*** The 2019 Gym Rats Thread ***

[Avenged7Fold]

@danlightbulb


Put it this way, I have never heard of a bodybuilder cutting on a diet where their sources of healthy fats are cheese pizzas and dark chocolate

Have you got abs yet?

Thanks man. Back then I was probably at my lightest, probably about 15lb lighter than now but with a higher fat percentage and a lot less lean mass.


My abs are still a bit shy, I have the outline and if I flex doing ridiculous poses at silly angles, I can start to see a bit of individuality but I how would I even know that because I’ve never even done that before, right?

 

[danlightbulb]

Put it this way, I have never heard of a bodybuilder cutting on a diet where their sources of healthy fats are cheese pizzas and dark chocolate

lol yeah. what do you class as healthy fats then?

 

[Avenged7Fold]

lol yeah. what do you class as healthy fats then?

Nuts, seeds, avocados, some oils are good sources of healthy fats. Unfortunately dairy usually is a source of saturated fats as well as good fats, so obtaining your lions share of fat from dairy is advised against for health reasons.

Skin on fatty fish are also good sources.

Obviously you are not a fan of nuts, so you will have to make do with oils. A bit of light frying only coats the food in oil, so doing stuff like mixing it into pasta/rice is a good way to get get it. There are plenty of tasteless oils out there if olive oil rubs you the wrong way.

If I was trying to get calories up and much as possible something like egg fried brown rice to accompany your chicken would add a substantial amount of calories. choose a healthy oil (unlike your local Chinese), eggs and brown rice and add any veg if you want. Cook the chicken and broccoli with it if you want to make the meal prep a one pan dish. Start off by frying some cut chillies in the oil for some extra spice since you like those flavours.

 

[Skidder]

What is hurting, at what point does it hurt, and are you cutting/bulking?

And any vids of your squats?

Just above the knee, sort of 1.5 inches above. It started in earnest snowboarding at easter (lots of heavy slush and bumps and unfortunately I only have one pace!) but also seems to get aggravated at my desk with knees bent.

Doesn't actually hurt when I squat but I'm putting 2 and 2 together.

I am cutting at the mo but been a bit sloppy this week as travelling for work. They hurt today and because I have been travelling without a proper gym I haven't actually done SL since Monday. I did do some goblet squats in hotel gym but with light weight as all they had were tiny dumbbells.

I will try to do a vid tomorrow, I don't have any ready to go. Thanks!

 

[mrthingyx]

Just above the knee, sort of 1.5 inches above. It started in earnest snowboarding at easter (lots of heavy slush and bumps and unfortunately I only have one pace!) but also seems to get aggravated at my desk with knees bent.

Doesn't actually hurt when I squat but I'm putting 2 and 2 together.

I am cutting at the mo but been a bit sloppy this week as travelling for work. They hurt today and because I have been travelling without a proper gym I haven't actually done SL since Monday. I did do some goblet squats in hotel gym but with light weight as all they had were tiny dumbbells.

I will try to do a vid tomorrow, I don't have any ready to go. Thanks!

Sounds like you need a rest and give your knees some time to recover!

Just do beach weights for three weeks...

 

[dirtychinchilla]

To throw a spanner in the works, it seems people love drinking milk for gains - though not already-fat guys:

https://stronglifts.com/gomad/

 

[Skillmister]

And while dark chocolate's the best of the chocolates for you, it's really not as good as no chocolate

Tell that to Ross Edgly who eats 200g a day..

53. Grassi, Davide, Cristina Lippi, Stefano Necozione, Giovambattista Desideri and Claudio Ferri (2005) ‘Short-term administration of dark chocolate is followed by a significant increase in insulin sensitivity and a decrease in blood pressure in healthy persons.’ American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 81(3), 611–614.

 

[Somnambulist]

GOMAD is a terrible idea even for guys who need to put on some weight.

It has helped the most stubborn hardgainers and ectomorphs gain up to 25lb in only 25 days.

Adding 2500+ calories extra per day = how to put on fat really quickly.

 

[Skidder]

Sounds like you need a rest and give your knees some time to recover!

Just do beach weights for three weeks...

Thanks I'll follow that advice. I really like squatting so a bit frustrating. Feels like my best lift.

 

[mrthingyx]

Thanks I'll follow that advice. I really like squatting so a bit frustrating. Feels like my best lift.

Yeah, I know the feeling, although admittedly mine was from a suspected adductor tear... It will give you a chance to focus on the more rubbish lifts like bench.

 

[Skidder]

Yeah, I know the feeling, although admittedly mine was from a suspected adductor tear... It will give you a chance to focus on the more rubbish lifts like bench.

Just broke through a plateau on OHP. Benefit of not being knackered by the squats. silver linings

 

[Pigeon_Killer]

Finally dropped below 17 stone for the first time in years yesterday and had a great week at the gym.

Weight's are still increasing and most muscles are coping fine but my grip is at the limit for deadlifts now, going to switch to chalk from next week.

Ankles have been screwed for a few weeks from tennis and treadmill work so dropping the treadmill now, this is the fittest I've felt for about 10 years so don't really need the additional cardio atm.

 

[dirtychinchilla]

Just broke through a plateau on OHP. Benefit of not being knackered by the squats. silver linings

I’ve moved to 3x5 now as per Starting Strength because it means that you’re less knackered and you recover better. It’s working for me right now.

Hit some PRs today and am every day st the moment

 

[Sandycheeks]

I'm just working on going to the gym at the minute. Not been properly for a few weeks due to pain in my right shoulder.
Seems every time I feel like I'm making gains I get an injury soon after.
I suppose I just need to focus on going consistently and having a steady session rather than PBs.
10 years sat in an office has not done me any favours.

 

[danlightbulb]

choose a healthy oil

Any specific suggestions? I already dont use cheap oils for cooking in.

The ones i have in my cupboard right now are
1. stir fry oil - bottle says its a blend of sunflower oil, sesame oil and ginger oil. Bottle says saturated fat is 11.5g per 100g.

2. rice bran oil. bottle says saturated fat of 21g per 100ml.

if i remember correctly i bought these ones to help stop smoking at high cooking temps when griddling my steaks.

 

[Jester*]

I'm just working on going to the gym at the minute. Not been properly for a few weeks due to pain in my right shoulder.
Seems every time I feel like I'm making gains I get an injury soon after.
I suppose I just need to focus on going consistently and having a steady session rather than PBs.
10 years sat in an office has not done me any favours.

If you are serious about training and really want to get back into it, then consistency is key.

Also it is massively overlooked but people really need to get recovery sorted and treat it as part of the training process. I see a sports therapist for a massage every month and will be adding in a Chiropractor every 3 months or so very soon.

 

[Syla5]

Any specific suggestions? I already dont use cheap oils for cooking in.

The way people are talking about using the oils is as a drizzle not a cooking sauce. 2 table spoons on each lunch portion for example.

Good oils to use for this include:

Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Hemp Oil
Good Oil
Rapeseed Oil

When comparing saturated fat levels, for milk the fat content is 65% saturates, for olive oil its 17%. and for the other oils that % just decreases.

 

[dirtychinchilla]

I'm just working on going to the gym at the minute. Not been properly for a few weeks due to pain in my right shoulder.
Seems every time I feel like I'm making gains I get an injury soon after.
I suppose I just need to focus on going consistently and having a steady session rather than PBs.
10 years sat in an office has not done me any favours.

Can I suggest deloading a little bit if you keep injuring yourself? I reduced the weight, but increased the number of reps for a little while and that helped me a lot. Leave the ego behind!

 

[DrToffnar]

Starting a new program as of today. Been on the bro split these past 6 months but switching to an upper/lower. Just hasn't felt as though I've been hitting certain muscle groups often enough. Really excited for it! It's definitely more 'leggy' then I'm used too, but looking forward to the challenge!

Finally dropped below 17 stone for the first time in years yesterday and had a great week at the gym.

That's awesome! Congrats

 

[Avenged7Fold]

Any specific suggestions? I already dont use cheap oils for cooking in.

When frying egg fried rice, you are essentially just heating it up enough to cook the egg that coats it, so no high temperature oil is needed -just any that is low in saturated fats and you like the taste of. Sunflower oil for example is on the lower end of oils for saturated fats and has a fairly neutral flavour. I will add that if you are planning to derive a good portion of your calories from just a few foods, even foods with moderate levels of saturated fats eaten in large quantities can be bad for you.

As Syla5 says though, you could just forgo its use in cooking and measure out an amount to mix into already cooked food to get your nutrients.

There is no magic bullet with a healthy diet. There are certainly some foods that make it easier to manage/plan a healthy diet but variety and moderation is still your best bet.