Workout Routine & Diet Assistance

E

EpheMeroN

0
I'll keep it short, but I should tell a brief story as to why I workout right now.

About 3 years, I went from 172lbs to 245lbs. I let myself go. I got into eating late at night, and drinking, etc etc. I stayed that way for quite some time. Then all my friends kept telling me how fat I was, and that I just didn't look healthy anymore.

So to skip a huge chunk of what happened, I lost a lot of weight. I dropped down to 195 and stayed that way for many many months. Last December came and I amped up my routines and now weigh in at 180lb exactly, but have WAY WAY more muscle than I did when I weighed 172. In fact, when I weighed 172 I had literally no muscle. I couldn't even do a push-up properly.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Current Routine
Day 1: Chest @ flat incline (burn out sets; start at max and work down)
Biceps (burn out sets; start at max and work down)
Triceps (burn out sets; start at max and work down)
20 minutes of abs
30 min cardio on treadmill (250 calories, raise incline 1/2 inch each lap)

Day 2: Back, Shoulders, & Neck exercises
20 minutes of abs
30 min cardio on treadmill (250 calories, raise incline 1/2 inch each lap)

Day 3: Cardio Only Day
20 minutes of abs
1 hr cardio on treadmill (500-600 calories, raise incline 1/2 inch each lap)

I then repeat, and the only thing I chance in the incline on the bench when I lift for my chest. I change it each time to hit all areas of the chest.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Diet

Sunday Through Thursday:
On weight lifting days I start the morning off immediately with a "PowerBar Performance" bar. I wait 30 minutes and drink 1 cup of coffee (no sugar). After the workout I drink a whey protein shake (2 scoops), 1 cup 1% milk, and 1 banana. For lunch I eat a Lean Cuisine meal, or I make a very lean sandwich with turkey, low-fat or fat-free mayonnaise, etc. As a snack after lunch I will eat a handful of nuts (usually almonds) and a carrot. For dinner we'll eat homemade tacos, spaghetti (whole wheat), sloppy joes, grilled chicken w/ veggies, etc. I am not 100% super strict with dinner but since I cook them myself I put in only good ingredients, or at least try to when cooking for the entire family. After dinner I sometimes end the night with an apple with peanut butter, some berries, or some sweet fruit to kill the sweet tooth.

On cardio only days I do the same except I do not eat a "PowerBar Performance" bar before my workout. I just wake up, drink a cup of coffee, and get to it. The rest of the day is essentially the same.

Friday & Saturday:
These are my cheat days. I don't pork out like crazy both days. I eat the same breakfasts on these days. I do usually cheat for either lunch or dinner for both days, but never lunch AND dinner on the same day. If I didn't cheat like this I would lose my sanity, and it murders being social with friends and hanging out.

Lastly, I take a multi-vitamin called Centrum Performance every day after breakfast. I also take three Omega-3 vitamins daily. I drink my 8 glasses of water as well, usually exceeding that daily. I stay away from sodas, the only one I do drink is "Diet Rite" which has ZERO everything.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Although I have dropped to 180, and am in the BEST shape of my life, I still am stuck with love handles. They just will not leave me. They've drastically gotten smaller from going from 245 to 180 but they're still there and I would love for some guidance as to how I can attempt to rid of them. The front of my stomach is getting flat and toned. There's a small amount of belly fat there but the real trouble is the sides. My entire body keeps losing fat and gaining muscle but my sides remain. I do the top 4-5 recommended exercises for the abs (front, lower, and sides) and although I am seeing results in the front and lower, the sides show little if NO improvement in tone and definition. It's my biggest burden. Especially with summer being here... I want to show off my body at the beach, social gatherings, etc etc, but the sides are just murdering my self-confidence.

I know this was a long post, but I come here asking for help from the professionals. I have the dedication. I know what it takes to lose weight. I just need the guidance to tweak my routines and diet to help shed these sides off. I've never supplemented either. I almost bought fat burners out of desperation the other day but I know those can't be good for my body.

Thank you members.

-Michael
 
too much abs, work them like any other muscle...your training and food look alright otherwise...i would suggest maintaining where yiou are for 4 weeks then trying again...the body just can't keep losing and losing and will eventually get to a point where he just doesn't budge as he wants to feel comfortable and he doea at certain bodyfat levels...it's ecspecially hareder trying to get to a wt you've never been before as the body again doesn't want to get out of it's comfort zone. Once fat loss stalls, cheat meals need to become more irregular. Got to 1 cheat a week and see what happens...try some interval training cardio...train legs with wts and you'll see the difference...no it won't overtrain legs, cut down cardio if you think it will
 
Congratulations on your weight loss. Now its time to switch that up to something a bit better and improve upon your diet.

What do you for you're weight training as far as exercises? Abs need to slow down to twice a week.

Your diet could use some tweaking, instead of that "Power Performance" bar, try eating some egg whites with wheat toast with a glass of chocolate milk for breakfast. Ditch the lean cuisine meals and eat that sandwich or pre cook chicken breasts with some rice or veggies for lunch. Try removing (if you're using) ground beef and move to ground turkey for those meals. It has a much better nutritional value.
 
swans05 said:
try some interval training cardio...train legs with wts and you'll see the difference...no it won't overtrain legs, cut down cardio if you think it will
Click to expand...
Can you explain waht interval training cardio is? I am interested. Training the legs with weights will help what exactly? My back love handles? I really want to do whatever I can to remove the remaining fat from my mid-section, especially my lower back. It's so unattractive.

tonymcclellan said:
What do you for you're weight training as far as exercises? Abs need to slow down to twice a week.

Your diet could use some tweaking, instead of that "Power Performance" bar, try eating some egg whites with wheat toast with a glass of chocolate milk for breakfast. Ditch the lean cuisine meals and eat that sandwich or pre cook chicken breasts with some rice or veggies for lunch. Try removing (if you're using) ground beef and move to ground turkey for those meals. It has a much better nutritional value.
Click to expand...
Is there a website somewhere that you know of that shows pictures with the names of the exercises? I can tell you exactly what I do once I know the proper names for all the different exercises.

I will ditch the PowerBar Performance bars like you said. I'll give egg whites with wheat toast a try. Also, is Quaker Ouats Weight Control Oatmeal a good breakfast? Sometimes I'll eat that with like an apple or an orange, and I'll take my multi-vitamin right after. Then I'll wait 30-45 minutes and workout.

Ditch the Lean Cuisines? Ok. I actually won't mind eating sandwiches for lunch. Is salomi a big no-no on a sandwich though? I usually eat sandwiches on whole grain bread, or whole wheat rolls, with mustard, low-fat mayo, lettuce, pepper, turkey, salomi, and pickles.

Could ground beed be my demise? I eat it almost 5 nights a week with dinner. I will go out and buy ground turkey today if it'll make a huge difference.

Finally, it seems everyone says I was doing abs too often. Is only twice a week really enough? I always was taught the more abs the better. But when I do it only twice a week, on which days should I do the ab exercises? And for how long?
 
EpheMeroN said:
Is there a website somewhere that you know of that shows pictures with the names of the exercises?
www.exrx.net

is Quaker Ouats Weight Control Oatmeal a good breakfast?
Its ok, but as much as they suck, you should try plain oats. I use the 1 minute kind.

Is salomi a big no-no on a sandwich though?
Salami is ok once in awhile but try turkey or chicken breast, and get it from the deli

Could ground beed be my demise?
A ground beef burger has something like 25g+ of fat compared to the 15g+ that turkey carries. The protein values are almost identical.

I always was taught the more abs the better.
Traditional methods have been replaced by research and science studies. Just do them on M and Thur or something like that.
Click to expand...

Check the bold.
 
Any websites that just have pictures with the names of the exercises?

That site has a plethora of information and hardly any images. It'll take me a week to figure out all the things that I do in my routines :)
 
tonymcclellan said:
Congratulations on your weight loss. Now its time to switch that up to something a bit better and improve upon your diet.

What do you for you're weight training as far as exercises? Abs need to slow down to twice a week.

Your diet could use some tweaking, instead of that "Power Performance" bar, try eating some egg whites with wheat toast with a glass of chocolate milk for breakfast. Ditch the lean cuisine meals and eat that sandwich or pre cook chicken breasts with some rice or veggies for lunch. Try removing (if you're using) ground beef and move to ground turkey for those meals. It has a much better nutritional value.
Click to expand...
My apologies for taking so long to reply to this...

Here's my new current workout routine. I workout 3 days in a row, and take 1 day off to rest. I now hardly rest at all in-between sets to get more of a cardio benefit while doing weight training. I really really really want to bulk up and define as much as possible from here on till Christmas. Any tweaking to my routines is beyond appreciated guys.

Day 1 (Cardio, Legs, & Abs)
---------------------------
- Stretch the body for a couple minutes
- Walk to get the heart going and blood flowing for 10 minutes
- Dumbbell lunges (20, or 10 each leg)
- Jumping Jacks (30)
- Couldn't find name for this exercise: setup on ground like you're about to do a push-up, but you bring the knee up to your chest, then as the leg re-extends out you switch to the other leg and repeat 40 times
- Basic squats (10)
- Calf raises while holding dumbbels (20)
- REPEAT 2 TIMES
- Jog for 20 minutes
- Walk 10 minutes
- Stretch

Day 2 (Chest, Biceps, & Triceps)
-------------------------------
- Stretch
- Walk for a few minutes
- Barbell Bench Press (max weight: 180lbs, 3 reps, drop weight and do more reps each set thereafter)
- Dumbbell Curls (8-10)
- Bench Dips (15, do this for 2 sets, and then switch to dumbbell overhead tricep extensions for 1 set)
- Dumbbell Butterfly (on the bench, 8-10)
- REPEAT 2 MORE TIMES
- Walk 10 minutes
- Stretch

Day 3 (Neck, Back, & Shoulders)
-------------------------------
- Stretch
- Walk a few minutes
- Couldn't find name but it's like Power Clean except I raise the barbell above my head until I extend my elbows (8)
- Bent Over Two-Dumbbell Row With Palms-In (10)
- Stiff Legged Barbell Deadlift (10)
- Barbell Shrug (25 times for 3 sets, then 1 set Behind the Back)
- Arm Circles (25 using 10lb weights)
- Cuban Press (8)
- Bent Over Dumbbell Rear Delt Raise (8)
- REPEAT 2 TIMES

Day 4 (REST DAY)
-----------------
- REST!
 
I'm not sure if my workout routine reflects this but I am trying to tailor my routine to build muscle mass and bulk up a bit. I really really want to gain mass right now, i.e. bigger arms, wider back and shoulders, etc.

To do this I've read that I need to intake at least 1,000 more calories than I have been. I read that if I don't eat every 2-3 hours my body will start to break down muscle tissue and stop me from building muscle.

As of right now I only have a small handful of foods that I eat regularly for this new routine:

1) 3 egg whites & 1 full egg scrambled + 1 piece whole wheat toast w/ 1 slice american cheese (breakfast each day)
2) Whey protein shake using Soy Milk (2 scoops whey = 58g protein)
3) 1 banana each day, sometimes in my shakes
4) 1 apple each day, sometimes at night w/ peanut butter
5) 1 big handful of raw almonds
6) 1 1/2 cups regular cottage cheese (is low fat recommended?)

I eat all dinners except for Friday nights at home so they're home-cooked. I don't add extra salt to anything. I also switched from ground beef to ground turkey as suggested. I rarely rarely eat sweets. If I do, it's on Friday which is my cheat day, but other than that I never eat sweets.

I weigh 178lbs right now, and am 5'11'' tall. The only fat left on my body is stubborn stomach / love handle fat. The rest of me has slimmed down insanely.
 
Some may argue with beef being more fatty than turkey. This link has a label comparison for 95% Lean Ground Beef and Ground Turkey



Compare labels yourself in the grocery store.
 
instead of ground beef .. u could try ostrich meat .. very low fat .. and tastes better than meat to me

or u could try buffalo meat ..
 
EpheMeroN said:
I'm not sure if my workout routine reflects this but I am trying to tailor my routine to build muscle mass and bulk up a bit. I really really want to gain mass right now, i.e. bigger arms, wider back and shoulders, etc.

To do this I've read that I need to intake at least 1,000 more calories than I have been. I read that if I don't eat every 2-3 hours my body will start to break down muscle tissue and stop me from building muscle.

As of right now I only have a small handful of foods that I eat regularly for this new routine:

1) 3 egg whites & 1 full egg scrambled + 1 piece whole wheat toast w/ 1 slice american cheese (breakfast each day)
2) Whey protein shake using Soy Milk (2 scoops whey = 58g protein)
3) 1 banana each day, sometimes in my shakes
4) 1 apple each day, sometimes at night w/ peanut butter
5) 1 big handful of raw almonds
6) 1 1/2 cups regular cottage cheese (is low fat recommended?)

I eat all dinners except for Friday nights at home so they're home-cooked. I don't add extra salt to anything. I also switched from ground beef to ground turkey as suggested. I rarely rarely eat sweets. If I do, it's on Friday which is my cheat day, but other than that I never eat sweets.

I weigh 178lbs right now, and am 5'11'' tall. The only fat left on my body is stubborn stomach / love handle fat. The rest of me has slimmed down insanely.
Click to expand...

I cannot say because I cannot see you, but you know there is a MUSCLE under there that you may be training? are you sure it is all fat? Many, MANY men I have seen who do a lot of ab work get what I have called love handles, but it is muscle, at least most of it. You may want to consider not using any weight when doing side crunches and anything else that utilizes these muscles, it will take longer, but you want the long lean muscle there, not the bulk right?

As you continue to slim down and are losing fat, this has to go too, maybe not as fast as you would like (now you know how women feel about their thighs), but it has to happen, You cannot continue to lose fat and have it not make a difference.

Also I have to say, EAT SOME VEGGIES MAN!

Good luck, and congrats on all you have done.
 
Eat Better Foods

Your diet is lacking. Too many processed foods (powerbar, lean cuisine, whey protein). Stick to "real" foods that were designed for human consumption. Like....veggies, fruits, eggs ok...lean meats like chix breast, turkey, skirt steak, and FISH (not deli meats). It's tough, but you need to clean up your diet to achieve maximal health. No more tacos! Your best choice for lunch...salad with possibly some meat mixed in. Watch out for highfat dressings. A great dinner...grilled salmon with vegetables. I am a firm beleiver that diet is the number one key to healthand weight loss. I have been exercising for 19 years with weights, etc...but I can honestly say that diet overrides all other areas of fitness. Be mindful of what you put in your body!
 
Yes Diet comes first, I can't tell by how you put it or I missed it somewhere, But you need 5 to 6 meals a day, I strongly believe in the one cheat DAY a week. And being that I am a supplement guy I would use a good fat burner...


Others might not go for the supplements but I had boxed for 20 years and if not for fat burneres I could have never, made the weights I did. :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top