FoH Body Improvement Competition #3.5 - July 1st

[tikkus]

Originally Posted by Usha Starchild

Tikkus, I'm going to assume you drink lots of sodas and juices. Cut those out of your diet and you will see progress.

I cut them out completely last week except for an occasional Gatorade after the gym.

Thanks for all the advice everyone, looking forward to undertaking this.

[Vatoreus]

So I'll try and get photos up of my fat ass. I need to lose weight badly and get back into shape. Ugh...

[ToeMissile]

Originally Posted by Tuco

My suggestion for the next three months is to do what toemissile is doing: gain as much as you can. Then see where you're at in three months and if you're happy with the amount of muscle you have, cut the weight.

It's up to you and your tastes. Honestly people worry about quality a little too much for gaining IMO. Yes, you will always have better results if you can stomach eating tyson chicken breasts every day. The problem is that if you keep eating 3000-3500 calories every day for the next week, at every meal except breakfast you really won't want to eat that bad. You have to /should force yourself to eat, and those fucking chicken breasts get old real fast.

The important things are eating a lot (3000 calories for you is a lot, don't worry about Joe-250lbs who says he needs 5000 calories) and eating enough protein. It's harder than I thought it was without sucking down protein shakes a few meals a day, which is bad (You need to eat solid food). You should have 30% of your calories coming from protein, 30% from fat and 40% from carbs.

The hardest thing for working people is getting 3 solid meals in a 9 hour work time. Not only do you have to spend a lot of effort planning your menu out every day, but you also incur the jokes of your co-workers who, especially if you don't look like a body builder, will snicker at you eating three times in 9 hours. Don't mind them, if you keep it up they'll be asking you for tips in three months.

For me, bagels + cream cheese or peanut butter, nuts, protein bars, meal replacement shakes(NASTY) and protein shakes were all staples of my snacks between breakfast/lunch and lunch/dinner. You have to find something that works for you, but the problem is that it has to have protein in it. Depending on your job you can just pack twice as much food as normal and eat it all through your day.

For foods for main meals, just go to your grocery store and look for foods high in protein. The more basic the food the better generally (Ex: Frozen french toast is worse than cooking some eggs and having toast and a cinnamon roll, even if they're the same ingredients / source ratio)

Got me mixed up w/ someone else. Good info though

[Blumpster]

It's possible to gain muscle and burn fat all at the same time. Your gains won't be as big on the weight lifting spectrum, but it's not totally impossible. If you're lifting enough, and doing cardio (which you always should be), you can eat enough to gain muscle and still lose fat. In fact it's the healthiest, most effective long term way to do it. Bulk/cut phases are totally unnecessary.

[Everlast]

This picture is about a month old, but I have no other way to take pictures.

[Zennin]

Originally Posted by Blumpster

It's possible to gain muscle and burn fat all at the same time. Your gains won't be as big on the weight lifting spectrum, but it's not totally impossible. If you're lifting enough, and doing cardio (which you always should be), you can eat enough to gain muscle and still lose fat. In fact it's the healthiest, most effective long term way to do it. Bulk/cut phases are totally unnecessary.

I don't know that I'd go as far as to say that bulk/cut phases are completely unnecessary...Just like you said in the beginning of your post, I find it an easier way to get the results you want faster (depending on what results you do want, that is). Being a lean son of a bitch it's going to be a lot harder to make large muscle gains while maintaining your body fat %, but if you increase your caloric intake by a goodly amount, lift heavy as shit, and be consistent, if you're doing it right you're going to see the weight you put up, as well as your own, sky rocket.

Been watching this thread, and the others, for a bit now. I've been lifting for about a year and a half, and just got back from a 6 month hiatus from the gym. Been going steady for about a month now - was working two jobs for several personal reasons, resulting in 100 hour work weeks and no time for anything but to sleep and work. Regardless, my bench press is now 315lbs x2 repititions on flat, 70lbs curls, 1300lb leg presses, can max every calf machine in the gym and then some. Arms, flexed, at 17 inches. Going to have to measure my chest again and post the figures. Calves are currently 19.5 inches, and unsure of my quads. I started lifting at about 5'10 - 260lbs with no muscle at all - I lost 40lbs, and quickly put on 20lbs immediately following of muscle, and have now gained some of it (fat) back while I didn't lift at all for half a year. Will post pics within a few days.

Honestly my best advice to any of you is to be a social bastard, but not in the way you think. A lot of people hate people who go to the gym and talk a lot - it makes sense, you're there to lift, shut up and lift, however, honestly the best thing that has helped me is I've found some of the biggest guys there and started talking to them. From there I have worked my way around the gym with various lifting partners, and have worked my way up to lifting with personal trainers that are friends, I do not pay for it, and now competitors in body building, strongman, and power lifting areas. The way you lift to prepare in these events are so different and the guys that do it all have different goals in mind. I have learned so much from it. If you're not inclined to go out and make a bunch of new friends however, what you can do is find a bigger guy than you and just ask him, hey, what is a good chest workout that you do that most people here don't? Everyone has a trick or two they do that specifically works for them, and it may work for you too.

[Ronaan]

Might as well start today...

front, back, "flex" shots.

84.9 kilos
13.6% bf
61.3% water
45.7% muscle

according to my scale this morning.

Goal:
< 80 kilos
< 12% bf

weight should be np in that timeframe, body fat might be harder. I may have to start doing cardio again for a few weeks at least (haven't since... march or so...)

[niteflyx]

Holy fuck, Ronaan. You turned into a machine.

[Groks]

wow, good work. keep it up

[Fungul]

Originally Posted by tikkus

I cut them out completely last week except for an occasional Gatorade after the gym.

Thanks for all the advice everyone, looking forward to undertaking this.

Just a suggestion, but drink Gatorade before working out and chocolate milk afterwards.

[Ronaan]

Originally Posted by niteflyx

Holy fuck, Ronaan. You turned into a machine.

Yeah.

Actually improving within 3 months will be tough this time...

and just because I'm so fucking proud, a pic from 18 months ago, for nostalgia.

Holy shit. I'd ban myself from the planet nowadays.

[tikkus]

Originally Posted by Fungul

Just a suggestion, but drink Gatorade before working out and chocolate milk afterwards.

Any reason? Or are you being sarcastic?

[Alcestis]

Not sarcasm, actually. It's high in protein and carbs, on top of being full of calcium (not just for bones after all) and dirt cheap compared to most supplements. There was a study that had cyclists biking to the point of exhaustion, each given an after-workout liquid to drink, and then cycling to exhaustion again after a slight recovery period. The ones who drank chocolate milk fared better than some expensive drink and compared to Gatorade. I might add, chocolate milk fared well... for a study partially funded by a Dairy group, anyway.

Source, and more on the nutritional breakdown.




July 1st almost here: anyone on the fence about trying it out should just throw their pics up here.

Best of luck gents.

[Usha Starchild]

Originally Posted by Ronaan

Yeah.

Actually improving within 3 months will be tough this time...

and just because I'm so fucking proud, a pic from 18 months ago, for nostalgia.

Holy shit. I'd ban myself from the planet nowadays.

Very impressive, your pics will serve as inspiration for quite a few people on this forum I'm sure.

[dimstar]

12JUN2008-Black shorts(after vacation)
28MAR2009-Blue shorts(35 days before vaction)
28JUN2009-Red shorts(after vacation)

If your wondering wtf I'm living in, It's called a CHU(containerized housing unit)
Sadly I don't have pictures of when I started in sept 07. Pretty much been putting on at least 10 lbs of muscle a year. With no spotter.

Weight-at yearly VA check up
7MAY07-168@14%BF
9MAY08-182@9%BF
06MAY09-192@8%BF

On Gym scale
28JUN09-195@12%BF
So anyone that says they can't get lean during deployments, are lying. Or do an actual high tempo job, but most of the people deployed do support jobs.