*** The 2011 Gym Rats Thread ***

[Ultra_Extreme]

From what I've read and learnt, I'm going to have to disagree with you on the recommendation of a carb-loaded meal prior to working out. If you haven't already,.

A quick skim of those studies only tells me one simple thing, TMIFMTL, That is to say, "too much information for my training level". Over complicating is a huge part of training failure. Those studies may indeed hold the key to being a ripped lean 220lb training monster.

But forgive me if my attitude is simply "meh". If it works for you m8 and you are progressing then thats excellent and i look forward to seeing your progress. But for me? Im just not at a level that requires such micromanagment, and neither, i believe, are you. But the best thing about this game is that there are so many angles of attack, so many tricks and tips, and its in the comparing of the various methodologies that we will all reach a greater standard.

I am potentially building my own gallows of course the more forthright i am in my methods as i have no logged proof or progress on here of late and as such i am taking the risk of setting myself up for a fall should i fail to exceed expectations, however i am quietly confident that my 'grass roots' method of training will prove that you need to nail the basics before you worry about your fringe science and specialist theories.

I obey few rules in my training, simply the following mantra

1) Shake first thing + fruit
2)carb loading between 4 and 2 hours prior to training
3) shake immediately after with simple sugar
4)meat based post workout meal 1 hour after traing
5)shake before bed
6)1000mg omega 3 per 20lbs bodyweight

These tactics are simple to follow and keep me progressing daily, one day they may fail to be enough, and then i may look to increase complexity. But in the meantime, to coin a phrase, Keep It Simple Stupid.

 

[Ultra_Extreme]

EDIT @ Mansize_Tissue - Went back through the pics thread to find you, you know get some idea what level your coming from, very impressive m8, from the looks of it your taller too (im 6'2" myself). As a result of which i cant fail to be intrigued by some of these complex methods your touting, will be interested to see how we compare when i pull my BF down to your level, the biger question may even be IF i get my bodyfat down to your level LOL

 

[Psycho Sonny]

peanut butter from your local supermarket works out cheaper and you dont need to pay for delivery, etc too, i dont understand why people buy peanut butter from myprotein tbh.

take sunpat crunchy from asda for example

Ingredients
Roasted Peanuts , Peanut Oil , Stabiliser (E471) , Cane Sugar , Sea Salt , Total Peanut Ingredients (95%) .

£1 for 340g

sure its only 95% peanuts and has some other stuff in it, but that extra 5% is going to make zero difference in reality, its essentially the exact same thing.

 

[Chris1712]

But in the meantime, to coin a phrase, Keep It Simple Stupid.

This is exactly my view on it, though contrarily to me that means IF is a lot less effort and simpler than the daily routine you just posted!

Mine is.

Wake up, mix up some BCAA and go to the gym. Sip away at BCAA from 8-11 (pre-during-post). Alternatively some whey.

At 1230, eat some food. Keep eating whatever food IIFYM style but stop before 2030. Rinse & Repeat.

 

[Ultra_Extreme]

im not a fan of having anything digesting during training tbh, interestingly reading the study on fasted training i almost do that anyway as i aim to eat no closer than 2 hours prior with the study MST cited showing fed group eating 60-90mins prior and also during.

 

[Chris1712]

im not a fan of having anything digesting during training tbh, interestingly reading the study on fasted training i almost do that anyway as i aim to eat no closer than 2 hours prior with the study MST cited showing fed group eating 60-90mins prior and also during.

2 hours isn't quite 16 hours though . BCAA's are metabolized in the muscle, not digested.

The point I'm trying to make is, people can argue til they're blue in the face (especially on the internet!) about the millions of different approaches to dieting/nutrition etc. but ultimately, IMO you have to keep it simple. your body is ridiculously good at adapting to whatever dietary routine you use.
It comes down to Pareto principle for me, get your calories and macros right and exercise to get 80% of the results for 20% of effort. The remaining 20% of result may well exist, but the effort, research and micromanagement required is not worth it apart from elite level competitors.

 

[Mansize_tissue]

That's pretty much what I do, Chris. Except I just have powdered protein instead of BCAAs because I'm a tightass and can't afford the extra supplements! Usually it's shake before workout, shake and big meal after, then another big meal later on. Keeping carbs as low as possible except from post-workout.

UE, thanks for taking time to consider my view, most people are very close minded and aren't willing to consider deviating from their beliefs. Our ideas on nutrition and training aren't all that different, though I'd be worried if they were identical as I assume we have quite different goals in mind. Personally I'm aiming to be as light as possible (quite a turnaround from my aim when I first started this sport) and compete in powerlifting. As such I'm attempting to lower bodyfat while still increasing strength which, as you well know, isn't the easiest trick in the game!

Anyway! I was curious, what ratio of EPA and DHA do you aim for? I've recently increased my intake substantially, not the extent that you mentioned though so I'm considering upping it some more. Going to aim for 2g of EPA and 1.5g of DHA, does that sound about right?

 

[Ultra_Extreme]

That's pretty much what I do, Chris. Except I just have powdered protein instead of BCAAs because I'm a tightass and can't afford the extra supplements! Usually it's shake before workout, shake and big meal after, then another big meal later on. Keeping carbs as low as possible except from post-workout.

UE, thanks for taking time to consider my view, most people are very close minded and aren't willing to consider deviating from their beliefs. Our ideas on nutrition and training aren't all that different, though I'd be worried if they were identical as I assume we have quite different goals in mind. Personally I'm aiming to be as light as possible (quite a turnaround from my aim when I first started this sport) and compete in powerlifting. As such I'm attempting to lower bodyfat while still increasing strength which, as you well know, isn't the easiest trick in the game!

Anyway! I was curious, what ratio of EPA and DHA do you aim for? I've recently increased my intake substantially, not the extent that you mentioned though so I'm considering upping it some more. Going to aim for 2g of EPA and 1.5g of DHA, does that sound about right?

I aim for about double that @ my current weight of 235lbs but i get so little in my diet that its not as excessive as it may seem. Ill be honest though i once read a study that was very well put together and touted 1000mg of omega 3's per 20lbs bodyweight, in my usual bull in a china shop way i just did this with super omegas which are 60%/15% EPA DHA respectively meaning i take in 600mg x 12 EPA and 150mg x 12 DHA so whats that? 7.2g EPA 1.8g DHA

Sounds a lot out loud lol does seem to help me cut tho

As for goals yeah im after mass, strength to me is irrelevant especially strength to weight ratio, although i do respect it and find it so impressive when guys half my weight start bashing out 100kg benches for reps! But for me its all about the hypertrophy and as your probably aware since im not adverse to chemical assistance then the micro management becomes less and less important in the grand scheme of things. I have definitely become a lot more close minded over the years, but only because there is so much junk and hyperbole bandied around the web and amongst know nothing trainers that i just want to scream at people sometimes. When i see them carefully measuring EAA's BCAA's and so on and so forth when they dont do any bodyweight lifts, have no real base muscle, and dont control their macros reliably! Just drivers me mad.

 

[cheets64]

Personally I'd not want to lose any more water than I need to so sauna isn't for me right after a workout.

Thanks Ultra.

I don't need a steam room. The amount I sweat and burn up, it acts as my own personal steam room!

I use them to get the crap out my skin, does feel refreshing even just having 5 mins and having a cold shower after it

 

[Mansize_tissue]

I aim for about double that @ my current weight of 235lbs but i get so little in my diet that its not as excessive as it may seem. Ill be honest though i once read a study that was very well put together and touted 1000mg of omega 3's per 20lbs bodyweight, in my usual bull in a china shop way i just did this with super omegas which are 60%/15% EPA DHA respectively meaning i take in 600mg x 12 EPA and 150mg x 12 DHA so whats that? 7.2g EPA 1.8g DHA

Sounds a lot out loud lol does seem to help me cut tho

As for goals yeah im after mass, strength to me is irrelevant especially strength to weight ratio, although i do respect it and find it so impressive when guys half my weight start bashing out 100kg benches for reps! But for me its all about the hypertrophy and as your probably aware since im not adverse to chemical assistance then the micro management becomes less and less important in the grand scheme of things. I have definitely become a lot more close minded over the years, but only because there is so much junk and hyperbole bandied around the web and amongst know nothing trainers that i just want to scream at people sometimes. When i see them carefully measuring EAA's BCAA's and so on and so forth when they dont do any bodyweight lifts, have no real base muscle, and dont control their macros reliably! Just drivers me mad.

I don't eat any fish whatsoever, I just can't stomach it. I think I'm going to up my EPA and DHA to what I said and then, funds permitting, increase it further. Thanks for the advice.

Yeah I know what you mean. Basics first, then worry about the finer details. I've got acquaintances spending ridiculous money on totally unnecessary supplements and they don't even lift properly, makes me despair.

 

[regulus]

What do you guys do when you're still tired and sore from the previous workout? I annihilated my chest and arms on Wednesday and today (Friday) is back and shoulder day. My arms still hurt like hell and my front delts hurt when I try and lift my hands above my head. Not much, but enough to be noticeable. Do you just soldier through the aches and warm up a bit more or give it an extra rest day?

 

[TheCybermonkey]

I think ive posted this before, but as the subject of omega 3s have come up, I found this a cracking read and good for giving an idea of amounts to aim for:

http://www.leangains.com/2011/05/omega-3-fatty-acids-for-muscle-growth.html

Its quite long though.

 

[Ultra_Extreme]

What do you guys do when you're still tired and sore from the previous workout? I annihilated my chest and arms on Wednesday and today (Friday) is back and shoulder day. My arms still hurt like hell and my front delts hurt when I try and lift my hands above my head. Not much, but enough to be noticeable. Do you just soldier through the aches and warm up a bit more or give it an extra rest day?

i do shoulders on a 4th day m8 only way to properly hit them. But otherwise yes i mean you shouldnt be training the same muscles more than once in 7 days so shouldnt be any issue

 

[nate922]

What do you guys do when you're still tired and sore from the previous workout? I annihilated my chest and arms on Wednesday and today (Friday) is back and shoulder day. My arms still hurt like hell and my front delts hurt when I try and lift my hands above my head. Not much, but enough to be noticeable. Do you just soldier through the aches and warm up a bit more or give it an extra rest day?

I used to soldier on. Now I try to listen to my body. If it's sore I try to have a rest day or train another body part.

Stretching and carbs after training also helps.

 

[GarethSouthgate]

you shouldnt be training the same muscles more than once in 7 days so shouldnt be any issue

The stronglift routine here: http://stronglifts.com/stronglifts-5x5-beginner-strength-training-program/ has me squatting every session, so that's 3 times a week. Granted I don't always but I am trying to stick to a similar routine to that, for now.

 

[Psycho Sonny]

i do shoulders on a 4th day m8 only way to properly hit them. But otherwise yes i mean you shouldnt be training the same muscles more than once in 7 days so shouldnt be any issue

i think the whole dont train the same bodypart within 7 days is another broscience myth.

i reckon the body gets used to whatever you throw at it, therefore potentially you could do anything multiple times per week, so long as you build up to it and dont jump in at the deep end.

 

[Psycho Sonny]

The stronglift routine here: http://stronglifts.com/stronglifts-5x5-beginner-strength-training-program/ has me squatting every session, so that's 3 times a week. Granted I don't always but I am trying to stick to a similar routine to that, for now.

one of the main reasons why that has you squatting 3 times per week is that it burns the most calories, best way of boosting growth, due to how big the muscles are that are involved.

therefore great for losing weight or staying lean, yet growing too. that routine though is focussed on strength not for growing, isolation is needed for growing.

 

[GarethSouthgate]

one of the main reasons why that has you squatting 2 times per week is that it burns the most calories, best way of boosting growth, due to how big the muscles are that are involved.

therefore great for losing weight or staying lean, yet growing too. that routine though is focussed on strength not for growing, isolation is needed for growing.

I see. Well I'm happy to focus on strength for now as I will no doubt grow as my strength increases anyway, given that I have next to no muscle as it is!

 

[Dj_Jestar]

Strength is where it's at tbh. There's so much enjoyment out of stepping up to the squat rack after someone twice your size has finished a set, then loading up twice the weight and squatting in front of their shocked face. Immature, but I don't care.

Though at the minute I'm a cripple and have massive envy

 

[GarethSouthgate]

I get a kick off intensity, a bloke next to me today was benching more than my entire bodyweight but I'd say he was going no harder than I was!

I'm still absolutely buzzing regarding the gym, I only wish I could fast forward a year! I can see how people get addicted to it.