The "I just got back from the gym" and this is what I have eaten thread.

[SenselessChiefsFan]

Okay, so there are a ton of guys in here that are working out, trying to work out, or 'thinking' about working out.

So, I figured I would start a thread. I am all about making myself accountable. The more people that I tell about working out, the more people I would let down by not going.

If you go to the gym.... then post here when you get back. If you do P90X, post here when you get done. If you ride the excercise bike.... post it here.

Anything you do to get in shape.... share with the board. I know I have gotten some great advice and feedback.

Also, post what you eat. If you post everything you eat, and you know others will be critical, you may think twice before you grab a Twinkie.

Okay, so, I went to the gym. I did five minutes on the cross climber to warm up. I stretched for about three minutes.

Then, I did three sets of squats with just 135. I did back extensions and hanging leg lifts. Three sets each. I did leg curls, calf extensions, abductor and adductor excercises as well.

On my leg day, I do very light chest exercises to work on my explosive power. I do three sets of six pushups as explosively as I can. I throw the excercise ball up like a chest pass while laying on the bench.

Then, I finished off my workout with 30 minutes on the eliptical.

As far as my diet.

Breakfast two pieces of peanut butter whole wheat toast, protein shake, and banana.

I have had another banana, two yogurts, and a handful of cashews as snacks.

I didn't have a 'lunch' per se.

Kids had sloppy joes with lean beef (as if that makes it great).... I took a baked potato, and put a serving of sloppy joe over it, with jalapenos and 2 oz's of lowfat cheddar cheese.

I have also had shotgun with water, and synthesize with water.

I won't eat again before bed.


Okay, I know putting everything down here will open me up to criticism. I know some will think that I am doing things all wrong. I appreciate any advice, but I have done a lot of reading and talking to trainers.... so, I have an idea of what I am doing.... or at least what I think I am doing.

The point of this thread, isn't to get into pissing matches about how to do things.... but rather to give ourselves a gold star for making an effort.

Try not to beat anyone down on this thread, because this is about encouragement.

[Silock]

Originally Posted by RedThat

Note, that I don't do abs. I've left them out. although, I will say thanks to squats and deadlifts I've strengthened my core dramatically. I just don't train them right now because I got a whole bunch of flab covering them so I figured there is no point since you won't see them. But deadlifts and squats are amazing, and I want to strengthen my core first before I decide to shape it.

BTW, if you strengthen your core, the rest of your lifts will dramatically improve. It's very, very important. Plus, it will help prevent injury. Our bodies aren't designed to function long-term with a weak core and strong everything else. You'll end up with a muscle imbalance and a possible reoccurring injury.

Core isn't all about strength. It's about the ability to stabilize the body during other movements. That's why things like planks and holds are so effective, even if they seem boring. Renegade Rows are also very, very good, provided you have good form (ie No hip rocking... must keep a totally rigid body and engage the core).

[RedThat]

Originally Posted by Silock

That's a lot of calories. Glad it's working for you, though

Thanks Silock. It is a lot. My RMR is pretty high so that pretty much best describes why I eat a lot of calories. My caloric output exceeds my caloric consumption easily.

I usually burn about anywhere from 2000-2300 calories a day without even exercising. Im grateful for that since I have a significant amount of lean body tissue on my body.

*Eventually Im gonna go on a cutting program, so Im gonna have to decrease the calories even further. You won't be seeing foods like Cereals and Milk, Yogurt, apples, or yams, oatmeal involved in my next diet program.

[Silock]

Originally Posted by RedThat

Thanks Silock. It is a lot. My RMR is pretty high so that pretty much best describes why I eat a lot of calories. My caloric output exceeds my caloric consumption easily.

I usually burn about anywhere from 2000-2300 calories a day without even exercising. Im grateful for that since I have a significant amount of lean body tissue on my body.

*Eventually Im gonna go on a cutting program, so Im gonna have to decrease the calories even further. You won't be seeing foods like Cereals and Milk, Yogurt, apples, or yams, oatmeal involved in my next diet program.

Let me know when you do that. I'll PM you something that I can't post online.

[RedThat]

Originally Posted by Silock

BTW, if you strengthen your core, the rest of your lifts will dramatically improve. It's very, very important. Plus, it will help prevent injury. Our bodies aren't designed to function long-term with a weak core and strong everything else. You'll end up with a muscle imbalance and a possible reoccurring injury.

This is so true. I do my Squats and Deadlifts right in the beginning of the week, and during the week when it comes time to do chest, back, shoulders and arms I feel like I've gained so much strength and power. Its unbelievable what a great compliment those exercises are. I agree its very important.

I can believe that our bodies need a strong core. I've noticed that a lot of people with weak core usually have other issues with their body. i.e., back problems, bad posture, etc. Especially the guys with the bellies, and that is no offense to anyone here who has one.

Originally Posted by Silock

Core isn't all about strength. It's about the ability to stabilize the body during other movements. That's why things like planks and holds are so effective, even if they seem boring. Renegade Rows are also very, very good, provided you have good form (ie No hip rocking... must keep a totally rigid body and engage the core).

hmmm...never knew that. Thanks for sharing. I do plan on involving ab workouts in my next regimen when it comes to the cutting phase, but Im gonna keep Squats and Deadlifts for sure. I could see where you're getting at, you need both strength and stability.

[RedThat]

Originally Posted by Silock

Let me know when you do that. I'll PM you something that I can't post online.

Okay cool. Thanks man. I will for sure. I'll show you my next diet, I'll be starting soon in possibly a month or so.

[kepp]

Originally Posted by Silock

No wonder you're getting hungry late at night. You're eating WAY too many carbs during the day. Repeat after me: "Carbs will not make me full." Say it again. Now again.

Carbs are useful. You need them. You just don't need the amount you eat at every single meal. And the fruits you're eating are absolutely LOADED with sugar. If you must eat fruit, eat berries. Berries are just as flavorful, but have a much higher water content and lower amounts of sugar. Strawberries, raspberries and blackberries are your best bet. Blueberries are good, but they have a pretty high sugar count as far as berries go.

Eat like a king at dinner, a prince at lunch and a pauper at dinner. Learn that one, too.

Eat some egg whites (8) in the morning (with 1 tsp of olive oil) with a slice of toast and 1/3 tbsp of butter and an orange. Eat a snack of some raw nuts (handful) and a protein shake. For lunch, try 6 oz of chicken breast, 1/3 cup rice, 4 cups of cooked spinach. For dinner, eat 8 oz of lean beef (coat with 1 tsp of olive oil and salt and pepper) and a very, very small sweet potato (no need to add anything here). For a bedtime snack, 1/2 cup of low fat, no sugar added yogurt and a protein shake. Just an example.

Interesting...I'll definitely cut down on the fruits. Why do you put olive oil in your egg whites? Thanks for the advice.

[SenselessChiefsFan]

Originally Posted by Silock

Let me know when you do that. I'll PM you something that I can't post online.

Um.... you can PM me with that as well, if you see fit.

[SenselessChiefsFan]

Originally Posted by Silock

BTW, if you strengthen your core, the rest of your lifts will dramatically improve. It's very, very important. Plus, it will help prevent injury. Our bodies aren't designed to function long-term with a weak core and strong everything else. You'll end up with a muscle imbalance and a possible reoccurring injury.

Core isn't all about strength. It's about the ability to stabilize the body during other movements. That's why things like planks and holds are so effective, even if they seem boring. Renegade Rows are also very, very good, provided you have good form (ie No hip rocking... must keep a totally rigid body and engage the core).

Renegade Rows are in the Spartacus workout, they are called pushup position rows.

[Silock]

Originally Posted by RedThat

This is so true. I do my Squats and Deadlifts right in the beginning of the week, and during the week when it comes time to do chest, back, shoulders and arms I feel like I've gained so much strength and power. Its unbelievable what a great compliment those exercises are. I agree its very important.

I can believe that our bodies need a strong core. I've noticed that a lot of people with weak core usually have other issues with their body. i.e., back problems, bad posture, etc. Especially the guys with the bellies, and that is no offense to anyone here who has one.



hmmm...never knew that. Thanks for sharing. I do plan on involving ab workouts in my next regimen when it comes to the cutting phase, but Im gonna keep Squats and Deadlifts for sure. I could see where you're getting at, you need both strength and stability.

Yeah, the problem with using just deads and squats for core training is that the human body is just too well-designed. You may be able to improve your core, but because it's not being directly worked, it's not getting as much benefit. When our core is weak, other parts of our body work overtime to compensate. They can only compensate so much for so long. Eventually, yes, you will work your core. But if you really want to pump those numbers up, work your core independently. Then, when you go back to deads and squats, the numbers should start jumping up because the other muscles that are working overtime don't have to work as hard.

That's why when you get to really heavy loads at the end of a set, you want to start holding your breath. That's your body's way of saying "Hey, if you contract the core muscles, you'll be able to lift more." If you start your lifts off with your core engaged and contracted, you can do a lot more work. It takes some getting used to, but if you consciously contract your core before you do your lifts, they'll be super-awesome. The same holds true for glute activation during lower body exercises (and some upper) as well.

On a side note, it's sort of like the concept of irradiation. That's where you grip the weights really tight when you're doing upper body exercises. When you grip really tight, all the other muscles in your arm work harder. To see the effect in action, flex your biceps while keeping your palm open. Now do it again while making as tight a fist as you can. You can contract it way harder. Harder contraction = better ability to do work.

[Silock]

Originally Posted by kepp

Interesting...I'll definitely cut down on the fruits. Why do you put olive oil in your egg whites? Thanks for the advice.

NP. Olive oil is in there because I always include some kind of good fats with my meals and snacks, whether it's olive oil or raw nuts. Good fats burn fat and help you lose weight. They also keep you fuller for longer.

[Silock]

Originally Posted by SensibleChiefsfan

Um.... you can PM me with that as well, if you see fit.

[Silock]

Originally Posted by SensibleChiefsfan

Renegade Rows are in the Spartacus workout, they are called pushup position rows.

Awesome.

The good thing about them is that you don't have to do very many. I do 3 sets of 5. If I can do more than five with perfect form, it's time to up the weight.

I dig the hell out of this website. This dude is on POINT.

http://relativestrengthadvantage.com...usly-hard-abs/

[Dayze]

I got done jogging/walking;
getting ready to have spaghetti and meat sauce (reasonably portioned).
only ate 280 calories for breakfast/lunch/snack.

trying to limit my calories to about 1500/day.

[NewChief]

Did a bunch of cross fit/300 inspired circuit focusing mainly on abs and legs today:

3 sets of:
400M at best speed
20 Knee to Elbow leg lifts
20 extensions with 25 lb. weight

3 sets of:
20 dumbbell lunges w/25 lb. weights
10 Swiss ball roll up/roll outs (feet on swiss ball in pushup position and roll it up until knees hit chest)

3 sets of:
20 swiss ball crunches
10 extended arm squats with bar (I can't believe how bad these hurt me... both arms and legs. My squat is pathetic)

3 sets of:
20 box hops on 2 ft. box
Floor crunches.

Was waiting for my wife to finish her Body Pump class, so I was going to go try to run for 10 minutes or so. Cranked up the treadmill, and my legs were complete jelly and incapable of running. Just walked. Holy shit. I haven't worked legs other than running/cycling in way too long.

[Dayze]

I'd be dead if I attempted what NewPhin did lol