*** The 2010 Gym Rats Thread ***

Hey guys

I got really tired of being weak and skinny most of my life so I decided to put and end to this! Been reading a lot about nutrition and lifting for a bout a month, and decided to try out the popular Starting Strenght programme by Mark Rippetoe.

Did my first workout today, which wasn't exactly a proper workout. I was just trying to get comfortable with the weights, seeing how much I should lift and getting the proper form.

Stats: 135 lbs, 5ft 8" / 60kg, 173cm

Squat: just the bar on a Smith machine (gym doesn't have a squat rack). They're still OK to use right? I can't go anywhere else. :(

Bench press: 55lbs / 25 kg (wow strong arms :D)

Deadlift: 100 lbs / 45kg

Damn, the deadlift and the squat killed me. I was SUPER close to throwing up at the end but I think this was because I went to the gym too soon after a massive meal. Feels good though. :)
 
ben90 said:
Should have mentioned I keep lactose on the low side, mince I eat a lot of and cant find any more int he freezer lol, thanks though.

Any others?
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Ummm, not that spring to mind.

If you're not too bothered about calories maybe try looking at grains such as couscous, chickpeas etc. Probaly not ideal though.

Eggs would be your best bet if you picked up some from caged hens (for cheapness) if that didn't bother you. Though if you're tight for cash you don't have a lot of choice. Lot's of protein with lots of fat in there. I toss in a dessert spoon of olive oil too with mine, bit of lemon juice, salt & pepper and 100ml's of SS milk. Lemon/oil gives it a nice kick.

I'm a bit of a strange one. Last night what I thought was minced beef and had covered in garlic powder turned out to be turkey :p
 
ben90 said:
Can any of you legends offer some cheap alternatives for protein/fats?

So far i've started buying some tinned mackeral from recent posts but need more ideas!!
Money is quite an issue atm, my friends manage to get a voucher that gives me 58% off my gym membership :eek: so thats a huge help!

Currently eating nuts as well as their quite cheap.
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Avocados
Oils (nut oils, olive oil, avocado oil)
Hemp protein
Flaxseed oil
Omega 3s and fish oils
Seeds
Nuts
Oily fish
Cottage cheese
Chicken
Salmon
Eggs
Cheese - it's actually not that bad in the right quantities
Ham and other dried meats
Greek yoghurt
Fish in general
Eggs
Meats

I know you don't like lactose based products but if you go for good quality milk and decent sources of dairy based foods they'll do you no harm. It's about variation. Try goats milk or rice milk if you want a change or be different.
 
KizZ said:
Hey guys

I got really tired of being weak and skinny most of my life so I decided to put and end to this! Been reading a lot about nutrition and lifting for a bout a month, and decided to try out the popular Starting Strenght programme by Mark Rippetoe.

Did my first workout today, which wasn't exactly a proper workout. I was just trying to get comfortable with the weights, seeing how much I should lift and getting the proper form.

Stats: 135 lbs, 5ft 8" / 60kg, 173cm

Squat: just the bar on a Smith machine (gym doesn't have a squat rack). They're still OK to use right? I can't go anywhere else. :(

Bench press: 55lbs / 25 kg (wow strong arms :D)

Deadlift: 100 lbs / 45kg

Damn, the deadlift and the squat killed me. I was SUPER close to throwing up at the end but I think this was because I went to the gym too soon after a massive meal. Feels good though. :)
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Hey good on you! :cool:

I remember when I first started haha the first week I was in bed all day recovering from the serious aches in my muscles! I love it really felt like I was growing! Just keep at it and put 100% and more into it and this time next year providing your diet is correct you will see the difference in you :)
 
Well I'd say about 50% of all the food I eat comes in stew form :p It's incredibly cheap to get lots of frozen stewing steak, lots different types of tinned beans and pulses, some chopped tomatoes and some cooking bacon and throw it in a huge pot.

The only expensive part is the huge casserole pot.
 
Turkey mince is very cheap.

Tesco do 500g for £2. Stock up on loads of that. 500g a day split over lunch and dinner is a good start :D Brown rice is cheap. Add some vegetables and you've got two main meals sorted each day per week for £14.
 
One thiing you have to remember is this "game" isn't a particularly cheap one. If you are really serious about it you are looking at spending AT least £30 per week on food in my opinion, and thats if you are a serious bargain hunter like me :)

Also hit the supermarkets in the evenings when the reduced stickers come out. I buy a lot of meat this way, freezer is full of it.
 
PAz said:
One thiing you have to remember is this "game" isn't a particularly cheap one. If you are really serious about it you are looking at spending AT least £30 per week on food in my opinion, and thats if you are a serious bargain hunter like me :)

Also hit the supermarkets in the evenings when the reduced stickers come out. I buy a lot of meat this way, freezer is full of it.
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Tell me about it. One of my house mates came back from Sainsbury the other day complaining about how much he'd spent on shopping... £25, I asked him how long he expected that to last, "Oh probably about three weeks" :o

And I avoid reduced meat now after my stomach flu attack last week. They probably weren't linked but I've just lost faith in it as I was eating reduced sausages in a stew the day it began :(
 
Whats the verdict on frozen chicken chunks? They sell a bick bag of chicken breast chunks frozen in iceland for £4. Anyone had any experience?

Class 'A' apparently...
 
Freefaller said:
I wish I could spend £30 a week :(
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I managed around £40 in my first year. Then as I got more serious I began to eat more. Now I can quite easily see £60 easily.

Though it doesn't bother me as I'd rather not waste the money on medicore nights out and save it and myself for special occasions. I'm here to get my degree which involves early starts in the workshops and I need to be up for them.

I eat the majority of the time because I'm bored. I try not to and do quite well but I often find I'm often 'waiting' to eat.

slambo69 said:
Whats the verdict on frozen chicken chunks? They sell a bick bag of chicken breast chunks frozen in iceland for £4. Anyone had any experience?

Class 'A' apparently...
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When I'm at home mum buys these as a cheaper alternative as I eat like a horse. About £2 for a large bag from tesco's. Tastes fine to me, obviously not as fresh as the real deal. If I was working on a budget I'd be going for these. I think it might have been around a KG bag for £2. Compared to 5-700grams of chicken breasts for £4+...
 
Freefaller said:
:o

Good point.

I honestly don't know what else to suggest then. :(
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A few suggestions il have alook at tomorrow, cheers ff.

a lot of the things are on my usual list lol and I know what you mean, appart from the basics unless your getting the proper rank stuff like tesco value, it all adds up far to fast for me!

I lost my job so really need to try and cut down, and its looking like its going to be quite tough! If I can max at about 25 quid a week I reckon i'l be good! :(:mad: Luckily im not a 100kg monster like some on here, then I might have to go on a serious cut! lol
 
ben90 said:
I lost my job so really need to try and cut down,
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Sorry to hear that.

I don't know if butchers are cheaper than supermarkets? but could be an option. Also I know eggs *usually* are cheaper from farms if you have any local to you?

While you're there run off with one of their cows. Milk it dry. Slaughter it. Month or so supply of meat sorted :p
 
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