Rembrandt's 6 Week Challenge - Tips please!
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Righto sorry about the length of this!,<br />
I've only just starting reading through fatbusters and have picked up some pretty good training tips already but really want to get some serious results over the next six weeks before I head back to sunny NZ in the new year so any advice would be much appreciated.<br />
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I've always been a skinny bloke 5'8" always sub 65kgs, this dropped to around the 60kg mark during a marathon run earlier in the year. Since then I've had the goal to bulk up with the target being 70kgs by the time I leave for NZ. I got a trainer to sort out a regime and some basic nutrition advice and have been training 3 to 4 nights a week for the last 5 months, progress had been slow but a month ago I tipped a scale at 71kg, I was very stoked until I noticed that although I'd definately put on some muscle in the arms, chest and legs..I was also starting to look pregnant xzxunknown . Since then I've added a bit of cardio to my workouts, reduced carb intake and introduced 4 different ab and 3 different oblique exercises to my workout, I'm now sitting on 69kg with some slight improvement in the belly but progress is incredibly slow so I'm hoping for some fresh perspective on this to speed things along. <br />
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My goal by Christmas is to be 70kg+ with a discernable 6 pack (only because I've never had one and damn it with all the work I'm putting in surely I'm due!)<br />
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Currently my workout is as follows:<br />
Pull workout<br />
Bent-over BB Row, One-arm DB Row, Front Lat Pulldowns, Standing Ezbar curls, Alternating DB Curls, Swiss ball crunches, Oblique swiss ball crunches.<br />
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Push workout<br />
Flat DB bench press, Incline DB bench press, Dips, Shoulder Press, Ezbar upright row, DB lateral raises, Tricep rope pushdowns, Bicycle crunches, DB side bends<br />
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Leg workout<br />
Squats, Leg Press, Leg Extension, Romanian Deadlift, Leg Curls, Calf Raises, Vertical Leg Crunches, Standing Oblique twists<br />
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Each exercise is generally 3 sets of 12 with the aim of not quite being able to complete the last rep.<br />
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I normally workout Mon, Tues, Thurs and Fri nights rotating between the 3 workouts and start each workout with a 5 min warmup on the treadmill, basic mobility exercises, 3 x 60 sec planks and finish my workout with 10 minute interval training on the treadmill, 1min at normal running pace 1 min at fast pace. The only exception is on Leg workout nights where I instead finish with a 15 min moderate pace run.<br />
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As for nutrition, 8am - muesli, yoghurt, 2 pieces of wholemeal toast, 11am - Wholemeal pita bread with chicken and salad, 12pm- Same again, 2pm - Same again, 6.30pm-Post work-out-Protein drink, 7.30pm-150gms Salmon/Steak/Chicken, cup veges, and 1/2 cup pasta...oh yeah and although I'm trying not to drink I maybe guilty once a week for a night out, I'm thinking of stopping drinking entirely..although being single and sober in London isn't the greatest...<br />
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So thats me in a nutshell...anyone got any pointers? It was only a month ago that I realised my normal dinner of breaded Cod was incredibly high in carbs as were the 'discount' protein bars I had been eating between meals, those are now cut out but I'm sure there must be more I could improve on,<br />
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Cheers, xzxdrinks -
From what I've figured out on the web, since this is my prep month before hitting the gym hard myself, I'd advise to:<br />
<br />- Nutrition: <br />
start-workout:<br />
30 grams of whey protein, 40 grams of dextrose (ie. glucose but plain corn syrup would be fine), 5 grams of creatine, 5 gram of Ribose,<br />
mid workout-drinking slowly: *full serving whey protein in water, egg mixed in<br />
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(post-workout)<br />
*5gr. glutamine in water<br />
your normal meal <br />
full serving casein protein before bed<br />
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and during the day have a half serving of whey in the morning after breakfast,<br />
and 1/2 serving casein protein after 11am meal<br />
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also, stop the beer, sleep more, lower reps, heavier weights with more spotting<br />
<br /> - stop the running for 6 weeks. I do 2-320 minutes of stair climbing in the hills, I know it's not suitable for you, but it's very tiring if done at a fast pace (all steps 2 by 2) and keeps my weight on better than running does. Maybe you can mix 2 minutes of hard rowing, 2 minutes of light weight squats3<br />
<br /> - for the abs I mainly do knee lifts, using the pull up bar, palms facing away from me, do some pull ups, then when tiring, do 10-15 slow knee lifts (slow up and down), with good form. Then I repeat that a few times.<br />
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For this month I've been pushing myself to get fitter again before hitting the gym. Let myself get too slack, down to 79 kg, now up to 81+kg, aiming 90kg by the end of Feb. 4-5 workouts a week. Today's workout for example will be 20 minutes of hill reps (200 steps taken 2 each time, run back down), squats, biceps, bench, pull ups and knee lifts , then do it again once or twice more.
- Nutrition: <br />
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There are always great tips on this forum, at 1.9m and 100kg I'm not looking to bulk up too much as it were but get more toned and strong. It sounds like you are a "hard gainer" I thought I was too given I was 72kg until my last year at school. Metabolisms are funny old things.....<br />
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Personally ( and others will echo my sentiments ) I've been told its great to do exercises that work multiple muscle groups ( bench, deadlift, squat, pull ups, chin ups etc ) and while variety is great its important that they are staple parts of your workout regime. If you'll refer to my other thread Deadlifts and Squats are seriously hard farkin work but boy do you get results from them. Do them well, barely move for a day or two while you recover and then do them again ( but of course don't overtrain ) <br />
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.....and in saying all this chicks dig it when you bust out a few bicep curls. <br />
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Regarding nutrition look no further than Bartman, he'll give you advice. If you ask him nicely he'll even come and borrow your weights off you xzxcool -
take your training programme, and go visit a nutritionist. They will then give you enough food and at the right times to gain muscle.<br />
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I am lucky that my trainer is also a nutritionist, so you get two for one!<br />
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But the six small meals and day and all that jazz is the go, I have whey in the morning with my whole grain rolled oats and as a snack with yoghurt (natural tasteless shite) at night. The whey gives the yoghurt a bit of taste! -
CHeers guys,<br />
Think I'll definately add those knee-lifts to my ab routine. I had a look at sports nutritionists on the web and turns out there is one about 5 min walk from my house! Hopefully they're open this weekend..between all the rugby and football thats on.
