Ingram85 Posted February 7, 2015 Share Posted February 7, 2015 (edited) Stefan, If you aren't worried about muscle gain and its just to lose weight then get some diet whey protein powder. The one I have has flax seeds and green tea in it. One in the morning, one in the evening. Also, cut your carbs in half and eat more fruit - blueberries are a dieters dream. I used to do a no carbs diet but I was always tired so now I eat a little wholemeal pasta or a little boiled brown rice and the odd jacket spud. If it's spag bol I use the cheapest sauce I can find, aldis basic jar is great as it has so much less fat and sugar than the fancy ones. Bit of quorn mince and half of a one person pasta portion, although I usually use less than that even. It works for me as I like a regime to follow so calorie counting and itineraries are great for me, kind of like a spreadsheet complex Doesn't work for all though. I posted my diet on here a while ago (forget which topic) and while it's restricted and a ball ache to religiously follow, it has helped me - with a few tweaks - go from 15st down to 13st and a lot less jiggle just from diet alone. EDIT: Just found it, in the cheers you up thread of all places. I've added my tweaks and other than xmas/birthdays I've pretty much kept to it: porridge, aldis weetabix, scrambled eggs w/ low fat cottage cheese & ryvita or a breakfast protein shake in the morning. Mixed salad with tuna/quorn chicken, olives, tomato & a boiled egg or ryvita with various salad stuff or low fat Greek style salad cheese on it in the afternoon Quorn 'meat' or fish with weight watchers/healthy living/own brand jar sauce chilli con carne/bolognese/curry/Chinese etc... in the evening with a small portion of low cal brown rice/pasta or a small jacket spud. Snack a jacks/velvet crisp/corn cakes/fruit for snacks Tea/coffee/squash Protein shake before bed Couple of treats every other day are ok, I have a chocolate bar every 2-3 days. Have rich tea biscuits with a cuppa etc... Edited February 7, 2015 by Ingram85 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JB Posted February 7, 2015 Share Posted February 7, 2015 Getting great results in terms of lean mass and strength gains using Poliquin's Advanced German Volume Training routine. He talks some nonsense at times but knows his apples when it comes to training. I'd highly recommend this or the standard GVT program, depending on experience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stevo985 Posted February 7, 2015 VT Supporter Share Posted February 7, 2015 Considering GVT for my next bulk. A friend of mine has done it and rates it highly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abdomlahor Posted February 10, 2015 Share Posted February 10, 2015 Signing up for the gym next week. Looking to gain weight and size. I'm 6"4 ~175lb. Been told I should be consuming 3500 calories a day with a 40-40-20 split diet. I've been attempting it, but it's a struggle as I don't have a very big appetite. Any advice? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
omariqy Posted February 10, 2015 Share Posted February 10, 2015 I've just seen Protein Bread advertised on Myprotein. Worth a go surely? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stevo985 Posted February 10, 2015 VT Supporter Share Posted February 10, 2015 Hard boiled egg sandwiches on brown bread with peanut butter. Surprisingly delicious. Absolutely jam packed full of calories and protein Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
villa_shere Posted February 10, 2015 Share Posted February 10, 2015 I'm running on Madcow routine at the moment. Last year was a write off gym wise and put on some weight since summer so going for a bit of a mix. Dieting to lose weight and running madcow at the same time. Not ideal but its working at the moment, weights going in the right direction and currently working through week 5 of madcow without much struggle. Hopefully by the time im hitting week 9 im not far off my numbers from about 13months ago. Tricky part is if my lifting increase stops before my weight loss goal is achieved. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StefanAVFC Posted February 10, 2015 Share Posted February 10, 2015 Okay taken all stuff on board (thanks everyone) Gym 3 times a week. Cardio -30 mins mountain programme - aim to beat my distance from last session each time - hover for entirety of peaks Rowing - 15 mins - not sure on programme, maybe distance? Upper body/core - Bicep curls (3x20) tricep dips (5x5) 2 more that I don't know the name of Plank - increase in time each session Is that enough? I'm enjoying dieting. Today I had cereal for breakfast, chicken with rice and peppers for lunch and having chicken and salad for dinner. I've enjoyed the creativity of it. I've always loved cooking for I've found dieting as a way to be more creative. So last night I made fajitas and made my own marinades. Used it again for lunch today. Now am making a different marinade for dinner today. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JB Posted February 10, 2015 Share Posted February 10, 2015 I don't want to sound like a dick but I'll be brutally honest, there aren't many better ways of pretty much wasting your time in the gym than that program. Doing long duration cardio, followed by a pair of isolation exercises (one of which is terrible for the shoulders) is pretty much the opposite of ideal. Again, I'm not trying to be a fitness snob but bis and tris are pretty much the last muscles you should think about training directly. You're also doing 60 reps on biceps and 25 on triceps. Not great for structural balance. I'd say prioritise weights over cardio at the moment. That's not just the meathead point of view - lifting weights has been proven to burn fat and improve fitness effectively with the added bonus of increasing muscle. I'd strongly advise finding a solid beginners program written by a genuine expert and sticking to that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stevo985 Posted February 11, 2015 VT Supporter Share Posted February 11, 2015 (edited) That routine will help you lose weight. But it will do almost nothing in terms of muscle gain/prevention. Throwing in a set of arm exercises is almost pointless to be honest. If I were you I'd reassess your goals. If you're only concerned about losing the flab, then forget weights and concentrate on your cardio. Your diet sounds good but remember to consider calories. Healthy food is only a good diet if the calories are low, but it sounds like you're probably ok there. If you do want to develop some muscle or keep what you have then you need to find a proper beginner's weight routine. Don't be patronised by the word beginner. They're beginner routines because they maximise the newbie gains that beginners experience. But don't improvise. Even experienced lifters don't improvise, they usually stick to a routine that somebody else has designed. As JB said, weight lifting is a great way to lose stimulate weight loss as well. But it needs to be a proper routine. Edit: I've linked this site before, but there are loads of beginner routines here I'd suggest filtering by "top rated" and choosing one near the top Edited February 11, 2015 by Stevo985 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wainy316 Posted February 11, 2015 Share Posted February 11, 2015 What does rowing do for you? I've read it's really good because it works the whole body but what benefits do you actually get? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JB Posted February 11, 2015 Share Posted February 11, 2015 (edited) Assuming you're talking about the rowing machine, you pretty much answered your own question! It's also good for the upper back as it's essentially just a very high volume pulling exercise. I'd say 99% of people who use it have shocking form, though. It's also not for everybody, especially those with lower back problems due to the constant hip flexion whilst seated. Edited February 11, 2015 by JB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stevo985 Posted February 11, 2015 VT Supporter Share Posted February 11, 2015 I think the rowing machine is one of the hardest bits of cardio to do, i.e. it must burn the most calories. But as a result it's quite hard to do it for long periods of time. If I'm looking for a quick blast of cardio I'll use the rower. 7 minutes and 2000 metres later and I'm absolutely **** Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicho Posted February 12, 2015 Share Posted February 12, 2015 Anybody go to the gym during their lunch hour? Considering going to "The Gym" on High Street in Brum during my lunch hour. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamieZ Posted February 15, 2015 Share Posted February 15, 2015 Alright, I'm joining this thread. I've just moved back to the States after a couple years living abroad without a gym membership. Everything I had when I left is gone now; I'm an avid runner, but haven't lifted a weight in two years. So, I'll be starting from scratch and starting to get it back. Does anyone have any advice for someone whose primary focus is their running (I like to aim for 35-50 miles a week, health/schedule permitting), but would like to work on their full-body fitness? I don't want to gain a million pounds because every pound gained is another pound I need to carry around with me when I run, but I would like to rebuild some of the 15lbs. of muscle I lost when I moved abroad. I have a gym membership, but I've never been an expert when it comes to crafting routines. I try to stick to muscle groups (back/biceps, chest/triceps, etc., etc), but I don't plan workouts or keep a journal. I'm also not scientific about my diet. I strive to eat well, and I'll generally make a protein shake after a workout, but I don't count grams and calories. I'm looking to get back into the swing of things as quickly as possible and make some quick strides to get me in a better position to improve. Generally, I watch other people at the gym and ape what they're doing, but I find free weights daunting, so I'm generally quite conservative with them. I'll bench press and use dumbbells, but things like squatting and deadlifts scare the bejeezus out of me. General tips or suggestions? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sexbelowsound Posted February 15, 2015 Share Posted February 15, 2015 Alright, I'm joining this thread. I've just moved back to the States after a couple years living abroad without a gym membership. Everything I had when I left is gone now; I'm an avid runner, but haven't lifted a weight in two years. So, I'll be starting from scratch and starting to get it back. Does anyone have any advice for someone whose primary focus is their running (I like to aim for 35-50 miles a week, health/schedule permitting), but would like to work on their full-body fitness? I don't want to gain a million pounds because every pound gained is another pound I need to carry around with me when I run, but I would like to rebuild some of the 15lbs. of muscle I lost when I moved abroad. I have a gym membership, but I've never been an expert when it comes to crafting routines. I try to stick to muscle groups (back/biceps, chest/triceps, etc., etc), but I don't plan workouts or keep a journal. I'm also not scientific about my diet. I strive to eat well, and I'll generally make a protein shake after a workout, but I don't count grams and calories. I'm looking to get back into the swing of things as quickly as possible and make some quick strides to get me in a better position to improve. Generally, I watch other people at the gym and ape what they're doing, but I find free weights daunting, so I'm generally quite conservative with them. I'll bench press and use dumbbells, but things like squatting and deadlifts scare the bejeezus out of me. General tips or suggestions? 1) Find a good beginner plan, Muscleandstrength.com has some good ones. 2) Start actually tracking your food intake using myfitnesspal. Find out how much you need to eat for maintenance and add 200 calories to it to feed your muscles. Aim for a gram of protein per pound of body weight. 3) Muscle building and high cardio are counter intuitive I believe though so i'd seriously consider what you want to go for. 4) Enjoy it. 5) Get other opinions because this may all be bullshit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamieZ Posted February 16, 2015 Share Posted February 16, 2015 I'm going to start taking advantage of some of the pre-made plans (thanks for the link), but I can't imagine its a contradiction in terms for an avid runner to want to round out his general fitness. I can see the difference now in the two weeks I've been at the gym, and I'm only able to do a fraction of what I used to. If I can gain 10-15lbs of lean muscle, I imagine I'd be more than happy with my fitness. Are you suggesting that I'll have to scale back on the running for that to be possible? Is anyone here vegetarian? Do you struggle to get the protein you need? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sexbelowsound Posted February 16, 2015 Share Posted February 16, 2015 (edited) I'm going to start taking advantage of some of the pre-made plans (thanks for the link), but I can't imagine its a contradiction in terms for an avid runner to want to round out his general fitness. I can see the difference now in the two weeks I've been at the gym, and I'm only able to do a fraction of what I used to. If I can gain 10-15lbs of lean muscle, I imagine I'd be more than happy with my fitness. Are you suggesting that I'll have to scale back on the running for that to be possible? Is anyone here vegetarian? Do you struggle to get the protein you need? It's a contradiction because putting on muscle requires you to feed your muscles so to speak. If you are running so much you'll have to make sure you cover the calories burned from that or your body will be struggling for the nutrients needed to build muscle, as is my understanding. Edited February 16, 2015 by sexbelowsound Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JB Posted February 16, 2015 Share Posted February 16, 2015 Also, being on a bodybuilding-y type plan will also tighten you up, meaning that you'll really have to keep on top of your mobility. I'd pretty confidently say that no athletes do a chest and triceps type body part split. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PieFacE Posted February 16, 2015 VT Supporter Share Posted February 16, 2015 Anybody go to the gym during their lunch hour? Considering going to "The Gym" on High Street in Brum during my lunch hour. I do. It's great, barely anyone in there which works for me 'cos i'm scared of people. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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