For all you guys wanting to gain muscle, size, etc.

[cubsfan203]

Re: For all you guys wanting to gain muscle, size, etc.

I'd say the earlier you get started with the weights the better and i know exactly how you feel. I've been slacking lately and will have my first gym session tomorrow since the birth of my daughter over two months ago. I can already tell i'm going to be sore for a week but it gets easier with time. Just don't go to hard and hurt yourself with your first workout and be prepaired to have difficulty moving the day after.

What do you guys think of the idea of a "cheat meal" once every week or so?

How does this look for a daily diet?:

B'fast - 3 eggs, lean ham

mid morning - peice of fruit (usually an apple)

Lunch - large salad with grilled chicken breast and fat free dressing

Afternoon snack - peice of fruit (usually a bannana)

Post workout - protein shake

dinner - lean meat with vegetables or salad


The reason i like the fruit is that's easy to eat on the go while i'm at work and gives me a nice energy hit as well.

I'll be doing a fullbody weight session for 1 - 1.5 hours 3 x per week and doing 45-60mins cardio 5-6 days per week as well.

Should that be good enough to drop some excess body fat (i'm prob about 25-27% bf right now) and get in shape over the next 3-4 months?

That should be more than enough to lose a decent amount of weight in that amount of time as long as you stick to it. Just make sure you don't drink any extra calories, and getting plenty of sleep always helps as well.

[Trevytrev11]

Re: For all you guys wanting to gain muscle, size, etc.

Anyway, enough of my "fatassness"...do you guys usually lift first and finish with cardio? Should I just do cardio for the first days/week to get my legs and lungs back and then hit the weights or does it really matter?

From what Stewaat told me, if you are going to do cardio and lifting on the same day, do the cardio at the end. It's been working great so far. Before, I used to do cardio and by the time I got to the weights, I'd be tired and not have the energy to bust *** lifting. Now, I'm fresh when I start lifting and I definitely get more out of it.

It may be better to do your cardio on seperate days, but there are time constraints for me that make it almost impossible.

Also, he said instead of doing 30-40 minutes on a bike, you'll get more out of it by doing about 15 minutes of high intensity cardio. So instead of doing the 30-40 minutes at a constant pace, do 30 seconds as hard as you can and then go 30 seconds slow. Repeat this for 15 minutes with a minute or two warm up and cool down at the beginning and the end....I've been doing this as well and feel like I worked much harder at the end.

[TarHeelMan]

Re: For all you guys wanting to gain muscle, size, etc.

Today was the first day of working out in the AM before go to the job. Felt really good to get a sweat going early in the AM but I'm not looking forward to the afternoon crash after lunch.

I know it's better for me to work out in the morning, but I am so NOT a morning person. My alarm goes off and my first instinct is to go back to sleep. I think the problem is I can't seem to get to bed early enough to get a good night's sleep... And then when I do get to bed, my body isn't used to sleeping that early, so I still wind up laying there awake until past midnight, when I am used to going to bed.

[funky_chicken]

Re: For all you guys wanting to gain muscle, size, etc.

I know it's better for me to work out in the morning, but I am so NOT a morning person. My alarm goes off and my first instinct is to go back to sleep. I think the problem is I can't seem to get to bed early enough to get a good night's sleep... And then when I do get to bed, my body isn't used to sleeping that early, so I still wind up laying there awake until past midnight, when I am used to going to bed.

I exercise in the morning right after I get out of bed. I find it helps me to wake up. I can wake up dog tired and after working out I feel awake and ready for the day. Exercise gets the blood flowing and it helps you wake up.

From what Stewaat told me, if you are going to do cardio and lifting on the same day, do the cardio at the end. It's been working great so far. Before, I used to do cardio and by the time I got to the weights, I'd be tired and not have the energy to bust *** lifting. Now, I'm fresh when I start lifting and I definitely get more out of it.

It may be better to do your cardio on seperate days, but there are time constraints for me that make it almost impossible.

Also, he said instead of doing 30-40 minutes on a bike, you'll get more out of it by doing about 15 minutes of high intensity cardio. So instead of doing the 30-40 minutes at a constant pace, do 30 seconds as hard as you can and then go 30 seconds slow. Repeat this for 15 minutes with a minute or two warm up and cool down at the beginning and the end....I've been doing this as well and feel like I worked much harder at the end.

I have tried the high intensity thing and it is a much harder workout then just doing cardio at a steady pace. The question I have is which is better for buidling cardiovascular endurance and why.

[stewaat]

Re: For all you guys wanting to gain muscle, size, etc.

I have tried the high intensity thing and it is a much harder workout then just doing cardio at a steady pace. The question I have is which is better for buidling cardiovascular endurance and why.

Cardiovascular endurance = long distance running

I think it's pretty self-explanatory how LD running is better in that aspect. The longer you run the longer you tax your body to keep getting oxygen to your cells.

IMHO it's best to mix both of these. Have the best of both worlds. Have the fat burning HIIT some days and push yourself mentally and have days where you go on a 20-30 minute jog/run to improve cardiovascular performance.

[TMagic]

Re: For all you guys wanting to gain muscle, size, etc.

I have tried the high intensity thing and it is a much harder workout then just doing cardio at a steady pace. The question I have is which is better for buidling cardiovascular endurance and why.

To improve one's cardiovascular endurance initially, one should do the long cardio.

After one reaches the point where they can no longer improve their cardiovascular output, then one should do the HIIT.

The reason for this is because everybody has a vo2 max. This is the maximum amount of oxygen that can be taken in and used by one's body.

When you are untrained, your vo2 is much lower than the level it can reach. It's not at it's max.

That's when you do the long cardio. Your vo2 will increase steadily until it reaches it's max.

Once you get to this point, where you don't see any improvements in your cardio, you incorporate the HIIT.

HIIT has been shown to increase one's vo2 max, but only once a person has already reached their vo2 through long cardio.

HIIT also will push back one's lactate threshold. The lactate threshold is where one starts accumulating lactic acid in their system decreasing his or her performance. Everybody has a different lactate threshold.

Once you reach a certain work output, a certain vo2, you start accumalating vo2. But, if you decrease your workload under your lactate threshold, then the accumulation of lactic acid decreases.

For most people, the lactate threshold is around 60% of one's vo2 max. Meaning they can only work at anything above 60%, they will fatigue quickly. Just estimate your percentage by how hard you think you are working on a scale of 1-10. 10 being 100% effort, i.e. a sprint.

But with HIIT, you can push the lactate threshold back. Some trained runners lactate threshold are at 80% plus. Meaning they can work at 80% effort, without the onset of muscle fatigue.

Sooooo...lol...to some it all up:

You increase your oxygen uptake with the cardio. This helps you run for longer lengths of time.

Then you push back your lactate threshold so that you can run (or whatever your means of cardio is) faster without fatiguing.


Hope this helped and made sense...lol

[Kevin26385]

Re: For all you guys wanting to gain muscle, size, etc.

Man..I have the worst eating habits ever. Like I don't really eat full meals, instead ill eat snack foods all day..and the only meal Ill ever eat is something like pizza.

But today I am trying to change that. I woke up and worked out on this new bo flex machine we have downstairs, and I ran a mile on the treadmill.

We also bought a lot of healthier foods, like string cheese, grapes, apples, clementines, and bannanas. As well as saying goodbye to dark pops. I don't think I can ever get rid of pop, so I just have decided to get rid of things like pepsi...I assume things like Sprite are much better for you, considering it doesn't have caffiene and it just tastes healthier haha. I also have welches grape juice, which is good for the heart.

All I am trying to do is get more lean...I really dont want to be jacked, but I want to look in shape..if that makes sense.

The thing that sucks is I go back to school soon, and will probably pick every bad habit up again. Its amazing how much better my body feels after not being a lazy bum and putting crap in my system. I am going to really have to lift when I go work during Training camp. Those 100+ degree days usually make me lose 5 pounds after I get back home.

[stewaat]

Re: For all you guys wanting to gain muscle, size, etc.

Don't. Drink. Soda.

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Stevia is the bomb!

[WazzuRC]

Re: For all you guys wanting to gain muscle, size, etc.

What is your guys stance on juice? Not the 3% juice crap, I'm talking 100% juice.

Good or bad?

[Jonesy]

Re: For all you guys wanting to gain muscle, size, etc.

I tend to avoid it because of the high sugar content / carbs but i suppose there are worse choices because at least you are getting some vitamins etc from it. If you aren't trying to lose fat i think it would be ok in moderation but it's out for me while i'm cutting.

What do you guys think about "cheat meals"? Are they needed or should i just leave them out all together untill i get to my goal bf percentage?

[windseer90]

Re: For all you guys wanting to gain muscle, size, etc.

Don't. Drink. Soda.

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Stevia is the bomb!

Holy **** thats a lot of sugar. I'm glad I stopped drinking soda when I did.

[babythug23]

Re: For all you guys wanting to gain muscle, size, etc.

I thought i was doing good by drinking Coke Zero(6 a day).If someone like me that is not in shape. Don't know where to start. What should i start out Eating? I eat some bad stuff. Fast food 3 or 4 times a week. ha I KNOW I KNOW. I'm 5'6 150lbs. Not fat or anything just getting that middle age gut at 27 (or fast food gut). Is it better to lose 15-20lbs 1st or just start to add muscle. I just like to be some what CUT.
AA Could you give me like a week or 2 what i should eat and work out to get me going?
I lift alot of boxes at work i work at fedex so i get some what of a work out ha. I need something i could buy and use at home. No time for the gym.

Is there something i could buy like barbells/dumbbells to start off with till i could get some real stuff around TAX TIME

[AuburnAlumni]

Re: For all you guys wanting to gain muscle, size, etc.

AA Could you give me like a week or 2 what i should eat and work out to get me going?
I lift alot of boxes at work i work at fedex so i get some what of a work out ha. I need something i could buy and use at home. No time for the gym.

Is there something i could buy like barbells/dumbbells to start off with till i could get some real stuff around TAX TIME

Get a bench and some Dumbbells and you can do tons of exercises at home.

Concentrate on major muscle group routines....Squats, Bench Press, Low Rows, Pushups and Pullups. These will use the most muscle mass and allow you to burn the most calories.

Diet wise, it's pretty universal.

1. Avoid fast food, sugar, soft drinks, etc.
2. Concentrate on lean meats, fruits, and veggies.
3. Drink water..tons and tons of water.

Divide your plate into thirds...one third should be a lean protein (fish, chicken, lean red meat, etc.)
-One Third should be a complex carbohydrate (brown rice, beans, quinoa, etc.)
-One Third should be a fibrous vegetable (broccoli, spinach, a salad, etc.)

You can never go wrong with that way of thinking.

[babythug23]

Re: For all you guys wanting to gain muscle, size, etc.

Divide your plate into thirds...one third should be a lean protein (fish, chicken, lean red meat, etc.)
-One Third should be a complex carbohydrate (brown rice, beans, quinoa, etc.)
-One Third should be a fibrous vegetable (broccoli, spinach, a salad, etc.)

I'm new this so don't really know how much to eat. Is it like a Cup full of meat cup of rice and a cup full of broccoli? Also looking at this thread i need to eat 4-6 meals a day?

One more thing i don't really eat in the mornings so how do you cook your eggs?

[ehh]

Re: For all you guys wanting to gain muscle, size, etc.

One more thing i don't really eat in the mornings so how do you cook your eggs?

Just scramble them, it doesn't matter unless you're going to lose the yolk and even then I suppose you can still scramble them.

There's a reason ppl say 'breakfast is the most important meal of the day'. You need to eat in the morning to fire up your metabolism. Find a good morning shake receipe and make it every single morning, I guarantee it will change your live. Not just increasing health, losing weight, etc but it will keep you full for hours and increase energy. I've been having the same morning shake for about four years now and I could never imagine going without it. I actually get kinda upset when there's a morning I can't have it (I crash at a friends house, on a road trip, etc).