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Bigger Leaner Stronger: The Simple Science of Building the Ultimate Male Body (The Bigger Leaner Stronger Series Book 1)?
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You should be lifting as heavy as you can with proper form. Sets of ~6 reps. Squat, Deadlift, Bench, & Military Press is where most of your gains will come from. I cannot recommend THIS book enough. Keep it heavy and adjust your diet for fat loss.
Bigger Leaner Stronger. Its a book/program that I really like. Not quite as mainstream as some of the others, but it seems to work well for me. The book was $0.99 on amazon recently. He goes over most of the stuff you can find in the wiki, but I liked the review.
https://www.amazon.com/Bigger-Leaner-Stronger-Bodybuilding-Weightlifting-ebook/dp/B006XF5BTG/
The cardio isn't really necessary, mainly just the weight training. Also, you could get great results just doing 3x per week if 4x is too much. And you don't need a trainer, you just need to dial in your diet/nutrition and follow a decent routine like Mike Matthews' Bigger Leaner Stronger or Rusty Moore's Visual Impact Muscle Building program (which is the one I used to do my original transformation).
Excellent Home Gym + PT, especially in the beginning to help you with the right weightlifting techniques. After that optional.
Read the following book and follow its advice, does not take long to read. It really has everything you need to embark on the right path, has been transformational for me personally as well.
https://www.amazon.com/Bigger-Leaner-Stronger-Building-Ultimate-ebook/dp/B006XF5BTG
You got a BJ at that age? Shit, that's more than I was doing at that age. I was fantasizing about being with girls at my college and put every woman on a pedestal. I also thought my life was just about over, but that's another story for another day.
At 19, you a half-baked product. Shit, you haven't even been formed to go into the oven, so to speak. So much road ahead of you. But you need to play your cards right. Build yourself up into the man you want to be.
Go to the gym and lift heavy weights. Get this book. It will change your life.
Learn how to speak to people in general. I'd recommend going to Toastmasters. It will help you get rid of your fear of public speaking (a fear which many people have by default).
Stop masturbating and watching porn. Trust me.
Learn about basic personal finance. r/personalfinance is a good place to start.
Read The Power of Your Subconscious Mind, No Excuses by Brian Tracy, and Way of the Superior Man by David Deida, and Can't Hurt Me by David Goggins. Your life will change.
Do these things and you will be a completely new man by 24 or even earlier. But you need to put in the work.
It all boils down to counting calories. The app Myfitnesspal is your friend.
Parallel to that you need to work out and do strength training.
Please read the book Bigger Leaner Stronger. https://www.amazon.com/Bigger-Leaner-Stronger-Building-Ultimate-ebook/dp/B006XF5BTG
I recommend all that from my own experience and the experience of other people I know.
The first 4 weeks will be hard, but after some time it will become a routine.
Just buy this book ..
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B006XF5BTG/ref=sspa_dk_detail_0?tag=mflweb-21&psc=1
.. it literally has everything you need to know about getting fit and eating right. You can get pretty much all the same info for free on the web, but this has it all in one very well written and very well researched book.
This book will answer virtually all of your questions regarding muscle building.
I just started 7 weeks ago, and love this book. https://www.amazon.com/Bigger-Leaner-Stronger-Building-Ultimate-ebook/dp/B006XF5BTG
Never look Fred weights in my life more than a couple of weeks. I now do 5 days a week, on one or two occasions I've had to miss a day, so, doubled up, i.e. Two workouts in one session.
In 7 weeks I'm down about 7 pounds, but, up visibly in muscle, doesn't even look like my chest. As a side benefit, you may not experience, I'm not normally a morning person, now, I'm up by 6:00, sometimes as early as 4:30 AM, not using an alarm.
Get a beginner book on weight training/bodybuilding. Many will throw out the classics (Starting Strength, Muscle Logic, etc).
But those reads only focus on the training side of the equation which is ultimately less than half the story for a great body. I highly recommend the book that got me out of my years of fuckarounditis:
Bigger, Leaner, Stronger by Mike Matthews
It's a point A-Z guide providing you each nut and bolt to achieving an exquisite physique.
Covers all ends of diet, even includes a great cookbook for both bulking and cutting cycles, walks you through progressive overload, how to properly track it, lays out a much more comprehensive routine than your standard 5x5, illustrates the proper forms for all of the compound lifts, weeds through all of the BS of the supplement industry and how they take advantage of beginners like yourself (highlights what's worth taking and discusses the other popular garbage out there)
It's an all-in-one guide and has become a bestseller in the crowded fitness genre for good reason.
Yeah, I used Mike Matthews bigger leaner stronger program. The books dirt cheap in digital form I believe. He also has 1 year of workouts already set up, changing them every 2 months. GO HEAVY, 4-6 rep range, 6-9 working sets per body part. http://www.amazon.com/Bigger-Leaner-Stronger-Building-Ultimate-ebook/dp/B006XF5BTG
My calories were about 1800 for 6 weeks near the end (Im 6'4" 185 right now, was down to 181-182 @ approx 12% BF) My cut lasted about 31/2 months. Keep a diary at the gym. Always do more reps/more weight than the last time. Form is king! I didnt get down as low as I wanted to, but I had a six pack, and was sick of dieting. I figure to do a little better next cut. Now Im trying to gain some weight, not get as high weight wise, or fat wise as I was last winter, then cut again, but hopefully for less time, and hopefully a little more definition.
Like everyone else here is saying, the belly is caused by too many calories, and you need to count them and make sure you eat a bit less than you consume per day to loose the belly.
I would also suggest that you hit the gym. This will consume calories which means you can drink more beer without getting fat, and also as your muscles grow they need more energy to just sit around, so you can drink even more beer without getting fat. I've been doing this for almost 3 months now, following more or less what this book says, and I am steadily loosing belly, getting buffed, and I drink just as much beer as I used to do before I started.
Good luck! :)
That soreness you feel is a great sign that you're working hard! Within a few weeks of being consistent though, your body will adapt and you won't feel anywhere near as sore after.
If you want to really get into tracking your calories / macros, MyFitnessPal is a great app for that. For your purposes, it'll probably be sufficient for a while just to maximize your protein intake-- about 1.5 grams of protein daily per pound of your bodyweight. It's a shitload, so supplementing with whey protein can be really helpful, though you don't want to start substituting it for meals.
Other than that just slam all the eggs, almonds, milk, chicken, red meat, fruit, veggies, etc. you can get your hands on. Don't trip about fat-- your body can take it. If you want a phenomenal book on nutrition/planning, this is one of my favorites
Best of luck man!
You've neglected to mention your current typical Rep Range during your Sets. Are you going high (12+) on reps per set? Low (3-6)?
As you age, capacity for work decreases and recovery time following muscle exhaustion increases.
If strength-building is your primary goal, I'd suggest you focus on using heavier weights at lower rep counts. (Many would say this isn't the optimal approach for hypertrophy- but most would agree that this is how you build strength.)
When training heavy, giving yourself adequate rest time between sets is more than okay- it's preferred.
I'd suggest you pick up a good training book. Mike Matthews "Bigger, Leaner, Stronger" is a great starter book- with a workout plan built around the big compound movements, and a lot of useful information about diet.
Best of luck!
>I make sure the majority of my calories come from nutrient-dense foods, such as the following:
>* avocados
>* greens (chard, collard greens, kale, mustard greens, and spinach)
>* bell peppers
>* brussels sprouts
>* mushrooms
>* baked potatoes
>* sweet potatoes
>* berries
>* low-fat yogurt
>* eggs
>* seeds (flax, pumpkin, sesame, and sunflower)
>* beans (garbanzo, kidney, navy, and pinto)
>* lentils and peas
>* almonds, cashews, and peanuts
>* whole grains, such as barley, oats, quinoa, and brown rice
>* salmon, halibut, cod, scallops, shrimp, and tuna
>* lean beef, lamb, and venison
>* chicken and turkey.
>I also supplement with a good multivitamin to fill any holes left by my diet and ensure my body gets all the micronutrients it needs.
Not really, i started on SS and SL, I stayed on it for over a year and even with a big calorie surplus i wasnt getting stronger, so i got fat. I decided to cut and those programs were killing me while cutting. Then i read the BLS book and changed my program, after seeing the reddit thread about PL needing a little of BB style i added those 12 reps exercises. My goal is to get stronger while cutting, then after cut is done get much much stronger and reach 500lbs squats and dls, 300lbs benchs, keeping muscle and abdominal definition. My current is 170x5/235x5/300x5 on bench/squat/dead, im 6'4 and 200lbs
Michael Matthew's book has an excellent routine I moved to when I finished Stronglifts. If you're serious about improving then his book is to the point on everything you need to know as a relatively new lifter, and all sourced.
However, you can find normal splits online. Do something simple like: 1. Chest and triceps. 2. Legs. 3. Back and biceps. 4. Shoulders.
You can throw some ab work in there as well.
If you're doing it right you can gain between 1-2 pounds a week.
A great book that breaks everything down really simple and easy to follow is Bigger Leaner Stronger by Michael Matthews
http://www.amazon.com/Bigger-Leaner-Stronger-Building-ebook/dp/B006XF5BTG
I downloaded it for $7 on iBooks. Great read.
sure, it's the 5 days a week routine from here
Books I've read and/or am reading.
- Bigger Leaner Stronger ^link Basically a book version of the /r/fitness wiki plus a good variation on 5-rep workouts, which I made solid gains. Took my bench from 245 to 315 in 7ish months on this program alone.
- Destroy the Opposition ^link Slightly different take on powerlifting training. Jamie Lewis is a bit crude, but it's an interesting read. I did not try out his program at the end of the book, but I enjoyed the read. The tl;dr is "use lots of volume and find the form that fits your body".
- NASM Essentials of Personal Fitness Training ^link Just started reading this now, looks promising. Basically a good resource on building a program if you plan on being self-coached. It's based on starting from scratch, so it might not be 100% relevant. Get the previous edition (linked) used to save some money. I found one in good condition online for like $10 on ebay, but they're like $12-15 on Amazon and other bookseller websites.
- Strength Training Anatomy ^link It's useful as an extra guide for perfecting form and optimizing stretching.
- Starting Strength ^link I'm a little hesitant to recommend this, because while it did get me going and making some good early gains, I've had to correct my squat and deadlift form a lot. However, my bench form is pretty decent coming out of this so it's a bit of a toss-up. If you can get it used/cheap, it might be worth reading.
If you're going into a 5/3/1 program, Jim Wendler has books on that. Most programs have a good write-up somewhere so try and read the rhyme and reason behind what you're doing, as well as investigating the core concepts if they're not explained well (linear progression, progressive overload, and periodization are all concepts that most programs are based around. PM me if you have any other questions.
this book called bigger leaner stronger is a really good book on how to make more muscles. even tho it's mostly popular with body builders it works for making muscles for boxing too. especially the diet part
https://www.amazon.com/Bigger-Leaner-Stronger-Building-Ultimate-ebook/dp/B006XF5BTG
This book: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Bigger-Leaner-Stronger-Building-Ultimate-ebook/dp/B006XF5BTG
is brilliant. You can ignore some (most/all) of the diet stuff if you want as it's aimed at people who really want to get into it, but there's workouts in there and clear instructions on most of the major lifts (and any lifts that are in the workouts but not described in detail you can youtube). I started at the gym following his workouts, scribbled bit of paper with the plan tucked into my shorts - found it really useful
(I think from looking at your profile that you're a guy but there is an equivalent book for women too if necessary)
I can no longer do back squats, deadlift and bench press due to lower back and shoulder injuries (unrelated to weight room). Currently I follow Unstoppable by John Rusin twice a week. Monday is Upper and Friday is lower. here's the lower workout
I also do 2 X days bodyweight training using Freeletics.
I can only get away with Goblet squats 7 sets of 5 reps with 22kg/48 lbs dumbbell or kettle bell depending on what's available at my gym.
Before pandemic, I used to run a 5 day per week split from Bigger, Leaner,Stronger by Mike Matthews
What to wear - if you're me shorts and a long-sleeved shirt. The shirt is because I do a lot back squats etc and I don't like the thought of bars touching my bare skin it just grosses me out a bit.
Diet - I try to keep the majority of my diet clean i.e. nothing processed and things cooked from scratch. Lots of leafy greens for good gut health. However if I want the odd chocolate bar or the odd beer I have them. When you say "I can't eat something" it becomes lodged in your brain and then when you finally allow yourself to have them you eat too much of it. Try to aim for 80/20 so 80% of your diet is not processed and healthy, 20% of it other stuff. Also don't get obsessed about calories - get yourself eating healthily first.
Etiquette - if someone is using something that I want then I'll do other pieces of my work out, if there's genuinely nothing else you can do then it's ok to wait for a piece of equipment (at peak workout times which I avoid most of the time there's sometimes queues) but don't ask "how many sets left" or glare at them just wait patiently. Wipe down the equipment after use and put all your weights away. Don't leave a ton of weights on the bar either someone else may struggle to take them off.
Times to go - avoid 5-8pm when everyone goes to the gym on the way home from work. I'm usually there 5am ish or about 2pm (depending on work) it's usually ok.
Gym near me has diagrams of how to use equipment printed on them which helps a lot! If you're not sure ask somebody people will help. I actually prefer free weights rather than equipment I think it gives you a better workout. It might help reading https://www.amazon.co.uk/Bigger-Leaner-Stronger-Building-Ultimate-ebook/dp/B006XF5BTG purely for the description of how to do the big lifts and there's workout guides in there too. He does get a bit fanatical on the diet front and the calorie counting - probably either ignore this bit or skim it when you're first starting. That book and youtube should give you a decent basis.
Start steady and don't overdo it. Most people quit working out because they go absolutely crazy doing a ton of stuff and lifting big on their first gym visit, then feel shit and can barely move for a week afterwards and abandon it. Take it steady and gradually work up to things. Nobody will judge you and don't put pressure on yourself.
https://www.amazon.com/Bigger-Leaner-Stronger-Building-Ultimate-ebook/dp/B006XF5BTG
Best book I've ever used!
I think this book is a good coverall, in terms of diet and exercise.
It also reviews cutting and bulking cycles.
Best of luck!
https://www.amazon.com/Bigger-Leaner-Stronger-Building-Ultimate-ebook/dp/B006XF5BTG
Nah you need to burn fat in order to see the muscle underneath anyway. If you eat the right sort of calories in the right amounts then it shouldn't make you lose muscle. This book explains everything really well https://www.amazon.co.uk/Bigger-Leaner-Stronger-Building-Ultimate-ebook/dp/B006XF5BTG
First things first, before you start trying to gain weight or bulk, or really do anything, get your UC under control. If you are flaring you need to get yourself out of a flare, get yourself into remission and get your gut healed up. Why? while you are flaring your body is constantly fighting inflammation, it is spending all your energy (calories) and other resources trying to fight off infection and heal your body. Also, your body is absorbing a lot less nutrients, water, etc. You aren't going to be able to feed your body what it needs to build and retain muscle.
If you aren't flaring but you are having frequent BMs, same thing applies. you need to get your BMs under control. Preferably about 1 a day, but there is some flexibility (1 every few days, or up-to ~3 a day). To do this you have got to get fiber in your diet. Fiber is tricky for a lot of us with UC. For many of us myself included, many high fiber foods are trigger foods. Don't go hog wild with fiber, buy a fiber supplement and try one small dose initially. If your body does ok with that, add a little more. Or if you are comfortable eating certain fibrous foods (you know they won't cause a flare) eat those. Bananas are one of the best to eat. They contain a mix of soluble and insoluble fiber. The greener they are the more insoluble, the riper the more soluble. Typically, soluble is easier on the gut so start with soluble fiber. I can also eat dates and very small portions of vegetables, preferably cooked. Fiber should directly affect the consistency, frequency, and regularity.
Ok, next question - sugar is it all 'bad' for you? no. In fact, sugar in and of itself is not bad for you. If you cut out sugar completely (no carbohydrates basically) then yeah you aren't going to have any energy -- your body needs carbs to keep you going. What I try to do is avoid processed sugars, if you are really on top of it avoid sugars with a high glycemic index (except right after working out). High GI means that the food (carbs) breaks down fast and spike your blood sugar (and insulin). WITH ANY FOOD RELATED ADVICE - nothing is all bad, do everything in moderation. Fats aren't bad just don't only eat fats. Sugars aren't bad, just don't only eat sugars. Also, since we are in an IBD subreddit be careful with any dietary changes you are making, really you should be consulting your GI, but we can't always do that. You need sugars just prefer 'healthy' sugars from fruits and vegetables.
Now that we are through that to the gaining weight (do not follow this advice if you are in a flare!!!). First things first calculate, your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR). This is the number of calories your body burns with you doing essentially nothing. Then you are going to take that and add about 20% to it. So, if your BMR is 2000 calories per day, plus 20% of that, you are at 2400 calories per day. That's approximately how many calories you want to get per day. Then I would break that down by macro nutrients (carbs, proteins, and fats) and try to get 300 grams of carbs (1200 calories), 150 grams protein (600 calories), 62 fats (558 calories). This is an approximation. You can also just find a calculator like this one: https://legionathletics.com/macronutrient-calculator that will do the calculations for you and let you adjust the macros. Another quick rule of thumb is to try to get your body weight in grams of proteins, double in carbs and a third in fats. Or if you want high protein low carb, swap the carbs and proteins. You may be wondering why I haven't mentioned any working out or weight lifting, that's because the diet, specifically getting enough calories and then the macros are 90% of gaining weight. The other 10% is working out and lifestyle. Get the diet going and make it a habit or the workouts won't help.
Next we start working out. If you haven't lifted weights before first thing you need to do is get educated. Go read some books watch videos on proper form, get a personal trainer or someone who knows what they are doing to watch you and make sure you are doing it right. You can and likely will get hurt if you are not checking your form. Start with body weight exercises (pushups, pullups, sit-ups, squats, lunges etc.) and yes, your form still matters on these. If you are comfortable and confident lifting weights try to go with compound exercises (squats, deadlifts, bench press, pullups, etc.) in a small rep range (4-6 reps) for sets of 3. For example, I work out 5 times a week, each day is a different muscle group (with compound exercises). So, for leg day I will do squats, Romanian deadlifts, and leg press. 3 sets of 4-6 reps of each. As you are able to complete the 3 sets of 6 reps, increase the weight from week to week (progressive overload - adding weight and/or reps regularly). That should give you a good base.
If you want more information than what I've provided pick up a book on this. I read Mike Matthew's Bigger, Leaner, Stronger and base the dietary advice and weight lifting advice on what he recommends in the book. You might also checkout Jeff Nippard on youtube whose channel focuses on science-based weight training. I'll also try to reply to this thread with any direct questions.
most Important thing is your diet. learn about how muscle mass and dieting works, it'll be a great help in every aspect of athletes life.
personally I learned all the basics from this book, it teaches you a lot
he also wrote a female version of the book but I haven't read it
That's great that you're getting started and have an ambitious goal. I read in a previous comment that you're already eating chicken, veggies, and cut out soda. Looks like you're already eating mostly minimally processed whole foods. That's a humungous start right out of the gates!
Try this out: rearrange the order in which you eat your food: protein first, green leafy vegetables second, and if you're still hungry, eat your carbs (root vegetables like potatoes, or whole grains). This allows your stomach to be filled up first with nutrient dense foods first, before adding more calories in the form of carbs.
As for portion sizes, try out hand size portions to make things simpler. Since you have a lot of weight to lose, calorie counting may be too much of a chore to get the same margin of benefit that a simpler tracking method will gain for you as well. Check out how it works here: https://www.precisionnutrition.com/calorie-control-guide
For workout routines, you definitely want to increase your daily overall physical activity: more steps, taking walks, using the stairs. Then if you have access to a gym, learn how to do your basic compound lifts: squat, deadlift, bench press, overhead press, lat pulldown. As for specific programs, you can look up Mike Matthews book on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Bigger-Leaner-Stronger-Building-Ultimate-ebook/dp/B006XF5BTG. It's a solid philosophy on how to train with no frills.
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I have been in this game for close to a decade, and what really cracked it for me was this book: https://www.amazon.com/Bigger-Leaner-Stronger-Building-Ultimate-ebook/dp/B006XF5BTG
He goes through everything (that goes into getting fit) using science and making it easy to read and digest.
The TL:DR for just weight loss is that if you bust your balls for a few hours you might burn 300kcal which is a small meal. One kg of fat is about 7000kcal. So you have to eat 1000kcal less than your body burns in a day for a week to lose 1kg. Training like a maniac will get you a third of the way there if you were eating exactly what you need to keep your weight, but it would also make you tired and hungry. That's why training to lose weight is much less efficient than starting in the kitchen. A small snack that you "earned" from busting your balls for over an hour is enough to negate the entire workout's weight loss depending on what that snack is. Where do you start? By counting calories. Download myfitnesspal and start logging and learning. Look at the calories on stuff you buy at the store and switch out all the high calorie stuff. Use "hunger supressants" like a black cup of coffee. For training? At first you start going for walks at a brisk pace. It's not hard on your knees (which running can be especially for overweight people), and it wont make you really hungry. And you start lifting for muscular development. Then once you are keeping up the calorie cutting you might be able to add some more intense cardio (but this is actually optional for weight loss, intense cardio is mostly useful for cardiovascular health).
​
Did this make sense? A final note. You are not "on a diet" in the sense that you lose the weight and then you can slack off. If you go back to eating like you do now you put the weight back on. You have to change your outlook on food. Think of it like this: our bodies developed to hunt for days without food then getting some lean food at the end of the hunt. They were never meant to sit all day and eat calorie dense food from the store. That's why they balloon out so easily. To save your body from the modern world just put all that junk out of your mind. Be strong in the store, if it's not in your house you dont have to work hard not to eat it. Go to the store full. It's not a "diet to lose weight", it's you turning your back on eating all the junk you want forever. Cheat days are fine and a part of life. But it's not your lifestyle anymore. Also don't give up if you crack and indulge. It happens. Get back on the horse and keep going. It's a no a diet that you broke and failed. It's your everyday life where you do your best to limit your calorie intake with no goal or endpoint in sight. It's just how you live. Get it?
cardio can be used to help your body in many ways (aging, hormones, heart/lung/circulation) but don't' look to it as a primary means of weightloss. be careful on tendonitis doing too much of the same thing, too soon. read up on HIIT and true low/slow cardio (like long hikes) as a combo on different days, vs. doing 75% effort on all days (key: variety of intensity)
you lose weight in the kitchen. plenty on reddit and online about different ways to do this, find one that works for you, but do get an app (ie: myfitnesspal) and start tracking everything for a while. until you have your shit dialed in.
and yes, lift weights. they will change your bone density, muscle mass, hormones and body like nothing else.
one book that is decent for both the diet and lifting side is: https://www.amazon.com/Bigger-Leaner-Stronger-Building-Ultimate-ebook/dp/B006XF5BTG/
> • Get under 165 lbs by IF, tracking macros 1800 calories/day 40/30/30, stop eating like shit. By April 26th
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> Nothing special to report. Lifting again. Working my way up with my weak weights. Planning to write out some short term, and long term goals for lifts.
​
Two excellent tools I'd recommend are TDEE 3.0 Calculator and Symmetric Strength
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The calculator is excellent for tracking your weight loss / gain goals and readjusts your TDEE daily based on the data you input. It takes a few weeks before it becomes really accurate but is well worth the effort.
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Symmetric Strength changed the way I programmed my lifting workouts - input as much data as you can and you'll soon find not only your weakest lifts but also your weakest muscles. I went from being obsessed about the weights I was lifting to being obsessed about symmetry and overall strength. It made me focus more on particular muscles / muscle groups that were lagging behind. As a result, I'm finding great improvements in the areas I was weak in - and, as a result, my lifts overall have gone up.
​
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> Gonna add keto tomorrow to my IF just till I get to my goal weight then reevaluate from there. I can't control my heigh but I can control my weight which I have done a poor job of.
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This book should be on the sidebar in my opinion. Everything you need to know about nutrition and lifting in one long but easy read
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> **Dread level: ** 2-3 need to add more 3 BJJ has helped with that but need to get out more. Called a friend and made plans with him this week. Baby will be at grandmas.
​
Are you getting out more just to increase dread or are you getting out more because you want to?
I have 48 / 31. I hold all my fat in the abdomen, so even at DEXA 12% my abs aren't great. My obliques are for some reason way over developed too.
Progressive overloading my abs is what brought me some gains. I have been using - https://www.amazon.com/Bigger-Leaner-Stronger-Building-Ultimate-ebook/dp/B006XF5BTG/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1525415684&sr=8-3&keywords=bigger+leaner+stronger
Here is an article from Micheal Matthews about abs (author of that book)-
https://www.muscleforlife.com/how-to-get-six-pack-abs/
>For example:
1 set of Cable Crunches, 10-12 rep range Directly into 1 set of Captain’s Chair Leg Raises, to failure Directly into 1 set of Air Bicycles, to failure Rest 2-3 minutes
>Do 3 circuits per workout 2 – 3 times per week, and your abs and obliques will develop. Let’s now look at how we can develop the rest of the core muscles.
read this book
this was a life-changer for me, seriously.
read this book. amazing stuff with plenty of useful info!
i switched from it to the one from this book pretty soon. i highly recommend the book!
Power cleans, clean and jerks might help with lifting the bags over your shoulder.
I'm not familiar with those workout programs. I did a my own thing for a few years never really making progress. Whenever I googled something this website kept coming up. It is very resourceful and well written. From there i found this book It connected some dots for me especially with diet. Since following the info in it I've had tremendous success. There's a women's version too, but the reviews reveal its the same book with a few pronouns changed.
I want mention, since I forgot initially, diet is of the utmost importance for building muscle.
Buy this book:
https://www.amazon.com/Bigger-Leaner-Stronger-Bodybuilding-Weightlifting-ebook/dp/B006XF5BTG
Read the whole thing, and follow the advice.
I can recommenced a book http://www.amazon.co.uk/Bigger-Leaner-Stronger-Bodybuilding-Weightlifting-ebook/dp/B006XF5BTG
I gained 10-15Kg using this book
>DIETARY FAT
>Dietary fat is the densest energy source available to your body, with each gram of fat containing more than twice the calories of a gram of carbohydrate or protein (9 versus 4, respectively).
>Healthy fats, such as those found in meat, dairy, olive oil, avocados, and various seeds and nuts, help your body absorb the other nutrients that you give it, nourish the nervous system, maintain cell structures, regulate hormone levels, and more.
>Chemically speaking, dietary fat is composed of chains of carbon atoms that can be anywhere from 2 to 22 atoms in length. Most of the dietary fat found in the American diet is of the “long-chain” variety, with 13 to 21 carbons per molecule.
>If the carbon atoms are bound together in a certain way, the result is the unsaturated form of fat, which is liquid at room temperature and found in high amounts in foods like fish, oils, and nuts.
>If there are no such bonds between the carbon atoms, the result is the saturated form of fat that is solid at room temperature and found in high amounts in dairy products. While meats are generally thought of as rich in saturated fat (and red meat in particular), they contain about as much unsaturated fat as saturated.
>It’s also commonly believed that eating saturated fat increases your risk of heart disease. However, a panel of scientists from the University of Cambridge and Medical Research Council, University of Oxford, Imperial College London, University of Bristol, Erasmus University Medical Centre and Harvard School of Public Health recently analyzed 72 studies and more than 1 million subjects and showed this to be untrue.
>While we now know that saturated fat isn’t the danger we once thought it was, we don’t quite know what the optimal daily intake should be either. The most recent report of dietary guidelines published by the USDA (2010) maintains the 2002 recommendation that we get less than 10 percent of our daily calories from saturated fat.
>But researchers point out that this recommendation is based on flawed research linking saturated fat intake with heart disease, so there’s a good chance this restriction will be modified in future guidelines. Until then, I recommend that you loosely follow the USDA’s recommendation.
>The type of fat that you want to avoid at all costs is trans fat. In case you don’t remember, trans fat is a form of unsaturated fat not commonly found in nature. Trans fat is created artificially and added to food primarily to increase shelf life, and it’s bad news. Research has associated trans fat intake with a variety of health problems: heart disease, insulin resistance, systemic inflammation, female infertility, diabetes, and more. There’s a reason why the Institute of Medicine recommends that our trans fat intake be “as low as possible.”
>Many cheap, packaged foods contain trans fat, such as microwavable popcorn, yogurt, and peanut butter. So do frozen foods such as pizza, packaged pastries, cakes, and the like, and fried foods are often cooked in trans fat. Any food that contains hydrogenated oil or partially hydrogenated oil contains trans fats.
>Unfortunately, avoiding trans fats isn’t as simple as finding foods with labels claiming them to be trans fat free. To meet the FDA’s definition of “zero grams trans fat per serving,” food doesn’t have to contain no trans fats— it must simply contain less than 1 gram per tablespoon, or up to 7 percent by weight, or less than 0.5 grams per serving. So, if a bag of cookies contains 0.49 grams of trans fat per serving, the manufacturer can claim it’s trans fat free on the packaging.
>The best way to avoid trans fats is to shun the types of foods that commonly contain them, regardless of what the nutrition facts panel says.
>So, to recap, you can be quite flexible in how you get your dietary fats: dairy, meat, eggs, oils, nuts, and fish are all healthy sources. You don’t have to fret over your saturated fat intake, but you should strive to get plenty of unsaturated fats in your diet as well and should eat as little trans fat as possible (I eat absolutely none).
>Don't get me wrong, losing almost 60 pounds if a good accomplishment for a lazy man like myself, but I didn't feel like my body actually improved.
Dude, if you lost 60 pounds with diet and exercise, you are not a lazy man. Yeah, maybe you could tinker with your nutrition and your workout regimen and see better results, but you should purge that kind of self-talk from your mind.
I think it's great that you're looking into weight training. The more muscle you add to your body, the faster your metabolism will be. You'll burn more calories just sitting around idle if you have more muscles in your frame.
You will likely get your body's testosterone production kicked into gear in the process. Obesity is strongly linked with low testosterone-- but you can turn that around by lifting heavy ass weights.
I'm not knocking Yoga, btw-- I think it's great that you've committed to it and if you're loving it, that's 90% of the battle. It's unclear from your post whether or not the PT laid out a specific recommended workout routine for you to follow. If he didn't, you will find more than enough info in the wiki. Or you could buy a book. One of the better recent titles I'd recommend is "Bigger, Leaner, Stronger". It will cover everything you need to know about diet, metabolism, strength training, etc. Plus, it lays out recommended routines built around the big compound movements, along with illustrated instructions on how to perform them.
You're doing great, and you can be doing even better. You've got the discipline you need, and you're making progress, and there's nothing wrong with making course corrections to help get you to your goals more quickly. Keep up the good work!
I really like this book: Bigger, Leaner, Stronger by Michael Matthews (http://www.amazon.com/Bigger-Leaner-Stronger-Building-Ultimate-ebook/dp/B006XF5BTG) It's a great primer and an easy read and condenses a lot of what you can find on /r/fitness.
Well done!
If you're looking for a way to put on clean mass I just read a great book on it - http://www.amazon.com/Bigger-Leaner-Stronger-Building-Ultimate-ebook/dp/B006XF5BTG
Read through this OP. Answers all your questions
>BULKING 101: HOW TO EAT FOR MAXIMUM MUSCLE GAINS
>As you know, if you’re in the 10 to 12 percent body fat range and looking to put on muscle as quickly as possible, you want to bulk.
>Yes, you’ll gain some fat along the way, but if you do it right, it won’t be excessive, and it’ll come off easily once you’re ready to cut.
>Based on my experience working with thousands of people, the average guy on a proper bulk will gain muscle and body fat at a ratio of about 1:1 (1 pound of fat gained for every pound of muscle).
>In terms of weight gain while bulking, you want to see your weight going up at a rate of 0.5 to 1 pound per week. Any more than that, and you’ll be gaining too much fat.
>If you’re new to weightlifting, however, then you’ll probably gain 2 to 3 pounds per week for the first few weeks while your muscles fill up with water and glycogen. This doesn’t mean you’re gaining too much fat, and you should see this number settle into the 0.5 to 1-pound range within your first four to six weeks on the program.
>When you have your bulk dialed in, you should be increasing reps on your major lifts every week and weight on the bar every three to four weeks.
>CALCULATING YOUR BULKING DIET
>As you know, a proper bulking diet requires that you eat more calories than you burn every day.
>While this sounds like a great idea now, don’t be surprised if you get sick of eating “all of this food” at some point along the way. You won’t be slamming down thousands of extra calories every week like some programs would have you doing, but even slight overfeeding over time can get a little uncomfortable.
>You can also expect to hold more water than normal, as you’ll be eating a substantial amount of carbohydrate every day. This makes you look kind of “puffy.” Again, it’s just part of the “price” you have to pay for optimizing muscle growth.
>So, let’s get to the actual dietary numbers for bulking. Here’s where you start:
>* 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight per day
>* 2 grams of carbs per pound of body weight per day, and
>* 0.4 grams of fat per pound of body weight per day.
>That’s where you start. For a 150-pound guy, it would look like this:
>* 150 grams of protein per day,
>* 300 grams of carbs per day, and
>* 60 grams of fat per day.
>This would be about 2,340 calories per day (remember that protein and carbs contain about 4 calories per gram and fat contains about 9), which is the right place to start bulking for a 150-pound man.
>Chances are these numbers are lower than other recommendations you’ve seen on the Internet. That’s because many bulking programs out there are just overkill. They put you in a huge calorie surplus with the explanation that you have to “eat big to get big.”
>Well, while it’s true you have to eat more than you normally would to maximize muscle growth, you don’t have to eat nearly as much as some would have you believe.
>GENERAL BULKING RECOMMENDATIONS
>When I’m bulking, I try to be within 100 calories of my daily target, and I err on the high side (it’s better to be over your target than under).
>Don’t think of a bulk as a license to eat whatever you want whenever you want it, as this will inevitably lead to excessive overeating and thus excessive fat storage, which will slow down your gains in the long run.
>You can have a cheat meal every week, but keep it moderate. We’ll talk about why soon, but a high-protein, high-carbohydrate cheat meal is preferable to a high-fat one.
>I recommend eating plenty of meat while bulking because it’s particularly effective for building muscle. Generally speaking, I eat two servings of meat per day (lunch and dinner) and alternate between various types such as ground turkey, chicken, lean beef, and fish.
>ADJUSTING YOUR NUMBERS
>The numbers given in the formula above are starting points, and there’s a chance that you will need to eat more to effectively gain strength and muscle (especially if you have an ectomorphic body that is naturally skinny and lean). Part of the game is finding your body’s “sweet spots” for bulking, cutting, and maintaining.
>Fortunately, this is easy to do. Most guys will find their sweet spots to be within 10 to 15 percent of the targets they originally calculated, but some need to eat more to steadily gain weight (it’s rare for a guy to gain fat too quickly on the above recommendations and have to reduce intake).
>So, if, after seven to ten days, your weight hasn’t gone up despite pushing yourself hard in your workouts, you’re just not eating enough. Increase your daily intake by 100 calories (by adding more carbs, preferably) and reassess over the next seven to ten days. If this doesn’t result in weight gain, increase again and repeat the process until you’re gaining weight at a rate of about 0.5 to 1 pound per week.
>If you’re like most guys, here’s how it’s going to go: you’re going to start with the above formula and gain weight for the first month or two, and then you’re going to stall. You then will increase your daily intake once or twice and start gaining again. At some point, you’ll probably stall again, increase again, and start gaining again. After a bit more progress, your body fat percentage will eventually reach the 15 percent range, and you’ll have a month or so left to bulk before you cut to strip away the fat and repeat the process.
>You can reduce your calories to a maintenance level on your rest days if you want, or you can stick to your bulking numbers. The small reduction won’t make a difference in terms of overall fat storage, but some guys like to take a break from all the eating a couple of days per week.
Monday - Chest
Wednesday - Back/Lats
Friday - Shoulders
Saturday - Legs
Sunday - Abs
- 2 warmup sets of 10 reps of 50% working weight. Rest 1 minute in between.
- 1 warmup set of 6 reps of 75% working weight. Rest 3 minutes.
- 9-12 working sets
- A working set should be 4-6 reps.
- The weight for a working set should be the weight where you can only do 4-5 reps.
- If you can do a set of 6 reps with perfect form, then add more weight.
- Rest 2-3 minutes between each set.
- Total time in gym, 45-60 minutes, tops.
- Work a muscle group once per week. A muscle takes 5-7 days to heal.
Usually, I find that on the first working set of the day, I can do 6 reps. I immediately add 10 lbs for the next set. This seems to happen every week. Will it slow down? I'm sure it will one day. Right now, I am still enjoying newb gains.
Generally, I favor compound exercises. Biceps and triceps end up getting worked out due the compound exercises. Therefore, no isolation for them. However, personally, I do isolate the chest for some of my sets on Monday. For me, bench press doesn't activate the chest enough and I really want to kill it.
Abs can be difficult. You really need to find a machine or some heavy weight to push the abs to their limit in 4-6 reps. I do situps with a big ass dumbbell clutched to my chest.
For legs, I'm using a leg press machine. I don't consider myself worthy enough to hang with the guys at the squat rack yet. It seems like they have a whole in-crowd group going on over there and they like to camp.
For lats, I do lat-pulldowns. I can do more than my body weight. It was a super proud day when I could lat-pulldown more than my weight. Chin-ups had always been difficult for me. Now, they aren't.
For shoulders, I do military presses.
I log everything in Fitness Buddy.
I know allot of the initial gains are central nervous system growth. That's ok. I'm adding weight every week.
I learned from this book: http://www.amazon.com/Bigger-Leaner-Stronger-Building-Ultimate-ebook/dp/B006XF5BTG
Michael Matthews uses studies to back his bro-science.
Shifting a training day forward or backward 24 hours, for whatever reason, is no problem.
I don't work traps. I don't like the big trap look.
That section of the book is even longer & can't fit in a single post. You can check out the book here though, highly recommended
Apart from the lack of benefit (as commented below) from eating too much, if you are eating at an surplus the excess protein (that dosen't get used to rebuild muscle) converts into fat.
Your BMI is actually ~ 1830, so 1500 is only a 300 cal deficit.
1500 may be a 700 cal deficit to TDEE, not BMR.
Anyway, you don't want to eat less than BMR. That's how much energy your body needs per day just to exist, without counting the energy it needs to get up & move around or exercise. BMR should be your basement on a healthy cut, and for someone your size that's ~ 1850 calories.
Up your intake to around 2000 cal minimum (your body will thank you).
Do HIIT cardio for 30 mins, 3-5x a week (fasted occasionally if possible)
Keep weight training to preserve muscle.
You'll see results.
Also, reading through this might help you correct any mistakes you're making
Cutting 101: How To Eat For Maximum Fat Loss
An excerpt
>ADJUSTING YOUR NUMBERS
>If your weight has remained the same for seven to ten days and you haven’t gotten any leaner, and you’ve stuck 100 percent to your numbers, you simply need to move more or reduce your calorie intake.
>My first choice is always “move more,” but you can only do so much exercise. I recommend doing no more than five 60-minute weightlifting and four 30-minute cardio sessions per week. This is quite a bit, and any more will place too much stress on the body when you’re in a calorie deficit.
>If you’re already doing that much exercise and you’re not getting leaner, then you need to reduce your daily calorie intake. You do this by removing 25 grams of carbs from your daily numbers (cutting your daily intake by 100 calories) and then give this new intake seven to ten days and reassess.
>It’s worth noting that you don’t want to reduce intake below your BMR, as this can cause too much metabolic slowdown. In case you don’t remember, here’s how you calculate your BMR:
>* BMR = 370 + (21.6 * LBM [lean body mass in kg])
>This answers the question of how long you can cut for: you can cut until your intake reaches BMR, but don’t reduce your intake lower than that.
>If you’re doing the maximum amount of exercise recommended, you have gradually reduced your intake to your BMR, and your weight loss has stalled but you want to keep losing fat, first you will need to speed your metabolism back up. You do this by slowly increasing your food intake back up to your TDEE, at which point you can flip back to a normal deficit and continue to lose fat.
>This is known as “reverse dieting,” and it’s something I talk more about in the sequel to this book, Beyond Bigger Leaner Stronger, which was written for more advanced weightlifters. Reverse dieting is more relevant to the experienced and well-developed weightlifter looking to get to the 6 to 8 percent body fat range while retaining strength and lean mass than the beginner looking to build muscle and get to the 10 percent range, but you should know about it nonetheless.
>Last but not least, let’s talk about how to eat on the days when you’re not lifting or exercising at all. In the case of cutting, it’s simple: keep your numbers the same. You don’t need to adjust up or down.
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