Weight training basics + diet

[WhoTookMyUsername]

How do i use weights and what should my diet be?


Thanks!

[kkkkasd]

Recently I started doing a non-equipment workout and it's going quite nicely.(I used to use only dumbbells, never bothered to go gym)

I've been told by some knowledgeable people that gym exercises aren't as good as non-equipment ones.

Basically they said weights and lifting only improves strength, while non-equipment ones such as push ups or squats improve a whole range of other factors such as balance, joint strength and core strength.


Also, I don't know if this a myth or not, but I heard excess protein doesn't help. Apparently it's just a rumor that protein gives you more growth while in actuality it only helps if you don't have sufficient protein. For example if the recommended protein is 200g then a person with 300g protein and another with 900g protein won't have any difference.

[abd123]

I'm planning to start gyming next year. My two goals are to gradually shed around 5 - 10 kg fat and put on 5 - 10kg upper body muscle as well as get my general cardiovascular fitness up (less gym, more running !?) and then stay around that for the years to come. I have 3 questions:

1) What programs are the best? Stronglifts 5x5? HITT? what about after i've gymed for a while what do i move on to? how do i go about these (remember i basically know nothing about gym at this stage).
2) What are some good "excercise" music tracks/artists/compilations. Right now all my music runs usually <100 BPM which is probably too slow to get me fired up.
3) What do i consume? Are all these protein shakes necessary? do they help? where/what do i buy?


Thanks!

1) strong lifts you do want to strengthen you core lifts: bent over rows, military press and pull ups and the big 3 muscle builders: bench press, squat and deadlift
be sure to get a spotter or a gym partner to push you along the way.
2)Perhaps Techno e.g. trance, house, electro ?
3)Protein shakes, well optimum nutrition is a good brand, but really expensive though, you can buy it in melbourne central at a store called 'GNC'.

Round up more knowledge of weight training, diet and cardio. Its better to do the research first (srs) and to ensure yourself of what you are doing to your body.

Good knowledge about this=Good Physique.

This website would be a great way to gain knowledge from.

http://www.bodybuilding.com/

[matt123]

I'm planning to start gyming next year. My two goals are to gradually shed around 5 - 10 kg fat and put on 5 - 10kg upper body muscle as well as get my general cardiovascular fitness up (less gym, more running !?) and then stay around that for the years to come. I have 3 questions:

1) What programs are the best? Stronglifts 5x5? HITT? what about after i've gymed for a while what do i move on to? how do i go about these (remember i basically know nothing about gym at this stage).
2) What are some good "excercise" music tracks/artists/compilations. Right now all my music runs usually <100 BPM which is probably too slow to get me fired up.
3) What do i consume? Are all these protein shakes necessary? do they help? where/what do i buy?


Thanks!

Ok
This isnt something you can discuss once or twice on a forum and know it all. Its something that will take a long time , lots of experience. Everyone body is different and some work in different ways. its all about testing what works.

its almost "impossible" to get absolutely shredded ( 5-8% body fat)  and put on muscle at the same time in order to get " big and aesthetic". Unless your on gear. aka anabolic Steroids such as dianabol and intensive fat burners ( clenbuterol). I do not recommend these , well not untill 3 years of training with perfect methods and perfect diet.

now it is possible to become slim ( whilst you cannot be absolutely ripped) and put on muscle at the same time , which i assume is what your going for.

something to consider .. Dieting is 50 % of the journey. sleep is 20% and training is 30% in my opinion. ... some say diet is 60 -70 etc etc .. all depending on your metabolism etc.

now this is a diet i can recommended.
6-8 meals a day .. spaces out every 2-3 hours.
meal 1-3 ( up untill lunch time) . you can eat comlpex carbs e.g bread , rice , pasta , cereal etc.
after lunchtime . .. = meal 4-8 .. DO NOT HAVE THESE ... NONE OF THEM.
you must eat lean meats and veggies only.

this is obviously not going to be easy , but this is what you need to do for 3 weeks ( and do not train in this time , only do cardio work . 4 days a week for 30 mins - 1 hour)

if you abide by this , you will see a 2-4kg loss.
you must also drink 5L water a day minimum.

as for training ... get into the gym and ask someone who is HUGE to train you , or show you how to do things.
alot of the time you learn by just watching people. the technique , the amount of reps and sets etc.
personally , i keep each exercise to 3 sets , some at 4 ... and reps inbetween 6-12 .. NO MORE THAN 12 .. if its more than 12 , its too light.

here is a plan for you ( keep inmind this is after 3 weeks of that diet + cardio)
then for the rest of time , you will continue to eat 6-8 meals a day .. except you will eat more carbs... after each gym session , the next meal will have alot of carbs in it. understood?

ok the plan goes like this
day 1 = shoulders
day 2 = biceps/back
day 3 = rest day
day 4 = legs
day 5 = chest/tricep
day 6 = rest day
day 7 = rest day

REPEAT.
because you will need to do 30 mins of HIGH INTENSITY cardio on the rest days .. and 15 mins of high intensity cardio after each gym session aswell.


remember , this is the most basic guide
it takes a very long time to perfect technique , diet and training
its a matter of experience and asking around
my friend put on 3kg of solid muscle this whole year , whilst i put on 10kg in 4 months.
KNOWLEDGE IS EVERYTHING.

as for protein / supplements
its completely up2 you.
atm im not taking anything ( as i have tacchycardia) . and that is because i took too many preworkout suppklements ( which are all stimulants ) ....
so i wouldnt reccomend taking preworkout supps such as jack3d and no xplode. ( beta alanine or DMAA products)

but .. i do reccoemend  after a while of training ,... 3 weeks or so. once you feel comfortable and your technique is correct , start taking some whey protein .. if it has less than 70g protein for every 100g .. DO NOT BUY IT .. as you are simlpy wasting your money .. do not buy weight gainers ... they are just low protein products with carbs in them.
buy hydroxy ripped by vital strength or any of their products over 70g prot/100g.
once you get serious , i recommend taking micronized creatine and glutamine. also take some fish oil tablets and multi V if your diet isnt good....

otherwise , eat eat eat , eat eat eat , train and sleep.
goodluck

resource :im a  personal Trainer.

[lexitu]

Briefly and basically:

1) If you want to lose weight then combine high intensity interval training (build up to this as suitable) combined with supersets of different muscle groups. Focus on exercises that require a large amount of muscle mass e.g. squats (you can work up to this too). You can get someone to write you a program, but make sure they at least appear to be a competent program-writer because there are a lot of incompetent people at gyms.

2) No idea

3) Protein shakes not necessary. Eat a balanced and controlled diet, focus on protein intake within the first 1-2 hours of recovery.

[kensan]

If I were to make a program for someone who has never lifted before, it would be 3 times a week with Monday and Friday being upper body and Wednesday lower body. I would start at rep ranges of about 15~20 then after a month or so drop it down to 8~12. Muscles you would work out would be; chest, biceps, triceps, forearm, back/lats, traps, shoulders, core and legs. If you start at a gym I'm sure they would take you through various exercises but if you're curious now you can find a huge list of them here:  http://www.bodybuilding.com/exercises/
You can do split day training as well. For example biceps and back on Monday, core and shoulders Wednesday, legs Thursday and triceps and chest Friday. People don't usually start off with these types of workouts though.
As far as cardio, HIIT is the best for losing fat.

I just listen to trance and house.. what ever works for you I guess

Diet is essential to getting a good body, more important than lifting IMO. Eat clean, avoid processed foods as much as possible. Eat lots of protein at regular intervals throughout the day. Our bodies can only process so much every ~2 hours so snack on things like nuts, tuna, chicken etc. And of course all the other stuff you know that is good for you like pasta, wholemeal bread, vegetables, fruit etc.
I wouldn't buy protein shakes yet, I would do gym for a few months and see if you are dedicated, then think about buying supplements. They are not essential, you can get by with a good healthy diet from regular food products. They only 'supplement' your diet so if your diet isn't good there is no point buying supplements. Having said that protein shakes right after working out can be beneficial as this is the most important time to consume protein. Most people use some form of whey protein because if absorbs the fastest. I use Optimum nutrition and I either buy from ASN in richmond or buy online. Personally I wouldn't buy from GNC, it's a rip off.

There is so much to write about so it's probably a good idea to do some reading.  http://www.bodybuilding.com/ which abd123 linked is a great place to start. Go to the super-site link mid left of the page then check out all the necessary categories. Also check out simplyshredded.com

You can post these kind of questions in the fitness board within the sport one too

@abd123  I totally agree, having knowledge is the most important thing otherwise you have no idea what your doing

[JellyDonut]

bb.com is like the worst place

[Bhootnike]

So you want to lose fat, and gain muscle at the same time.

My advice would be to get bulked up, but since we're all vce students, and yr 12 might not allow us for the regime, it may or may not suit you.
Pretty much, build as much muscle as you can in a set amount of time, say 6 months. In those 6 months, you gotta lift heavy, eat the right stuff, increase carb + protein intake to required D.I. do cardio as well but pay more attn. to lifting.

Stronglifts is great for this, like squats, bench, overhead press...  = king .
lifting heavier = more strength = more muscle.

You'll develop lots of strength in 6 months, not kidding.
Once those 6 months finish, hit the cutting season. You'll be bulkier, and so yeah.. you'll have some fat, but way more muscle at the same time. Therefore, you'll be able to sacrifice some muscle in the process of burning fat, since you have so much:p  this is the hardest part since you gotta diet, cardio it up, and yeah, lots of time and effort involved.
Now you'll hit a Low carb, low fat, but high protein diet, and do lots more cardio then before, and continue with lifting.

the hopeful end result is that you'll be stronger, leaner, more muscle and you will have built a solid frame for the future! from there onwards, follow a diet which is moderate in carbs, fat and high in protein, and continue your gymming.

P.S. about protein shakes.. they aren't a requirement . but they're convenient and useful.

[abd123]

bb.com is like the worst place

Your not using it right.

-Excercise data base.
-routines for burning fat, routines for muscular hypertrophy/strength and  routines for body maintenance.
-Diets-e.g. Carb Cycling, Atkins, keto
-science of building muscles/losing fat.
-loads more article.

I've used this site for a year, it really helped me a lot, I also know it will help a lot of people goals either building muscles or decreasing body fat.

Nobody is going to rock up in the gym knowing what to do lol, everyone thats muscular or shredded will have a decent knowledge around fitness and diet.
Lol doing research is really important as you go, without having done the research the person will go no where when it comes to building muscle or losing fat and it is damn important to do the research before going 'full headed' to the gym. Bodybuilding . com is a great site, probably the only furthest place you went was the main page, you haven't yet full explored the whole website yet lol.

but seeing as that bodybuilding. com is the 'worst' site for you regarding to anything thats fitness/diet related, than good luck with your fitness goals of 2012.

[JellyDonut]

It is quite bad though. It reads out like a sensationalist Men's Health magazine and it usually doesn't say anything that spectacular. Same reason why I don't read other sites like T-nation or simplyshredded (to ss's credit, they've got some nice interviews). Though I think I'm just lashing out at braindead miscers where 75% of the posts consist of the phrases '1rd', 'spot for sale' or some retarded zyzz meme.Scientists should really check up whether a positive correlation exists between dbol use and reduction in brain cells because I suspect it does.

-Excercise data base.

http://www.exrx.net/index.html
http://www.youtube.com/user/EliteFitnessSystems
http://www.youtube.com/user/timdonahey

-routines for burning fat, routines for muscular hypertrophy/strength and  routines for body maintenance.

Always been on SL/SS and did a bit of Westside so I don't really see a need for this, especially at the beginner level.

-Diets-e.g. Carb Cycling, Atkins, keto
-science of building muscles/losing fat.

http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/
http://www.leangains.com/

Either way, my earlier post was just me being facetious so peace lol

[kensan]

I agree, there are a lot of advertisements on those types of sites, you just need to filter them out.
And the guys on bb.com and ss are misleading by saying all you need is diet and gym etc, most if not all have used steroids to get  the amount of muscle they have.

@ JellyDonut  Thanks for those extra links

[Bhootnike]

ironaddicts is also a good website. ppl know their stuff there..

[Surgeon]

I'm planning to start gyming next year. My two goals are to gradually shed around 5 - 10 kg fat and put on 5 - 10kg upper body muscle as well as get my general cardiovascular fitness up (less gym, more running !?) and then stay around that for the years to come. I have 3 questions:

1) What programs are the best? Stronglifts 5x5? HITT? what about after i've gymed for a while what do i move on to? how do i go about these (remember i basically know nothing about gym at this stage).
2) What are some good "excercise" music tracks/artists/compilations. Right now all my music runs usually <100 BPM which is probably too slow to get me fired up.
3) What do i consume? Are all these protein shakes necessary? do they help? where/what do i buy?


Thanks!

Ok
This isnt something you can discuss once or twice on a forum and know it all. Its something that will take a long time , lots of experience. Everyone body is different and some work in different ways. its all about testing what works.

its almost "impossible" to get absolutely shredded ( 5-8% body fat)  and put on muscle at the same time in order to get " big and aesthetic". Unless your on gear. aka anabolic Steroids such as dianabol and intensive fat burners ( clenbuterol). I do not recommend these , well not untill 3 years of training with perfect methods and perfect diet.

now it is possible to become slim ( whilst you cannot be absolutely ripped) and put on muscle at the same time , which i assume is what your going for.

something to consider .. Dieting is 50 % of the journey. sleep is 20% and training is 30% in my opinion. ... some say diet is 60 -70 etc etc .. all depending on your metabolism etc.

now this is a diet i can recommended.
6-8 meals a day .. spaces out every 2-3 hours.
meal 1-3 ( up untill lunch time) . you can eat comlpex carbs e.g bread , rice , pasta , cereal etc.
after lunchtime . .. = meal 4-8 .. DO NOT HAVE THESE ... NONE OF THEM.
you must eat lean meats and veggies only.

this is obviously not going to be easy , but this is what you need to do for 3 weeks ( and do not train in this time , only do cardio work . 4 days a week for 30 mins - 1 hour)

if you abide by this , you will see a 2-4kg loss.
you must also drink 5L water a day minimum.

as for training ... get into the gym and ask someone who is HUGE to train you , or show you how to do things.
alot of the time you learn by just watching people. the technique , the amount of reps and sets etc.
personally , i keep each exercise to 3 sets , some at 4 ... and reps inbetween 6-12 .. NO MORE THAN 12 .. if its more than 12 , its too light.

here is a plan for you ( keep inmind this is after 3 weeks of that diet + cardio)
then for the rest of time , you will continue to eat 6-8 meals a day .. except you will eat more carbs... after each gym session , the next meal will have alot of carbs in it. understood?

ok the plan goes like this
day 1 = shoulders
day 2 = biceps/back
day 3 = rest day
day 4 = legs
day 5 = chest/tricep
day 6 = rest day
day 7 = rest day

REPEAT.
because you will need to do 30 mins of HIGH INTENSITY cardio on the rest days .. and 15 mins of high intensity cardio after each gym session aswell.


remember , this is the most basic guide
it takes a very long time to perfect technique , diet and training
its a matter of experience and asking around
my friend put on 3kg of solid muscle this whole year , whilst i put on 10kg in 4 months.
KNOWLEDGE IS EVERYTHING.

as for protein / supplements
its completely up2 you.
atm im not taking anything ( as i have tacchycardia) . and that is because i took too many preworkout suppklements ( which are all stimulants ) ....
so i wouldnt reccomend taking preworkout supps such as jack3d and no xplode. ( beta alanine or DMAA products)

but .. i do reccoemend  after a while of training ,... 3 weeks or so. once you feel comfortable and your technique is correct , start taking some whey protein .. if it has less than 70g protein for every 100g .. DO NOT BUY IT .. as you are simlpy wasting your money .. do not buy weight gainers ... they are just low protein products with carbs in them.
buy hydroxy ripped by vital strength or any of their products over 70g prot/100g.
once you get serious , i recommend taking micronized creatine and glutamine. also take some fish oil tablets and multi V if your diet isnt good....

otherwise , eat eat eat , eat eat eat , train and sleep.
goodluck

resource :im a  personal Trainer.

Strong broscience! I'm having a hard time believing that you're a certified personal trainer. Let's start things off, I'm going to pick at the largest flaws in your reasoning as I don't have much time.

1) You cannot simply recommend anabolic steroids to someone no matter how long they have been training for, what their methods or diet is like. It sounds like you know nothing about these illicit substances other than the fact that they are anabolic steroids. I suggest you do some research.

2) In regards to not eating carbohydrates after lunch time, this differs from person to person and you can eat them after lunch. Our body uses carbohydrates for immediate energy. Thus, it is not advisable to eat a substantial amount of carbohydrates if you're not going to use up a lot of the energy you will consume. Carbohydrates that you eat and don't burn, turn into glycogen. That's when you have a problem. However, you can eat carbohydrates all day (within your macronutrient guidelines if you're going to exercise afterwards.

3) You don't HAVE to drink 5 liters of water everyday. You need to ensure that you are hydrated at all times and you don't need 5 liters for that. (Differs from person to person and level of activity).

4) Getting someone that is "HUGE" to train you is not necessarily the right thing to do. If you have vested interest in making good gains and the health of your body, you would ask someone who has perfect form to assist you in ensuring that you are performing each exercise correctly. Perhaps, it would be a good idea to pay for a few sessions with a personal trainer so as to perfect your form beforehand.

5) In regards to your meal after the workout, what's the point of eating heaps of carbohydrates after your workout? As I've previously stated, carbohydrates are used for immediate energy. Generally, you would want eat a meal high in PROTEIN after a workout (or take a protein shake).

6) With the workout plan you have posted above, gains will be very slow. You are training each muscle group once a week.... That's sort of stupid. How about this one:

Monday: Back, Biceps and abs (15 minutes HIIT)
Tuesday: Chest, Triceps and forearms (15 minutes HIIT)
Wednesday: Shoulders and legs (15 minutes HIIT)
Thursday: Rest day (Perhaps some Swimming or low intensity cardio for a prolonged period)
Friday: (Monday)
Saturday: (Tuesday)

Get the picture? If you are consuming enough protein, your muscles should repair fully by the time you work them again.

7) A gain of 3kg of lean, solid muscle is very realistic. You claim to have gained 10kg in 4 months? To think that you gained 10kg of lean, solid muscle in this time frame is completely out of the question. I'm sure you would have heard about "clean" and "dirty" bulking. Your friend seems to have clean bulked and you went on a dirty bulk. Sure, some of this 10kg of mass gained will be muscle but a very large proportion of it will be fat that you need to cut down later.

Are you really a personal trainer?

OP, don't listen to this retard.

[kensan]

With point 2, are you saying he should or shouldn't eat carbs after lunch? I think what matt is saying about not eating carbs after lunch is because the body can use the fats in our body as an energy source, that's why people do keto diet or carb cycle. So you can cut fat if your body uses the fat on the body rather than what you eat.

And point 5, I believe you need protein and carbohydrates after working out. Carbohydrates don't necessarily have to be immediate energy, that would be simple carbs. Complex carbs last a good while, like bread, brown rice etc. But post workout simple carbs are recommended.

[taiga]

Postworkout you would generally be depleted of glycogen and glucose stores, and the body responds by releasing cortisol which has catabolic effects resulting in both fat and lean muscle burn, which isn't really ideal. I would personally recommend high GI carbs + protein post workout.

Do agree with 1, 3, and most of 7 though.

Recovery will vary greatly for people starting off, for example your first few legs days will probably knock you out for a good 3-7 days whilst you're still in the baby stage.


My process (mind you I started at somewhere around 110kgs with high 30&s/low 40%s in body fat) was:
-Cardio for ~two months (dropped 10kgs of weight, not sure about what the composition was)
-Started doing light full body workouts twice a week accompanying cardio ~2 months
-Isolating workouts Lifting 3xweek ~1 months
-Stronglifts 5x5 ~2 months (skyrocketed all my compound lifts) (roughly 88 kgs with ~20% body fat)
And now am on a 30 day cut meeting protein and fat macros and cycling carbohydrates on and off in 2 day alternations. Lifting schedule is as per usual, except for squats/deadlifts/leg press as I can't afford to be knocked out from cardio for too long post leg days. Steady state cardio 4x a week, 2x a week HIIT, and some intermittent swimming/jogging.

This 30 day cut is a competition between a few of us (inc one on the forum) Prize pool is 15 low carb bars lmao.