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[RumblingRosco]

Age: 21
Height: 5'9
Weight: 140lbs, no idea on bodyfat; 30.5 inch waistline, my arms are a puny 12 inches fully flexed and i think my chest is 35 inches not sure about that one.
Goal: to just get much stronger, and to sculpt my body. in general i just want a much bigger chest, arms,traps, etc, in addition to getting a flat stomach with clearly visible abs. i also want to reach a weight of about 160 or 170 and reduce my bodyfat as much as possible. it would probably be best if i just focus on getting to the strength and weight i want first, and then start doing HIIT on a treadmill and start eating less while continuing to workout so i can keep the muscles and lose the fat. whats a good waistline size to have visible abs?
Comments: I think I'm on my way there already, just let know if my current plan
is good enough. i have no fat on me whatsoever other than on my thighs and my stomach. i can feel my abs underneath but its covered up. its not enough to give me a belly but its still annoying.

On MWF, i do:
Bench 3*10 (currently doing my bodyweight)
Bicep Curls 3*10
Shoulder Press 3*10 (i do it sitting since the ceiling in my basement is too low)
Tricep Kickbacks 3*10
Rows 3*10
Squat 3*5
Deadlift 3*5 (would it be better if i alternate between this and the squat or just do both the same day?)
I know i need to do more for my legs, i'll probably do that a little later. also i do ab excercises on tuesdays, thursdays, and saturdays.

When you feel like adding more for your legs, give lunges a try. The rest of your routine is pretty solid, I'd maybe suggest to cut down to 3x8 for your bench, curls, press, and rows (and of course, upping the weight slightly in doing so). Deadlifting and squatting together is fine; assuming you listed your routine in order, I'd say to put deadlifts or squats first, then bench, then a small movement (curls or what not), and then deadlifts. My routine has me doing squats followed by deadlifts followed by bench, but it isn't always the best idea to have 3 big movements so close together, as they can leave you pretty weak by the final of the 3.

If kickbacks work for you, keep doing them, but I'd recommend trying dips if you have a dip station available. It's personal preference though, and besides, the squats, deadlifts, and bench will be your true mass builders/weight gainers. Triceps are too small to make any significant gain in weight.

Meal 1: Cereal with eggs
Protein drink during workout
Meal 2: Protein drink with a lean cuisine (about 300 calories, 40 g carbs, 20 g protein, 5-7 g of fat)
Meal 3: Anything nutritious i can get my hands on
Meal 4: Brown rice and grilled chicken
Meal 5: Protein shake, tuna fish, and peanuts (kinda weird combination i guess)
Meal 6: Anything nutritious i can get my hands on

thanks for any help

Cereal is likely full of extra sugar that isn't needed and overall a bit too processed for my liking. It won't stall your progress by any means, but look into alternatives like oatmeal, a bit of yogurt/fresh fruit, and then your eggs of course.

Lean cuisines are not bad, but are heavily processed. The convenience of them is hard to deny, so you'll need to figure out easy alternatives (tuna salad, chicken salad, peanut butter on whole grain breads, etc). I also seem to recall there being a high amount of sodium in the damned things, which is never fun.

You didn't mention what you drink with these meals either, hopefully it is lots of milk!

 

[Greg]

I need a bit of help thinking of some exercises to do - I'm a bit tight for cash and in the middle of move to my new apartment, so I'm going to be at home for a month and away from the guy at the university. All I have access to is this fairly old pulley/cable machine that has hooks for either the top or the bottom. I also have a bunch of plates, and a bench as well, but no bar. :lol

I'd rather keep myself busy with something rather than sit on my ass until I can get back to the gym, and this is all I have so far:

tricep pushdown
standing bicep cable curls
reverse grip tricep pushdown
reverse plate curls
front plate raises
butterfly

As you can see, I'm scraping for ideas here...
I'm out for tennis for a bit, but any help would be appreciated - I'll try to find some pictures of this old machine later. :lol

 

[RumblingRosco]

I just joined a gym after five years of abject laziness. Occasionally I'd find myself in a job with some physical demands, but mostly I've sat on my ass playing games and watching TV. So here's where I am at the moment.

Age: 23
Height: 6'0"
Weight: 188 (which might be down from 195lb a month or two ago, depending on whether the gym's scales are accurate)

Goal: Haven't had an actual bodyfat analysis done, but the internet tells me that I'm moderately overweight and possibly have ~20% body fat. Might be more, might be less. I don't consider myself to be fat, but i definitely have some midsection flab that I could afford to lose. Ultimately, I'd like to slim down to 5-10%. As far as muscle tone goes, I'm just looking for moderate tone and definition, which I know is more of a matter of weight loss than muscle gain.

To hit and maintain 5% body fat, you need to be an incredibly strict and clean diet, and you need to work out like a machine. It's a very, very, very low body fat to be at. Now, 10% is more reasonably achievable, but even that will be a long road ahead I suspect. Even if you don't achieve those specific numbers though, if you get into a good routine and clean up your eating even a bit, you'll notice it and that alone will be awesome motivation to push you closer to 5-10%.

Current Training Schedule:
I've been working out every day for a week, now, and this has been the routine.
1) Cardio: A mile on the treadmill at ~7mph

2) Weights: 3 sets of 15 repetitions of each of the following, as I understand that they're better for muscle stability (sometimes I only manage 5-10 reps on the last set because I haven't quite figured out just what my body can handle):
Dumbell: curls, bench presses, overhead presses, a different kind of overhead press that focuses more on triceps than shoulders, and steep angle situps with added weight.
Machines: pec-fly, tricep pull down

3) More cardio: 45 minutes on the precor elliptical at varying speeds, always at a moderate incline and resistance level (10 and 12 respectively on the EFX Precor)

4) More weights: Either I go back to the free weight area to repeat what I did above, or I do the equivalent on the nautilus machines.

5) As of today, added a few laps in the pool. I wouldn't mind getting in at least a quarter of a mile a day, but with the other cardiac I do, I'm not sure if I'll be good for much more than casually doggy paddling around. At least not for a while.

Current Training Equipment Available: Pretty much everything, I think. If it's missing, I haven't heard of it before.

Comments: As far as weight lifting goes, I realize that I'm not doing a full body workout that most would advocate, and I'm looking to rectify that as much as I'm looking for general weight loss tips. I forego leg exercises because I figure that the amount of running or running-like activity that I do will take care of the lower body. I focus on the arms and chest because, well, really, it's all I know how to do properly. I'd like to incorporate squats into the workout, but I go to the gym alone and therefore don't have anybody to spot me. I don't know if the fear is irrational or not, but I worry about snapping my back or falling or doing something generally embarrassing because I don't really know how to do them beyond putting the barbell on your back and, you know, squatting.

So, am I on the right track? If not, let me know what I should change.

You really need to give your body some rest. Doing a lifting/cardio routine every day means you're either A) not pushing yourself hard enough on your workouts, meaning you're doing very little overall or more likely, B) going to exhaust your body and it'll slowly wear down. It needs some time in between to repair muscle tears, especially in regards to the weight lifting.

If you want to do cardio and weightlifting in the same day, I'd personally recommend you do two blocks, one block of weight lifting first, then a block of cardio afterwards. Doing two separate sessions of lifting and two to three sessions of cardio seems overkill to me. You could do cardio first even if you wanted, but generally, if you get fatigued and collapse while running, you'll only get a few scrapes, if you collapse while squatting, benching, or deadlifting, you may end up in much worse shape! :lol

On that note, don't be afraid to squat. Watch videos, read up on it, and then go in and start off with just the bar to get a feel for it. If you seem an experienced lifter there, see if they're willing to watch you squat/give you advice for your first time or two. Most people I've met at local gyms have been more than willing to help out (either spotting or just watching my form). If you do something embarrassing, it's more motivation to get stronger so that the next time someone laughs at you, you can just growl at them until they run away.

Try to find DB/BB replacements for your two machine exercises as well. Machines essentially just limit the growth to your supporting/stabilizing muscles.

To reach your 5-10% body fat, you'll need to work on your diet too. What does your average day's eating look like?

 

[Tornado Condor]

I was watching a power cleans video and check out the Tshirt on the guy

http://de.youtube.com/watch?v=u2eHqTug8hA

really fits

 

[Zapten]

I would like to know how much protein people in the know suggest. After working out exactly how many calories I take in over the weekend I need to up my intake quite a bit.

Normal day is cereal, pint of milk, banana, sandwich, cereal bar, apple, meat & veg dinner, pint of milk. This is only about 2200 calories. With this I get 150g protein, 275g carbs and 51g fat. At 190 pounds working out 4-5 times a week how much protein should I be aiming for? 200g would be easily achievable with 2 protein shakes, but should I be aiming for more?

 

[Anton Sugar]

* 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.

Even though you are fairly short/stocky, I think focusing on a strength routine would do great for you. The additional muscle will help lower your bodyfat, and while your overall bodyweight may go up, it would be due to the added overall muscular mass.

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

As for your diet, do your best to cut out the soda and if anything, replace it with some 100% fruit juice--but not much, as even juice can have a lot of calories from sugar. Pasta in the evening may go against your goals for weight loss, but more than that, I'd recommend splitting up your meals throughout the day more. Cereal in the morning is fine, but have a small, healthy snack between breakfast and lunch--some yogurt with oats mixed in, a fruit, a salad. Same with the meal between lunch and dinner. It honestly doesn't sound like you need to lose a lot of weight, I'm sure if you stuck to your current diet and trained hard, you'd hit the results you wanted, though an increase in calories and protein would go a long ways towards gaining muscle and strength.

 

[Stocka]

I'm fairly happy with my body other than two things I really want to have; a leaner chest and the bottom two of my abs firm. Any tips on getting this? I have a big appetitie so can't stop myself from eating a lot but I have been doing some cardio to try and keep the fat off, mainly going for a run in the morning. However I can't get rid of the fat in these two areas.

 

[Anton Sugar]

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

As was stated earlier, it really depends. I only work my abs directly 1-2 times a week, and even then its just 2-3 sets of weighted sit ups or leg raises. Chichikov already covered this, but if you're squatting, deadlifting, and pressing consistently, your abs usually get plenty of work, but some novices can benefit from more. The "look" of your abs is different than the "strength" of your abs, I bet even your average powerlifter has stronger abs than LL Cool J, but the look is obviously different.

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.

This sounds about right, but a word of caution to you and to everyone else: everyone's bodies are different. Just because one person is doing it one way in a video, does not mean that's how you will be able to do it. Reilo, it sounds like you were starting more upright, with your ass down and chest up. Really, there's nothing wrong with this, and this is the position you "want" as you are able to drive with your legs more. HOWEVER, not everyone CAN start with their ass down. It is far better to understand why a deadlift works, than look at a video and think about doing what you see. Pretty much, do this:

• Shoulders/scapula should be over the bar
• Bar should be positioned over the middle of your feet
• Starting position should have you squatted down just enough for your shins to TOUCH the bar where its located over the middle of your feet, but it should not hinder the bar path

Can someone show me the difference between Barbell Rows and Bent over Rows? They look the same to me.

Sorry, I probably keep going back and forth. They are the same to me, but I believe in doing them with your back as close to parallel as possible. That's the most important thing for me (aside from the actual movement, that is).

where's the best place to buy weightlifting shoes?

Pretty much any place you go to is going to have them for $80-100, but look up Aasgard Company, who sells Rippetoe's stuff. The Do-Wins make a great shoe, and is recommended for most beginners.

I'm having trouble with the major push exercises, namely the bench press and press. This guy I work with (who knows what he's talking about), suggested that I lay off any chest exercises for at least a week and work on my shoulders since they are in fact pretty pathetic. He just suggested doing dumbbell presses and working my triceps as well (close-grip bench presses). Any other suggestions?

While your shoulders may be your week link, I highly doubt a week of "focusing" on them is going to do anything. One week is not much time to make significant strength changes. And I don't know why you'd want to do triceps exercises for your shoulders.

Pressing is the best thing you can do for your shoulder strength. If you are really concerned about your shoulders, start doing presses ("overhead" presses) in every other pressing working, subbing in for bench press. I'm a firm believer that if your pressing is weak, then pressing more will work for most of the population.

Ok guys I'd like some advice on number of sets and reps for squats. I play a lot of football (Soccer for you Americans) and I'm looking at maybe going semi-pro within the next year or so. I know squats are good for you but I don't want to put on mass on my legs such that it will hinder my speed and agility at the sacrifice of having some more power. So what would be the sweet spot in terms of numbers of sets and reps for me?

I'd like to increase the strength in my legs (and thus my power, jumping and running speed) but I don't want my legs to become heavier such that it will hinder me on the pitch in terms of mobility.

Everyone's body reacts differently to squats. Some grow on 5 reps, some grow on 1-3 reps, but I'd say if you are interested in general leg strength and not so much size, focus on lower reps. Lower reps build "pure" strength more than higher reps. I'd recommend something like 3-5 sets of 3 reps, throwing in a single or two at the end of some workouts. What's your current workout schedule like?

Keep in mind that working with 5 or lower reps, any muscle mass you gain is going to be functional. Read the little bit on sarcoplasmic vs myofibrillar hypertrophy.

I need a bit of help thinking of some exercises to do - I'm a bit tight for cash and in the middle of move to my new apartment, so I'm going to be at home for a month and away from the guy at the university. All I have access to is this fairly old pulley/cable machine that has hooks for either the top or the bottom. I also have a bunch of plates, and a bench as well, but no bar. :lol

I'd rather keep myself busy with something rather than sit on my ass until I can get back to the gym, and this is all I have so far:

tricep pushdown
standing bicep cable curls
reverse grip tricep pushdown
reverse plate curls
front plate raises
butterfly

As you can see, I'm scraping for ideas here...
I'm out for tennis for a bit, but any help would be appreciated - I'll try to find some pictures of this old machine later. :lol

You got your workouts from a guy at the university?

Well, if all you can do is calisthenics...just work on variations of these:

• Pushups-wide, close, elevated, hindu/divebomber, handstand, one-armed
• Pull-Ups-wide, narrow, towel, staggered grip
• Squats-one-legged, freeweight, hindu

Basically, all calisthenics are going to be variations on those, though you will get the oddball exercises here and there.

As for the machine, what you listed is fine, if that's all you can do. Too bad you don't have a bar...

I would like to know how much protein people in the know suggest. After working out exactly how many calories I take in over the weekend I need to up my intake quite a bit.

Normal day is cereal, pint of milk, banana, sandwich, cereal bar, apple, meat & veg dinner, pint of milk. This is only about 2200 calories. With this I get 150g protein, 275g carbs and 51g fat. At 190 pounds working out 4-5 times a week how much protein should I be aiming for? 200g would be easily achievable with 2 protein shakes, but should I be aiming for more?

It depends on your weight. I'm around 180lbs and I try to get in 200g of protein, around 3000+ calories. 200g would be great for you--definitely plug in those protein shakes. These would probably take your total caloric intake to close to 3000 as well.

 

[Anton Sugar]

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

You're only working 1/4 of your body's muscle groups with this routine. You need more! Start doing this 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

A lot of people think that if they only want their chest to look better, they should only work out their chest. This is the wrong way of thinking. Squatting makes EVERYTHING improve at a greater rate, because squatting releases the greatest amount of growth hormone.

In addition, only working one group of muscle's is unhealthy for your body and leads to muscle strains and imbalances. Work everything!

 

[Anton Sugar]

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.

How important is the sprint/swim training to you? We can modify the routine to work it in, if possible...

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 - 2 sets of 5 @ 70% of Monday's workout
Overhead Press - 3 sets of 8
Barbell Rows - 3 sets of 8
Sprints/Swimming

Friday
Squat - 3 sets of 5
Bench Press - 3 sets of 5
Deadlift - 1 set of 5
Barbell Rows - 3 set of 5

If staying "cut" is important to you, then adjust your diet accordingly, but it sounds like you have a metabolism fast enough to get away with a little fat here and there, especially if you've "accidentally" been on a milk diet.

 

[Anton Sugar]

Alright, so I joined 24 hour fitness today. My plan is to work out my upper body and abs MWF and work my legs out TTH. My workout has consisted solely of the machines that they have. I feel like I don't have the proper form to be using the free weights. I have been doing cardio everyday, usually 20 minutes on the stairs. Right now I am about 5'11'' 165 lbs and I would really like to gain some weight and muscle mass. What would the experts in this thread recommend on the diet side. Just so you know, I hate pretty much all vegetables. I have tried and tried and tried and tried to acquire a taste for them, but I just can't. My vegetable intake consists of corn, green beans, and peas. Also, what is the general consensus on protein supplements?

The easiest and most productive way for you to gain muscle mass is to workout on free weights. Anyone serious about gaining weight will find a way to use free weights. Is there a local gym you can check out? Local gyms tend to be cheaper than globo-gyms. A local YMCA or anything? What does your diet look like?

I'll update the nutrition page for protein requirements soon...but generally, a 1-1.5g per lb of bodyweight will work for gaining weight.

 

[yacobod]

my routine is something like this, still tweaking it

mon - deads + back
tues - chest
wed - cardio/off
thurs - squats + legs
fri - shoulders
sat - total body
sun - off

 

[Anton Sugar]

* Age:24
* Height:6'
* Weight:190
* Goal:Reduce fried foods, eat more salads, and lessen the amount calorie intake. Also i wish to cut down to a respectable 175 or 180 of clean lean muscle.
* Current Training Schedule: Calisthenics, Heavy lifting, and Running
* Comments: I've been in the Navy for about 2 years now and when i joined i was 170 now i'm up to 190. I've worked out alot now so i thought it was just muscle but i also have been lazy some months on end. I've always eaten what ever i want to which is a habit i will have to start breaking due to i'm getting older and my metabolism might be slowing. Also i have been taking Judo and Muay Thai for about a year now at local places in Japan, but i'm going to train harder to see if i can get more cut also.

What is your current routine? What about your diet? 190 at 6' isn't bad, but we don't know about your body composition, either.

 

[Anton Sugar]

Age: 21
Height: 5'9
Weight: 140lbs, no idea on bodyfat; 30.5 inch waistline, my arms are a puny 12 inches fully flexed and i think my chest is 35 inches not sure about that one.
Goal: to just get much stronger, and to sculpt my body. in general i just want a much bigger chest, arms,traps, etc, in addition to getting a flat stomach with clearly visible abs. i also want to reach a weight of about 160 or 170 and reduce my bodyfat as much as possible. it would probably be best if i just focus on getting to the strength and weight i want first, and then start doing HIIT on a treadmill and start eating less while continuing to workout so i can keep the muscles and lose the fat. whats a good waistline size to have visible abs?
Comments: I think I'm on my way there already, just let know if my current plan
is good enough. i have no fat on me whatsoever other than on my thighs and my stomach. i can feel my abs underneath but its covered up. its not enough to give me a belly but its still annoying.

On MWF, i do:
Bench 3*10 (currently doing my bodyweight)
Bicep Curls 3*10
Shoulder Press 3*10 (i do it sitting since the ceiling in my basement is too low)
Tricep Kickbacks 3*10
Rows 3*10
Squat 3*5
Deadlift 3*5 (would it be better if i alternate between this and the squat or just do both the same day?)
I know i need to do more for my legs, i'll probably do that a little later. also i do ab excercises on tuesdays, thursdays, and saturdays.

Meal 1: Cereal with eggs
Protein drink during workout
Meal 2: Protein drink with a lean cuisine (about 300 calories, 40 g carbs, 20 g protein, 5-7 g of fat)
Meal 3: Anything nutritious i can get my hands on
Meal 4: Brown rice and grilled chicken
Meal 5: Protein shake, tuna fish, and peanuts (kinda weird combination i guess)
Meal 6: Anything nutritious i can get my hands on

thanks for any help

Here, I'd change it to this:

Workout A:
Squat - 3x5
Bench - 3x5 (currently doing my bodyweight)
Rows - 3x5
Skull Crushers - 3x8
Biceps Curls - 3x8

Workout B:
Deadlift - 3x5 (would it be better if i alternate between this and the squat or just do both the same day?)
Press - 3x5
Pull-ups - 3x8-15
Dips - 3x8
Biceps Curls - 3x8

Alternate them each day you work out. You sound like you could stand to gain some weight, so worry about that first and then worry about getting "abs".

 

[Z_Y]

First of all....thanks to the big contributors to this thread (and the old one). Lots of great tips and I have learned a lot.

Now for my situation...

I used to be 340+ lbs. I never weighed myself back then because I knew I was a fat ass and I didn't need the scale to confirm it. :lol Anywho, fast forward a little over two years later and I am in the 185-190 range depending on the time of the day it seems. I had actually gotten down to 177 at my lowest I think but trying to get back to a normal diet has allowed my weight to "normalize", so to speak.

I didn't do it exactly right though (wish I had this thread back then). Cut my calories too much (sub 1700, I'd say) and jogged about 1.5-2 miles a day...I did do some dumbbell work outs but they were never as effective as I wanted them to be (because I wasn't eating properly) As a result...I've left myself really, really "skinny fat". Seriously...I am carrying around probably 20+ pounds of gut fat that disgusts me. It needs to go....and I am determined to do it to. I've been piecing together work-outs and diets from here and through-out the internets...but I'd like to hear from the gurus in here or maybe others who are/were in similar situations as me. It is all such an individual thing that it is hard to glean what would be appropriate for yourself.

Basically what I started as of last week is this...

M-W-F
5x5 Bench
3x5 Squats/Deadlift (alternating)
3x8 Leg Raises
3x8 BB curls
3x8 DB shrugs/3x8 DB back rows (alternating)

T-Th-Sat
HIITS (20 minutes worth) I basically jog in place for a couple of minutes beside my treadmill roaring at 10mph. Then every minute and a half or so I jump on for 30-40 seconds. Hilarity ensues.


I find the HIITS stuff fascinating. As I mentioned before...I could jog 2 miles a day easily...hardly breaking a sweat if it was cool outside. After 15 minutes of HIIT'ing...I'm seeing Beelzebub himself standing in the corner cackling at me. After my first session...I had to sit down in my shower afterwards. :lol I hate the doing but I love the feeling afterwards. I think my jogging days are over.

Weight Training is where I think I need the most help. The first day I was able to my full work-out without any problems. I was actually toying with the idea of increasing the load. But I struggled on my second and third session on the bench. Couldn't even finish my last two reps. I'm ok with deadlifts...somehow I was able to retain fairly muscular legs throughout my weight loss. I guess carrying around 300+ pounds a good bit of your life does have its advantages. :| I've only done squats once and I have to work on my form but I think I will be ok there too. By the way, count me in as another person that absolutely LOVES deadlifts. I never did anything like this before because I figured my legs didn't need the work. But now I am actually looking forward to whenever I get to do them. Feels so good afterwards.

My goals: I'd like to stay at the weight I am at sans the gut. Right now I am struggling to get 2500 calories down by eating clean. Give me a Whopper and Papa John's phone number and I'll do it easy but a man can only eat so many chicken breasts. I figure I should be eating around 2700 to maintain my weight but I am unsure if I should be trying to maintain if I am trying to cut all this body fat.

My questions:

Should I be eating a calorie deficit to remove the body fat?

I read somewhere that eating a high glycemic food after lifting is a good thing. Would you guys recommend doing this given my goal to cut body fat? I did eat a peanut butter sandwich (on white) after lifting the other night and it was glorious. My first highly glycemic food all week. Was this a good thing? Should I continue?

Spoiler

pleasesayyes

How often should I be looking to increase my weight load? Benching is going to be the tough one for me.


I think I am doing everything else "ok" so far. I am drinking water like we are in a crisis. Going to the bathroom every 30 minutes. Taking a multi-vitamin....fish oil...flaxseed. Avoiding the bad carbs as much as possible. Eating over 200 grams of protein a day easily. Am I missing anything?

Just looking for some additional advice/pointers from the guys in here that really know their shit. Sorry that it turned out so long. Thanks again for this invaluable thread.

 

[Anton Sugar]

I just joined a gym after five years of abject laziness. Occasionally I'd find myself in a job with some physical demands, but mostly I've sat on my ass playing games and watching TV. So here's where I am at the moment.

Age: 23
Height: 6'0"
Weight: 188 (which might be down from 195lb a month or two ago, depending on whether the gym's scales are accurate)

Goal: Haven't had an actual bodyfat analysis done, but the internet tells me that I'm moderately overweight and possibly have ~20% body fat. Might be more, might be less. I don't consider myself to be fat, but i definitely have some midsection flab that I could afford to lose. Ultimately, I'd like to slim down to 5-10%. As far as muscle tone goes, I'm just looking for moderate tone and definition, which I know is more of a matter of weight loss than muscle gain.

Current Training Schedule:
I've been working out every day for a week, now, and this has been the routine.
1) Cardio: A mile on the treadmill at ~7mph

2) Weights: 3 sets of 15 repetitions of each of the following, as I understand that they're better for muscle stability (sometimes I only manage 5-10 reps on the last set because I haven't quite figured out just what my body can handle):
Dumbell: curls, bench presses, overhead presses, a different kind of overhead press that focuses more on triceps than shoulders, and steep angle situps with added weight.
Machines: pec-fly, tricep pull down

3) More cardio: 45 minutes on the precor elliptical at varying speeds, always at a moderate incline and resistance level (10 and 12 respectively on the EFX Precor)

4) More weights: Either I go back to the free weight area to repeat what I did above, or I do the equivalent on the nautilus machines.

5) As of today, added a few laps in the pool. I wouldn't mind getting in at least a quarter of a mile a day, but with the other cardiac I do, I'm not sure if I'll be good for much more than casually doggy paddling around. At least not for a while.

Current Training Equipment Available: Pretty much everything, I think. If it's missing, I haven't heard of it before.

Comments: As far as weight lifting goes, I realize that I'm not doing a full body workout that most would advocate, and I'm looking to rectify that as much as I'm looking for general weight loss tips. I forego leg exercises because I figure that the amount of running or running-like activity that I do will take care of the lower body. I focus on the arms and chest because, well, really, it's all I know how to do properly. I'd like to incorporate squats into the workout, but I go to the gym alone and therefore don't have anybody to spot me. I don't know if the fear is irrational or not, but I worry about snapping my back or falling or doing something generally embarrassing because I don't really know how to do them beyond putting the barbell on your back and, you know, squatting.

So, am I on the right track? If not, let me know what I should change.

I bolded the part that is a vastly misunderstood part of training.

Running does not make your legs strong. It does not have the same effect as squatting. Comparing a couple of hard sets of squatting, which are high intensity and last 10 seconds or so, to a mile-long run, is ridiculous. You are training the two halves of your body in completely different ways.

Don't be afraid of squatting. I didn't have someone to hold my hand (and whenever there was someone to hold my hand, usually their advice was shitty), and learned on my own. Research! You gotta do some work if you wanna do something right.

 

[-viper-]

My form in Bent Over Rows is shit.

Can anyone point me to a video showing PROPER form of that excercise?

My back keeps on arching. How the hell can I keep it straight without using a mirror?

 

[lil smoke]

What is the advantage of having your feet on the bench/knees in the air when doing bench press? I see guys doing this sometimes. Sometimes it looks fine, then you see the guy who also has his back arched up and it looks horribly wrong. If your back isn't relaxed, it's a guarantee you have too much weight, and you're looking to hurt yourself.

 

[Anton Sugar]

What is the advantage of having your feet on the bench/knees in the air when doing bench press? I see guys doing this sometimes. Sometimes it looks fine, then you see the guy who also has his back arched up and it looks horribly wrong. If your back isn't relaxed, it's a guarantee you have too much weight, and you're looking to hurt yourself.

No advantage. It's purposefully disadvantageous, in fact.

The key to finding a good "middle of the road" bench press technique is finding somewhere that allows you to use a lot of weight (technique) and somewhere that utilizes the most muscle (strength). Taking your legs out of the equation makes you "weaker" in the movement, but "isolates" the muscles being worked. The other extreme is feet planted, ass off the bench, wide grip, which allows you to use much more weight, but a lot of it is because of advantageous positioning.

To me, not using your legs "isolates" too much and ultimately will not stimulate the muscle and nerves as much as using a bit more technique and thus, more weight. I like the medium grip, feet planted, ass on the bench but a tight arch in the lower back, and tight scapula. It's not "all technique" (a misnomer, btw) and still "isolates" enough (I hate that word).

So, in summation, I think feet up is pretty useless, except as an assistance exercise.

 

[GHG]

My form in Bent Over Rows is shit.

Can anyone point me to a video showing PROPER form of that excercise?

My back keeps on arching. How the hell can I keep it straight without using a mirror?

I'd say tense your back and stick your bum out so that your back stays straight. Also bend your knees. Basically just do deadlift form.

 

[yacobod]

What is the advantage of having your feet on the bench/knees in the air when doing bench press? I see guys doing this sometimes.

no advantage

you don't isolate your chest anymore with your feet in the air as opposed to having them planted on the ground

you lose your mechanical advantage though and stability

its probably one of the dumbest things ppl do at the gym

theres no reason for it really

 

[Ace 8095]

My form in Bent Over Rows is shit.

Can anyone point me to a video showing PROPER form of that excercise?

My back keeps on arching. How the hell can I keep it straight without using a mirror?

Watch this video. At 1:10 he does an exercise that will explain how to keep your back in the right position during all lifts. http://youtube.com/watch?v=CfgqfmjZBC0

 

[Slo]

Snrub, you rock. I'm too lazy to put more than 100 words into a reply any you keep rocking out paragraph after paragraph. Thanks for putting in the effort.

 

[satori]

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?

I actually started taking ON 100% protein as well for about 5 months now. Although it is best trying to get your protein though whole foods, some time it is not pratical. And Whey Protein is a "fast" absorbing form of protein. In terms of how and when to take it? This is what I do.

For the gold standard Whey, I add some to my morning cereal or oat meal. And take one right after my work out. I just bring one of those mixer cups, and add some water when I get into the car and drink it before I leave the parking lot. I actually add some dextrose poweder to the cup as well. I add one scoop of whey protein, about 5 gram of creatine, and a few gram of dextrose to help my body absorb the whey and ceatine faster. It came to my understanding it is best to drink a PWO (post work out) with in 15min after a work out.

I have noticed increase recovery speed, and some really nice gains doing this for 5 months now.

Now for ON 100% Casein Protein. Casein protein I drink right before I go to bed. I dont feel like waking up 2 am to eat a chicken breast so, I will just go with this type of protein. It is suppose to be a slow releasing protien that will not be gobbled up by your body as fast as Whey protien (which get used up within 2 hours). Again I notice it helping my recovery and gains so it works for me

I use to drink Cyto Gainer but since stopped. I had really bad "reactions" to it or any other weight gainers, (heeeelllooo runs). Plus I rather enjoy eatting a lot of food. Those stuff tends to be loaded with unneed sugars anyways. If you really are a hard gainer though the stuff might help. Gaining weight never really been an issue with me so, sorry for my lack of help there. Again if you are trying to bulk, try doing a clean bulk with whole foods. One thing that really helped me when I bulk though is drinking shit ton of whole milk.

 

[satori]

What is the advantage of having your feet on the bench/knees in the air when doing bench press? I see guys doing this sometimes. Sometimes it looks fine, then you see the guy who also has his back arched up and it looks horribly wrong. If your back isn't relaxed, it's a guarantee you have too much weight, and you're looking to hurt yourself.

My feets are always planted squarely on the floor at a 45 degree angle when bending at the knees. It helps with my balance, and prevent me from arching my back etc. I see guys who flail their legs, knees in the air as you describe and you can just tell they are no where near using only their chest and arms to lift the bar. It has gotten so bad that I seen a guy do a yoga move when trying to lift a bar, aka hip stright in the air etc, it was both comical and sad at the same time.

You know ever since I came to this thread, I cant help but notice other people form in the gym now. There are some amazing advice and tips in this thread, it makes me want to go to the guy who is doing a half ass squat, to go to this thread and learn a thing or two before he hurt himself.

 

[lil smoke]

Snrub, you rock. I'm too lazy to put more than 100 words into a reply any you keep rocking out paragraph after paragraph. Thanks for putting in the effort.

I second this. Lot of effort going in to his responses.

 

[neojubei]

Is this thread only for people that lift weights? If you are fat won't lifting weights just increase that fatness even more.

 

[reilo]

Is this thread only for people that lift weights? If you are fat won't lifting weights just increase that fatness even more.

NO. It will, in fact, make you lose weight.

Think of it this way: Where will all of that stored energy and body fat go when your muscles are recuperating?

 

[MrToughPants]

Did some heavy swiss ball squats yesterday and my quads have grown a good two inches.

 

[Google]

Is/Has anyone playing around with these Boot Camps that have been springing up all over the place.

I've been going for about five weeks now, and after each session, I generally feel absolutely fucked...

Thing is, I never feel properly rested...I'm always a little tender, or sore, and I'm still pushing myself...

Example: Mondays is upper body, and I work hard, and I feel the burn in my biceps, triceps, shoulders, back, and thats about it (we do a bit of core too).

The trainer pushes us, we do over a hundred pushups (of different designs, close handed, wide handed, standard, pyrometric etc) along with curls, kickbacks etc.

Anyway, when Thursday rolls around, it's 'gauntlet' day. This is basically a 80% upper body workout, interspersed with high intensity cardio sprints.

My arms are still not fully recovered from Monday and I cant work as hard on my Thursday sessions...How do I sort this out?

 

[Anton Sugar]

Thanks for the support, guys. If I miss anyone's questions, let me know, but other guys in here are picking up my slack, so thanks for that!

Is this thread only for people that lift weights? If you are fat won't lifting weights just increase that fatness even more.

No no, not at all. Nothing is instant, but it's almost guaranteed that if you increase your muscle mass, you may get "bigger" but your bodyfat % will go down. I forget the exact quote from Rippetoe, but someone asked about his Starting Strength program, which is meant to gain size and strength, and if it is good for "fatties" or not. He said you'll notice that your shirt will be tighter around your chest and shoulder, and you may need to buy a new pair of pants, but your waist will get smaller. Simple enough!

I may look into having a mod adding another post for me to use, I'm having trouble figuring out how to slim down the "lifting" section so I can add more info in. Until then, I'll work on the nutrition section.

 

[Anton Sugar]

Did some heavy swiss ball squats yesterday and my quads have grown a good two inches.

Told you, brah.

 

[Ace 8095]

Is/Has anyone playing around with these Boot Camps that have been springing up all over the place.

I've been going for about five weeks now, and after each session, I generally feel absolutely fucked...

Thing is, I never feel properly rested...I'm always a little tender, or sore, and I'm still pushing myself...

Example: Mondays is upper body, and I work hard, and I feel the burn in my biceps, triceps, shoulders, back, and thats about it (we do a bit of core too).

The trainer pushes us, we do over a hundred pushups (of different designs, close handed, wide handed, standard, pyrometric etc) along with curls, kickbacks etc.

Anyway, when Thursday rolls around, it's 'gauntlet' day. This is basically a 80% upper body workout, interspersed with high intensity cardio sprints.

My arms are still not fully recovered from Monday and I cant work as hard on my Thursday sessions...How do I sort this out?

If you're feeling the burn and trying to get stronger, you're doing it wrong. There is no reason to do that many reps if you’re trying to increase strength and size. Now if you're just doing it to become more fit that's fine, but make sure the program you're on will meet your goals. It's okay to workout sore, it's not okay to workout if you’re still fatigued from the last workout. The reasons for you're soreness/fatigue could be not eating enough, sleeping enough, or the program might just be flawed.

 

[Chichikov]

My form in Bent Over Rows is shit.

Can anyone point me to a video showing PROPER form of that excercise?

My back keeps on arching. How the hell can I keep it straight without using a mirror?

It's hard to correct form without seeing it, but few things that I can think of -

• Start and end each rep from the floor, it's very hard to maintain back position otherwise.
• Stick your ass out.
• Start the movement by lifting your torso just a little bit; it's easier for most people to maintain good back position that way, as the pulling movement create unexpected tension on the back and may cause you to lose tension. By lifting your back first, you load your lower back in a manner that is easier to handle. It should be noted that this movement should be minimal, and as you get more comfortable with this lift you should try to minimize or even eliminate it. Don't turn it into a SLDL.

 

[satori]

Is/Has anyone playing around with these Boot Camps that have been springing up all over the place.

I've been going for about five weeks now, and after each session, I generally feel absolutely fucked...

Thing is, I never feel properly rested...I'm always a little tender, or sore, and I'm still pushing myself...

Example: Mondays is upper body, and I work hard, and I feel the burn in my biceps, triceps, shoulders, back, and thats about it (we do a bit of core too).

The trainer pushes us, we do over a hundred pushups (of different designs, close handed, wide handed, standard, pyrometric etc) along with curls, kickbacks etc.

Anyway, when Thursday rolls around, it's 'gauntlet' day. This is basically a 80% upper body workout, interspersed with high intensity cardio sprints.

My arms are still not fully recovered from Monday and I cant work as hard on my Thursday sessions...How do I sort this out?

Do they allow you any days for rest? It is fine working out a body part that is still sore. My rule of thumb is if I give my body 1-2 day rest and it is still sore, I grind and bear it and do some more squat. Remember people lift their max all the time being sore, its just part of lifting weight. My brother would take a whole week off to be "unsore" before working out again, yeah needless to say he is always sore. The human body is an amazing machine. It can and will adapt if you allow it to.

Now if your "sore" is to the point where you can not walk/get out of bed then make sure you do a proper warm up before starting any exercie. Or making sure you provide everything that is needed for it to recover. Time off, and most importantly fooood. Make sure you are feeding your body correctly. I can not stress enough your body will always be in a costant state of recovery, so make sure it has the building material it needs to recover.

 

[Anton Sugar]

Is/Has anyone playing around with these Boot Camps that have been springing up all over the place.

I've been going for about five weeks now, and after each session, I generally feel absolutely fucked...

Thing is, I never feel properly rested...I'm always a little tender, or sore, and I'm still pushing myself...

Example: Mondays is upper body, and I work hard, and I feel the burn in my biceps, triceps, shoulders, back, and thats about it (we do a bit of core too).

The trainer pushes us, we do over a hundred pushups (of different designs, close handed, wide handed, standard, pyrometric etc) along with curls, kickbacks etc.

Anyway, when Thursday rolls around, it's 'gauntlet' day. This is basically a 80% upper body workout, interspersed with high intensity cardio sprints.

My arms are still not fully recovered from Monday and I cant work as hard on my Thursday sessions...How do I sort this out?

Generally, I don't like anything that trainers feed us. If you're not recovered...don't do it. I've worked through soreness plenty of times, but there is a difference between feeling burnt out and sore.

It could be on your end, though. Are you sleeping enough? Eating right?

 

[Google]

Like, I'm certainly getting less sore as the weeks go on, but as someone who was/is relatively active, it was a bit of a surprise to still be feeling sore in my triceps a few days later on...

I guess its because I wasnt used to working them.

I'm not looking to gain muscle at all, in fact, i've been losing a few inches in certain places, it's more about getting my body in total shape, instead of simply having decent biceps, and decent quads...

But working out tired and fatigued is not doing me any harm, right? I just need to make sure I'm eating enough protein and carbs to get through the day?

Also, they dont require me to work out everyday, even though I'm able to attend classes 5 days a week...

I generally do three, consisting of upper body, lower body, and full body...but I sometimes swap upper body for Core...

But I fucking hate working my core for an hour!

 

[Struct09]

Now for ON 100% Casein Protein. Casein protein I drink right before I go to bed. I dont feel like waking up 2 am to eat a chicken breast so, I will just go with this type of protein. It is suppose to be a slow releasing protien that will not be gobbled up by your body as fast as Whey protien (which get used up within 2 hours). Again I notice it helping my recovery and gains so it works for me

If you want to skip the casein powder and go with a solid food, grab some cottage cheese. The primary protein in cottage cheese is casein. I like cottage cheese on its own, but it mixes extremely well with peanut butter.

Is this thread only for people that lift weights? If you are fat won't lifting weights just increase that fatness even more.

Nope. Nothing burns fat better than lean mass - I'd say that lifting should be the core of any weight loss routine.

 

[Onemic]

I guess I'll go with a request on this one

* Age: 19
* Height: 6'0
* Weight: 240
* Goal: Get down to 190 and of course gain some muscle
* Current Training Schedule: N/A
* Current Training Equipment Available: 15 and 20 pound dumbells, treadmill, eliptical, one of those full body machines that can work different parts of your chest, calfs, etc.
* Comments: I'm trying my best to pretty much cut all carbs from my diet. I wouldn't say I'm exactly flowing the atkins diet, but just trying to elimae all junk food, and excess carbs, and only eat the essentials(i.e meat, green vegetables, and sometimes fruits)

 

[Z_Y]

Thanks for the support, guys. If I miss anyone's questions, let me know, but other guys in here are picking up my slack, so thanks for that!

Thanks Mr. Snrub! Here is my post up the thread a little bit. My questions are towards the bottom if you want to skim past the bullshit.

 

["God's Beard!"]

Age:19
Height:5'9"
Weight: 178lbs
Goal: Fufilling a promise to my 12 year old self:

Current Training Schedule:

Monday/Wednesday/Friday- Yoga/Streches 20 minutes, Squats 5x5, Deadlifts 5x3, Lat Pull Downs 5x5, Bent Over Rows 5x5, light jogging 10 minutes
Tuesday/Thursday- Yoga/Stretches 20 minutes, Pushups, Situps, Pullups, HIIT
Sunday- rest

diet: 1 doctored double protein shake daily(half before, half after workout) + multivitamin- 1165 calories
breakfast-mostly fruit
dinner- lean meat/vegetables

Total Calories ~1600-1800(trying to lose weight)

Current Training Equipment Available: ~5-600lbs of assorted free weights, bench, pulldown machine, pullups/ dips bar, punching bag, mats, treadmill, bucket of protein powder

mostly looking for routine advice, my legs are beastly but my arms, abs and chest are needing serious work. Would also like an alternative routine so that I'm not stuck in the same exersizes week after week. Also, my diet outside of the shake(2 scoops protein, banannas, yogurt, milk, peanut butter) is pretty inconsistent, some food advice would be great.

 

[Anton Sugar]

Basically what I started as of last week is this...

M-W-F
5x5 Bench
3x5 Squats/Deadlift (alternating)
3x8 Leg Raises
3x8 BB curls
3x8 DB shrugs/3x8 DB back rows (alternating)

Congrats on the progress.

I'd change it to this:
M-W-F
3x5 Squats/Deadlift (alternating)
3x5 Bench/Overhead Press (alternating)
3x5-8 Barbell Rows/Pullups (alternating)
3x8 BB curls
3x8 Dips
3x8 Leg Raises

I'm a firm believer that it's best to get the big movements out of the way first, though some swear by the opposite, stating that big movements wear them out too much and drain energy from the others. Figure out what works best for you.

I also think that if you are benching, you should be pressing overhead. Helps to maintain your shoulder health!

You can still fit in some shrugs, if you like. Power shrugs have made my traps grow like nothing else, and I think strong and thick traps, more than most any other muscle group, give a look of power and thickness.

T-Th-Sat
HIITS (20 minutes worth) I basically jog in place for a couple of minutes beside my treadmill roaring at 10mph. Then every minute and a half or so I jump on for 30-40 seconds. Hilarity ensues.

Haha, I'd love to see this. Why not just increase and decrease the speed while you're on it?

Weight Training is where I think I need the most help. The first day I was able to my full work-out without any problems. I was actually toying with the idea of increasing the load. But I struggled on my second and third session on the bench. Couldn't even finish my last two reps. I'm ok with deadlifts...somehow I was able to retain fairly muscular legs throughout my weight loss. I guess carrying around 300+ pounds a good bit of your life does have its advantages. :| I've only done squats once and I have to work on my form but I think I will be ok there too. By the way, count me in as another person that absolutely LOVES deadlifts. I never did anything like this before because I figured my legs didn't need the work. But now I am actually looking forward to whenever I get to do them. Feels so good afterwards.

Are you keeping the weight across? Ex. 225x5, 225x5, 225x5, 225x5, 225x5, or ramping it, 165x5, 185x5, 205x5, 215x5, 225x5?

Notice I suggested a reduction in bench sets...once you feel comfortable with your progress (give it two months or so), you can add some more volume.

The main thing is to make progress slowly. It is better to make small gains every week, than to rush through your gains and have to take some steps back too soon. Put your ego aside and use the small plates.

My goals: I'd like to stay at the weight I am at sans the gut. Right now I am struggling to get 2500 calories down by eating clean. Give me a Whopper and Papa John's phone number and I'll do it easy but a man can only eat so many chicken breasts. I figure I should be eating around 2700 to maintain my weight but I am unsure if I should be trying to maintain if I am trying to cut all this body fat.

Read "The Milk Diet". Extremely easy source of calories!

My questions:

Should I be eating a calorie deficit to remove the body fat?

If you focus on gaining muscle mass, I wouldn't bother. The muscle you gain will probably help you to lose weight and "tighten up" all around.

I read somewhere that eating a high glycemic food after lifting is a good thing. Would you guys recommend doing this given my goal to cut body fat? I did eat a peanut butter sandwich (on white) after lifting the other night and it was glorious. My first highly glycemic food all week. Was this a good thing? Should I continue?

Spoiler

pleasesayyes

Peanut butter is good. It is good to have a high GI food/supplement during and/or after lifting--it helps with protein synthesis.

How often should I be looking to increase my weight load? Benching is going to be the tough one for me.

Increase every day, if possible! I think you were just overworking the bench. I reduced your sets and have you alternating it with overhead press.

START LOW and increase your weight slowly. With bigger exercises (squat, deadlift), you can increase by 5-10 lbs a workout until progress slows, and then move down to smaller plates. With bench/presses and smaller movements, you need to make slower progress. Careful not to stall out too soon.

I think I am doing everything else "ok" so far. I am drinking water like we are in a crisis. Going to the bathroom every 30 minutes. Taking a multi-vitamin....fish oil...flaxseed. Avoiding the bad carbs as much as possible. Eating over 200 grams of protein a day easily. Am I missing anything?

Sounds good, though you don't need to go overboard with the water. 6 glasses a day should cut it, unless you sweat it out a lot.

Good luck, let us know if you have any other questions.

 

[Anton Sugar]

I guess I'll go with a request on this one

* Age: 19
* Height: 6'0
* Weight: 240
* Goal: Get down to 190 and of course gain some muscle
* Current Training Schedule: N/A
* Current Training Equipment Available: 15 and 20 pound dumbells, treadmill, eliptical, one of those full body machines that can work different parts of your chest, calfs, etc.
* Comments: I'm trying my best to pretty much cut all carbs from my diet. I wouldn't say I'm exactly flowing the atkins diet, but just trying to elimae all junk food, and excess carbs, and only eat the essentials(i.e meat, green vegetables, and sometimes fruits)

Well, before you're too quick to hop on the "low carb" train, check out the articles on carbs here:

http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/lylemcdonald-art.html

We were in a "carbs are your friend, fat is not" phase for a while, and now its sort of swung back in the other direction. There are no absolutes, and everyone is different. Be informed!

Is there any way you can get access to a weight room? You will maximize your results with a weight room and a good cardiovascular routine.

 

[Struct09]

Peanut butter is good. It is good to have a high GI food/supplement during and/or after lifting--it helps with protein synthesis.

Woah now. Peanut butter is good, but you can't rate it on the GI scale - the GI scale is meant to measure the effect of carbohydrates on blood glucose. Also, a source of monounsaturated fat such as peanut butter is slow digesting, and will actually slow down the digestion/absorption of other foods that it's eaten with. Peanut butter is a great food to have in your diet, but if you're looking for a fast digesting energy source after you work out then the PB sandwich will have to wait.

 

[Onemic]

Well, before you're too quick to hop on the "low carb" train, check out the articles on carbs here:

http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/lylemcdonald-art.html

We were in a "carbs are your friend, fat is not" phase for a while, and now its sort of swung back in the other direction. There are no absolutes, and everyone is different. Be informed!

Is there any way you can get access to a weight room? You will maximize your results with a weight room and a good cardiovascular routine.

Well I'm going to University in September(York for any people in Canada here) and I'm planning on getting gym membership there(it's only $10) so eventually I will have full access to a fitness/weight room.

Well When I was serious on Atkins back in February I lost 30 pounds in about a month.(So yes, I was 270 only a few months ago)

So how do I know what's best for me in terms of optimal weight/fat loss when getting a diet together?

 

["God's Beard!"]

Woah now. Peanut butter is good, but you can't rate it on the GI scale - the GI scale is meant to measure the effect of carbohydrates on blood glucose. Also, a source of monounsaturated fat such as peanut butter is slow digesting, and will actually slow down the digestion/absorption of other foods that it's eaten with. Peanut butter is a great food to have in your diet, but if you're looking for a fast digesting energy source after you work out then the PB sandwich will have to wait.

oh shit, should I kill the peanut butter in my protein shakes?

 

[satori]

I guess I'll go with a request on this one

* Age: 19
* Height: 6'0
* Weight: 240
* Goal: Get down to 190 and of course gain some muscle
* Current Training Schedule: N/A
* Current Training Equipment Available: 15 and 20 pound dumbells, treadmill, eliptical, one of those full body machines that can work different parts of your chest, calfs, etc.
* Comments: I'm trying my best to pretty much cut all carbs from my diet. I wouldn't say I'm exactly flowing the atkins diet, but just trying to elimae all junk food, and excess carbs, and only eat the essentials(i.e meat, green vegetables, and sometimes fruits)

I said it in the past, the keto diet was a huge success for me. It is somewhat like atkins but with a weekly "carb up". I had to stop because my lifts were suffering but man it was a beast for a cutting diet. Great start in cutting the junk food. That to be honest is the first place any one who is trying to live a healthier life style so tackle.

Here is my little story. I was really active in HS, football, wrestling, b-ball, and MMA were great way to ensure I stay fit. Of course went to college and a full time job and a relationship or two later, i balloned to 220. I went to the dr and I was on the road of diabties, high choles, and death . So i decided to make a change. I decided that I needed to start slowly, and decided to give keto a shot. Lots of fats, meats, and a ton of veggies. I acutally ate more veggie on keto then anything else. Did some light cardio, and med lifting. I need to dig up some old pics to show the difference it was insane. I think I got down to 165 in about 1 years time. The most craziest of things? Was my blood work, and nearly gave my dr a heart attack after I told him what I was doing. My blood pressure, sugar level, and choles were prime. I was on the verge of having full blown diabetes, and high cholesterol. To level he really could not explain.

Anyways I wanted to do some heavy lifting and keto was not really feeding me the food source I needed so I added carbs in. Of course the days of the "bad" carbs are long behind me. My point is if you want to try keto, it is fine and dandy.

I can tell you the best thing that helped my "transform" was heavy lifting. Complex exerices to be exact. Squats, dead lifts, bench, etc. Keto will allow your body to target fat as the main fuel source, and lifting weights well help build lean body mass, etc.

Sorry for the long winded post, I hope you and everyone the best.

 

[Struct09]

oh shit, should I kill the peanut butter in my protein shakes?

If you need fast digesting protein and carbohydrates, then yeah. Unsaturated fats are known to slow the digestion of both.

But this is probably nit picking, and my guess is that it probably doesn't make a huge difference. If you're seeing results while having peanut butter right after you workout, there's no reason to stop.

I eat my peanut butter right before I go to sleep, right along side some cottage cheese. I wouldn't end my day any other way.

 

[Anton Sugar]

Woah now. Peanut butter is good, but you can't rate it on the GI scale - the GI scale is meant to measure the effect of carbohydrates on blood glucose. Also, a source of monounsaturated fat such as peanut butter is slow digesting, and will actually slow down the digestion/absorption of other foods that it's eaten with. Peanut butter is a great food to have in your diet, but if you're looking for a fast digesting energy source after you work out then the PB sandwich will have to wait.

My mistake, I wasn't referring to it as "Peanut butter is good" in regards to GI, meant that peanut butter is good in general.

My original post was "Peanut butter is good. That is all. "

I'm a peanut butter fan.

 

[Struct09]

My mistake, I wasn't referring to it as "Peanut butter is good" in regards to GI, meant that peanut butter is good in general.

My original post was "Peanut butter is good. That is all. "

I'm a peanut butter fan.

Ahh, sorry I misunderstood. And yes, peanut butter rocks.