I'm a trained Fitness Instructor, any questions on exercise or simple nutrition? :)

[Cpt.Caveman]

I've finished my first level of Fitness Instructor training and it would be great to refresh my memory of it and help other people with information in the process.

I have all sorts of information about strength and fitness training, simple nutrition, nutrition for sport, anatomy and maybe other things. Try me

(Disclaimer: The assistance I give is purely informal and should not be taken as a professional's assistance)

^^^^ Yeh sure, a bit silly to add that but just wandering if theres someone out there thats going to try and rip me off.

 

[captainballs]

Hey there guy - I weigh about 140 lbs and I'm skinny as fuck with a fast metabolism. What's the quickest way to build muscle mass without steroids in a healthy way?

 

[ebeneezer_geeza]

Ok captain, i am 36 i goto the gym but am fairly lazy and have trouble getting rid of my "beer belly" i tend to do situps, some cardio on the treamill and some weights but i cant shift it. I reckon its to do with my copius evening intake of red wine.

Any ideas, other than stop drinking red wine?

 

[Cpt.Caveman]

Hey there guy - I weigh about 140 lbs and I'm skinny as fuck with a fast metabolism. What's the quickest way to build muscle mass without steroids in a healthy way?

Weight training is definately the quickest way to build muscles. You do not need to eat suppliments or take steroids, you just need to be commited to at least 2 days a week of training and eat protien in your diet.

As far as building muslce, I would recommend with starting off with a weight that you cannot do more than 10-12 repetitions with in one set of lifts making sure you do not loose technical form. You call that number R.M. (repetition maximum). Loosing form means buckling, bending at the back, wobbling uncontrollable, etc. The first work-out you do try and find your 10-12RM weight (i.e. you are unable to do a 13th lift because your muscles are too tired). This weight will change as you train so keep raising it as you need to.

There are particular muscle groups that you can work depending on what you want to develope. A few simple exercises for example are:

The benchpress or push-ups - It works your chest and triceps (the under-side of your upper arm)

The bicep curl - The inside of your arm.

The side raise - Having your arms straight and raising it up 90 degrees to your shoulder and back down, works the top of your shoulder.

The up-right row - combines the shoulder, back and bicep.

The lat-pull-down - The opposite to the side raise, have your arm straight at 90degrees parallel to the ground and pull it down towards your body. This works under your arm.

The leg press - Works the bum and the front of the upper thigh mainly.

I find push-ups and chin-ips to be quite good, however the stronger you get the less muslce you will build. Body weight workouts are great if you only want to get to a particular size and stay there because unless you gain a lot of weight, you're not really going to be changing your lifting weight.

If you're not sure what muscles or exercises you want to do, try and ask a trainer at your gym what might be best or get a small book with pictures on the differenct exercises. If in doubt, muscles only contranct, they do not stretch out to move a joint. Do a movement and see which muscle goes hard, you'll see what I mean. Maybe pick motions that you do alot day to day? In work maybe? Having poor form doing exercises can mean doing damage or wear and tear in ways you may not be aware of so try and get a couple of sessions with a trainer to show you a few things and send you on your way.

Okay, so having said that:

- 10-12RM

- do 2 sets to start off with

- try and do 1 warmup set on a slightly eaiser weight...maybe 70% of what you normally lift.

- have a rest of about 2 minutes between the sets.

- breath properly during, dont hold your breath or spit-breathe (hissing).

- try and breathe out when you are lifting the weight.

- try and take about 2 seconds to life and 3 to lower once you are comfortable with your exercises ready to concentrate on more.

- definately do 2 sets of sit-ups to fatigue each workout. core muscles are more important than any other, they hold your torso.

- as well as the pushups, do a lower back exercise such as lieing out with your fingers and toes straight, head looking down to the ground. lift up your legs and chest off the ground keeping your eyes on the ground and arms straight. hold here for a good 5-10 seconds and repeat until fatigued.

- give yourself a day after training to rest and recover, you'll need it for your muscles to grow and repair.

- make sure you eat some protien on the day that you train whether it be from vegetables or meat, it doesn't matter but it is needed to growth and repair.

- have a bit of a carbohydrate snack 15 minutes after exercising to get some energy back if you need to carry on for the rest of the day.

- stretch the muscles that you train after the workout to prevent from being sore the next day. try and find out what muscles you are working and find stretches according to them.

- 2 to 3 days a week is best, if you want to train more listen to your body. if you're still sore, don't train, if you feel pain while training stop, etc

If you don't have access to any weights doing 2 sets to fatigue of pushups, situps, dips, chin-ups and the lower back exercise would be a great start! Search up on the net or get a book for good technique in these exercises.

Let me know how you go!

 

[Cpt.Caveman]

Ok captain, i am 36 i goto the gym but am fairly lazy and have trouble getting rid of my "beer belly" i tend to do situps, some cardio on the treamill and some weights but i cant shift it. I reckon its to do with my copius evening intake of red wine.

Any ideas, other than stop drinking red wine?

Okay, first you have to be exercising to loose weight (obviously). You seem to be doing this so thats the main step! Make sure you do at least 20mins on cardio in one go, 30-40 is even better. Don't over-do-it however, take it at your own pace and listen to your body. Try and get to the gym at least 2 times a week, 3 or 4 times a week for cardio would be a lot better. Exercising often will make you feel great! Its great stress relief and you have better energy levels!

Weight training does not make you loose weight but try and do your weights before you cardio if you can. Burning up your glucose on weights will give you better chances of using fat for fuel in cardio.

Walking does burn fat as an energy source but it does not burn as many calories as jogging, cycling, rowing etc. I would recommend when you're at the gym to do the harder options of cardio like jogging, cycling, etc. More energy is burned, therefore more fat stores are used.

Try and do 30minutes of walking every day. I know it may be hard as its easy to get tired or ready for a rest when you finish work but do something simple like park your car a 15 minute walk from work every day or just take the stairs instead of taking a lift if you work on a multi-storey building etc. Doing that every day will burn a lot of fat. If its a bit much, just walk on the days that you don't go to the gym.

Have a look at what you're eating. Steer clear or foods that are high in sugar and fat. e.g. chocolate, cake, icecream, full cream milk, biscuits, meat without the fat trimmed, sauces with a lot of butter, etc. To work off one mars bar, a 65kg person must do 1 hour on the treadmill :O .Sugar that is not instantly used for energy is converted to fat for storage. Not good.

Its pretty hard to gain weight from eating too many carbohydrates so don't worry too much about rice, bread and pasta etc. Don't over-indulge when you eat. Try and eat until you're not hungry and resisting the left-over just because its there.

Don't drink alcohol with food. I know it may be hard when out to dinner or at all if you're like me, heh. Alcohol is a toxin and a source of energy. Because it is a toxin if will be metabolised before your food in your stomach, filling up your energy stores with the energy from the alcohol, leaving the rest of the food to go to storage.

Beer and other alcohols contain quite an amount of sugar.

Try and have a big breakfast in the morning instead of having one big lunch and one big dinner following. Try to have snacks along the way as needed. As well as helping with your energy throughout the day by making your blood-sugar levels a more even wave without slumps, don't forget that food eaten is converted to energy. Energy that is not used gets put to storage. Thus, a big lunch that will not be used for energy immediately after will be put on storage.

If you really find it hard to motive yourself to go to the gym and punish yourself while listening to cheesy radio trance, take up a sport that you enjoy that is also good workout. Even when you will be doing work-outs on the side, you're training for your sport!

So, to loose weight you basically have to:
1. Exercise often. Turn your body into a machine that needs to burn a lot of fuel as it needs to be geared up for cardio activity a few times a week.
2. After this, you don't have to eat less, you just have to make sure that you eat the right foods and dont over-indulge too often.
3. There is no such thing as an unhealthy meal, just an unhealthy diet. You can slip up but keep in mind your goal.
4. Muscle burns a lot of energy so the more muscle you have, the higher your metabolism, the more energy burned, the more fat is burned, the more the foods you eat are burned rather than put on storage.
5. If you're keeping this up, good work! You're on the right track! Just give it some time. Weight gain is a gradual process and so is weight loss. Don't expect to loose it too fast. Maybe check the scales every 3-4 weeks.

Another method to mention on the side, which I don't recommend, is to calculate how many calories you need in one day including exercise then eat slightly less calories that needed. Its kind of like slowly malnourishing yourself so I don't recommend it. You'll need a nutritionist or personal trainer to calculate these things for you and go through what you should be eating in a day.

Let me know how you go

 

[ebeneezer_geeza]

excellent response, thanks for taking the time, will try and follow this. I eat fairly healthy - cook all my own food, so tend to keep sugar down, though at the same time i think the wine is perhaps adding to it.

Re: the order of doing cardio after weights - why?

 

[AdInfinitum]

^^ Doing your cardio after your weight training ensures that you haven't used up your 'resources' in regards to strength. If you bang out 45 minutes of high intensity cardio first, your weight training session will often suffer from your lack of energy.

Also, doing your weight training first will bring your heart rate up and get your metabolism cruising nicely. By the time you're finished and move onto your cardio, your body will already be warmed up and you'll more than likely already be in the 'fat burning' zone.

BTW - I was also a personal trainer for about 7 years!

Hope this helps,

...Ad

 

[Skyline_GTR]

If you don't have access to any weights doing 2 sets to fatigue of pushups, situps, dips, chin-ups and the lower back exercise would be a great start! Search up on the net or get a book for good technique in these exercises.

I've just got into fitness and weight training (need to lose the beer belly too) and I've found this site an excellent resource for how to do the exercises correctly. It's got animated photos etc.


Also, anyone need some inspiration, check what this guy did with regard to losing his beer belly and bulking up big time!

http://www.johnstonefitness.com/

 

[captainballs]

Thanks for the advice, fellow captain!

 

[Zet]

Alright here help me:

I'am 6'1 190 pounds with 17 - 20 percent body fat.

I currently eat 6 meals a day following this diet to max muscle growth. My protein intake is around 250-300 grams a day, carbs 100-150, and EFA's around 15-30 grams.

Here is my diet:

Meal 1:

2 Whole eggs + 2 egg whites
1 cup of cc
Tomato
Oats
1/2 cup of berries


Meal 2: (school meal - I can chug this down between classes)

2x Fish Oil Capsules
2 scoops of whey
oats


Meal 3:

5 oz chicken breast
brown rice
tomato//onion
2x Fish oil Capsules

Meal 4:

5 oz chicken breast
brown rice
veggies
2x Fish oil capsules

Meal 5 (pre workout):

6 egg whites
oats
veggies



Meal 6:

1 banana
2 scoops of whey
skim milk

My training is based off a strict schedule. It is split into a three week cycle. For example, my first week I do power, my second week I do rep range, and my third week I do shock excerises.

Here is the full workout:

Back
POWER: week 1

- Rack deadlift...3 x 3-6
- Bent row...3 x 4-6
- Weighted chin...2-3 x 4-6
- CG seated row...2-3 x 4-6

REP RANGE: week 2

- CG weighted chin...2 x 6-8
- WG T-Bar row...2 x 8-10
- Dumbell row...2 x 10-12
- Pullover...2 x 12-15

SHOCK: week 3

- Pullover/WG pulldown superset...1-2 x 8-10 each
- Stiff arm pulldown/reverse grip bent row...1-2 x 8-10 each
- CG seated pully row dropset...1 x 6-8, drop, 6-8, drop, 6-8


Biceps/Triceps
POWER: week 1

- Barbell curl...2 x 4-6
- Preacher curl...2 x 4-6
- Hammer curl...1-2 x 4-6
- CG bench press...3 x 4-6
- Skull crush...2 x 4-6
- Single arm dumbell extension...1-2 x 4-6

REP RANGE: week 2

- Alternating dumbell curl...2 x 6-8
- Cable curl...2 x 8-10
- Concentration curl...1-2 x 10-12
- Weighted dip...3 x 6-8
- Pushdown...2 x 8-10
- Kickback...1-2 x 10-12

SHOCK: week 3

- EZ bar curl/CG chin superset...1 x 6-10 each
- Preacher curl/reverse curl superset...1 x 6-10 each
- Dropset cable single arm curl...1 x 6-10, drop 6-10
- Pushdown/CG bench press superset...1-2 x 6-10 each
- Reverse grip pushdown/incline overhead extension superset...1-2 x 6-10 each
- Dropset weighted bench dip...1 x 8-10, drop 8-10


Chest
POWER: week 1

- Dumbell bench press...3 x 4-6
- Incline press...3 x 4-6
- Weighted dips...2 x 4-6

REP RANGE: week 2

- Incline dumbell press...3 x 6-8
- Bench press...3 x 8-10
- Flye...2 x 10-12

SHOCK: week 3

- Superset...cable crossover/incline smith press...1-2 x 8-10 reps each
- Superset...incline flye/dips...1 x 8-10 reps each
- Dropset...machine bench press...1 x 8-10, drop 6-8, drop 6-8 optional


Deltoids
POWER: week 1

- Military press...2-3 x 4-6
- Upright row...2-3 x 4-6
- "Cheat" lateral...2 x 4-6

REP RANGE: week 2

- Single arm dumbell press...2 x 6-8
- Bent lateral...2-3 x 8-10
- Cable side lateral...2 x 10-12

SHOCK: week 3

- Seated side lateral/hammer machine press superset...1-2 x 8-10
- Severse pec deck/WG upright row superset...1-2 x 8-10
- Cable front raise dropset...1 x 6-8, drop 6-8, drop 6-8 optional


Legs
POWER: week 1

- Squats...3 x 4-6
- Leg press...3 x 4-6
- Single leg extension...2 x 4-6
- Lying leg curl...3 x 4-6
- Stiff deadlift...2-3 x 4-6

REP RANGE: week 2

- Leg extension...2 x 8-10
- Hack squat...3 x 10-12
- One legged leg press...3 x 12-15
- Lying leg curl...2 x 6-8
- Stiff deadlift...2 x 8-10
- Single leg curl or seated leg curl...1-2 x 10-12

SHOCK: week 3

- Superset: leg extension/front squat...1-2 x 8-10 each
- Superset: leg extension/sissy squat or leg press...1-2 x 8-10 each
- Dropset: lunge...1 x 8-10, drop, 8-10
- Superset: leg curl seated or lying/toes pointed hyperextension...1-2 x 8-10 each
- Dropset: single leg curl...1-2 x 8-10, drop, 8-10

Now my question to you is: I want to drop to 10-12 percent body fat by summer time. How do I do this? Is my diet good, what kind of cardio do I have to do and for how long?

Using the workout posted above, i've had tremendous gains, and I dont want to lose the muscle that I have made.

 

[AdInfinitum]

^^ How long have you been running that diet, Zet? I'm curious because your intake looks pretty damn spot-on. If you've been eating that way for a long time and are still at 17-20 % bodyfat, then there may be grounds for some *minor* tweaking. On the other hand, if you've just began this or have only been running it for a few months then perhaps you just need a bit more time.

If your strength program is working out well for you, then keep it going for the time being, I say. It appears as though you're quite well regimented and on the correct path.

Now if you HAVE been on this 'plan' for a while (both the diet you posted and your workout routine), then I'd suggest adding a hefty serving of cardio to your regimen just to help you drop that extra body fat. Hit yourself with a solid half hour to an hour at least 5 times a week to help shred up. Add more to taste, just don't fry yourself along the way.

There's more I could suggest if I knew a bit more about your history - so post it up and I'll reply as soon as I can.

Ez,

...Ad

 

[Zet]

I've been following this program for about the past 5-6 months. I've noticed that i've actually leaned out a bit. My bf percentage was taken about a year ago, however, i've lost around 40 pounds since that time.

As for my diet, i've been doing it for about a month.

My main concern is that I want to get shredded before summer time. However, I dont know if this is possible following my workout routine and my diet.

Thats why I need you to help me get shredded for summer. If everything is good, just tell me, if not help me tweak it.

I have some other questions regarding supplements. Is an ECA stack good for a 17 year olds body? Or is there any other supplements that you can recommend for added fat loss. (I dont want to try DNP, or clen, because those two have been known to kill people before. DNP is a toxic chemical, and while clen is a RC, its side effects are still not known).

If there is anything else that you want to know ask, and i'll tell you.

 

[Cpt.Caveman]

excellent response, thanks for taking the time, will try and follow this. I eat fairly healthy - cook all my own food, so tend to keep sugar down, though at the same time i think the wine is perhaps adding to it.

Re: the order of doing cardio after weights - why?

The primary fuel that your body uses for weight training is glucose.

The two fuels your body uses for cardio training are glucose and fat.

If you use up your glucose stores on your weight training first, you have more of a chance of using fat as a fuel when you do your cardio afterwards.

 

[Cpt.Caveman]

Now my question to you is: I want to drop to 10-12 percent body fat by summer time. How do I do this? Is my diet good, what kind of cardio do I have to do and for how long?

Using the workout posted above, i've had tremendous gains, and I dont want to lose the muscle that I have made.

To loose weight you have to follow the formula: energy goes in (food) and must be burned by metabolism (from exercising often) and exercise itself. You must be burning enough energy and fat per week to counteract the energy and fat that you are gaining from your diet.

So, cardio workouts every week are the only way to go. To get best results, do up to an hour of cardio about 4 times a week if you can fit it in. If not, the closest to that amount possible. On the days that you're not doing cardio try to walk for 30mins a day. Both tough cardio (running, cycling, etc.) and walking use fat as fuel so doing plenty of it is the way to loose that body fat.

Try to keep foods high in sugar and fat to an absolute minimum. From your diet the only fatty food I could pick out there are the eggs. I'm guessing you're eating them for the protein? If you really need it for your resistance training then keep eating them but keep in mind that they do contain an amount of animal fat which will counteract your goal of losing body fat. Also, you are eating quite an amount of food there but if you need it for your resistance training then definately eat it. Follow your hunger as a guide.

You're on the right track mate! Lots of weights will give you a really fast metabolism so loosing weight should be pretty easy for you.

Can I ask you, from your workout above, do you do all of these exercises in the one session?:

Biceps/Triceps
POWER: week 1

- Barbell curl...2 x 4-6
- Preacher curl...2 x 4-6
- Hammer curl...1-2 x 4-6
- CG bench press...3 x 4-6
- Skull crush...2 x 4-6
- Single arm dumbell extension...1-2 x 4-6

Because if you are doing those three exercises for the biceps and triceps in the one session you are really doing a total of 5-6 sets on the single muscle group. You really shouldn't do any more than 3 because you start to strain the muscle. If you do them in seperate sessions throughout the week then disregard that

 

[Cpt.Caveman]

I have some other questions regarding supplements. Is an ECA stack good for a 17 year olds body? Or is there any other supplements that you can recommend for added fat loss. (I dont want to try DNP, or clen, because those two have been known to kill people before. DNP is a toxic chemical, and while clen is a RC, its side effects are still not known).

I would recommend not to use any weight loss supplements because theres nothing like loosing weight the way our body is intended to.

Just stick to your frequent cardio workouts and 30mins of walking on your days off and you should be fine!

 

[Roger&Me]

Hey there guy - I weigh about 140 lbs and I'm skinny as fuck with a fast metabolism. What's the quickest way to build muscle mass without steroids in a healthy way?

Here's a good thread that you should read:

http://www.bluelight.ru/vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=149998&r=16

 

[Roger&Me]

Here is my diet:

Meal 1:

2 Whole eggs + 2 egg whites
1 cup of cc
Tomato
Oats
1/2 cup of berries


Meal 2: (school meal - I can chug this down between classes)

2x Fish Oil Capsules
2 scoops of whey
oats


Meal 3:

5 oz chicken breast
brown rice
tomato//onion
2x Fish oil Capsules

Meal 4:

5 oz chicken breast
brown rice
veggies
2x Fish oil capsules

Meal 5 (pre workout):

6 egg whites
oats
veggies



Meal 6:

1 banana
2 scoops of whey
skim milk

I would drop the solid food pre-workout. If your body is using up energy to digest food you'll be less effective during your workout. I would suggest a simple shake of 40g whey isolate and 40g complex carb powder.

Also, that's not a very good post-workout meal, as it takes too long to digest, especially with the milk in there which takes 6+ hours to fully digest casein. I suggest 50g whey isolate, 50g dextrose and 300mg r-ala.

Also, your diet is extremely clean, I'm surprised that you're not losing bodyfat on it. That's very similar to a contest diet that I would eat, except maybe a little less. Possibly upping cardio would help you out.

 

[Zet]

What is dextrose and r-ala exaclty?

Also would you believe that an ECA stack help me cut the fat, also what kind of effect will it have on a 17 year old body.


Also what is the best way to get rid of bitch tits? There not that big, but I just dont like having them.

 

[Roger&Me]

dextrose is d-glucose, basically corn sugar. It's available EXTREMELY cheap anywhere on the internet that sells supplements. r-ala is r-isomer alpha lipoic acid, also available on the internet wherever supplements are sold.

The E/C/A stack would be ideal for you, although E/C/Y (ephedrine, caffeine and yohimbe) could possibly be better because of yohimbe's effect on beta-2 adrenergic receptors.

Alright, you don't have "bitch tits" which would be estrogen induced gynecomastia, you probably just have high bodyfat and are genetically prone to storing fat in the pectoral region. Lose bodyfat and it will go away.

 

[Zet]

Yohimbe, never heard of it. Can I just go and pick it up at a local GNC or do I have to go out of my way to get it?

As for ephedrine I still believe that its legal here in Canada, if not, what products should I look for that contain ephedra?