Nutrition/Workout Information

[BaldChicken]

Hey guys, i made this awhile back and wanted to post it here for anyone interested. If you are a powerlifter/bodybuilder/gym enthusiast please let me know so we can chat. I've come a long way in my knowledge, but i'm always happy to learn new things. 

Disclaimer: All workouts and Diets leave potential chance for injury, both mental and physical, and i advise speaking to your physician, particularly if you have a preexisting medical condition.

Anyways, let's get started. Now this is GENERAL nutritional advice, my personal workouts, and other information i feel is generally helpful. One of the biggest myths about gaining muscle AND losing weight, is that as long as you work out a bunch, you'll get big/lose weight. If you work out 3 hours a day, 7 days a week, but only eat a thousand calories a day, you're not going to gain muscle. It's the same with losing weight, if you cut your calories too much, you put your body in to a very dangerous position, and your body tries to hold on to its fat stores as hard as possible. Although a larger person can lose weight very quickly because they have a lot of fat stores to go through, it's incredibly dangerous to lose weight this way. Gaining and losing weight is a marathon, not a race. 

Here is a good video to get a foothold on your Maintenance Calories, which is basically the amount of calories your body needs to MAINTAIN your current weight - 

 

 

There are two main phases - Bulking, and Cutting

Bulking - ABOVE maintenance calories, gaining weight. Your body is only capable of gaining a certain amount of muscle, Eating 3000 calories above maintenance doesn't mean you'll gain 10x the muslce you would eating 300 calories about maintenance. Each particular body has a certain amount it can gain, and as such will come with experience. 
Cutting - BELOW maintenance calories, cutting should be approached very carefully, especially if you're an individual lowering your body fat while you're already lean.

The Basics: Macro Nutrients 
There are 3 Macro Nutrients - Protein, Fats, Carbohydrates 
Proteins and Carbohydrates contain 4 calories PER gram. Fats contain 9 calories PER gram.

There are two main nutritional composition plans that i have experience with - 
The first, is called 40/40/20, which basically means 40% of your calories from Carbs, 40% protein, 20% fat. I reccomend watching the youtube video i linked, which also has explanations for your calories particularly if you are overweight. At the end of the day, i recommend 1g of protein per lb of weight, which changes if you are overweight. Your macros are FLEXIBLE (except for protein), and you shouldn't be worried if you're eating a certain ammt of carbs/fats so long as you get a healthy amount and stay WITHIN your calorie goals.
Ex: If you weigh 350 lbs, you don't need 350g of protein. Here's another video for CUTTING

 

 

The second, which i RECOMMEND for new individuals attempting to lose weight, is called Ketogenic Dieting. The premise behind Keto is simple, Cut your carbs DRASTICALLY (eating 0-20g of carbs per day, more if you're easing in to Keto), Eating 1g of protein per lb of weight, and filling the rest of your calories with fats. The body mostly utilizes carbohydrates for energy, and when there are no carbohydrates in your system, your body goes in to Ketosis, where your body is searching for energy, and begins to eat your stored fat. Keto DOES NOT work for everyone, and if you feel worse for wear (lack of energy, nausea, frequent sickness) then keto is not for you. I love Keto because it's a great way to quickly lose weight, especially when you're larger, and is a very interesting challenge. You wont realize how hard eating only 20g of carbs in a day is until you do it for a few weeks. Keto requires a lot of preparation, particularly because "Easy" foods are often composed of carbs, especially junk food. 

Please note that a number of dietary plans may lack Micro nutrients (Vitamins and Minerals basically). I recommend taking a multi vitamin, and being very careful about a lack of necessary nutrients. 

Another recommendation i have is investing in a food scale. Food scales basically allow you to put a code number in to an electronic device, analyzes the weight of the food, and gives you caloric and Micro nutrient information. 

Finally, one of the most important pieces of information i can give you for first time lifters, and individuals cutting/bulking.
Phone applications! - This is a GREAT way to track your nutritional information for Free, and learn weight lifting mechanics. These are iphone reccomendations, although internet apps work as well.
JEFIT - Workout information, this gives you the particulars on HOW to do certain workouts, proper technique, etc.
FatSecret - This tracks a number of things, but mainly calories and macros. This allows you to type in for example "White rice", then adjust it to 1 cup, and it will tell you the information.

I'm going to post my workout log BELOW 

Workout Info - 

Technique is KEY, improper technique can cause a lot of issues, injury, inability to target certain muscle groups, etc. 
My technique was learned through lifting while playing football, videos on the internet, and my friend whom is the most muscular and experienced natural body builder i know. In addition, these are MY workouts, if you want to just do a condensed version, and maybe work out 1-2 times per week, that's A LOT better than not working out at all.

My workouts reach anywhere from 1 hour - 2 hours, Generally around an hour and 35 minutes, but can be trimmed very easily.

General Precursor - I add cardio after every day of lifting (Anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour) - This includes walking/running, bike machines, swimming, elliptical, etc. You can however instead dedicate days to cardio only, which is what i suggest when you first start. Cardio is mainly used for losing weight, but can be added to a lean bulk as well.

First number - NUMBER OF SETS
Second number - REPETITIONS

Monday - Chest Day

4x8 Barbell Bench Press
4x8 Incline Bench Press
4x8 Decline Bench Press
4x15 Chest Flys (BE VERY CAREFUL WITH THIS EXCERCISE - This is not necessarily a strength excercise, and if you                         have never done them, you should use a machine instead of dumbbells. If you're not 100% sure you know the technique, you should watch videos on it)

Tuesday - ARMS

(I super-set on arms days, which basically means 1 excercise in to another, then rest)
4x4-7 Barbell Curl in to push ups, 8-10 reps. You can do pushups with your knees if necessary.
4x7-10 Seated dumbbell curl in to Tricep dumbbell extentions, 8-10 reps. You can do the Tri extensions with 1 dumbell, or 1 in each arm. I personally prefer 1 each arm, it helps you locate if you have a weaker arm.
4x7-10 Hammer Dumbbell curl, in to Triceps pushdown with rope, 6-9 reps.

-Please note that i like to get all my workouts out of the way, take rest days as you see fit, especially if you feel too sore to work out - 

Wednesday - Shoulders and Back 
4x6-10 Shoulder Dumbell Press
4x8-10 Lat Pull Downs
4x10-15 Lateral Raise (Light weight)
4x15 - Face Pull (With Rope) - Feel the burn!
4x8 Deadlifts (BE VERY CAREFUL, USE LIGHT WEIGHT, WATCH VIDEOS ON FORM/ASK TRAINERS - VERY EASY TO HURT SELF IF DONE IMPROPERLY)

Thursday - Leg Day!
4x8-10 Squats (Barbell) - Again, watch videos on technique! This is also easy to hurt yourself if done improperly. 
4x8-10 Leg Extensions (Machine) 
4x8-10 Leg Curls (Machine)
?x? - Calf Machines - There are a number of calf machines in the gym, find one, get comfortable with a certain weight, and fucking kill it. Do what you feel is right, hit that shit.

Leg days are one of the few things i cannot give you a ton of advice on besides Technique, after tearing my ACL i've limited lifting heavy on leg days, and squat volume as opposed to heavy weight. This may be unnecessary, but my first time squating after my tear was a horrible experience, and left me very cautious about squats. 

Friday - Your choice day! 

I always work out fridays, i generally think to myself, which workout didn't go too well for me, and i feel i need to improve. I'll then do a full workout (you can do a modified version) in that. Ex: I feel my chest day didn't go too well, i'll repeat a chest day here. 

Saturday - Rest
Sunday - Rest

Of course, you can work out on the weekend as well, but it can be very helpful for your psyche to give yourself a break, especially on weekends (in my experience).

Last but not least, i want to make sure i reiterate technique over weight. In my experience, most injuries stem from Ego-Lifting. Almost everyone, myself included, Ego-lifts from time to time. I pick up the 50s for dumbell curls instead of picking up a 45 or a 40, and can bring poor technique, which results in pain, and possible injuries. 
This is just a Bread and Butter guideline, there are almost an INFINITE amount of workouts out there, and only through research can you find ones that are good for you, and target your specific needs. 

Thank you for reading, and if you have any questions/concerns please let me know either via PM or via teamspeak. I'm happy to give any advice someone might need.

- Body Building, just like power lifting, is a marathon, not a race, and attempting to seek results too quickly can cause more harm than good - 

[GIGGS]

ill stick to pizza n rs lol

[Rylus]

1 hour ago, GIGGS said:

ill stick to pizza n rs lol

 

[Jackknife1]

Gainz for days

[Allu x]

Very Detailed Topic man,

[bkayy]

But what about runescape?

[umaga_12]

omarisufs videos are so helpful. i learnt a lot from them.

[Platinas end]

Hey bro! Add me in game or send me an email (cody.allen.gray419@gmail.com)  I'm a personal trainer through NASM and studying nutrition in college at the moment. Fitness is my life haha. Would love to swap information and tips with you! 

[Faker]

Runescape is life. Runescape > Workout