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Part 1: Diet
Yes this section is again Part 1, this is because DIET IS THE MOST IMPORTANT PART.
Not only will a great solid diet help you in the gym, it will also help you out of it in every aspect of your life, Now is the time to start being on a proper diet regardless if you are training or not.
Now to keep things simple there are three main places that your daily calories will come from. Protein, Carbohydrates, Fats. With these three building blocks your body completes a lot of its functions, but if you are in this thread you are probably looking to be building some lean mass and dropping some fat aswell. It is very important to know that not all proteins, fats, and carbs are created equal.
When looking at fats you have Have your typical good ones, IE monounsaturated, polyunsaturated, and your omegas. Then you have your saturated fats which get a really bad reputation, but in IMO and many others it is perfectly fine and infact raises Good Cholesterol more than it does bad. And lastley you have your Trans Fats AVOID these at all costs (watch out for fried foods and hydrogenated oils).
When looking at carbohydrates you pretty much have your Whole Grains vs Refined Grains, my general rule of thumb here is stay away from any of those white refined grains, you dont need them and play your insulin like a fiddle. But choosing Whole Grains you will be getting more vitamins/minerals and fibre than you would from the refined grains.
And again to end it, a list of good sources of these 3 building blocks
Fats:
* Egg Yolk
* Pretty much any kind of nut
* Nut Butters
* Fatty Fish
* Olive oil
* Fish oil
Good Carbs
* Oats
* Beans
* Potatoes
* Rice (preferably brown or whole grain)
* Pasta (again stay away from refined white pasta)
* Bread (once again stay away from refined white bread)
* Lettuce
* Spinach
* Brussels Sprouts
* Cauliflower
* Celery
* Asparagus
* Cucumber
* Green or Red Pepper
* Onions
* Garlic
* Tomatoes
* Zucchini
* Broccoli
* Bananas
* Apples
* Strawberries
* Grapefruit
Protein:
* Eggs
* Lamb
* Organ Meats
* Chicken
* Beef
* Turkey
* Pork
* Tuna
* Protein Powders
QUOTE (Plasmic Fury @ Feb 4 2010, 04:55 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
*Seth can you add this to your diet section on the front page please!
Alcohol and Body Building
I just thought I’d inform people how drinking can affect muscle gain as this is a touchy subject and many of you will probably be wondering.
You probably have a good assumption to the answer of this question. Does Alcohol effect muscle gain? Simply, yes – yes it does. Depending on your weekly/monthly consumption you’re gains can be harmed to completely ruined. Here’s why.
-Testosterone Levels:
A single night of binge drinking can decrease testosterone levels for up to 24hours. Continuous partying and binge drinking will result in a permanent decrease. For those that are unaware testosterone is the most important muscle-building hormone in your body! It is also important to note that excessive drinking can lead to higher levels of estrogen in the body leading to some lovely man boobs/smaller testes/more body fat/ and decreased fertility.
-Protein Synthesis:
Studies have shown that excessive alcohol consumption slows down the process of protein synthesis by up to 22%. Muscles are made up of protein so slowing down this process can be detrimental to your gains.
-Dehydration:
This applies to those more uneducated to the effects of drinking. During a night of drinking your kidneys will use a substantial amount of the body’s water to break down the alcohol. Staying hydrated is one of the keys to muscle gain. If you are going to be drinking I recommend steady water consumption throughout the night.
-The next day at the Gym:
It has been proven that alcohol consumption 48 hours before exercise greatly effects the persons level of strength, focus, reaction time and hand-eye coordination. If you want to lift well you should not consume alcohol 48hrs prior to working out.
-Vitamin and Mineral Depletion:
Alcohol will cause your body to drain many important Vitamin and Minerals at a rapid rate. Being properly nourished aids in muscle growth and maintenance.
-Weight Gain:
Alcohol is simply empty calories, you are not getting much for how much you’re putting in your body. The more you consume the more fat your body will eventually store. Alcohol is calorie dense. While this shouldn’t be on the top of your list of worries, it still has a negative impact on gains.
My Recommendation:
The best thing you can do for your body is to stop drinking. However, while you’re young you do want to have fun every now and then. Drinking is inevitable for many. If you can stop cold turkey – that’s great, however for those that are going to continue here’s some tips:
+Limit binge drinking to once a month:
Pick the correct night to drink! You should not be consuming alcohol on a weekly basis. To get the least amount of impact on your body you should try to limit yourself to 4-5 drinks a month.
+Nourish yourself before heading out:
Remember to drink plenty of water during the night and eat a big meal full of good vitamins/nutrients/fat/proteins . At least you can lessen the harmful effects.
+Don’t drink and head to the gym the next day:
If possible drink the night before your rest day. You’ll be less productive at the gym the next day if you decide the drink the night before.
Alcohol and Body Building
I just thought I’d inform people how drinking can affect muscle gain as this is a touchy subject and many of you will probably be wondering.
You probably have a good assumption to the answer of this question. Does Alcohol effect muscle gain? Simply, yes – yes it does. Depending on your weekly/monthly consumption you’re gains can be harmed to completely ruined. Here’s why.
-Testosterone Levels:
A single night of binge drinking can decrease testosterone levels for up to 24hours. Continuous partying and binge drinking will result in a permanent decrease. For those that are unaware testosterone is the most important muscle-building hormone in your body! It is also important to note that excessive drinking can lead to higher levels of estrogen in the body leading to some lovely man boobs/smaller testes/more body fat/ and decreased fertility.
-Protein Synthesis:
Studies have shown that excessive alcohol consumption slows down the process of protein synthesis by up to 22%. Muscles are made up of protein so slowing down this process can be detrimental to your gains.
-Dehydration:
This applies to those more uneducated to the effects of drinking. During a night of drinking your kidneys will use a substantial amount of the body’s water to break down the alcohol. Staying hydrated is one of the keys to muscle gain. If you are going to be drinking I recommend steady water consumption throughout the night.
-The next day at the Gym:
It has been proven that alcohol consumption 48 hours before exercise greatly effects the persons level of strength, focus, reaction time and hand-eye coordination. If you want to lift well you should not consume alcohol 48hrs prior to working out.
-Vitamin and Mineral Depletion:
Alcohol will cause your body to drain many important Vitamin and Minerals at a rapid rate. Being properly nourished aids in muscle growth and maintenance.
-Weight Gain:
Alcohol is simply empty calories, you are not getting much for how much you’re putting in your body. The more you consume the more fat your body will eventually store. Alcohol is calorie dense. While this shouldn’t be on the top of your list of worries, it still has a negative impact on gains.
My Recommendation:
The best thing you can do for your body is to stop drinking. However, while you’re young you do want to have fun every now and then. Drinking is inevitable for many. If you can stop cold turkey – that’s great, however for those that are going to continue here’s some tips:
+Limit binge drinking to once a month:
Pick the correct night to drink! You should not be consuming alcohol on a weekly basis. To get the least amount of impact on your body you should try to limit yourself to 4-5 drinks a month.
+Nourish yourself before heading out:
Remember to drink plenty of water during the night and eat a big meal full of good vitamins/nutrients/fat/proteins . At least you can lessen the harmful effects.
+Don’t drink and head to the gym the next day:
If possible drink the night before your rest day. You’ll be less productive at the gym the next day if you decide the drink the night before.
Personal Tidbit:
When putting your diet together i highly recommend doing 5-6 smaller meals throughout the day compared to the usual 3 big meals.
Also do not skips meals doing that will not make you lose weight quicker. You need to eat food regularly to lose weight
Alright, so on to the next important, and may i say the most fun part.
Part 2: Training
WHUTTT?? I am looking to build muscle, how is training not more important than diet??
The answer too that question is, If you train and give your body inadequate food then most of what you're doing will be in vain.
Before you start training you are going to want to build yourself a Workout Program and do some reading on how to perform the exercises correctly so you don't injure yourself. For a lot of the lifts i will recommend you can find good detailed guides here - http://stronglifts.com/
I am a big believer in doing full body compound lifts, they will make your strength increase dramatically and help you pack on the muscle. The main lifts that i think everyone should incorporate into their programs and they are as follows, Squats, Deadlifts, Bench Press, Overhead Press, Pullups, Dips, and Barbell Rows. These lifts get most of your body into the action and will help you get Hy0ge fast.
Typically what people do when making a Workout Program is splitting up the days into Muscle groups
Back/Biceps
Chest/Triceps
Legs
Shoulders
All you really need is 4 one hour sessions a week. Not really hard to find 4 free hours now is it?
So get to putting together your workout plans and learning how to lift properly!!
Personal Tidbit:
I personally do a lot more compound movements then isolation and rarely do any straight up abs/arm workouts because alot of the exercises you will be doing incorporate those muscles groups. I will go into more detail about my workouts later.
Part 3: Supplements
Alright so this is where most of my opinions have changed since last time, either threw personal experience or doing a lot more research.
The only supplements I really recommend are a Multivitamin/Mineral, Fish Oil, Some type of Protein (if you feel you need the extra protein) and for some people Creatine. Pretty much everything else on the market is going to be a waste of your time and money and can cause some health problems, (Roids and prohormones do work and can be done safely if you know what you are doing, I do not endorse them and will not help you with them. I just hate the stigma people give to them).
Again as with food you have to make sure that the quality you are getting is good and healthy.
With Multivitamin spending more money does not ensure a better product, in face some of the cheaper ones are the best rated products in terms of where the vitamins come from and their ability to be absorbed by your body.
With fish oil you are going to want to find something with a good amount of Omega 3s (I prefer the straight fluid form over the capsules), uses fresh caught fish (not farmed fist) and is free contaminants IE PCBs, Mercury, and others.
When it comes to protein there is just way to much too choose from, and what you pick really has a lot to do with you as a person, IE your budget, type of protein and any food allergies. The tried, tested, and true protein for people in this field is Whey Protein, relatively cheap, good tasting, many flavours, but if you have any problems with dairy i would recommend not going this route (will go into a personal story later). If you are looking for a more natural or vegan friendly type protein there is Pea Protein, Rice Protein and Hemp Protein all of which are complete proteins but will vary in cost depending on which way you go.
If you are looking for recommendations for any supplements feel free to ask me but i will not plug any here.
Personal Tidbit:
I have personally tried many things out on the market today. Everything from creatine, to nitric oxide, to BCAAs. In the general scheme of these i find these items not worth it at all, costs too much money and didn't really notice anything in the way of gains.
My Recommendation for supplements is simple, the only thing i take is Cod Liver Oil.
Now for some more personal stuff about my training and diet.
Part 4: About
So my name is Seth, i am a 20 year old male and after being quite sick throughout my earlier years have sought out healthy lifestyle and i want to bring it to others aswell.
When it comes to eating i try to prepare everything i eat myself, the fresher the better. I try to go with local organic foods when i can, and if not i will settle for the next best. I personally haven't eaten at a fast food restaurant like McDonalds in over a year (except once on vacation i got a grilled chicken snack wrap OH NOES).
Also another interesting thing is since i have come back home in late april i havent used a Microwave Oven, i can talk about that if people want me to later xD.
So my daily diet consists of usually about six meals a day, sometimes more.
Meal 1 - Eggs (Raw or Cooked), Spinach, Meat (Fatty Meat), Cheese
Meal 2 - Organic Apple, Brazil Nuts, Pumpkin Seeds/Flax Seeds
Meal 3 - Sometype of Meat with Veggies
Meal 4 - Meat and Veggies Again
PreWO - Banana
PostWO - Raw Whole Milk Kefir and Bone Broth
Meal 6 - Blueberries, Avocado, Almonds, Walnuts, Kefir
My Typical Training Split
See www.stronglifts.com
If you have any other questions FEEL FREE TO ASK
Edited by Beefcake, 04 February 2010 - 05:10 PM.
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