Noob looking for advice/answers.

[spookyaction]

Hey everyone! Im new here so let me give a little info first.

I suspect I have good genes for body-building. I don't know for sure because I've never really done any kind of workout program, but even from a young age I've had a big frame and above average strength compared to my peers/classmates while doing almost nothing to earn it. Especially considering I had a consistently poor diet and been somewhat sedentary for most of my life.

I spent my entire 20's as a drug addict (mostly opiates). I'm in my mid 30's now, sober for about 2 years (I still occasionally drink, smoke weed, and use psychedelics, let's say 2 or 3 times or less per month for any combination of them). I've put on quite a bit of weight (in fat) that I'd like to lose. I'm about 5' 9", 285lbs currently. My goal is to get to about 10-15% body fat, I don't really care what the weight on the scale says as long as it's mostly muscle.

Now that that's been covered... I have available to me a soloflex, a yoga mat (with minimal yoga knowledge), DDR pads (if anybody remembers that, lol), and an elliptical for exercise. I've decided that I'm going to use some of the wisdom I gained from my years abusing drugs and try things the way nature intended FIRST, rather than jump straight to things like steroids, SARMs, etc. I'm also not looking to spend tons of money on supplements either. I already have protein powder and creatine, but so far have mostly used only the protein powder, and more for meal replacement than anything else in an effort to achieve a calorie deficit.

I'd like some advice on how to start my journey. Everyone I know who works out says if I tough it out, eventually I'll "get addicted" to exercise, but I've had difficulty getting started long enough for that to happen for me. I'm not looking to be huge, just have decent size and definition. I'm quite literally brand-new to working out, so I'll be a great research subject to see what's what. I am not opposed to trying performance enhancing substances, but first I want to see what can be accomplished using diet and exercise with only mild/natural supplements like protein and creatine. If I am satisfied I may just stop there, if I feel results are starting to plateau and I'm not where I'd like to be, I will probably start with SARM's over the alternatives at first.

Some questions I have:

1. How long before YOU started "getting addicted" to working out?
2. Should I focus on losing fat, or building muscle first? Can BOTH be done naturally? Muscle helps burn fat, but fat lowers testosterone so.....
3. How many "rest days" are optimal for a beginner?
   1. Can a rest day consist of cardio?
   2. How important are rest days really?
4. Which muscle groups should I work out together and on what days?
   1. What should be my rep/set goals?
5. How many calories over/under for burning fat/building muscle based on question #2?
   1. What should these be on rest days?
   2. Macro suggestions?
6. Which measurements (that I can do myself at home) should I keep track of?
   1. How often should I measure?
7. I have one of those fancy-schmancy scales that are supposed to guestimate things like bone mass, water weight, LM, etc.
   1. I know they are usually inaccurate, but are those numbers still useful, even if just to see trends?
8. What information do you need that I haven't given?

I've got no problem reading/studying/learning, in fact I prefer it that way. However, I'm so new that it's a bit overwhelming. All suggestions are welcome, but I'd very much like any links you have for further reading so I know the why of it. I'm curious to see what everyone thinks. Thanks in advance for the help/suggestions.

 

[spookyaction]

nah i will help you to take testosteron without side effects.

Eating protein will not help you gain muscle much because if your DNA don't have knowledge to use that protein in building muscle he will waste it.

There is no thing called "natural way" creatine will change how your body works also like anything else

So to prevent cancer and decreasing your natural testosterone production you should do this.

Firstly take low dose testosterone lower better not because side effect, but because negative feedback that will decrease androgen receptors expression that you took testosterone from first to agonist it, but to much lower dose will not work you need something like 250mg/month
Don't add more then 300ng/dl to your baseline testosterone level
Use this tool to know how much to inject monthly with different testosterone esters
testosterone calculator

how to keep your natural testosterone production:
When you use testosterone , aromatase enzyme will convert 5% of it to estradiol that will perform negative feedback by agonizing its alpha receptors in tastes this will decrease your natural testosteron production, to avoid this take clomid 25mg/day , its an alpha estrogen receptors antagonist that will keep your testosterone levels normal and in the same time with your testosterone injections

how to avoid cancer:
the enzyme 5 alpha-reductase will convert some of your testosteron to DHT , that will increase prostate size and might lead to cancer in longterm, really most 5 alpha-reductase inhibitors cause longterm anhedonia and depression but there a one that can do that without any side effects, its zinc! you need to take 2.415"g" zinc as a loading dose then maintenance dose of 5mg/day that's because zinc have crazy long half life of 280 days so that 2.4g after 280 days 1.2g will leave your body so by some calculation you will need 5mg/day to keep it 2.4g, i personally took it without problems but you will not able to take it in one dose you need to take 50mg every day until you reach it. your body generally have 1-5g of zinc, but you need to increase it by 2.4g to be able to 98% inhibit 5 alpha-reductase.

First, can you give me your sources for all of that info? To my knowledge, there is plenty of evidence that protein and creatine are helpful in building muscle/exercising. Plus, protein is an essential nutrient to the body, everyone's DNA knows how to use it to build muscle to some degree, does it not? Since I haven't ever tried seeing what my body could do without messing with my body chemistry with testosterone/steroids/SARMs, I can't possibly know if I even NEED them. My goal is not to be a professional body builder, I'd be fine with just looking good shirtless and being healthy and in good shape.

By natural I meant that I could get it from food if I wanted. Protein and creatine are legal and regulated, so I'm more likely to be getting what I pay for and don't have to worry that whatever somebody is selling me is fake or of poor quality. As I said in my first post, I'm willing to go there if necessary but I'd prefer to try all of the safest, healthiest methods first.

It's not that I don't trust you, it's just that I don't trust anyone. I even double check what doctors tell me by educating myself as much as possible without going through medical school. Perhaps if you can show me a few articles or research papers that back up what you say and the risks are as low as you imply, I'll give them a shot, but what you are suggesting is no easy task for me. I don't yet have any trustworthy sources from which I could procure any performance enhancing drugs with me being so new to the weight-lifting scene. As far as I know, there is NO risk of using creatine and protein in any amount that would be considered sane, but like I said, I'm new and here to learn, so please correct me if I'm wrong in this assumption.

Thanks.

 

[Serotonin101]

Sounds like you have a good mindset. Starr naturally of course. No need to potentially make yourself chemically dependant unnecessarily. Find a good resistance training workout template. A regular 5 day a week bro split works well. Resistance training is your best bet for calories burn over time. As you increase strength and lift heavier weight, you'll be burning more calories in the same amount of time. It'll also help improve insulin sensitivity among other things. Cardio can be used for cardiovascular health but it's very poor in actually burning calories.
Focus on one goal. Personally I'd lean down before putting on mass as the quality you'll put on after getting leaner will favor muscle mass. You can start with a 500-1000 Calorie deficit depending on how quickly you wanna peel it off. That would be a range I'd find actually sustainable and not make you prone to binge eating episodes.
As for measuring your scale will be fine. Just use the same scale and track the same variables. Consistent inaccuracy still shows accurate trends.

 

[spookyaction]

Sounds like you have a good mindset. Starr naturally of course. No need to potentially make yourself chemically dependant unnecessarily. Find a good resistance training workout template. A regular 5 day a week bro split works well. Resistance training is your best bet for calories burn over time. As you increase strength and lift heavier weight, you'll be burning more calories in the same amount of time. It'll also help improve insulin sensitivity among other things. Cardio can be used for cardiovascular health but it's very poor in actually burning calories.
Focus on one goal. Personally I'd lean down before putting on mass as the quality you'll put on after getting leaner will favor muscle mass. You can start with a 500-1000 Calorie deficit depending on how quickly you wanna peel it off. That would be a range I'd find actually sustainable and not make you prone to binge eating episodes.
As for measuring your scale will be fine. Just use the same scale and track the same variables. Consistent inaccuracy still shows accurate trends.

Thanks for the advice and understanding my desire to not take unnecessary risks. I'm still a bit ADD in my research since I know so little, so I have a couple questions. I remember reading that the 5 day a week bro split may be less effective for beginners then if I alternated upper body and lower body every other day. Something about not needing as much recovery time as a beginner?

I was originally concerned about losing muscle mass during my calorie deficit, but from what I've been reading, whatever is lost during the fat burning stage is relatively easy to get back. Have you found that to be true?

So if I'm going to focus on getting lean, and cardio is very poor at burning calories, what should my reps/set amounts look like? In the past, I've always been naturally better at lifting high weight with low reps, but if memory serves, that's they type of workout I'd want to bulk up, which isn't the goal right now.

What about the protein and creatine I have? I'd assume that replacing a meal here or there would probably be beneficial, but is it a waste? Will it hinder my efforts to lean down?

I spent years doing drugs, so I know exactly where to go when I want accurate, reliable information. I'm still a little lost in this field though, so any help you have to offer would be appreciated.

Thanks again.

 

[Serotonin101]

Thanks for the advice and understanding my desire to not take unnecessary risks. I'm still a bit ADD in my research since I know so little, so I have a couple questions. I remember reading that the 5 day a week bro split may be less effective for beginners then if I alternated upper body and lower body every other day. Something about not needing as much recovery time as a beginner?

I was originally concerned about losing muscle mass during my calorie deficit, but from what I've been reading, whatever is lost during the fat burning stage is relatively easy to get back. Have you found that to be true?

So if I'm going to focus on getting lean, and cardio is very poor at burning calories, what should my reps/set amounts look like? In the past, I've always been naturally better at lifting high weight with low reps, but if memory serves, that's they type of workout I'd want to bulk up, which isn't the goal right now.

What about the protein and creatine I have? I'd assume that replacing a meal here or there would probably be beneficial, but is it a waste? Will it hinder my efforts to lean down?

I spent years doing drugs, so I know exactly where to go when I want accurate, reliable information. I'm still a little lost in this field though, so any help you have to offer would be appreciated.

Thanks again.

Honestly rep scheme can be used regardless of gaining/cutting. I keep it in the 8-16 range reps and 4 sets per exercise.
You can do upper/lower split or push, pull, legs. They work pretty well. I did the beginner 5x5 routines for a long time. Really what matters is finding something you enjoy and sticking to it.
The protein and creatine are completely fine. Meal replacement is probably the best usage for it. Just focus on caloric intake mainly for weight gain or loss, the rest can basically remain the same. Enjoy a free meal once a week (be reasonable) to keep your head in the game. Get a good night's sleep and soldier on.

 

[Skippwiggins]

I stress absolutely dont do a steroid cycle. Seeing your body grow is addictive in itself let alone with steroids. Very few people do one cycle and stop. I heavily regret using AAS. I did abuse it but even after stopping for 18 months and doing light cycles it messed me up. Some people can use and recovery responsibly but you can look great naturally.

It took me about three weeks of daily weight lifting to get addicted to it. Once it's part of your routine you won't even think about going youll just do it.

I wish I could give more info on specifics but its late.

Stick to amino acids and creatine, etc.