Wow, I haven't seen this thread in a while. Jtuds, as was said, if you're hungry that's not a good thing. Eating a light lunch is good, but you should have healthy snacks in between breakfast and lunch, and between lunch and dinner. No meal should be a pig-out session. That said, I indulge on occassion. As long as I'm generally good, I "treat" myself to a meal like Chinese. Last night we had pizza for dinner, but I've been pretty good since the holidays with what I've been eating. Which is good because lately I've been lagging on my exercise. I've gained about 5lbs, all in my abdomen, which pisses me off. I need to get back on track. Rather than 5-6 days a week, I've only been working out 3-4. Unacceptable.
P-90x is good if you can follow it--good luck. I do Bill Starr's 5 x 5. If you want to bulk up and get big---give this program a shot. Monday – Heavy Day Squat – 5 sets of 5 Bench – 5 sets of 5 Powerclean – 5 sets of 5 Weighted hyperextensions - 2 sets Weighted sit-ups - 4 sets On Monday, the weight for each lift is increased on each set of 5, from a light warm-up to an all out set of 5. For squats, something like 135x5, 185x5, 225x5, 275x5, 315x5. The weight should be increased evenly from your first to last set. If you are working up to bigger weights, say above 500, you can add a sixth set of 5 just to avoid making large jumps between sets. Your fifth set equals the triple from the previous Friday's workout Wednesday – Light Day Squat – 4 sets of 5 Incline Bench – 4 sets of 5 High Pulls – 4 sets of 5 Sit-ups - 3 sets On light day, Squat the first 3 sets of 5 just as you did on Monday, and then do a fourth set of 5 with the weight used on the third set. An extra fifth set at this same weight can be added. Incline bench is done using the same scheme, working up to 2-3 sets of 5, but with about 70-80% of the weight flat bench, to accommodate the leverage difference of the incline. High Pulls are done by feel, but usually pretty heavy. Friday - Medium Squat – 4 sets of 5, 1 triple, 1 set of 8 Bench – 4 sets of 5, 1 triple, 1 set of 8 Powercleans – 4 sets of 5, 1 triple Weighted Dips - 3 sets of 5-8 Triceps and Biceps - 3 sets of 8 each On Friday, the first four sets are the same as they were on Monday. The fifth set, done for three reps, should be a jump of about 2.5% over what you did for your fifth set on Monday. As you become more experienced with the system, you can experiment with the weight you use on this triple. This should NOT be a PR triple attempt every week. In fact, the goal is to come back the following Monday and get the same weight for 5 reps that you got for 3 reps the Friday before. To avoid missing reps, pick weights carefully. Take it easy the first few weeks, and don’t over do it. In fact if you've tested/already know your 5 rep maxes you shouldn't be using that weight until the 4th week. After the big triple, drop back to the weight you used for your 3rd set and try to get eight reps.
You lucky SOB. I'm dying for some freaking pizza. I'll be in NJ this week and I'm hitting up some Ninos Pizza in North Brunswick.
Yeah man, we hadn't had pizza since before the holidays. It was great. That's another thing with eating healthy. When you "cheat" you enjoy it so much more.
That's a nice routine, although I think if I had to squat every time I go to the gym I would start inventing reasons not to go. And I don't mean the pussy ass quarter squats you see most bros in the gym do. What happens w/ that routine if you can't make progression anymore? Do you deload for a while or just grind it out?
Whatever routine I do, I end with 50 minutes of cardio exercise at 130-145 BMP. I used to go at 175-180 BMP but I was losing mass not just exclusively fat. Also, whenever you don't feel like going to the gym, that is precisely when you must go, IMO. Once you get there, you lose the "I don't wanna go mentality" and you do your workout. Even if the workout is half-assed, at least you worked out. On another note, I want a rowing machine for my basement. Anyone have any good recommendations?
the one thing i can add to this from my own experience...is that diet is 60% of the battle...and the olther 40% is the weight training/exercising. I don't know how you guys do squats more than twice a week...your body will never recover for maximum gains.....unless you're trying to lose weight. BTW...still love this thread, Alio.....I've been watching my diet closely since Oct....very high protein diet...eating every 4 hours...40-70 carbs per meal. Albeit, it's tough to lose weight when you're taking insulin shots 4x a day....but i am seeing some positive changes.....just at a slower rate. I managed to stave off the xmas treat cravings as well.
It depends on your goals. If they are pure hypertrophy than I would agree that twice per week is optimal and I would assume that you're also not doing 5X5. If your goals are strength/power then you would be working in high intensity/low rep ranges and you can make gains training 3-4 times per week. And as far as meal frequency it doesn't make any difference in your metabolism. It would take a solid 2-3 days of fasting to notice any metabolic slowdown. For a lot of peope frequent meals keep them from overeating though, and that is usually why they will lose weight doing it. Less calories - magic.
one thing i've noticed...is that i haven't lost weight...but my waist size has gone down and i've increased my muscle mass. It sucks when you're diabetic...because you can't cut carbs completely....and the insulin injections are a weight-loss inhibitor.
Awesome. The best part about starting out (I'm assuming you're relatively new, forgive me if you're not) is that you can burn fat and build muscle at the same time while eating at maintenance or slightly below. It becomes pretty hard to do the two simultaneously after a while though. I don't know much about diabetes, but how many carbs do you have to take in per day? Also, insulin injections might make weight loss a little harder due to the insulin sensitivity issue, but it should also make muscle gain easier, particularly if you're taking in carbs & insulin post-workout.
...that and the more muscle mass you have the more caloric intake your body requires. In the past two years I've lost over 30lbs but look bigger than I ever have before. It just sucks that it took my so long to get on the right track. I should have done thin in my early 20s instead of in my 30s.
Fuck counting calories and eating bullshit – we didn’t fight out way up the food chain to eat a god damn salad. Just recognize that eating what you want comes with a price and be prepared to burn it back off. I lost 45 lbs since August – only the first month was through strict diet; been pretty much off the diet all together since about November and am back to eating whatever I want (with the exception of midnight pizza’s) which includes a good 30 – 50 beers over the weekend The price for that in my case however is about a ten mile run M,T,W,TH,F which takes about an hour and 10 minutes…and I fucking hate running. Still worth it to not have to eat like some half a fag granola for the rest of my life. It’s funny because there are a bunch of tools at work that are totally into running and they’ve been trying to get me to run a marathon…they’re like “you can do it…” yeah – no shit but what the fuck would I want to do that for – the running for me is the work to be able to eat pizza and drink beer and whiskey all weekend…not go run another 26 fucking miles.
i eat 40-70 carbs per meal (I also eat 30g of Protein with each meal..protein bars, shakes, cottage cheese, beef, chicken, beans)...which could include anything, but i try to keep it healthy carbs..as long as i stay in that range. The added protein also helps with the appetite frequency in conjunction with the diet schedule. I don't find myself looking for something to eat every 20 mins or so. The insulin injections depend on my blood sugar reading at the time (always before a meal). This is the real hill to climb, imo. I think it does help with muscle gain....but i've been told by doctors and my dietician that it impedes weight loss. I don't let it get me down...i just work harder.
I guess it depends on how willing you are to deal with the calories you take in. For myself I find it a lot easier to not eat 500 calories than to go burn 500 calories. I find cardio extremely boring though.
That’s the thing – cardio isn’t hard…it’s fucking boring. There is this misconception that running is ‘hard’, there is absolutely no athleticism involved in running; it’s just you against your mind. As soon as you get it in your head that you’re going to be on your feet that long, it’s doable. I was talking to this dude the other day and he was telling me he couldn’t run a mile – so I told him to stop wasting his time trying to run a mile and start out with three. He thinks I’m being a dick but that’s what you need to do; show your body that your mind is the boss right off the bat. Your legs will follow. Besides – when you run, the first mile is always the hardest no matter how far you can go.
You and I were talking about this before. I moved off the squats 3 weeks ago and am now doing the leg press instead. I hurt my back doing the never ending squats. Tried to go back but I'm done for a while. I substituted Military Press for the Incline Bench (not sure why benching 3 times a week is better than mixing in the mil. press). I have a ways to go before I'm not progressing. I do feel losing the squats was a huge detriment to the work out. At least I have the dead lifts. I can't wait till tomorrow. All in all--the routine is kick ass. You literally see gains very quickly. I still have a long ways to go but am seriously pumped every time I'm at the gym and I can't wait to go back. I screwed up really bad and took all of December off which set me back a bit. This month has been great though.
Well, really all you've figured out VB is that doing something is better than doing nothing. Cardio is cool if all you're looking to do is lose/maintain a certain weight. In order to build muscle mass (which burns calories all on its own) you have to weight train. I know I've made overbearing statements like "You have to do it this way" but that's bullshit. ANY exercise is better than none at all. It just matters what your goals are. Personally, I hate cardio. I have a Gazelle that I use 3-4 times a week. I get cardio in, but I much prefer my weights for exercise. I want muscle mass, and no amount of running/treadmills/stationary bike/Gazelle/etc. is going to provide that.
