Help with Excerise

Omega28

Hi Guys

thanks for taking a few mins to read my post

I'm looking for some info/help from experienced trainers. I'm 25, weigh in at 72kg and 184cm tall.

I've been going the gym for about 2yrs now and haven't put on any weight. I'd go up and down maybe 2/3kgs max. I don't drink or smoke.

My program is a bit all over the shop at the moment, I try do 20-30 mins cardio per gym session, and for 40 mins or so I'd do weights. Now the weights are very lights, for example I'd only hammer curl 12.5kg, shoulder press with the 10kgs etc so I like to keep the weights low but I do most body parts (chest press, squats etc) doing 3 sets of each body part so I'd do around 30 set approx.

But there's no structure to my programs and I'm looking to find online sources where I'd get a good program, thanks.

Next is my diet. I try eat healthy, I'd eat an eddie rockets/pizza once a week, sometimes twice. I never drink fizzy drinks, crisps, sweets etc. For breakie I have porridge every morning with honey and blueberries, sandbo for lunch on brown bread, fruit, dinner with the typical dinner, meat, veg, potatoes, pasta, rice etc. And in the evening I have cereal or toast with peanut butter. I also drink lots of water

What I'm trying to do is put a bit meat on my bones as I'm looking a bit thin at the moment and people are making comments and its kinda getting to me.

I also don't much energy or motivation for the gym but I go anyway. Also, another problem I've been having is going to bed hungry, so recently I'd have rice cakes with peanut butter but they don't fill me. Any recommendations for alternative healthy snacks?

I'm not sure if I'm eating enough for starters. I'm always on the go, walking, gym etc Sometimes I'd do a nice 15km walk on my days off from the gym (I'd go the gym at least 4 days a week and go walking the others)

So guys, can u help with my program and diet please as I'm finding it difficult at the moment seen no results, in fact I seem to be looking thinner than ever.

thanks in advance

calfmuscle

This program is basic body building for beginners! Have a look and see if you can work on improving your program. To be honest your strength isn't great. I'm a girl and I can lift heavier than that coming back from injury. Try lifting heavier weights with low reps to build muscle (6-8). From the looks of your diet you seem to be carb heavy which is no bad thing if you are trying to weight gain but with out knowing the portion size its impossible to be accurate. Also your protein intake looks low but again more info is needed to make an accurate assessment. Where are your fats coming from?? Peanut butter is good but its only in one meal? What are you snacking on?

Try putting your goals and your foods into a food diary like Livestrong.com My Plate for a week and see how your calories are working out.

Cardio is excellent for health and I would never tell someone to stop but remember you will burn a good number of calories and need to adjust your diet to account for them.

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/wotw46.htm

Omega28

calfmuscle wrote: »

This program is basic body building for beginners! Have a look and see if you can work on improving your program. To be honest your strength isn't great. I'm a girl and I can lift heavier than that coming back from injury. Try lifting heavier weights with low reps to build muscle (6-8). From the looks of your diet you seem to be carb heavy which is no bad thing if you are trying to weight gain but with out knowing the portion size its impossible to be accurate. Also your protein intake looks low but again more info is needed to make an accurate assessment. Where are your fats coming from?? Peanut butter is good but its only in one meal? What are you snacking on?

Try putting your goals and your foods into a food diary like Livestrong.com My Plate for a week and see how your calories are working out.

Cardio is excellent for health and I would never tell someone to stop but remember you will burn a good number of calories and need to adjust your diet to account for them.

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/wotw46.htm

I just eat nature valley bars and fruit in between meals. What would u recommend snacking on?

What food sources could I get fats from?

Sorry but I just don't know enough about this

Mellor

Gym:
Lift heavier weights.
Choose the bigger compound movements. You didn't post your exact workout but I've a feeling it's lots if little movements.

Eat more.
Eat real food.

That's it really.

Omega28

Mellor wrote: »

Gym:
Lift heavier weights.
Choose the bigger compound movements. You didn't post your exact workout but I've a feeling it's lots if little movements.

Eat more.
Eat real food.

That's it really.

Could u post a sample of what u would eat on a daily basis?

Do u have any suggestions for healthy snacks in between meals?

Mellor

Dylanmc111 wrote: »

Could u post a sample of what u would eat on a daily basis?

Do u have any suggestions for healthy snacks in between meals?

Typical day would might be something like:

Breskfast
Eggs, chicken sausages, Avocado

Lunch:
Meat (chicken, kangaroo, turkey - whatever I had for dinner) and veg (pumpkin, broccoli, small potato)

Snack: handful of nuts

Dinner:
Meat and veg
Coconut based curry sauces
Burrito bowl

Omega28

Mellor wrote: »

Typical day would might be something like:

Breskfast
Eggs, chicken sausages, Avocado

Lunch:
Meat (chicken, kangaroo, turkey - whatever I had for dinner) and veg (pumpkin, broccoli, small potato)

Snack: handful of nuts

Dinner:
Meat and veg
Coconut based curry sauces
Burrito bowl

where do u buy chicken sausages? Also, whats wrong with regular pork sausages?

I get really hungry around 11pm and also have peanut butter on wholemeal bread, is that ok?

Mellor

Dylanmc111 wrote: »

where do u buy chicken sausages? Also, whats wrong with regular pork sausages?

I get really hungry around 11pm and also have peanut butter on wholemeal bread, is that ok?

Nothing wrong with pork sausages as long as the quality is good. High meat content etc.the reason I don't buy them is because I live in Australia (also the reason for kangaroo mince) where standard sausages are beef and pork sausages aren't very nice here.
I buy chicken sausages in the supermarket. Pretty sure they are widely available in Ireland too.

If you are hungry at 11 then eat something. If you are truing to bulk up you need to eat a lot, never go hungry.

Omega28

I went to the gym today and tried the deadlift, I was doing it wrong so I asked the gym instructor, who wasn't sure of the exercise himself!!:eek:

I also tried the bent over row with one of the small bars put two 10kgs plates on it, I'm not sure if my technique was correct but was afriad to ask the instructor again.

I think I'm eating better the last two days, I'm eating porridge, lots of fruits (berries, apples, bananas) Raw nuts (anywhere cheap to buy these?), meat, wholegrain pasta, sweet potatoe, wholemeal bagels with cottage cheese, salmon slices and lots of water, anything else I'm missing?

If I'm hungry at 11pm would it be ok to have a sandbo?

Ant11

Plenty of info here to educate yourself with.

http://touch.boards.ie/thread/2055963342

Chancer3001

I think I'm eating better the last two days, I'm eating porridge, lots of fruits (berries, apples, bananas) Raw nuts (anywhere cheap to buy these?), meat, wholegrain pasta, sweet potatoe, wholemeal bagels with cottage cheese, salmon slices and lots of water, anything else I'm missing?

Youre eating healthily - thats great.

But if you want to build muscle you have to eat LOTS and LOTS of protein every day.

Most people I know who try for the 1g per lb bodyweight find it somewhat uncomfortable eating that much protein (then you get used to it), so you should be making a conscious effort to eat loads of protein.

Omega28

Chancer3001 wrote: »

I think I'm eating better the last two days, I'm eating porridge, lots of fruits (berries, apples, bananas) Raw nuts (anywhere cheap to buy these?), meat, wholegrain pasta, sweet potatoe, wholemeal bagels with cottage cheese, salmon slices and lots of water, anything else I'm missing?

Youre eating healthily - thats great.

But if you want to build muscle you have to eat LOTS and LOTS of protein every day.

Most people I know who try for the 1g per lb bodyweight find it somewhat uncomfortable eating that much protein (then you get used to it), so you should be making a conscious effort to eat loads of protein.

I'm trying to eat protein with every meal.

Question, do u have to lift heavy weights to get toned? I got my bf tested the other day and I was 7.1 percent. but I weigh only 72kg

Chancer3001

eating proetin with every meal is a great start - now you just need to get the quantity right.

try for a day or two writing down exactly how much protein you eat.

7.1% is very low. If thats accurate you should have some good definition on any muscle you have. Who did the testing?

Mellor

Dylanmc111 wrote: »

Question, do u have to lift heavy weights to get toned? I got my bf tested the other day and I was 7.1 percent. but I weigh only 72kg

7.1% is very low. At that level you'd be pretty ripped. It doesn't happen by accident.

How exactly was this testing done? I'd guess it was a scales or hand held gadget.

benchppress

Where do u live Dylan and what gym do u attend. I think you would gain a lot from a professional consultation

Omega28

Mellor wrote: »

Dylanmc111 wrote: »

Question, do u have to lift heavy weights to get toned? I got my bf tested the other day and I was 7.1 percent. but I weigh only 72kg

7.1% is very low. At that level you'd be pretty ripped. It doesn't happen by accident.

How exactly was this testing done? I'd guess it was a scales or hand held gadget.

He had a device and pinched my arms, leg, stomach, few other areas. I think it was around 7% he said.

Omega28

Mellor wrote: »

Dylanmc111 wrote: »

Question, do u have to lift heavy weights to get toned? I got my bf tested the other day and I was 7.1 percent. but I weigh only 72kg

7.1% is very low. At that level you'd be pretty ripped. It doesn't happen by accident.

How exactly was this testing done? I'd guess it was a scales or hand held gadget.

It's actually 9.5% lads

Ant11

Still should be fairly ripped at 9.5%

Mellor

Maybe he doesn't know how to use it properly, maybe he meant 17%, or maybe you genuinely are 9% but don't look like the average person would at that level.

househero

OK here's what you need to do to get big muscles.

Diet
Eat no crap (eg eat mince beef & steak not burgers)
Eat EVERY 2hrs
Eat lots of meat, eggs, cheese, nuts, fish, beans, VEGTABLES
Drink 4 pints of milk a day

Workout
DO NO CARDIO
Split your routine in to 5 days, back, chest, LEGS, Shoulders, arms/detail work
Do at least 1 big exercise each day, eg dead lift, bench, squat, pull ups
You should relax in between sets


Supplements
DO NOT BUY WEIGHT GAINER
30g pure whey protein AM, 30g after workout
30g casin protein straight before bed
5g L glutamine & 5g creatine monohydrate in gym drink
1 Omega 3 6 & 9 tab a day
1 multivitimin a day

Your life
Eat more
Become lazy eg Do not run when you can walk
Learn how to exercise properly, an injury can be for life
Learn about supplement cycles, dangers and learn about your food
You CAN eat before bed & you should eat a HUGE protein meal before bed as this is when you grow muscles. You tear them in the gym.


I eat 500g meat a day minimum, work out 1hr 5 days a week I'm 5 11 and 97kg cut and no roids

You can argue that it is not healthy to live like this, but if you want big muscles fast this is a tried and tested way.

househero

Dylanmc111 wrote: »

Hi Guys

thanks for taking a few mins to read my post

I'm looking for some info/help from experienced trainers. I'm 25, weigh in at 72kg and 184cm tall.


My program is a bit all over the shop at the moment, I try do 20-30 mins cardio per gym session, and for 40 mins or so I'd do weights. Now the weights are very lights, for example I'd only hammer curl 12.5kg, shoulder press with the 10kgs etc so I like to keep the weights low but I do most body parts (chest press, squats etc) doing 3 sets of each body part so I'd do around 30 set approx.

I didn't realise you needed routine help too, just reread your post.

You have to lift big to get big. Lift man sized weights to build muscles for a man. Lifting girly weights will make you look like haha

Aim for 3 sets of 8 reps and INCREASE the weight you are lifting.

Take a look at the 5x5 workout, there is a PDF online.

For technique, Scooby on YouTube is excellent.

nice_guy80

househero wrote: »

OK here's what you need to do to get big muscles.

Diet
Eat no crap (eg eat mince beef & steak not burgers)
Eat EVERY 2hrs
Eat lots of meat, eggs, cheese, nuts, fish, beans, VEGTABLES
Drink 4 pints of milk a day

Workout
DO NO CARDIO
Split your routine in to 5 days, back, chest, LEGS, Shoulders, arms/detail work
Do at least 1 big exercise each day, eg dead lift, bench, squat, pull ups
You should relax in between sets


Supplements
DO NOT BUY WEIGHT GAINER
30g pure whey protein AM, 30g after workout
30g casin protein straight before bed
5g L glutamine & 5g creatine monohydrate in gym drink
1 Omega 3 6 & 9 tab a day
1 multivitimin a day

Your life
Eat more
Become lazy eg Do not run when you can walk
Learn how to exercise properly, an injury can be for life
Learn about supplement cycles, dangers and learn about your food
You CAN eat before bed & you should eat a HUGE protein meal before bed as this is when you grow muscles. You tear them in the gym.


I eat 500g meat a day minimum, work out 1hr 5 days a week I'm 5 11 and 97kg cut and no roids

You can argue that it is not healthy to live like this, but if you want big muscles fast this is a tried and tested way.

some foam rolling and stretching will allow you to warm up properly, recover better and train more often
that is all

househero

nice_guy80 wrote: »

some foam rolling and stretching will allow you to warm up properly, recover better and train more often
that is all

Absolutely. Stretch before exercising, do 2 min on bike/running machine/rower to warm up before and 2 min after to cool down, medium intensity. If you are out of breath with a fast heart rate you are training too hard and cannabalising your own muscles.

discombobulate

Sounds like the trainers in your gym aren't great if they can't show you proper technique and aren't approachable to ask about form. This is a program recommended a lot here. I did it a couple of years ago and have started back at it again: http://stronglifts.com/stronglifts-5x5-beginner-strength-training-program/

Its important to get shown the correct techniques though to ensure you don't injure yourself (which I did). One way I found very easy to get extra protein into me before was to just drink loads of milk. It'll help with feeling hungry too. Add up what your maintenance calories should be using something like this: http://www.freedieting.com/tools/calorie_calculator.htm

I think its about 15% over this with plenty of protein and lifting weights to grow. By heavy weights it would mean the lifts in the link above and always aiming to add weight onto the bar every time you go to the gym. Heavy i'd class as something if you were doing 8 reps with you wouldn't be able to do 10 i.e. your working at your max capacity

I'd definitely recommend looking at other gyms if you don't get help in your one though and possibly look at getting a couple of personal training classes which is what i'm about to do myself.

nice_guy80

househero wrote: »

Absolutely. Stretch before exercising, do 2 min on bike/running machine/rower to warm up

that's not a warm up!
you need to do a few things like bodyweight or med ball squats, and swings, lunges + press etc to get the big muscles muscles firing.

househero

nice_guy80 wrote: »

that's not a warm up!
you need to do a few things like bodyweight or med ball squats, and swings, lunges + press etc to get the big muscles muscles firing.

Yes you should always do a dry run on big exercises, bench & squat with the bar only, before adding weight to it. Also good for practicing form.

The idea of a warm up is to get your heart pumping blood to your muscles. For what it is worth the op is 75kg and used to lifting relatively small weights. Doing squats, Lunges and press's without weights, is probably where he is at with his exercise program. Your warm up is probably near his maximum. I would be surprised if he could squat or bench more than 40kg.

nice_guy80

househero wrote: »

Yes you should always do a dry run on big exercises, bench & squat with the bar only, before adding weight to it. Also good for practicing form.

The idea of a warm up is to get your heart pumping blood to your muscles. For what it is worth the op is 75kg and used to lifting relatively small weights. Doing squats, Lunges and press's without weights, is probably where he is at with his exercise program. Your warm up is probably near his maximum. I would be surprised if he could squat or bench more than 40kg.

I'm only 75kg and I use all those exercises!
I haven't measured my 'bench' in over three years.

The idea of a warm up is to get the body and muscles ready for exercise - the heart doesn't necessarily have to be 'pumping'.

It's as much mental as physical

househero

nice_guy80 wrote: »

I'm only 75kg and I use all those exercises!
I haven't measured my 'bench' in over three years.

The idea of a warm up is to get the body and muscles ready for exercise - the heart doesn't necessarily have to be 'pumping'.

It's as much mental as physical

Yes you are right, it is about preparing your head. Unless you are very young or 5ft nothing, 75kg is very slim. I push up to 115kg+ when bulking and cut back down to around 95kg. Which is a good point for the op, you _NEED to put on weight to gain muscle. You cut AFTER building for a few months, your body can not grow & cut at the same time, trying to do both only hinders your progress.

Including healthy fat in your diet is vital as you will have elevated hormone levels (growth & testosterone) these hormone need good fat for your body to manufacture them in sufficient quantities when building muscles. Eggs & nuts are a good easy to digest source.

But yes the idea of a warm up is to get your heart pumping to feed your muscles with blood and nutrients for aerobic contractions during exercise.

Omega28

wow such a great response, thanks a lot guys for all the info!

Just to confirm, I am 9.5% bf and weigh in at 71.9 kg, I'm 6ft 1. I have no real shape, just flat, bit of definition, u can clearly see my "muscles", but borderline too skinny looking.

I have trained 3 days in a row, going to try to do 1 or if possible 2 more days this week, bringing me to 4/5.

I am doing "girly" weights, I won't deny it. My max bicep curl would be with a 16kg dumbbell but I usually stick with the 12kgs cause I can get more reps. Same for most exercises if I'm honest, for example with lunges I'd use the 10kg dumbbells.

When it comes to squats, I have 0 strength in my legs, I am ashamed to say this but even on the smith machine I can barely do 30kg, at a push so I usually just stick to my "usual" weight of 20kg-25kg.
With the leg press machine I put it on 110kg and with the leg extensions I put the weight to 50kg and same for leg curl.

I also have 0 strength in my chest, I use the 10kg dumbbells to do pec flys and dumbbell bench press (flat and inclined) and the same for my shoulders, and again the 10kgs for shoulder press.

I think I've just got "use" to these weights and haven't pushed my muscles in months.

Every session always include cardio and I'm always walking outside the gym, I'm an active person. I could all day the cardio machines so I think I'm fairly fit but really don't strong at all.

Regarding diet, well I'm trying my best to eat well but I know when the weekend comes I'll pig out and have an Eddie Rockets and Ice cream.

I'm not a drinker nor a smoker so that helps.

I will try the 5x5 exercise routine you guys recommend along with other tips on this thread.

Yes my gym isn't great at all, the instructors are clueless and have no respect nor internet in the members or the job and it shows in the body language, they simply do not want to be there.

I'm trying to learn the big exercises like squats, deadlifts, bench press. I'm starting off with the smith machine to get correct technique and for safety reasons.

thanks again for all your help guys.

Omega28

Mellor wrote: »

Maybe he doesn't know how to use it properly, maybe he meant 17%, or maybe you genuinely are 9% but don't look like the average person would at that level.

I doubt I'm 17%, I'd say in and around 9/10%

Omega28

Just a quick questions, apart from nuts and fruit, is there anything else i can carry around in my pocket to snack on?

Also, is eating cheese and peanut butter everyday bad for you?

john t

I reckon at your height and weight and b/f you can eat what you desire with trying too lift more weight too put some muscle/meat/size on..

Omega28

john t wrote: »

I reckon at your height and weight and b/f you can eat what you desire with trying too lift more weight too put some muscle/meat/size on..

I'm trying. I'm sick of people saying "your looking very thin, go have a McDonalds"

john t

Try some heavy weights they work, and eat... were u live?

househero

Dylanmc111 wrote: »

I'm trying. I'm sick of people saying "your looking very thin, go have a McDonalds"

Ironically that won't work. Crap isn't nutritious.

You need to eat real food. Not a bag of nuts, when I say eat every 2hrs, I mean a meal. With meat and protein in it and you should be full to bursting each meal. The night before work you can cook 3 or 4 chicken breasts or half a kg of wings if your broke and eat them cold throughout the day, if your going to eat nuts too, eat at least 250g in the day time. Eat like a man and you will look like a man.

You need to eat a lot, I really mean A LOT. No more than what your thinking, much much more. Drink milk throughout the day. Yes eat cheese and peanut butter, that's fine. Just don't smoke or drink.

Do 1 week of solid eating a big meal every 2hrs and drink 2l of milk and you will see results. If you don't. Your not eating enough. It is really simple. There is no such thing as a hard gainer, only not eating enough. To get really big its quite amazing quite how much you have to eat. Probably about 5 times your current intake of calories and protein.

You have to push bigger weights, good luck and keep us posted.

The squat bar is 20kg and you weigh 75kg, so your probably squatting your body weight with the bar, a good place to start. Never ever lift comfortable weights, you are in the gym to grow, not to go through your routine, you are cheating yourself. Lift big and grow big. Your muscles will react to the size of weight they are lifting, if you only lift small weights you only need small muscles to move them. Learn how to do free weights, they are better than machines for what you need to do.

Become lazy or eat 12000 Cal a day to match your active lifestyle

DAINGNE

You've been going at this with the wrong approach Dylan but at least you've got consistency, hitting the gym for 2 years solid shows you have the discipline for this.

Diet

To build muscle you need to be eating at a caloric surplus.
To work out the total amount of calories you should be eating calculate your TDEE (http://www.iifym.com/tdee-calculator) and then add 20% onto it. Now break this number down into what macro nutrient quantities you should be eating. I recommend eating:

1g protein per lb of body weight (4 calories in 1 gram of protein)
.45g fat per lb of body weight (9 calories in 1 gram of fat)
& the rest from carbs (4 calories in 1 gram of carbs)

For example here's what I'm eating:

My TDEE = 3000 calories (after I've added on the 20%)
I weigh 190 lb so that means I eat 190g of protein (760 calories) & 85.5g of fats (770 calories). That leaves me with 1470 free calories dedicated to carbs which comes in at 367.5g.

These are just rough numbers that you should be aiming for on a daily basis, you'll need to register onto a diet diary site to track these numbers (http://www.myfitnesspal.com/) until you get a feel for estimating.

Eating at this pace will of course prompt fat gain which, unfortunately, goes hand in hand with muscular gain. What bodybuilders generally do is divide their year up into a "bulk" and "cut" phase. A bulk phase is what you witnessed above and usually lasts 6 - 8 months. They eat at a caloric surplus with the intensions of gaining weight. Then they will revert to a cut phase (eating at a caloric deficit) and try to drop the fat they gained during the bulk phase whilst maintaining as much muscle as possible.

Gym

If you want to build muscle you'll need to be hitting failure on most of your sets, I always aim for a rep range between 8 - 10 and always make sure I hit failure between those numbers. You can find many routines on the net, I'm not going to write one out for you but I will stress that you concentrate on compound exercises and adding weight to the bar over time. Also, scrap doing any cardio on days when you're lifting weights, you're handicapping your body. You want your body totally dedicated toward building muscle, if you insist on doing cardio I recommend doing it on your rest days or at least 8 hours after your weight training and do it at a light intensity for 40 - 50 minutes or look into HIIT.

If you're interested in a fresh approach to the gym I recommend looking up a Push/Pull/Leg routine. On one day you'll focus on your "pull muscles", on another your "push muscles" and then on another your legs.

Best of luck mate hope this helped.

discombobulate

You could also book a once off consultation with a recommended personal trainer outside your gym to get the technique on the lifts etc. sorted.

Omega28

john t wrote: »

Try some heavy weights they work, and eat... were u live?

Drumcondra

Omega28

discombobulate wrote: »

You could also book a once off consultation with a recommended personal trainer outside your gym to get the technique on the lifts etc. sorted.

Yeah this is a good idea actually because I'll probably do more harm than good without proper technique and form, thanks

Omega28

househero wrote: »

Ironically that won't work. Crap isn't nutritious.

You need to eat real food. Not a bag of nuts, when I say eat every 2hrs, I mean a meal. With meat and protein in it and you should be full to bursting each meal. The night before work you can cook 3 or 4 chicken breasts or half a kg of wings if your broke and eat them cold throughout the day, if your going to eat nuts too, eat at least 250g in the day time. Eat like a man and you will look like a man.

You need to eat a lot, I really mean A LOT. No more than what your thinking, much much more. Drink milk throughout the day. Yes eat cheese and peanut butter, that's fine. Just don't smoke or drink.

Do 1 week of solid eating a big meal every 2hrs and drink 2l of milk and you will see results. If you don't. Your not eating enough. It is really simple. There is no such thing as a hard gainer, only not eating enough. To get really big its quite amazing quite how much you have to eat. Probably about 5 times your current intake of calories and protein.

You have to push bigger weights, good luck and keep us posted.

The squat bar is 20kg and you weigh 75kg, so your probably squatting your body weight with the bar, a good place to start. Never ever lift comfortable weights, you are in the gym to grow, not to go through your routine, you are cheating yourself. Lift big and grow big. Your muscles will react to the size of weight they are lifting, if you only lift small weights you only need small muscles to move them. Learn how to do free weights, they are better than machines for what you need to do.

Become lazy or eat 12000 Cal a day to match your active lifestyle

I didn't actually realise how much you have to eat, when people say "eat nuts" I just think a handful but your saying 250g, which seems a lot in one day!

2l of milk a day? I actually like drinking milk so this won't be too bad, I see Tesco are doing Almond milk, is this any better for you?

I do a mix of free and machine weights. Yes I know what you mean by comfortable weights, I never push myself too much it has to be said, hence why I have small muscles:)

Also, when it comes to breathing while using the weights, is it breath out on the effort?

Omega28

Question lads, I was doing squats today and during the squat I got lightheaded, luckily I was on a smith machine so I had support but it was just a bit worrying. Is this common to get lightheaded during it?

Next question, I pushed myself today on the rower and I couldn't feel my forearms and I actually felt unwell/shaky coming off, is this just pushing myself too hard or is there something else going on? My muscles felt shaky and I felt shaky internally

discombobulate

Did you have anything to eat before going to the gym. It does happen me a bit when i'm doing them. I just ignore it usually. I'd presume that the weight you were lifting was relatively heavy for you so its probably your body not being used to getting pushed that much. I'm sure theres good gyms and trainers that people here could point you towards in The Drumcondra area.

Omega28

discombobulate wrote: »

Did you have anything to eat before going to the gym. It does happen me a bit when i'm doing them. I just ignore it usually. I'd presume that the weight you were lifting was relatively heavy for you so its probably your body not being used to getting pushed that much. I'm sure theres good gyms and trainers that people here could point you towards in The Drumcondra area.

Yeah I had porridge,fruit and a few glasses of water

Yeah I'm sure the lads here could recommend someone in and around my area:) thanks

househero

Dylanmc111 wrote: »

I didn't actually realise how much you have to eat, when people say "eat nuts" I just think a handful but your saying 250g, which seems a lot in one day!

2l of milk a day? I actually like drinking milk so this won't be too bad, I see Tesco are doing Almond milk, is this any better for you?

I do a mix of free and machine weights. Yes I know what you mean by comfortable weights, I never push myself too much it has to be said, hence why I have small muscles:)

Also, when it comes to breathing while using the weights, is it breath out on the effort?

250g of nuts is a snack. Haha. If you like drinking tesco milk, drink 4L a day, every little helps.

Stick to regular FULL FAT cows milk. full range of amino acids (protein) for your muscle development. Read up on protein and muscle development. This is a sticky subject, but I avoid soy, green Tea & caffine.

Out on effort. Most of the time.

Lightheaded is fine on squats, they are a huge muscle group exercise. Concentrate on breathing and eat a lot more before the gym.

If you are skinny. Do not use the rower it WILL make you more skinny. only use for 2 min to warm up and cool down.

nice_guy80

househero wrote: »

250g of nuts is a snack. Haha. If you like drinking tesco milk, drink 4L a day, every little helps.

Stick to regular FULL FAT cows milk. full range of amino acids (protein) for your muscle development. Read up on protein and muscle development. This is a sticky subject, but I avoid soy, green Tea & caffine.

Out on effort. Most of the time.

Lightheaded is fine on squats, they are a huge muscle group exercise. Concentrate on breathing and eat a lot more before the gym.

If you are skinny. Do not use the rower it WILL make you more skinny. only use for 2 min to warm up and cool down.

clueless.
look at olympic rowers.
they are not skinny and they do loads of rowing. how does that work then?

househero

nice_guy80 wrote: »

clueless.
look at olympic rowers.
they are not skinny and they do loads of rowing. how does that work then?

They eat 12,000+ Calories a day. The OP probably eats 2000.

Professional athletes lift huge weights to grow muscles and gain strength, they squat massive weights for their trimmed down for the sport they are doing frames. It is best not to compare a professional athlete to an average person in the gym. Aerobic exercise makes you skinny.

nice_guy80

househero wrote: »

They eat 12,000+ Calories a day. The OP probably eats 2000.

Professional athletes lift huge weights to grow muscles and gain strength, they squat massive weights for their trimmed down for the sport they are doing frames. It is best not to compare a professional athlete to an average person in the gym. Aerobic exercise makes you skinny.

While I don't doubt the calories aspect... nor the weight training...
aerobic exercise makes you skinny?

Cheat Meal Master

Hi Dylan,

Where are we exactly in terms of your initial questions and what it is you're unsure of?

I'll help as much as I can.

Thanks,

John.

fearcruach

househero wrote: »

...Become lazy or eat 12000 Cal a day to match your active lifestyle

There is no way he needs to eat that. Adding excess calories to the excess (+500 above maintenance) he needs to grow muscle is just going to add fat and no extra muscle.

househero

fearcruach wrote: »

There is no way he needs to eat that. Adding excess calories to the excess (+500 above maintenance) he needs to grow muscle is just going to add fat and no extra muscle.

Haha yes im sure someone on a diet of just 2000 cal wouldnt be able to consume 12000 at a flick of a switch anyway. There should be no fear of fat for such a slender guy used to such a restrictive diet with such an active lifestyle. He wont grow muscles as quick as he can without gaining some fat.


@ NiceGuy80 Yes aerobic exercise makes you more skinny than you would normally be. And if the goal is pure muscle gain (bodybuilding) it should be avoided to maximise muscle gains. Until you want to cut then you can go cardio crazy and trim off that fat (you will loose some muscle too).

nice_guy80

damn those spinning classes making my quad muscles skinny