Lifestyle physical health/fitness thread

[The Big Aristotle]

You're 23, not 53. You have more than enough time to change your body and fix your bad habits if you want to. Exercising is the easiest thing in the world -- you just need to set aside 30 minutes a day for solid cardio and you'll see improvement in no time.

Oh, and as someone who also smokes too much: Exercising is more fun than smoking. It'll suck for a few weeks, but once you set yourself on the path to better health it gets easier very quickly. :)

 

[Stallion]

What Are my Goals and what I'm looking to gain:

So basically I'm looking for a lean look that easy to maintain with an acceptable amount of muscle mass. My studenty hectic-sporadic lifestyle (plus lack of disposable money) doesn't allow me to aim for Mr. Olympia goals, and frankly I don't care enough, nor have the time (or resources) to go for that. I'm looking to build a routine and aim for something that's sustainable. Whatever gains I'm looking to get I'm looking to get completely naturally (not even protein shakes), and maintain with a regular schedule and minimal dietary requirements, beyond the usual shit of low fat/carbs etc. At this point of my life, living off mostly what I can get my hands on, that's not just possible. It'll be possible to the high protein/energy thing. Dairy and junk is cheap and easily accessible. But again no to dirty bulking because I can't be super consistent. Stamina and fitness is my main goal. Though I won't mind a fair amount of shredding ;)
Time isn't a factor, but I like my returns to be visible and tangible, like it was when I stuck out on my weightloss regimen.

I'm here to heed your call. As a recent graduate, I know how tough it is to be poor and want to eat properly or at least decently to fit in with your weight goals. Build up some muscle as cleanly as possible first, as Lee said something like Stronglifts is a great starting point to get into the swing of things. As for cheap sources of protein, I don't know about where you live but Tuna is cheap as fuck here ($1 a can for store brands) and one of the best sources of lean protein possible. Carbs can easily come with rice/noodles/sweet potato too. I'd monitor all your calories at first because a lot of people have the bad habit of under or overestimating how much they eat, and it's pretty tough to get to the physique you want if you don't get the required calories from your diet.

 

[Stallion]

Update: I just realised how far off my genetic potential I am with this calculator.

http://www.weightrainer.net/bodypred.html

According to this, my natural limit is 90.5 kg's at 10% body fat, I'm currently at 77 kg at 12% body fat. That means I've got 15 odd kilos of muscle I can put on which is huge. Even 10 kilos is more than I thought I could put on tbh. From finding out this news, I've thus decided not to mess around with steroids unless a lot of money is on the line and I have a deadline for a photoshoot. I've been so concerned with getting ripped and lean that I've never dedicated my efforts to a nice, gradual lean bulk (only all out dirty bulks which have resulted in me having to diet after a few months because I'm too concerned with my fat gain, meaning that I don't really achieve much of anything). Abs are something I can get at any point in my life but starting next Monday I'm gonna eat at maintenance, and then eat at 10% over the next week - with an aim to not gain more than 1 pound of body weight a week to minimise fat gain. The way I see it, muscle gain might be slightly slower but if I don't turn into a fat ass I'm more likely to stick with bulking for longer haha

 

[Lee]

Good man, more people should look to exhaust their natural potential before going down the un-natural route. Seems the obvious thing to do but I'm sure you know how few people do it. That said, is there any urgency floating around this fitness model idea because given that you've long since used up your newbie gains, 15kg of muscle is gonna take literally years to put on, even moreso on a clean bulk. Also, how do you picture yourself with another 15kg of muscle? Would you not end up more bodybuilder than fitness model?

Thanks for sharing the link btw, it's a really neat little calculator; I've only skimmed the accompanying article and pumped in my own calcs/a few test calcs but it seems to be pumping out believable results though it does make me smh at just how many people must be juicing because the projected maximums are far from impressive. For instance, I am a mere 4kg short of my genetic potential and just 1 inch away from maximising my thighs and calves yet I look like a small child compared to any 'bodybuilder.'

 

[Stallion]

Good man, more people should look to exhaust their natural potential before going down the un-natural route. Seems the obvious thing to do but I'm sure you know how few people do it. That said, is there any urgency floating around this fitness model idea because given that you've long since used up your newbie gains, 15kg of muscle is gonna take literally years to put on, even moreso on a clean bulk. Also, how do you picture yourself with another 15kg of muscle? Would you not end up more bodybuilder than fitness model?

Thanks for sharing the link btw, it's a really neat little calculator; I've only skimmed the accompanying article and pumped in my own calcs/a few test calcs but it seems to be pumping out believable results though it does make me smh at just how many people must be juicing because the projected maximums are far from impressive. For instance, I am a mere 4kg short of my genetic potential and just 1 inch away from maximising my thighs and calves yet I look like a small child compared to any 'bodybuilder.'

Yeah it would, but a) I'd probably be happy before the point of being 90 kg lean (although you never know in this sport, we'll see), and b) Because my nutrition has never really been on point until recently and I've only been dialed in with my training since the start of 2013, I can probably gain faster than I otherwise would have had I been doing everything correct from the start.

Big Picture

Also, first picture is me mid bulk (mid August) and second picture is me after cutting and losing 8 kilos from the first picture. As you can see I haven't really lost much muscle at all (tiny amounts I'd say) and I'd even daresay my rear delts and chest look bigger. My facial aesthetics have also improved too, glad to say that this is a decent example of cutting done right!!

 

[SOMALIA]

Update: I just realised how far off my genetic potential I am with this calculator.

http://www.weightrainer.net/bodypred.html

According to this, my natural limit is 90.5 kg's at 10% body fat, I'm currently at 77 kg at 12% body fat. That means I've got 15 odd kilos of muscle I can put on which is huge. Even 10 kilos is more than I thought I could put on tbh. From finding out this news, I've thus decided not to mess around with steroids unless a lot of money is on the line and I have a deadline for a photoshoot. I've been so concerned with getting ripped and lean that I've never dedicated my efforts to a nice, gradual lean bulk (only all out dirty bulks which have resulted in me having to diet after a few months because I'm too concerned with my fat gain, meaning that I don't really achieve much of anything). Abs are something I can get at any point in my life but starting next Monday I'm gonna eat at maintenance, and then eat at 10% over the next week - with an aim to not gain more than 1 pound of body weight a week to minimise fat gain. The way I see it, muscle gain might be slightly slower but if I don't turn into a fat ass I'm more likely to stick with bulking for longer haha

You got some good arm genetics bro though, for me it says at 84kg and 12% bf ill only have 14.9 inch arms lmao (i got like puny 13 inch arms atm), kinda shit but Im hoping after a few years (minimum 5-6) of constantly building muscle i can attain something respectable along the lines of 17-18 inch arms. And damn man your delts popping out real good! Btw is peanut butter as good as I think it is, I mean i eat it religiously as in 4 slices every single day and base almst 1000 calories of it lol, just wondering whether those calories should be all counted towards my macros for the day, especially as I am bulking and im guessing alot of junk food is kind of empty calories?

 

[Stallion]

You got some good arm genetics bro though, for me it says at 84kg and 12% bf ill only have 14.9 inch arms lmao (i got like puny 13 inch arms atm), kinda shit but Im hoping after a few years (minimum 5-6) of constantly building muscle i can attain something respectable along the lines of 17-18 inch arms. And damn man your delts popping out real good! Btw is peanut butter as good as I think it is, I mean i eat it religiously as in 4 slices every single day and base almst 1000 calories of it lol, just wondering whether those calories should be all counted towards my macros for the day, especially as I am bulking and im guessing alot of junk food is kind of empty calories?

At your height and wrist size are you able to get to 84 kilos and 12% body fat? 14.9 inch arms at your height would actually be pretty solid naturally, mine aren't even 16 yet and they look pretty decent at 180 cm's. My absolute maximum arm size in inches at 10% body fat according to that tool is 16.8 inches so assuming you have a naturally slimmer frame than me (which you probably do because even before I lifted I was never in the 60s for kilos, always in the 70s and 80s), I doubt you'll be able to get 18 inch arms without jumping on that juice. Don't let all these hulking human beings that pass for fitness models fool you into believing what is and isn't natural.

Cheers for the delt compliment! They've always been a weak point so I've been hitting them super hard. As for "empty calories", there is really no such thing - your body can't really tell the difference between them unless it's in terms of fast acting or slow acting carbs (like eating sugars). The main difference you get from eating clean foods is the micronutrients that DO help with your bodies natural functions and muscle building ability, as well as not being as hungry after a meal. For example, the Grand Angus Burger from McDonalds can be demolished in a few bites and has 602 calories, where as I made a stir fry with tuna and 0 carb noodles that was infinitely more filling for 250 cals today. Cleaner foods = more nutrient dense = less "empty calories" in that they're not as calorie dense = you can eat more = easier for a cut.

Also random aside, dat dere bulk starts tomorrow. Keen as!!

 

[Lee]

yeah, assuming you're fully grown and the calculator forecasts a 14.9 inch maximum then I wouldn't expect you to hit 18 inch biceps lean; maybe with a bf% in the 20s~ but certainly not at 8-10%. The reason it asks for the wrist/ankle circumferences are because they are primarily bone/tendon and have virtually no potential for growth. The body won't naturally allow you to grow 18inch biceps from a 6inch wrist; it would cause too much muscular imbalance among other things.

Of course, no science is 100% accurate and I do find myself looking at my projected maximums with a raised eyebrow thinking I could go beyond that if I had half a mind to do so. So I dunno, take it with a pinch of salt but don't disregard it completely?

re: empty calories; With your current goals Somalia, you really need to become the poster boy for dirty bulking. To hit your goal of 85kg by May you need to eat anything that will fit in your mouth. Forget about empty calories; with your body type you'll find cutting pretty easy if you go too far overboard anyway.

 

[SOMALIA]

Yeah I hope 15-16 inch which is realistic to be my limit at about 15% bf will look much bigger then i hope haha (I mean for 5'9 it should look much bigger especially with the baby ass joints I have?), as for bulking it takes alot of willpower and I am guilty of not making mealplans to this day which is a major hindrance, gonna start with stallion from tomorrow on this dirty bulk, Just adding to tuna comment earlier, I made the mstake of eating it non stop for a while and now get sick looking at it :(, luckily I don't need it since it provides jackshit in terms of calories despite 30g protein per can, I'll just stock up on red meat for now and white rice! Also Lee, is there anything specific you did for your triceps man, that huge bulge is sick af man!

 

[Stallion]

Yeah I hope 15-16 inch which is realistic to be my limit at about 15% bf will look much bigger then i hope haha (I mean for 5'9 it should look much bigger especially with the baby ass joints I have?), as for bulking it takes alot of willpower and I am guilty of not making mealplans to this day which is a major hindrance, gonna start with stallion from tomorrow on this dirty bulk, Just adding to tuna comment earlier, I made the mstake of eating it non stop for a while and now get sick looking at it :(, luckily I don't need it since it provides jackshit in terms of calories despite 30g protein per can, I'll just stock up on red meat for now and white rice! Also Lee, is there anything specific you did for your triceps man, that huge bulge is sick af man!

Let's do this together man!!!

Regarding tuna: it's great, I'm not sick of it at all haha. If you do start getting sick of it though, consider getting low calorie cooking sauces (you can get high cal ones while you're on a bulk, but I prefer not to waste my calories on something stupid like sauce haha). Makes a world of difference!

 

[Lee]

I eat a lot of tuna too but I always try to be mindful of the mercury content; some national health body (can't recall which) suggests you don't exceed 3 cans a week. Try to eat more tinned mackerel, sardines, salmon etc. They're similarly priced and similarly healthy but with lower risk of paralysing your nervous system.

Also, just got my T-Nation newsletter and one of the articles may be of interest to Somalia:

http://www.t-nation.com/training/5-...eekly_dose-141214&utm_content=title_article_4

I've only skimmed it but T-Nation are normally quite good (if you can avoid vomiting at the narcissism).

 

[Stallion]

I eat a lot of tuna too but I always try to be mindful of the mercury content; some national health body (can't recall which) suggests you don't exceed 3 cans a week. Try to eat more tinned mackerel, sardines, salmon etc. They're similarly priced and similarly healthy but with lower risk of paralysing your nervous system.

Also, just got my T-Nation newsletter and one of the articles may be of interest to Somalia:

http://www.t-nation.com/training/5-...eekly_dose-141214&utm_content=title_article_4

I've only skimmed it but T-Nation are normally quite good (if you can avoid vomiting at the narcissism).

I don't know about your homeland but in Australia there are strict regulations as to the amount of Mercury allowed in Tuna, to the point where you'd need to eat beyond absurd amounts to even have a chance of getting Mercury poisoning.

 

[Lee]

One of the best articles I've read on the subject:

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/mroussell5.htm

edit @ somalia re:triceps. I don't think I've ever done anything out of the ordinary. I do a lot of press-ups (probably averaging 100 a day for the last ten years), and I tend to bench press a few times a week. I do tricep extensions as part of my HIIT circuit too but that's about it?

 

[Oglemi]

One of the best articles I've read on the subject:

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/mroussell5.htm

I don't know whether all of his references being 20+ years old is a good or bad thing on the subject lol

 

[CPrime]

I have a problem with push ups/press ups, whatever you want to call them. I'm definitely a skinnier build (5' 11", 145 lbs or 180 cm, 65.8 kg) but much more of a lean muscle type than just skinny and unathletic.
My wrists are super skinny and end up really sore after 20 or so push ups. Unfortunately there's no real way to grow your wrists, but I've pretty much fixed the problem by putting my hands in more of a karate chop position to shift the weight to a more stable area.
My main problem now is my left elbow. Often when I dip down in the push up, the tendon will pop over the inside knob of my elbow, and pop back into position when I raise myself back up. It makes a harsh snapping sound and gets sore after a few reps, but there will be days where it doesn't affect my push ups at all.

Any ideas?

 

[SOMALIA]

I have a problem with push ups/press ups, whatever you want to call them. I'm definitely a skinnier build (5' 11", 145 lbs or 180 cm, 65.8 kg) but much more of a lean muscle type than just skinny and unathletic.
My wrists are super skinny and end up really sore after 20 or so push ups. Unfortunately there's no real way to grow your wrists, but I've pretty much fixed the problem by putting my hands in more of a karate chop position to shift the weight to a more stable area.
My main problem now is my left elbow. Often when I dip down in the push up, the tendon will pop over the inside knob of my elbow, and pop back into position when I raise myself back up. It makes a harsh snapping sound and gets sore after a few reps, but there will be days where it doesn't affect my push ups at all.

Any ideas?

Yeah I ain't sure on the elbow part but I been through that part where wrists kinda hurt. For wrists you can still strengthen them to a great degree, obviously for something that won't take ages you can try knuckle up pushups (that was before i done boxing so i know for sure it was that alone that really made my hand as a whole alot more solid and resistant to bodyweight load and I weighed even less than you lol) as they really helped me with the slight pain (not even pain but more of an annoyance in the wrist after doing a few pushups), I can now do 6 x 20 without the slightest pain. Just try good form I guess for elbow since if it isnt bad form, it could be things like your core isn't strong enough and thus you aren't in a proper straight line causing imbalance i guess. good luck man

edit: Almost forgot, If you got weights at home you can start with light ones and grip them starting from a short time and build it up, kinda done that as well for a while.

 

[MikeAU]

So, it's been a while since i've posted and kinda needed some time to deal with a few things. But I don't want to be on the whole 'New Year, New Me' bandwagon -- so started back today being a lot more serious.

Training has been good, except food -- just not getting anywhere as i'm not eating well, which has to stop. So much crap has snuck in to my diet which isn't through meals but rather snacks and I never realised until i kept a food log for the week and then looked up the wasted caloric intake and unessential extra's that are with it.

I find I crack under pressure and when I don't plan ahead for snacks -- sounds silly but I travel a lot for work and work long hours which wears me down. I mean sometimes I binge on bad foods and for the most part, get away with it, but yeah I really want to crack down and take my eating as clean as I can get it, and very quickly at that. Stallion -- I like your comments re: tuna. It's often on sale and I always stock up with like a basket full lol. For the most part, I dislike the term 'diet' however, I have always traditionally leant towards a paleo-esque diet as it promotes your leaner meats, good fats and essentially excludes the majority of processed foods.

I'm using my last training session tomorrow for measurements, etc and goal setting for the next 6 months with monthly goals/check-in points. I'll post it all here tomorrow night to use as a bit of a check-in!

In particular, I want to have all of my eating under control in January as i'm scheduled for some minor surgery in Feb. Nothing major and actually has a funny story behind it, but yeah. It'll put me out of action (exercise wise) for a few weeks. During this time it will be imperative that i'm eating as best as possible to ensure that I don't fall back in to bad habits and the time i'd otherwise be investing in to training I might try out meditation or yoga or something.

Anyone got any good recipes/etc that they use for meals?

 

[Lee]

this is my celebratory 'i made it through christmas without becoming a fat cunt' picture

still 160 lbs though annoyingly, weight loss has completely stagnated sigh.

 

[SOMALIA]

this is my celebratory 'i made it through christmas without becoming a fat cunt' picture

still 160 lbs though annoyingly, weight loss has completely stagnated sigh.

Looking damn good brother, and if you don't mind me asking why do you wanna drop from 160 man iirc its about 72kg? In my irrelevant opinion you look solid AF at this weight man. Kinda envious if its hard for you to lose weight lol I'd wish to get that anyday :(

 

[Lee]

i'm a runner. the lighter the better.

to expand, 5 years ago i used to run at quite a high level whilst 150lbs. I then got a serious injury and could no longer run so to fill the fitness void in my life I started weight-training and over the years gained almost 40lbs. The injury is mostly rehabilitated now and I'd like to get back to the level I was once at in the sport that I love. So I feel a little more weight loss is essential.

 

[Stallion]

i'm a runner. the lighter the better.

to expand, 5 years ago i used to run at quite a high level whilst 150lbs. I then got a serious injury and could no longer run so to fill the fitness void in my life I started weight-training and over the years gained almost 40lbs. The injury is mostly rehabilitated now and I'd like to get back to the level I was once at in the sport that I love. So I feel a little more weight loss is essential.

If your weight loss has stagnated start introducing refeeds once a week, that's what I did to bust through plateaus. To elaborate, eat slightly over your maintenance and eat double the carbs you usually eat. I'm too hungover to go full scientific on you but leptin production drops when you drop carbs and calories for an extended period, which stops fat/weight loss. Eating higher calories once a week will spike leptin levels and assuming you're in a defecit for the rest of your week will help you drop more weight in the long run.

 

[Lee]

You mean I get to eat more and still lose weight? /suspicious african child

i've done a few google searches and it seems legit plus i am fucking starving all the time so it is a very tempting prospect. will have to give it a bash.

ps. painfully close to ohp'ing my body weight this morning, new goal in place.

 

[MikeAU]

If your weight loss has stagnated start introducing refeeds once a week, that's what I did to bust through plateaus. To elaborate, eat slightly over your maintenance and eat double the carbs you usually eat. I'm too hungover to go full scientific on you but leptin production drops when you drop carbs and calories for an extended period, which stops fat/weight loss. Eating higher calories once a week will spike leptin levels and assuming you're in a defecit for the rest of your week will help you drop more weight in the long run.

Hey Stallion, forgive me if i've mis-read/understood what you've mentioned here (and in many other posts) about the whole maintenance and specific types of macro's etc... but would you be able to help me out and work it out? If you use any of the Smogon IRC channels we could try there or via PM? If not, hop on to #OI on SynIRC and come chat!

 

[Lee]

I overheard some guys at the gym today chatting about their steroid use as though it was the most casual thing in the world; a stark departure from the days where it was the biggest taboo imaginable, I thought. I'm there pulling 6 plates and there's these guys just dicking around on the machines, doing the odd curl, looking like they have no idea what they're doing...and yet they were shredded to fuck. It annoyed me. So I got home and did some research and found some pretty cool articles.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/26890715

CRI runs 21 needle exchanges in England and in 2010 it saw 290 people who were using steroids.

By 2013 that number had increased to 2,161, a rise of 645%.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/men/acti...eroids-supersizing-the-man-in-the-mirror.html

Medical guidance body NICE believes that 59,000 people took steroids last year (compared with 27,000 heroin users) ... the vast majority of people would appear to be males in their late teens and early twenties who are just doing it for informal cosmetic reasons. They’re not doing it with specific targets or with competition in mind, it’s just to improve their appearance.

I've even seen an article earlier this year suggesting that steroid use amongst young gym-going males in the UK could be as high as 1-in-3 and although I admittedly I can't find it now I think we can all agree that steroid use is on the rise on an unprecedented scale.

I am very much a 'it's your body; do what you want with it' kinda guy but I do think the scale of the problem needs to be highlighted for the benefit of newcomers to this lifestyle. I've been training in various capacities for over a decade now and it was a good two or three years before I started to look decently muscular but even prior to that I felt as though I was one of the fitter looking dudes in the gym. Were I doing it in today's gyms, I imagine I'd be thoroughly disheartened at the fact that every other guy has arms the size of my legs with every last vein bursting through their skin. I don't know if I'd have persevered to where I am today. I'm sorta putting this out there for SOMALIA, because I imagine it's off-putting to train your arse off as you have been doing and then see some guy in the gym mysteriously pack on 10kg of muscle in a month? Fuck that guy, he's playing a very different game to you.

And not really related but I need to vent...another thing that pisses me off is fuck my life when I go clubbing it's just biceps and pecs everywhere. Guys looking like fitness models and yet they're out clubbing three times a week, downing booze and munching on takeaways, how does that one work? But because I look the way I do I am immediately lumped in with that crowd and considered to be one of those roided-up bellends (I should stress I am a Geordie and Geordie Shore is an absolutely accurate representation of the night life in this city) to the point that I'm starting to wear baggy clothing when I go out. Stallion, I'm guessing you see a lot of this in the Oz clubbing scene?

 

[Soul Fly]

Well when every second fat kid doing cardio is randomly chugging protein shake because that's what his mate told him to drink if he wanted fast results, you know that "big boys" have a worse epidemic.