No one?
I have one of these digital scales that also measures body fat and water percentage. Does anyone know generally how accurate body fat % measurements are from these scales. It says with the instructions to slightly wet your feet before you get on it, so that it can have better conductivity, but Iāve never seen it really make a difference in the readings.
Iām 167 lbs. now, 6ā tall, and usually get readings anywhere from 16% - 20% body fat.
Iām so pissed at how slow my body fat loss is now. I figure Iāll need to be in the high 150ās to see my abs. I never thought I would be that thin. I must post some pics soon, not that Iām any big deal or anything, just to get some feedback (I wish more people did this, it would be nice to see the results that people have gotten, what advice they give, what program theyāre on, etc.).
Jim
Cool, thanks, Hoon.
When youāre cutting as in trying to LOSE weight you ate like that? Hm.
The idea that DOMS doesnāt mean anything still messes my head up. Does everyone else feel this way? I ask because if there isnāt a clear consensus on something, I gotta take everything I read with a grain of salt. (The only thing everyone agreed on was not to stretch pre-workout.
Please help: ** how exactly DO I keep a log? ** The only log I keep now is one that records sets/reps with amount of weight.
I actually thought about this at one point. If Iām trying to GAIN weight, then the fatty foods Iām eating should be pretty helpful.
Edit:
Dude, Iāve never even heard of that type of protein, hope someone else can help you.
For recording a log, I use Microsoft Excel with what I eat in one spreadsheet then the other of the exercises I do for each day with the weight, reps, and sets.
With fatty foods, make sure your cholesterol doesnāt go overboard.
Whey protein is digested and absorbed by your body quick (good for pre and post lifting) while casein is a slow digested protein that lasts longer through the night while you sleep.
āBuy some flax, take 2 fish oil caps with each meal.ā
Was on bodybuilding forums and I saw that. Whatās that, drink a capful?
DOMS does mean something. It means you either have a lot of micro trauma or a build up of lactic acidā¦
Thatās what I meantā¦just record what you did on a given dayā¦the best idea though is to actually have a program laid out ahead of time, so on that given day you are just filling in the blanks.
Donuts are great for a caloriesā¦but itās not a good source of ANYTHING your body needs to build muscle. Except a bunch of refined, simple carbs. Your goal is to put on mass, not put on fat. Yes you will put on both at times, but you should want to keep the gain in fat to a minimum.
capsulesā¦fish oil capsules
You ALREADY KNOW THE ANSWER TO THE QUESTIONā¦This thread is going to get FUCKING cluttered if people keep asking simple questions over and over again. Iām not going to list for the hundredth time what foods have protein cuz guess whatā¦itās MEAT, you ALL know that MEAT, and all MEATS have a TON of protein in them.
I hate to get anal on this, so DOMS arenāt anything positive right?
aka: āFeeling DOMS is negligibleā?
Edit:
Letās try it another way. The old way I used to (mistakenly?) measure growth was the āDOMSā, so is there another way to tell Iām growing? I donāt think that Iāll be able to tell the minute changes in a day-to-day thing with a journal. (It would work for a period of a few months but) I want to be able to tell the next day/that night/one minute after the workout.
I donāt know if my questions are irking you, but if they are I want to point out my extreme ignorance in all this and my appreciation for your advice and help.
This also goes to Romie and all the other guys that ā¦ used to post.
Sorry man, I didnāt know that was considered casein too. So Iām assuming most food is casein protein.
Forearms will grow a little bit with indirect work, but with most things, you need to isolate certain muscle groups to maximize your gains. How long have you been working out? What is your routine? Are you training for strength or going for mass?
For mass, there are a few good exercises you can do. First is the deadlift. Deadlifiting is not just good for your lats, traps, spinal rerectors, quads and hamstrings, but VERY beneficial to forearm strength and development (shoot it even works my biceps). If you havenāt implemented deadlifts into your routine, I recommend you do so. Deadlifting is one of the best lifts you can do (no wonder they are a part of the big three lifts).
Besides the dangers of performing deadlifts, many beginners make four critical mistakes when performing this lift. Number one, they use straps, and two they use a belt. Now I have nothing against straps and belts. Both tools have their place in bodybuilding, powerlifting, and olympic lifting. But if you really want to develop decent forearms, ditch the girly straps. In the end, it will be more beneficial. Also, unless you are doing a 1-3 rep max, you donāt really need a belt. A belt is used for added protection, but donāt abuse it.
Mistake number three: itās called ādeadā lift for a reason. You are lifting dead weight. So if youāre bouncing off the bottom portion, youāre not really deadlifting are you? Many people have trouble on the first part of the deadlift, and one of the reasons can be attributed to bouncing the weight. People wonder why the first rep is the most difficult and canāt figure it out. Itās because they are actually deadlifting the first rep, and not the subsequent others. Lift the weight up. Lock it. Lower, and let the weight become dead. Repeat.
Number 4 isnāt that big of a deal, but it still limits you. Variety. People keep doing the same thing over and over again. Spice things up. Donāt just do full range-of-motion deadlifts week in and week out. Throw in some rack pulls once in a while. Rack pulls are great in that the top half of your deadlift will improve. Generally people use ALOT of weight when doing rackpulls (compared to deads), so their grip is being worked big time. In the beginning, youāre going to be VERY limited as to the weight you can rackpull because of underdeveloped grip strength, but it will catch up eventually. Finally, there is also the bottom half of the deadlift. Powerlifters who are generally weak in this area, will implement doing bottom-half deads. I myself am in this category. You may also want to look into Sumo-style deadlifts.
I wonāt go too deeply into Sumo Deadlifts, but they are hard on your hamstrings. This style of deadlift is generally used by powerlifters who are weak at the bottom. Decreasing your range of motion should in theory allow you to lift more weight, but that is not the case. Sumo Deadlifts like many other lift require some crunch time to get right. At first, you may lift even less compared to conventional. At first glance, sumo deads look funny. But do not underestimate this lift. It is very functional, and as difficult as the conventional deadlift. Hamstrings are a big mover in this movement, so if you have weak hamstrings, your Sumo numbers are going to be low.
Next post, Iāll go into direct forearm exercises. Although deadlifts are great, these next exercises will add MASS, big time. Want forearms nearly the size of your upper arms? Iāll let you in on the secret. And Iām not talking about useless wrist curls either. Stay tuned.
You have a pretty good routine there for arms. In CGBP (close grip bench press), triceps are the primary movers. Not only does it work your tris, but your pecs and shoulders are being targeted as well. Itās definately one of the best lifts you can perform. Dips is another good one. However, it all depends on how you perform the dip. The angle and RoM can directly affect which muscles you are using.
Pullups are good for your biceps, but they arenāt too good for isolation. Actually, pullups are a bit of an oddball. Itās not that great of an exercise when youāre looking for isolation. Biceps, triceps, lats, and chest are used during this movement.
Military Press is a great movement for both shoulders and triceps. However, it all depends on your grip and RoM.
The best tricep movement for me personally has been the French curl (a.k.a. Skull Crusher). I added 2 inches on my triceps just from this exercise. I love these mutha#@$$ers. Using a huge RoM with an ez-bar did the trick for me. More than anything however, periodization is probably the biggest key to adding mass. There is no magical exercise that will give you gains. I basically did Skull Crushers exclusively for a few months. If it aināt broke, donāt fix it.
Biceps are as basic as they come. Most curls are all the same. Itās how you execute them that makes the difference. Preacher curls are great for isolation, but people tend to cheat when doing these. Also, itās murder on the joint, so be careful. Performing curls on an incline bench will do wonders for your biceps. Your biceps will be constantly stressed. The incline version is very difficult compared to the basic curl, so you will most likely have to lower the weight. I highly recommend this movement.
A recurring trend here? Yes, execution is key. There are so many different ways to do a lift. Do whatās right for your goals.
not sure if it is already in this thread, since its so long, but your comment made me wonder, what are the ābig 3ā lifts?
Donāt feel sorry man. You canāt know everything. Casein is great right before bedtime, but not when itās whole foods. You may want to look into getting Casein protein concentrate, and mix it with a liquid. Liquids are easy to absorb and wonāt give you the runs in the morning, while the casein will do its trick and be slowly digested.
Personally, I have no problem with non-casein protein before bed. I usually mix my protein powder with milk. Since milk takes awhile to digest (it is casein afterall), itās not a bad idea unless youāre lactose intolerant. Although you want to feed your body during the night, casein isnāt the end all be all some people make it out to be. If anything, one should concentrate on what they eat during the day. Thatās when your metabolism is at its highest, and when you are active. When youāre asleep, metabolism slows to a an almost screeching halt, so you donāt need to worry too much.
You could look into getting some el glutamine. Itās cheap and effective. El glutamine is an amino acid that helps preserve muscle mass. Just take some protein and glutamine at night and you should be good to go. Make sure you immediately get some protein in you as soon as you wake up via protein powder + liquid. Itās going to cost quite a bit of money in the long run, but bodybuilding, or whatever discipline youāre practicing is a lifestyle, not just something you do a few hours a day. Bodybuilding, powerlifting, olympic lifting is a 24-hour a day discipline. Treat it like one (not aimed at anyone).
Thanks man. :tup:
I want to take 3 scoops of my protein powder on days I lift. One hour before I lift, one after I lift, and then another. Would the 3rd scoop be better to take in the morning or before I go to bed? In the morning breakfast is a couple of egg whites and a slice of whole grain bread. Before I sleep would probably be just a granola bar. Morning and bedtime would get 10 oz. of milk with what Iād be eating.
Bench. Squat. Deadlift. Even if those three are the only exercises you do, youāll still get d*mn big and d@mn strong. Almost every muscle group is covered. The neck, and calves are probably the only accessories that are left out. Shoot, even your abs are used. Donāt take it the wrong way however. Keep doing everything youāre doing. Iām just saying those 3 exercises alone will get the job done.
ohh, thanks man.
if you ask me i would say back is also left outā¦and is considerable uncoveredā¦
im outi
Roberth
Although supplementation is just that, supplementation, my āOnā days Iāll take up to 4 servings of liquid protein. As soon as I wake up, preworkout, post-workout, and before bedtime. I probably go through two gallons of milk every week. What can I say, I love milk (fatfree milk). At first it tasted horrible compared to 2%, but I canāt go back now. It tastes too āthickā.
If youāre going to do 3 servings, it doesnāt really matter. Iād increase it to 4, but itās not going to make or break your physique. If anything, I would say the before-bed shake is best. This is because when you sleep your body is going to need some fuel to repair and build the body. I know some guys who donāt take any protein powder at all and still make gains. Itās just a way of maximizing your potential. Depending on your caloric needs, you may gain a bit more fat from the extra calories, so experimentation is recommended.
Also, post workout protein is very important. Itās not proven, but I believe there are studies that indicate a 30-45 minute window of opportunity. During a workout, your body is going to be breaking down muscle as a means of fuel. Thatās why a preworkout shake is important. A postworkout meal is similar in that you need to replenish your body as quickly as possible. Since it takes time to digest the composition of protein, 30 minutes is a good time frame to get your powder in. However, this is very difficult to implement. You have to either purchase a shake, or prepare one beforehand. Itās a huge hassle, and Iām not completely convinced that itās necessary. All this time, Iāve had my post drink 1 hour after working out. It didnāt stop me from getting bigger.
Every time you squeeze a weight in your hand, your forearms feel it. Even more with raw pulling movements. Isolating small muscles like this that recieve such a tremendous amount of ancillary work is next to pointless. There are an exuberant amount of bodybuilders that donāt isolate traps and forearms and for good reasonā¦they donāt have to.
I use straps and a belt when deadliftingā¦cuz when Iām deadlifting Iām not concerned with grip strength, Iām concerned with the 400+ lbs lying on the ground in front of me. Alsoā¦donāt confuse strength with sizeā¦they are related yesā¦but sometimes loosely.
Deadlifts are great for the traps, glutes, hams, and erector spinae. I deadlift every week, but if grip strength was a concern then I would do static holds, heavy farmers walks, reverse curls and towel pull-ups. These will net you the greatest gains in grip strength via neural adaptationā¦with minimal mesomorphic adaptations achieved through muscular hypertrophy (growth.)
You talk about disecting the deadlift for varietyā¦but the only time you should do this, as with any lift, is to improve a particular part of the lift you are weak inā¦And if your goal is in fact size then this shouldnāt concern you, and you should always use full ROMs to cause hypertrophy in as much muscle as possible in the least amount of time. For one training for size, variety should come from a well periodized program manipulating intensity, volume, and/or frequency.
If I was weak in the bottom of a deadlift, I would deadlift off a platformā¦just my opinionā¦
About ur next post and exercises that add massā¦As a personal trainer and a physiology enthusiastā¦that statement irks meā¦Different exercises donāt do different things to musclesā¦there arenāt different levels or types of hypertrophyā¦I lost over 15lbs on my last cut doing the same exercises as when I weighed 215 and I LOST massā¦how can this be?? I was doing āmass buildingā exercises!!!
Basically your whole post was about deadlifts in relation to working out forearms as accessoriesā¦and the information was largely related to gaining strengthā¦whether by intent or notā¦but whateverā¦Not trying to be an ass or sound rude, but Please let me address questions regarding programs that I writeā¦
No Iām sorry for getting shortā¦I honestly donāt know what ākindsā of proteins are found in naturally occuring foodsā¦I know some foods have better and/or more complex branching of amino acids than othersā¦for instance, aminos in red meat take longer to break downā¦making them more optimal late at night, or as the last mealā¦to fight catabolization while you sleepā¦but when I said you already knew the answer to the question you posed, it was in regards to this statementā¦
Since you know this, then through a little bit of thinking you could deduce why casein would be better at night than wheyā¦
Yes DOMS is negligibleā¦What about those muscles that no matter how HARD or LONG you work themā¦never get sore?? For me itās my shoulders and armsā¦does this mean they arenāt growing?? I know this isnāt true, because 1: Iāve gained weight and size 2: I take measurements, and letās just say Iām not getting any smaller (cept when I cut SIGH) and 3: My lifts are up (aaaahhhh, now you see the importance of recording gym data!!)
Muscles that get worked frequently will just stop getting so damned sore. Now do I still get sore?? Absolutelyā¦my legs sometimes get REALLY soreā¦especially if I missed them for a week or somethingā¦man itās roughā¦I even LIKE getting soreā¦sometimes itās cool cuz you are sore in the muscle you workedā¦so when you are sore in your back you know you at least did good in targeting that muscle you know?? Iām just saying itās not important and DEFINITELY not something to worry about.
Thatās great. Iām glad that your forearms are growing. However, my forearms donāt grow without direct work. Some people are wired differently. What works for you wonāt necessarily work for me.
I never said size equated to strength. As for using straps, I am highly against it. If you didnāt have to rely on straps, youād be deadlifting 400+ lbs without them. The use of straps is a highly debated topic that doesnāt need further attention. Iāve been on both sides of the spectrem; strength training and mass training. Iāve done both bodybuilding and powerlifting, and if you want to continue using straps, go right ahead. You have the right to practice what you believe.
I apologize. Iām not quite the spelling bee that you are. Thank you for correcting my grammer on the internet. Doing static holds and actually holding only a moving bar are two totally seperate things. Reverse curls do nothing for your grip strength. I donāt even know what ātowel pull-upsā are, so excuse my ignorance. Yes, your CNS is big part of strength gains, but please donāt lecture me on grip strength when you use straps and arenāt versed in grip-ology. You donāt have to use ābigā words like āmesomorhpicā that have nothing to do with anything. Mesomorphic is a word used to describe a body type. Iām not trying to offend you, but just because youāre a personal trainer doesnāt mean you know everything.
It does concern me. I donāt want people to do the same thing week in and week out, when thereās more on the table to take advantage of. There is no should or shouldnāt in workout out unless it is dangerous. You donāt always have to us a full RoM. Ever heard of partials? Cheat curls? Board presses? Rack lock outs? And a million other variations of exercises? Iām not trying to start anything, but I get the impression of arrogance and close-mindedness. Semi-OT, but should I always c.mk xx SAx with Chun Li in 3s? Sure, but not all the time. There is a time and place for almost everything.
Take bench press for example. Lay on the bench and press right? There are so many different ways to do, itās not even funny. I can start a whole thread about the nuiances of the bench press. Sure ultimately, the weight goes up, but it isnāt just lay down and press. Thereās the various grips you can use which targets the different areas of the pecs or triceps. You can use elbows out, ebows tucked in. Arch, no arch. Underhand, or overhand grip, heck even thumbless grip, for sh*ts and giggles. Then thereās the range of motion, how different types of bars can be used for different results and uses. Then thereās the feet placement, how to use leg drive. You can bench press to gain size and strength, just strength, or just size. Shall I go on? Because I can. Anyways, there isnāt just one method of doing an exercise.
Like I said, personal trainers donāt know jack squat. Iām not saying you donāt know your stuff, but PTās come off that way. Heck, I can be one if I want. Heck, my clueless friend can be one. He just needs to come up with 500+ bucks and take a weekend course. Thatās pretty much it. Anyways, Iām not trying to say you donāt know jack or you suck or anything. Iām just saying have an open mind.
You should try powerlifting sometime. Itāll blow your mind, what they have to offer in terms of technical knowledge of the three big lifts, and then some. I used to have a ābodybuilder mentalityā when I was a bodybuilder, and powerlifting opened up a whole new world for me. Granted I never went to a meet or competed, but it was like the first Matrix movie. After taking a pill (not to be taken literally), it was like everything I believed was a lie.
The use of straps isnāt highly debatedā¦powerlifters shouldnāt use themā¦people training for functional strength or raw strength shouldnāt use themā¦but recreational bodybuilders or any person whoās trying to use more weight and wants more emphasis placed on the posterior chain can and perhaps should use them. Iāve seen people whoāve never used straps put em on and deadlift 150 more poundsā¦Now I should say this thoughā¦I ONLY use straps for this exercise, my grip strength is more than adequate for everything else, and straps just slow me down the rest of the day.
It wasnāt a spelling error dude, you made up a fucking wordā¦just pointing that out. spinal rerectors and erector spinae are hardly the same word.
Donāt lecture you because I use straps?? And Iām close minded, thatās a laugh you ass clownā¦MESOMORPHIC is used to describe adaptations RELATED to that bodytypeā¦it makes sense if you think aboutā¦
No, I donāt know everythingā¦but I also donāt write pages about deadlifts and grip strength when someone directly asked someone else about the program they wrote for them. You didnāt even begin to answer the fucking questionā¦
First off, his program was periodized (undulating) alreadyā¦which is variety enough. After 3 cycles then yes, revamp the programā¦change exercises, articulationsā¦change the split even, with a different form of periodizationā¦
When bodybuilding Full ROMS are crucial IMHOā¦Why do people do partialsā¦to strengthen that part of the liftā¦why lock outs?? To train the lock outā¦If you are a recreational bodybuilder or even a professional bodybuilder, there is no point in disecting movementsā¦cuz you could give two shits how much you bench or deadliftā¦you care about gains in sizeā¦those arenāt variations of exercisesā¦they are PIECES of exercises. And they are GREAT for powerlifters or people following a powerlifting program. But not for everyoneā¦not for people concerned with gains in size with little regard to how strong they are in 3 liftsā¦
I lost you on this oneā¦My statement was addressing how some people do certain exercises for āmassā and different exercises for ādefinitionāā¦when in fact diet is more importantā¦in a caloric deficit those same mass exercises will fail to put any size on youā¦but when eating the house, growth comes just about regardless of what you do. Not to say that a solid training program isnāt importantā¦but you get my driftā¦bench press causes hypertophy in the pecsā¦(not to mention other muscle groups involved in the lift) and flyes cause hypertrophy in the pecsā¦thereās not a different kind of growth between exercisesā¦The difference between putting on mass and losing it is the difference between eating for size or dieting downā¦
About targeting the different areas of the pecsā¦which areas are you speaking of?? The sternal and clavical head?? Or the minor and major??
Iāve been giving solid advice on here since long before I became a trainerā¦taking their test was a formality. And a good cert is more than a weekend course budā¦my cert was in house and it was 50 hours. ISSA for one is very detailedā¦get that cert and tell me you didnāt learn SHITLOADS about physiology and kinesiology. The problem with some personal trainers today is that they ARENāT certifiedā¦or they get some shitty piece of paper (those shitty pieces of paper donāt get you jobs at good facilities but you can do freelance stuff with NO cert, as long as the gym doesnāt find outā¦and that shit happens often)
Iāve done westside beforeā¦briefly. Having a bodybuilder mentality isnāt bad if you are bodybuildingā¦I had to take a big step back a while ago and decide what was important to meā¦size or strengthā¦because up until I really started learning and reading I thought the two were hand in handā¦then I came to realize that the training between the two is actually completely different.