Cleanneon's quest to fitness: HELP ME GET BIGGER!

[nhanxsolo]

Originally Posted by JST2KWIK

I would love to get back into shape... started running daily and going to the gym every other when the semester started but as it got colder, I stopped running and then stopped going to the gym too. It's practically impossible to eat healthy while in college ha all of the food provided to you is garbage and what college kid has money to stock cabinets with protein bars and the fridge with fruit? lol I miss going though and will start back up in the spring. Thanks for the info and gl to you hopw to see results and updates

Being in college is no excuse to be lazy and out of shape buddy. I'm an undergrad and I started taking care of myself about 2 years ago in my Sophomore year. You just need to cook your own food, watch what you consume, and be dedicated. I went from a flabby 155 lbs, to a skinny 135 lbs one summer when I rode my bike like crazy, and now to a lean 153 lbs since I've started lifting like crazy and being picky with my food like a baby.

[92sileighty]

t-nation... that's it. you'll find everything you will ever need at that site

[igo4bmx]

Originally Posted by 92sileighty

t-nation... that's it. you'll find everything you will ever need at that site

t-nation and elitefts.com

post your workout plan so i can make fun of you.

plus pic of you naked plz (no homo)

[JST2KWIK]

Originally Posted by nhanxsolo

Being in college is no excuse to be lazy and out of shape buddy. I'm an undergrad and I started taking care of myself about 2 years ago in my Sophomore year. You just need to cook your own food, watch what you consume, and be dedicated. I went from a flabby 155 lbs, to a skinny 135 lbs one summer when I rode my bike like crazy, and now to a lean 153 lbs since I've started lifting like crazy and being picky with my food like a baby.

Yeah I agree with you 100% and I think part of the problem is that I'm not totally out of shape which makes it hard to motivate myself to change when big change isn't necessarily needed.

Back when I used to work it was easy; go to the gym, then to work, then to sleep. Now I have class, study time, an internship, and work ha so it's tough to be motivated for more. I was wondering though, when you are trying to get cut as opposed to big, how do you draw the line for weight/reps? My buddy was having a problem with this because it seemed like he would eaither just bulk up or not really see results...

[wonner]

http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=614033

[CleanNeon98]

The thing I'm not sure on is if I want to bulk first and then cut, or cut first and then bulk..

[sinner]

Originally Posted by CleanNeon98

The thing I'm not sure on is if I want to bulk first and then cut, or cut first and then bulk..

IMO, it's a little too late in the year to start your bulk cycle. You'll be starting your cut in march/april and won't have enough time to get really lean by summer. The key is to keep lifting as heavy as possible while you're cutting. This will help to maintain muscle while you lose fat. Don't listen to people who tell you high reps/low weight. This will just turn you into a skinny fat kid. I'd also suggest getting a good preworkout supplement. I use "jacked" by USP labs. It works great and isn't expensive.

[zuki19]

I wouldn't start whey protein right away, i've had almost same schedule, i start with light stuff do a crap load of reps to get ripped, than i start with whey, you'll be happy with outcome, I've actually gained 10-20 pounds just on whey protein with muscle, your arms double in size if not more.

[DPancoast]

if I were you, I'd cut out smoking all together.

BUT...

remember, smoking sometimes keeps weight off... so dont be surprised if you gain some. good luck man. if we lived closer together, I'd say michelle and I would join you, but then again we are both way busy lol

[TROLL]

if you're working out 2x a day, one should just be cardio and the other should be lifting, or lifting + cardio. either way i'd focus more on leaning out than bulking up for the time being. when it comes to the lifting though i'd only do 1 or 2 muscle groups max per day, then give yourself at least 2-3 days rest before you work out that same muscle group again.

i dont have much else to add here since other guys have done a really good job at it, but you're right that nutrition is key. 5+ small meals a day, and really make that happen. watch your calories if you're serious about it and make sure you're taking in less than you're burning off each day. food shopping and cooking for yourself is an important part of this, it allows you to eat healthy by knowing how its prepared, and you can pack lunches/snacks of stuff you made ahead of time to make sure you get in all your meals a day.

i'd skip the creatine entirely to be honest, but i've never been a fan of it. upping your protein intake isn't a bad idea but the biggest thing is getting rid of the fat, sugars, and bad carbs.

[DPancoast]

Once you get on creatine (assuming you're taking it and drinking tons of water) and stop, it comes back to haunt you... just remember that.

[sinner]

Originally Posted by DPancoast

Once you get on creatine (assuming you're taking it and drinking tons of water) and stop, it comes back to haunt you... just remember that.

Disagree 100%. People use creatine for the wrong reason. It keeps your body from building up lactic acid while your lifting (the stuff that makes your muscles burn). I could explain the biological how's and why's but the simplest form is this: Your body uses ATP (Adenosine triphosphate) for energy. Think of it as a 3 molecule bond. Your body breaks that bond turning it into ADP, and this results in energy, specifically the energy you use when your body is under heavy load. Creatine or creatine MONOhydrate adds that 3rd molecule back to the ADP turning it back into ATP. That's the basic ATP energy cycle. Lactic acid is the biproduct from this cycle so the creatine will help you perform at a higher level. I use MRI ce2 hi-def when I'm cutting. Creatine is not meant to retain water, this is just a side effect and good esthertized creatine prevents this.

[CleanNeon98]

Decided to bulk now and cut later, just want to get a bit bigger in the right areas so I changed my routine.

170lb bench 3/8
110lb incline bench 3/10
Same for abs and kicked some other weights up.

[nhanxsolo]

Originally Posted by zuki19

I wouldn't start whey protein right away, i've had almost same schedule, i start with light stuff do a crap load of reps to get ripped, than i start with whey, you'll be happy with outcome, I've actually gained 10-20 pounds just on whey protein with muscle, your arms double in size if not more.

What? I don't even understand what you just said. Whey is a protein supplement, it can't harm you if you take it, and it doesn't give you 10-20 lbs of muscle and your arms can't be twice as big like you said. It is not a steroid or growth hormone. Seriously don't listen to what this guy just said.

Originally Posted by sinner

IMO, it's a little too late in the year to start your bulk cycle. You'll be starting your cut in march/april and won't have enough time to get really lean by summer. The key is to keep lifting as heavy as possible while you're cutting. This will help to maintain muscle while you lose fat. Don't listen to people who tell you high reps/low weight. This will just turn you into a skinny fat kid. I'd also suggest getting a good preworkout supplement. I use "jacked" by USP labs. It works great and isn't expensive.

I agree with the part about lifting heavy, but not the part about being too late to bulk. It's never too late to bulk, or to cut simply because people bulk/cut whenever they wish, unless they're competing where they need to plan out their body composition. I am bulking right now simply because I have no need to be at 7% body fat since I don't plan on showing my body off anytime soon. I am aiming for another 10 lbs or so before I cut, or until I lose all definition in my abs.

Originally Posted by CleanNeon98

The thing I'm not sure on is if I want to bulk first and then cut, or cut first and then bulk..

If you're deciding whether to cut or bulk, just look at your body and see if you need to cut the fat, or to get bigger. In my opinion, you can't go wrong with going with bulking unless you're overweight and it wouldn't do you any good to gain anymore fat.

Originally Posted by JST2KWIK

Yeah I agree with you 100% and I think part of the problem is that I'm not totally out of shape which makes it hard to motivate myself to change when big change isn't necessarily needed.

Back when I used to work it was easy; go to the gym, then to work, then to sleep. Now I have class, study time, an internship, and work ha so it's tough to be motivated for more. I was wondering though, when you are trying to get cut as opposed to big, how do you draw the line for weight/reps? My buddy was having a problem with this because it seemed like he would eaither just bulk up or not really see results...

If you're trying to cut and you're getting bigger.... you're doing it wrong! that means you're eating entirely too much. You can cut without lifting a weight, and you can bulk without lifting a weight. It's all in the dieting. 2 things are considered facts, when you gain muscle, you also gain fat, and when you lose fat you also lose muscle, no way around it. The trick is to gain muscle with the least amount of fat gain and to lose fat with the least amount of muscle loss. You can cut by eating properly and not starving yourself while lifting heavy, this will preserve muscle, also when you're bulking, lift heavily and don't overeat, this will slow down fat gain.

Originally Posted by DPancoast

Once you get on creatine (assuming you're taking it and drinking tons of water) and stop, it comes back to haunt you... just remember that.

How does creatine come back to harm you? Cycling off of creatine has no negative effects, considering the half life of creatine is about 2 weeks, and once it wears off, you won't notice a difference.

[nhanxsolo]

Originally Posted by TROLL

if you're working out 2x a day, one should just be cardio and the other should be lifting, or lifting + cardio. either way i'd focus more on leaning out than bulking up for the time being. when it comes to the lifting though i'd only do 1 or 2 muscle groups max per day, then give yourself at least 2-3 days rest before you work out that same muscle group again.

i dont have much else to add here since other guys have done a really good job at it, but you're right that nutrition is key. 5+ small meals a day, and really make that happen. watch your calories if you're serious about it and make sure you're taking in less than you're burning off each day. food shopping and cooking for yourself is an important part of this, it allows you to eat healthy by knowing how its prepared, and you can pack lunches/snacks of stuff you made ahead of time to make sure you get in all your meals a day.

i'd skip the creatine entirely to be honest, but i've never been a fan of it. upping your protein intake isn't a bad idea but the biggest thing is getting rid of the fat, sugars, and bad carbs.

There's a lot in her that I agree with and disagree with. First of all I don't think lifting weights and cardio should be done together since they will counteract each other if you either want to get bigger, or get thinner. You build muscle by having excess calories, and cardio just burns those calories off. Don't get me wrong, people who lift and do cardio are in great shape, but they won't gain muscle mass, if they do it's very slow.

I agree with the cooking your meals yourself so you know what goes in it, but I don't agree with the 5+ meals a day. There is no scientific evidence that a higher frequency of meals mean you'll lose weight. As long as you're consuming the same amount of calories, there is no harm or benefit from eating 5 meals a day compared to 3 meals a day. People have been talking about that for years, I do believe that more frequent meals keep your hunger and appetite down so you don't over eat, that seems to be the only benefit, but in the end calories are calories.

Last thing is the part about getting rid of "fat, sugars, and bad carbs". I assume you're talking about simple sugars when you say sugar, which is considered bad carbs, because sugar is a carbohydrate. While if I'm cutting, I'll avoid fast carbs, they aren't necessarily bad if you're bulking or if you're on a normal diet. Also I would highly disagree with the avoiding fat part. Fats are essential to any healthy diet, ever heard of essential fats? you need fats to keep your testosterone going, which in turn stimulate muscle growth. I hope you just mean the bad fats such as trans fat, and not the good fats such as nuts, avocados, eggs, peanut butter, and fish oil. A diet low in fat is a bad one.

[CleanNeon98]

I guess I should just set a regimen that does both to make slow and steady progress?

Also what can you guys tell me about steroids in pill form properly cycled. Not planning on it, not at this point in the game anyway, but just wondering. If you don't have real into don't post; answers like "steroids are bad" need not apply.

[CleanNeon98]

And BTW I took creatine with no cycle, last 3 months of my prior gym membership, no side effects noticed aside from having to pee a lot but that's due to water consumtion. No long term problems either.

[ScoobyNubieToo!]

Try to cut anything and everything you can out of your diet that has High Fructose Corn Syrup in it. This is tougher than it sounds because almost everything has HFCS in it, including some of the most popular protein bars and supplements! Give up an hour and a half of your life and watch this video....you'll be glad you did.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBnniua6-oM

[sinner]

Originally Posted by nhanxsolo

What? I don't even understand what you just said. Whey is a protein supplement, it can't harm you if you take it, and it doesn't give you 10-20 lbs of muscle and your arms can't be twice as big like you said. It is not a steroid or growth hormone. Seriously don't listen to what this guy just said.




I agree with the part about lifting heavy, but not the part about being too late to bulk. It's never too late to bulk, or to cut simply because people bulk/cut whenever they wish, unless they're competing where they need to plan out their body composition. I am bulking right now simply because I have no need to be at 7% body fat since I don't plan on showing my body off anytime soon. I am aiming for another 10 lbs or so before I cut, or until I lose all definition in my abs.




If you're deciding whether to cut or bulk, just look at your body and see if you need to cut the fat, or to get bigger. In my opinion, you can't go wrong with going with bulking unless you're overweight and it wouldn't do you any good to gain anymore fat.



If you're trying to cut and you're getting bigger.... you're doing it wrong! that means you're eating entirely too much. You can cut without lifting a weight, and you can bulk without lifting a weight. It's all in the dieting. 2 things are considered facts, when you gain muscle, you also gain fat, and when you lose fat you also lose muscle, no way around it. The trick is to gain muscle with the least amount of fat gain and to lose fat with the least amount of muscle loss. You can cut by eating properly and not starving yourself while lifting heavy, this will preserve muscle, also when you're bulking, lift heavily and don't overeat, this will slow down fat gain.




How does creatine come back to harm you? Cycling off of creatine has no negative effects, considering the half life of creatine is about 2 weeks, and once it wears off, you won't notice a difference.

I didn't say it was too late in general to bulk, just too late in the year in comparison to summer. I usually start my bulk at the end of summer, around august. I'm assuming the OP isn't very lean based on his first post. Bulking now will take up time that he doesn't have. I do look at it like a competition. The idea is to be in the best shape possible when may /June comes around. It's reasonable to say that someone who's accustomed to going to the gym will be able to cut morequickly then a novice. I just figured it would make more sense to give him as much time as possible to get shredded. It's allot more satisying to see your abs in the mirror then see your arms a little thicker imo.

[sinner]

Originally Posted by CleanNeon98

I guess I should just set a regimen that does both to make slow and steady progress?

Also what can you guys tell me about steroids in pill form properly cycled. Not planning on it, not at this point in the game anyway, but just wondering. If you don't have real into don't post; answers like "steroids are bad" need not apply.

#1 problem with the sauce isn't roid rage or medical reprocussions. It's that you won't maintain your gains. Your body has a certain composition that it naturally won't go beyond. Juice will take you beyond that point but your body will fight you and you will lose the weight, plus they make you a mess emotionally. You only produce so much testosterone naturally. Keep in mind, you're not anywhere near your potential naturally. You will see good gains and quickly if you do things right. You don't need the juice. Plus if it's of any interest, orals don't have anywhere near the effectivness as injectables because of the way your body breaks them down. So unless your cool with playing a$$ darts, stick to doing it naturally. Get yourself some good supplements (pm me if you want to discuss). It's much more rewarding when you do it on your own.