Finally ready to give 100%
Whats up everyone! I've heard nothing but great things about the help you people give to rookies. I am 6'5" and 230 lbs.. My body is in decent physical shape except for my love handles and beer gut! I have never worked out in a gym for longer than 3 months because my motivation doesn't stay up! I really want to stand out though. At my size, if I could bulk up and get some definition, I think I would look phenomenal! I am having a hard time deciphering all of the supplements I should take, my caloric intake, what kind of regimen, etc. Any help would be immensely appreciated!!:unsure:
Thanks alot for your time!
CJ
Re: Finally ready to give 100%
Quote:
Originally posted by cpjones13
I have never worked out in a gym for longer than 3 months because my motivation doesn't stay up!
Months 3-6 are pretty damn hard. I, like you, started working out for about 7 years. Each time starting around January (new years resolutions of course) and ending in March or April. Finally about 2 years ago I decided to quick screwing around and stick with it. I found that after month 6 it's cake. Going to the gym is no longer a hassle it's enjoyable. I look forward to days I get to work out. Sometimes on my off days I wish I could be in the gym by I restrain because I know my body needs time to recuperate. So just aim for that 6 month mark and if by that time you don't love what you are doing and your results then you must be doing something wrong.
As far as training regimen goes there are lots of different approaches. I personally subscribe to the High Intensity low volume training method popularized by Mike Mentzer. The basic idea is to train your muscles very intensely using only a single set to failure, and then rest several days (4-7) to allow your body to recuperate and regrow before returning to the gym. I'm sure this is bound to spark a debate, many people swear by it. Others think it's a load of crap. I personally have seen great results. I would recommend reading the book High Intensity Training the Mike Mentzer Way if you are interested in learning more.
If you plan on staying natural I would warn against tailoring your workout or eating habits to match those of someone who uses AAS or Prohormones. These help your body to recuperate a lot faster and to utilize calories more efficiently to build muscle without storing excess fat. If you are natural and you follow the workout and diet plan of Ronnie Coleman to the "T" you are likely to end up fat and overtrained, rather than ripped and muscular like him.
Here are a few nutrition basics to start with. There are a lot of others on this board more knowledgable of nutrition than me. Check out the diet help section.
First you need to figure your maintanance level of calories (where you neither gain no lose). Once you got that eat 300-500 above to gain weight or "bulk", eat 300-500 below that to lose or "cut". A popular approach is to cycle bulking and cutting in about 3 month intervals. The idea being that first you add muscle and fat, then try to strip the fat and retain the muscle, then repeat.
Protein: 1gram or more per pound of bodyweight (good sources include eggs, meat, fish, fowl, and dairy products).
Fat: approx 15-20% of total calories (prefferably from good natural sources such as flax seed oil, olive oil, natural peanut butter, nuts, seeds, etc.)
Carbs: The remainder of your diet (carbs should be complex carbs such as oats, potatoes, rice, or fibrous green veggies). Stay away from sugar and simple carbs.
