Workout plan advice?

[BriarFox]

Anyone out there better at designing workouts than I am? I'd love some advice. I want to build core strength and get a bit leaner, and this is what I've put together so far.

Workouts - 3x per week, 2 week cycle

Day 1.1 - chest and arms
Incline- 4 sets
Pectoral flys - 3 sets
Tricep presses - 4 sets
Seated Bicep bar - 4 sets
Forearm curls - 3 sets
ab crunches - 3 sets

Day 1.2:
Bench - 4 sets
Decline bench - 3 sets
Tricep pulldowns - 4 sets
Standing Bicep curls - 4 sets
Forearms - 3 sets
Ab crunches - 3 sets

Day 2.1: shoulders and back
Seated shoulder press - 4 sets
Shoulder shrugs - 4 sets
Front shoulder raises with cable - 3 sets
Deltoid flys - 3 sets
Lat pulldowns - 4 sets
Low row - 4 sets
Forearms - 3 sets
Abs - 3 sets

Day 2.2:
"Arnolds" - 4 sets
Deltoid pulls - 3 sets
front shoulder raises with bar - 3 sets
Lay flys with dumbbells - 3 sets
Planks or back stretches
Back extensions - 3 sets
Forearms - 3 sets
Abs - 3 sets

Day 3.1 - Legs
Squats or lunges - 4 sets
Leg extensions - 3 sets
Hamstring curls - 3 sets
Calf raises seated - 4 sets
Forearms - 3 sets
Abs - 3 sets

Day 3.2: Find some new variations
Leg sled - 4 sets
Leg extensions - 3 sets
Hamstring curls - 3 sets
Calf raises seated - 4 sets
Forearms - 3 sets
Abs - 3 sets

[AnticorRifling]

Step one don't have kids, they take up a lot of lifting time. I failed step one. But I did get to reclaim and set my garage back up with my iron so it's go time again! I do want to get a big truck tire and a sledge for the back yard...

[BriarFox]

I do want to get a big truck tire and a sledge for the back yard...

That would just be fun to use - and talk about: "Whatcha doin' on Sat?" "Oh, draggin' my tire around." "Haha. Old lady's getting a bit round, eh?" "No, my tire." "What?" "My 6ft monster truck tire!"

[AnticorRifling]

It's more than just fun to use. Flip the tire, jump in jump out, flip the tire, jump in jump out, repeat for set time/distance. Then pick up the sledge and hit the tire 50 times with full body form. Repeat the flip/jump, repeat the sledge drill, go vomit.

[pabstblueribbon]

Don't ignore your glutes. When a guy tries to be Joe Cool and flex his bi-ceps, whip em out and squeeze. That'll teach him.

[AnticorRifling]

Don't ignore your glutes. When a guy tries to be Joe Cool and flex his bi-ceps, whip em out and squeeze. That'll teach him.

Agreed. I hate the idiots at the gym that lift upper body, then lift upper body, and finish with some upper body. On their alternate workout days they do upper body. Sweet chicken legs bro glad your numbers are 2x on the bench what they are on the squat rack. Always train your wheels.

[Jace Solo]

Couple things.

Are those two a days or are you alternating them weekly?
What type of weight/reps are you planning per set?
What's your interval rest periods?

I've trained people for a couple years now. Intensity is key for tone/weight loss.

[Stanley Burrell]

Stretch. Eat superdoses of water soluble vitamins. Drinks lots of water. Protein. Everything else looks way more than O.K. Good luck.

[pabstblueribbon]

When you can crush a soup can with your butt meat, it's time to oil those suckers up and get a pair of mesh muscle shorts.

Flaunt if you got it.

[AnticorRifling]

Stretch. Eat superdoses of water soluble vitamins. Drinks lots of water. Protein. Everything else looks way more than O.K. Good luck.

Vitamins are great if you want expensive urine. Eat food.

[AnticorRifling]

When you can crush a soup can with your butt meat, it's time to oil those suckers up and get a pair of mesh muscle shorts.

Flaunt if you got it.

What do you mean when? Also what size can are we talking, solo soup can easy, family size can of spaggeti-o's (with meatballs duh) still training.

[BriarFox]

Couple things.

Are those two a days or are you alternating them weekly?
What type of weight/reps are you planning per set?
What's your interval rest periods?

I've trained people for a couple years now. Intensity is key for tone/weight loss.

I'm going to alternate weekly (1.1 on week 1, 1.2 on week 2). I've found that if I just do the same exercises every week, I don't see a ton of improvement. I try to move from one exercise to another immediately, preferably something that works a slightly different muscle group, in order to keep up a good pace and to minimize wasted time. I also not to wait for more than 2 minutes or so between sets. When I start to get tired, I take longer breaks.

Weights below are what I did when I was in the gym on Fri, or what I did last time I did that lift. Yeah, I know my bench weight is pathetic. It's not an exercise I've ever done much of. I'll probably try to increase the weight every 2-3 weeks.


Workouts - 3x per week, 2 week cycle

Day 1.1 - chest and arms
Incline- 4 sets, 10x95, 10x115, 6x135, 2x145
Pectoral flys - 3 sets, 10x70, 10x80, 10x90
Tricep presses - 4 sets, 10x40, 10x45, 10x50
Seated Bicep bar - 4 sets, 10x35, 8x45, 6x55
Forearm curls - 3 sets, 10x35, 10x40, 10x45
Ab crunches - 3 sets of 25

Day 1.2:
Bench - 4 sets, 10x115, 8x135, 6x145, 2x155
Decline bench - 3 sets, 10x95, 8x105, 6x115
Tricep pulldowns - 4 sets, 10x70, 10x80, 10x90, 3x100
Standing Bicep curls - 4 sets, 10x25, 10x30, 8x35, 2x40
Forearm curls - 3 sets, 10x35, 10x40, 10x45
Ab crunches - 3 sets of 25

Day 2.1: shoulders and back
Seated shoulder press with bar - 4 sets, 10x70, 10x80, 8x90, 4x100
Shoulder shrugs - 4 sets, 10x40, 10x45, 8x50, 4x55
Front shoulder raises with cable - 3 sets, 10x40, 10x50, 10x60
Deltoid flys - 3 sets, 10x15, 10x20, 10x25
Lat pulldowns - 4 sets, 10x70, 10x80, 10x90, 3x100
Low row - 4 sets, 10x80, 10x90, 10x100, 10x110
Forearm curls - 3 sets, 10x35, 10x40, 10x45
Ab crunches - 3 sets of 25

Day 2.2:
"Arnolds" - 4 sets, 10x15, 10x20, 10x25, 3x30
Deltoid pulls - 3 sets, 10x35, 10x40, 10x45
Front shoulder raises with bar - 3 sets, 10x35, 10x45, 10x55
Lay flys with dumbbells - 3 sets, 10x10, 10x15, 10x20
Planks or back stretches
Back extensions - 3 sets of 12 with 25lb weight to start
Forearm curls - 3 sets, 10x35, 10x40, 10x45
Ab crunches - 3 sets of 25

Day 3.1 - Legs
Squats or lunges - 4 sets, 10x135, 10x175, 10x225, 4x???
Leg extensions - 3 sets, 10x80, 10x90, 10x110
Hamstring curls - 3 sets, 10x30, 10x40, 10x50
Calf raises seated - 4 sets, 10x60, 10x70, 10x80, 10x90
Forearm curls - 3 sets, 10x35, 10x40, 10x45
Ab crunches - 3 sets of 25

Day 3.2: Find some new variations
Leg sled - 4 sets, 10x225, 10x275, 10x325, 4x???
Leg extensions - 3 sets, 10x80, 10x90, 10x110
Hamstring curls - 3 sets, 10x30, 10x40, 10x50
Calf raises standing- 4 sets, 10x60, 10x70, 10x80, 10x90
Forearm curls - 3 sets, 10x35, 10x40, 10x45
Ab crunches - 3 sets of 25

Thanks for the advice so far, and for taking a look at this bit.

[pabstblueribbon]

What do you mean when? Also what size can are we talking, solo soup can easy, family size can of spaggeti-o's (with meatballs duh) still training.

Don't limit yourself. Do you remember that arm wresling movie with Stallone in it? Over the Top?

It's basically nothing like that. If you see an unsqueezed can thats mocking you with its unsqueezed state don't hesitate to slap it between ol' toothless and show it who's boss.

For added emphasis you should scream THIS IS SPARTA.

[AnticorRifling]

I'm actually working on the next step, after crushing the can I restore it to it's original size and shape with my junk.

[BriarFox]

I'm actually working on the next step, after crushing the can I restore it to it's original size and shape with my junk.

Reminds me of Iron Crotch Kung Fu. Yeah, it's real.

[pabstblueribbon]

Innovative. Eco friendly. Use a can more than once. How many kids did you say you had?

[Jace Solo]

Briar, remember that you never "need" to lift more than your body weight with anything outside legs. You can go 1.5 to 2x your body weight on square and presses. Iso legs will still never go over body weight. Pushing for more than that does to things: make you bulky (which is the opposite of what you've stated) and make you prone to excess wear and injury.

Your restin between sets should be around 45s to 1m to keep the blood pump adequate to have you burning the whole time. 2m rests are more for a bulking workout. You also want to emphasis higher reps in the 15-25 range for toning.

Lastly, if you're just coming in from even a few months break, your first week or two should be all core exercises without weight. What I mean by that is free square, push ups, pull ups, flutter kicks and a ton

[Jace Solo]

Briar, remember that you never "need" to lift more than your body weight with anything outside legs. You can go 1.5 to 2x your body weight on square and presses. Iso legs will still never go over body weight. Pushing for more than that does to things: make you bulky (which is the opposite of what you've stated) and make you prone to excess wear and injury.

Your restin between sets should be around 45s to 1m to keep the blood pump adequate to have you burning the whole time. 2m rests are more for a bulking workout. You also want to emphasis higher reps in the 15-25 range for toning.

If you're just coming in from even a few months break, your first week or two should be all core exercises without weight. What I mean by that is free square, push ups, pull ups, flutter kicks and a ton of abs. Before getting into a weight routine remember patience is key.

Final point. If you want to see gains and keep the work out fresh you can alternate exercises every 3-4 weeks. Changing it every week is fine but it requires a LOT of preplanning. I generally make 4 week swaps for myself or anyone I'm training.

Good luck!

[BriarFox]

Briar, remember that you never "need" to lift more than your body weight with anything outside legs. You can go 1.5 to 2x your body weight on square and presses. Iso legs will still never go over body weight. Pushing for more than that does to things: make you bulky (which is the opposite of what you've stated) and make you prone to excess wear and injury.

Your restin between sets should be around 45s to 1m to keep the blood pump adequate to have you burning the whole time. 2m rests are more for a bulking workout. You also want to emphasis higher reps in the 15-25 range for toning.

If you're just coming in from even a few months break, your first week or two should be all core exercises without weight. What I mean by that is free square, push ups, pull ups, flutter kicks and a ton of abs. Before getting into a weight routine remember patience is key.

Final point. If you want to see gains and keep the work out fresh you can alternate exercises every 3-4 weeks. Changing it every week is fine but it requires a LOT of preplanning. I generally make 4 week swaps for myself or anyone I'm training.

Good luck!

Thanks, Ruty. I'll lower some of these weights and increase the reps in each set, and I'll just start with the first series for the first few weeks. Its hard to be patient, but I'll avoid the weights for a week or two, like you suggest.

Do you generally recommend hard and fast lifts or slow and steady ones?

[Malvadere]

Dont lift like that, please. Step away from the muscle magazine before you hurt yourself. I'm at work now (Certified Athletic Trainer, assistant PT). I'll send you a PM later.

[pabstblueribbon]

Dont lift like that, please. Step away from the muscle magazine before you hurt yourself. I'm at work now (Certified Athletic Trainer, assistant PT). I'll send you a PM later.

Pfft. Gym Tan Laundry. Exfoliate.

[BriarFox]

Dont lift like that, please. Step away from the muscle magazine before you hurt yourself. I'm at work now (Certified Athletic Trainer, assistant PT). I'll send you a PM later.

I R doing it wr0ng?? Sadness.

I'll look forward to the PM. Thanks a ton.

[Asha]

Yeah I thought it was going to be simple to lose weight then get buff. Turned out everything I thought was common sense healthwise was bullshit. It's sadly not just a matter of forcing a calorie deficiency and hitting the gym hard.
Since I've been getting proper training it's been more like being in the army. I've pretty much lost all the weight I want to now and am nearly as tight as I was early 20s. Next comes the actual muscle building and I've been told it's a whole different story. Thing is once you've sort of disciplined yourself into a routine you have to be careful not to go overboard.
My goal to be tip top by summer is coming on nice though.

[Androidpk]

Yeah I thought it was going to be simple to lose weight then get buff. Turned out everything I thought was common sense healthwise was bullshit. It's sadly not just a matter of forcing a calorie deficiency and hitting the gym hard.
Since I've been getting proper training it's been more like being in the army. I've pretty much lost all the weight I want to now and am nearly as tight as I was early 20s. Next comes the actual muscle building and I've been told it's a whole different story. Thing is once you've sort of disciplined yourself into a routine you have to be careful not to go overboard.
My goal to be tip top by summer is coming on nice though.

Feel free to send me advice on whatever it is you're doing. Kthx.

[AnticorRifling]

I R doing it wr0ng?? Sadness.

I'll look forward to the PM. Thanks a ton.

Don't use science trust the mail order certificiate!!!!

Although Malv's advice has been spot on in the past I will say most personal trainers I've come in contact with are complete douchenozzles and their advice is what you'd expect out of a douchenozzle. Don't discount all of them though there are plenty that are serious and know what they are doing.

[AnticorRifling]

Yeah I thought it was going to be simple to lose weight then get buff. Turned out everything I thought was common sense healthwise was bullshit. It's sadly not just a matter of forcing a calorie deficiency and hitting the gym hard.
Since I've been getting proper training it's been more like being in the army. I've pretty much lost all the weight I want to now and am nearly as tight as I was early 20s. Next comes the actual muscle building and I've been told it's a whole different story. Thing is once you've sort of disciplined yourself into a routine you have to be careful not to go overboard.
My goal to be tip top by summer is coming on nice though.

Forcing a calorie deficiency isn't common sense, if it was common sense Ethiopia would be a mecca of knowledge.

[pabstblueribbon]

He lives in England right? It doesn't take Sherlock Holmes to figure this one out.

[Asha]

GAH! I meant as in don't eat the 'required' 2300 cals a day, a man should be.
Yeah I totally meant starve yourself completely!

[Jace Solo]

Let Mal take a closer look. I didn't have to time look through each exercise.

I would say at interval lifts. General way I left is two seconds down, second of pause, second on push back up. So a 2-1-1. Let's see what Mal says though.

[MotleyCrew]

Don't forget one of these:

http://laxcrossfit.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/thigh-master.jpg

And this couldn't hurt...

http://pichars.org/store/ADf54

[pabstblueribbon]

Unnecessary with Anticors revolutionary bean can re-shaper. See previous posts for more details.

*Penis sold separately.

[Stanley Burrell]

Vitamins are great if you want expensive urine. Eat food.

My bad, that's what I meant when I mentioned protein. But... There's a difference between having (true) expensive piss, and then forcing your body to physically absorb vitamins A-through-Omega-3: Super. Fucking. Doses.

Don't OD on Flintstones vitamins, because your liver is only going to pump out that much transferrin. Everything water-soluble in vitamin form can be powerfully manipulated into your physiology if you take horse pill-sized doses of water solubles every hour. You make a few free radicals, but it's a small price to pay.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to down about half a million times the recommended dose of the β-carotene component of vitamin A so I can turn into a carotenemic Oompa Loompa with sweet-ass night vision.

[ViridianAsp]

So, like you guys seem really competent about ah diet and stuff and I'm trying hard to lose weight. I'm a woman and I'm doing the calorie deficit thing and doing Pilates.

Ah-- Am I doing it wrong? Also I'm a big tub of lard now and would like to look like I did when I played softball in high school

I've actually lost weight, but I think that's because I'm just more active than I used to be. So, any tips? Because I'm lost on what I should do, other than the starving myself and working out.

[AnticorRifling]

1. Don't starve yourself

2. Drink lots of water

3. Everyone is different general advice will get you general results. Common sense does work though, be more active, cut out the soda and the junk (which sucks because I LOVE junk food).

4. Results are generally fast for like 10 pounds, then they slow down don't get discouraged, keep at it.

[BriarFox]

I was looking for feedback on my own workout plan, but I suppose I can chime in. I think all weight-loss advice boils down to calories: eating fewer of them and using more when you work out. The thing is, though, that you can't just starve yourself. As far as I know, that forces your body to go into a sort of conservation mode and it'll burn as few calories as possible. So, you need to trim your diet, but not drastically, and increase your workouts. I've heard that eating 5 small meals a day helps, and that one should avoid pasta and other carb- and starch-rich foods at night, because we tend to overeat on them. One is supposed to try not to eat for a few hours before going to bed, too, and I've heard that a cup of coffee before breakfast in the morning can help speed up your metabolism slightly.

That's all hearsay, but it seems to be repeated a lot.

[AnticorRifling]

One thing you mentioned and I don't like. You said you want to increase the weight of your bench every 2 weeks. Don't stick to a time table as much as listen to what your muscles are saying. If it's time to move the weight up move it up, if you're stuck at a weight for a few weeks stay there don't try and add weight and hurt yourself.

The goal to increase weight is great and setting a time to hit it is fine but just don't move the weight because of the date, move when it's time.

[BriarFox]

One thing you mentioned and I don't like. You said you want to increase the weight of your bench every 2 weeks. Don't stick to a time table as much as listen to what your muscles are saying. If it's time to move the weight up move it up, if you're stuck at a weight for a few weeks stay there don't try and add weight and hurt yourself.

The goal to increase weight is great and setting a time to hit it is fine but just don't move the weight because of the date, move when it's time.

I was just thinking about re-evaluating every couple of weeks, not moving it up as a matter of course. I think if I did that, I'd end up unable to lift the projected weight a month or three down the road. Your advice about listening to the muscles makes a lot of sense.

[ViridianAsp]

Thank you! Sorry I didn't mean to jack your thread, I've just been looking for solutions myself lately. I thought I'd ask while you guys were on a roll.

[Jace Solo]

Did the certified personal trainer get back to you? I never went for my certification but I taught it at a university for a few years and still help the current trainers there now.

Anticor and I posted back and forth about our plans and results for a while last year. He got some pretty good results. ALWAYS listen to your body. If it says Rest...you rest...that doesn't mean don't push yourself but it means that if you're too tired to go to the gym then take the day and rest. It doesn't mean if [I]you[I] feel like it. If you're body is up to it but you wanna do another bounty...go do your fucking workout!

As for losing weight, caloric intake is key BUT...keeping the same intake, decreasing meal size and increasing the number of meals a day will yield pretty good results paired with activity. We are bad about eating just two to three meals a day...this tells our bodies that we might need to save up energy because we might not be eating again soon. If you want your body to feel like it can burn anything excess, communicate with it by keeping it fed all day. This goes for bulking and cutting. If you want your body to burn fat and save protein you still want to be eating constantly.

My current diet which is meant for lean massing @ 170-180 pounds (I'm 5'11"):
Breakfast: 4ish Egg Whites, Two servings of Oatmeal, Water with Jack3d.
Post workout snack: Protein shake (20-40g), snack bar, piece of fruit.
Lunch: Chicken Breast, Rice/Pasta (limit the sauces to just enough taste so you don't get burnt out on the repetitive taste)
Mid day snack: Protein bar (10-12g), piece of fruit or two
Dinner: Lean meats, 1-2 servings of veggies
Pre Bed snack: Protein shake (20-40g) then if I'm trying to gain a bit I'll have a PBJ.

All the sugar you need in any given day can come from fruit and the bars/shakes.

I completely stopped drinking all of the sugary drinks (which sucks cause sweet-tea and I are made for eachother) and instead drink clean teas like green or chai.

Also, you almost cannot drink enough water. You should always have a water bottle by your side and empty it once an hour (down your gullet)!

Lastly, SLEEP. If you don't, your body cannot recover or use all the good stuff your putting into it. We have to recharge, just like cell phones, ipods, computers...

Again, like Anticor said, this is all general stuff. If you want results specific to you...go see a trainer. Make sure they are actually into what your asking for and are "listening". A lot of them just want you to get their commissions and don't give a fuck if you keep coming back or not. Get a trainer that wants to coach you and is concerned about your health. If he's too busy talking to other people in the gym instead of focusing on you, get a new one or straight up tell him/her. There is nothing wrong with it. I have also found that when going to a personal trainer, women care more. If you find a woman with as much knowledge as a man in the field...they rock cause they become emotional tied to your wellbeing. Men, well, we have this thing about being emotionally devoid and looking for our own results over others.

[AnticorRifling]

Diet I won't comment on because I don't do it. I know how, I know I could, but I just don't. I've cleaned up and don't do the junk food but I still chow down on home cooking.

[Tsa`ah]

I had to stop lifting a few years ago in order to lose enough mass to relive spinal stress.

After enough therapy that I could walk and stand without sciatica issues, and the realization that I could probably never weight train with any effectiveness ... I resorted to walking and ellipticals. Which is fine, but if you've never had love handles or flab, and then you have both ... not so fine.

My orthopedic specialist suggested that I try P90x. It's been almost a year now. I'm 40 lbs lighter than I was when he told me to stop weight training and lose some mass, 20 lbs lighter that I was while flabby and walking for my physical training.

It you want beach muscles, by all means ... weight train and eat like a horse. If you just want a modest amount of bulk, tone, and general cardio ... Try p90 or something like it.

[BriarFox]

Nope, haven't heard back from Mal yet. As far as Px90 or whatnot goes, I'd rather just try what's at the heart of that plan, which is a daily workout from what I just read about it.

Hit the gym tonight and did some light stuff: kung fu to warm up, then rowing machine, then some dips and chin ups.

[Jace Solo]

Good start, don't neglect the abs...that's the true core

[septus]

I'm going to be the dissenting voice here and say that eating less calories than you need (starvation diet) doesn't help much to actually lose weight. When you start starving your body tends to use muscle for fuel before fat. It's not good for muscle gain. Also your body is pretty good at regulating itself. The whole calorie in/out works well if your body always burns the exact same amount of calories; however this isn't actually the case. Your body will start to conserve energy once it sees that there's not as much energy to be had. It doesn't immediately go 'oh hey look! I can use this fat!' That's why when you do starvation diets you tend to feel colder and it also tends to reduce your diet.

Fat gain tends to be more hormonal, which is why some people can eat whatever they want and not gain anything while others keep gaining weight even while malnourished. Insulin is one of the key hormones involved in regulating fat, which is low carb diets work. Your insulin levels spike when you eat food that is easy to digest (sugars, such as from a candy bar or glass of fruit juice and grains such as cereals and white bread).

Personally I'm for the low-carb diets if you want to lose weight. Once you get to your target weight you can start reintroducing carbs and see what your limit is. You'll start gaining weight back when you start taking in more carbs than you can handle.

As for muscle gain, eat lots of protein and don't work out too often. Your muscles take awhile to repair themselves and need to rest. If you look at workouts like p90x you work a different set of muscles on your strength days and take a week off to rest your muscles every 4 weeks. P90x works really well if you have the time. Also when you do rep exercises you want to use enough weight that you can't go past 8 reps. You pretty much want to work your muscles to exhaustion and then let them rest for a little while. I read about a study the other day that talks about how the more muscle mass you have the longer it takes to heal and rebuild itself, so when you start doing heavier weights you take longer breaks for better results.

[Jace Solo]

I agree with Septus's approach.


Also, a little plug for Ellie's surgery in three hours. Hour friends could use your thoughts or prayers.

If you don''t know what I mean, see http://forum.gsplayers.com/showthread.php?t=58551.

[Skeeter]

I subscribe to the eat less exercise more plan. It's working for me, there's nearly a situation.

[Showal]

Want to know what to do? Follow these steps and you'll get ripped in no time:


i love all these posts pretendeding to be expert nutritionists. LOL. If you are dedicated enough to wanna take supplements when you work out then you dont need ANY supplements. All those supplements are a big waste of money and you dont need them. Anyone goin to the gym needs 3 things 1. dedication 2. Persistance. and 3 commitment. Supplements are far off of that list.

Eat a bowl of rice and chicken 50/50. 2 hours before you start working out i'am assuming its an intense workout and youll have more energy then you know what to do with. From the looks of things it sounds like your a skinny dude with high metabolisim. If thats the case you have 2 options ethier train your metabolisim to be slower which is extremely difficult to do. (Eat once a day or twice a day huge meals), or accept your god given physique. Being skinny isnt all that bad. if you wanna gain mass your gonna have to eat alot of calories. High calorie diets are your friend i.e. dont be scared of eating junk food you need as much calories as possible. The only meal you really need to worry about is the bowl of rice and chicken 2 hours before your workout which gives you natural creatine, plenty of carbs, and plenty of energy for hours of intense lifting.

If your workout is super lifting concentrated, then you can drink gatorade during your workout for support but thats it. Creatine and protein while may be attracive to the noobs has no real significant purpose besides being a super good money maker for thier production companies.

Also for gaining mass do super heavy weight super low reps. I.E. find your max on bench drop it by 20-30lbs and do it 3-4 times. If you can do it 5 times on your own its too much and you need to increase the weight. 3X a week and you follow everything i say you will start to see results in 6 month to a year. After you gain the strength/size you want then you can drop the weight and increase the reps. But once you get there talk to me and ill let you know what to do.

I printed out that post and hung it around my house. I even carry a copy around with me at all times for when I get off track. It's now part of my exercise Bible. I'm now 3 months into my Michaelous chicken and rice diet and I can't wait to contact him in the next 3-9 months to find out what to do next.

[septus]

Want to know what to do? Follow these steps and you'll get ripped in no time:



I printed out that post and hung it around my house. I even carry a copy around with me at all times for when I get off track. It's now part of my exercise Bible. I'm now 3 months into my Michaelous chicken and rice diet and I can't wait to contact him in the next 3-9 months to find out what to do next.

Drinking milk also helps in gaining weight. I'll also like to reemphasize the eating the chicken and rice meal 2 hours before the work out. The body actually takes awhile before it starts digestion and those nutrients are available for your body to use. If you eat 2 hours than it should hit around the middle/end of your workout. (Different foods take a different amount of time to actually start being broken down and absorbed.. OJ is the fastest at 40 minutes, but I believe that's if you only have OJ and don't also have food with it. This is because if you just drink something the pyloric valve stays open and the liquid will enter the intestines, allowing it to be absorbed quicker due to more surface area. This is why you'll get drunk quicker if you drink on an empty stomach.)

Oh, and with eating junk food watch out for too much fructose (HFCS or "Corn Sugar" and fruit juices mostly) because that can cause insulin resistance, which would make it harder to stop gaining weight once you hit the weight that you want. Regular sugar doesn't have nearly as much affect on insulin resistance.

[Showal]

I was joking.

[Delias]

I only really do push-ups and child-lifts now, but when I was in good shape I'd spend an hour or so rocking the incline treadmill and then go work my upper body... my favorite device for doing so was the freemotion rower. It just works so many muscles. Outside of the gym, before my son was born, I was just walking like six miles a day, combined with push-ups and a couple of 40lb dumbbells, that's really all I needed.

[Cephalopod]

I was joking.

I'm sad that Showal was forced to post this.

[Showal]

...when I was in good shape...

Come on ... we've seen the pictures.

[Malvadere]

Don't use science trust the mail order certificiate!!!!

Although Malv's advice has been spot on in the past I will say most personal trainers I've come in contact with are complete douchenozzles and their advice is what you'd expect out of a douchenozzle. Don't discount all of them though there are plenty that are serious and know what they are doing.

I agree. The truth is it's scary how easy and retarded the process is to pick up a simple certified personal trainer certificate. You're better off going to a one time out-of-pocket fitness evaluation (posture, gait, mobility and stability assessment) from a physical therapist, or a therapist assistant, have them show you what your body needs, work on that while dieting and then get into a full body circuit training routine (like p90x). The bottom line is, 99% of the time there is going to be something dysfunctional about your body, and that will lead to issues, whether it it simply pain, or a full blown injury. If you don't do this, you're very much at risk...I'm super, duper cereal.

I'm a Certified Athletic Trainer, I went to school for this at UF. I can touch my clients, assess and treat injuries, and bill insurance while working under a doctor or physical therapist.I safely perform people for performance, often rehabilitating them from their past retarded workout injuries/dysfunction. I work at a physical therapist office and see this stuff all the time unfortunately.

Don't use a personal trainer, or if you do, get the one who has been doing it for 10+ years. We had a personal trainer in my area almost kill a guy the other day. Be careful.

[AnticorRifling]

I can touch my clients.... I'll be calling Chris Hansen to monitor your actions at any local high school job fairs.

[Showal]

I'll be calling Chris Hansen to monitor your actions at any local high school job fairs.

Better yet ... I would love to use your services.

[Malvadere]

Personal trainers can't put their hands on anybody. Light stretching on healthy clients is pretty common though. Obviously what I meant was I can do the soft tissue work, pop in dislocated joins, work clients through pain etc.

[AnticorRifling]

I know but that doesn't mean I can reference Chris Hansen at every opportunity.

[Delias]

Come on ... we've seen the pictures.

Sorry, when I said "In good shape" I should have added "for me." I was 60lbs lighter and my physical endurance much higher... I felt like a teenager again. I found myself doing things just because I could do them.

[Sheikh]

I found myself doing things just because I could do them.

Touching yourself?

[Delias]

Touching yourself?

Ah, no, I never lost the ability to do that. Luckily I'm well enough endowed that even though I'm fat, I've never lost sight of my best friend.

It would be nice to get back to that and I make a token effort every so often, but I really don't think I am likely to reach where I was until I have a set schedule or go back to working days. It was remarkably easy, when I was working days, to exercise regularly and lose weight. With my current, retardedly fucked up schedule, I find it to be much more difficult. It is amazing how not sleeping can so thoroughly erode your ability to give a shit.

[Showal]

Ah, no, I never lost the ability to do that. Luckily I'm well enough endowed that even though I'm fat, I've never lost sight of my best friend.

It would be nice to get back to that and I make a token effort every so often, but I really don't think I am likely to reach where I was until I have a set schedule or go back to working days. It was remarkably easy, when I was working days, to exercise regularly and lose weight. With my current, retardedly fucked up schedule, I find it to be much more difficult. It is amazing how not sleeping can so thoroughly erode your ability to give a shit.

And how not sleeping can thoroughly destroy any effort to lose weight. Seriously.

[Asha]

Just to clarify I didn't say anywhere that starving yourself was the way to lose weight. Just burn more cals than you take. Simple.
OR starve yourself.

[Delias]

And how not sleeping can thoroughly destroy any effort to lose weight. Seriously.

When I was working days, before my wife was pregnant with our son, I'd go to the gym an average of four days a week for an hour and a half to two hours each visit... but now, well, I either have time or energy, but never both.

[Showal]

Just to clarify I didn't say anywhere that starving yourself was the way to lose weight. Just burn more cals than you take. Simple.
OR starve yourself.

better yet, eat what you want and throw it up later.