Working out! Fitness! Nutrition!

[rmemedic]

You can't just cut them out...you need a balance of carbs, fats and protein. What you should do is replace simple carbs with complex carbs. Carbs are very important for our body to metabolize and actually use the nutrients we're putting in to it including fats and proteins.

Yeah, I get that. I do have to understand metabolism with what I do.
I never ever would think of cutting them out, as I understand the role and I actually need the energy through the day... I just end up craving things that are high in carbs when I'm eating what I should be, and thought he passed on some info on how to curb that crave. I avoid the simple carbs/sugars. No white breads, no chocolates etc.
When I have a sweet tooth, I'm eating fruit or grab a piece of gum.

 

[Shaman]

Here's an interesting video:

[video=youtube;S8FRuXJuImM]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S8FRuXJuImM[/video]

 

[toshison]

Yeah, I get that. I do have to understand metabolism with what I do.
I never ever would think of cutting them out, as I understand the role and I actually need the energy through the day... I just end up craving things that are high in carbs when I'm eating what I should be, and thought he passed on some info on how to curb that crave. I avoid the simple carbs/sugars. No white breads, no chocolates etc.
When I have a sweet tooth, I'm eating fruit or grab a piece of gum.

If you haven't already, check out this site: www.leangains.com. Martain Berkham is a smart dude and his approach to fat loss is a good one. If you want to drop some fat read through the lean gains guide. I have adopted some of his techniques myself and I swear by them.

 

[knowledge]

Rmmedic, sorry for the late reply:

It's def a program to be followed exactly as it laid out, both the nutrition and routine. So maybe wait until you can find the time to commit 100%. It's a great program though, can't say enough about it.

As far as nutrition goes try not to over complicate it or nit pick to much. I use to avoid carbs like the plague and while it "worked" I found it extremely hard to control cravings for sweets, bread etc... and would eventually binge and feel like crap. There was no balance and maintaining a low carb diet was daunting.

Now with that program I did, I ate 6-7 times a day with each meal consisting of fist size portion of carbs and a fist size portion of protein, no dairy, no sugar and fats came from the meats. I never counted cals.... Two 20min cardio sessions a day at very low intensity. It was a lot of food and a lot of carbs but the fat melted of of me. The best part is I had zero cravings for sweats etc during the entire 12 weeks.

Now on my bulk I kept the diet the same and just added back some dairy and good fats. I've put on some good size and the fat gain has been minimal. Bottom line is I'll never do the low carb thing again, I might lower them here and there but they'll remain in every meal I eat.

You need to find what works for you and one that isn't hard to maintain. If you feel like you're on a "diet" the greater chance that you"ll cheat or give up on it.

http://forum.bodybuilding.com/forumdisplay.php?f=13 Read the stickies here for some good nutrition info and you should be able to find a mix that could for you.

As far as an eight pack this usually come down to genetics, it's literally impossible for some people to get an 8 pack some can't even get 6. Just work on getting rid of the belly fat and see what pops up. Don't kill yourself with ab exercises. I worked abs maybe once a week and was shocked to find an 8 pack under their. I'll thank my genes for that.

Nothing compared to some of you guys, but I figure I'd post my progress. I'm at 143 lbs now & I'm either at 5.1% or 9.5% (I'm guessing the latter?). I capped my weights about a month or 2 ago (so I'm not looking to get any bigger or more muscular)
So close to giving up on the rest of my abs . I have a theory that they're just gonna take forever since the top 4 are just gonna over-compensate every time I do ab exercises :laughing8:

 

[dizzy929]

Rmmedic, sorry for the late reply:

Nothing compared to some of you guys, but I figure I'd post my progress. I'm at 143 lbs now & I'm either at 5.1% or 9.5% (I'm guessing the latter?). I capped my weights about a month or 2 ago (so I'm not looking to get any bigger or more muscular)
So close to giving up on the rest of my abs . I have a theory that they're just gonna take forever since the top 4 are just gonna over-compensate every time I do ab exercises :laughing8:

Add some weights/resistance to your ab exercises and focus on the negative. Otherwise you seem to have a good base (no homo) but honestly I'd do a clean bulk to put on lil more lean muscle. At 155-160 you'd be set. Just my 2 cents.

 

[funrider]

Any runners that use the iPod nano pedometer? I have questions on the accuracy.

Treadmill stats for 3 mile continuous run:
7.5 mph = 8 minute mile = 24 minutes (for 3 miles) = 440 calories

iPod nano stats for the same run:
Duration = 25’20” Pace = 6’35” mile Distance = 3.85 miles Calories = 489

The iPod nano time is a bit longer as it includes the cool down and I forgot to turn it off – so the stats would have even been better (cool down not in treadmill stats).

The iPod stats are quite different – optimistic? I’ve programmed my weight and height properly and I clip the nano on the bottom of my shorts.

I wanted to lose 17 pounds but have now stabilized at –25 lbs. What a difference. I mountain bike with younger folks who are not keeping up! No fears in not fitting into the track leathers!

Any experience with the nano?

 

[wearelopey]

Has anyone had any experience with Mark Rippetoe's Starting Strength program?

That's the routine that got me the most gains I've ever had in terms of strength/size.
What he has to say really made sense to me.

Went from a 225lb for 6 reps squat, to a 300lb for 5 reps over 3 sets. This took me about 4 months.

The best thing about this program is, my hips, knees, back, well, just about everything you use functionally throughout the day, has improved drastically!
I mean, I can walk forever, my lower back never hurts anymore, and whenever I bend down or pick something up, I always have perfect form because I do 50+ squats with heavy weights a week...

Volume is low so you adapt to all the squats. My legs have grown a lot, my posterior chain is deadly strong, and I feel great because I go through whole body full range of motion exercises all the time. My flexibility has gone up a lot too. Everyone used to greet me in the gym with "legs day again eh". And yes, I work out legs a lot with this program. They grow though and recover quick. First couple of weeks you will have sore legs, but after that the soreness goes away completely. In fact, I prefer working out legs so much with no soreness versus doing 5 sets of squats for 12-15 reps and not being able to walk for a week. Soreness is not mandatory for muscle gain, neither is maxing out every set.

Focusing on squats, deadlift, press, bench press, and power cleans made me focus on technique rather than brute strength... Which is now paying off as when i do other exercises, I can translate the form requirements from starting strength which reduces chance of injury etc.

In short, I thought I was an intermediate lifter before this program, and boy was I wrong. Best thing I ever did in terms of fitness and having a solid strength base to work from.

Just one tip: When the weights start ramping up and your starting to slow down on your lifts, you need to EAT. and not just eat, I mean EAT. Like chugging a liter or 2 of milk a day EAT. Like 3000+ calories minimum EAT.

Cannot recommend enough though

 

[S500K]

Videos ok, good point on the Lean Mass for burning fat as it 70%RMR.
Dosent matter if your bigger or smaller for food intake and calories, it depends on how active you are and what activity. I did a BodPod test this morning - 150lbs, 180cm, 6.2%BF and some other gas exchange/capacity numbers. I eat 4000kcals/day - I eat, eat, eat, and eat some more. Minimum intake a day to stay functioning is 1866cal which is what regular individuals will eat in a day

So close to giving up on the rest of my abs :sad:. I have a theory that they're just gonna take forever since the top 4 are just gonna over-compensate every time I do ab exercises :laughing8:

You have to learn how to turn on and off muscles

 

[Roasted]

Here's an interesting video:

[video=youtube;S8FRuXJuImM]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S8FRuXJuImM[/video]

Waaay too long for me to watch that but judging by the title I'm guessing he's talking about IF (Intermitten Fasting).

I've tried IF recently for about 4-5 weeks just to test it out and what I can say is that IT WORKS. I consumed ALL MY CALORIES/food between 5pm and 11 pm and than didn't eat ALL DAY! No breakfast, no lunch, etc. Did I eat whatever I wanted? NO. I ate VERY VERY similar to the way I eat on my previous cut which was 3300 calories split up among about 5, evenly spaced meals with only about 150g of that coming from carbs. I dropped about 7 lbs in that time which is pretty much IN LINE with my previous cut. Most of that was indeed fat too (did I mention I cheated a bit too with booze?). What does this mean? This means that meal timing and "eating many small meals" is basically .......well, ********! Is this a better way to cut? Well that depends on your schedule, lifestyle. For me, IF is MUCH MUCH easier. It's easier for me to go home after work and stuff my face than to package a whole bunch of meals and watch the clock like a hawk cause oh noeeezz.....I haven't eaten in 3 hours, end of the world. The first day of the fast was hell and I nearly punched some guy out at the gym (literally, not kidding), but once you get used to it I didn't find it that bad not eating for 16 hours at a time. Your milage may vary. Are you going to completely binge and go crazy after the fast? Maybe IF is not for you, but if you're like me, it's pretty awesome and a very stress free way of dieting.

In conclusion: do whatever you find the easiest and helps you stick to the diet. If you want to continue eating every 2 hours, go ahead, but this is NOT based on ANY science and is not necessary.

 

[Roasted]

If you haven't already, check out this site: www.leangains.com. Martain Berkham is a smart dude and his approach to fat loss is a good one. If you want to drop some fat read through the lean gains guide. I have adopted some of his techniques myself and I swear by them.

Ok, here we go.....yep, like I mentioned, I "field tested" some of this stuff and it's legit.

 

[01cbr]

Waaay too long for me to watch that but judging by the title I'm guessing he's talking about IF (Intermitten Fasting).

I've tried IF recently for about 4-5 weeks just to test it out and what I can say is that IT WORKS. I consumed ALL MY CALORIES/food between 5pm and 11 pm and than didn't eat ALL DAY! No breakfast, no lunch, etc. Did I eat whatever I wanted? NO. I ate VERY VERY similar to the way I eat on my previous cut which was 3300 calories split up among about 5, evenly spaced meals with only about 150g of that coming from carbs. I dropped about 7 lbs in that time which is pretty much IN LINE with my previous cut. Most of that was indeed fat too (did I mention I cheated a bit too with booze?). What does this mean? This means that meal timing and "eating many small meals" is basically .......well, ********! Is this a better way to cut? Well that depends on your schedule, lifestyle. For me, IF is MUCH MUCH easier. It's easier for me to go home after work and stuff my face than to package a whole bunch of meals and watch the clock like a hawk cause oh noeeezz.....I haven't eaten in 3 hours, end of the world. The first day of the fast was hell and I nearly punched some guy out at the gym (literally, not kidding), but once you get used to it I didn't find it that bad not eating for 16 hours at a time. Your milage may vary. Are you going to completely binge and go crazy after the fast? Maybe IF is not for you, but if you're like me, it's pretty awesome and a very stress free way of dieting.

In conclusion: do whatever you find the easiest and helps you stick to the diet. If you want to continue eating every 2 hours, go ahead, but this is NOT based on ANY science and is not necessary.

How did this effect your energy levels?
I lost all motivation to maintain a decent diet and workout regularly about 6 months ago. I find that if I dont eat all day in crash had around 2-3 and it really kills the chances of a decent workout.

I was more of a 3-4 meal a day person on a decent diet. I found that 6 meals a day caused me to over eat if anything.

 

[Roasted]

How did this effect your energy levels?
I lost all motivation to maintain a decent diet and workout regularly about 6 months ago. I find that if I dont eat all day in crash had around 2-3 and it really kills the chances of a decent workout.

I was more of a 3-4 meal a day person on a decent diet. I found that 6 meals a day caused me to over eat if anything.

My energy levels are ALWAYS effected by a calorie and espetially a carb deficit, so yeah, I felt more groggy, but not any worst than when my meals were spread throught the day. It really wasn't that bad.

 

[toshison]

Ok, here we go.....yep, like I mentioned, I "field tested" some of this stuff and it's legit.

Yeah Roasted, I tried Berkham's approach with fasted training: BCAA's pre workout, Workout 12-1pm, eat 1pm-9pm and it works.

I prefer training in the evening so I changed it up. Now I keep the same eating window: 1-9pm, but I now train around 5:30pm. First meal around 1pm is small - like 600ish calories - mostly fat/protein, no carbs. From around 6:30-9pm. I eat epicly large meals of everything.. So easy to live with.

 

[S500K]

Just throwing a question out there, do you go up to someone that is doing an exercise wrong, and you know what I mean, everyone's seen it (and perhaps laughed :lmaoor do you not waste your time with them - It hurts my body seeing someone do something totally awkward

Any grunters out there?

 

[rmemedic]

Just throwing a question out there, do you go up to someone that is doing an exercise wrong, and you know what I mean, everyone's seen it (and perhaps laughed :lmaoor do you not waste your time with them - It hurts my body seeing someone do something totally awkward

Any grunters out there?

I get embarrassed when I start breathing really heavy on the spin bike or grunting a bit during my weights/ crossfit stuff. But I'm usually sweating it up pretty good by then. I'm not a screamer tho lol.

 

[dizzy929]

Just throwing a question out there, do you go up to someone that is doing an exercise wrong, and you know what I mean, everyone's seen it (and perhaps laughed :lmaoor do you not waste your time with them - It hurts my body seeing someone do something totally awkward

Any grunters out there?

Yeah if they look like they're completely new to lifting I'll say something and most appreciate it.

The only exercise I make a lot noise doing is heavy ATG squats. Rep'd out 415X10 last Friday and had half the gym stop and look. Not a single **** was given. Felt good

 

[vrus]

okay, what am I missing here. If meal timing is irrelevant (which I do believe), what's the benefit of the fast? Why is it better to eat within a span of 4-5-8 hours instead of just regularly eating what you need?

 

[dizzy929]

okay, what am I missing here. If meal timing is irrelevant (which I do believe), what's the benefit of the fast? Why is it better to eat within a span of 4-5-8 hours instead of just regularly eating what you need?

I think it has to do with placing your body in a fasted state. When in a fasted state your body will be "starving" to replenish itself nutrient wise thus utilizing what you put in it better. I'm sure there's more to it though.

 

[toshison]

okay, what am I missing here. If meal timing is irrelevant (which I do believe), what's the benefit of the fast? Why is it better to eat within a span of 4-5-8 hours instead of just regularly eating what you need?

There are many benefits to intermittent fasting. The main reason why I like it is because it is a more enjoyable eating pattern to live with (for me). And because it is more enjoyable (and convenient), it is easier to stick with. If you think in evolutionary terms, it is a very natural way to eat.. Along the lines of hunt/work during the day, feast at night. Its probably not for everyone but if you have trouble sticking with a meal plan, its a good option to test out.

I use to do 5-6 meals a day and eating at that frequency can become very time consuming because you need to prepare more meals per day (often carrying around tupperware everywhere) and then you have to spend more actual time taking breaks to eat. It is quite liberating to not have to carry food around all the time and to wake up and not worry about making breakfast...

 

[rmemedic]

I eat that way on my days off... And I always lose weight. Typically up and busy, small lunch like a fruit and then a decent dinner, and I'm not hungry. Same thing for race weekends, I hate having food in my stomach when I'm doing hard motos. I will eat here and there on those days, but it's only fruit and only when I feel my energy is down.

My work days... Get up and hit the gym. Then breakfast which is just cereal and a piece of fruit. Then I end up with a snack at 1030ish but it's sadly not always the healthiest option. Lunch is a sammich and fruit or yogurt or a green salad. Then dinner, and it tends to be starchy most times.
I couldn't do a work day without eating, unless I was busy and active, then I don't even notice.

Andthen I have weeks like I am right now in the field. Sit all day waiting for someone to get hurt, boredom sets in and I munch. Can't work out since I need to stay ready, and I try not to sweat since I have no shower for a couple weeks. These weeks kill any progress I make, it's so frustrating to bust *** and start getting results and then it gets bombed on.