Getting fit with SwordsMaster

[naut]

Try this website. (http://www.nhlbisupport.com/bmi/)

[Andres]

I wish I could run but the asthma limits me to a trot.

Must be a nasty degree of asthma you have there.

A few years ago I had a serious asthma crisis (the only one I ever had, luckily), but since my new medication (Seretide Diskus, two inhalations a day, contains a very very low dose of cortizone), everything is fine.

I started to sport last year in February. Combined with limiting myself to healthy food, I lost 25 kg (50 pounds) in a year :2thumbsup: Now I eat pretty much anything I want, the weight stays stable :2thumbsup:

Some powertraining (mainly weightlifting) twice a week (takes about 40 or 50 minutes) and at least one cardio session once a week (1 hour swimming, 45 minutes indoor cycling, 45 minutes running, cycling outside, varies alot, depending on the weather outside and the mood I'm in).

[SwordsMaster]

Gah! A man spends a weekend without Internet access and in the loving arms-legs of his girlfriend and my thread gets resurrected!:laugh4:

Can't leave you boys alone!

It seems to be the summer spring trend! My gym reopened after 5 weeks and (much needed) reforms so i'm back to my boxing training and a ton of extra cardio to compensate for 5 weeks of sitting down and thesis-writing.

Right now, on top of the various vicisitudes of boxing training (hundreds of pushups, limited sparring, 2 mile jogs, ab work) three times a week, I also have incorporated 2 sets x5 km on the rower (seems easy, but do the 5km in under 18 min and it suddenly leaves your legs shaking...) plus some (light-ish) weights to compensate and work the shoulders and hamstrings.

Beirut, when walking, if you want to make it interesting, here is a fun-fact: in full gear (about 55-70 punds, 25-32 kg) an infantryman does 90 steps a minute. A legionnaire does 120. Try it. Of course, they are supposed to do it for a 25 km a day, but hey, they're not chopping wood...:smash:

Rythmic, that's great stuff, but remember that you have other muscles that need working too... You are putting a lot of stress on the calves and quads, keep the hamstrings, lower back compensated, and throw in some upper body work too. It can't hurt, and the girls love it.:yes:

[Geoffrey S]

I also have incorporated 2 sets x5 km on the rower (seems easy, but do the 5km in under 18 min and it suddenly leaves your legs shaking...)
Pretty smart work there.

[Beirut]

Must be a nasty degree of asthma you have there.


Yes and no. It hits me when I'm in a dusty place or if I face a very quick strain on the body. Sprinting would lay me flat out but I could out walk just about anyone and work a full day and never need my inhaler. Quick changes in temperature can set it off, too. The worst is waking up at 3 a.m. with that "You've got thirty seconds to find your inhaler *******!" feeling in your lungs. The last time it happened it took a few minutes to find my pump. Oh Lord, it took about six shots and two hours to breathe properly. I felt like I had been beaten with a baseball bat. Good fun.


Beirut, when walking, if you want to make it interesting, here is a fun-fact: in full gear (about 55-70 punds, 25-32 kg) an infantryman does 90 steps a minute.

When I walk uphill I take very short, fast steps, probably about 90, though I've never counted. Much, much less strain than full strides, especially with a load on your back or shoulder. My woman says I walk like a robot. I can motor uphill forever like this.



Gah! A man spends a weekend without Internet access and in the loving arms-legs of his girlfriend and my thread gets resurrected!

So it was you peeking in my window. Well, I hope you learned something. ~:smoking:

[Strike For The South]

Thank God for stairs. I've been running on 130 stairs per day since 1997. It kept me fit.

How do I find out by BMI? (Body Mass Index)

I wouldnt put to much stock into BMI as it really doesnt tell you much as the only thing it takes into account is your height and weight.

[Vladimir]

Has anyone tried Muscle Milk (http://cytosport.com/products/musclemilk.html)? It seems to really help me retain muscle mass while I haven’t been very active lately. That could be due to the decreased cardio I’ve been doing though.

Reading the information on the label it seems like an impressive product that is based on human milk. Every morning I imagine that I’m sucking on two, giant, chocolate flavored breasts. :2thumbsup:

[naut]

Rythmic, that's great stuff, but remember that you have other muscles that need working too... You are putting a lot of stress on the calves and quads, keep the hamstrings, lower back compensated, and throw in some upper body work too. It can't hurt, and the girls love it.:yes:
Been meaning too, but just hadn't found the time. With a less hectic schedule coming up I will. :2thumbsup:


I wouldnt put to much stock into BMI as it really doesnt tell you much as the only thing it takes into account is your height and weight.
True, and muscle weighs more than fat too.

[SwordsMaster]

When I walk uphill I take very short, fast steps, probably about 90, though I've never counted. Much, much less strain than full strides, especially with a load on your back or shoulder. My woman says I walk like a robot. I can motor uphill forever like this.


Also, for better breathing and easier walking, do not cross the belts of the rucksack (or whatever you carry) across the chest, but keep them rather parallel verically if you know what i mean.



So it was you peeking in my window. Well, I hope you learned something. ~:smoking:

More than I'm old enough to know... :sweatdrop::laugh4:


Has anyone tried Muscle Milk? It seems to really help me retain muscle mass while I haven’t been very active lately. That could be due to the decreased cardio I’ve been doing though.

Reading the information on the label it seems like an impressive product that is based on human milk. Every morning I imagine that I’m sucking on two, giant, chocolate flavored breasts.

It seems quite impressive that they somehow managed to pack even more protein per gram of product, but other than that it seems just your average protein shake powder. I think i'm going to stick with whey...

[edyzmedieval]

Hmmm, well I got 22.5. Not bad, but I fear the fact that I'm gonna go over.

Bout 175cm, any idea how much I can still grow? Almost 16 years old.

[Beirut]

Beirut, when walking, if you want to make it interesting, here is a fun-fact: in full gear (about 55-70 punds, 25-32 kg) an infantryman does 90 steps a minute. A legionnaire does 120.



Just came back from my stroll. 2.5 miles with 50lbs in 38 minutes. Pretty good for an old asthmatic. According to Google Earth, the last 700 yards are all uphill. Felt really good. Funny how the mind doesn't wander much when you're really going at it, you concentrate on your breathing and your pace and the miles slide by.

And boy do I stink. Worked up a decent sweat on that one. My woman's out of the bath so it's shower time!

[Beirut]

Also, for better breathing and easier walking, do not cross the belts of the rucksack (or whatever you carry) across the chest, but keep them rather parallel verically if you know what i mean.



I'm using my eleven year-olds old school backpack. We got her a new one because the old one had a tear at the top. I've got a 40LB + a 10LB dumbell in there. I'm just waiting for the straps to break. I'd prefer thicker shoulder straps, but ya use what ya got.

My goal is 80LB for five miles. If I can do that... :viking:"GRRRRRR! Where's the women?!?"

[edyzmedieval]

Beirut is feeling young. :grin:
Keeping healthy, Mr. Tree Killer?

[SwordsMaster]

I'm using my eleven year-olds old school backpack. We got her a new one because the old one had a tear at the top. I've got a 40LB + a 10LB dumbell in there. I'm just waiting for the straps to break. I'd prefer thicker shoulder straps, but ya use what ya got.

My goal is 80LB for five miles. If I can do that... :viking:"GRRRRRR! Where's the women?!?"

Good job! You can pad the shoulder straps with, pretty much anything really, from cotton to an old pair of boxers... DOn't want to put much thought into that one... As long as you keep them tied to the straps it is all good.


Another fun fact i learned the other day, is that apparently, when new equipment was proposed for the Russian army back in the day, Tzar Nicolas II would put it on and march with his guard for 20 or so km to try it out and make sure it was better and more comfortable than the old one. If Tzar Nicolas could walk 20 km in full gear, the children of democracy should be just fine...


Just came back from my stroll. 2.5 miles with 50lbs in 38 minutes. Pretty good for an old asthmatic. According to Google Earth, the last 700 yards are all uphill. Felt really good. Funny how the mind doesn't wander much when you're really going at it, you concentrate on your breathing and your pace and the miles slide by.


Yeah. I learned that one playing rugby. The mind doesn't really work if the body is wrecked. And viceversa.

edyz at 16 you'll be growing until you're 18 at least. I am still growing at 23, although at much slower pace than when i was 17... (I went from 172 at 18, to 177 at 20 to 178 at 22)

[Beirut]

Beirut is feeling young. :grin:
Keeping healthy, Mr. Tree Killer?

Nope, keeping stupid Mr. Edyz.

Just got out of the shower, dried off, admired myself in the mirror, then put on some of my woman's anti-stink stick.

A little dab here and a little dab there...

The stuff feels a bit odd, I give it a sniff. It's not anti-stink stuff, it's an Avon topical menthol applicator that looks exactly like deodorant. I smell pretty good, but I have a cooling yet burning feeling in my armpits.

What a shmoo is I.

[naut]

:laugh4:

Well the fitness is paying off, we won 7 - 1 today. :2thumbsup:

[Beren Son Of Barahi]

I thought i would add in my 2 cents worth.

first of all the run down.
Aim: Loose general body fat, improve muscle strength and if possible shape body.
AGE:24
Height: 6'4" or around 195cm
Weight: was 105kgs/ now around 96kgs
Exercise: i do yoga twice a week,(mon/wed) for 1 1/2 hours each. (weight loss, strengthen back after a car crash)
i have just started doing the following in the offdays (tue,thur,fri,sun), with the goal of shaping my abs and developing chest and abs muscles more.
5 mins in plank(on big toe)
1 min rolled on each side
10 push ups
20 leg lifts
10 push ups
30 crunches
10 push ups
30 sit ups
then 2 mins in low board. (forearms lying flat and in line with the legs in front of you, up on toes, body straight in a line between heals and head).
1-2 mins of handstand (working up to hand stand push ups)
5mins of meditation in a shoulder stand


I eat a pretty low fat diet, i take multis and i eat mostly chicken, not much red meat.

i know i am not doing many reps, i will increase it slightly as i get stronger, id rather add some weights to it instead of adding lots of reps. i guess i want to know if i should be taking extra proteins? keep in mind i do not want to put on weight at all. i am also happy for this to be a slow process. my legs are pretty good already, strong and lean.

id like to know what you guys think, as this is slightly different in its approach to the gym weights plan. (i get bored in gyms)

[SwordsMaster]

Hey BSOB, (sorry about the pseudo-soviet abbreviation, but you have a long screen name),

First, about your question on protein: With the kind of exercise you are doing, i do not think protein is necessary. How is the muscle pain? If your muscles get really sore, consider taking protein once a day, about an hour before bed, or half an hour or so after exercising on an empty stomach to get your muscles to recover quicker.


Other than that, if what you want to get stronger, you are not doing enough of pretty much anything. I am sorry if i'm being too harsh, but you asked for advice yourself. You are not doing nearly enough reps. In fact i think you should be able to handle at least 10 times more. From your description, you are a big guy. With 1.98 tall, you should weight in somewhere between 92 and 105 kg if you are fit, depending on how much muscle you carry.

30 crunches barely warm you up. My recommendation, without using weights, is you do a set of 50, rest 30 sec, do a set of 45, rest for 30 sec again, do a set of 40, and so on until you get down to 5.

For pushups, the same: do a set of 30, then 25, then 20. On the next set to 25, 20, 15, then 20, 15, 10, then 15, 10, 10, and then 10, 5, 5.

Do some other exercise in between these sets.


For abs also to some winshield wipers: lie on your back flat on the floor. Spread your arms in cross, lift both legs straight up. Now keeping your legs straight twist to touch your fingers with your toes without separating the opposite shoulder from the floor. 1 rep is one rotation to both sides. Aim for 10 reps.


Handstand pushups are great, but I think you are approaching them in a strange way. Just holding a handstant won't help you to do pushups, just as standing up won't help you do squats. Get someone to spot you holding your ankles and actually attempt the pushups. The first few, you will barely go down 2 inches, but you'll find it easier as time goes on.

Keep up a low-fat diet, but you also want it to be a high-fibre, high-protein. So chicken and veggies are good, with the occasional pasta plate and steak.


And, as I said already somewhere above, you do not spot-reduce fat. You either have it everywhere or nowhere at all. Which means you should train your legs just as anything else. Specially since the biggest muscle on your body is the quadriceps. Meaning that it'll burn the most calories per minute.


Anyhow, hope this helps.

[Blodrast]

First, about your question on protein: With the kind of exercise you are doing, i do not think protein is necessary. How is the muscle pain? If your muscles get really sore, consider taking protein once a day, about an hour before bed, or half an hour or so after exercising on an empty stomach to get your muscles to recover quicker.


And, as I said already somewhere above, you do not spot-reduce fat. You either have it everywhere or nowhere at all. Which means you should train your legs just as anything else. Specially since the biggest muscle on your body is the quadriceps. Meaning that it'll burn the most calories per minute.


I have 2 questions. SwordsMaster...
Note that I'm not arguing, I'm merely trying to understand.

1. Why do you recommend taking protein before bed (as opposed to right after the workout, or even before it) ?
The only case I've heard of this is for very slow-digestable protein, so that your stomach works on it all night long, so that your body never enters a catabolic state (or it does so for as little as possible).

2. You do not spot-reduce fat ? Hmmm. I'd like to hear you elaborate more on this. I'm also a bit surprised at your next statement, and I'll explain why: I'm an ectomorph; I work out 3-4 times a week; I've always, always had very, very little body fat (next to none that can be noticed, even by pinching); however, sinve I've started working out, diet changes, etc, etc, I have developed some nasty love handles; no fat anywhere else, but I'm having a reaaaaaally hard time getting rid of those. It looks all the more ridiculous since I don't have any other visible fat on my body.
Again, I'd like to hear your thoghts on that.

:bow:

[SwordsMaster]

I have 2 questions. SwordsMaster...
Note that I'm not arguing, I'm merely trying to understand.

1. Why do you recommend taking protein before bed (as opposed to right after the workout, or even before it) ?
The only case I've heard of this is for very slow-digestable protein, so that your stomach works on it all night long, so that your body never enters a catabolic state (or it does so for as little as possible).


No prob.

Same reason. By taking protein before bed, you shorten the catabolic state, and since most muscle recovery happens during the sleep anyway, you are basically encouraging this.

The reason I do not like to take protein before or during the workout, is that i find it easier to workout on an empty stomach. After the workout is fine, I do that.

It also depends if you are trying to put on muscle or not. If this is the case, then about an hour before and half hour later, and maybe also before bed might be adequate depending on your methabolism, etc.



2. You do not spot-reduce fat ? Hmmm. I'd like to hear you elaborate more on this. I'm also a bit surprised at your next statement, and I'll explain why: I'm an ectomorph; I work out 3-4 times a week; I've always, always had very, very little body fat (next to none that can be noticed, even by pinching); however, sinve I've started working out, diet changes, etc, etc, I have developed some nasty love handles; no fat anywhere else, but I'm having a reaaaaaally hard time getting rid of those. It looks all the more ridiculous since I don't have any other visible fat on my body.
Again, I'd like to hear your thoghts on that.

:bow:

Well, you have probably tried doing more crunches. Did it help? Probably not. This has more to do with the whole Pear-Apple shape thing that dieticians can rave about for hours. This is basically a very simplistic classification that distinguishes people into 2 basic groups depending on the way they store fat on their body.

Most women are "pear-shaped" meaning that they will store their fat about the hip and tigh area more easily than, say around the waist.

Most men would be "apple shaped" which means that they would get love handles and a belly before they ever begin to store fat on their legs. This is also the reason why men are more prone to heart attacks, since the inner organs accumulate fat around them more likely than they do in women.


Does this answer your question?

[Blodrast]

Yep, thanks for the answers. I don't eat much before a workout either, but I do after it. I guess that from what I've read, the downside of taking protein before bed is that the body may consider that since it's not really doing any effort, it can just store all that, rather than rebuild muscle. So, for instance, perhaps it might not be a good idea to take the protein unless you've actually worked out that day/evening ?

As for the pear/apple thing - yeah, crunches and similar stuff didn't help much... or maybe it did only in the sense that my love handles haven't grown larger... :laugh4:
Anything else short of liposuction that I can do about it ? ~D

[Vladimir]

If I had the money I'd cheat. I'm just not sure whether all those men's health magazines are all crap or not. I was very sedentary when I was younger and you can still see it. Even after going from 217 to 186 at ~1.8m.

[The Wizard]

Men's Health itself is pretty good, in my opinion. There are some borderline exercises they propose (which can place serious strain on, say, your lower back) but otherwise yeah, it's pretty good.

[Strike For The South]

I have to disagree. Many mainstream health magizines are crap and truth be told there are only a few rules you need to live by. People go to the gym day in and day out and yet they never lift any heavier or look any bigger. This is mostly due to a poor diet lack of sleep and a crappy routine. If you are trying to lose weight all you have to do is eat in a caloreic defict (high in protien 250g at least...at least) forget cardio. Who do you see on cardio machines? Fat people with bad knees bad hearts and high blood pressure. If they knew what they were doing they would look better. Getting mass and gaining stregnth is a battle and your weapon is a fork. consume at least 5000 calories a day 7000 if you are doing intense manual labor or practcing high intenseity sports. As for sleep get at least 8 hours it isnt that hard. Now the rotuine. This is what gets my blood pressure rising. Trian in the 3 big lifts. Squats deadlifts and bench press. You dont need millions of curls you also dont need to lift 7 days a week. Yall probably know this but it needs to be said for all the aspring lifters. I now leave you with a recipe

STRIKES POWER SHAKE!@@@@@

16oz. Milk
1 Frozen Banana
2tbs PB
2 scoops whey
1 cup oats
olvie oil (use at discrtion)

Blend

thats about 1300 calroies you are 20% to your daily goal

[Beren Son Of Barahi]

Hey BSOB, (sorry about the pseudo-soviet abbreviation, but you have a long screen name),

First, about your question on protein: With the kind of exercise you are doing, i do not think protein is necessary. How is the muscle pain? If your muscles get really sore, consider taking protein once a day, about an hour before bed, or half an hour or so after exercising on an empty stomach to get your muscles to recover quicker.


Other than that, if what you want to get stronger, you are not doing enough of pretty much anything. I am sorry if i'm being too harsh, but you asked for advice yourself. You are not doing nearly enough reps. In fact i think you should be able to handle at least 10 times more. From your description, you are a big guy. With 1.98 tall, you should weight in somewhere between 92 and 105 kg if you are fit, depending on how much muscle you carry.

30 crunches barely warm you up. My recommendation, without using weights, is you do a set of 50, rest 30 sec, do a set of 45, rest for 30 sec again, do a set of 40, and so on until you get down to 5.

For pushups, the same: do a set of 30, then 25, then 20. On the next set to 25, 20, 15, then 20, 15, 10, then 15, 10, 10, and then 10, 5, 5.

Do some other exercise in between these sets.


For abs also to some winshield wipers: lie on your back flat on the floor. Spread your arms in cross, lift both legs straight up. Now keeping your legs straight twist to touch your fingers with your toes without separating the opposite shoulder from the floor. 1 rep is one rotation to both sides. Aim for 10 reps.


Handstand pushups are great, but I think you are approaching them in a strange way. Just holding a handstant won't help you to do pushups, just as standing up won't help you do squats. Get someone to spot you holding your ankles and actually attempt the pushups. The first few, you will barely go down 2 inches, but you'll find it easier as time goes on.

Keep up a low-fat diet, but you also want it to be a high-fibre, high-protein. So chicken and veggies are good, with the occasional pasta plate and steak.


And, as I said already somewhere above, you do not spot-reduce fat. You either have it everywhere or nowhere at all. Which means you should train your legs just as anything else. Specially since the biggest muscle on your body is the quadriceps. Meaning that it'll burn the most calories per minute.


Anyhow, hope this helps.

the muscle soreness is manageable, but it could be better. i think ill try taking some protein, see if it helps and go from there. i don't really like doing things too much too soon or i get bored of it and i stop doing it, iv found that i am better off to do something a little easy for while until i get it to be routine, once its routine then i can start to push my self. also, although i would not say i am weak, or whimpy, i find that this being my 1st week of this, i am finding it harder then i thought i would. so i am not sure if i could handle the 285 crunches and 235 push ups you suggest. The leg lifts are great, but i am doing them before anything else and they take their toll on me.

other then the crunches and push ups, what do you think of the positions , plank, low board ect? are they of any value at all? i know its mostly muscle endurance it is building but i feel like they help overall. i would be interested in what you think.

Holding the shoulder stand and hand stands are to build up my back muscle after a car crash, as well as doing back bends (lie face down, lift arms in front of you, and lift you legs straight, lift as high as you can and hold it for 30 - 60 secs, you should in time get it so that your hips are the only thing touching the ground). after hold the hand stand i try the push ups. i don't have anyone to spot me so its hard to get used to it.

I am not tring to spot loose fat, instead i am trying to build the muscles under the fat so that in time ill be loosing fat from all over, and with any luck have some more muscle as well..

and thanks, ill keep your suggestion as a goal to where i should be aiming for, it shouldnt take long to get it all together...

[naut]

I've always, always had very, very little body fat
Likewise, last time I checked I had 4.2% body fat but I'm more of a mesomorph.


30 crunches barely warm you up. My recommendation, without using weights, is you do a set of 50, rest 30 sec, do a set of 45, rest for 30 sec again, do a set of 40, and so on until you get down to 5.

For pushups, the same: do a set of 30, then 25, then 20. On the next set to 25, 20, 15, then 20, 15, 10, then 15, 10, 10, and then 10, 5, 5.
I think I might try that.

[SwordsMaster]

the muscle soreness is manageable, but it could be better. i think ill try taking some protein, see if it helps and go from there. i don't really like doing things too much too soon or i get bored of it and i stop doing it, iv found that i am better off to do something a little easy for while until i get it to be routine, once its routine then i can start to push my self. also, although i would not say i am weak, or whimpy, i find that this being my 1st week of this, i am finding it harder then i thought i would. so i am not sure if i could handle the 285 crunches and 235 push ups you suggest. The leg lifts are great, but i am doing them before anything else and they take their toll on me.

other then the crunches and push ups, what do you think of the positions , plank, low board ect? are they of any value at all? i know its mostly muscle endurance it is building but i feel like they help overall. i would be interested in what you think.

Holding the shoulder stand and hand stands are to build up my back muscle after a car crash, as well as doing back bends (lie face down, lift arms in front of you, and lift you legs straight, lift as high as you can and hold it for 30 - 60 secs, you should in time get it so that your hips are the only thing touching the ground). after hold the hand stand i try the push ups. i don't have anyone to spot me so its hard to get used to it.

I am not tring to spot loose fat, instead i am trying to build the muscles under the fat so that in time ill be loosing fat from all over, and with any luck have some more muscle as well..

and thanks, ill keep your suggestion as a goal to where i should be aiming for, it shouldnt take long to get it all together...

It's your call, obviously. But the routine I suggested is part of the average boxing workout about 4 weeks into the training year, about 3 times a week.

Planks, etc are great for your core muscles, but don't get bored with it. I mean there is only so much fun in holding the same position for 5 min. Experiment, introduce a swiss ball, ask your gym instructor for some ideas.

SFTS, 7000 cal is quite a few cal. You obviously do some other sport also. I can't imagine you consuming 7000 cal a day for however many sets of 3 lifts...

[doc_bean]

consume at least 5000 calories a day 7000 if you are doing intense manual labor or practcing high intenseity sports.

Heh, I can manage to gain weight consuming 1000 calories a day, I think the general rule is 'there is no general rule'. Almost everyone has a different metabolism.

[The Wizard]

I have to disagree. Many mainstream health magizines are crap and truth be told there are only a few rules you need to live by. People go to the gym day in and day out and yet they never lift any heavier or look any bigger.

Friend, be that as it may, I've followed one of their routines (I've since added some other exercises to the mix) and I got great results from it. My only problem is an occasional lack of motivation; the sets themselves are just fine.

Fact is that most people in your gym follow the routine set out on a card by the gym itself, which is usually provided by the people making the devices in the place (Nautilus, LifeFitness, etc). They also follow cardio exercises under the impression that that loses you more fat, while weight training or even real body building gives you more muscle which takes more calories to maintain, which in turn means you're burning more calories all day long -- instead of just those thirty minutes once or twice a week on the treadmill.

As for protein shakes -- I need to get myself one of those. Any recommendations? I've only ever once substituted it with raw eggs (they taste like... nothing, really).

[Vladimir]

As for protein shakes -- I need to get myself one of those. Any recommendations? I've only ever once substituted it with raw eggs (they taste like... nothing, really).

Has anyone tried Muscle Milk (http://cytosport.com/products/musclemilk.html)? It seems to really help me retain muscle mass while I haven’t been very active lately. That could be due to the decreased cardio I’ve been doing though.

Reading the information on the label it seems like an impressive product that is based on human milk. Every morning I imagine that I’m sucking on two, giant, chocolate flavored breasts. :2thumbsup:

:2thumbsup:

[The Wizard]

Sounds good, though I'm not sure if they have that here in this sorry excuse for a swamp they call Holland. I'll have a look-see if they do... thanks anyways, Vladimir! ~:)

[LeftEyeNine]

Yo ladies,

I have decided to grow my arm muscles a month ago and I have been doing the illustrated exercise once a day since then for each arm seperately, with a 7.5 kg weighing dumbbell, started at 40 repeats and increased to 50 for the last 15 days. Yes, I have a weak arm and yes, I know nuts about gym jargons. That's why I illustrated which basic exercise I've been doing for the past month:

https://img170.imageshack.us/img170/1264/liftmm6.png

On a protein-dedicated diet, this stuff really improved my arms' shape and power only in one month, however I need more variation of this. Because I want to improve the side parts of the upper arm and the whole forearm. I bet you have suggestions on what I can do, considering the amount of weight I have been lifting already which I have adjusted absolutely close to my limits and will be pushing forward as I improve. I know the golden rule : You need to push your limits to stimulate muscular improvement.

And also what kind of weight-lifting schedule do I need to improve the illustrated part below. In Turkish we call those muscles "wings", which are located at your back and actually are the side parts of that masculine "triangular" look. (marked with red arrows here):

https://img227.imageshack.us/img227/2559/torsoas6.png

Some people said that I'll need bench press to aim that which sounds reasonable. I just want to make sure and hear of other options, if there are.

Thanks in advance.

[SwordsMaster]

Well, ok. It wouldn't be a bad ide to learn the names of the muscles involved, btw, but i guess this is not the important issue...

What you have been doing is develop your biceps. Part of it anyway. I am assuming your palm is facing upwards. Try the same exercise with the palm facing down, and you should feel the burn (I've always wanted to say it) in your forearm and wrist muscles.

For more forearm development try something that climbers do: get 5-6 rubber bands, put the tips of your fingers together in a pear shape and put the rubber bands around them. Now open your fingers as many times as you want.

For the "wings" or latissimus dorsi or dorsal, do pullups. Once pullups are too easy attach 15 kg to your waist and go at it again. There is no better exercise.

[The Wizard]

Bench presses, or anything involving the chest tend to improve those muscles, though you'll also be training your chest muscles themselves, of course. Pullups, too, and I'd agree with SwordsMaster in saying that they put more strain on the dorsal muscles than do chest exercises and so provide better results.

On the note of pullups, how to exactly to attach weight to the waist when your gym only has machines (you know, Nautilus, LifeFitness and all that jazz) and barbells and dumbbells? I do 3 x 10 pullups right now, and am planning to increase that to 15 - 20 in the future (I've just come off a long period of inactivity) but I'm kinda curious as to this.

[Beren Son Of Barahi]

Just a quick note to say, i am now doing 5 times the amount of push ups, sit ups and crunches i was doing before, almost to where you said i should be at. after 2 weeks i am getting somewhere. i also learnt a very good lesson, don't go into health shops and ask for advise. they tried to sell me everything under the sun...

time to add some dips and handstand push ups into the mix....

[Strike For The South]

LEN start squating. just trying to isolate one or two muscles isnt going to cut it you are going to have to do the big 3 compund movements along with isolation excersises and doing 50 reps a day is waay to much voulme. I would also point out you triceps not your biceps make up 2/3's of your arm.

[SwordsMaster]

Bench presses, or anything involving the chest tend to improve those muscles, though you'll also be training your chest muscles themselves, of course. Pullups, too, and I'd agree with SwordsMaster in saying that they put more strain on the dorsal muscles than do chest exercises and so provide better results.

On the note of pullups, how to exactly to attach weight to the waist when your gym only has machines (you know, Nautilus, LifeFitness and all that jazz) and barbells and dumbbells? I do 3 x 10 pullups right now, and am planning to increase that to 15 - 20 in the future (I've just come off a long period of inactivity) but I'm kinda curious as to this.

To attach some weight to you, get a weight disc like one of the ones used for barbells, string a belt through it, and attach it to another belt (one of those hard, weight-lifting ones) that you then, attach to yourself like you normally would.

[Blodrast]

Bench presses, or anything involving the chest tend to improve those muscles, though you'll also be training your chest muscles themselves, of course. Pullups, too, and I'd agree with SwordsMaster in saying that they put more strain on the dorsal muscles than do chest exercises and so provide better results.


I'm not sure that bench presses do anything for your lats. Pullups, pulldowns target the lats.

Also, LEN, SFTS does have a point - it may be a good idea not to just work the biceps and completely ignore the triceps. Huge imbalances in muscles may lead to injuries in the long run. Also, if you're only in it for the show, I think a nicely sculpted triceps is worth more than a huge biceps. ;) You may also want to work the deltoids (shoulder) a little bit.

[Andres]

LEN, I'll give you my scheme. I never go to the gym, I do all my exercises at home. The only things you need, are:

- a pair of dumbbells
- a chair
- a flat bank (or your bed)
- a "pull-up bar" (you can use tree branches, just find something strong enough to carry your weight and on which you can hold a strong grasp with your hands, be creative :grin:)

Seated lateral raises (shoulders):

Take a dumbbells in each hand, allowing the dumbbells to hang down at your sides with your palm facing in toward your body. Next, simultaneously raise the dumbbells by bringing the backs of your hands to the ceiling until your elbows are at shoulder height, keeping your arms as straight as possible throughout the movement. Your arms have to be more or less parallel to the floor, hold for a second and return to the start position.


Lying dumbbell extensions (triceps):

Take a dumbbell in each hand. Hold the dumbbells tightly with your arms extended and a slight bend in your arms and all the tension on the tricep muscles. Slowly lower the weight down behind your head while keeping your elbows in. Raise the dumbbell back to the starting position while keeping your elbows in during the entire movement.

Dumbbell pullover (chest):

Start by resting your shoulders and upper back on a flat bench. Make sure your feet are planted firmly on the ground. Grab hold of a suitable dumbbell with both hands . As you inhale, bring the dumbbell behind your head as you bend your elbows and squeeze your chest. Exhale as your bring your arms back up to the starting position.

Dumbbell curl (biceps)
Hold dumbbells at your sides with palms facing away from you and keep your elbows close to your sides. Curl both dumbbells toward your shoulders simultaneously. When your arms create a 90-degree angle, squeeze the biceps. Then lower to the start position under control.

Dumbbell squat (upper legs, quadriceps, knees)

Stand with dumbbells grasped to sides. Descend until thighs are just past parallel to floor. Extend knees and hips until legs are straight. Return and repeat. During the exercise Keep head forward, back straight, chest high, arms straight to sides, and feet flat on the floor; equal distribution of weight through forefoot and heel.

Dumbbell lunges (quadriceps, hips)

Stand upright with your feet shoulder width apart. Hold a pair of dumbbells in your hands. Take a 2-3 foot step forward. Once the stepping foot is planted, the upper body and the front knee should not move forward during the lowering and raising of the body. Keeping the upper body vertical, dip your lower body straight down until back knee comes close to the ground. Hold the tension in the front of your leg, then raise your body straight up and return to starting position.

Dumbbell leg raises (calves)
This exercise is done in a standing position with your feet close together. Grasp a dumbbell in each hand. Lift your left (right) foot slightly off the ground and begin the exercise with your right (left) calf muscle. Push up with your foot and rock up onto your toes. Be sure to really flex your calves at the top of this movement for a one-count. Return to the start position and repeat. The initial upward movement should be slow and controlled.

Incline pec fly (chest)

Make sure to keep your arms almost straight with just a slight bend at the elbow. Bending the elbows more will only make the exercise easier and less effective.Lie on your back on an incline bench (or your bed). Arms out to the sides with elbows slightly bent. Bring your arms together above your chest.

Dumbbell palms in presses (shoulders)
Raise dumbbells to shoulder height. Sit at end of bench (or on a chair), feet firmly on floor. Press dumbbells straight up to arm's length, palm in elbow in. Lower dumbbells to starting position. Keep body rigid. Do all work with shoulders and arms. Do not lean from side to side. Inhale up, exhale down. Can also be done with plams facing out. Can also be done standing, with palms facing in or out.

Pull-up (or "chin-ups") (back)
Grasp a pull-up bar with a slightly-wider-than-shoulder-width overhand grip. Bend your knees so your feet leave the floor and pull yourself up until your chin is above the bar. Slowly lower yourself until your arms are almost fully extended, then repeat.


I always go for 3 sets of 10 reps. Grab the heaviest weight you can handle. The last rep must be very hard, nearly impossible. Remember: no pain, no gain. Feel free to add push ups (3 sets of 20 reps) and crunches (3 sets of 30 reps) to the scheme.

Don't do this more than 2 or three times a week. Ideal is 48 hours between each workout. I don't care about special food. I just do the exercices, and when I'm up to it, I add some more weight on the dumbbells. If possible, I do the exercises seated, trying to lean my back against the wall, since I have a rather weak lower back (had a hernia when I was 19).

Have fun :evil:

Oh, and if you want pictures to see how the exercises are performed, just google the names of the exercises.

And do some "cardio" as well: running, cycling or swimming at least once a week (twice a week is better, do it on the "off" days, when you are not doing the above scheme).

[Artificer]

And do some "cardio" as well: running, cycling or swimming at least once a week (twice a week is better, do it on the "off" days, when you are not doing the above scheme).

This is probably a silly question, but one I still want to ask. Will doing a cardio workout every day adversely effect the weightlifting?

[SwordsMaster]

This is probably a silly question, but one I still want to ask. Will doing a cardio workout every day adversely effect the weightlifting?

Yes, in the sense that you'll be exhausted. You have to let your muscles rest.

[Andres]

Yes, in the sense that you'll be exhausted. You have to let your muscles rest.

And a cardio once or twice a week, on a day when you don't do any weightlifting?

[SwordsMaster]

And a cardio once or twice a week, on a day when you don't do any weightlifting?

Again, if you are using a different set of muscles, then yes, but otherwise I would do either very light cardio, or slow down the weightlifting schedule

[Geoffrey S]

In general for rowing we do a heavy set of weightlifting on tuesdays followed by a brief light technique training on the water to prevent injuries and a light endurance training the day after, with a lighter (and shorter) set of weightlifting on fridays with a regular endurance training on the water following straight on.

As for the rest, monday we run, wednesdays and sundays are either technique or endurance training, thursdays are intensive longer distances, and saturdays are endurance coupled with sparring against the heavy eight. All training is preceded by ten minutes on a rowing machine followed by a set of exercises for abs.

[JimBob]

I've been starting a fitness program that is more than just running around outside. My goals are just to increase my fitness, strength and endurance. I don't have any equipment and don't plan on getting any, what are exercises that don't use equipment that a beginner could do? Besides push ups, sit ups, running etc.

[LeftEyeNine]

Oh thanks so much for your quick replies, you have just earned a Bodrum trip from LEN.

So more questions arise:

1- The exercise I have been doing will focus on my triceps and forearm if I do it with my palms faced downwards. Am I right ? If so, what's your recommendation on the weight and the number of repeats ? (I've been lifting 7.5 kgs 50 times a day with my palms faced upwards)

2- For triceps exercises, I have read somewhere that since those muscles are weak in the beginning, they advise doing them only once every 3 days, not everyday. What do you think?

3- Keeping on from my regular 50 repeats a day biceps exercise, is that too much? Should I modify the schedule? 50 repeats really make my arms burn, therefore I think less repeats wouldn't be of any use towards development. What's your ropinion ?

4- Placing some hard stuff on the walls where I'm a tenant in, is something quite unlikely to be allowed. What would be your next best advice to improve my dorsal then? Bench press? Or..?

[SwordsMaster]

Oh thanks so much for your quick replies, you have just earned a Bodrum trip from LEN.

So more questions arise:

1- The exercise I have been doing will focus on my triceps and forearm if I do it with my palms faced downwards. Am I right ? If so, what's your recommendation on the weight and the number of repeats ? (I've been lifting 7.5 kgs 50 times a day with my palms faced upwards)


If you do the bicep exercise with the palms facing down, you'll work biceps and forearms, not triceps. I don't recommend doing more than 12-15 reps on an exercise, even that is too much, if you can do more, you need heavier weights. (example, if I ever do bicep curls- which is your bicep exercise - I do 4 sets of 8 reps and 25 kg)



2- For triceps exercises, I have read somewhere that since those muscles are weak in the beginning, they advise doing them only once every 3 days, not everyday. What do you think?


Idiocy. If you think they're weak, they'll be weak. another good triceps exercise is your traditional pushup. We used to do them every day and only get stronger.



3- Keeping on from my regular 50 repeats a day biceps exercise, is that too much? Should I modify the schedule? 50 repeats really make my arms burn, therefore I think less repeats wouldn't be of any use towards development. What's your ropinion ?


As I said above, IMO, way too many reps. Get heavier weights.



4- Placing some hard stuff on the walls where I'm a tenant in, is something quite unlikely to be allowed. What would be your next best advice to improve my dorsal then? Bench press? Or..?

Get a tree branch, a football crossbar, or something of the sort and do your pullups there...

[Vladimir]

Yes, diamond push-ups. Connect the tips of your thumbs and forefingers and feel the burn. :devil:

[The Wizard]

To attach some weight to you, get a weight disc like one of the ones used for barbells, string a belt through it, and attach it to another belt (one of those hard, weight-lifting ones) that you then, attach to yourself like you normally would.

Ah, excellent. Thanks, SwordsMaster!

[Vladimir]

The Total War Workout: I have a set of handweights that I keep in the same room as the computer. Whenever I play Total War I usually have several agents moving about the map. Whenever I hit end turn I use the weights while I'm waiting instead of sitting there constantly clicking. It works great. :2thumbsup: Monday I was a little sore after playing for a while on Sunday.

[SwordsMaster]

The Total War Workout: I have a set of handweights that I keep in the same room as the computer. Whenever I play Total War I usually have several agents moving about the map. Whenever I hit end turn I use the weights while I'm waiting instead of sitting there constantly clicking. It works great. :2thumbsup: Monday I was a little sore after playing for a while on Sunday.

:laugh4: Nice one

[Strike For The South]

I would like to point out DOMS is not necceraly and indacator of a good workout.

[SwordsMaster]

Well, well, and so holidays end.

Time to start a new training season. I have to reconsider my goals this time, as this summer I went from 95kg in April to the current measly 79. I attribute the loss to lack of weightlifting, excess of surfing, and lack of good sleep and good eating over the last couple of months.

But hey, that's what summer is for, right? Now, though, it is the time to take up that responsibility and get ourselves back into shape (so we can do it all over again next summer). So no more steaks with fries and bechamel, witha fried egg on top and some mayo. And we're hitting the gym again.

So I've spent a couple of days thinking about a good workout to put some muscle back on.

I'll show you my plan for the week:

Mon, Wed, Sat:

Warmup: 25 min on the bike (interval setting, resistance between 7-12) and 10 min on the rower (at least 2000m)

Then:
25 pullups (weighted if possible), usually in 2-3 sets
50 deadlifts (4-5 sets)
50 benchpress (5 sets)
30 squats (usually 50, but since I've spent the first 35 min working out the legs, I can drop the warmup sets)
50 one arm clean&press (that is 50 with each arm, usually in 5 sets)
25 pullups (usually at this stage, i drop the weight)

This whole thing takes about 2 hours, if you superset the exercises properly. Since 2 consecutive exercises don't work the same muscles, you can superset the first 3 together, then do squats, and then superset the last 2.

Tues, Thurs:

30 min swimming, usually in 10 min "sprints". I'm a strong swimmer, but can't stick to proper technique for longer...

And I'm picking up some recipes too, but that's material for the next installment. Maybe. If you're good.

In the Soviet army they had a pullup bar at the door of the cantina. So before lunch or dinner they lined up the men, and made them do 10 pullups. Whoever couldn't do them would keep trying until the time for the meal ran out. If they still couldn't do them, they didn't eat.

This is first-hand info by the way, so don't take it as a joke. I'm thinking of putting one up in my kitchen...

Well, i'll let you "digest" this.

[Beirut]

In the Soviet army they had a pullup bar at the door of the cantina. So before lunch or dinner they lined up the men, and made them do 10 pullups. Whoever couldn't do them would keep trying until the time for the meal ran out. If they still couldn't do them, they didn't eat.

This is first-hand info by the way, so don't take it as a joke. I'm thinking of putting one up in my kitchen...

Well, i'll let you "digest" this.

Back about fourteen or fifteen years ago, me and my buddy across spent the summer cutting trees on his property and selling the firewood, we did 100 - 200 cords each season. Near where we bucked up the wood there was a tree with a good sized branch coming straight out about seven feet off the ground. A couple of times a week we'd use it for pull ups (just to test each other or people who came by) and anyone who couldn't do ten in a row was deemed "unable to pleasure a woman".

I don't know if that's worse than missing lunch or not. ~:yin-yang:

[Geoffrey S]

Summer's over indeed. This time, need to get up from 62 kg to nearer the 70. First two weeks I'll be running on mondays, lifting weights on tuesdays and fridays (don't know the regime yet), one hour on the rower on thursday, and in the meantime learning the skiff and 2-. After that, a month of endurance training in twos and skiffs, with the occasional move to the 4+; trainings will build up to seven a week. And finally, after the first few trial races, the definite boatplaces will be announced, and it's on to more endurance training in the winter (8-9 a week). Fun!

[SwordsMaster]

Summer's over indeed. This time, need to get up from 62 kg to nearer the 70. First two weeks I'll be running on Mondays, lifting weights on Tuesdays and Fridays (don't know the regime yet), one hour on the rower on thursday, and in the meantime learning the skiff and 2-. After that, a month of endurance training in twos and skiffs, with the occasional move to the 4+; trainings will build up to seven a week. And finally, after the first few trial races, the definite boatplaces will be announced, and it's on to more endurance training in the winter (8-9 a week). Fun!

Sounds fun. Remember though that to put on weight, the most important thing is to eat right.


and anyone who couldn't do ten in a row was deemed "unable to pleasure a woman".

I don't know if that's worse than missing lunch or not. ~:yin-yang:

Nice. I had a thing in that fashion once. I was working packing trucks in a flour factory. Note that each truck can hold about 400 bags of flour, and each bag weights 50kg.

So we were unpacking 150 bags at one of the delivery places, which was on the beach, so we got the odd beach muscle man walking past. when we were some 50 bags into it, one of these muscle men and his girlfriend stopped to look, and were there for a few trips. So eventually i invited him to grab a bag and give us a hand since he was pointing at us and making some comment to the girl. He looked at us, at the bags, at the bakery, and then refused. The girlfriend looked appalled.

[SwordsMaster]

This is a bit of a review. I did that routine yesterday. And I concluded that it is too much for the legs. My hamstrings are so tight and sore today I can barely sit....

So. I decided to disinclude the squats and include 50 windshield wipers instead to hit the abs a bit harder, they weren't really included in my first version...

Have fun!

[The Wizard]

I don't know how much weight I lost over the summer, but I know I'm definitely out of shape. Time to hit the weight pile hard again, and no better time to get that discipline back than the first week of university.

[Geoffrey S]

If I may, where and what? You did live in NL, right?

[The Wizard]

I do; specifically, in a village to the south of Rotterdam, on the island of Goeree-Overflakkee (oh lawd, Bible Belt). By the by, my location tag to the left of this post says "Rotterdam, the Netherlands" in Hebrew ~;)

Oh, and fitness in the gym. I got lazy somewhere halfway through my summer vacation and stopped coming regularly.

[Geoffrey S]

That does look fairly remote by Dutch standards, bet uni is something of a saviour!

By the by, SwordsMaster, by eating properly you mean stuff with plenty of protein such as fish? I'm sure the coaches will explain by the time I start, but that doesn't stop me from being curious!

[Blodrast]

SwordsMaster, I can certainly understand (and, unfortunately, relate to) losing weight when you stop working out, but I don't get why you think that you also lost weight because of the diet - when you mention steaks and fries... if anything, steaks have a whole lotta protein, while fries are not-so-healthy, but, if anything, they have lots of fat, so you should have gained fat - not lose weight...

I also lost a bunch of weight because of miserable sleeping schedule and not eating enough/properly... :thumbsdown:

[naut]

Just finished the football season, and my fat percentage is a grand total of 4.0%. But, I have a huge disparity in upper and lower muscle growth and development.

[SwordsMaster]

That does look fairly remote by Dutch standards, bet uni is something of a saviour!

By the by, SwordsMaster, by eating properly you mean stuff with plenty of protein such as fish? I'm sure the coaches will explain by the time I start, but that doesn't stop me from being curious!

Well, yes, but you can't eat only protein. I have explained a few posts ago that protein, carbs and fat should comprise any meal. The thing is that you shouldn't eat more than you need of either, and those you do eat should be of the right type.


SwordsMaster, I can certainly understand (and, unfortunately, relate to) losing weight when you stop working out, but I don't get why you think that you also lost weight because of the diet - when you mention steaks and fries... if anything, steaks have a whole lotta protein, while fries are not-so-healthy, but, if anything, they have lots of fat, so you should have gained fat - not lose weight...

I also lost a bunch of weight because of miserable sleeping schedule and not eating enough/properly... :thumbsdown:

Well, I just didn't eat enough. 2 meals a day, with some 7 hours in between, and those 7 hours I spent either in the water or by the water...


Actually, i found this article (http://www.askmen.com/sports/bodybuilding_150/180_fitness_tip.html). It is written with some knowledge of the subject for a change, so have a read.

[Geoffrey S]

Well, yes, but you can't eat only protein. I have explained a few posts ago that protein, carbs and fat should comprise any meal. The thing is that you shouldn't eat more than you need of either, and those you do eat should be of the right type.
Right, that's no problem. Last year I kept to a balanced diet, and I intend to keep that up.

[Blodrast]

Alright, thanks for the clarification, SwordsMaster, that makes sense.
Thanks for the article, as well.

[SwordsMaster]

Well, well, fellow orgasmians. I'm back with an update in this time of pre-Christmas excesses, winter hibernation, and office parties. You guessed it right, I'm here with a routine to destroy lard. Not bulk up muscle, not to get stronger or faster, but to lose the lard, and fit right back into the work pants as soon as the turkeys are done with.

This is tough. For the less-trained types, I recommend starting slower, but it is also doable. I do this routine about 3 times a week, and do weights about 2 other days to keep the good habits going. Now that being said, you will see results fairly quickly.

General recommendations: no eating for 1 hour before you start (unless you want to pack a bucket for the session...), and before-during-after the routine you should drink approx 3 litres of water. So pack a bottle.

Anyhow, here's the lowdown:

Stretch: concentrate on legs, lower back, hips. hold stretches for about 20 sec.

PartI:

Warm up: treadmill's inclination set to 4. Start with a speed of 7.0, and move up 0.5 every minute until you get to 11. That makes 8 minutes.

Part II:

Cycle: pick a cross country or hilly course on the bike, and make sure the tops of the hills are at resistance 20. That usually means you start at 8-9. Keep the RPM above 75 throughout, and go for 25 min. And feel the burn. It's ok. It's the lard. You don't miss it.


Part III:

Give the legs a break. In the meantime we do dips and pullups in 4 sets of 12, with no breaks, a sort of minicircuit.

PartIV:

Rower: At least 2000m in 10 minutes. I usually go for a 2500, but 2000 is ok. Below that, you're just being lazy and wasting your time.


We're almost done.

Cooldown: 10 min at incline 3, speed 8.0 on the treadmill, and lower the speed every minute by 0.5 until you're down to 6.0, then lower the incline by 0.5 until you're at 2. Then enjoy the rest of the journey.

Stretch. As above. It hasn't been so bad. And took just over an hour. And you burned 1500 kcal. That's half your daily allowance. Feel the fat melting?

Now go get a shower!

[Vladimir]

Good update. How long is that, one hour?

Anyway, question: Which is better, sleep or cardio?

If you normally get 7 hours of sleep a night, is it worth it to sacrifice one for a half hour cardio workout? Keep in mind this will be in conjunction with mild to moderate weight training in the evening.

Will this be enough sleep or will you break down muscle and store extra fat due to stress and loss of sleep?

[Odin]

interesting

[SwordsMaster]

Good update. How long is that, one hour?

Anyway, question: Which is better, sleep or cardio?

If you normally get 7 hours of sleep a night, is it worth it to sacrifice one for a half hour cardio workout? Keep in mind this will be in conjunction with mild to moderate weight training in the evening.

Will this be enough sleep or will you break down muscle and store extra fat due to stress and loss of sleep?

That depends on how much sleep do you need. I need about 8'5 hours a night to be fully rested.

I wouldn't sacrifice sleep for cardio. I would sacrifice weights once a week for cardio though.

[Vladimir]

I wouldn't sacrifice sleep for cardio. I would sacrifice weights once a week for cardio though.

Well naturally I would alternate in the evening if I wasn't exercising in the morning.

[Askthepizzaguy]

I hope no one objects to my "resurrection" of this thread, because there is actually a LOT of good stuff in here. And, the thing is part of a Frontroom Sticky.

However, when I first read the thread title, I thought surely this must be some kind of TotalWar-related joke post. So without further ado, here is my version of "Getting fit with SwordsMaster"
===================================

Are you feeling tired? Stressed out? Sluggish? Getting a little flabby around the midsection? Are the peasants not fleeing in abject terror like they used to?

Well Look No Further, because the Org has a new fitness regimen sure to shed excess flab, tone your body, and spread chaos and destruction throughout your lands! It's called SwordsMaster, a revolutionary new system designed to help you lose weight and get in shape.

Here's how SwordsMaster works. First, he arrives on the borders of your nation with a horde of the most deadly and vicious Timurids ever to walk the face of the Earth, and unilaterally declares war on you by sacking of one of your cities. He smashes the gates of your capital with armoured frickin elephants with frickin cannons on their frickin heads, demolishes the walls of your cities, rapes your subjects, pillages their homes, burns your buildings to the ground, and exterminates your citizens. Already, you should be building up a bit of a sweat.

Second, he storms the inner keep of your citadel, with heavily armoured, gold-chevron infantry easily dispatching your bodyguards, smashing your valuables, pouring oil onto the prisoners in your dungeon and setting them ablaze, and slashing the throats of your humble servants, slaves, and family members. At this point, your heart should be really pounding, and your cardiovascular system will really begin to feel the workout.

Next, as you use the rope ladder you have hidden in your bedchamber, you will climb quickly out of your window and slide 12 stories down to the ground below, in order to escape from the wrath of SwordsMaster. You might feel out of breath, but keep moving, as your life depends upon it.

Next, you are to dodge arrows being fired upon you from all directions, as the vast armoured archer divisions notice your attempt to escape and converge on your position. This should really work your glutes, thighs, and quadriceps, and you should start to feel a burning sensation in your muscles, possibly because a searing hot flaming arrow just impaled you in the leg.

Bleeding profusely, you hop as quick as you can towards your trusted steed, and hoist yourself onto the back of your magnificent war horse. Now, make that little pony gallop as fast as you can towards the smashed gatehouse and flee for your life as SwordsMaster sends his elite cavalry divisions to slaughter you. Meanwhile, SwordsMaster will begin the execution of your loyal subjects, and any captured soldiers will be tied up and simply dumped into open graves and buried alive. The mere thought of this fate happening to you will compel you to continue running away from SwordsMaster, and will allow you to stick to this workout regimen even when your body is tired, exhausted, and suffering from severe blood loss and third degree burns all over your skin.

However, the Timurid cavalry manage to catch up to your steed, and with their mighty swords they hack the legs of the poor creature, sending you flying from your mount, landing on your neck and shoulders. Your erstwhile steed's broken legs cause him to collapse on top of your prone body after struggling to stay on his feet for several steps, crushing one of your legs and your sword-bearing hand. By now, you must surely realize that your sluggishness and laziness have not paid off, and you vow that if you should survive to see the sun rise again, you will never allow yourself to become chunky again.

After being captured and tortured by the Timurids and then placed in a dungeon, you are slowly starved for weeks and weeks, only being given gruel every third day, and muddy water to drink. Then, you are bound in chains, sold into slavery, and forced to work in the Iron mines in the remote mountains of Mongolia. For twenty years your body will undergo the most excruciating and backbreaking labor, and you will face not only the wrath of your captors, but also the bitterness and resentment of your former subjects, who spit in your face and mockingly call you "my leige".

Rest assured, the SwordsMaster program is a proven technique to get you to lose weight and stay in shape. We are so convinced this system will work for you, we are offering a 90 day limited money-back guarantee.

*good luck trying to collect that money when you are bound and gagged. The only thing more scary than SwordsMaster is our legal department.

Operators are standing by. If you order today, you will receive a complimentary collector's edition commemorative white flag of surrender, soaked with the blood of the innocent who foolishly agreed to become our prisoners.

The number to dial is 1-800-ENSLAVE. That's 1-800-ENSLAVE.

CALL NOW!!!

[LeftEyeNine]

Urgent advice needed.

I need to start workouts quickly. I feel like a daisylord thinking about things over and over and wasting the rest of my time in front of PC while looking for a job. Therefore I've started to feel even more hopeless, lethargic and stupid.

Terms: I'll not attend gyms. I'll be moving in a near future. I'll purchase one set of tool (such as weight-lifting bar or dumbbells).

Back in the summer days when I was working out, I had dropped by here and asked for suggestions. Still, I want to improve my dorsal and triceps.

I don't have much to spend on the tools so which one would be a wiser choice? A weight-lifting bar or dumbbells ?

If it will be bench press (therefore a weight-lifting bar), how much weight should I start with ? I was able to get 50 reps of 9.5 kgs back with dumbbells when I was training every day (that was my peak before I had to quit).

Regarding my apparent capacity for my current condition, what's your reps and weight suggestion ?

Thanks in advance.

[SwordsMaster]

Urgent advice needed.

I need to start workouts quickly. I feel like a douchebaglord thinking about things over and over and wasting the rest of my time in front of PC while looking for a job. Therefore I've started to feel even more hopeless, lethargic and stupid.

Terms: I'll not attend gyms. I'll be moving in a near future. I'll purchase one set of tool (such as weight-lifting bar or dumbbells).

Back in the summer days when I was working out, I had dropped by here and asked for suggestions. Still, I want to improve my dorsal and triceps.

I don't have much to spend on the tools so which one would be a wiser choice? A weight-lifting bar or dumbbells ?

If it will be bench press (therefore a weight-lifting bar), how much weight should I start with ? I was able to get 50 reps of 9.5 kgs back with dumbbells when I was training every day (that was my peak before I had to quit).

Regarding my apparent capacity for my current condition, what's your reps and weight suggestion ?

Thanks in advance.

If cash is an issue, get a pullup bar and put it somewhere spacious where you can move your legs around without breaking furniture (or toes) If it is a place with a high ceiling so you can have some room above the bar too, then that'd be perfect.

The cheapest workout ever:

Pullups (hands facing in to focus on the biceps, hands facing out to focuson the back) as many as you can. Do it 4 times, and repeat every day.

Pushups. Give me 50. Nonstop. When that is easy, put your fists on the floor. Then start raising your feet. use a chair,whatever.

Situps. Whatever ones you fancy until you can't do anymore.

Squats. If on both legs is easy, try on one. Hold on to the wall for balance.

@Askthepizzaguy. Haha :laugh4: Hey, if niceness doesn't work, fear will!

[Good Ship Chuckle]

Dude, the way SwordsMaster says HARDCORE, made me think of this youtube video.
PowerThirst (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qRuNxHqwazs)
Maybe SwordsMaster should include powerthirst in his health plan.

[SwordsMaster]

Well, it's that time of the year again, and SwordsMaster is going back to basics.

This is the 5X routine, and it complements perfectly the cardio that i posted before.

Nothing fancy about this one, classic lifts, old school brute force strength training. It's done all in 1 day, and you can repeat it up to 3 times a week.

Do your usual warmup, this is a whole body heavy routine, so warm up accordingly.

1. Pullups: 5x8, 1 min rest between sets
2. Benchpress: 5x5, if you can do the last 3 sets of 6, you're not benching heavy enough, 1 min rests in between.
3. Deadlift: 5x5, as above
4. Olympic clean, 5x5
5. Squat, 5x5 as above.


A variation includes: dumbell bench press istead of barbell bench press, good mornings instead of deadlifts, and stand up row instead of pullups.

Another favourite of mine, specially if someone has had back problems, like yours truly and wants to give the back a full on throttle kick:

These are supersets unless stated otherwise:
Stand up row & Pullup:
at 50%, 8/8
at 60%, 8/8
at 80%, 6/6
at 50%, 8/8

Good mornings & cable pull,
at 50% 8/12
at 60% 8/12
at 70% 8/12
at 50% 6/max weight to failure


You can thank me later. That is just a back workout and shoult take no longer than 20 min altogether. If you're taking more than 1 min between sets, you're not HARDCORE, and if you're taking more than 5 between supersets, you should do the whole thing again, because you're wasting your time.

Go get in shape. Summer's coming, dammit!

Phew, did it today. It's good, simple and effective. I did a 6 sprint set with 30 sec rests in between to fill in at the end, and almost got sick. So I'll have to do it again soon.

[Vladimir]

Haven't they invented a magic pill yet? I mean if a guy can regrow a finger...

If I ever catch some shrapnel in the gut I'm going to ask the surgeon to take a little off the sides.

[edyzmedieval]

Swordsmaster,

I've been following the following routine since I started the third term at school. Fitness is 2 hours a week, 1 on Thursday and 1 on Friday, sometimes supplemented by 1 more hour in the weekend. I do lots of sports in the meantime, mainly basketball, as its my trademark sport.

Please excuse me as I dont know the specific names, hope u understand. :shame:

- 20-25 minutes on the bicycle, medium difficulty level
- quadriceps training (32kg, 3 sets of 10)
- harmstring training (32kg, 3 sets of 10)
- bar pull (?) - 27-32kg, 3 sets of 15 (from up to down, usually for your back)
- "sailor" pull - 27-32kg, 3 sets of 10 (you pull to your chest and you keep your back straight)
- abdomen workout - sets of 25, usually 2 or 3 (support your legs between 4 "pillows" and you go down on your back and you go up)
- abdomen workout - sets of 10-15 (rest your legs and support yourself, you start from the ground and you go up - also helps your back)
- weights (6-8kg), sets of 10, usually 2 or 3

I use lots of calories during the week, so the quota 2500-3000 intake is obsolete. School, sports and everything - I EAT A LOT. I sleep around 8 - 8 and 1/2 hours a night.

My problem?

I don't lose weight. I think I actually gain.
Even if I consume a lot, I eat a lot, and because of this, I am a sort of sugar-dependent. I eat a lot of chocolate and it helps keeping myself up for everything, because daily life is stressing in the school, especially physically.

Also, I have abnormal weight. I am around 1.77-1.78 but there is something wrong. My upper body is fine, I have normal fat levels (I was never obese - I actually had problems as a kid due to low weight). For some reason, I am very heavy (my quadriceps is larger than my 2 lower arms put together!!). My head is also very heavy.

Any reasons? Heavy bones? (never broke anything, twisted lots, but never had something more than 1 day)

[Ice]

Swordsmaster,


I don't lose weight. I think I actually gain.
Even if I consume a lot, I eat a lot, and because of this, I am a sort of sugar-dependent. I eat a lot of chocolate and it helps keeping myself up for everything, because daily life is stressing in the school, especially physically.


Cut back on the sugar. Eat a clean diet. I've actually read quite a lot about this subject recently. What are you eatting on an average day, Edyz?

[Ice]

I wish I would have seen this before I joined a gym Swordmaster. I can do all of these exercises, even the pull ups if I simply install a bar, in my basement with my old weight bench. Heh.

[Vladimir]

Does anyone have a suggestion on how to easily increase the amount of veggies one eats in a day? I don't have a domestic engineer chained to the kitchen so time for meals is usually tight. Right now I only really eat them during lunch in my sandwich and maybe at dinner. How important are they in increasing your physical fitness vs. vitamins?

[edyzmedieval]

Cut back on the sugar. Eat a clean diet. I've actually read quite a lot about this subject recently. What are you eatting on an average day, Edyz?

Breakfast - cereals with milk OR omlette OR gauffre de liege OR small croissants with chocolate

Lunch - typically potatoes/rice with beef/chicken and on friday we have fish - I always eat a salad before, usually made of tuna, corn, tomatoes and cucumbers, with some onions (today feta cheese and olives were available, so I made a mega-salad)

Dinner - similar to what we eat at lunch, salad included for me

Between meals I eat chocolate like Milky Way or I get an ice cream. My problem is that I dont eat fruit and it might be detrimental. I will try to switch on fruits - typically in the summer I go ballistic over strawberries (3-4 kg in a single shot) and in the winter I go ballistic on mandarines (4-5kg on a single shot). Bananas are good and I eat them, as they have fructose which is very good for you.

I also eat cereal bars with fruits in between, but they might be bad, so I stopped eating them. I also eat biscuits.

[Ice]

Breakfast - cereals with milk OR omlette OR gauffre de liege OR small croissants with chocolate

Eggs are excellent to eat in the morning. True using 1 egg with 2 egg whites (egg beaters are the same thing). Use lowfat cheese also. Cereal is ok too, but make sure it is whole grain and you get some protein in there. The croissant with chocolate is pure garbage. Ditch it.


Lunch - typically potatoes/rice with beef/chicken and on friday we have fish - I always eat a salad before, usually made of tuna, corn, tomatoes and cucumbers, with some onions (today feta cheese and olives were available, so I made a mega-salad)

The salad is an excellent idea. Cut back on the starches a bit. You can eat carbs, but just make sure they are whole grain, unless it is immediately following a workout.


Dinner - similar to what we eat at lunch, salad included for me

Between meals I eat chocolate like Milky Way or I get an ice cream. My problem is that I dont eat fruit and it might be detrimental. I will try to switch on fruits - typically in the summer I go ballistic over strawberries (3-4 kg in a single shot) and in the winter I go ballistic on mandarines (4-5kg on a single shot). Bananas are good and I eat them, as they have fructose which is very good for you.

Fruit is good, but it does have a lot of sugar and carbs. Just make sure you don't go overboard. I would pitch the Milky Ways and Ice Cream though. All that will do is make you fat. If you want to lose weight, like I said, eat a clean diet.



I also eat cereal bars with fruits in between, but they might be bad, so I stopped eating them. I also eat biscuits.



Good move with the cereal bars, but please, god, get rid of the biscuits. Loaded with unhealthy fat and simple carbohydrates.

Another tip would be to eat smaller meals every 3 hours. Even if it is a lowfat yogurt or banana, keeping your metabolism is very important to burning fat. People often forget this and don't eat anything for hours on end. Unforunately, this has the opposite effect. Your body starts to burn muscle and not fat, as your metabolism slows down.

[edyzmedieval]

Our program is this - 7 o clock wakeup, 7:30 breakfast, 8 o clock classes, 10:15 break time, after 15 minutes classes again, 12:20 lunch, 13:15 classes till 15:30

16:00 sports, shower and at 18:25 study time
19:30 dinner, 20:30 study time till 10:00
10:45 bedtime

Is it healthy to eat after 10?

Oh, this summer, since I'll be cutting down the school, I will eat less sugars and carbs. I want that hot body like a guy who wants water after 10 hours of walking in the desert.

[Ice]

Is it healthy to eat after 10?

Yes, it is very healthy to eat after ten. Before you sleep, foods such as cottage cheese are excellent to consume.


Oh, this summer, since I'll be cutting down the school, I will eat less sugars and carbs. I want that hot body like a guy who wants water after 10 hours of walking in the desert.


Don't we all man. I'm working on that myself.

[SwordsMaster]

Let's see:

There is nothing wrong with your quads being bigger than your arms: think about it, if you walked on your arms all day, surely they'd be bigger too!

There is nothing you can do about a "heavy head" so don't worry about it, and leave it alone. Maybe you have a big brain. Or maybe you should cut your hair every now and again :beam:.

As of food: Don't mix protein: if you're having fish for a meal, then have just fish. If you're having chicken, then don't put tuna in the salad.

The chocolate must go. If you must have something to keep you awake, have coffee, but not at least 4 hours before bed.

I personally don't recommend eating just before bed, but if your body can take it, go for it. Eat cottage cheese and fiber - brown bread toast or something like that, and add that to your eggs in the morning. 2-3 eggs with tomatoes and brown bread toast usually do it for me when i have the time to make them. In between meals, have a glass of milk and an apple, it'll keep you going for quite a while.

Again, for proteing during the day go with fish or chicken, it's leaner, I usually only eat beef or pork about twice a week, eat fish at least twice too, and chicken or eggs the other days.

Basketball is a cool sport to play, and you need strong legs, so train them!

Pretty is not half as important as strong and useful, so remember that. If you want pretty, the easiest is to get surgery. Now, did you ever see an olympic athlete who had liposuction?

It takes some discipline to give up food like chocolate. Sugar triggers "feel good" chemicals so you always want more. But you have to suffer for your art. So If you really do want to be strong, you'll have to make the effort.

[edyzmedieval]

I always have a Beckham-style mohawk for my hair. ~D So that's not a pile of hair.

Ok, thanks for the advice for the protein thingy. It depends on the school routine too, because they decide what we eat. When I dont like I just make a mega-salad and stick with that. I never put sauce or something else, I dont like it plus its unhealthy. Except when it's just a tomato+cucumbers salad, where olive oil and vinegar go really well.

Chocolate will be a problem. I don't drink coffee, and the energy consumption is very high because I run a lot through the campus, I use my brain....everything. A healthy alternative? Bananas? Fructose?

I'm training my legs heavily because I will seriously need it. Right now I want to dunk, so I have to work on legs A LOT... I need to jump almost 1 metre!

What do you think about my workout?

[SwordsMaster]

What you're telling me about eating chocolate "for energy" is an excuse, and we both know it. If your goal is to lose weight, chocolate is out. No discussion bout it. The whole idea behind losing weight is to use more energy than you eat.

In any case, how old are you? if you're under 19 or 20, cutting energy intake and reducing bodyfat drastically should only be done if you're really overweight and under medical supervision. Your growth might be affected, and it is generally a grey area where not much conclusive research has been done.

Your routine seems ok for what you're doing. I would focus on the basics: squats, bench presses, deadlifts, pullups, and do a lot of sprinting.

[edyzmedieval]

I'm around 1.76-1.77, around 72kg (so not even close to overweight) and turning 17 in July.

Sprinting I will really need, as I suffer in basketball because of the lack of speed. Will try the other ones too.

[Beirut]

Hey SwordsMaster,

A question: what is the best sugar to use when making energy bars. I usually use molasses (a 1/4 cup for roughly 8 to 10 good size bars end product), but brown sugar makes the bars nice and chewy and seems to help hold them together. White sugar is out because white sugar is white death, as my sister puts it. What about honey? I already put in a good amount of dark chocolate chips but all in all the bars aren't very sweet at all nor do I want them to be. But I do want something in the bar that will give me a quick boost, as opposed to all the slower acting stuff I put in, like oats and nuts. Oh, I do put in raisins and dried cranberries as well.

[SwordsMaster]

Hey SwordsMaster,

A question: what is the best sugar to use when making energy bars. I usually use molasses (a 1/4 cup for roughly 8 to 10 good size bars end product), but brown sugar makes the bars nice and chewy and seems to help hold them together. White sugar is out because white sugar is white death, as my sister puts it. What about honey? I already put in a good amount of dark chocolate chips but all in all the bars aren't very sweet at all nor do I want them to be. But I do want something in the bar that will give me a quick boost, as opposed to all the slower acting stuff I put in, like oats and nuts. Oh, I do put in raisins and dried cranberries as well.

Wow, that's a lot of energy there. General rule of thumb: sugar, as unrefined as possible.

Now, raisins are ridiculously high in energy. This one summer, I spent a week days eating raisins for 2 of my meals a day, only stopping for one meal - was driving through France, time was of the essence - long story - and in a week of driving 6 hours a day and eating about 2 pounds of raisins a day I put on 4 kg. So you might be getting enough energy already, specially if you complement with chocolate. Of course if your weight is steady, i guess no harm is being done (unless you're losing the muscle and packing on the fat...)

Generally also, the darker the berries in their original state, the better they are for you, so cranberries are great, dark grapes and dark raisins (and red wine!) are great too. (And so is Guinness, for example, but that's a different can of worms...)

Honey is also great stuff. Again, go for the least refined, darker variety you can find, and generally use at your pleasure. There are few natural sugars that are as good and easy to work through the system as honey.

So roughly, pure sugar should account for the least calories possible. For quick energy use raisins, honey or berries instead, if you can. Oats should be a substantial component so you keep going, as well as nuts, that have great fats and pack some of the best calorie-per-gram densities you'll find.

I hope this helps. Generally remember that fat has 3 times as much energy per gram as sugar. Protein is in between. Sugar is the easiest to absorb, followed by protein - so unless you use it to build muscle, will get burnt for fuel, and fat takes longest to get rid of (never woulda guessed...)

Beirut and his talk of baking made me hungry now...:2thumbsup:

[Beirut]

The bars are in the oven as we speak. I checked here before I finished mixing the batch, but I only saw your post after I had made them. I ended up using some maple syrup and some (very little, tablespoons) brown sugar. The end result for a dozen muffins is: 1 1/2 cups organic oats, 1/2 cup organic spelt flour, 1/2 cup ground almonds, 1/2 cup ground pecans, small bag crushed walnuts, lots of raisins and chocolate chips, 2 eggs, olive oil, maple syrup, brown sugar, and heat. :chef:

I use soya or hemp protein sometimes, and usually cranberries, but I don't have any now. Any additions you think are a good idea, please share.

This won't be the best batch, but they should be pretty good. For the most part, they serve as a daily second breakfast and emergency stop-the-shakes food to keep in the lunch box. But I usually eat only one a day. The rest of the day, aside from lunch, is always a litre of fruit juice, and lots of green apples and bananas.

The problem with bananas is they make you very sexy to the blackflies for some reason. But that's what Off! is for.

[SwordsMaster]

That sounds great! Extra protein is always good. All kinds of berries can go there - from cranberries to blackberries or blueberries or anything else. Use them for variety or flavour.

Bananas are wonderful. As are apples. And plums. And nectarines. And mandarines. Mmmmmm.

Also, just something to keep in mind is that if you're using a lot of nuts (60 -70 g per bar), the extra protein might not be necessary. Specially if you do need the extra energy, go for that instead.

The thing with fruit, is that mostly it gives you a nice boost of energy, but it won't keep you full. Green bananas are good for fiber, but combining fruit with a handful of nuts might be best for longer term energy. Plus you won't be hungry so quickly.

Anyway, happy baking. :2thumbsup:

[edyzmedieval]

Swords,

What's the best way to get protein, apart from meat and fish? Bars?
I workout especially to improve for basketball, and one exercise strongly recommends that I intake 30g of protein at least after I do the exercises. But how? Immediately after I mean.

[SwordsMaster]

Immediately after, a shake or bars are probably your best bet. Get some whey, for example.

[edyzmedieval]

But is it recommended for a 17 year old? Would it interfere with something?

[SwordsMaster]

Nope. Just be careful with the heavy lifting.

[Ice]

Swords,

What's the best way to get protein, apart from meat and fish? Bars?
I workout especially to improve for basketball, and one exercise strongly recommends that I intake 30g of protein at least after I do the exercises. But how? Immediately after I mean.

Take a protein shake about 10-15 minutes before the activity and immediately afterwards.

It really is great stuff. It is all around good for your health:http://www.wheyproteininstitute.org/benefits.cfm

http://www.nextag.com/gnc-whey-protein/search-html

One scoop of this stuff in water and you'll be good. It will help you put on lean mass.

[BigTex]

Swords,

What's the best way to get protein, apart from meat and fish? Bars?
I workout especially to improve for basketball, and one exercise strongly recommends that I intake 30g of protein at least after I do the exercises. But how? Immediately after I mean.

15-20 minutes after workout is the optimum time to consume protien.

Bars are generally going to contain a mix of protien isolates. Usually whey, calcium caseinate and soy.

As far as powders go you may be better served by using a whey and calcium caseinate blend. If your goals are to slim down and make speed gains it will definitely help. Casein's gel in the stomach and much take longer to digest then whey and provide a longer sustained release of protien. Where as whey is going to be digested within an hour and a half or less. Whey's wonderful though if your trying to bulk and add strength gains, it's highly anabolic. As the name suggests it also contains a lot of calcium. Which can help burn fat, but more importantly repair bone which is broken down while running and lifting.

[salemty]

i would like to know what the best excercise is for building chest muscles

[SwordsMaster]

i would like to know what the best excercise is for building chest muscles
pushups. The marines do 800 a day.

[Byblos]

SwordsMaster, this is brilliant.

17 years old. Roughly 5"10 roughly 8st.

Basically I am a skeleton wanting to get some muscles. Joined a gym, once a week, hopefully i'll find time for 2/3 times a week. Focusing on upper body strength.

What should I do aswell as the gym work? (you see my thread on whey protein?)

Seen the diet advice, starting that as soon as.

What I can gather is that you like press-ups :beam:

nb, I have ok cardio vascular fitness being able to run a mile in 4.45 minutes and shift it in sprints. I don't want to beef up too much as to lose this.


Anything else you want to know?

[edyzmedieval]

8 stones at 5 10 and 17 years of age?!?!?! ~:eek:
What have you been eating (or not eating) for the past 15 years?!

First of all, if you want muscles, get a bit of fat first. It's a bit dangerous when someone is that skinny. Then, eat LOTS of protein. It will help you build some muscles. Then go work out and take whey protein after (no more than 3 times a week).

I am around 1.78 (5 10) but I weigh 11 stones - I'm perfectly proportional. Seriously, start eating. It's the best thing you can do now.

And for sports, do LOTS of swimming and play a team sport (basketball) or play tennis. It will really help.

[Byblos]

The fact is I have played team sports all my life and ate really well. The good old british meals like sunday roasts and hearty stews.

[edyzmedieval]

The how are you only 50 kgs then? If you are normal, then that really is a very abnormal metabolism rate.

[Byblos]

I really do not have much fat at all, what muscles I do have (not many) tend to show up well, for example my stomach muscles. I think I may need a more accurate weigh. Edit: 8st8

[salemty]

are you sure that push ups are best for building chest muscles? ive been doin 80 push ups a day for nearly two
years now and it doesnt seem to be helping greatly, perhaps a second opinion?

[Beirut]

are you sure that push ups are best for building chest muscles? ive been doin 80 push ups a day for nearly two
years now and it doesnt seem to be helping greatly, perhaps a second opinion?

Depends on how you're doing them. If you're doing forty sets of two push ups each, you might want to change your routine. If, on the other hand, you're doing all eighty at once, that's pretty darn good. Also depends on the quality of your push ups.

I do sets of twenty-five, but I do slow nose to floor push ups. Not those half descent spring action jobbies.

[SwordsMaster]

I do sets of 40, slow down, hold for 3 sec, then up. Alternatively do bench presses.

[edyzmedieval]

Swords, what do you think is better? Bicycle (staying in the same place) or running on the treadmill? Losing calories and training the leg muscles, as this is my focus this summer, along with the upper body.

[woad&fangs]

can't you go on a jog?

[Ice]

Swords, what do you think is better? Bicycle (staying in the same place) or running on the treadmill? Losing calories and training the leg muscles, as this is my focus this summer, along with the upper body.

Squats, other leg workouts, jump roping, sprints, and bike sound decent. I've heard running is hell on your joints, and this coming from a past cross country athlete.

[SwordsMaster]

Swords, what do you think is better? Bicycle (staying in the same place) or running on the treadmill? Losing calories and training the leg muscles, as this is my focus this summer, along with the upper body.

I have supplied a decent leg workout higher up on this thread, IIRC it included about 30 min on the bike, on a hillcourse, 20 min run, again, on a hill course, and 10 min row for 3000m.

Go back in the thread for more details.

[SwordsMaster]

So. SwordsMaster just discovered the new and so far most effective weight loss method. Losing 6 kg in 4 days, this particular one beats Atkins, and what have you.

It's called: dysentery. Here in Lagos most half spicy food will make you drop your ***. African spicy, and middle eastern spicy are in 2 different leagues... I thought i was used to curry, but damn!

Add to that the fact that malaria pills also make you regular, and you can't drink the water that isn't bottled, and you get a bacteria playground that will make dr. Pasteur sweat in his cold grave.

And since about the only thing your body can hold is water or tea, the weight loss is almost miraculous.

That being said, there's some nice food here. Not for the faint hearted...

[Geoffrey S]

I have supplied a decent leg workout higher up on this thread, IIRC it included about 30 min on the bike, on a hillcourse, 20 min run, again, on a hill course, and 10 min row for 3000m.

Go back in the thread for more details.
Must point out that 10 min rowing for 3000m is pushing it a bit for someone who has little experience with the things. An average heavyweight freshman (75 kilos and higher) on his first 2k trial can be expected to do around 6.35/6.45, with someone higher than 85 kilos probably pushing the 6.30 mark - an average lightweight (67-75 kilos), between 6.55/7.10. Most higher-level heavyweights in the Netherlands going all-out would push just under the six minute mark on the 2k. Not that the Dutch are on top of their game, but on average aren't too shabby.

Certainly for less experienced rowers, extra weight and length make a huge difference on the times achievable on an erg.

Edit: heh, and keeping things on rowing - your post above reminds me of some of the things lightweights do to just edge into their weight category on the last few days. All those herbs to lose some weight at the last minute make the facilities most unpleasant an hour before weigh-in...

[SwordsMaster]

Heh. Sure. Happens the same with boxing.

As of rowing, I do 2k in about 7.20, but i'm 1.78m and around 84 80kg, so relatively short. I aspire to 3k in 10 min, but you're right, it's not easy, I hover around the 11 min mark myself. But if you think about it, 3.5 min/km it should be doable if you can keep up the pace...

[Geoffrey S]

I'll admit it's a bit of a pet peeve of mine. When I go to the gym, quite frequently I see people abusing the erg. Rowing is pretty much all about the legs, which deliver far more power than the back and arms possibly can. Lots of people do it the other way round (and at max settings), and that's just not effective - there are far better ways to train the upper body. Plus, it's injury sensitive.

One of the best things to do, at least for practice, is to set the screen to show the power curve and row at a pace no higher than 22. Ideally, the curve is pretty close to a smooth bell shape, flattening out most towards the end. Was one of the first things our coaches made us do, and I do with new rowers, and it helps a lot.

[Odin]

i would like to know what the best excercise is for building chest muscles

bench press with a weight that induces muscle failure between the 6-8 rep range. Upon failure have someone help you finish the current repitition then decrease the weight by 10-25% and immediately continue the process until failure.

Do approx 5 sets of this every 72-96 hours (every 3 or 4 days dependant on soreness) for 3 months.

This is a bodybuilding principle and shouldnt be confused with other workout programs. Bodybuilding isnt for everyone and isnt generally accepted as an overall fitness methodology.

However, if you want to build your chest muscles this should work.

[Vladimir]

pushups. The marines do 800 a day.

Just because it's in a cadence doesn't make it so.

[Sasaki Kojiro]

Woo! Been a while but I'm back in the game. 10th day of working out. Been starting out easy since I want to get some flexibility issues workout out before I get into the heavy lifting. Some hill sprints, some selective weight lifting, and some stretching. Having trouble with the stretching though. Anyone have experience with improving toe-touching ability?

[SwordsMaster]

Woo! Been a while but I'm back in the game. 10th day of working out. Been starting out easy since I want to get some flexibility issues workout out before I get into the heavy lifting. Some hill sprints, some selective weight lifting, and some stretching. Having trouble with the stretching though. Anyone have experience with improving toe-touching ability?

Well, flexibility is all about perseverance. If you want to grab your toes, then sit on the floor, grab a belt, put it around your feet and pull with your arms until it hurts. Stay there for 2 min, then breathe out, pull some more. Don´t do more than 5-6 min of this at a time. Do it every morning, and you'll be seeing serious gains in 3 weeks. Don't forget to develop the strength too.

[BigTex]

Well, flexibility is all about perseverance. If you want to grab your toes, then sit on the floor, grab a belt, put it around your feet and pull with your arms until it hurts. Stay there for 2 min, then breathe out, pull some more. Don´t do more than 5-6 min of this at a time. Do it every morning, and you'll be seeing serious gains in 3 weeks. Don't forget to develop the strength too.

Out of all the methods I've heard or used to stretch that has to be the most vicious. Thought I'd never say this, but SwordsMaster your hardcore:smash:.

Think I'm going to go try that now, probably to flexible for it to do much. I think I'll force my roomate to do it.

[SwordsMaster]

Out of all the methods I've heard or used to stretch that has to be the most vicious. Thought I'd never say this, but SwordsMaster your hardcore:smash:.

Think I'm going to go try that now, probably to flexible for it to do much. I think I'll force my roomate to do it.

Heh, thanks. That's how the soviet olympic gymnasts did it. If it's good enough for them, it's good enough for me...

[salemty]

hi i have a question. im am 15 yrs old and am already got some muscle and quite fit. i want to get more muscle but as i am a teenager i dont want to over-exercise. the reason i dont want to over-exercise is because over-exercise often contributes to pimples and acne and studies have proven this. any advice on how i get quite a bit of muscle without over-excersing. i am currently doing pushups and sit-ups in the morning and night. i do 2-4-6-8-10-8-6-4-2 sets for pushups and sit ups. any advice would be appreciate

[SwordsMaster]

hi i have a question. im am 15 yrs old and am already got some muscle and quite fit. i want to get more muscle but as i am a teenager i dont want to over-exercise. the reason i dont want to over-exercise is because over-exercise often contributes to pimples and acne and studies have proven this. any advice on how i get quite a bit of muscle without over-excersing. i am currently doing pushups and sit-ups in the morning and night. i do 2-4-6-8-10-8-6-4-2 sets for pushups and sit ups. any advice would be appreciate

Man, you'll get pimples no matter what. So stop worrying about it, and do your thing. Any of the workouts recommended above except the heavy lifting will work for you. You can join the marines with 17, so you can easily do 300+ pushups a day with no problems whatsoever.

Also, get a pullup bar, and work up to 20 pullups in 1 set.

[Beirut]

Here in Lagos most half spicy food will make you drop your ***. African spicy, and middle eastern spicy are in 2 different leagues... I thought i was used to curry, but damn!


That being said, there's some nice food here. Not for the faint hearted...

Sorry to be late asking, but can you expand on this? Would love to hear the details.

Omit no burn. :sunny:

[SwordsMaster]

Sorry to be late asking, but can you expand on this? Would love to hear the details.

Omit no burn. :sunny:

Heh, sure. I think the secret is in the local chili pepper. Green and nasty, while most spices will be hot in your mouth, and then dissipate, this chili is spicy in a completely different, nerve attacking/chemical burn kinda spicy. If you get some pepper juice on your hands, the skin will get red. Imagine what it does to your mouth and intestinal track...

Apart from that, I have been asking them to give me "oyibo spicy". (Oyibo is the local word for White man - not very polite if they say it, but they take it as a joke when i refer to myself as oyibo.) Oyibo spicy is very little spicy for their standards - at this stage i'd like to add they also abuse black pepper.

They have a variety of fried chicken recipes - most of them spicy, with curry powder (red), and the infamous chilis, a local "soup" called Okra or Okro, which they usually eat with a doughy substance called Ebo - essentially bread dough, but made in a different way. The soup is full of local herbs and leaves I don't know the name of, and has a very unusual flavour - it has a very yellow colour and is very tangy.

Another thing they have here that I love is coconut rice: it's prepared wth dry coconut powder, rice and hot red pepper. It's spicy, and eaten with chicken or beef and Moi-Moi (a paste made out of beans that may or may not be spicy depending on the cook).

Also, since there area lot of muslims here, it's hard to find pork in local restaurants, although most hotels have bacon and sausages and anything else you want.

Phew. Long post. I'll post more when i sample them...

[salemty]

swordmaster i would like to know how come i can do 80 push-ups in 1 set but i can hardly do 20 sit ups and i can hardly even touch my knees.

[SwordsMaster]

swordmaster i would like to know how come i can do 80 push-ups in 1 set but i can hardly do 20 sit ups and i can hardly even touch my knees.

Are you really asking me this question?

Obviously your arms are stronger than your abs. Or you have a beergut, which is worrying at 15...

That only means you need to do more situps

[salemty]

that suprises me though because it looks like i have a six pack. it is almost as if i have a fake six pack. it looks as if i have good abs but i cant do many sit ups. but i have also seen people who have no ab muscles at all and they are a bit fat but they can do like 100 sit ups at once. this all seems very confusing to me

[Ice]

that suprises me though because it looks like i have a six pack. it is almost as if i have a fake six pack. it looks as if i have good abs but i cant do many sit ups. but i have also seen people who have no ab muscles at all and they are a bit fat but they can do like 100 sit ups at once. this all seems very confusing to me

Just because you can see your abs doesn't mean they are strong. You might just have naturally low body fat or a high metabolism.

Just because others have no visible abs doesn't mean they don't have strong abs. You can do 1000 situps a day, but you are still not going to see them if there is a layer of fat covering them. You are going to have killer abs though, but they will be under the fat.

[salemty]

thx kush. ive always wondered about that. i appreciate it. thx once again

[BigTex]

that suprises me though because it looks like i have a six pack. it is almost as if i have a fake six pack. it looks as if i have good abs but i cant do many sit ups. but i have also seen people who have no ab muscles at all and they are a bit fat but they can do like 100 sit ups at once. this all seems very confusing to me

Visible ab's is purely related to body fat percentage. A six pack doesnt neccessarily mean you have strong abs.

Start doing barbell rollouts add 10 lb's every week, make sure to start light. Also parallel bar knee raises, or leg raises on chin up's. Though the rollouts may really be all you need, bout the best thing for your anterior chain and wont cuase back pain or destroy your discs.

Forgot to add, if you don't have wieghts at home, or don't have consistent access to a gym. Pick up an ab wheel, yes those stupid little tires that have been around forever. Their no more then 20$'s at a sporting goods store. It wont build strength as well as a barbell rollout but it will definately do the job in absence of the equipment.

[salemty]

illl just tell you all my excercises that i do twice a day. hopefully you can inform me of something to improve it. first i do 40 push ups where for the last 5 push ups i hold for 3 seconds for each push up. then i do 30 sit ups. then i do "the plank" excercise which i assume you know what it is. i do the plank for 75 seconds. i improve this slightly each day. so tomorow i will do 45 push ups with the last 5 hold for 3 seconds and 35 sit ups and hold the plank for 90 seconds. hopefully you guys can tell me how to improve this

[Ice]

illl just tell you all my excercises that i do twice a day. hopefully you can inform me of something to improve it. first i do 40 push ups where for the last 5 push ups i hold for 3 seconds for each push up. then i do 30 sit ups. then i do "the plank" excercise which i assume you know what it is. i do the plank for 75 seconds. i improve this slightly each day. so tomorow i will do 45 push ups with the last 5 hold for 3 seconds and 35 sit ups and hold the plank for 90 seconds. hopefully you guys can tell me how to improve this

What are you goals exactly?

[salemty]

hi again. earlier in this thread i asked what whas the best excercise to build peck muscles. i was told to do push ups. just wanna check again because i have been doing at least 75 push ups a day and have not seen any results. if anything i have lost definition in my chest muscles. i was wondering if there was another excercise? but i do not want to do any weight stuff like bench press at my age. if anyone could give me another excercise that doesn't involve weights i woulld greatly appreciate it

[salemty]

oh ive been doing the 75 push ups for a few months just to clarify

[Ice]

hi again. earlier in this thread i asked what whas the best excercise to build peck muscles. i was told to do push ups. just wanna check again because i have been doing at least 75 push ups a day and have not seen any results. if anything i have lost definition in my chest muscles. i was wondering if there was another excercise? but i do not want to do any weight stuff like bench press at my age. if anyone could give me another excercise that doesn't involve weights i woulld greatly appreciate it

What do you have against weights? It is perfectly safe.

[salemty]

well it seems that there can be quite big problems if you start using weights at too young an age. im only 15 and ive heard if you start weights too early it restricts how tall you can get

[BigTex]

well it seems that there can be quite big problems if you start using weights at too young an age. im only 15 and ive heard if you start weights too early it restricts how tall you can get

That's a rather bad myth. Right up there with deadlifts are bad crowed. Wieght lifting while your young can actually be very beneficial, especially for bone growth, density and development.

I've lifted since I was 3 (dad was a bodybuilder :sweatdrop:) I'm '6"3. Really didnt stunt it there....

Now going crazy with wieghts when your young is bad.

Anyways getting your abs in shape will help with almost anything you do from sprinting, to lifting to just walking or standing. It'll even help your push ups it's called the core for a reason.

[salemty]

i was wondering if push ups build the lower pectoral muscles? thx in advance

[BigTex]

i was wondering if push ups build the lower pectoral muscles? thx in advance

Depends on the angle, requires quite a bit of work to hit them. It's a hard muscle to train really becuase you can't quite eliminate your front shoulders very well. Try doing flys, flat not inclined, also front barebell presses on the floor.

I've always had a thing for parallel bar push ups.

[SwordsMaster]

Well, well, well.

You thought it was over. But it's not. Since I'm now in meatland, and I eat a lot, and I enjoy it, I've developed a system to keep the fat off as much as possible, while still doing some weights work to keep some strength. So, as usual, join me or perish trying.


Every morning: before breakfast:

2k on the rower below 10 min if you're a beginner, below 8 min if you've done this before, and, well, my personal best is 7:24.

The original idea was to go for 5k in around 18:30, but I have to work, so it's down to the bare essentials.

Then, 6 laps with sprints on the long sides of a football sized pitch (around 100m on the long side), jog through the short sides - this takes roughly 12 min.

Then I sprint up the stairs to my 7th floor, shower and have breakfast.

This first part will keep the fat off you, and if you don't eat 4 course lunches like me, you can probably be in pretty decent shape with.

By the way, I do this every morning except weekends. And yes, I wake up at 7.

I do weights 3 times a week, and I use the same principles I have already proposed higher up in this thread - complex lifts, 5-6 sets, 6-12 reps per set, supersets. I do 4 big lifts a day, changing them around to keep my body guessing.

Although if you think you need that flab for the winter, then, of course, don't do any of it and deep fry your hamburgers. Did you know that methane gas (farts) contribute to 20% of global warming. So be that guy.

[AlexanderSextus]

sooooo. Mr. Swordsmaster...what do you think of the workout Bruce Lee Used to use? What is a good routine to get REALLY CUT while shedding fat and not having too much Bulky Muscle?

My dream is to be all Skin, Bones, and ultra defined leanness! what i mean is, Pure Speed and explosiveness with not much muscle weight or body fat.

Basically this is because i'm an aspiring martial artist, and because it seemed to work really well for Sijo Bruce!

"Speed is Power, Power is not Speed!"- Bruce LEE!

[SwordsMaster]

sooooo. Mr. Swordsmaster...what do you think of the workout Bruce Lee Used to use? What is a good routine to get REALLY CUT while shedding fat and not having too much Bulky Muscle?

My dream is to be all Skin, Bones, and ultra defined leanness! what i mean is, Pure Speed and explosiveness with not much muscle weight or body fat.

Basically this is because i'm an aspiring martial artist, and because it seemed to work really well for Sijo Bruce!

"Speed is Power, Power is not Speed!"- Bruce LEE!


You know, a wise man said to me once, "The best way of getting better at doing pullups, is... by doing pullups."

What I mean is that if you want to get faster, train faster, you want to be explosive, train explosive.

That being said, asian men have a different body type to saxon whites, or blacks, or mediterraneans, and different things work for different people.

So. You can reread my posts on this thread - they are based on personal experience and universal principles of anatomy - and then take away from them what you will. You can try everything and find what works for you - I did.

If you want to be a partial artist, it's a tough path, and there are many things you will need to deprive yourself of. But with perseverance and commitment it is, of course possible.

I'm guessing you're in your teens, so my advice to you is work on your flexibility as this is the single most annoying and painful thing to train, so the sooner you get used to it, the better. Speed and power come from muscle mass, and depending on your body type it will be bulkier or not. And skin and bones is no martial artist. Look at Bruce Lee or Chuck Norris in their good days.

Instead of a conclusion I'll give you another Bruce Lee quote: "I fear not the man who has practised 1000 kicks once. I fear the man who has practised one kick, 1000 times."

[AlexanderSextus]

i was exaggerating with the skin/bones part; the point was that bruce was pretty damn skinny and this was probably why he was so fast...apparently his power came from leverage and body mechanics and not sheer strength.

[Sasaki Kojiro]

Never really watched "the biggest loser" before but I might have to start now:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9YsP7mb5R4c

[tibilicus]

Never really watched "the biggest loser" before but I might have to start now:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9YsP7mb5R4c


Damn joelle!


She needs to dig deeper than that! if your not dead on that treadmill you aint working hard enough!

[Vuk]

That show is sooooo fake it is pathetic. How can people take it seriously? ... Does anyone take it seriously?

[Megas Methuselah]

Never really watched "the biggest loser" before but I might have to start now:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9YsP7mb5R4c

Eek, a necro-boy!

[Sasaki Kojiro]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kDCxH88-9X8

Some good workout tips for those who can't afford a gym (some language).

:bounce:

[edyzmedieval]

Swords, if you're still here, how much protein do you need to intake a day when you're practicing sports?
Also, look at my workout:

My week

Monday - football/soccer
Tuesday - gym + shooting (with a pistol/rifle)
Thursday - football/soccer
Friday - gym + shooting
Sunday - gym

Gym for one hour, one hour and a half on Sunday, and after I take a protein shake (27g per serving) with 300ml of milk, one protein bar (12g per bar) and before bed 125g of cottage cheese (13g per portion).

After football, I usually drink 200ml of milk, one protein bar and cottage cheese, I skip the protein shake only for workouts. At almost each breakfast, I eat hard-boiled eggs.

Opinions?

[tibilicus]

Swords, if you're still here, how much protein do you need to intake a day when you're practicing sports?
Also, look at my workout:

My week

Monday - football/soccer
Tuesday - gym + shooting (with a pistol/rifle)
Thursday - football/soccer
Friday - gym + shooting
Sunday - gym

Gym for one hour, one hour and a half on Sunday, and after I take a protein shake (27g per serving) with 300ml of milk, one protein bar (12g per bar) and before bed 125g of cottage cheese (13g per portion).

After football, I usually drink 200ml of milk, one protein bar and cottage cheese, I skip the protein shake only for workouts. At almost each breakfast, I eat hard-boiled eggs.

Opinions?

I'll give a shot at answering your question if you don't mind. I take it your trying to build muscle? Or are you just looking to maintain it? If your looking to build it's suggested you get an intake of roughly 1gram of protein for however much you weigh, e.g. 170lbs=170g of protein. I personally don't stick to this exactly and find that for my life style and my weight of 180lbs that around 150g of protein is enough to build muscle and around 120g enough to maintain.


Everyone's different, bare that in mind but I find these work for rough estimates.

[edyzmedieval]

I'm around 72kgs, 1.78m and i'm looking to build muscle. I always do intensive workouts, and I work almost every muscle on my body so I will develop equally. (I do have a slight disproportion with the upper body in regards to the lower body, my legs are way more developed than my arms and torso)

I worked out today and after the workout I took around 50g of protein, and I will take more at dinner and cottage cheese before going to bed, so that should amount to about 100g of protein in an active day. Guess I need to intake a bit more.

[tibilicus]

I'm around 72kgs, 1.78m and i'm looking to build muscle. I always do intensive workouts, and I work almost every muscle on my body so I will develop equally. (I do have a slight disproportion with the upper body in regards to the lower body, my legs are way more developed than my arms and torso)

I worked out today and after the workout I took around 50g of protein, and I will take more at dinner and cottage cheese before going to bed, so that should amount to about 100g of protein in an active day. Guess I need to intake a bit more.


Just try to have a good source of protein with each meal, dependant on how many meals you eat a day. For your active lifestyle I'd recommend at least 5 times a day when you sit down and eat something which could be considered a meal, even if it's a very small meal. Also remember your getting protein from all the other sources of food you eat as well, your probably consuming a lot more than you think.

If your a fan of milk, a great way to get a high protein intake is to drink lots of low fat milk, not only is it relatively cheap but it's also a good source of protein.

[PanzerJaeger]

Swords, if you're still here, how much protein do you need to intake a day when you're practicing sports?
Also, look at my workout:

My week

Monday - football/soccer
Tuesday - gym + shooting (with a pistol/rifle)
Thursday - football/soccer
Friday - gym + shooting
Sunday - gym

Gym for one hour, one hour and a half on Sunday, and after I take a protein shake (27g per serving) with 300ml of milk, one protein bar (12g per bar) and before bed 125g of cottage cheese (13g per portion).

After football, I usually drink 200ml of milk, one protein bar and cottage cheese, I skip the protein shake only for workouts. At almost each breakfast, I eat hard-boiled eggs.

Opinions?

Shooting won't build muscle. Low reps and heavy weights will. They say to match your body weight in protein intake, although STFS would know more about that. I drink about 100g a day in supplement to an already protein-heavy diet.

[Strike For The South]

I'm around 72kgs, 1.78m and i'm looking to build muscle. I always do intensive workouts, and I work almost every muscle on my body so I will develop equally. (I do have a slight disproportion with the upper body in regards to the lower body, my legs are way more developed than my arms and torso)

I worked out today and after the workout I took around 50g of protein, and I will take more at dinner and cottage cheese before going to bed, so that should amount to about 100g of protein in an active day. Guess I need to intake a bit more.

Your 5'11 159 lbs? That is way to skinny. You are not eating enough my friend!

Some questions/comments

What do your workouts looklike?

Soccer is very intense, you need to compensate by eating allot

As for protein you should be getting AT MINIMUM 1g/lb (160g) . I would tell you to go for 2g/lb (320g). Granted how much protein you should intake for max gains depends on insulin sensitivity but as your a young guy and just starting. Im not worried about that right now. Even then your body would just send it through your system so it doesn't matter.

Of course protein should take a backseat to cals. ESP for someone at 159 lbs. Keep upping what you eat until you see gains. Do not worry so much about what you eat, Just make sure it has carbs, fats and proteins. And allot of it.

How much sleep are you getting?

[edyzmedieval]

My workout looks like this

15 minutes on the treadmill, 10% speed (basically a run, not a lazy jog)
5 sets of bench press, 30kgs, 10 reps each
Laterall pull down - 3 sets of 12, 40kgs
Seated low row - 40kgs, 3 sets of 10
Quadriceps workout - 60kgs, 3 sets of 10
Harmstring workout - 50kgs, 3 sets of 10
Ball jumps (for basketball) - 5 sets of 100
Crunch - 4 sets of 25
Press ups - 5 sets of 15

That's my workout, each gym session.

I'm getting 8 hours of sleep a night.

[Strike For The South]

My workout looks like this

15 minutes on the treadmill, 10% speed (basically a run, not a lazy jog)
5 sets of bench press, 30kgs, 10 reps each
Laterall pull down - 3 sets of 12, 40kgs
Seated low row - 40kgs, 3 sets of 10
Quadriceps workout - 60kgs, 3 sets of 10
Harmstring workout - 50kgs, 3 sets of 10
Ball jumps (for basketball) - 5 sets of 100
Crunch - 4 sets of 25
Press ups - 5 sets of 15

That's my workout, each gym session.

I'm getting 8 hours of sleep a night.

Oh me oh my. This workout needs to be scrapped and burned. You will gain nothing doing that.

Here (http://www.wannabebig.com/training/routines-and-programs/wannabebig-11-an-improved-routine/)

Here (http://www.wannabebig.com/training/routines/wannabebig-the-original-routine/)

Here (http://www.gyminee.com/workout_programs/4631-Rippetoe-Starting-Strength-3-x-5-Beginner-Program)

Here (http://startingstrength.wikia.com/wiki/Bill_Starr_5x5)

Please burn this routine and never speak of it again.

Good job on the sleep.

[tibilicus]

My workout looks like this

15 minutes on the treadmill, 10% speed (basically a run, not a lazy jog)
5 sets of bench press, 30kgs, 10 reps each
Laterall pull down - 3 sets of 12, 40kgs
Seated low row - 40kgs, 3 sets of 10
Quadriceps workout - 60kgs, 3 sets of 10
Harmstring workout - 50kgs, 3 sets of 10
Ball jumps (for basketball) - 5 sets of 100
Crunch - 4 sets of 25
Press ups - 5 sets of 15

That's my workout, each gym session.

I'm getting 8 hours of sleep a night.

Do day splits. This means working a muscle group or two each day, by working more than one muscle group your going to find it hard to build solid muscle as your not going to work a single muscle group hard enough. Before I learned more about working out properly I used to try and work my whole body, as you can guess results were minimal or undesirable.

You see those people in the gym that have clearly been going for years but haven't made a significant difference to their body? You want to avoid being one of those people. Stick to a good diet and lift heavy and you should start seeing results in no time.

Also don't take to long on your rest between sets, you don't want to be one of those people that sits on a machine, does 1 set, then feels they need a 5 minute break between their next set. That wont work your muscles at all.

[rajpoot]

You see those people in the gym that have clearly been going for years but haven't made a significant difference to their body? You want to avoid being one of those people.



Ahem, uhh....just a question, what are these people doing wrong actually? :juggle2:

Ohh no you think that I'm one of the people who joined gym an year back and still look like a plank? Not at all! :wall:

[Strike For The South]

Ahem, uhh....just a question, what are these people doing wrong actually? :juggle2:

Ohh no you think that I'm one of the people who joined gym an year back and still look like a plank? Not at all! :wall:

1. Not eating
2. Not sleeping
3. Not being dedicated.

"Everyone wanna be big but don't no one wanna lift heavy-*** weight"-Ronnie Coleman

[edyzmedieval]

Oh me oh my. This workout needs to be scrapped and burned. You will gain nothing doing that.

Here (http://www.wannabebig.com/training/routines-and-programs/wannabebig-11-an-improved-routine/)

Here (http://www.wannabebig.com/training/routines/wannabebig-the-original-routine/)

Here (http://www.gyminee.com/workout_programs/4631-Rippetoe-Starting-Strength-3-x-5-Beginner-Program)

Here (http://startingstrength.wikia.com/wiki/Bill_Starr_5x5)

Please burn this routine and never speak of it again.

Good job on the sleep.

But what's wrong with it? I gained from it, so what's wrong with it?
Just asking for opinions.

[Vuk]

Ok, I gotz a questionz for you. Iz used to be very active, and very fit, but then I suffered an injury to my arm that has made using it impossible. (I can now, years later, still put so little pressure on it that any exercise involving it causes great pain) Since then I went through periods of expansion and decline ~;), putting wieght on and losing it. The problem is that I still eat like used to when I was active, but I just cannot be as active anymore. I bike every day for about an hour (fast biking, not sissy biking), I have started doing a martial art again, and though I am very limited because of my arm, I still end up sweating like a pig when I am done and most of my body is sore. :P Right now I am still a lot more active than a lot of skinny people I know, but I am still fat, because I am eating like I used to when I used to be a loot more active. I have tried different diets, but I none of them work for me, because I am travelling/studying and my meal times and meals in general are not regular. Some times I eat once a day, other times 2 or 3 times a day, but hardly ever at the same time. As such, when I have a meal in the morning, I am not sure if it will be my last meal till later in the night. While that is not an excuse for my gluttony, it makes sticking to a good plan difficult. To make it worse, where I am living now I never know what the stores will stock, as it is not regular. Some times they will have lots of vegtables, other times lots of meat. Some times it is all pork (which I do not eat), other times there is some beef, but it is not regular. I decided to start eating 3 bannanas a day, but for almost a week I could not find a bannana in Tesco :P. (and of course the local fruit piac did not have them, because they are not grown around here)
My point is that right now studying, travelling, and living are my main concerns, and my diet is basically an after thought.
Any things I could do to help, other than the obvious stop eating so much/stop eating junk food/start eating healthy? :P I have lost 20lbs since I have been here because of my irregular diet, but I am still overweight and not constantly losing.

[tibilicus]

But what's wrong with it? I gained from it, so what's wrong with it?
Just asking for opinions.


It doesn't target the muscle groups hard enough. Sure your going to make gains, but no where near the gains you could make with a better workout. Also, remember that your muscles are going to be swollen and look more pumped, this could give the deceiving appearance of gains. So yer basically there's nothing wrong with it, and theoretically yes, you could build muscle, it would just take a lot longer than doing it the way STFTS has suggested.

Also @ India, I detect a strong level of sarcasam in your post, am I right? The simple answer to what most people are doing wrong is they don't know how the body works or don't know the right nutrition to take etc. I'm not saying everyone should be big body builders, I'm not one myself. But seriously if your going to go through the effort of keeping an active lifestyle isn't it best to know a bit about how to get the most out of your exercise routine than to think that going down to the gym for an hour a couple of times a week and then eating **** is actually going to change anything.

[rajpoot]

Actually I'm just frustrated with myself......I've been doing everything possible in the work out bit, but it's just not working out for me.......
Most probably it's the diet. I've been taking those supplement proteins since a while now, but even those aren't working and are being pretty sore on my pocket too.......

Edit:
By that post I actually meant to ask what people normally do wrong, just incase I'm doing one of those things unknowingly.....
I mean, like Strike said,
1. Dedication - check (I go each day without fail)
2. Sleep - check (six hours a day)
3. Diet - No idea.......

[tibilicus]

Actually I'm just frustrated with myself......I've been doing everything possible in the work out bit, but it's just not working out for me.......
Most probably it's the diet. I've been taking those supplement proteins since a while now, but even those aren't working and are being pretty sore on my pocket too.......

Edit:
By that post I actually meant to ask what people normally do wrong, just incase I'm doing one of those things unknowingly.....
I mean, like Strike said,
1. Dedication - check (I go each day without fail)
2. Sleep - check (six hours a day)
3. Diet - No idea.......


Ah right my apologies then.

Basically your diet depends upon what you want to do, do you want to gain muscle or loose weight? Also is it possible to get more than 6 hours of sleep a day? If it is try and get around 7.5 to 8 hours, if that's not possible then I suppose 6 will do.

[edyzmedieval]

It doesn't target the muscle groups hard enough. Sure your going to make gains, but no where near the gains you could make with a better workout. Also, remember that your muscles are going to be swollen and look more pumped, this could give the deceiving appearance of gains. So yer basically there's nothing wrong with it, and theoretically yes, you could build muscle, it would just take a lot longer than doing it the way STFTS has suggested.



What do you mean by swollen and look more pumped?

I don't want to do heavy lifting because I'm still growing and the heavy lifting can stop my growing, even if its only 2-3 cms until I get around 19.
The exercises I'm doing are fairly straightforward, and I usually add 5kgs each week so my muscles will go with the extra load every time, making them stronger.

Plus, there's also the thing I need to do - burn my fat. I have a spare tire around my waist which I need to take care of, and the workout routine is also good for burning fat.

My diet is healthy, I eat two salads each day, I eat a lot of protein + supplements plus I eat 1-2 apples each day instead of sweet stuff.

[tibilicus]

.

Plus, there's also the thing I need to do - burn my fat. I have a spare tire around my waist which I need to take care of, and the workout routine is also good for burning fat.



There's your answer. It's going to be hard for you to put on muscle mass whilst trying to burn fat at the same time. Not impossible, but hard. If your cautious about lifting heavy weights what I'd advice you to do is burn the extra body fat your carrying, gently and slowly build muscles, you wont be able to build a lot but I guess some is better than non, then when your at a comfortable body fat level start lifting heavy and frequently to build muscle.

[edyzmedieval]

~:)

So I still need to intake protein, no?

EDIT: It's the lower abs that are fatty, the upper body is almost fat free.

[tibilicus]

~:)

So I still need to intake protein, no?

EDIT: It's the lower abs that are fatty, the upper body is almost fat free.

High protein is good anyway as you'll need it to maintain your muscles. If it's your lower abs that are fatty but your still looking to get rid of the fat I'd still advice you to burn it first. That way when you decide to really build muscle you'll have a clean slate to do it on.

[Strike For The South]

What do you mean by swollen and look more pumped?

I don't want to do heavy lifting because I'm still growing and the heavy lifting can stop my growing, even if its only 2-3 cms until I get around 19.
The exercises I'm doing are fairly straightforward, and I usually add 5kgs each week so my muscles will go with the extra load every time, making them stronger.

Plus, there's also the thing I need to do - burn my fat. I have a spare tire around my waist which I need to take care of, and the workout routine is also good for burning fat.

My diet is healthy, I eat two salads each day, I eat a lot of protein + supplements plus I eat 1-2 apples each day instead of sweet stuff.

The "pump" is the blood that rushes to the muscle after your workout.

Your routine right now contains only one compound movement and a bunch of filler at weight that really isn't very useful. I see no leg or back excersiceses of any value . You can keep doing that routine and keep looking the same or you can change.

Heavy lifting will not stop your growing, that's a myth.

The only thing that has any bearing on weight loss/gain is calories. I would say at 160 you don't have much of a tire but your goals are your goals. I would say you would look better once you added 20 lbs.

@India

Show me your routine and start tracking your diet. Even pro BBs and strongman have days off from weights. Do you lift everyday.

You probably have a bad routine and are eating way below what you need. This is a battle and your weapon is a fork.

[edyzmedieval]

The "pump" is the blood that rushes to the muscle after your workout.

Your routine right now contains only one compound movement and a bunch of filler at weight that really isn't very useful. I see no leg or back excersiceses of any value . You can keep doing that routine and keep looking the same or you can change.

Heavy lifting will not stop your growing, that's a myth.

The only thing that has any bearing on weight loss/gain is calories. I would say at 160 you don't have much of a tire but your goals are your goals. I would say you would look better once you added 20 lbs.


I'm 5'8" and 160 pounds. Pretty equal I must say, but the tire is burdensome, especially when you need speed in soccer and basketball.

Any suggestions regarding pumping iron? Bench press is very useful, and I can see it definitely on my chest, but I need biceps/triceps. Abs are worked out by crunches, "bridges" (press up position, instead of going down, you stay on your elbows and keep there for 2 minutes) and other exercises.

Leg workout - the leg curl for the harmstrings, leg extensions for the quadriceps. Sometimes even a leg press with 110kgs. (another one of the big differences between my legs and my upper body)

Back exercise - the only one that im doing in the seated row which is very good for your lower back. I need another one for my upper back.

I monitor my calories closely, and the only "feast" is a ice cream a week or maybe a slice of pizza.

Any suggestions? ~:)

[Sasaki Kojiro]

triceps--close grip bench press
biceps--curl or chin up
legs--skip the leg extensions they aren't good for your knees. Try deadlift, front squat, and back squat although honestly if you're playing a lot of soccer you might want to skip legs entirely.
Back--row is good, so is pullup and deadlift.

[PershsNhpios]

Interesting!

I have been using stones out in the field for my lifting.
Now I have a collection of them ranging from 10-100kg and I am 'dead-lifting' some, kneeling and using two hands for some, jogging with others held firmly in front of my chest, and the smallest used at the moment (15-25kg) I am working with one hand.
There is also an excellent branch nearby for chin-ups, but they are rather easy now.
(I live many kilometres from the nearest gymnasion.)

The stones I could not deadlift two weeks ago I am currently jogging with, and I therefore believe my unorthodox and antique routine to be quite effective.

[edyzmedieval]

Your muscles got used to the extra weight, as they received different signals from the nervous system, prepared to support more weight. ~:)

[edyzmedieval]

Question - What protein supplements do you guys use? Does it make any big difference if it's a type or another?

[tibilicus]

I've never noticed any difference when buying different brands of protein shake. They're essentially all the same product it's just that the more expensive ones tend to mix a lot easier.

[Sasaki Kojiro]

Question - What protein supplements do you guys use? Does it make any big difference if it's a type or another?

I use kroger brand. Wouldn't waste waste money on the expensive stuff.

[edyzmedieval]

Do you guys use other supplements as well? Some of the ripped guys over here use like nitrogen supplements and other ones which greatly speed recovery. The "Fitness Addict", one of my classmates, uses a blend of protein, creatine, taurine and other shizzniz. Any usefulness?

[Sasaki Kojiro]

Supplements and stuff are mostly a scam. Usually the "studies" done on them are conducted by the company that is selling the product, and anecdotal reports of efficiency aren't reliable. The main boost is probably from people working harder because they have more belief that what they are doing is going to work.

[Ice]

Supplements and stuff are mostly a scam. Usually the "studies" done on them are conducted by the company that is selling the product, and anecdotal reports of efficiency aren't reliable. The main boost is probably from people working harder because they have more belief that what they are doing is going to work.

I don't use it, but I've heard creatine yields good results.

[edyzmedieval]

I don't use it, but I've heard creatine yields good results.

Creatine is naturally found in the body, and more creatine retains more water in the muscles, therefore they operate better and you don't feel that fatigued. However in some countries creatine supplements are banned, especially in performance sports like football (soccer), as creatine enhances their performance.


I'm curious about the other ones, if they have any real effect.

[rajpoot]

There is a guy here who uses creatine. And he's got huge muscles. he's been working out for just 6 months. But I don't think it's worth it....I mean taking extra protein is one thing. Adding to it all these funny sounding enzymes and stuff that the body produces naturally, is well....not natural.....and for the record, while this chap has big muscles, his body is damn out of proportion. Always looks as if he has a few balloons stuck inside.

[Strike For The South]

Lift and eat. I wouldn't worry about supps just yet. Get some whey if you feel you can't reach your protien requriements.

Taruine in a supp? What is the world coming to. Does everything now have to be UBERXTREME. Back in my day we didn't worry about this stuff. We ate spagetti and moved heavy objects.

Food+Gym+Sleep=result

[TosaInu]

Hello,

True about the water and creatine edyzmedieval. During the loading phase (extra creatine intake) one can easily gain an extra kg (water).

ATP is used as direct energysource for the musclefibres to contract. When fat or sugars are burned, ATP is generated from ADP and P. So when the supply of ATP is 'exhausted' during a workout, that supply needs to be regenerated first (rest) by burning something. Creatine is stored as creatinephospate in the muscles and can quickly react with ADP to produce ATP and creatine.

So, creatine is an extra (indirect yet fast) energysupply.

Creatine is produced in the human body like edyzmedieval said and can also be found in red meat (yes ofc). The dosage (and gain from it) is often overrated and it's good to take a break after a few weeks of consuming such a supplement.

I would also be wary of supplements like taurine, guarine and extra caffeine. When the body claims to be tired, it's better to listen. Creatine is something different though. It doesn't 'mute' the tired signal (afaik), instead it provides more energy allowing the muscle to work. This shouldn't be overdone either of course.

I think Strike For The South's advice is most important: Food+Gym+Sleep=result. I think extra long chain sugars (pasta, dextrose) are even more important than extra proteins (considering you already have a good diet).

[edyzmedieval]

Lift and eat. I wouldn't worry about supps just yet. Get some whey if you feel you can't reach your protien requriements.

Taruine in a supp? What is the world coming to. Does everything now have to be UBERXTREME. Back in my day we didn't worry about this stuff. We ate spagetti and moved heavy objects.

Food+Gym+Sleep=result

I didn't want a super special protein supplement, so I went for a combination of protein + vitamins and minerals. 25g of powder + 300 ml of milk gives me about 30g of protein, a very healthy dose of calcium plus a third of almost all of the vitamins required in a day. I couldn't get the required protein intake each day for me to build, so that's why I chose it.

As for sleep, my time has been reduced each night to around 7 hours because of the huge amount of schoolwork I have to do, but I recuperate everything in the weekend. Today I went to bed, I woke up 6 hours later...

I lost almost all of my spare tyre so now I switched my focus to building muscle.

@TosaInu
Wow, thank you very much for the information. :bow:

[SwordsMaster]

Hey boyos,

So due to the vicissitudes of his employer's business interests, SM finds himself stuck for a couple of months in a hotel in Ghana with a gym so small it's almost amusing.

To have a better idea: there are 2 threadmills, and 2 static bikes, a collection of dumbells of which the heaviest is 10kg, and a couple of these funny machines: a quad machine, a pullup one, and a chest-benchpress motion one.

Now, the place is claustrophobically small as I said, you might as well try and work out in a lift. I cannot for the life of me to force myself to do more than 3 supersets of all 3 machines+ some ab work in between (usually works out to be 3 sets of 10 of each) and about 5-10 min jogging. All in all, the workout takes about 45 min. I've also maxed out the weight on the upper body machines (about 100kg)

Since the crazy travel started and I lost access to my regular gym and routines my bodyfat has been going up steadily since I get to enjoy airport food, fast food and hotel food way too much for good health, and my choices are kind of limited by hygiene standards and whatnot. Bodyfat is sitting around 22% at the moment, and I weight 85kg. Yes, that means I carry 16-17 kg of fat on me.

Now, I've recently found a few guys who do some rock climbing here - something I did in college, and I have joined them on occasion, but my power-to-weight ratio isn't good so clmbing is more difficult than in should be.

So, my goals are: drop to half my bodyfat (bringing my weight to 78kg) and increase both my cardio endurance (I want to keep an under 5 min/km pace for 10km) so I wish to be able to run 10km in under 50 min, and at the same time increase my overall body strength (yes, complex lifts, I'm looking at you) and coordination with special focus on my arms/shoulders. My back is in pretty good shape - I do about 30 pullups in a session lifting 100kg or 60 or so at my bodyweight. I reckon with improved arm strength and less weight to haul around I should be able to do 100.

The timeline on this is ideally 4-6 weeks, but realistically probably closer to 2 months.

So, any advice? I can keep some of my meals under control but at least 1 meal a day is very much random and out of my hands. I can generally try and eat soup or pasta or something in that line, but not grilled asparagus with tuna type thing.

Breakfast is one of my main meals of the day and generally consists of: scrambled eggs (2) with brown toast, about 150g of pineapple, 100g of watermelon, croissant, fruit juice.

Lunch is generally chinese or pasta depending on my boss' fancy.

Dinner is more flexible, but it is hard to eat salads because they're not reliable in the hotel restaurant and already gave me food poisoning once.

Anyway, tomorrow is day 1: on the cards a gym session in the morning, 3km run in the afternoon and a 1h game of tennis in the evening. Maybe a massage afterwards. Will post some stats after.

Cheers

[tibilicus]

Hey boyos,

So due to the vicissitudes of his employer's business interests, SM finds himself stuck for a couple of months in a hotel in Ghana with a gym so small it's almost amusing.

To have a better idea: there are 2 threadmills, and 2 static bikes, a collection of dumbells of which the heaviest is 10kg, and a couple of these funny machines: a quad machine, a pullup one, and a chest-benchpress motion one.

Now, the place is claustrophobically small as I said, you might as well try and work out in a lift. I cannot for the life of me to force myself to do more than 3 supersets of all 3 machines+ some ab work in between (usually works out to be 3 sets of 10 of each) and about 5-10 min jogging. All in all, the workout takes about 45 min. I've also maxed out the weight on the upper body machines (about 100kg)

Since the crazy travel started and I lost access to my regular gym and routines my bodyfat has been going up steadily since I get to enjoy airport food, fast food and hotel food way too much for good health, and my choices are kind of limited by hygiene standards and whatnot. Bodyfat is sitting around 22% at the moment, and I weight 85kg. Yes, that means I carry 16-17 kg of fat on me.

Now, I've recently found a few guys who do some rock climbing here - something I did in college, and I have joined them on occasion, but my power-to-weight ratio isn't good so clmbing is more difficult than in should be.

So, my goals are: drop to half my bodyfat (bringing my weight to 78kg) and increase both my cardio endurance (I want to keep an under 5 min/km pace for 10km) so I wish to be able to run 10km in under 50 min, and at the same time increase my overall body strength (yes, complex lifts, I'm looking at you) and coordination with special focus on my arms/shoulders. My back is in pretty good shape - I do about 30 pullups in a session lifting 100kg or 60 or so at my bodyweight. I reckon with improved arm strength and less weight to haul around I should be able to do 100.

The timeline on this is ideally 4-6 weeks, but realistically probably closer to 2 months.

So, any advice? I can keep some of my meals under control but at least 1 meal a day is very much random and out of my hands. I can generally try and eat soup or pasta or something in that line, but not grilled asparagus with tuna type thing.

Breakfast is one of my main meals of the day and generally consists of: scrambled eggs (2) with brown toast, about 150g of pineapple, 100g of watermelon, croissant, fruit juice.

Lunch is generally chinese or pasta depending on my boss' fancy.

Dinner is more flexible, but it is hard to eat salads because they're not reliable in the hotel restaurant and already gave me food poisoning once.

Anyway, tomorrow is day 1: on the cards a gym session in the morning, 3km run in the afternoon and a 1h game of tennis in the evening. Maybe a massage afterwards. Will post some stats after.

Cheers

The Gym nearest to me sounds exactly like the one your stuck with. I worked out there for about 2 months till I realised just how bad it was. On busy days you wouldn't get a chance to use the treadmills, there always seemed to be someone using the only constructive piece of equipment (lat pulldown), the benchpress machine went up to about 150 lbs, and the dumbell rack went up to only 20 kg..

In advice of loosing your weight I would just try and stick with "good cabs" if at all possible. Also is there no shops where you can buy reliable food or is it all bad?

[SwordsMaster]

The Gym nearest to me sounds exactly like the one your stuck with. I worked out there for about 2 months till I realised just how bad it was. On busy days you wouldn't get a chance to use the treadmills, there always seemed to be someone using the only constructive piece of equipment (lat pulldown), the benchpress machine went up to about 150 lbs, and the dumbell rack went up to only 20 kg..

In advice of loosing your weight I would just try and stick with "good cabs" if at all possible. Also is there no shops where you can buy reliable food or is it all bad?


Well, you see, I live in a hotel. So fridge space is very limited. I can buy packaged stuff, like cereal, crackers and such, but it's hard to get my hands on cottage cheese for example, and no way at all I can grill myself some chicken breasts...

I try and eat as much fruit as possible, but i don't think i have more than 3-4 servings a day anyway...

[SwordsMaster]

Well, so the weekend is out, and so here is my first update:

Saturday:

Rock climbing, 3 full ascentions, with lots of struggling and broken skin on my fingers. Overall positive.

Sunday: 45min gym workout pretty much as described above, some 20 lengths in the pool in a more relaxed fashion and a 25 min jog in 35C heat and 98% humidity which amounted to 4.5 km.

Today is rest day - my legs are not used to jogging like that anymore.

Plan for tomorrow: short gym workout, 1 hr tennis game, 3 km jog (around 15 min).

Diet is still iffy...

[SwordsMaster]

So, I don't know if anyone is reading this, but unless someone asks me to stop i'll coninue.

Anyway, today's workout turned out as follows:

Half hour's tennis, 18 min jog (3km) (the humidity is killing me) and then half an hour in the gym:

Superset:
Hanging leg raises (2x12)
Lat pulldown (3x10) @ 90, 95, 100 kg
Bench press machine (2x10, 1x8) @ 85, 95, 100 kg respectively
Weighted crunches (2x15) @ 30kg

Some light stretching and 2 sets of 30 pushups at the end.

Tomorrow, no jogging, but a full hour of tennis and probably gym with a similar setup. Alternatively maybe 20 lengths in the pool (25m), depending on how I'm feeling.

[tibilicus]

So, I don't know if anyone is reading this, but unless someone asks me to stop i'll coninue.

Anyway, today's workout turned out as follows:

Half hour's tennis, 18 min jog (3km) (the humidity is killing me) and then half an hour in the gym:

Superset:
Hanging leg raises (2x12)
Lat pulldown (3x10) @ 90, 95, 100 kg
Bench press machine (2x10, 1x8) @ 85, 95, 100 kg respectively
Weighted crunches (2x15) @ 30kg

Some light stretching and 2 sets of 30 pushups at the end.

Tomorrow, no jogging, but a full hour of tennis and probably gym with a similar setup. Alternatively maybe 20 lengths in the pool (25m), depending on how I'm feeling.

I take it the climate makes things a lot harder? I struggle to find motivation to workout if it's really warm, don't know how I'd cope if it was like that permanently

[edyzmedieval]

Continue like that Swords and by the end of June you'll lose almost all of your extra fat.
Make sure you eat proteins, or else by the end of week 2 or week 3 you'll be dead, your muscles will simply refuse to push/pull/jog. Drink a lot of water, by a lot drink more than what's needed - you're in a hot and very humid environment, hydration is important.

[SwordsMaster]

I take it the climate makes things a lot harder? I struggle to find motivation to workout if it's really warm, don't know how I'd cope if it was like that permanently

Yeah, the climate definitely makes a difference, specially on the running. It hasn't been since the nigerian pepper soup days that I've sweated so much...



Make sure you eat proteins, or else by the end of week 2 or week 3 you'll be dead, your muscles will simply refuse to push/pull/jog.

That's a good point. I eat eggs for breakfast, but could probably do with more protein. Will see if I can get more chicken/beef on...

[rajpoot]

So what really is the average temperature there?
Over here, it hovers near 40 degree Celsius at the time I go for workout.

[SwordsMaster]

So what really is the average temperature there?
Over here, it hovers near 40 degree Celsius at the time I go for workout.

Between 30-36C, but the problem is humidity, it's between 98% and 100% as it is the rainy season. So no matter how much you sweat you don't cool down which makes you sweat and dehydrate more...

[SwordsMaster]

Well, another day, another progress post:

Yesterday amounted to about an hour of playing tennis and some 20 lengths in the pools at a more leisurely pace although I did manage to pull something in my back.

Dinner ended up being a banana and half a dozen crackers with cheese and youghurt. Yeah, that healthy.

On the plus side, I've been getting enough sleep over the last couple of days and actually feel rested today.

As a side note, for anyone using iGoogle, I found a handy little gadget - DailyBurn - that allows you to track weight, nutrition and workouts, set up goals, etc. Only set it up today but it seems handy.

The plan for today includes another 3k and my usual gym workout, my back allowing. It'd be a pity to have to stop now...

[Vladimir]

So, I don't know if anyone is reading this, but unless someone asks me to stop i'll coninue.

Anyway, today's workout turned out as follows:

Half hour's tennis, 18 min jog (3km) (the humidity is killing me) and then half an hour in the gym:

Superset:
Hanging leg raises (2x12)
Lat pulldown (3x10) @ 90, 95, 100 kg
Bench press machine (2x10, 1x8) @ 85, 95, 100 kg respectively
Weighted crunches (2x15) @ 30kg

Some light stretching and 2 sets of 30 pushups at the end.

Tomorrow, no jogging, but a full hour of tennis and probably gym with a similar setup. Alternatively maybe 20 lengths in the pool (25m), depending on how I'm feeling.

Of course we're reading!

So, why are you complaining about the gym? I thought you were a soldier of fortune or something so just do curls with a 1,000 round crate of 5.56 (I prefer 7.62).

[Strike For The South]

I refuse to let this thread die.

Well let me get yall up to date.

-Tore my MCL
-Sprained my wirst, Still continued to lift which led to strain on those ligaments and a minor injury ended up keeping meet out of commison for 6 weeks :sad:

Couple that with a brutal semester and I'm sitting at 228 :ashamed: I fear I may have lost some LBM to so some of that # is probably more fat.

However with a healthy body and the end of the semster it's time to redeadicate myself.

I'll probably end up going back to Starrs 5x5 with my own twist.

[King Flambard I]

Hi people!

I'm forever being told that it is half the battle to have a goal so here's mine: GAIN 5 KG
So far I have had about two and a half three weeks working out and I have put on 2kg but this is probably fluid and carbs rather than pure muscle.

My workout plans have been very haphazard, the end product of many people telling you to do different things. I have heard compound exercises are great for beginners, I have heard that you have to hit every body part on your workout days, I have heard to split it up etc.

I think I have plumped for the following plan of one day upperbody, the next cardio/ legs. So it looks something like this:

Monday/ Weds/ Fri

Bicep curls
Tricep (pushdown?)

Chest Press/ Pressups

Shoulder shrugs

Lat pull down/ bent row


Abs crunches/ bicycles

Tues/ Thurs

Cardio, alternate cycle/ jog





The parts I am happy with are my abs work out which has given me major results already and my diet/ sleep (9 hours ish)


I am a real beginer, the skinny kid, minimal fat. What I was doign for the past couple of weeks has really worked but like I say it was all over the place, somedays I would isolate, others I would use bodyweight exercises.

HELP PLEASE!!

[King Flambard I]

Other programs I have been looking at are military training routines.

The beginner Desk Driver routine:

http://www.hmforces.co.uk/training/articles/342-adrian-weales-fighting-fit-programme---desk-driver

Home Heartwarmer
1 Warm-up 3 minutes of stretches and some gentle jogging
2 Press-Ups 20 reps then 1 minute rest
3 Crunches 20 reps then 30 seconds rest
4 Press-Ups 20 reps then 30 seconds rest
5 Leg Raises 20 reps then 30 seconds rest
6 Press-Ups 20 reps then 30 seconds rest
7 V-Crunches 20 reps then 30 seconds rest
8 Press-Ups 20 reps then 30 seconds rest
9 Hyperextensions 20 reps then 30 seconds rest
10 Tricep Dips 20 reps then 30 seconds rest (use a sofa to support your hands and a stool or chair to support your feet).
11 Crossover Crunches 20 reps then 30 seconds rest
12 Tricep Dips 20 reps then 30 seconds rest
13 Leg Raises 25 reps then stretch off to cool down


Jogging

Jogging is gentle running at a pace that you feel comfortable with. When you first start, don’t even think about going for longer than 20 minutes and try to find a circuit of about 2-2½ miles (3-4km) that starts and finishes at your home so you will always be within easy walking distance. If you have to stop and walk, don’t worry – it happens to all of us!

Army-style regimes would also give me varying levels of goals. For example basic selecion tests require you to run 1.5 miles in 12 minutes 45 seconds.
If anyone knows the strength requirements for basic entyl evel, please let me know!

[Vladimir]

Good to see some life in this thread. Ask Strike for the French (South) about gaining bulk. He's the man for that.

[naut]

What is your diet? That's the core component.

[Strike For The South]

That routine isn't worth the bandwith it is taking up.


http://www.wannabebig.com/training/training-programs/wannabebig-11-an-improved-routine/#videoclips

The above link is a very good very simple routine for beginners and it will help you get your feet wet. As Pshyco alluded to though training is probably the least important part of changing your body.

I need diet and sleep habits

[SwordsMaster]

Yo y'all. Sorry about the absence, been spending some time away from the computer these last 2 months. Also haven't been working out, been eating too much, and not having enough sex, but that is a completely different story altogether. The results of my privations is an extra 10 kg of bodyfat, i have managed to keep the power/weight ratio through many pushups, pullups, bodyweight squats, so my actual muscle mass hasn't actually diminished i don't think.

However, I get 6 hours a night on average, eat out most of the time, so diet control is nigh impossible, and they have fantastic bakery in Morocco, so i'm abusing my sweet tooth a bit too much.

However! I shall be returning to Ireland in 3 weeks, and then my sins might take me to Dallas (so Strike can maybe recommend some gyms) for a few months, although that is not quite a sure thing yet.

Right now, what I'm looking for is:

Bodyweight routine that takes no more than 2 hours per day, and includes no more than half an hour running 3 times a week.

2 good meal suggestions per day. My breakfast is usually fruit and coffee, so I'm very regular.

[naut]

Although this is from a while back:

-Tore my MCL
Ouch man. My woman has done that twice.

[King Flambard I]

Unfortunately I thought as much.

I manage at least nine hours of sleep per night, love sleeping aha.

Diet: (I believe honesty is key here)

Breakfast is usually an early dinner by the time i get out of bed, therefore eggs on toast is popular. Also jacket potato with tinned mackerel fillets and cheese is also common. With this I would have a weight gain shake, as far as I can tell this is just a protein shake with added carbs (50g I think)

Mid Afternoon, usually the opposite to what I had for breakfast. So if I had jacket potato I would have an omelate on toast or something here.

Tea, ordinary protein shake time. This of course varies a lot but there is no fatty, junk food. usually plenty of vegetables with red meat or chicken. Pasta is also popular.

Evening snacks. I really enjoy cottage cheese and usually have this on crackers or something. Turkey or chicken is always in so I knock up some sort of sandwich with those.

Checking out your link now Strike, thanks.

[naut]

What are your caloric intakes, your current weight and your target weights?

[King Flambard I]

I have no idea about calorie counting, I wouldn't know where to start tbh. My current weight is just over 9 and a half stone, around 61/62 kg my target weight is to add 5kg.

[Strike For The South]

Unfortunately I thought as much.

I manage at least nine hours of sleep per night, love sleeping aha.

Diet: (I believe honesty is key here)

Breakfast is usually an early dinner by the time i get out of bed, therefore eggs on toast is popular. Also jacket potato with tinned mackerel fillets and cheese is also common. With this I would have a weight gain shake, as far as I can tell this is just a protein shake with added carbs (50g I think)

Mid Afternoon, usually the opposite to what I had for breakfast. So if I had jacket potato I would have an omelate on toast or something here.

Tea, ordinary protein shake time. This of course varies a lot but there is no fatty, junk food. usually plenty of vegetables with red meat or chicken. Pasta is also popular.

Evening snacks. I really enjoy cottage cheese and usually have this on crackers or something. Turkey or chicken is always in so I knock up some sort of sandwich with those.

Checking out your link now Strike, thanks.

Thats allot of carbs, not enough protien and no fruit.

Here are some basic rules

-No Sodas or other sugary drinks ( the one caveat being gatorade after workout if youd like)
-Nothing processed, shop the outside walls of the grocery stores
-Eat at the same times everyday
-Snacks kill, carry nuts and dried fruit around you at all times these will kill your cravings for chips and candy
-Dont be afraid to EAT. Food doesnt make you fat, lack of excersise and processed chemicals diguised as food, does.
-Cook with olive oil
-

[King Flambard I]

Could I add in another protein shake for more protein? How many are considered too many?

I only drink water and tea now, I can't live without a cuppa on a morning and night!

More fruit, mixed legumes to snack on.

When you say that I have a lot of carbs, is there too many?

I don't have the time to travel to the nearest gym, which is always packed anyway from what I hear. Swords has a regime (i think) on the first page, would this be adequate until I am comfortable using my body weight?

[A Nerd]

Anyone visited here? Great resource.

http://proteinfactory.com/shop/home.php

[Beskar]

There is always something you can be doing better, sleep is an easy one to start with. So how much sleep do you need? On average younger people between the ages of 12-25 need more than adults. We need between 8.5 and 9.25 hours of sleep per night. Harder working athletes will require more than that! It's easy to figure out exactly how much sleep you need. Go to bed, and wake up! Figure out how many hours passed while you were asleep and 'voila', you now know how much sleep you should be getting each night.[/I]


I wish it was that simple. My body doesn't do 24 hour days. I struggle to sleep and wake up everyday. If I end up doing it by my body, it ends up doing a 30 hour day cycle. This means I am going to bed and waking up +6 hours every day. Easily doing 18-20 hours awake, 10-12 asleep.

[King Flambard I]

Hey Swords, a few quick questions about your following program:

Today: Fit for service

- Ok, you lazy bums. I dont know how you got here, but I'll make sure your mom is not ashamed of you when you go back to your insignificant lives after you've served your countries. -

Here is a 7 week program that will get you fit for service as an average infantryman. If you served in the army before you'll probably remember some of it. I compiled this info from some of the armies' bulletins, and after you've finished it you will pass your army access with no prob .

Later on I'll get into the tough army training, I've compiled from special units. Namely Royal Marines, Green Berets and SEALS. So be very afraid *evil grin*. You wont survive a day of the other training if you cant complete this one, so be warned.

Running :

Week 1-2: 2 miles/day no more than 8.30 mins/mile on Monday, Wednesday, Friday
Week 3-4: 3miles/day, 8.30/mile, M/W/F
Week 5-6: 2,3,4,2 miles 8,00/mile, M/Tu/Th/F
Week 7 and successive: 4/4/4 miles 8.00/mile, M/W/F

Conditioning:
All M/W/F: recommended before the running.

Week1: 4sets x 20 pushups
3x40 situps (no longer than 1 min each set)
You can do 2 sets of normal ones, and another 2 for the obliques (one hand by your side, and go to the opposite knee)
3x5 pullups (if you cant do 5, start with 3)
3x50 squats (normal squats, straight back, hands in front)

Week 2: 5x25 pushups
4x45 situps (or 3 normal ones and 2 oblique)
3x6 pullups
3x70 squats
2x5 planche pushups (lie on the floor facing down with your nads at your hips' level. Lift yourself off the ground. Hard huh? Now as you get better at this you should lift your feet off the ground too and basically hold your whole body with your arms)

Week 3: 5x30 pushups
4x50 situps (or the obliques alternative)
3x 8 pullups
3x100 squats
3x5 planche pushups

Week 4:
5x40 pushups
4x60 situps
3x10 pullups
2x200 squats
3x7 planche pushups

If you made it here, congratulations. You have to couple this with good stretching to avoid soreness, etc. after a workout drink water and eat something that releases fast energy (a banana or a toast with jam).

Dismissed!
*/Green Beret uniform*


* After a month of this program there is still three weeks of running to complete. What would I do for the strength aspect of the conditioning in these three weeks?
* What sort of diet should I take with this? Is my diet a couple of posts up adequate with Strikes ammendments?
*I can do thirty pressups in one go but I still cannot raise myself off the floor with a planche pressup, should these be achieveable by week two?
*If I can do more pullups than stated in the plan, which I can (especially weeks1-2), should I do more?

[SwordsMaster]

Hey Swords, a few quick questions about your following program:

Today: Fit for service

- Ok, you lazy bums. I dont know how you got here, but I'll make sure your mom is not ashamed of you when you go back to your insignificant lives after you've served your countries. -

Here is a 7 week program that will get you fit for service as an average infantryman. If you served in the army before you'll probably remember some of it. I compiled this info from some of the armies' bulletins, and after you've finished it you will pass your army access with no prob .

Later on I'll get into the tough army training, I've compiled from special units. Namely Royal Marines, Green Berets and SEALS. So be very afraid *evil grin*. You wont survive a day of the other training if you cant complete this one, so be warned.

Running :

Week 1-2: 2 miles/day no more than 8.30 mins/mile on Monday, Wednesday, Friday
Week 3-4: 3miles/day, 8.30/mile, M/W/F
Week 5-6: 2,3,4,2 miles 8,00/mile, M/Tu/Th/F
Week 7 and successive: 4/4/4 miles 8.00/mile, M/W/F

Conditioning:
All M/W/F: recommended before the running.

Week1: 4sets x 20 pushups
3x40 situps (no longer than 1 min each set)
You can do 2 sets of normal ones, and another 2 for the obliques (one hand by your side, and go to the opposite knee)
3x5 pullups (if you cant do 5, start with 3)
3x50 squats (normal squats, straight back, hands in front)

Week 2: 5x25 pushups
4x45 situps (or 3 normal ones and 2 oblique)
3x6 pullups
3x70 squats
2x5 planche pushups (lie on the floor facing down with your nads at your hips' level. Lift yourself off the ground. Hard huh? Now as you get better at this you should lift your feet off the ground too and basically hold your whole body with your arms)

Week 3: 5x30 pushups
4x50 situps (or the obliques alternative)
3x 8 pullups
3x100 squats
3x5 planche pushups

Week 4:
5x40 pushups
4x60 situps
3x10 pullups
2x200 squats
3x7 planche pushups

If you made it here, congratulations. You have to couple this with good stretching to avoid soreness, etc. after a workout drink water and eat something that releases fast energy (a banana or a toast with jam).

Dismissed!
*/Green Beret uniform*


* After a month of this program there is still three weeks of running to complete. What would I do for the strength aspect of the conditioning in these three weeks?
* What sort of diet should I take with this? Is my diet a couple of posts up adequate with Strikes ammendments?
*I can do thirty pressups in one go but I still cannot raise myself off the floor with a planche pressup, should these be achieveable by week two?
*If I can do more pullups than stated in the plan, which I can (especially weeks1-2), should I do more?

1.- You can continue with week 4. However if you want to gain size, then you should be looking at some weights.
However, what I did, with my own lack of gym gear is the following:

3x10, 2x8 single arm pushups, with each arm
5x60 situps (1 min per set maximum)
50 pullups (usually 1x20, 2x15)
2x200 squats (this actually got quite boring, so I maybe only do it once a week)
Instead of that I work on pistol squats: 2x10 each leg at the moment, working towards 2x50
I gave up on the planche pushups too, just doing some more ab work instead

I also need to get back into running, been too busy travelling for the past 4 weeks.

In terms of diet, I'm not a calorie counter. I try to make sure, my food is about 1/3 carbs, 1/3 protein, 1/3 fat, and i try to make in insaturated when possible. Other than that, I eat what I want.

Keep on going with the pressups, and move your hands progressively towards the planche position. You'll get there. Usually, if you can do 30 pushups, it's more the fact that your muscles aren't used to working from that position rather than lack of strength that is the problem.

If you can do more, do more!

[King Flambard I]

Day one completed and I am still alive! Success!

The strength aspect I knew that I could complete so I really focused on slow, good form. By the end I was in pieces! Talk about the ache, but a good ache!

I thought that I would struggle with the run, considering ho long it has been since I was running regularly. Sorted out a nice 2 mile circuit but the bad news is that I live near the top of a hill so the last half a mile is always going to be uphill. I was struggling when I hit the hill so I brisk walked to the top then carried on running, even managing a sprint finish! Time was 16 minutes 40 so I was very happy with that. Can't wait for wednesday!

Feet are in agony, need to invest in running shoes.

[SwordsMaster]

Nice going. Yes, running shoes are definitely a must if you're going to do it regularly. Plus, if you invest in shoes, you'll have to use them. Just make sure you walk in them a little first before you go for your run to avoid blisters.

[Vladimir]

Nice going. Yes, running shoes are definitely a must if you're going to do it regularly. Plus, if you invest in shoes, you'll have to use them. Just make sure you walk in them a little first before you go for your run to avoid blisters.

Dio Ditto.

That's a good hill run time. I hate hills but they're really good for running. Try to focus on the muscles you use when running up and down hills. Change your pace and match your breathing depending on the angle. Once you get your lungs in shape it's only a matter of willpower.

[King Flambard I]

My feet are in absolute agony! I have two cuts under my big toes, possibly burst blisters. Nasty!

Thanks for the encouragement guys!

[Vladimir]

Take care of your feet!

Exercise is sweet, but injuries can set you back for more than a week.

Sometimes though, the pain can be neat. :laugh4:

[King Flambard I]

Feet, sweet and neat haha Vladimir the poet!

Feet are pretty much fully recovered now so I should be out again for tomorrow. I haven't run into any problems so far with the conditioning aspect, yes it has ached but I have completed all the sets - even the planches allbeit with my feet on the ground.

It hit home yesterday that I did 125 pressups and nearly 150 situps! It felt good.

[edyzmedieval]

Swords, you still here?

What protein powder do you use?

[Strike For The South]

Swords, you still here?

What protein powder do you use?

The cheapest one.

[Vladimir]

What about Monster Milk? http://www.amazon.com/Monster-Milk-Cookies-Creme-2-22/dp/B001JGCAB6

It's made from the milk of real monsters! :yes:

[naut]

The cheapest one.
This.

GET CHOCOLATE, DO NOT GET BANANA THAT STUFF IS DISGUSTING.

[SwordsMaster]

Hey lads,

I'm actually off protein supplements - but that's just because i'm not lifting heavy. I was using the GNC 100% whey, but really anything that is 100% and comes from a natural source should be good.

[edyzmedieval]

My local gym has the Dymatize Elite protein powder, any thoughts on it if it's reliable? The ingredients are mostly natural so you can trust it, I guess. And I hope.

[Strike For The South]

My local gym has the Dymatize Elite protein powder, any thoughts on it if it's reliable? The ingredients are mostly natural so you can trust it, I guess. And I hope.

Buy what you'd like just know it really doesnt amount to a hill of beans

[Prince Cobra]

My local gym has the Dymatize Elite protein powder, any thoughts on it if it's reliable? The ingredients are mostly natural so you can trust it, I guess. And I hope.

Well, it depends. If you plan to do a career then go for it. But! Have in mind that (even if natural) large doses of protein intake is not very natural thing. Before that you should consult with a person who really knows the pros and cons of that. Be really careful what you take and things like "guess" and "hope" are out of place, really.

If your goal is simply to look better, a regular training in the gym/swimming pool and etc. is generally speaking enough.

[naut]

Well, it depends. If you plan to do a career then go for it. But! Have in mind that (even if natural) large doses of protein intake is not very natural thing. Before that you should consult with a person who really knows the pros and cons of that. Be really careful what you take and things like "guess" and "hope" are out of place, really.

If your goal is simply to look better, a regular training in the gym/swimming pool and etc. is generally speaking enough.
Large protein intake is historically what we were designed to consume though.... we still have the enzyme in our system that can convert proteins into Vitamin C, it just is no longer active as our diets moved from carnivorous to omnivorous. Supplement protein from whey powder is actually scientifically speaking better for your body than protein from meat, as it doesn't have the accompanying fats and cholesterols that are damaging to your kidneys and liver.

Yes regular training will get you looking decent, but diet is the other half of the battle. If you don't have protein intakes you will simply tone and not build muscle or strength as your body can't repair the damage that exercise does to the body. The RDI of protein for the average male is 55g, I have that much for breakfast alone. 55g isn't enough if you are weightlifting or participating in other strenuous activity, it's fine if you're sitting on your bum doing nothing though. The way RDI for protein is calculated is .36g per lb of body weight, which means someone weighing in at 200lb would require 72g of protein by the RDI guidelines, not feasible for an active individual. Consuming the RDI and training will result in muscle loss over time. If you are exercising you need to be consuming between .64g and .91g per lb of body weight daily. So a 200lb individual would actually require between 128g and 182g of protein.

[Strike For The South]

Large protein intake is historically what we were designed to consume though.... we still have the enzyme in our system that can convert proteins into Vitamin C, it just is no longer active as our diets moved from carnivorous to omnivorous. Supplement protein from whey powder is actually scientifically speaking better for your body than protein from meat, as it doesn't have the accompanying fats and cholesterols that are damaging to your kidneys and liver.

Yes regular training will get you looking decent, but diet is the other half of the battle. If you don't have protein intakes you will simply tone and not build muscle or strength as your body can't repair the damage that exercise does to the body. The RDI of protein for the average male is 55g, I have that much for breakfast alone. 55g isn't enough if you are weightlifting or participating in other strenuous activity, it's fine if you're sitting on your bum doing nothing though. The way RDI for protein is calculated is .36g per lb of body weight, which means someone weighing in at 200lb would require 72g of protein by the RDI guidelines, not feasible for an active individual. Consuming the RDI and training will result in muscle loss over time. If you are exercising you need to be consuming between .64g and .91g per lb of body weight daily. So a 200lb individual would actually require between 128g and 182g of protein.



+1, thank you

[Prince Cobra]

Large protein intake is historically what we were designed to consume though.... we still have the enzyme in our system that can convert proteins into Vitamin C, it just is no longer active as our diets moved from carnivorous to omnivorous. Supplement protein from whey powder is actually scientifically speaking better for your body than protein from meat, as it doesn't have the accompanying fats and cholesterols that are damaging to your kidneys and liver.

Yes regular training will get you looking decent, but diet is the other half of the battle. If you don't have protein intakes you will simply tone and not build muscle or strength as your body can't repair the damage that exercise does to the body. The RDI of protein for the average male is 55g, I have that much for breakfast alone. 55g isn't enough if you are weightlifting or participating in other strenuous activity, it's fine if you're sitting on your bum doing nothing though. The way RDI for protein is calculated is .36g per lb of body weight, which means someone weighing in at 200lb would require 72g of protein by the RDI guidelines, not feasible for an active individual. Consuming the RDI and training will result in muscle loss over time. If you are exercising you need to be consuming between .64g and .91g per lb of body weight daily. So a 200lb individual would actually require between 128g and 182g of protein.

Well, it's logical that the more you exercise, the more you eat, or at least this is my case. For the last year I've put on 3 kilos of weight and now I am about 66 kilos and 178 cm tall (note: putting on weight was never my goal; my goal was simply to look well). And that was a period of really intensive exercising (mountain biking/ pull-ups and push-ups/sit-ups/dumbell exercises and several exercises at home). At it's peak (during the summer) my physical activity was about 2-3 hours daily/5-6 times per week. My weakness is that I rarely go to gym (I prefer open air activities); yes, winter leaves me no other option but that's a different matter. Yet, I don't think I look bad, really.

Unless it's a very intensive programme, I don't think supplements are that vital. Yes, these can help but they are not a must. My basic principle is to be careful what you put in your mouth. And yes, I am a bit suspicious but why this should be bad?

[Strike For The South]

Well, it's logical that the more you exercise, the more you eat, or at least this is my case. For the last year I've put on 3 kilos of weight and now I am about 66 kilos and 178 cm tall (note: putting on weight was never my goal; my goal was simply to look well). And that was a period of really intensive exercising (mountain biking/ pull-ups and push-ups/sit-ups/dumbell exercises and several exercises at home). At it's peak my physical activity was about 2-3 hours daily/5-6 times per week. My weakness is that I rarely go to gym (I prefer open air activities); yes, winter leaves me no other option but that's a different matter. Yet, I don't think I look bad, really.


145lbs at 5'10 is underweight. Remember kids abdominal muscles are only the result of a low body fat.


Unless it's a very intensive programme, I don't think supplements are that vital. Yes, these can help but they are not a must. My basic principle is to be careful what you put in your mouth. And yes, I am a bit suspicious but why this should be bad?

True,

[Moros]

Instead of using whey, I'm trying to eat a lot of Tuna, meat (steak, chickenbreast), beans and to drink a lot of milk. Personally I don't really watch the fat or sugar as I can't get any fat even if want to. Supersize me featuring yours truly would have have been quite a failure...

It's mostly sleep I have problems with...

[Strike For The South]

Direct All fitness related questions here

[edyzmedieval]

SwordsMaster, you around buddy?

[rajpoot]

So I need some advice about jogging to lose weight, and I'll be really grateful if experts here could help.

I'm around 20 pounds over my ideal weight. Since jogging outside isn't really comfortable out here, I've joined my old gym. Currently I'm doing 4.1-4.2 kms every day, in half an hour.

My question is that with a sedentary lifestyle and a daily diet of around 2000 calories, is the running enough to lose weight? Or do I have to increase my time/distance?

[Major Robert Dump]

The distance should be fine for a 2k diet, but I really recommend changing it up occasionally and running that distance in sprint/rest sprint/rest. It confuses your metabolism and makes your heart angry, which burns more calories and will ultimately affect your distance running in a positive way.

[rajpoot]

The calorie counter on the treadmill displayed that I burned only 250 kcal which seemed a very inadequate number compared to 2000 kcal, and that's why I grew doubtful.

Problem is I don't have a good stamina, so I really can't sprint. Instead I jog for 5 minutes at 8 kmph then for a few minutes at 10 kmph, and I keep alternating there after.

[Centurion1]

The calorie counter on the treadmill displayed that I burned only 250 kcal which seemed a very inadequate number compared to 2000 kcal, and that's why I grew doubtful.

Problem is I don't have a good stamina, so I really can't sprint. Instead I jog for 5 minutes at 8 kmph then for a few minutes at 10 kmph, and I keep alternating there after.

At the end of the day you will always be shocked at how little calories your body burns exercising. Running isn't as good for losing weight as people think. I try to run 4-5 miles a day at about a 7 minute pace per mile. This is in addition to everything else I do to workout.

[Major Robert Dump]

Thats 250 (give or take) right then and there. It will be higher with sprint/walks. You may also try using a very low speed setting, and doing variation runs, like running sideways or backwards, that will burn calories that a simple machine tracker will not pick up on (just try not to fall on your butt)

The hour following your cool down your body is still reeling and burning calories, above and beyond the 250. You burn calories all day, and at a higher regular pace than with no cardio. Unless you are trying to drastically reduce your weight or counter-act a higher protein intake, 250 in a session is not bad. The goal isn't to reduce your net calories to 0, so 250 is @12.5% of your daily calories. If you go higher than that in one setting you will need to increase your post workout meal and take calories off another meal. You may try short, intense cardio several hours later, lik an evening run if you workout in the morning. Just like a 10 minute thing.

I don't know your age, but at 20 pounds over what you want if you maintain your 2k diet, the status quo run, and maybe lean up the types of calories you consume, you will lost weight pretty quickly in your first 2 months if you were sedentary before. After 2 months, you will need to change the routine because your body adjusts.

[rajpoot]

Never actually tried running any way aside from straightforward, so I'll have to try.
I'm in my mid twenties, and I have a slightly less than moderate amount of muscle on me. I put on all the weight in the last six months after I abruptly stopped working out and went a little heavy on the drinks.
Also aside from the jog I do light workout since I didn't want to lose the little muscle that I have with the fat.

Anyhow thanks for the advice. I'll post back once I lose my first few kilograms.

[SwordsMaster]

So SM returns after a long absence. My apologies to whom I might have not responded in the past few months – my life had been so messy I was forgetting to even pay off my credit cards.

But, as all things, that is over. Fitness is once again on the agenda. Since shame and peer pressure is one of the greatest motivators known to man, I invite you all to join me in this.

WHAT is THIS?

A 6 week experiment in fitness improvement, using social peer pressure as motivation, with overall fitness as a goal. Members will post their progress as well as their process so we can see what is working, and can offer support, tips, and solutions.

RULES:


Workouts posted on the day of workout
Workout descriptions should include duration of exercise and rest period
No anabolics
Meals posted on the day of consumption including snacks and drinks (not water).
Take a picture of every meal with your phone camera (picture doesn’t necessarily need to be posted)
Eat 30-80g of protein within 30-45 min of waking up
Weekly posts of progress of body transformation.
How to do this: Take 6 measurements with metric tape: amrs on biceps, legs at widest point, waist and hips (ass). Add total inches (TI) or total cm (doesn’t matter as you will compete with yourself, mostly). Also, if available provide your bodyweight.
Take your measurements before breakfast on a Saturday or a Sunday. Come on. It’s only 6 weeks.

GOALS:

Mine might differ from yours:

I will consider myself fit if I lose 6kg of fat, can benchpress 100 kg for 4 reps, deadlift 165kg for 4 reps, and run 5km in under 25min.

Of course those are not the only exercises I will do, but that’s my goal.

What are yours? Who is in?

[Peasant Phill]

Apart from finely streamlining my workload at my job, my new years resolution will be to get a better trained body.
Not that I'm overweight but my weight has been jojoing the last couple of months and I've never really put much attention towards upper body.

Here's what I'm working with:
Age: 28
Weight: 76 kg
Height: 1m75
activity/week: Almost all year round I do about 3 hours of sport each week. On Wednesday I play mini football (compare it to basketball or handball) for about an hour and on Sundays I play regular football or go cycling. Most of the time I'm with the best condition-wise. When the weather is better (May-September) I ride my bike to work which is about 20 km a day.

I want to focus a bit of attention towards my upper body but I don't know much about push-up and crunch routines.

[Vladimir]

My New Year's fitness resolution is to find a young, slightly overweignt but attractive woman who feels unconfident about her weight, for a workout partner. It's all about motivation.

I think it could work.

[edyzmedieval]

Upper body, it depends what part of your upper body you wish to work out :yes:

* lateral pull down
* press ups
* pull ups
* bench press

[SwordsMaster]

Apologies for lack of maintenance of all this, and thanks for continuing to contribute!

So, after a 2 week holiday stuffing myself with sweets in Tunisia, and a week of food poisoning a few days after returning I've been practically off duty for a month. Time to get back on the proverbial horse, and what better than the first of the month!

I have access to a pull-up bar, and might have it to a gym, but regardless, i've focused on creating an all-bodyweight routine you can practically do anywhere. I've included food in the description.

I'm currently standing at 1.78m, and 92kg. The idea is to go down to 88kg but with significant body transformation, since, as an endomorph, carbs just make me explode, and the last few weeks have not been kind.

So:
Exercise today:
Wake up, coffee, then:

All bodyweight unless indicated otherwise.
1-Squats x15
2-Pushups x25
3-Plank x45sec
4-Jumping Jacks/Burpees x20
5-Reverse lunges x11 each leg
6-Lying hip raise x15

10sec rest between exercises
45 sec rest between circuits
6x circuits

This took approx 25 min, plus 5 min for preparation of shakes and coffee, I had my 'breakfast' within 40min of waking up.
Breakfast shake with banana, 1.5% milk, 48g whey, 2 hrs of work, then:

1.5km run (one lap), 6min/km pace
5x set pushups (maxrep) - 44 total 90 sec rest between sets
400m sprint (80%)

All this, plus some vacant staring at the lake took less than 30 min

2x cinnamon buns, omelette with 2 chilis, 200g of bacon, 4 eggwhites and 1 yolk.
Again, allow half hour for doing dishes from yesterday, and making the omelet, I ate within an hour of finishing (I had the buns within 10 min...), and drowned everything with coffee after.

Potential for a heavy workout this afternoon. Depending on work load and whether I make it to the gym, and whether they allow the likes of me in.

Didn't make it to the gym - fell asleep watching the olympics.

Anyway, dinner was half a chicken and a caprese salad.

Post yours, and share the motivation.

[Strike For The South]

As always, like a sir.

In other news I weighed in at 198 pounds today. First time sub 200 since I was 14.

[Centurion1]

Yikes your only 8 pounds more than me now haha.

Personally, I have switched over to a farming heavy workout and its working wonders.