OT: P90X/Health and Fitness Thread

[chonestown]

Good thread.

I do hoop a couple times per week/as often as my body can take it. Depending on how good the games are, I'll throw in time on the elliptical. I do HIIT [high intensity interval training] on the elliptical, which is nothing more than alternating max or near max intervals with breaks for recovery. The two most utilized staggers for me are :20 max with :10 recovery and 1:30 @85-90% with :30 recovery.

I also do a lot of jump rope work. I've read where trainers call it a great exercise because it highlights weaknesses. The more you incorporate rope work, the more the weaknesses diminish.

From spring to fall, I do a lot of road biking, ranging anywhere from 75-150 miles a week outside of organized rides. I live in Madison where there is an abundance of amazing routes both in and out of the city. Most of my distance rides take place west of the city, where the locale is rightly regarded as a biking mecca. Unfortunately, too many bikers are oblivious to common sense road courtesy but that's a story for another day. All I can say is I try to ride cautiously because my layer of spandex doesn't stand much of a chance against a car/truck/tractor.

I'd consider my diet a smart one. I avoid soda, fast food and eat out infrequently. I still enjoy red meat, ice cream and alcohol of all varieties, but I'm mindful of portions. I've stayed between 203-212 pounds the last 10 years. Height has remained constant at 6'2".

P90 and Insanity seem to emphasize actual work, but I'm dubious on how well-tailored they are for a fitness neophyte. I dunno, I tend to think you walk before you run.

[emunney]

That's interesting about almonds, I'll have to look into that for while I'm laid up. Rehab would be a lot harder with an extra 20-30 lbs.

[Mags FTW]

Anybody want to start a weight loss club? Take a picture of the readout on your scale every week and post it?

[d_bokk]

For the underrepresented skinny minority...

After 2 years of weight-lifting and only see my overall strength increase but the mass stay the same, I did a little research on how body-builders put on pounds. What I learned was that eating large meals doesn't help because the body can only absorb so much nutrients at any given time and eating 5-8 meals a day (one of them being a normal dinner) is more effective. Instead of skipping breakfast out of laziness I've made a habit of eating at least two eggs, two hours later a Reuben and three hours later a typical dinner. After work I eat either eggs and/or another Reuben as well. It doesn't matter what kind of sandwich you eat, but I like Rubens because of the sauerkraut being healthy and not too easy to incorporate into my diet otherwise. I also like to snack on shell-less sunflower seeds throughout the day because of their zinc and other testosterone-aiding minerals. Can't go wrong with Wisconsin-made dairy products either... traitors consume Californian/flatlander dairy products.

Of course, all this extra eating needs to be accompanied with a workout. My job is physically intensive with the lifting of 50-100 lb packages for 3-4 hours a night but recently has become too easy (partly due to my being there 7 months and partly due to an incompetent boss) so I had to start lifting weights after work as well. I'd suggest exercises that require large muscle groups (eg deadlifts and squats) to increase testosterone levels as well but the smaller muscles as just as important because without them the others wont be able to grow either. The most important thing, especially for us skinny guys, is to stretch after you workout in order to allow your muscle fascia (what holds your muscles in place) to give way for your muscles to grow. This is most effective when your muscles are tense and swollen from lifting.

At 5'9, I went from 138 to 146 lbs in two months and averaged one pound per week which is the most progress I've seen in the 2 years I've been working out. Aside from the above, the only other thing I've changed is I've added a few isometric exercises into the mix but I don't believe that had too much of an impact. None of the weight appears to be fat either as I couldn't even put on fat if I ate fast food every day for months at a time and because I sweat a lot at work, it would have been gone as fast as I put it on anyhow. Surprisingly though, taking the time to make protein-enriched food was the most difficult hurdle for me and I think, for most skinny guys who see no gains from weight-training, the problem of not eating enough over the course of the day is their biggest problem as well.

And a tip for overweight people as well, next summer (probably wont get too hot for the rest of this summer) it might be a good idea to get a part-time job (3-4 hours a day M-F) at FedEx or UPS loading/unloading trailers. On those days where its 80-90 degrees and the trailers have been baking in the sun all day long, you can really sweat off the pounds if you work hard while getting paid $9-$10/hr to do it. They also don't mind if you leave after 2-3 months because they're already used to the high turnover rates with people who thought the job would be easier than it was. I'd highly recommend this to college students because after two months working there they'll reimburse you $1500 for your schooling as well. But not eating as much coupled with a job like that should really help you shed the pounds.

[hdroffffff]

Coming from someone who has done body building, power lifting, and is an ACE certified PT, you guys are way over complicating things. Putting on muscle, cutting fat, getting huge/ripped/whatever, is as easy as picking up a proven strength training regime and micromanaging your diet.

You want to cut fat and get lean? Start weight training and start counting calories while eating sufficient protein.

Want to put on muscle and get larger while keeping fat gain at bay? Start weight training and increase the calories you are eating with sufficient protein.

It's all about calories in vs calories out when it comes to gaining losing weight. Now whether or not you're training your body will determine if the weight that goes on or comes off is muscle or fat or w/e.

Start tracking how many calories per day you eat, and get a rough estimate as to how many it takes to maintain your weight.... then cut roughly 400-600 calories from your diet each day and you'll lose around 1 lb a week. (more complicated than 3500cal=1lb, but it doesn't really matter).

Want to gain weight? Do the opposite. It really is that easy.

[jerrod]

i enjoy working out and playing sports but it's the nutrition that gets me, and not always my own doing.

i ran out of kashi granola bars for breakfast, so i went to the cafe by my apartment and i eschewed the baked oatmeal for a raspberry scone. then i get to work and it turns out that someone had brought in mcdonalds for everyone. so i ate that, then at the scone for lunch. ugh

i wish i could cook

[emunney]

d_bokk, you might have already tried this, but Iron Man had a pamphlet called the Size Surge based on the Colorado Experiment where a former weightlifter named Casey Viator gained something like 70 lbs of muscle in 8-10 weeks. I can't remember the exact figures, but it's close to that.

At any rate, it's mainly based around the kind of complex lifts you're talking about. High weight, low sets and reps. I did the first phase of the pamphlet (8 weeks) when I was in college, and I gained over 20 lbs of muscle in that time (about 10% of my starting body mass) as well as doubling my squat. I could dunk beforehand; I could do a 360 after (and a 180 from a standing start).

[notoriousTJ11]

I wouldn't mind getting into a boot camp style workout program at a gym or do something like this P90x. If anyone ever did the renegade training program, you'll know how hard that is and though I hate the rigorous workouts, they can be amazing. That program probably puts P90x to shame but is also unorthodox in some ways and is tailored to someone competing in athletics normally.

I have been doing the renegade program for the last 3 weeks and have been able to drop about 12 pounds. I have been doing the GPP and lots of push ups and bicycle abs along with that had it is helping tremendousily. In HS I played Basketball and Football and couldn't get my wieght up past 180, and since im 6'2 I was hoping to maybe and some arm size but just couldn't. College I bloated up to about 220 over 5 years but now im back down to 208 and hopefully i can keep myself at around 200 so that I look more toned than I did in High School

[PedroGrande]

Anybody want to start a weight loss club? Take a picture of the readout on your scale every week and post it?

That would be nice and... Embarrassing lol

[rilamann]

I guess I'll share my story.It's probably a good testimonial/advice for the skinny guys who want to add some muscle/bulk.

I used to be the super skinny guy who couldn't put on weight or muscle no matter how hard I tried (I feel your pain LP).It was really frustrating.

When I first started lifting I was 17 and I weighed 135/140 at 6'3,I almost looked anorexic back then but I ate 24/7 and couldn't gain weight.

Even 2 years after regularly lifting and drinking weight gaining shakes at age 19 I still only weighed around 165,but I also grew to around 6'4+ in that time and there wasn't any real noticeable changes as far as adding muscle.It was pretty frustrating.

Then I got into a car accident when I was 19 and after I rehabbed from a badly broken arm I never got back into the routine of lifting regularly,I lifted off and on when I was 20-28 but never consistently enough to get any real results.I was still pretty skinny.

Then 3 years ago when I was 28 (now 6'5 210) I made a commitment to get back into lifting regularly.I have a pretty big frame at 6'5 so even at 210 I was still looked pretty skinny and my metabolism at 28 was still fast,I've always ate a lot and I ate a lot of fast food at that time and still couldn't get over 210 if I tired.

So 3 years ago when I first made the commitment to get back into lifting I decided to go the heavy weights/low reps route to try and add some size while making sure I ate a good amount of protein or drank whey protein shakes.

Now,3 years after consistent lifting and taking in a good amount of protein I'm at 265/270.

Yeah,270 sounds pretty heavy and some are probably thinking I have to be kinda chubby,but I'm not.I have bulked up quite a bit which is what I was going for,the muscular/toned thicker look as opposed to the thinner more ripped look but it's a pretty lean and toned 270.

Here's my facebook to get an idea,my main picture on there is from a couple months ago.If anyone wants to send a friend request BTW feel free,I'm not on there much though.

http://www.facebook.com/Rilamann

As far as regular exercise outside of lifting I play basketball on a pretty consistent bases.I don't do a ton of cardio..

The thing that really is surprising to me is that even with adding the bulk I haven't really lost any quickness on the basketball court and I feel better overall and more athletic now more than ever.=

So as a skinny guy who couldn't put on muscle no matter how hard I tried I now swear by lifting heavy with low reps,just make sure you eat a good amount of protein and take in a good amount of good calories.

One factor for me that might be big is that I quit smoking in 2007,a few months after I started lifting.

Another factor for me is that with my big frame some of my gains might have come from ''naturally filling out'' as I've gotten older.The thing with that through is 3 years ago when I started lifting I was still skinny and had a metabolism that made it hard for me to gain weight so I don't know.

They say the best time of your life for building muscle is around 24 to like 35.

So that's my testimonial and advice for the guys who want to add weight/muscle,from a guy who's nick name on the basketball court in high school was ''Shawn Bradley''.



And not because I was a stiff or got dunked on but because I was so skinny,just wanted to make that clear haha.

[blkout]

Jesus. Remind me to never talk **** to you in future.

[trwi7]

http://www.facebook.com/Rilamann

Wanna wrassle?

[jimmybones]

For the underrepresented skinny minority...

After 2 years of weight-lifting and only see my overall strength increase but the mass stay the same, I did a little research on how body-builders put on pounds. What I learned was that eating large meals doesn't help because the body can only absorb so much nutrients at any given time and eating 5-8 meals a day (one of them being a normal dinner) is more effective.

Not true man...read up on intermittent fasting or the warrior diet. Fast for 20 hours and eat all of your food within a 4 hour period. It sounds crazy to most people but it's actually pretty damn convenient. Don't have to worry about forgetting to bring a lunch to work or rushing to make breakfast. You can "fast" all day and feast at night. It also makes it much easier to lose weight(in my opinion) because you can still eat fun stuff and get in around 2000 calories in that 4 hour period and still feel like you're eating, instead of nibble on 300 calories here and there during the day and never feeling satisfied. And believe it or not, the fasting part is not that hard, your stomach will grumble for the first week tops, but that's not true hunger, that's your body being used to being fed at that time and trust me it goes away within a few days.

Coming from someone who has done body building, power lifting, and is an ACE certified PT, you guys are way over complicating things. Putting on muscle, cutting fat, getting huge/ripped/whatever, is as easy as picking up a proven strength training regime and micromanaging your diet.

You want to cut fat and get lean? Start weight training and start counting calories while eating sufficient protein.

Want to put on muscle and get larger while keeping fat gain at bay? Start weight training and increase the calories you are eating with sufficient protein.

It's all about calories in vs calories out when it comes to gaining losing weight. Now whether or not you're training your body will determine if the weight that goes on or comes off is muscle or fat or w/e.

Start tracking how many calories per day you eat, and get a rough estimate as to how many it takes to maintain your weight.... then cut roughly 400-600 calories from your diet each day and you'll lose around 1 lb a week. (more complicated than 3500cal=1lb, but it doesn't really matter).

Want to gain weight? Do the opposite. It really is that easy.

Good post. I agree with everything you said. For a simple rule of thumb on the calories you can start of with your bodyweight x 10-12 to lose weight. Bodyweight x 18-20 to gain. So if you weigh 200 lbs- to gain: 200 x 18= 3600, 200 x 20= 4000. Eat between 3600 and 4000 a day. Or 4000 on days you lift and 3500 on off days. I'd say always eat at least your bodyweight in grams of protein per day..

If you're trying to lose weight you want to lose FAT not lean muscle. Get on a strength based program that focuses on compound barbell moves staying heavy, 3-8 reps. The idea is to attack those muscles so the food you do eat is used to help preserve your muscle and the caloric deficit you create with your diet can focus on losing mainly FAT and not muscle. You want this, even if you want to look leaner, muscle looks better than fat.

[hdroffffff]

^^ awesome dude. You've done intermittent fasting also? It's like a miracle when dieting. Doesn't even feel like dieting to be honest.

Also, your post sounds like it has a lot of ideas from some of the places I've frequented. Does Lyle McDonald ring any bells?

[jimmybones]

I agree man, its amazing how you can adjust to the fasting stage and once you do I almost felt even more clear minded and energetic during the day. Plus you still get to enjoy food in a decent quantity while still dieting.

Definitely familiar with McDonald, I've done some keto before too but I like carbs too much for it. Just gotta be smart with em. I've done hours upon hours of reading from a lot of different sources. I basically became obsessed with exercise and diet after I started to develop a gut once I stopped playing college ball. No more college practices plus continuing the college drinking was a rough combo. Nothing was working for me even though I'd spend time in the gym. So I got pissed and did a ridiculous amount of research and now I get results. I feel I'm pretty well versed for doing all the research on my own.

[Mags FTW]

Not true man...read up on intermittent fasting or the warrior diet. Fast for 20 hours and eat all of your food within a 4 hour period. It sounds crazy to most people but it's actually pretty damn convenient. Don't have to worry about forgetting to bring a lunch to work or rushing to make breakfast. You can "fast" all day and feast at night.

I got down to 200 a few years ago doing that. I would eat a 250 calorie breakfast bar for lunch and then eat a 1500 calorie dinner.

[ReasonablySober]

I'm following this plan

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1leLgTr9ytw[/youtube]

[young3money]

First off this is my first post i've lurked for a while but this thread finally brought me out. I'm another one of the skinny guys who can't gain weight. I run about 3 mi a day and do sit ups and pushups so im pretty toned. But i'm wondering if P90x is something that will make my muscles pop a little or just tone em up more? Oh yeah and for any runners I just recently started running barefoot and its tearing up my feet cuz i dont have any callouses yet but my knees dont hurt at all any more and the used to kill me all day after a run.

[LUKE23]

But i'm wondering if P90x is something that will make my muscles pop a little or just tone em up more?

If you follow a good diet and you're currently a skinny/toned type build, you will gain muscle mass. You'd have to eat a good amount of healthy calories to get that done though, because the P90X will burn a lot of calories.

I'm the same type frame as you. I'm 6-4/185 and probably 7-8% body fat. I'm looking to get more toned and maybe add another five pounds of muscle.

[young3money]

[quote="LUKE23"]
If you follow a good diet

My diet consist of culvers 2x a day (i work there) and usually ceral or a sub, but i try to snack on fruits to be a little more balanced.