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[Anton Sugar]

Thanks for the contributions: lil smoke (logo), perryfarrell (nutrition advice), maharg (super mod hack skills), MjFrancis (bodyweight info)

OT1: Official Fitness Thread of Whipping Your Butt into Shape
OT2: Official Fitness Thread of Triceps Kickbacks, Swiss Ball Squats, and Testosterdrama

Google+ Users: please comment on this post from my profile, so others can add you to their circle

Choosing a Program: The Novice
In my opinion, all novices should choose a proven program used by folks similar to them--untrained, unfamiliar, and with bodies "adapted to inactivity" as Mark Rippetoe has said. It has to be a PROVEN program--one that has worked for other drug-free beginners. I like routines that have been time tested as being effective.

The most IMPORTANT part of choosing a program is to figure out what you want. You need a goal. For some, this is specific: "I want to increase my bench by 50 lbs. this year" "I want to gain an 1" on my biceps in 9 months" "I want to lower my bodyfat 5% in a year" "I want to increase my 400 in 3 months".

In my opinion, the more specific the goal, the better. However, as a beginner, you may not really know what you want. Therefore, make it easy, and try to focus your goal on something simple at first:

• Strength
• Size
• Fat Loss
• Specific Skill/Sport Application

Obviously, there can be overlap, but focus on one and use the other as a secondary goal. From here, you can really start to figure out what you want to do, and it will help us here (or anyone anywhere else) get an idea of what you need.

Requesting GAF's Help
READ THE ENTIRE OP FIRST BEFORE REQUESTING HELP
If you are going to request a routine or advice on a routine, please READ THE ENTIRE OP and then use this template:

• Age:
• Height:
• Weight:
• Goal:
• Current Training Schedule:
• Current Training Equipment Available:
• Comments:

DID YOU READ THE OP YET

Beginner Q&A
Q: I don't want to get big bulky muscles, I want lean muscles. I should do light weight and high reps, right?
A: Do not be afraid of lifting weights. You will not magically sprout muscles overnight. You will not get huge overnight. Muscle does not grow "leaner" or "bulkier": it just grows (not completely true, but the difference between sarcoplasmic and myofibrillar growth is NOT what beginners are concerned with). It is HARD to get HUGE. It does not happen by accident, except a very select few genetic freaks or hormonally enhanced freaks. Lifting weights will aid you in ANY goal: losing weight (raises resting metabolic rate and you don't look like a heap of skin after you lose major weight), gaining weight (combined with proper diet, lifting heavy compound lifts frequently will make you grow), or maintaining weight (weight lifting can be tailored to those not wishing to gain any weight, but still wishing to maintain or increase strength).

Q: I want to tone my muscles. I should do light weight and high reps, right?
A: Tone is the product of low bodyfat, aka DIET. The less bodyfat on your body, the more definition your muscles will have. The way you train a muscle will not influence the surrounding fat; high repetitions will increase muscular endurance and lactic resistance, but does not equal more "tone". Oddly enough, high-intensity (intensity is measured in % of your 1RM) weight training has more of an effect on a muscle's feel and appearance than low-intensity weight training:

From the book Practical Programming:

The modern fitness industry's concept of "toning" muscles is specious--it might sound cool, but it lacks any tangible and definable meaning. The term "muscle tone" or tonus describes an electrophysiological phenomenon, a measure of ionic flow across muscle cell membranes. It can be thought of as the muscle's readiness to do anaerobic work. The more fit the muscle, the more electrophysiological activity it exhibits at rest. Lack of exercise leads to poor tone, aerobic exercise improves tone a little bit, low-intensity weight training improves tone more, and high-intensity training improves tone the fastest. As a test, go poke the traps or quads of an elite weightlifter at rest, if she'll let you. They'll be hard as rock. The same muscles of an elite road cyclist as rest will be firm, but not hard. Then compare the athletes' muscle tone to that of a sedentary person. The results will be quite enlightening. Most exercise programs that claim to improve muscle tone are actually lower-intensity hypertrophy programs and are only moderately effective for improving muscle tone. If "tone" is the goal, strength is the method.

Q: My workout buddy says the new issue of Men's Health has the perfect routine. Why didn't you tell me about this?
A: A few things to go over here and the first that there is no perfect routine. It doesn't exist. Everyone has different goals, different bodies, and thus different needs. While many of us on GAF (and anyone else) are adamant about "the best" routines, they work for some, and not for others.
HOWEVER...there are a few rules:

• Specificity of routine increases as experience and recovery ability increase. Broad routines work well for beginners but not for the upper 1% of the weight training community. Therefore, there are a few key principles of routines that work for the beginner-intermediate, which makes up the majority (probably around 80%) of the weight training community:
• -Compound lifts. Squats, deadlifts, presses, rows, pullups, and olympic movements are best
• -Rep range of 3 to 8, depending on goals. 5 is the magic number for strength and size
• Rest. 8-10 hours of sleep per night; your body begins repairing 45-60 minutes after falling asleep and continues throughout deep sleep. This is why 8-10 hours of good sleep is better than 3 hours at a time
• Fuel your body. Your body needs water to complete ALL biological processes, and as far as good goes, if your body is in a state of disrepair from lifting and you do not have the resources to begin recovery, you will not get bigger or stronger. You must recover! This is just as important as lifting itself

Those are some basics. Beginners have the amazing divine ability to essentially grow on ANY routine--and this is where a large source of information comes from. You will get beginners who have just been doing pushups and crunches and say, "I look fucking jacked now! It's all you need to do!" or, "All I've been doing is curls and bench! You got your tickets?" And they stay like that. But they are more than willing to dispense this advice out to others as "working". Why? Because
A)They found something that works (even if it only worked for a few weeks)! They're smart!
B)They don't know any better and are probably too lazy or arrogant to try anything else.
That's the problem, is that because a beginner will grow on ANY routine (full body, split, isolation, calisthenics, etc.), they think it legitimizes that routine. The good routines are the ones that work year in and year out with only modifications within the program. After you stop being able to make workout to workout progress (and the day WILL come), you are an intermediate and need to reevaluate how you are training.
There are always ways to modify how you're training and nothing is perfect. I recommend 5 sets of 5 reps for size and strength, but if you only do 1-2 sets of 5 reps, you probably won't grow that much, though you may get stronger depending on the frequency of your workouts. Whereas some people use 1-3 rep range for pure strength, others may gain size AND strength if they do many sets of it. 8 reps is generally great for size, but hey, if you're getting stronger, fucking A! Good for you!
Once you reach an intermediate level, you've got to stop letting yourself be spoon fed information from the media and others--it's time to stand on your own two legs.

Q: So the latest issue of FLEX has this dude that is bigger and stronger than anyone on GAF doing a 1 bodypart-a-day weight training routine. What you got on this?
A: I have a problem with isolation routines. As I said before, anything will work with beginners and there are always exceptions; but isolation routines saw their rise in direct correlation to the usage of steroids. Modern day professional bodybuilding is a joke due to steroid use. Steroids have an incredible effect on the recovery and work capacity on a normal person--growth HAPPENS. This is not to say that steroid use is a fast ticket to getting huge--hard work is still necessary--but the spectrum of what you can do and use to grow widens. The truth is that many modern bodybuilders and the bodybuilding mags that endorse them are supported by the supplement industry (and yes, this includes steroids and other anabolic enhancers). When a source of information is influenced by the makers of a product, credibility goes down the shitter.
Isolation routines do not work nearly as well as full body and/or compound lifts for the majority of the lifting population (novice and intermediate levels). There is not enough cumulative stress on the body as a whole to induce strength and growth. In addition, isolation exercises do not encourage the body to work well as a whole--you'll function more as a "collection" of bodyparts moreso than one well put together being. Full body exercises and routines give greater hormonal release, teach your body coordination and mechanical awareness, strengthen the tendons and ligaments connecting your tissue and bones, and work many of the smaller supportive muscles. Isolation exercises do have their place and are not "useless"--but they should not be the foundation of a routine.

Q: The routine I am on right now never gives me a "burn" and I rarely get sore the next day. My pilates instructor told me that I must not be working the muscle right. What gives?
A:A "burn" (the result of lactic acid building up in the muscle) and getting sore (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS), which is still not fully understood) are never an indication of a good workout. Let's take these things one at a time:

• "Burn"-People love the burn and it is usually associated with high reps (USUALLY, though multiple sets of low reps can have the same cumulative effect). There are many reasons for this--it lets them know they are "working" the muscle, thus providing direct feedback into how they must be working out the right way, it gives them "the pump" afterwards, etc. But a burn is not necessary for a workout to be effective and you should NOT obsess over it. The burn is usually (and hopefully, as a burn related to muscle tearing is not a good burn) the result of lactic acid buildup. You CAN train your body to become more resistant to this (although "resistant" should be called "efficient", as "lactic acid" is actually a fuel). I believe I read somewhere that Lance Armstrong experiences VERY little lactic acid "buildup", as he able to utilize it more efficiently, and he is an elite level athlete. Lactic acid does NOT make you strong, make you look better, or decrease your bodyfat. As I stated before, lactic acid is a fuel and important to a muscle's production, but only when it's production is "maintained"; once its production goes over a threshold, it hinders a muscle's performance. This is different for every individual--you are probably going to hit your threshold before Lance Armstrong is.
• "Pump"-The pump is simply an increase of blood flow to a muscle do to muscular stimulation. Someone could bench 300 for a few reps and not experience ANY pump, and yet they may do 50 pushups and get a great pump. Which is a better indicator of strength? High intensity/low rep exercise does not provide an adequate time frame for blood to flow to the area and "swell" the muscle. Here, think about this: bodybuilders will pump weight behind stage in order to give their muscles a better look, fuller, more "body". That's about the extent of usefulness of a pump.
• DOMS-Muscle soreness occurs 1-3 days after a particular exercise and is still not fully understood. Regardless, some people spontaneously combust if they do not get sore after a workout. After all, they read that working out breaks down a muscle and it is repaired on the days they have off, so the muscle soreness must be their broken down muscle repairing itself...right? Now the running theory is that soreness is more related to the type of muscular contraction you are performing. Eccentric movements (the "negative") have been known to cause more DOMS. But wait...all you are doing is lowering the weight. If DOMS is an indicator of a good workout, shouldn't all we be doing is negatives? Doesn't make much sense, does it? You can train heavy, get stronger, and get bigger and experience only minor DOMS. There is nothing wrong with this. The fact of the matter is that DOMS is largely misunderstood. It was once thought to actually be related to lactic acid, which is now known as false. It could be related to the muscle tears/breakdown that exercise causes; it could be related to the actually recovery process, as the body floods the muscles and causes them to swell slightly, increasing pressure on the tissue and nerves in the area. Regardless, DOMS does not have a DIRECT effect on how good your workout is--more often than not, it is an indicator of adaptation or being untrained in a particular movement. It would be best to regard it as that and never be afraid to train through soreness--if anything, the blood flow to the muscle will help loosen it and aid in recovery. Just be sure to warm up and stretch out the tightness.

 

[Anton Sugar]

Sets & Reps-An Explanation in Regards to Goals
Here is a great chart taken from the Starting Strength wiki, which is meant to be a companion to Starting Strength:

And there you go. This really is the best explanation of repetitions that I could find and sums it up better than I can explain. For information directly related to this, read the next section on "Muscular Hypertrophy".

Muscular Hypertrophy
Not all hypertrophy is created equal, and no, I'm not talking about building "lean" muscle and building "bulky" muscle. A more apt (but still terribly simplified) comparison is "functional/dense" vs. "superficial/bloated".

• Sarcoplasmic Hypertrophy-This is an increase in the sarcoplasm in the muscle. Sarcoplasm is NON-CONTRACTILE TISSUE, but accounts for roughly 30% of the size of the muscle. In increasing sarcoplasm, you are actually DECREASING the muscle's contractile fiber density, resulting in less power/strength output across the muscle area. As you can see from the chart, from 10-12 reps and up is when sarcoplasmic hypertrophy comes into play. This is probably the type of "muscle-building" that bodybuilders get a rep for "all show and no go". However, it is not completely useless--simply being bigger in a chosen sport can have it's advantages and building size can help provide a better foundation for increasing your strength (the larger the cross-sectional area of a muscle, the greater it's potential for strength)
• Myofibrillar Hypertrophy-This is an increase in the size of the actually muscle fibers, but NOT an increase in the amount of muscle fibers. The "density" of the muscle will actually increase. This sort of training is more "functional" and more important for athletes, as low reps build explosive power as well. Increases in size may not come as quickly as sarcoplasmic hypertrophy, but you still WILL get bigger if you train this way and eat properly. Low reps (1-5) are best for this.

Compound vs. Isolation exercises
While each have their strong points, compound exercises are more useful than isolation exercises. Keep in mind that your goals will dictate importance...but compound exercises:

• Teach the body to move/function as one unit
• Strengthen connective tissue
• Produce greater anabolic effect
• Work more muscle groups with the same amount of effort (or less)

Compound exercises (work two or more muscle groups) should make up the bulk of your workout. Isolation exercises have their place, but should NOT take second place to compound exercises--they should always supplement. Perhaps if you are a high level bodybuilder or working on a trouble spot, but I firmly believe that a routine based on isolation is vastly inferior to a routine based on compounds. As I said, they have their place:

• Great for bodybuilding applications
• Work on a lagging muscle group
• Sometimes isolation is just necessary to focus on a muscle to make it grow--my arms don't really grow unless I do specific exercises for them, for instance

Some examples of compound exercises:

• Squats-Works (in order of direct stimulation) quadriceps, gluteus, hamstrings, adductors, hip flexors, lower back, spinal erectors, abdominals
• Deadlift-Works (in order of direct stimulation) trapezius, rhomboids, lower back, lats, spinal erectors, abdominals, gluteus, quadriceps, hamstrings, adductors, grip
• Press-Works (in order of direct stimulation) triceps, deltoids, trapezius, rhomboids, abdominals, lower back
• Power Clean-Works (in order of direct stimulation) trapezius, rhomboids, lower back, spinal erectors, hamstrings, quadriceps, calves, deltoids

Some examples of isolation exercises:

• Preacher Curls-Works (in order of direct stimulation) biceps, forearms
• Triceps Kickbacks-Works (in order of direct stimulation) triceps, deltoids (I'm being generous here)
• Leg Curls-Works (in order of direct stimulation) hamstrings
• Leg Extensions-Works (in order of direct stimulation) quadriceps

I hope you can see the benefits of compound exercises.


Injury Prevention/Care
Injuries to a muscle/muscle belly: Bill Starr's Solution.

Equipment

• Chalk-Chalk is going to be your best friend in the gym. I consider it to be an equalizer--it returns your hands to a dry, fresh state. Crucial for ANY heavy or grip intensive lifts--even the bench press and squat, at heavy weights. You don't need much, and it only belongs on your hands and the bar. A requirement for heavy deadlifts and pulls
• Gloves-Unnecessary. Gloves are only an aesthetic choice for those who don't want calluses. Can "improve" your grip but you won't be helping your grip; in addition, it adds another layer between your grip and the bar.
• Belt-Belts are meant to increase the support of your core through increasing your intrabdominal pressure. This is why the belts that taper in the front are quite perplexing--you WANT the pressure on your abdominal wall. Get a belt that is the same width all the way around. I only recommend using a belt on your heaviest sets, and only if you need to--they can impair your ability to increase your core strength if you become reliant on them.
• Shoes-Weightlifting shoes are very important. You should not lift in running or crosstraining shoes, as the compressable heels/soles are terrible for weight lifting and do not allow consistent force production. Get something with a solid, flat sole (Chuck Taylors are great), or a dedicated weightlifting shoe.
• Straps-Straps can be incredibly useful in assistance exercises and when your grip is already fatigued. Do NOT become reliant on them. I used them for heavy power shrugs, which is more than my max deadlift. Very useful in ballistic movements, as well.

Build Your Own Equipment
RossTraining's HUGE list of DIY home equipment links
Power/Squat Rack

I pretty much built two wall partitions and spaced them far enough a part so the bar could be supported by both and connected them with a piece of 1/2" plywood (1/2" plywood was also connected to the sides to reinforce it). It only cost me about $10 to make, but if I had to pay for the wood it would have been right around $40.

Just kind of lay the wood out as seen in the pictures and screw it all together. The specs are to my height on the bench press and the squat. I could post those if you are interested (I am just shy of 6 feet).

When I bench, since I generally do it without a spotter, I get to the rop of my rep and just hold my arms straight while letting the weight fall. So it is definitely sturdy. The small thing covered with a towel is my old toy chest when I was a kid and that is what I stacked the wood on for partial squats. Just lay the wood on your chest for bench partials (wrap it in duct tape or put some screws in it so it doesn't slide around you).

Barbell/Olympic Weights
Dip/Pull-Up Station
Odd Objects
Sled


Beginner Routines
Full Body
I recommend this one to all beginners, but furthermore, I recommend purchasing Starting Strength (listed in the links and referenced throughout this OP). It is one of the single greatest training resources out today. It combines science AND practice, and uses concepts that have been put into work with athletes since the 70's to help novices gained muscular bodyweight and increase strength. Get your copy!

Monday
Squat - 3 sets of 5
Bench Press - 3 sets of 5
Deadlifts - 1 set of 5
Pull-Ups - 3 sets of 8-15

Wednesday
Squat - 3 sets of 5
Overhead Press - 3 sets of 5
Power Cleans - 5 sets of 3
Abdominal work

Friday
Squat - 3 sets of 5
Bench Press - 3 sets of 5
Deadlift - 1 set of 5
Bent Over Rows - 3 set of 5
Arm work, if desired

This routine will get you great gains, provided you are eating well. More often than not, your diet is going to dictate your gains, unless you just gain mass easily (fuck you).

Upper/Lower Split
Really, the only type of split I endorse. This can be for someone who wants to try something new (DO THE FULL BODY ROUTINE FOR A FEW MONTHS FIRST), or has sport-specific concerns, or wants to plug in a lot of cardio (which they can do on the upper body days). Here you are:

Workout A
Bench Press - 3 sets of 5
Bent Rows - 3 sets of 5
Overhead Press - 3-4 sets of 8
Barbell Curls - 3-4 sets of 8
(Cardio)

Workout B
Squats - 3 sets of 5
Power Cleans - 5 sets of 3
Deadlifts - 1-2 sets of 5
Dumbbell or Barbell Step Ups - 3 sets of 8

Alternate workouts.

Week 1:
Monday: A
Wednesday: B
Friday: A

Week 2:
Monday: B
Wednesday: A
Friday: B

Get it?

Other Beginner Workouts

• Starting Strength by Mark Rippetoe
• Westside for Skinny Bastards by Joe DeFranco
• Grayskull Linear Progression - Short writeup on this program below.

The issues, for some people, with most linear progression programs are normally:

1. Resetting isn’t fun
2. Two much volume
3. Little room for accessory work
4. Squatting is done first.

The Grayskull LP fixes these issues by doing a few slight modifications. The basic layout of the program is:

Day 1: Bench/standing press for 2x5 then 1xAMRAP (2.5 lbs heavier than the last time you did the lift); Squat for 2x5 then 1xAMRAP (5lbs heavier than the last time you did the lift)
Day 2: Standing press/Bench for 2x5 then 1xAMRAP (2.5lbs heavier than the last time you did the lift); Lighter Power cleans for some warm up Deadlift 1xAMRAP (5lbs heavier than the last time you did the lift)
Day 3: Same as day one

AMRAP=As Many Reps As Possible

Your goal on your last set is to push as much as possible. If you can get out 10 reps, great! If you can only push out the 5, that's awesome too!

This program solves the above issues:

1. Resetting will always be fun since, if you’re tracking your progress, you’ll be able to set rep records on previous reps. Instead of feeling salty that you have to do the same weight again, you can get hyped that you can aim to do the last rep for 10 instead of for 8.
2. Squatting 3 times a week, especially on the same day you’re going for a new max on your deadlift, is a lot on your body. This really will start coming into play when you're hitting your true 5 rep max. Squatting only twice a week is still gonna add 10 pounds to your 5 rep squat work a week. That's 40lbs a month or 480lbs a year. You’re NOT gonna be able to go up 480 pounds on a squat in a year unless your start at zero pounds. This adds more longevity to the program than squatting 3x a week. Same goes for starting out with less increases. 5lbs a week on your dead puts you at 240 more lbs on your dead, per year. Once your dead starts getting up in numbers, adding 240 is going to take switching programs.
3. Doing only two lifts a day leaves plenty of room for whatever you want. Wanna do curls in-between the lifts? Sure. Pull ups? Sure. Shrugs at the end? Whatever. Don't over train, but the two lifts and their spacing makes doing a little accessory work possible.
4. Squatting sucks. I mean, it’s a great lift, but it takes a lot out of you. Squatting really heavy is exhausting. Having to follow that up with a heavy press or bench is a nightmare. However, while a heavy bench or press is taxing, going from the presses to the squat still is less effort than the reverse.

I've heard good things about this program and I agree, should be in the OP as well. A few others as well. I would put these in the intermediate category.

Intermediate Workouts

• Practical Programming (contains Texas Method, Bill Starr, and other intermediate routines) by Mark Rippetoe
• Jim Wendler's 5/3/1
• Layne Norton Training - The idea behind this is a few days of just power training and then you have days of hypertrophy training. I like the idea of rotating between the two. You still focus on compound training but do more assistance stuff as well. I'm thinking about trying this in September.
• Lyle McDonald bulking - this is more of a traditional bulking program.
  

Mobility/Stretching

• Mobility WOD - Semi daily stretches and mobility exercises to keep your joints/muscles/etc. from getting stiff. Videos can also help with nagging issues you already have. I fixed a shoulder problem doing some daily work I learned here. It's also how I learned to deal with my knee pain I've had since I started lifting.

 

[Anton Sugar]

Calories
People need calories to stay alive, even the laziest couch potato does. The barest minimum of calories that you need to stay alive—without any exertion whatsoever—is called your BMR.

Here’s how you calculate your BMR. First, measure your bodyfat percentage, either with calipers or with a special scale. Suppose it’s 10%. Calculate your lean percentage by subtracting your bodyfat percentage from 100—in this case, that would be 90 %. Now multiply your lean percentage with your weight in kilos. If you weigh 80kg, that would be 72kg. Finally, multiply this number by 21 and add 370. This is your BMR, which in this case would be (72 * 21) + 370 = 1882. (If you don’t know your bodyfat percentage, you can also use online calculators.)

Now, if you exercise, you need to take in more calories than your BMR, of course. How much more? That depends upon the amount of calories burned.

If your activity level is moderate, you daily caloric requirements will be roughly 1.5 times your BMR (physically undemanding work + regular gym visits).

If your activity level is high (professional athlete, hours of training each day), then your daily needs are as much as 1.8 or even 2 times your BMR.

If you want to lose weight, you should reduce your intake of calories to 80 or 90% of your daily required intake. If you want to gain muscle, you should up your intake of calories up to 110 or 120% of your daily required amount (don’t expect to gain muscle by merely going to the gym and lifting weights—you gotta eat too!).

Protein, Carbs, Fat

Proteins are essential in the anabolic (= muscle-building) processes in the body. The opposite of anabolic is catabolic (muscle-burning). If you’re interested in gaining muscle, you should make sure your protein intake is sufficient. In general it is recommended to eat around 1.25 to 1.5 grams of protein per lbs of bodyweight daily.

Hormones play an important role speeding up and slowing down anabolic and catabolic processes. Insulin is one of the hormones that tells the body to store stuff—both in the form of muscle and in the form of fat. Cortisol is one of the hormones that tells the body to use its storage—again, both muscle and fat.

The body is often in a catabolic state both early in the day (because no nutrients have been coming in), and after exercise (because lots of energy was spent). If you don’t want your body to burn muscle, you should eat some carbs, which will cause a spike in insulin, which in turn will end catabolic processes. So: carbs in the morning and after exercise.

Some people swear by a 40-30-30 diet. This means that 40% of your daily calorie intake comes from protein, 30% from carbs, and 30% from fat (this was popularized under the name ‘The Zone Diet’).

A great way to calculate how much of your calorie intake comes from protein, carbs and fat is by using a program to track what you eat. An example is Fitday (check out Fitday.com).

There are good places to get your proteins, carbs, and fats, and there are bad places to get these nutrients:

• Good sources of carbs: green vegetables, other vegetables, fruits (especially berries), brown rice, oats, whole weat bread
• Not-so-good sources of carbs: white bread, cookies, processed sugary food
• Good sources of fat: fish, olive oil, nuts, omega-3 (see below) and omega-6 fatty acids
• Not-so-good sources of fat: trans fats (deep fried stuff, margarine)

Some more random tips:

• ‘Whole foods’ are obviously better than processed foods (despite the many colorful labels that say ‘light’ or ‘healty’).
• There is no conclusive evidence to support either frequent eating throughout the day or fasting. Both seem to work, but as always, both are exaggerated by their respective camps
• Limit the amount of ‘cheat meals.’
• Eat breakfast!
• Variety is the spice of life.

Omega-3 fatty acids
Everybody should add these to their diet, either in the form of flax seeds, flax seed oil, fish oil, fish oil pills, special omega-3 eggs, DHA supplements, whatever. They are shown to: lower cholesterol, increase fat burning, prevent heart attacks (by stopping clotting), reduce inflammation, etc. There’s really no excuse for not taking omega-3 fatty acids.

(Source used: T-Nation’s article ‘Nutrition for Newbies, part 1 and 2’, by Chris Thibaudeau.)

Gaining Weight
When gaining weight, it usually comes down to this: you either do or you don't. "Hardgainer" or "easygainer", it's usually one or the other. For obvious reasons, the information listed here is going to be most pertinent for hardgainers and I am going to write it with them in mind.

Essentially, to gain weight you need to intake more calories than you are expending. That is the gist of it, but it is not always that easy--you cannot easily calculate your resting metabolic rate. So those with high metabolisms are somewhat SOL.

Here's the thing, for anyone who has trouble gaining weight: do not be afraid of getting fat. Most likely, if you had problems with being fat, you would be fat right now. I couldn't gain any weight--fat or otherwise. Once I stopped worrying about a little fat on my stomach (my abs are still visible), I started gaining large amounts of muscular weight. You can't have your cake and eat it too--take everything one step at a time, and that may mean a little fat. Chill out.

Protein Requirements
As a general rule for athletes and those involved with strength training, 1-1.5g per pound of bodyweight is required for those wishing to maximize strength and size gains. Competitive bodybuilders and elite level athletes may get as much as 2g per pound of bodyweight, but that is extreme.

In my opinion, I think its a good idea to consume as much excess protein as you desire to gain in bodyweight. It has already been shown that as much as 1.4g/lb of bodyweight is not harmful and may be helpful, so having this "surplus" of protein is useful.

Example: We have a 160 lb individual who would like to be 180 lbs. Ignoring everything but protein, we can safely conclude he should eat at least 160g (1x) of protein a day, would do well to consume 180g of protein (a bit of surplus), and can safely and effectively consume up to 224g of protein a day (1.4x, with plenty of surplus).

Total Caloric Intake

The Milk Diet
Aside from having the money to afford slabs of steak every night, the "milk diet" is one of the, if not the best, way for a beginner to gain muscular bodyweight, COUPLED with a routine focused on compound lifts (especially squats). Here's the essence:

3 solid, healthy meals a day
A protein shake here and there
1 gallon of whole milk a day

The gallon of whole milk contains:

• 2400 calories
• 130g fat
• 180g carbohydrates
• 130g protein

Sounds ridiculous right? "That's too much fat! That's too many calories!" If you are a hardgainer, shut up. As a hardgainer, you probably have a metabolism that can handle it. If not...move down to 2% milk (which is what I'm on now):

• 1939 calories
• 75g fat
• 187g carbohydrates
• 130g protein

Sounds more reasonable, eh?

My point is, you NEED to EAT. Being young, you may not be able to afford extravagant weight-gaining diets or expensive supplements. Milk is the key--you can plug it in throughout your day, all day, and it will make a considerable difference in your weight, probably by the second week of use. PLEASE remember, you MUST have a good, consistent workout routine going alongside this. Your body processes food very different when active and inactive. Your body only needs a moderate amount of carbs/fat to actually function, but once you're active, it CRAVES this fuel you're feeding into it. I myself am pretty poor...here is what my day consists of:

• Breakfast: Bowl of cereal/oatmeal + 1 cup milk, fruit
• Snack: Granola bar, 4 cups of milk throughout the day
• Lunch: Sandwich, fruit, peanuts, 3 cups of milk
• Workout drink: 4 cups of milk + 2 scoops protein
• Post workout: Protein shake (2 scoops protein, 1-2 scoops ice cream, 1 cup milk, fruit, olive oil, maybe some honey)
• Dinner: Chicken breast, vegetables, sometimes pasta or rice, 3 cups of milk

If you take away the milk, I pretty much have your average healthy american diet. The milk adds 2000 calories and 130 grams of protein. I was even making gains on a more simplified diet beforehand, drinking only half a gallon of milk a day.

The milk diet IS a bulking diet, but you can use skim milk if you know you gain fat easily. This will drastically cut fat and calories but you will still get the protein! It still works! A gallon of skim milk:

• 1367 calories
• 7g fat
• 190g carbohydrates
• 134g protein

There? Happy?

My huge gains on the milk diet (15-20 lbs) probably stopped about 2-3 months in. After that, progress slowed--this is to be expected. It's for bulking. I would like to maintain or continue gaining, so I am continuing the diet. You may have other places.


Tips:

• Start slow. Don't jump into drinking a gallon a day or you could have gastrointestinal consequences
• Pace yourself. It can be easy to not get enough milk in early, and then you're drinking a lot at night, and frequently having to wake up to take a piss. Best to just get into a routine of having a thermos full of milk, ready to go
• Ovaltine or flavoring packets. This will make life easier when you can't stand the taste of milk

 

[Anton Sugar]

Exercises
Squat
The Squat has been in contention with the deadlift as the "king of exercises" and for good reason. It is an amazing exercise and literally works everything from the bar down. Squats strengthen your abs, back, traps, quads, hams, and glutes, not to mention ALL of the supportive muscles. No other exercise releases as much growth hormone as a good set of hard, heavy squats--and that's why they are supremely important. Whether your goal is to lose or gain weight, squats represent a movement that cannot be reproduced or replaced by ANY other exercise--period. Unless you have a condition where you are physically unable to perform squats, they SHOULD be in your routine.

(image courtesy of Starting Strength book/wiki)

Front Squat: You are aiming to keep your back as VERTICAL AS POSSIBLE. Think about having your back to a wall and sliding down it as you squat. If you bend forward at all, not only are you in danger of losing the barbell and injuring your shoulders, but your weight is most definitely shifting forward and you'll go to your toes. Stance should be medium to close, as wide puts your hips in a position where it is mechanically best to sit back...and you don't want to do that with a front squat.

Olympic/High Bar Squat: This is still a fairly verticle movement--you will not be getting much, if any, hip drive unless you are very flexible and that's okay. Like the front squat, this is quad dominant. With the bar so high up, if you sit back, gravity is wanting to pull the bar forward, and your weight will shift forward to your toes. Instead, think about sitting down BETWEEN your legs, as if you were sitting into a chair under you, not behind you. Can also envision your feet strapped to the ceiling, and you have to pull yourself "up" so your ass touches the ceiling (thanks to Dan John for that tip). Depending on flexibility, it is usually best to do this with a medium/close stance, as a wide stance tends to force your butt to go backwards due to hip flexors.

Low Bar Squat/"Athletic Squat": Because the bar is located further down the back/closer to the hips, it is easier to get into a position of sitting back. You must focus on sitting BACKWARDS. Usually this is enough to keep your weight on your heels, but your hand position on the bar can actually influence this: if you are gripping close to your shoulders but don't have good flexibility, the inherent tightness will push the bar FORWARD as you squat down, and your weight will come up to your toes. Use a wider grip until you get shoulder flexibility; you WANT to be able to use a close grip as a tight upper back is crucial as the weight gets heavier. Use a medium to wide stand--close stances increase the horizontal length from your knee to your hip on the horizontal plane, and this makes it hard to keep the weight on your heels.

1. Take a shoulder width stance. Slightly angle your feet outwards, but within 45 degrees
2. The placement of your hands on the bar should be as close to your shoulders as you comfortably can make it. This will help you to create a "shelf" on your upper back to place the bar, and maintain tightness. If you cannot get your hands close to your shoulders due to flexibility, don't force it--just take a wider grip. Forcing it will result in the bar pushing your upper body forward and fucking up your form/center of gravity
3. The backs of your hands should be inline with your forearms. This helps to lock the bar between your hands/arms and back, and takes stress off your shoulders (VERY important with heavy weight)
4. If you are going to look up when you squat, don't let yourself become more upright and thus shift your weight forward. I like to look directly ahead, if not down toward the floor in front of me
5. Keep your weight on your heels or the middle of your foot. Lift up your toes if you need to!
   
6. ALWAYS keep your knees in line with your toes--actively force them outward. If they buckle in as you squat, LOWER the weight and work on your form
7. Descend by moving your hips backward first. Your knees will move over your toes in the first movement of the squat--this is fine
8. Go down until you reach parallel (the crease of your hips is below your knee) or lower, but do NOT allow your knees to travel forward at the bottom of the movement
9. KEEP YOUR WEIGHT ON YOUR HEEL/MIDFOOT! Raise the weight by initiating the movement with your hips--feel like a chain is attached to your hips and pulling you up. You may want a training partner to put a hand on the back of your pelvis and tell you to push it up when you are squatting. Hip drive is most important!
10. Finish the rep with full lockout--knees and hips

Low Bar Powerlifting Squat

Deadlift
The Deadlift is perhaps the most "functional" exercise, or at least it appears to be. Simply put, you are lifting a weight from the ground, up. Involving a massive amount of musculature in the movement, the deadlift is pivotal in growth and strength, and in general health. It used to be named the "health lift", but I guess someone decided that didn't inspire ball-shaking fear, so it was renamed the "deadlift". And that's what it is: the weight begins dead on the ground, and is reset to "dead" at the bottom--no bouncing. A unique feature of the deadlift is that it does not have an eccentric movement to begin it, thus further making it difficult as you are not able to rely on the muscle's stretch reflex to aid in the concentric movement.

Conventional Deadlift
The conventional deadlift is the "standard" deadlift. Your arms start on the outside of your legs when beginning the movement. It works virtually all of the muscles of the back, your hamstrings, your quads, and your grip, in addition to all the connective muscles and tissue in between. Those with a "long armed/short legged" anthropometry do especially well with this, as they are able to stay more upright in order to incorporate more leg drive.

1. Approach the bar so that the bar is above the top of your feet. Your feet should be 12-16 inches apart. The angle of your feet will vary and is personal preference: some prefer toes straight forward, others prefer their toes angled outward slightly.
2. You want your arms to be as "straight down" to the bar as possible. The wider your grip, the higher the bar has to travel in the pull. Ideally, you want your grip as close to your legs as possible without interfering with the pull or your knees
3. You grip should be overhand (pronated). Use the overhand grip for as many sets as possible--this will ensure maximum grip work. Once you experience fatigue or are doing a max attemp, you may switch to an over/under grip (one hand supinated, the other pronated). This is better for grip purposes that an overhand grip, as an overhand has two fingers on one side of the bar and eight on the other side. Over/under has five fingers on each side of the bar.
4. As you reach down to grab the bar, do not let your shins move the bar from over the middle of your feet. The bar should touch your shins.
5. Optimal pulling position is ensured by positioning your shoulders/scapulae directly over, if not slightly in front of the bar. Ideally, you want to get your ass as low as you can WITHOUT moving your shoulders behind the bar--otherwise, you will be pulling backward, not upward
6. Never bend your elbows. Your arms are like string or bands, just holding onto the weight. You can grip HARD, but do not bend your arms unless you want to tear a bicep or fuck up an elbow
7. Head should be neutral, looking forward or slightly downward.
8. Begin the movement by pushing up with your legs. Push like you're pushing your feet toward China; move the earth. Maintain the back angle until the moment the bar passes over the knees, then push your hips forward and straighten your torso. The bar should be in contact with your body the entire time. The farther the bar moves from the body, the more your lower back will straight.
9. End with everything in full extension--arms, hips, knees.
10. Reverse the movement to set it down. Do not bother doing this slowly, but still, control it. Make sure the weight is dead on the ground before attempting the next rep.

Sumo Deadlift
Romanian Deadlift
Stiff-Legged Deadlift

Bench Press
The Bench Press is one of the best builders of maximal upper body strength. While it does not correlate to any real world movement and has less athletic applications than the standing press, the fact that the bench press allows you to use more weight than the press, incline bench, or decline bench means that it is the best way to overload your pressing muscles (triceps and deltoids/pecs). It should not be glorified: you may have seen guys at the gym with huge chests and small back, guys whose shoulders are caved inward, etc. Don't become this.

Press
The standing Press is a more "complete" movement than the bench press. It involves more muscle groups and follows the kinetic chain from the feet to the weight, similar to a deadlift or squat. However, the mechanics of the movement do not allow nearly as much weight to be used as the bench press, so it is usually overlooked. This is terrible--presses should be a regular part of everyone's routine. Properly done, they will help with shoulder imbalances, rotator cuff strength, and shoulder flexibility.

Bent Over Row
The Bent Over Row is a great exercise to complement the bench press and add pulling strength and size to your back. A powerful back seems to be a rarity these days--too much emphasis on lat pull downs and other exercises that don't allow enough of an overload. The bent over row not only strengthens your trapezius, your rhomboids, your biceps, and your deltoids, but also your lower back and spinal erectors due to the near parallel to the ground position your upper body is in.

Power Clean
The Power Clean is one of the best exercises one can do for developing explosive power. It is sort of a go-between exercise between standard lifting and Olympic weightlifting. Involving all the major pulling muscle groups (hamstrings, lower back, spinal erectors, trapezius, rhomboids, and to a lesser extent, biceps), it is a very quick movement that is fairly easy to learn, compared to the full Olympic counterpart.

Resources (websites, books, etc.)
Books

• Starting Strength by Mark Rippetoe & Lon Kilgore
• Practical Programming by Mark Rippetoe & Lon Kilgore
• The Strongest Shall Survive by Bill Starr
• The Complete Keys to Progress by John McCallum
• Beyond Bodybuilding by Pavel Tsatsouline
• Power to the People! by Pavel Tsatsouline
• The Purposeful Primitive by Marty Gallagher
• Jim Wendler's 5/3/1
  • 5/3/1 Calculator

Websites

• Mad Cow's 5x5 and Training Theory
• Starting Strength Wiki
• Mark Rippetoe Q&A
• Testosterone Nation
• 70's Big

 

[Anton Sugar]

Big thanks to MjFrancis for the following information on bodyweight workouts:

Bodyweight exercises are a great way for a beginner to kick the sedentary lifestyle or for an advanced trainee who wants to push their endurance and strength to the limit, or for anyone else looking to supplement their workout routines with something different. They are a viable alternative to training when going to the gym just isn’t an option - most bodyweight exercises can be done just about anywhere! Generally, muscle hypertrophy isn’t the primary goal of bodyweight exercises, but muscular endurance and strength. Elite levels of calisthenics can still produce an impressive physique, as evidenced by male Olympic gymnasts who abstain from weight training, but nevertheless hypertrophy is typically a byproduct and not the end goal here.

Here are a sample of specific bodyweight movements I would consider core to any calisthenics or bodyweight training routine. While most individuals should be able to do some form of these movements, remember that excess body fat is always a burden with bodyweight movements. Losing fat will always make these easier on the joints and ligaments, and is imperative to advance to more difficult variations. Thanks to exrx.net for the examples:

Squats – Just like the barbell front squat, only without additional weight and you're aiming to break parallel and get your butt just above the ground behind your ankles. Full ass to grass (ATG)! Even in bodyweight form, it’s the king of lower-body exercises. When done for endurance, it’s great for cardio. Aim for 175 reps in 5 minutes, 300 in 10 minutes and 500 in 15 minutes. Once your legs are strong enough you’ll want to increase the resistance by doing pistol squats. You may also supplement with lunges if you get bored of squatting so much.

Chin-ups – These are the underhand variation, and pull-ups are overhand. Just grab a bar with arms about shoulder-width apart, keep your shoulders, back and abs tight, and raise yourself up until your chin passes the bar. Face forward, too, there’s no need to tilt your head back to reduce the range-of-motion (ROM), the whole reason we’re doing chins instead of pulls is because they offer a slightly greater ROM and work your biceps more (you still wanted bigger biceps, right?). Slowly descend after you reach the top of the movement and drop down until your arms are 95% extended, as far as you can go until locking out. Example of the chin-up.

Push-ups – Keep your entire spine and body straight and stiff like a plank, lower yourself until your nose gently touches the ground, and return to the starting position for one rep. There’s a myriad of push-up variations, but my personal favorites are knuckle push-ups – they extend the movement's ROM by the length of your fist. Example of the regular push-up.

Dips – I like dips because they’re a little more challenging than push-ups, and you don’t even need two parallel bars to do them. Find any counter space with a 45 degree angle and put your hands on either side and slowly push your body up and down while bending at the elbows. Try for a full ROM with your upper arms lowering parallel to the ground but don’t overstretch your shoulders by going lower if you can’t do it comfortably. Experiment with angles to engage muscles differently if you like. Example of the dip.

Leg Raises – Grasp a bar as you would for chins and bring your legs forward to your head. An easier variation for beginners is to bend your legs and bring the knees to the chest. Do this in a slow, controlled motion, else you replace abdominal contraction with hip swinging, which is fun but ineffective. Crunches are good, too, though if you’re concerned with spinal flexion for some reason, you could always do planks. For those, just get in position for a push-up with your forearms on the ground and brace your abdominals in an isometric contraction. Do ‘reps’ of these based on time under tension i.e. 3 x 60 seconds. Once you can hold this position for a few minutes, move on up to the leg raise and never look back. You can always do leg raises slower if you really miss the plank. The full leg raise is a little more challenging than the other movements in this list, but I feel that a strong core is necessary for excelling with most advanced calisthenics. Example of a full leg raise.

Structure these exercises similarly to how you would any other strength or weights regimen: continue to warm-up, stretch and train in a systematic, progressive manner. Eventually you may be able to do 1,000 squats every morning or 200 push-ups when you get out of bed, but work up to it for lasting, consistent results. If you’re looking to drastically improve a given lift, try employing a technique called Greasing the Groove (GTG). Perform the movement multiple times a day, but at repetitions that won’t leave you sore or worn-out for your scheduled training. For instance, if you can only do twenty push-ups, do sets of 8 or 10 throughout the day, maybe 10-20 sets depending upon endurance. Do this six days a week (you still need some rest). Your max rep pushup performance should improve drastically, since GTG has adapted your body to the movement quicker.

Al Kavadlo has laid out a hierarchy of bodyweight exercises based upon difficulty in his Mastering Your Bodyweight post on his fitness blog. While it contains a healthy dose of advanced techniques to add to your arsenal, I would also suggest reading Jim’s tutorials at Beast Skills. There’s plenty more techniques aside from the ones on these sites, and who is going to stop you if you want to add weight to any of these movements? Weighted pull-ups, dips, and pistol squats are just a few ideas for your next trip to the gym.

Further reading:

Convict Conditioning by Paul Wade
The Naked Warrior by Pavel Tsatsouline
Relax into Stretch by Pavel Tsatsouline
Never Gymless by Ross Enamait

 

[grumble]

WOOOOOOOOO

 

[Jason's Ultimatum]

No 'Sexual Tyrannosaurus' in the title is instant fail.

 

[Anton Sugar]

No 'Sexual Tyrannosaurus' in the title is instant fail.

Bahaha, sorry--character limit!!!

Looks like I miscounted for the amount of posts I needed, might need to get a mod to wipe grumble's post.

 

[Jason's Ultimatum]

BTW, that set and rep chart is AMAZING.

 

[Cooter]

Looking good. Pretty much everything someone looking to build muscle needs. Nice work Snub.

 

[Milabrega]

Body weight section is a great addition. Totally forgot about exrx website.

 

[Cuban Legend]

nice OP, its' been very useful in all of it's iterations.

 

[Sub_Level]

High five on both this continuing OP and the Tarkovsky avatar.

 

[entremet]

Great. Previous installments of this thread have changed my life.

 

[Tapiozona]

WOOOOOOOOO

Good thing the first reply to this great thread was this. May as well have changed "WOOOOOOO" to "First". Would have the same effect, i.e. none.

Not to mention your post slot was needed to finish the OP.

 

[The Lamp]

I plan to start around mid-June. If anyone would like to help me build a routine, feel free to do so. Otherwise I'll just...I dunno...go headfirst into this thing...

Age: 20
Height: 6'3"
Weight: 152 lbs.
Goal: Something not as ridiculously skinny...maybe 20 lbs. by the end of 2011?
Current Training Schedule: I have none
Current Training Equipment Available: In August I'll have some machines and a treadmill and dumbbells...I currently have a few light-weight resistance bands...and a 20 lbs., 10 lbs. and 8 lbs. dumbbells.
Comments: It's very very difficult for me to gain weight. As a 17-year-old I had a personal trainer and a ~5000 calorie diet and workout routine and gained almost no weight over the course of 3 months. Maybe now that it's been 3 years (and I have gained about 20 lbs...whether in height as a growth spurt or whatever...) since then, my metabolism might be more willing to gain mass.

Also, I'm interested in the Milk Diet. I'm a busy college student and I don't have money for expensive, frequent meals, so I'm looking into it. But I don't think I'll drink the full gallon a day....or at least if I do, I'll ease into it through a couple of weeks so I don't just go into HOLY CRAP MILK SHOCK lol. The only things that worry me is that dairy gives me acne (and it's been nice to be acne free for a while...) but I guess if it's a great mass-gaining substitute, I'll go for it.

 

[grumble]

Good thing the first reply to this great thread was this. May as well have changed "WOOOOOOO" to "First". Would have the same effect, i.e. none.

Not to mention your post slot was needed to finish the OP.

Or maybe it's that I had about a few hundred posts in the last thread and wanted to demonstrate excitement about a new one, and felt it was appropriate after the talk about the new thread at the end of the last one? Or that I waited to post it until the last reserved post said 'this is the last one'? Internet smugness is the worst kind of smugness.

Anyways, this is my fourth week without going to the gym at all. I'm studying hard for a finance exam (which I write in a few days), and am pretty excited about heading back in June. Getting back in shape will be an annoying and painful experience; DOMS will be fun and I've definitely noticed a decrease in my condition.

 

[grumble]

I plan to start around mid-June. If anyone would like to help me build a routine, feel free to do so. Otherwise I'll just...I dunno...go headfirst into this thing...

Age: 20
Height: 6'3"
Weight: 152 lbs.
Goal: Something not as ridiculously skinny...maybe 20 lbs. by the end of 2011?
Current Training Schedule: I have none
Current Training Equipment Available: In August I'll have some machines and a treadmill and dumbbells...I currently have a few light-weight resistance bands...and a 20 lbs., 10 lbs. and 8 lbs. dumbbells.
Comments: It's very very difficult for me to gain weight. As a 17-year-old I had a personal trainer and a ~5000 calorie diet and workout routine and gained almost no weight over the course of 3 months. Maybe now that it's been 3 years (and I have gained about 20 lbs...whether in height as a growth spurt or whatever...) since then, my metabolism might be more willing to gain mass.

Also, I'm interested in the Milk Diet. I'm a busy college student and I don't have money for expensive, frequent meals, so I'm looking into it. But I don't think I'll drink the full gallon a day....or at least if I do, I'll ease into it through a couple of weeks so I don't just go into HOLY CRAP MILK SHOCK lol. The only things that worry me is that dairy gives me acne (and it's been nice to be acne free for a while...) but I guess if it's a great mass-gaining substitute, I'll go for it.

Well, you don't have to drink dairy if it gives you acne. The reasons it's recommended is because it's cheap, takes no prep time, is high-protein, high-calorie and nutritious and it's simple and very easy to eat. There are alternatives; if you can find other ways of cramming equal food and protein down your gullet, you'll achieve similar results. Peanut butter, ground beef, eggs, whatever.

I'm surprised you gained no weight off a 5000 calorie diet. I'm actually a bit skeptical, and recommend you track your intake on a program like fitday.com for a while to see how to eat on a daily basis. You're right though, 20 is different from 17.

As for programs, if you have access to university facilities then a barbell program would work for you. I recommend easing into it and spending the first couple of weeks off slowly; this reduces soreness, lets you practice form, and lets all kinds of little adaptations happen that make training further on a little safer and easier. Starting Strength works nicely, or here's one that I did a lot:

Day A:

Bench 3x5, 2x8
Deadlift 3x5
Chinup 4xF
Decline situps 3x12

Day B:

Squat 3x5
Incline 3x8
Biceps Curl 4x10
Dips 3x10

Alternate back and forth on M/W/F or equivalent schedule, be moderately aggressive with adding a little bit of weight every workout. Find something that works for you.

 

[SeanR1221]

From the last thread...

I think I might eliminate Oatmeal from my diet also. I feel like I can get the carbs from fruit, my PB sandwich at lunch, a little from chicken, etc.

I'm trying to only have around 150g carbs per day.

So for breakfast Id have eggs, cottage cheese, turkey bacon, fruit, whey...things like that.

 

[iAmMaximus]

Extremely informative OP. I also recommend BodyBuilding.com for other info.

 

[ipukespiders]

Today marks the start of week #3 for me of lower body only workouts.

I suspect tendon/ligament problem with my elbow joints (on the inner part). Felt a bit of pain doing bench press, on the way down, about a month back. Kept working through it, dropping various exercises that caused discomfort.

Said fuck it, and concentrating on legs only (I know squats work then entire body, but the only discomfort my arms feel is when raising the plates to put them on the bar).

I want to bench and row. Legs only is also boring me to hell.
Feels bad man.

 

[X-Frame]

I wish diarrhea upon squat rack hogs.

 

[Buckethead]

Thoughts on coconut water?

 

[TheKaeptain]

I wish diarrhea upon squat rack hogs.

Unless they're actually using it for squats right?

 

[Wellington]

Wow, OT #3. Let's get it for the summer!

 

[X-Frame]

Unless they're actually using it for squats right?

Oops -- yes. I guess in my head all I thought about were those using it for curls and the like. Should've specified.

If they're on it for an hour yet they're doing rows, deads, squats -- I'll be pissed but only because I didn't get there sooner (my gym only has 1) and I'll respect them for it.

 

[Harry Potter]

Starting Insanity Asylum June 1st. Hope I look like Shaun T at the end of it.

 

[Neki]

Oops -- yes. I guess in my head all I thought about were those using it for curls and the like. Should've specified.

If they're on it for an hour yet they're doing rows, deads, squats -- I'll be pissed but only because I didn't get there sooner (my gym only has 1) and I'll respect them for it.

haha you'd hate me. I wish my gym actually had more than 2 squat racks though, or just even more than 3 Olympic bars.

 

[kamspy]

Age: 28
Height: 6'6
Weight: 285lbs
Goal: 250 lbs
Current Training Schedule: n/a. I do get a good workout at work
Current Training Equipment Available: running shoes
Comments: my strength is already in pretty good shape. I just need to lose some weight. I have 4 kids and a full time job. I work in a machine shop welding, sweating and doing heavy lifting all day, so it's hard to find the time and energy to get this gut off me.

Suggestions?

 

[X-Frame]

haha you'd hate me. I wish my gym actually had more than 2 squat racks though, or just even more than 3 Olympic bars.

You use the racks for barbell curls and stuff?

In my gym, there's 2 whole other racks full of 20-100 pound mini-barbell weights that they can pick up and curl right there in-front of the mirror to their heart's content but so many want to load up a full barbell with 10 pounds and do it in the rack.

I wish there was an actual GYM in my area, not a fitness center because then that would never fly. I want a gym with 6+ racks, 6+ ground pads for deads/cleans, dumbbells that go up to 200 pounds, etc.

The free-weight area in my gym is decent but it's nothing compared to the army of treadmills and ellipticals. Lol.

 

[Munin]

So how much sense do these Beachbody programs like P90X and Insanity actually make for someone who has been skinny all his life and looking to get bigger? The before & after crap they show in their clips show a lot of dudes getting really ripped but I just kinda doubt you can reach those results without extensive weight training?

Better for me to stick to the gym? I have been going for 4 months and have gained about 18 pounds but I think a lot of the gain was just from eating well (and drinking lots of milk) in terms of actual muscle/strength I feel I just am not making much progress...

 

[SeanR1221]

Ow ow ow. Did deadlifts today. Knee is bruised and there's a bump. My gf (nurse) says I probably pulled something and it's filling with fluids. I hit the elliptical instead of the treadmill at the end of my workout.

I'm loving fitday.com. Awesome sight to manage my food. I love the pie chart too...I'm shooting to have my protein be around 50% of my diet, fat 25-30% and carbs 25-30%. So far I'm doing ok, but it's nice to see a visual of everything.

Any tips on that oatmeal question I asked??

 

[TheKaeptain]

Age: 28
Height: 6'6
Weight: 285lbs
Goal: 250 lbs
Current Training Schedule: n/a. I do get a good workout at work
Current Training Equipment Available: running shoes
Comments: my strength is already in pretty good shape. I just need to lose some weight. I have 4 kids and a full time job. I work in a machine shop welding, sweating and doing heavy lifting all day, so it's hard to find the time and energy to get this gut off me.

Suggestions?

Diet.

 

[cuevas. PhD.]

Good job again!

 

[Cooter]

You use the racks for barbell curls and stuff?

In my gym, there's 2 whole other racks full of 20-100 pound mini-barbell weights that they can pick up and curl right there in-front of the mirror to their heart's content but so many want to load up a full barbell with 10 pounds and do it in the rack.

I wish there was an actual GYM in my area, not a fitness center because then that would never fly. I want a gym with 6+ racks, 6+ ground pads for deads/cleans, dumbbells that go up to 200 pounds, etc.

The free-weight area in my gym is decent but it's nothing compared to the army of treadmills and ellipticals. Lol.

I usually take a bench and superset GCBP and BB curls. I need more than 100 pounds to finish my curls. I will confess I have used a squat rack to curl but it was late and no one was there. Feel free to judge me. Ha. I thought I'd celebrate the new thread by eating a pint of ice cream! Cheers...

 

[MWS Natural]

Great title Mr. Snrub *smug*

You use the racks for barbell curls and stuff?

In my gym, there's 2 whole other racks full of 20-100 pound mini-barbell weights that they can pick up and curl right there in-front of the mirror to their heart's content but so many want to load up a full barbell with 10 pounds and do it in the rack.

I wish there was an actual GYM in my area, not a fitness center because then that would never fly. I want a gym with 6+ racks, 6+ ground pads for deads/cleans, dumbbells that go up to 200 pounds, etc.

The free-weight area in my gym is decent but it's nothing compared to the army of treadmills and ellipticals. Lol.

No one actually uses the squat rack for squatting at my gym. Curls, shrugs, decline bench, and shoulder press (only one I actually don't mind). I don't understand because there are about 3 different options for each of these exercises in other places. It's just annoying that I have to wait 20 minutes for some guy to do his 15 curl sets with two tens on each side when he could easily use one of the curling bars they have stacked up in the middle of the gym.

 

[gray_fox224]

I highly recommend Rouge Do-Wins weightlighting shoes.

 

[ipukespiders]

I had to look up "pint", since I don't know imperial. 473ml
The only other guy that ever did squats at my gym appears to not be going any more. Squat rack is always empty for me.
While my legs are way to skinny, at least I try, and I'm not one of these guys walking around with forearms larger than their own thighs.

 

[DanManIt]

Good job yet again

 

[Buckethead]

Thoughts on coconut water?

Anyone?

Brands, etc?

 

[kamspy]

Diet.

Any suggestions? I rarely eat fastfood. If I have a vice I guess it's pop. On a weekday I'll probably down 3 a day (2 are at work, which are non negotiable) and one with dinner at home (depending on what we're having).

On the weekend, that number could jump to 5 or 6. Tried diet pop. No can do. I drink a lot of Vitamin Water Zero, but there are times I need carbonation. That's really the main thing that keeps me hooked on pop. It's like an automatic toothpick.

 

[Buckethead]

^ Quit drinking soda.
I'd bet carbs and non-natural sugars are your problem.

Start a log and examine your diet. I'd recommend giving it to a nutritionist if you can, if not GAF will do.
You will probably be surprised by your overall caloric intake.

 

[elitehebrew]

Age: 27
Height: 6ft
Weight: 225
Goal:195
Current Training Schedule: Mon-Fri about 1 1/2 hrs in the gym a day.
Current Training Equipment Available: Everything a gym might offer
Comments: I've been lifting for 3 years now and definitely got some size on me now, but i'd love to cut some excess eight. I haven't ever formulated a diet due to laziness and i do enjoy binging on occasion with some unhealthy eats. My meals aren't necessarily 100% healthy but i do eat pretty well. I also don't believe i intake the proper calories each day which is why i might suffer with little weight difference with all the working out i do.

I guess the most help i could have is a recommendation of diet and in a way so it doesn't seem like food is becoming a hassle. Meaning frustrating...i can handle stickness just probably would lose interest if there had to be 2 hrs a day of prep and planning

 

[grumble]

Any suggestions? I rarely eat fastfood. If I have a vice I guess it's pop. On a weekday I'll probably down 3 a day (2 are at work, which are non negotiable) and one with dinner at home (depending on what we're having).

On the weekend, that number could jump to 5 or 6. Tried diet pop. No can do. I drink a lot of Vitamin Water Zero, but there are times I need carbonation. That's really the main thing that keeps me hooked on pop. It's like an automatic toothpick.

Well, you know the pop is horrible for you and is helping you to keep the weight on. This 'no can do' attitude doesn't really sit well with me.

You're most likely hooked on the sugar and the caffeine. Drink unsweetened coffee/tea or diet pop and deal with the sugar cravings for a couple of weeks until they go away. If you want carbonation, then use the diet pop or mineral water. If you don't need the fizz, drink water.

As for stuff outside of food, it's not fast food that makes you fat, it's an excess of food. Figure out how much you eat in a day, and reduce that (keep protein high, it kills cravings and helps keep muscle on). If you can, use fitday.com for a couple of weeks to get a feel for what you're eating and what it's contributing to your diet. It's very helpful. Easy things to cut out (other than sugar drinks) are desserts and heavy alcohol consumption.

 

[Price Dalton]

Anyone?

Brands, etc?

It's delicious, great for electrolyte replenishment. Avoid the stuff with added sugar.

Straight from a coconut is the best, and you get to eat delicious coconut meat after. Asian supermarkets usually have Thai coconuts at a reasonable price.

 

[grumble]

Ow ow ow. Did deadlifts today. Knee is bruised and there's a bump. My gf (nurse) says I probably pulled something and it's filling with fluids. I hit the elliptical instead of the treadmill at the end of my workout.

I'm loving fitday.com. Awesome sight to manage my food. I love the pie chart too...I'm shooting to have my protein be around 50% of my diet, fat 25-30% and carbs 25-30%. So far I'm doing ok, but it's nice to see a visual of everything.

Any tips on that oatmeal question I asked??

Feel free to cut oatmeal. It's not necessary to eat it, ever.

You might have pulled something, or might have banged it with the bar. That happens and can leave swelling and a little bruising.

I also love fitday. I usually end up somewhere around Zone levels, at 40/30/30 P/C/F. I find I have issues eating enough with higher protein, since I have a small appetite and protein is very filling. Let us know how fitday is working out for you down the road.

 

[grumble]

Age: 27
Height: 6ft
Weight: 225
Goal:195
Current Training Schedule: Mon-Fri about 1 1/2 hrs in the gym a day.
Current Training Equipment Available: Everything a gym might offer
Comments: I've been lifting for 3 years now and definitely got some size on me now, but i'd love to cut some excess eight. I haven't ever formulated a diet due to laziness and i do enjoy binging on occasion with some unhealthy eats. My meals aren't necessarily 100% healthy but i do eat pretty well. I also don't believe i intake the proper calories each day which is why i might suffer with little weight difference with all the working out i do.

I guess the most help i could have is a recommendation of diet and in a way so it doesn't seem like food is becoming a hassle. Meaning frustrating...i can handle stickness just probably would lose interest if there had to be 2 hrs a day of prep and planning

Diets don't have to be complicated. There are two rules to cutting:

1. Eat plenty of protein
2. Don't eat a lot of food; cut caloric intake (however you want, carbs, carbs and fat, whatever) until you're losing weight.

Do 1 and 2 and lift heavy weights and you'll lose fat. It takes a lot of time to happen though. I find sleeping and drinking water help me a little and there are tricks to deal with the cravings, but it's all about 1 and 2.

I have cut fat eating ice cream, and gained weight off bland OCD bodybuilder diets.

 

[grumble]

Extremely informative OP. I also recommend BodyBuilding.com for other info.

I'd be wary of that site, actually. There is a lot of broscience and misinformation out there to sift through.

 

[_Isaac]

The OP is huge!

 

[mcrae]

im wondering if anyone who keeps a log of their diet would be willing to share? i need ideas of what to eat if im gonna start doing this shit. any good websites to built a dietary plan?

(just joined a gym, looking to gain some muscle and lose some fat, no solid goals though)