Fitness And Nutrition General

Abs? Abs? Front Squats. If you're not doing them, do them.

Start out on a smith machine 1st to get a general feel for the movement.

I'd personally say to just start with the bar only and do free weight rather than smith machine. The movements are just wayyyyy too different, but then again, lol you're x10 my size

So I just found a pretty cool app for the Android/Iphone called Gym Book: Traning Notebook.

If anyone knows of a better app for the Android please let me know :)

But yah it allows you to pre-program your workout for the entire week/month. And even allows for super-setting. And does some nifty graphs and stuff. Keeps track of your reps/sets etc. Good on battery life too. Didn't drain my S3 battery at the gym.

Gym Book: training notebook

Watched a p90x video and it looks insane. It WILL kill me. Gonna continue on with videoes and eating plans and see which is going best!

I have $47 left on my groupon gift card (got it in June for reference, and it was a $50 gift card, to give reference to how little ***they have that I'm interested in)

Saw this today
http://www.groupon.com/deals/gg-vitagoods-digital-body-analyzer?c=all&p=29

Couldn't find any reviews on it, but what are your guys' opinions? I don't have a scale of my own, and this one seems it'd measure a lot more than just weight, just not sure how accurately. Would this be worth dumping my gift card into?

Got my first practice day going on.I cant cook or anything,but luckily this is always easy.

Grilled up 5 chicken breasts on the george foreman with light cajun spice.Boiled brown rice and some steamed carrots.Have it all in the fridge for tomorrow and going on a dry run to see in advance if I can hack it.Meals arent too big and the idea seems to be small enough to let you body get through them and get hungry 2-3 hours later,and have enough meals for all of that.

Got a question for peeps but to give you a proper view of everything,I'll give an idea so far.

Started working january 2nd,usually give 5 days a week,sometimes 6.Mostly full body workouts with some functional cardio days in there every week as well.Started off eating 3 or 4 meals a day,all consisting of boiled brown rice,grilled chicken breast and some steam vegetables,usually carrots or green beans.I occasionally have a steak every few days,also grilled with the same rice/veg.Meals are small-medium sized so I'm hungry every 2-3 hours.I now drink nothing but water too.

I've worked my way up,putting on some muscle (its a huge result for ME,its probably next to nothing for others) and lost some fat as well.I'm lifting more than I could before,better than I could,body is handling it better too. My metabolism seems to be speeding up (which is what I'm trying to do) because I'm up to eating 5-6 of the same meals listed above every day now.I mix it up and have a steak every 3 or 4 days or so for that red meat need and a little bit of variety.

The workout plan I'm on also came with the eating plan I'm on.The gist of it really quick is eat 4-6 meals a day of the proper size,with a carb source they list and a protein source they list. brown rice and chicken mostly for me).They also have a rule called "the 80/20 rule" which is eat 80% healthy and 20% whatever you want.Obviously ANYTHING bad you eat slows down your progress slightly and the more you eat,the more you're setting yourself back.But its supposed to be good for your willpower to keep your mind steady about eating.

Now onto my actual problem!

My problem is I'm so terrified of eating even one bad thing (and before january I absolutely LIVED on junk food and energy drinks) that it will set me back loads,because my snacks were all extremely bad for you. Its starting to finally make me miserable. I dont mind eating chicken and rice 5-6 times a day every day,because I love them both. Its the (possibly habitual) snacking and missing some of it too much. Is there any way to find a decent balance? Other than counting calories (which I found myself doing the rare time I actually eat junk now) During january I've had maybe 4 bad drinks the entire time and next to no junk food.I think I've had 2 bags of crisps (chips for you americans) and 1 chocolate bar. I realize that its not easy and you have to work hard and sacrifice to get the real results. But if I have to put up with this kinda thing for 5 more months,I'll just want to give up and eat/drink my favourite foods I like. But I like to believe I;m actually working hard at this and I DO want to keep at it and get the real results,preferably without being miserable about my diet until I'm a machine.

Thanks in advance for any help

quick edit:
The main goal is to put on muscle everywhere and cut down the body fat % to get abs!

A decent balance is a proper cheat meal every 1-2 weeks. I usually eat mine on Sunday cause that's when my mom makes heaps of pasta and I relax all day. A proper cheat meal is actually a good thing and you need to break the mindset that anything bad for you is going to set you back. A cheat meal on a strict diet is very key, it allows you to look forward to something and train hard week after week and helps give a kick to your metabolism to start burning faster. Going months on end without proper cheat meals will just result in you giving up all together, I've seen it happen to many of my friends who were all "by the book."

Honestly if you're bulking, you really shouldn't be that worried about bad foods. Watch a Ronnie Coleman DVD and see the kind of ***he eats during off-season. It's advised to focus on bulking and cutting in 2 separate phases. A newbie to weightlifting will lose fat and build muscle at the same time within your first year, but eventually you'll just kinda plateau on your gains and need to go the more traditional bulking & cutting route.

Find alternatives to your diet food as well to spice things up. You can only eat brown rice and boiled chicken for so long before you get sick of it. Don't be afraid of an extra 50 calories to use BBQ sauce on your chicken. I personally don't eat brown rice while training because it tastes horrible to me. The nutritional difference between brown rice and white rice isn't even that far apart. You're talking a difference of maybe 15-20 calories and 2 grams of fiber per cup, just not worth it if it disgusts you and you have to force yourself every day.

Instead of a cheat meal, I prefer to do it only once or twice a month and just have a flat out cheat day in its place.

So a cheat meal would be advisable even if the main meals werent the problem? Because tbh all I really miss is my favourite drink. But its HORRIBLY bad for you

And yeah the way phase 1 of the workdout (im still on phase 1) works is put on as much muscle as possible to increase your metabolism as much as possible.Then it'll move onto sculpting and belly fat targetting in other phases.

I forgot to note to,that phase 1 (since its bulking up) you only NEED at least 1 healthy meal a day,more is obviously better,but they recommended at LEAST one.

edit: here's a copy/paste of the info from the website

Calories 266 Sodium 0 mg
Total Fat 0 g Potassium 0 mg
Saturated 0 g Total Carbs 65 g
Polyunsaturated 0 g Dietary Fiber 0 g
Monounsaturated 0 g Sugars 33 g
Trans 0 g Protein 0 g
Cholesterol 0 mg
Vitamin A 0% Calcium 0%
Vitamin C 0% Iron 0%

You need your macros at minimum, and then w/e you fill the rest of your calories up is w/e.

If your one healthy meal doesn't give you enough protein, good carbs, and good fats, then that one meal doesn't cut it, but let's say your target is 100g protein, 100g fat, 100g carbs (I just pulled this out of my *** by the way), and you hit that and still have 1000 calories you can eat for the day, then that 1000 calories can be w/e the ***

How many servings per can/however much you drink is going to be the issue.

Figured as much,I just wasnt sure how often I could "safely" cheat with a bottle.

Above info is for 1 bottle (380ml)

To be quite honest, I don't know what it is exactly that you're asking. Can you drink your favorite drink daily and still maintain gains? Yeah, if you're bulking and the rest of your diet is in tact it won't make much of a difference. On a cut, no. 266 empty calories a day could have been an extra 2 pounds of fat a month you would've lost if you cut it out all together. Have it during your cheat meals, not every day.

Pretty much sums it up,the whole cheat meal thing is a nice idea for me now that I wasnt aware of and it might help me out.

I usually plan my cheat meals out a week in advance to give me that extra motivation to keep going. If I know I'm going out for dinner that weekend, I'll look up the menu online a week in advance and plan out what I'll order. It's a nice little motivational tool to use week after week. I've had my mind wrapped around tomorrow's Superbowl cheat meal all week.

Is there a way to accurately find out how much I personally need btw?

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/macronutrients_calculator.htm

Bodybuilding.com has a lot of other useful calculators as well.

*** hell,seems I'm getting around what that says I need.....with about 4 or 5 of my meals. Good thing I'm eating 5-6

Are you doing P90X?

Sup peps!!! i saw this post and thought you guys might help me, im 5'8" and weight about 115pounds, eat 3 times a day, was planing to taking some whey shakes 2-3 times a day until i build some more weight then workout or should i do both? if so any site, program etc that can help me get more weight

No,watched the videoes and I wouldnt be able for it.

Doing "Six pack shortcuts"


Not sure how accurate this is,and I'm sure there are more scientific ways to do it,but a friend of mine needed to put on weight and he read up on it. Cant remember the source but it was basically "double the size of your meals when you eat,and eat them really fast" Now I'm sure there are better ways to do it and all that,but it worked for him.He put on weight easy doing that

Best advice that I think I can offer is for you to find something that you would be able to do for the rest of your life. If you are measuring out your meals everyday, this much rice, this grilled chicken, yogurt at noon w/e, is that something you think you will be able to manage your entire life? Probably not. It takes a particular kind mind to be able to be that disciplined. Just learn to make healthier choices and be honest with yourself. You know that having oatmeal for breakfast is better for you than pancakes or Frosted Flakes. Have junk food, but save it as a treat. Pick a particular time or day that you will have your favorite snack and then earn it. Eat healthy most of the time but leave yourself that room to indulge. Let that indulgence be your goal to work towards. It will help keep you sane while you work to get yourself into shape. And get in as much variety as you can. You must enjoy your food if you plan on sticking with this choice to live a healthier life.

Your goal though, to me really is not a goal. Goals need to be specific. You are bound to fail if your goal is to put on muscle, simply because you will probably end up disappointing yourself. You probably have a vision of yourself in your mind, that although may be attainable, probably takes alot more work than you are imagining at this moment. Pick a specific weight in your mind, something that you are not near near now, then pick a particular number or reps for that weight. Set that as your goal and work towards it, exceed it. Then set another goal and do it again. This is the only thing that has ever worked for me. Fitness goals are very difficult for the avergae Joe to follow through with. You want to give yourself the best chance to succeed. Once the results start happening they become addictive and it will all start taking care of itself.

Far as when to take protein and post workout drinks. It is very important to not waste a workout. It is hard enuough for people to get their *** to work out, you might as well make the most of it. Endurox R4 is something that I would highly recommend after a strength training workout. It is not a protein shake. It has protein but it is much higher in carbs than protein. Taking a big protein shake after a weight workout is mostly a waste. Your body needs carbs to deliver the protein into the muscles. I only take a protein drink right before I go to sleep along with a ZMA. Your body does most of its recovery and muscle building while you sleep. Get enough sleep.

@Quiz

dont beat yourself up so much - you have a good idea how much your body needs in cals per day to maintain weight? thats real important and can take a while to work it out - then from there add or subtract around 200ISH cals a day depending on what your trying to do

a key phrase is "good in moderation" training and eating clean all the time is great but can suck

i personally let myself have a "treat" every 3-4 days - like a bag chips etc but just keep it sensible !! and if in doubt double check per 100g what your eating as "snack" makers do mislead us all a bit also try avoid sugar packed stuff.

I only weigh myself once every 2-3 weeks now and its handy to take measurements (its a real buzz and good way to keep motivated and on track !)

im currently working down to a six pack and in 12 weeks have dropped 14 pound (but i have also gained a lot of muscle and size) - its slow but steady to wins the race man. its all about being consistent with what/when you eat - how you reward yourself - and....

keep your arse in the gym !!! - keep things simple !! - high intensity !!, heavy but not enough to lose good form and snap your ***up!!! and drink ***loads of water i drink a minimum of 1 litter a day pissing all over the place hahahaha

GL !

@ TP

115 pound at 5-8 sounds a tad heavy pal for that height pal - but you want to gain muscle , if you just eat to much your gonna put on muscle but also get fat

1. i would suggest for the next month you start working out 3-4 times a week - i split my training into "push" weight days and "pull" weight days. Start with 3 sets (later you can work to 4 sets) and keep weight heavy enough so you can move 7-9 reps slow and steady both ways for the upper body - rest for 2-3 mins between sets just to start you off - you should leave them gym feeling shattered ! but remember to always get food in your body within 1 hour after

Lower body do 3 set but this time 12-15 reps

2. keep a food diary of what you eat every day for next month - How many cals do you take in a day and cut out all sugar (its worse than "fat")

3. drink min 1Lt water a day, i use a pint glass as its easy to keep tack of how much ive drunk

4. invest in some scales to weigh your food , portion control yourself

now for this month i say go with how you look / feel as you may feel bad if your not seeing the scales move much but the reason for this is when you 1st return to exercise you gain muscle / lose fat so it can even out on the scales - but i would take some self measurements perhaps

PS: necks a good measurement to take when you start as fat tends to drop from there 1st and places like your tummy last !

GL pal

hahaha man ive just started doing this myself cajun chiken - trying to raise my Metabolism

5 breasts (if a day man that sounds a lot) - i neck down a protein shake instead and i make sure each meal my "protein" part of the meal is about the size of my palm

also on days off i'm taking in about 100ish cals less than i do on training days - i really notice if its to much cal deficit as feels like i cut my throat and i love my food - was thinking to try using BCAAs with my water to help with that later

Actually, that's a little LOW.

o ***sorry lol my bad was thinking in KGs for some reason - yeh your small

only change then is you will most prob have to eat more to support just the muscle (not fat) growth - you 1st need to do a calculation on how much you need to maintain body weight (can be found via google) then chuck another 300 cals on top (to start and cos you do sound skinny!) and keep an eye on your progress during that month.

Thanks for all the help and advice everyone,I;m taking it ALL to heart because overall in the end it'll help me get where I want to be.

I only thought of it a few minutes ago,but it got answered anyways.I was mainly trying to find out if I have a bottle of my favourite drink or a bar of chocolate maybe once a week,it isnt gonna undo 2 weeks of proper progress.

The cheat meal thing sounds like it might provide a big boost too,or at least a steady (even if small) improvement.Will try work one in every 2 weeks or so probably,maybe even every sunday dinner since we usually have chicken and/or beef for it anyways.

@Watusa
It pretty much went like you said.When I restarted as a newbie,I shed alot of that "water weight" just from working out to build size.Cutting phase is coming soon (I'm supposed to start it this monday,but I might do another month of full body muscle workouts first because it looks pretty intense) and I've yet to check out phase 3 and 4.

@Amandarius
Yes,I have an unrealistic goal of myself in my head,but I'm very aware its years away.My problem with setting goals like that,is I'm not sure whats achievable in what period of time and what isnt and I'd end up disappointing myself and likely give up.You mentioned pick a specific weight and aim for that.With muscle/fat I'm not sure what would be a suitable goal to aim for.I started at roughly 185lbs give or take (I'm 6'0) and I'm led to believe muscle weighs more than fat? If thats the case and currently I'm putting on as much muscle as possible now,wouldnt I be gaining weight? I should really buy a scales because our one at home doesnt work anymore and neither does the one in the gym.Current program is designed for people 20-30lbs over "showing abs" weight.Which I know varies for everyone differently.Its a 3 month program,with the last month repeated if over the 20-30lb mark,which I'm pretty sure I am.Since I started January 2nd and my birthday is May 31st,I had a vague goal of "be close to the proper results of the program" by my birthday. Now that will likely end up as more muscle all over than when I started and some visible weight loss in my stomach,even if I'm not showing a 6 pack by my birthday,I'll be happy once I'm "almost there" or at least a good bit down the right path.

@Izilder
Yeah the water thing is a killer for me.I'm trying to hit 2 liters a day + w/e I have in the gym.But I despise the taste of water,always have,always will.And I know flavoured water is full of calories so thats out.Sounds like our meals are about the same size.Mine are a little over the size of my palm,or the way I was taught to measure it,1.5x the size of my fist (average sized hands).

One final question for everyone,what do you guys snack on as a healthy snack? I just take a banana whenever I'm feeling like snacking but eating one of my meals isnt an option for whatever reason.

Thanks again guys,this is all a great help and a big confidence boost too.I look forward to being ripped and posting pictures :D


And I'll just leave this here,because as corny as it sounds,I repeat marky mark's mantra at the very start because it actually motivates me a bit.......

Every....

Single....

Rep.....