negatives or something.

I set it up on the outside of a power rack so that I can add weight to the bar and pick the bar up at a near standing position. Then I pick the bar up, step back, lower the bar to the ground and then come to a standing position again (1 rep).

The difference is that I pick the bar up from a rack instead of from the floor on the first rep of the exercise, and on my last rep I stand with the bar again instead of leaving it on the floor.

I hope that is a better explanation.

[parrotbeak]

Romanian deadlifts. It is almost the same, but you will have a spring at the bottom from your hams being loaded. Like not resting the bar on the ground in between reps in regular dls. But I doubt it makes a huge difference unless you are training for competition or something. It's still an all around great compound movement.

[ianp622]

I still don't understand. You should be deloading every rep according to the traditional deadlift.

[Bearded Dudebro]

Isn't that the "dead" part you're cutting out?

[ItAintEasyBeinCheesy]

I set it up on the outside of a power rack so that I can add weight to the bar and pick the bar up at a near standing position. Then I pick the bar up, step back, lower the bar to the ground and then come to a standing position again (1 rep). The difference is that I pick the bar up from a rack instead of from the floor on the first rep of the exercise, and on my last rep I stand with the bar again instead of leaving it on the floor. I hope that is a better explanation.

That's fine. I think they thought you where doing rack dead lifts.

[Petrie]

I still don't understand. You should be deloading every rep according to the traditional deadlift.

Yeah. The bar needs to sit on the ground between reps, so there is no momentum.

[Timedog]

Oh, hmm, well deloading will be much easier on my grip at least

[cuevas, PhD.]

I set it up on the outside of a power rack so that I can add weight to the bar and pick the bar up at a near standing position. Then I pick the bar up, step back, lower the bar to the ground and then come to a standing position again (1 rep). The difference is that I pick the bar up from a rack instead of from the floor on the first rep of the exercise, and on my last rep I stand with the bar again instead of leaving it on the floor. I hope that is a better explanation.

Once you get 2 45 lb plates on the bar it should be easy to slide more plates onto the bar, even
more 45lbs plates because they are designed to slide right onto the bar. It's silly to do that.

[balddemon]

squatted 265 today - hard, and wanted to get 270, but i played lots of basketball yesterday and have a game tonight so i settled for a 5lb increase :P

ohp 115 today - cake. 15th rep was a struggle, but all in all it was easy. kinda surprising since thats a 15lb jump from when i did it on friday.

cleans - once again, fucked them right in the ass. no thanks.

time for some captain and a nap before the game.

Once you get 2 45 lb plates on the bar it should be easy to slide more plates onto the bar, even more 45lbs plates because they are designed to slide right onto the bar. It's silly to do that.

i know one guy who just puts the first 45 on , then lowers it to the ground, then if he needs to add more 45s, rests it on another plate

[kevo_huevo]

it's been roughly 3 weeks since my lower back strain sidelined me and i finally feel good enough to at least get in a solid workout (though im not 100%). bb squats and dls are pretty much out of the question and i'm going to avoid putting stress on my lower back at all costs...probably do something like this for a twice a week for a few weeks until my back is fully healed:

bb bench
db bulgarian split squats
weighted pullups/chins
seated db shoulder press
seated cable rows
set of dips and curls to finish off the workout

this layoff has stalled my 5k training (which is in two weeks), so im going to try to get on the elliptical or run a little over 5k, 4x a week. after that i'll stick to a couple days of bball or a day of hiit.

back injuries suck :(

[Jason's Ultimatum]

edit nevermind.

[rififi]

Guess I was under-estimating my protein intake then. I have 3 eggs, greek yogurt, buttered toast for breakfast lunch I just eat whatever leftovers I can find in the refrigerator. This week it was mostly homemade mac and cheese. (Lot of cheese, carbs from the breadcrumbs, and the pasta) For dinner I eat whatever is made. My dad makes good stuff. Usually pasta and meat dishes. And then the GOMAD. I have protein that I use for workouts and whenever else I feel it. Peanut butter sandwich before bed sometimes. I don't track anything since it would be too hard to track since I usually don't prepare the food. I can think of another problem. Wednesdays and Fridays I eat shitty sometimes. I go right from school to work (and the work is fairly strenuous) Weekends are also a slight problem since I work 10-12 hour shifts and only get 1 half hour break to eat,

During work, what is the longest time you have spent without eating? Normally, as long as you are getting enough calories and meeting all of your macros minimums everyday, it shouldn't be a problem (unless your periods of not eating are near intermittent fasting levels).
Were your work schedule and eating habits the same now as when you started lifting? If everything is more or less the same, the problem may be in your workout - you might not be pushing yourself enough. Then again, if you are eating well above your maintenance levels, you should have still gained some fat then.
Have your weight gains completely stopped, or are you just not increasing as much?

You gained over 20 lbs in 6 weeks which is very good. I usually gain about 1-1.5 lbs a week at 5'10"

[mr stroke]

Oh, hmm, well deloading will be much easier on my grip at least

Ever try using straps?

[Timedog]

Ever try using straps?

Fuck a strap. Need to work on grip strength.

I'll just deload at the bottom. This will allow me to regrip really quick if I need to.

[Petrie]

Fuck a strap. Need to work on grip strength. I'll just deload at the bottom. This will allow me to regrip really quick if I need to.

From what im told, you should be putting the weight down entirely and setting up again between reps anyway, essentially sitting the weight down and resetting your grip.

[Chittagong]

Will squeezing in a spinning, run or swim make the day count as "not recovery"?

I'm full of energy and would love me some cardio tomorrow, but conscious that I have already planned 5 exercises for this week as is (weights&core, pump, spinning, boxing&core, pump).

[Timedog]

From what im told, you should be putting the weight down entirely and setting up again between reps anyway, essentially sitting the weight down and resetting your grip.

I think I might actually prefer this to trying to non-stop grip the bar for all my reps. It'll be harder to pick up, but not having to focus on grip is a fair tradeoff.

[isoku]

Will squeezing in a spinning, run or swim make the day count as "not recovery"? I'm full of energy and would love me some cardio tomorrow, but conscious that I have already planned 5 exercises for this week as is (weights&core, pump, spinning, boxing&core, pump).

In my opinion you should be well aware if you need a rest day or not. I'm usually pretty tired on rest days and am grateful for those days where I do absolutely nothing. If you feel like you can do more than do it.

[thirty]

bought some muay Thai pads. anyone in the LA area wanna hit some mitts with me?

[parrotbeak]

I feel better going for a run or swim on my rest days. I think it helps with DOMS and also helps me keep my core engaged. On the rare days when I really don't do shit, I get tight and my back will hurt from sitting around with a loose core. I don't find that it affects my lifts, but don't go sprint hills before heavy squat day.

[kylej]

Finding new clothes is proving to be a real bitch. A lot of medium stuff is too tight in the chest, but all the large stuff is too loose in the waist and just a little too loose in the chest for my preference. I look like a damn sausage in my old stuff so I dunno what to do.

[deadbeef]

Timedog I would be careful walking with the weight you are deadlifting. I would be afraid of causing any twisting or torsion in your back, especially as the weight increases.

[Draft]

I still don't understand. You should be deloading every rep according to the traditional deadlift.

The name is a misnomer. Romanian dead lifts are not dead lifts. They just sort of look like dead lifts and the first guy to make them popular was from Romania. Seriously.

They are a great lift, though.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicu_Vlad

[kylej]

oh yeah that dude who did 600 for 6 just pounded out 645 for 4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MxT1EO11gG8

Guy is unreal.

[Draft]

Rather than load the bar in a rack (bad) or load the bar on the floor (fine, but cumbersome,) look around your gym for one of these bad boys:



Most big gyms have at least one and it's only role is to make loading up deadlifts easier. I deadlifted for over a year before figuring out that's what that thing did.

[cuevas, PhD.]

Fuck a strap. Need to work on grip strength. I'll just deload at the bottom. This will allow me to regrip really quick if I need to.

That's not deloading, or are you changing weights?

[Timedog]

That's not deloading, or are you changing weights?

Err, okay I'm confused. What exactly do you mean by deloading?

[Para bailar La Bomba]

Lets talk military press --

Hardly gets a mention here. Does anybody incorporate it in their routine regularly?

I'm doing 4x160lb. Is this about par?

[StickSoldier]

Guys, I've gotten back into working out and have been hitting the weights for about a month and a half now, but I'm still not set on my freaking workout. I've changed it up a bit, and this is what I'm currently doing:

• Incline Dumbbell Benchpress 3x10
• Seated Dumbbell Presses 3x10
• Leg Presses 3x10
• Dumbbell Benchpress 3x10
• Barbell Rows 3x10

The only problem is that I only have 4 days a week to workout, so should I do some isolation stuff on the two days that I don't do the above workout? If not, is there an alternative workout someone could help me construct that'd work for 4 days a week?

[Vincent Alexander]

How how how how are you 120 lbs at 6 foot tall? How? Read the OP, eat food, eat all the food. It sounds like you know what the problem is; you just need to take the actions to do it.

I know, I know! I'm workin' on it. I read the OP and I've got a decent list of foods put together, but I still need help on one item---work snacks. Any suggestions on something I can munch on almost daily to help add on calories while at my desk? Peanuts, almonds, pretzels, loads of granola bars?

[Mr.City]

Err, okay I'm confused. What exactly do you mean by deloading?

I think it might be mention in the OP, but I really suggest you check out the books written by Mark Rippetoe. It seems you're hungry for knowledge in regards to exercise and nutrition, and while the internet is a good primer, I really suggest some quality books by reputable authors, such as Rippetoe, Lyle McDonald, Justin Lascek, Lon Kilgore, Jim Wendler, etc.

Guys, I've gotten back into working out and have been hitting the weights for about a month and a half now, but I'm still not set on my freaking workout. I've changed it up a bit, and this is what I'm currently doing: Incline Dumbbell Benchpress 3x10 Seated Dumbbell Presses 3x10 Leg Presses 3x10 Dumbbell Benchpress 3x10 Barbell Rows 3x10 The only problem is that I only have 4 days a week to workout, so should I do some isolation stuff on the two days that I don't do the above workout? If not, is there an alternative workout someone could help me construct that'd work for 4 days a week?

I would suggest Justin Lascek's Strength and Conditioning program. Google it.

I know, I know! I'm workin' on it. I read the OP and I've got a decent list of foods put together, but I still need help on one item---work snacks. Any suggestions on something I can munch on almost daily to help add on calories while at my desk? Peanuts, almonds, pretzels, loads of granola bars?

Tupperware, slow cooker, meat.

[DiatribeEQ]

Strained my right forearm earlier tonight. Had to call things a little earlier than I'd have liked, but it's best to take no chances and really screw myself up.

Sucks. Was on a good roll as well.

Lower body (yesterday) is doing great as I've made some big gains since I started working out and seem to continue down a good path. Still need to work at trying to get my ROM back to my shoulders so I can fit squats back into my routine.

Question:

Is it advisable to work certain parts of your body for size, while others for strength?

[ChanHuk]

Bros,

Going to be working 10-12hr shifts. Need to pack a lunch and snack to last throughout my shift without becoming an asshole through hunger.

Here's what I got planned so far.
16oz of green juice (Spinach or Kale, ginger, apple, cucumber, parsley)

Snack:
1 cheesestick (various)
Veggie sticks (Carrots/broccoli)
Almonds

Entree:
Sandwich (WW bread, hummus, cheese, turkey, mixed greens with a light drizzle of EVOO)
WW poached chicken wrap (Lite caesar dressing with some greens)
Mixed green veggie with poached chicken drizzle of EVOO and lemon juice

I think I'll do a mix of that to last me throughout my shifts. Also going to have to do a 2 day split at the gym. My main objective is to lose weight. Here's what I have in mind for my workout:

Day 1:
Squat
Bench
Row
Curl

Day 2:
deadlift
shoulder press
pull ups
skull crushers

2 days at the gym in a 7 day period with cardio thrown in throughout the week.

[Timedog]

Oh, he meant deloading like changing the weight. Every rep? I thought it was some term I hadn't heard of describing letting the bar rest at the bottom so there was no spring/momentum. Guess I should skip to the deadlift section of Starting Strength, cause I've never heard of changing weights every rep of an exercise.

[jts]

Fucking calves. I didn't have any calf exercices on my program, last tuesday I tried some raises, I'm still so fucking sore 2 days after, can barely walk.

[gdt]

FUCK YES.

Just hit 1.5 miles in 16:22 (need to do 15:56). Not a big deal for some, I know, but huuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuge for me. Take my police exam on 5/14 and I'll be ready as fuck. Hit or alllllmost hit all the basic requirements.

[JB1981]

Timedog I would be careful walking with the weight you are deadlifting. I would be afraid of causing any twisting or torsion in your back, especially as the weight increases.

Yes. It's a low back injury waiting to happen.

[BradleyUK]

I want to lose 3 stone in weight I am currently at 12 stone and need to lose my belly. What fitness routine would be fasted one to take?

[kylej]

I want to lose 3 stone in weight I am currently at 12 stone and need to lose my belly. What fitness routine would be fasted one to take?

You just want raw weight loss without building muscle? 5/3/1, Stronglifts, Starting Strength, Blood & Guts, etc, etc will all make dramatic changes to your body. Clean up your diet, throw in some light or heavy cardio and lift heavy, won't take long.

If you just want to see the pounds drop and get super thin and lean, I'd imagine something like P90x or just outright running would be best. I lost 35lbs before I started lifting just by walking at night after work and some slight tweaks to my diet.

[The Int3rsect]

What do people think about rack pulls? I have a history of lower back problems (can't do deadlifts), and considering that rack pulls load from mid-knee cap, it'll put less stress on my lower back.