A College Student's Questions.

Bigger Stronger Leaner Competitive Bodybuilding
1

Background Info: I’m an 18-year-old college student. This is my fifth year training, and currently I’m 6 foot 3 inches and weigh anywhere from 235-240 pounds. Before my senior year of high school (2006) I went to a football combine in Virginia and was among the top of the Running Backs, most of which were sub-200 pounds.

To make a long story short, I don?t play football and now I lift because it’s something I love doing. Here?s the deal though, I’ve put on a little weight (5-10 lbs) since August. I believe it’s partly because I’ve been working out frequently, but mostly to do with the shitty eating habits you develop at college.
I want to get lean, without sacrificing much (any?) of the gains I have made. Here are my questions.

About Cutting:
1: I want to be leaner by May, if at all possible. I don’t care what the scale says, as long as I look leaner. Like every other college student, my main sources of “nutrition” are salad, fruit, whatever meat the cafeteria prepares, and the occasional slice of pizza.

-What are some easy to prepare foods to help me out? I'll eat just about anything, other than fish (wish I could). I know I should cut out the pizza and stay away from fried foods.

2: I have been doing 20 minutes of treadmill work 4x a week. I don’t mind to run outside, but I HATE running on a treadmill, and in 10-degree temperatures you don’t really have a choice.

-What are some other things to get my blood pumping? I’d like to do some sprint work more than anything. We have stationary bikes and an indoor pool, so I guess my real question is how long should I do each? For example, I know its recommended to do 20 minutes of jogging a day, but does that same approach apply to these two things?

About Lifting:
1.I work out five times a week and bust my ass while I’m there. If I reduce my caloric intake enough to lose the weight, how bad would it be for maintaining or even continuing to get bigger? Would taking in a substantial amount of protein and/or creatine help to counteract this?

2.I’d like to get a hold of some kettle bells. Any good links?

About Supplements:
1.What’s a good multivitamin? I know I might not be getting all of the things my body needs to function at it’s peak, so what do you guys recommend?

2.I have a friend that swears by creatine/protein shakes for good gains. He takes them both simultaneously after working out and at different times during the day. I was thinking about doing the same thing. Is it a good idea for me considering what I want to do? Is it alright to take them at the same time (same shake)?

3.I have a full bottle of unopened Andro Nitrate Fuel from Twinlab. The expiration date on the bottle says 12/06. I bought it a while ago by the way. I didn’t figure that this stuff would hurt me because of its age, but would it help at all?

I’m sorry this post is extremely lengthy. I’ve been reading this site for a while and just never signed up to ask specific questions for myself. Any honest comments (even negative ones) will be appreciated.

2

At my caf all I eat is fruits veggies and clean meats. None of that concoction type of stuff. No pizza, pastries, donuts, cookies, cake, or anything like that.

I’ve learned from this board that it is possible to gain lean mass while cutting, but it’s really hard and you’d probably be better off bulking then going with a full on cut.

As far as workouts, when I’ve trying to lean out a bit I’ll just do some HIIT or some jumproping, sprinting, swimming, biking, or incline-weighted walking to burn some extra numbers. I’d usually just go until I couldn’t; I don’t know if that’s the best option though.

For supplements, protein powder is almost a must, creatine is beneficial. I don’t think either would help you lean out. If anything would help you lean out it would be some fish oils or some HOT-ROX.

good luck

3

I know exactly what you mean…I am 18 and a freshman in college also…and i have gained weight while doing it…lol I cant really help you with the losing weight, keeping the gains thing, I can tell you that creatine has worked wonders for me, strength wise.

After about a week after the loading phase everything that I was lifting seemed lighter, and all my weights really jumped. I never took it simaltaneously with a protein shake, just because it said take it with water or juice (without citric acid) I think the jogging could take off too much of the weight, and strength with it.

What has been keeping my weight pretty leveled off is just walking pretty fast (like 4 mph) at about a 12 degree incline for 15 minutes. You work up your heart rate pretty nice and get good work out of it. Here is a kettlebell link that I found earlier today…good luck with the training!

http://www.T-Nation.com/readTopic.do?id=1384939

4

go to johnberardi.com and check out his articles in the nutrition section. There is one that describes how to eat in college.

As far as your situation is concerned, Im a freshy as well, and the best advice I can give is to get a george foreman, by all the chicken breasts you can, cook em, and pre-package them. Monitor your diet, gradually cut calories (250ish a week), and lift big!

Far as cardio goes, search for “Running Man” by Christian Thibaudeau. Nice interval work in there.

Good luck bro!

5

Well what you want isn’t all that far from feasible, it will however take the extra work. I’m 19 years old, about 18% body fat after a bulk, and am in a similar scenario to you. First off, get a list of foods available at your cafe. My guess is that most of it is fatty, lots of sugars, trans fats, all those good things. essentially, it will be 80% crap.

My Cafe is the king of shitty foods, however I have managed to find the 20% of foods that are healthy for you. Mostly these are brown rices, grilled chicken breasts, deli sandwiches (no condiments, on whole weat), whole grain cereal, and hard boiled eggs (only eat the egg white). Now cooking might not be the best idea to you, but to be honest, its the only way to control the bulk of your nutrition quality.

Go to a wholesale store (such as BJs in the northeast) and buy basmati rice, chicken breasts, veggies, and fruit in bulk. Also, whole grain pasta is a good choice. On sunday, cook enough for you to get a dinner each night for that week, and then rinse and repeat.

As far as supplements go, since your trying to cut I’d stick to a multivitamin, they are all more or less the same (personally I use mega men). get some fish oil, a fat burner if you choose, and don’t bother with any NO boosting stuff. All studies you can find show that these products increase your output during the cycle, but once you go off, that all goes to hell.

Also, but yourself a nice big bag of protein over the internet, its cheaper that way. ZMAs for the night time also aren’t a bad Idea, but don’t take them every night (too much zinc induces anemia). Finally, I HIGHLY reccomend Carbolin 19, its done wonders for me as far as solidifying and retaining muscle mass goes (3 weeks into the cut), I literally haven’t lost an ounce of it as far as I can tell. I haven’t done a BF% test lately, so the number I gave earlier was about 3 weeks ago.

lastly, I’d lift either 3 or 4 days a week, cardio in the mornings 4-5 days a week. What i’ve liked so far is a push/pull routine with supersets. On a side note to this however, I haven’t done legs in about 3 weeks due to an old knee injury I reaggrivated.

Good luck. PM me if you want to know anything else I’ve done, other than that, read articles on this site and they should provide you with plenty of info.

6

Thunderstruck,

You should read these articles. They were written by Steven Berardi (Dr. John Berardi’s brother) about college nutrition and training. It’s a 2 part series that’s very beneficial. Hope this helps.

Part 1
http://www.T-Nation.com/readTopic.do?id=460575

Part 2
http://www.T-Nation.com/readTopic.do?id=459620

7

Thanks guys. I think this stuff is really going to help. I’ve been at this for about 2 weeks, but I haven’t put in nearly as much effort as I have needed, mostly just jogging and consciously thinking about the nutritional value of the food rather than the things I want to eat, but I have began to really bear down and bust my ass.

It’s going to be hard to stay away from all the junk food that’s a whole lot easier to get to, but soon it will become a habit.

I’ve read the first part of the article posted and it’s really shed a new light on things. Today I swam some in the pool and did a fast paced walk on an incline in the gym and that really kept my heart rate up after my workout.

I appreciate it.

8

[quote]Thunderstruck wrote:
Background Info: I’m an 18-year-old college student. This is my fifth year training, and currently I’m 6 foot 3 inches and weigh anywhere from 235-240 pounds. Before my senior year of high school (2006) I went to a football combine in Virginia and was among the top of the Running Backs, most of which were sub-200 pounds.

To make a long story short, I don?t play football and now I lift because it’s something I love doing. Here?s the deal though, I’ve put on a little weight (5-10 lbs) since August. I believe it’s partly because I’ve been working out frequently, but mostly to do with the shitty eating habits you develop at college.
I want to get lean, without sacrificing much (any?) of the gains I have made. Here are my questions.

About Cutting:
1: I want to be leaner by May, if at all possible. I don’t care what the scale says, as long as I look leaner. Like every other college student, my main sources of “nutrition” are salad, fruit, whatever meat the cafeteria prepares, and the occasional slice of pizza.

-What are some easy to prepare foods to help me out? I'll eat just about anything, other than fish (wish I could). I know I should cut out the pizza and stay away from fried foods.

2: I have been doing 20 minutes of treadmill work 4x a week. I don’t mind to run outside, but I HATE running on a treadmill, and in 10-degree temperatures you don’t really have a choice.

-What are some other things to get my blood pumping? I’d like to do some sprint work more than anything. We have stationary bikes and an indoor pool, so I guess my real question is how long should I do each? For example, I know its recommended to do 20 minutes of jogging a day, but does that same approach apply to these two things?

About Lifting:
1.I work out five times a week and bust my ass while I’m there. If I reduce my caloric intake enough to lose the weight, how bad would it be for maintaining or even continuing to get bigger? Would taking in a substantial amount of protein and/or creatine help to counteract this?

2.I’d like to get a hold of some kettle bells. Any good links?

About Supplements:
1.What’s a good multivitamin? I know I might not be getting all of the things my body needs to function at it’s peak, so what do you guys recommend?

2.I have a friend that swears by creatine/protein shakes for good gains. He takes them both simultaneously after working out and at different times during the day. I was thinking about doing the same thing. Is it a good idea for me considering what I want to do? Is it alright to take them at the same time (same shake)?

3.I have a full bottle of unopened Andro Nitrate Fuel from Twinlab. The expiration date on the bottle says 12/06. I bought it a while ago by the way. I didn’t figure that this stuff would hurt me because of its age, but would it help at all?

I’m sorry this post is extremely lengthy. I’ve been reading this site for a while and just never signed up to ask specific questions for myself. Any honest comments (even negative ones) will be appreciated.
[/quote]

Yea yikes buddy cut down the length, I’m probably the only one who bothered to read this, because i want to help a fellow college kid. I cant answer all your questions-you’re gonna have to read more on this site and learn, it will take time.

But, you should do interval training on the stationary bike. Don’t bother doing any running. Don’t lift more than 3x per week. Full-body routine-find one by an author on this site. Don’t bother w/ kettlebells right now. You don’t really need a multi but you can take it if u want, you dont need the creatine, you do need the protein and fish oil.

You absolutely dont need that nitro bullshit. Let me know if you have other questions.

9

[quote]dreads989 wrote:
go to johnberardi.com and check out his articles in the nutrition section. There is one that describes how to eat in college.

As far as your situation is concerned, Im a freshy as well, and the best advice I can give is to get a george foreman, by all the chicken breasts you can, cook em, and pre-package them. Monitor your diet, gradually cut calories (250ish a week), and lift big!

Far as cardio goes, search for “Running Man” by Christian Thibaudeau. Nice interval work in there.

Good luck bro![/quote]

He’s in college, on a meal plan. He’s not buying food. Lets try to improve our reading comprehension.

10

[quote]
He’s in college, on a meal plan. He’s not buying food. Lets try to improve our reading comprehension.[/quote]

Thats exactly where the problem lies. as I said before, 80% of that food is shit, and the stuff that is good for you is more expensive. Its going to take more work and more money to have good nutrition in his case, but its completely within reach. If you have the ability, lessen your meal plan and spend the money on bulk items like chicken breast. As a current college student facing the same dillemas, I can emphatically say that it is entirely possible, and only takes 2-3 hours worth of work on a sunday (mostly just baking the chicken). The case more often than not is that even the supposedly “healthy” alternatives are extremely high in salt or fats.

Also Thunderstruck, look more into the post about interval training on a stationary bike, I had intended to mention that. As you’ll find out, this training regimen will help you retain more muscle mass while lessening the continuing impact placed on your spine during your runs.

11

Alright, i’ll look into interval training on the stationary bikes. I’d rather pound my head on a wall for an hour than run on a treadmill for twenty minutes. Also, the next time I can get to one I’m going to buy a George Foreman grill and as much chicken as this kid can afford. What really gets me is the things I eat early in the day, because it seems like I’m always running around between classes, the library, and the gym. I’m not eating McDonalds or anything, but my meals early in the day could be better.

As for the kettlebells, I was just kind of looking into it for working out this summer. A buddy of mine back home that I work out with was wanting to try something new with our workouts.

I figured that Nitro stuff was bull-shit, but a friend of mine gave it to me and I just said what the hell?

Also, theoretically, if I were to take in the same amount of calories, would it be better for me to spread it out throughout the day or try to get it in 3 or so meals?

Thanks for the help.

12

[quote]Mikel0428 wrote:

He’s in college, on a meal plan. He’s not buying food. Lets try to improve our reading comprehension.

Thats exactly where the problem lies. as I said before, 80% of that food is shit, and the stuff that is good for you is more expensive. Its going to take more work and more money to have good nutrition in his case, but its completely within reach. If you have the ability, lessen your meal plan and spend the money on bulk items like chicken breast. As a current college student facing the same dillemas, I can emphatically say that it is entirely possible, and only takes 2-3 hours worth of work on a sunday (mostly just baking the chicken). The case more often than not is that even the supposedly “healthy” alternatives are extremely high in salt or fats.

Also Thunderstruck, look more into the post about interval training on a stationary bike, I had intended to mention that. As you’ll find out, this training regimen will help you retain more muscle mass while lessening the continuing impact placed on your spine during your runs.

[/quote]
I find no problem getting decent food in my cafeteria…and it’s unlimited so thats great. If yours is not unlimited, and the food is shitty, i can see the problem. Where do you go to school?

13

[quote]Thunderstruck wrote:
Alright, i’ll look into interval training on the stationary bikes. I’d rather pound my head on a wall for an hour than run on a treadmill for twenty minutes. Also, the next time I can get to one I’m going to buy a George Foreman grill and as much chicken as this kid can afford. What really gets me is the things I eat early in the day, because it seems like I’m always running around between classes, the library, and the gym. I’m not eating McDonalds or anything, but my meals early in the day could be better.

As for the kettlebells, I was just kind of looking into it for working out this summer. A buddy of mine back home that I work out with was wanting to try something new with our workouts.

I figured that Nitro stuff was bull-shit, but a friend of mine gave it to me and I was like what the hell?

Also, theoretically, if I were to take in the same amount of calories, would it be better for me to spread it out throughout the day or try to get it in 3 or so meals?

Thanks for the help.[/quote]
Yeah breakfast is the most important meal of the day so make it a good one. Don’t just take supplements and say “what the hell?” If he gave it to you its obviously shit. Get some fish oil though. You should try to spread out your calories throughout the day, preferably in 5-6 meals, but if you cant get that then make do with what you have.

14

My schools cafe consists of pizza, cheeseburgers, pretzels, and tasty kakes most times of the day (with the exception of 2 hours for breakfast, lunch, and dinner where they have a pasta and a bad main course meal)… not to mention I can’t have a george foreman grill here… so I did the V-Diet. It’s extreme, but it works.

15

thunderstruck you are a pussy, your hang cleans are weak and i cant wait to show you up today in the gym after classes, you little weak 230 pound pussy

16

and if anyone is wondering i was kidding because thunderstruck and I are lifting partners, if any of you want to see a picture of his weak ass theres one in my profile of him standing beside this 165 pound monster!!!(just fuckin kiddin dont eat me)

17

You misunderstood me. The Nitro-shit was given to me, unopened, by a friend, who did not take it at all. I didn’t know much about it except that it was like all the other NO-whatevers out there.

Either way, I’m not going to bother taking it, I was just curious what other people thought about it. Also, I picked up a multi-vitamin and fish-oil today. I’ll just keep packing in the protein like usual. As for the creatine, I’ve taken it before and I’ve liked what it’s done for me.

The stationary bike is a little bit more entertaining, but I can’t wait to get outside and do some sprint work. I’d rather be in “athletic shape” than “marathon shape” because I still play alot of basketball.