Sure, I meant getting to 175 with muscle though...
I don't mind sharing here - Basically, I eat very healthy and feel good, just want some more muscle so I don't look like such a computer nerd... I'm not really in a exercise plan yet, it's one of my resolutions. I go with my wife to the gym every so often, but at once a week, I'm sure it doesn't do anything. I do go through every machine at the gym, get every muscle group by doing the 18-20 second rep thing...just keep going in slow motion until fatigued...seems to work, kinda... I think that's the idea behond those bowflex things, and they seem ok...
I'm nervous about creatine or anything like that, I don't want to turn into a sausage, as some of my friends have done... I've got a friend who threw javelin in a few Olympics and does training now, he says you don't need it.
Ultimately, I'm sure the lack of a regular exercise schedule is the problem, I just need to do it.
You are doing too much volume and that will stop you from gaining muslce no matter what you do. It's basically overtraining when you do workout. You need to focus on four to five exercises, in the 8 to 12 rep range, for three working sets. A working set is the maximum amount of weight you can safely do. That excludes warm up sets of lower weights--which I highly recommend.
By working on every machine, you're simply putting yourself in a state of fatigue by using a lot of low weights. Look at it this way, do you think it would be more beneficial to do bench press at 150 pounds or twelve different chest exercises at a quarter of that weight? By pushing yourself hard on one exercise, you will get far more out of it, because it recruits your secondary muscles.
Also, machines aren't so good. Unless you are injured, for which machines serve a great purpose, or older and need a much smoother motion, you should be using free weights. Free weights help recruit those secondary motor muscles I was talking about.
As someone who is trying to build muscle, you need to focus on compound movements that use multiple muscle groups at once. Things like dips, chin-ups, bench press, squats, military press, barbell row, and dead lift will really build. Not everyone has time to workout long, so you want to maximize your time there. A combination of these exercises will take you only around 30-40 minutes to complete, and should be done on non-consecutive days. Rest is a key component to growth.
Things like creatine are for people who are more serious and know what they are doing. They are made for people who have hit plateaus, or are still trying to gain weight, and need that extra edge to help them. I wouldn't recommend anything beyond a simple whey protein shake after your workout for people who are beginning or even at an intermediate level.
The average body ingests about 80 grams of protein a day, a body which seeks to be muscular should get at minimum one gram per pound of body weight. If you take whey protein, creatine, or things like that and don't work out consistently, it's going to do nothing for you. My roommate for example, started taking whey, but works out maybe once a week and just does a bunch of useless bicep curls and nothing else so it has added fat to his body.
Protein shakes though are really made to supplement your diet, not be the main component of it, you need to eat clean. Focus on grilled meats, raw, unprocessed sources of food.
2lbs down the hoooole... I first put down 330 in FitDay because it seemed like a nice even number to start with, but in actuality it was more like 331-332, and now the scale is showing 228-229(it's a mechanical scale, hard to be sure), and this is after I just ate. I thought that my calorie intake may have been too high, but it actually seems fairly accurate on FitDay, I will try harder now than ever to stay on track. I'm getting food ready now for work so the Jack in the Crack incident doesn't occur again. I don't even like the Box.
I got my body fat percentage measured today. 15.6%. Not sure where that's at, but I'll tell you what, the girl that measured me was HOT. She had a low cut shirt on and when she knelt down to measure my legs I could see her BOOBIES. I was afraid she might grab some excess tissue in those calipers.
Thanks for bringing this thread down to the "12 year old" level, ABF
"Boobies" even
Anytime prime. I would have put it more at the 16 year old level though, I mean at 12 years old I was more interested than playing pokemon and blowing stuff up than girls. Though it was relevant because of my body fat percentage. Perhaps "Breasts" would have been better word choice.
I was actually looking pretty study because she was getting around 9-12% all the way around until she got to my stomach. Thats what I need to work on. The rest of me is pretty skinny.
Anytime prime. I would have put it more at the 16 year old level though, I mean at 12 years old I was more interested than playing pokemon and blowing stuff up than girls. Though it was relevant because of my body fat percentage. Perhaps "Breasts" would have been better word choice.
No boobies are my personal word of choice at age 24. You're GTG
This diet is turning out great! I'm already feeling better, and just now I finished off left overs! I usually don't have left overs I actually couldn't finish off what I brought with me to work. But 2 hours later I did.
Well, finally got some pics to show how far I've fallen. It's very disheartening to think 13 years ago I was 215lbs, I could benchpress 345 lbs, squat 460, and deadlift 605, along with running 5 -10 miles in the Arizona heat and enjoy myself doing it.....
It's really bad when one of you household feline friends finds your belly an acceptable place to take a nap....OUCH!
The old Fred will return before I marry Amanda this December, I can already feel it...
On good note I weighed in Sunday morning at 247.7 lbs. At last weigh-in I was 250.4 lbs. I lost another 2.7 lbs this past week, which keeps me right on track for my goal of 200 lbs by my birthday on June 11th (Fitday is saying I need to lose 2.65 lbs a week to make my goal)
EDIT: My starting point was 262.4 about two weeks or so before Prime started the 30 lb Challenge... This puts me at 14.7 lbs down from my starting point! WOOT!
I weighed in today... Still 236 No biggie, it's only been a few days.
No point in posting pics today - i look exactly the same. I'm still trying to figure out a different type of interface for this project so we can all keep track of each other better.
Saturday is marked as my 'cheat day' so I didn't put anything in Fitday. But other than saturday, my fitday is on track and up-to-date.
I didn't even eat that bad on saturday. I probably had more sushi than I should have, but it's all good. No alcohol this weekend. I've been drinking a ton of tea though (with no sugar added, however!). Not enough water intake for sure, I definitely need to get back on track with the water.
Tea is good for your metabolism, especially green tea. Rada, it's good to see you're trying to get back into shape. Your muscle memory will really do you some good.
Yeah this is pretty cool. I have a pic that was taken this weekend I will post ...LOL
On a more serious note ...I can't wait to see some results!!! Come on guys don't let us down but more importantly ...do it for yourselves!!! You feel better.
I am now 326lbs! I started off at 332-330. I am also switching up my days to match my work schedule since I work overnights. So now whatever day I wake up on is the start of the day. So today is 1.5 times a normal day for me, but I still only took in 2500 calories. Hopefully starting tomorrow it will only be 1700 or so.
Is it true that if you loose too much weight too fast your skin doesn't shrink properly, and even if you've been skinny for years that you will retain the loose skin?
I am now 326lbs! I started off at 332-330. I am also switching up my days to match my work schedule since I work overnights. So now whatever day I wake up on is the start of the day. So today is 1.5 times a normal day for me, but I still only took in 2500 calories. Hopefully starting tomorrow it will only be 1700 or so.
Is it true that if you loose too much weight too fast your skin doesn't shrink properly, and even if you've been skinny for years that you will retain the loose skin?
Good Job Man!! Let's keep it going!
About your caloric intake. Don't let it drop too low or your body will switch into starvation mode. Back when we were all using stone tools and eating roots, our bodies naturally adapted to times when food was scarce by holding onto every calorie. That is still part of our makeup, and you will switch into it if your caloric intake drops too low for too long a time.
You can also use this to your advantage, by tricking your body to burn more calories. Here's what you need to do, I'll use a full week to illustrate the concept, adapt it however works best for you.
Monday - 2000-2500 cals * adjust this to your BMR
Tuesday - 2000-2500 cals
Wednesday - 1200-1500 cals
Thursday - 2000-2500 cals
Friday - 2000-2500 cals
Saturday - 1200-1500 cals
Sunday - Weigh in as you get up, then OFF DAY! Have fun!!
Your body will quickly get used to having 2000-2500 cals to work with on a daily basis. By dropping your calories on Wed & Sat your body will continue to burn calories as if you were taking in 2000-2500 cals, but will use more fat to make up for the difference. You have to use it sparingly though or your body will quicly switch into starvation mode. Even two days in a row at 1200-1500(*adjusted to your BMR) could be enough to switch you into starvation mode, if you are excercising, or working hard.
As for skin, it will shrink at a slower rate than your body if you lose weight fast. Also you need to take into account that as we age our skin becomes less elastic. There is a good chance that when I get back down to 195-200 lbs I will need some minor plasitic surgery if I want to really show off my abs. I'll cross that bridge when I get there...
I am now 326lbs! I started off at 332-330. I am also switching up my days to match my work schedule since I work overnights. So now whatever day I wake up on is the start of the day. So today is 1.5 times a normal day for me, but I still only took in 2500 calories. Hopefully starting tomorrow it will only be 1700 or so.
Is it true that if you loose too much weight too fast your skin doesn't shrink properly, and even if you've been skinny for years that you will retain the loose skin?
There is some truth. Generally speaking, what happens is the skin remains stretchy for awhile, then tightens up after awhile.
I am now 326lbs! I started off at 332-330. I am also switching up my days to match my work schedule since I work overnights. So now whatever day I wake up on is the start of the day. So today is 1.5 times a normal day for me, but I still only took in 2500 calories. Hopefully starting tomorrow it will only be 1700 or so.
Is it true that if you loose too much weight too fast your skin doesn't shrink properly, and even if you've been skinny for years that you will retain the loose skin?
I'm in still of course... though yesterday was a bad day :P But today is turning out great, I think my weekends are gonna be my bad days because I have nothing else to do but think of food.
Comments
You are doing too much volume and that will stop you from gaining muslce no matter what you do. It's basically overtraining when you do workout. You need to focus on four to five exercises, in the 8 to 12 rep range, for three working sets. A working set is the maximum amount of weight you can safely do. That excludes warm up sets of lower weights--which I highly recommend.
By working on every machine, you're simply putting yourself in a state of fatigue by using a lot of low weights. Look at it this way, do you think it would be more beneficial to do bench press at 150 pounds or twelve different chest exercises at a quarter of that weight? By pushing yourself hard on one exercise, you will get far more out of it, because it recruits your secondary muscles.
Also, machines aren't so good. Unless you are injured, for which machines serve a great purpose, or older and need a much smoother motion, you should be using free weights. Free weights help recruit those secondary motor muscles I was talking about.
As someone who is trying to build muscle, you need to focus on compound movements that use multiple muscle groups at once. Things like dips, chin-ups, bench press, squats, military press, barbell row, and dead lift will really build. Not everyone has time to workout long, so you want to maximize your time there. A combination of these exercises will take you only around 30-40 minutes to complete, and should be done on non-consecutive days. Rest is a key component to growth.
Things like creatine are for people who are more serious and know what they are doing. They are made for people who have hit plateaus, or are still trying to gain weight, and need that extra edge to help them. I wouldn't recommend anything beyond a simple whey protein shake after your workout for people who are beginning or even at an intermediate level.
The average body ingests about 80 grams of protein a day, a body which seeks to be muscular should get at minimum one gram per pound of body weight. If you take whey protein, creatine, or things like that and don't work out consistently, it's going to do nothing for you. My roommate for example, started taking whey, but works out maybe once a week and just does a bunch of useless bicep curls and nothing else so it has added fat to his body.
Protein shakes though are really made to supplement your diet, not be the main component of it, you need to eat clean. Focus on grilled meats, raw, unprocessed sources of food.
"Boobies" even
Anytime prime. I would have put it more at the 16 year old level though, I mean at 12 years old I was more interested than playing pokemon and blowing stuff up than girls. Though it was relevant because of my body fat percentage. Perhaps "Breasts" would have been better word choice.
yup. :bigggrin:
I was actually looking pretty study because she was getting around 9-12% all the way around until she got to my stomach. Thats what I need to work on. The rest of me is pretty skinny.
No boobies are my personal word of choice at age 24. You're GTG
It's really bad when one of you household feline friends finds your belly an acceptable place to take a nap....OUCH!
The old Fred will return before I marry Amanda this December, I can already feel it...
On good note I weighed in Sunday morning at 247.7 lbs. At last weigh-in I was 250.4 lbs. I lost another 2.7 lbs this past week, which keeps me right on track for my goal of 200 lbs by my birthday on June 11th (Fitday is saying I need to lose 2.65 lbs a week to make my goal)
EDIT: My starting point was 262.4 about two weeks or so before Prime started the 30 lb Challenge... This puts me at 14.7 lbs down from my starting point! WOOT!
Need some updates here! No fading off into the background!
No point in posting pics today - i look exactly the same. I'm still trying to figure out a different type of interface for this project so we can all keep track of each other better.
Saturday is marked as my 'cheat day' so I didn't put anything in Fitday. But other than saturday, my fitday is on track and up-to-date.
I didn't even eat that bad on saturday. I probably had more sushi than I should have, but it's all good. No alcohol this weekend. I've been drinking a ton of tea though (with no sugar added, however!). Not enough water intake for sure, I definitely need to get back on track with the water.
On a more serious note ...I can't wait to see some results!!! Come on guys don't let us down but more importantly ...do it for yourselves!!! You feel better.
5'11".
Is it true that if you loose too much weight too fast your skin doesn't shrink properly, and even if you've been skinny for years that you will retain the loose skin?
Good Job Man!! Let's keep it going!
About your caloric intake. Don't let it drop too low or your body will switch into starvation mode. Back when we were all using stone tools and eating roots, our bodies naturally adapted to times when food was scarce by holding onto every calorie. That is still part of our makeup, and you will switch into it if your caloric intake drops too low for too long a time.
You can also use this to your advantage, by tricking your body to burn more calories. Here's what you need to do, I'll use a full week to illustrate the concept, adapt it however works best for you.
Monday - 2000-2500 cals * adjust this to your BMR
Tuesday - 2000-2500 cals
Wednesday - 1200-1500 cals
Thursday - 2000-2500 cals
Friday - 2000-2500 cals
Saturday - 1200-1500 cals
Sunday - Weigh in as you get up, then OFF DAY! Have fun!!
Your body will quickly get used to having 2000-2500 cals to work with on a daily basis. By dropping your calories on Wed & Sat your body will continue to burn calories as if you were taking in 2000-2500 cals, but will use more fat to make up for the difference. You have to use it sparingly though or your body will quicly switch into starvation mode. Even two days in a row at 1200-1500(*adjusted to your BMR) could be enough to switch you into starvation mode, if you are excercising, or working hard.
As for skin, it will shrink at a slower rate than your body if you lose weight fast. Also you need to take into account that as we age our skin becomes less elastic. There is a good chance that when I get back down to 195-200 lbs I will need some minor plasitic surgery if I want to really show off my abs. I'll cross that bridge when I get there...
As always, please PM me if I can help you!
Don't weigh yourself everyday!! Its not accurate!
I weigh in once a week, every Sunday morning before my Off/Cheat day starts! The I go do what I want to for the day.
Good idea! No use playing a psychological game with a scale every day. I actually go one step further by not having a scale at all
I figure what matters more is how I look, and more importantly, feel. Scale doesn't capture that very well.
I can agree with that, but I also like the new scale Mandi and I bought.
It was $49.97 at Target, it measures weight, body fat % and body water %.
I like using it becasue it gives us more than just a number to go off of.
There is some truth. Generally speaking, what happens is the skin remains stretchy for awhile, then tightens up after awhile.
Think we need a role call of who's still with us.....
...feeling kinda lonely:(
I am still tracking in fitday though, and I haven't changed my goals.