*** The 2019 Gym Rats Thread ***

Advice for a fatty wanting to lose weight and strengthen upper body, ideally without any gym work.

30yo with too much pork on the belly. Legs are fairly ripped from cycling and carrying pork every day. I’m 108kg and 6ft tall so could do with losing about 23kg in the long run.

I ride enduro (similar to motox but ride all day at a slower pace) and need to build my upper body strength. My back and shoulders are quite strong but I think I’d benefit from some arm work, especially anything that would help with arm pump.

Ignoring nutrition, what would be a good strategy to lose weight and build some strength in my arms? I can cycle in the evenings and plan on starting to cycle to work which is about 15 miles each way with some tasty hills. I’d prefer avoiding the gym if possible, I don’t mind buying some equipment if needed though.
 
Lakeland said:
Ignoring nutrition, what would be a good strategy to lose weight
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It doesn't matter how much exercise you do, if you eat the same/more than your body burns then you can't lose weight. Calculate your TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure) and eat 250-500 kcals below it.

To build your arms, you can do plenty of bodyweight exercises. Buy a pullup bar for the house and do chinups (narrow grip) to focus on biceps. Use a chair or bench and do dips for triceps :)
 
Kris_90 said:
It doesn't matter how much exercise you do, if you eat the same/more than your body burns then you can't lose weight. Calculate your TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure) and eat 250-500 kcals below it.

To build your arms, you can do plenty of bodyweight exercises. Buy a pullup bar for the house and do chinups (narrow grip) to focus on biceps. Use a chair or bench and do dips for triceps :)
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Cheers mate. I’m not going to ignore food side I just thought I’d keep the post about the exercise as I’ve got that side sorted :)

When you say narrow grip do you mean hands close together?
 
Lakeland said:
Cheers mate. I’m not going to ignore food side I just thought I’d keep the post about the exercise as I’ve got that side sorted :)

When you say narrow grip do you mean hands close together?
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Great. It feels natural when you do them, I would say in between a shoulder width grip (pull up) and your hands touching. Make sure you use a supinated grip (palms facing you) and you'll feel the bicep burn :D
 
@madindehead and @Lakeland... Just because you have done sport before does not mean you have strong/jacked legs UNLESS that sport was any of:

  • Powerlifting
  • Weightlifting
  • Maybe rugby union, rowing or certain types of gymnastics (if accompanied by a strength and conditioning routine)
  • Or a combination of the above (i.e. Crossfit)
Sorry, but there is a huge difference between "strong" and "not Stickman's stunt double."

Train your legs: the rest of your bodywill thank you. And properly strong legs are just awesome. :cool:
 
mrthingyx said:
@madindehead and @Lakeland... Just because you have done sport before does not mean you have strong/jacked legs UNLESS that sport was any of:

  • Powerlifting
  • Weightlifting
  • Maybe rugby union, rowing or certain types of gymnastics (if accompanied by a strength and conditioning routine)
  • Or a combination of the above (i.e. Crossfit)
Sorry, but there is a huge difference between "strong" and "not Stickman's stunt double."

Train your legs: the rest of your bodywill thank you. And properly strong legs are just awesome. :cool:
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Ah I did mean it relatively speaking, though saying I have strong legs in a gym rats thread probably wasn’t a wise choice of words :p
 
Biz.Kid09 said:
Anyone signed up for the StrongLifts 'Pro' subscription which gives you all the warm up set weights etc?
I have to admit I have nearly always just going in and jumping straight to the weight with maybe a couple empty bar warm ups. Ive had no issues so far but that will change when im on heavier weights. I gather I could just roughly work out what I should do but the app is nice and easy**!

**I shouldn't be so lazy!*


Didn't go over the weekend or yesterday so first session since friday today, 75kg Squat, 90kg Dead and 33kg OHP (Didn't have the energy here :()

Also I have been thinking about taking some pre-workout before I get to the gym as I do my sessions in the mornings, it placebo with a mix of some scientific benefits or do you guys actually recommend it?
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Yes I use pro and do what it tells me for warm up. I think it is worth it for what little it costs. Saves having to plan or think about it.
 
I've just subscribed to it. I have been using Strong, which is a superb app, but it doesn't calculate your progressive overload for you and I think I'm too slack on myself, so I've just switched back to Stronglifts. The only real reason that I paid for the proper version is I want the warm ups and the ancillary exercises included. Obviously I could work them out myself, but I love something else being organised on my behalf.
 
Lakeland said:
Advice for a fatty wanting to lose weight and strengthen upper body, ideally without any gym work.
Click to expand...
Consistent training and diet.

As others have said, don't think you can get away without training your legs, you should train everything, regardless of how much cycling you do.

You say you have your nutrition sorted, would be interesting to see what a normal day of food plan is for you.

Have you calculated your BMI / BMR and TDEE (total energy expenditure) which is BMR * PAL (Physical Activity Level).

Really no gym? Are you willing to invest in some gym equipment for at home? or are you looking for body weight routines?

Biz.Kid09 said:
Anyone signed up for the StrongLifts 'Pro' subscription which gives you all the warm up set weights etc?

Didn't go over the weekend or yesterday so first session since friday today, 75kg Squat, 90kg Dead and 33kg OHP (Didn't have the energy here :()
Click to expand...
If all Pro is doing is giving you warm up weights then really stop being lazy. Its really basic common sense.

Example for your squats:

Bar x 10 / 10
50x5
75x working sets.

using 100kg it would be something like

Bar x 10 / 10
60x 8
80x3
100x working sets.

Try and keep the later jumps to a max of 20kg as that will, the idea of warmup sets is to get your body ready for the movement and your mind ready for the weight.
 
Skidder said:
Yes I use pro and do what it tells me for warm up. I think it is worth it for what little it costs. Saves having to plan or think about it.
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Cheers for the reply, I think it looks worth a couple quid.
Syla5 said:
If all Pro is doing is giving you warm up weights then really stop being lazy. Its really basic common sense.

Example for your squats:

Bar x 10 / 10
50x5
75x working sets.

using 100kg it would be something like

Bar x 10 / 10
60x 8
80x3
100x working sets.

Try and keep the later jumps to a max of 20kg as that will, the idea of warmup sets is to get your body ready for the movement and your mind ready for the weight.
Click to expand...
Cheers for the reply, yeah it is just laziness on my behalf, I think I'll give the 3mth trial a go as I have Google credit anyway and then I could go back to doing it manually.
 
Syla5 said:
Consistent training and diet.

As others have said, don't think you can get away without training your legs, you should train everything, regardless of how much cycling you do.

You say you have your nutrition sorted, would be interesting to see what a normal day of food plan is for you.

Have you calculated your BMI / BMR and TDEE (total energy expenditure) which is BMR * PAL (Physical Activity Level).

Really no gym? Are you willing to invest in some gym equipment for at home? or are you looking for body weight routines?
Click to expand...

Didn’t realise it was wise to work everything, I don’t mind doing so if it will be effective. When I say sorted I just mean I know someone who’s willing to sort me out with a plan, currently I have far too much sugar and bread which will be hard to cut out but easy in terms of knowing what to cut out.

I’ve not calculated my bmi for a while but it will be in the obese category! I’ll have look in to them and do some sums.

I don’t mind investing in equipment, I’m more than happy to. I have a decent sized garage which I can work out in.

Are weights a good method for losing weight and gaining strength or would I need to do weights and cardio?
 
You might want to take a look at body re-composition. More or less, it's losing weight and gaining muscle at the same time. You need to be in a caloric deficit to lose weight, and obviously doing weights helps build muscle. You would ideally need to eat cleanly as well.

You may want to take a look at Stronglifts 5x5 for an easy program. For food, I don't know if it interests you but I do meal prep - I often cook 4-8 meals at once. I have an app called MealPrepPro, which plans it all out for me and even generates a shopping list. I can't recommend it enough for ease of use.
 
Lakeland said:
I don’t mind investing in equipment, I’m more than happy to. I have a decent sized garage which I can work out in.

Are weights a good method for losing weight and gaining strength or would I need to do weights and cardio?
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I have a garage home gym and am pleased without although am still missing one final piece of equipment to completely round it out. You are looking at a decent chunk of money, and space, if you do want a well rounded setup.

Yes weights are a very good method of burning calories, along with HIIT cardio. They created a prolong period of higher calorie burn. Losing weight crucially is all about calories in vs calories out, you need to be invested in it. Having a mate that can sort you a plan out is one thing, but you need to know your numbers, you need to pay close attention to how your body reacts etc. The calculators are not always exactly right.
 
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Lakeland said:
Are weights a good method for losing weight and gaining strength or would I need to do weights and cardio?
Click to expand...

The only method of losing weight is calorie control. This is achieved mostly in the kitchen rather than the gym. Doing weights/cardio is a good way to increase calories you burn but as others have said most of it is to do with eating habits.

I will add that the best way to learn what to eat is to record everything and the amount. So many people fall into pitfalls of giving up one thing or another while continuing to snack on crap or not adjusting overall quantity of food. Record everything and you'll learn to eat in a way that is healthy, satisfying and sustainable.

The calories calculators often assume the user is fairly lean, so if you have a considerable bit of extra weight on you and are fairly new to weights, you'll probably get a far better number using an estimate of your lean mass or finding one that asks for your body fat and entering a rough estimate based on pictures.

As for weights vs cardio - if you just want to lose weight, then whatever you prefer. If you want to lose fat and gain muscle, then weights all the way and you can always add in more cardio if you want to eat a bit more while keeping the same progress. I've only recently started a bit of cardio and manage to lose an insane amount of fat while shaping up somewhat on just weights in my first year of gyming.
 
Guys that are using StrongLifts, which assistance exercises are you doing?

I've got Workout A as:
  • Squat
  • Bench Press
  • Barbell Row
  • Planks
  • Pushups
  • Face Pull
  • Lateral Raise
Workout B:
  • Squat
  • Overhead Press
  • Deadlift
  • Barbell Curls
  • Close Grip Bench Press
  • Pullups
  • Face Pull
 
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dirtychinchilla said:
Guys that are using StrongLifts, which assistance exercises are you doing?

I've got Workout A as:
  • Squat
  • Bench Press
  • Barbell Row
  • Planks
  • Pushups
  • Face Pull
  • Lateral Raise
Workout B:
  • Squat
  • Overhead Press
  • Deadlift
  • Barbell Curls
  • Close Grip Bench Press
  • Pullups
  • Face Pull
Click to expand...

Is squatting twice part of the program? Honestly can't remember.

Either way I'd be switching one squat session to front squats personally.
 
Finally got back to the gym twice a week last week after a month of going once a week.

Yet to find my 5RM for any lift but seem to be getting stronger and fitter each week.

Sticking with squats, bench, deadlift, rows, shoulder press and pullups and would like to be back up to a 500KG total by Xmas.
 
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