[M_Night]

Yeah, I assumed as much. Just was making sure. I would ballpark that activity just a shade below daily. No stomach pains, though. I agree with the rest and endorse your decision; see a doctor.

Downed a shake 30mins before bed last night and woke up in the morning with the pains so I won't be doing that again. No problems before I went to sleep so I'm sure that's the reason for them.

Time to also add a lot more fruit and veg to my daily diet starting tomorrow.

[Alienshogun]

Powerlifting progress is going to have to go on hold for me for a bit or at the least slow the F down.

I need to focus on my conditioning. So BBB is out for the time being. I'm either going to follow the NOV template now or the PL Conditioning template (although they are pretty much the same).

Sucks man, but I need to do this until I get a career. Then I can go back to focusing on strength. At least the bright side is I'm gonna get thin pretty quick, assuming I don't hurt myself running so much.

[grumble]

What's the stance on taking creatine on non-workout days? Recommended? If so, when during the day? Any time is fine?

Here's how creatine works.

It gets absorbed into your muscle cells slowly, and with consistent intake you should hit saturation after between 2-4 weeks. The implication here is that it doesn't have an acute effect; therefore we're more concerned with having it absorb over time and not with timing it for a good workout.

Some people like to take it with sugar with the idea that the insulin will help it absorb better. Not needed at all.

Some people will buy fizzy creatine under the same premise. Not needed.

Here's the easiest way. Get a mug, fill with hot water. Microwave or kettle. Add a big teaspoon of creatine. Stir 30 seconds until dissolved. Add a squirt of lemon. Drink. Do this every single day whenever you want.

First couple of days you might get slight nausea, but it passes. Then you're good to go.

[calza]

What's the stance on taking creatine on non-workout days? Recommended? If so, when during the day? Any time is fine?

You supplement creatine 5g daily...

[diamondstar]

Maybe it's time to stop trying to do both?

Oh I know but like I said it is only for this run, after that it will all be strength training. I just wanted to know if it affects people the same way or if I really sucked this bad at running.

Some days it's only 2-3 times daily, but it's not unusual for me to go 3-4 times daily.

Pretty much twice a day for me. But I am a nervous person and really can go anytime my stomach feels like it. I get way more nervous with shit (no pun intended) in my stomach. Would rather just get it out.

[Poindexter]

Questions for people gaining and increasing food intake. 1.How many times do you guys go to the toilet on a daily basis 2.Do you guys get frequent stomach aches and pains? I'm asking because I've been going to the toilet 3-4 times daily for over a month now and do worry a bit about it sometimes.

Are you eating clean? Eating a bunch of food with terrible nutrient content will make you shit more often. Whenever I have a cheat meal and I usually spend more time on the toilet than I do eating the food. But when I eat consistently clean it's 4 to 5 times a week.

[demon]

A little while ago someone posted an article or study about how Muscle Milk protein shakes have some bad shit in them. Can't remember any details. Anyone know anything about that?

[hawkshockey11]

Has anybody else gotten bad acne breakouts that line up with creatine usage. I know there is no reason it should cause it but I started getting bad acne on my face about 2 weeks after starting creatine so i stopped and 1 week later, I am back to normal.

[RBH]

A little while ago someone posted an article or study about how Muscle Milk protein shakes have some bad shit in them. Can't remember any details. Anyone know anything about that?

http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/m...ound/index.htm
http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/m...rink/index.htm

[Etrian Oddity]

Got back onto a weight training regimen. (Prior to this, I was just doing cardio.)

Doing a five-day split, with the goal to implement swimming each day as well (weights in morning, swim in evening). Weather has prohibited that, but it's the plan for summer.

Will keep this thread posted on my progress.

[M_Night]

Are you eating clean? Eating a bunch of food with terrible nutrient content will make you shit more often. Whenever I have a cheat meal and I usually spend more time on the toilet than I do eating the food. But when I eat consistently clean it's 4 to 5 times a week.

Honestly? No.

If we're out of fresh chicken I will resort to frozen chicken breast and as stated before, not enough fruit and veg either. It sucks not living within walking distance of any convenience stores.

Going to change this tomorrow since it's really unpleasant going that often during the day.

[The Chef]

Here's how creatine works. It gets absorbed into your muscle cells slowly, and with consistent intake you should hit saturation after between 2-4 weeks. The implication here is that it doesn't have an acute effect; therefore we're more concerned with having it absorb over time and not with timing it for a good workout. Some people like to take it with sugar with the idea that the insulin will help it absorb better. Not needed at all. Some people will buy fizzy creatine under the same premise. Not needed. Here's the easiest way. Get a mug, fill with hot water. Microwave or kettle. Add a big teaspoon of creatine. Stir 30 seconds until dissolved. Add a squirt of lemon. Drink. Do this every single day whenever you want. First couple of days you might get slight nausea, but it passes. Then you're good to go.

Thanks for the info.

[Poindexter]

Honestly? No. If we're out of fresh chicken I will resort to frozen chicken breast and as stated before, not enough fruit and veg either. It sucks not living within walking distance of any convenience stores. Going to change this tomorrow since it's really unpleasant going that often during the day.

Eh. Frozen chicken breast might not be the best choice but it's far from what I would consider the typical shitty meal. I'm talking more like someone eating frozen popcorn chicken or fast food and looking solely at the amount of protein they're getting. Packing in calories any way you can.

You should buy in bulk and freeze. That's what I do. I have like 15 lbs of chicken thighs sitting in my freezer lulz

[Petrie]

You should buy in bulk and freeze. That's what I do. I have like 15 lbs of chicken thighs sitting in my freezer lulz

Same. There's at least 12lbs of boneless skinless chicken breasts frozen right now, probably more.

[balddemon]

Alright. Plan. Trying this 4 day split. Trying to get cut.

Monday - Shoulders/Triceps
Tuesday - Back
Wednesday - Hella cardio (jump roping, HIIT, distance, etc)
Thursday - Chest/Biceps
Friday - Legs
Saturday - light cardio
Sunday - off

Meals -
Breakfast - Plain Greek Yogurt, Oatmeal, Fruit, Nuts
Gym
Protein Shake
Lunch - umm what should I eat here? Sandwiches without bread or mayo?
Snack - Nuts, Flavored Yogurt, or Fruit
Dinner - Whatever Mom makes. It's healthy. Like tonight is chicken, salad, broccoli and some other shit of which I will not be partaking.


Comments/Suggestions? I'm wide open.

[diamondstar]

Eh. Frozen chicken breast might not be the best choice but it's far from what I would consider the typical shitty meal. I'm talking more like someone eating frozen popcorn chicken or fast food and looking solely at the amount of protein they're getting. Packing in calories any way you can. You should buy in bulk and freeze. That's what I do. I have like 15 lbs of chicken thighs sitting in my freezer lulz

You are talking about the pre-cooked frozen ones right? I usually buy the bag of frozen chicken breast that still is raw. That's cool right?

[BumRush]

You are talking about the pre-cooked frozen ones right? I usually buy the bag of frozen chicken breast that still is raw. That's cool right?

Assuming you don't load up with unhealthy sauces, yes, the chicken alone is very good for you!!

[mr2xxx]

Restarted working out doing starting strength after close to a year layoff. I only lost around 3 or 4 lbs in a month by cutting out the late night snacks and sugary drinks. A little disappointed with that number but the number is deceptive because my clothing fits much more loose and I look slimmer. I'll post pictures in 3 weeks to make it two full months of working out to see if its in my head or not. Another plus is I regained the most of my strength from a year ago in a month which is surprising to me.

Right now my diet isn't strict but I would guess i would avg. 2000 calories a day. Not really in cutting or bulking mode but i'll probably start taking the diet seriously when I eventually plateau. But for now I feel good and its real easy for me.

For supplements I'm taking protein ,creatine, caffeine and ephedra from Bronkaid. Not sure this type of ephedra has the same effects of the stuff I took in hydroxycut nearly a decade ago because I don't really feel that boost in energy but it works great as a appetite suppressant so I'll continue to take it.

[M_Night]

Eh. Frozen chicken breast might not be the best choice but it's far from what I would consider the typical shitty meal. I'm talking more like someone eating frozen popcorn chicken or fast food and looking solely at the amount of protein they're getting. Packing in calories any way you can. You should buy in bulk and freeze. That's what I do. I have like 15 lbs of chicken thighs sitting in my freezer lulz

Unfortunately it's this stuff.

[Poindexter]

Unfortunately it's this stuff.

Ooooh. Yeah, nvm. Buy packs of chicken thighs or breasts and just freeze it. It's much cheaper. 5 lbs of chicken thighs for 5 bucks in my area. That lasts 5 days of dinner for me.

You are talking about the pre-cooked frozen ones right? I usually buy the bag of frozen chicken breast that still is raw. That's cool right?

The raw ones are perfectly fine! At that point it's more of a taste issue IMO. But there is nothing wrong with them nutrient wise. But if you don't care about the taste difference, then you're absolutely fine.

[FallingEdge]

Ooooh. Yeah, nvm. Buy packs of chicken thighs or breasts and just freeze it. It's much cheaper. 5 lbs of chicken thighs for 5 bucks in my area. That lasts 5 days of dinner for me. The raw ones are perfectly fine! At that point it's more of a taste issue IMO. But there is nothing wrong with them nutrient wise. But if you don't care about the taste difference, then you're absolutely fine.

WTF. 5 lbs for 5 bux? I pay around 12 for 3-4 lbs =(

[Mr. Fix]

If I'm looking to gain weight, what ratio of protein to carbs and fat should I be aiming for? Will 40-30-30 work?

[diamondstar]

http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/m...ound/index.htm http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/m...rink/index.htm

Damn that worries me. Mine is not listed so I have no idea if it is bad or not. I use Precision Engineered Whey Isolate from Vitamin World. So far I am pretty satisfied with it. Guess I just have to cross my fingers and hope for the best!

[OG Kush]

Alright. Plan. Trying this 4 day split. Trying to get cut. Monday - Shoulders/Triceps Tuesday - Back Wednesday - Hella cardio (jump roping, HIIT, distance, etc) Thursday - Chest/Biceps Friday - Legs Saturday - light cardio Sunday - off Meals - Breakfast - Plain Greek Yogurt, Oatmeal, Fruit, Nuts Gym Protein Shake Lunch - umm what should I eat here? Sandwiches without bread or mayo? Snack - Nuts, Flavored Yogurt, or Fruit Dinner - Whatever Mom makes. It's healthy. Like tonight is chicken, salad, broccoli and some other shit of which I will not be partaking. Comments/Suggestions? I'm wide open.

I think you should put back and biceps together as a lot of back and bicep exercises are pulling exercises so they complement each other really nicely. Also if you want, add some eggs to breakfast instead of the fruits for some added protein. Lunch get some protein in as well, maybe tuna, chicken, sandwich or salad or protein with vegetables. Depening on prefernce and goals.

[Petrie]

I think you should put back and biceps together as a lot of back and bicep exercises are pulling exercises so they complement each other really nicely. Also if you want, add some eggs to breakfast instead of the fruits for some added protein. Lunch get some protein in as well, maybe tuna, chicken, sandwich or salad or protein with vegetables. Depening on prefernce and goals.

He is right. Chest/biceps doesn't make sense. Biceps and back are hit by the same lifts in most cases, so you will end up over training your biceps. A back/bis and chest/tris split would be much better.

[demon]

http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/m...ound/index.htm http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/m...rink/index.htm

I assume a dash means it was an untraceable amount, and not that they were just unable to test for it? I just bought a 2lb jug of Six Star for $18.

[DiatribeEQ]

Help me fix my weight loss setup please. I've hit a zero weight loss situation....ugh

I'm 38, male and was massively overweight when I started to eat right & hit the gym (305lbs start weight). Over the last 3 months, I've slowly shed 45lbs and really increased my strength. But the last 3 weeks, I've had zero weight loss. Not a single drop. My daily caloric intake hasn't changed, while my physical output has actually INCREASED. What gives? An example of my normal daily food:

(often times I'm unable to get breakfast, so it's normally skipped)

Lunch: 1-6" Subway sub on Wheat Tuna, toasted. Plain
Dinner: 1 skinless chicken breast, small assortment of veggies

If I need a snack, I'll eat a protean bar or a handful of almonds.

I've removed all drinks that aren't water (no tea, no pop, ect) and only consume juice as part of my pre-workout drink for the creatine. I've eliminated all outside salt that's not already part of the food (i.e. I don't add any salt) to my meals.

For my exercises, my splits are similar to what the general stereotypical muscle building splits and I add in cardio at the end with me on the treadmill for a 30-40 minute period, burning another 300-400 calories.

What am I doing wrong here? I'm gaining strength, yes, so those results are still coming in. But the weightloss aspect? Nothing.

[grumble]

Help me fix my weight loss setup please. I've hit a zero weight loss situation....ugh I'm 38, male and was massively overweight when I started to eat right & hit the gym (305lbs start weight). Over the last 3 months, I've slowly shed 45lbs and really increased my strength. But the last 3 weeks, I've had zero weight loss. Not a single drop. My daily caloric intake hasn't changed, while my physical output has actually INCREASED. What gives? An example of my normal daily food: (often times I'm unable to get breakfast, so it's normally skipped) Lunch: 1-6" Subway sub on Wheat Tuna, toasted. Plain Dinner: 1 skinless chicken breast, small assortment of veggies If I need a snack, I'll eat a protean bar or a handful of almonds. I've removed all drinks that aren't water (no tea, no pop, ect) and only consume juice as part of my pre-workout drink for the creatine. I've eliminated all outside salt that's not already part of the food (i.e. I don't add any salt) to my meals. For my exercises, my splits are similar to what the general stereotypical muscle building splits and I add in cardio at the end with me on the treadmill for a 30-40 minute period, burning another 300-400 calories. What am I doing wrong here? I'm gaining strength, yes, so those results are still coming in. But the weightloss aspect? Nothing.

First off, your diet is very low calorie and low fat. Be careful. Consider a slight increase, both for your sanity and long-term adherence and for your metabolism to recover a bit.

Second, if your strength is still going up dramatically then you might be putting on more muscle under that flab. A good thing! It means you're losing fat and you'll have a decent body when you lose the weight. You're interested in fat loss, not weight loss right?

As an aside, the issue with counting cardio as burning calories is that it's usually partially offset by people being more sedentary throughout the day ('i've done my work for the day', or 'i'm tired and not up for walking around the store', etc). Just a word of warning for the excel spreadsheet micromanager in all of us.

Keep at it. Plateaus happen. Eventually caloric deficits ALWAYS win.

[Piecake]

Help me fix my weight loss setup please. I've hit a zero weight loss situation....ugh I'm 38, male and was massively overweight when I started to eat right & hit the gym (305lbs start weight). Over the last 3 months, I've slowly shed 45lbs and really increased my strength. But the last 3 weeks, I've had zero weight loss. Not a single drop. My daily caloric intake hasn't changed, while my physical output has actually INCREASED. What gives? An example of my normal daily food: (often times I'm unable to get breakfast, so it's normally skipped) Lunch: 1-6" Subway sub on Wheat Tuna, toasted. Plain Dinner: 1 skinless chicken breast, small assortment of veggies If I need a snack, I'll eat a protean bar or a handful of almonds. I've removed all drinks that aren't water (no tea, no pop, ect) and only consume juice as part of my pre-workout drink for the creatine. I've eliminated all outside salt that's not already part of the food (i.e. I don't add any salt) to my meals. For my exercises, my splits are similar to what the general stereotypical muscle building splits and I add in cardio at the end with me on the treadmill for a 30-40 minute period, burning another 300-400 calories. What am I doing wrong here? I'm gaining strength, yes, so those results are still coming in. But the weightloss aspect? Nothing.

well, you could be losing fat and gaining muscle.

As for your diet, you dont seem to be eating a whole lot. I cant imagine that is sustainable. Im a huge advocate of the primal/paleo diet (no grain no sugar, more fat and protein) So switching to that is always an option. basically, youd dump the subway, the juice, and the protein bar (well, depending on the brand - lot of protein bars suck) and start eating less boring food.

check out http://www.marksdailyapple.com/#axzz1uNTydL6L

if you are interested. Worked for me, and im really not that strict about it at all (Love me some dairy and fruit, which are both allowed, but probably not in the quantities that i eat them in)

[ezrarh]

In addition to what has already been said, if you're doing too much activity and your caloric deficit is too much, it can hurt fat loss. Basically, too much stress and release of cortisol can increase water retention and affect your metabolism.

[X-Frame]

Since I'm in California on business with food expenses paid for I went out and bought some salmon and strip steaks. Came home to cook the steak and the fire alarm went off and the room was barely smoking. Oops!

[demon]

Help me fix my weight loss setup please. I've hit a zero weight loss situation....ugh I'm 38, male and was massively overweight when I started to eat right & hit the gym (305lbs start weight). Over the last 3 months, I've slowly shed 45lbs and really increased my strength. But the last 3 weeks, I've had zero weight loss. Not a single drop. My daily caloric intake hasn't changed, while my physical output has actually INCREASED. What gives? An example of my normal daily food: (often times I'm unable to get breakfast, so it's normally skipped) Lunch: 1-6" Subway sub on Wheat Tuna, toasted. Plain Dinner: 1 skinless chicken breast, small assortment of veggies If I need a snack, I'll eat a protean bar or a handful of almonds. I've removed all drinks that aren't water (no tea, no pop, ect) and only consume juice as part of my pre-workout drink for the creatine. I've eliminated all outside salt that's not already part of the food (i.e. I don't add any salt) to my meals. For my exercises, my splits are similar to what the general stereotypical muscle building splits and I add in cardio at the end with me on the treadmill for a 30-40 minute period, burning another 300-400 calories. What am I doing wrong here? I'm gaining strength, yes, so those results are still coming in. But the weightloss aspect? Nothing.

That probably isn't the smartest diet to have, but the fact that you've kept at it like this shows that you have the commitment and will power to achieve your long-term goals and that's what's ultimately important. Just don't be afraid of eating, lol.

[Veezy]

He is right. Chest/biceps doesn't make sense. Biceps and back are hit by the same lifts in most cases, so you will end up over training your biceps. A back/bis and chest/tris split would be much better.

I train my biceps on my chest day, as I prefer them to be fresh for my curls. Currently, I do:

Chest/bi/Abs (Bench day)
Quads/Hams/Glutes/Calves (Squat Day)
Shoulders/Tri/Abs (Press day)
Back/Traps/Forams (deadlifts day)

With arms, so long as you don't train them in a way that they impact your other groups, it shouldn't hurt things too much. Then again, I'm not a body building expert, but I do have nice arms. Dat peak, come climb it.

[Houston3000]

Hey everyone

So I joined a gym and started exercising a couple of months ago (late February/early March). I wanted to post some before/after photos and maybe get some advice on how to focus my workouts so I can get the results I want more effectively.

Before pics basically shows some progress of weight loss before starting at the gym. I lost the weight naturally when I moved to New York without doing anything special but seeing the weight come off kind of motivated me to bulk up a tiny bit. The after pics are just what I've done in the last two months, it's probably not as much progress as you're all used to seeing but my workout "routine" is all over the place (also apologies to your eyes :P).

Before 01 ||| Before 02 ||| Before 03 ||| Before 04

After (Arms) ||| After (Back) ||| After (Chest/Stomach)

Very recently (week or two ago) I started jogging regularly. I run for 30 minutes for roughly 3 miles per day now. Besides that I lift weights every other day, been working out my arms and back since I started and about two weeks ago started doing Chest Presses and Flies - still waiting to see any major progress though as you can see from my photo. I also just started working in a regimen of pull-ups and push-ups into my workouts. I'm TERRIBLE at sit-ups and ab exercises, I can use the ab curl machine but some people tell me not to do it with weights and just do resistance for abs - I just really want to get rid of the stomach flab. I do regularly fit in Cable Twists and Standing Side Crunches for obliques at least.

If anyone has some general advice looking at my pictures on how they would focus their exercises it would be greatly appreciated. If not some words of encouragement or, more likely, criticisms are welcome.

[ant3b]

Had a good arm session on wednesday.

I was proper pumped.

Also helped I got some good sleep and plenty of food.

warmed up on.

tricep push downs
and bicep machine

3 sets of both

then moved on to close grip bench press

10x 60kgs
10x 65kgs
8x 70kgs

Was fair chuffed with that.

Moved on to bicep ex curls

10 x 22.5 kgs
10 x 27.5kgs
6 x 30kgs

Wasnt to impressed

moved to tri-cep dips

10x body weight dips
10x body weight dips
10 x 16kg kettle bell

I really should up it on that

standing bar bells curls

10 x 15kgs
10 x 20kgs
4 x 25 kgs

Tricep rope pull downs for outer head

10 x 22kgs
10 x 32kgs
4 x 40kgs

cable bicep curls straight bar

10 x 15kgs
10 x 22kgs
5x 26kgs

finished on some more bodyweight dips


Was very pumped and couldnt touch my shoulder which means good work out ;)

Yes my triceps are freaky strong :/

[calza]

Hey everyone So I joined a gym and started exercising a couple of months ago (late February/early March). I wanted to post some before/after photos and maybe get some advice on how to focus my workouts so I can get the results I want more effectively. Before pics basically shows some progress of weight loss before starting at the gym. I lost the weight naturally when I moved to New York without doing anything special but seeing the weight come off kind of motivated me to bulk up a tiny bit. The after pics are just what I've done in the last two months, it's probably not as much progress as you're all used to seeing but my workout "routine" is all over the place (also apologies to your eyes :P). Before 01 ||| Before 02 ||| Before 03 ||| Before 04 After (Arms) ||| After (Back) ||| After (Chest/Stomach) Very recently (week or two ago) I started jogging regularly. I run for 30 minutes for roughly 3 miles per day now. Besides that I lift weights every other day, been working out my arms and back since I started and about two weeks ago started doing Chest Presses and Flies - still waiting to see any major progress though as you can see from my photo. I also just started working in a regimen of pull-ups and push-ups into my workouts. I'm TERRIBLE at sit-ups and ab exercises, I can use the ab curl machine but some people tell me not to do it with weights and just do resistance for abs - I just really want to get rid of the stomach flab. I do regularly fit in Cable Twists and Standing Side Crunches for obliques at least. If anyone has some general advice looking at my pictures on how they would focus their exercises it would be greatly appreciates. If not some words of encouragement or, more likely, criticisms are welcome.

Have you tried planks? They are a really good ab exercise.

About your stomach flab, you will just have to lose fat in general all over your body, you cannot spot reduce fat no matter how many exercises you do in that region.

What program have you been doing? Have you looked at Starting Strength/Strong Lifts/Greyskull LP?

[Piecake]

Have you tried planks? They are a really good ab exercise. About your stomach flab, you will just have to lose fat in general all over your body, you cannot spot reduce fat no matter how many exercises you do in that region. What program have you been doing? Have you looked at Starting Strength/Strong Lifts/Greyskull LP?

Yea, planks are a much better ab exercise than sit ups. Bending your spine for sit ups isnt a real good idea.

as for flab, diet will be a quicker option to get rid of that than lifting or cardio (assuming that your diet is not that good) Combining lifting and diet is obviously the best

[ant3b]

Yea, planks are a much better ab exercise than sit ups. Bending your spine for sit ups isnt a real good idea. as for flab, diet will be a quicker option to get rid of that than lifting or cardio (assuming that your diet is not that good) Combining lifting and diet is obviously the best

Get a gym ball and do a plank even better :)

Even better still get a gym ball do the plank on it and do small circles with your arms.

This will stimulate your abs to an extent you have never felt before

[Poindexter]

WTF. 5 lbs for 5 bux? I pay around 12 for 3-4 lbs =(

Goddamn! I do my shopping at Kroger's or Randall's (Safeway). It's usually with skin and bone. The biggest bone I've ever found was 1.5 oz's and the skin is usually 1 to 1.5 oz. So I'd say there's usually an extra lb or so I remove. But yeah, I genereally pay 5-6 bucks for 5-6 lbs of chicken thighs (skin and bone included). That's why I eat it so much :(

[Eschaton]

Very recently (week or two ago) I started jogging regularly. I run for 30 minutes for roughly 3 miles per day now. Besides that I lift weights every other day, been working out my arms and back since I started and about two weeks ago started doing Chest Presses and Flies - still waiting to see any major progress though as you can see from my photo. I also just started working in a regimen of pull-ups and push-ups into my workouts. I'm TERRIBLE at sit-ups and ab exercises, I can use the ab curl machine but some people tell me not to do it with weights and just do resistance for abs - I just really want to get rid of the stomach flab. I do regularly fit in Cable Twists and Standing Side Crunches for obliques at least. If anyone has some general advice looking at my pictures on how they would focus their exercises it would be greatly appreciates. If not some words of encouragement or, more likely, criticisms are welcome.

I highly highly highly recommend you read Pavel tsatsouline's naked warrior for any advancements in calisthenics, paul wade's convict conditioning is also good for safely progressing in calisthenics.

if youre just trying to get abs, honestly that is more of a function of BF% than abdominal muscle development and a lot of that is diet. Keep in mind you can't "spot reduce" fat. Anecdotally I thought that i gained more abdominal 'tone' when i was training compound lifts like deadlift, squat, bench etc. I dont put a lot of faith in isolation exercises for that.

[Enco]

Grated cheese makes tuna so much better.

[Khal_B]

Speaking of tuna, is there a limit as to the amount I can safely eat? It's really convenient and I enjoy it but recently I was reading about mercury poisoning so I've been a bit worried.

[Poindexter]

I hope not. I eat at least 10 cans of tuna a week.

[cameltoe]

stick with chunk light tuna as it has the least amount of mercury....stay away from albacore!

[Trey]

stick with chunk light tuna as it has the least amount of mercury....stay away from albacore!

But albacore is so much tastier than chunk light. I buy five cans per week of tuna for a 4:1 ration between chunk light and albacore though, so I doubt I'm chewing on a thermometer if what you say is true.

[FallingEdge]

Goddamn! I do my shopping at Kroger's or Randall's (Safeway). It's usually with skin and bone. The biggest bone I've ever found was 1.5 oz's and the skin is usually 1 to 1.5 oz. So I'd say there's usually an extra lb or so I remove. But yeah, I genereally pay 5-6 bucks for 5-6 lbs of chicken thighs (skin and bone included). That's why I eat it so much :(

Damn. And I shop at Safeway too! However, I get the boneless, skinless chicken breast. So I'm sure that makes a difference.

Powerlifting progress is going to have to go on hold for me for a bit or at the least slow the F down. I need to focus on my conditioning. So BBB is out for the time being. I'm either going to follow the NOV template now or the PL Conditioning template (although they are pretty much the same). Sucks man, but I need to do this until I get a career. Then I can go back to focusing on strength. At least the bright side is I'm gonna get thin pretty quick, assuming I don't hurt myself running so much.

What's NOV or PL?

[Luscious LeftFoot]

I train my biceps on my chest day, as I prefer them to be fresh for my curls. Currently, I do: Chest/bi/Abs (Bench day) Quads/Hams/Glutes/Calves (Squat Day) Shoulders/Tri/Abs (Press day) Back/Traps/Forams (deadlifts day) With arms, so long as you don't train them in a way that they impact your other groups, it shouldn't hurt things too much. Then again, I'm not a body building expert, but I do have nice arms. Dat peak, come climb it.

Yeah I don't see anything wrong with matching bicep/chest triceps/back. Also the term "overtraining" is thrown around way too much.

[Petrie]

Yeah I don't see anything wrong with matching bicep/chest triceps/back. Also the term "overtraining" is thrown around way too much.

If nothing else its being very inefficient.

[MjFrancis]

What's NOV or PL?

Two separate templates of 5/3/1 assistance work.

N.O.V. Template

Monday:  Standing military press, 5/3/1 sets/reps  2–3 assistance lifts  Hard conditioning Tuesday:  Deadlift, 5/3/1 sets/reps  2–3 assistance lifts  Hard conditioning Thursday:  Bench press, 5/3/1 sets/reps  2–3 assistance lifts  Hard conditioning Friday:  Squat, 5/3/1 sets/reps  2–3 assistance lifts  Hard conditioning

and the more specific Powerlifting Off-season Conditiioning Template:

Monday  Morning conditioning (optional), hard (Prowler work, hill sprints, stadium stairs)  Military press, 5/3/1 sets/reps (each set of military presses should be supersetted with chin-ups or lat pull-downs)  Dumbbell shoulder press, 3 sets of 10 reps  Barbell curls, 3 sets of 10 reps  Conditioning, hard (Prowler work, hill sprints, stadium stairs) Tuesday  Morning conditioning (optional), easy  Deadlift, 5/3/1 sets/reps  Good morning, 3 sets of 10 reps  Abdominal wheel, 4 sets of 12 reps  Conditioning, hard (Prowler work, hill sprints, stadium stairs) Thursday  Morning conditioning (optional), hard (Prowler work, hill sprints, stadium stairs)  Bench press, 5/3/1 sets/reps (each set of bench presses should be supersetted with chin-ups or lat pull-downs)  Dumbbell bench press, 3 sets of 10 reps  Chest supported rows, 3 sets of 12 reps  Conditioning, hard (Prowler work, hill sprints, stadium stairs) Friday  Morning conditioning (optional), easy  Squat, 5/3/1 sets/reps  Leg press, 3 sets of 10 reps  Hanging leg raises, 3 sets of 10 reps  Conditioning, hard (Prowler work, hill sprints, stadium stairs)

Written out like that, they look more or less the same, with the latter being more specific and with morning conditioning sessions as well. But I'll be damned if there's not a fuckload of cardio in the PL Conditioning template!

[FallingEdge]

Two separate templates of 5/3/1 assistance work. N.O.V. Template and the more specific Powerlifting Off-season Conditiioning Template:

Is this in the 5/3/1 book? Because I don't remember reading that at all.