Swolecats, Fitcats, Thincats, Cardiocats, even Yogacats

[Pete]

Pete I think you need to isolate your muscle groups. 

chest and back day 1 + abs
run or bike day 2
arms and shoulders day 3 + abs
yoga day 4
legs and back day 5 + abs
basketball or tennis or something day 6
stretch day 7

What about weight and reps?  Keep my same approach of lifting 8-15 reps until my muscles give, and no rest between exercises until I get to the end of the routine and only rest a minute or so and then jump back in?

[Pete]

What are macros?

they automate tasks in Excel.

I am decent at those actually, but the food ones?

[CNS]

Macro nutrients.  Basically they are the grams of protein, fat, and carbs that make up your calories.  Depending on your body type, age, sex, etc, there is a balance of how you want to ultimately get your daily cal total.  For instance, I currently get about 40% from protein, 27% fat, and 33% carb on most days, with the carbs and fat fluctuating a little here and there for a cycle thing I do.

[Pete]

How about leg press as opposed to squats?

I have read a few things lately about not doing leg press.  Supposedly, it makes you prone to lower back issues.  Most things said to give them up and do trap bar DL and squats.

I ride pretty hard on my bike.  Can't this suffice?

[CNS]

When you say you watch calories, how do you do that?  Do you use Myfitnesspal?  If so, go to nutrition under it's menu.  Once in Nutrition, hit Macros at the top and it will show you a pie chart.  You can scan backward through your days and it will show you how you have been eating. 

[Emo EMAW]

Pete I think you need to isolate your muscle groups. 

chest and back day 1 + abs
run or bike day 2
arms and shoulders day 3 + abs
yoga day 4
legs and back day 5 + abs
basketball or tennis or something day 6
stretch day 7

What about weight and reps?  Keep my same approach of lifting 8-15 reps until my muscles give, and no rest between exercises until I get to the end of the routine and only rest a minute or so and then jump back in?

I think so but listen to the other posters before me.  My best swimsuit bod shape is probably where you are now and I've never next-leveled it like you're wanting to do.  I will be on the doorstep of next level by the end of next month but you and I have different fitness goals.

[TCUHornedFrog]

What about weight and reps?  Keep my same approach of lifting 8-15 reps until my muscles give, and no rest between exercises until I get to the end of the routine and only rest a minute or so and then jump back in?

You're doing a circuit workout more or less.  Those are great for burning fat, but not so much for building muscle.

I wait 2 minutes between sets and exercises. 

[Pete]

Macro nutrients.  Basically they are the grams of protein, fat, and carbs that make up your calories.  Depending on your body type, age, sex, etc, there is a balance of how you want to ultimately get your daily cal total.  For instance, I currently get about 40% from protein, 27% fat, and 33% carb on most days, with the carbs and fat fluctuating a little here and there for a cycle thing I do.

I know I am too heavy on carbs.  I stay under my calorie goals using Fitness Pal.  But, when I have extra to use at the end of the day I frequently eat a ton of chex mix or pop corn or skinny cow ice cream.  Kinda my "reward."

[CNS]

If your problem isn't fat, that probably isn't a huge deal.  That said, if your goal is adding muscle, you prob need to up protein.

[Pete]

If your problem isn't fat, that probably isn't a huge deal.  That said, if your goal is adding muscle, you prob need to up protein.

What are handy ways of doing that?  I have tied to increase yogurt

[CNS]

Meat.  Meat.  Meat.  oh, also protein shakes.

[Pete]

If your problem isn't fat, that probably isn't a huge deal.  That said, if your goal is adding muscle, you prob need to up protein.

What are handy ways of doing that?  I have tied to increase yogurt

[CNS]

My nutritionist told me that Rotisserie chicken is about to be your best friend.  That was totally true.  However, at that time I was trying for 55% protein.  Since, I have backed off and raised my fat, it is super easy to add pretty much any other meat.  We have cut our red meat intake down to about once every other week, though.

[Emo EMAW]

I have heard you want one gram for protein for every pound you weigh.  So 160 grams. 

Also studies have shown that immediately consuming 20 grams of protein (like in a shake) after workout helps build muscle, but 40 grams isn't incrementally any better.  So keep it one scoopish. 

[TCUHornedFrog]

What are handy ways of doing that?  I have tied to increase yogurt

[Emo EMAW]

Rotisserie chicken has too much sodium (for me). 

[TCUHornedFrog]

I have heard you want one gram for protein for every pound you weigh.  So 160 grams. 

Also studies have shown that immediately consuming 20 grams of protein (like in a shake) after workout helps build muscle, but 40 grams isn't incrementally any better.  So keep it one scoopish.

Timing of protein intake is much less important than the total amount of protein taken in over the day.

Some people claim that a protein shake after lifting helps with soreness but this has been shown to mostly a placebo effect. 

[CNS]

Regarding the macros, be careful where you go for info.  Some sites have horrible info on this.  Some sites tell you to not exceed 50g of protein a day.  Some say don't exceed 100g a day.  My doc told me not to exceed 200g a day.  I then asked him if it was bad that I was eating 255g and he immediately said, "for you that is probably fine, just don't go higher".  Also, I have a much different build than you.  I weigh almost double and am 8" taller and have always been on the side of losing weight, not trying to gain weight.  So, I am sure our macros would be pretty different.  I have found that Metabolic Effect has a calc that was really close to what my nutritionist set up for me.  Maybe start there 

[CNS]

Rotisserie chicken has too much sodium (for me). 

Yeah, I cut waaaay back on that but still eat a lot of ground chicken, ground turkey, grilled chicken breast, etc but I cook it all and control that stuff now.

I have heard you want one gram for protein for every pound you weigh.  So 160 grams. 

Also studies have shown that immediately consuming 20 grams of protein (like in a shake) after workout helps build muscle, but 40 grams isn't incrementally any better.  So keep it one scoopish.

Timing of protein intake is much less important than the total amount of protein taken in over the day.

Some people claim that a protein shake after lifting helps with soreness but this has been shown to mostly a placebo effect. 

I have read several things that said protein immediately before a workout can actually be counter productive to building muscle and that you def want to take some within 30 min of finishing the work out.  Also, I have read that your body can't use more than something like 35g in a 4 hr period so that you need to spread out your intake over the day to maximize its effect.

[Emo EMAW]

CNS starting from scratch how long before you have a good macro data set to make informed decisions off of? 

Like, I have no data now.  I start logging crap.  I decide I want to gain more muscle mass.  So I consult my data and decide to increase by some X percent my protein intake.

How long before I can be making that decision?

[TCUHornedFrog]

I have read several things that said protein immediately before a workout can actually be counter productive to building muscle and that you def want to take some within 30 min of finishing the work out.  Also, I have read that your body can't use more than something like 35g in a 4 hr period so that you need to spread out your intake over the day to maximize its effect.

Nutrition science is awful overall.  You have to really pay attention to who did the study, who paid for it, and actually read it for yourself.  The reporting on it is terrible. 

http://io9.gizmodo.com/i-fooled-millions-into-thinking-chocolate-helps-weight-1707251800

I Fooled Millions Into Thinking Chocolate Helps Weight Loss. Here's How.

“Slim by Chocolate!” the headlines blared. A team of German researchers had found that people on a low-carb diet lost weight 10 percent faster if they ate a chocolate bar every day. It made the front page of Bild, Europe’s largest daily newspaper, just beneath their update about the Germanwings crash. From there, it ricocheted around the internet and beyond, making news in more than 20 countries and half a dozen languages. It was discussed on television news shows. It appeared in glossy print, most recently in the June issue of Shape magazine (“Why You Must Eat Chocolate Daily,” page 128). Not only does chocolate accelerate weight loss, the study found, but it leads to healthier cholesterol levels and overall increased well-being. The Bild story quotes the study’s lead author, Johannes Bohannon, Ph.D., research director of the Institute of Diet and Health: “The best part is you can buy chocolate everywhere.”

I am Johannes Bohannon, Ph.D. Well, actually my name is John, and I’m a journalist. I do have a Ph.D., but it’s in the molecular biology of bacteria, not humans. The Institute of Diet and Health? That’s nothing more than a website.

Other than those fibs, the study was 100 percent authentic. My colleagues and I recruited actual human subjects in Germany. We ran an actual clinical trial, with subjects randomly assigned to different diet regimes. And the statistically significant benefits of chocolate that we reported are based on the actual data. It was, in fact, a fairly typical study for the field of diet research. Which is to say: It was terrible science. The results are meaningless, and the health claims that the media blasted out to millions of people around the world are utterly unfounded.

Here’s how we did it.

[CNS]

CNS starting from scratch how long before you have a good macro data set to make informed decisions off of? 

Like, I have no data now.  I start logging crap.  I decide I want to gain more muscle mass.  So I consult my data and decide to increase by some X percent my protein intake.

How long before I can be making that decision?

Great question.  I am still not there.  I had been working with a nutritionist to help me with this up until about 6 weeks ago.  I had to stop because our schedules conflicted 100% up until next week.  during that time, I upped my fat and dropped my carbs and feel better about it.  That is what she tells me.  When you get stuck, change something for a week or two and take note how you feel during and outside of workouts.  Be sure to give changes more than a day or two.  Whenever I change something, I always feel tired and weak for a work out or three. 

Take note of how you feel during work and in the evening.  I mean, she has a formula that tells her where I need to be as my weight and BF change, but there is still some room for tweaking.  Basically, she tells me to make sure I feel good in and out of workouts and see progress.  When one of those things stops, change something. 

Also, I don't want to misrepresent myself in all this. I have only been doing this for 6 months and I am not a perfect specimen.  However, it has been working well for me and I have noticed a huge difference in how i feel and how I work out compared to just doing calorie counting, which I did for 3 or 4 yrs prior.  Macros were a pain in the ass to get started on, but I plan to do them from here on, even when I am maintaining, because they have made that big a difference for me.

[Mrs. Gooch]

What are macros?

they automate tasks in Excel.

Yeah I really need to learn to write macros.

[chuckjames]

I don't know if anyone is interested, but my friend and I came out with a new preworkout called Riot. So if anyone would like a sample just DM me. The ingredients are in the picture if you have any questions.


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[puniraptor]

Any person can just make and sell their own preworkout?