The Fitness Thread

[N0rdicNinja]

There seems to be a decent amount of interest in the subject so it was decided that there should be an independent Physical Fitness thread for which we can discuss the subject. It's a subject very near and dear to me so I'm more then happy to kick start things! =)

First let me talk about who I am and my experiences on the subject:

Five years ago I was topping the scales at 280lbs and I was gaining fast! In about 8 months I had put on 30lbs and was on the fast track to breaking 300lbs if it hadn't been for a doctor who decided to take a personal interest in my health. He told me:

"If you don't die by the age of 60 I would be amazed. If I were a betting man I would put my money on it in fact. You're barely in your 20s and I would have guessed double that based purely on data."

I knew I was unhealthy but this was quite the eye opener... I pretty much ate fast food 2-3 times every single day and I walked as little as possible for the most part. Things needed to change...

This was the beginning of '06, 250lbs in this pic, gained another 30lbs before I kickedi t into gear.

So the first year I made the decision to actually try and diet for the first time in my life. I didn't do anything crazy over the top. I simply counted my calories, making sure to never exceed the 2000 recommended for the average person, and tried to do some form of outside activity at 3-4 times a week. The physical activity was anything from hiking, to a long walk, to shoveling snow, to play ball with friends. Pretty much anything that would get my heart rate up. Then end result was just shy of 100lbs lost in 1 years time.

1 year later at 188lbs

While I certainly felt healthier and I was much happier with my appearance... I now felt as if I was to small. I'm 6'4" so at 188lbs you could clearly see my rips poking through... not a good thing! I also lacked any real form of definition, I was simply skinny. So for my second year I made it my goal to get bigger and that's exactly what I did! I increased my caloric intake to 4000 and began lifting weights, and lifting them hard! The end result was my weight jumped back up to 250lbs by the end of the 2nd year, but it was a much better 250lbs.

Bulked for a year straight and reached 250lbs in the end

I was satisfied with my size and strength now but I wanted more definition, so I began doing a hardcore cut while keeping the intensity up on my lifting and the results were more then I could have ever hoped for!

Half way through my 3rd year, 200lbs even and ~%11 body fat.

At this point I started going through seasonal Bulk/Cut cycles and have been improving ever since, here's what I looked like at the end of my last Cut cycle:

When I started all I wanted to do was not be fat and have a longer life expectancy than my 50s. But it became so much more then that, every time I reached a goal I would make a new one and bust my ass to reach that one. The same doctor who cut my life short before now tells me at my current rate I could expect to keep walking in my 80s or even my 90s!

This has had a drastic effect on my life, I'm now a certified Personal Trainer and I'm working on getting a degree in nutrition. A lot of my friends and family have now started their own journeys after seeing what hard work and determination can actually do for someone. And I hope I can carry that over to you all.

--------------------------------------------------

That being said I would like to use this thread both as a source of information and a place for people to share their own stories of triumph. And for anyone who wants to start the journey but just doesn't know how the hell to get the ball rolling just fire a way, I'll happily answer what I can. And I have a feeling I'm not the only one here knowledgeable on the subject.

And I will leave you with this:

 

[Eight]

Great work, man, thats really an amazing difference.

That was an awesome vid too.

I'm kinda where you were in the beginning, living in my college dorms has basically just fattened me up and killed my physical activity. Had no time to go and excercise, couldn't eat well because the college cafeteria only serves crap food :\.

Going to start getting in shape after finals week. I have trouble staying dedicated though. Hopefully you guys can cheer me on .

 

[Sequel]

I was a very skinny 138lbs but with proper diet and exercise I jumped to 180lbs of muscle.

Let me tell you something that is FACT: Diet is more important than exercising. I don't care if you hit the gym 7 days a week, if your diet consists of junk food and drinks you will not see results. Granted, genetics plays a part but that's an argument not worth having because those who are blessed with godlike genetics don't belong in a thread like this.

Before you consider hitting the gym, consider changing what you eat. The old saying, you are what you eat is 100% true.

Now, you may think diet is complicated but it's not. Don't be intimated by the droves of 300 page diet books online and at your local bookstore. They overcomplicate it to show off their masters degree in nutrition. I'm here to tell you that diet is NOT ROCKET SCIENCE!

I'll break it down for you in simple steps:

Step 1 -- Don't eat fast food or junk food period. Don't drink Soda or any kind of energy drink with sugar in it. Cutting out junk food and drink is CRUCIAL and by just doing that you will see and feel a major difference. Cut back on your salt intake but know that SEA SALT is good for you.

Step 2 -- Drink water. I drink close to a gallon per day of water - only because I work out and my body needs it. Starting out, drink about 6-8 glasses a day. Remember, drink ONLY WATER and nothing else. Yeah this includes juice. Don't drink juice. Only drink Orange Juice on occasion. Don't make it an everyday habit. One glass per week is fine. Caffeine is fine but also in moderation. Drinking a mocha frappe extra soy latte with chocolate is NOT okay. Drinking green tea is fantastic. Iced tea is fine but NO SUGAR. Yep, plain and unsweetened.

Step 3 -- Most fruits and vegetables are OVERRATED. The best fruit and the ONLY fruit you ever need to eat is Wild Blueberries. It's the most BROKEN OVERPOWERED FRUIT. I've been eating ONLY that for a year and 1/2 and my results from the Doctor are godlike. Baby Spinach and Sweet Potatoes are the best vegetables. However, Broccoli, Red Radishes, and Carrots are also good. Everyday I eat one bag of mixed vegetables, and for lunch/dinner I have a Spinach salad with Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast on top. I often also eat mixed greens with my chicken.

Wild Alaskan Caught Salmon is another substitute for Chicken Breast. Eat it off and on. Most fish is garbage and filled with high levels of mercury. Wild Salmon is the BEST fish for you hands down. I only eat that and Chicken for my protein. Occasionally I'll eat red meat. Around once a month.

Note on salads: DON'T DRENCH YOUR SALAD IN RANCH OR ANY DRESSING SOLD IN STORES! That is the biggest joke of all time. Someone thinking their eating healthy by ordering a salad then DRENCHING it with salad dressing. Use EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL as your dressing. Also sprinkle on some raw sesame seeds over it. Seeds are very good for you.

Step 4 -- Vitamins only work when your diet is on point. A lot of people in the medical field discredit vitamins, trust me when I say they are just protecting their jobs. The job which includes dolling out prescription medication that only MASKS the problem but doesn't fix it. The pharmaceutical industry is bigger than you may think.

The Vitamins I take are this: Mukta Vati (an herbal supplement good for high blood pressure and a ton of other stuff), Iodine (great for keeping your thyroid in check amongst other things), a Multi-Vitamin (essential for filling in the gaps when your food just isn't enough), and FISH OIL (fantastic for a bunch of reasons)

Step 5 -- Drink a protein shake. Here is what I make: 1 cup of Water, 1 cup of Wild Organic Frozen Blueberries, 1 cup of Walnuts, 2 scoops of 100% Gold Standard Whey (sold at GNC or on Amazon). I drink this at least twice a day. Sometimes I toss in some Flax Seeds but not often.

Step 6 -- Exercise at least 3 days per week. See a specialist before you start hitting the weights. Bad form can injure you. Be smart, use your head.

Exercise does not have to be EXTREME.

Case in point: I knew someone who bought a stationary bike and put it in front of his TV and played video games while doing the bike for 45 minutes a day. He went from 300lbs to 190lbs in 8 months. But guess what? He had to change his diet first.

ProTip: Don't be fooled by the NON FAT craze. It's a buzz word that's abused. Most NON FAT products still have a ton of other shit in them that are BAD for you.

ProTip #2: Don't think just because you're some skinny kid who gets to eat whatever they damn please that you're healthy. While you may not see or feel the effects of your poor eating habits now, down the road it will catch up to you and it won't be pretty.

ProTip #3: Eat BREAKFAST. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Don't skip it. A protein shake, PLAIN OATMEAL, or Egg whites are good for breakfast.

ProTip #4: Eat 5-6 SMALL meals per day. This helps speed up your metabolism.

ProTip #5: Low carb diets are trendy. Don't be fooled. There are such things as SHITTY CARBS. White Rice is HORRIBLE FOR YOU. Eating white rice will give you insulin spikes. Get your carbs from vegetables, oatmeal, fruit (blueberries) and if you must eat rice, make it brown or wild.

NordicNinja Tips:

- I'm an avid believer of ALWAYS incorporating a cheat meal into every single week. For me I do it on Sundays, every Sunday I eat a meal where I throw all the rules out the window. I ignore any and all nutritional value and will eat whatever I crave at the time. Be it a Cheeseburger or Fried Chicken if I want it I have it, and I will usually follow it up with a dessert. This has never slowed my progress in the slightest, I was able to get my body fat percentage down to %9 on my last cut and I did this every single Sunday. This weekly treat will also keep you from mentally breaking down and falling back into bad habits, it also gives you something to look forward to. The weekly cheat is a very handy tool in mastering the mind game.

- When bulking you have to decide how you want to do it, are you going to "dirty bulk" or "clean bulk". In a clean bulk you try to gain strength and size while keeping your body fat as low as possible whereas in a dirty bulk you do whatever it takes to gain as much size and strength as possible. Clean bulks are more difficult and generally much slower but you'll keep that lean look all year round, with a dirty bulk you'll gain strength amazingly quickly but a lot of fat will come along for the rid. The main difference is going to be how you eat, when clean bulking your diet will be similar to cutting and will look a lot like Sequel's post. If you choose to dirty bulk however you'll want to consume LOTS of calories, try to shoot for at minimum 1.5x you lean body weight (basically how much you would weigh without any fat) in grams of protein with the rest of your calories split fairly evenly between fats and carbs. Your menu of available food will generally be much bigger when dirty bulking you just have to accept the fact that your body fat is also going to go up. But you'll be amazed at how strong you will get.

I think I covered everything...if I think of anything I'll update this post.

 

[dope619]

nice post sequel..
i skimmed it but its good.
diet and excercise go hand in hand,
eat some polyunsaturated or monounsaturated fat... its good for you.. *Sequel
cut carbs if you wanna lose weight.
up your protein intake.
i've been constantly working out for about 3 years now, going between heavy lifting, and basketball (we can call this my cutting time?)
went from 135 to 160/161 in a year, and currently im back to 147. playing a lot of bball and weights about 4 times a week.
supplements arent necessary but very helpful,

personally i take-
PWO jack3d or 1.M.R
scivation xtend during
and a mix of casein and whey protein after...

oh and some fish oil and vitamins.


edit: yo nordic sick transformation. what kept you motivated?

 

[Sequel]

eat some fat... its good for you..

Polyunsaturated and Monounsaturated fats are good for you. Transfats are not.

Updated my main post.

 

[Lucky Day]

All good tips from Sequel, hopefully this thread gets a lot of views and people can benefit from it.

About five years ago I was about 150lbs at 5'6'', not fat, not super skinny, but I was generally fit and didn't carry a lot of weight anywhere I shouldn't have. I played hockey on the weekends, trained jiu jitsu and wrestled twice a week, and got a good amount of exercise. I've never eaten terribly healthy, but I did sort of cheat a little by burning off a lot of the junk I ate by staying active.

I've never had much muscle mass (which I'd like to change), and was pretty much a rail my whole life, but I was by no means skin and bones.

In 2007 I had an accident wrestling and broke my shoulder in a few places. Healing didn't go real well, rehab took even longer, and it just really knocked me out of a lot of my routine for a long time. I've still got issues with it to the point where certain activities I did before just aren't possible.

I got lazy after a while even after that and while I still walked, rode my bike, and did some other light exercise I just wasn't taking care of myself like I should. Diet got relaxed and my job was conducive to me eating on the go a lot as well, so junk food was pretty common.

Long story short, in the time since I put on about 30-40 pounds.

About seven weeks ago I started finally trying to get control of my diet, cut out fast food entirely, have been on 1500 calories a day with cardio three times during the week and a little extra on the weekends.

I think I'm at about 13 pounds so far, and while I'm going slow, it's in line with losing two pounds a week which is what I wanted. I'm not trying to cram and cut weight like crazy and not keep it off, I want to change my lifestyle to keep it off forever.

So I'm in the very early stages of getting my body back to at least where it was before, and then from there I'm going to move on and modify the diet and exercise to do something I"ve never really done which is build muscle.


I'm glad to have a thread like this where I can get new ideas, see other stories, and basically share progress as I go on. At 30 years old I've basically decided if I don't get a hold of how I am physically now, I'm going to start running out of time to take care of it.

 

[Sequel]

Keep at it Lucky.

Another thing people have to realize is that like everything in life, diet and exercise takes work. You can't expect to see staggering results after only a week, a month or even up to 4 months. Every 4 months your body's red blood cells completely regenerate. You must stay consistent for those first 4 months and not fall behind.

Also, if you do decide to cut out all the junk and start eating right your body will go through a detox period. This can be very uncomfortable. Don't sweat it, it won't last forever. Your body must detox itself from all the JUNK you've been feeding it all those years prior.

 

[Lucky Day]

Yup, I know, and I will keep at it.

The one nice thing is like I said years ago I was a lot more active and had a better diet. So I at least know what to expect and how to do it, it's just a matter of following through with it.

You know how it is, when you get to be a certain age, have a job, wife, etc. and things start to take over you just have to make more of an effort to really get out and make the change.

lol, it was a lot easier to play tennis, run, wrestle, play hockey and play soccer every single week when I was a kid with a shit paying job and no girlfriend.

And totally agree on what you said about the diet being the most important part above. And I think it even gets more important as you get older. When you're 19 years old you can generally afford to pump whatever the hell you want into your body when you have the energy and time to party and be active 12 hours a day (within reason at least).

When you're balancing an adult schedule diet becomes so much more important than it was before.

 

[Hitoshura]

I can definetly realte to this topic. 3 yrs ago i was 6'1" and 320+lbs wore a 4xl shirt and i was a size 46 waist.

I stop eating fast food, soda, sweet, etc. Worked out 5-6days a week. DId cardio and lifted weights. When i hit a plateau i changed my cardio regiment and started to loose more weight.

Now im 6'3" 210 lb. Im a size large shirt and my waist is 36 inches

 

[Aluscardum]

Sequel, I agree on the importance of diet 100%.

I dropped from a very unhealthy 246 to 170 in around 6-months just from changing my diet. (The main change was a more balanced caloric intake and I quit drinking pop (my main source of sugar.))

I'm now a somewhat heavier 175, but I try to work out several times a week. I lost quite a bit of muscle when I dropped weight, so I can only bench press around 140 (vs. 190,) but I am working on building some muscle.

Great post, btw, N0rdicNinja. You don't see a lot of fitness threads on videogame forums.

 

[Sequel]

Yup, I know, and I will keep at it.

The one nice thing is like I said years ago I was a lot more active and had a better diet. So I at least know what to expect and how to do it, it's just a matter of following through with it.

You know how it is, when you get to be a certain age, have a job, wife, etc. and things start to take over you just have to make more of an effort to really get out and make the change.

lol, it was a lot easier to play tennis, run, wrestle, play hockey and play soccer every single week when I was a kid with a shit paying job and no girlfriend.

And totally agree on what you said about the diet being the most important part above. And I think it even gets more important as you get older. When you're 19 years old you can generally afford to pump whatever the hell you want into your body when you have the energy and time to party and be active 12 hours a day (within reason at least).

When you're balancing an adult schedule diet becomes so much more important than it was before.

Yup. 31 and Married here with a full time job.

 

[REYTHEGREAT]

Great post guys. I've been going to the gym for awhile now. I have made some improvements with my body. But it's not where I want to be. Currently I'm 6'2 182 pounds. I'm not thin, but I at least would like to be at 195 of pure muscles . Yes, diet is the key but with my parents having a restaurant, all I eat every day is rice and chicken haha. I eat a lot of rice. It's part of the culture I guess. But I think to reach my goal I must eat a lot if meat and veggies. I also want to be ripped lol. Ok that's a bit too much, but I can dream right? Ha.

 

[N0rdicNinja]

Great work, man, thats really an amazing difference.

That was an awesome vid too.

I'm kinda where you were in the beginning, living in my college dorms has basically just fattened me up and killed my physical activity. Had no time to go and excercise, couldn't eat well because the college cafeteria only serves crap food :\.

Going to start getting in shape after finals week. I have trouble staying dedicated though. Hopefully you guys can cheer me on .

Hell yah man! It's a daunting task at first but just take it one step at a time and try to turn it into a lifestyle choice. Just make it a part of your schedule, something you just always do and not just a short term goal. It's all a mind game, and once you master that mind game the possibilities are endless! =)

snip

I agree with this post, dieting is much more difficult then working out and once combined they improve your results ten fold. Just to add to this post however

- I'm an avid believer of ALWAYS incorporating a cheat meal into every single week. For me I do it on Sundays, every Sunday I eat a meal where I throw all the rules out the window. I ignore any and all nutritional value and will eat whatever I crave at the time. Be it a Cheeseburger or Fried Chicken if I want it I have it, and I will usually follow it up with a dessert. This has never slowed my progress in the slightest, I was able to get my body fat percentage down to %9 on my last cut and I did this every single Sunday. This weekly treat will also keep you from mentally breaking down and falling back into bad habits, it also gives you something to look forward to. The weekly cheat is a very handy tool in mastering the mind game.

- When bulking you have to decide how you want to do it, are you going to "dirty bulk" or "clean bulk". In a clean bulk you try to gain strength and size while keeping your body fat as low as possible whereas in a dirty bulk you do whatever it takes to gain as much size and strength as possible. Clean bulks are more difficult and generally much slower but you'll keep that lean look all year round, with a dirty bulk you'll gain strength amazingly quickly but a lot of fat will come along for the rid. The main difference is going to be how you eat, when clean bulking your diet will be similar to cutting and will look a lot like Sequel's post. If you choose to dirty bulk however you'll want to consume LOTS of calories, try to shoot for at minimum 1.5x you lean body weight (basically how much you would weigh without any fat) in grams of protein with the rest of your calories split fairly evenly between fats and carbs. Your menu of available food will generally be much bigger when dirty bulking you just have to accept the fact that your body fat is also going to go up. But you'll be amazed at how strong you will get.

All good tips from Sequel, hopefully this thread gets a lot of views and people can benefit from it.

About five years ago I was about 150lbs at 5'6'', not fat, not super skinny, but I was generally fit and didn't carry a lot of weight anywhere I shouldn't have. I played hockey on the weekends, trained jiu jitsu and wrestled twice a week, and got a good amount of exercise. I've never eaten terribly healthy, but I did sort of cheat a little by burning off a lot of the junk I ate by staying active.

I've never had much muscle mass (which I'd like to change), and was pretty much a rail my whole life, but I was by no means skin and bones.

In 2007 I had an accident wrestling and broke my shoulder in a few places. Healing didn't go real well, rehab took even longer, and it just really knocked me out of a lot of my routine for a long time. I've still got issues with it to the point where certain activities I did before just aren't possible.

I got lazy after a while even after that and while I still walked, rode my bike, and did some other light exercise I just wasn't taking care of myself like I should. Diet got relaxed and my job was conducive to me eating on the go a lot as well, so junk food was pretty common.

Long story short, in the time since I put on about 30-40 pounds.

About seven weeks ago I started finally trying to get control of my diet, cut out fast food entirely, have been on 1500 calories a day with cardio three times during the week and a little extra on the weekends.

I think I'm at about 13 pounds so far, and while I'm going slow, it's in line with losing two pounds a week which is what I wanted. I'm not trying to cram and cut weight like crazy and not keep it off, I want to change my lifestyle to keep it off forever.

So I'm in the very early stages of getting my body back to at least where it was before, and then from there I'm going to move on and modify the diet and exercise to do something I"ve never really done which is build muscle.


I'm glad to have a thread like this where I can get new ideas, see other stories, and basically share progress as I go on. At 30 years old I've basically decided if I don't get a hold of how I am physically now, I'm going to start running out of time to take care of it.

Fantastic job, it's much better to lose slow like you are. If you cut to quickly you will lose a noticeable amount of strength as well. By keeping it slow and steady in the end you're much better off. When it comes to fitness nothing is every done in the process of a few weeks, it's more like months.

And I look forward to hearing about your bulk, a true bulk is quite the rewarding and fun change of pace. =) There's nothing quite like putting up a new max!

I can definetly realte to this topic. 3 yrs ago i was 6'1" and 320+lbs wore a 4xl shirt and i was a size 46 waist.

I stop eating fast food, soda, sweet, etc. Worked out 5-6days a week. DId cardio and lifted weights. When i hit a plateau i changed my cardio regiment and started to loose more weight.

Now im 6'3" 210 lb. Im a size large shirt and my waist is 36 inches

Amazing! That weight loss puts mine to shame, we're roughly the same height too. A lot of people are in the position you and I were in and feel "trapped." If only they knew how easy it actually was if they could find the motivation to do it.

Sequel, I agree on the importance of diet 100%.

I dropped from a very unhealthy 246 to 170 in around 6-months just from changing my diet. (The main change was a more balanced caloric intake and I quit drinking pop (my main source of sugar.))

I'm now a somewhat heavier 175, but I try to work out several times a week. I lost quite a bit of muscle when I dropped weight, so I can only bench press around 140 (vs. 190,) but I am working on building some muscle.

Great post, btw, N0rdicNinja. You don't see a lot of fitness threads on videogame forums.

Keep that shit up! =) For anyone who's overweight bulking can actually be a scary concept, the idea intimidated me at first. The idea of eating enough to gain weight after losing so much just... wasn't appealing. But the fat you do gain from bulking is actually very easy to drop, so don't be afraid to hit it hard. In order to bulk you have to be consuming more calories then your body is burning, otherwise your body wont have the necessary means to pack on more muscle. How many excess calories is up to you and depending if you want to do it dirty or clean. But either way you need to eat up!

Great post guys. I've been going to the gym for awhile now. I have made some improvements with my body. But it's not where I want to be. Currently I'm 6'2 182 pounds. I'm not thin, but I at least would like to be at 195 of pure muscles . Yes, diet is the key but with my parents having a restaurant, all I eat every day is rice and chicken haha. I eat a lot of rice. It's part of the culture I guess. But I think to reach my goal I must eat a lot if meat and veggies. I also want to be ripped lol. Ok that's a bit too much, but I can dream right? Ha.

Getting ripped is not too much, trust me. =P Once you've bulked up enough and your muscles are large enough you'll start seeing your abs poke through around the %15 mark, which is not as difficult as it sounds to get to. At %10 or lower you'll be shredded but that requires a little more attention to detail to achieve, but still very much within the realm of possibility. But I wouldn't worry about that while bulking if I were you, especially if you have a hard time gaining weight at all. I generally tend to ignore definition while bulking. Just make sure you count your calories and that they are consistently high enough that you're taking in more then you're burning.

 

[Juggs]

I'm about 6'1" and weigh around 180-185. I want to get ripped, but not quite sure how to go about it. I'm obviously not too skinny, and not fat either. I've attempted the P90X several times, but I usually get injured or sick which leads to me just having to start over or just give up. Should I try and bulk up first, then try and get ripped? Or should I lose more weight now, then gain some, then lose some?

 

[dope619]

I'm about 6'1" and weigh around 180-185. I want to get ripped, but not quite sure how to go about it. I'm obviously not too skinny, and not fat either. I've attempted the P90X several times, but I usually get injured or sick which leads to me just having to start over or just give up. Should I try and bulk up first, then try and get ripped? Or should I lose more weight now, then gain some, then lose some?

you know your body best, but getting ripped can be hard if you dunno what to do.
some general tips i can think of are to

1 eat about 4-6 smaller meals a day that consist of lots of protein and little carbs and trans fat. keeps metabolism going.

2 dont eat a few hours before you sleep, and be sure to eat breakfast... to... break the fast...
if you must eat late night, a typical bodybuilders snack is like... cottage cheese, tuna or peanut butter.

3 the more muscle you have, the more calories you burn.

4 imo the best way for an average body to get ripped would be to lift weights and do a cardio activity alternating days.

5 look into supplements, they are a nice helping hand.

6 you can work your ass off but if you dont have proper nutrition, you wont see the results you should be seeing!

7 remember you could have dat 6-10 pac, but if your body fat is high then it wont ever show.
outside the gym is where the magic happens. get as much sleep as you can....

this has been flip's tips.

edit: anyone can see results in a month, if they're dedicated. i'm not saying you'll reach your goal, but you will definitely mark progress. which is what its about... progress.

double edit: about p90x... i think its a great get in shape tool, but i think they tried to gear it towards the bigger, unhealthier america. ab ripper X is fkn awesome though. i took a lot of moves from that DVD.

 

[N0rdicNinja]

I'm about 6'1" and weigh around 180-185. I want to get ripped, but not quite sure how to go about it. I'm obviously not too skinny, and not fat either. I've attempted the P90X several times, but I usually get injured or sick which leads to me just having to start over or just give up. Should I try and bulk up first, then try and get ripped? Or should I lose more weight now, then gain some, then lose some?

It would be hard to say without seeing you, but from the stats you've given you sound pretty "average build" for the most part. In that case you could take it in either direction but it depends on how strong you think you are. Especially if your body isn't used to working out you would likely get stronger even if you started eating and lifting for a cut. Noob gains are awesome like that. =) At the same time bulking first would provide for a much more impressive cut later, but this is also something you could do later on down the road, no need to rush things.

For anyone who isn't obviously underweight or obviously overweight you have the option in the beginning. I will say if you cut first you will likely get quite skinny, but mastering the cut is much more difficult then master the bulk so it's useful thing to start with when your motivation is on high. However bulking first is safer in the beginning cause you'll gain the strength and conditioning necessary to handle hard exercise even while you're cutting later. So... it all depends on what you want. XD

I will say if I were in your shoes I would probably do 2-3 months of strength training with cardio at a slightly elevated calorie intake. Like around the 3000 mark. The goal is simply to gain strength and size will likely come with it but you shouldn't gain to much in the way of fat. Then start cutting. I always recommend conditioning yourself.

4 imo the best way for an average body to get ripped would be to lift weights and do a cardio activity alternating days.

5 look into supplements, they are a nice helping hand.

Mostly agree with you post but just want to touch on these two.

4.) Nothing is absolute in fitness. Alternating days is definitely a proven method and generally will work. However following intense lifting with cardio is also a very proven method, so is doing cardio in the mornings while fasted. Each way will help you achieve your goals. Each has their pro's and con's of course, for example unless you're below the age of 40 I wouldn't recommend running while fasted as your body may not be prepared for that in the beginning. However if you're in your 20s it will not be an issue.

5.) Aaaaaah supplements. How I hate them. I'm not gonna say they don't do what they advertise (although I believe most of them are bull shit), but I will say %99 of them are in no way shape or form necessary. The only supplements I take are a Multi-Vitamin, Protein Shakes and specifically when I'm bulking I will use Creatine. While I don't take it personally if you find that you're having difficulty keeping the energy up while lifting any pre-workout supp with NO (Nitric Oxide) in it will generally be beneficial as well. It thins the blood and allows more oxygen to get to where it's needed most.

And before you get all worked up about Creatine don't believe what the media tells you about it, Creatine is perfectly safe. People are lead to believe it's some kind of growth hormone or something, this is most definitely NOT the case! Creatine is naturally found in meat in very small amounts, this is the reason why the make it in supplement form because you would have to eat like 50 chicken breasts to get enough for it to matter. You body stores Creatine in your muscles and when you're pushing your body to the limit and it cannot burn Carbs fast enough to keep up with the demands it will begin using Creatine as a very powerful fuel source since it's readily available in the muscle itself. This will allow you to push your body harder then normal which is why people tend to get bigger while taking it, not because it's some growth hormone. Knowledge is power!

 

[N0rdicNinja]

I received a message about how I approach my cut so I figured I would respond here.

I personally use carb cycling as my diet method of choice while cutting, but this isn't the only way to do it, it's just the way I like to do it best. What that means is I will generally go for stretches of little to no carb intake and then refuel my body on a "carb up" day. I tend to break my week down into Monday-Wednesday are low carb days, Thursday is a carb up day, Friday and Saturday are low carb days and Sunday is a carb up/cheat day. Again this is while cutting, not bulking.

My low carb days tend to look like this:
- Breakfast = Smoothie with half a cup of Oats, tablespoon of all natural peanut butter, scoop of protein powder (usually chocolate), cup of egg whites and some ice.
- Mid-morning snack = 2 Scoops of protein with water.
- Lunch = Leafed spinach with a large can of white tuna in water. Extra virgin olive oil used as dressing.
- Afternoon snack (as I'm leaving the gym) = 2 Scoops of protein with water.
- Dinner = Couple of Chicken Breasts, Salmon Fillets or a mix of the two and some bean sprouts.

My Thursday carb up day will generally look the same with a few execeptions
- Mid-morning snack = Meal replacement protein bar (more carbs)
- Lunch = Double meat chicken breast on 6-inch Wheat from subway, loaded with veggies and a line of honey mustard.
- Dinner = Instead of bean sprouts I'll have a broccoli/carrot mix, meats stay the same though.

On my cheat day I usually shoot for cheating on my lunch meal, my normal tends to be a bacon cheeseburger followed up with some type of cakey dessert. Yum!

Now the above is pretty strict, and I wouldn't recommend jumping straight into something like this unless you've already got your head in the game. Yes it will work for you just like it does me, but the vast majority of people crash when they jump straight into the extreme and go right back to their old habits. I would say for the average person looking to lose weight, especially if you're at the level of obese, simply count your calories and make sure your dinner is generally healthy. That by itself will help you get down in weight when combined with exercise. As your body fat percentage gets to the %15 and lower range that's when you have to start getting a bit more hardcore if you wish to get ripped as they say.

 

[dope619]

thats a hell of a cut! lol
as for cheat days i do in and out a lot. =] (what a burger or 5guys equivilent)
dont forget to stay hydrated if you take creatine!

hey nordic, what is your opinion about bcaa's and beta alanine?
i know my whey shake has some bcaa's in it, but ive read something about how free form bcaas are much better. yada yada...

 

[N0rdicNinja]

I would like to note that I'm not a doctor and these are all my opinions based on my experiences.

BCAAs should be on your list of supplements to take for health reasons, not to improve your strength/muscle gain or weight loss. I took them for about 6 months and literally saw no real increase or decrease in results or performance from previous years. BCAAs are a very good supplement to take for health reasons and are especially good at helping you recover from injury. But as far as seeing results, I don't consider them a must have supplement.

Beta Alanine is another useful tool if you find that your muscles fatigue to quickly. A lot of supps that contain NO will also contain bAlanine, so I couldn't really tell you which one is doing most of the work but they do indeed do what they say. However like most supps if you don't need it why take it? I don't know about you but I don't like throwing out a bunch of money every month if it isn't entirely necessary. In the beginning I had trouble with energy and took some NO (with bAlanine) supps and it definitely helped, but I've since weened myself off of them and see no reason to go back.

As I tell every client I've worked with research all supplements before you take them, don't just take them because you see a fit/strong dude doing it. If it isn't necessary for you, then spend your money on something else. Unless you have plenty of disposable income and it doesn't matter, then more power to you!

 

[Sequel]

Updated my post to include a few things from Nordic.

Edit: Nordic can you explain what you eat for a Dirty Bulk? Like each day per week.

Your cycle carb cut is nasty, good shit. What do you do for exercise each day per week during the cycle carb cut? (And how do you maintain size while cutting like that)

Also while you were on the cycle carb cutting, how long did it take you to see amazing results?

 

[lobo]

why not post?

last year at DEVASTATION i tipped the scales at just under 250 lbs. at 6'2" i was getting big.

i did p90 for like a week and gave it up, and instead did some pretty minor changes to my diet. i gave up soda and candy altogether, and i made myself never eat anything after 9 pm. these two changes alone dropped me steadily to 195 lbs, and then i started lifting/riding my bike every day. now i'm back up to 205, yet still getting slimmer. i can FINALLY wear my 34 waist jeans again...after like 5 years of not fitting into them!

 

[JuliusRage]

I'm 6'1 176 pounds.

My normal weight is probably around 157 but I like to balloon up during the winter.

When summer rolls around I hit the treadmill and get the mid section (Aka the Panty Dropper) shreaded up first. After that I go to work on everything else.

Then August hits and its back to 3 cans of beer for dinner washed down with a side of gummy worms until the girl I'm fucking at the time gets sick of me and stops coming over.

Then I download porn instead of going to the gym.

Rinse and repeat until my metabolism slows down and I'm relegated to setting up shop with some easily amused bitch who I tricked into marrying me.

 

[N0rdicNinja]

Updated my post to include a few things from Nordic.

Edit: Nordic can you explain what you eat for a Dirty Bulk? Like each day per week.

Your cycle carb cut is nasty, good shit. What do you do for exercise each day per week during the cycle carb cut? (And how do you maintain size while cutting like that)

Also while you were on the cycle carb cutting, how long did it take you to see amazing results?

I'm not gonna lie, I do tend to lose a bit of strength while cutting, but I also try to only cut for a 3-4 month period. The strength loss isn't that drastic but it is noticeable. After I've cut to a point I'm satisfied with, usually around %10, I'll go into maintenance mode and just try to maintain my cut until mid September when I start bulking throughout the winter. But again as long as you keep hitting the weights hard your strength loss isn't going to be huge.

As for what I do on a cut I break down my days into: Leg day, Chest/Tricep day, Back/Bicep day, Shoulder/Core day. I tend to stick with the 5x5 mentality where I will do 5 sets of 5 work outs on every day but I try to do 12 reps at each workout. The first set I do is usually an easy warm up set (which doesn't count towards the 5 sets) but after that you want to try and find a weight where it is quite difficult to hit the 12 mark, I usually try to use weight where I may need a spot towards the end of it. I will try to keep my rest period around 60 seconds, as I get closer to my last set I might rest a bit longer but not much, maybe something like 90 seconds.

What exact workouts I do will change quite often, I don't really stick to one regiment, however there are a few exercises I always do regardless:

Leg day: Squats
Chest day: Barbell bench press and Dips/Pushups
Back day: Dead lift and Pull ups
Should day: Standing barbell shoulder press

I also run twice (preferably outside) a week and swim once a week. When I do cardio I'm not shooting for a specific distance, I instead run for a certain amount of time, usually 30-45 minutes depending on the day, same goes for swimming. I try to keep running the entire time, I may slow down but never stop, I also try to vary it by switching up my jogging and sprinting as I go. I'm not good enough at swimming to do it non-stop yet but I try to push myself as far as I can before resting, my goal is eventually to be able to swim 30 minutes straight. Still got a ways to go. =P

why not post?

last year at DEVASTATION i tipped the scales at just under 250 lbs. at 6'2" i was getting big.

i did p90 for like a week and gave it up, and instead did some pretty minor changes to my diet. i gave up soda and candy altogether, and i made myself never eat anything after 9 pm. these two changes alone dropped me steadily to 195 lbs, and then i started lifting/riding my bike every day. now i'm back up to 205, yet still getting slimmer. i can FINALLY wear my 34 waist jeans again...after like 5 years of not fitting into them!

Good shit man! It's amazing how much of a difference little changes actually make over the course of a few months. I like to compare fitness to putting money into savings. Just putting a small percentage of your money away every paycheck will add up to a surprising amount over a years time. Same with fitness, make a few changes in your life and maintain them over the course of a year and just think about what your body will go through. =)

I'm 6'1 176 pounds.

My normal weight is probably around 157 but I like to balloon up during the winter.

When summer rolls around I hit the treadmill and get the mid section (Aka the Panty Dropper) shreaded up first. After that I go to work on everything else.

Then August hits and its back to 3 cans of beer for dinner washed down with a side of gummy worms until the girl I'm fucking at the time gets sick of me and stops coming over.

Then I download porn instead of going to the gym.

Rinse and repeat until my metabolism slows down and I'm relegated to setting up shop with some easily amused bitch who I tricked into marrying me.

Alpha

 

[DanCock]

nice job nordic ninja and everyone else looking good




i posted alot of what i did in this thread http://testyourmight.com/forum/showthread.php?1688-Health-advice-needed

to keep it simple i was pretty much a fat guy my whole life. i finally got sick and tired of "being ok with it"..

i have gotten lazy this past year, but i havent gained anything, havent lost anything either except maybe some muscles here and there where fat has creeped back in.. so i do need to get off my fat ass and get back to working out.. maybe my free time should be used working out instead of trying to be atleast decent at fighting games...

**NOTE** 2005 pics i was trying to flex, 2009 pics no flex attempt at all. and in 2005 i had my shorts up higher on my waist to cover the huge muffin top LOL now i just have a smaller muffin : X





**note 2** i read some where, where people say dont eat after a certain time in the day or before bed, from my own experience it doesnt matter when you eat, its HOW MUCH YOU EAT.. i eat late at night every night.. portion control is key #1 to losing weight atleast thats how it was for me..

 

[lobo]

never eating after 9 and staying up till 2-3 every night is my method. so...i don't eat for the last 5-6 hours that i am up each day. you could adjust that to your sleep schedule. it has really worked great for me. during the day i eat whatever the hell i want, barring soda and candy, and however much of it i want. timing your eating is CRUCIAL. if you eat late, even a little bit, your body will pack it on as fat reserves while you sleep. on the same note, you can eat a massive and unhealthy breakfast, a modest lunch, and then whatever for dinner, and as long as you remain active in the day you will break it all down by the time you go to bed. i work as a chef and i eat soooooooooooooooo much stuff that is absolutely terrible for me, yet i remain fit by sticking to this schedule.

if you ask me, it is more important that portion control or any other form of dieting. it may even be more important that exercise if you are just trying to take off pounds.

that said...great progress! how many lbs have you dropped?

i'm working on getting my abs back. i should see them in a month or so. they went on vacation a few years back. they used to be so beautiful...