Getting in Shape/ Bigger

[ZNix]

Well, for my New Year's resolution I decided that I wanted to stop being a chunker and get in shape. Over the past three weeks I have been hitting the gym before classes at 7am MWF, and I plan to start going every day when I get more comfortable with my schedule. Basically I am here to ask for some advice or great workout routines you guys have used to get where you are physically. I know Coach and Bison have trained for a long time and I know Coach is a trainer, so if you guys want to chime in, please do! Baiscally I have just been sticking to the basics the past few weeks. Bench press, front squats, dead lifts, curls, leg press, farmers carries and push-ups. I can already see improvement. I drink whey protein after every workout and plenty of water throughout. This is the body we are working with:

Height 5' 10"
Weight - 260lbs
I would consider myself an Endomorph if that makes any differene
38" waste.

I can provide pictures if you need. I am no long afraid to show myself shirtless. Hitting the gym has seriously increased my confidence, even if its only been a few weeks. I'd like to see myself around the 225-230 range if possible, so I am not trying to drop a ton of weight. So if there is any advice you can give me or point me into the direction of a great routine, chime in!

Thanks guys
Zack N

 

[JimP]

For someone who weighs 260 your waist is not huge. How old are you?

For "supplementation", in addition to the most important thing, a good balanced diet, I would recommend a whey isolate within 20-30 minutes after your workout if your unable to eat properly due to having to go to class. I also use a product called Vitargo, it's a carbohydrate, but it's not a low calorie product, it replenishes glycogen levels, I'm 44 and have worked shift work with over nights for the last 10 years (I find I am not as tired when I use this product, could be the shift work or my age but I don't have the energy levels I used to have), you also need quality sleep and rest.

There are so many opinions in this area, you tube, books etc..... It takes time to reach realistic goals, diet, discipline, routine, proper form etc. I bought a book when I was in my 20's (Getting Stronger) I do a lot of the basic lifts push and pull type exercises, squats, dead lifts. I have also used a trainer which I think was my best decision to date, I was motivated, educated and got great results. I hope Bison or Coach chime in as I am not an expert her and also type with two fingers so I would be here all day.

I have had a few set backs the last two years, back injuries (facet joint) then I flipped a car at work shortly after causing me all sorts of neck issues, these set backs have slowed me down a bit but don't let less important things that you can control get in the way of your training (obviously think of school first, work etc but get your sessions is). I personally avoid, leg press, seated leg extensions, as in my opinion you can damage your knees (leg extensions), Leg press makes many beginners think they are stronger than they actually are, a squat done right will yield you far better results. I see too many guys trying to bench 300-400 lbs but none can squat anywhere near that. This is me, not at my lightest or most ripped (I'm 5'10 245 lbs, 35-36 inch waist)but you get the idea, I'm just trying to make the next 17 years of my career a little easier by staying in shape. I have legs too, and they are huge LOL! just can't get them in the pic, no full length mirrors in this house.

Jim

 

[huntsg]

Pull ups. Best exercise ever in my opinion. I'd look into the cross fit routines. I've started them and they are so much better than pushing a bunch of iron (which I've done for 25 years) around.

 

[rev. 3:11]

My $0.02:
Get/add an abroller ($7.00 @ walmart)
start w/ 2 sets of 15-25; & stretch like hell after
my norm is 4 sets/25 ea daily
they are a b*tch but will get your core in shape REAL quick if you stick w/ 'em

FWIW:
I'm 6'2"
230lbs (goal is 210-215)
34/35"waist (goal is 32")
53 yrs pompous: when did that happen?!?)

D

 

[jlat]

hello people; No offence IMO your pretty big now and sticking with what your doing is going to show in a couple of months. The big thing is keep training and have a possitive attitude. Sometimes it's just tuff to do it but you have to be regular with your workouts. Try this while training were a long sleeve outerwhere till the better temps get here and I'll bet you'll see the progress. But heavy weights less reps will get you bigger in size and to get big you have to eat so take it from there.
have fun
IBBY

 

[87chrisss]

There is so much more than just working out. It took me about two years to really understand my body. you really have to sit down with yourself and make a goal on what exactly you want to do with your body and figure out what works and what doesn't work from their. Bigger, stronger, more athletic agile. I have gone thru the stage of gaining muscle heavy lifting ETC. I have also done Calisthenics and my own body weight workout. I can honestly tell you i have shrunk a bit but i feel 5x stronger than i did when i just lifted weights / isolating the muscle.

Core workout is way more intense and it does just that, works your core. I can do 25/30 pull ups at a time. I can do an insane amount of dips/ push ups all different types. I feel 15x better than when i was trying to get "bigger" and stuffing my face with calories trying to intake the protein to gain muscle. Currently I feel as agile and athletic as a pro football player. I dont feel like a balloon but everyone has what they prefer. Only one way to gein muscle lifting and protein intake. My body prefers Lean and Mean not so much the volume. I noticed alot of stomache issues trying to keep up with protein intake. Farts the gas my stomache was torn to chit. I eat w,e i want now usually healthy low fat good protein diet i stay away from fried foods and breads, i feel great.

i just did my Body Fat % and im at 10% i eat w,e i want i dont even take whey protein anymore. I'm as natural as i can be. I prefer to eat healthy than take all the synthetic protein powder. I dont like to run often so my cardio consist of high intensity workout with no rest no breaks between workouts. In weight lifting or just pure being a healthier human its as simple as this .. You get what you put in. To me Diet is more important than the lifting. So put down the cookies. lol

 

[gnxtc2]

Well, for my New Year's resolution I decided that I wanted to stop being a chunker and get in shape. Over the past three weeks I have been hitting the gym before classes at 7am MWF, and I plan to start going every day when I get more comfortable with my schedule. Basically I am here to ask for some advice or great workout routines you guys have used to get where you are physically. I know Coach and Bison have trained for a long time and I know Coach is a trainer, so if you guys want to chime in, please do! Baiscally I have just been sticking to the basics the past few weeks. Bench press, front squats, dead lifts, curls, leg press, farmers carries and push-ups. I can already see improvement. I drink whey protein after every workout and plenty of water throughout. This is the body we are working with:

Height 5' 10"
Weight - 260lbs
I would consider myself an Endomorph if that makes any differene
38" waste.

I can provide pictures if you need. I am no long afraid to show myself shirtless. Hitting the gym has seriously increased my confidence, even if its only been a few weeks. I'd like to see myself around the 225-230 range if possible, so I am not trying to drop a ton of weight. So if there is any advice you can give me or point me into the direction of a great routine, chime in!

Thanks guys
Zack N

I've been powerlifting competitely for over 20 years, following the Louie Simmons training thought. Do a search on Louie Simmons.

I too had a waist of 36"-38" with a body weight of 260.

If you want to drop down to 225-230, you are going to loose a lot of strength. I trained in the 240-260 range over the years. This past year, I dropped down to 205. I put 10 lbs back on by lifting again. I lost 60lbs just by diet. I stopped lifting because I wanted to prove to myself that I can loose the weight by diet alone, which I accomplished. And trust me, I did not starve myself.

If you can get down to a lower weight, do it; your body and joints will like you. You will feel so much better at the lighter weight. I stopped taking supplements because they are composed of chemicals, read the ingredients on the back of the packaging. Eat food......eggs, chicken, fish, meat, vegetables. Stay away from sugars and processed junk.

Stick with the basic exercises..... squats, bench, deadlifts, rows

And rest, rest, rest, rest

Billy T.
gnxtc2@aol.com

 

[trixdout]

I just started p90x and my buddy whonis chunky has done it too. In one week for him he lost 2.6lbs. I can give you p90x for free. 30 minute workouts, 6 days a week. Ive lost weight as well, didnt actually check on a scale but saw it after examining my body in the mirror.

If you want to lose fat, you can do it one of two ways. Make muscle, or lean out. Making muscle won't show you losing much mass but it will be muscle, if you go lean you will lose the mass but develop muscle underneath it all.

P90x is a 3 month program with the schedule on what to do with the instructional workout videos.

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[JimP]

I forgot to mention one very important thing, get a notebook and track your results.

 

[nonova0074]

I lost a bunch of weight due to diet and the most important thing for me was to not skip leg day. I also do alot of walking posts at work

 

[nonova0074]

And do pushups!

 

[johnnycasx]

I did the juice fast diet plan for 2 months ANC lost over 50 pounds. I was almost a size 40 waist and now dive 34 barely fits me. It's tough at first but I got used to it after 3 days. It gives you an abundance of energy

 

[laws69cars]

I did the juice fast diet plan for 2 months ANC lost over 50 pounds. I was almost a size 40 waist and now dive 34 barely fits me. It's tough at first but I got used to it after 3 days. It gives you an abundance of energy

Can you better explain the juice diet or maybe tell me where I can look up the details?

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[johnnycasx]

There is documentary on netflix called "fat,sick, and nearly dead" that essentially follows an Australian guy through his 60 juice fast diet(consist of just vegetables and fruits that go in a juicer and the nutrients are extracted). If you use any search engine and type in juice fast diet you will get a lot of recipes with different combinations. I did the diet and at first it was tough but after 3 days I felt amazing and the weight just started coming off. I do moderate exercise now and juice fast for one week one time a month.

 

[laws69cars]

There is documentary on netflix called "fat,sick, and nearly dead" that essentially follows an Australian guy through his 60 juice fast diet(consist of just vegetables and fruits that go in a juicer and the nutrients are extracted). If you use any search engine and type in juice fast diet you will get a lot of recipes with different combinations. I did the diet and at first it was tough but after 3 days I felt amazing and the weight just started coming off. I do moderate exercise now and juice fast for one week one time a month.

Thank you will check it out. .

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[turbojoe1]

Since he stated he wants to lose weight, working out in a caloric deficit will help you reach your goal faster while mostly focussing on heavy compound movements will help you burn more calories and eating lots of protein; ie chicken, beef, fish, yogurt, milk ext.... And good carbs. Apple and a banana in the morning. Don't waste your money on whey proteins. Eat eat eat
A quality fat burner will also help you. Maybe intermittent fasting on your off days for 12-16 hours, like from 7pm-11am.

I'm on a bulk right now so i make sure I am in a caloric surplus on training days. And I lift at home to save time and money, while be able to go down to the basement when ever I want, mostly right after work. I don't use whey or anything except I do sometimes depend on my pre-workout, beer has lots of calories.

My 5 day split:
Lots of compound lifts each workout, isolating only to bring up lagging muscles

Monday: Chest
Tuesday: Back
Wednesday: Legs
Thursday: Arms
Friday: Shoulders

Tons of volume mixed with pyramiding and drops sets when I can't get enough

Like lots have already stated, make sure to hit all the basic movements,
Presses, pull-ups not chin-ups, dead lifts or rack pulls, squats, barbell curls, rows, ez-bar skull crushers, dips- ext...... Then fill in the rest of your workout with other key movements. You will notice strength gains within a solid month.

Annoying people these days will refer to that also a bro split.

 

[ZNix]

Thanks for all the information guys! I will take it all into consideration. It might be a good idea to cut some weight first, then try to lift more. To answer your question Jim, I am 19 years old, so I am still rather young. I try to eat healthy and have seriously cut down on the fried foods. I only eat when I am hungry, usually I eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner at regular times, then if I get hungry in between I will drink water and eat some almonds or a granola bar. I have noticed that my appetite has increased slightly. I am getting hungrier a lot sooner than I am used to. I have pretty good genes when it comes to building muscle and keeping it on. My father and uncles were all really big guys and never used protein or other supplements. Still at 55 he has very good muscle tone and a 6-pack. He never hits the gym, but works hard at his carpentry business. Would it be a good idea to drop weight, and increase reps to burn more calories? Also add a little more cardio.

 

[turbojoe1]

Cardio sucks, but so does legs.
You should defiantly focus on keeping your rep range a little higher
Than some have stated, 10-12 I believe is the sweet spot, 8 on your last sets is fine. Keeping a strict form and a good tempo will dictate how much you can lift. Of you start swinging the weight around it's too leight, if you from goes to shit just to get the lift, it's too heavy.

 

[johnnycasx]

I think the track you are on right now is a very good start. My suggestion is to first establish a pattern as far as work out schedule and set a goal(I.e. Weight lose or body toning). Your hard work and effort will pay soon.

 

[bison]

Look at the diet first. You need to burn more calories than you take in to lose weight. I'd use weightlifting to increase muscle mass and increase metabolic rate. Eat a lot of small meals but be sure breakfast is well balanced. This will further increase your metabolism. When selecting training types it's important that you stick to one and follow it through. When I started training my goals were totally different than yours. I was trying to get as strong as possible and needed to gain a lot of weight. I had a very ectomorphic body when I started 6'0" 150 lbs. After several years of training my body type is very mesomorphic and I even noticed as I approach 40 my calorie intake is less than it was in my 20's to maintain muscle mass. My metabolism is slower per lb than it was in my past. The training I did was Westside force training. It served it's purpose I gained almost 100lbs and increased my strength approximately 2.5x on the big three since I began. Barbell back squats are the biggest mass producer there is. Always squat to parallel and be sure to add a variety of deadlifts and good mornings. Hammer the abs. Keep in mind that to get the back strong you need to train back. Training your abs will not protect your back. Your abs will not get stronger if you have a weak back. Most ab exercises should be done standing. That's where you are when you lift most things.