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[Captain Glanton]

The only good way to know your bf% is to go to someone skilled with using calipers and get measured. But, now I'm going to contradict myself and post a few Google pics.

This is about 10%.

Brock Lesnar here might be in the 15-20% range. Note that there is a difference between 'manboobs' and having big strong pecs.

Someone who looks like Vic Mackey from The Shield might be in the 25-30% range.

I'm just giving estimates here, and others might disagree with them. Your bodyfat % can fluctuate quite a bit before it "shows up" in your appearance, so that makes it doubly hard to gauge without getting proper measurements.

 

[Mr.City]

Would a back-bracing belt be a wise investment?

 

[MeowMeow]

does any one live in the chicago burbs area?
im lookin for a workout partner
i work out at planet fitness in naperville
lookin to gain muscle mass, decrease body fat, and get six pack abs

 

[Slo]

Would a back-bracing belt be a wise investment?

If you're going to be doing movements like squats and deadlifts, it's not a bad idea. I go totally raw, but that's just me. Just don't be the guy wearing a weight belt while doing bench press. :lol :lol

 

[Ace 8095]

I started lifting weights at school this semester. I was on Rippetoes, but my friends were harassing me about taking the class with them. I wanted you to evaluate my lift schedule.

Monday-Squats, Hang Cleans, Power Cleans, SL Deadlift. He puts lunges, leg extension, and leg curls on the board, but I figure squats is enough leg work for a beginner.

Tuesday- Bench, CG Bench, Incline Bench, Rear Lat Pulldowns, Tri-Pushdowns, and BO-Row.

Wednesday- We do some "agility" work.

Thursday- Front Squat, Hang Clean, Snatch, SL Deadlift, Upright Rows. He also puts High Pulls and Shrugs on the board, but I'm usually so tired I don't do them.

Friday-Board Bench, CG Incline, Front Lat Pulldowns, Tri Pushdowns, DB raises, Nose Crunches, and a set of Bench at the end.

I've been following this schedule for three weeks and I feel I'm making better gains that I was on Rippetoes. One reason I for this is I did Rows instead of power cleans. One-thing concerns me though is the lack of Military Press. What do you think of this workout and is there any modification you suggest I do?

 

[Captain Glanton]

Would a back-bracing belt be a wise investment?

This is what I use. I got mine from Grizzly and I've been perfectly happy with it; I've checked out friends' belts from Inzer and I prefer mine [for wraps I'd rec Inzer over Grizzly for sure, though].

 

[Slo]

I started lifting weights at school this semester. I was on Rippetoes, but my friends were harassing me about taking the class with them. I wanted you to evaluate my lift schedule.

Monday-Squats, Hang Cleans, Power Cleans, SL Deadlift. He puts lunges, leg extension, and leg curls on the board, but I figure squats is enough leg work for a beginner.

Tuesday- Bench, CG Bench, Incline Bench, Rear Lat Pulldowns, Tri-Pushdowns, and BO-Row.

Wednesday- We do some "agility" work.

Thursday- Front Squat, Hang Clean, Snatch, SL Deadlift, Upright Rows. He also puts High Pulls and Shrugs on the board, but I'm usually so tired I don't do them.

Friday-Board Bench, CG Incline, Front Lat Pulldowns, Tri Pushdowns, DB raises, Nose Crunches, and a set of Bench at the end.

I've been following this schedule for three weeks and I feel I'm making better gains that I was on Rippetoes. One reason I for this is I did Rows instead of power cleans. One-thing concerns me though is the lack of Military Press. What do you think of this workout and is there any modification you suggest I do?

You're on an upper body/lower body split. I like it.

 

[Anton Sugar]

This is what I use. I got mine from Grizzly and I've been perfectly happy with it; I've checked out friends' belts from Inzer and I prefer mine [for wraps I'd rec Inzer over Grizzly for sure, though].

Use that kind. It should be the same width all the way around--the ones that are bigger around the back are designed by people who don't know what the purpose is.

 

[Anton Sugar]

I started lifting weights at school this semester. I was on Rippetoes, but my friends were harassing me about taking the class with them. I wanted you to evaluate my lift schedule.

Monday-Squats, Hang Cleans, Power Cleans, SL Deadlift. He puts lunges, leg extension, and leg curls on the board, but I figure squats is enough leg work for a beginner.

Tuesday- Bench, CG Bench, Incline Bench, Rear Lat Pulldowns, Tri-Pushdowns, and BO-Row.

Wednesday- We do some "agility" work.

Thursday- Front Squat, Hang Clean, Snatch, SL Deadlift, Upright Rows. He also puts High Pulls and Shrugs on the board, but I'm usually so tired I don't do them.

Friday-Board Bench, CG Incline, Front Lat Pulldowns, Tri Pushdowns, DB raises, Nose Crunches, and a set of Bench at the end.

I've been following this schedule for three weeks and I feel I'm making better gains that I was on Rippetoes. One reason I for this is I did Rows instead of power cleans. One-thing concerns me though is the lack of Military Press. What do you think of this workout and is there any modification you suggest I do?

Looks pretty good, if not grueling. What sort of sets/reps are you doing? I'd say you're probably going to burn out sooner on this workout that on Rippetoe's, but milk it for all its worth. Is this a football workout? If you're doing olympic lifts, make sure you're doing them properly. Here are some recommendations for changes:

Monday-Looks good, but be sure the emphasis here is on the squats. Work the squats hard enough that lunges, extensions, and curls aren't necessary.

Tuesday-You COULD substitute overhead press for incline. Overhead is very important for sports/athletic development. All the machine work, cut it out. Replace lat pull downs with rows or pull ups. Tri push downs, replace with triceps dumbbell extensions (skull crushers, if you will) or dips, if you can.

Thursday-Front squats cut out the hamstring as a contributor, so make sure your hamstrings get enough attention in the SL deadlifts. Get rid of the upright rows and sub in power shrugs, probably the BEST exercise for increasing size of the traps.

Friday-Again, substitute machine work with free weight work. Try dips, triceps extensions, etc. Again, military press can take place of incline.

Incline press right after benching can be bad, because they are so similar that the weights used are not TOO far apart, and your bench fatigue will adversely affect the weight you can use in incline.

Otherwise, its a pretty cool program. I'm partial to Rippetoe's simplicity for novices, myself.

 

[Ace 8095]

Looks pretty good, if not grueling. What sort of sets/reps are you doing? I'd say you're probably going to burn out sooner on this workout that on Rippetoe's, but milk it for all its worth. Is this a football workout? If you're doing olympic lifts, make sure you're doing them properly. Here are some recommendations for changes:

Monday-Looks good, but be sure the emphasis here is on the squats. Work the squats hard enough that lunges, extensions, and curls aren't necessary.

Tuesday-You COULD substitute overhead press for incline. Overhead is very important for sports/athletic development. All the machine work, cut it out. Replace lat pull downs with rows or pull ups. Tri push downs, replace with triceps dumbbell extensions (skull crushers, if you will) or dips, if you can.

Thursday-Front squats cut out the hamstring as a contributor, so make sure your hamstrings get enough attention in the SL deadlifts. Get rid of the upright rows and sub in power shrugs, probably the BEST exercise for increasing size of the traps.

Friday-Again, substitute machine work with free weight work. Try dips, triceps extensions, etc. Again, military press can take place of incline.

Incline press right after benching can be bad, because they are so similar that the weights used are not TOO far apart, and your bench fatigue will adversely affect the weight you can use in incline.

Otherwise, its a pretty cool program. I'm partial to Rippetoe's simplicity for novices, myself.

Thanks for the advice. What I'm doing is my school basic weight training workout that students of all sports use. Do you suggest I Military Press twice a week or once. I believe my best option would be to Board Bench on Friday, rest for a few minutes, and then do Military Press. Do you believe Nose Crunches are necessary on Friday or should I just do some Dips, Pullups, and triceps extensions?

 

[BigGreenMat]

The only good way to know your bf% is to go to someone skilled with using calipers and get measured. But, now I'm going to contradict myself and post a few Google pics.

This is about 10%.

Brock Lesnar here might be in the 15-20% range. Note that there is a difference between 'manboobs' and having big strong pecs.

Someone who looks like Vic Mackey from The Shield might be in the 25-30% range.

I'm just giving estimates here, and others might disagree with them. Your bodyfat % can fluctuate quite a bit before it "shows up" in your appearance, so that makes it doubly hard to gauge without getting proper measurements.

I think you are being a little over the top in %s. That top guy might be somewhere near 10%, but I only say that because his abs are just huge moreso than he is ripped He is most likely lower than that. I would probably put Lesnar under 15% though, he has a lot more mass so his % will be appropriately skewed. Also I just can't stand someone bashing Vic Mackey!! The man's a beast and not out of shape. I think you are again overestimating how fat he is.

 

[Gruco]

ran ~20 miles today and burned ~2100 calories. swish

Are you training for a marathon or something? If not I'd recommend dropping the milage and boosting up the speed. At the very least, make sure you invest in a good foam roller, or you're begging for ITBS.

 

[Mr.City]

I had something pretty damn scary happen to me at the gym. I was doing some sets of dumbbell bench presses when, on one of my last reps, one of my arms locked up. This was pretty bad considering that I couldn't hold the weight any longer. I was damn lucky that I didn't break that arm.

My question is what exactly caused this?

 

[SephCast]

Hey, so is it possible for me to make gains while cutting. I'm trying to lose my fat through cardio, eating clean, and lifting. I've been lifting 4 days a week, and running 5. Is there any way that I can make slight gains in muscle, while still melting my fat away through cutting?

I take whey.

 

[demon]

Hey, so is it possible for me to make gains while cutting. I'm trying to lose my fat through cardio, eating clean, and lifting. I've been lifting 4 days a week, and running 5. Is there any way that I can make slight gains in muscle, while still melting my fat away through cutting?

I take whey.

It's possible, but very slowly, and with a very strict diet. Most people probably think differently, but burning fat is not all about caloric restriction.

 

[RumblingRosco]

Are you training for a marathon or something? If not I'd recommend dropping the milage and boosting up the speed. At the very least, make sure you invest in a good foam roller, or you're begging for ITBS.

What is this? I do a decent amount of running (4-5 miles, 4-5 days a week), and I'm not sure if I'm in the area that you'd suggest I look into a foam roller (which I have never heard of!) to avoid ITBS (which I've also never heard of!)

*goes to do research*

 

[lil smoke]

I had something pretty damn scary happen to me at the gym. I was doing some sets of dumbbell bench presses when, on one of my last reps, one of my arms locked up. This was pretty bad considering that I couldn't hold the weight any longer. I was damn lucky that I didn't break that arm.

My question is what exactly caused this?

That is scary. What do you mean "lock"? An elbow joint? The only good "lock" is when you're so fatigued, you just can't muster the force to do the last rep.

 

[beelzebozo]

Are you training for a marathon or something? If not I'd recommend dropping the milage and boosting up the speed. At the very least, make sure you invest in a good foam roller, or you're begging for ITBS.

no, i'm not training for a marathon. i have this (probably not uncommon) problem in that once i accomplish something in my workout, i feel obligated to do that much and then up the ante. so what was once a decent 6 mile daily run turned into a ten mile run on one occasion. after knowing i could do that, six miles felt scant; later, twelve miles done and ten miles doesn't seem enough; and so on. dialing back my workout is something that i'm going to have to work on mentally. i'm really tough on myself at the moment, because i have very little else to accomplish besides having a good workout, which is sort of my way of "earning" the rest of my day

 

[Captain Glanton]

Hey, so is it possible for me to make gains while cutting. I'm trying to lose my fat through cardio, eating clean, and lifting. I've been lifting 4 days a week, and running 5. Is there any way that I can make slight gains in muscle, while still melting my fat away through cutting?

I take whey.

Theoretically possible but very difficult. If you're just starting out it will be easier. Upping the supplements you're taking would also help a lot. It will also come down to what your body is like now [are you naturally skinny, athletic, or fat?] and just how well you respond to training. The gifted among us can probably make this work, but not the average person. For the average person, you're better off focusing on one goal at a time.

Also, are you exercising 9 sessions a week? It sounds like you might be headed toward overtraining [I think that concern can be overblown, but it might well apply here]. If that's the case, you need to cut back AND greatly increase the supplements you're taking.

I had something pretty damn scary happen to me at the gym. I was doing some sets of dumbbell bench presses when, on one of my last reps, one of my arms locked up. This was pretty bad considering that I couldn't hold the weight any longer. I was damn lucky that I didn't break that arm.

My question is what exactly caused this?

That sounds pretty bad. Where exactly was the pain in your arm, and was it a muscle, nerve, or joint pain? If the arm just hurt a lot to move, then you overexerted yourself and it's no big deal. If you could hear things grinding inside the joint [and for those of us who have heard this, the sound is unmistakeable], then you're in for a long period of being careful, if you're lucky, or rehab, if you're not lucky. You should probably search for some preventive care exercises for the joint, too.

 

[Chichikov]

no, i'm not training for a marathon. i have this (probably not uncommon) problem in that once i accomplish something in my workout, i feel obligated to do that much and then up the ante. so what was once a decent 6 mile daily run turned into a ten mile run on one occasion. after knowing i could do that, six miles felt scant; later, twelve miles done and ten miles doesn't seem enough; and so on. dialing back my workout is something that i'm going to have to work on mentally. i'm really tough on myself at the moment, because i have very little else to accomplish besides having a good workout, which is sort of my way of "earning" the rest of my day

Running that many miles is not the most healthy thing to do.
But as a long runner myself I also think it's maybe the greatest exercise out there (from a personal preference and sense of accomplishment, not so much from a pure health perspective).

I do have two suggestions though -
1. If you feel comfortable running 20 miles, go for a marathon. you sound like someone who enjoy setting challenging goals for yourself, doing a good marathon is beyond rewarding.
2. Go talk to someone (ideally a sport doctor) about long term issues of long distance running, you can easily fuck yourself in a very bad way.

 

[mr stroke]

The only good way to know your bf% is to go to someone skilled with using calipers and get measured. But, now I'm going to contradict myself and post a few Google pics.

This is about 10%.

Brock Lesnar here might be in the 15-20% range. Note that there is a difference between 'manboobs' and having big strong pecs.

Someone who looks like Vic Mackey from The Shield might be in the 25-30% range.

I'm just giving estimates here, and others might disagree with them. Your bodyfat % can fluctuate quite a bit before it "shows up" in your appearance, so that makes it doubly hard to gauge without getting proper measurements.

Here is a pretty good comparison pic, but who knows how this guy found his real body fat or just guessed

 

[beelzebozo]

Running that many miles is not the most healthy thing to do.
But as a long runner myself I also think it's maybe the greatest exercise out there (from a personal preference and sense of accomplishment, not so much from a pure health perspective).

I do have two suggestions though -
1. If you feel comfortable running 20 miles, go for a marathon. you sound like someone who enjoy setting challenging goals for yourself, doing a good marathon is beyond rewarding.
2. Go talk to someone (ideally a sport doctor) about long term issues of long distance running, you can easily fuck yourself in a very bad way.

thanks for the advice man. i've actually thought about going to see a dietitian or a doctor of some sort to discuss general diet/workout routine stuff, as it's something i still struggle with balancing since a pretty substantial weight loss ~five years ago. the workout itself is something i feel i've become physically addicted to, or at least that my body has adjusted to expect it daily--days off i feel extremely sluggish and it usually puts me in a poor mood.

i'm actually curious if anyone else has that same sort of sluggish problem on the down days, the days they're supposed to be enjoying. do your muscles tighten up? do you feel tired? what do you do to counteract it?

 

[RumblingRosco]

Anyone have some recommendations for good, high protein, foods that I could eat as a small snack? I'm go with nuts, but I'm allergic to them, so that's out of the question. I've heard cottage cheese is decently high in protein, and have considered keeping some around my dorm room to have a small bowl of daily.

Also, has anyone ever made or ate Tempeh? It's supposedly very high in protein, just curious if anyone had any experience with it, taste or anything else related to it.

 

[BigGreenMat]

Anyone have some recommendations for good, high protein, foods that I could eat as a small snack? I'm go with nuts, but I'm allergic to them, so that's out of the question. I've heard cottage cheese is decently high in protein, and have considered keeping some around my dorm room to have a small bowl of daily.

Also, has anyone ever made or ate Tempeh? It's supposedly very high in protein, just curious if anyone had any experience with it, taste or anything else related to it.

Fat Free or 1% Cottage Cheese is GODLY if you aren't lactose intolerant. AWESOME SNACK FIND!! Have it with some fruit too if you like. Since you are allergic to nuts there goes one of my snacks. Also try canned Tuna or Salmon in freshwater. Very good sources of protein that are easy to store and just break open. Beef Jerky is another great one you just might want to look for ones with lower sodium content. Hard Boiled Eggs are also a good option.

 

[Captain Glanton]

Here is a pretty good comparison pic, but who knows how this guy found his real body fat or just guessed

Those numbers seem pretty reasonable to me. My only goals with the pics were to provide some estimate ranges for people and to show that most men are too generous to themselves when estimating their own bodyfat %.

I found something new to do today. Walking dumbbell lunges, stopping by the hack squat, and supersetting those with front hacks. They really suck the air out of your body. I also learned that if you do jump squats with a A-frame shirt [muscle shirt, whatever] with heavy weight [e.g., 295 lbs], you risk rubbing a little bit of skin off your neck and shoulders.

 

[Onemic]

Okay, I got a little problem. Since taking my diet, recently(Meaning around 2 days ago) I haven't had to take a dump. I mean there isn't even an urge to do this....It's been 2 days now as well. Now is this normal as I'm not eating close to as much as before or is there something wrong?

Here's my current diet

Weekday

Breakfast

Oatmeal, no milk

Lunch

1 Lettuce tuna wrap(With cheese)
water

Dinner

Lettuce(A plate full)
Chicken(2-3)
beans
water


Weekend

Breakfast

2 eggs(hardboild or fried)
sausage(Boiled then cooked)

Lunch

varies
sometimes eggs, sometimes I skip it

Dinner

lettuce(A plate full)
Chicken(2-3)
beans
water


Currently I'm think of replacing the oatmeal with psyllium fiber and an egg.

 

[Captain Glanton]

onemic, your oatmeal and lettuce should be taking care of your, um, "GAF LOL Thread" needs every day. It's probably stress or something.

 

[Gruco]

What is this? I do a decent amount of running (4-5 miles, 4-5 days a week), and I'm not sure if I'm in the area that you'd suggest I look into a foam roller (which I have never heard of!) to avoid ITBS (which I've also never heard of!)

*goes to do research*

You're fine. The serious danger zone is usually for people over 40 miles a week, and running 20 mile long runs.

A foam roller is generally a really good idea for most runners though.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iliotibial_band_syndrome
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000HLR258/?tag=neogaf0e-20

beelzebozo - yeah, if you're that into it I'd go for the marathon. But if not, try not to think of shorter runs as "dialing down" your workouts. You can still have extremely satisfying, intense runs for 6 miles that can push you just as hard or harder.

 

[Mr.City]

That sounds pretty bad. Where exactly was the pain in your arm, and was it a muscle, nerve, or joint pain? If the arm just hurt a lot to move, then you overexerted yourself and it's no big deal. If you could hear things grinding inside the joint [and for those of us who have heard this, the sound is unmistakeable], then you're in for a long period of being careful, if you're lucky, or rehab, if you're not lucky. You should probably search for some preventive care exercises for the joint, too.

It all occured in a split second, so I can't exactly say if it was just the elbow joint or if my whole right arm locked up. That may sound a little strange, but I was pretty panicked at that point in time. As for the pain, the only pain I really felt was in my rear shoulder muscle muscle. I'm not sure if that's from the exercise or if that's from the weights on their way down ( my arm unlocked and both the weights fell to my side, luckily not hitting me). I would like to bring up that there was no pain in my elbow at all.

The whole thing makes me want to pursue exercises that don't involve placing heavy weights over me. I don't use a spotter, so I don't anyone really look out for me should I fuck myself over other than any person next to me at the moment.

Since we're on the topic of placing heavy lifting, I've been having trouble doing squats. Something about resting the barbell on my upper back doesn't feel good. Perhaps I'm letting too much of the weight rest on my back? Maybe lunges are more my thing.

 

[Captain Glanton]

It all occured in a split second, so I can't exactly say if it was just the elbow joint or if my whole right arm locked up. That may sound a little strange, but I was pretty panicked at that point in time. As for the pain, the only pain I really felt was in my rear shoulder muscle muscle. I'm not sure if that's from the exercise or if that's from the weights on their way down ( my arm unlocked and both the weights fell to my side, luckily not hitting me). I would like to bring up that there was no pain in my elbow at all.

The whole thing makes me want to pursue exercises that don't involve placing heavy weights over me. I don't use a spotter, so I don't anyone really look out for me should I fuck myself over other than any person next to me at the moment.

Since we're on the topic of placing heavy lifting, I've been having trouble doing squats. Something about resting the barbell on my upper back doesn't feel good. Perhaps I'm letting too much of the weight rest on my back? Maybe lunges are more my thing.

Weird joint moments like this sorta come with the territory. I was overhead pressing dumbbells one day when I felt the "ball" part of my right shoulder joint slide down and away from the "socket" part. There was pain, and I managed to get the weight down as the joint finished its little ride. Then I managed to get myself into the locker room where I could make some noises for a little while. So I switched to using a barbell for all my presses; for whatever reason, it causes no problems even though a friend of mine in med school assured me that it should be the other way around [dumbbells should be better than barbells for shoulder health].

Do not give up on squats! Perhaps you are putting the bar too far down your back. I set it across the top area of my rear shoulders and across my middle traps. Do not set it on top of your upper traps [for me, this would mean the bar might not even touch my shoulders], but I don't like it down across the meat of my rear shoulders, where some guys put it.

 

[deadbeef]

Weird joint moments like this sorta come with the territory. I was overhead pressing dumbbells one day when I felt the "ball" part of my right shoulder joint slide down and away from the "socket" part. There was pain, and I managed to get the weight down as the joint finished its little ride. Then I managed to get myself into the locker room where I could make some noises for a little while. So I switched to using a barbell for all my presses; for whatever reason, it causes no problems even though a friend of mine in med school assured me that it should be the other way around [dumbbells should be better than barbells for shoulder health].

Do not give up on squats! Perhaps you are putting the bar too far down your back. I set it across the top area of my rear shoulders and across my middle traps. Do not set it on top of your upper traps [for me, this would mean the bar might not even touch my shoulders], but I don't like it down across the meat of my rear shoulders, where some guys put it.

Seconded.

Also make sure you drive your neck and traps back into the bar to help make a "shelf" that you can rest the bar on.

 

[beelzebozo]

My legs cramp like hell when I jog. Any way I can relieve this or is this normal when starting out?

normal, especially if you're overweight. production of lactic acid when you exercise your muscles just causes cramps. snagging some potassium pills or eating foods that are high in potassium more often (bananas, potatoes, etc.) will help reduce their frequency. actually, you might be wise to snag some mega men pills from gnc or something that will help replenish a great number of your vitamins that you may be lacking now that you're more strictly watching what you eat.

 

[Captain Glanton]

My legs cramp like hell when I jog. Any way I can relieve this or is this normal when starting out?

In addition to the nanners and taters, get some more lean meat into your diet. Even if you're not wanting to "get big," getting your protein will help your body repair itself after you exercise.

 

[Captain Glanton]

I've updated the OP with some suggestions for bodyweight resistance training and advice on the basics of getting bigger/stronger.

 

[Captain Glanton]

So I eat the meat after I exercise or before?

No no, with your breakfast and lunch. Wait at least an hour to exercise after you've eaten.

 

[SephCast]

Theoretically possible but very difficult. If you're just starting out it will be easier. Upping the supplements you're taking would also help a lot. It will also come down to what your body is like now [are you naturally skinny, athletic, or fat?] and just how well you respond to training. The gifted among us can probably make this work, but not the average person. For the average person, you're better off focusing on one goal at a time.

Also, are you exercising 9 sessions a week? It sounds like you might be headed toward overtraining [I think that concern can be overblown, but it might well apply here]. If that's the case, you need to cut back AND greatly increase the supplements you're taking.

I'm naturally a little pudgy. I'm at 5'9", 164 right now. I topped out at 191 freshman year of college. I'm now a senior.

I do exercise 9 sessions a week, but the intensity is not so high that I am overtraining. I only do weights and cardio on the same day, twice a week. My weightlifting program is very basic, and only takes me about 30 minutes every day. I do 2 Chest/2 Triceps on Monday and Thursday. I do 2 Biceps/2 Back on Tuesday and Friday. Each workout involves 4 sets of 8-10 reps.

When I run, I run 2 miles max. I switch off between interval and straight-pace.

I eat 90% clean. I do a small meal every 2-3 hours. Mostly, I'm trying to lose the last 5-10 lbs of fat I have left.. Does this plan seem effective?

Training Schedule:
Monday - Lift/Run straight pace
Tuesday - Lift
Wednesday - Run HIIT 15 Minutes
Thursday - Lift/Run straight pace
Friday - Lift
Saturday - Run Straight pace
Sunday - Run HIIT 15 minutes

 

[xaosslug]

i've been followin' the whole Power 90 routine for a while now, and though it has given me great results, it's getting pretty stale. I'm in the market for a new workout. I'm thinking about jumping in on 12-Second Sequence... good idea, bad?

DVD's just came out:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000Y04R8C/?tag=neogaf0e-20

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000Y04R8M/?tag=neogaf0e-20

hmm?

 

[Joe]

what can i do to work out my side abs (not sure what those muscles are called)? right now im just crossing my legs and doing a crunch to the side so my elbow touches the opposite knee.

 

[Mau ®]

To work on my chest Ive been doing bench pressing in 3 positions. Decline, stright and inclined. 12 reps, 4 series each position.

Is that routine good enough for the chest area? Should I add or remove anything?

 

[SephCast]

Bump. I need an answer.

 

[Captain Glanton]

I'm naturally a little pudgy. I'm at 5'9", 164 right now. I topped out at 191 freshman year of college. I'm now a senior.

I do exercise 9 sessions a week, but the intensity is not so high that I am overtraining. I only do weights and cardio on the same day, twice a week. My weightlifting program is very basic, and only takes me about 30 minutes every day. I do 2 Chest/2 Triceps on Monday and Thursday. I do 2 Biceps/2 Back on Tuesday and Friday. Each workout involves 4 sets of 8-10 reps.

When I run, I run 2 miles max. I switch off between interval and straight-pace.

I eat 90% clean. I do a small meal every 2-3 hours. Mostly, I'm trying to lose the last 5-10 lbs of fat I have left.. Does this plan seem effective?

Training Schedule:
Monday - Lift/Run straight pace
Tuesday - Lift
Wednesday - Run HIIT 15 Minutes
Thursday - Lift/Run straight pace
Friday - Lift
Saturday - Run Straight pace
Sunday - Run HIIT 15 minutes

I'm not sure that I see much muscle growth on that plan. The most important thing is that [if I'm reading you properly on your routine] you need to add leg exercises to your routine. Intense leg and back exercises will work your heart, etc. and burn fat efficiently [not like marathon running, but in comparison to things like barbell curls they're good for fat loss]. I would say to add complex leg and back exercises right away.

If you're five or ten pounds away from your fat loss goals, I would say to stick with the basic program you have now, if it's been working [with those added exercises]. Then when you reach your goal, switch to something like this:

Day 1: Lower Body Weights
Day 2: Upper Body Weights; HIIT Cardio
Day 3: Off
Day 4: Steady State Cardio
Day 5: Lower Body Weights
Day 6: Upper Body Weights; HIIT Cardio
Day 7: Off

Now, for this program you'd up your weight time to an hour a session, maybe doing 15 sets of 5 reps each. That should pack on the muscle more quickly, while the cardio and a reasonably clean diet should keep the fat off. Just remember that to build muscle, you will need to risk a little fat gain [unless you're a genetic freak]. Keep gaining weight until your bodyfat goes above what you're comfortable with, then drop the calories and up the cardio work until you're back where you want to be. Then add the calories back in. By raising and lowering your calories and fat in this manner, you can raise your overall mass while keeping your fat in check.

Bump. I need an answer.

:lol

 

[deadbeef]

Hey Capt.

I'm coming off a diet next week. I'm going to try and stay at maintenance for a few weeks at least before resuming the diet.

What sort of volume/intensity should I be looking at during this time? I'd like to keep a few moderate cardio sessions per week and lift maybe 3 times per week.

I am thinking a few heavy sets of the basic lifts spread out during the week (DL, Squat, Bench, Row). Should I fill out the rest of the sessions with something like 3 sets of 8-12 or something?

 

[Captain Glanton]

Hey Capt.

I'm coming off a diet next week. I'm going to try and stay at maintenance for a few weeks at least before resuming the diet.

What sort of volume/intensity should I be looking at during this time? I'd like to keep a few moderate cardio sessions per week and lift maybe 3 times per week.

I am thinking a few heavy sets of the basic lifts spread out during the week (DL, Squat, Bench, Row). Should I fill out the rest of the sessions with something like 3 sets of 8-12 or something?

If you're going to intake your calorie intake by quite a bit [that decision depends on all sorts of things] you might take the opportunity to really up your intensity. I'm thinking maybe 5 X 5 with squats, DLes, overhead presses, weighted pullups, rows, all with as heavy as you can possibly go. And if you want to have a lot of fun, you can superset those with each other, e.g., doing barbell rows and pullups together or something.

In other words, if you're planning on only 'relaxing' the diet for a few weeks, go crazy and see what you can really do in the gym. Eat a big breakfast, hit the gym so hard that you're collapsing and gasping for air at the end of your sets, and then eat a big meal when you get home.

Last fall I did a strict diet for several months [I could see veins on the thighs, etc], and then switched to a bulking diet. Cheese in my eggs in the morning, a few chicken nuggets each night, all that stuff. My strength went through the roof too. If you go too long like that you'll look like a powerlifter, but for about a month, I looked jacked.

 

[deadbeef]

If you're going to intake your calorie intake by quite a bit [that decision depends on all sorts of things] you might take the opportunity to really up your intensity. I'm thinking maybe 5 X 5 with squats, DLes, overhead presses, weighted pullups, rows, all with as heavy as you can possibly go. And if you want to have a lot of fun, you can superset those with each other, e.g., doing barbell rows and pullups together or something.

In other words, if you're planning on only 'relaxing' the diet for a few weeks, go crazy and see what you can really do in the gym. Eat a big breakfast, hit the gym so hard that you're collapsing and gasping for air at the end of your sets, and then eat a big meal when you get home.

Last fall I did a strict diet for several months [I could see veins on the thighs, etc], and then switched to a bulking diet. Cheese in my eggs in the morning, a few chicken nuggets each night, all that stuff. My strength went through the roof too. If you go too long like that you'll look like a powerlifter, but for about a month, I looked jacked.

You didn't find that your body preferentially stored extra calories as fat after being on a strict diet for so long?

 

[Captain Glanton]

You didn't find that your body preferentially stored extra calories as fat after being on a strict diet for so long?

Not at the beginning. I would have been fine as far as fat storage went, except that I got to like being freaky strong too much and went too far to the 'powerlifter' side of things.

The weird thing is that now, a year later, I weigh the same as I did when I was 'powerlifter fat' but I'm much leaner. I don't have veins on my thighs any more, but I do have cheekbones and abs, and I weigh about 25 pounds more than I did at my leanest. And the other day, I still did pullups [palms down, from arms extended to chin over the bar] with a 45 pound plate chained on for 10 reps [and 25 total, with 1 minute rest between sets].

 

[Mau ®]

Dont forget me Capt!

To work on my chest Ive been doing bench pressing in 3 positions. Decline, stright and inclined. 12 reps, 4 series each position.

Is that routine good enough for the chest area? Should I add or remove anything?

 

[Christopher]

I'm trying to bulk up a lot guys and fuck m best friend is HUGE and eats so many eggs and roast beef sandwhiches....I mean I'm getting there but fuck if I have to eat one more...ugh.

Anyway - any updates on here, is anyone seeing results? Need help? You can ask me too.

I don't know if this has been said in this thread, and it already probably has but I personally find it easier when I have someone come with me and give me that extra boost of motivation to get through the burn - I mean I can do without, but for those that are starting, great way to keep to it by having someone else stay on top with you.

 

[boutrosinit]

The original post is truly the best compilation of fitness advice I've ever read. It should also be noted that endurance running increases oestrogen in the system, where as sprinting increases testosterone. High testosterone also helps with tone and weight loss. As well as drive in general.

 

[Onemic]

Okay, I really need advice here. I'm 6'0, 18, and was 270 pounds. I was aiming to lose 70 pounds as quickly as possible(My goal was to lose 30 pounds by March and 50 before September) and so far I've lose 20 pounds within two weeks. Now I need advice on how to continue this steady weight loss. At first I cut out all snacks and then went into a high protein- low carb diet, while doing pushups and situps before bed. I've already posted what I actually eat day by day, but do I need to increase exercise or anything in order to continue with the steady weight loss?

 

[Captain Glanton]

Dont forget me Capt!

To work on my chest Ive been doing bench pressing in 3 positions. Decline, stright and inclined. 12 reps, 4 series each position.

Is that routine good enough for the chest area? Should I add or remove anything?

My chest grows when I do squats and overhead presses, so I'm probably not the best to ask. All I do for my chest, honestly, is incline barbell presses, 3 or 4 sets a week.

I would suspect that you're overtraining your chest and undertraining your back. You should be doing at least as many sets of rows and pullups as you do for all of your chest work. Most guys don't. So I might switch to incline and flat benches for 4 sets each, 5, 6 or 8 reps a set. Then match that with barbell rows, 4 sets, and all the pullups you can stand. Then if you feel your chest is lagging, you can add in some dumbbell flyes or cable crossovers if you like.

The original post is truly the best compilation of fitness advice I've ever read. It should also be noted that endurance running increases oestrogen in the system, where as sprinting increases testosterone. High testosterone also helps with tone and weight loss. As well as drive in general.

Aw shucks. And yes, sprints are awesome.

Okay, I really need advice here. I'm 6'1, 18, and was 270 pounds. I was aiming to lose 70 pounds as quickly as possible(My goal was to lose 30 pounds by March and 50 before September) and so far I've lose 20 pounds within two weeks. Now I need advice on how to continue this steady weight loss. At first I cut out all snacks and then went into a high protein- low carb diet, while doing pushups and situps before bed. I've already posted what I actually eat day by day, but do I need to increase exercise or anything in order to continue with the steady weight loss?

It's great that you're making good progress and that you're dedicating yourself. However, the bad news is that most of those good results are the result of your body's being surprised by all the changes. If you don't increase your exercise, the results will cease. A few bouts a week of sprints, lunges, and bodyweight squats until you're gasping for air will keep those pounds coming off. And don't worry if your sprints feel like jogs and your lunges wobble at first--the crucial thing is that you're pushing yourself.