Does Anyone Here Lift Weights?

[thomasj182]

Glad this thread popped back up, I posted about two months ago and never posted again. Here's what going on for me, unfortunately my buddy has completely stop training and lost everything he gained, on the bright side I'm in the best shape of my life right now. Over the summer I weighed about 242 lbs, I'm 5'5'' so on my frame it was pretty gross. I was very very unhappy and binge eating all the time. I've completely changed every thing in my life as far as training and eating. Today I hit 200 lbs even! I've lost 42 lbs since the summer, I feel and look great. If I can figure out how to post pics on here I will or you can follow me on instagram, I post my progress, food, supplements and of course my records. I'm friends with a bunch from here too! My instagram name is tjm182. So how have I made my change? First and foremost, no amount of running and/or lifting will overturn a bad diet! That's the number one thing I've learned about my change! If your diet is shit, no amount of exercise can make up for it. I've read a lot about the paleo diet and I'm not a fan of trying to follow a specific written plan because you always have questions and can never seem to find the answers. So here's my meal plan, just a sidebar comment, I hammered down today! Hard haha I feel like absolute shit right now because of all the food I ate and I'm not happy about it at all! Anyway, here's my general meal plan for the week, I don't necessarily follow a schedule and just eat these foods through out the day, I try to eat every two hours or so to keep my metabolism high and being that I'm a Physical Education teacher there's no reason for me not to be exercising at any point during the day. My breakfast is usually a high protein or higher "good" carb meal

Breakfast:

6 hard boiled eggs (only eat two yolks) and a handful of roasted unsalted almonds

or 1/2 cup of unflavored regular ass boring oatmeal with a handful of blueberries, roasted unsalted almonds and a sprinkle of cinnamon

or 2 scoops of Carnivore protein (chocolate flavor)

I recently bought a juicer and I feel like this has really contributed to my weight loss as well, I juice the fuck outa everything! If I have a juice in the morning it usually consists of 3-4 celery stalks, 2 carrots, 5-6 strawberries, 2 slices of pineapple, 1 whole red or green pepper, kale, swiss chard, spinach, 1-2 whole oranges, 1 cucumber, 4-5 crowns of broccoli, 2 apples, 1 kiwi. Now obviously I don't use everything here, I try to keep my veggies higher than my fruits just because of the sugar content.

Mid-morning snack:

Banana or apple with almond butter

or handful of roasted unsalted almonds

or 2 scoops of Carnivore protein (chocolate flavor)

or sliced red pepper with hummus (plain)

or 6 hard boiled eggs (eating only two yolks)

or Modern BCAA by USP Labs amino acid shake, I won't drink this if I have a protein shake because I'll have to piss my brains out in the middle of a class and I can't leave haha

Midday snack:

Smaller piece of grilled chicken

or 1 small turkey burger (usually 4-6oz pre-cooked) unseasoned and no bun I'll add a spot of ketchup or Frank's Redhot if I dried the shit out of it cooking it

or 2 scoops of Carnivore protein (chocolate flavor)

or Banana or apple with almond butter

Dinner:

Grilled chicken with a juice shake (see fruits & veggies above)

or Spaghetti squash with a little olive oil and garlic

or Grilled salmon with sauteed broccoli or asparagus

or bowl of Kashi cereal and a banana

Now, this isn't going to work for everyone but it works for me, yes it's boring but the weight is literally melting off me. Also, just a disclaimer, this is a pretty clean diet and you will feel like total shit for about a week because the introduction of the juice as a meal or two will help to kick toxins out of your body and they will make you feel sick and give you head aches, but I promise if you can get past the first week you'll feel better than ever! I make the time to cook every night and I don't stray from what I eat, I still booze it up every now and then but I'm in a head space where I don't want to destroy my gains or good losses so I don't see the point anymore. Now on to supplements, again this works for me, it may not work for everyone. I get lots of protein from my diet so I'm covered there but I'll still list my protein shake source.

Right now I'm taking

Animal Pak by Universal Nutrition as my multi-vitamin/mineral it's like 8 pills I take in the morning

CLA, studies have shown it to help block fat from food, so I take 2 pills with just about every meal

Flaxseed oil (pill form) 1,400 mgs by Nature Made

Compound 20 by USP Labs (I just started this 3 days ago, so I can't comment on what it's done for me but the reviews are great, it's a muscle hardening agent

Carnivore Protein chocolate flavor 2 scoops immediately after lifting

Modern BCAA by USP Labs usually at some point during the day, if I'm doing a full on cardio work out I'll have it during, it's light like water so it won't make you feel like shit while running, cycling, or on the eliptical

Prior to lifting I take 2-3 scoops of Jack3d by USP Labs if you start this please try it 8 hours before you go to bed, it's a stimulant and will keep you up! Start with 1 scoop.

Prior to bed I take 3 ZMA pills, 3 DHEA pills, and 9-15 mgs of melatonin ZMA and DHEA help with natural test boosting and help your sleep cycle.

Again, this work FOR ME, this will not work for everyone and I'm sure people will disagree with what I say but again this is my routine, you need to find what works for you and that only happens through trial and error. I'll post my lifting/cardio schedule soon too because I'm in the process of revamping it right now. I will say dips and pull-up are fucking awesome muscle builders! My arms, shoulders, and chest look great from them! I recommend adding them to any work out routine! If you have any questions feel free to pm me or leave a msg here.

-T.J.

[thebiglebowski]

Few comments:

I bought a juicer too. I have been doing a keto diet (no carbs) lately, though, so it's just sitting. They are pretty cool but I really think (no carbs or not) the biggest thing you can do for your diet is to not eat sugar. Yes, fruits have a lot of other nutrients, but nothing you can't get from veggies. And maybe I don't have the right juicer, but juicing things like kale and spinach resulted in what would have been 4 good sized salads getting me a shot glass of juice. I just eat my greens now.

What's the theory behind 6 eggs, 2 yolks? I read before that the best way to eat eggs is over easy. You want the white cooked and the yolk runny. Something to do with the nutrient Biotin. I just eat eggs however, though. A lot of times I go Rocky on them and just slurp them down raw (weird at first, but do it once and you realize it's nothing). Throwing away the yolks just seems kinda wasteful to me.

15 mgs of melatonin? You are overdosing. 1 to 5 mg is usually considered a normal dose. You think you need that much? It's designed to give you deeper sleep, not to knock you out.

DHEA is a borderline banned drug. It is banned in Canada. For someone in their 20s, it can have significant negative effects (your body depends on it, rather than its natural DHEA cycles. You can increase the dose, but perpetuates the cycle). I'm not a medical doctor, but I would do significant research before taking it (look for people's negative comments as well as the positive). I would at a minimum rigorously cycle it (as you would with any steroid).

Lastly, you ever try Jack3d with the 1,3 dimethyl-whatever in it? I never did. Then it got banned. Now people complain that they want it back. I just want to try it once and see.

[thebiglebowski]

Also, the central theme to the book I recommended (which I have not practiced in my workouts) is that full-body exercises are much better for building strength than iso exercises. The idea is that when the body functions, it uses several muscles in unison to make any motion. When it builds muscle, it wants to build in order to fulfill these physiological needs that our environment creates. For example, it is impossible to work out your quads without using your hamstrings, unless you use a machine specifically designed to do so. So the idea is to work your body out in the way that it will respond to properly (with increased muscle).

So they don't take the viewpoint that the rest of the exercises out there are unnecessary (you can do them if you wish and probably should), but the key exercises to build strength are:

Squat

Bench Press

Dead Lift

Overhead Press

Power Clean

Do these correctly for a while, and you will be strong (the obvious criticism is that people focus so much on their arms, which are kind of just a glamor muscle. True strength comes from your core). I'm buying in all the way. Still have a ton of reading to do about how to perform these exercises methodically but I'm working on it.

[Guest Big Hairy Stinky Muff]

I pump iron 3 times a week.

[thomasj182]

Few comments:

I bought a juicer too. I have been doing a keto diet (no carbs) lately, though, so it's just sitting. They are pretty cool but I really think (no carbs or not) the biggest thing you can do for your diet is to not eat sugar. Yes, fruits have a lot of other nutrients, but nothing you can't get from veggies. And maybe I don't have the right juicer, but juicing things like kale and spinach resulted in what would have been 4 good sized salads getting me a shot glass of juice. I just eat my greens now.

What's the theory behind 6 eggs, 2 yolks? I read before that the best way to eat eggs is over easy. You want the white cooked and the yolk runny. Something to do with the nutrient Biotin. I just eat eggs however, though. A lot of times I go Rocky on them and just slurp them down raw (weird at first, but do it once and you realize it's nothing). Throwing away the yolks just seems kinda wasteful to me.

15 mgs of melatonin? You are overdosing. 1 to 5 mg is usually considered a normal dose. You think you need that much? It's designed to give you deeper sleep, not to knock you out.

DHEA is a borderline banned drug. It is banned in Canada. For someone in their 20s, it can have significant negative effects (your body depends on it, rather than its natural DHEA cycles. You can increase the dose, but perpetuates the cycle). I'm not a medical doctor, but I would do significant research before taking it (look for people's negative comments as well as the positive). I would at a minimum rigorously cycle it (as you would with any steroid).

Lastly, you ever try Jack3d with the 1,3 dimethyl-whatever in it? I never did. Then it got banned. Now people complain that they want it back. I just want to try it once and see.

I have used the old Jack3d, it was great, the pumps were amazing! Funny story, I went to Syracuse last week and was there for 3 days, I was on my way to finding a gym and stopped by Rite-Aid because they have a GNC part in it so I wanted to grab some Jack3d because I forgot mine at home and they had the old version with the 1,3 in it! I bought 3 of them. I tried the new Jack3d Micro and it doesn't do that much for me, the pump is clean and smooth but I don't get uppity like I do on the regular Jack3d and I like that! The only downfall to the old recipe is my after gym crash, it's this very odd low key almost like depressive mood, it takes me an hour or so to snap out of it. Weird side effect I guess. As for the juicing, I love it! I feel great and make about two everyday, I feel like my body thanks me haha I get this great feeling after I drink one, like an endorphin rush. I will agree that at times it's wasteful but I rather juice and drink than eat a salad it's all about the time for me. As for the eggs, it's just what I do, from my studies and readings yolks have little to no nutritional value when they're boiled but they do have essential fats in them so that's why I eat just two. As fog doing it raw, YUCK! Not for me hahaha The melatonin for me I have issues sleeping and I don't want to go get a script from the doctor for a sleep aid because I don't want to be reliant on script meds. As ironic as that sounds, I'm up to 9-15mgs of melatonin a night right now because of the tolerance I've built up to it. So yes, I don't recommend a newb taking that much my melatonin and DHEA intake is about to stop though, I didn't take either last night and woke up feeling good today so I'm gonna try and go cold turkey off it right now.

[thebiglebowski]

Seems like you know a good amount about nutrition and aren't doing anything too crazy, so good. But when the sleep aids stop working, the thing to do is bite the bullet and let your body reset to its normal levels, not up the dose.

Hit up my local sports shop today and I'm glad I did. .50 cent / pound weight plates were additional 20% off. Picked up a pair of 45s and 35s. Gonna really work on pushing my deadlift weight and I didn't have enough at home. Also in the market for a squat rack but didn't find anything suitable today.

[thomasj182]

Seems like you know a good amount about nutrition and aren't doing anything too crazy, so good. But when the sleep aids stop working, the thing to do is bite the bullet and let your body reset to its normal levels, not up the dose.

Hit up my local sports shop today and I'm glad I did. .50 cent / pound weight plates were additional 20% off. Picked up a pair of 45s and 35s. Gonna really work on pushing my deadlift weight and I didn't have enough at home. Also in the market for a squat rack but didn't find anything suitable today.

Well not to sound cocky but when you've spent as much money on an education in PE/Nutrition, I had better hahaha. I recently purchased a power tower from Dick's it was like 115 bucks and well worth it! I can do dips, for chest and tri's pull-ups, abs and push ups on it has literally been one of the best investments I've ever made! I went from doing 8-10 dips in a clip to now 50-60 my tri's and chest look amazing! Highly recommend dips! Have you checked out this guy on youtube name Jeff Cavaler, he runs a program called Athlean-X. His videos are great, he shows how the muscle works and really gives you a firm understand of the exercise your doing. You should check it out, I'm re-doing my weight lifting routine right now to tighten it up a bit and his videos have been a big help. Check it out and let me know what you think.

[cymbalism15]

To anyone reading this for advice, I would say to make your goal feeling better and getting stronger. Much more motivation and a lot harder to give up when you don't gain right away. Also, focus on improving instead of a seemingly unattainable end goal.

[thomasj182]

To anyone reading this for advice, I would say to make your goal feeling better and getting stronger. Much more motivation and a lot harder to give up when you don't gain right away. Also, focus on improving instead of a seemingly unattainable end goal.

Just to jump in on this, it takes you about 4 weeks for you to see results and about 8 weeks for others to see them. The body hits it's stride in between 4 and 8 weeks especially if you're really being honest in your training. The 2-3 weeks you'll see a release of water weight where you'll lose the first 8-10 lbs but at week 4 you'll notice the difference in the clothing you wear. The only way to succeed at anything is to make your goal personal, you won't lose weight or gain muscles unless it's personal for you, doing it for other extraneous reasons generally don't last long, it needs to be personal/emotional to you and only you.

[cymbalism15]

Just to jump in on this, it takes you about 4 weeks for you to see results and about 8 weeks for others to see them. The body hits it's stride in between 4 and 8 weeks especially if you're really being honest in your training. The 2-3 weeks you'll see a release of water weight where you'll lose the first 8-10 lbs but at week 4 you'll notice the difference in the clothing you wear. The only way to succeed at anything is to make your goal personal, you won't lose weight or gain muscles unless it's personal for you, doing it for other extraneous reasons generally don't last long, it needs to be personal/emotional to you and only you.

This and also ask the people who see you a lot if they notice anything because my friends noticed differences long before I did.

[Shitty Rambo]

Question:

I don't have anywhere to do pull ups at home, but there are spots at work I can do them. I usually work out an hour on so before work and drink a whey protein shake afterwards, is it ok for me to be doing pull ups randomly post workout? I can't really stay in the area and do set after set, but I jump on the bar whenever I walk by and do at least 3-4. Can anything negative come from this regarding building muscle?

Also I recently started eating chicken for the protein boost. Nothing fried, mostly just in salads or soft tacos lol.

[jerseydave77]

I'm down 20lbs in about 5 months now. At 6'1" and 193 I am only 3 lbs from my weight goal. I'm in the gym and stamina is building as is tone. I'm aiming at a sprint triathlon in May and am well on track. Losing the excess weight has helped me in a bunch of ways. I had to lose the weight as part of a health requircement for something I'm doing and I smashed their levels and am in the right realm for my frame.

I like checking in on here. Keep up the good work gang.

[thebiglebowski]

Rambo,

The short answer is "it is better than nothing".

The long answer is that the more methodical your approach, the better your results will be. Serious bodybuilders manage their bodies like machines. They weigh their food, set goals for all the nutrients they will take in and hit them consistently, bulk and cut, etc. The more care you take in planning, the better your results will be. So, if you have chosen the pull-up as your arm exercise (I like the barbell curl and overhead press, but both have their place) a better idea would be to fork $20 for the iron gym and do it right. Do it every 3 days, set a reachable goal for each set, and do 5 sets when you have time (during a tv show, for example). Maybe set a timer to go off on your phone every 5-10 minutes so the sets are evenly spaced. Then push to get that number of pull-ups / set up.

Good to see you are sticking with this.

[thebiglebowski]

Also, chicken is money. Nothing wrong with frying it once in a while, though. Not to sound like a broken record, but your body needs a calorie surplus to grow. Gotta have protein, fat, and carbs (or you can do no carbs, but you gotta do it right).

There are also some articles out there along the lines of "if you could only take one supplement, it should be fish oil". Omega-3 fats are huge for building muscle, our immune system, and just overall health in general. Read anything on the subject from google if you want to know specifics. Very inexpensive as well.

[thomasj182]

Also, chicken is money. Nothing wrong with frying it once in a while, though. Not to sound like a broken record, but your body needs a calorie surplus to grow. Gotta have protein, fat, and carbs (or you can do no carbs, but you gotta do it right).

There are also some articles out there along the lines of "if you could only take one supplement, it should be fish oil". Omega-3 fats are huge for building muscle, our immune system, and just overall health in general. Read anything on the subject from google if you want to know specifics. Very inexpensive as well.

You can substitute chicken with turkey, especially right now during the holiday season, it's relativly cheaper now plus the fat content is lower and protein is higher, it's a bit leaner than chicken. I buy ground turkey weekly, it costs about 8-9 bucks for 3-4 lbs of it. I get about 8-9 decent sized burgers from it too. As for the carbs, your body needs complex carbs found in fruits and veggies. My main source of carbs comes in the morning from a bowl of oatmeal with some blueberries, strawberries, a handful of almonds and a few sprinkles of cinnamon. I tend to tail off of carbs as the day goes on. I stay away from simple crabs found mostly in white breads, sweets, and all that other bullshit you know isn't good for you! Today was my first cheat day in a long time though, I hammered down on a meatball sub an egg salad sandwich and some pringles. Certainly not a healthy meal by any means but 95% of the week I'm eat super clean and healthy. I'm currently in a weight loss plateau which is pissing me the fuck off, I'm hovering between 200-203. I gotta fuckin break this thing, it's killing me right now!

[thomasj182]

Question:

I don't have anywhere to do pull ups at home, but there are spots at work I can do them. I usually work out an hour on so before work and drink a whey protein shake afterwards, is it ok for me to be doing pull ups randomly post workout? I can't really stay in the area and do set after set, but I jump on the bar whenever I walk by and do at least 3-4. Can anything negative come from this regarding building muscle?

Also I recently started eating chicken for the protein boost. Nothing fried, mostly just in salads or soft tacos lol.

Just be careful jumping on the bar, it can do sever damage on the joints (elbows and shoulder) for me I'm 5'5'- 5'6' on a good day haha but I recently purchased a power tower and the pull up bar is about a foot and a half taller than I am, I jumped on the bar for the first time and felt massive pain in my elbow. I've had a tear in the tendon for about a year now which has required multipul cortison shots and PT. Last year in early Jan I was curling 50lb dumbbells and my elbow literally couldn't support the weight and it gave out. I promise you this is not a road you wanna go down, better to stand on something that will add a few inches than jumping to grab the bar. The force of 200+/- lbs coming down on the joints is never good.

[thebiglebowski]

I am in the market for a power rack. Just waiting for something to pop up on craigslist that is close to me. I don't pay retail for gym equipment.

For carbs / no carbs, this can answer the question in much better detail than what I could say. You can eat carbs or not eat carbs, but if you go the no carbs route, you have to understand why it works and how to do it right. It's kinda all or nothing.

http://josepharcita.blogspot.com/2011/03/guide-to-ketosis.html

As for turkey / chicken, both are good. If you are worried about a difference in fat between the two, you are worrying about fat intake too much. You want some fat in your diet. Chicken might be TOO lean in some cases (on a bulk or when entering a state of ketosis).

And last comment, fruit as complex carbs? No way. 15 grams of sugar in a cup of blueberries. Yes, they are full of nutrients, fiber, and there are MUCH worse foods that you could eat than fruit. But I am pretty sure there are no nutrients in fruit you can't get from veggies and I cover my bases with a multivitamin anyways. My eating has definitely gotten healthier as I've gotten older (I'm 26 now) and I've gotten to the point where I'll just eat plain broccoli (whereas before if I even ate broccoli I was covering it is shredded cheese, dipped half my food in ranch, etc). Same thing with spinach, asparagus, etc. All the nutrient benefits of fruit with half the calories and more fiber. I don't touch fruit. That's just me though.

[thebiglebowski]

If you are stuck, have you tried ephedrine? From previous posts, you seem to be someone who isn't opposed to the stronger supplements. I have used it for the last month and went from 200 down to 190. I'd really like to get down to 180 (which would be under 10% body fat for me) and then do a bulk but I dunno, I'm stalling out after a month. If I just lost the 10 in a month that is a success though.

Anyways, I've tried some of the other thermos (ergoshred, animal cuts) and ephedrine just wins, hands down. Kills your appetite. Definitely read up on it before trying to know how to use it properly and safely if you do.

[Shitty Rambo]

Just be careful jumping on the bar, it can do sever damage on the joints (elbows and shoulder) for me I'm 5'5'- 5'6' on a good day haha but I recently purchased a power tower and the pull up bar is about a foot and a half taller than I am, I jumped on the bar for the first time and felt massive pain in my elbow. I've had a tear in the tendon for about a year now which has required multipul cortison shots and PT. Last year in early Jan I was curling 50lb dumbbells and my elbow literally couldn't support the weight and it gave out. I promise you this is not a road you wanna go down, better to stand on something that will add a few inches than jumping to grab the bar. The force of 200+/- lbs coming down on the joints is never good.

I didn't literally mean 'jump' lol, there's some portable steps next to a water pipe I use, or a sand regulator pipe (I work for the railway), we have random sturdy structures throughout our facility. I should just start lifting knuckles, those bitches weigh about 75lbs

[thomasj182]

I am in the market for a power rack. Just waiting for something to pop up on craigslist that is close to me. I don't pay retail for gym equipment.

For carbs / no carbs, this can answer the question in much better detail than what I could say. You can eat carbs or not eat carbs, but if you go the no carbs route, you have to understand why it works and how to do it right. It's kinda all or nothing.

http://josepharcita....to-ketosis.html

As for turkey / chicken, both are good. If you are worried about a difference in fat between the two, you are worrying about fat intake too much. You want some fat in your diet. Chicken might be TOO lean in some cases (on a bulk or when entering a state of ketosis).

And last comment, fruit as complex carbs? No way. 15 grams of sugar in a cup of blueberries. Yes, they are full of nutrients, fiber, and there are MUCH worse foods that you could eat than fruit. But I am pretty sure there are no nutrients in fruit you can't get from veggies and I cover my bases with a multivitamin anyways. My eating has definitely gotten healthier as I've gotten older (I'm 26 now) and I've gotten to the point where I'll just eat plain broccoli (whereas before if I even ate broccoli I was covering it is shredded cheese, dipped half my food in ranch, etc). Same thing with spinach, asparagus, etc. All the nutrient benefits of fruit with half the calories and more fiber. I don't touch fruit. That's just me though.

I agree with the fruit statement, while it does contain a decent amount of sugar, I just do what works for me. Obviously I'm not eating fruit all day, I should have been more clear about that haha. The ketosis article you recommended I'm gonna check out tonight, thanks for that! I'm gonna try just juicing veggies this whole week starting Monday I still have a decent amount of pineapple, blueberries, strawberries, and apples I need to get rid of though. I'm trying now to just eat what I need for fuel rather than what I want. I need to develop my tastes to enjoy other foods minus sweeteners like fruit in my juice.

[thomasj182]

If you are stuck, have you tried ephedrine? From previous posts, you seem to be someone who isn't opposed to the stronger supplements. I have used it for the last month and went from 200 down to 190. I'd really like to get down to 180 (which would be under 10% body fat for me) and then do a bulk but I dunno, I'm stalling out after a month. If I just lost the 10 in a month that is a success though.

Anyways, I've tried some of the other thermos (ergoshred, animal cuts) and ephedrine just wins, hands down. Kills your appetite. Definitely read up on it before trying to know how to use it properly and safely if you do.

I do have some fat burners but they make me sweat my balls off! I like the way I feel on them but I haven't found one I really like yet. I just got 2 sample packs of Super HD by Cellucor and I've heard great things about it so I may start that on Monday.

[thomasj182]

Here are some progress pics, anyone else have any? This one was taken on Halloween and the pic of me in blue was taken in July at my nieces baptism.

[thomasj182]

This is the most recent taken about 3 weeks ago. I'm currently hitting a plateau but this one is about 40 lbs down from the pic of me in blue.

[thebiglebowski]

Nice work Tom. I'm not a picture taker. Don't facebook, but I guess if I went on my friends pages I could find some progression photos. Don't like to work out in front of a mirror. Seems like every wall of a gym usually has a mirror on it, which I guess is to check form. Just feels vain to me. But I'm diverging.

Bumping this to say that if anyone wants a pdf that covers all the basics of weightlifting, pm me an email. It is super helpful for someone who never had formal weight training instruction. You might think that doing squats is just "put the bar on your back, squat down, and come up". This tells you where to put everything from your head to your feet, how to breath, how to bail out if you miss, common form mistakes, etc etc.

Basically, I had seen them done before and thought I knew what I was doing. I was making at least 10 errors everytime without even knowing (which either hurt performance or predispose injury).

So yeah, if you are interested, pm.

[Shitty Rambo]

I'm not down with photos either. I believe it's how one losses their soul, if I'm not mistaken.