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Official Fitness Thread of Whipping Your Butt into Shape

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Cyan

Banned
Chichikov said:
There are two parts here, marathon training diet and marathon running diet (i.e. the week before the race and the race itself).
The latter can wait, as for marathon training itself, the general rule is to eat clean, and get much more calories from carbs as you would probably do otherwise -
You need available energy, and 60% of protein ain't gonna cut it.
Must runners suggest around 65-70% of calories from carbs.
When you're building up your miles, that's probably enough, but as you get into the 'meat' of your program you need to get a bit more specific, mainly maintaining a good caloric balance as to not lose weight, this can be tricky at first, and many first time marathoners end up losing way too much muscle mass, don't be one of those guys.
Ok, so I should be getting 65-70% of my calories from carbs. How do you go about figuring out these percentages when you're planning meals? Are there particular foods that are advisable to eat if you're trying to get plenty of carbs?
 
Meier said:
Quick question... how does fat content affect losing weight? Like if it's all about calories and losing x number to drop a pound, where does fat come into play? In other words, let's say something had 1,000 calories but 0 grams of fat versus something with 250 calories and 40 grams of fat (just examples), is the one with a shitload of fat 'better' for you if you want to lose weight?

I honestly don't know the exact breakdown of calorie vs fat, but the ultimate rule is to take in less calories than you expend in a day, which you probably already know. Just avoid extremely fatty foods (eating out, those frozen dinners, etc) and keep your calories at a mild deficit and you should be fine. By mild deficit, I mean, if you're needing 2,000 on average, get about 1,700-1,800 a day (although, depending on your work out routine, it's likely your daily needs would be a bit higher overall).

One thing that might help though, is that 1 gram of fat is roughly equal to 9 calories. So, in your example, 250 calories + (40 x 9) = 610 calories vs 1000 calories.

Cyan said:
Ok, so I should be getting 65-70% of my calories from carbs. How do you go about figuring out these percentages when you're planning meals? Are there particular foods that are advisable to eat if you're trying to get plenty of carbs?

Any bread product is high in carbs, generally. Whole wheat/grainier breads are usually more popular, since they have more fiber, but yeah, bread is a great basic source of carbs.

EDIT: Whoops forgot you were actually aiming for a marathon. Listen to Chich on this, you're not out just to eat tons of carbs, but to have an abundant amount of energy. Low GI foods are a good thing to look into. Most fruits (oranges, apples, grapes), skim milk, and sweet potatoes all fall into this category as well as the previously mentioned whole grain wheat bread.
 

Chichikov

Member
Cyan said:
Ok, so I should be getting 65-70% of my calories from carbs. How do you go about figuring out these percentages when you're planning meals? Are there particular foods that are advisable to eat if you're trying to get plenty of carbs?
Let me clarify, you're not trying to get a lot of carbs the same way that a bodybuilder is trying to get a lot of protein.
You're trying to have plenty of available energy for the runs you're going to do, and you need carbs for that.
In theory you can get that energy while having a high protein diet, but in practice, that would stipulate a really high caloric intake, and you don't want to bulk up when running a marathon (those beautiful pecs are dead weight on your run).

As for the carb type, generally stick to the lower glycemic index ones.

By the way, which marathon are you planning to run?
 

Chichikov

Member
daw840 said:
My workout has consisted solely of the machines that they have. I feel like I don't have the proper form to be using the free weights.
That's a mistake.
Free weights are superior form of strength training, you're not going to improve your form by working on machines.

Work on your form, educate yourself and start at low weight.
 

BlueTsunami

there is joy in sucking dick
Definitely agree with Chichikov.

Also, from messing with machines for a while at first, you get used to the motion VERY easily if your strictly using machines. Meaning, it feels as though your not effecting your muscles as much even when you put on more weight. It could be due to the fixed motion, I dont' know. Point is, free weights trump machine in every way possible.
 

Zapten

Member
Being able to do a workout in under 30 minutes is not an indication that it's a good workout

My workouts normally take around 30-45 minutes each day, I'm at work at the moment but will copy/paste my program when I get home. I chose to work out at home to save money plus I already had most of the kit needed. Having said that I realise that at some stage I might move to a regular gym, but trying to get to grips with the new mortgage payments first.
 

Zapten

Member
Here's my current program, only been at it a few weeks so will tweek it as I go:


Day 1 – Legs
Deadlift 100kg 3x10
Squats 70kg 3x10
Lunges 70kg 4x10
Calf raises 70kg 5x10


Day 2 – Chest / Triceps
Bench press 70kg 3x10
Incline DB press Black DB 3x10
Lateral flyers Red DB 3x10
Decline press-up Bodyweight 3x10
Dips Bodyweight 3x25


Day 3 – Back / Biceps
Pull-ups Bodyweight 3x10
Chin-ups Bodyweight 3x10
BB rowing 50kg 3x10
BB curls 40kg 3x10
Hammer curls Red DB 3x10


Day 4 – Shoulders / Traps
Shoulder press Black DB 3x10
Lateral raise Red DB 3x10
BB shrugs 50kg 3x25
DB shrugs 50kg 3x25


Day 5 - Cardio


My black DB are currently at 17kg each and the red at 12.5kg each. You will have to bear in mind that I'm not using a spotter, as using home gym, so wanted to start light to get the form right before I start upping weight. I have 100kg in total of decent sized weights, could possibly stretch to add another 20kg with small plates, but would be a PITA to move around all the time. I plan on buying some more weights soon, probably 4x5kg to start with.

If there's anything I'm missing or you would add/subtract please let me know.
 
daw840 said:
Alright, so I joined 24 hour fitness today. My plan is to work out my upper body and abs MWF and work my legs out TTH. My workout has consisted solely of the machines that they have. I feel like I don't have the proper form to be using the free weights. I have been doing cardio everyday, usually 20 minutes on the stairs. Right now I am about 5'11'' 165 lbs and I would really like to gain some weight and muscle mass. What would the experts in this thread recommend on the diet side. Just so you know, I hate pretty much all vegetables. I have tried and tried and tried and tried to acquire a taste for them, but I just can't. My vegetable intake consists of corn, green beans, and peas. Also, what is the general consensus on protein supplements?

Gaining mass is going to be significantly impaired if you are only on machines. Don't be afraid of starting on free weights--machines won't "prepare" you any more for free weights. Just start light and slowly increase the weight.

As I and a few others have stated, if you wanted to gain weight, drink a gallon (or close to a gallon) of milk a day. It is the hardgainer's natural steroid. If you are lifting hard and drinking a gallon of milk a day in addition to three meals, you WILL grow. You have to.

Protein supplements are fine. I take in about 60g of a protein powder a day, through shakes and mixed in with milk.
 
perryfarrell said:
Serget Nubret has been posting in a thread on BB.com. He's pretty old and lives in Paris. At first everybody was calling shenanigans, but it ended up being the real deal. He's been giving advice etc.

Hahaha, I read that thread. He has terrible English, but has some cool info and thoughts on training.
 

Shorty

Banned
Hi Fitness GAF!

I have some questions:

1)
I just switched from a 2 day split
(Day 1: Back, Shoulders, Abs, Biceps; Day2: Chest, Abs, Triceps,)
to a 3 day split
(Day 1: Back, Legs; Day 2: Shoulders, Biceps; Day 3: Chest, Triceps)
and now that I have read Mr. Snrub's loooong post I wanted to implement Squats and Deadlifts into my routine. Do I have to do all of them in every split or can I just do deadlifts day 1, squats day 2 and benchpress day 3?

2)
Is there such a thing as a timelimit for workouts? I'm asking this because my buddy always panics when we're training longer than an hour. He claims that "It's not good to train longer than 1 - 1/2 h (a major reason why we switched to the 3 day split).

3)
Now this one you probably won't be able to answer but I guess it's worth a try.

I have a problem working out my legs. I used to play football for like 10 years when I suddenly got cramps almost every time I had footballtraining. I took magnesium pills but they didn't really help. So I quit :(

Now I have the same problem at the gym. Is there any way to extinguish the pain and it's causing or do you think I should consult a doctor?
 

APF

Member
The problem with machines is twofold: first, they put you in a position that may not be biomechanically optimal for your body, and reduce your ability to dynamically adjust position depending on fatigue, position in the movement path, etc, all of which can contribute to overuse injury; second, they don't train you in dynamically stabilizing a weight, meaning there will be less transfer to real-life activities, and a potential of injury when you perform a movement where you have more than enough strength in the primary movers, but your weaker stabilizing musculature craps out on you.

There are some machines though, where either the above doesn't really matter, or where you couldn't otherwise do a certain movement, and I don't see many reasons why in these cases you shouldn't use a machine. Your muscles know movements, they know intensity; they don't know that they're being asked to move a machine-leveraged weight, as opposed to a free weight.
 
Shorty said:
Hi Fitness GAF!

I have some questions:

1)
I just switched from a 2 day split
(Day 1: Back, Shoulders, Abs, Biceps; Day2: Chest, Abs, Triceps,)
to a 3 day split
(Day 1: Back, Legs; Day 2: Shoulders, Biceps; Day 3: Chest, Triceps)
and now that I have read Mr. Snub's loooong post I wanted to implement Squats and Deadlifts into my routine. Do I have to do all of them in every split or can I just do deadlifts day 1, squats day 2 and benchpress day 3?

2)
Is there such a thing as a timelimit for workouts? I'm asking this because my buddy always panics when we're training longer than an hour. He claims that "It's not good to train longer than 1 - 1/2 h (a major reason why we switched to the 3 day split).

3)
Now this one you probably won't be able to answer but I guess it's worth a try.

I have a problem working out my legs. I used to play football for like 10 years when I suddenly got cramps almost every time I had footballtraining. I took magnesium pills but they didn't really help. So I quit :(

Now I have the same problem at the gym. Is there any way to extinguish the pain and it's causing or do you think I should consult a doctor?

Well, I can directly address 1 and 2.

1)You can safely squat and deadlift every week. It would probably have to be something like Squat 2x a week, Deadlift 1x a week, or have a Heavy/Medium/Light Squat schedule, with Deadlifts put in on the Light days. But I highly, HIGHLY suggest getting rid of the split based on bodyparts. If you are going to split up a workout, do it based on upper body/lower body.

A problem with splits that I didn't mention, is that your body parts aren't really "split". Your biceps and lats ARE involved in bench press and other presses, and vice versa. Hell, one of the old secrets to increasing your bench was to focus on rows and your back strength.

So I say, ditch the splits and go to a full body or upper/lower routine

2)No. This is a product of bodypart split training AND the rise of the machines (dundun dun dundun) and hyperglobogyms. Faster workouts=more business. My longer workouts regularly take up to 1.5 hours, sometimes 2. But I always have a drink supplement with me, especially on these longer workouts. Generally, you don't want your workout to go over 1.5-2 hours, but I've been lifting for a little while and know my limits--my long workouts are only long because with those ones in particular, I can spend up to 5 minutes waiting between sets. If you are going balls to the wall for 2 hours, you're gonna die.

3)I'm assuming you're getting enough hydration? Muscle cramps, where?
 

yacobod

Banned
sergio olyvia, lee haney, or ronnie coleman would be more appropriate than serge imo

all 3 were Mr. Os, and ronnie was mr. o and was very strong to boot
 
yacobod said:
sergio olyvia, lee haney, or ronnie coleman would be more appropriate than serge imo

all 3 were Mr. Os, and ronnie was mr. o and was very strong to boot

I always get the "Serg-"'s confused. Completely forgot about Lee Haney.
 

yacobod

Banned
olivia might have had the best guns ever, the picture of him in a short sleeve shirt with a pool stick is pretty bad ass if you can find it

lee haney won mr. olympia like 8 times in a row
 

Struct09

Member
Meier said:
Quick question... how does fat content affect losing weight? Like if it's all about calories and losing x number to drop a pound, where does fat come into play? In other words, let's say something had 1,000 calories but 0 grams of fat versus something with 250 calories and 40 grams of fat (just examples), is the one with a shitload of fat 'better' for you if you want to lose weight?

Dietary fat doesn't prevent weight loss. Excess calories prevent weight loss. If you want to do some reading about it, read up on people who do ketogenic diets - their diets are 60+% fat.
 

Monroeski

Unconfirmed Member
Omne said:
So I pulled my hamstring today doing sprints. I'm icing it now, but man does this blow.

How long do these things usually take to heal?
Depends on the severity.

Back in high school during football/track everybody would always talk about some muscle they pulled, and then were back at it two days later with just a bit of soreness. I was the same way for the most part, until I pulled my hamstring during the 100 in a track meet. At the top of my stride, my hamstring had a feeling like when you pull silly putty apart and it stretches...stretches...stretches...until it finally pops into two pieces.

I couldn't walk without a limp for probably two weeks, and a month and a half or two months later I tried to do a single light shot put (just a warm up, practically no effort) and the motion hurt so bad I couldn't even do rehab the next day.
 

lil smoke

Banned
I fucked something up in my neck doing shrugs. Felt like a needle poked me on my neck and it spread to the right trap. I was stressed before I went to the gym and I think it affected my tension. And I was rushing. Can't rush.

Take it easy guys.
 

Shorty

Banned
Mr. Snrub said:
Well, I can directly address 1 and 2.

1)You can safely squat and deadlift every week. It would probably have to be something like Squat 2x a week, Deadlift 1x a week, or have a Heavy/Medium/Light Squat schedule, with Deadlifts put in on the Light days. But I highly, HIGHLY suggest getting rid of the split based on bodyparts. If you are going to split up a workout, do it based on upper body/lower body.

A problem with splits that I didn't mention, is that your body parts aren't really "split". Your biceps and lats ARE involved in bench press and other presses, and vice versa. Hell, one of the old secrets to increasing your bench was to focus on rows and your back strength.

So I say, ditch the splits and go to a full body or upper/lower routine

2)No. This is a product of bodypart split training AND the rise of the machines (dundun dun dundun) and hyperglobogyms. Faster workouts=more business. My longer workouts regularly take up to 1.5 hours, sometimes 2. But I always have a drink supplement with me, especially on these longer workouts. Generally, you don't want your workout to go over 1.5-2 hours, but I've been lifting for a little while and know my limits--my long workouts are only long because with those ones in particular, I can spend up to 5 minutes waiting between sets. If you are going balls to the wall for 2 hours, you're gonna die.

3)I'm assuming you're getting enough hydration? Muscle cramps, where?
Thank you! I think I wil try the full body workout.
 
yacobod said:
sergio olyvia, lee haney, or ronnie coleman would be more appropriate than serge imo

all 3 were Mr. Os, and ronnie was mr. o and was very strong to boot
Even though Ronnie was not in top shape last Fall he shouldn't have lost out to Cutler. Even that German dude in 4th place looked better than Jay.
 

Chichikov

Member
Mr. Snrub said:
Guys, need suggestions for a new thread title. The best I could come up with is Official Fitness Thread of Dramaless Whip-Butt-Shaping.
Triceps Kickbacks and Biceps Curls: The Surefire Hollywood Secret for a Toned and Ripped Body in 30 Days!

Good job on the OP by the way, if I have time this weekend I'll make some simple text PNGs for the sub-section headers.
 

Ace 8095

Member
Zapten said:
Here's my current program, only been at it a few weeks so will tweek it as I go:

Program

If there's anything I'm missing or you would add/subtract please let me know.

Here’s what I would suggest you do if you continue to use a Split Routine

Day 1 – Lower
Squat 3x5
Lunge 3x5
Dead Lift 1x5

Day 2 – Upper
Bench press 3x5
Incline DB press 3x10
Dips 3 sets


Day 3 –Lower
Squat 3x5
Power Clean 5x3
Leg Curls 3x10


Day 4 – Upper
Standing BB Press 3x5
BB Rows 3x5
Chins Up 3 Sets


Day 5 - Cardio

This streamlines your workouts, focuses only on the necessary exercises, and will allow you to increase weight on most exercises each week. That said I believe that Starting Strength is the most effective routine a novice can follow and strongly suggest you switch to that routine.
 

Brendonia

"Edge stole Big Ben's helmet"
How about: The Official Fitness Thread of Lifting Will Make You SO HUGE That Your Arms and Chest Will Explode

Or maybe just something simple like The Official Fitness Thread of Achiving Goals: Get Your Butt in Here and Get In Shape

I changed up my workout to kind of mirror Snrub's new one. I got sick of the 5x5 Good Cow one I was on, plus I wanted to take things a little easier on my knees from squatting 3 days a week. I'm going to move to 2 now and only one day will I do the work up to 1x5 max. Did a pretty killer leg workout yesterday so I'm all up in DOMS today.

By the way, Welcome Back Snrub. We missed ya.
 
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