Support NeoGAF

[Naked Snake]

I'd say a day between each workout should be fine. It depends more on what you're doing. What does your routine look like?

It is not bad to work out when you're sore. It just hurts. Being sore doesn't mean you're in danger or anything.

Your muscles are ALWAYS in a state of breakdown/recovery. To COMPLETELY let a muscle recover before you worked it again...you'd be working out every week and a half or so. You don't need to do that.

If you aren't supplying your body with enough sleep and nutrients, your muscles cannot recover and build up. If you are hitting your body with too much intensity, then your nervous system will not recover.

Wow, a day between workouts? I'm not sure I could even do that, I'm usually way too tired for at least 2 days after the workout. I can't find the page I read that explained why resting 7 to 10 days is ideal, it was pretty convincing and professionally written with detailed scientific explanations... but doing a Google search for "muscle recovery days week" returns many pages saying that resting longer is better, here are a few from the first page of results:

http://worldfitnessnetwork.com/index.php/muscle-recovery-time-set-record-straight/

http://www.shapefit.com/exercise-recovery.html

http://www.criticalbench.com/strength_training_muscle_recovery.htm

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/russ24.htm

http://www.maximuscle.com/trainingtips/musclerecovery.html

Anyway... I'm sure my training routine is very flawed, I didn't base it on any expert advise or program, I simply improvised based on what knowledge I gathered and the limitations of my time/energy, the latter being a big issue in my life (lack of free time). So I tried to minimize the number of total exercises, minimize the number of sets, minimize rest or idling time between sets, do very little to almost zero warming up or stretching, and ruled out split routines in order to minimize the frequency of visits to the gym every week.

This is what I do:

Dumbbell bench press
Inclined dumbbell bench press
Dumbbell or cable flys
Dips (leaning forward and bending my legs backward to target chest muscles)
Deadlift
Squats
Total abdomen crunches (machine)
Pull ups/chin ups
Shoulders overhead press
Dumbbell rows or upper-back machine pulls
Cable pulldowns? for triceps (I often skip this, and will probably switch to narrow grip bench press from your advise)

I think that's about it. I do 2 sets of each exercise, and I usually don't "idle" between sets, so for example I would do a set of bench press and as soon as I'm finished I do a set of deadlifts, then as soon as I'm done with the 1st set of deadlifts I'll do my 2nd set of bench press, then deadlifts again. So I utilize muscle rest time to do an exercise that does not involve the muscle group that I had just trained.

I usually start with a maximal load right off the bat without warming up (I know it's dangerous and unrecommended) but I really can't afford investing the time in warming up or stretching... I occasionally do a warm up set if I'm about to increase the weight to a new level or if I hadn't worked out in quite a while.

Notice how I don't do exercises to specifically target many popular muscles, like biceps for example, that's because I really don't care about having "big guns" and I think my arms look good anyway.

I take whey protein before, during and after workouts, and casein protein before sleep and during non-workout days (I actually always mix a little whey with the casein to improve the taste), and I started taking Creatine recently, just 2 or 3 weeks ago.

This has been generally working out well for me, I'm seeing gains and I'm more or less happy with the way my body looks, with the exception of my chest, I can't seem to gain much mass there, although it looks good after a workout from swelling, I wish it could always look like that.

Feel free to shoot down my routine and provide any improvement suggestions. Keeping in mind my wish to minimize workout time and my priorities: Chest above all.

I should probably look into Rippetoe's or some tried-and-proven program that somehow achieves my goals.

 

[sca2511]

so some people swear on working out every day. Others swear by every other day ( not weekends) so it would be Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. I usually go by the latter. Are there any major differences?

 

[Chichikov]

Wow, a day between workouts? I'm not sure I could even do that, I'm usually way too tired for at least 2 days after the workout. I can't find the page I read that explained why resting 7 to 10 days is ideal, it was pretty convincing and professionally written with detailed scientific explanations... but doing a Google search for "muscle recovery days week" returns many pages saying that resting longer is better, here are a few from the first page of results:
[snip]

While long rests may be needed for advanced lifters doing extreme workouts, 7 days for a beginner/intermediate sounds out of whack.
You may be overtraining your body, your routine seems pretty long and hard, break it down a bit.

I usually start with a maximal load right off the bat without warming up (I know it's dangerous and unrecommended) but I really can't afford investing the time in warming up or stretching... I occasionally do a warm up set if I'm about to increase the weight to a new level or if I hadn't worked out in quite a while.

No no no no no no.
And again - NO!
If you don’t have time to warm up, you don’t have time to exercise –
Always stretch and do warm-up sets before your work sets.
ALWAYS!

 

[Mash]

I'm thinking about taking making a fresh start with my routine and going back something like rippetoes. The basic routine is:

Workout A
3x5 Squat
3x5 Bench Press
1x5 Deadlift

Workout B
3x5 Squat
3x5 Standing military press
3x5 Power cleans


1:
Monday - Workout A
Wednesday - Workout B
Friday - Workout A

2:
Monday - Workout B
Wednesday - Workout A
Friday - Workout B

as most of you are probably familiar. My only concern with this routine, which I know is a great way to develop core strength, is that it seems to neglect the biceps which I'm fairly used to giving a good work out. Now it does recommend adding ancillary exercises like dips and pullups but given where I live I can't go drilling holes in walls and the gym is something I can't afford right now. Should I just forget that for now or would throwing in some curls not be such a bad idea?

 

[Chichikov]

I'm thinking about taking making a fresh start with my routine and going back something like rippetoes. The basic routine is:

Workout A
3x5 Squat
3x5 Bench Press
1x5 Deadlift

Workout B
3x5 Squat
3x5 Standing military press
3x5 Power cleans


1:
Monday - Workout A
Wednesday - Workout B
Friday - Workout A

2:
Monday - Workout B
Wednesday - Workout A
Friday - Workout B

Looks good.
But personally I would try to switch the order, I try to do deadlifts early in my routine, otherwise I get too fucking tired.

My only concern with this routine, which I know is a great way to develop core strength, is that it seems to neglect the biceps which I'm fairly used to giving a good work out. Should I just forget that for now or would throwing in some curls not be such a bad idea?

As I’m sure you’re aware, biceps importance is mostly aesthetic (but hey, aesthetic is important, right?).
You can work out some biceps curls, but I think the best option is supinated chin ups, it gives your biceps plenty of work while still being a pretty effective exercise.

Now it does recommend adding ancillary exercises like dips and pullups but given where I live I can't go drilling holes in walls and the gym is something I can't afford right now. Should I just forget that for now or would throwing in some curls not be such a bad idea?

You can get door bars that don’t require drilling for not a whole lot of money.
And dips are pretty easy to improvise, if you have any desks, cupboards or even (STABLE!) chairs you can probably MacGyver yourself some dips.

 

[Anton Sugar]

Hormone secretion occurs during sleep. Anabolic (muscle building) hormones activate and catabolic (muscle-wasting) deactivate. The anabolic hormones peak at your first REM cycle and maintains during the rest of your slumber. Naps ARE good, but obviously, shorter sleeping durations limit your muscle building potential.

 

[Anton Sugar]

I'm thinking about taking making a fresh start with my routine and going back something like rippetoes. The basic routine is:

Workout A
3x5 Squat
3x5 Bench Press
1x5 Deadlift

Workout B
3x5 Squat
3x5 Standing military press
3x5 Power cleans


1:
Monday - Workout A
Wednesday - Workout B
Friday - Workout A

2:
Monday - Workout B
Wednesday - Workout A
Friday - Workout B

as most of you are probably familiar. My only concern with this routine, which I know is a great way to develop core strength, is that it seems to neglect the biceps which I'm fairly used to giving a good work out. Now it does recommend adding ancillary exercises like dips and pullups but given where I live I can't go drilling holes in walls and the gym is something I can't afford right now. Should I just forget that for now or would throwing in some curls not be such a bad idea?

Pull ups would PROBABLY be the best choice, but you could add in some bent over rows instead. I alternate bent over rows and pullups for a "true" pulling movement.

Bent over rows: http://www.elitefitness.com/forum/showthread.php?t=366601

Stick with the routine and eat well--it's golden.

 

[Captain Glanton]

nm.

 

[Anton Sugar]

Wow, a day between workouts? I'm not sure I could even do that, I'm usually way too tired for at least 2 days after the workout. I can't find the page I read that explained why resting 7 to 10 days is ideal, it was pretty convincing and professionally written with detailed scientific explanations... but doing a Google search for "muscle recovery days week" returns many pages saying that resting longer is better, here are a few from the first page of results:

http://worldfitnessnetwork.com/index.php/muscle-recovery-time-set-record-straight/

http://www.shapefit.com/exercise-recovery.html

http://www.criticalbench.com/strength_training_muscle_recovery.htm

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/russ24.htm

http://www.maximuscle.com/trainingtips/musclerecovery.html

Here. check this out, from Mad Cow, but it also echoes what Mark Rippetoe, Bill Starr, Lon Kilgore, and Glenn Pendlay have extolled:

The typical split routines that have people training a bodypart once per week are - I would basically just recommend that everyone stop them right now and move on. They are so fundementally bad that it's not worth typing up an explanation for them - the whole reason why people arrived at this idea was because they didn't understand science and misapplied thinking that muscles needed to fully recover before training them again (look up the timeframe for complete tissue remodeling from a single bout of weight training - it's beyond a month as I recall but in any event it is far far longer than any of these splits allows for). These splits are a major reason why most people in the gym are spinning their wheels.
<snip>
As for recovery - do you really think muscles recover in a few days? Maybe a week right? Nope, look up complete tissue remodelming, it can take well over a month from a single bout of weight training if I remember correctly but regardless it is far longer than any split in use. Bottom line you are almost always training in some type of recovery deficit.

Where did the 1x per week come from? It came about because BBers started talking about overtraining back in the late 1980's (at the time just previous to this the common workout in the muscle mags was 3 on 1 off and I remember a fair amount of AM/PM days too). A few guys began to notice that if they took time off they came back stronger. They then thought that this was because their workouts weren't optimally spaced and timed. This is the essense of single factor theory or Supercompensation where you go in the gym and work ultra hard pushing your muscles to the point of full exertion (welcome to the training to failure school). Then you retreat quietly and heal up slightly stronger. Just after you've gotten your growth response but before you begin to detrain and lose it you hit that muscle again and do the same thing. The idea is that you can link up a series of these and grow in a linear pattern.

Pretty ing cool eh? Too bad it's wrong. First, there's no scientific backing. Arthur Jones is partially responsible for this and he's long since recanted his short, intense, and infrequent methodology a la Mentzer's Heavy Duty. I will say that this program does work for beginners but for an experienced lifter it is drastically suboptimal. Oh yeah - if you take a ty stimulus and magnify the response with enough drugs you can still make progress but for a given individual a supperior stimulus would allow for more gains at an individual's given dosage or equal gains for that person at a lower dosage level.

So where does that leave us? Well luckily people figured this stuff out a couple decades ago. There's a fatigue factor that gets built into this stuff and managing this fatique is important (both central nervous system and at the muscular level). You see, you can make gains and train without being fully recovered, it's actually better (think back to the people taking some time off and noticing they came back stronger - we'll revisit this in a moment). Rather than thinking about a single workout as a stimulus, consider a block of training - let's say 2-4 weeks. The fatigue is actually a recovery deficit that accrues during stimulative training.

Anyway... I'm sure my training routine is very flawed, I didn't base it on any expert advise or program, I simply improvised based on what knowledge I gathered and the limitations of my time/energy, the latter being a big issue in my life (lack of free time). So I tried to minimize the number of total exercises, minimize the number of sets, minimize rest or idling time between sets, do very little to almost zero warming up or stretching, and ruled out split routines in order to minimize the frequency of visits to the gym every week.

This is what I do:

Dumbbell bench press
Inclined dumbbell bench press
Dumbbell or cable flys
Dips (leaning forward and bending my legs backward to target chest muscles)
Deadlift
Squats
Total abdomen crunches (machine)
Pull ups/chin ups
Shoulders overhead press
Dumbbell rows or upper-back machine pulls
Cable pulldowns? for triceps (I often skip this, and will probably switch to narrow grip bench press from your advise)

I think that's about it. I do 2 sets of each exercise, and I usually don't "idle" between sets, so for example I would do a set of bench press and as soon as I'm finished I do a set of deadlifts, then as soon as I'm done with the 1st set of deadlifts I'll do my 2nd set of bench press, then deadlifts again. So I utilize muscle rest time to do an exercise that does not involve the muscle group that I had just trained.

I usually start with a maximal load right off the bat without warming up (I know it's dangerous and unrecommended) but I really can't afford investing the time in warming up or stretching... I occasionally do a warm up set if I'm about to increase the weight to a new level or if I hadn't worked out in quite a while.

Notice how I don't do exercises to specifically target many popular muscles, like biceps for example, that's because I really don't care about having "big guns" and I think my arms look good anyway.

I take whey protein before, during and after workouts, and casein protein before sleep and during non-workout days (I actually always mix a little whey with the casein to improve the taste), and I started taking Creatine recently, just 2 or 3 weeks ago.

This has been generally working out well for me, I'm seeing gains and I'm more or less happy with the way my body looks, with the exception of my chest, I can't seem to gain much mass there, although it looks good after a workout from swelling, I wish it could always look like that.

Feel free to shoot down my routine and provide any improvement suggestions. Keeping in mind my wish to minimize workout time and my priorities: Chest above all.

Just FYI, I do a full body routine 3x a week and have been making consistent strength/size gains for the past 4-5 months.

Don't prioritize your chest. Focus more on the squats and deadlifts, but if you're squatting AND deadlifting 3x a week, you're slowly killing yourself. If you're a beginner, squatting 3x a week is fine, but I'd deadlift once a week. Try something like this:

Monday:
Bench Press
Incline Dumbbell Bench press
Pull Ups
Dumbbell Rows
Squat

Wednesday:
Overhead Press
Squat
Deadlift
Chin Ups

Friday
Squat
Bench press
Incline Dumbbell Bench Press
Bent Rows
Pull Ups


It sounds like you're going for quantity, not quality, right now. Add in ab stuff whenever you want, at the end of the workout. If you don't have time to warm up, you don't have time to train. Shoot for 3-5 sets of 5-8 reps for each exercise, except deadlifts. You can do something like 2 sets of 5, 3 sets of 3.

 

[Captain Glanton]

Some running commentary.

OK guys, I've resolved to do what I've been meaning to do since I was thirteen and get myself into shape. I'm currently trying to get rid of the gut, love handles and manboobs while simultaneously increasing the size of my arms and shoulders. I'd also like a V-shaped torso and a stronger back.

I currently weigh 75kg at 178cm tall. If I lost all the fat from my torso, I'd be about as skinny as Barack Obama although I do have reasonably thick legs (esp. calf muscles). Basically, the bottom half is strong, the top half is weak and the middle is flabby.

There's probably some cultural difference here, but at your height and weight I don't see how you could be all that fat. You might be soft because of a lack of exercise but that's not the same thing. For reference, I'm about 175 cm and 100 kg.

The steps I'm taking:

******************************
Diet:

- Breakfast:- 100g of Corn Flakes with reduced-fat milk and a banana
- Morning snack:- Another piece of fruit (or two)
- Lunch:- 150g meat/fish/chicken portion with a salad (supermarket salad mix, tomato and cucumber) and a slice of toast
- Afternoon snack:- ??? (please suggest something cheap and readily available in terms of low fat protein)
- Dinner:- 250g portion of meat and vegetables

For breakfast, I always tell people to add eggs. You need more protein in the morning, and they are cheap. The health risks are grossly overstated. Lots of us have a protein shake [protein powder + water or skim milk] in the afternoon for that snack. If not that, a little natural peanut butter or tuna, plus a piece of fruit or something, might be good. Lunch and dinner look great if your portions are right [I don't know about your fancy 'grams' talk].

Exercise (The bit I need the most help with):

- Monday to Friday:- 2 x 20 minute brisk walks

- Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday :- 3 x 25 sit-ups, 3 x 10 bench press, 3 x 10 tricep pushups, 3 x 10 curls (each arm), 3 x 10 I-forget-what-they're-called-but-they-exercise-your-lats (same action as a rowing machine, if that helps)

Hmm, bad knees. Okay, but we still need to find something for you to do with your legs. What specific problems are you having with your knees? What types of movements are you capable of doing?

For your back, I would highly recommend barbell rows. I believe Mr. Snrub posted a link on this page someplace. But you are going to put the barbell on the floor, and then bend over and row it up to where it touches the bottom of your ribcage. The important part is that you use your back muscles to bring the weight up, not your arms.

For your shoulders, I would do some standing overhead pressing [see the running argument above!] and/or power cleans [google for this one].

For your sets and reps, I would recommend either doing 5 sets of 5 reps for each exercise, or at least bringing the rep numbers down toward 6-8. And don't be afraid to mix those set and rep numbers up from week to week. Don't keep grinding out 3 X 10 forever.

******************************

What I need are suggestions as to what to do about the afternoon snack as well as tips on what to change vis a vis the exercise routine, since I'm almost certain I'm doing it wrong. Can anyone help?

Please note that I have bad knees, so low impact exercise is essential. Also, the only exercise equipment I own are an exercise mat, an adjustable benchpress, a barbell and a pair of dumbells.

Whats a good analysis on sleep?

How many hours of sleep should you get after a day of a physical workout? Is taking naps bad for you? I keep hearing from the damn old people that sleeping too much makes you fat.

8 hours of sleep is the standard, but some people will tell you that it's the minimum and that 10 hours should be your goal. I truly believe that lack of good sleep is one of the major health problems for modern life. And tossing and turning for 8 hours because you're stressed about work does not count as good sleep.

I usually start with a maximal load right off the bat without warming up (I know it's dangerous and unrecommended) but I really can't afford investing the time in warming up or stretching... I occasionally do a warm up set if I'm about to increase the weight to a new level or if I hadn't worked out in quite a while.

As Chichikov said, don't do this. Always give yourself plenty of time to warm up. I do five warmup sets before I squat. Really.


Mash
If biceps are that important to you, you can throw in some curls at the end of your workout. Curls are such a low-impact exercise that I don't even count them as part of my proper workout--on those occasions when I do them at all.

Workout Frequency
There's no reason to take a week off between workouts. The bodybuilding.com link above is talking about taking a week off every few months, which is another matter entirely. If you are doing total body workouts or upper/lower splits [either of which works great; I'd recommend doing one or the other for sure, above doing individual bodypart workouts] then I think that working out every day works fine. I personally lift on Tues, Sat, and Sun, with some light sprinting on Mon and some very strenuous sprint work on Thur.

 

[Mash]

Mash
If biceps are that important to you, you can throw in some curls at the end of your workout. Curls are such a low-impact exercise that I don't even count them as part of my proper workout--on those occasions when I do them at all.

Cheers Glaton, I'll leave it for now I think, it's hard enought to change routine as it is.

 

[Vanish]

EDIT: Nevermind 4, was answered by Glanton's last post
EDIT 2: Age: 21 Height: 5'9" Weight: 139
Barrage of questions incoming:

1) Keep in mind that im a skinny guy with some (tiny) muscles but with a little fat on my stomach. ideally, i want to end up looking like this: http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/images/2006/bg49.jpg <_<

2) therefore, i need to significantly increase my muscle mass and size and lose a little fat. 100 g or less of carbs and as little fat as possible is what i should be eating daily to lose the fat right?

2) So, is 5X5 is the best way to do any and all exercises? or should i just stick to the common 10X3?

3) Right now, im taking both creatine (before my workout) and whey protein (after workout) with protein filled food throughout the day. any other supplements or w/e i should be taking to maximize muscle growth and efficiency?

4) I know this has been covered before, but the thread is huge. is it a good idea to just do a full body workout on mondays, wednesdays, and fridays? i rather not split it into groups on different days since it'll be too hard to take in all the protein i need after a workout nearly everyday.

5) Then doing HIIT on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and saturadays is a good idea right?

sorry for all the questions, any answers are appreciated, thanks

 

[Ace 8095]

EDIT: Nevermind 4, was answered by Glanton's last post

Barrage of questions incoming:

1) Keep in mind that im a skinny guy with some (tiny) muscles but with a little fat on my stomach. ideally, i want to end up looking like this: http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/images/2006/bg49.jpg <_<

2) therefore, i need to significantly increase my muscle mass and size and lose a little fat. 100 g or less of carbs and as little fat as possible is what i should be eating daily to lose the fat right?

2) So, is 5X5 is the best way to do any and all exercises? or should i just stick to the common 10X3?

3) Right now, im taking both creatine (before my workout) and whey protein (after workout) with protein filled food throughout the day. any other supplements or w/e i should be taking to maximize muscle growth and efficiency?

4) I know this has been covered before, but the thread is huge. is it a good idea to just do a full body workout on mondays, wednesdays, and fridays? i rather not split it into groups on different days since it'll be too hard to take in all the protein i need after a workout nearly everyday.

5) Then doing HIIT on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and saturadays is a good idea right?

sorry for all the questions, any answers are appreciated, thanks

What is your age, height, and weight?

 

[Vanish]

What is your age, height, and weight?

Age: 21 Height: 5'9" Weight: 139

 

[viciouskillersquirrel]

There's probably some cultural difference here, but at your height and weight I don't see how you could be all that fat. You might be soft because of a lack of exercise but that's not the same thing. For reference, I'm about 175 cm and 100 kg.

I'm not obese by any means, but I have a Latino/Asian body shape. Basically, I have zero fat on my arms, legs and neck and what I do have accumulates on my torso. This means a bit of a belly and love handles. I guess soft would be the best way to describe it actually.

That reminds me of a joke I had a female friend tell me once - When are love handles good on a man?

Spoiler

When they're his ears!

Yeah, she's kind of crazy.

For breakfast, I always tell people to add eggs. You need more protein in the morning, and they are cheap. The health risks are grossly overstated. Lots of us have a protein shake [protein powder + water or skim milk] in the afternoon for that snack. If not that, a little natural peanut butter or tuna, plus a piece of fruit or something, might be good. Lunch and dinner look great if your portions are right [I don't know about your fancy 'grams' talk].

Eggs should be easy enough to throw in there. Tuna and fruit you say... I should be able to handle that as well. Could I substitute yoghurt or cheese at all if I wanted to shake things up?

Hmm, bad knees. Okay, but we still need to find something for you to do with your legs. What specific problems are you having with your knees? What types of movements are you capable of doing?

I busted my left collateral ligament (outer ligament, left leg) in high school when playing soccer. Apparently, it'll mostly fix itself with time, but currently, if I walk or run long distances, I start to limp. I'm good for straight up and down motion, but not so good if there's any lateral movement.

For your back, I would highly recommend barbell rows. I believe Mr. Snrub posted a link on this page someplace. But you are going to put the barbell on the floor, and then bend over and row it up to where it touches the bottom of your ribcage. The important part is that you use your back muscles to bring the weight up, not your arms.

For your shoulders, I would do some standing overhead pressing [see the running argument above!] and/or power cleans [google for this one].

For your sets and reps, I would recommend either doing 5 sets of 5 reps for each exercise, or at least bringing the rep numbers down toward 6-8. And don't be afraid to mix those set and rep numbers up from week to week. Don't keep grinding out 3 X 10 forever.

5 sets of 5 huh? Would that mean an increase in weight at all? It looks like I'll have to buy more weights in that case.

Also, would it be better to do the five sets consecutively or do each set then move on to the next exercise and cycle around five times? This point has always confused me.

 

[Naked Snake]

I didn't know warming up was so crucial, I guess I'll have to find a way to fit it in my schedule (unthinkable with my current life). And I guess I'm lucky that I hadn't hurt myself by not doing it till now.

I've been wanting to check out rippetoes, it seems to be designed for similar goals as mine, and it seems to be working for a lot of people.

 

[Mr.City]

Protein shakes don't seem to take too kindly to being stored in a thermos for a 3 or 4 hours. It seems kind of runny and not as creamy when freshly made. Do you guys pack your's and, if so, what do you do to keep it fresh?

 

[Ace 8095]

Age: 21 Height: 5'9" Weight: 139

There is NO reason you should be trying to lose fat. None. None. None. You need to gain weight now.

Workout A
3x5 Squat
3x5 Bench Press
1x5 Deadlift
2 sets of pullups
abs

Workout B
3x5 Squat
3x5 Standing military press
3x5 Power cleans
2 sets of Dips
abs


1:
Monday - Workout A
Wednesday - Workout B
Friday - Workout A

2:
Monday - Workout B
Wednesday - Workout A
Friday - Workout B

This will be your best routine to follow. The pull-ups, dips, and abs are not necessary but you will no doubt feel the need to work on your showy muscles. If you want a body like that picture you will need to at least gain 40 pounds. You don't gain weight by eating little amounts of fats and carbs and doing HIIT. I suggest you take in at least 3000 calories a day and cut cardio.

The best supplement for gaining weight is milk. My personal savior

Spoiler

Mark Rippetoe

recommends consuming 3 to 4 solid meals and drinking one gallon of whole milk a day. Please read this http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=998224 It is a summery of a book you should buy http://www.amazon.com/dp/0976805421/?tag=neogaf0e-20

If you eat enough food, follow the right program, perform you lifts correctly

Spoiler

I guarantee you aren't right now

and stay dedicated you will reach your goal.

 

[BlueTsunami]

Protein shakes don't seem to take too kindly to being stored in a thermos for a 3 or 4 hours. It seems kind of runny and not as creamy when freshly made. Do you guys pack your's and, if so, what do you do to keep it fresh?

I don't think storing your protein drink like that (mixed) is advisable. I usually just mix mine up with a spoon on the spot. As far as taking said drink to work? I would probably store the mixture (1 scoop) in a small container and just use tap water at work.

 

[Mr.City]

I don't think storing your protein drink like that (mixed) is advisable. I usually just mix mine up with a spoon on the spot. As far as taking said drink to work? I would probably store the mixture (1 scoop) in a small container and just use tap water at work.

I never thought of that. I'm such a fool.

 

[Captain Glanton]

Since my back squats are off the board for the foreseeable future [until I can negotiate stairs and chairs without knee pain], I went to the gym for an 'extra' day today. Barbell curls and weighted dips for 5X5, some pullups, and some low-level stationary bike work.

I feel like such a

Spoiler

girl.

Also, if any of the Rippetoe gang wants to PM me more material, links, pics to add to the OP, I can do that.

 

[Ace 8095]

Since my back squats are off the board for the foreseeable future [until I can negotiate stairs and chairs without knee pain], I went to the gym for an 'extra' day today. Barbell curls and weighted dips for 5X5, some pullups, and some low-level stationary bike work.

I feel like such a

Spoiler

girl.

Also, if any of the Rippetoe gang wants to PM me more material, links, pics to add to the OP, I can do that.

As someone who is doing barbell curls instead of squats you should. I think Mark Rippetoes two books should be placed at the top of the OP. There are far to many people who don't know how to perform lifts correctly and know nothing about programming.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0976805421/?tag=neogaf0e-20
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0976805413/?tag=neogaf0e-20

 

[Mr.City]

Have you seen a doctor at all about that troubled knee, Glaton?

 

[Jirotrom]

Since my back squats are off the board for the foreseeable future [until I can negotiate stairs and chairs without knee pain], I went to the gym for an 'extra' day today. Barbell curls and weighted dips for 5X5, some pullups, and some low-level stationary bike work.

I feel like such a

Spoiler

girl.

Also, if any of the Rippetoe gang wants to PM me more material, links, pics to add to the OP, I can do that.

you can try some cissuss.... it will rid you of the pain but you should still be wary, that and some Glucosamine. Granted the glucosamine will help with the healing... I hurt , my back to day doing leg press, thank god I wasn't doing squats or i would have injured myself badly.

 

[Boogie]

All righty, I figured I’d take the plunge and give a full expose of my routine for critique.

Physique: 5'8", around 170 lbs.

Vanity Pics, because I have little shame: http://www.2and2.net/files/48166a3bb861e.jpg (not like you guys have never seen my mug before though )

http://www.2and2.net/files/48166a7449b54.jpg

Pics from 3 months ago, right out of the training academy. Not quite that lean anymore.

Workout:

Monday, Wednesday, sometimes Friday:
I like to minimize the rest in my workouts. Not quite Crossfit-level, but still.
First I’ll alternate 4-5 sets of pullups and dumbbell chest press.
ie. 14 pullups, 8 reps using two 62 lbs dumbbells
5 pullups, 6-7 reps of 57 lbs dumbbells
4 pullups, 6-7 reps 52 lbs dumbells
4 pullups, 6-7 reps 47 lbs dumbbells
3 pullups, 6-7 reps 42 lbs dumbbells.

So basically, going to failure with no rest between sets, and declining weight on the dumbbells to be able to maintain a certain number of reps.

Then I do 2 sets of
50 leg raises
40 crunches
25 side crunches to each side.
40 back extensions

Then I’ll do the same alternating 4-5 sets between dips and dumbbell curls:
dips to failure, curls to failure @ 42 lbs dumbbells
dips to failure, curls @ 37 lbs dumbbells, etc.

Then I might throw in some dumbbell shoulder press.

After that, I might run on a treadmill for 10-15 minutes.

I want to throw in deadlifts and squats, since everyone in this thread seems to be obsessed with them, but am really concerned psychologically about pushing myself in those exercises. I tried some squats the other day with a paltry amount of weight. I could do the exercise fine, but the fear of hurting myself freaked me right out.

Tuesdays:
1 and ½ hours of Brazilian Jiu-jitsu

Thursdays:
2 hours of Brazilian Jiu-jitsu

Diet (where I may be slaughtered):

Weekdays:
Breakfast: Life, or Raison Bran cereal, Orange Juice.

Lunch: Ham and cheese sandwich, a bannana

Supper: Chicken strips (now making the change to actual chicken breasts or pork), Rice or baked potatoes, frozen veggies, and milk.

On days when I have BJJ, I have 3 eggs and two slices of toast w/ peanut butter when I get back from BJJ in the late evening.

On weekends, I eat like crap due to hanging out with girlfriend.

 

[Barrage]

Question: So from this thread it appears Eggs should be a vital part of a good diet. The question is-how should it be prepared?

 

[Boogie]

Question: So from this thread it appears Eggs should be a vital part of a good diet. The question is-how should it be prepared?

*shrug*, I'm a scrambled egg man, myself. I hope it doesn't matter.

 

[beelzebozo]

fried with plenty of butter

 

[Barrage]

Taste-wise I prefer scrambled as well, but I assumed that hard-boiled might be better for you. I dunno why, maybe i've just watched Rocky too many times.

 

[Ace 8095]

Boogie, your program is crap. You need to be on a three-day full body workout routine. The key to building a solid foundation for strength is found in the squat rack.

"There is simply no other exercise, and certainly no machine, that produces the level of central nervous system activity, improved balance and coordination, skeletal loading and bone density, muscular stimulation and growth, connective tissue stress and strength, psychological demand and toughness, and overall systemic conditioning as the correctly performed full squat." Words of wisdom from Mark Rippetoe

I suggest you follow Rippetoes beginner program for a few months. You can read more about it here http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=998224

 

[Trident]

I'd imagine a 3x a week, full body workout routine + 2 days a week of intense martial arts training may be closing in on over exertion. Isn't jujutisu a full body workout in itself?

 

[Boogie]

Isn't jujutisu a full body workout in itself?

I'd call it that, yeah.

 

[viciouskillersquirrel]

Say, Captain Glanton, did you see my reply to your post further up the page? I have a few more questions.

 

[Ace 8095]

I'd imagine a 3x a week, full body workout routine + 2 days a week of intense martial arts training may be closing in on over exertion. Isn't jujutisu a full body workout in itself?

There is no excuse other than injury for not performing squats and dead lifts. None. If three times a week is to taxing on the body than twice a week will have to do. The gains will be slower but they will still be a whole lot better than what he is doing now. The question is simple, would you rather have slightly larger arms, or have a functionally strong and athletic body? And one more thing, cardio is never a full body workout.

 

[Anton Sugar]

I'd call it that, yeah.

Yeah, but anaerobic work is completely different from aerobic. Jujutsu, at least sport jujutsu, uses a lot of both. You need to do something more than just upper body work. I've noticed this a lot in MMA communities--little direct leg work. I can understand the worry that getting bigger legs might slow you down (rock climbers have tiny legs), but strong legs don't have to be thigh-chaffing big.

And whats the deal with the fear of squats? Seriously, I don't understand it at all.

 

[Anton Sugar]

Plus, triangle chokes are lot easier when you have thick hamstrings and adductors

 

[RumblingRosco]

Diet (where I may be slaughtered):

Weekdays:
Breakfast: Life, or Raison Bran cereal, Orange Juice.

Lunch: Ham and cheese sandwich, a bannana

Supper: Chicken strips (now making the change to actual chicken breasts or pork), Rice or baked potatoes, frozen veggies, and milk.

On days when I have BJJ, I have 3 eggs and two slices of toast w/ peanut butter when I get back from BJJ in the late evening.

Breakfast, I'd really say to ditch the Raisin Bran and Orange Juice. Extra sugar that isn't needed; at the least, try to get a bit of eggs in there and if you aren't willing to completely give up Orange Juice, consider drinking half as much (or drinking it every other day) and replacing the other half with just a good glass of water.

Lunch seems good. Might want to try an apple in there in place of the banana sometimes for some added fiber, in the event you drop the Raisin Bran. What are you drinking with lunch? Water or milk would be a good idea, or maybe even some green tea if you're into that sort of thing, just for its general health benefits.

Supper. Chicken breasts > chicken strips as you said. Fish might be a good alternative to change things up from time to time. Brown rice is preferred to white rice generally for most people, though I honestly cannot remember why at the moment. Try to replace the frozen veggies with fresh ones. Milk is good.

This is my completely unprofessional opinion of course, I'm also not sure if your goal is to gain more weight, maintain your current weight, or maybe lose weight (although judging from your photos I'd say you look to be at a pretty nice weight right now).

On weekends, I eat like crap due to hanging out with girlfriend.

You sound like me. Took me forever to convince my girlfriend to tolerate me eating food I wanted instead of all the junk food she tries to force on me! Of course, I appease her from time to time by eating some candy. It does the relationship good.

 

[Captain Glanton]

Have you seen a doctor at all about that troubled knee, Glaton?

I don't roll that way. :lol

Right now I'm on a plan of biking, ice, and increased fish oil. Saturday I did my workout of stairs + 100lb box o' books, but we'll see how long that continues. I am going to pick up some gluocosamine tomorrow when I make my GTA run. It's not the pain so much as the feeling, at times, of no strength or stability in the joint. I am moving across the country in less than two months, and there's no way I'm going to get my knee 'scoped right now

Eggs should be easy enough to throw in there. Tuna and fruit you say... I should be able to handle that as well. Could I substitute yoghurt or cheese at all if I wanted to shake things up?

On occasion, but yoghurt > cheese.

I busted my left collateral ligament (outer ligament, left leg) in high school when playing soccer. Apparently, it'll mostly fix itself with time, but currently, if I walk or run long distances, I start to limp. I'm good for straight up and down motion, but not so good if there's any lateral movement.

Could you handle walking lunges? Or even stationary lunges? At least it would be something.

5 sets of 5 huh? Would that mean an increase in weight at all? It looks like I'll have to buy more weights in that case.

Also, would it be better to do the five sets consecutively or do each set then move on to the next exercise and cycle around five times? This point has always confused me.

Yes, you'll need to up the weights. And you should do 5 sets of one exercise and then 5 of the next.

 

[RumblingRosco]

Question: I've always been told, since a young age, that lifting with your back (rather than your legs) increases your risk of back pains as an adult. Deadlifts, of course, seem like they're largely lifting with your back, and the fear of being a hunch-backed old fart has put enough fear into me to avoid even starting deadlifting.

Anyone have any advice about this? Will proper deadlifting increase a risk of back problems as I age, or is there no real proof for that?

 

[RumblingRosco]

I don't roll that way. :lol

Right now I'm on a plan of biking, ice, and increased fish oil. Saturday I did my workout of stairs + 100lb box o' books, but we'll see how long that continues. I am going to pick up some gluocosamine tomorrow when I make my GTA run. It's not the pain so much as the feeling, at times, of no strength or stability in the joint. I am moving across the country in less than two months, and there's no way I'm going to get my knee 'scoped right now

 

[Boogie]

Breakfast, I'd really say to ditch the Raisin Bran and Orange Juice. Extra sugar that isn't needed; at the least, try to get a bit of eggs in there and if you aren't willing to completely give up Orange Juice, consider drinking half as much (or drinking it every other day) and replacing the other half with just a good glass of water.

...I'll try. But damn I love me my OJ.

Lunch seems good. Might want to try an apple in there in place of the banana sometimes for some added fiber, in the event you drop the Raisin Bran. What are you drinking with lunch? Water or milk would be a good idea, or maybe even some green tea if you're into that sort of thing, just for its general health benefits.

Don't like apples. I drink water with lunch. I get plenty of water intake.

This is my completely unprofessional opinion of course, I'm also not sure if your goal is to gain more weight, maintain your current weight, or maybe lose weight (although judging from your photos I'd say you look to be at a pretty nice weight right now).

heh, I'm not even sure what my goal is. I'm satisfied with my weight, but think that I'd like to increase my strength, if I can maintain my performance cardio-wise at the same time.

Or, I guess you could say my goal is to maximize my performance in my martial arts (current focus on grappling)

You sound like me. Took me forever to convince my girlfriend to tolerate me eating food I wanted instead of all the junk food she tries to force on me! Of course, I appease her from time to time by eating some candy. It does the relationship good.

:lol, nice.

 

[Ace 8095]

Question: I've always been told, since a young age, that lifting with your back (rather than your legs) increases your risk of back pains as an adult. Deadlifts, of course, seem like they're largely lifting with your back, and the fear of being a hunch-backed old fart has put enough fear into me to avoid even starting deadlifting.

Anyone have any advice about this? Will proper deadlifting increase a risk of back problems as I age, or is there no real proof for that?

You should buy Starting Strength before you hurt yourself.

 

[MrToughPants]

You should buy Starting Strength before you hurt yourself.

:lol

 

[Deleted member 12837]

I'm thinking about taking making a fresh start with my routine and going back something like rippetoes. The basic routine is:

Workout A
3x5 Squat
3x5 Bench Press
1x5 Deadlift

Workout B
3x5 Squat
3x5 Standing military press
3x5 Power cleans


1:
Monday - Workout A
Wednesday - Workout B
Friday - Workout A

2:
Monday - Workout B
Wednesday - Workout A
Friday - Workout B

as most of you are probably familiar. My only concern with this routine, which I know is a great way to develop core strength, is that it seems to neglect the biceps which I'm fairly used to giving a good work out. Now it does recommend adding ancillary exercises like dips and pullups but given where I live I can't go drilling holes in walls and the gym is something I can't afford right now. Should I just forget that for now or would throwing in some curls not be such a bad idea?

It's been a while since I've been in the gym due to some back surgery, but now that I can go back in I'm wondering if this would be an ok routine to jump right into, or should I spend a few weeks with some other exercises to build a base up? I'm planning on throwing some other stuff into the workout above like dips, pull-ups, and possibly incline bench press, supinated chin ups, bent-over rows and push-ups as well.

Also, are 3 sets of 5 reps really enough for these exercises?

 

[Boogie]

The question is simple, would you rather have slightly larger arms, or have a functionally strong and athletic body?

As if I don't already have an athletic body.

 

[Ace 8095]

As if I don't already have an athletic body.

This is what I consider an athletic body http://youtube.com/watch?v=XkK9-mnDAy4

 

[viciouskillersquirrel]

On occasion, but yoghurt > cheese.

It's only a few slices of cheddar and the occasional haloumi.

Could you handle walking lunges? Or even stationary lunges? At least it would be something.

Walking lunges should be good. I'll google how to do them properly. That's my main worry with the squats, although I can do the bent over rows OK.

Yes, you'll need to up the weights. And you should do 5 sets of one exercise and then 5 of the next.

Cool. Thanks for clearing that up.

 

[Captain Glanton]

I can has vanity?

Spoiler

And a little backne

 

[Captain Glanton]

It's only a few slices of cheddar and the occasional haloumi.


Walking lunges should be good. I'll google how to do them properly. That's my main worry with the squats, although I can do the bent over rows OK.


Cool. Thanks for clearing that up.

http://www.exrx.net/WeightExercises/Quadriceps/BBWalkingLunge.html

 

[Boogie]

This is what I consider an athletic body http://youtube.com/watch?v=XkK9-mnDAy4

Congratulations on having such a narrow definition of athleticism.

Here's what I consider an athletic body:

http://www.dailymotion.com/relevanc...xv_georges-stpierre-mma-instructional_extreme

http://www.dailymotion.com/relevanc...4b0wx_mma-history-georges-rush-stpierre_sport