The diet and exercise thread

[JBarwick]

@JBarwick - Not my area of expertise as I keep weight on easily (losing is my issue), or maybe that makes this my area of expertise, in that I know how to keep it on, but I have a friend that has trouble putting on weight. He was eating super healthy and hit plateaus in gaining weight (and muscle). My recommendation to him was to eat a bit dirtier, which will have the effect of increasing his caloric intake. The easiest way to do this is adding in full fat (or at least 2% / non-skim) dairy to your diet--milk, cheeses, sour cream, etc. You might also start doing pastas vs. rice on occasion. I'd also start eating eggs or something more in the mornings and/or bulking up the size of your lunch. Add PB or other good fats to your snacks--and while you're at it, add some avocado into your diet, easy to do as a snack or topping.

I am thinking switching to full fat milk instead of 2%. We have chickens so we get fresh eggs daily, I just don't eat them enough. Pasta is a good idea and I will probably start adding avocado to everything as it also helps inflammation. Nut butters are a good idea, I just get sick of things other than Jif PB.

Good tips though. I just need to pack those dense calorie good foods in.

[APinNC]

@JBarwick: hornsup84 is correct, get those good fats in your belly. When I need to add some extra calories to my diet and I don't want to resort to cake and doughnuts, I will blend up a cup of oatmeal into my shake, and/or a tbsp of EVOO. The oats give you 300 calories and a good serving of carbs, and the EVOO adds another 180cals and ~12 grams of good fats. You can barely tasted the EVOO when blended.

Jim Wendler once said if you needs to get in some extra calories, drink protein shake with one or two scoops of protein immediately before each meal. This will give you anywhere between 150 to 300 calories before your body begins to feel full

Good luck

[APinNC]

Reviving this thread after making some tweaks to my workout/diet plan. After spending the past several months focusing predominantly on running (partly to prepare for a 10k race in March and a 9k race last month), a few weeks ago I made the switch over to focusing on heavy lifting. I've adopted the "ultimate" workouts from this website since they seem to be pretty comprehensive. I focus on one muscle group every weekday - chest on Monday, back on Tuesday, legs on Wednesday, shoulders on Thursday, bi/tri on Friday. On weekends I throw in some HIIT cardio and/or distance running. And, of course I also walk my dog 30-60 minutes most every day.

With regards to diet, I've focused on increasing my protein and fiber intake and reducing sugars. Trying to do the "1g of protein for every pound of body weight" business was not workable for me but I've figured out some different meal combos that get me up to 100g per day without feeling like I am eating nothing but chicken and egg whites. I'm also getting about 30g of fiber. I've totally cut out refined and processed sugars on weekdays. Since life isn't worth living without the occasional donut or pie or ice cream, though, I do give myself leeway for a sugary snack or two on the weekend. (This weekend was lemon piiiiiiie.)

Not much movement on the scale but I can definitely feel a difference. Yesterday I took a picture to compare to one from a few weeks ago and I can even see a tiny, tiny difference in my build. So I am pretty happy, and feeling like this new plan is one that I will be able to stick with.

Good luck with your training. Get those gains!

[burban]

Just started the Renaissance Periodization program. I've been doing Crossfit for about 7 years and I've fluctuated between 180 and 200 for most of that time. About a year into CF, I did GOMAD twice for a total of about 6 weeks to put on mass to counteract my distance running build. Other than that, I've done about 80% paleo, with a few Whole 30s thrown in where I leaned out, but also lost a fair amount of muscle and strength. Doing RP is the first time I've ever really committed to counting macros.

The basics for this fat loss protocol are keeping your protein and overall calorie count about the same every day (for me, at 195 lbs, I have between 180 and 198g of protein each day), but you eat more fat and less carbs on rest days, and vice versa on training days. Your carb amounts are controlled by how long and intense your workouts are, and you consume most of your carbs in a 4-6 hour window around your workout. You also have a 4th pre-workout meal that I've never done before.

It's definitely making me realize that I was overconsuming fat even when doing strict paleo, and not just bacon, but also avocado, olive oil, etc, and that that is where my extra 10-15 lbs of fat has come from when combined with using some white rice and dextrose around my workouts.

[LesserBlackDog]

Reviving for updates... I've been lifting consistently, 4 days per week, for about 12 weeks now. No change in my weight but I can see more bulk/definition, my measurements are improving, and I am lifting heavier and heavier. The past couple weeks I've thrown in 20-30 minutes of cardio most days, usually either a short jog in the morning or HIIT swimming or sprinting in the evening. On weekends I do longer cardio, something like a long hike, a 6-mile run, or a 15-mile bike ride. This week I am going to break my shoulders/arms workout into two different workouts so I can focus more, especially on my shoulders and triceps individually. Here's what I'm doing:

Monday: Chest
Incline barbell press
Incline dumbbell press
Flat dumbbell press
Chest dip
Cable flye

Tuesday: Back
Deadlift
Barbell row
Wide grip pull-up
Chin-up
Dumbbell row

Wednesday: Legs
Back squat
Front squat
Dumbbell split squat
Glute press

Thursday: Shoulders
Barbell standing press
Dumbbell side raise
Dumbbell rear raise
Dumbbell press
Cable face pull

Friday: Bi/tri
Close grip bench press
Barbell curl
Tricep dip
Hammer curl
Skullcrusher
Dumbbell curl

Everything is 4 sets of 4-6 reps, except bodyweight stuff, which I do to failure. Once I get to 6 reps I add more weight.

I am still not ripped by any means but I am definitely headed in the right direction and seeing/feeling improvements.

[hockeysc23]

@LesserBlackDog congrats on the consistency and progress. I'd suggest adding in some hamstring and calf work on your leg days. Your first three exercises are all quad based, which could eventually cause a muscle imbalance leading to knee injuries. Been there and not fun. Maybe some hamstring curls, deadlifts, etc. to work the hamstrings as much as the quads. Also, if you move your arm days to Thursday and shoulders to Friday it would help keep everything fresh for your Monday chest day if you wish to heavy.

I've moved to tracking my macros (before I kept a rough idea) since my new job leads to a more sedentary office day. Legs I'm almost to my goal of 315 squats ... getting there.

[LesserBlackDog]

@hockeysc23, thanks, I do deadlift on my back days but maybe I will throw in a hamstring curl or something on leg day.

315 squats sounds nutso to me, I am just getting to 225 now and struggling to maintain full range of motion.

In other news OMG GUISE GUISE SRSLY GUISE for the first time ever in my life I have honest-to-God pecs and it is amazeballs

[devastitis]

If you're stalling in the squats, highly recommend taking a month off from your regular routine and do Smolov Jr. The frequency of squatting, 4x a week coupled with 30 to 36 work reps per workout, helps make the squat movement much more easier. Gains of 30 to 40 pounds on your 1RM in one month of smolov isn't difficult to achieve.

Just finished 5 weeks of Smolov Jr for bench, and I added 35 lbs to my 1RM. I also didn't gain much weight, I was 185 lbs before starting, and never cracked 190 lbs, even though I was eating close to 4K calories a day.

[hockeysc23]

If you're stalling in the squats, highly recommend taking a month off from your regular routine and do Smolov Jr. The frequency of squatting, 4x a week coupled with 30 to 36 work reps per workout, helps make the squat movement much more easier. Gains of 30 to 40 pounds on your 1RM in one month of smolov isn't difficult to achieve.

Just finished 5 weeks of Smolov Jr for bench, and I added 35 lbs to my 1RM. I also didn't gain much weight, I was 185 lbs before starting, and never cracked 190 lbs, even though I was eating close to 4K calories a day.

Interesting, I need to look into this. I've read with squats to also break them into partial reps. Work on sitting in the hole for 2-3 seconds and then out to help get over hurdles. You can also squat to a bench or I switch to the Smith machine every few weeks to work on increasing my range of motion.

[Creature]

If you're looking to move weight look into westside barbell routines, its power lifting but also somewhat balanced. Its a great routine for gaining strength while optimizing body composition. Getting 'cut' is done in the kitchen and making sure you're recovering. Don't rush on the weight, keep up with your mobility, recovery and clean eating and making sure you're using good movement patterns. Moving weight just to see numbers will likely lead to injury and non-functional strength. Recovery is when you grow, not in the gym.

Remember your ultimate goals and why you have them. For me, I got up to weights that I had no need to be lifting, I was so focused on the numbers going up, I lost sight of why I was working out in the first place.

Keep up the good work.

Reviving for updates... I've been lifting consistently, 4 days per week, for about 12 weeks now. No change in my weight but I can see more bulk/definition, my measurements are improving, and I am lifting heavier and heavier. The past couple weeks I've thrown in 20-30 minutes of cardio most days, usually either a short jog in the morning or HIIT swimming or sprinting in the evening. On weekends I do longer cardio, something like a long hike, a 6-mile run, or a 15-mile bike ride. This week I am going to break my shoulders/arms workout into two different workouts so I can focus more, especially on my shoulders and triceps individually. Here's what I'm doing:

Monday: Chest
Incline barbell press
Incline dumbbell press
Flat dumbbell press
Chest dip
Cable flye

Tuesday: Back
Deadlift
Barbell row
Wide grip pull-up
Chin-up
Dumbbell row

Wednesday: Legs
Back squat
Front squat
Dumbbell split squat
Glute press

Thursday: Shoulders
Barbell standing press
Dumbbell side raise
Dumbbell rear raise
Dumbbell press
Cable face pull

Friday: Bi/tri
Close grip bench press
Barbell curl
Tricep dip
Hammer curl
Skullcrusher
Dumbbell curl

Everything is 4 sets of 4-6 reps, except bodyweight stuff, which I do to failure. Once I get to 6 reps I add more weight.

I am still not ripped by any means but I am definitely headed in the right direction and seeing/feeling improvements.