Gym thread

[El_Mayo]

I've taken about 2 weeks off gym (up 'til next week)
Do I still drink my whey protein shakes or not?

[paulieg]

Originally Posted by El_Mayo

I've taken about 2 weeks off gym (up 'til next week)
Do I still drink my whey protein shakes or not?

Yes. You tear down in the gym, and build up outside. Keep the protein reasonably high.

[El_Mayo]

Originally Posted by paulieg

Yes. You tear down in the gym, and build up outside. Keep the protein reasonably high.

I was under the impression that the rebuilding happened over around 72 hours and then that was it haha

[paulieg]

Originally Posted by El_Mayo

I was under the impression that the rebuilding happened over around 72 hours and then that was it haha

That's true to an extent, but you should just stay in the habit of keeping your protein reasonably high. That way you never have to mess around with getting back to good habits after a break. Generally, I do 2 protein shakes per day in addition to regular foods when I train with heavy weights from September-March. Then cut down to 1 when I'm cutting and using lighter weights during late spring and summer.

[El_Mayo]

Originally Posted by paulieg

That's true to an extent, but you should just stay in the habit of keeping your protein reasonably high. That way you never have to mess around with getting back to good habits after a break. Generally, I do 2 protein shakes per day in addition to regular foods when I train with heavy weights from September-March. Then cut down to 1 when I'm cutting and using lighter weights during late spring and summer.

Oh you do the whole cutting bulking cycles? How is that?
I aim for something closer to an athlete's figure, than a bodybuilders
I'll try and get more protein thru food and drink 1 protein shake a day for a while then

[paulieg]

Originally Posted by El_Mayo

Oh you do the whole cutting bulking cycles? How is that?
I aim for something closer to an athlete's figure, than a bodybuilders
I'll try and get more protein thru food and drink 1 protein shake a day for a while then

I do a less extreme version of bulking and cutting than many other serious strength athletes do. I simply take in about 500-750 more calories per day, and maybe another 50 grams of protein per day from September-March. I also only do 1-2 days of cardio per week while bulking, compared to 3 days of longer duration cardio when cutting.

[El_Mayo]

Originally Posted by paulieg

I do a less extreme version of bulking and cutting than many other serious strength athletes do. I simply take in about 500-750 more calories per day, and maybe another 50 grams of protein per day from September-March. I also only do 1-2 days of cardio per week while bulking, compared to 3 days of longer duration cardio when cutting.

50g MORE? How much do you take a day?! lmao

[paulieg]

Originally Posted by El_Mayo

50g MORE? How much do you take a day?! lmao

LOL. Fall/Winter-180-200gm. Spring/Summer- 140-160gm.

[El_Mayo]

Originally Posted by paulieg

LOL. Fall/Winter-180-200gm. Spring/Summer- 140-160gm.

You must be huge. I weight 85kg, how much should I consume? I drink 3 shakes w/ 25g scoops, but I don't get that much protein from other sources so I'd say I get somewhere around 90g a day

[paulieg]

Originally Posted by El_Mayo

You must be huge. I weight 85kg, how much should I consume? I drink 3 shakes w/ 25g scoops, but I don't get that much protein from other sources so I'd say I get somewhere around 90g a day

No, not huge...just muscular. I don't have the genetics to be really big. Besides, a person should take in .75-1g of protein for every pound of body weight, if you are trying to put on any muscle, and my intake falls right in there, with a bit extra when I'm going really heavy. You should be getting about double what you currently take in. You really need to start eating some chicken, fish, and a steak every once in awhile.

[WhiteLotus]

Originally Posted by El_Mayo

You must be huge. I weight 85kg, how much should I consume? I drink 3 shakes w/ 25g scoops, but I don't get that much protein from other sources so I'd say I get somewhere around 90g a day

Paulie and I had a very similar discussion over at the strength plateu thread. So check that out.

Though for myself (weight at the time 68kg) he recommended 120odd grams of protein. You can get it from a good lot of sources. I particularly like salami meats (2g of protein a slice, so just have that in a sarnie with a chunk of cheese for lunch), a fried breakfast (sausages, bacon, eggs on toast gives you a fair amount) and peanuts to snack on in the evening (they are stacked with protein).
Get some full fat milk (3.6%) and chuck in a banana and scoop of protein and you got yourself a good breakfast drink.

Another factor that he mentioned was not to skip out on your calories, because you don't want to break down your protein to maintain your metabolic output.

The app Fitnesspal gives a good indication of what you are eating, use that religiously.

A personal point that dawned on me whilst a read Steevos post, was to make sure you are eating enough salt and drinking enough water. Or else you are going to cramp like a m*th*rf*ck*r.

[paulieg]

Originally Posted by WhiteLotus

Paulie and I had a very similar discussion over at the strength plateu thread. So check that out.

Though for myself (weight at the time 68kg) he recommended 120odd grams of protein. You can get it from a good lot of sources. I particularly like salami meats (2g of protein a slice, so just have that in a sarnie with a chunk of cheese for lunch), a fried breakfast (sausages, bacon, eggs on toast gives you a fair amount) and peanuts to snack on in the evening (they are stacked with protein).
Get some full fat milk (3.6%) and chuck in a banana and scoop of protein and you got yourself a good breakfast drink.

Another factor that he mentioned was not to skip out on your calories, because you don't want to break down your protein to maintain your metabolic output.

The app Fitnesspal gives a good indication of what you are eating, use that religiously.

A personal point that dawned on me whilst a read Steevos post, was to make sure you are eating enough salt and drinking enough water. Or else you are going to cramp like a m*th*rf*ck*r.

Mostly good advice here. However, you may want to replace some of the higher fat items, like the whole milk with 1%, unless you are needing to put on weight in general. WL is putting on some muscle, but he's got a tall and thin frame, which could use a bit of fat with the muscle.

[El_Mayo]

Originally Posted by paulieg

No, not huge...just muscular. I don't have the genetics to be really big. Besides, a person should take in .75-1g of protein for every pound of body weight, if you are trying to put on any muscle, and my intake falls right in there, with a bit extra when I'm going really heavy. You should be getting about double what you currently take in. You really need to start eating some chicken, fish, and a steak every once in awhile.

I eat chicken a lot, but it's never processed chicken so I don't know how many calories are in it. I try to add it to the fitness app but it does serving sizes in grams for example, and I didn't weigh my drumstick *oops* :P

Originally Posted by WhiteLotus

Paulie and I had a very similar discussion over at the strength plateu thread. So check that out.

Though for myself (weight at the time 68kg) he recommended 120odd grams of protein. You can get it from a good lot of sources. I particularly like salami meats (2g of protein a slice, so just have that in a sarnie with a chunk of cheese for lunch), a fried breakfast (sausages, bacon, eggs on toast gives you a fair amount) and peanuts to snack on in the evening (they are stacked with protein).
Get some full fat milk (3.6%) and chuck in a banana and scoop of protein and you got yourself a good breakfast drink.

Another factor that he mentioned was not to skip out on your calories, because you don't want to break down your protein to maintain your metabolic output.

The app Fitnesspal gives a good indication of what you are eating, use that religiously.

A personal point that dawned on me whilst a read Steevos post, was to make sure you are eating enough salt and drinking enough water. Or else you are going to cramp like a m*th*rf*ck*r.

Yo I like that breakfast drink idea, my whey's banana flavoured too. I won't be drinking JUST that for breakfast though! I'll be hungry as fuckkk. I tend to eat rice, pasta or chips in the morning lol
also I thought salt CAUSED the cramps? I always used to get cramps after drinking Lucozade Sport. ALWAYS

Originally Posted by paulieg

Mostly good advice here. However, you may want to replace some of the higher fat items, like the whole milk with 1%, unless you are needing to put on weight in general. WL is putting on some muscle, but he's got a tall and thin frame, which could use a bit of fat with the muscle.

I'm 6"3 and 85kg, I wouldn't mind even LOSING some, I just wanna be more defined. It's annoying going to the gym and doing all your exercises and feeling SWOLE but not LOOKING muscular. I look a bit bigger ofc, but I'm not getting the cardio/regulating my diet yet, but all that's gonna change soon. Hence why I'm doing the research now

[paulieg]

Originally Posted by El_Mayo

I eat chicken a lot, but it's never processed chicken so I don't know how many calories are in it. I try to add it to the fitness app but it does serving sizes in grams for example, and I didn't weigh my drumstick *oops* :P

Yo I like that breakfast drink idea, my whey's banana flavoured too. I won't be drinking JUST that for breakfast though! I'll be hungry as fuckkk. I tend to eat rice, pasta or chips in the morning lol
also I thought salt CAUSED the cramps? I always used to get cramps after drinking Lucozade Sport. ALWAYS


I'm 6"3 and 85kg, I wouldn't mind even LOSING some, I just wanna be more defined. It's annoying going to the gym and doing all your exercises and feeling SWOLE but not LOOKING muscular. I look a bit bigger ofc, but I'm not getting the cardio/regulating my diet yet, but all that's gonna change soon. Hence why I'm doing the research now

Switch to chicken breast as much as you can. As far as amount goes, a 4 ounce portion of chicken is roughly the size of a deck of cards, if that helps.

At 6'3" your body weight is fine. Add just a couple of days of moderate cardio, on the days that you don't weight train. As far as diet is concerned. Start here first. No carbs after 6pm at night, and stay away from sugared drinks as much as you can. You would be surprised what these two things can accomplish. As you put on more muscle, you will start to see it. Weight until you can actually see some vein in your chest and shoulders following a chest workout. Feels pretty awesome.

[El_Mayo]

Originally Posted by paulieg

Switch to chicken breast as much as you can. As far as amount goes, a 4 ounce portion of chicken is roughly the size of a deck of cards, if that helps.

At 6'3" your body weight is fine. Add just a couple of days of moderate cardio, on the days that you don't weight train. As far as diet is concerned. Start here first. No carbs after 6pm at night, and stay away from sugared drinks as much as you can. You would be surprised what these two things can accomplish. As you put on more muscle, you will start to see it. Weight until you can actually see some vein in your chest and shoulders following a chest workout. Feels pretty awesome.

I don't drink squash or fizzy drinks anymore. Just went off them, still drink fruit juice
I gave up crisps (chips) as well. Also I'm not sure if you meant to use "weight" as a verb or you meant wait
I'm gonna try and do a 4 day split of
chest/triceps
legs
back/biceps
shoulders/triceps

I don't do any ab exercises though... haven't done so in 2 1/2 months of going to the gym :P

[WhiteLotus]

Plus waking up the following day and you feel a slight ache in what ever muscle group you targeted the day before feels great.

Sure miss my long distance running though.

[paulieg]

Originally Posted by El_Mayo

I don't drink squash or fizzy drinks anymore. Just went off them, still drink fruit juice
I gave up crisps (chips) as well. Also I'm not sure if you meant to use "weight" as a verb or you meant wait
I'm gonna try and do a 4 day split of
chest/triceps
legs
back/biceps
shoulders/triceps

I don't do any ab exercises though... haven't done so in 2 1/2 months of going to the gym :P

LOL. I meant "wait". Kinda funny screw up there, considering the topic. Your split looks fine, though there is no reason to have 2 days of triceps. After those 4 days, take one day off, with no significant activity. The only thing with a split like that is that you really have to work a muscle HARD to justify only training it 1x per week. For example on chest, shoot for 2 warm up sets, 3 heavy sets of a compound exercise, like a Barbell bench press, and then choose 2 isolation exercises, and do 2 working sets of each of them. Do the same for triceps. I strongly suggest adding dips to your chest/tri day. Next to the bench press, it's the single most effective exercise for both muscle groups, if done correctly. My heavy Chest/tri days look something like this:

Barbell press- 2 warm up sets, 3 heavy sets. Heavy meaning that I can do no more than 6 complete reps
Dumbbell Incline press- 2 heavy sets
Dumbbell Flies- 2 heavy sets
Weighted dips- 2 heavy sets
Close grip bench press- 2 sets
Rope pushdowns-2 sets

Originally Posted by WhiteLotus

Plus waking up the following day and you feel a slight ache in what ever muscle group you targeted the day before feels great.

Sure miss my long distance running though.

Once you can embrace that day after ache, then you'll always crave it.

[El_Mayo]

Originally Posted by paulieg

LOL. I meant "wait". Kinda funny screw up there, considering the topic. Your split looks fine, though there is no reason to have 2 days of triceps. After those 4 days, take one day off, with no significant activity. The only thing with a split like that is that you really have to work a muscle HARD to justify only training it 1x per week. For example on chest, shoot for 2 warm up sets, 3 heavy sets of a compound exercise, like a Barbell bench press, and then choose 2 isolation exercises, and do 2 working sets of each of them. Do the same for triceps. I strongly suggest adding dips to your chest/tri day. Next to the bench press, it's the single most effective exercise for both muscle groups, if done correctly. My heavy Chest/tri days look something like this:

Barbell press- 2 warm up sets, 3 heavy sets. Heavy meaning that I can do no more than 6 complete reps
Dumbbell Incline press- 2 heavy sets
Dumbbell Flies- 2 heavy sets
Weighted dips- 2 heavy sets
Close grip bench press- 2 sets
Rope pushdowns-2 sets



Once you can embrace that day after ache, then you'll always crave it.

I do crave the ache now, especially legs. I'm a sadist like that
The last chest routine I had was this:

1 warmup set
3x bench press barbell
3x dumbell incline
2x dumbell flies
2x ASSISTED dips (I can't even do my own weight smh)

I WOULD have done skullcrushers but I didn't have a spotter at that point into the routine cos he'd fucked off
so I did 1 set of tricep kickbacks (in each hand)
2x cable pull downs
1 cable flies dropset

but now I tend to copy routines off youtube instead
Also my rep range is 8-12, as opposed to <6?
I was under the impression that less than 6 reps = building strength

[paulieg]

Originally Posted by El_Mayo

I do crave the ache now, especially legs. I'm a sadist like that
The last chest routine I had was this:

1 warmup set
3x bench press barbell
3x dumbell incline
2x dumbell flies
2x ASSISTED dips (I can't even do my own weight smh)

I WOULD have done skullcrushers but I didn't have a spotter at that point into the routine cos he'd fucked off
so I did 1 set of tricep kickbacks (in each hand)
2x cable pull downs
1 cable flies dropset

but now I tend to copy routines off youtube instead
Also my rep range is 8-12, as opposed to <6?
I was under the impression that less than 6 reps = building strength

Basically looks good, but kill the damn kick backs. They are girlie exercises. Do close grip presses instead. As far as dips go, most people starting out cannot do their own bodyweight, just like pullups and chins. You'll get there. Currently, I'm obsessed with weighted dips. I use a dip belt with a 45 lb. plate attached. I was giving you an example of my routine, which is focused on strength. In your case, just make sure that your 12th rep is quite hard to complete. When it's no longer challenging, you need to increase the weight.

[El_Mayo]

Originally Posted by paulieg

Basically looks good, but kill the damn kick backs. They are girlie exercises. Do close grip presses instead. As far as dips go, most people starting out cannot do their own bodyweight, just like pullups and chins. You'll get there. Currently, I'm obsessed with weighted dips. I use a dip belt with a 45 lb. plate attached. I was giving you an example of my routine, which is focused on strength. In your case, just make sure that your 12th rep is quite hard to complete. When it's no longer challenging, you need to increase the weight.

I try to get 12 always
If I can get to 12 I'll use the next weight up on the next set. If I get more than 15 then I'll never use that weight again.
And okay, close grip presses, noted

[El_Mayo]

If I do take up running, do you recommend running on a steep gradient vs shuttle runs? (losing weight and/or improving conditioning)
cos I live in quite a hilly area so I'm thinking run up a street, walk down and just repeat for 20 mins?
I find that less boring than long distances tbh anyway
Also can anyone recommend somewhere I can get a jump rope? beat in mind I'm 1.91m/6"3 haha

[Reventon]

Recently I started working for my friend's moving company about two weeks ago. I also work with my dad's band at weddings where I move equipment and set up. I have already noticed myself slimming down a little bit. I'm hoping by the time summer is over I can drop about 10lbs. but still maintain strength. I still really need to get back to the gym because I haven't been in about 3 weeks but as of now I'm hoping I can slim out. Right now I'm 5'7" about 182lbs ~ (varies greatly by time of day) but I'd like to be around 175lbs. with the same strength.

[WhiteLotus]

Originally Posted by El_Mayo

If I do take up running, do you recommend running on a steep gradient vs shuttle runs? (losing weight and/or improving conditioning)
cos I live in quite a hilly area so I'm thinking run up a street, walk down and just repeat for 20 mins?
I find that less boring than long distances tbh anyway
Also can anyone recommend somewhere I can get a jump rope? beat in mind I'm 1.91m/6"3 haha

As for running, do interval training. Run hard for 30seconds, jog for 1 minute type thing. If you get it right you can do this to a selection of songs that you like.

To be honest when it comes to long distance running, that is pretty much all you will be able to train for. Different muscle groups, different diets. There is a reason why long distance runners are skinny as sin.

Just go with a half hour run, though bear in mind once you start to hit 40-50 minutes of cardio you will be getting the benefits of "fitness" (i.e. endurance). You will have to think about what it is you want from running.

And as for a skipping rope, just go to sports direct, or heck even amazon if you're too lazy to go out and get one!

[paulieg]

Originally Posted by El_Mayo

I try to get 12 always
If I can get to 12 I'll use the next weight up on the next set. If I get more than 15 then I'll never use that weight again.
And okay, close grip presses, noted

That's a good guide for awhile. At some point, you may want to consider dropping your rep range to 8-10, increasing weight once you can get that 10th rep without too much trouble.

Originally Posted by El_Mayo

If I do take up running, do you recommend running on a steep gradient vs shuttle runs? (losing weight and/or improving conditioning)
cos I live in quite a hilly area so I'm thinking run up a street, walk down and just repeat for 20 mins?
I find that less boring than long distances tbh anyway
Also can anyone recommend somewhere I can get a jump rope? beat in mind I'm 1.91m/6"3 haha

Either will work just fine. I recommend whichever is more enjoyable, and more likely that you'll to stick to.

Originally Posted by Reventon

Recently I started working for my friend's moving company about two weeks ago. I also work with my dad's band at weddings where I move equipment and set up. I have already noticed myself slimming down a little bit. I'm hoping by the time summer is over I can drop about 10lbs. but still maintain strength. I still really need to get back to the gym because I haven't been in about 3 weeks but as of now I'm hoping I can slim out. Right now I'm 5'7" about 182lbs ~ (varies greatly by time of day) but I'd like to be around 175lbs. with the same strength.

If you are out of the gym, and slimmimg down, you WILL lose some strength. No way around it, really. The good news is, it shouldn't be much of a loss at only a month, and you should get those gains back quickly, one you get back in the gym, provided you get back in soon.

Originally Posted by WhiteLotus

As for running, do interval training. Run hard for 30seconds, jog for 1 minute type thing. If you get it right you can do this to a selection of songs that you like.

To be honest when it comes to long distance running, that is pretty much all you will be able to train for. Different muscle groups, different diets. There is a reason why long distance runners are skinny as sin.

Just go with a half hour run, though bear in mind once you start to hit 40-50 minutes of cardio you will be getting the benefits of "fitness" (i.e. endurance). You will have to think about what it is you want from running.

And as for a skipping rope, just go to sports direct, or heck even amazon if you're too lazy to go out and get one!

Good advice here. If you are looking for some fat loss and some overall cardio conditioning, 20-30 minutes of interval training 2-3 times per week, is all you really need while weight training, unless you have a bunch of bodyfat to get rid of. Too much cardio will make it near impossible for you to gain muscle, because of high calorie expenditure, and your body will utilize resource that it should be using for muscle recovery.

[Reventon]

Originally Posted by paulieg

If you are out of the gym, and slimmimg down, you WILL lose some strength. No way around it, really. The good news is, it shouldn't be much of a loss at only a month, and you should get those gains back quickly, one you get back in the gym, provided you get back in soon.

Yeah I'll probably go to the gym Thursday and do some chest and tris. I have gotten plenty of bis and legs and core moving shit for the past two weeks.