Workout question - add muscle or lose weight first?

Berto said:
You just made my blood boil. As far as I'm concerned, this is the biggest weightroom sin of them all.
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[rant]

I especially love it when it's someone curling the bar with some 10's and grunting like a dying ox to make sure everyone sees just how swole they are.

I feel bad when i use the rack for cleans (if no other bar is available) but curls in the squat rack should be grounds for having your membership revoked.

[/rant]
 


6-7 meals would be better for your body, but 5 meals a day are more than ok and won't require you to go crazy about food

eat healthy and check your calories. if food is very important for you plan cheat days in advance or you'll reach a point where you'll risk to throw away all you have done.

use something to keep your calories under control ( fitday.com is nice and free )

eat good food, a lot of vegetables and fibres + chiken, cod etc.
squash is excellent for keeping calories low and eating a lot of stuff ( doesn't taste good I know, but you can add spices or something else ), pay attention to fruit which contains a lot of calories. You should eat it, just don't go crazy on it thinking "it's only fruit".
Don't eat junk foods out of cheat days, mayo and crap like that are just crap.

Don't worry about getting fatter because you built some muscle. Muscles burn calories so the more muscle mass you have the more calories your body burns. Moreover trying to lose weight and exercising you'd probably reach a point where you burn muscles, and you don't want to.

Keep your calories around maintenance level -500, go to bodybuilding.com and pick a routine ( don't hit the same muscles for two days in a row ) and add 20-40 minutes of cardio after the workout ( or even every day if you wish ).

I've done it this summer, lost 5-6 kgs doing exactly what I said here.
 
Thanks for the suggestions so far on the forearms everyone. Yeah, I rarely ever do dead lifts or pull ups. I have a lower back problem so I avoid dead lifts, but maybe they hurt because I rarely ever work that area out? Hmm.

I'll add some of these to my routine and I'll make you guys proud. I'm just sick of having these pussy forearms >_<
 
Godspeed said:
Just follow this:

- Workout 3 times a week with weights.
- Eat 1g protein / lb lean body mass.
- Reduce calories to lose 1-2 lbs / week.
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Sage advice. Re weights, I would emphasize to focus on compound exercises that hit major muscle groups (legs, chest, back). Squats are the most important thing you can do IMHO.
 
less talkie, more workie

there's lots of good advice in this thread and, per your note, if you're already literate in the area to the point of understanding 'HIIT' etc, you likely know what you need to know to get done what you want to.

my point here is: DO it. every day, everything you eat, every workout you do... be serious about it. annihilate the gym. research a bodybuilder's 'cutting diet' and stick to it.

it's less about the plan and more about consistent execution.
 
powell1 said:
this thread is a tragedy. except for the guy who linked to lyle's page.

but for forearms, either spring for a fat bar or get these: Weight Lifting|Strength Training|Powerlifting - Get Big with Fat Gripz

If your grip is weak, you'll feel like a pussy because you'll have to drop the weight on most of your lifts, but they work really well. throw in some wrist curls too.
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Work on deadlifting 500 lbs for reps with no wrist straps and I'm sure your forearms won't be a problem. No need to buy special equipment.

http://www.dieselcrew.com/articles-pdf/deadlift101.pdf
 
OneCentContent has been reading in the right places...

All of Lyle McDonald's articles are awesome and very good for putting things back into perspective when you get led astray by the broscience.

I also find Martin Berkham's stuff at LeanGains.com really interesting and follow it myself.

My personal and brief recommendation would be to get hold of Rapid Fat Loss by Lyle McDonald and incorporate that with the meal timing of intermittent fasting (from Leangains.com).
 
Today I did some 5x5 squats, in the squat rack. Some New Year Resolution guy goes to the next squat rack, does 3 reps (25 plates plate) then walks away.

5 minutes later, another New Year Resolution chode wonders to the squat rack, touches the bar, ponders what to do, then drifts away.

Gyms should distribute free training pamphlets, something like Strong Lift is a good start.
 
I really want to lose 10 lbs. before I got to ad:tech San Francisco in April. Help!

I wasn't losing weight from working at home in my jammies and snacking all day long, so I got a little desperate and cut out 80% of my carbs. Now I eat plenty of the right things and lots o'protein, but going nuts from hunger ATM. My attention span is even shorter than usual and I feel a bit tired.

Are there any safe appetite suppressants to recommend? I can't be drinking from a bottomless coffee cup because last night too much caffeine kept me up half the night. Three cups is my maximum.
 
i personally lift only for strength... fat loss is just a side effect. do a bunch of cardio and you'll never get anywhere. for example, i went skiing for a week (lots of cardio) and lost like 25lbs off my max bench. was like 180lbs w/ 36" waist @ 6' 3" before i started lifting 6 years ago, now i'm 235 w/ 36" waist just from focusing on mostly bench, squat and deadlift and eating lots of protein. try to only eat carbs in the morning and around your workouts too. potatoes and brown rice are ok for dinner.
 
BlueYonder said:
I really want to lose 10 lbs. before I got to ad:tech San Francisco in April. Help!

I wasn't losing weight from working at home in my jammies and snacking all day long, so I got a little desperate and cut out 80% of my carbs. Now I eat plenty of the right things and lots o'protein, but going nuts from hunger ATM. My attention span is even shorter than usual and I feel a bit tired.

Are there any safe appetite suppressants to recommend? I can't be drinking from a bottomless coffee cup because last night too much caffeine kept me up half the night. Three cups is my maximum.
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lyle's rfl + time
 
bloodvayne said:
lift heavy in the 8-12 rep range concentrating on the compound movements
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heavy isn't 8-12 reps. heavy is 3-7 reps.

try this if your max bench is 225...

press the weight as fast as possible w/ only enough time between sets to change weight:

set 1: 135 3 reps
set 2: 155 3 reps
set 3: 165 3 reps
set 4: 175 3 reps
set 5: 185 3 reps
set 6: 195 3 reps
set 7: 205 3 reps
set 8: 215 3 reps
set 9: 225 3 reps

low rep, high volume like this will put on more muscle than high reps, low weight or heavy weight, low volume.
 
BlueYonder said:
I really want to lose 10 lbs. before I got to ad:tech San Francisco in April. Help!

I wasn't losing weight from working at home in my jammies and snacking all day long, so I got a little desperate and cut out 80% of my carbs. Now I eat plenty of the right things and lots o'protein, but going nuts from hunger ATM. My attention span is even shorter than usual and I feel a bit tired.

Are there any safe appetite suppressants to recommend? I can't be drinking from a bottomless coffee cup because last night too much caffeine kept me up half the night. Three cups is my maximum.
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define 'the right things' -- make sure you're eating enough fat


also, for everyone else -- paleo fuckin owns.
 
I think I may be suffering withdrawal symptoms from cutting out carbs so severely. I am a pasta/bread/sweets addict, among other things, so the shift is pretty immense.

The other STS threads running right now are driving me crazy. Recommend footwear my crackers, and Peanut butter the Atheists nightmare. I'm going crazy, GIMMEE PEANUT BUTTER AND CRACKERS!

The right things: I had two eggs and cheese with half a piece of whole wheat toast, instead of one egg and two pieces of toast. Then for lunch I had a whole can of tuna with onion and salad instead of cutting it with pasta, etc.
 
jenzkc said:
heavy isn't 8-12 reps. heavy is 3-7 reps.

try this if your max bench is 225...

press the weight as fast as possible w/ only enough time between sets to change weight:

set 1: 135 3 reps
set 2: 155 3 reps
set 3: 165 3 reps
set 4: 175 3 reps
set 5: 185 3 reps
set 6: 195 3 reps
set 7: 205 3 reps
set 8: 215 3 reps
set 9: 225 3 reps

low rep, high volume like this will put on more muscle than high reps, low weight or heavy weight, low volume.
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There's a similar more "proven" method which is called 5x5 workout, not saying this doesn't work, but that's a lot of time for one workout you know. I do this personally, and mix up my workouts every month, which is really key.

BlueYonder said:
I really want to lose 10 lbs. before I got to ad:tech San Francisco in April. Help!

I wasn't losing weight from working at home in my jammies and snacking all day long, so I got a little desperate and cut out 80% of my carbs. Now I eat plenty of the right things and lots o'protein, but going nuts from hunger ATM. My attention span is even shorter than usual and I feel a bit tired.

Are there any safe appetite suppressants to recommend? I can't be drinking from a bottomless coffee cup because last night too much caffeine kept me up half the night. Three cups is my maximum.
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I usually only recommend this stuff for people on plateaus, but Oxy Elite Pro Hands down, pick this shit up at GNC tonight, and thank me later! Go EC Stack if you want, but Oxy Elite Pro, is "legal" and works. Caution with the cardio at first tho ;).

Also who cares about adtech, bunch of fat gay nerds anyways, no offense 99% of forum. ;)


jenzkc said:
i personally lift only for strength... fat loss is just a side effect. do a bunch of cardio and you'll never get anywhere. for example, i went skiing for a week (lots of cardio) and lost like 25lbs off my max bench. was like 180lbs w/ 36" waist @ 6' 3" before i started lifting 6 years ago, now i'm 235 w/ 36" waist just from focusing on mostly bench, squat and deadlift and eating lots of protein. try to only eat carbs in the morning and around your workouts too. potatoes and brown rice are ok for dinner.
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Diets #1, Weights are #2, and cardio is optionally imo. Also your all going to have vacations like these, but if you keep your calorie maintence up and your protein up, you shouldn't loose too much muscle, if any, in fact sometimes it's the break your body needs.

I can talk bodybuilding all day, but just goto forum.bodybuilding.com for more info.
 
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