Workout Thread

[uncle_el]

unforutnately, i've been slacking the past few months as far as appropriate diet (i feel that a "diet" is lifelong, not just for the here and now) and getting to the gym as much as i would like.

at this time last year, i weighed 185, max bp 280, 5 reps with 315 on squats- i would assume my max squat would be btw 350-380 at that time. though not a typical lift, i shrug 365 4 or 5 times (olympic bar).

currently, i weigh 200, max bp probably around 260, haven't squatted in a long time , shrug the same.

i try to eat right. only supplemental is eas whey protein after working out. it does pretty well for me, though it's not an isolated whey protein, but it's a good source in addition to eating right and getting a good protein intake.

my goal for 4 months from now is to weigh 185-190, max bp back up to 280 (though overall goal is to get to 315, i'm not sure if i can do this in 4 months time), get back to repping with 315 on squats, and eating right all of the time even when there are lush pharamaceutical/drug rep lunches and dinners.

may try animal stak/m stak (fizz, i forget which one is ephedra free, but april 1 is coming up soon) if i can get on a regular routine (which i should be able to with my upcoming rotations in the hospial).

*edit: my shoulders and chest are getting too wide/broad as my white coat (have to wear daily in the hospital) feels very tight, and the regular size surgical gowns do not fit my shoulders any more (a gown actually came undone during surgery on 2 different occassions- which is a big "no no". needless to say, i now wear an xl gown in the operating room). i guess i need to stop doing shrugs so much.

[accordtunerx]

ha, i didn't know you worked out elliot?

fizzbob: www.wannabebigforums.com (lots of info there too)

i work out as well... much more now that i'm in college and we have free access to a gym.

i'm a pretty thin guy... around 6'0" and only about 150 pounds or so. my goal is to put on 15-20 pounds of lean muscle mass by the summer time (june/july). my problem is that i have the ectomorph body style... which means pretty high metabolism (thanks to my dad). it's hard for me to put on weight. i can work out all i want, but if i'm not gaining weight... i only become toned and defined (but not physically BIGGER) - which is where i'm at now. the problem with me is one of NUTRITION. in order for ME to start gaining weight, i was told that i'd have to eat as many grams of protein that i weigh PER DAY. this means that i'm going to have to eat 150 grams of proten per day - that's a lot!

as of now, i work out about 3 times a week... and i have 2 upper body days and one lower body day (legs mainly). i usually do about 4-6 sets of a combination of machines and free weights, averaging 10-20 reps of whatever it might be. for nutrition, i try and eat foods high in protein - tuna, eggs, peanut butter sandwiches, lots of milk drinking, protein bars, banannas, lean meats like turkey, whatever. but it's still hard to hit that 150 grams a day. i usually only average about 100 grams per day (on a good day).

so my theory/idea is that i'm going to have to start the shakes... some say they're good... some say it's all garbage... but either way they do contain like 30 grams of protein (or so) per shake. the numbers don't lie.

unless there is an easier way to GAIN nutrition-wise... ?

[uncle_el]

so, eating your weight in grams of protein is more about eating enough protein to keep the muscle mass you have and having the raw components to build more muscle, than it is about gaining weight.

protein shakes are a good quick source of making sure you get enough protein (i like the eas whey protein because it's 20 g of protein, not including the milk, and it doesn't make a very thick shake- so it's basically like drinking milk, but with a lot more protein). but, shakes aren't for everyone (usually because of taste- i've found that the high protien shakes tend to taste like crap).
protein bars are the same- good source, but limited by taste.
or you can go the natural route, and eat foods high in protein.

in the end, good quality protein every day can get expensive, if you can't find/figure out how to shop at the store. eggs/egg whites are one of the cheapest ways to get protein.

as far as gaining weight is concerned, well, simply put, you have to take in more calories than you expend in order to put on weight.

carbs and protein give ~4 calories/gram
fat gives ~9 calories/gram.

since you're a self-proclaimed ectomorph, it seems as though you can eat a ton, and not notice it. some sources say your body type should limit aerobic activity in order to limit the metabolism. the hard thing is that muscle is a better metabolizer than fat (thus the reason top athletes, and gym rats eat a ton and don't seem to gain weight; whereas obese people may not eat much, but all of the calories "stick"). so, perhaps putting on a little bit of fat on your bones would serve you well. though that's probably not a good idea long-term.

the easiest thing in my mind for you to do is: 1. eat more- breakfast, lunch, dinner every day. and eat 3 to 5 more times in between there. there's a great book, called "body for life" by bill phillips (founder of eas) that has a bunch of different work out and diet plans. i think the book is available for about 10-15 bucks now. 2. lift heavy. to get big muscles, you've got to lift big weight. in a sense, that's easier said than done. 3. less cardio. you shouldn't totally eliminate it (for current and future health concerns), but by scaling it back, you won't expend as many calories.

though high calorie junk foods are the easy way to go, i think the long term effects of those outweigh the weight gain you want now.

[91accord4door]

i need the best way to loose a couple pounds lol,i gained a lil bit over winter,any suggestions.

[thewoahna]

Workout... Hmm... I dont do much of that. I am on my feet walkin around all day when I am at work, but thats about it. I eat whatever looks yummy. I have a feeling someday it will all catch up with me.

[h22sparkle]

i stopped awhile ago jsut because ive been busy workin i was into it hard. But im just makin money for now cant do both cause on saturday and sunday im tired as hell and jsut wanna lay on my ass. on the weekdays its back to work deliverin packages

[MRX]

I don't need to count calories, fat, or carbs of any sore because my metabolism is so fast i lose weight sitting on my ass and watching smurfs. When i was attending college i was a gym regular. I'm 5'7 and weighed in at 142 lbs and my max bench was like 215 lbs. I really need to start up again but i'm not so close to a gym anymore. I think i could have been benching like 250 lbs at the same weight if i'd stuck to it. Never took any supplements...i went all natural'.

[MRX]

Originally posted by fizzbob7
nothing wrong with supplements..........and it sucks how short people bench more simply because they have shorter arms......mine are like a monkey's arms

i didn't use supplements because i wanted to see how strong i could get without the aid of anything at besides food...i kinda look at it as someone who wants to build an all-motor car now. And i don't have too short of arms...kinda lenghty for my size

[Sho Nuff]

I never been to fond of bench presses. I like to do stuff you can do anywhere, like pullups, dips, and pushups. I guesss thats why i still way 140 pounds at 5'11 (along with the ultrafast matabolism). And i hear that doing them slow is also good. I might go back to lift'n weights though.