The Fitness Guide

[Jackal]

I've been actually considering one of those, we had a special over here not too long ago..only 50 euro's.

I hate doing situps, especially sit ups at home. My tailbone always hurts like a son of a bitch during that.

Which is why I've replaced it with the weighted ab machine at my gym.



Something like that. I do around a 100 with 20 KG's, 75 with 25 and finish off with 50 on 30 kg's.

There is also this sort of incline bench which you can position, I put it to the lowest stand, which enables me to be sort off...slanted. You can then hook your knee's around the cushions and do situps. That feels a lot nicer on the tailbone too. Plus you can add weights on that one. My stomach has been my area of focus for the past 3-4 weeks.

16.8% BF last time I checked.

[Matt]

There is also this sort of incline bench which you can position, I put it to the lowest stand, which enables me to be sort off...slanted. You can then hook your knee's around the cushions and do situps. That feels a lot nicer on the tailbone too

I love those too! but they came only with the more expensive home gyms.

these two guys at the gym are funny
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bYcGwMht6L8

[[Q]]

hmm i'm still trying to figure out if those weighted ab machines really work. i guess they do work for strength in the abs, but for the six pack, i like the "machine" that you use arm holds to hold you up and you lift your knees/legs towards your chest.

but then again, my abs have always been pretty good, so i cant really tell what woeks for me and what doesnt

[Jackal]

Q, you're a bitch. Rub it in, why don't you?

The thing about your abs "showing" is that your bodyfat has to go down. Your gut has to disappear. How does that happen? Balance. Yep, balance.

Look, situps and weighted ab machines just strengthen the muscle called your abs. You're basically building muscle. More muslce = more calories burned. But, cardio is just as important given that's the primary way to burn large amounts of calories. So, balance as I said. If you have more muscle, good, because that means you're burning more calories too.

Anyways, what I came in here to ask was what kind of supplements you guys use, if any at all?

This is what I'm using:

Vitamine A-Z - One Capsule
Vitamine C - One Capsule (so that I don't get sick too often)
Fish Oil - One Capsule
One scoop of whey protein after a workout just mixed in water. Brand EAS.

The rest of my diet consists of lentils, beans, rice (which is bad, I know), bread and breast meat. No beef or pork. Just chicken. I drink water and Diet Coke.

[cyanide]

The more muscle you have before you burn the fat, the more "visible" the abs will appear too!

For supplements, I'm using exactly what you listed, Jackal. All four of those and nothing more.

Rice isn't bad if it's brown rice, but even if it's white rice, it's still better than Diet Coke

[Jackal]

Actually Cola Light has been listed as the best drink out there, next to Gatorade. If you must have something with gas, that is.

It's got 0 sugar and like 0.2 kCal per 100 ml. I wasn't a fan, till I read that info in Men's Health.

Dutch Cola Light nutrition facts.

Edit: I just had the Vanilla EAS shake and it doesn't taste too nice. I preferred the chocolate one. Oh well, next time around.

[[Q]]

well 7-8% body fat is a blessing and a curse. sometimes, i have being so skinny/boney. esp when i dive on the floor for loose balls in bball, i get scrapes really easily. bone on wood doesn't tickle.

[cyanide]

Actually Cola Light has been listed as the best drink out there, next to Gatorade. If you must have something with gas, that is.

It's got 0 sugar and like 0.2 kCal per 100 ml. I wasn't a fan, till I read that info in Men's Health.

Dutch Cola Light nutrition facts.

Edit: I just had the Vanilla EAS shake and it doesn't taste too nice. I preferred the chocolate one. Oh well, next time around.

Yep, that's what it's listed at calorie-wise, but it contains aspartame (aspartaam I guess it's called down there) and a keyword search in Google shows a lot of "side effects" and "dangers" of aspartame.

Vanilla was the very first flavor I tried for a protein shake, and I never went back. Not sure how much better it is now, and I never tried chocolate. I always go for strawberry and love it (not a big fan of chocolate in general).

[Matt]

i cannot feel my stomache after yesterdays ab workout....looks like the machine works!

It's got 0 sugar and like 0.2 kCal per 100 ml. I wasn't a fan, till I read that info in Men's Health

even with that these drinks still have so much additives that aren't healthy for you that you really sholdn't be drinking them.
I limit myself wherever i can. Kepp it to water and fruit juices that i make myself.

[shadowgrin]

Which is why I've replaced it with the weighted ab machine at my gym.

Something like that. I do around a 100 with 20 KG's, 75 with 25 and finish off with 50 on 30 kg's.

Those weights are kilos?!?
I used one of those machines and I thought the weights were in pounds.
(40 pounds are lighter than 40 kilos; 1 kilo = 2.2046 lbs.)
20 reps of 4 sets of 40 kg. I used to anyway, when I was still in shape.

There is also this sort of incline bench which you can position, I put it to the lowest stand, which enables me to be sort off...slanted. You can then hook your knee's around the cushions and do situps. That feels a lot nicer on the tailbone too. Plus you can add weights on that one. My stomach has been my area of focus for the past 3-4 weeks.

That was also the shite, especially when you hold a disc weight to your chest when doing the sit-ups.

Vitamine A-Z - One Capsule
Vitamine C - One Capsule (so that I don't get sick too often)

Same here.

As cyanide said, rice isn't bad as long as it's not in way too excess.
It's probably better if you consume rice in the morning and/or lunch. Eating some in late afternoon or dinner might hinder your progress if your aim is coupled with weight loss.

Stick to water.

And Qballer is an asshole.

[Jackal]

The reason I chose Diet Coke is because that's the only thing I got during breaks at work. It was a choice between Sprite, Diet Coke or Regular Coke.

But since that's off the list now, I had a plain glass of water today and will look to do so from here on out.

Nah, Dutch people don't use pounds that much Shadow, our machines are all in KG's, very possible yours were in pounds.

That was also the shite, especially when you hold a disc weight to your chest when doing the sit-ups.

Agreed, our weight rack is really close to that bench, so it's quite nice using that equipment.

The rice thing, I have it for dinner, being Indian and all, you can't really avoid rice. (Well you can, your mom will just give you a wtf look everytime you say not to put up rice.)

Regardless, I'm officially down from 93 KG's (92.6) to 77 KG's (76.5).
I want to get around 70-72 KG's. Pretty proud of myself, even if it is I who is patting me on my back.

[shadowgrin]

Nah, Dutch people don't use pounds that much Shadow, our machines are all in KG's, very possible yours were in pounds.

I'm sure it is also. Some noob trainer kept saying kilos when I'm pretty sure I feel it to be much lighter than kilos, hence pounds.
Doesn't matter anymore though, I realized that I'm not the "workout in the gym with other people" type. I prefer more of the "leave me alone and don't bother me, you bastards, while I'm doing something" type.

[Andreas Dahl]

Damned Jackal, you're making me feel like such a lazy slob. I've gone from 70kg to now slightly over 100kg..
I blame it on my shin splints though, not my lack training, bad eating habits or lackluster attitude.. Oh well, time to watch some movies and eat a bunch of chocolate.. DAMN YOU SHIN SPLINTS!!!

[Jackal]

Haha, sorry Andreas, my progress wasn't meant to make anyone feel bad, just to motivate anyone that anything is possible.

Besides, if I'm not mistaken, you're pretty tall...so I'm sure you still look balanced opposed to " a fat slob ". Anyways, best of luck with the slow recovery of your shins. We're young, we've got enough time to mold ourselves to what we want to look like, what say?

Anyways, came in here to ask a question...

I'm sitting here and watching the World's Strongest Man competition on Eurosport and what I notice is that these fuckers are huge. Like, bulky. I mean their arms have no definition and they've got portruding stomachs but still they lift the heaviest of shit as if they are pieces of marshmellow.

So anyone have a clue as to why they don't get the definition in their muscles? Meaning...why aren't they cut? They're big...but like bulky.

How do they train and how do "cut" guys train? I mean you could use Shaq and Ben Wallace as an example I suppose.

Edit: This is what I mean...





So, anyone know why one does and one doesn't have the definition?

[J@3]

I've seen shows over the years talking about the diets those guys are on, with the sheer volume of food they eat I think it'd be near impossible for them to be "cut". From what they said in one documentary (it was like 6 years ago so my memory is a bit off) alot of people don't actually get into those strongman competitions purely because they can't handle eating the amount of food needed, the one guy they were profiling said he ate something like 12 full meals per day.

[Fenix]

How do you take your supplements? I take a gram of C vitamin in the morning along with one capsule of fish oil (omega 3 fats) and I also mix a scoop of whey protein into my oatmeal. I drink a protein shake after my workout (2 scoops of whey protein, 2 scoops of maltodextrin) and I take another capsule of fish oil with my evening meal.

Anyways, a new fitness season starts for me with this Monday. After a break of 4 months, I'm going back to the gym (I found a new one, which seems pretty hardcore). I thought I didn't loose a lot of muscles, but looking at those pics I posted a few pages ago, I did, especially in the arms. I also gained some bad weight, nothing big, but it's something I'll have to work at. These are my current stats:

height: 6'3
weight: 175lbs
BF: around 14%

My short term goals are to get in my former shape (175-180lbs @ 8% BF) and I'll take it from there. My long term goal (which I plan to achieve till June next year) is to weigh over 190lbs at 7% BF and drastically improve my bench press and my ultimate one is to look like Christian Bale in American Psycho.

Some questions:

1. What do you recommend that I do for the first couple of weeks? I don't want to risk an injury. My plan is to get back to my former routine (which I posted on this page), but I don't know whether the best thing is to start with it it or do a more general, all-around routine for the first couple of weeks for my muscles to get used of excercising again.

2. How many raw eggs per meal? (I eat only whites.)

3. Jackal and Cy, how much do you guys bench press (max and working load)?

[shadowgrin]

Just to follow-up what Jae posted:

The 'more' and bigger muscles you have the more energy you need.

Bigass muscles (like those strongman guys) = more food needed.

If they don't eat the enormous amount of food as Jae said, they would lack sufficient energy to supply their guns.

Less food = less energy = guns get smaller = weak.

[Jackal]

Haha, that's pretty much the most annoying question ever to be honest. It's just a pissing contest and I'm all game, but it's one of the lesser important questions. (Yeps, got that from the Men's Health too.)

Nothing on you orso Fenix, just a lot of guys ask that question in the gym and then their technique is all off and everything.

I started off with 15 KG's on each side...making that 30KG's. That was my beginning weight load.

My max bench press has been weighted at 45 on each side making that a total of 90 KG's.

My working load is:

1 x (15 x 40) (2 x 20, 20 KG's on each side)
1 x (15 x 50) (2 x 25, 25 KG's on each side)
1 x (12 x 60) (2 x 30, 30 KG's on each side)

I'd say start off with the usual 30 minutes of cardio and lighter weights than what you were doing before. You don't want to overshock your muscles and cause them to damage themselves or anything. As soon as you figure you can start building it up again, go heavier. You shouldn't have a problem getting back to where you were though, you atleast have the advantage of muscle memory, I broke my ass building from scratch.

The 16.8% BF is really annoying me though, but good annoying, it's motivating me to eat consciously and carefully.

About my supplements, it's a capsule of 1000 mg for both the Vitamine C and Vitamine A-Z. The fish oil capsule is 1000 mg (Omega 3) aswell. I only have the fish oil once though, do you suggest having it twice daily? Right now I only have it once with breakfast.

Uhm my whey protein shake is the EAS Vanilla flavoured one. I have one scoop with the recommended amount of water. So basically one glass of that immediately after my workout. I don't use dextrose given it's sweet enough for my liking.

I notice you have two scoops though whereas I only take one scoop. Another difference is you mix it with your oatmeal, do you have your shakes with milk?

[Fenix]

Haha, that's pretty much the most annoying question ever to be honest. It's just a pissing contest and I'm all game, but it's one of the lesser important questions. (Yeps, got that from the Men's Health too.)

Agreed, but it's also one of the most basic excercises and a very good indicator of how strong one is. I don't know whether it's my long arms or something, but I'm just not that good at it. My numbers are similar to yours (when I'm shape and I hope I'll be able to achieve them again in about 4 months).

The fish oil capsule is 1000 mg (Omega 3) aswell. I only have the fish oil once though, do you suggest having it twice daily? Right now I only have it once with breakfast.

Nah, that's OK. I have two capsule simply because mine are 500 mg and I prefer to take smaller dosage but on more occasions.

I notice you have two scoops though whereas I only take one scoop. Another difference is you mix it with your oatmeal, do you have your shakes with milk?

I mix mine with oatmeal in the morning because it tastes better and I have a very fast metabolism, so I need as many proteins as I can get. For that very reason I also take two scoops instead of one after my workout. That's something one personal trainer recommended to me and it helped me a lot with gaining mass.

[cyanide]

So anyone have a clue as to why they don't get the definition in their muscles? Meaning...why aren't they cut? They're big...but like bulky.

How do they train and how do "cut" guys train? I mean you could use Shaq and Ben Wallace as an example I suppose.

The difference is diet. Those strongmen are huge, but not necessarily cut, because they can eat whatever the hell they want, but they work out consistently, hence bulk up. The guys who are huge, yet cut do both: they work out consistently, but they also watch what they eat. The best way to reach that (for bodybuilders, especially) is to go on a bulking and cutting stage. Meaning, they could actually get fat then cut (relatively easily since they put on all that muscle, and as you know, more muscle = more burning, higher metabolism). For example, take Lee Priest in the off-season:



Then weeks before the bodybuilding competition begins, he goes into the cutting stage to lose weight:

1. What do you recommend that I do for the first couple of weeks? I don't want to risk an injury. My plan is to get back to my former routine (which I posted on this page), but I don't know whether the best thing is to start with it it or do a more general, all-around routine for the first couple of weeks for my muscles to get used of excercising again.

2. How many raw eggs per meal? (I eat only whites.)

3. Jackal and Cy, how much do you guys bench press (max and working load)?

1. You can get back into your normal routine, but cut down on the weights and/or repetitions until you're ready to be back into training shape. Stretch before if you can.

2. If they're whites, as much as you want The body could only take so much at one sitting, so roughly no more than 30% of your meal in calories.

3. It all depends on the eccentric and concentric speeds which affect intensity. In other words, weights don't matter in my opinion, and I don't like to use it as a measuring stick for strength.

The 16.8% BF is really annoying me though, but good annoying, it's motivating me to eat consciously and carefully.

I wouldn't worry too much about it, because you went down significantly, and it should only keep going down. It's a good thing that it's used to motivate you. As for one extra capsule of fish oil, I'd stick to one a day as the only difference is increased cost and minimal effects. I also use one scoop for a protein shake, and it'd be nice to have dextrose and maltodextrin to go with it, but still, optional.

[BZ]

So I've decided I want to go into law enforcement, and I'm currently at 167lbs with around 21% body fat. My goal is to get up to at least 175lbs of muscle with around 10-12% body fat before summer 2008, and I've recently just purchased a huge container of Whey protein and a bottle of creatine capsules. Probably going to have to totally change my diet, and start doing morning runs.

In short, I'm going to try to bulk up and lose fat at the same time. Not all at once, more like one and the other.

Routine:
Monday: Early morning jog, and some cardio ab workouts after.
Tuesday: Biceps, Chest, Traps
Wednesday: Cardio
Thursday: Triceps, Back, Abs
Friday: Cardio
Saturday: Legs, Shoulders, Abs
Sunday: Rest

What do you guys think of this workout?

I'll try to report in on my progress every couple months or so.

And a question:

1. Do you guys run in the morning first and then eat breakfast? Or grab a small snack, run, and then eat a full breakfast.

[shadowgrin]

For example, take Lee Priest in the off-season:

Holy fuck. That's one huge leap from off-season to game time.

[Jackal]

I also use one scoop for a protein shake, and it'd be nice to have dextrose and maltodextrin to go with it, but still, optional.

Really? Doesn't that make it way too sweet? I think the EAS formula is sweet enough as it is.

I've recently just purchased a huge container of Whey protein and a bottle of creatine capsules. Probably going to have to totally change my diet, and start doing morning runs.

Creatine still hasn't got me sold to be honest, every article I've read says that it does give you increased energy during your workouts but the risk of it adding weight (albeit water weight) just doesn't seem that appealing to me. I'm fine with the amount of energy I have while I lift weights, I've increased the weight I lift gradually and I'm not looking at creatine to give me that extra energy boost. I'd be careful with that shiz.

I mean I did like months of yes/no'ing to whey protein. So yeah, perhaps I'm just over-careful.

By the way Cy, indeed, the images you posted, holy damn.

1. Do you guys run in the morning first and then eat breakfast? Or grab a small snack, run, and then eat a full breakfast.

I had the same question for awhile...and I'm not sure if the answer I got is correct, I just went with what made me feel more comfortable. Maybe it's all psychological, who knows?

But yes, I do suggest eating something before working out in the mornings. (This coming from a guy that spent 1.5 months working out from 7 a.m. till 9.30 a.m.) The first place your body takes energy from is from the food you've eaten, given you've just slept for 7-8 hours, your energy source is kind of running on low, so where will your body get energy from? Muscle. We don't want that, so yeah, eat something I says. I'm not one to have 2-3 slices of toast with 2 eggs and stuff as breakfast, I'm not much of a breakfast person at all, I just have my bowl of flakes with milk, workout and then I'd come home and have like Sultana's or something. (Fruit biscuits, whole grain, filling and yummy.) My bread slices were reserved for "lunch".

Ehm so back to your question, personally speaking I'd say eat something, working out on an empty stomach just got me tired fast and hungry and not in the mood to workout anymore.

Edit: That's just downright amazing.

[cyanide]

Holy fuck. That's one huge leap from off-season to game time.

He's also known to have amazing genetics, so that's definitely a factor too. Anyway, yeah, that's basically what it's like between the bulking and cutting stage, he goes to extremes.

Really? Doesn't that make it way too sweet? I think the EAS formula is sweet enough as it is.

I don't think it has to do with the sweetness, I read that maltodextrin and dextrose is really good for a post-workout. Can't remember why exactly, but it might have to do with efficiency with repairing the muscles or protein intake.

I've recently just purchased a huge container of Whey protein and a bottle of creatine capsules. Probably going to have to totally change my diet, and start doing morning runs.

Creatine still hasn't got me sold to be honest

You're cutting, and creatine's made for bulking, so it's of basically no value, really. And besides, you have all the motivation and energy you need, so yeah, creatine would just be a waste of money for your current training regime.

1. Do you guys run in the morning first and then eat breakfast? Or grab a small snack, run, and then eat a full breakfast.

I'd recommend eating something before (but not running immediately after eating ). It may depend to be honest. I tried a very intense morning regime called HIIT that consists of interval sprints, and I've read conflicted debates on whether one should eat or not in the morning (HIIT only) because apparently on one side of the debate, one burns more fat if you don't eat first thing in the morning because metabolism is high and no digestion takes place. I did try HIIT without eating anything in the morning, and I did get good results personally, but stopped because I looked like an idiot sprinting back and forth on a field surrounded by houses.

Good luck with law enforcement.

[shadowgrin]

given you've just slept for 7-8 hours, your energy source is kind of running on low, so where will your body get energy from? Muscle. We don't want that, so yeah, eat something I says

one burns more fat if you don't eat first thing in the morning because metabolism is high and no digestion takes place

I read somewhere that what cyanide recommended gives great effects, but there's a certain amount of time of how long you can go. Once you go past that certain time, what Jackal mentioned happens. The span of time also varies with each person, dependent roughly between 45 minutes to 2 hours.