blonde poker forum

Right then this is something that I've meaning to do for ages but have consistently made excuses not to.

Anyone that knew me before I started playing poker would know that I was a fitness freak who went to the gym 6 days a week and did kick boxing or ju jitsu 3 times a week.

For various reasons, the major one being getting involved with a girl, I eventually stopped all my training and got in to the bad habit of being a lazy, bone idle slob!!!

There's no point denying it any longer. That is what I've become and before long I'll be a fat, lazy, bone idle slob and I couldn't handle that. I've already put on a little bit of body fat which I never used to have and if I'm honest it really bothers me. I've lost my big shoulders, my chest no longer sticks out proudly in front of me and my biceps are non existant.

In order to rectify this I need to get back to the gym and also eat properly.

I've been talking about doing this for ages and my intention is that by making this diary I'll help to motivate myself to get started and achieve my goals

If anybody's remotely interested it would be great to get any feedback. However, I'm doing this 100% for myself and it's purely designed as a kick up the arse to get me started. Once I'm in a routine I might not carry this on but I need to do something to help me start and this is the path I've chosen.

More to follow.........

You haven't mentioned your diet, any reason why?

Step 1 - Join the gym.......

My work involves me starting every day at the University of Nottingham at 8am to see how everything's going on that particular contract. This presents an ideal training opportunity as they have a reasonably priced gym which is available to the public on site.

It opens at 7am so my intention is to train at 7am before work 4 or 5 days a week + also train on Saturday morning.

This was my old routine and it worked well so there's no reason it won't work now.

The only difference is that previously I trained after work. This isn't possible now as I have a dog who requires my attention after work so early mornings it is.

So I'm sat in my office at the Uni now. I am going to finish this post then head off to the gym and sign up for a yearly membership.

I can't see the point in waiting, I've waited long enough so the time to start is now!!!

Back soon.....

Please don't insult my intelligence....

Curry night tomorrow though still yeah?

[  ] I have a dog

[X] Its a good job I have other friends

LOL university gym now makes much more sense.

Not playing poker Friday nights then?

Oh, and yeah get to the gym you skinny fat waster.

Right then. Step 1 is now sorted. I've rejoined the gym so I'm ready to go tomorrow morning at 7am.

I've signed up for the year so if I don't keep this up I've just wasted £245.

Flip you for it

Hmmm... Poker.....

How will I fit poker in to this new routine?

Well my intention is that I will fit training in whilst still managing to do things that I enjoy, poker being one of them.

I was doing my ju jitsu at 10am on a Saturday morning whilst I was at DTD 'til 5am on Friday so I know it's achievable. Also weight training is much easier than ju jitsu so I can't see it being a problem physically.

The difficulty is achieving this mentally. Forcing myself to get out of bed on Saturday morning will be a big challenge as I have got used to having a nice lie in.

I have to say I have recently been inspired by Swordpoker's marathon which he did with no training. Obviously it was difficult physically but not impossible. If it's possible to do that then it's a pretty poor effort if I can't even drag myself out of bed on a Saturday morning just because I had a late night.

I also fully intend to keep playing online poker in the evenings. Usually this is finished by mid night but if I go deep then I'll just have to drag myself up at 6am to get ready to go to the gym. I have to get up at 7 anyway for work so 1 hour shouldn't make that much difference.

No mate curry is off for the foreseeable future.

So what do you intend to eat?  Standard answer is 'healthy food'.  Well...like what?  Not just the obvious veg, fish, chicken stuf, but proper meal plans.  Just curious is all.

It's doable, but is it wise?  You'll be able to go for so long on that regime, but sleep is an important part of training and if you lose out on that you're going to suffer in one way or another.  Maybe your work will suffer, or your sex life, or the amount of time you have for Ronnie's balls.  You'll probably find you'll be far more susceptible to illnesses as well.

My marathon training will involve getting up earlier and earlier.  I went out for a short-ish run today, and had to get up at 6.  If I'd gone to bed at 2am, I might have been able to get up and run, but I'd feel like crap the rest of the day (or week probably) and I couldn't repeat it several days in a row.

Matt is protein man. 

Step 2 - The diet.

Now when I talk about my diet I am not talking about restricting what I eat. That would be a negative diet. Yes there are things which I won't be eating but they are not part of my diet. My diet is what I eat, not what I don't eat. Got it? Good, then I'll move on.

When I was training seriously my diet was very important to me and it will be again with immediate effect.

As anyone who has trained seriously will know the difficult thing isn't reducing calorific intake, it's actually consuming enough quality calories to maintain your current bodyweight. Even a skinny marathon runner has to eat a lot of food. They burn a lot of calories so they have to consume a lot of calories. It's pretty simple really.

Unfortunately you can't do this simply by drinking 12 pints of guinness or eating a big cake so you have to consume vast amounts of quality food relative to someone who doesn't train.

I will put up a daily diet later for anyone who may be interested. This will adapt as I grow as I will need more calories to maintain my weight.

There will be supplements included as these will ensure the correct blend of proteins and nutrients to enable me to achieve my goals.

It is possible to do this without supplementation but it is very difficult in my opinion. I have taken all manner of vitamins, amino acids, proteins etc. in the past all of which may possibly have had no effect. However, I am of the opinion that they all helped previously so that is the route I will go down again.

So straight from work I'll be off to the butchers to buy some lean minced beef and chicken fillets. This was the staple part of my diet before so it will be again.

More on diet later.....

Matt, when you get all buff again will you be able to boot fuck out of Cos?

step 1 take a picture of yourself in shorts standing up so you can see the improvement from start to finish. then stick it on the chocolate drawer


just don't post it thx

oh and GL

Can I request before and after photos please.   Oh and one or two during a work out just to make sure you are really pumping that iron.  If you do not want to post them on the threaad via pm will surfice.

I fully understand what you are saying here and agree entirely. My work has already suffered on account of me becoming lazy but I don't think this is because of lack of sleep because I get more now than I ever had before.

I used to thrive on around 4 hours sleep per night + an hour or so power nap early evening with a chillout cd on. It was all I ever needed and I couldn't sleep any longer if I tried. Since I have become lazy though I could lay in bed for hours!! It's not because I need more sleep though it's because my body has got lazy and used to doing nothing.

Admittedly I may need a little bit more sleep now as I am a few years older but I am still confident I can cope with 5 hours average per day.

Another thing that I used to do was spend the weekend relaxing with some chillout music on or just watching a film. This is all time for the batteries to recharge although obviously not as good as quality sleep. I don't do this anymore. I may be doing exactly the same thing but it isn't a recharging chill, it's just sitting on my arse being a slob. It's very different in my opinion.

The difference now will be that I'm training in the morning instead of straight from work so my body may not like it. Time will tell on this and if necessary I will cut down on the online poker.

I honestly don't need to do this to motivate myself as I know how bad I look now compared to 3 years ago.

I wouldn't want to take that picture because I honestly find it embarrassing seeing what I look like now. This may seem a bit vain but I promise you it's not. I'm embarrassed about it because of the reasons I have become like this.

I don't look bad compared to a lot of people but I know that I used to look a lot better. I also know the reason I don't look like that any more is because I have been a bone idle lazy slob!!!!!

If I was still training to the best of my ability and putting some effort it I honestly wouldn't mind how I look. It's the fact that I've become lazy that kicks me in the teeth every time I look in the mirror.

Oh and thanks for the GL

blantant i got invlved with a girl brag

I'll find some pics from 3 years ago just for you Mo ;)

I don't think I'll ever be that buff unfortunately.

Maybe if I get back in to the kick boxing I could give him a run for his money.......

Currys aren't particularly unhealthy if you make a home made one. Use lots of fresh stuff, a little olive oil when frying the vegetables/chicken and you're sorted.

Hey, not just for Mo.....I like massive dudes

best motivation no?

oh and i think Mo really would like the pic by PM

Think I am really going to enjoy this thread.   

Step 3 - The restrictions

Now this is the bit that most people would consider their diet. The bits that they don't eat.

Like I said previously your diet is what you eat, not what you don't eat. When I post about what I'm eating you'll see that it's actually a much larger quantity than most but it will be good quality.

So the restrictions......

Well unfortunately Wednesday night curry night has to go. This isn't because I'm not allowed to eat a curry it's because training on a Thursday morning after 3 pints and a curry late Wednesday is just ridiculous.

Alcohol - Well I'm afraid it has to go. Alcohol is the work of the devil when you're training and although it's good fun it just ain't part of this plan.

The exception to this will be when I'm away on holiday. I have a planned weekend in Malta and also Prague for new year. I will allow myself to drink on these occasions as a treat. I will still go out whilst I'm on this routine but until I'm back in shape alcohol is out.

Once I've got myself looking how I want to look then I will start drinking again on Saturday nights. I did this before with no problems but in these early difficult stages it just can't be done. Bad news for Christmas but hey ho, such is life.

Obviously anything like chips, pizzas, chinese takeaway...... you know the kind of things. Basically anything that isn't in my diet will be heavily restricted. These are all unnecessary food items which can easily be suvstituted by something home made which is just as tasty. The reason I like pizza and kebabs is becasue they're easy and I'm LAZY!!!!!

Once I'm back in shape I'll allow myself the odd treat but it will only be occasional.

Cheesecake ?

The point is that I don't need to see the picture.

When you've trained a lot you get to know your body very well and you notice the slightest change. I know that if I tense my biceps now they are soft whereas before they were solid. I know that my shoulders are virtually non existant whereas before they were wide and sloping. I know that my jeans are saggy around my thighs whereas before they were tight.

I think that by having a picture of myself looking how I don't want to look is a negative way of motivating myself. I don't need reminding of how I look now, I just need to know how I'm going to look soon.

If anything I think a picture from 3 years ago would be much better because that is where I'm aiming to get back to.

this could be the stumbling block for the russell.

Matt just post a pic of when you were massive

Believe it or not the occasional cheesecake won't be a problem. I'll stay away from the them in the initial stages but once I'm where I need to be the odd cake is fine.

When I was in my prime I used to eat a nice slice of cake perhaps once a week. It's just a treat and it's full of calories which is never a bad thing. Yes they aren't the healthiest of calories but they are far from the worst.

A slice of cake is much better for you than a pint of lager in my opinion.

I don't think I've got any mate. The ex took a few but she's long gone.

Don't know if there's maybe any holiday snaps from a few years ago. I think Aron's got some. I'll ask him.

I wasn't massive by the way. I was just pretty big and ridiculously lean.

This is the sort of thing I will be eating mate. You can easily make a curry that's less than 5% fat but is still very tasty.

I'll put up a full daily plan at some point soon. It's nothing I haven't done before so it won't be difficult to do at all.

Like Dan said, I am a protein fan. Any diet still needs carbs though as well as fats. Restricting any one down to zero is just stupid when doing what I am aiming for.

 ;popcorn;

Good luck with this. Should be a good thread.

If your diet is half as good as the dogs you'll be laughing.

Step 4 - Supplements

Now it's possible I may be making a mistake here but I've decided to go straight back to my old supplement plan from when I was big.

This may be a mistake in the short term because my body probably won't need it all until I'm more muscular again. Anything my body doesn't need though it will just expel so all I'm doing is pissing money away, I'm not harming my health.

I've decided to do it this way because what I need right now is a routine. If I make my supplements part of this routine I think everything else will fall in to place much easier.

There are literally hundreds of supplement providers out there and choosing one that stands out from the rest is nigh on impossible. The gym I used to train at supplied a particular brand and that worked before so I'll stick to the same brand now. If anyone wants to know what the brand is PM me and I'll tell you. I don't want to actively encourage this brand over any other because it's the only one I've tried so can't give any kind of comparison.

So what have a bought:-

Meal replacement shakes

Flapjacks

Protein bars

Vitamin/mineral tablets

Amino acid tablets

Total cost £230. It's an expensive game this!!

These are just supplements and will form part of my overall diet. You will see where they fit in when I post about my daily diet later.

I have a little bit of thinking to do about that because things are slightly different to my old routine because of training times.

Shocked you dont have a personal trainer.

Shocked you don't have a personal chef.

I always thought you were a man of means. . . .

Remember Ronnie loves you for who you are.

Good luck

Get posting those pic, for all our sakes ...  ;kev;

Looking forward to this thread as i do alot of training myself i'll be interested to see your diet.

Are you heavier now than a few years back?

Good luck with this you seem very determined.

Does this mean you will no longer be accepting bowls of chips from me at DTD ?

Sorry Trace, but it has been agreed that I will be his PPO personal picture observer, after all you wouldn't want to see him all sweaty working out, best leave it to me, I don't mind really.

Unfortunately mate you will have to eat them yourself from now on.

Sorry.

Liar, you don't give up chips that easily............

Good luck with this I have been in a very similar position to you as you make your OP, in fact I was probably a good bit further gone at one point. I have made a lot of progress particularly in the last 12 months through 4 to 5 cardio sessions a week and two weights sessions. An anke injury has restricted the cardio I can do but usually it's spinning classes, body combat, and cross trainer. My weight has came down by 2 stone in the last 12 months (nearly six stone since my oh fuck I'm massive moment) but the change in body shape has been significant and my body fat has improved quite significantly. Although I still feel there is work to be done most folk think I'm now in pretty good shape and I definitely feel fit.

I am sure you can do this and once you get a few weeks in the gym under your belt you will start getting the buzz off it again as well as feeling better. This and seeing visible results will give you all the motivation you will need to keep it up and then step it up.

As for poker, I now play a lot less and really just play one night a week now and even then it may just be a couple of online MTTs.

Look forward to following your diary.

good luck :)up I too think the thread needs pics btw

What does a spinning class entail?

cycling

Are you levelling me again?

Thanks for the interest.

I've just got home and weighed myself and I'm 15st 13lb. This is yet to be confirmed as my scales  may not be 100% accurate.

When I got in to my training at the age of about 27 my starting weight was around 18st 4lb. I went on to a similar plan to the one I'm doing now and dropped to about 15st 10lb before my body fat had reduced significantly and I started to grow again.

At my peak I was around 16st 4lb with about 12% body fat so very lean. I am 6' 4" so this isn't too heavy by any means.

So I am only 5lb lighter now than when I stopped training. I am by no means fat, just fatter than I want to be. It shouldn't take long to lose the excess body fat but obviously making the gains will be the tough part.

I have never been overly concerned about my weight. It's more about how you look in the mirror and also measurements. I'll be writing a little bit about this shortly as measurements are how I will guage my achievements.

Unfortunately despite trying I can't find old measurements.

I can remember a few. Biceps 18", chest 48", waist 32"

Sigh....... the good old days.....

Unseated high resistance cycling.

Very tough.

phwoar. love a bit of bicep, me.

Sounds very tough!

Lol

Might be for you mate!
I had one on Sunday.

Norrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

Matt, will chat to you about the vitamins and other supplements.

Tale of the tape

Well the tape don't lie and that's what this is all about so here goes:-

Weight - 15st 13lb

Chest - 45

Waist - 38

Neck - 17.5

Thigh - 25

Calf - 16.5

Bicep - 16.5

Forearm - 12.5

Well everything is significantly smaller than before with the exception of the waistline.

If I'm honest I'm a bit shocked by the waist measurement. I expected about 36 because that's what my jeans are but 38!!!!! That's terrible for me and just helps the motivation for this.

When my waist was 32" I still had to have 36" jeans so that I could get them over my legs. That's one of the things that I want to aim for again.

I will be honest. This is shocking for me but it in no way gets me down. It would've got me down if I hadn't already decided to do something about it  but I'm just more determined to get back where I know I can be.

I'm pretty sure we're just going to disagree on this but always willing to talk. It's all down to opinion but I know what's worked for me in the past.

Btw. I know this looks a lot but it's over 2 months worth. Bulk buy discounts and all that.

Why is it down to opinion, and not scientific evidence backed up by studies, trials, etc.?

The 'it worked last time' is probably a slight on the hard work you put in with your training and diet. 

you sure you been on a table with him

easier to get chips off him than kinboshi

On to the daily diet. This is a training day diet that would be altered for days off.

This will have to be tweaked considerably to account for different training times but my diet on my previous regime was as follows:

06.30 Breakfast - 6 egg whites + 2 yolks scrambled on 2 wholemeal pitta breads. AM vitamins + amino acid tablets

10.00 - Protein bar

13.00 - 225g chicken breast with chutney for taste. Amino acid tablets.

16.45 - Protein shake with 1 cup oatmeal (approx 1 hour pre training)

18.00 - Protein shake (after training)

19.30 - 225g lean steak / minced steak + veg + PM vitamins + amino acid tablets

23.00 - Supper - 4 whole eggs scrambled on 1 wholemeal pitta


This is roughly what I used to eat day in day out.

The chicken and minced steak can be substituted for fish or turkey for a change. Dinner would be cooked with some kind of low fat sauce, dolmio for example.

I tried to keep carb and fat intake low so avoid too much rice or pasta. There are good quality carbs in the flapjacks and meal replacement shakes to ensure that I had enough carbs to train effectively.

Knew Kin would get tucked in with this once you mentioned all the supplements.   Just surprised it took him nearly 2 hours to reply!   rotflmfao

On a more serious note, although Im obv gonna lose one of my top drinking buddies, good luck mate!

Awwww.

I feel sorry for Stu now :(

'cause Jenny McCarthy told me.

In all seriousness I know it's possible to get everything you need from a normal diet it's just difficult in my opinion.

I'm not a big fan of eating lots of fruit or veg so choose to go down the supplement route instead.

I know that my body needs a certain amount of protein and carbs and a certain amount of everything else and that when I'm training hard those amounts increase.

I also know that to get these amounts just from food would be difficult for me.

I also know that I am probably consuming too much of certain things but I'd rather have too much than not enough.

The reason I prefer to stick to opinion on these matters is because there's scientific studies about everything and if I believed every one I wouldn't be able to eat or drink anything.

If you can show me one single food item that has never had a bad word said about it I'll be shocked and surprised. The same goes for supplements, the same goes for exercising, the same goes for not exercising.

At some point you just have to make up your own mind or you'll have to wrap yourself in cotton wool and never go out.

Oh no scrap that. Apparently cotton can kill me as well http://www.thenakedscientists.com/forum/index.php?topic=26213.msg283712

Thx mate but you won't lose me I just won't be pissed as a rat.

As stated, Malta and Prague are still very much on and once I'm back how I want to be so are Saturday nights.

It'll only be a few months.

yup. It was a racing cert.

I doubt taking the supplements that you are is worse for you than the drink it will replace.

:)

what u gonna do with the other 4 yolks?

Plus can we have before and after pics

they all ways make me laugh in magazines

Think you're getting confused between science and bullshit pseudo-science in the popular media.  They're as different as astronomy and astrology.  But I hear what you're saying.

Throw them down the sink. What do you think I'm going to do with them.

No you can't, especially not for the purpose of laughter.

If I wanted people to have a laugh at my expense I'd sit out in a blizzard for 12 hours to buy some shoes to make a couple hundred quid.

Dont disrespect the Homeister!

So, a question, wont it be a bit strange not drinking at the Marilyn Manson gig?

Not at all mate. I drove last time when it was at the NEC so it shouldn't be a problem.

If I'm happy with my progress then I may decide to have a few anyway. For now it's best to just stick with none at all rather than give in to temptation.

Good luck Matt, hope it doesnt take you too long to get to where you want to be.

GL Matt.

Is the 11 pm meal out of hunger, or habit?  How necessary is it to eat before bed?

Soft porn imo

+1. I'm slightly flushed* after reading that.



*interchange with adjective of your choice

Thanks mate.

The late meal is for protein intake to give your body essential nutrients to regenerate torn muscles while you're asleep.

When you train you tear your muscles. When the muscles repair they get a little bit bigger. You grow while you sleep so you have to give your body what it needs to be able to grow.

Has to be low carb high protein hence just 1 wholemeal pitta.

You really know your stuff about this, in every way, this will be a stroll once you get into the swing of things.

Can I be first reserve then?

Are you planning to post your weights workouts? I would be really interested in sets, reps, and the exercises you are doing.

Will try to put something up tomorrow.

Right then just off to bed.

Not sure how easy it's going to be getting up at 6 tomorrow and getting to the gym for 7 but I'm determined to do it.

Tomorow morning will be the toughest part of my challenge by far. Once that's out of the way it gets easier every day.

Well that's the hardest part sorted. I've actually got up and I'm ready to head off to the gym in 5 minutes for a 7am start.

I've had a meal replacement shake with a cup of oatmeal for my breakfast so hopefully this will give me sufficient energy to train.

I'm not certain that this is the best thing for me this early. It is something I will have to think about and maybe alter at some point.

If anybody trains early in the morning I'd be interested to know what you have to eat beforehand in order to set you up.

Wow that was hard work!!!!

I didn't expect it to be easy but it was still a bit of a shock to the system.

First session back after at least 6 months without doing a thing and nearly 3 years since training regularly so it was no surprise that my strength was down considerably from before.

As it was my first session back I trained chest as that is a nice easy body part to do. The exercises are very basic so there isn't too much thought has to go in to it so it was the obvious choice.

Bench press: Sigh....... How a break can take it's toll...... I used to easily manage 4 sets of 8 to 12 reps up to 100kg. Today's result a measly 30kg!!!! A little bit depressing but no big surprise. I expect this to double next week but it will take a while to get back to 100.

Incline dumbell press: Again very weak. Previous peak was 50kg, today only 12.5kg. Again this will increase quickly but it will be a good while before I'm back to full strength. This exercise is done in front of a mirror and I noticed how narrow my shoulders have become since I stopped training. I can't wait to get them back again!!!

Decline bench press: Towards the end of my session and again very light weight. Difficult to compare to previous because I used a smith machine instead of free bench but obviously again very much lighter than I have done before.

Cable crossovers: Finished with this lovely toning exercise. Again very light but good to finish off with as it really pumps blood in to your chest and makes you fell good at the end of your session.

Overall I'm very pleased with my efforts this morning. Although it was hard work it is the first step towards my goal of getting back to how I was 3 years ago and the first step is always the hardest.

I'm already looking forward to tomorrow's session. I'm not certain what I will be doing yet but I will plan it at some point today. This is the only slight problem with how I have done this. As I suddenly just decided to get back in to it I haven't done any planning so things are a bit off the cuff at the moment.

I've got the most important thing out of the way though so I can start planning now to make sure that I make the most out of this.

I will put together a proper diet schedule and training plan later and post them on here.

Good work Matt. Good luck.

Good luck with this buddy. Porridge, fig rolls, banana, handful of nuts are all good high energy foods for breakfast. Man Utd players are now eating fig rolls as their half-time energy boost food. The progamme above shows no attention to warm up/warm down & stretching. Have you forgotten how much comedy pain you will be in tomorrow if you don't do this? 10 mins on x-trainer to get the blood pumping and significant stretching and steam room to finish if you want to function properly the next day.

In your past and planned future training, do you do no cardio work at all?

Ie is your aim just to get big again but not overly fit?

P.s. If you ever go at a sensible time of day we will have a mirror weights prop bet, ill sure be close to winning that!

What was your max benchpress for say 3 reps Matt?

Also, what did you used to squat?

No
Not in a bad way. it always make me laugh when they say 1 week before they are a fatty and then next  they are super ripped. It always amazes me.

good luck mr pie

Yeah forgot to mention this.

I did about 15 minutes stretching combined with some light abs work as a warm up.

I've never done the warm down thing and it's never harmed me in the past. I understand why it's a good thing but to be honest I've never really been a next day sufferer.

I might regret this tomorrow though who knows.

Nah. Cardio's for girls. I've tried it but I just find it boring trundling along on a treadmill.

I've played squash and obviously the fighting I did was great for cardio but I won't be doing either in the foreseeable future.

I guess walking about 4 miles a day with the dog counts for a bit? Other that that nothing.

My aim is to get big again and that's it.

good luck with this mate. I really should get my arse in gear and get back to the gym aswell tbh.

Max bench was about 140kg including the bar. I was never a big bench presser. My frame isn't really designed for it as I have long arms and long triceps. Drop it to 120kg though and I could get 12 out on a good day.

Biggest squat was 160kg but only for a couple of reps and with 3 spotters, 1 for support and 1 each end of the bar just in case.

I've been talking about it for months.

If I'm honest I think is my last chance. If I don't stick with it this time then I don't think I'll ever get back in to it properly.

Just get it done. It's a nightmare but if you can get the routine going you'll know yourself it's pretty easy.

It usually looks like they've spent that week sunbathing in the bahamas as well doesn't it.

They also seem to have learnt how to stand up straight and smile.

yeah i've been puting it off n putting it off i just need to get it done and stick with it. been fixating on learning to drive atm mind you.

only exercise i get atm is running around a mosh pit at gigs ^^

Running on a treadmill IS boring.  Like squash there's loads of other cardio stuff you can do, most of it far more interesting when it's not in the gym.

Matt's quite lean naturally though. Now that he's changing his diet and sleeping more too whilst doing weights and walking Ronnie his fitness will improve and his body fat % will decrease.

Different sort of fitness gained through strength training and cardio-work.  I think that's what Stu was asking about?

The theory is that if you're big enough you need need to run away so don't need to do any cardio.

Might be running after something or someone?

Or even someit?

Or sumfink.

If you're big enough you just shout STOP!!!! really loud and everything freezes.

You can then saunter after whatever it is you want at your leisure.

Oh I see.  As you were then. 

Rowing would suit your build.  A lot to do with leg strength combined with body strength, as well as the cardio aspect obviously.

Can you not just close your eyes, screw up your face and shout Ya Taaaaaaaa

My biggest bench for 2 reps max was 115kg yet I did 160kg squatting at peak too.

Gotta get back in too. I always seem to do well, train hard(ish) for 3-6 months even though my diet is far from ideal and then poker will normally lead to me messing up which is why I haven't trained since Ireland. (Sigh).

I'm now at my heaviest weight ever, 14 stone, (megasigh) and even the muscle that lay underneath the fat is rapidly going soft. I'm nearly your weight and I'm half a foot shorter!

I've just bought a tub of protein (£55-normal sigh) and some protein bars. Gonna start again myself tonight when I get back from work!

Let's gogogo.

pics please... ;)

lol of what?  the corn rows i just got done on my back?

your sexy body

Just finished my first session too Matt.

Even missed the Greece world cup qualifier to go!

Did shoulders and tried to keep it as high intensity as I could with very little break between sets and exercises. Shoulders were burning like made when I finally got out.

Just had my protein shake and feel good, ready for tomorrow.

Think I'm gonna sign back up to my old spinning class too and do 2 times a week.

(http://imagecache5.art.com/p/LRG/29/2948/71URD00Z/gerritsz-van-brekelenkam-interior-with-a-old-woman-at-a-spinning-wheel-1657.jpg)

FYP

Nice one mate. Dig in and let's get on it.

Well I've been absolutely knackered today after training this morning so I'm going to have a nice hot jacuzzi and an early night.

My diet hasn't been good today. I haven't eaten anything bad I've just not eaten enough good stuff.

Basically I just had my pre training shake/oatmeal and then my supper just now which was a 4 egg omelette with a pitta.

Normally on a busy day I would just grab a chicken kebab but I don't want to eat that kind of thing while I'm trimming down. When I'm back to the building up stage it's far better to eat something bad than eat nothing at all but I'm not at that stage yet.

This isn't a major problem at the moment but I can't miss any meals further down the line.

Once my supplements arrive I'll be able to have protein bars or flapjacks on busy days like today so won't miss out if I struggle for time to eat a proper meal. They should be here tomorrow unless Dan manages to intercept the delivery and send then to vitamin hell where they belong!!!!!

So hopefully tomorrow morning will be a little bit easier than today.

The plan is to some stretching and abs for 15 minutes then do an arms session.

I'll be doing 3 different types of curls then 2 triceps exercises. Biceps don't need too much work as they are a very small muscle. Loads of people overdo their biceps because they want 'big guns' but they are just wasting their time by over training. Just look at the size of your biceps compared to your thighs. Do you really think they need as much work? And yet you see people do hours training biceps then neglect their legs.

Triceps although bigger than the biceps also don't need too much work. This is because they are used a lot in many other exercises so get secondary training during other sessions.

So the alarm's set for 6am and I'll be there at 7 ready for the off. I'm really looking forward to it and I'm very optimistic about sticking to my plan.

I'll report in the morning on how it went.

Sorry for semi-hijacking your thread to write down what I'm doing myself but kinda wanna get your thoughts on what I'm doing for a week or so and then I'll f*ck off back to where I came from.

Did you normally have any order to your sessions? I.e don't recommend doing one body part the day after doing another?

Did shoulders yday, probably going to do back and abs tonight and a little bit of cardio. Cardio before I begin my weight sesh I assume yeh?

Bought some waters and vitamin waters for my desk for my desk to replace normal Hot chocolates from Cafe Nero and the odd ribena from the cornershop.

Had a bagel (no butter) with fresh crab meat in it for breakfast. Just about to have an orange and a banana now before lunch at one.

Be a struggle going from Chicken Katsu Curry or Thai Noodles and Chicken Massaman to Salad Box but gotta be done. I really struggle a lot more with my diet as I just love to plough through ridic amounts of food. Not a big one for crisps and chocolates etc so don't find it a problem not eating them at all but I like my curries, chineses, and just generally eating things like chicken sandwiches with lots of mayo etc...

Also, my times of eating are not ideal.

I have lunch at half 1 normally and then will often have a little something around 4 but I get home about 7.30 and try and be at the gym for half 8. Should I eat a meal as soon as I get home and give it an hour and a half before I train and then just have a protein shake when I get back?

What I usually do is get home from work, have a tiny bit of my dinner, be it a bowl of pasta of a chicken sandwich and then eat again once I've finished training but I guess it can't be good for me to eat so late in the evening, particularly now that I'm aiming to be in bed by midnight every day rather than the 2am sort of time previous.

Funnily enough when I used to go to the gym before work every day I was more than happy using the machines to work my 'whatever the muscles in your legs are called' and I never bothered with the bicep-y stuff.

But to be fair that wasn't really anything to do with any logic or fitness plan - I only really went to the gym to do the exercise I enjoyed doing, rather than to actually get fit :)

No problem at all mate. Hijack away.

Session order wasn't really set in stone. We would change it around but try to have a break between shoulders, back and chest. It doesn't mater which you do first just try to separate them.

Monday - Legs.
Tuesday - Chest
Wed - Rest
Thurs - Shoulders
Fri - Arms
Sat - Back (swap chest and back around if you're going out Saturday night ldo)
Sunday - Rest

This is what I am aiming to do starting on Monday. This week is more about getting back in to it and going steady.

Your diet mate sounds pretty awful tbh. When you say salad what are you having with it? The salad should be the side to your chicken. If you're just having salad it's not enough.

Bowl of pasta - Hmmmm. Get rid dude.

Lol bagel. No butter?!?! So what!! Scrap the bagel!!

Chicken sandwich - Make it chicken and you're on the right lines. Get rid of the bread. You mentioned mayo. Get real mate. You're either serious or you're not. You know yourself that you can't have mayo even it's low fat. Just have plain chicken fillet with a nice tomato and chili chutney as a dip. The one I have is 0.3% fat and you hardly have any anyway so it's negligible.

Your eating times look pretty good to me. You need to look at consuming around 180g of protein per day assuming you're aiming for around 13st.

6 egg white + 2 yolks for breakfast @ around 7am = 25g

Your protein shake about 10.30am will contain about 30g

225g of chicken for lunch at 1.30pm = 30g

protein bar for little something around 4pm = 25g

Flap jack bar before training at 8pm = 10g (more carbs than protein)

Protein shake immediately after training = 30g

225g of turkey/chicken/lean beef for dinner/supper at around 10pm = 30g

You will get the extra 10g from veg, salad, fruit, pitta breads or anything else you have.

Eating late is fine as long as it's good stuff you're eating. All the stuff you've eaten during the day will provide your fuel for training. Just add a flapjack bar for a little boost.

If you eat a dinner before training your body will be spending time processing that. You want to be training, not processing a big dinner.

Forget the special water. Just have tap water, it's perfectly fine if you ask me.

Does that look easy enough to do?

Yeah that's coolio though I think you need to re-read the bit I wrote about chicken mayo sandwiches. I was saying that was what I was eating when not training...obv know I can't eat that stuff now.

What's wrong with a bagel though? I mean I don't eat many carbs, but thought we needed 30% carbs or something around there in our diet for energy?

When I say salad I get it from a little Italian place across the road from work, normally consists of chicken breast/fishcake with some beans, beetroot etc.

Ty for advice. Will try follow as strictly as poss!

I'll let you off then


You do need carbs but you don't need the fat that's in a bagel. A perfect breakfast would be eggs + a wholemeal pitta or 2.

I'm not 100% certain of the make up of a bagel but I would assume it's mostly high sugar carbs. They are the fast release carbs that give you an energy spike like a red bull but obviously not quite so bad. Slow release carbs are much better.


The salad you get from the place across the road won't have anywhere near enough chicken. You need around 225g. I'd guess at maximum there's 100g in this chicken salad. The total protein might be 25g or so but a lot of that will be from the dressings and other stuff.

For the best protein source buy chicken fillets, cook them the day before, refridgerate them and take 225g of them to work next day. It'll be cheaper than the salad place as well.

Just eat the chicken with one of the chutneys I mentioned.


You're welcome. Don't try.... Do....

Pictures are being taken care of ty. I have received the first batch and just to make sure I do not miss any vital contour muscle growth I have enlarged them greatly and placed them on my bedroom ceiling so that I can study them in peace and quiet.

ZOMG Cos!
You weigh more than me!
Made my day.

Kthxbye

lol wtf did u think i weighed? Obv more than u!

Ur about 12 stone im guessing?

Oh mate!?

U serious?

If you are then I think I would like to marry you.

u guyz wanna get one of these, 408% more effective for only 9.99

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=72-3HMoJMWA

Had my meal tonight which was [  ] nice. Sardines and petits pois.

Off to the gym shortly. Marv

You will be ok Friday Cos ... Kentucky and a few Vodkas will have you back in sound mind !!

If time a factor Cos, go for a protein shake pre workout then another post workout.
Defo have the dinner after workout, lots of veg if possible.
Turkey breast is a good source of very low fat protein.
Make your own salads, add tuna or chicken/turkey you have grilled.

Well I'm really feeling some pain in my chest at the moment. Good pain, not bad pain. The type that you get when you know you've ripped a few muscles that haven't done anything for a while.

I'll be training legs tomorrw to give my upper body a break then do shoulders and back on Saturday. I won't combine these normally but I want to fit everything in this week and have Sunday off ready to start the full program on Monday.

Diet has been good today. I had an MR shake with oatmeal before training which seems to work well energy wise. Another MR shake immediately after training.

Lunch was 225g of chicken with a nice chutney on the side.

Afternoon snack at 3pm was a protein bar.

I got home at 5.30 and had a 1 hour nap before having a flapjack and walking the dog for an hour.

Dinner when I got back was 225g of lean minced steak in dolmio sauce with a medium jacket potato.

I'll be having a protein bar shortly then half an hour in the jacuzzi and an early night.

I'm feeling really good about this at the moment especially the diet side and I'm very confident about sticking to it.

I'm hoping to be a long way towards being my old self by Christmas. 6 weeks is a reasonable target for losing my excess body fat. I know people think it's difficult but if you stick with a good diet it really isn't. Don't forget, diet isn't about restricting what you eat, it's about eating plenty of the right foods for whatever your daily routine is.

I'm going to see if the gym do a fitness assessment tomorrow. I only want my body fat measuring so that I can compare in the new year to see how much I've dropped. If they don't it's not a problem, the mirror will tell me what I need to know.

Looking forward to training legs in the morning. It's going to be tough but it will be a real buzz to feel that pain in my legs.

Did a decentish session myself tonight tho I fatigued really quickly.

Started with 75kg Bench and managed 4 sets of 12 reps but struggled more than I usually would and this took it out of me for weights I normally do on the other exercises. Did incline and decline too, followed by chest press and finishing with some cable crossovers. Shoulders really aching too.

Came home, had my shake and gonna get my stuff ready for luton tomorrow.

I cant wait till you two are a couple. Gonna be so cute.

We'll invite you to tuna night.

I had the weekend off because to be honest my body was aching a lot more than I expected. There's no point going stupid and injuring myself so I had a lie in on Saturday morning and didn't train at all.

Yesterday I walked about 8 miles with the dog which is always nice and again didn't train.

All weekend the diet was good. I cut it down a little bit because of no training but I didn't have anything unhealthy at all.

So back on it this morning with a good chest session. Felt a bit stronger than last week which is to be expected. Didn't do anything heavy but I'm trying not to go silly because I could set myself back if I do that. Hopefully next week I'll be able to match Cos' 75kg. I certainly couldn't today :(

So it's still going very well and I'm still optimistic about sticking to it. The weekend will be a set back but it's a planned set back which I had organised before I got back in to training so not a major problem.

I find it a little com that I can lift more than you atm.

I find it 1000x as depressing knowing it takes you all of 3 weeks to piss all over 'Desmond' and 'Troy' the Greek Guns.

I went to Luton this weekend and had a fair bit to drink on saturday night followed by a macdonalds bagel and hash brown at 6am. Ate well when I got back home and did a little bit of bike work at home.

Back training today although my neck is killing from putting shieldsy on my shoulders in the club and then putting him down basically using only my neck. [  ] wp.

Do you include the bar in your 75kg?

If not it might take 4 or 5 weeks tbh. I did 40kg this morning + 20kg for the bar. This was after incline dumbells which I managed to get up to 25kgs each. Still a long way off the heady heights of 50kg that I used to do.

75kg = 27.5kg on either side of the bar. Bar obv = 20.

I fatigued very quickly doing this though. When I was training regularly a few months ago I would do 80kg bench and 30-35kg dumbbells on the chest press.

The other day when I did the 12 rep sets of 75 I could only do 20kg chest pressing as I felt pretty drained.

Hi gents,

I've been training for about 3 months after getting a bit fat when i started to sit on my arse for a living. It's going ok but i've plateaued a bit on the weight loss and the gut doesn't seem to be going down much. I can't be arsed with protein shakes, i don't want to get massive. I'm trying to cut down on the beer and some shit meals but it's hard because i'm lazy as fuck. I made up my routine on my own with the odd snipit from what people have suggested.

General diet is -

Toast and marmite, wholemal bread with olive oil spread. or a bowl or muesli.

During the moring at work i have Apple, banana, Orange and a low fat youghurt.

Then i go to gym

For lunch i usually have a sandwich, usually tuna or egg mayo but once or twice a week i have a spicy italian subway on honey oat.

i usually have a banana, orange and apple in the afternoon

In the evening i have whatever the missus makes, mostly daals and rice or currey and rice with yoghurt and salad, these are fully home prepared without ghee. Can also be anything from tortellini and sauce to egg and chips.

I drink water and tea all day.

What do you reckon to that?

My routine at the gym is -

Mon - Chest and triceps
Tue - Legs
Wed - off
Thurs - Back and Biceps
Friday - Shoulders
Weekend off, the days move about a bit but i try to keep that order

I play 5 a side twice a week, kickboxing twice a week (just started this) and everyday at the gym starts with 15 mins on the crosstrainer/bike or rowing (the devils cardio workout imo). How on earth does rowing burn half the calories of the crosstrainer???? I fell like i might die after a hard 20 minute row but the equivalent on the crosstrainer is a relative breeze (random on level 15).

Generally what do you think? Anything i should definitlychange?

First off, stick to the rower, burns far more than a cross trainer, ignore what the display on the x trainer tells ya, they are too easy to workout hard.
secondly, drop the cardio + weights in the same session. Just do a dedicated cardio session a week, but make it varying in intensity to reap the most benefits.

What is your weights routine like? If it's all isolation stuff it wont burn the fat. Need to be doing compound lifts with heavy weights( heavy for you)
Diet is unbalanced for fat loss. looks like too many carbs and not enough protein.
People use protein shakes as it's sooo difficult to get the protein requirements needed. If you don't get enough protein the body eats the muscle as fuel instead of the fat

dont eat bowls they will rip ur bum hole open when u poo it out

Pretty sweet thread. Think I'll add my tuppence regarding something which is very loosely related.

I'm currently in the last week of a weight loss bet - ends next Monday - and obv looking to get down to the lowest weight possible. I've had some advice from Byronkincaid which is very useful. This isn't a healthy thing, just doing it for pure monetary gain and peer adulation.

I'm at 12st10 atm but am aiming to get down to 12st which I think I need to be to win the bet if my calculations/beliefs are correct.

Anyway, I don't want to not eat anything for 7 days - what can I eat for one "main" meal a day atm? Perhaps some grilled meat and veg?

Also, some help required for last day stuff - would a sauna help with a few pounds on the day?

Any help is appreciated.

This is a blatant 'I have a Jacuzzi' thread imo.

Yeah don't kill yourself but you can lose a good few pounds just sitting in a sauna for a while and doing some exercise to basically drain the sweat/water out of your system.

Don't do this too long before you are getting weighed, ideally just before obv so that you can drink straight after and instantly put those few extra pounds u just shed back on.

doesnt everybody ?

Ok cool, i hate the cardio bit anyway.

Mon - Chest and triceps
80 press ups
bench press with dumb bells - 4 sets of 10
Flyes - 3 sets of 10
One where you have shoulders on bench and lower the dumbell over your head - 2 sets of ten
Dips - 1 set of ten

Tue - Legs
Squats with weights - 4 sets
Leg extensions - 2 sets
The one where you pull your ankles to your arse - 2 sets
Calf raises - 4 sets with wieghts

Wed - off
Thurs - Back and Biceps
Curls -  3 sets of 10
Preacher curls - 1 set of 10
pulldowns - 3 sets of 01
deadlift (i think its called that) - 4 sets of ten (pure evil)
2 sets of some small of the back machine they have in the gym

Friday - Shoulders
Shrugs - 4 sets of 10
Seated press - 3 sets of 10
lateral raises - 2 sets of 10



I lift as heavy weights as i can on all excercises although i've leveled out a bit after the initial leaps up the weights. I don't know what compound and isolation excercises are?

Basically a compound exercise moves through more than one joint where an isolation exercise will move more.

For example, a bicep curl just moves your elbow so is an isolation exercise whereas a chest press will move your elbows and shoulders. This means that your are training more than one muscle at a time.

Looks like Vegaslover knows his stuff and that he agrees in the same training principles as myself so welcome to my little thread mate.

I agree with the cardio thing. Just do 10 minutes on the rower to warm up and that's it. If you're playing 5 a side and kick boxing you're getting more than enough.

I'll move on to your weights routine next post or this one might get a bit long.

One would certainly hope so.....

I'm not as knowledgable as Matt but from your goals Ace I would say up your reps to 12. If you don't want to get big, or rather your primary goal is toning up etc then the more reps the better.

If I had one, the edge of it would be sealed properly though.

Right then. The first problem I notice with your weights routine is how you fit your arm training in. Personally I do an extra day to train arms separately but there is no problem with combining with another bodypart.

What I think you need to do though is swap your bicep and tricep days around. Chest and triceps are very closely linked so you shouldn't train them together. After your chest session your triceps will be fatigued so won't be performing well. Your biceps won't have done too much work though so they'll be fine.

On to the individual days.....

If you've hit a plateau then your routine needs a bit of a shake up. I'll outline a slightly different routine that I'd recommend you'd give a try for a few weeks. Your current routine will have got a bit stale and your body will be used to it. Changing your routine will give you a bit of a boost.


Mon - Chest and biceps

First off sack the press ups. They can be a good exercise but hardly anyone does them properly and there's much better weight exercises to do. All you're doing is fatiguing your muscles before your weight training.

Start with barbell bench press. do 2 very light sets as a warm up then 3 proper sets aiming for 8 to 10 reps. Never pick a number and stop at it. You set a target for the weight but if you can do more you know you need more weight. You should always aim to fail.

Incline dumbell press - 4 sets of 8 to 10. Alternate for decline press every other week.

Cable crossover. 3 sets of 12 to 15. Substitute for flyes if there isn't a crossover machine.

Standing alternating dumbell curl. 3 set of 10 to 12

Standing barbell curl. 3 sets of 10 to 12


Start with leg extensions but make sure you squeeze every rep at the top. 2 light sets as a warm up then pyramid up through 4 more sets to your max. Aim for 8 reps on your last set more on your lighter sets up to about 16.

Leg press - 4 sets of 10 to 12. Heavy as possible

Stiff legged dead lift. Works the same muscles as the one where you pull your ankles to your arse. 4 sets of 10 to 12. Make sure you feel a full stretch through your hamstrings. Stand on a box if necessary to get the stretch.

Calf raises. 4 sets of as many as you can possibly do.


Thurs - Back and triceps

Pull downs - 4 sets of 10 to 12
Narrow grip pull down - 4 sets of 10 to 12
Dumbell row. The one where you have one knee on a bench and one foot on the floor. - 4 set of 10 to 12

Tricep pushdowns on cable machine (straight bar) - 4 sets of 12 to 15
As above but with rope. - 3 sets of 12 to 15
Dips - 3 sets to failure.


Seated smith machine press. (Bar down in front not behind the neck) - 2 warm up sets then 4 sets or 8 to 10
Dumbell press - 4 sets of 8 to 10
Sideways lateral raises - 3 sets 10 to 12
Bent over lateral raises - 3 sets 10 to 12
Shrugs - 4 sets to failure



Give this a go and see how you feel after a couple of weeks. It might seem like a major shake up but if you've got stuck in a rut believe me it's exactly what you need.  GL and keep posting your updates here.

I think you should use this

Cheers matey, it might kill me but i'll have a go....

It's really bad for you doing this but if you don't care then it's entirely up to you. This isn't really my thing but I know a lot of guys who've done shows and they drop insane amounts of weight so I do know a bit about it.

If you just have 1 meal a day your body will panic and think it needs to store more just in case there's no meal coming tomorrow. Better to have 6 very small meals spread throughout the day so that you aren't uncomfortably hungry.

Drink loads of water. That'll fool your body in to thinking it doen't need to eat. Not in one go though, again little bits through the day then on your last day don't drink anything. Because you've been drinking loads your body won't think it needs to store any.

I'm not 100% sure of this one but I've heard that strong coffee can help with short term weight loss. Perhaps drink it at night then you won't need to sleep either. The more time you spend moving about the better really. It's the caffeine that does it so don't drink decaff!!

I know this sort of thing is achievable because boxers do it before weigh ins.

Will be interesting to see how you do. GL.

One more thing. If you're really determined a colonic should shift 2 or 3 pounds with no effort at all. I don't know when would be the best time to do it. Presumably just before the weigh in.

Food poisoning is ideal for a rapid weight loss programme.

Got home last night, had some grilled fish and steamed veg, chilled for an hour and then headed to the gym.

Did an arms session - wasn't too disappointed with my strength.

Got home and slept from 10-11. Then woke up for about 15 mins and went to bed again - felt heaven having a good 9 hours - longer than I've slept for in a while. Think I'm gonna get into the habit of that.

Off to buy some fruit now. Think gonna do a run and back later today.

since this now seems to be the the fitness advice thread, wonder if you would give this your critical eye :

i have only been following this for a week since i recovered from the flu but already i feel much better and dare i say 'lighter'. My primary goal is fat loss/ i have a huge way to go though. i have been following a book called 'burn the fat, feed the muscle' which seems to be a good balance of diet and excercise.

anyway i am training 2 days on, 1 day off. And the days are split into

Day 1 - 30 minutes cardio (cross train & rowing), followed by 45 minutes weights (chest, shoulders, abs, triceps and biceps)

Day 2 - 30 minute cardio (fast walking/jog steep incline treadmill), followed by 30 minutes weights (legs, back, calves),. followed by 20 minutes swimming (approx 500metres)


I have incorporated an 1800 calorie 5 meal per day plan, in accordanace with the plan. The big debate seems to be, since i do my workout in the morning (6.30am) is whether i should eat breakfast before or after.....

To be honest mate it looks like you're doing a bit too much for your calorie intake. I know you want to lose weight but doing it this way could be bad for you.

I'd try to avoid doing cardio and weights on the same day. Half an hour's training is plenty as long as it's hard training. People who spend 2 hours in the gym are just stupid if you ask me. It's just not necessary for normal people.

Try for 10 minutes cardio as a warm up then half an hour weights. Alternatively do 40 minutes various cardio. The swim on the end is fine btw. That's quite a good warm down after training.

I'd look at only training 2 bodyparts in any one session as well. If you're doing too many body parts in one session you won't be training any one of them well. Whilst you're just starting this isn't a problem but as soon as you up your weights a bit you need to get on to a proper split routine asap.

As for the breakfast thing. Well I train at 7am so similar to yourself and I always eat first. Breakfast for me is 6 egg whites and 2 yolks made in to an omelette with 1 wholemeal pitta bread. I also have a flapjack bar which is packed with oatmeal for slow release energy. Immediately after training I have a protein shake to feed my muscles.

I know it's tempting to not eat too much because you think you'll drop more weight but your body doesn't work like that. It will use all the sugary carbs it has first, then slow release carbs then any protein just to keep you going. Because it's used all of it's protein it won't build any muscles so the weights you've done pretty much goes to waste. The fat that you have left over won't go to building muscle, it will just stay there until  it's needed but it will be the last resort.

If you can build some muscle by eating well then your body will automatically need more calories just to function. This is when you'll start to see fat drop off more.

Low calories and lots of training will lose weight short term but I really think it's a bad way to go about losing weight. 1800 calories just doesn't sound like enough to me. I wouldn't worry about upping it a bit but do it around your training in high protein form so that it all gets used up building muscle. You then get the knock on effect of burning fat whilt not even doing anything.

I'm sure I've already said this but when I was training heavily I needed 5500 calories per day just to maintain my body weight at 16st 4lb. That's purely because of training and being generally active but weight training was only ever 40 minutes maximum per day.

Don't starve yourself. Eat lots but eat lots of good stuff and you won't go far wrong.

Is my Muller Light Lemon Cheesecake Fat Free Yoghurt good for me?

one 175g serving provides

105kcal
7.175g protein
17.675g carbs
15.05g of which sugar
7.875g sugars naturally from fruit & milk
0.175g fat
0.175g which saturates
0.175g fibre
0.175g sodium
224mg calcium

Matt, why do you have any of the yolks in your omelette?

Yolks are a high source of Vitamin D (as well as A and E) but D is contained in v few foods. They also contain almost the same amount of protein as the white but are far smaller obv.

Just can't have too many because of how high they are in cholestorol (and they are quite fatty - roughly 60calories per egg yolk, 15 per egg white).

I said all that without opening my mouth. Clever eh......

The other reason is that Dorian Yates used to have a couple of yolks and if it's good enough for Dorian it's good enough for me.

Does this mean you're also gonna take shedloads of roids like Dorian and get wings like a pterodactyl? If so, wiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii.

Doesn't look too bad to me mate. I'd wouldn't mind sneaking one of them in if I fancied something tasty for a change.

I used to have the MullerRice pots as a snack or dessert occasionally. Very tasty too.

Lol. It's tempting mate but it's a path I won't go down.

DAY 1 Complete - OOOWWWWWWWW!!!!!!

Mon - Chest and biceps

First off sack the press ups. They can be a good exercise but hardly anyone does them properly and there's much better weight exercises to do. All you're doing is fatiguing your muscles before your weight training.

Start with barbell bench press. do 2 very light sets as a warm up then 3 proper sets aiming for 8 to 10 reps. Never pick a number and stop at it. You set a target for the weight but if you can do more you know you need more weight. You should always aim to fail.

Incline dumbell press - 4 sets of 8 to 10. Alternate for decline press every other week.

Cable crossover. 3 sets of 12 to 15. Substitute for flyes if there isn't a crossover machine.

Standing alternating dumbell curl. 3 set of 10 to 12

Standing barbell curl. 3 sets of 10 to 12

Since when has eating cholesterol been an issue?  I always thought it was saturated fats that were the problem that can lead to higher cholesterol levels in the blood, rather than ingesting cholesterol directly?

Oh, and 'fatty fish' provide loads more vitamin D than egg yolks.

You cant really eat Matt & Cos though can you.
Well you might want to but thats a different story....

ba dum ching

Yeah the cholesterol thing didn't come from me. Saturated fat is the problem but to normal people who aren't quite so pedantic as yourself the above explanation would be quite adequate.

Oh, and the vitamin supplements I take provide loads more vitamin D than 'fatty fish' and they don't taste like shit!!

Well done mate.

And the best thing about completing day 1 is that you now have day 2 to look forward to :)

How did you find the change of routine? Did it go ok?

Kinboshi stinks of poo.

How are your arms feeling today Ace2M?

It went well, i have limited time and this is about twice as much as i normally do so i thought i would struggle but i really hammered through it, which is a good thing as well i think?

My arms are just starting to settle down now after ablout hour and a half, they were distinctly shaky when i got back to work.  my biceps felt like they were in permanent tensed mode for a while. No bother from the chest muscles though.


I did it today by the way as i was off yesterday.

12st8 this morning - so down 2 pounds from yesterday and on target to drop below 12st before Monday.

Just in case....

http://www.enemasupply.com/

Smoked salmon sure tastes like shit.

Eggs cost significantly less than salmon too. Quick to prepare etc.

High in saturated fats (if you eat the yolk).

Salmon takes ages to prepare, and Matt's balla anyway.

doh ! obviously the 1800 was supposed to say 2800. this was based on the calculation that my current physiological state requires 2900 calories to maintain its current weight, and then adding in the physical excercise factor of x 1.5. I have calculated that a 3lb per week weight fat loss is desirable and achievable in the long term, which equates to (i think) 10500 calories per week i need to be in deficit, which is around 1500 per day.

i agree with the point about the excercising too many muscle groups, and i do plan to address this when i am about 3 months into the program. also the cardio/weight combination maybe needs to be looked at.

the main point is of course that i am back in the habit of going to the gym. half the battle is getting there, once that has been achieved, then everything else can be tweaked.

 :)up

Just seen this thread , i used to play rugby league  but retired now , i also went to gym 4 times a week , but since retiiring from rugby   and starting to play poker plus working in casino as a poker dealer i struggle to have the energy  and motivation to get to gym more than twice a week , my Main problem is keeping my weight on  as am not eating properly , i still use weight gain and whey protein poweder but only after a i have been to gym, i used to be 13stone when training properly but now am fighting to stay around 12 stone .

i hope you guys have got the ANACONDA on order, it's meant to be like a mixture of whatever the incredible hulk did to make himself big and green and grumpy and stuff, the radioactive spider that bit spiderman and top secret eastern european steroidz.

http://www.tmuscle.com/free_online_program/sports_body_training_muscle_anaconda/anaconda_protocol?utm_source=product_announcement&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=tmuscle

get it before the government bans it!

Just got back from weekend in Malta.

Obviously the diet suffered terribly but I'm now fully back on it.

Somehow got to get up at 6 o'clock to get to the gym for 7.

[ ] This will be fun.

Mmmm

I lost 6 pounds between Friday morning and when I got up today.
Maybe I should forget the food and just eat vodka!

Did you go gym this morning Mattias?

No mate. Wednesday is off day.

Managed yesterday which was the big challenge and be there tomorrw at 7.

Sure was there at 7 this morning!!

I can't seem to get back int o a good sleep pattern since I went to Malta. I think really I should've took the day off after Malta and then gone back to the gym yesterday.

Anyway all was not lost. I had a lie in this morning 'til about 9 then went to the gym about 10 and had a late start to work. Actually had a very good shoulders session so I'm pleased with myself despite not getting up early.

Diet's going really well. I'm getting plenty of the right foods and staying off the unhealthy stuff.

I'm hoping to get up at 6 to be at the gym for 7 tomorrow. Really don't want a repeat of today.

Onwards and upwards.

lifts, reps, sets, weights?

Yes, he did all of them.

kkthxbye

Anyway, this thread is rubbish without CounterfeitKing.

Still all very light stuff mate. For once in my life I'm being sensible and trying not to injure myself. I used to have to go to physio once a week to strighten everything out :) That was when I was fighting as well though tbf.

Chest was:

Bench press - 4 sets of 8 to 10 up to 60kg
Incline dumbells - 4 sets 8 to 10 up to 30kg
Decline smith - 4 sets 8 to 10 up to 80kg (This machine completely takes the bar out of the equation so would be 60kg on normal machine)
Cable crossover - 4 sets 12 to 16.

Shoulders

Shoulder press on a machine thing 4 sets 8 to 10
3 super sets of side / front lat raises all single arm on cable aim for 12 reps of each thing to failure
Upright rows - 4 sets 8 to 10 on cable
Shrugs - 4 sets 12 to 14 up to 80kg

Legs

Leg raises - 4 sets 12 to 16
Leg press - 4 sets 8 to 10
Stiff legged dead lift - 4 sets 10 to 12 up to 40kg
Calf raise - 3 sets 12 to 16

I've not included weights for a lot of things because they are irrelevant on machines. All machines are different but I will always aim for the heaviest weight I can achieve failure for my target reps. Where weihts are given they don't include the bar.

All reps are target reps. I do every set to failure. I also pyramid weights so the last set may be lower than target as failure could be reached sooner.

I'm quite happy with my training so far but I've not made the 7am thing a couple of times. I'm lucky that my job enables me to take an hour off to go to the gym. This is something I really need to sort. Long term I want to be in the routine of training at 7am every day.

I'm feeling a lot stronger already and the aches aren't as bad as week one. Will be doing back tomorrow but will also squeeze in arms as I had Monday off because of holiday.

Next week will be my first full week with no days off planned at all. Should be fun.

FYP

Quick update on this. Diet has been going really well up until about 20 minutes ago when I scoffed a doner kebab pizza!!!!

Training was good but last week was really bad. Only managed Tuesday morning and no other sessions. Hopefully back on it Monday.

Ok so I managed to train yesterday and today. Both were good sessions and I got a good bag workout in today as well which was fun.

Diet is going really well other than Saturday's slight doner meat pizza mishap. It was really tasty though and in my defence it wasn't my fault. I'd had about half a bottle of JD so I wasn't responsible for my own actions.

I've decided that the no drinking thing is unnecessary. I rarely drink in the week anyway so a few at the weekend isn't going to hurt. I don't need to diet in the same way I did before as I haven't got 2st+ to lose so I think denying myself a couple of pints when I fancy them is silly.

Not sure how things will go over the next couple of weeks. The gym is open so I'll do my best to get down there as often as possible but there's Christmas parties and other distractions which may get in the way.

Will just have to see how it goes.

Wiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii - drinking Matt's back!!

:cheers:

Update on how it's going for me...  The new routine is good (pretty brutal though) and have noticed distinct improvement in muscles already.

Because its loads harder it's making me lots hungrier and i've been eating some of the rubbish i stopped eating before so the belly is still a bit of a problem but i'm going to get strict again after christmas as i can't turn down a beer and a buffet over christmas, it just wouldn't be right.

careful on the paths outside the gym...

Especially if your mum's coming to visit.

I appear to have dropped to page 4 so this is a mini bump and to update a little bit.

Basically the regime has gone poorly so far. I've trained every week but nowhere near as much as I'd targetted.

Christmas put a stumbling block in the works but that was expected but so far I've not got back in to it as was planned.

I've noticed that I'm not as motivated to train as I used to be although I really enjoy every session that I do.

This tells me that my mind is not in training mode. The fact that I enjoy it should mean that it's not a chore to get to the gym but thus far it has been.

So I've come to the conclusion that this is now a mental excercise rather than a physical one. I have been in a bad place mentally recently. Nothing overly stressful or dangerous, I've just had a lot on and I've not been myself.

I have been telling myself that I'm lazy for not going to the gym. This has made me program my mind to think that I'm a lazy person. This in turn has made me more lazy and unable to get back to the gym. I have also managed to convince myself that I am always tired and that I can't sleep very well. This has programmed my mind to think that I am a tired person who can't get to sleep at night. My poor brain must wonder what has happened to the body that it used to run.

I am now in a position to get myself back to the way I was a few years ago. Everything was easy back then and everything fitted in to place and there is no physical reason why I can't get back to that same place now.

So I've recently started to sort myself out mentally. I haven't been the same way that I used to be for a long time but every day I feel better and I know that I will be back there soon.

I've had a difficult year mainly with work and doing my house up. It has caused a few financial problems which I am now putting back straight so I can focus on feeling better about everything every day.

I will update here more often as well but everything will be positive. Like I have said there is no physical reason that I can't attend the gym more often so it has to be purely mental.

The next 6 months will be very interesting for me and I'm really looking forward to it.

Positiveness ftw!

You'll be pleased to know that I'm going to start eating curries and drinking beer again as well. I enjoy them so I'm going to have them whilst being positive about going to the gym the next day.

There is no reason that eating a curry can stop me achieving my goal. I somehow however managed to convince myself that I needed to stop doing certain things in order to get back to the gym. This is a bad way of doing this mentally. I was in effect telling myself that I am a curry eating slob who doesn't go to the gym. This programs the mind to think that way so even though I stopped eating curries my mind didn't know I had. My mind thought that I was a lazy, curry eating slob because that's what I was always telling it. This makes it almost impossible not to act like a lazy, curry eating slob because the mind is has so much power over the rest of the body.

I can now eat a curry, go to bed and get a good night's sleep and feel good about it in the morning. So much better than telling myself that I'm a lazy slob just cus I've had a meal that I really enjoy.

Seemples.

Have you joined a cult?

No wonder I don't understand his hand analysis.

Self bump.

This was obviously an epic fail and I ended up back on my lazy arse again.

Going to get back in to it in about a week.

Got a holiday from Wed to Tues but fully intend to get back on it when I get back.

GG 6 months gym membership!!!!!

Saw Andy Fordham on telly this morning, and thought about this thread.

i didn't stop. all going well for me. Started skipping as the main stay of my daily routine, thats made a massive difference.

still got some gut to shift but getting there.

schoolgirls skip, men jump rope bro

what are you doing for losing the old love handles and belly? I have been going to the gym 3/4 times a week for the past 3 months and everything is bulking up and fat is slowly dripping away but my stomach still looks F'ing ridiculous. (I have obviously don't sit-ups and all that shyte but it doesn't seem to worl.)

you can't spot reduce fat. eat less tubby bro

Don't do it Matt,stick to drinkaments and takeaways,gyms are for losers  ;whistle;

I've taken up roller skating for exercise... Is there a manly way to say that?  ;carlocitrone;

Matt you must be the person least in need of exercise on thif forum

Crap...I actually eat pretty healthy and not too much...it just doesn't go anywhere.

OH, and my moobs are growing...Thanks pec excercises...Sure they are getting firmer but now I just have big firm moobs!

sorry bro, boxers jump rope, pink poodle owners roller skate

I agree... :o

Best I can think of.

I snapped you out with Kinbo last week.

Matt I think you could get quite big mate.

My thinking is based on your frame (you are quite tall).

Gosh Cos, great minds think alike.   ;hide;

love handles and belly are the tough bit. It drops off everywhere else first. round your middle is the main depository for all that crap you've been eating and drinking for 40 years, it's deeply embedded. Your body thinks it's your natural weight now so you have to fight to shift it.

burn more calaroies than you consume and 5/6 small meals a day.
drink water only and lots of it.
sleep 7 hours per night minimum.
as your muscles grow you will burn more fat during your sleep.
protein rich diet to build those muscles.
eat no longer than 90 mins after your excercise.
make sure you are pushing yourself in your routines and do that at a good pace no 5 min rests between sets etc

up your cardio to shift those calories, i really like the 'jumping rope' i'm getting pretty tasty at it, not quite muhammed ali but getting there, so i don't find it a chore and do 30 mins 5 days a week. I also play football once a week, tennis once or twice, a couple of rowing sessions and in total about an hour walking the steepest incline on the running machine.
 - all that and its still only getting there slowly

this looks like a good exercise

(http://i.imgur.com/ByBhC.gif)

Roller Skating - the only sport I have in which I have a chance of being the manliest participant...

Matt has acted as punch bag to many birds like that, though usually blonder with larger and faker boobs. Legend.

Still quite a slim chance


Manlier than Bongo
(http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:sHVUBLoTjLfT1M:http://www.thepotteryandcraftstudio.com/UserFiles/Image/thepotteryandcraftstudio/Girl%2520Skating.jpg)

Yeah why roller skating Bongo? At least roller blades ffs

I have both, although I'm mainly using the inlines atm:

(http://www.rollerman.be/images/SEBA_HIGH_BLACK_2008.JPG)

It's fun and it's exercise. I would say it gets me off my ass but the opposite is true unfortunately.

how you getting on Tittypie?

Great mate. Haven't done a f**kin' thing for months!!

rotflmfao

Well quite clearly round 1 of this gym diary was an epic fail!!

I think I lasted a couple of months then got bored and quit.

I'm back on it though as of tomorrow with the added incentive of a £1.1k bet with Cos. Loser has to buy the other in to the next DTD MC.

There's a few differences this time round. The main difference is that this time I really don't want to train. The only reason I'm doing it is because of the bet.

My first session is supposed to be tomorrow and I have no desire to go at all. Hopefully my new motivation will be better than before because that obviously didn't work.

I'll post the details of the bet shortly. The idea of this bet isn't that either of us wants to win. Ideally we'll end up as a draw with both of us having trained for the full year.

We are looking to help each other out and both achieve a goal of training hard throughout the year.

I personally don't have any particular goals other than to attend. Goals may become clear as I go on but for now I'm happy with just turning up.

More to follow. No doubt Cos will have something to say as well.

So the details of the bet.

The loser is basically the one who trains the least weeks over the course of the 2011

We each have to train 4 times per week for it to count as a weeks training.

A week starts on Monday morning and finishes on Sunday at night.

Days can be made up in the week following a slack week but only in the following week. Eg. Train 3 days one week and 5 the next counts as 2 weeks. Train 3 days one week and 4 the next and you've only done one week with no more opportunity to catch up the missed week.

We are each permitted 4 weeks off for holidays. Holidays must be pre booked so that you can't use them to cover a slack week.

If a week is missed you can continue and hope that the other misses a week to level things out.

If at any stage one of us misses a second week we have lost.

If one loses the other can't just quit and claim the win. They have to finish the full year as well missing no more than 2 full weeks.

If there's any more rules I'll add them as I remember them but these are the important ones.

doubt it





















............................. oh wait

So on to day 1 of 360 ish..........

As I have said I really don't want to go at all. I have the motivation of not wanting to lose a bag and that's it!!

I want to get back in to training at some point but I really don't want to right now.

Starting day was today but neither of us were able to train due to our gyms being closed.

I was also hampered by not getting out of bed 'til 2pm.

I'm not at work tomorrow but I'll be getting up early to go to the gym and get day 1 out of the way.

This could be a long slog for both of us but hopefully we can both stick to it and not have to cough up any money to the other.

Here goes..........

gl Matt but i can't see losing £1k as being enough motivation when you clearly don't want/sound as thou you are up for it. Any one want any side action on this? :)

I probably didn't explain that very well.

I want to train but I'm too much of a lazy bastard to get off my arse and go to the gym.

I've always wanted to train but for some reason I've not been able to motivate myself.

Hopefully this will be a decent incentive to get started.

Once I'm in the swing of it it'll be a piece of cake. The first month will be the biggest test.

Once I'm in a routine of going there'll be no stopping me.

Save your money mate.

Is it done on trust matt? what I mean is, if someone says he did 4 days, that's it?

Is there any minimum time that has to be spent in the gym each day?

lol me and matt aren't gonna lie to each other.

I wouldn't be doing this sort of bet with many ppl but I know Matt won't lie and I hope he knows the same.

That's what I figured.

Yeah pretty much this Tom.

As I said we're both doing it to hopefully both succeed. We don't to win the grand off each other but obviously neither of us wants to lose.

This is why we added the bit about one having to finish off the bet to win even if the other has lost.

I could quit after week 1 and Cos still has to do the full year to win the bet.

I have to say it's working for me so far. I can categorily state that there is no way in the world that I would have any intention of training tomorrow were it not for the chance of losing a grand.

It's a pretty tough motivation but if it works I'll take it.

No not really. I'll only train for about 30 - 40 minutes but I'll aim to be very intensive.

I can't see either of us making the effort to get there and then only do 2 minutes. The hard bit's getting there.

This.

I love training, I just find it hard to get down to doing it.

weird isn't it. most people really enjoy training once there but I don't know anyone who finds it easy to go regularly

Yeah, pretty much this.
Think it gets worse with age too. I probably train far harder now then I did in my late teens/ twentys but find it much harder to motivate myself to get to the gym.

I love going to the gym...now that I have a routine. It's getting into it, like Matt said, that's the tricky part. I know that when I get home from work I have a cup of tea and then have to head out, I almost go crazy just sitting on the couch without having been to the gym these days as it breaks the routine up.

MrsB is back at work today and I'm off until tomorrow so can do 2 sessions a day these two days...wooohoooo. (1 cardio and 1 weights)

Just got back from my first session of 2011 and I actually enjoyed it!!

I've joined up for the full year on the full membership. Last time I was off peak only but if I need to make up a session somewhere or can't make on early morning I may find an evening useful.

Cost was £295 so I'm in for the best part of 1.4k if I quit early and lose the prop with Greeky boy.

3 more to go this week to get off to a flyer!!

Over to you Cos. You're currently playing catch up.

I trained chest today. It's a nice easy one to start off a new regime because you always feel good afterwards and it's obvious which excercises you want to be doing.

I only went light but to be honest I couldn't have done much more if my life depended on it.

Bench press was a far from impressive 30kg + the bar. Quite a way to go to my former peak of 120kg + bar.

I'm not sure if I'll ever get back there but you never know.

I'm not setting any specific targets as yet but I noticed a nice new set of 50kg dumbells that I'd love to be chest pressing by the end of the year. I used to do 50kg's but for 12 - 16 reps because they were the biggest my old gym had. They used to be very easy so they are a definite target to set as I get stronger.

I expect to be very weak for 2 - 3 weeks until muscle memory kicks in and they realise it's not just a passing fad.

Once the muscle starts to creep back on I expect to make some fairly rapid gains then hit a stale point. This will be tough to get over, it always is, but I'm used to it from past experience so I should be ok.

I haven't done any cardio at all. I get enough of that from walking 4 miles or so each day with the dog so this won't change.

I now need to have a serious look at my diet and see what to do with that. At the moment it's pretty shite so there's plenty of scope for improvement.

I'll probably go back to my old diet from when I was huge but cut it back a 1500 calories or so. I've got a little bit of fat that I wouldn't mind shifting from around my waist so until that's gone I'll stick to quite a strict diet.

What kind of Curry will you be having on Wednesday night..

Sigh......

Just had Hopkin moaning at me. I've already cancelled :(

Good stuff mate.

Think my first session back is gonna be chest + cardio.


fk him, he cancelled new years! :)

Why have you cancelled?!  Thought this was just a keep fit challenge and not necessarily a weight loss competition. 

No point training if your diet isn't fairly on point too.

Fair enough, but surely one curry in the week isn't going to kill the routine?

Whole thread is clearly an excuse to not have to see Hopkin every Weds night.

Curry with Hopkin = 11 pints + curry ldo

Curry with Hopkin normally = 3 pints for Matt

If he doesnt want to do it anymore fair enough, he has been pretty shit for the past 2 months and I have still managed about 6.  :)

Also wants to cut our beers though, all very courageous January the 4th talk. See you when I get back from London for a massive piss up and a curry. xx

The biggest problem Dawn isn't the actual food it's the timing of it.

If we go out on a wednesday night we tend to start at about 8.30 in a pub in town. As Stu said I will have about 3 pints.

Add to this a huge curry at about 11.30 and you're struggling to train at 7am the next day.

I just can't see how I can do it?

If I'm not training I'll have no qualms about having a curry and a few pints. They aren't that bad for you. I can't this week because I have to train every day to get my 4 days in.

Maybe next week I'll make Thursday my day off so I can have a bit of fun Wednesday night without worrying about feeling shit the next morning.

Finally a bit of sense to the matter.  Forgot about the timing of the meal.  Agree it would be pretty horrible trying to work out the next morning on a belly full of curry from only a few hours before.

Weekend mornings a no no for you Matt?

I like 3 week sessions and 1 at the weekend.

Yeah but I've already got those accounted for.

I know we've got a 4 day per week thing going but I'm hoping to hit 5 including Saturday morning.

I only ever like to train 1 body part per day so that means 5 sessions to cover everything. Ideally I'd like to train everything once per week.

Ah, that's not dissimilar to Hopkin's excersise regime. He looks to train one body part 5 times a day...5 times a week.

And has the help of Palm and his five brothers to get the job done.

My chest was aching like hell this morning so I didn't train early.

I've just got back from a leg session so still on course to complete my first week.

Again I really didn't want to go so this prop is definitely helping me out a lot.

Planning on shoulders tomorrow, back Friday and arms Saturday to round off the week.

Plans don't always work out though so no promises.

Don't know if you covered it, but what happens if someone is ill?  If they've got flu (for example) and simply can't train, is that OK?  What about if someone has a bit of a cold and feels crappy - they still have to train?  What about a pulled muscle?

Might have to resurrect my running thread, as there are now 16 weeks to the London Marathon and my proper training was meant to start this week.  It's going to be tough as I want to run it in under 3hrs 30m, but not sure if I'm going to get close to that.  Had a stinking cold this week, and would have trained with the cold but it's messed up my sleeping and I'm just too exhausted to train as I need to.  Not a great first week.

Anyway, good luck to both of you in this.  I'm sure you'll be playing the MC this year courtesy of Mr Papertits.

GL with this, seeing Cos post about prop bets got me kickstarted to work out my routine with military precision for the year. As has been said you have to run these on trust and seeing as I don't know him it's not that feasible to carry it out. I'm just doing a blog to track my diet/training and at least then I feel somewhat accountable.

Best of luck and hopefully neither of you will have to part with any money, although a few missed session sweats would be good for the rail  :D

I think if one of us was genuinely ill we'd make allowances for each other.

If it's a bit of a sniffle you soon get a feel for if they're being lazy or genuinely want to train and can't.

Again it's on trust and I know personally I wouldn't want to grim Cos by lying about something like that. I'm certain that he's the same. This is about both of us getting to the gym and sticking to it. We both appreciate that sometimes you genuinely can't and that has to be accepted.

We're trying to help each other out. We can't do that by training together because of where we both live so this is the best way we have. Although it's early days it's working for me so far.

If you have a training partner you have the motivation of not letting them down. We have the motivation of not wanting to lose a large pile of money.

Thanks mate. Feel free to join us in this thread for bragging rights if you feel it may help.

We'll soon take the piss if you decide to quit like a bitch.

A missed week half way in would be quite good for sweats I must admit.

I'm not saying either of you would lie, but how do you decide if an injury or illness means that one of you is allowed to take a week off (for example)?  If they do, are they then in make-up?

I'm with you on the motivation thing, it really helps having someone else monitoring you or a goal to aim for.  Just be careful when you're all trim and cut and you see Maureen.  You might need all your strength to keep her at bay :D

This isn't particularly relevant to any of my goals but I weighed myself today and I'm exactly 100kg.

That 15st 10lb in old money which is the same as I dropped to a few years ago when I dieted really strictly. That diet dropped me from 18st 4lb down to 15st 10 which was pretty significant.

It's scary to think how much fat I must've been carrying back then.

Anyway my peak lean weight was 16st 4lb with very low body fat so I may set a target weight some time soon. It certainly won't be to drop any weight that's for sure, only to tone up what I've already got and hopefully grow a bit on top.

If I was to train and diet hard now I don't think my weight would move more than 4lb either way for 6 months. I should lose a bit of fat and gain a bit of muscle but as I'm fairly middling at the moment nothing too significant is likely to happen.

When I hit 15st 10lb before it was the culmination of 3 months hard training and hard dieting. This means that now my lean weight is probably around the 15st 4lb mark and I'm carrying significantly less muscle than before.

I guess to get back to how I was I need to gain around 1st of pure muscle. Jeez that's gonna be tough!! It took a long time, a lot of eating and a lot of hard work.

Maybe I'll never get back there again? My lifestyle has changed since then meaning I simply can't dedicate to it like I used to. This is something I just have to accept.

A decent target would be to continue to train, lose body fat and maintain my current weight through added muscle.

If I was as lean as before but 8lb down I think I'd be pretty happy.

I'll see how things progress and keep track of my weight for curiosity's sake. Weight has never bothered me at all, it's what you see in the mirror that counts but most people find weight highly significant.

So I guess for the sake of people who are interested in weight and also my curiosity my starting weight is 100kg or 15st 10lb.

I don't think it'll move more than 5lb over the next 6 months. Hopefully I'm wrong.

Not sure that will be possible fella ;)

As for your weight, 15st for someone of your height and build must surely be there or thereabouts?  I'd have expected you to be a stone heavier than that.

You think there'll be an outright winner ?

GLGL with this Matt but I'd be pretty suprised if one of you doesn't miss a week and thus fail and then I'd expect the other to very quickly fail afterwards when freerolling.

No idea how accurate the things are that measure % body fat (electrical resistance/inductance based, I assume), but is it worth posting the changes here, if weight isn't really going to change? Could be interesting.

White Tee shirt on standby!!

We are allowed a make up week anyway if one of us has a skive week. 2 weeks off means you lose no matter what the other does.

If one of us is genuinely ill they'll have to have a free week off I guess. If they start to take the piss they'll soon get caught out.

Neither of us are in this looking for excuses to not train. We've made the bet because we want a good reason to train. Hopefully that should keep everything on the straight and narrow.

Ha I'm doing quite an in depth blog detailing every training session/meal, it's pretty boring reading so I don't want to clog up your thread with repetitive slosh lol. I might post a thread on it if I make the same bet with Cos just on less balla stakes, just so it's down in writing what I'm actually doing. The only way I miss training is if I have a relapse as I'll go alone if my partner slacks. To be fair it's hard to go a whole year without having some form of bug and will def take some going to miss no weeks at all.

lol...failing already? My money is safe for yet another year then :)

I tried one of those body fat scale things once. It registered me as something like 20%

I then picked up a 10kg weight and tried it again and it said 28%

I've never trusted them since.

Would be very interesting to do if there was an easy accurate method though.

Not failing, just making a start similar to a GB Men's 4x100 team baton change.  Anyway, I have a more structured plan (from a friend who's a fitness instructor and triathlete and all-round nutter).  I'll resurrect my thread, so not as to pollute this one.

But the biggest motivator to run it in that time is to take more money from you. There couldn't be a bigger stick/carrot.

I'm hoping that we both win and there isn't a winner that way.

If one misses a week it can still be caught up. Miss 2 and it's a freeroll.

You're right though there's a big difference between potentially winning a grand and potentially having to give it away.

Thanks for the vote of confidence ;)

As I said I'm pretty sure that if one of us is genuinely ill the other will support them rather than use it as an excuse to freeroll the grand. I certainly would.

If it starts looking like weak feeble excuses then hand over that cash loser!!!!!!

Well I'm 15st 10lb not 15st so you're close.

At the moment I think at pretty much my natural weight. I'm certainly not fat and I'm not thin either. Just normal really.

If I were to trim down to the same body fat as I used to be I think I'd be about 15st 4lb.

I was formally at that body fat level whilst weighing 16st 4lb. That's a lot of muscle to gain to try to get back to where I was. I don't know what it is in terms of calories but I'd guess it's a lot.

If Amatay want's a bet I'll obv be taking your side over Cos' :)

As you may've noticed from my physique I'm not a fan of going to the gym.Life's too short to be cancelling fun plans even if it is with a Clown for going to the gym in the morning.Waits for someone to tell me life will be longer by going to the gym lol.

Meh. I've put in 2 sessions already and it's only Wednesday. I might have a curry then do Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

If you can leave SN 'til the last day I can have a training sweat once a week.

Any chance you could cancel some fun plans and teach Booder how to win more money?? ;)

LOL,will get in touch with him to start properly from next week.

good man

surely it would be more fun to not bother going to the gym at all and just spend the year laughing at cos as he tries to drag his arse to the gym 4 times a week for the sake of a grand. you could just post daily updates about how you've gone out on the lash and are now having a lovely lie in

At my gym they do it with little electrodes. I haven't bothered with it in ages though so can't say how accurate it is.

If anyone wants side action, I'm willing to bet I don't miss a week of the bet.

Will offer 2/1.

Does this include the 4 weeks holidays?

matt, how old are you? have you considered doing 5/3/1? very nice programming, can find torrents to get it for free

http://www.flexcart.com/members/elitefts/default.asp?m=PD&cid=370&pid=2976

Nah, I might be willing to do all 52 weeks of the year though but not at 2/1.

I also think the 4 weeks holidays are just about perfect because the body needs a little rest but not too much.

lolaments, pretty much what I said to Mattu yesterday

Do you think I lose by this?

In fact, if I'm training the whole year I'll see it as a pretty big win.

35 mate. Never heard of it??

Have you got any cliffs?

Yeah when I was training hard we'd always have a rest week every now and then. It's very good for you and can provide a good boost after a period of no growth.

I think doing all 52 weeks would be ridic tough. At some point you're going to get an injury of some sort.

I guess there's always something that can be trained though.

I'd sure be feeling smug at the MC when Cos was there looking good playing for free and I was a fat lazy bastard.

Zero win in that plan for me unfortunately. No surprise really as it's the easy option.

The real winning option is usually the toughest to accomplish.

day 1 shoulder press, day 2 deadlift, 3 bench, 4 squat, whatever assistance stuff you like, up to you. 3 weeks on 1 week go light, just really nice smooth programming, ebook is short, only take a minute to read it

Found a decent link that explains it pretty well. Can't see what more the e-book could have to say about it tbh.

http://www.t-nation.com/free_online_article/sports_body_training_performance/how_to_build_pure_strength

Seems to encourage starting very light and slowly progressing whilst incresing your 1 rep max.

It's only a 5lb increas in bench press every 4 weeks but that would mount up to an extra 65lb in a year.

Not sure how this would work for me just starting out afresh. Would probably have to do a month to get some basic strength back before starting.

Would've been very interested to try something like this when I was at my peak.

EDIT: Another decent looking link: http://www.muscleandstrength.com/workouts/hardcore-look-at-jim-wendlers-5-3-1-powerlifting-system.html

Might give this a serious go a few weeks/months in. Looks the sort of program to help you out of a stale spell.

I don't know the excersices that much. Any chance someone can chuck me a 4 day a week programme on here please? I got pretty buff/lean last year at 1 point before sustaining an injury that kept me out for 4 months and then xmas came upon us so i ended up getting a bit chunky again, just started back with some serious cardio for the last week.

Think i'll be a bit bored just hitting the same routine as before, i want it to be 30 minute max (lunch hour). Machines are pretty basic at the gym i go to, no smith machine.

Do they have free weights?

yep.

Had a late one in the office yday, left around 7.40, legged it to Sainsbury's to get something to eat so I could train when I got home as it had been a long gap since lunch. Nothing there but boots had a low fat chicken wrap (276 calories) which I ate and managed to get to the gym for 9 to do an hour of shoulders.

I was the only one in the weights room when I got there, which I don't mind hugely as I never train from 6-8 because it's too busy but I do prefer one or two people in the gym.

I did shoulders and all was going well but I overdid it a bit. Shoulder pressing was my last exercise and by this time my shoulders were quite burnt out. I was pressing 20kg dumbbells and struggling to get more than 6 reps out and think I overcompensated on my back a little bit and seemed to have pulled a muscle or trapped a nerve on the top right of my back. Nothing serious and won't keep me from training but it's pretty uncomfortable today. I should have simply done a lighter weight but I used to do 12 reps with the 30kg bells and I got a bit stubborn.

Think I will do a fitness session only tonight to give my back some recovery time and then hit arms on friday and back on saturday with sunday off, or just a fitness session.

Will put something together for you when I'm home later mate.

This is what evilpie suggested last time and i did it for ages and it worked well. Just need a change for a mental boost really.

Why not try the 5/3/1 routine that Byron suggested? Looks good to me and I'll certainly be giving it a go at some point.

I've decided to take today as a day off.

I trained chest on Tuedsay and was aching yesterday so did legs.

Unfortunately I'm hurting even more today and I don't think I'd be doing myself any favours by training.

My plan has always been to have a day off midweek but this week has been a bit screwed because of the gym being closed on Monday.

So tomorrow will be shoulders and Saturday back with another day off on Sunday ready for next week.

This means that arms don't get trained this week but that really isn't a problem at all.

In these early stages it's more important to pace myself and not get injured.

That routine you put together for Ace was almost the same as the one I'm doing now. I got told by a guy that owns a gym to keep Back and Legs as far apart as possible to let them recover.

I'm doing

Mon: Chest/Bi
Tue : Back

Thurs: Shoulder/Tri
Friday: Legs

We did intend to do Legs Tuesday and Back Friday but the lad I train with has Footy Tuesday nights. Would be amusing to watch him go play after doing legs....


The guy also said when I had 3 arm exercises for each arm muscle that it was too much. Said you only really need 2 for each as it's a small muscle and gets trained most body parts anyway.

Sounds good but is there a link that tells me the specific excercises to do in a full routine?

I always do Chest / Back / Legs on different days but don't get why you'd need to do them far apart for max recovery.



Everyone trains differently, I find 3 is pretty much perfect for arms. 2 is too little. I usually do 4 on tris.

If you're deadlifting I'd say it's sensible to have a gap between legs and back but other then that I personally don't understand it.

I try to train arms as a single body part and it's almost a rest day tbh.

Arms recover fast and don't need much training because they're little.

2 excercsies for biceps and 3 for triceps on a Saturday morning always did the trick for me.

Yeah we're doing deadlifts (pretty uselessly) and obv that's a whole body exercise. I've just taken some advice as it's the first time I've put together a routine, after 6 weeks if I'm not showing improvements we'll change it about.

We were doing arms before as a single day but no legs and obv legs is pretty important. I'd happily go 5x a week and do arms say Sat morning, the other guy is hard enough to get there 4 days though :D

We tacked biceps onto Back as we didn't have time to do them Monday with Chest because gym was shutting earlier than we had been told. That sure was fun, we were pretty rinsed from back and on the max set of 2nd exercise it was gg us.

Hi ACE"
If your looking for a 30 minute weights workout then take a look at stronglifts 5x5. Pretty much ideal for short, hard workouts.
These fit perfectly with free weights

cheers.

Just got back from tonight's session. Back on track to get the 4 in this week. Shoulders tomorrow then rest Sunday ready to start again.

I'm still struggling to get there but once there I'm really enjoying it.

Hopefully the difficulties will pass soon and it will just become routine.

The diet's looking reasonable at the moment. No more pizzas in the freezer, just lean mince and chicken in the fridge.

I'm not going to go stupid on the diet but I'm going to cut down on lazy food, pizza, burgers, chip shop stuff etc.

I'm still feeling very weak at the gym and lifting very light weights. It'll be interesting to see how long it takes to get back to something decent. Hopefully not too long.

I did legs for the first time tonight and it was pretty amazing how weak they are given how much weight they have to shift about  :D

The MS obviously has affected my range of movement and strength a bit more than expected and I only managed a few reps with 40kg on the bar before I had to quit and go back to just doing the bar. Still it's good to know where I am as I can focus on getting some low weight high intensity out on all leg exercises. Was quite a shock really considering how strong my legs were when I was playing prop to a decent standard until I was about 23.

Like you said earlier the muscle memory will kick in for you and Cos soon I  would think and you'll prob be back to previous levels in a couple months. I'm quite lucky I never trained before so I had no previous levels and could just do what was possible.

Sweet Potato is a good one if you haven't tried it before Matt, I found it on a forum as a replacement for chips/wedges. Just peel one and chop it into slices/chunks and chuck it on a tray in the over. Season with Salt & Pepper, spray with 1cal olive oil, cover tray with foil and bake at gas mark 5 for 30 mins. If you like them crispier then just remove the foil before the end. I had one sweet potato with my chicken breasts tonight and it's like  a cheat meal lol

Mmmmm yeah. Used to have sweet potato all the time when I was dieting hard. Lovely!!

If you've not trained before I'd recommend machines for your leg training. Squatting is quite a complex movement and requires a bit of strength before doing it at all.

Machine presses, leg extensions, leg curls and possibly some calf raises would be ideal for a newbie. It's what I'm doing at the moment to get back in to it.

Leave the squats for a few weeks mate. Once you've got some strength built up they'll be much easier to do with correct technique.

Good luck with the training and good work so far!!

Just bought myself some sweet potato for the weekend. It's lovely :)

Again had a sick day of eating. Dinner was smoked haddock, sweet corn and cottage cheese.

I didn't train today so I've trained for 3 days out of 4 this week. Planning to train tomorrow and sunday though. 1 back session and one cardio session where I hit abs hard too.

Legs were a bitch to train but I got mine pretty strong for my size. I was squatting 3 plates on either side of the bar for 12 reps. Now I would struggle with one on either side at first, but I'm not training legs for a few months because I'm doing cardio at least every other day and my legs sessions always hurt for a few days at least.

Matt do you ever supp!

At my peak of using the gym around 23/24 I never supped, just ate reasonably healthily.
For the last few years years i've got DOMS really bad unless I use protein shakes, then i don't get any!!

I love my protein shakes...strawberries and cream is immense :)

Yeah we used the Smith Machine for squats which will obviously help, I'm just gonna do the bar until I am comfortable for 3 sets and then move up in 5's.

The other 3 exercises we did were curls, extensions and seated calf raises funnily enough lol. Again I'm just gonna keep up with the low weights, lots of reps and hopefully a lot of the weakness isn't MS related.

The eating part I'm finding quite easy actually considering how bad my diet has been for ages. When I lost all the weight before I was eating well and training 3 days a week. 3 weeks in Vegas and it was gg that lol, nice to get back into it though and once the results start showing it's all the better.

Got up today, had a mix of bran flakes and special K.

Then a low fat yoghurt and some almonds a bit later before hitting the gym.

Just got back from doing a back session and finished off with a run. I'm going to do a half an hour cycle at home tomorrow, maybe a small run and some abs.

I've got a treadmill, crosstrainer and an exercise bike at home - I really should use them! (well, the exercise bike is a good clothes horse).

That's my 4 sessions of the bet complete for the week and I've enjoyed it. It's been tiring but worth it. I haven't been getting too frustrated at not being able to lift much.

Out tonight for a film with some friends, then 6 of us are going to Tsunami for dinner afterwards. No alcohol or dessert for me.

Question for you guys who know about the gym, i recently just joined the gym, and had bet with my mate that i would pay his flights if i didnt keep going, cos i wanna go but have no motivation. My aim really is to bulk up, because im like 6ft 2 and weigh like 11.5. You got any tips for bulkin up ? My mate im going with has been going like 4-6 times a week for like past 5year and knows quite alot, just figured u guys may have some useful tips.

Thanks in advance

Eat tons of food m8 basically, I'm not too expert on bulking as I'm looking to go the other way. I've just had a look on bodybuilding forum and this diet was given the thumbs up  by a few of the guys on there..


6:30am - Usn muscle fuel anabolic shack in water, Multivitamin, Cod liver oil.

7:15am - Omlet (1 whole egg and 3 whites with tomatos), 2 bananas, Porridge oats in semi skimmed milk.

9:15am - Tuna, Baked Potato, 2 Yogots, Pear or apple.

12:30pm - Chicken or Turkey breast with brown rice and mixed veg.

3:00pm - Whey Shack, piece ov fruit.

5:00pm - 4 weetabix in semi skimmed milk, 2 bananas, nuts (Pecans).

6:30pm - Chicken or Turkey breast with brown rice and mixed veg.

7:30pm - Gym

8:30pm - Muscle fuel anabolic shack, piece ov fruit

10:00pm - Mixed nuts, pint ov semi skimmed milk

10:30pm - Bed


I'll have a little look around later on and see if there are any more threads that go into more detail for you m8

Yeah basically eat like a trojan. Eat a meal every 2.5 hours.

Wow, I'm a stick insect but weigh 12.5st and am 6ft tall.  You are remembering to eat? :D

I would guess thats fine for a gym regular/bodybuilder, but surely someone who is 11 1/2 stone is going to feel full for the day after that brekkie, never mind the brunch/lunch?

You cant physically eat treble what you normally do when you want to start going to the gym overnight no?

You're right Dwayne.

You will burn more calories and after a workout / exercise you will continue to burn calories at a faster rate than normal for 24 hours and thus will be able to eat more but obviously not 3x as much.

I think Todd can adapt this easily for himself.

I'd say scrap the 2 bananas and porridge in the morning. Have 3 eggs, with yolks & whites on 2 brown slices of wholegrain.

Have the jacket potato + tuna or a tuna/sweetcorn baguette early doors.

Don't go OTT with fruit.

Just eat a good meal every few hours