[quote]zraw wrote:
1.5g/lb at least, just that would probably make a big difference[/quote]
When you see that, do you mean protien or meat? all of those 100g cans of tuna I ate yesterday had 30g protien each, as well as a load of carbs and fat.
If I’m eating mince out of a box everyday it’ll make even more of a differance, as most affordable mince is stupidly non lean.
I mean protein grams, not meat grams
From what little I can see of your diet, it is missing 2 VERY important things: protein and fat. Several people have mentioned eating 2 lbs of ground beef every day. This is the best advice you have recieved so do it.
And don’t buy that 97% fat free kind either; get the 80/20 kind with plenty of fat. When you make your protein shakes, dump in thirty mL of olive oil. Drink some whole milk with breakfast. These are all easy and fairly cheap ways to add some serious calories to your diet.
P.S. if this has not yet been pointed out to you then you need to realise that if you want to put on some serious muscle and add some serious weight to the bar you are going to have to put on some serious fat too. I wasted three years not eating enough to gain muscle because I was too afraid to lose the definition in my abs.
This changed about 5 months ago when I started my first serious bulk. In three years I went from 5’10’’ and 170 lbs to 198 lbs still fairly lean but couldn’t get any bigger without also getting fatter. Then I started my bulk after reading through some of the threads on gaining mass in the T-Cell and am as of last monday 235 lbs.
My stomach is getting floppy (but not as bad as I thought it would be) but all my major lifts have gone up practically every week and I am definitely putting on some decent muscle.
You’re lacking protein. Yummy whole food protein. Throw away the blender and do this:
Meal 1: 3-6 eggs, 4-8oz beef or steak, oatmeal
Meal 2: 4-8 oz chicken, veggies
Meal 3: 4-8 oz beef, veggies, rice
Meal 4: 4-8 oz chicken, veggies
Meal 5: 4-8 oz beef, veggies, rice
Meal 6: 4-8 oz chicken, veggies
Meal #1 should be huge…this is an old school “bodybuilder breakfast”…eggs, meat, oatmeal…put it all in one bowl…it’s good, trust me.
With this you might be fighting a losing battle. In fact your best bet may be simply sticking with machines. I think that’s why your deadlift is so much better than anything else…it’s a very simple carnal movement.
So if you’re problem is with anything to do with balance and coordination most free weights should be taken out. You can still get big using just machines. I’d stay with the deadlift as that’s a simple movement. Also most isolation movements should be fine. Scrap the 531 do a push/pull/legs or even an upper/lower.
Day 1: Chest/Shoulders/Triceps
Day 2: Lat/Trap/Biceps
Day 3: Quad/Ham/Calves
Day 4: Off
Day 5: Repeat
I’ve also seen success with this:
Monday: Chest/Back
Tuesday: Legs
Wednesday: Off
Thursday: Chest/Back
Friday: Legs
Saturday: Shoulders/Arms
Sunday: Off
Ramp up to 6-12 reps, 2-3 exercises each body part, 60s rest max, much less rest on the first few ramps.
Alan
[quote]lnname wrote:
[quote]Getting Closer wrote:
Lol, yeh I was going to put “but then you do live in England as well”, kind of embarrassing to live in England sometimes haha. But I did think that there would be some strong people at your Uni. Don’t they have a rugby team or anything?[/quote]
We do, nice guys of the 3 other guys I was talking about 1 of them is on the team, the others are a boxer and american football player. All physics masters students bizzarely.
The other big problem is that there is a gym that I didn’t hear about until this term, thats cheeper and packed with all kinds of barbell plates. I get the impression, that everyone who is serious and an undergrad goes there, whereas masters students don’t have the time for the commute so stay on campus.[/quote]
Oh right. If I were you I’d try to change gyms, but where ever you train make sure you just stay focused on lifting and train hard.
[quote]Getting Closer wrote:
Oh right. If I were you I’d try to change gyms, but where ever you train make sure you just stay focused on lifting and train hard.[/quote]
Yeah focus is what counts wherever you are, I’ve certainly done less in better gyms. But I’m living in new zeland over the summer term, so i’ll probably find a better one whilst I’m there. Although I have to say, on the whole english gym scene, even in the best gyms I’ve been at I rarely see someone with T nation style numbers
[quote]BantamRunner wrote:
With this you might be fighting a losing battle. In fact your best bet may be simply sticking with machines. I think that’s why your deadlift is so much better than anything else…it’s a very simple carnal movement.
[/quote]
Thanks for the good advice, and thanks for wiki-ing my condition. I don’t have it too bad, although I think your thoughts on my deadlift and machines are spot on. I leg press more than double my squat, and depending on the “push-machine” I’m using instead of benching I can go much heavier as well.
I tend to use them, as well as a lot of bodyweight work, as the supporting movementsin my 531. I think 531 is probably not the best program for my goals as it emphasizes strength rather than size. On the other hand, it got me out of a lot of plateaus and it fits in well with my lifestyle.
In the past despite my dyspraxia I have done quite well at sports, and developed some co ordination, so as I’m changing my diet I may be able to break through the barrier I’m pressed to at the moment, I think I’ll stick it out, but in a few months if little changes, I’ll probably do something very simmilar to what you’ve suggested.
thanks!
I don’t think I put up a decent log for sunday up,
full english breakfast(do you have those in the USA?)
a whole bunch of other food I’ve forgotten.
As i got to the shops over the weekend its closer to my regular diet
wheetabix 380kcal(slept in so was in too much of a rush to eat big)
bannana
steak 100ish grams, pepper, red onion, cous cous, soft chease
salad and leftover cous cous
apple
honey roast pork loin (200ish grams), sweet potatoes, potatoes, carrots,
right now I’m feeling peckish; so i’m planning to eat
smoked salmon, soft cheese, salad (probably including a pepper stuffed with something)
pre bed protien shake
Tomorow is the first day i shall be using people on this forums ideas…
So here is my new plan for meals i shall repeat everyday
BREAKFAST-500kcal total, 380 kcal from wheetabix, pills,
120 kcal from flaxseed oil (please suggest a way of stopping this from tasting of ass)
What are peoples feelings? I would rather get my breakfast protien from a whole food rather than a shake, should I add a couple of boiled eggs? cheese? meaty leftovers?
BRUNCH- 700, 500kcal from 125 grams bulgur (looks like i confused kcal with joules in my earlier post)
(i think i can eat about 200grams in one sitting, but i thought it best to start light and work up)
200 kcal, from 100grams of miced meat (I can’t find an indicator of protien content)
mid afternoon tea- same as brunch
As a result I expect to have 1900 kcal of food everyday, not including 1st supper, 2nd supper and lunch, where I shall continue to eat largely what I like.
I sall continue with a pre bed shake, although i would like to improve my peri workout nutrition (I enjoy what i already take, but I know i could probably prepare better and get more calories in)
[quote]Davinci.v2 wrote:
People like you are the reason so many don’t make any progress reaching their physique goals.
[/quote]
For what, explaining things in a proper context?
Of course this guy needs to eat more, no one’s going to argue that. You can explain that in the context of nutrition. IMO giving advice in a context that makes it seem like you don’t know what the terms you are using mean makes people less likely to take that advice.
If people aren’t investing enough attention to get the point that eating more is required to gain weight than it’s no one’s fault but their own if they can’t reach their goals.
[quote]lnname wrote:
(please suggest a way of stopping this from tasting of ass) [/quote]
I put ground flax in the blender with Greek yogurt, whey powder, milk, and a bit of frozen fruit of my choosing. You really can’t taste the flax. It mixes well in oatmeal as well. I honestly don’t mind it straight up though.
Any of those would work (although it depends on the type of cheese, some cheeses are mostly fat and you’d have to eat quite a bit to get a decent amount of protein).
Whether that’s good enough or not obviously depends entirely on what you have for your three meals after. If your serious about making progress you should keep track of those meals as well. It’s a lot easier to make changes that will help you if you have a positive idea of what you’re doing in the first place. People have suggested some good target kcal/day goals for you, you should make sure you’re hitting them and work from there.
Also, figure out exactly how many grams of protein you eat a day. That would be at least a start for record keeping.
[quote]lnname wrote:
flaxseed oil (please suggest a way of stopping this from tasting of ass)
[/quote]
If you are using the oil for extra calories, I would just switch oils if you don’t like it. Pumpkin seed oil tastes good and it has 14g of fat per tbsp. You can use it on salads to add plenty of good fat and a lot of extra calories. I have never tried it in a shake though, honestly I can’t see it tasting good in a shake.
If you want to add some fat to your breakfast, I would go for whole eggs or some nuts. If time is an issue, hard boil the eggs. I usually spend 3-4 hours on sunday cooking to get my food ready for the week. I always boil at least 12 eggs to have as snacks during the week. They are quick, cheap, and easy. Same for nuts.
Thats a great idea, we all need more time. And a couple of boiled eggs a day would make a great addition to my breakfast.
I am a big fan of bog standard olive oil, so i’ll probably go back to that. After seeing “the mouse that hops” post I tried it in a shake, actually pretty good. Also I’ve been thinking of using it as a salad dressing.
Sorta skimmed the thread, but busting through a weight plateau usually entails eating like a muthaf*c@h. I had to teach myself to eat to grow by basically eating until I felt like I was going to explode, then having a digestion nap, and as soon as I felt like I wasn’t going to explode, I’d eat some more. Rinse and repeat. In four weeks of real good and proper eating, I had gained 10lb of what I’m quite certain is mostly muscle (and water).
Another thing you might want to look into is peri-workout (that’s before, during and after workout) nutrition. I’ve heard good things about just getting a protein shake before during and after your workouts. Including it in my nutrition plan has helped a lot.
But at your height and weight and levels of strength, honestly, you really just have to learn how to eat.
Yesterday I ate in total
Breakfast and the two planned meals - 1900kcal
Had to work through lunch
150 grams steak, fried veg, sweet potatoes potatoes
apple
and a couple of smoked salmon/cream cheese/veg sandwitches.
protien shake with oats
today
I woke up a little earlier for cooking, as I’m planning to tomorrow, so i was extra hungry when i got to breakfast
so breakfast and planned meals - 2100kcal
had to work through lunch as well, but had 200kcal from some juice in between the last meal of the morning and the first of the afternoon
pre workout shake protien maltodextrin
workout shake more protien and maltodextrin
(i took a couple of days off from gymwork to get containers, scales etc, so i can measure my food, eat it on the move etc)
1st supper tuna, rice, runnerbeans
2nd supper more tuna and rice.
pre bed shake potien + oats
Tomorow i’ll start recording my other meals more accurately, with my new scales. Also I’m seeing reason in having a fourth planned meal (lunch). Some days I don’t get a lunch break, so having something that can beeaten one handedly as I work would probably help out a great deal.
The problem is, most sandwitches suck both in nutritiousness and deliciousness.
anyone have any ideas?
Also I still have some of that honey roast pork from a couple of nights ago. What with all these planned meals I haven’t spent as much time snacking as usual.
[quote]lnname wrote:
The problem is, most sandwitches suck both in nutritiousness and deliciousness.
anyone have any ideas?
[/quote]
I eat two burgers a day as snacks. On Sunday as part of my food prep I chop up some mushrooms and onions. I mix it with 2.5 - 3.0 lbs of ground meat. Add in some salt, chili pepper, garlic powder, and worcestershire sauce. It makes 10 burgers that are about 5oz each. I put them in ziploc bags in pairs and leave them in the fridge and take two per day to work.
I prefer my carbs to come in fruit or oatmeal so I don’t eat any bread with them, but with you needing to gain you can probably get away with whatever you want for bread. They are delicious. They take a little prep work over the weekend, but it pays off during the week when you can have a nice burger in less than one minute.
[quote]MaudDib wrote:
[quote]Davinci.v2 wrote:
People like you are the reason so many don’t make any progress reaching their physique goals.
[/quote]
For what, explaining things in a proper context?
Of course this guy needs to eat more, no one’s going to argue that. You can explain that in the context of nutrition. IMO giving advice in a context that makes it seem like you don’t know what the terms you are using mean makes people less likely to take that advice.
If people aren’t investing enough attention to get the point that eating more is required to gain weight than it’s no one’s fault but their own if they can’t reach their goals.
[/quote]
No, it is not ‘explaining things in proper context’, it is introducing a thermodynamics and physics lesson in regards to theoretical complications with the digestive process and how it can be used as reason why calories in vs. calories out doesn’t work.
It is called ‘majoring in the minors’, if it was anything significant (Ie. Crohn’s disease in the small intestine, hyperthyroidism) it most likely would have been stated, if not, preface your post with a question asking if he has these complications before going further.
What you did was take a harmless and 99% accurate blanket statement which had potential of helping the OP, then tore it to shreds in a sad attempt to show you intelligence on an internet forum.
Worse even, you contributed nothing. Do you think that espousing theoretical digestive problems (and a toxin) actually helped the OP in any way?
New week
Well I ate a lot last week, and I spent more time than I care to talk about at food shops and in the kitchen so i’ve learned alot.
I also redid my 1 rep max deadlift, getting 341lbs.
I also realised how hard it is to eat the 1400kcal of the same thing everyday. So tonight, at 11:20 i am up late cooking an extra roast chicken. The plan is to get a couple of days brunch/mid afternoon tea meals out of it. Also I now need to buy tons more veg, eating all the extra food used up my weeks groceries in a couple of days, and i haven’t had enough time to get to the shops since.
So i am eating a lot… although its too early to see if its making any differeance.
On another note, as my squat is limmited, because I’m having difficulty getting to parrallel with weights that I’m otherwise fine with, do people think i should spend a few weeks just focussing on box squatting?