*** The 2012 Gym Rats Thread ***

[Delvis]

Nice info there FF

 

[Deception]

Great info there FF. Might look in to it abit more once im healed and allowed to train again

 

[Delvis]

Diet wise, well porridge is a good start to the day, I like it, but tend not to have it really these days. I'd try and have a bigger lunch or at least a more calorific and a smaller meal before bed rich in EFAs and protein and less carbs. That's down to how my metabolism works howerver.

When you're sleeping it's when your body does it's growing/fixing. Eating is a very stressful process on the body believe it or not, it canes your body, and stress on the body releases cortisol which you want to keep to a minimum. since when you sleep your body metabolises it, you want to give it the maximum chance to fix you - so if you're stressing your body with trying to digest a lot of foods, especially high in carbs, you won't let your body recover as well as you should. It's another reason why I'm famished when I wake up!

However, this is just my basic understanding, of course everyone is different, and some people react differently to stimuli on their bodies. However, you have to give something a good few months to bed in to get a feel for it.

Cost is always an issue, and as much as I don't like supplements, if you really have no ability on getting more protein in you, then shakes are a viable alternative - however protein alone won't really give you the calorie fill or satiety unless you combine it with something a bit more filling.

Out of interest...Is there a good resource for learning how this stuff works? As you seem to be quite 'with it' when it comes to how it all works.

Would be interesting to know and see if anything can be applied

 

[valkia]

Great info! I will make sure I take this and use it wisely. On the not eating so much or lighter meals, I burn food very quickly which means I don't gain size very easily meaning I need to get my body used to higher doses so I believe all my meals need to be bigger to get my body used to it. I didn't used to eat very well.

 

[Skillmister]

Great info! I will make sure I take this and use it wisely. On the not eating so much or lighter meals, I burn food very quickly which means I don't gain size very easily meaning I need to get my body used to higher doses so I believe all my meals need to be bigger to get my body used to it. I didn't used to eat very well.

You probably don't, it's just you don't eat as much as you think. When you actually add it up eating 2500-3000 calories is a lot more food than it sounds.

 

[blairw]

I am currently cutting down from just under 16 stone, trying to lose as much fat as possible, and maintain any muscle I have underneath.

I play competative squash, training twice a week and playing a league match usually once a week.

I have started off with a 4 day split set out like this

Mon - Chest and Bis
Wed - Back and Tris
Thurs - Shoulders
Fri - Legs

Most weeks I have a tennis game on a saturday, but I don't find this very strenious as I am not at a very competative level. I also play five a side football on a sunday, but again, the level played at isn't that high so I find it fairly easy and just stroll about.

I'd wager my body fat to be in the mid 20's, as while I am fairly heavy, I am pretty quick, and fit, and capable of running over 5k without really getting out of breath. I will get some pictures up tomorrow or saturday.

Here is my diet for today, it will change each day based on what I am doing that day, and what is avaliable for dinner at home, for instance today is pizza so I am skipping that and eating my own food. Tomorrow is lemon sole and brocolli, so I will be eating that.

Early Morning - Oats & Semi Skimmed Milk
Mid Morning - 200g Chicken with torilla wrap
lunch - 100g chicken with salad, green peppers, little bit of cheese and tomato
late afternoon - same as above
pre workout - apple

Shoulder session

post workout - 50g True Whey

Squash Training

Tin of Tuna with Mayo

I also have a back of 50g raw cashew nuts in work with me, and they are nearly done! This all added up comes to around 1800 kcal, with over 200g protein, just under 100g carbs, around 60g Fat. These arn't exact figures but I do have them written down.

The main thing I can see wrong with this is that I could probs do with more food post workout and post squash training, but by the time I come of court at 9 - 9.30 I find it hard to eat and I am just looking at going to bed! Possibly have another shake pre bed time but I don't want to over do it with the supplements.

Let me know what you think.
Cheers

 

[Skillmister]

Anyhow i'm starting to do a bit of planning for my start next week. I am going to go on a bit of a cut because while i obviously want to be bigger, being leaner and having some abs will be nice and a good measure of bulking progress. Plus after over a year of almost solid bulk mode, i need a change I feel like currently i'm sitting around 12-14% which seems to mean any changes in bodyfat are pretty much unnoticeable so it's hard to gauge progress.
So my aim is somewhere between 8 and 10%, having not cut before i have no idea how long this will take but being an Ecto it shouldn't be too bad.

Going to go back to a split, and i like the look of LiEs so;

Monday: Legs
Tuesday: Shoulders/Core
Thursday: Chest/Triceps
Friday: Back/Biceps

I will probably add in some chest stuff on the leg day as i really want to try bring it up a bit.

Also going to join the IF band wagon and see how that treats me. Couple of days to get used to it i'm sure but really it isn't that different to how i eat currently.

So weight = 83.5kg
BF% = ~13%
LBM = 72.5kg
BMR = 1900
Maintenace = 2600

-10% for a middle ground cut = 2340cals Sounds like absolutely nothing..

Macros:
1.3g per pound lbm protein = 205g
0.6g per pound lbm fats = 94g
the rest carbs so around 170g


How does this all look? It all sounds low considering i was bulking on ~3500 cals from sept to december this year, which may have been a bit high but i still barely added fat as far as i can tell.

 

[MoNkeE]

I can't remember if I was 12% or 14% BF, but either way you're a lot leaner than I am mate. I'd put you at circa 11% from what I can remember?

 

[Delvis]

Nice. My stomach suddenly feels like complete cack!

 

[Freefaller]

Out of interest...Is there a good resource for learning how this stuff works? As you seem to be quite 'with it' when it comes to how it all works.

Would be interesting to know and see if anything can be applied

Books. Books. Books. Sorry... but that's basically what I do I read books about it. Which reminds me, I need to ensure I get them this weekend.

Of course there are sources online, but until you have a basic knowledge (which is all I have) then I wouldn't trust online stuff that much.

Great info! I will make sure I take this and use it wisely. On the not eating so much or lighter meals, I burn food very quickly which means I don't gain size very easily meaning I need to get my body used to higher doses so I believe all my meals need to be bigger to get my body used to it. I didn't used to eat very well.

Chances are is that you're just not getting enough calories.

If you can, record (using dailyburn or my fitness pal or similar apps) what you're eating. Even down to tea and sugar, and chewing gum etc... literally everything. You'll be surprised by how little/much you eat. If you're not putting on weight you're basically eating too little. However, bear in mind you may still be growing, but slowly, certainly as you're very lean anyway. You don't need much calorie surplus to give your body enough scope to grow. You just have to realise it'll take time to do even if you do get the calories in.

 

[Skillmister]

I can't remember if I was 12% or 14% BF, but either way you're a lot leaner than I am mate. I'd put you at circa 11% from what I can remember?

Maybe i dunno. I was measured at 12% back in november and logically i should be a bit more than that now as i was on quite a ridiculous bulk

Either way it shouldn't make such difference as LBM will only be a few lbs out if that.

 

[Skillmister]

If you can, record (using dailyburn or my fitness pal or similar apps) what you're eating. Even down to tea and sugar, and chewing gum etc... literally everything.

Crap that's one thing that will suck about cutting. I never even counted any sauces, oils, drinks etc i consumed

 

[Delvis]

Just eat less man

 

[Freefaller]

Skillmister just be careful you don't cut calories suddenly - taper down certainly if you were on around 3,500. Perhaps try and taper down to maintenance, though bare in mind you've probably added a lot of lean body tissue which in turn will enhance your metabolic capacity. So I reckon your MBR has possibly gone up - though you've taken that into consideration, do you know what your MBR was before?

 

[Freefaller]

Crap that's one thing that will suck about cutting. I never even counted any sauces, oils, drinks etc i consumed

It's tough,. I'm not too anal about it, but that's cos I'm lazy!

 

[Freefaller]

blairw - your regime seems pretty good, certainly if you're as active as you say you are.

I think your diet is okay, but I don't know what your macros are - if you're hitting the right calories you'll be doing ok. Are you currently hitting a plateau or are you making steady progress. Doing it the way you're doing it you will get results, but slowly, but it's my preferred route to do things.

I'd ask about your intensity/voulme for your weight lifting - get that right added with the activities you do outside of the gym I think you'll be burning those calories. By getting the intensity/volume right in your training you'll help build develop muscle which in turn will help with the fat loss.

 

[Skillmister]

Skillmister just be careful you don't cut calories suddenly - taper down certainly if you were on around 3,500. Perhaps try and taper down to maintenance, though bear in mind you've probably added a lot of lean body tissue which in turn will enhance your metabolic capacity. So I reckon your MBR has possibly gone up - though you've taken that into consideration, do you know what your MBR was before?

Well i've been eating around maintenace since i came home so it won't be much of a change.

No idea how my MBR has changed. I didn't care when bulking i just ate and ate

 

[blairw]

blairw - your regime seems pretty good, certainly if you're as active as you say you are.

I think your diet is okay, but I don't know what your macros are - if you're hitting the right calories you'll be doing ok. Are you currently hitting a plateau or are you making steady progress. Doing it the way you're doing it you will get results, but slowly, but it's my preferred route to do things.

I'd ask about your intensity/voulme for your weight lifting - get that right added with the activities you do outside of the gym I think you'll be burning those calories. By getting the intensity/volume right in your training you'll help build develop muscle which in turn will help with the fat loss.

Thanks Freefaller.

I weighed in at 16 stone 8lbs at the start of october, and this morning I was 15 stone 12lbs, but this is the result of the festive binge, at the start / mid december i was 15 stone 7lbs. I'd imagine I will be back down to this within 2 weeks as a lot of the weight gained will be water. So thats basicaly 14lbs in 2 months, but I was no where near as strick with diet, and I wasn't lifting regularly at all, only going in and bashing about the weights for a couple hours a week.
I will hopefully continue this plan, and stick around this way of eating until possibly mid febuary. I will definetly lose weight doing this, but I don't really want to lose it too quickly, so may up the kcals if it is flying off. Fitness levels from start of october now are night and day however, but i have been basically living on court since then.

 

[Freefaller]

Well i've been eating around maintenace since i came home so it won't be much of a change.

No idea how my MBR has changed. I didn't care when bulking i just ate and ate

*like*

Thanks Freefaller.

I weighed in at 16 stone 8lbs at the start of october, and this morning I was 15 stone 12lbs, but this is the result of the festive binge, at the start / mid december i was 15 stone 7lbs. I'd imagine I will be back down to this within 2 weeks as a lot of the weight gained will be water. So thats basicaly 14lbs in 2 months, but I was no where near as strick with diet, and I wasn't lifting regularly at all, only going in and bashing about the weights for a couple hours a week.
I will hopefully continue this plan, and stick around this way of eating until possibly mid febuary. I will definetly lose weight doing this, but I don't really want to lose it too quickly, so may up the kcals if it is flying off. Fitness levels from start of october now are night and day however, but i have been basically living on court since then.

Bear in mind as you build more muscle the cals will be used up more readily. It also depends on what you want, more muscular physique, or be leaner and fitter.

 

[blairw]

Bear in mind as you build more muscle the cals will be used up more readily. It also depends on what you want, more muscular physique, or be leaner and fitter.

Ideally I want to be fairly muscular, but more of an athletic build than truly muscly. However to do this I know I am going to have to lose fat, and add muscle in its place. I am kind of thinking along the lines of doing a body 'recomp' in that I try to achieve both of these things around about the same time, at a gradual pace... but I would be lying if I said i wouldnt like to shift the fat as fast as possible and see what I have underneath to work with.