Gym Thread (2013)

[Only Cheating Yourself]

I got a 65:35 protein:carb supplement in preparation for the school year. Would that suffice and help with gain+a normal health diet?

So eating frequently. That is probably my problem-I only ever eat at breakkie lunch and dinner and sometimes skip brekkie altogether because i cbf. What do you suggest eating at these smaller intervals?

My problem in the gym has also been how do I learn the correct form? I'm scared to deadlift because I'm not sure of the form and I don't want to injure myself.
I squat + I think I know how to bench (some rudimentary advice from friends last year). Could you explain the overhead press? Don't think I've done that before.
Any suggestions on the best way to get form for these main 4 exercises?


Unbelievable that's my exact height...
Hopefully I can put on weight this year. It's my sole new years resolution

If you want to gain weight you need to go on a 200 calories surplus and if thats not enough make it 300 calories over your maintenance level, thats the only way you need to add weight, i think your in year 12?  So i would suggest my fitness pal but thats to time consuming as that tracks your calories.  My advice, find out your calorie matainence levels, use a generic calculator on the web, say its i don't know 2300 calories for e.g eat 2500 calories….  And i would strongly advice you not to go on a 65,35 protein carb diet which leaves you with 10% of fat?  No, don't do it you will tired all the time!  You only need 1 pound of protein for bodyweight say your i don't know e.g 60kg you really need about 90-120g of protein and fill the rest of your macros with carbs and fats.  Carbs and fats are not bad!  It's a misconception your bodies #1 source of energy is carbs!  So you should have at least 50% of your calories from your carbs, i would go something like 50,20,25 carbs, protein and fats, when i say eat fats i don't mean have proceeded and high in salt and sugar foods i mean more say a handful of nuts and a serve of peanut butter etc, pretty much every foods you eat is going to have a few grams of fat…

[DJA]

Thanks for the input guys.

Just want to check. Is doing quite a bit of aerobic fitness (ie. swimming a lot + running) counter-productive if I am going gym 3 times a week?
My aerobic fitness is good in comparison to my strength/lifting. i do a 12.9 shuttle run and a vo2mx of around 54 (very very approximate measurement)

Will it inhibit muscle growth? Or can I continue what I'm doing.
In summer I swim (competition and training) and winter I run crosscountry (which I'll be doing ~16 km of running training total a week).

[abeybaby]

Thanks for the input guys.

Just want to check. Is doing quite a bit of aerobic fitness (ie. swimming a lot + running) counter-productive if I am going gym 3 times a week?
My aerobic fitness is good in comparison to my strength/lifting. i do a 12.9 shuttle run and a vo2mx of around 54 (very very approximate measurement)

Will it inhibit muscle growth? Or can I continue what I'm doing.
In summer I swim (competition and training) and winter I run crosscountry (which I'll be doing ~16 km of running training total a week).

I was about to say that at this stage, it doesnt really matter, but then you said you do cross country... cross country..... is very counter-productive to muscle gain. I think you'll have to choose between muscles and cross country, but i don't think you can really do both.

[DJA]

I was about to say that at this stage, it doesnt really matter, but then you said you do cross country... cross country..... is very counter-productive to muscle gain. I think you'll have to choose between muscles and cross country, but i don't think you can really do both.

hmmm...that's what was worrying me. because i didn't think gym was going to be a big issue for swimming but like with xcountry if you are bulky it's actually more difficult. I've always had a skinny build (great for xcountry) but I've wanted to gain a bit of bulk for a while now.

I guess I can start properly lifting after cross country season. What do you think?

[abeybaby]

Yeah, you can always start after cross country. There's no rush, I didn't start till after year 12. The current mr Olympia didn't get into bodybuilding till he was 23

[EspoirTron]

hmmm...that's what was worrying me. because i didn't think gym was going to be a big issue for swimming but like with xcountry if you are bulky it's actually more difficult. I've always had a skinny build (great for xcountry) but I've wanted to gain a bit of bulk for a while now.

I guess I can start properly lifting after cross country season. What do you think?

Like abeybaby said, there is absolutely no rush
If you want to increase endurance then try interval training: 400m sprints at full intensity followed by two minutes of rest. This exercise regime works particularly well with rowing. Alternatively you can cut rest times between sets. For example, if you took 45 seconds rest, then you can cut it back to 30 seconds. I found this really helped me increase my endurance, and it helped me log 10km in ~45 minutes (I know that isn't too good).

[brenden]

Don't want to be rude… But i wouldn't use a weight gainer or any protein shake, stick to whole foods in my opinion.

Lets break it down:

what do protein shakes do?  Beginers think it builds muscle which is false, what does protein do?  Builds and repairs tissues which makes sense as when you lift weights you build muscle… But can't whole foods supply the same source of protein if not better?  Yes, they can.  Tuna, chicken etc, lean meat will provide you with protein just as the same if not better than protein shake.

What do weight gainers do?  they have a terrible protein to carb ratio, e.g serious mass per serve has 250g of carbs and 25g of protein, and that is a whopping 1250 calories or something like that, to gain weight you need to be in a caloric surplus, so all a weight gainer has is heaps of carbs, can we get carbs from whole foods?  Yes we can.  Foods such as rice, potatoes, fruits, bread all provide carbs and i would recommend getting brown rice, whole meal bread etc.

I don't mean to be rude, but I know what food is. A shake is a lot more efficient for me.
DJ - no harm in the shake. Well.. As Abe said, lots of sugars, so not really the healthiest, but is an easy way to