1003 replies to this topic

[حشّاشين Ghost]

111*


But I think it's a better idea to make a MA thread in general. I want to talk about martial arts you know...

kk will do.

[Plasmic Fury]

out of sheer curiosity (not looking for recommendations), what supplements do you guys take?
All I got is my whey protien and some creatine

Currently, the only supplement I really take is Case-In Protein. It's good for when I don't get adequate protein during the day, so before bed I can drink it. However, I'd rather get my protien from good quality food rather than a powder. There's no guarantee the protein from a shake is being effectively used in my body.

Creatine Monohydrate is simply put, the best and only supplement I would recommend for helping gains. I would only take specifically creatine monohydrate though, none of the other types. It is proven to aid in muscle growth.

Personally I don't take Creatine because it makes me feel nauseous.

Guys, i have a fairly curved back, making deadlights and bent over rows fucking hard to keep good form.


What the fuck can I do? Guy who works at gym said, go see someone about it (like £60 an hour), or train your back more as it should help straighten it out.

Its a natural curve, its not the form. My back is just naturally curved... also my little sister has the curve aswell, but hers isn't as bad at mine (probably because shes younger).


I know i'm not the only one, as seen plenty of people at gym that are my size that have similar problem.

Read through this, do the exercises and see if it helps. I have problems rounding my back with heavy weight squats and rows, but these streches seem to be helping

http://stronglifts.c...r-hip-mobility/

Edited by Plasmic Fury, 18 March 2010 - 12:11 PM.

[Jamie]

Read through this, do the exercises and see if it helps. I have problems rounding my back with heavy weight squats and rows, but these streches seem to be helping

http://stronglifts.c...r-hip-mobility/

I was thinking of starting to do rowing machines.

Basically I do no cardio at the moment, and rowing machines could help strengthen my back, shoulders and arms. Also build up my legs some more.


What do you think? Or just go back to running? I plan to do one of them to tone up more for summer.

[Plasmic Fury]

Had to take the bus to the gym today. Took forever. Had some great lifts.

On the way home I had to walk ~5km to get home cause the buses were too damn slow and I wasn't gonna wait for em.

Was actually quite enjoyable.

Feels good man.

I was thinking of starting to do rowing machines.

Basically I do no cardio at the moment, and rowing machines could help strengthen my back, shoulders and arms. Also build up my legs some more.


What do you think? Or just go back to running? I plan to do one of them to tone up more for summer.

Why not do both? If you're looking to get into cardio I see no reason why you couldn't fit both into your schedule if you want. I'm not sure it will really improve your back posture, but if it's enjoyable for you i'd still do it.

If your bulking and doing excessive cardio make sure to eat enough calories to make up for the loss, but if your cutting it would be greatly beneficial.

Either way, I'm a huge fan of cardio and can't wait to start running in the summer.

Edited by Plasmic Fury, 18 March 2010 - 10:18 PM.

[Jamie]

I find rowing a lot more hardcore and harder than running.

Running, I haven't been in 3 months, but I reckon I could easily bust out 20 minutes at a constant 8mph.

Rowing, I do 5 minutes and I'm totally fucked, all my arms kill, etc.

[Plasmic Fury]

I find rowing a lot more hardcore and harder than running.

Running, I haven't been in 3 months, but I reckon I could easily bust out 20 minutes at a constant 8mph.

Rowing, I do 5 minutes and I'm totally fucked, all my arms kill, etc.

Like anything, Keep at it and you'll get better.

[Jamie]

Like anything, Keep at it and you'll get better.

One question;

You said eat more if I'm doing cardio, to continue my bulk up.


IM NOT TRYING TO CUT.


Will I still see big benefits from rowing if I eat over what I'm burning, or is it competely pointless until I decide to cut down?


Surely if I kept the same diet (which is a lot of bulkage imo), just a lot more of the calories would be turning to muscle, helping my bulk up in theory? This is my first time at bulking, so I'm clueless.

[Plasmic Fury]

One question;

You said eat more if I'm doing cardio, to continue my bulk up.


IM NOT TRYING TO CUT.


Will I still see big benefits from rowing if I eat over what I'm burning, or is it competely pointless until I decide to cut down?


Surely if I kept the same diet (which is a lot of bulkage imo), just a lot more of the calories would be turning to muscle, helping my bulk up in theory? This is my first time at bulking, so I'm clueless.

If you want to gain mass specifically, you need to eat over your calorie maintenance level. During a bulk you will never gain all muscle per lb you put on, but if you are skinny to begin with, this is not a bad thing. During your bulk you will put on mass that will help you fill out. Once you reach your desired weight, you need to cut the fat you put on to get the lean look.

It is possible to gain muscle while on a cut as well, so don't worry about losing muscle mass once you finish your bulk. Keep in mind, that while on a bulk you should not eat shit food, you will only put on lbs of fat. If you eat clean you should be gaining 2-6lbs a month (depending on how long you've been working out, and probably half of which will be muscle).

If you're doing lots of cardio, that means you will need to eat more to keep up with the calories you are burning off. You won't gain mass as fast if you burn off all the extra calories your eating.

Also, depending on how good your genetics are, you may not even need to consider cutting during your bulk. Some people are lucky enough to continue looking lean throughout their entire bulk. If you eat clean, there is a good chance this will happen to you as well.

Edited by Plasmic Fury, 19 March 2010 - 11:55 AM.

[Jamie]

Ermm my genetics suck in terms of a good build, but the more I eat the better I seem to look in my opinion.


I only wanted to do cardio as I thought rowing would help build muscle.

Might bulk up for another month then cardio before summer really starts.

My diet isn't 100% (ive shown it before). Mainly fizzy drink is only thing that lets it down. But I rarely eat chocolate and shit like that.

[حشّاشين Ghost]

Going to run, then going to campus gym.

[Plasmic Fury]

Ermm my genetics suck in terms of a good build, but the more I eat the better I seem to look in my opinion.


I only wanted to do cardio as I thought rowing would help build muscle.

Might bulk up for another month then cardio before summer really starts.

My diet isn't 100% (ive shown it before). Mainly fizzy drink is only thing that lets it down. But I rarely eat chocolate and shit like that.

You can incorporate cardio + bulk, just gotta eat more.

If that's not your style then don't worry about it.

Either way, if your skinny, eating more is the only way you'll ever get bigger. (I'm in the same position, started at 152lbs and am now at 170lbs and still feel too skinny)

Also, I'd cut down sodas to a bare minimum, they block nutrient absorbsion.

Edited by Plasmic Fury, 19 March 2010 - 01:34 PM.

[Jamie]

Dude, I started at 147lbs, and dropped just below 140, now back up to 140.


And i'm eating every 2 hours, even some shit now and again, doesn't help ;/.

[Plasmic Fury]

Dude, I started at 147lbs, and dropped just below 140, now back up to 140.


And i'm eating every 2 hours, even some shit now and again, doesn't help ;/.

Remember to eat high calorie foods like Milk & Cheese.

1 litre of Whole Milk a day is equal to 720cals

Half a block of cheese is also close to that.

You'll know you're on the right track when your weight increases ~2lbs a month.


Don't get discouraged. Keep eating, the weight will come.

Edited by Plasmic Fury, 19 March 2010 - 02:26 PM.

[Mares]

Ok so first of all, milk is the best thing out there for you Jamie. I'm in the same boat as you, now I'm drinking a lot of milk and I'm gaining weight. But I still need some help, that's why I'm coming here to improve my diet.


Morning

• Oatmeal + banana + a spoon of sugar
• Protein shake (350ml milk + protein powder)

Afternoon

• As much bread as I can eat with some sort of meat or fish on it

After school

• Protein shake (350ml + protein powder)

After workout (so there are days when I don't take this one)

• Protein shake (350ml + protein powder)

Evening

• What my mum gives me to eat

Before I got to bed

• Nothing really specific (peanut butter sometimes)

I know there a lot of improvements can be made, so that's why I'm coming here.

[Plasmic Fury]

*Changes I've made are in green.

Ok so first of all, milk is the best thing out there for you Jamie. I'm in the same boat as you, now I'm drinking a lot of milk and I'm gaining weight. But I still need some help, that's why I'm coming here to improve my diet.


Morning

• Oatmeal + banana + a spoon of sugar (Why a spoonful of sugar? Don't eat that. You get PLENTY of sugar from foods, don't punish your body by eating that).
• Protein shake (350ml milk + protein powder)

Your breakfast in the morning is good calorie wise, but nutritionally I wouldn't rate it the highest. Try eating eggs, add some types of meat in the morning too for protein (maybe bacon 1-2x a week, ground beef 1-2x). You can continue eating oatmeal 1-2x a week too.

If you eat such as that, you won't need the protein powder. Can just eat a plate of 4 eggs + 4 strips of bacon or 200g of ground beef + banana + 350ml of milk and you'll be set.
------------------

No mid-snack here? Maybe add some yogurt + nuts/cheese here.

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Afternoon

• As much bread as I can eat with some sort of meat or fish on it

If bulking I guess a shitload of bread isn't too bad. However, you're going to put on a lot of fat if you continue to stuff yourself with as much bread as you can handle.
Meat,Chicken,Fish, veggies here would all be beneficial and recommended.



---------------------------------

After school

• Protein shake (350ml + protein powder)

Hmmmm... This is ok here. Maybe eat an apple or another type of fruit here.

-------------------------------------


After workout (so there are days when I don't take this one)

• Protein shake (350ml + protein powder)

So on a workout day, you drink a shake before and after workout? Once again on a bulk that is OK, but maybe eat whole foods rather then loading on shakes here.

----------------------------
Evening

• What my mum gives me to eat

Good, hopefully she makes plenty of veggies here.


----------------------------------------------------

Before I got to bed

• Nothing really specific (peanut butter sometimes)

How about some Cheese? Peanut butter here is good too.



I know there a lot of improvements can be made, so that's why I'm coming here.

Edited by Plasmic Fury, 19 March 2010 - 05:57 PM.

[Jimmy Rabbitte]

I've still got a potruding pregnant boy gut and non-trivial man tits that I've had basically all my life. I'm trying my hardest to eat clean but I am dependent on my mother for food and a lot of what she buys is crap. I want to not have a gut and tits, but I also want to build up my upper body. In my situation would it be wiser to do mostly cardio first and then bulk up, or the other way round?

Because I've been thinking since I'm broke right now but may be working soon, I can just eat a lot less and work off the weight, then when I get a job I can buy my own meats and veggies and supplements and cook them myself and start on bulking up. Is this a bad idea?

My days are very atypical because my mom has been in and out of debt and we often don't have adequate food around, but this is kind of average:

Breakfast: 2 Oatmeal packets, or an apple and/or banana, or eggs, or any combination of these, or nothing if I'm in a rush

After school snack/lunch: I usually snack on nuts, fruit, make a PB&J sandwich, or tomatoes, or celery, sometimes I have candy (I know this is bad) or string cheese, and tend to drink a lot of milk out of boredom. Also tea or coffee.

Workout day snack/lunch (so far I've worked out 2 days in the past 2 weeks, since last time of working out which was a couple years ago: 2 eggs, or an egg and a peice of salmon, and whey protein although I finished the last of what we had of that.

Dinner: Whatever my mom makes me. Although often times I make dinner and depending on if we have meats thawed, or money, I might have a good fish/pork/beef dish with some veggies, I might have something bad like refined pasta or pizza (I love pizza).

Other: I tend to stay up pretty late and snack on the same things from lunch, although I will tend to eat sweets if they are around. I've done a great job cutting soda out of my diet but I still can't resist eating sweets if they're around.

[Plasmic Fury]

-snip-

If your serious about dropping the weight, here would be my plan of action:

1st. Get yourself motivated. Without motivation, you will not succeed in your goals. Don't underestimate how important motivation is. It makes all the difference in the world.

2nd. Revamp your diet.

A. Cut out all drinks except for water. Successful weight loss happens when your blood sugar is not consistently high. The glucose-fructose from fruit juices,sodas, and other carbonated drinks will keep the fat around your stomach. (If you're going to keep drinking milk, cut it down to a 250ml glass a day, Milk is very high in calories)

B. Eat Vegetables. In the morning, lunch, and dinner. Vegetables will help you control your hunger. Veggies are filled with fiber that will make you feel full. Even better, they are low in calories so you can eat a lot of them.

C. Watch your calorie intake. Find out how many calories you are consuming daily using fitday. Once you have an idea, eat under that (I would recommend ~600-800cals below, but you can go lower if you think you can control your hunger).

D. Cut the crap Refined wheat, Genetically Engineered Corn products, foods with corn syrup. AVOID IT. These foods will keep your blood sugar high, never fill you up, and you will never lose weight.

*SideNote - Your diet doesn't look TOO bad from what I can tell. Just avoid the candy and other bad things you may snoop on. If you can control your carb intake you should be very successful with weight loss. Make sure you know what you are eating too - those Quaker packs of oatmeal I assume you are referring to are loaded with glucose-fructose. Make plain oatmeal if you have to.

You will find that eating lower calories is easier than you thought when you prepare good meals, rather than snacking on junk food.


3rd. Exercise

If your thinking of either anaerobic or aerobic exercises for weight loss, defiantly choose anaerobic. You burn much more calories doing these types of exercises + you will get stronger. However, doing both cardio and lifting will be really beneficial if you want to drop weight faster and i'd recommend it. Lift then run for 15mins after to burn some extra calories.



Depending on your weight, you can be dropping ~2lbs a week if you successfully follow a strict diet (easily the most important) followed with consistent exercise.

Remember, that you are only human, so if you don't want to go insane never eating the foods you like, simply allow yourself a small cheatmeal every week. I find this will keep people sane, and will prevent you from giving in and going on a strong binge.

Good Luck!

Edited by Plasmic Fury, 20 March 2010 - 06:50 PM.

[Jimmy Rabbitte]

Thanks bru! Just a couple more questions..

I typically eat a lot of fruit, mostly apples, pears, bananas, and berries, how much fruit is too much? Should I worry about the sugars I'm getting from them?

Does anaerobic exercise mostly entail weight lifting? if so, will eating a lot of protein (as I already enjoy doing) impede my fat loss? Also, for cardio I usually use the elliptical because I don't like banging my knees on hard surfaces, also I wear adidas sambas which aren't really fun to run in.. I usually warm up for 2 minutes, then sprint for 2 minutes, then slow down for 2, etc etc and usually go for about 15-20 minutes. Our gym has an erg or rowing machine, should I switch to that?

[Plasmic Fury]

Thanks bru! Just a couple more questions..

I typically eat a lot of fruit, mostly apples, pears, bananas, and berries, how much fruit is too much? Should I worry about the sugars I'm getting from them?

Does anaerobic exercise mostly entail weight lifting? if so, will eating a lot of protein (as I already enjoy doing) impede my fat loss? Also, for cardio I usually use the elliptical because I don't like banging my knees on hard surfaces, also I wear adidas sambas which aren't really fun to run in.. I usually warm up for 2 minutes, then sprint for 2 minutes, then slow down for 2, etc etc and usually go for about 15-20 minutes. Our gym has an erg or rowing machine, should I switch to that?

Limit fruit to twice a day - the sugars from fruit are higher in a different type of sugar than what is in most processed foods, however they can still effect weight loss. With that said, not eating fruit at all would be ill advised as fruits provide essential nutrients for your body.

Yes, Anaerobic exercises involve weight lifting. Eating protein will be necessary and will not slow your fat loss unless you are consuming a vast amount (~50g more than body weight). Better to load of up foods rich in fat and proteins than carbs for loosing weight (you'll feel full from meals rich in fat and proteins as opposed to carb loads). The biggest thing to remember is eating under your maintenance level.

What you are doing on the elliptical is a form of HIIT (High intensity interval training), this is great for burning calories, keep doing that.


And remember, give yourself plenty of break days, don't over train. Doing so will stress out your body which could lead to reduced fat loss! (exercise 3-5x a week, no more!)

[Mantrousse]

Ran today, going to do some chest tomorrow, going to try 55 kg chest press and hopefully get through.

By this you mean bench press, right? Not dumbell press (as in a 55kg dumbell in each of your hands)?

You're beasting if it's dumbell press. In fact, i'd find that hard to believe, haha, .