Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[Victorgra]

• ???????? ?????????? ???? by Victorgra
  [Yesterday at 11:29:30 PM]
• ? ??????? 2 by Juliyge
  [Yesterday at 10:16:52 PM]
• ??????????? ????? ???????... by Juliget
  [Yesterday at 08:28:55 AM]
• 2012 Concert Thread by Carmelasew
  [April 25, 2024, 11:19:23 PM]
• ????????? ??????????? seo... by Victorumj
  [April 25, 2024, 09:59:00 PM]
• ???????? ?????????? tk by Victorcqt
  [April 25, 2024, 06:35:49 PM]

Members

• Total Members: 4939
• Latest: BrianCus

Stats

• Total Posts: 129551
• Total Topics: 7148
• Online Today: 180
• Online Ever: 1013
• (January 12, 2023, 01:18:11 AM)

[Chris]

After BizB posted an update about his first stab at a 5k race without any strings attached, it motivated me enough to post about some of the goals I would like to accomplish within the next few months to a year.

As I'm sure some of you may know, I've been lifting weights for some time now. Since sophmore year in high school, to be exact. But I didn't seriously start lifting weights until about two years ago after I got out of high school and I had more control over gym time. Here's a picture of me back in May of 2007 when I cut weight from about 180 to about 167 within the period of about a month and a half after I went a strict diet of high protein, low carb foods. (I did this on purpose because I wanted to get more cut).

Right now my workout schedule is as follows:

Day 1:
Chest, biceps, and abs

Day 2:
Shoulders and traps

Day 3:
Back, Triceps and Abs

Day 4:
Quads / Hamstrings and Calf muscles

I have just recently switched my schedule around about two weeks ago in order to "trick" my body / muscles and in hopes of stimulating further muscle growth. Notice that I have cut out any aerobic activity from my schedule in order to ensure I don't burn more than I take in (And you'll find out why in just a moment).

My biggest mistake, which I think a lot of people doing what I'm doing make, is a lack of proper nutrition. Given the intensity that I train everyday and how frequent I lift, I realized that I was short-changing my muscles by about, oh, I don't know 100 grams (Or more!) of protein a day. I've put a big push towards making sure I ingest over 170 grams of protein per day to ensure my muscles have the proper nutrients that they need in order to grow.

My short term goal this winter is to put on about 10 to 15 solid pounds of mass in order to slim down and turn that newly gained mass into solid muscle come February / March. I say February because I've never bulked up and then cut down before so I'm not sure how long it's going to take me to cut down to a nice cut figure again. So best I give myself some extra time before beach weather comes around, right? The key to reaching this goal will be to eat lots of food that contain lots of protein, fiber, and complex carbs among other things.

I hope to add to this thread once a week, highlighting some of the key things that I've done over the course of the week, and some things that I wish I could have avoided.

I'll start off with my shoulder / trap workout I did today:

First exercise - Dumb bell shoulder presses:
Set one: 10 reps @ 30 pounds (Warm up)
Set two: 10 reps @ 60 pounds
Set three 10 reps @ 70 pounds
Set four: 8 reps @ 80 pounds
Set five: 0 reps @ 85 pounds. (It's important to note that anything over 80 as of now I need a lift for. I've done 90s for 8 reps before)

Afterwards I did two more drop sets of dumb bells to really make sure I broke down muscle tissue in that area of my body.

Second exercise - Guided shoulder press:
Set one: 12 reps @ 50 pounds
Set two: 12 reps @ 90 pounds
Set three: 10 reps @ 120 pounds

Third Exercise - Lateral raises:
Set one: 10 reps @ 20 pounds
Set two: 10 reps @ 25 pounds
Set three: 10 reps @ 30 pounds
set four: 6 reps @ 35 pounds

Fourth Exercise - Front raises:
Set one: 12 reps @ 25 pounds
Set two: 12 reps @ 35 pounds
Set three: 10 reps @ 45 pounds

Fifth Exercise - Shrugs:
Set one: 12 reps @ 135 pounds
Set two: 12 reps @ 225 pounds
Set three: 12 reps @ 225 pounds
Set four: 10 reps @ 275 pounds
This is by far one of the lifts that I have lost A LOT of strength on. I used to be able to shrug 405 for 8 to 10 reps without much struggle, but I guess I've let my traps slip a little too much.

Hopefully I wake up tomorrow and things are sore!

Any questions / comments, please let me know.

[BizB]

You know, I never saw the allure of body building... until recently.  After dropping 30 lbs (since August) from running/strength training, I can see the physical improvements that I've made.  I may be a bit narcissistic (ok... a lot narcissistic), but I like knowing that I've made my outward appearance more attractive.

I feel better than I have since I was a teen.

I've recently bumped my strength training up a notch.  I'll post more about that in the Race Training thread.

[xolik]

Here's a picture of me back in May of 2007 when I cut weight from about 180 to about 167 within the period of about a month and a half after I went a strict diet of high protein, low carb foods. (I did this on purpose because I wanted to get more cut).

GOOD SWEET FEATHERY JESUS!

Ok, time to cancel WOW and get my sorry flabby ass back to the gym.

I noticed that you do back and triceps one one day and biceps and chest on the other day. I was told that it's best to work chest and triceps on the same day and back and biceps on the same day since they're complementary muscle groups and you'd get a better workout that way.  /confused

The biggest problem I have is bad dieting. Also, I don't have a really big appetite so it's hard for me to eat the amount of food that's recommended for me to actually gain mass. Should I slip in an extra protein shake or what?

One thing I've learned in life is that you find somebody who is better than you at something and get advice from that person. You're in a helluva lot better shape than I am, so I'm going to be bugging you for advice.

[Chris]

I noticed that you do back and triceps one one day and biceps and chest on the other day. I was told that it's best to work chest and triceps on the same day and back and biceps on the same day since they're complementary muscle groups and you'd get a better workout that way.  /confused

I used to do chest and triceps in the same day, and back and biceps on another day. There are two reasons why I'm doing it this way now. One being my body simply got used to the same routine over and over again. Second, I train fairly hard I think, and by doing so I'm cheating on muscle group by already weakening it by doing something else. Today I did back and triceps and had I done biceps after doing back, things wouldn't have gone too well. It's important to get that rest in between the chest/bicep day and the back / tricep day. If not, you'd risk over-training your muscles.

The biggest problem I have is bad dieting. Also, I don't have a really big appetite so it's hard for me to eat the amount of food that's recommended for me to actually gain mass. Should I slip in an extra protein shake or what?

Your line of work makes it fairly easy to sneak meals here and there, but your line of work can also be your worst enemy since you're inactive (Physically, that is.) Your best bet is to cook a bunch of food on a predetermined day and have it last you several days to a week, this way all you have to do is pack it up and take it with you. Don't forget that if you're taking these protein shakes without doing work, you will pack on mass, and lots of it. And it's not the mass that you want. A good rule of thumb to remember is that 50% of your daily protein intake should be taken right after working out (Within 30 minutes). This tidbit might help you somewhat.

One thing I've learned in life is that you find somebody who is better than you at something and get advice from that person. You're in a helluva lot better shape than I am, so I'm going to be bugging you for advice.

I always like to train with guys in the gym who are more experienced than I am, or who are stronger than I am. It helps me learn new things and challenges me more so than I would do on my own. I certainly don't mind giving you or anyone else advise on this subject matter.

And Biz, I'd like to hear about your strength training efforts... is this something that you're doing while preparing for a race?

[MISTER MASSACRE]

A good rule of thumb to remember is that 50% of your daily protein intake should be taken right after working out (Within 30 minutes).

I was under the impression your target protein consumption for the day should be in the realm of 1 gram/pound of bodyweight. Since I currently weigh between 166lb and 170lb, how can I consume 83 - 85 grams of protein in one sitting without eating a pile of steak and downing a bunch of protein shakes? I thought that "protein directly after workout" thing wasn't as big a deal as originally believed.

Speaking of food, can you give me an example of your average daily diet? I'm getting a bit bored of the things I've been eating.

[12AX7]

You might find this interesting

http://www.worldwidehealthcenter.net/articles-238.html

[12AX7]

Not that I'm suggesting anything about your weight, btw.

[Wunderkind]

I thought that "protein directly after workout" thing wasn't as big a deal as originally believed.

Protein after exercise is still a big deal and should still be considered, but how much protein is still in debate. Personally, I think 50% is a bit much. That would mean two protein shakes and a block of cheese for me.

[ivan]

I'm in good enough shape to propell an object as heavy as an overweight old man.

I call it "taking a walk".

[pbsaurus]

I do 26 lb curls on a regular basis.

[Chris]

I was under the impression your target protein consumption for the day should be in the realm of 1 gram/pound of bodyweight. Since I currently weigh between 166lb and 170lb, how can I consume 83 - 85 grams of protein in one sitting without eating a pile of steak and downing a bunch of protein shakes? I thought that "protein directly after workout" thing wasn't as big a deal as originally believed.

Speaking of food, can you give me an example of your average daily diet? I'm getting a bit bored of the things I've been eating.

It depends on what your goals are. For me, my goal is to gain as much mass and muscle as possible. If you're looking to just lift weights and get toned and maybe add a little mass, then I think a gram of protein per pound of body weight is more than enough.

At one point my post-workout shake used to consist of about 45 grams of whey protein and 38 grams of metamyosyn protein, which I should probably start taking again.

Typically, in the morning I make myself some egg whites and cheese, along with yogurt, a granola bar, oatmeal, and some fruit. For lunch I'll have tuna fish and a peanutbutter and jelly sandwhich, for dinner I'll usually have one or two chicken cutlets, sometimes brown rice, steak, or tuna.

I'm in the process of refining my daily diet and am going to add more calories to it, so I'll keep you updated, but maybe that un-organized list will give you some ideas. What are some of the things that you eat?

[MISTER MASSACRE]

What are some of the things that you eat?

Once upon a time I was supplementing my daily diet with protein shakes, but that stopped once I couldn't stop tasting phlegm every time I drank one. Man, even thinking about it now makes me shudder. Still have a tub of that stuff sitting downstairs. I'll still indulge and buy one now and again, as they sell them at the 7/11 and the things are carrying 35 grams of protein with very little fat/sugar.

Anyway, my regular diet consists of things like this:

- coffee (what?)
- green tea
- chicken
- turkey
- raw almonds
- whole wheat bread/bagels
- peanut butter
- lots of tuna
- salmon (not as much nowadays)
- various cereals (I aim for crap like Kashi Go Lean and such, but sometimes other things creep in there)
- crapload of water
- eggs
- 1%-2% milk
- various green vegetables
- tons of beef jerky when I order it online - seriously I can eat like 2 pounds in 2 days

I've put on some poundage since I started lifting weights about 2 years ago (on and off), but when you start really skinny, it's not that big a difference. I'll put up a picture that other thread in the next couple of days.

[MISTER MASSACRE]

You might find this interesting

http://www.worldwidehealthcenter.net/articles-238.html

So again we see that scientific studies show that there is no significant correlation between overweight and energy intake

What?

[12AX7]

What?

I think the context explains it.

Interestingly, research studies in Western countries have shown that fat and obese people do not necessarily eat many calories daily. Statistics show the following:

• 15% of obese people eat too much (2,800-4,000 calories)
• 35% of fat people eat normally (2,000-2,700 calories)
• 50% of fat people eat little (800-1,500 calories).

So again we see that scientific studies show that there is no significant correlation between overweight and energy intake. It has also been shown that the body will adapt to the low calorie intake by going into "survival mode", by conserving energy in order to maintain body weight. The less you eat, the harder your body tries to retain fat. Experiments have shown that animals eating one meal a day become obese, while those receiving 5-6 meals spread throughout the day kept to an optimum

In fact, low-calorie, commercial diets stimulate the body to accumulate fat. First, your body increases the quantity and activity of an enzyme called lipoprotein lipase, the main enzyme it uses to collect and store fat. Second, it slows your basal metabolic rate, further reducing your ability to burn fat. These two defence mechanisms continue for weeks after you stop the diet, in the meantime it is grabbing and replacing every molecule of fat that it can find!

[xolik]

Downsides of too many protein shakes: Horrible, horrible breath and even worse bowel movements.

True story.

[MISTER MASSACRE]

I think the context explains it.

It does and it doesn't. It sources nothing aside from "Western studies," which is pretty useless because I don't know what studies it's talking about.

Basal metabolic rate aside, OVERALL if you're expending more energy than you're consuming, you will lose weight. This is just how it works. Anecdotal evidence to the contrary is usually a case of improper tracking and/or not spreading meals over the course of the day.

xolik: I hear you on that one. Smell you?

[12AX7]

I just thought you guys might want to read it.
 You're welcome.

[Chris]

Chest / Biceps today.

Flat bench press:
Set 1 - 135 for 10 reps
Set 2 - 185 for 10 reps
Set 3 - 205 for 10 reps
Set 4 -  225 for 5 reps

Flat dumb bell bench press:
Set 1 - 80 pounds for 10 reps
Set 2 - 90 pounds for 10 reps
Set 3 - 95 pounds for 7 reps

Inclined dumb bell bench press:
Set 1 - 70 pounds for 10 reps
Set 2 - 80 pounds for 8 reps
Set 3 - 90 pounds for 5 reps

Inclined bench press:
Set 1 - 135 for 10 reps
Set 2 - 155 for 10 reps
Set 3 - 175 for 6 reps

Decline flies:
Set 1 - 15 for 10 reps
Set 2 - 25 for 10 reps
Set 3 - 35 for 10 reps
Set 4 - 40 for 8 reps

Flat flies:
Set 1 - 30 for 10 reps
Set 2 - 35 for 10 reps
Set 3 - 40 for 8 reps

Preacher Curls:
Set 1 - 45 for 10 reps
Set 2 - 65 for 10 reps
Set 3 - 85 for 10 reps
Set 4 - 105 for 6 reps

Hammer curls:
Set 1 - 40 pounds for 10 reps
Set 2 - 50 pounds for 6 reps
Set 2 - 50 pounds for 6 reps

Seated dumb bell curls:
Set 1 - 20 pounds for 10 reps
Set 2 - 30 pounds for 10 reps
Set 3 - 35 pounds for 10 reps
Set 4 - 40 pounds for 8 reps

Reverse skull crushers (cables):
Set 1 - 25 pounds for 10 reps
Set 2 - 35 pounds for 10 reps
Set 3 - 45 pounds for 8 reps
Set 4 - 65 pounds for 4 reps

Oh, and once your body becomes used to the protein shakes, you stop having horrible bowel movements. The most important thing that I cannot stress enough when working out and trying to build muscle is to eat lots of the right foods. You can only do one thing at a time; you're can't get bigger and cut at the same time.

Hopefully I should start seeing these numbers go up over the next few weeks when I gradually decrease reps and increase weight in order to gain strength over looks.

[MISTER MASSACRE]

Uh, yikes. How long does all that actually take you? What sort of rest are you getting between sets?

[Chris]

Today was chest and biceps. I started with something different this time around. It's good to change things around this way your body doesn't get used to the same thing over and over again.

Flat dumb bell bench press:
Set 1 (Warm up) - 50lbs for 10 reps
Set 2 - 70lbs for 10 reps
Set 3 - 90lbs for 10 reps
Set 4 - 100lbs for 10 reps

Incline Bench Press on the Smith Machine:
Set 1 - 135lbs for 10 reps
Set 2 - 185lbs for 10 reps
Set 3 - 205lbs for 6 reps

Incline dumb bell bench press:
Set 1 - 60lbs for 10 reps
Set 2 - 70lbs for 10 reps
Set 3 - 80lbs for 8 reps
Set 4 - 85lbs for 8 reps

From there I did several fly exercises with dumb bells to finish things off. Afterwards, I went ahead and targeted biceps. I decided to go heavy this time around.

Straight bar curls:
Set 1 - 65lbs for 10 reps
Set 2 - 85lbs for 6 reps
Set 3 - 105lbs for 4 reps
Set 4 - 125lbs for 2 reps

Seated alternating dumb bell curls:
Set 1 - 30lbs for 10 reps
Set 2 - 40lbs for 8 reps
Set 3 - 50lbs for 4 reps

Standing alternating hammer curls:
Set 1 - 30lbs for 10 reps
Set 2 - 40lbs for 8 reps
Set 3 - 50lbs for 4 reps

I wish I had more time to do one more exercise for biceps, but I had a class at 6pm and had to head out of the gym for it. Next Monday I'll be sure to do biceps first this way I can make sure I have more time to focus on them rather than doing chest first.

Up for tomorrow I plan on doing shoulders and traps once again.

Oddly enough, over this past holiday weekend I really wasn't able to eat that much because all I did was work, work, work. I'm concerned that my goals of "bulking" this winter aren't going to be met. I'm still stuck at 167lbs and the only way to put on more weight is to eat more calories.

[Chris]

Uh, yikes. How long does all that actually take you? What sort of rest are you getting between sets?

On a day like that I spend about two hours in the gym lifting. If I don't have class afterwards, I'll spend about 2 and a half hours lifting. I usually allow myself about a minute to two minutes in between sets, and between 3 to 5 minutes in between exercises.

[xolik]

The most important thing that I cannot stress enough when working out and trying to build muscle is to eat lots of the right foods. You can only do one thing at a time; you're can't get bigger and cut at the same time.

Dammit, that's one of the things I've been doing wrong. I want to gain but am terrified I'll get 'fat' so I don't eat so much, so I don't gain because I don't want to get fat so I *idiotic cycle that gets me nowhere*

I see.


Do you do all your exercises for a type at once? I mean, do you do all your chest work, then all your arm work, then head home or do you do chest set, arm set, chest set, arm set...alternate them out that way?

[Chris]

Do you do all your exercises for a type at once? I mean, do you do all your chest work, then all your arm work, then head home or do you do chest set, arm set, chest set, arm set...alternate them out that way?

I've read about people doing this before, and I have only tried it one time and didn't really feel anything. When you're working out, more and more blood flows to the muscle(s) that you're targeting, so when you're doing chest, then biceps, and then back to chest again, I don't think you're getting the right effect. Then I guess you could argue doing chest, finishing that body part and THEN doing biceps is nearly the same thing.

I strictly stick to one muscle group at a time.

[Chris]

Good news, I'm up to 171 pounds as of now. Before Thanksgiving I was hovering right around 162 if I recall correctly.

Today I did shoulders and traps once again. I was going to do triceps instead with a buddy of mine today, but I got to the gym too late and he had started without me.

First up, I did several sets of power cleans. I haven't done these in a long time, and I've recently decided it was a good idea to get lifts like this back into my routine in order to gain explosive strength.

Power cleans:
Set 1: 135 for 6 reps
Set 2: 135 for 6 reps
Set 3: 155 for 3 reps

Power cleans aren't an exercise that you do for 12 to 15 repetitions. If you've ever done them before, you'll understand why. It's mainly a lift designed to hit multiple areas of the body at once, and works great if you're trying to build explosive strength as well as gain mass.

I then moved on to standing overhead presses:
Set 1: 135 for 6 reps
Set 2: 155 for 3 reps
Set 3: 165 for 2 reps

Afterwards, I went and did a few sets of dumb bell shoulder presses:
Set 1: 70s for 10 reps
Set 2: 80s for 8 reps
Set 3: 70s for 8 reps

I then did seated lateral raises, but the stupid machine doesn't have weight assigned to each plate, rather it just has numbers (1, 2, 3, etc.)

Afterwards, I did front raises with cables, again with a screwy numbering system that doesn't quite make much sense.

To finish things off today I did shrugs on the straight bar:
Set 1: 135 for 10 reps
Set 2: 225 for 10 reps
Set 3: 275 for 10 reps

If you've been following this thread, you'll notice that I've slowly decreased the amount of reps that I do per set, but have started lifting at much higher weights than before. The idea behind this is to hopefully gain more explosive strength and mass rather than gaining high endurance for low amounts for weight.

I just got back from the supermarket and purchased about 40 dollars worth of steaks, eggs, egg whites, chicken, and yogurt. I can't stress enough how important nutrition is to a lifting routine.

[Chris]

I might as well put this here, too.