GordyR's Beginners Guide to Bodybuilding

Question/s.
Pizzas-good or bad.

Home equipment: like dumb-bels, my mate has a few 10kg ones that he doesnt use. Is it recommended that i nab them off him and use them at days im not at the Gym?
 
BoomAM said:
Question/s.
Pizzas-good or bad.

Home equipment: like dumb-bels, my mate has a few 10kg ones that he doesnt use. Is it recommended that i nab them off him and use them at days im not at the Gym?
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Pizza is not "healthy" but is fine if you need extra calories (ie you need to put on weight)

IMO "days i'm not at the Gym" are days i should be resting to let my body prepare for the next evening of hell :p

If you meant days you can't get to the gym then that's ok. but 10kg isn't going to be much help. Pressups, chins, etc will probably give you more resistance.
 
suicidle_tramp said:
The barbells at my gmy only go up to 55/60kg. Was just wondering what's I could use to progress from that.
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:eek: :eek:
Personally i would say find another gym
Assuming that's not an option, then you gotta do what you gotta do. Not a "good idea" but it seems to be the ONLY idea.
 
I know! Would it be better to use a smith machine as a stiff legged deadlift, though it would mean isolation :( Maybe I could ask them to get a straight bar to put the weights on.

Going to another gym is not really an option.
 
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Hi there,

Like many here i've just started training at the gym- Gordy excellent post btw . At first i'd like to start more cardiowork as I play and coach football on a regular basis so "fitness" is slightly more important to me.

Like many of you I work during the day so it is hard to eat 5-6 meals or so a day. I'm Curious when you say 6 meals what constitutes a meal so to speak? - obviously Brekkie I'm having porridge, lunch i'm trying rice/pasta based meals and dinner usually involves loads of veg plus some meat but not much as my g/f is a veggie. What should the other 2-3 meals be? Are we talking healthy snacks for example, i'e i'm now laying off sweets etc and eating nuts probably about 100g each time lol. Also I eat a fair amount of this quorn Veggie stuff which seems loaded with Proteins as such - i'm wondering if these will help with the protein required to help muscle development?

Also I'm in Chelmsford Essex and commute to London every weekday, sometimes it hard to get in dinner before 7-8PM (normally out the door at 6.55am and get home about 6-7PM) I know you shouldn't really eat after this time as your body just won't have the time before bed to fully process what you put in it. Just wondering how other people here who have a similar dilemma get around this?

I don't want beefcake status but i'd absolutely like to bulk a little, currently i'm 6ft 3" and weigh about 13.5 stone which according to height weight ratio is about ok. My local gym seems very good in that it has a huge free weights room and one of the instructors there seems to be some sort of competition lifter so i'm hoping he'll have some good help and advice.
 
Nut's are a great snack pablo, as are fruits (banana's are very good for sustainable energy). If you're finding it hard pushed to get in an extra meal you could try using a supplement like a whey protein shake, though only as a last resort.
 
suicidle_tramp said:
Nut's are a great snack pablo, as are fruits (banana's are very good for sustainable energy). If you're finding it hard pushed to get in an extra meal you could try using a supplement like a whey protein shake, though only as a last resort.
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Yeah i've never to sure about all this whey protein malarky.... it seems like a useful thing to have straight after working out to aid your muscles but defo not something i'd have at the office so to speak lol
 
pabloB said:
Yeah i've never to sure about all this whey protein malarky.... it seems like a useful thing to have straight after working out to aid your muscles but defo not something i'd have at the office so to speak lol
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Why not? It's not any different to having a bottle of flavoured milk.
 
Is this normal:
On the 15th i weighted xx.6 & 1/2
A week later on the 22nd, i weight xx.3 & 1/2
Today, a day after going the Gym, i weigh xx.4 & 3/4?
Now the only thing i can think of that would account for the gain would be the fact that i went out drinking on saturday.
Would that account for it?
 
BoomAM said:
Is this normal:
On the 15th i weighted xx.6 & 1/2
A week later on the 22nd, i weight xx.3 & 1/2
Today, a day after going the Gym, i weigh xx.4 & 3/4?
Now the only thing i can think of that would account for the gain would be the fact that i went out drinking on saturday.
Would that account for it?
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After a heavy weekend I can weigh myself on monday morning to find I have gained around 6-7 lb's. It's normally due to water retention.
 
K. thanks.

Thats the problem with the Gym really. My main aim is to lose weight while losing enough body fat for some of my muscles to be more visible. (i asume thats the right termonology, as i didnt want to use your 'banned word' :p)
But with muscle weighing more than fat, its hard to keep track of what progress im making, if any.

Ive been told that as a general guide, anything thats labeled as low fat is ok to eat. Is that correct? So low-fat creme cheese & rivitas are ok to eat?
 
BoomAM said:
K. thanks.

Thats the problem with the Gym really. My main aim is to lose weight while losing enough body fat for some of my muscles to be more visible. (i asume thats the right termonology, as i didnt want to use your 'banned word' :p)
But with muscle weighing more than fat, its hard to keep track of what progress im making, if any.
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Go by the mirror dude. It's the best we can do. Scales lie regularly. :p :)

BoomAM said:
Ive been told that as a general guide, anything thats labeled as low fat is ok to eat. Is that correct? So low-fat creme cheese & rivitas are ok to eat?
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I would disagree with that mate. I wouldn't use the "low fat" label as a green light. While some are fine, many low fat products replace the fat with sugars. So while they are indeed low in fat they are also extremely high in simple carbohydrates which will spike your insulin and ultimately aid in the storage of fat. Look at the nutritional information carefuly and make your decision based on that. Low fat cream cheese usually isn't too bad at all, though these products tend to vary.

In an ideal world you want to be eating whole foods as much as possible. To lose fat have most of your carbohydrates for breakfast (Oats) and the rest post-workout. The rest of your meals should ideally be made up of lean protein and vegetables/salad.

Here is a sample cutting diet that should spare muscle mass while losing fat reasonabley well.

8am-Meal 1: 50g oatmeal, plain omelette
11am-Meal 2:Tuna salad (as much salad as you want),add some olive oil
2pm-Meal 3:150g sweet spud, 200g chicken breast
5pm-Meal 4:Protein Shake,30g of mixed seeds
6.30pm Workout
7.30pm PWO:50g carbs & 50g whey (drink straight after training)
8.30pm-Meal 5:200g of Chicken or Fish + loads of veg

Roughly 300 grams protein, 130 grams Carbs, and 50 grams of fat

Obviously this diet might not be right for you but it is just an example, you need to make your own based upon your specific weight and daily calorie expenditure. The above tends to come out to around 2200-2300 calories per day.

Remember you wont be gaining any muscle on a diet like the above. When you want to switch to bulking you simply dramatically increase your carb intake. One other thing to note is that the carbs in your PWO shake (post workout) should be simple carbs in order to replenish you muscle glycogen as quickly as possible. Consider getting yourself some maltodextrin and dextrose from www.myprotein.co.uk and mix up some of that.
 
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Unfortunatelly, a 5 meal a day jobbo isnt realistic for me.
3 meals, breakfast, dinner & tea +snacks is the only realistic option for me.

So when i buy stuff/eat it, what should i be looking at. Calorie count? fat content? Carb content? Protein content?
 
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