The Fitness Thread

[DanCock]

i started at 250 and went down to 173. i didnt like how i looked at 173 so i bulked up a little to 185 which i have maintained since aug of 2009.. now i dont like how i look now either.. but at 172 some parts of my body just looked like a skeleton it was odd i was like WTF so i want to add muscles and try to get more then the upper 2 abs showing..

i guess im a "bad" eater.. i dont eat anything pretty much alll day.. then i come home and have my dinner then my snacks i tend to eat around 11pm-12am

i dont like eating breakfast. i pretty much have my late dinner then spend the next day umm... umm getting rid of it

another thing that works for me is i weigh myself everyday, if im at a higher weight ill eat less. everytime i eat i put on 5 pounds lol so if i dont lose that 5 pounds by dinner time next day i cant eat as much. it rarely happens that i dont lose that 5 pounds by the next day.



*****NOTE***** this is what has worked for me, i do not suggest anyone else eat like this because technically it isnt the proper way but it works FOR ME.

 

[DanCock]

another good motivation to get fit or thinner is you can get laid by hot people easier

heheeh i had to

 

[NoDoubt]

alotta people in my family have passed away cuz of conditions based on weight so I just try to stay far away from that I guess.

I used to be pretty bulked in high school and used to be on a soccer league for 9 yrs up until college, then it kinda slowed down with heavy ass work-loads and no time. As of now I kinda get in the habit periodically, especially during the summer when their's more time but thankfully working out has never been complicated for me as far as anything goes. Like I never even eat junk food anyway, I kinda stick to the same shit a lot like meats, pasta, oh...and peanut butter is the shit. So yea, protein is pro. Of course drink water, but milk doesnt hurt either. And I dont even know work-out terms or anything I just like doing 200 curls on 1 arm with 35 lb weight, and repeat for the other. Then the push-ups, crunches and yea.

Everyone has different bodies tho, but imo, getting fit while your at least already thin shouldnt be too much of a headache. Theres no secret, its just staying on top of the gym and laying off the junk food y0

 

[scrubtastic]

how are you guys motivated. i'm damn near 30. i work 45 to 50 hrs a week in the trash business, picking up literally tons of recycling a day. I enjoyed lifting 5 yrs ago when i did and had a workout partner, but now i dont and tired after work most days.
id love to shed some fat seeing as how i'm 5'11 and 215. i love beer too.

 

[Sequel]

A couple of things I would like people to discuss if you don't mind replying with as much or as little as you want. They are little tricks that I picked up along the way when I train my hardest.

Coffee / Caffeine
As much as you don't hear this, caffeine is a painkiller and can reduce the pains cause by vigorous exercise and of course supply much needed energy.

I actually drink a pot of coffee before I run, followed by a pint to a liter of water. It certainly helps with motivation and I am never in pain for various reasons.

Does anyone here drink coffee before a run or lifting?

Vitamins / Supplements
I take a typical multivitamin and fish oil.
In the Winter I take all of the above and Valerian root, and Ginkgo tabs too, AFTER a run.

Does anyone take vitamins or supplements after exercise.
What type of vitamins / supplements FOR what type of exercise.
WHEN do you take your vitamins for your form of exercise? Before or after?

Food
I am VERY inconsistent with eating before my runs. I usually eat directly after I take my vitamins. I love when I eat about an hour to an hour and a half before a good run though. I swear its hit or miss as to whether it gives me energy or drags me down though. I don't like inconsistency at all, which is why I am inconsistent with eating beforehand and just drink coffee.

When do you eat? Before or after your exercise? (or both)

Time of day of exercise?
I exercise after I drink my coffee and get a few things done in my daily routine. Then I run. If I don't exercise early, I usually don't have the energy at the end of the day to waste on a good run.

What time of the day do you typically exercise.

There's nothing wrong with coffee but Green Tea is better for you and is recommended before workouts. Think caffeine + antioxidants for your health all rolled into one. There's a supplement that body builders take that has Green Tea in it.

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

 

[Lucky Day]

Green Tea doesn't have much caffeine in it in comparison to coffee and other teas. I would assume the benefit of that is more in the antioxidants though.

Still good stuff though, I drink it on occasion.

 

[~NAKM~]

another good motivation to get fit or thinner is you can get laid by hot people easier

heheeh i had to

:facepalm:

 

[Sequel]

Green Tea doesn't have much caffeine in it in comparison to coffee and other teas. I would assume the benefit of that is more in the antioxidants though.

Still good stuff though, I drink it on occasion.

This is correct, however you don't need much caffeine in your system to carry you through a normal workout. If you do need a ton of caffeine then your diet and sleeping schedule are off. I have natural energy without drinking any caffeine after I changed my diet. Exercise naturally gives you energy as well.

Also, green tea promotes weight loss.

 

[Richmatic]

Green Tea doesn't have much caffeine in it in comparison to coffee and other teas. I would assume the benefit of that is more in the antioxidants though.

Still good stuff though, I drink it on occasion.

To be more attractive to ladies is part of my motivation I won't lie. I only weigh like 138 but I work out 2 times a week, drink protein shakes, sodas usually on like a friday or saturday, I eat a shit load of pizza and chipotle burritos. Its hard to bulk up but its way easier then it looks. The tips on page 1 look like good help but its good to see some other gamers getting in shape rather then just sitting around all day.

 

[AnaboliChris]

Nice thread, im actually from bodybuilding.com, been lifting for awhile now..you guys can find my profile over there

my progress
http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=129274651

my lifts
http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=127897733&page=4

nothing crazy..havent had any recent updated pics..might put some up soon

Did a lot of logs pertaining to supplements so if you guys have any questions let me know.

 

[Fate]

Any tips for bulking? I'm eating around 3,500-4,000 calories a day. I'm 6'1 170 right now. I'm not lifting really but I'm training MMA 2-3 times a week and doing Body By Fish bodyweight strength program another 2 days. I usually eat Eggs, Whole wheat bread, tuna fish, peanut butter, oatmeal. Breakfast usually has Eggs, Bread, Oatmeal, OJ, Milk. I'll have tuna fish and PB sandwiches through the day. I take around a 1,000 calorie weight gainer drink also. I meet my calorie goal usually but I don't know how much I'll gain only training such a short amount of time. I have gained a few pounds and I'm sticking by it. Just gotta get used to drinking lots of water. I'm coming off of an extremely unhealthy diet. I literally ate anything fast. Hot pockets, fast food, 5+ cans of soda a day. Funny thing is I NEVER gained weight. My metabolism is insane or something. I've been eating every 2-3 hours recently to regulate it.

Getting endurance is the hardest part so far. While everyone else is still training I'm making a throw up run. I come back after but it's very annoying. Latest one was during 45 min kettlebell class. Those suckers are effective. 35 lbs gets to you after all those swings and such. Back to my original statement though, any tips? I've really been restraining myself from eating unhealthy but great tasting food. Just looking to see some results quick so it motivates me to stick with it.

Edit: Is this a clean bulk? Hopefully I don't go up to 205 (my goal atm) with a bunch of fat looking like mini Roy Nelson lol.

 

[AnaboliChris]

Any tips for bulking? I'm eating around 3,500-4,000 calories a day. I'm 6'1 170 right now. I'm not lifting really but I'm training MMA 2-3 times a week and doing Body By Fish bodyweight strength program another 2 days. I usually eat Eggs, Whole wheat bread, tuna fish, peanut butter, oatmeal. Breakfast usually has Eggs, Bread, Oatmeal, OJ, Milk. I'll have tuna fish and PB sandwiches through the day. I take around a 1,000 calorie weight gainer drink also. I meet my calorie goal usually but I don't know how much I'll gain only training such a short amount of time. I have gained a few pounds and I'm sticking by it. Just gotta get used to drinking lots of water. I'm coming off of an extremely unhealthy diet. I literally ate anything fast. Hot pockets, fast food, 5+ cans of soda a day. Funny thing is I NEVER gained weight. My metabolism is insane or something. I've been eating every 2-3 hours recently to regulate it.

Getting endurance is the hardest part so far. While everyone else is still training I'm making a throw up run. I come back after but it's very annoying. Latest one was during 45 min kettlebell class. Those suckers are effective. 35 lbs gets to you after all those swings and such. Back to my original statement though, any tips? I've really been restraining myself from eating unhealthy but great tasting food. Just looking to see some results quick so it motivates me to stick with it.

Edit: Is this a clean bulk? Hopefully I don't go up to 205 (my goal atm) with a bunch of fat looking like mini Roy Nelson lol.

You're an Ectomorph from what you're describing. They are generally the hardest body type to build mass unfortunately. Not sure what your maintenance caloric intake is (the average is about 3,000-3,500) but you will need to find that out then eat 500-1000 above that in order to bulk. Also, when looking to build muscle, you will need to have a workout routine that builds muscle oppose to HIIT workouts. Your body will adapt and shape depending on what you do with it. Marathon runners will workout differently oppose to body builders.

My tip is, find a workout routine that builds muscle and stick to it while having a surpluss of about 1,000 caloric intake above maintenance. It will be hard considering your body type but its not impossible.

Edit: Yes keep a clean diet..thats a must unless of course youre on AAS lol

 

[AnaboliChris]

I dont drink coffee but sometimes take caffiene tabs or a PWO supplement with caffeine in it. You can get 200 tabs for like $5. Each tab is 200mg of caffeine. After I'm off stimulants, I generally use a non stimulant PWO supplement.

Does anyone take vitamins or supplements after exercise.

I use a multivitamin but more for general health. After workout, as a staple, I always drink a protein shake then eat a meal after 30 minutes.

What type of vitamins / supplements FOR what type of exercise.

Such a broad question..theres a lot of stuff to take really but what I take on the daily basis are:

Fish Oil
MultiVitamins
Pre Workout Supplement
BCAAs if im doing a HIIT workout
Post workout, I generally drink a protein shake

I dont go too crazy with supplements but theres a lot of people that takes all kinds for different purpose, an example is a nutrient partition-er. I've tried it before, actually at the moment trying out GlycoBol.
I generally drink my protein shake:
Once in the morning, After workout and right before bed mixed with milk. I mix my shake with water in the morning.

Mixing it with milk slows down the absorption rate at night which is best while you are sleeping and cant eat during that 6-8hours of sleep.

WHEN do you take your vitamins for your form of exercise? Before or after?

Eh, this was a big subject over at bb.com, but I prefer early in the morning with my breakfast. Taking vitamins before workout will not help boost energy. I generally just take a multivitamin for general health benefits.

When do you eat? Before or after your exercise? (or both)
Diet is very important, if schedule allows, its best to have small 8 meals a day, this keeps metabolism pretty high. But for me, I just eat

Morning
Meal before working out (VERY IMPORTANT, I carb load here too for energy)
Meal After workout
Lunch
Dinner

What time of the day do you typically exercise.

Depends on my schedule, I like to workout in the morning but if my schedule does not allow, I workout at around 7-8 and will not use a stimulated PWO supplement. Would be very stupid to do so, you will not sleep lol.

And like someone mentioned, Caffeine has its health benefits as well as Green Tea

 

[TrickyNick]

Hey guys I have some pictures of me taking 2 month pics for a year and a half. Im 20 now fixing to be 21 and took a small 2month break from working out. I worked to much and hurt my shoulder so I let it heal, but plan to get back into it very soon. I will post the facebook link to my album but im not sure how to put the pics here lol.

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.194661037226860.58657.100000488959153&l=73d3f4a101&type=1

Edit: Im really glad I got into it. Starting a work out routine is the best thing you can do in your life.

 

[Zebster]

*health tips from third post*

So I wanna try to do something similar to this, but I have to ask, how much does it usually cost you a month/year to keep up with this? I'm in kind of a tough spot right now financially...

 

[Juggs]

I didn't get to run for over a month because I was too busy and just now got back from an 11 mile run and feel fuckin awesome and thought about this thread during it. I'm sure I'll probably be in bed by 9-10 pm though lol.

How long does it take you to run 11 miles? Man, I couldn't even run 1 mile straight, couldn't imagine 11!

 

[REYTHEGREAT]

if you guys want motivation. watch the movie Pumping Iron. you can find it on YouTube by parts.

 

[MKF30]

@Zaq, the caffeine thing is true with pain but it's also not good for you if taken often because it speeds up your heart rate. Anything that does this is unnecessary from caffeine to energy drinks(unless it's natural vitamins that give you energy)

Used to take weight lifting and health back in high school, and now work out few days a week plus I have minor anxiety, so I'll stick to tylenol over caffeine when it comes to pain.

Pain is also an element of the mind, believe it or not it can be dealt with mentally but it's more difficult that way.

I take Vitacraves, on top of my normal prescribed meds from the doc, eat Sub-way, pizza, cheerios, pasta(ices over ice cream) I know...I have an odd diet but for my size, weight and height I'm right where I should be since I saw my doc recently. The trick is not to over eat and stay away from processed foods/fast foods etc.

I like to walk, do push ups, pull ups, sit ups, lift dumbbells. Basic work outs, nothing crazy. I don't like running or jogging because it gets my heart rate up and while I know it's good for you, I don't like doing too much of that due to the anxiety etc....

 

[monuis]

hey its good 2 c u a fit man!!!!!

 

[Juggs]

If I want to bulk up and gain about 10-20 pounds, what foods should I be eating? Any good snacks I could eat too? I love beef jerky and peanuts, I've heard they are okay... thoughts?

 

[N0rdicNinja]

Optimally, if you're trying to gain weight, you want a good balance of everything. Lots of protein, lots of carbs (keep the sugars down still) and lots of fats (preferably the healthier kind). When bulking I eat 5-6 times a day and every meal has around 50 grams of protein and I'll shoot for 4,000 to 5,000 calories daily. I've got one of those quick and dirty omelette makers so in the mornings I'll usually have an omelette with some chicken and cheese, a big glass of whole milk and some whole grains of some type. I'll also eat a lot of pasta during a bulk with meats incorporated for protein, pasta is your friend during a bulk!

I tend to dirty bulk, I lose a lot of definition in the process but feel much stronger and gain a noticeable amount of size. Then after about 3 months I cut off the excess. So it kind of depends if you want to do it clean or dirty. Dirty is much quicker but you'll have some cleaning up to do in the end if you're looking to be defined as well.

Lift big + eat big = get big. You can't gain size when at a calorie deficit, so concentrate on eating a LOT and making sure there's plenty of protein and you should be fine. And pasta is a cheap and efficient bulk tool. =)

 

[Juggs]

Optimally, if you're trying to gain weight, you want a good balance of everything. Lots of protein, lots of carbs (keep the sugars down still) and lots of fats (preferably the healthier kind). When bulking I eat 5-6 times a day and every meal has around 50 grams of protein and I'll shoot for 4,000 to 5,000 calories daily. I've got one of those quick and dirty omelette makers so in the mornings I'll usually have an omelette with some chicken and cheese, a big glass of whole milk and some whole grains of some type. I'll also eat a lot of pasta during a bulk with meats incorporated for protein, pasta is your friend during a bulk!

I tend to dirty bulk, I lose a lot of definition in the process but feel much stronger and gain a noticeable amount of size. Then after about 3 months I cut off the excess. So it kind of depends if you want to do it clean or dirty. Dirty is much quicker but you'll have some cleaning up to do in the end if you're looking to be defined as well.

Lift big + eat big = get big. You can't gain size when at a calorie deficit, so concentrate on eating a LOT and making sure there's plenty of protein and you should be fine. And pasta is a cheap and efficient bulk tool. =)

So for pasta, would Ramen be too unhealthy of a choice?

 

[N0rdicNinja]

It's all a matter of perspective. Ramen will do the job just as well as any other pasta if you have enough of it. Health has to do with a lot more then being strong/fast, what you look like on the outside is no indication of what's happening on the inside. It will work, but I personally wouldn't use it as my main source. Then again there are people who smoke for 50+ years and live into their 90s, so it all depends on how you feel about the subject. Throwing Ramen in once or twice a week would be fine though, just like having a greasy burger on weekends is in no way going to hurt you in the long run.

Edit: Occasional unhealthy eating is in no way detrimental, it's when it becomes regular that health problems arise.

 

[aj1701]

Edit: Im really glad I got into it. Starting a work out routine is the best thing you can do in your life.

Ya, I need to get back into. I think the earlier you start the better, I wish I had started earlier, then it would be more a part of my life.

@Zaq, the caffeine thing is true with pain but it's also not good for you if taken often because it speeds up your heart rate. Anything that does this is unnecessary from caffeine to energy drinks(unless it's natural vitamins that give you energy)

Caffiene should only cause anxiety if you take too much of it, and its not perminate. You'll know before you get there because you'll likely have some shakiness before you get there. Of course like any drug it affects different people differently. All things in moderation.

Its good to go off it once in a while, like two / three weeks on, one off. The fact that it raises your heart rate is fine, and is actually why many people take it, it raises metabolism. Higher heart rate shouldn't be a problem for most, unless you have some kind of heart condition.

I'm just saying in general, obviously for you its probably not a good idea.

 

[MKF30]

Ya, I need to get back into. I think the earlier you start the better, I wish I had started earlier, then it would be more a part of my life.



Caffiene should only cause anxiety if you take too much of it, and its not perminate. You'll know before you get there because you'll likely have some shakiness before you get there. Of course like any drug it affects different people differently. All things in moderation.

Its good to go off it once in a while, like two / three weeks on, one off. The fact that it raises your heart rate is fine, and is actually why many people take it, it raises metabolism. Higher heart rate shouldn't be a problem for most, unless you have some kind of heart condition.

I'm just saying in general, obviously for you its probably not a good idea.

What's not permanent? Anxiety? I hope not lol. But trust me, you don't have to tell me. I will feel on edge sometimes if I miss my medication doses....other times I don't even feel anything yet I'll here and there forget to take my medication so I think it depends on what's going on in my life at that time.

Caffeine in general is not good for you, a little is alright but people that rely on it to wake them up shouldn't do so. There are other options, juice, meals, energy bars, vitamin water etc, etc.

Not a big fan of energy drinks or caffeinated drinks. In fact, some energy drinks have been linked to heart attacks and such. Like that one that made the news, think it was called Cocaine or something, I forget and another one with a Spanish name.

I actually do have a heart condition too called ATC(Atrial Ceptal Defect) small hole in my heart but it nearly closed up, every few years I have to get an eco done to keep an eye on it. I can do anything just about except fly, scoober dive and jump out of an airplane due to the pressure. While my anxiety has nothing to do with that, I don't like pushing it you know?