Thread: Building Muscle/Working out

Originally Posted by jnich67

I'm curious about this too. I've always read that 2-4 proper servings a day (earlier in the day being better) of a good whole grain was optimal.

Jordan

+1 jordan

You need carbohydrates ... your brain needs them to function properly...and to supply you with energy.

Good low glycemic carbs especially in the morning is good for you .... whole grain oatmeal, whole grrain bread not bagels...is what you need....

at night your body is in a catabolic state and feeds itself off of your protein stores and muscles...not your fat....

so a good protein and healthy carb immediately upon waking is what will get your muscles ready to build again and your mind and body ready for the day...

so of course dont grab a doughnut as you run out of the door but a good protein shake with some rolled outs in it or some good oatmeal or some whole grain toast with natural peanut butter will give you a good boost.

Originally Posted by Cornelius

Didnt know about coconut oil, I eat mainly (raw) oilve oil. Is that anywhere near as good?

olive oil is very good for you also but it is always good to get variety. if you really like the eggs (which are great ) try frying them in coconut oil. great flavor and coconut oil has one of the highest temperatures at which the molecules change, so it is hard to burn it. i get get my olive oil intake on salads with fresh lemon juice (which helps you digest those greens). i also recommend eating butter frequently, as long as it is good quality and obviously not in huge amounts.

eating healthy is not nearly as hard to do as the big corporations would like you to believe. you just have to plan ahead and a good meals doesn't take more then 30 mins to prepare. the nice thing about eating healthy is that when you do decide to eat some crappy food you don't have to worry near as much as your kidneys and liver and general immune system will be working fine. as long as it doesn't become a habit

i am curious about butter. Why butter?

i apologize i don't have direct references, though most of my reading is from this site: Natural Health Information Articles and Health Newsletter by Dr. Joseph Mercola and i am sure that the article i read this in is on that site.
he is a reputable doctor and the site is great. also check out Exercise, kettlebell strength training, conditioning, diet and health: the ultimate fitness workout as there are some articles on this exact subject on there, and it is a pretty good site too. since changing my diet about 3 years ago (and at the time i thought my diet was OK) i have more energy, build muscle easier and i sleep a lot better. one of the key things i changed was getting rid of cereal and going with some fruit, protein (ie eggs, hemp seeds or some type of meat or fish) and making sure i get some fat. that doesn't mean a brick of butter, but some coconut oil, the fish has good fats already.

i will assure everyone that i would not say any of this if i didn't already try it and have good results. when i changed my diet i was in no way fat, i didn't have a gut or any health issues, but within three months i lost 20 pounds, i wasn't working out at the time and i was still consuming the same amount of calories. i am not one be concerned about my body weight, as i think there are many other indicators of poor health, but i had no idea i lost the weight. i had more energy and felt great. a lot of the weight loss was in my digestive system in the intestines, which most people (including me at the time) don't realise can become inflamed over a long period of time, which consumes energy and causes poor digestion and poor food assimilation. the reason i made the diet change is because i satrted dating (and am still dating) a holistic nutritional counselor. she lives it, so i started living like her and i will never go back. i still enjoy crap food every so often but 90% i eat good and feel great because of it.

Originally Posted by erictski

i am curious about butter. Why butter?

butter is a short chain fat that is used for energy right away. also if it is a good quality butter it will have Vit A, D, E, selenium and iodine. it has been known to help your body utilize minerals better. (i had to ask my girlfriend for all these stats as i am forgetful )

as far as margarine goes, it is one molecule away plastic and will actually clog your arteries. it is full of trans fats. it is a man made poison. stay away from it. companies can make it cheap so they call it a health food to sell more of it.

the same is true of Soy and Tofu but that is another subject

ill take your word for it about the butter...i was not aware of that...all i know is that it has roughly 12 grams of fat per tablespoon with 7 grams sat and only 4 grams monounsat

i bet she is a wealth of knowledge about nutrition...thats pretty cool

and dont think i am at all attacking your opinions or statements...i just really love this topic and like to debate and talk about it...

What I learned in Boot Camp was the only thing I ever needed and it requires no equipment or memberships, or money.

Calisthenics.

I have been seriously working out for a while now, and am in training for law enforcement. Something I HIGHLY suggest is Men's Health's Abs Diet for Men. Don't be freaked by the word "Diet," it's just a basic eating plan (and you DO eat a TON), and workouts. It's a 3x week lifting program, full-body every time. I did it for six weeks while cutting fried foods and sugar, limiting caffiene (only drinking tea), and having a beer a week...I lost 15 lbs.

Since then, I've been doing high-weight, low-rep to build my bench-press, and added about 60 lbs to it in the last few months.

I can go on and on about weights and exercise, but it might be lost on people glazing over the info. If anyone wants any tips, PM me.

I agree though with the poster who said Kettlebells Those and free-weights are the core of my workout.

Standard day:
5 min run, about 1/2 mile (easy pace)
abs (all four groups) - crunches, leg-lifts, obliques (saxon side-bends or russian twists on a ball), and lower back
chest - bench, chest flies, or pushups (feet on a bench, 25lb plate on the back)
back - deadlift, inverted row, or one-arm rows
legs - squat, weighted lunge, weighted stepup
10 minutes interval runs (jog, sprint, jog, sprint... for five sprints totalling about 6 minutes), for about a mile

That's a day...that'll put hair on your chest. I found that on Men's Health - Men's Guide to Fitness, Health, Weight Loss, Nutrition, Sex, Style and Guy Wisdom, which I recommend for EVERY man need...they even have something on the ultimate shave, utilizing AOS products and a brush (no straight though...).

PM with questions.

chadd

Originally Posted by Whatsthe2ndDfor

I have been seriously working out for a while now, and am in training for law enforcement. Something I HIGHLY suggest is Men's Health's Abs Diet for Men. Don't be freaked by the word "Diet," it's just a basic eating plan (and you DO eat a TON), and workouts.
chadd

I agree about the Abs Diet for Men. Once you get by all the mainstream marketing stuff, it is a great outline for a sound eating plan. It gives you a good sense of portions and how to eat without having to count calories, weigh food, etc. It translates well into everyday, real life.

Jordan

I do crossfit. Prior to this I did the conventional workout routines. I like functional fitness as what is done in crossfit more than just going to the gym and using the machines, etc. All the exercises are scalable to any level of fitness. If you are intrested in doing this at a beginner level try the brandex site. You can also add crossfit endurance which works in concert with the crossfit main workouts. Here is the link to our local crossfit gym.