Fitness/Workout thread

Well that is the gist of it but that would be a workout for a very advanced bodybuilder and those would be some HUGE weights.

Most guys should start at 2-3 set per bodypart/group and as they advance slowly drop sets it would take a few years to get to the one set type stuff.


IE normal chest tricep shoulder day

3 sets dumbell press 6-8 to failure or if alone to "cheat"
2 sets dumbell fly 6-8 to failure or cheat
2 sets dumbell shoulder press 6-8 " "
2 sets behind the neck dumbell press 6-8 " "
1 set tricep pull downs 6-8 " "


as you start advancing you start dropping sets first one off would probably be 1 set of the behind the necks then a set of the flys then a set of press etc etc.

 

Also the going from set to set rapidly is NOT part of the Mentzer program rest in between sets is encouraged...If you are following it correctly you WILL need time in between.

 

Hey guys, another question. I know the importance of giving muscles time to heal, and rebuild. However, to get a chiseled six pack, is it better to do ab exercises every day (morning wake up routine) or once a week hard like the 4 day full body work out routines I found online.

Any help would be appreciated.

 

I think it would be better to possibly go every other day in the morning. I do a weighted ab routine once a week and a non-weighted ab routine once a week.. I think ab routines are pretty overrated and aren't really necessary every day like some feel. However, if you're going for that chiseled six pack, then try every other day in the morning, but remember that abs come from low body fat, not just extreme ab routines.

 

I am picking the ball back up tomorrow!

Stopped playing basketball for like a month and a half. Can't stand sitting down anymore lol. You any good?

 

I go every other day. I have been doing the Ab work out for P90X. Good stuff. Takes about 20 minutes, and good intensity to it. basically after i finish my main workout for the day, I tack that on.

 

Thanks for the help guys.

Any particular exercises that you find most effective?

 

6 pack would be far more related to diet than ab exercises..you could have thick strong abs and never see a 2 pac much less a six..there are plenty of guys with 6 packs that never work abs...Ab work is great for core str tho .

 

It must surely help to burn the fat in that area though...shouldn't it?

 

No such thing as spot reduction, whether you're doing push ups or sit ups, you'll be burning fat around your entire body, not just one single body part. If you wanna burn the fat, then get on a diet program and continue your training.

 

I am going to look into Mentzer and get one of his books..


For the record, you do realize this guy was HEAVILY hooked on amphetamines for a quite awhile...

Regardless, it is always good to progress, and knowledge is key. Thanks for the tip

 

Can you truely actually burn fat??? I for some reason always thought Fat remains Fat, cant be converted, etc?

 

Yes and Yes

You can burn fat, i.e. reduce body fat.

You cannot "convert" fat tissue to muscle tissue.

For those looking to get that 6 pack your diet is the key. Plenty of people have great abs but they are covered with fat tissue. A low body fat percentage is the key. You can do all the situps you want but if your bodyfat is too high you will never see them. You may actually see your midsection getting bigger if you do alot of ab work, especially weighted crunches because you are building your ab muscles and it just pushes out the fat tissue on top of it. I've seen some friends with this problem plenty of times. Actually alot of people put too much time into abs, if you have a solid routine you don't have to do alot of ab work unless your working on "shaping" them. Squats, Deadlifts, pullups, etc... work your abs alot more than most people realize.

 

Ok, maybe thats what it is, cannot convert it....that said, isnt reducing body fat, a statistical %. Meaning you arent removing body Fat, you are increasing body mass (i.e. muscle wieght) and therefore statistically speaking your body fat % decreases...but the amount of FAT didnt change, only the % in relation to your new improved Muscle weight???

 

While diet is a key, I think that prolonged moderate aroebic exercise is equally as important. You can eat all the Salads you want, but if you sit on your *** all day in front of a tube (Like many of us) that Salad isnt going to "Burn Fat"

As for the rest, I am a prime example of strong stomach muscles that show no signs of a 6 pack..There is just TOO much fat covering the muscles for that...

 

I have always thought...Lipo was the only way to remove FAT from the body...not simply as a % or ratio to your total mass.

 

I see what your saying, that is one way of looking at it. But at the same time yes it is possible to actually remove bodyfat.

 

Well yeah, obviously you have to do some exercise too to get some abs, they are muscles afterall. I was just referring to the "hard part" for most people, which is uncovering them.

 

No, I believe that the magical number you are referring to is a ratio of both actually.

Look at it this way, there is no chance of somebody staying within 5 lbs of the same weight and moving that ratio from 17% (Where I currently am) to a very achievable 13% by simply increasing muscle...and I can do it within about 6 weeks......of course my love for Ice Cream and Barely Pops mandates it won't stay there long, but it is very achieveable

 

Yeah, I am saying that the arobic not as much for producing but for uncovering...agreeing very much with you bro

 

I just ate two huge plates of chinese, is that good for me?





NO.....

 

Technically, you cannot remove body fat unless there is surgery (lipo) involved...Fat cells can only shrink or grow. The number of fat cells, just like muscle fibres, is predetermined by your genetics at conception. You cannot change the number of cells or where they are positioned any more than you can change your eye color (w/out surgery, that is ). So, what you are actually looking to do is to shrink those cells to the smallest size possible, which can only come from a higher overall caloric output vs. input.



*Yes, I was 'that guy' who was always correcting the teacher in HS... Some habits die hard...

 

He is up front about it in his books as well (drug use)..after you read his stuff you will actually get pretty pissed off at mainstream bodybuilding media.

Its good stuff real good stuff.

 

Thanks for the clarification...that's what I thought.....so, if someone uses Lipo as an approach to remove Fat Cells....no new Fat Cells can grow? Do existing Muscle cells attempt to take over the space the Fat Cells previously occupied?

Thanks...

 

So a bit of an update to the Bill Starr 5 X 5 routine. My bench has went from 185 to 205 and my squat has went from 255 to 275 in a matter of 3 weeks. I don't think I'll reach my squat goal of 315 because I don't want to do too much and hurt myself, but I'm pretty sure I'll reach my bench goal of 225. I have 5 weeks until I'll likely start a new routine for college... so hopefully I can reach my goals by then..

 

Well, AFAIK, no new fat cells grow...however, I don't know this to be fact- will have to consult my med/anatomy books for confirmation, but I'm almost positive that's the case.

As to your other question, think of it like a bunch of blown-up balloons(fat cells) on top of a mass of bungee cords(muscle), all under a tent of stretchy fabric(your skin). Neither the balloons nor the bungee cords will do anything w/out direct stimulus (weight training, excessive caloric intake, etc.). So, when you remove some of the balloons what you are left with is less balloons and an excess of fabric that has been over-stretched. (This is why in many cases lypo is accompanied by a 'tummy tuck'.) The bungee cords stay exactly the same, as there has been no direct stimulus on them when the balloons were removed.

So, no, nothing rushes to 'fill in the gap' where the fat once was. The skin just simply sags. The same is true of those who have (ab)used steroids and artificially inflated their muscles beyond normal capacity; which is why AH-nold looks like a square-jawed, 70 year-old woman right now instead of a former Mr. Olympia.

 

how long have u been doing this one?

 

3-4 weeks...

 

I was referring to bodyfat "size" or "volume" not the actual cells. I mean that is the ultimate goal is it not?

In regards to the increasing muscle mass to reduce your body fat, that is not always the case, you can reduce your body fat without packing extra muscle was what I was getting at.

As for the latter, I've noticed.

 

co-sign this. If you are taking a normal dosage, drink at least 1 gallon of water each and every day.

 

Did it bark or meow back at you ?

 

been meaning to throw this out there for those trying to lose weight, but hadn't made time til now to do so.

my wife joined Weight Watchers Online in April. so following the Jules (from Pulp fiction) principal; "my girlfriend is a vegetarian, which pretty much makes me a vegetarian too," i decided to come along for the ride and join too.

i figured it is better to embrace it than fight it. otherwise i was going to have to start cooking alot more. plus i am staring down the Big 40 (September) and i want to be around to dance with my daughters (3 of them!) at their weddings.

a little background info; my back went out on me in a big way last October. i had surgery to remove a ruptured disc several years ago. if i went the surgical route this time, they would have likely had to fuse discs, and i was not wanting any part of that.

so i went the conservative treatment route (nerve block shots, PT, rest, pain meds, prednisone, etc.)

the combination of prednisone, and laying on my arse for around 5 months (it was february before it healed up on it's own) helped my weight go from around 240 to 265 in April when we started on WW.

i started walking and/or riding my bike for 40-60 minutes 4 times per weeks along with adhering to the Weight Watchers point system, and 11 weeks later i have lost 34 pounds.

and quite honestly, i am stunned at how easy it has been. there are NO foods off limits, so long as you fit them within your daily point limit. stay under your limit, you will lose weight, it is that simple.

i highly recommend the plan to anybody trying to lose weight, but particularly to men, who might otherwise bypass W.W. (as i would have) over having to go to meetings with a bunch of fat people you don't know.

with the online plan, there are no meetings, unless you want to find a group and go to them, for accountability.

oh, and the amount of food i am allowed to eat daily on the plan is more than enough. i can only think of once or twice where i have ever felt hungry during these 11 weeks.

they even have a littel ten dollar calculator that will calculate the oints of any food at the grocery story from the label, you just punch in the calories, fat grams, and fiber grams to get the point value per serving of any food.

and there are web sites people have put together that tell you WW points for just about any chain or fast food restaurants you can think of, for those times you have no other option but a drive thru.

and finally, once you join, the web site has literally TONS of very tasty recipes for daily dinners, foods for entertaining, desserts. we have rarely been disappointed with a recipe from the web site.

 

My kind of thread...

I've talked with FreeStyle for months on nutrition, lifting, etc. I think I finally got my diet right. This is for a cut:

Meal #1 -

(1) Bowl of Special K Protein Plus / Skim Milk
(2) 2 slices whole wheat bread w/ natural PB, glass of milk (skim)

I'll have either 1 or 2

Meal #2 - (1) Turkey burger, with nonfat cheese on wheat roll, with salad or spinach.
(2) Three filets of tilapia, with spinach and sweet potatoes

Meal #3 - Workout Days - (1) Postworkout shake
Nonworkout - (2) Chicken patties - whole chicken breast, mixed with crushed saltines, and egg, formed into patties. Seared in frying pan with EVOO.

Meal #4 - (1) 1/2 can of corned beef, on 2 wheat rolls
(2) Tuna patties - same as chicken patties, just with tuna
(3) Tilapia, with spinach, and sweet potatoes

Meal #5 - 1/2 bag of soy chips, with 1/2 container of nonfat cottage cheese

For snacks, I'll have grapes, almonds, whole wheat triscuits, etc. Nothing bad. My cheat day is on Sunday...first Sunday I'll have a moderate cheat day, half good eating, half not-so good. Next Sunday up, I'll have a bit more of a cheat day. Only other time during the week I'll cheat is when we have pizza for dinner on Monday.

Daily total always hits around 1,800-2,000 cals.

 

Man, eating habits are the worst to break. I've been working out steady for about a year and a half and I still haven't done it...'course, I haven't tried really hard, either. The one time I did try, it lasted for about 2 weeks, and that was enough. I just wanted to know I could do it- my focus now is on getting the woman in the gym on a regular basis. Wish me luck on that one!






*It's not really her, it's her job that's the problem. Unstable/long hours. Not conducive to a regular workout schedule. Just wanted to clarify that she's not a lazy fattie. I know how you guys think.

 

haha nice save there man.

 

Damn dude...you just get home from a club or somethin???

 

Na I just keep crazy hours lately. I actually have to wake up at 730

 

Wow....sux to be u, I guess.... Hopefully you get off early as well.