Evilpie's get off your lazy arse and get back to the gym diaries

[GreekStein]

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.

[kinboshi]

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

doesnt everybody ?

One would certainly hope so.....

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

[EvilPie]

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 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

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

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

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 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

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.

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

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.

[paulhouk03]

I think you should use this

[ACE2M]

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 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

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

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

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 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

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.

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

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.

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

[EvilPie]

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.

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.

[kinboshi]

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.

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.

[GreekStein]

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.

[lazaroonie]

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 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

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

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

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 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

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.

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

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.

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.....

[EvilPie]

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.

[StuartHopkin]

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

[kinboshi]

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

[GreekStein]

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).

[EvilPie]

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.

[GreekStein]

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.