'Work out programs and diets

['tarako]

'So. I'm out of shape and 1.5ish years ago, after I had done field camp for my undergrad, I tried insanity. I could only do the first month but I had great results and felt great. Then school took over and blah blah.

Now I'm in grad school and I hardly move or have reason to, atm. I've restarted insanity. Week one made me feel like ... well.. beaten. Week two is easier, so far. But here are my questions:

Should I add extra workouts to the end of each workout to keep feeling that worn/sore?

I've looked all over the net trying to find a diet that help facilitate fat burning and muscle building. I dont mean a starve myself diet, just, what can I change in my current diet to help.

I have a whey protein powder. I mix a scoop with 8oz of skim milk and drink it after every exercise. A friend told me the body absorbs the most protein within the first hour or two after a workout and the amount I'm taking will not make me bulk, just help quicken the healing process and help me tone, thoughts?

Thanks guys.

[Deykari]

Careful with what you listen to. There's a lot of pseudoscience crap surrounding how supplements work and in what ways, and a lot of it comes from the "professionals". I'm not suggesting they're not useful - just that the explanations behind the way the body uses the nutrients you give it will differ from person to person. A lot of people appear to want to be 'experts'. A little research deeper into some more unbiased sources grounded on actual reseach appear to be inconclusive and/or conflicting in their findings about protein being 'used' quicker post-workout. I personally would prefer a balanced diet that gets your nutrients as you so require but obviously that's not always possible and that's where some supplements have their merit.

What are your goals? Muscle development? General all-round fitness? I am very lean and my workout is mostly cardio with some compound exercises so if you're looking to build up your muscle (which I'm assuming is the case with the whey powder) then I know there are some big guys here that can help more specifically with that. I simply want to keep fit and healthy, with a reasonable level of core strength.

Maintaining a lean diet (though some fats are essential) will help maximise muscle gains whilst minimising fat gains but it can be a very difficult goal to really build muscle and burn fat at the same time, hence the bulk/cut cycle. Consuming more calories than being burned = bulk. Consuming less = cut. Makes it difficult to actually strip fat whilst getting big.

Dey

[egreir]

There's a lot more to it than diet, which I will be happy to get into later, but moreso on how and when you eat. People who eat a bunch of chicken and raw veggies at night and think they are doing it perfectly are just incredibly wrong and misinformed. You should be eating several times a day with the right mix of carbs/proteins in each meal. If you want to PM me your height/weight and what you're doing currently I can help you adjust some stuff.

[Deykari]

There's a lot more to it than diet' date=' which I will be happy to get into later, but moreso on how and when you eat. [/quote']

Yeah good point, I forgot to mention that.

Dey

[mya]

This one is 100% guarantied to work.

You can also check out /fit/ for more advice.

http://4chanfit.wikia.com/wiki/Harsh%27s_Worksheet_%28WIP%29

or http://boards.4chan.org/fit/res/4820056

[egreir]

For breakfast, this is really good.

[Mali]

Rule of thumb for muscle building is to ingest 1g of protein per 1lb of bodyweight.

The best protein powders are mixed. Whey does have quick absorption, but your body needs protein throughout the day... even on rest days and during sleep. Casein is absorbed more slowly. You could eat some cottage cheese at night to avoid catabolism (muscle breakdown) or you could add a supplement with casein. I really like the dudes at At Large Nutrition and they make a solid product http://www.atlargenutrition.com/products/nitrean-dc

I'd also be supplementing fishoil.

Otherwise... keep eating. Eat clean. Stay away from junk food but don't starve yourself. Keep moving. Cardio is over-rated. Build muscle and increase your metabolism for sustained effect and do some fun cardio when you can.

The guys and girls over at wannabebig can answer your questions better than a bunch of Mudders. It's a great resource http://www.wannabebig.com/forums/

I also enjoy Nick Tumminello's stuff

http://nicktumminello.com/

Good medicine ball circuit to train in a different way:

Sometimes it is best to make healthy lifestyle changes like eating a little better or adding a fun outdoor activity to your schedule than to worry about sticking to a diet or a workout plan. You can get hyper about it and then get off it entirely and go back to your old habits, dreading the diet or the intense workout schedule. Making a few lifestyle choices to make you healthier will enhance your spirits and your physique over time in a way that is fun and doesn't stress you out. I'm against massive quick weight loss. Lose 1lb a week at most. Be smart about it and good luck!

[Imoutgoodbye]

Cardio's only worthless when there's a cage around. I run faster than Deykari's old characters.

As an edit, to go along with Mali's, I personally find running to be a great stress reliever. There's something primal about it that is incredibly liberating, to get away from the intellectual and run through the woods, chasing something unknown, running for the sake of feeling the wind in your hair, knowing that it's you that is the agile hunter.

[Deykari]

I love running and cycling. I usually walk most places too and avoid public transport/driving, even if my current round trip travel time to/from work is just shy of 2 hours.

Dey

['tarako]

'I see. @Dey That makes sense. My goal is general all-round fitness. I don't need to be the guy that can bench a truck, just the guy that can carry a box up some stairs a few times without gasping for breath. The reason i'm using whey powder is to help rebuild the muscles I believe I tearing down during the workouts. I don't want to bulk, just tone and I guess, mum, cut? I do try to calorie count, to an extent, but it's harder when I make my own meals from things not in conveniently marked packages. I currently aim for under 2k a day. I'm more worried with the burn fat part, and developing lean muscles.

@egreir I'm sending a message. and that video made me want to curl in a ball and cry.

@mya I currently eat less than my gf. aaaaaand I am always, always scared to open any link that says 4chan. But that link was actually very informative. Thank you.

@Mali Yeah, looks like I'll need fishoil. I ask you, the mudders, because you are real people and I assume some of you are actually fit and such. ^__^ I trust you guys over fitness people trying to sell me stuff, but I'll definitely check out the forums.

I probably should add more movement to my daily life. Its hard when the building I spend 10-12 hours in is 5 minutes from my apartment. Thanks for all the advice so far everyone. Lets see if I can make changes.

[Imoutgoodbye]

Nothing for me? Allow me to be gracious and allow you a two minute head start.

['tarako]

'Haha. The last one was for you! just forgot the @Valek ^__^ Where I currently am is very flat, and has cold, crap weather. Its not appealing to be outside most days. By adding daily movement I mean I may go to the rec and walk/run some.

[Trick]

How to be amazing in your life..

Step 1.

http://failuretotrain.com/failuretotrain/Home.html

Do those work outs.

Step 2.

http://www.zonediet.com/

Do this diet.

-----------------------

Considering you're not an athlete and haven't worked out in a considerably long period of time the work outs from the website will be a drastic shock to your mind and body. These work outs are designed for top tier men in the military progressing and training themselves for Combat Controller, Pararescue, Navy Seals, Green Beret, and a multitude of other USSOCOM divisions. They are extremely difficult and will challenge your not only physically, but mentally as well. After all, you can't just be physically strong, but mentally strong as well.

Should these exercises prove to be a bit of a handful, check out crossfit. So many people hate on crossfit and I don't fully understand why. Crossfit incorporates functional strength over gym strength. Meaning, as a firefighter I need to have a strong squat, clean, deadlift, bench, etc etc. Now, I can work on all these aspects individually and garner strength from FOCUSED movements or I can change the range of motion and create a lift that will emphasize what I need to do.

Crossfit is simply: constantly varied, high intensity, functional movements.

That is the simplest way of putting it. Your body grows through change. By CONSTANTLY VARYING your workouts from day to day, you not only address the need for change, but it keeps your mind involved as well as it is a new activity and is fun.

High intensity will increase your cardiovascular output. Therefore, making it so you do not get winded as fast. If I walk, I will burn X calories. But if I run, I will burn Y calories. In a given time, which is better? Running. High intensity. It's simple.

Functional movements. We don't do bench press in a day to day routine. How often are you on your back performing that strict movement? Almost never. But, if you do a burpee, now you're combining a pushing effort with a standing effort. How often do you do that? A lot. I have a need, as a firefighter, to deadlift and squat. I life heavy patients all day. I need these muscles in order to perform my job effectively. Its simple.

Fitness is not about being the biggest guy in the gym. Fitness is about increasing your life span, health, and happiness.

The Zone diet is amazing. It tells you what's good. What's bad. And how to manage it. Follow it and you will shred pounds. It is not so strict that you will hate it, but it will keep you involved.

EDIT: Proteins. I hear so much garbage about protein ALL the time.

Your body can only absorb so much. Highly trained athletes consume less than a gram of protein per pound. If a highly trained athlete doesn't consume that much, you shouldn't either. You will poop it out and waste your money. Your protein consumptions will come from the FOOD you eat, not the POWDERS you drink. I don't drink protein unless I had a high call volume and missed meals. Why? Because that protein will help my muscles recover and I missed a meal. Protein is VERY important, BUT be smart about it. I rarely drink protein shakes, I don't need to. I get my protein from the foods I ingest. Don't think you have to buy them.

[Mali]

I disagree with Trick in that I do not think that you should begin by shocking your mind and body. You'll set yourself up for injury and burnout.

Start slow. Make goals. Make good choices.

In my opinion the benefit of protein powder is cost and convenience. I can fit alot of nutrition into a shake in a very short period of time and without breaking the bank. Food is expensive and takes time to prepare. As a grad student, you don't have time or money, LOL. Of course food is ideal, but not always the most appropriate choice.

[egreir]

I agree with Mali in that if you are not already working out constantly, you do NOT want to "shock" your mind and body. The #1 reason why people stop working out very soon after they start is because they burn themselves out mentally or physically and then believe that working out is not for them.

Start slowly for the first week or two. Wake up and do some pushups, jumping jacks, situps, go for a light job around the corner. Just get your mind and body into a routine where it is comfortable working out. Every day do a little more and a little more. Then start going balls crazy once your body is "warmed up" and your mind is programmed so that working out is routine and normal to you.

[Imoutgoodbye]

I don't advise "going crazy". There's a reason I can't run anymore. Set achievable goals and see what you can do rather than going all out, balls to the wall, how hard can I push my body "crazy".

Unless you want to go crazy. Then go crazy.

[inscribed]

Mali is fat don't listen to him

[egreir]

I don't advise "going crazy". There's a reason I can't run anymore. Set achievable goals and see what you can do rather than going all out, balls to the wall, how hard can I push my body "crazy".

Unless you want to go crazy. Then go crazy.

It's an expression. Was not telling the guy to go kill himself trying to get like Arnold. And a lot of people cop their way out of running, but the truth is there are very viable, safe, and softer ways to get the same, if not better, cardio.

[inscribed]

I think running is the most important part of staying fit. Other exercises might be able to replicate the cardio benefits, but nothing is going to train your body to run like actual running will. Not to mention, how well your body is trained to run will have a greater impact on your future survival than any other single exercise will.

[egreir]

I agree but people with certain medical conditions that can't or shouldn't run, those other exercises are the next best thing for him. Arguably power-walking as well if your knees/feet can handle the lesser impact.

[Mali]

Inscribed is fat don't listen to him, LOL.

['tarako]

'I'll definitely look into the Zone diet, as changing my diet is something that is relatively easy to do. Cross fit, I think, is out of the question. I like the practical aspect of it, but it also costs money. I got Insanity through completely (il)legal means and it didn't cost me anything. I can go to the Uni rec center because its part of my tuition. I'll probably start adding 3x a week lifting and every other day jogging to my routine. However, I might put this off til the beginning of next semester because once I go home for break in a few days I wont have access to weights. Jogging I can probably do. Thanks everyone for the advice. This is going to be great.

[Mali]

Good luck. Don't forget rest days and keep eating during rest and recovery.

[Trick]

First off, shocking your body is the best way to gain results. Every work out should be a total new experience to your body. Your body will adapt to the situation it is and therefore all unchanged exercises will NOT produce the results you want. I don't know the resume of the other guys posting, but I can assure you I am quite adept at working out and do such not only on a regular basis, but in a classroom setting.

Now, the entire point of the workouts I do is for the betterment of specially trained military members. If this sort of thing is not for you, I can just as easily tone it down. I am of the mindset that you must be mentally stronger than you are physically strong. To achieve this, you must constantly challenge your mind to the point of wanting to quit, then overcoming that desire to give up. But, I come from a stricter, more focused mindset than the majority of the other posters.

I can not tell you the legitimacy of the other poster's credentials for fitness, but I can tell you my own and you can base your decisions off my resume versus the material they look up online, something you can do yourself.

Studied BJJ under Carlson Gracie BJJ Revolution Team.

Mixed Martial Arts, self defense, and street awareness at Fudoshin MMA and Keishidojo in Columbia, SC and Sumter, SC.

Part of the Shaw AFB Firefighter Combat Challenge Team, ranked #6 in the world.

Studying for my Crossfit Level 1 instructor.

Physical Training Leader for Shaw AFB Civil Engineering Squadron and 20th Fighter Wing.

Assistant Coach for the Squadron Remedial Physical Training.

Military Firefighter.

Each of those requires knowledge in nutrition, supplements, and physical training. You can take that how you want to, but I assure you I am knowledgable in fitness.

[egreir]

There's a difference to adding "shock" or "confusion" to your body in your workouts then to overdoing it when you first start working out, ever, or in a long time. Varying workouts and causing your body to use muscles in different ways is very important, but so is conditioning yourself to be able to handle high intensity workouts. Its just like stretching before you run or workout,the concept is the same.