do you work out?

[marf]

I've lost fat really fast like 5 times by restricting carbs and running, I realize that my only problem is I would just stop working out after and go back to eating like shit. For most of the last 6 months I tried to just get in shape by working out like ka-ka-crazy and dropping all white trash carbs. Well I learned that when I don't carb restrict it takes way too long burn fat for me, I practically tripled my muscle strength and endurance, my anaerobic capacity is doubled or so, I'm pretty well in the best physical shape of my life, which is saying a lot, but losing fat is a different story. I started seeing my results streaming in quickly as soon as I started to go kind of paleo, getting most of my carbs from veggies and avoiding grains as much as the white trash. Going to keep paleo-ish for a long while as I know I'm hyper sensitive to carbs and see if I can keep my body fat extremely low for a long long while enjoying good fatty delicious food.

 

 

what kind of meals you cook? stir fry?

[BOCfan]

I'm currently ending my first week of Stronglifts 5x5.

 

I've been working out for a while and built a physique that I'm fairly happy with, but I feel I'm lacking in strength. Upper rep ranges are fine, but I've always felt I've made my best gains when using heavier weights and lower reps, so I'm ditching the traditional '3x8 for muscle' approach and going heavy.

 

I like this.. been doing the same thing. I figure if I want to reach my goal of lifting the heaviest weight possible, I need to lift the heaviest weights I can at all times.. no exceptions. My limit is usually set low enough to maintain good form, but high enough to fucking hurt fatigue my muscles to failure after only a few reps..

(i'm never going to a gym) yeah, it's true. a mate has some seriously heavy weights (50kg or more barbell) and i've increased muscle from occasionally taking the opportunity to lift them.. squats, benchpress, etc. my dumbells are edit: 7 kg and basically a waste of time to lift (at this point), other than some isolation stuff... although using those regularly + the occasional properly heavy stuff seems to be working.

 

What's so appealing about the 5x5 program is that it's very basic in terms of structure. You follow two programs, A & B, and alternate them every day that you lift:

 

A - Squats, Bench Press, Bent over Row. B - Squats, Overhead Press, Deadlift

 

Week 1 A,B,A. Week 2 B,A,B. Rinse and repeat.

 

You add 5lbs to each exercise every time that you do them (10lbs to the deadlift) and steadily progress from there. I've added dips to the end of workout A and chins to the end of workout B, as they are also compound movements, but they'll also hit your arms a bit more.

 

I'm really enjoying it so far, and the constant challenge of upping the weight and paying attention to your form makes for a satisfying workout. I think it has the potential, when combined with a good high calorie diet, to get you pretty yoked as well.

[Guest boo]

yeah i've been doing that program (more reps though) but obviously it's pointless when i can't increase the weight (deadlift also feels pointless without significant weight, and feels a bit wrong with dumbells rather than barbell, so i do a couple of other things instead.. edit: and squats are better with a barbell but oh well). although i haven't actually plateaued yet. i don't really have the desire to be a big muscle guy though, so it might be alright for maintaining whatever level of fitness i reach like this.

[SR4]

alright, so ive changed up a few things:

 

 

Doing a planned regimen of crunches, pushups, and leg lifts to help tone my "core" (what?) three days a week. Doesn't take very long. The other 3 days I do 45-50 minutes of cardio and then have one day off a week.

 

I think part of the problem is remembering to eat enough to maintain the building (or tightened?) muscle...I work a stocking job two days a week which is pretty heavy work...Im guessing that burns off a ton of calories.

 

I don't really want to lift again just yet...I'd like to see some results from these simple exercises first.

 

Wish me luck! Ill be sure to pop in every week or so with an update...you guys are plenty helpful about this stuff.

[Guest boo]

do squats though

[SR4]

I was just considering doing those...is there another exercise better at isolating the lower back? The more I can do for my back (what with all the lifting during the stock shifts) the better.

[Guest boo]

deadlifts are probably best. otherwise hyperextensions and/or that thing where you lie on the floor with your legs and arms up..... ok it's called Superman

[BOCfan]

Smettingham - I haven't read this entire thread so I'm not sure of what kind of physique you have. Worth remembering, however, that all the stomach work in the world to give you a 'toned' core is pointless if you have a layer of fat hiding it (if having a visible six pack is your goal)..

[SR4]

Smettingham - I haven't read this entire thread so I'm not sure of what kind of physique you have. Worth remembering, however, that all the stomach work in the world to give you a 'toned' core is pointless if you have a layer of fat hiding it (if having a visible six pack is your goal)..

 

well, I guess in my mind that was the idea behind the cardio part (plus i just need better endurance in general). Im not trying to get a model physique, but certainly improve over my current situation. Because of my past work schedule I more or less starved away all my muscle I had built up over the past year, and Im tired of feeling and looking weak. I don't want to be superhuman, just make it easier for my job (and of course a boost in self-confidence).

 

I should probably start eating less carbs and more protein (maybe stock up on tuna fish and imitation crabmeat? i dunno) I already eat plenty of egg so im good on that front....Eggs have to be one of the cheapest sources of protein in my local supermarket.

[SR4]

Smettingham - I haven't read this entire thread so I'm not sure of what kind of physique you have. Worth remembering, however, that all the stomach work in the world to give you a 'toned' core is pointless if you have a layer of fat hiding it (if having a visible six pack is your goal)..

 

well, I guess in my mind that was the idea behind the cardio part (plus i just need better endurance in general). Im not trying to get a model physique, but certainly improve over my current situation. Because of my past work schedule I more or less starved away all my muscle I had built up over the past year, and Im tired of feeling and looking weak. I don't want to be superhuman, just make it easier for my job (and of course a boost in self-confidence).

 

I should probably start eating less carbs and more protein (maybe stock up on tuna fish and imitation crabmeat? i dunno) I already eat plenty of egg so im good on that front....Eggs have to be one of the cheapest sources of protein in my local supermarket.

 

oh and just for an idea of what I look like: 6'3", 205 lbs.

[BOCfan]

Yes, eggs are good. One of the most biologically superior forms of protein there is (after whey, I think).

 

I wouldn't necessarily shun the carbs. A lot of people think that upping the protein contents of their diet whilst lowering the carbs is the way to go when building muscle, but that's not the case. Yes, you do require a lot of protein to build muscle, but carbohydrates are very important in this process (some may say even more so when it comes to bulking). Make sure you get plenty of fats in your diet as well from sources such as nuts, fish, olive oil, milk, cheese.

[marf]

i never had a job that made me fit. ive had a lot of jobs too.

[Guest fiznuthian]

I'm gonna agree that eggs absolutely rule. Can never seem to get sick of them!

 

Hey if any of you are trying to burn body fat while increasing muscle mass at the same time, look into Lean Gains or mess with just intermittent fasting in general.. only eating during one window period of the day helps keep your tissue insulin sensitive, raises circulating growth hormone, and once liver glycogen depletes the citric acid cycle starts gobbling up your body fat for energy. It's not for everyone I guess, especially if you can't imagine not eating anything most of the day.. It also sounds pretty quackish because a lot of people grew up being told eating once a day is terrible for you.. couldn't be further from the truth. Probably the best thing about short duration fasts fasts is autophagy engages full tilt. It's the body's cellular recycling process. Exercise itself also stimulates autophagy to some degree. Like cleaning out the closets..

 

I agree Higgins.. Carb phobia is getting ridiculous now. There's really not much scientific evidence suggesting that carbs actually contribute to body fatness or weight gain, especially if carbs consumed are real food i.e. fruit, potatoes, let alone sugar or fructose itself. If indeed eating carbs to caloric excess is a problem, well that's pretty fucking hard to do if you stay active, deplete liver glycogen on a regular basis, maintain a high metabolic rate, or eat them right after exercise, etc.. They certainly help a lot with protein synthesis.. There are numerous factors being investigated for why carbs might contribute to health complications under different conditions.. I feel strongly that nutritionless processed food, polyunsaturate fats, and a culture that encourages eating to excess probably has a lot to do with it.

[SR4]

i never had a job that made me fit. ive had a lot of jobs too.

 

You have got to get a stocking job man! Its literally lifting, pushing, and pulling stuff for 7-8 hours, possibly more depending on where you work/how large the operation is. It sorta sucks the first few days but you feel amazing after every shift.

[SR4]

I'm gonna agree that eggs absolutely rule. Can never seem to get sick of them!

 

Hey if any of you are trying to burn body fat while increasing muscle mass at the same time, look into Lean Gains or mess with just intermittent fasting in general.. only eating during one window period of the day helps keep your tissue insulin sensitive, raises circulating growth hormone, and once liver glycogen depletes the citric acid cycle starts gobbling up your body fat for energy. It's not for everyone I guess, especially if you can't imagine not eating anything most of the day.. It also sounds pretty quackish because a lot of people grew up being told eating once a day is terrible for you.. couldn't be further from the truth. Probably the best thing about short duration fasts fasts is autophagy engages full tilt. It's the body's cellular recycling process. Exercise itself also stimulates autophagy to some degree. Like cleaning out the closets..

 

I agree Higgins.. Carb phobia is getting ridiculous now. There's really not much scientific evidence suggesting that carbs actually contribute to body fatness or weight gain, especially if carbs consumed are real food i.e. fruit, potatoes, let alone sugar or fructose itself. If indeed eating carbs to caloric excess is a problem, well that's pretty fucking hard to do if you stay active, deplete liver glycogen on a regular basis, maintain a high metabolic rate, or eat them right after exercise, etc.. They certainly help a lot with protein synthesis.. There are numerous factors being investigated for why carbs might contribute to health complications under different conditions.. I feel strongly that nutritionless processed food, polyunsaturate fats, and a culture that encourages eating to excess probably has a lot to do with it.

 

wait fitz, so if I construct a diet around a medium breakfast and a largeish dinner that might actually help with tackling the cardio and toning at the same time? Because Im already doing that, I suppose now all I need to do is eat healthier.

 

I just mass cooked a caesar salad with chicken breast and tossed in extra virgin olive oil..should last me for 3-4 days.

 

One more thing, and this is just a shot in the dark, but ok, im 6'3", about 205 lbs, right? So from what I can understand, I probably am supposed to consume about 2500 calories a day, right? But then again, isn't the 2500 calorie measure a rule of thumb for someone with a smaller body type than I? So should I be eating way more, especially considering the fact that I do all the heavy lifting/cardio/etc.?

 

I hate to sound nitpicky, but I am really appreciating the input here. Once I can get to the point where I can do 100 pushups in the morning I hope to keep it that way.

[Guest boo]

hmm. seeing that gallon of milk thing was too tempting, because i like milk and i quite easily drank a gallon of it today (tbh i was drinking about 2 pints anyway). there's no way it would be a good idea to do that forever, dodgy levels of vitamin A and er, that other mineral in milk that isn't calcium. seeing as i'm poor as fuck i might do it for a bit though.

[Guest fiznuthian]

No it's safe. Calcium, Vitamin D, Vitamin A (retinol or in fortified milks, retinyl palmitate), and Magnesium. Unfortunately fortified milks have very little D or A, which are supremely beneficial (and necessary) fat-soluble vitamins. The RDA values for these nutrients are FAR below what they should be, which is the result of fucking terrible science. The fatty acid profile of milk is mostly saturated, with the remainder monounsaturated, and then very little polyunsaturated fats.. this is what you want in my opinion. Seriously, fuck omega 6 polyunsaturated fats. Vegetable oil or seed oils, margarine, nut oils, etc

[Guest fiznuthian]

I'm gonna agree that eggs absolutely rule. Can never seem to get sick of them!

 

Hey if any of you are trying to burn body fat while increasing muscle mass at the same time, look into Lean Gains or mess with just intermittent fasting in general.. only eating during one window period of the day helps keep your tissue insulin sensitive, raises circulating growth hormone, and once liver glycogen depletes the citric acid cycle starts gobbling up your body fat for energy. It's not for everyone I guess, especially if you can't imagine not eating anything most of the day.. It also sounds pretty quackish because a lot of people grew up being told eating once a day is terrible for you.. couldn't be further from the truth. Probably the best thing about short duration fasts fasts is autophagy engages full tilt. It's the body's cellular recycling process. Exercise itself also stimulates autophagy to some degree. Like cleaning out the closets..

 

I agree Higgins.. Carb phobia is getting ridiculous now. There's really not much scientific evidence suggesting that carbs actually contribute to body fatness or weight gain, especially if carbs consumed are real food i.e. fruit, potatoes, let alone sugar or fructose itself. If indeed eating carbs to caloric excess is a problem, well that's pretty fucking hard to do if you stay active, deplete liver glycogen on a regular basis, maintain a high metabolic rate, or eat them right after exercise, etc.. They certainly help a lot with protein synthesis.. There are numerous factors being investigated for why carbs might contribute to health complications under different conditions.. I feel strongly that nutritionless processed food, polyunsaturate fats, and a culture that encourages eating to excess probably has a lot to do with it.

 

wait fitz, so if I construct a diet around a medium breakfast and a largeish dinner that might actually help with tackling the cardio and toning at the same time? Because Im already doing that, I suppose now all I need to do is eat healthier.

 

I just mass cooked a caesar salad with chicken breast and tossed in extra virgin olive oil..should last me for 3-4 days.

 

One more thing, and this is just a shot in the dark, but ok, im 6'3", about 205 lbs, right? So from what I can understand, I probably am supposed to consume about 2500 calories a day, right? But then again, isn't the 2500 calorie measure a rule of thumb for someone with a smaller body type than I? So should I be eating way more, especially considering the fact that I do all the heavy lifting/cardio/etc.?

 

I hate to sound nitpicky, but I am really appreciating the input here. Once I can get to the point where I can do 100 pushups in the morning I hope to keep it that way.

 

It's kind of like skipping meals.. Intermittent fasting usually consists of two periods of the day, not eating and then eating. The Lean Gains style is 16 hours fasted, then 8 hours of eating (he recommends eating two big meals during this period, but personally I just ate non-stop). Some people do 18/6 or 20/4. At one point I was fasting 22 hours per day, and spending about 2 hours between 8 PM and 10 PM eating as much food as I could possibly eat. There's an adjustment period getting used to fasting though, at first it isn't easy to deal with hunger but it doesn't take too long before you're able to run on body fat (ketosis) and lose appetite during the fasts.

The longer you fast the more sensitive your tissues are to insulin and growth hormone, some others too. Exercising near the end of your fast then feasting is helpful for muscle gains, depleting glycogen then subsequently running on your body fat -> losing it. Sprints, tabata intervals, or any high-intensity exercise near the ending hours of a fast will absolutely shred through body fat.

 

Like I said it's not for everyone, and there's mental effects too. Catecholamines in the brain make me feel extremely alert, energetic, and focused when I fast. The adrenal glands keep busy too. It becomes hard for me to stop moving and doing things, almost like someone slipped me a mild dose of adderall. I suppose these are survival mechanisms our species developed to adapt to periodic famine and to help us find/kill food. Running on your own body fat is an interesting experience. You wouldn't believe how efficient your muscles can be fueled by fat alone..

 

Oh, and if you want to try it try and structure your fast around sleep somehow.. I found it helpful to sleep my 6-8 hours or whatever, then just don't eat when I wake, then skip breakfast, and start eating around 2PM or if I wanted to fast longer i'd wait til later in the night. Ends up being around a 16 hour fast.

 

In my opinion 2500 calories would more than likely be too low for you since you're active. Just play hard and don't worry about calories. Eat until satiated.

[Guest boo]

No it's safe. Calcium, Vitamin D, Vitamin A (retinol or in fortified milks, retinyl palmitate), and Magnesium. Unfortunately fortified milks have very little D or A, which are supremely beneficial (and necessary) fat-soluble vitamins. The RDA values for these nutrients are FAR below what they should be, which is the result of fucking terrible science. The fatty acid profile of milk is mostly saturated, with the remainder monounsaturated, and then very little polyunsaturated fats.. this is what you want in my opinion. Seriously, fuck omega 6 polyunsaturated fats. Vegetable oil or seed oils, margarine, nut oils, etc

if you're saying they should only be used to lubricate your penis, then i agree.

 

as far as i know, fortified milk isn't sold in the UK (other than maybe as a specalist, imported product). best to stay away from produce that's been messed with like that, it's always done to compensate for a poor quality product anyway.

[BOCfan]

If you're going with GOMAD (never tried but I do already drink a lot of milk - might try it soon) be sure to stick with whole milk. Other milks are fine enough, but all of the skimming takes away all of the vitamins and other goodies.

 

Smettingham, if you're intent on including cardio in your workout routine, then I'd personally stick with short-burst, high-intensity cardio. One of the problems with getting into long distance running, for instance, is that I think it can start eating in to your muscle mass a bit, and less muscle mess means a lower metabolic rate. One of the advantages of having a bit of muscle on your frame (and it doesn't have to be loads) is that your body burns through more calories at rest to maintain the muscle, so it can help as a weight regulation tool.

 

Look into doing 60 yards sprints, where you run the distance all out, walk back to the start, and do it again. High intensity cardio like this results in an elevatated metabolic rate for quite some time after you've stopped exercising, unlike endurance cardio work. Pick yourself up a pair of cheap skipping ropes as well, as that's an excellent way to keep in shape.

 

I agree Higgins.. Carb phobia is getting ridiculous now. There's really not much scientific evidence suggesting that carbs actually contribute to body fatness or weight gain, especially if carbs consumed are real food i.e. fruit, potatoes, let alone sugar or fructose itself. If indeed eating carbs to caloric excess is a problem, well that's pretty fucking hard to do if you stay active, deplete liver glycogen on a regular basis, maintain a high metabolic rate, or eat them right after exercise, etc.. They certainly help a lot with protein synthesis.. There are numerous factors being investigated for why carbs might contribute to health complications under different conditions.. I feel strongly that nutritionless processed food, polyunsaturate fats, and a culture that encourages eating to excess probably has a lot to do with it.

 

Yeah, it's kind of crazy. It's much like the whole saturated fats debate in regards to their supposed part to play in coronary heart disease and the like. Repeated studies have shown that dietary levels of saturated fats (and cholesterol) often have negligible impact on levels of these substances in the blood, but newspapers are continually filled with advice from doctors and scientists in regards to their dangers.

 

I read something a while back on Inuit people who ate a meat-heavy diet a while back and they didn't have an excessive level of mortality by heart disease. I sometimes think that the health profession approaches foods like meats like we only strarted eating them within the last 100 years and that they're an unknown quantity.

 

What's killing a lot of people (particularly in the West) is our off-kilter relationship we have with food and they way we consume it, and all of the unnatural substances we add to it, not to mention stress levels and a sedentary lifestyle (the real causes of a lot of heart problems and many health ills imo) .

[Guest iep]

wow. pffff. just get out there and work yer shit.

[Guest fiznuthian]

If you're going with GOMAD (never tried but I do already drink a lot of milk - might try it soon) be sure to stick with whole milk. Other milks are fine enough, but all of the skimming takes away all of the vitamins and other goodies.

 

Smettingham, if you're intent on including cardio in your workout routine, then I'd personally stick with short-burst, high-intensity cardio. One of the problems with getting into long distance running, for instance, is that I think it can start eating in to your muscle mass a bit, and less muscle mess means a lower metabolic rate. One of the advantages of having a bit of muscle on your frame (and it doesn't have to be loads) is that your body burns through more calories at rest to maintain the muscle, so it can help as a weight regulation tool.

 

Look into doing 60 yards sprints, where you run the distance all out, walk back to the start, and do it again. High intensity cardio like this results in an elevatated metabolic rate for quite some time after you've stopped exercising, unlike endurance cardio work. Pick yourself up a pair of cheap skipping ropes as well, as that's an excellent way to keep in shape.

 

I agree Higgins.. Carb phobia is getting ridiculous now. There's really not much scientific evidence suggesting that carbs actually contribute to body fatness or weight gain, especially if carbs consumed are real food i.e. fruit, potatoes, let alone sugar or fructose itself. If indeed eating carbs to caloric excess is a problem, well that's pretty fucking hard to do if you stay active, deplete liver glycogen on a regular basis, maintain a high metabolic rate, or eat them right after exercise, etc.. They certainly help a lot with protein synthesis.. There are numerous factors being investigated for why carbs might contribute to health complications under different conditions.. I feel strongly that nutritionless processed food, polyunsaturate fats, and a culture that encourages eating to excess probably has a lot to do with it.

 

Yeah, it's kind of crazy. It's much like the whole saturated fats debate in regards to their supposed part to play in coronary heart disease and the like. Repeated studies have shown that dietary levels of saturated fats (and cholesterol) often have negligible impact on levels of these substances in the blood, but newspapers are continually filled with advice from doctors and scientists in regards to their dangers.

 

I read something a while back on Inuit people who ate a meat-heavy diet a while back and they didn't have an excessive level of mortality by heart disease. I sometimes think that the health profession approaches foods like meats like we only strarted eating them within the last 100 years and that they're an unknown quantity.

 

What's killing a lot of people (particularly in the West) is our off-kilter relationship we have with food and they way we consume it, and all of the unnatural substances we add to it, not to mention stress levels and a sedentary lifestyle (the real causes of a lot of heart problems and many health ills imo) .

 

Completely agreed. Why after all of these years people continue to base their advice on absolute shit epidemiology rather than controlled, clinical science and biochemistry is just ridiculous

[Guest fiznuthian]

Damnit somebody lend me a grand so I can buy my own ergometer..

My gym has a rowing machine made by nautilus, but it's static weight and nothing like a real rowing machine..

 

 

I did 320 lbs on this bad boy last night.. could only do 1 rep though. I can do a lot more at 280 or so, maybe five at 300.

[Guest boo]

is a real rowing machine a boat?

 

/iep

[Guest fiznuthian]

Shit, you're right.. I need a canoe?