Gym/training woes
Discussion
Hi chaps
For the past 2 months I have been training in the gym, however the last month I have made a conscious effort to eat the right foods. This is mainly a lot of fish, red meat (mostly good steaks) and a lot of chicken. I have cut out a lot of the fatty foods and mainly have pasta or rice to fill me up.
Alongside of my diet which I am strict with, I have also been having a P.T session once a week. My strength has seen a great increase, however I don't seem to be filling out.
With my diet I am taking in around 3000 cals per day, which will include 2 maximuscle cyclone shakes.
Am I just being impatient and these things take time and effort? Or am I missing something?
My personal trainer has given me a plan to follow when in the gym, which includes things like dead lifting, bench press with dumbells, squats and so forth. All of these exercises I have increased my strength on and am now lifting/pushing heavier weights.
Today I got myself some creatine as a friend of mine swears by it, but I am unsure of any potiental risks, if there are any? I am new to this you see.
Thanks for any advice
P.B
For the past 2 months I have been training in the gym, however the last month I have made a conscious effort to eat the right foods. This is mainly a lot of fish, red meat (mostly good steaks) and a lot of chicken. I have cut out a lot of the fatty foods and mainly have pasta or rice to fill me up.
Alongside of my diet which I am strict with, I have also been having a P.T session once a week. My strength has seen a great increase, however I don't seem to be filling out.
With my diet I am taking in around 3000 cals per day, which will include 2 maximuscle cyclone shakes.
Am I just being impatient and these things take time and effort? Or am I missing something?
My personal trainer has given me a plan to follow when in the gym, which includes things like dead lifting, bench press with dumbells, squats and so forth. All of these exercises I have increased my strength on and am now lifting/pushing heavier weights.
Today I got myself some creatine as a friend of mine swears by it, but I am unsure of any potiental risks, if there are any? I am new to this you see.
Thanks for any advice
P.B
Pig benis said:
Hi chaps
For the past 2 months I have been training in the gym, however the last month I have made a conscious effort to eat the right foods. This is mainly a lot of fish, red meat (mostly good steaks) and a lot of chicken. I have cut out a lot of the fatty foods and mainly have pasta or rice to fill me up.
Alongside of my diet which I am strict with, I have also been having a P.T session once a week. My strength has seen a great increase, however I don't seem to be filling out.
With my diet I am taking in around 3000 cals per day, which will include 2 maximuscle cyclone shakes.
Am I just being impatient and these things take time and effort? Or am I missing something?
My personal trainer has given me a plan to follow when in the gym, which includes things like dead lifting, bench press with dumbells, squats and so forth. All of these exercises I have increased my strength on and am now lifting/pushing heavier weights.
Today I got myself some creatine as a friend of mine swears by it, but I am unsure of any potiental risks, if there are any? I am new to this you see.
Thanks for any advice
P.B
How much would you expect to fill out? A couple of months of some additional protein/calories (amounting to not that far above maintenance) & a session a week with a PT isn't going to suddenly make you explode with muscularity. BTW - Sorry if this sounds wrong - not meant to.For the past 2 months I have been training in the gym, however the last month I have made a conscious effort to eat the right foods. This is mainly a lot of fish, red meat (mostly good steaks) and a lot of chicken. I have cut out a lot of the fatty foods and mainly have pasta or rice to fill me up.
Alongside of my diet which I am strict with, I have also been having a P.T session once a week. My strength has seen a great increase, however I don't seem to be filling out.
With my diet I am taking in around 3000 cals per day, which will include 2 maximuscle cyclone shakes.
Am I just being impatient and these things take time and effort? Or am I missing something?
My personal trainer has given me a plan to follow when in the gym, which includes things like dead lifting, bench press with dumbells, squats and so forth. All of these exercises I have increased my strength on and am now lifting/pushing heavier weights.
Today I got myself some creatine as a friend of mine swears by it, but I am unsure of any potiental risks, if there are any? I am new to this you see.
Thanks for any advice
P.B
Can't say that rice/pasta filler sounds all that great either.
ETA - Just how tall/small or fat/scrawny are you to start off with? Genetic pair of deuces or Ace/King suited?
Edited by DukeDickson on Monday 8th April 00:29
Could you post up the routine that you are on? It looks as though you are on the right track with the big compound exercises.
How many calories are you eating above what you were eating before you started lifting?
There is no reason to not get creatine, it will increase your muscle size for as long as you take it and also give you a mild strength boost. I would just get plain creatine monohydrate, dont get caught up in all the gimmicks and advertising, this is the stuff you want.
http://www.myprotein.com/sports-nutrition/creatine...
Btw when you have finished your protein off I would replenish your supplies with this.
http://www.myprotein.com/sports-nutrition/impact-w...
How many calories are you eating above what you were eating before you started lifting?
There is no reason to not get creatine, it will increase your muscle size for as long as you take it and also give you a mild strength boost. I would just get plain creatine monohydrate, dont get caught up in all the gimmicks and advertising, this is the stuff you want.
http://www.myprotein.com/sports-nutrition/creatine...
Btw when you have finished your protein off I would replenish your supplies with this.
http://www.myprotein.com/sports-nutrition/impact-w...
Hi OP,
Firstly creatine is perfectly safe and is one of few supplements actually proven to work. As mentioned before, cyclone already contains this. Creatine does not make you grow though. It can give your muscles the ability to perform reps or sprints for longer or more sets of, but it won't directly make you bigger or stronger.
Secondly, weight gain is slow. You may well be expecting too much and it is worth noting that the initial gains in strength are almost always due to neurological improvements rather than an increase of muscle mass, which comes next but is a slower process.
The main reason I find that people don't put weight on is they simply don't eat enough. You say you have increased your diet to 3000kcal, from what? ~2500? Well if you consider an increase in activity levels as you have started going to the gym X times per week, you really won't have created much of a positive caloire diet. Also, if you're not a small guy 3000kcal really isn't a lot anyway if you're trying to gain weight. So in short, eat more. If you're doing a lot of cardio, stop it (assuming you're commited to gaining weight).
By the sounds of it your trainer has you going along the right lines, just make sure you're pushing hard enough in your own sessions.
Firstly creatine is perfectly safe and is one of few supplements actually proven to work. As mentioned before, cyclone already contains this. Creatine does not make you grow though. It can give your muscles the ability to perform reps or sprints for longer or more sets of, but it won't directly make you bigger or stronger.
Secondly, weight gain is slow. You may well be expecting too much and it is worth noting that the initial gains in strength are almost always due to neurological improvements rather than an increase of muscle mass, which comes next but is a slower process.
The main reason I find that people don't put weight on is they simply don't eat enough. You say you have increased your diet to 3000kcal, from what? ~2500? Well if you consider an increase in activity levels as you have started going to the gym X times per week, you really won't have created much of a positive caloire diet. Also, if you're not a small guy 3000kcal really isn't a lot anyway if you're trying to gain weight. So in short, eat more. If you're doing a lot of cardio, stop it (assuming you're commited to gaining weight).
By the sounds of it your trainer has you going along the right lines, just make sure you're pushing hard enough in your own sessions.
Edited by balders118 on Monday 8th April 07:15
Edited by balders118 on Monday 8th April 07:16
Are you consuming 2g of protein per lb of bodyweight?
Growing muscle is very hard work, if you work your arse off with a perfect regime, diet and plenty of sleep and you'll be very lucky to get 10lb of muscle a year. It does take time. Also, how tall are you, a shorter person will fill out so much quicker than a tall person as well.
Growing muscle is very hard work, if you work your arse off with a perfect regime, diet and plenty of sleep and you'll be very lucky to get 10lb of muscle a year. It does take time. Also, how tall are you, a shorter person will fill out so much quicker than a tall person as well.
balders118 said:
Hi OP,
Secondly, weight gain is slow. You may well be expecting too much and it is worth noting that the initial gains in strength are almost always due to neurological improvements rather than an increase of muscle mass, which comes next but is a slower process.
The main reason I find that people don't put weight on is they simply don't eat enough. You say you have increased your diet to 3000kcal, from what? ~2500? Well if you consider an increase in activity levels as you have started going to the gym X times per week, you really won't have created much of a positive caloire diet. Also, if you're not a small guy 3000kcal really isn't a lot anyway if you're trying to gain weight. So in short, eat more. If you're doing a lot of cardio, stop it (assuming you're commited to gaining weight).
By the sounds of it your trainer has you going along the right lines, just make sure you're pushing hard enough in your own sessions.
All good advice.Secondly, weight gain is slow. You may well be expecting too much and it is worth noting that the initial gains in strength are almost always due to neurological improvements rather than an increase of muscle mass, which comes next but is a slower process.
The main reason I find that people don't put weight on is they simply don't eat enough. You say you have increased your diet to 3000kcal, from what? ~2500? Well if you consider an increase in activity levels as you have started going to the gym X times per week, you really won't have created much of a positive caloire diet. Also, if you're not a small guy 3000kcal really isn't a lot anyway if you're trying to gain weight. So in short, eat more. If you're doing a lot of cardio, stop it (assuming you're commited to gaining weight).
By the sounds of it your trainer has you going along the right lines, just make sure you're pushing hard enough in your own sessions.
From my own experiences eating well is crucial - I went Paleo about a year ago and that has made a huge difference to my fitness and strength, with bodyfat falling from around 28% down to 13% - http://www.marksdailyapple.com/welcome-to-marks-da...
Also, when I first started with weights I kind of went through the motions, lifting too heavy, without good form. After initial frustration I learnt that rather than focus on the weight (it's just a number!) it's all about pushing yourself consistently to failure through a FULL range of movement, and really mentally putting yourself 'in the muscle' during the exercise. Those last tough reps with full extension and contraction is what makes all the difference.
Regiment said:
Are you consuming 2g of protein per lb of bodyweight?
Growing muscle is very hard work, if you work your arse off with a perfect regime, diet and plenty of sleep and you'll be very lucky to get 10lb of muscle a year. It does take time. Also, how tall are you, a shorter person will fill out so much quicker than a tall person as well.
2g per lb! I think you've got your units wrong. The general guideline is around 1.8g per kg. 2g per lb would be about 400g per day for me, which is a fGrowing muscle is very hard work, if you work your arse off with a perfect regime, diet and plenty of sleep and you'll be very lucky to get 10lb of muscle a year. It does take time. Also, how tall are you, a shorter person will fill out so much quicker than a tall person as well.
k of a lot of chicken!balders118 said:
2g per lb! I think you've got your units wrong. The general guideline is around 1.8g per kg. 2g per lb would be about 400g per day for me, which is a fk of a lot of chicken!
Lol yes sorry, 1g per lb or 2g per kg is what I recommend. Watched Ronnie Coleman talking about his diet over the weekend and he said 2g per lb which for 99.999% of people would be too much.k of a lot of chicken!Regiment said:
balders118 said:
2g per lb! I think you've got your units wrong. The general guideline is around 1.8g per kg. 2g per lb would be about 400g per day for me, which is a fk of a lot of chicken!
Lol yes sorry, 1g per lb or 2g per kg is what I recommend. Watched Ronnie Coleman talking about his diet over the weekend and he said 2g per lb which for 99.999% of people would be too much.k of a lot of chicken!Anyway, it would be good to know what height, weight, bodyfat level the chap is at and also more information on his training days and what he does!
Lee
I've always found 1kg bodyweight/1.5g protein to be reasonable.
Also creatine doesn't work for everyone - I've used it twice, with wildly varying results: First time I was trying to increase lifts with no other goal - my diet was pretty poor, and I was basically relying on protein shakes to reach my protein targets. However, I was lifting consistently and working hard during my sessions. That time round, I put on 4kg water weight overnight, and then steadily increased all of my lifts by a fair margin (after having been stalled on the same numbers for months). I believe that I was able to break that plateau mostly thanks to creatine.
The second time, a year or so later, I'd sorted my diet out by switching to Paleo, had dropped from 85kg to 65kg, and my protein needs were more than met by eating meat. This time creatine made absolutely no difference to me whatsoever. No weight increase, no change in water retention or water needs, no increase in strength or endurance. It was suggested that this time it was because my diet was covering my body's need for creatine, so adding more was pointless.
TL;DR Like all supplements, only worth it if it's making up for a dietary deficiency.
Also creatine doesn't work for everyone - I've used it twice, with wildly varying results: First time I was trying to increase lifts with no other goal - my diet was pretty poor, and I was basically relying on protein shakes to reach my protein targets. However, I was lifting consistently and working hard during my sessions. That time round, I put on 4kg water weight overnight, and then steadily increased all of my lifts by a fair margin (after having been stalled on the same numbers for months). I believe that I was able to break that plateau mostly thanks to creatine.
The second time, a year or so later, I'd sorted my diet out by switching to Paleo, had dropped from 85kg to 65kg, and my protein needs were more than met by eating meat. This time creatine made absolutely no difference to me whatsoever. No weight increase, no change in water retention or water needs, no increase in strength or endurance. It was suggested that this time it was because my diet was covering my body's need for creatine, so adding more was pointless.
TL;DR Like all supplements, only worth it if it's making up for a dietary deficiency.
Meoricin said:
I've always found 1kg bodyweight/1.5g protein to be reasonable.
Also creatine doesn't work for everyone - I've used it twice, with wildly varying results: First time I was trying to increase lifts with no other goal - my diet was pretty poor, and I was basically relying on protein shakes to reach my protein targets. However, I was lifting consistently and working hard during my sessions. That time round, I put on 4kg water weight overnight, and then steadily increased all of my lifts by a fair margin (after having been stalled on the same numbers for months). I believe that I was able to break that plateau mostly thanks to creatine.
The second time, a year or so later, I'd sorted my diet out by switching to Paleo, had dropped from 85kg to 65kg, and my protein needs were more than met by eating meat. This time creatine made absolutely no difference to me whatsoever. No weight increase, no change in water retention or water needs, no increase in strength or endurance. It was suggested that this time it was because my diet was covering my body's need for creatine, so adding more was pointless.
TL;DR Like all supplements, only worth it if it's making up for a dietary deficiency.
How the heck did you drop from 85kg to 65kg, sheesh how tall are you? You must have been uber lean! Also creatine doesn't work for everyone - I've used it twice, with wildly varying results: First time I was trying to increase lifts with no other goal - my diet was pretty poor, and I was basically relying on protein shakes to reach my protein targets. However, I was lifting consistently and working hard during my sessions. That time round, I put on 4kg water weight overnight, and then steadily increased all of my lifts by a fair margin (after having been stalled on the same numbers for months). I believe that I was able to break that plateau mostly thanks to creatine.
The second time, a year or so later, I'd sorted my diet out by switching to Paleo, had dropped from 85kg to 65kg, and my protein needs were more than met by eating meat. This time creatine made absolutely no difference to me whatsoever. No weight increase, no change in water retention or water needs, no increase in strength or endurance. It was suggested that this time it was because my diet was covering my body's need for creatine, so adding more was pointless.
TL;DR Like all supplements, only worth it if it's making up for a dietary deficiency.
Creatine is cheap enough to use but don't expect miracles from it, some notice it more than others. I personally notice no effect but have tried it over a longer period because it was so cheap!
Lee
Gassing Station | Health Matters | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff