[Billup]

Originally Posted by 954Stealth

You better go, @Billup . Don't come back here and tell us you skipped it. Get in there and do something! The fact that you struggle with it but still made it there will make it all the more rewarding

Ha, I am still in Monday morning mode. I need to keep telling myself that I won't get results if I skip. Need to stay consistent, but we all know how hard that is.

[squishy]

Originally Posted by Billup

Ha, I am still in Monday morning mode. I need to keep telling myself that I won't get results if I skip. Need to stay consistent, but we all know how hard that is.

Gooo!

Everytime I go to the gym, I set a goal I want to achieve that day, and need to achieve it. That gets me to go every single day.

[UncleWede]

Gravity seems to really suck.

When I wake up in the morning and look in the mirror, it seems my stomach is pretty flat. By the end of the day I'm back to sporting a serious gut.

Thursday was my first try at legs in the gym in a long time. I didn't want to hurt myself too much knowing I had 2 games to ref Saturday morning. Bent-knee dead lifts really hurt my groins, but by Saturday I was in the groove for running the sidelines.

Friday was off from work, so I made a point of getting in and doing arms. This morning my tris still hurt.

It feels so good to be getting back into a gym routine, I really missed it.

[Billup]

My biggest issue in life has been being a procrastinator. I am severely trying to chance that with myself this year. I've let it go on for so long, it almost comes naturally.


I will get up there. My mood is usually changed after I have some lunch and 2pm rolls around. Hit the gym for the last hour of work, then head home. Good way to end the day, just need to keep reminding myself it's only going to benefit me in more ways than one.

[Billup]

Originally Posted by UncleWede

Gravity seems to really suck.

When I wake up in the morning and look in the mirror, it seems my stomach is pretty flat. By the end of the day I'm back to sporting a serious gut.

Thursday was my first try at legs in the gym in a long time. I didn't want to hurt myself too much knowing I had 2 games to ref Saturday morning. Bent-knee dead lifts really hurt my groins, but by Saturday I was in the groove for running the sidelines.

Friday was off from work, so I made a point of getting in and doing arms. This morning my tris still hurt.

It feels so good to be getting back into a gym routine, I really missed it.

Good job getting back in there! It really is a gratifying experience to get back, feel the burn, and know you're doing well for yourself. How long was your hiatus before you got back into doing legs?

[UncleWede]

I was waiting for a preacher bench about 2 weeks ago when I did some leg extensions. Previous to that, probably 2012. . .

[pukicabuki]

It always amuses me how many people can't be bothered to do legs. I see guys at the gym regularly that have huge upper body features and these scrawny little chicken legs. They look they they should tip over.

[UncleWede]

In my personal defense, I hadn't done any upper body going back to 2012 either. . .

[kevinbahnz]

Originally Posted by pukicabuki

It always amuses me how many people can't be bothered to do legs. I see guys at the gym regularly that have huge upper body features and these scrawny little chicken legs. They look they they should tip over.

man whatever FOOL. jk I've just started focusing on my lower half this year. in the previous years that I've worked out(pre 2010) I would try working out my legs that would last a month then it would just fizzle out. But i'm not a big guy 5'5 150lbs , my calves are not that much bigger than my arms if they even are. lolz

[squishy]

Originally Posted by pukicabuki

It always amuses me how many people can't be bothered to do legs. I see guys at the gym regularly that have huge upper body features and these scrawny little chicken legs. They look they they should tip over.

I know! Can't stand it! They look so goofy, I honestly just feel bad for them. And I'm only talking about the kind who just completely neglect training their legs, and only work on upper body, not those who have an injury preventing them from doing leg work.

There is NO better physique than a thick chest and back, thin mid-section, and thick legs. Can't get thick Quads and Hams from neglecting legs. Also heard that the perfectly proportional body possesses the exact same width arms, neck, and calves. That is my ultimate goal, as well as the first physique.

I personally looove training my legs. Squats are definitely one of my favorite exercises. Were I to ever become one of those people who only train upper body, I'd probably kill myself...

[954Stealth]

A big part of physique is proportion. Legs need to be a part of that.

[UncleWede]

Damn, how do I shrink my neck???

[squishy]

Shrinking your neck isn't the one and only option...

[Revartr]

Need some quick advice. I'm about 5'10", and I weigh around 278lbs. Given, I do have a decent amount of muscle on me (not weak by any means), I'm still pretty damn chubby. I need to get down to 255lbs by December. What's my best course of action?

I had planned on doing roughly 30 minutes of steady, medium cardio every day after work (Mon-Fri) on the elliptical (crossramp on 8, resistance on 13), and I had planned on changing up my diet a bit as well. I rarely eat breakfast (wake up at 9:30, work at 10:00), but switching to just having a low-calorie salad with bits of turkey or grilled chicken for lunch. Not sure what to go for at dinner time (I usually get home around 8:00 in the evening). And maybe having a cheat day on Saturday.

I was also interested in doing a detox (as I've heard that helps to jumpstart weight loss). But I don't really know where to start or what to use for a detox.

Any help?

[vantagesc]

Originally Posted by Revartr

Need some quick advice. I'm about 5'10", and I weigh around 278lbs. Given, I do have a decent amount of muscle on me (not weak by any means), I'm still pretty damn chubby. I need to get down to 255lbs by December. What's my best course of action?

I had planned on doing roughly 30 minutes of steady, medium cardio every day after work (Mon-Fri) on the elliptical (crossramp on 8, resistance on 13), and I had planned on changing up my diet a bit as well. I rarely eat breakfast (wake up at 9:30, work at 10:00), but switching to just having a low-calorie salad with bits of turkey or grilled chicken for lunch. Not sure what to go for at dinner time (I usually get home around 8:00 in the evening). And maybe having a cheat day on Saturday.

You decided to make a change and that's an awesome first step. Here's what has worked for me:

1. Nutrition is 80% of body composition. Doing a bit of cardio here and there is not going to make nearly as much difference as changing the foods you eat on a regular basis. This isn't a "diet." You have to change what you eat as a lifestyle choice. But you can have a cheat meal (not a cheat day) once a week. Having an entire cheat day is a good way to ruin the hard work you put in for the entire week. Every meal, you should have a bunch of protein (e.g. chicken, fish, beef), some vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, kale, spinach, etc.), and if you need the energy, some clean carbs (brown rice, sweet potatoes, lentils, etc.). I prefer to cut carbs when trying to lose fat, but you don't have to as long as your calorie intake is below your expenditure. Cut out things that are overly processed or prepackaged. Eat whole, natural foods.

2. Get an app like myfitnesspal to figure out many calories you are eating. There are a lot of websites you can look at to figure out how many calories you need to maintain your body weight, such as http://iifym.com/tdee-calculator/. I recommend a modest 20% calorie deficit. For example, if your total daily expected expenditure is around 3400 calories, then you should eat about 2700 calories a day.

2a. Make sure to eat a ton of protein. As much as a gram per pound of body weight. As for fats and carbs, different people have different feelings on whether to go low carb or low fat, just depends what works for you. Personally, if I'm cutting fat, I try to keep carb intake less than 200g per day, and fill the rest of calories with healthy fats like from avocados.

3. Lift weights three times a week. Since you have a good amount of muscle, the purpose of this is to maintain your muscle mass while the fat falls off your body. If you do not do this, then you will lose some muscle too while in a calorie deficit. If you want, you can lift weights with very little break between sets. Look up HIIT, for sort of a combination of cardio / weight lifting.

4. As for your cardio, when in fat losing stage, I prefer to do mostly low level cardio. Then once a week, do an activity that requires maximum effort like sprinting. Look up "tabata intervals" on google. A good activity to do with this is elliptical or the rowing machine.

I recommend buying a book from Mike Matthews. It will explain a lot to you if you prefer to listen to an expert.

[kevinbahnz]

Originally Posted by Revartr

Need some quick advice. I'm about 5'10", and I weigh around 278lbs. Given, I do have a decent amount of muscle on me (not weak by any means), I'm still pretty damn chubby. I need to get down to 255lbs by December. What's my best course of action?

I had planned on doing roughly 30 minutes of steady, medium cardio every day after work (Mon-Fri) on the elliptical (crossramp on 8, resistance on 13), and I had planned on changing up my diet a bit as well. I rarely eat breakfast (wake up at 9:30, work at 10:00), but switching to just having a low-calorie salad with bits of turkey or grilled chicken for lunch. Not sure what to go for at dinner time (I usually get home around 8:00 in the evening). And maybe having a cheat day on Saturday.

I was also interested in doing a detox (as I've heard that helps to jumpstart weight loss). But I don't really know where to start or what to use for a detox.

Any help?

Sounds good, as long if you burn more calories than you're taking in daily. 1lb is roughly 3500 calories. So if you burn 3500+ calories/wk you're good.
Does anyone else concur?

[UncleWede]

I'm not a Dr., I don't even play one on TV, but I did stay at a Holiday Inn last night.

Breakfast is THE MOST IMPORTANT meal of the day. If you begin the day in starvation mode, you WILL overeat at lunch and your body will be more protective of the fats reserve. Also, if you are reducing calories, but can increase the FREQUENCY of input, that will also teach your body that more food is always on the way, so we don't have to worry about storing lots of fat, even if the total daily input is less than usual.

Breakfast - Eat like a King
Lunch - Prince
Dinner - Pauper

Calories from a big dinner, especially a few hours before bed, turn almost directly into body fat. I always shoot for doing my exercise about an hour after dinner, to burn off those calories before resting. Some don't like that, but it works fine for me. I can sleep fine after working out at night.

[Billup]

I hear it's best to eat your dessert for breakfast so you can burn it off during the day, too.

[UncleWede]

"Life's uncertain, eat dessert first" taken to a whole new level! Hence why Krispy Kream is doing so well.

[squishy]

Originally Posted by UncleWede

I'm not a Dr., I don't even play one on TV, but I did stay at a Holiday Inn last night.

Breakfast is THE MOST IMPORTANT meal of the day. If you begin the day in starvation mode, you WILL overeat at lunch and your body will be more protective of the fats reserve. Also, if you are reducing calories, but can increase the FREQUENCY of input, that will also teach your body that more food is always on the way, so we don't have to worry about storing lots of fat, even if the total daily input is less than usual.

Breakfast - Eat like a King
Lunch - Prince
Dinner - Pauper

Calories from a big dinner, especially a few hours before bed, turn almost directly into body fat. I always shoot for doing my exercise about an hour after dinner, to burn off those calories before resting. Some don't like that, but it works fine for me. I can sleep fine after working out at night.

See, this is mostly just proven broscience and not necessarily true.

First, let me just say that everyone's body works differently, and there isn't one single uniform diagram or plan for everyone to follow in order to lose weight, gain weight, or maintain weight. What works for some may or may not work for others.

Let me start off with this: I was reading an article a few months back, an interview with Arnold Schwarzenegger, and in it he discussed carb-backloading. What he didn't realize was that he was carb-backloading in preparation for contests before anyone even knew what the hell it was. What he would do was, a few months out from a contest, he would cut carbohydrates out of his diet completely. Simple, and now popular, solution to losing weight. No carbs = body is constantly in a fat-burning state. But, towards the end of his prep when the contest was right around the corner, he would go to House of Pies and eat full pies at night. Yes, entire pies loaded with carbohydrates and fats at night, a week before Mr. Olympia. The result? He woke up in the morning even more ripped and fuller than he was before he ate that pie. Why? Due to how our bodies work. Arnold was so depleted of any carbs at that point, everything he ate was either used as glycogen, stored energy in muscle tissue, immediate energy, or released via waste. He could literally eat anything he wanted at night, a full box of pizza, a tub of ice cream, a few pies, etc., and he would wake up ripped and even more fuller the next morning. This was due to his body being in a catabolic state, a constant fat-burning state. Anything he ate at that point could not physiologically be turned into fat and stored.

Now, we're not Arnold. But, carb-backloading is a real thing. I've done this myself last week, and yes, it really works (but I had to stop because I'm very acne-prone, and simple sugars cause me to severely break out). Eat fats and proteins during the day, and at night, eat a shit load of carbs (both kinds, simple and complex).

Why do I bring this up? Because eating a lot (and mostly junk food) at night can be perfectly fine. What to eat is important to know in relation to when to eat it. It's very simple. If you've been eating complex carbs with each and every meal throughout the day, your body is fully replenished of its glycogen stores, and simply does not need any more carbs, unless you train again at night. If you've hit your protein requirements throughout the day, your body simply does not need any more protein at night. So, eating a dessert for breakfast, for lunch, or dinner is completely arbitrary, so as long you meet your threshold of burning or storing carbs for the day (maintenance calories). Anything you eat over this threshold will eventually be broken down into fatty acids through acetyl coA and stored as body fat. But, it is not immediately stored! It takes time. If you workout early in the morning, ideally, you want to eat a heavy meal before you go to bed, so you have immediate energy when you wake up. Metabolism takes time to occur.

Almost done here.

Our bodies have two metabolic processes. A building up process [anabolism] and a breaking down [catabolism] process. Naturally, we go through both of these processes daily. When we eat, we are building up. When we work out, we are breaking down. When you wake up in the morning, your body is in a breaking down phase (body fat! Not muscle tissue. It takes severe starvation until the body turns to breaking down muscle tissue). That's why if possible, it's best to workout on an empty stomach. To continue breaking down body fat. Beside the point though...my point is that we should be eating light breakfasts in order to lose weight, or maintain weight, if we want to add in some sugary, "unhealthy" foods during the day. Take advantage of the body being in a catabolic state, and eat a very light breakfast, and don't start eating the bulk of your meals until after your workout (if you train during the afternoon or evening). In order to lose weight at the maximally quickest way possible, you cannot be weak-minded and overeat during the day. Discipline is key.

I hope I've shown a few things with this:

1. In order to lose weight, it is ideal to eat a very light breakfast. See intermittent fasting for a more detailed "program" along these lines.

2. Eating heavy at night is perfectly OK; as long as you stay within your caloric limit, you can eat whenever the hell you want.

3. At the end of the day, calories is all that matters, not when you eat. Eat more, gain weight. Eat less, lose weight. When you eat is not nearly as important.

[UncleWede]

squishy,

I prefaced it saying I wasn't a Dr. Just offering my experience. I'm pretty sure from his description that he wasn't Arnold

No disrespect meant:
Tell me that you honestly think you could just eat all 2200 calories just before you went to bed and be fine in the morning, in 2 weeks, and skinnier in 2 months? My metabolism surely wouldn't allow that.

[squishy]

Originally Posted by UncleWede

squishy,

I prefaced it saying I wasn't a Dr. Just offering my experience. I'm pretty sure from his description that he wasn't Arnold

No disrespect meant:
Tell me that you honestly think you could just eat all 2200 calories just before you went to bed and be fine in the morning, in 2 weeks, and skinnier in 2 months? My metabolism surely wouldn't allow that.

I actually have a few times haha.

Like I said, chances are that none of us are professional bodybuilders. So, not to such an extreme such as an entire pie, but definitely a substantial amount of junk food.

Plus, it depends on one's metabolic composition as well. Many other factors must line up.