Just started the gym....some advice and tips please

[5AMBO]

what is the best way to increase my protein intake when I am only able to have a shake after my work out when i get home.. as i go straight from work to the gym.

and bump on my last questions......? Do i need protein on the days Im not training? Or only the days I am?

[bullit]

to build muscle you want to be eating 1.2 gramms or protein per pound of body weight. 4 gramms of carbs per pound and 0.5 gramms of fats per pound. what titcher has said will vary from person

this should be spread out through out the day. so if you work out how many you need of each and then divide those totals into 6-7. this will give you the amounts for each meal you need to eat.

and yes this has to be eaten every day. depends how serious you wanna be. i used to never leave home without a shake.

protein- tuna, chicken, eggs
carbs- oats, rice, potato, pasta
fats- fish

i wouldnt really worry about supps atm

heres a routine aswell

CHEST
pec deck 3x8
Bench press - 3x8
Incline chest - 3x8
flys 3x8


TRICEPS
skull crushers - 3x8
Dips - 3x8

-----------------------------------------------


BACK
pullups 3 x what you can
Bent over row - 3 x 8
Deadlift 3 x 8
seated row 3 x8

BICEPS
Barbell curls - 3x8
Seated dumbell curls - 3x8

------------------------------------------

LEGS
squats - 3x8
leg extension - 3x8
ham curl - 3x8
calf raise 3 x8

SHOULDERS
military press - 3x8
Lateral raises - 3x8
upright rows 3 x 8
Shrugs (Not sure about these) 3 x 8

[Crunkers]

You will need the protein mate regardless of training or not, as it will aid muscle repair and also help to strength yourself (i.e. get bigger). Remember though mate you need the carbs in order to bulk not just protein, lots of carbs!

[5AMBO]

Cheers guys. I am going to start working out a kinda meal plan tonight and try stick to it. I guess the hardest bit is the fact im sat at my desk all day so I need to litterally prepare all my meals then to eat at work so is dependant on what is not gonna go mank by it being cooked/prepared the night before.

What sort of times should i be eating if i have seperated into 6 meals a day??

I guess there is the money side of it as well, as currently I dont have to pay for my lunch etc as i get it from home and still living with parents. So i may have to take some of the extra costs on myself.

I worked out last night and found I got to a point where I just couldnt lift anymore cos my arms hurt too much so I had a 5 min run and then went back to it. did this about three times. Am i wasting my time by doing this as I am burning calories.

[Fredward]

Originally Posted by 5AMBO

Cheers guys. I am going to start working out a kinda meal plan tonight and try stick to it. I guess the hardest bit is the fact im sat at my desk all day so I need to litterally prepare all my meals then to eat at work so is dependant on what is not gonna go mank by it being cooked/prepared the night before.

What sort of times should i be eating if i have seperated into 6 meals a day??

I guess there is the money side of it as well, as currently I dont have to pay for my lunch etc as i get it from home and still living with parents. So i may have to take some of the extra costs on myself.

I worked out last night and found I got to a point where I just couldnt lift anymore cos my arms hurt too much so I had a 5 min run and then went back to it. did this about three times. Am i wasting my time by doing this as I am burning calories.

Yeah if you are living/eating at home then don't be a sponge, go out and buys some cheap chicken breasts and tins of tuna, you can freeze the chicken and cook 4 breasts at a time which will last you a few days. Tuna is a life saver for me. You must have a fridge at the office? Try and eat when you get up, and then every 3 hours or so you are awake I guess. Better to spread the protein intake out as your body might not digest more than 35g of protein in one sitting, and you may end up shitting it out.

Short bursts of intense exercise is very good for physical conditioning, but why not try and do one set of bicep exercises, then one set of back exercises, and keep switching round. A bit anoying when the gym is busy as you take up twice as much equipment at once, which is another benefit of having two people trainging together Personally I used to do it this way, but now prefer to do all of one muscle group one after another, thats the way to keep that muscle pumped up and really tire the bastard out. Maybe have a quick google of 'supersets', thats a good trainging method, similar to my suggestion above. Also check out http://www.exrx.net/Lists/Directory.html, great for looking at exercises based on muscle groups, with good eplanation and photos of exercise form, with hints and tips. I still use it all the time to refresh my memory and make sure I have a good pool of exercises for each muscle group to draw on, thats the way to get big, keep your body guessing.

[5AMBO]

Another great set of advice and tips. Thanks alot mate, I will be taking your advice on the sites etc this afternoon. I cant believe how helpful everyone is being. I have picked up so many tips and advice in this thread.

We do have a fridge at work yeah, so what do you suggest i take to work with me on a daily basis?? Stuff like tuna sandwiches i guess???

Is stir fry with chicken ok or a bit fattening in the wrong places??

The gym was packed last night and everyone did just have to keep switchin as there were almost queues to go on the equipment. I like to do as much as I can at home when I get back, when its like that. I have a set of dumbbells but need to start getting into some kind of routine as at present, I dont really know how to use them to do more than my triceps/biceps.

To add some complication the the equation, I have to be careful not to do to many exercises/lifts that put pressure or weight on my spine as it is slightly curved. Cant remember what its called but I gotta try not to make it worse. So unfortunatley I think i have to avoid any laying on my back.

[bullit]

to find exercise, look at the above workout and google each one

for eating, scrambled eggs in morning on toast, miday- protein drink, dinner- chicken breast and pasta or rice. 3 ish shake. 6. tuna on toast . 9 shake after gym and dinner

something like that. on the gym days. have some porridge in the morning aswell

[Noddy]

don't be too worried about the bend in your spine buddy, I've got a double twist in my lower back (aftermath of a rugby injury a few years ago). Working on the lower back as part of the routine (just not as intense) has helped to strengthen it

[5AMBO]

Originally Posted by Noddy

don't be too worried about the bend in your spine buddy, I've got a double twist in my lower back (aftermath of a rugby injury a few years ago). Working on the lower back as part of the routine (just not as intense) has helped to strengthen it

cheers mate, just makes me a bit worried about a few excersises and wonder if i should do them or not but i dont rly know if its a good thinh to strengthen my muscles or not cos i was told different things by differnt ppl. Some say strengthening the muscles may cause my spine to be forced in a different direction and some say it will help support its current position and stop it getting worse. you cant notice it by looking and i havnt long found out but just dont want to make it worse.

I have been trying to eat the correct things the last couples of days following the advice i have been given but im caught between feelings in my head as im feeling like im eating more than i used to and that im going to get fat where i dont want it. But I want to do what it takes to make my workouts worthwhile.

I have a virtually flat stomach at the front but i want to know how to tone what i already have and where i have fat at the sides a little, like love handles, lol.

[bullit]

aslong as you train hard youll be fine. if you start getting a bit podgy, drop the carbs back

[5AMBO]

im just finding it hard to keep track of the number im eating of protein, carbs etc. I have a really busy schedule with work and i dont have the time to put my all into making sure im eating the correct numbers. I can only hope im eating the right things as suggested and work out on the days I am, being tuesdays, fridays and sundays. I also got that feeling though that because I am unable to put more time into both the working out and the planning eating, that i might be wasting time but i dont want to give up. I just dont want to do this for months and months and come next year....be exactlyt the same.lol

[Noddy]

Originally Posted by 5AMBO

cheers mate, just makes me a bit worried about a few excersises and wonder if i should do them or not but i dont rly know if its a good thinh to strengthen my muscles or not cos i was told different things by differnt ppl. Some say strengthening the muscles may cause my spine to be forced in a different direction and some say it will help support its current position and stop it getting worse. you cant notice it by looking and i havnt long found out but just dont want to make it worse.

I was in a slightly similar position as to what to do. One one hand I could have had surgery to correct the bends in my spine - this carries as 50/50 chance of paralysis from the lower back down. As you my guess, I turned this option down in favour of what i'm doing now.

I had therapy a couple of years back to ease my back and consequently the twist has been reduced by 15% - may not sound like a lot but it feels so much better. What I can now do is to work on those muscle groups to rebuilt the strength that I lost and build the muscle back up in general around that area.

As I said above, I work on that muscle group as per normal, however, I start on a lower weight and have been building up the weight and intensity a lot slower than other groups...

Hope that helps

[5AMBO]

thats great thanks mate, good to hear it from someone in a similar position as i didnt really know to who to ask. It was a toss between GP and gym instructors but im sure the gym would say not to worry as they do already know about it and the docs may say dont do anything.

Cheers again

[Noddy]

not a problem, my twists are the aftermath of two broken ankles playing rugby (which i'm not struck off from on medical grounds ) my left ankle was a clean break whereas the right was a compound fracture. The right healed up perfectly fine, but my left leg is now ever so slightly longer than my right (around about 1mm so the hospital reckon). The differnce in length caused my hips to twist and my spine then tried to correct this again by twisting the other way - and failed. - hence the double twist.

If you need any advice regarding your back, i'm sure i can assist somewhere...

[bullit]

Originally Posted by 5AMBO

im just finding it hard to keep track of the number im eating of protein, carbs etc. I have a really busy schedule with work and i dont have the time to put my all into making sure im eating the correct numbers. I can only hope im eating the right things as suggested and work out on the days I am, being tuesdays, fridays and sundays. I also got that feeling though that because I am unable to put more time into both the working out and the planning eating, that i might be wasting time but i dont want to give up. I just dont want to do this for months and months and come next year....be exactlyt the same.lol

i wouldnt worry to much. you can look decent without going mad. like me, a month in my training

[Fredward]

Yeah it's not all about numbers. Listen to your body, if you are hurting bad then you aren't getting enough protein, if you have no energy then probably lacking carbs (or sleep!) - that's a very basic breakdown but it's true enough in most cases.