Jack's "get me out of my office chair" log

Jack Bauer · 19 Mar 2013 at 10:39

So after years of Uni and work with little exercise, last year I realised I was well on the way to becoming a pot bellied 40 year old. I wasn't carrying much weight but I was getting skinny and slightly protruding around the mid section. So I spent the time up to Christmas doing press ups at home (70-100 ish 4 times a week) and in general I tightened everything up a lot and put a little weight on my arms and back. However, the results were not great and my diet was still very poor. Low over all calorie in take and way too much sugar.

So just to cover my basic stats - currently 31, 66 Kg and 5, 8". Pics in the spoiler below. I look at bit like the old Mr Muscle

maybe when I am ripped I will leave my face on!

This year I hope to do something a bit more serious, with an initial target of adding 1 stone of weight (hopefully not just fat

) over the summer. I have joined the a gym which has a good selection of cardio machines and a large range of free weights. I am waiting for the introduction session that I have to do before using the gym. Until then I have some small dumpbells that I am using at home just to keep me interested. Hopefully I will be in the gym by the end of the week.

My current plan is 3 times a week before work following Steedie's "The Ultimate Starter Guide"

Routine

10 mins running before work out, maybe stretching depending on how silly I look doing then surrounded by people twice my size.

Monday (Chest/Shoulder/Triceps)

Flat Bench Press – 3x8
Incline Dumbbell Bench – 3x8
Skull Crushers – 3x8 (similar to lying tricep extensions)
Close Grip Bench Press – 3x8
Seated Dumbbell Military Press -3x8
Lateral Dumbbell Raises – 3x8

Wednesday (Back/Biceps)

Dead lifts – 3x8
Bent over one arm Dumbbell rows – 3x8
Chin Ups 3x8 (Or Lat pull downs if you can’t do chins yet)
Barbell Bicep Curl -3x8
One arm Dumbbell hammer Curls – 3x8

Friday (Legs/Abs)

Barbell Squats – 3x8
Dumbbell Lunges – 3x8
Calf Raises-4x10
Abdominal workout

Current diet (much improved from my old diet, but still needs work I think)

Breakfast - large bowl of cornflakes with full fat milk. Toast if I have time.

During work hours - two sandwich's (pork/ham/chicken), an apple and a banana.

6 pm - one of the following: 1) mash potato, carrots and and some lean meat or red meat or grilled 2) tin of stew 3) beans with toast or mash.

8 pm - family meal, this could be anything.

10-11 pm - more of what I had at 6 or left overs.

Other - 6 cups of tea one sugar. maybe more fruit or smoothie. A couple of glasses of milk or water. I have completely cut the sweats and sugars apart from my tea. Multivitamin every two days and green tea every day. I will add cod liver oil shortly.

Anyway, hopefully this will help motivate me and give me a chance to ask some questions as I am a complete noob at this point. I am sure I will add more info to the op later.

Jack Bauer · 19 Mar 2013 at 10:51

Just to add a few questions without making the OP a mess.

As I will be working out early in the morning before eating a lot any suggestions about about what to have in a short space of time before and after. I guess this may be supplements.

I am a touch worried about squats as I have a light injury in my lower back.. Nothing too bad and it shouldn't hold me back (in fact it feels better for doing something). However, if anyone could suggest a good weight to start with. I realise I will have to work this out for myself to some degree.

Finally, I am struggling to eat enough at work and the cost of all the meat is insane. Food ideas are welcome.

Tenzo · 19 Mar 2013 at 11:18

Jack Bauer said:
Finally, I am struggling to eat enough at work and the cost of all the meat is insane. Food ideas are welcome.

Don't feel I am knowledgable enough to post about weights advice but I love food (advice may still be questionable

) -

I would take some more time to prepare each day, plan ahead. If you are able, take in your own lunch.

Meatwise - Get some meat on offer from the supermarkets (Lidl sells 1kg of chicken for £6.99 all the time) and I quite often see Turkey on offer in Sainsburys (1.5kg for £10), though local butchers may be able to help out. Cook it up the night before wth other stuff and take it to work in a tupperware box

Consider getting some whey protein to assist with your protein intake if the meat costs are too much (consider getting some regardless actually, but as a supplement not a replacement)

Breakfast - Try a powershake, such as 50g instants oats, 50g vanilla whey ,1 banana, 450ml full fat milk and a large tablespoon of peanut butter.

Scrambled eggs are good, porridge etc

Lunch - I tend to dry fry two turkey steaks with chillis, garlic and black pepper, add in some broccoli and maybe a small amount of brown rice - tasty meal right there. Can make a salad as well, throw in some avocados, buts etc

Snacks - nuts, peanut butter and jam sandwiches (guilty pleasure), cottage cheese, boiled eggs etc

Dinner - Similar to to you in that I eat what is cooked, but could be items such as spag bol (i'll eat more mince, less spag), chicken curry (homemade), repeat of lunch, omelettes (3/4 egg, cheese, ham, chilli etc).

Carb wise, try and eat brown rice, wholewheat pasta, bread etc.

Post workout shakes are important too. I always tend to opt for 1 banana and 50g whey + 5g creatine (consider creatine once you are settled in with a good routine and solid diet)

Hope this helps, bit of bro science and others might disagree.

TLDR - Plan the week ahead for food, cook at home and take it to work whenever possible, eat plenty healthily but don't be afraid to have that XL Dominos pizza now and again. Oh and download myfitness pal and track your cal intake and macros (protein/carbs/fats)

Enjoy

Jack Bauer · 19 Mar 2013 at 20:57

Cheers for the advice, few good ideas for me there.

Tenzo said:
Breakfast - Try a powershake, such as 50g instants oats, 50g vanilla whey ,1 banana, 450ml full fat milk and a large tablespoon of peanut butter.

I think this will be useful for me, do you just stick it all in a blender?

Tenzo said:
Carb wise, try and eat brown rice, wholewheat pasta, bread etc.

Also I read on another site that as I am low weight I need to concentrate on less complex carbs like potato? Do people agree with this or should I move to rice or sweat potato etc.

Also I had to laugh at the jam comment - you rebel

Zefan · 19 Mar 2013 at 21:03

Brown rice and pasta are a waste of time from what I've gathered. Seriously hardly any GI difference when you include it in a meal with protein + fats, that's if you even give a **** about the GI. Wild rice and avoiding white/massively processed bread? Yes. Paying more to eat brown pasta and rice thinking it's better than white when it's almost no different? No thanks Jeff.

Jack Bauer · 19 Mar 2013 at 21:16

Had to look up what GI means but as you say there is not a large difference.

Should also add that I got some frozen fish and chicken in my last shop but it was so full of water it taste like ****! Still I will try to bulk buy the deals etc.

LiE · 19 Mar 2013 at 21:20

Read steedie's diet thread. You need to sort that out otherwise you'll be making tiny gains.

Jack Bauer · 19 Mar 2013 at 21:28

Yer I read it a few days ago. However, I need to do the calculations he suggests. In general, what is drastically wrong with my current diet if you don't mind me asking e.g., to little/wrong things?

EDIT: Doing the calculations now and sign up here https://caloriecount.about.com/register - hopeful this will help

LiE · 19 Mar 2013 at 21:33

You're not eating enough, and your food choices can be better. Do work out how many cals you need and your current macros, you'll be surprised.

6 cups of tea, 6 tea spoons of sugar... drink water or squash.

Jack Bauer · 19 Mar 2013 at 21:58

2888 kcals

147 g protein

441 g carbs

Plus fats which I am still a little unsure about. No more than 30 g of saturated fats and include better fats in my diet.

Not sure if I can give up the tea. I will try to take it down to just a touch of sugar to take the edge off the bitterness. It is actually a bit scary looking back at how bad my old diet was after reading all this. No breakfast, on and off lunch and a large meal in the evening mixed in with an excessive amount of crap. I just didn't care as my weight never changed. I have been eating better for a few weeks now and I do feel better for it. Not seen any weight change (muscle or fat) so far.

LiE · 19 Mar 2013 at 22:06

Protein 200g
Carbs 300g
Fats 100g

Aim to get good sources of carbs i.e oats, wholegrains. You want to minimize spiking insulin through out the day until after training. The sugars will be doing you no favours in this department.

Fats you want to aim for good oils, nuts, avocado, eggs, oily fish etc.

tom_nieto · 19 Mar 2013 at 22:53

I rogered my back in early Jan by putting too much weight on my squat after a break of about 4 weeks. If you're in doubt, start with just the bar and build slowly. Ask someone at the gym (preferably a staff member!) to watch your technique. The weight will soon build up.

Good luck!

Jack Bauer · 21 Mar 2013 at 20:39

Cheers for the advice. I think I am good with a small weight of 30-40 Kg, but I don't really know if this is a bit low for this exercise. I will check my form first and see where I am at.

First day in the gym tomorrow anyway. I think it will take most of the session to get into the swing of it all.

Jack Bauer · 21 Mar 2013 at 21:15

I am sure this will have been discussed before but I am struggling to find an answer. Can some one suggest a decent whey brand that doesn't taste that bad and is reasonably priced. There are too many to pick from :confused:

Edit: Impact Whey Protein, Undenatured Whey Protein Concentrate - This looks reasonable.

Tenzo · 22 Mar 2013 at 08:37

Impact Whey from MyProtein has been fine for me

Jack Bauer · 22 Mar 2013 at 11:17

So after my first session I feel like a complete girly man! Struggle a lot with the bench press. The bar was heavy enough. Anyway, a little out of order with above, but I did Mondays set as these are the ones that I had studied the form for on the internet.

Started with a 10 min run at 9 km/h. May need to up this as I only broke a sweat at the ever end.

Flat Bench Press – 3x8
20 Kg plus bar (don't know how much this was but it wasn't light)

Incline Dumbbell Bench – 3x8
25 Kg (2 x 12.5)

Skull Crushers – 3x8 (similar to lying tricep extensions)

I couldn't find the right bar for this so I was a bit confused. I did something like it with a single 12.5 Kg dumbbell. Perhaps this was bad, I don't know.

Close Grip Bench Press – 3x8
10 kg plus Bar - went a bit conservative on this as I struggled with the bench press and I had no spotter.

Seated Dumbbell Military Press -3x8
This became a standing OHP with the bar as the bench was in use.
10 Kg plus B. Only 4 reps, I struggled with this one!

Lateral Dumbbell Raises – 3x8
25 Kg (2 x 12.5). Struggled with last set.

Anyway, I have lots of questions but they will have to wait until after work. My shoulders feel good anyway.

Had no stretches in this and I think I eed to change that next time.

Jack Bauer · 24 Mar 2013 at 17:30

OK, now that my DOMS have just about gone I am ready for tomorrow. Also I am told that the bar I was using was 20 Kg, which makes me feel a little better about the weak bench press : /

As above during my last session I couldn't see any small bars for the skull crushers, so I was going to replace them with dumbbell skull crushers.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ir5PsbniVSc

That said one room was close off last time as the lights had gone. Maybe there are smaller barbells in there.

One thing I am a touch confused about is squats. I was under the impression that squats are preformed by never taking your knees past your feet and sticking your arse out with a straight back at a c.a. 60-70 degree angle. However, the instructor at the gym suggested I try to keep my back more upright, allow my knees to go to the sides almost (opening the hips up) and don't worry about the knees going over the feet. I have watched a few videos on this and they tend to angle their back. Can anyone clear this up for me? Either way come Friday I will do at least one set with the 20 Kg bar before adding weight as I am still unsure.

Final question for now - is there much difference between the dumbbell and a barbell Seated Military Press. I ask as there are plenty of Olympic bars and racks so I have the option.

Still trying to sort my diet - Fridays session help as all I wanted to do yesterday was sleep and eat. I did plenty of both. The DMOS felt good and cleared up quick enough.

Jack Bauer · 25 Mar 2013 at 10:03

Monday (Chest/Shoulder/Triceps)

Flat Bench Press – 3x8 x 45kg-40kg
Incline Dumbbell Bench – 3x8 12.5kg
dumbbell Skull Crushers – 3x8 10-7.5 Kg
Close Grip Bench Press – 3x8 35-30 Kg
Seated Dumbbell Military Press -3x8 cant remember around 10 Kg I think
Lateral Dumbbell Raises – 3x8 7.5 Kg This was very hard today : /

icecold · 25 Mar 2013 at 10:31

Read the exercise guide thread.

Also, in general, its better to ask questions in the gym rats thread. Not everyone reads all of the logs, and if you make yourself more known in the bigger threads people are more likely to see how you're doing

Jack Bauer · 25 Mar 2013 at 11:33

Cheers I will do. I have looked at some of the videos on squats in there, lots to go through tho. I think I will just try them on Friday and maybe video it. I didn't see anything on skull crushers however.

I have been lurking in the main threads but I don't have much to add to the chat at this point. Just trying to understand everything.