Support NeoGAF

[TacticSiege]

Here it goes.

Age: 22
Height: 6' 3"
Weight: 170lbs
Goal: Bulk up and tone. Turn my 3 rolls into a 6pack. Attract Women with physique.
Current: various dumbbell lifts, pushups, situps.

Comments: A college student who eats like a college student, aka low budget, ramen noodles. Could use some dietary help. Milk kicks my ass and this whole milk thing wont fly. Also a diabetic, prone to kidney issues.

 

[radiuhm]

I have some questions about my supplements:

ON 100% Gold Standard Whey *pre/post workout shake

ON 100% Casein Protein *drink before going to bed

CytoSport Cyto Gainer *to drink on days I don't workout and need more calories/protein

What do you think about those proteins and the way I'd be taking them?

 

[my name is ed]

http://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff178/ShockWaveTrio/photo1.jpg
You're the same age, height, and weight as myself. Like, on the dot. What equipment do you have available to you; any equipment at home, or access to a gym? What you have available will be the largest factor in what you will be able to do exercise-wise. As important as lifting and cardio can be, diet is also important, and that of course does not require any specialized equipment.

What would you say your diet currently consists of on the average day?

Ok, theres a gym two stories down in my building available to me. They have some machines down there like an elliptical machine, two swiss balls, a treadmill, some free weights and some machines that I dont really know what to call. Well, I live on my own so my diet consists of sandwhiches, migas, some subway, ramen noodles, and I go out pretty frequent so a lot of crap. On a normal day it go like something like this: breakfast - cereal, lunch - migas, dinner - sandwhich and chips and maybe at night Ill have a soda or two.

 

[All Hail C-Webb]

I lost a decent amount of weight recently, and am now stuck with excess skin around my stomach, and the remnants of man boobs. What is the best way to get rid of this? Thanks.

 

[Slo]

If you were honest with yourself, is it really loose skin or is there still some fat under there? I'd bet it's a little from A, a little from B. \If your skin has lost it's elasticity, you're pretty much out of luck. You will look 100x better if you put on some muscle mass and fill your skin out a bit. Getting rid of the all the extra skin would probably require cosmetic surgery.

 

[Chichikov]

So, Snrub/Chich/whoever, can you post the guidelines for a proper deadlift?

Sure, might as well do it in a semi formal way so that snurb can put it in the OP (after he fix my grammar and spelling, English is not my 1st language).

Disclaimer: like most lifts, correct form depends on body types, so unfortunately I cannot specify exact distances and angles and while what I write should apply to most, people with unusual morphology will have an unusual form.

Stand in a neutral stance, feet pointing slightly out, and roll the bar over the the middle of your feet.
Bend over and grab the bar, your grip width should be as narrow as you can while having your elbows still easily clear your knees.
Now it's time to assume the starting position -
Band your knees, not quite to 90 degrees, straighten your back, make sure your elbows are straight and your shoulders are locked back.
<I will look for an image of the proper starting position and put it here>

Now to the pull itself -
You start by lifting your ass, not opening your back (i.e. getting your torso vertical), the angle between your back and the floor should remain almost same until the the bar get to the knees.
The bar should travel very close to the shins, once it get to the knees, open up your back and lock everything up.
Now to put the bar back on the floor, but don't just drop it, bad down form causes many injuries in the deadlift.
You should effectively do the reverse of the movement you just did - start by rolling the bar on your thighs, getting the back to what would be the correct starting angle of your next rep and bend your knees until the bar hit the floor.

Tips and things to consider:

• most people will not have problems with the 2nd half of the deadlift, it's a rather natural motion at that point, the problems usually occur in getting the bar to just below the knees, it is helpful to only think about lifting your ass, and while the actual biomechanics of this part is more complicated than that, it is a helpful mental cue.
• The arms should not be working at all in the deadlift, think of them as strings, make sure your elbows are straight and shoulders are locked at all time.
• Between reps it's a good idea to reset the bar's and your position. It is likely that your position will "drift" a bit between reps otherwise.
• Deadlift as it name implies, start from a dead stop on the floor, don't bounce the bar between reps.
• Don't deadlift with smaller plates (diameter wise) than 45s, otherwise the bar will be too low (you may have seen people deadlifting on a platform to achieve that same effect, regardless of my opinion about deep deadlifts, no one will argue it's something a beginner should do). If you cannot deadlift 135lb, use bumper plates.

Other stuff -
Grip: you should start with a normal overhand grip to keep things simple and improve your grip strength, but as you get into heavier weight you will probably want to move to a mixed grip. In a mixed grip you have one arm (usually the dominant, but do what feels right) supinated and the other pronated, this prevent the bar from rolling away from your fingers. When you get into even heavier weights, you may get to the point where you need to use straps.
Protecting your shins: While a perfect deadlift should not result in a bleeding shin, having a knurled bar moving very close can cause many people to flinch and screw their form, so it's a good idea to deadlift with longs pants or heavy knee high socks. And while a bleeding shin is almost a rite of passage for lifters, if you're hitting your shin hard something is wrong with your form, most likely you're opening up the back too soon in the lift.

 

[Anton Sugar]

To the OP,

Since quite a few people seem to be aspiring towards the same goal, lower bodyfat and a defined look, you might create a generalized workout for people with percentages if they are new to the iron game and add it to the OP.

For example,

Establish proper form with just the bar, then add weight with 5 minute rest in between your one rep to establish something close to your 1RM. Then build off of percentages there. I would write it up if I were more eloquent and not so incoherent.

Good call. I'll also post some general routines, and I'm going to start on exercise descriptions. I hope I have enough text in the OP...I'll make major updates on Monday, weekends I don't have much computer access.

 

[dabig2]

Awesome write-up Chichikov. Here's a couple vids as well explaining the deadlift anatomy and different positions to help give life to the words.

Deadlift set-up

Mark Rippetoe: Deadlift Starting Angles

And then of course related videos.

And then there's also stronglift's step by step deadlift correct technique

 

[Chichikov]

If people find such stuff useful I can do it for other lifts as well.
That picture is good example of a deadlift starting position, only in real life I try to have a little bit less jpeg artifacts .

 

[dabig2]

If people find such stuff useful I can do it for other lifts as well.

Indeed. Haha, I was just looking at the OP and I think writeups of all the compound exercises there would be great (err, provided time and all that)

So writeups for these basically would be awesome over the next month if at all possible:

Exercises

Squat

Deadlift

Bench Press

Press

Bent Over Row

Power Clean

 

[Anton Sugar]

Snrub, you are awesome and I will be lobbying for you to get a kick ass tag soon. One more question though, the only equipment I have is a pair of 10lb free weights. Is there anyway to do stuff like bench presses and squats and stuff using, uh, anything that doesn't cost money? I'm poor!

Haha, thanks! I'd recommend investing in a free weight set of just getting a gym membership. Until then...ways to make push ups more interesting:

• Hand width variations (close, wide, etc.)
• Incline pushups (elevate your feet)
• Handstand pushups
• Have someone sit on your back or fill a backpack with something

They still don't match the bench press, however.

I've thought about hitting a full body routine, but I always thought bench press+squat+deadlifts would be too taxing.... Have you had good success with it?

BTW.. I experimented with front squats today. My wrists still aren't flexible enough to do a clean grip, but I'm getting there. I can do them sucessfully w/ the cross arm technique. I think I'm going to add 3 sets of front squats to my leg day and trim some of the shoulder/bicep exercises.

Troblin, I'd definitely do a full body. It's not too taxing, though since you have experience, you may want to limit the amount of time you do deadlifts. I'd recommend this to you:

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

However, you've been working out for a while. Once gains stopped coming, workout to workout, you'd be considered an intermediate and need to think about making progress on a week to week basis, not a workout to workout basis (a novice). So, you'd have to modify it, and I'd do something like this:

Monday
Squat - 3-5 sets of 5
Bench Press - 3-5 sets of 5
Power Cleans - 5 sets of 3
Pull-Ups - 3 sets of 5 (weighted)

Wednesday
Squat - 2 sets of 5 @ 70% of Monday's load (or front squats, which force you to use around that amount anyway)
Overhead Press - 3 sets of 5
Deadlifts - 2-3 set of 5

Friday
Squat - work up to max set of 5
Bench Press - work up to max set of 5
Power Cleans - work up to max set of 3
Deadlift - 1-2 sets of 5 @ 70% of Wednesday's load
Arm work, if desired

I've been only using full body routines for a while and have gotten my best results off of them. Train smart AND hard and you'll be fine. Make use of the small plates at the gym--it is better to reach slowly than to overreach and have to dial it back, thus slowing your progress.

 

[Ace 8095]

Alright, looks like this is what everyone's doing now.. soo...

Age: 16

Height: 5'10"

Weight: 121

Goal: Gain weight and muscle. Looking more for weight and muscle size than I am endurance or muscle strength.

Current Training Schedule: 20 lb. Dumbbells every day for Curls, and standing shoulder presses..., after that I do push ups, pull ups, and dips. That about sums it up... Hardly anything I know x.x Though I have recently started doing knuckle push ups.

Comments: I'm 16 and I don't have a job so I can't afford to get a gym membership so anything suggested must be something that can be done at home and the only type of weights I have are dumbbells. I have already started with some protein shakes and trying to ramp up my food intake some, but it's hard going...

Anything helps people so suggest away! It's still summer so I have a lot of free time... :lol

You want get far without barbells. If your serious about putting on weight you must find a way to squat and bench. If you start Starting Strength Monday, drink a gallon of whole milk a day, and push yourself as hard as you can, you will be 150 by January. You can achieve your goals if you truly want to.

 

[gray_fox224]

Great thread

 

[Invisible_Insane]

* Age: 19
* Height: 6'0
* Weight: 185
* Goal: Increased strength
* Current Training Schedule: Taekwondo/submission grappling 4 times a week, pushups and crunches
* Comments: Is there any way to make gains in strength without increasing in size? My legs are somewhat disproportionately large as the result of running track for three years in high school, and I'd like to keep the gains in size to a minimum.

Thanks, in advance, for all your help.

 

[RumblingRosco]

Ok, theres a gym two stories down in my building available to me. They have some machines down there like an elliptical machine, two swiss balls, a treadmill, some free weights and some machines that I dont really know what to call. Well, I live on my own so my diet consists of sandwhiches, migas, some subway, ramen noodles, and I go out pretty frequent so a lot of crap. On a normal day it go like something like this: breakfast - cereal, lunch - migas, dinner - sandwhich and chips and maybe at night Ill have a soda or two.

Since your main goal is weight lose, and not muscular strength, I'd say a focus on cardio would be good for you with some weight lifting to supplement this process. If you could figure out if there's a squat rack/cage in the gym in your building, that'd be pretty useful for your weightlifting portion. The dumbbells are useful, though!

Here's a rough routine you could follow, adding or removing things as you see fit/enjoyable. For cardio, you could either try HIIT, or regular long-distance cardio. I'd honestly recommend you try both and see which you enjoy more; HIIT is generally better for maintaining muscle mass, but since you're not as concerned with muscular development, long distance is a fine alternative for you.

Day 1 - Cardio
20 minute jog (treadmill or outdoors); try to keep up a pace that is challenging to you.

OR

10 minutes of HIIT running (30 sec jog/walk, 30 sec sprint).

Day 2 - Rest

Day 3 - Lifting
3x5 Squats
3x8 (each arm) dumbbell curls
3x10 leg lifts
3x8 bent-over dumbbell rows
3x5 bench press (if no barbell is available, dumbbells will work)

Day 4 - Rest

Day 5 - Cardio
Repeat day 1.

Day 6 - Rest

Day 7 - Rest
Or, if you feel up to it, start back at Day 1 here (so basically, working out consistently every other day instead of taking an entire weekend off).

There's a lot of room to adjust this routine, and you should really work on figuring out what works for you and what doesn't. If you do long distance cardio, start with 20 minutes and slowly work it up to a good 40+ at a solid pace. If you do HIIT, 10 minutes might be rough to start, but do what you can, eventually trying to work to around 10 or 15 minutes max (more than 15 minutes, and you aren't running fast enough). Alternatively, you can do HIIT on stairs (running up them, then walking down; make sure you have good shoes and socks for this though!), or even swimming if you have a nearby pool.

If there is no squat rack available in your gym, let us know and there's alternatives with dumbbells that can work, especially as you're just starting to get into it.

Diet-wise, it seems like you're pretty busy and time constrained, but there are some things you can do that don't take much time that can be prepared ahead of time. For breakfast, if you like eggs at all, try to hardboil some eggs on the weekends to have with your breakfast. Good protein, easy to prepare, and they'll last for the duration of a week worth of breakfasts.

I'd suggest to cut back on some of the crap foods too, but that's easier said than done. Try to get more water, either with meals or just sip on a bottle throughout the day at your convenience. Try to cut back from 2 sodas to 1 soda a night. If you want to be a real badass about it, cut out soda cold turkey and you will get these awesome headaches for a few days while your body adjusts (at least, that's what happened to me from personal experience).

Ramen is a sodium loaded mother fucker, but it tastes great, is easy to prepare, and is cheaper than dirt. It's pure evil genius, really. Try replacing one or two Ramen meals a week with some fresh deli-sliced lean turkey or chicken, or better yet, some good canned tuna. A can or two of cheap tuna can be combined with a hardboiled egg and some light mayonnaise into tuna salad, and that is damn good (high protein, low fat, low sodium, relatively cheap, easy to prepare and keeps for about a week or more).

It's a shit ton to take in here, but don't get overwhelmed. Start with small changes and work your way into things. As always, there's a lot of good advice from others here on GAF, so if something I say sounds wrong or needs elaboration, ask away!

 

[Anton Sugar]

* Age:23
* Height:5'10"
* Weight:140
* Goal:reduce fat around thigh and gluts
* Current Training Schedule: Mainly consists of push-ups, sit ups, dips, squats (no weights), jump rope. I started using one of those exercise balls and may buy a bench press, for squats and military press.
* Comments: When I started college I bulked up to 165 just doing heavy lifting. I stopped working out for almost two years, but now I am looking to stay around 150 and increase cardio.

You're definitely gonna need to start using free weights if you want to gain significant muscular bodyweight. You can plug in some cardio, but it is going to make getting bigger and more muscular difficult. At 140 and 5'10", you are fairly small. Is your goal really just fat reduction? Regardless, combining weights and cardio would be best for you. Give this a shot:

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

How's your diet look?

 

[Anton Sugar]

Old thread has been locked and copied to the archive.

Thanks!

Nah, I wouldn't say I'm beginning. I just need an organized workout plan really. Im trying to get my back, legs, and abs bigger/stronger. I just did some ab workouts today, and man are they weak :lol

1 glass for me is quite a bit more than a cup. I'll read the rest of the OP sometime tomorrow so hopefully I can get into more detail.

Here's what I'd recommend for you:

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

Let me know if you have any other questions!

 

[Anton Sugar]

Since everyone is doing it, I guess I'll fill one of these out too to get some suggestions.

Age: 21
Height: 6'1"
Weight: 183
Goal: Build muscle mass and lower body fat %
Current Training Schedule: I'm currently alternating between these 2 workouts, 3-4 days a week.

Day 1
Shrugs (for warm up)
Barbell Curls
Squats
Bench Press
Shoulder Press
Leg raises or Roman sit ups between major lifts

Day 2
Deadlifts
Dips (non weighted)/Skull Crushers
Leg Press
Barbell Rows
Leg raises or Roman sit ups between major lifts

I also fit in some machines for my legs...as I feel Squats and Leg press aren't enough.

The thing is for most of these, I'm doing either 3x8 or 4x6 for my reps/sets. Should I be doing 3x5 with higher weights? I'm not exactly looking to bulk up or anything, just more defined.

As for diet, I'm trying my best to eat healthy even though I usually end up eating big on the weekends .

Breakfast - 2 eggs, 2 wheat toasts, tuna, a banana and some fruit juices.
Lunch - Chicken sandwich with wheat bread, some fruits (watermelon, apple or grapes)
Dinner - About the same as lunch, though I do try for some more variety.

Hmm, you say you want to gain muscle mass but you don't want to "bulk up"? Like I said in the OP, there is no different between the way a muscle grows. Muscle built on 5 reps doesn't look super bulky compared to muscle built on 8 reps.

Squats definitely should be enough and if not, there are better movements you can do with free weights than machines. Here's how I'd change your routines:

Day 1
Squats
Bench Press
Bent Over Rows
Overhead Press
Barbell Curls
Power Shrugs
Ab work

Day 2
Deadlifts
Dips (non weighted)/Skull Crushers
Barbell Rows
Barbell Step Ups
Front Squats
Ab work

I am definitely a proponent of doing the major lifts first. I also don't recommend taxing your abs before a big lift like squatting--your abs are crucial in protecting your back/core.

I'd do 3-5 sets of 5 for the major lifts (maybe just 2-3 sets of 5 for deadlifts...can be very taxing), and 3-4 sets of 8-10 for smaller lifts.

You could also stand to eat a lot more! I don't think you're getting near enough protein. Have you considered getting a good protein supplement?

 

[Ace 8095]

I just saw this in another thread and thought it deserved a place in the Cardio section of the OP. Mr. T on speed walking

 

[Anton Sugar]

Alright, looks like this is what everyone's doing now.. soo...

Age: 16

Height: 5'10"

Weight: 121

Goal: Gain weight and muscle. Looking more for weight and muscle size than I am endurance or muscle strength.

Current Training Schedule: 20 lb. Dumbbells every day for Curls, and standing shoulder presses..., after that I do push ups, pull ups, and dips. That about sums it up... Hardly anything I know x.x Though I have recently started doing knuckle push ups.

Comments: I'm 16 and I don't have a job so I can't afford to get a gym membership so anything suggested must be something that can be done at home and the only type of weights I have are dumbbells. I have already started with some protein shakes and trying to ramp up my food intake some, but it's hard going...

Anything helps people so suggest away! It's still summer so I have a lot of free time... :lol

Hm, you are pretty small, and gaining weight is going to be difficult without some heavy training...regardless, I'll start working on some bodyweight/odd object lifting information in the OP.

 

[aznpxdd]

Overhead press = military press?

 

[All Hail C-Webb]

If you were honest with yourself, is it really loose skin or is there still some fat under there? I'd bet it's a little from A, a little from B. \If your skin has lost it's elasticity, you're pretty much out of luck. You will look 100x better if you put on some muscle mass and fill your skin out a bit. Getting rid of the all the extra skin would probably require cosmetic surgery.

I posted in the Lifting age thread last year, read your response, and decided that your advice sucked.
I went forward with my plan, lost over 100 pounds, and got into the best shape of my life.
Now I come back (I had forgotten my post from last year), and you're being your negative self again.
I'm strong like bull, and am hot fire with clothes on, but I can't even fuck missionary cause my titties sag down like 6 inches, and my stomach looks like a hot mess. Ya, I've still got some fat under there, but I'm still losing weight, and working hard to do so. I'm 23, so hopefully my skin is as elastic as ever.

I'm, just trying to find out if there is anything specific that is good for getting rid of the extra skin around my stomach and chest. I know that surgery is an option, but it's definitely a last resort.

 

[Anton Sugar]

Alright, so.

Was doing my deadlifts and was pointed out the fact that I was arching my back, and the entire time I couldn't figure out why I was doing that.

Then it hit me, and I didn't keep in mind something very simple: I was reaching down and over to grab the barbell, thus putting my torso forward more than I should. What I should have been doing was half-squatting/dropping down to grab the bar, correct?

So, Snrub/Chich/whoever, can you post the guidelines for a proper deadlift?

On some good news front, I'm very comfortable with bench pressing now, and I will stick to the weight I am currently at for a few more sessions as it is still challenging in the last couple of reps, and then try to move up a weight again.

Oh, and I managed to make my shins bleed - bad form and all.

Chichikov posted a damned good explanation. I'll be posting exercise step-by-steps soon.

My father showed me how to do Deadlifts for the first time this week and what he had me do was keep my knees slightly bent and NEVER lock them out. When bringing the weight up and putting it down, always keep your knees bent.

To keep my back straight, I tried to force my ass in the air so it would prevent me from hunching my back.

Hm...not sure why you wouldn't lock out your knees. In fact, not locking out your knees will disqualify your attempt in a powerlifting competition.

 

[Chichikov]

Overhead press = military press?

Military press is one variation of the overhead press.
In military press your heels are touching each other, personally, I find it unnecessarily strict, as long as your knees are locked you should be fine.

I just saw this in another thread and thought it deserved a place in the Cardio section of the OP. Mr. T on speed walking

This is the greatest thing I've seen in my life.

 

[BlueTsunami]

Hm...not sure why you wouldn't lock out your knees. In fact, not locking out your knees will disqualify your attempt in a powerlifting competition.

Yeah, I've been reading up on it and I think he was just trying to get my initial form down. Next time I do them, I'll definitely be locking out on the final form.

 

[Anton Sugar]

Overhead press = military press?

Yup, as it's generally understood. Military press, the classical version, has your heels together...I'm just referring to pressing overhead (feet shoulder width, usually).

I posted in the Lifting age thread last year, read your response, and decided that your advice sucked.
I went forward with my plan, lost over 100 pounds, and got into the best shape of my life.
Now I come back (I had forgotten my post from last year), and you're being your negative self again.
I'm strong like bull, and am hot fire with clothes on, but I can't even fuck missionary cause my titties sag down like 6 inches, and my stomach looks like a hot mess. Ya, I've still got some fat under there, but I'm still losing weight, and working hard to do so. I'm 23, so hopefully my skin is as elastic as ever.

I'm, just trying to find out if there is anything specific that is good for getting rid of the extra skin around my stomach and chest. I know that surgery is an option, but it's definitely a last resort.

Sorry man, but I think he summed it up...there's not much to do except see if your body will adapt to your new shape over time or to increase the muscle mass in those areas (obviously, doing this to your abdominals would be...difficult). It's not an area I'm familiar with and I'd be willing to bet most of those "shaping and firming" creams are bullshit, even if a little effective. Most solutions I've heard of to situations like these have been cosmetic surgery. I have had very overweight friends lose a lot of weight, but yours sounds a bit more extreme of a situation than theirs. I'm guessing searching the net hasn't yielded any good information?

 

[aznpxdd]

You could also stand to eat a lot more! I don't think you're getting near enough protein. Have you considered getting a good protein supplement?

Yeah, I actually have been taking protein shake from time to time, but should I drink it after every workout?

Yup, as it's generally understood. Military press, the classical version, has your heels together...I'm just referring to pressing overhead (feet shoulder width, usually).

So you recommend doing overheard press over shoulder press?

 

[Anton Sugar]

Here it goes.

Age: 22
Height: 6' 3"
Weight: 170lbs
Goal: Bulk up and tone. Turn my 3 rolls into a 6pack. Attract Women with physique.
Current: various dumbbell lifts, pushups, situps.

Comments: A college student who eats like a college student, aka low budget, ramen noodles. Could use some dietary help. Milk kicks my ass and this whole milk thing wont fly. Also a diabetic, prone to kidney issues.

Well, if you are a college student, you probably have access to a gym. And I'm guessing you have dining hall access? I envy you! It should be easy for you to bulk up!

Here is my standard beginner-type routine:

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

 

[Anton Sugar]

Yeah, I actually have been taking protein shake from time to time, but should I drink it after every workout?

Yup, and on your "off" days. Not feeding your body just because you aren't lifting that day is one of the best ways to starve your recovery processes.

Alright guys, I'll be back Monday, busy weekend. I also need to skim down the OP, I'm running into the text limit, but my writing style is somewhat bloated, so I can edit it down.

 

[Chichikov]

I posted in the Lifting age thread last year, read your response, and decided that your advice sucked.
I went forward with my plan, lost over 100 pounds, and got into the best shape of my life.
Now I come back (I had forgotten my post from last year), and you're being your negative self again.
I'm strong like bull, and am hot fire with clothes on, but I can't even fuck missionary cause my titties sag down like 6 inches, and my stomach looks like a hot mess. Ya, I've still got some fat under there, but I'm still losing weight, and working hard to do so. I'm 23, so hopefully my skin is as elastic as ever.

I'm, just trying to find out if there is anything specific that is good for getting rid of the extra skin around my stomach and chest. I know that surgery is an option, but it's definitely a last resort.

How old are you?
As far as I know (and I'm no expert on the subject) if you're young it will eventually get better (even though what you're describing sounds rather extreme, so I'm not sure) but if not, your only option is cosmetic surgery.

 

[Chichikov]

Alright guys, I'll be back Monday, busy weekend. I also need to skim down the OP, I'm running into the text limit, but my writing style is somewhat bloated, so I can edit it down.

We might need more posts than 3, especially if you want to do detailed lift description.
I'm not sure if it's technically possible, but you should ask a mod.

 

[Mœbius]

* Age: 29
* Height: 5'7"
* Weight: Not sure exactly, around 155-160.
* Goal: General body weight loss (want to get down below 150), in particular around the chest (man boobs are forming!) which I want to strengthen and define.
* Current Training Schedule: None. I walk a lot; but that's it.
* Comments: My build is quite stocky and solid. I'm fairly healthy as I used to train a lot previously - boxing since I was 15 until 25. Had to stop due to injury which still means I can't do any sports or anything high impact, so looking at free weights and excercises that can be done at home. Anyway, age is catching up so even though I try to move around a lot and keep active the strentgh and muscle definition is going and the weight is creeping on. My diet is a mixed bag - cereal in the morning, sandwich and chocolate bar at lunch, and pasta or sandwich again in the evening. Of course I have occassional junk food or takeout, maybe twice a week in a 'bad week'. Drink about 2 fizzy drinks a day and some juice; no alcohol though.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Shorty]

Thanks Mr. Snrub!
Off to read the OP...

 

[GHG]

Snrub, would you recommend doing ab work every time you workout or just once a week like you've been stating?

 

[Chichikov]

Snrub, would you recommend doing ab work every time you workout or just once a week like you've been stating?

Doing major lifts will work your abs.
Doing target ab exercises every day is an overkill in my mind.

 

[BrodiemanTTR]

Once I get settled in my new house, I plan to start hitting the gym regularly as often as I can before school starts. Hopefully I can put this thread to good use.

 

[DeadFalling]

To give you an idea of what we're working with here..

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b110/RoboPanda/asdasd.jpg

Sorry for the crappy quality it's my shitty camera phone...
That's of course side profile view no flexing.

 

[GHG]

Doing major lifts will work your abs.
Doing target ab exercises every day is an overkill in my mind.

Hmm... My abs aren't progressing the way I'd hope. In terms of goals right now they are the thing I most want to improve... by far (I'm pretty satisfied with the rest of my body). Thats not to say my abs are bad or anything but I'm want them LL Cool J abs man... Beach partys are happening next month and I want to be ready :lol .

 

[Zaraki_Kenpachi]

What are the benefits of the protein shakes people keep talking about?

 

[Chichikov]

Hmm... My abs aren't progressing the way I'd hope. In terms of goals right now they are the thing I most want to improve... by far (I'm pretty satisfied with the rest of my body). Thats not to say my abs are bad or anything but I'm want them LL Cool J abs man... Beach partys are happening next month and I want to be ready :lol .

How do you measure progress in your abs?
If it's visually, it has little to do with abs strength and everything to do with body fat.
Most people need to get around 10% to have "washboard abs".

 

[PoliceCop]

Age:19
Weight:170
Height:6'2
Goals: General improvement/Added definition in abs, chest, shoulders
Comments:I've been working out consistently for roughly 8 months and I consider myself to be in pretty good shape. I'm supplementing my workout with whey protein (2 shakes on a workout day, one off) and have definitely gotten a large improvement in my physique, however I have an extremely fast metabolism which prevents me from gaining weight.

Current Routine:
Bench Press-4 sets, warmup at 135, then 8,6,5(reps) at 165
Curls-3 sets of roughly 10 reps at 80lbs
Abdominal Machines
Calve Machine
Seated Rows

 

[reilo]

I thought I was doing all of that with my deadlift, but I guess I wasn't lifting my ass in the air far enough. I think my shins were too far at an angle instead of being closer to perpendicular/at a right angle to the ground.

 

[GHG]

How do you measure progress in your abs?
If it's visually, it has little to do with abs strength and everything to do with body fat.
Most people need to get around 10% to have "washboard abs".

I doubt BF is an issue since I'm normally around the 11% mark. I dunno... Its just I have this mental image of how I want my abs to look. I'll try adding some ab work at the end of every workout for ~ 10 minutes and see how it goes.

 

[NewLib]

Alright Im going to throw myself to the mercy of GAF.

Age: 22
Height: 5'11
Weight: 165
Goal: Gain upper body mass (Especially Shoulder/Back) while keeping abs cut.
Current Training Schedule: I started working out hard 3 months ago with the dreaded isolation workout (4 times a week: Chest/Tricep, Biceps/Abs, Shoulder/Back, Legs). Ive noticed big gains but thats mostly due to me being new. Im adding a fifth day where Im just doing sprints/swimming.
Current Training Equipment: I belong to a pretty good gym right now with almost anything you could ask for. In August I go to Law School and they have a great gym as well.
Comments: Im sort of on the milk diet, but kind of on accident. I have always drank a lot of milk. I recently switched to a more healthy eating diet with chicken/fish, peanut butter, oats, wheat bread, veggies etc.

I just want a workout that will reach my goals and take me to the next level.

 

[Slo]

I posted in the Lifting age thread last year, read your response, and decided that your advice sucked.
I went forward with my plan, lost over 100 pounds, and got into the best shape of my life.
Now I come back (I had forgotten my post from last year), and you're being your negative self again.
I'm strong like bull, and am hot fire with clothes on, but I can't even fuck missionary cause my titties sag down like 6 inches, and my stomach looks like a hot mess. Ya, I've still got some fat under there, but I'm still losing weight, and working hard to do so. I'm 23, so hopefully my skin is as elastic as ever.

I'm, just trying to find out if there is anything specific that is good for getting rid of the extra skin around my stomach and chest. I know that surgery is an option, but it's definitely a last resort.

WTF? I'm not being negative. How am I being negative? I gave you honest advice. If you've still got a little fat under there, then you still have hope of that skin coming back up when you lose it. But if it's really just loose skin (very thin, wrinkly, bunched up skin) then you'd have to get a tummy tuck to get rid of it. I just suggested adding mass to maybe fill that skin up a little bit again.

Congrats on you losing weight, but why the hell are you calling me out like this? Because I'm not telling you what you want to hear?

Edit: Out of curiosity, what has this horrible, negative advice that I gave you? My guess is that I told you that you should lift weights to build muscle even while dieting and that you shouldn't try to lose more than 2-3 pounds a week or you'll end up looking like a stick figure wearing a garbage bag? Because that's what I tell everybody...

 

[Ace 8095]

Age:19
Weight:170
Height:6'2
Goals: General improvement/Added definition in abs, chest, shoulders
Comments:I've been working out consistently for roughly 8 months and I consider myself to be in pretty good shape. I'm supplementing my workout with whey protein (2 shakes on a workout day, one off) and have definitely gotten a large improvement in my physique, however I have an extremely fast metabolism which prevents me from gaining weight.

Current Routine:
Bench Press-4 sets, warmup at 135, then 8,6,5(reps) at 165
Curls-3 sets of roughly 10 reps at 80lbs
Abdominal Machines
Calve Machine
Seated Rows

Bench press and curls will only get you so far. You will need to add squats and dead lifts if you’re serious about lifting. I always suggest starting strength for people new to lifting, many people on this board, and all over the internet have had great success with it. You can read more about it here, but I highly suggest you purchase the book. It's probable the best book I've ever purchased. http://startingstrength.wikia.com/wiki/Starting_Strength_Wiki

 

[Ace 8095]

Alright Im going to throw myself to the mercy of GAF.

Age: 22
Height: 5'11
Weight: 165
Goal: Gain upper body mass (Especially Shoulder/Back) while keeping abs cut.
Current Training Schedule: I started working out hard 3 months ago with the dreaded isolation workout (4 times a week: Chest/Tricep, Biceps/Abs, Shoulder/Back, Legs). Ive noticed big gains but thats mostly due to me being new. Im adding a fifth day where Im just doing sprints/swimming.
Current Training Equipment: I belong to a pretty good gym right now with almost anything you could ask for. In August I go to Law School and they have a great gym as well.
Comments: Im sort of on the milk diet, but kind of on accident. I have always drank a lot of milk. I recently switched to a more healthy eating diet with chicken/fish, peanut butter, oats, wheat bread, veggies etc.

I just want a workout that will reach my goals and take me to the next level.

You should not be using body part splits as a novice. I believe variants of Starting Strength has been recommended 30 times in this thread by Snrub and I already, and we wont be stopping any time soon. Squatting three times a week is the easiest way for a novice to gain strength and muscle. I suggest you start soon. You can read more about the program here http://startingstrength.wikia.com/wiki/Starting_Strength_Wiki

Your diet looks top notch, just keep drinking that milk.

 

[All Hail C-Webb]

Sorry man, but I think he summed it up...there's not much to do except see if your body will adapt to your new shape over time or to increase the muscle mass in those areas (obviously, doing this to your abdominals would be...difficult). It's not an area I'm familiar with and I'd be willing to bet most of those "shaping and firming" creams are bullshit, even if a little effective. Most solutions I've heard of to situations like these have been cosmetic surgery. I have had very overweight friends lose a lot of weight, but yours sounds a bit more extreme of a situation than theirs. I'm guessing searching the net hasn't yielded any good information?

Ya, my response to Slo was unnecessary.
The excess skin isn't as bad as I made it sound either, but it is bothersome to me. I'm still working on losing weight, and working out, so it's way too soon to think about surgery. The other advice I've received/read was to, run and try and build muscle in the areas where the excess skin is. I was just hoping that there was a technique/exercise that worked specifically on tightening skin.

 

[Slo]

No hard feelings, man? I didn't intend to come off as a dick.

 

[All Hail C-Webb]

WTF? I'm not being negative. How am I being negative? I gave you honest advice. If you've still got a little fat under there, then you still have hope of that skin coming back up when you lose it. But if it's really just loose skin (very thin, wrinkly, bunched up skin) then you'd have to get a tummy tuck to get rid of it. I just suggested adding mass to maybe fill that skin up a little bit again.

Congrats on you losing weight, but why the hell are you calling me out like this? Because I'm not telling you what you want to hear?

Edit: Out of curiosity, what has this horrible, negative advice that I gave you? My guess is that I told you that you should lift weights to build muscle even while dieting and that you shouldn't try to lose more than 2-3 pounds a week or you'll end up looking like a stick figure wearing a garbage bag? Because that's what I tell everybody...

:lol
It wasn't that bad, I was just feeling like shit this morning, and I'm always moody when sick. In the other thread you said that I wouldn't be able to achieve my goals, and it just sounded a little condescending to me. If I hadn't been serious (and honest with myself) then or now, I wouldn't have wasted anyone's time by asking for advice.
I know that your method works with the majority of people (looking for quick fix, not being honest with themselves, etc), but this is something that I was and am prepared to work hard for, and I didn't want to hear that it couldn't be done, or that after working my ass off for the last year that I wouldn't be honest with myself.

Again, my post responding to you was a waste and stupid. You were trying to help, and I took it personally, my bad.


Edit: Oh, there's definitely some fat still under there, and after you're comment I'm actually happy about that.