Support NeoGAF

[G-Bus]

Hey fitgaf. I'm kind of new to this whole weight lifting thing.

I'm skinny/fit and tired of it. Want to put some weight on. Good looking weight. 6' and 150 (starting weight). Very low body fat. Work construction so I have a decent build as is even with not weighing a whole lot. Trying hard to get rid of my really skinny chicken legs. Most of my weight is from the waist up.


I started working out two weeks ago and I'm already seeing results and gains (I'm up to 155 already). Don't really have a set plan. Mainly focus on push/pull days with legs every other day.

I find my appetite works against me. I always feel like I'm forcing myself to eat. For instance I just made myself breakfast. 3 egg omelet, bacon, two pieces of toast and a protein shake. I've eaten maybe half the food and half the shake and I'm stuffed/feel like I'm going to get sick if I keep eating.
I was helping some friends move yesterday. All I had all day was a protein shake for breakfast, two pieces of pizza at lunch, and a plate of raw veggies (broccoli, peppers, mushrooms, cucumber, carrots) with half a rack of homemade ribs. That's it. Zero appetite even at dinner. Forced myself to eat it. I wasn't tired or anything. Felt great actually. Went to the gym and all and had a great workout.

Am I worrying about my caloric intake too much?

 

[Genghis Khan]

As someone who went from 320 lbs to 185-190 i think i could help you out a bit.


Do the Workout in the OP or stronglifts 5x5. Lifting heavy weights is the most important for body recomposition. The body responds very well to heavy poundages and there is not better way to tax the body than with compound lifts.

I found through personal experience that doing heavy compound lifts in the 4-6 rep range really changes the body and helped me a lot with lose skin which usually happens when you start to lose a ton of weight. You can pretty much fix lose skin issues by going down in body fat percentage and adding mass to your frame.

It seems that you already have a background to lifting heavy for football which should help you out tremendously since you probably already have the form locked down.

Typically set a calorie goal based around your body weight goal. Typically when you are heavier you can go on a more aggressive cut because the body will use the excess fat storage as energy expenditure and you will not got as hungry.

Best tip I can give you is to start using myfitnesspal and buy a a food scale. When you really dial in your macros you will start to see changes extremely fast especially when you are new to weight lifting as well.

You can still cheat once a week and what not but in order to hit your macros you will probably have to eat clean 80-90% of the time.


I think that is a really good idea but you have to have good form in the water though. Typically when you are bigger you should be swimming or using an elliptical machine. Something that will not put too much pressure on your joints which can be hurt do to the excess weight. As you start lowering your bodyfat you can add different forms of cardio.



Biggest takeaway is that diet is everything. it is probably 90% of how you look. You should still train hard but diet is key.

Get food Scale and use my fitness pal

Do heavy compounds lifts 3x a week.

Congratulations on your first step to your new goal in life. We are here to help you if you have any more questions.

Thanks man. I'll be sure to pick up a food scale - that's something that I never really thought of but it makes sense. I'll try to use the app as well. I'm a little unsure about how to tally up macros but I'll try to read up on it. If anyone wanted to speak more about that, I'd appreciate it.

So to recap though, are you just suggesting to lift three times a week? How often should I mix in cardio? I was anticipating going to the gym 5 times a week

 

[ArkhamFantasy]

Hey fitgaf. I'm kind of new to this whole weight lifting thing.

I'm skinny/fit and tired of it. Want to put some weight on. Good looking weight. 6' and 150 (starting weight). Very low body fat. Work construction so I have a decent build as is even with not weighing a whole lot. Trying hard to get rid of my really skinny chicken legs. Most of my weight is from the waist up.


I started working out two weeks ago and I'm already seeing results and gains (I'm up to 155 already). Don't really have a set plan. Mainly focus on push/pull days with legs every other day.

I find my appetite works against me. I always feel like I'm forcing myself to eat. For instance I just made myself breakfast. 3 egg omelet, bacon, two pieces of toast and a protein shake. I've eaten maybe half the food and half the shake and I'm stuffed/feel like I'm going to get sick if I keep eating.
I was helping some friends move yesterday. All I had all day was a protein shake for breakfast, two pieces of pizza at lunch, and a plate of raw veggies (broccoli, peppers, mushrooms, cucumber, carrots) with half a rack of homemade ribs. That's it. Zero appetite even at dinner. Forced myself to eat it. I wasn't tired or anything. Felt great actually. Went to the gym and all and had a great workout.

Am I worrying about my caloric intake too much?

You need to find out how many calories you need to maintain your weight, then add about 500 calories to that, also make sure you're getting enough protein for muscle growth. If you're having trouble eating enough calories try to focus on foods high in natural fats, like Peanut Butter and Avacodo's. Protein and Carbs are only 4 calories per gram, Fats are 9 calories per gram.

 

[Ultryx]

Hey guys, first post in here. I appreciate any help you guys can give, and hope to frequent this thread. It's time I make change in my life.

Age: 24 years old
Height: 6ft tall
Weight: 411 pounds
Goal: Lose 100 pounds in 2017
Current Training Schedule: I do nothing
Current Training Equipment Available: Access to the YMCA which has a full gym, cardio room, track, swimming pool, and basketball courts. Waling treadmill at my house.

Questions for GAF:
What should I do in the gym?
Nutrition tips? How many calories should I be consuming?
I'm interested in potentially swimming for cardio.. thoughts on that?
Any and all tips are welcome

I'm hitting the gym starting Monday morning. Looking forward to hearing from you guys before then!

1. I'm sure others will chip in with some information, but doing some sort of weight lifting program will likely be beneficial to you, as would cardio.

2. Eat as many unprocessed foods as you can. Things like fruits, vegetables, and nuts. Find vegetables you like and figure out your favorite way to make them. I personally love sauteed Swiss chard, oven roasted broccoli, and fresh green beans. The number of calories you should be eating can vary wildly, but you should use a TDEE calculator from somewhere online. I think there's one listed in the OP.

3. Swimming for cardio is excellent. I enjoy swimming a lot so it's a bonus for me -- fun and exercise based. It's easier on your joints too, especially if you're a bit larger.

4. I'm not a pro at this and I'm working on losing my own weight, but I really felt that it's important to give someone some encouragement and replies on NeoGAF feel good man. You've taken a step in the right direction. You're going to slip up now and then and that is OK. Don't beat yourself up for it. At the end of the day though you're the only one who can really hold yourself accountable. I'm excited to hear you want to make these improvements though and I'm sending you the strength and well wishes to do so!

 

[G-Bus]

You need to find out how many calories you need to maintain your weight, then add about 500 calories to that, also make sure you're getting enough protein for muscle growth. If you're having trouble eating enough calories try to focus on foods high in natural fats, like Peanut Butter and Avacodo's. Protein and Carbs are only 4 calories per gram, Fats are 9 calories per gram.

Bit of reading about on the internet I'm coming in around 2600 to maintain my weight which sounds high to me. Guess I am pretty active at work. I really wasn't planning on getting into counting my calories but I guess if I want to get a little more serious about this I should probably figure a few things out to get a general idea of what I'm in taking.

Other than the protien shakes I'm drinking daily I mainly get it from eggs and chicken. I rarely eat red meat. Experimenting with hemp hearts as well. Not worried about my protien intake.

Thanks for the advice though. Much appreciated.

 

[Jason's Ultimatum]

Ugh. Wore my new Chucks a few times already at gym for squats, and the outside of my left foot hurts. I'm assuming Its because I have high arches, moreso on my left.

I never had this problem with my NB minimus. Back to square one I guess. I'm in bed and it hurts.

I'm going to go to the NB store to see if they have anything good on sale.

 

[Tater Tot]

Thanks man. I'll be sure to pick up a food scale - that's something that I never really thought of but it makes sense. I'll try to use the app as well. I'm a little unsure about how to tally up macros but I'll try to read up on it. If anyone wanted to speak more about that, I'd appreciate it.

So to recap though, are you just suggesting to lift three times a week? How often should I mix in cardio? I was anticipating going to the gym 5 times a week

Yeah the OP workout will have you in the weight room typically 3 x a week.

I would break it down like this:

M: Weights Workout A
T: Cardio
W:Weights Workout B
Th:Cardio
F:Weights Workout A

If you really want to exercise on the weekends you probably do not need to do much a nice 3 mile walk should be enough.

Edit: I forgot a foam roller will be a really good investment if your gym do not have any. Search Defranco Limber 11 and he has an upperbody one as well. The link is in the OP. This OP has everything

 

[Psychotext]

Psycho seems to be on a trecherous mountain biking "marathon" of some sort, I'm guessing over multiple days, crossing almost the entire country of Wales from North to south. What a f****** monster...

Only just made it in the end, but I broke the record by something like 25 minutes (2 days, 14 hours, 50 minutes). Conditions were utterly horrific at times, and I genuinely thought I was going to freeze to death on the second day as I couldn't find shelter. As usual I didn't sleep, so the whole three days only saw me lay down for a few hours to recover my muscles a bit (I really need to learn how to sleep outdoors). Blew my hamstring in the last four hours and by the time I finished I couldn't even cycle back to Swansea for food / a train. I had to sit there huddled into a shop front in some random town at 3am, waiting for my missus to pick me up.

I know you guys don't really understand endurance, but you can find my numbers / details here (off road cycling mostly, very tough conditions).

https://www.strava.com/activities/987346510
https://www.strava.com/activities/987346583
https://www.strava.com/activities/987346728

Total time in the saddle in those two days was about 41 hours.

 

[mdsfx]

:0

Oh my god. I don't even know what to say. Unbelievable really. Sounds like 3 days of pure pain. How much shit did your wife give you for doing this?

 

[velociraptor]

I want to gym in the afternoon (when it is empty) but I have a severe drop in energy during this time.

I am mentally more alert during the evening, however, the gym is packed to the brim.

Is there any pre-workout I could take that does not contain caffeine? I struggle to sleep during the night otherwise.

Would citrulline malate be enough?

 

[Psychotext]

:0

Oh my god. I don't even know what to say. Unbelievable really. Sounds like 3 days of pure pain. How much shit did your wife give you for doing this?

Ha, I think she's just understanding in a sort of "you're broken, but I love you" sort of way.

 

[ExplodingKetchup]

Re: routine - 3x5 is great for most people starting out

 

[Torokil]

My standing OHP is so fucking bad. Any tips to improve?

 

[Dead Prince]

y'all I found an amazing gym 15 mins away from my house. It's almost always empty and has a room in the back with a bunch of racks, a prowler, a platform, deadlift loader, and bumper plates. I'm in love.

that's pretty good. but next question is are you allowed chalk? ;P

 

[SomewhatGroovy]

I'm really happy with the habits i've formed in the past few weeks. Been hitting the gym 4 days a week, lifting heavy with focus on form and being able to do 5-6 reps. When I'm at home and feel exhausted, I've hopped on my feet, put my running shoes on and will do a 3 mile lap in my neighbourhood as sun sets.

I need to work on my food intake though and drink more water. the Myfitnesspal app is such a pain in the ass to use and im too lazy to just info dump a bunch of food i will eat.

 

[Chorazin]

My standing OHP is so fucking bad. Any tips to improve?

Drop weight, work on form.

I'm really happy with the habits i've formed in the past few weeks. Been hitting the gym 4 days a week, lifting heavy with focus on form and being able to do 5-6 reps. When I'm at home and feel exhausted, I've hopped on my feet, put my running shoes on and will do a 3 mile lap in my neighbourhood as sun sets.

I need to work on my food intake though and drink more water. the Myfitnesspal app is such a pain in the ass to use and im too lazy to just info dump a bunch of food i will eat.

Really? MFP is dead simple to use I've found, but that might be because I've been using it so long. You can't out-work a bad diet so I'd recommend doubling your efforts on using it.

 

[Laekon]

Drop weight, work on form.



Really? MFP is dead simple to use I've found, but that might be because I've been using it so long. You can't out-work a bad diet so I'd recommend doubling your efforts on using it.

If you cook all your own food it can be a pain if you try to be 100% accurate. A scale makes it much easier but a lot of the time people just need to settle for being close enough.

 

[Jokab]

As someone who is looking to get stronger and grow muscles while still staying lean (I'm skinny fat atm, all fat is centered on belly), should should I be eating less on rest days than on gym days? Currently doing SS 3 times a week at mon, wed, fri. Throwing in a little cardio here and there but not much.

 

[Dead Prince]

Rip donut thread

 

[Psychotext]

As someone who is looking to get stronger and grow muscles while still staying lean (I'm skinny fat atm, all fat is centered on belly), should should I be eating less on rest days than on gym days? Currently doing SS 3 times a week at mon, wed, fri. Throwing in a little cardio here and there but not much.

In short, yes, though still try to get a good protein intake.

 

[FallingEdge]

still trying to cut, still fat af, in that weird lean/doughy valley

 

[KillerBEA]

My standing OHP is so fucking bad. Any tips to improve?

Do Z Presses for volume.

 

[Dead Prince]

Blue Bell's Bride's Cake is alright. it's Almond Flavored Ice Cream With Cake Pieces and Amaretto Flavored Cream Cheese Icing. it just taste like a sweeter vanilla ice cream with cake pieces. unsure worth the hype.

 

[sphinx]

still trying to cut, still fat af, in that weird lean/doughy valley

I am going exactly through that right now, just a couple of pounds and I am sure I'd see my abs

went down like 8 pounds these last weeks and I am just shy of reducing 2 holes on my belt, which for me is huge.

overall size is down but that's ok, at least I have a path and somewhere to go, which fits with the time of the year, Germany is getting hot and it's time to show some skin.

 

[Jokab]

In short, yes, though still try to get a good protein intake.

Aight thanks man

 

[TTOOLL]

Hi guys, it's been a loong time since I posted here. I would like some advice on Deadlift.

My PR is just 220 pounds, I'm almost 6 feet tall and weight 167 pounds.
I will be doing deadlifts once a week only in the last day of my Olympic Weightlifting program that includes snatch, clean & jerk and squats.

I have no idea of how many reps is best and the volume I should be working with, my first thought as something like this:

3x60%
5x70%
3x80%
1x90%

What do you think?

 

[Chorazin]

If you cook all your own food it can be a pain if you try to be 100% accurate. A scale makes it much easier but a lot of the time people just need to settle for being close enough.

But if you're cooking your own food, weighing/measuring everything wouldn't be close enough, it would be dead on. I only use guesswork when I'm buying food outside the house.

 

[mdsfx]

I take my lunch to work every day. The night before, I put the food container on a scale as I pack everything, zeroing the scale with each new ingredient. It's actually pretty quick. 6oz chicken, zero scale, 1oz cheese, zero scale.. Etc. And of course MFP saves what you've eaten, so most days I can just copy from a previous meal.

Even if I do go out, I can find a lot of restaurant food in MFP anyway, but if not, I can usually make a decent guess except for sauce/butter.

Even if it's not totally accurate (it isn't), doing this is way better than not doing any math at all.

 

[BlueTsunami]

My standing OHP is so fucking bad. Any tips to improve?

Bracing correctly helped a ton. The same bracing concept youd use with the three other main lifts. Deep breath in from your stomach, up into your diaphragm, filling your torso like a can of soda. Then brace against it by flexing against the pressure. Initiate the lift. If you brace correctly you should feel connected like a stone to the floor.

Also make sure your hand placement is optimal. Like the bench it can make a huge difference. I like to place my hands just outside my delts, just clearing my shoulders.

 

[Oblivion]

So, when I drink protein shakes, I always got this particular brand of protein powder that was cheap and mixed very well with milk that you didn't even need a blender. But now they don't sell them at Costco anymore. The alternatives are either way more expensive or taste like crap. I get protein powder not necessarily for the protein, but rather cause it's chocolate flavored, and I can't can't drink milk without some flavoring. Also, the sugar content is much lower than if I simply drank regular Nestle/Hershey chocolate milk.

But I was wondering, should I just do something like get regular, protein whey and mix that with regular chocolate powder?

 

[ArkhamFantasy]

So, when I drink protein shakes, I always got this particular brand of protein powder that was cheap and mixed very well with milk that you didn't even need a blender. But now they don't sell them at Costco anymore. The alternatives are either way more expensive or taste like crap. I get protein powder not necessarily for the protein, but rather cause it's chocolate flavored, and I can't can't drink milk without some flavoring. Also, the sugar content is much lower than if I simply drank regular Nestle/Hershey chocolate milk.

But I was wondering, should I just do something like get regular, protein whey and mix that with regular chocolate powder?

Do you have a blender bottle? The protein i get at GNC blends well with it and tastes dramatically better than anything else i've tried. It comes out to about $1 a scoop (25g of protein). Double rich milk chocolate or something like that is the one i get.

 

[Oblivion]

Do you have a blender bottle? The protein i get at GNC blends well with it and tastes dramatically better than anything else i've tried. It comes out to about $1 a scoop (25g of protein). Double rich milk chocolate or something like that is the one i get.

Yes, I do have a blender bottle! What do you get?

 

[Jokab]

Just used the calorie calculator and apparently I'm supposed to eat 3385 calories on workout day. So I put in what I ate today on myfitnesspal and apparently I've eaten 2529. Uhhh. Eating 800 more than what I ate today just seems like alooot

 

[mdsfx]

Just used the calorie calculator and apparently I'm supposed to eat 3385 calories on workout day. So I put in what I ate today on myfitnesspal and apparently I've eaten 2235. Uhhh. Eating 30% more than what I ate today just seems insane

Lol I hate bulking

Spoiler

Mostly because I suck at it

 

[Jokab]

Lol I hate bulking

Spoiler

Mostly because I suck at it

I actually set the calculator to lean massing, in which you gain 0.07kg per week. Even at that I'm supposed to eat a lot more than what I did today

 

[ArkhamFantasy]

Yes, I do have a blender bottle! What do you get?

"GNC Pro Performance AMP, amplified gold 100% whey protein advanced, double rich chocolate"

You'll have to get it from GNC or from GNC website, but its good.

 

[mdsfx]

I actually set the calculator to lean massing, in which you gain 0.07kg per week. Even at that I'm supposed to eat a lot more than what I did today

Are you eating enough fat? Trying to hit all of your calories with excess carbs is not always easy. At 9 calories per gram, fats are way easier to rack up calories with.

 

[crpav]

Just used the calorie calculator and apparently I'm supposed to eat 3385 calories on workout day. So I put in what I ate today on myfitnesspal and apparently I've eaten 2529. Uhhh. Eating 800 more than what I ate today just seems like alooot

I don't find it hard. In fact I find it hard to not eat more. I am at 2700 calories daily and loving it and truthfully could eat more but I used to be fat and eat A LOT.

Just find foods higher in calories like peanut butter and such. Take last night. I had softball from 6:30 until about 9:30. Only had half a Lenny and larry Snickerdoodle cookie and a half glass of Fairlife milk about 1 and a half hour before(since I don't like to play sports or workout after eating.). Got home and ate a pork chop and some bread and butter pickle slices, a Thomas Banana Chocolate Chip bagel with Nuts and More salted caramel protein peanut butter on it, ice cream, some animal crackers and then some more ice cream. Easy near 1000+ calories in like 20 minutes and could of ate more.

 

[ArkhamFantasy]

I actually set the calculator to lean massing, in which you gain 0.07kg per week. Even at that I'm supposed to eat a lot more than what I did today

I wouldnt worry about gaining weight fast, find out how many calories you need to maintain your weight, add 250 calories to that, you will gain weight. It's not going to happen overnight but its also decreases the amount of fat you will gain.

But if you really want to eat alot more calories, you can just grab a big spoon full of peanut butter and eat that, that's an easy 400 or 500 calories right there. Or maybe some dark chocolate covered almonds.

 

[mdsfx]

Peanut butter, cheese, eggs, fatty fish, olive oil...

Just blend all of those up together and take shots of it.

 

[KillerBEA]

My Barbell Row is now marginally stronger than my Barbell Bench. huzzah!

 

[BlueTsunami]

Just used the calorie calculator and apparently I'm supposed to eat 3385 calories on workout day. So I put in what I ate today on myfitnesspal and apparently I've eaten 2529. Uhhh. Eating 800 more than what I ate today just seems like alooot

Get more fat in there. Peanut butter and milk. 1800 calories should pretty much be a fulfilment of your base macro needs. Everything else is just energy. Or more carbs but carbs can be harder to slam down.

My Barbell Row is now marginally stronger than my Barbell Bench. huzzah!

This is what I'm working towards. Parity between my row and bench. My row is now only a little weaker. Its amazing how the bench gets all the glory but its the row thats actually useful for the other big lifts.

 

[KillerBEA]

This is what I'm working towards. Parity between my row and bench. My row is now only a little weaker. Its amazing how the bench gets all the glory but its the row thats actually useful for the other big lifts.

Took me about 8 months after deciding it needed to happen. Mainly did other Rowing variations and stuck to the 10 - 15 rep range. Got really good at cheaty machine rows, strict cable rows, and dumbbell rows.

 

[Jokab]

Thanks for the advice everyone, I'll try to get more fat in there. Also gotta get more protein but that's another story

 

[Faith]

Update from me, no pump, just at home on a restday. Currently at 92kg bodyweight, will keep slowly bulking for another 3.5 weeks. Then I'm planing on cutting down 4.5-5kg of fat in around 5 weeks. Not really into BB contests, I just want to be ripped for the summer

 

[mdsfx]

Looking great as always faith!

I'm also cutting for summer, but I'll just be that skinny guy that everyone thinks should eat more. Sure makes racing easier though lol

 

[sphinx]

I'm also cutting for summer, but I'll just be that skinny guy that everyone thinks should eat more.

that makes two of us lol

 

[FallingEdge]

Update from me, no pump, just at home on a restday. Currently at 92kg bodyweight, will keep slowly bulking for another 3.5 weeks. Then I'm planing on cutting down 4.5-5kg of fat in around 5 weeks. Not really into BB contests, I just want to be ripped for the summer

legit af

 

[Szu]

Hit 315x4 for squats. I did wear a belt this time.

The best part was my power lifter buddy told me he had no advice to give.

 

[Marz]

Update from me, no pump, just at home on a restday. Currently at 92kg bodyweight, will keep slowly bulking for another 3.5 weeks. Then I'm planing on cutting down 4.5-5kg of fat in around 5 weeks. Not really into BB contests, I just want to be ripped for the summer

Nice man. All natural?