AFF Weight Gain/Loss Program

[galaxy xr8]

Ok I am on my last week of this routine then I am having a week of and starting back up the following week doing a different routine, but as of today I am at the following,
Bench 4 x 3 @ 100kg- 102.5kg- 105kg- 107.5kg.
Squat's 4 x 3 @ 107.5kg- 110kg- 112.5kg- 115kg.
Deadlift's 4 x 3 @ 155kg- 160kg- 165kg- 170kg.

Weighing in at 94 kg, I am very happy with that.

[FPV8U]

Besides doing more of them anything i should be doing to improve deadlifts, with proper form im finding 75-80kg quite heavy, which is lighter than my squat and benchpress.

[galaxy xr8]

Originally Posted by FPV8U

Besides doing more of them anything i should be doing to improve deadlifts, with proper form im finding 75-80kg quite heavy, which is lighter than my squat and benchpress.

If your technique is good then it will come in time, try not to jump the weight's just because you think you are lacking, Deadlift's are not for everyone, some people don't like them, myself I love them but if you are eating well and eating more then you expell and by this you will tell if you are by the fact that you will be putting on weight, then you will also be putting on muscle and gaining strength thus you will lift heavier.

But you should also be weary of over training, you should only do the major body part lift's 3 times a week and have adequete rest in between, I only do deadlift's once a week.

It will come in time but you need to eat, this is what I have found to be the secret, if I don't eat right I know it as soon as I start my session as I am larthargic and I can tell, but if I have eaten right before hand and after, I feel like I can go and go, just like tonight I trained my last session as I am having the week of next week, I did Squat's at 110kg - 112.5kg- 115kg- 117.5kg.
Bench at 102.5kg- 105kg- 107.5kg- 110kg (which I only got 2 rep's on the 110kg) but you need to eat.

[FPV8U]

Thanks Galaxy, went alot better yesterday afternoon i'll post up some updated weight/sets in a couple of weeks once i reach some personal goals.

Doing 3 lifting sessions a week, walk the Dog 5 Nights a week (German Shepherd = 3-4Km walks atleast), but with some preseason training about to start i'll have to shuffle this a bit aswell.

[sneaky]

i finally got the push i needed to start doing some exercise this week - planned a big family holiday for the start of march next year (25 people).

so i decided it is time to get into a bit of a less round shape

just wondering the best way to go about losing the 'gut' i have been building for a few years..

bit of background - i'm nearly 30, about 178cm tall and weigh in at a massive 70kg. so i'm not the hugest person getting around, but i still want to lose the gut. my diet is shi... not to flash and i'm trying to lay off the chocolate and lollies (sweet food is my weakness) i gave up coke nearly 2 years ago and i'm 'trying' to eat salady type stuff a bit more.

anyways, i went for a bit of a jog twice so far this week, about 3 - 4 k's in around 20-30 minutes - not blistering pace but a start.

and i'm aiming at jogging 3 or 4 times a week with some pushups/sit ups on the nights i'm not jogging. don't know if it makes a difference but the exercise will mostly be done at about 8pm after the kids are in bed and it has cooled off slightly.

any tips or suggestions from you guys out there?

[FPV8U]

Weightloss isn't my strongpoint for knowledge but push ups, sit ups and if your have somewhere to do it close grip chin ups will help you ""look Fitter" with more tone in your upper body and arms.

The running will help with weight loss, but don't be afraid to just go for a long walk some nights and give yourself a rest.

I used to jog a heap but soon found myself with alot of general joint disomfort, unless your running on grass that will make it alot asier.

diet is key, don't forget you need to eat, just don't include all the $#1t foods, im a sucker for sweet temptations aswell so i feel your pain.

[jimmyxr6t04]

Sneaky: At 178cm and 70kgs, you can't have too much of a gut!

Running or riding a bike is a good start. I prefer riding as it's easier on the body! I find it more relaxing too.

If you don't have too much flab around the gut, sit ups will help bulk your abs a little and start to show through the fat... They're a bit of a waste of time otherwise though (just IMO).

Sit ups don't really burn enough calories to really aid in weight loss, they do help shape the abs once the fat is gone though.

Push ups will help you build a little muscle/shape around the chest, shoulders and arms.

If you have a punching bag, then some high intensity boxing is great for weightloss, and also ab work. Particularly if you tighten your abs whilst punching and really concentrate on keeping them tight and twisting/crunching with each movement.

But from the sounds of it, you don't have a heap of weight to lose. Some jogging, and general exercise whilst watching the junk food will see you lose the gut in no time.

[jimmyxr6t04]

Galaxy - Just out of interest, what are you trying to achieve with your training? From previous posts, it seems you're a power lifter??

Just curious as to your training method of progressive loading? EG: Doing bench 102, then 105 etc? How many reps do you do of each, and what sort of rest period in between? I haven't trained for power lifting as such, but have done a lot of strength and hypertrophy training.

Are you aiming for strength gains with your method?

The reason i ask is, have you tried starting your bench at 110kgs? if you're getting 2 reps in a fatigued state, you might get better strength gains if you start at 110kg fresh and do more reps whilst fresh?

For example; I'll do 8-10reps of 50kg flat dumbell presses and aim for 5 sets. This allows me to lift the heaviest possible weight whilst i'm at my freshest. I then lower the weight a little for incline presses. If i was to start at 44kgs for my first set, i dare say i'd be too fatigued to move the 50kg by my last set.

Likewise, when i do bench press (rare times when i train with some one), i'll load the bar to 110 and do 8-12 reps. Sometimes i'll load it to 120kg and aim for 3-4 reps, and have a good rest, then try again.

It's not that i don't use overload and go heavier, but usually i'll try and start as heavy as possible when i'm at my freshest.

Just curious, as you're obviously very strong, especially to be able to still rep 110kgs in a more fatigued state... I dare say, fresh, you'd be able to smash out reps of 120kgs+

edit: Just noticed that you said this is the last week of this particular routine, so i take it you were just training like that for this period? What will your next routine be like? I'm interested to know how you go as i like to vary my training, and you can always learn from others experience.

[FPV8U]

Did some measurements tonight, have lost a couple of CM around the waise which is good, but Galaxy without doing curling/barbell work ive lost 2cm off each arm.. What are you doing to my guns!!! (That is a joke for those that lack humor)

[galaxy xr8]

Originally Posted by jimmyxr6t04

Galaxy - Just out of interest, what are you trying to achieve with your training? From previous posts, it seems you're a power lifter??

Just curious as to your training method of progressive loading? EG: Doing bench 102, then 105 etc? How many reps do you do of each, and what sort of rest period in between? I haven't trained for power lifting as such, but have done a lot of strength and hypertrophy training.

Are you aiming for strength gains with your method?

The reason i ask is, have you tried starting your bench at 110kgs? if you're getting 2 reps in a fatigued state, you might get better strength gains if you start at 110kg fresh and do more reps whilst fresh?

For example; I'll do 8-10reps of 50kg flat dumbell presses and aim for 5 sets. This allows me to lift the heaviest possible weight whilst i'm at my freshest. I then lower the weight a little for incline presses. If i was to start at 44kgs for my first set, i dare say i'd be too fatigued to move the 50kg by my last set.

Likewise, when i do bench press (rare times when i train with some one), i'll load the bar to 110 and do 8-12 reps. Sometimes i'll load it to 120kg and aim for 3-4 reps, and have a good rest, then try again.

It's not that i don't use overload and go heavier, but usually i'll try and start as heavy as possible when i'm at my freshest.

Just curious, as you're obviously very strong, especially to be able to still rep 110kgs in a more fatigued state... I dare say, fresh, you'd be able to smash out reps of 120kgs+

edit: Just noticed that you said this is the last week of this particular routine, so i take it you were just training like that for this period? What will your next routine be like? I'm interested to know how you go as i like to vary my training, and you can always learn from others experience.

I was going to go back to 5x5 but start at a higher weight then when I did them last routine, but unsure now as I didn't have the response/gain's doing 5x5 that I have doing 4 x 3 with heavy, I have really enjoyed doing them and made some good gain's, like you say I do my heavy set's when I am allready fatigued, so maybe I should start heavier ?.

I might try doubles for a few week's ?.

[galaxy xr8]

Originally Posted by FPV8U

Did some measurements tonight, have lost a couple of CM around the waise which is good, but Galaxy without doing curling/barbell work ive lost 2cm off each arm.. What are you doing to my guns!!! (That is a joke for those that lack humor)

Barbell row's and hit them hard, chin up's, but if you do like curl's, and they did work for you, then stick to them but don't focus on them, like most blokes do, you see so many guy's just doing rep's/set's and set's of different curling exercises and forget about the basic's lift's that actually promote growth....

[galaxy xr8]

What are people using as a post workout meal/drink ?.

I have been reading up on a high GI straight after to promote synthesis etc and GH, they say Maltedextron and dextrose ??
Any thought's ?.

[jimmyxr6t04]

Originally Posted by galaxy xr8

Barbell row's and hit them hard, chin up's, but if you do like curl's, and they did work for you, then stick to them but don't focus on them, like most blokes do, you see so many guy's just doing rep's/set's and set's of different curling exercises and forget about the basic's lift's that actually promote growth....

Underhand barbell rows are awesome for biceps. I do them when i train back, then do a set of standing barbell curls with a lighter weight... Heaps of people spend too much time on arms... I find that doing everything else usually makes them grow anyway!

Originally Posted by galaxy xr8

I was going to go back to 5x5 but start at a higher weight then when I did them last routine, but unsure now as I didn't have the response/gain's doing 5x5 that I have doing 4 x 3 with heavy, I have really enjoyed doing them and made some good gain's, like you say I do my heavy set's when I am allready fatigued, so maybe I should start heavier ?.

I might try doubles for a few week's ?.

Yeah, i don't know mate.. I guess it depends on what you want? For strength, i find doing my heavy sets when fresh gives me the best gains, and much quicker. It's all an experiment to find what works best for each person... I guess it gets harder to do when you start to plateau and need to vary training...

Maybe try starting on really heavy and see how you go? You might find that the next session is a bit easier, and then the next easier again? Then you can bump it up a tad...

I just think that if you can do reps on 110kg when fatigued, you'll do even more when fresh, or even start heavier.

Keep us posted if you do trying to go heavier whilst fresh. I reckon you could knock out a few good reps at 120kg. Have you tried going that heavy?

[jimmyxr6t04]

Originally Posted by galaxy xr8

What are people using as a post workout meal/drink ?.

I have been reading up on a high GI straight after to promote synthesis etc and GH, they say Maltedextron and dextrose ??
Any thought's ?.

Yeah mate, dextrose or certain sugars can help promote protein synthesis due to an insulin spike. Personally, i use honey in my protein shake post workout. I usually warm it up so it melts and mixes easier.

I don't always use honey, sometimes i just have a normal shake or meal.

The idea is though, eat your 'sugary' type foods immediately post workout, as that's when your body will use it best and not store it as fat so much. Obviously not any type of sugar is ideal, but the idea is to the get an insulin spike.

[FPV8U]

Originally Posted by galaxy xr8

Barbell row's and hit them hard, chin up's, but if you do like curl's, and they did work for you, then stick to them but don't focus on them, like most blokes do, you see so many guy's just doing rep's/set's and set's of different curling exercises and forget about the basic's lift's that actually promote growth....

Oh ive been doing the Barbell rows, just not arm work i meant.

[galaxy xr8]

Originally Posted by jimmyxr6t04

Yeah mate, dextrose or certain sugars can help promote protein synthesis due to an insulin spike. Personally, i use honey in my protein shake post workout. I usually warm it up so it melts and mixes easier.

I don't always use honey, sometimes i just have a normal shake or meal.

The idea is though, eat your 'sugary' type foods immediately post workout, as that's when your body will use it best and not store it as fat so much. Obviously not any type of sugar is ideal, but the idea is to the get an insulin spike.

I'm just unsure of the Maltidextrose/dextrose as they are 100% pure sugar and as we are lead to believe, full sugar is bad but I have been reading about maltidextrose and dextrose as the best source post workout, even better then a banana which is all I ussually have.

I did read something about honey not beeing the best source for two reason's,
1..... it is fructose and for some reason fructose is not absorb as best and promotes pro syn as good as the other's.
2..... some brand's of honey that you buy in the supermarket's are just pure crap, if you are to take honey and I will admitt I do as I LOVE honey, you should only buy organic pure honey.

No how true the above statement's are I will not comment on but I do thrive on all thing's organic myself and eat them religously but when talking about the sugar's above I am not so sure on , it is just what I have read, I might try it out though and see.

[jimmyxr6t04]

Originally Posted by galaxy xr8

I'm just unsure of the Maltidextrose/dextrose as they are 100% pure sugar and as we are lead to believe, full sugar is bad but I have been reading about maltidextrose and dextrose as the best source post workout, even better then a banana which is all I ussually have.

I did read something about honey not beeing the best source for two reason's,
1..... it is fructose and for some reason fructose is not absorb as best and promotes pro syn as good as the other's.
2..... some brand's of honey that you buy in the supermarket's are just pure crap, if you are to take honey and I will admitt I do as I LOVE honey, you should only buy organic pure honey.

No how true the above statement's are I will not comment on but I do thrive on all thing's organic myself and eat them religously but when talking about the sugar's above I am not so sure on , it is just what I have read, I might try it out though and see.

Yeah honey isn't the most ideal, but it will still create a bit of an insulin spike.

I too usually have a banana post workout. But the dextrose might be worth trying, as really all you're after is an insulin spike to help carry the protein to the muscles quicker (so to speak).

At the end of the day though, you could train hard, eat right, do nothing else and still get gains. I guess it's all about trying to utilise small things that might benefit...

[galaxy xr8]

Originally Posted by FPV8U

Oh ive been doing the Barbell rows, just not arm work i meant.

You could also try some reverse pull up's.

[Mont5.0]

Originally Posted by raised by monkeys

... and how quickly you'll lose those gains when you stop using.

what a crock. Depends on which gear your on. Deca gains can be kept as will others. Many steroids do many different things.

heres a quick link:
http://www.steroidtips.com/steroidrank.htm

[loosey]

Originally Posted by galaxy xr8

What are people using as a post workout meal/drink ?.

I have been reading up on a high GI straight after to promote synthesis etc and GH, they say Maltedextron and dextrose ??
Any thought's ?.

I usually have a shake (o/n wpi) with some dextrose in it. Dextrose is cheap so if you find it doesn't work for you it doesn't matter. I just get the coopers one from foodland, cost about $4 for a kg. Failing that I just have a chocolate milk which is *supposed* to do much the same thing.
I'll always have a meal when i get home too.

[XR6_661]

Originally Posted by galaxy xr8

You could also try some reverse pull up's.

Galaxy, what are your views on one armed press instead of military press?

[galaxy xr8]

Originally Posted by XR6_661

Galaxy, what are your views on one armed press instead of military press?

To mix thing's up sure... I ussually do them from the ground straight up to the final posisition and back to the ground, using the hole body as a movement.

[sexyxe]

Galaxy i take 20gm WMS, 30gm WPI, 10gm L-glutamine, 10gm BCAA, 10gm creatine monohydrate with 700ml water is my shake.

Doesn't cost much, easy to mix, if you get the right flavours tastes okay. Mines a bit off with grape BCAA and strawberry WPI and L glut tastes...ergh anyway.

[jimmyxr6t04]

Originally Posted by sexyxe

Galaxy i take 20gm WMS, 30gm WPI, 10gm L-glutamine, 10gm BCAA, 10gm creatine monohydrate with 700ml water is my shake.

Doesn't cost much, easy to mix, if you get the right flavours tastes okay. Mines a bit off with grape BCAA and strawberry WPI and L glut tastes...ergh anyway.

Why so much creatine mate? Are you in the loading phase? Even then, it's best to spread it out over 3x5g servings. The body can only handle so much, and once it's saturated the rest is wasted.

3-5g per day is enough to maintain saturation...

[sexyxe]

Im still loading, and will be for another 2 weeks, before taking 5gm a day for 8-10 weeks, then 2 off.

Different reading will tell you different things. Loading in one serve, or over the day - every 4-6 hours, but end result is essentially the same.

I've read studies on taking in 90% of your daily protein in ONE serve compared to spread over 4-7 meals and the minimal difference it had on body composition.

Just depends how your body works, what does for me, may not for you (within limits of course).

[raised by monkeys]

Originally Posted by Mont5.0

what a crock. Depends on which gear your on. Deca gains can be kept as will others. Many steroids do many different things.

heres a quick link:
http://www.steroidtips.com/steroidrank.htm

I understand that. But basic logic tells me that if A) steroid help make gains then B) stop steroid you wont make the same gains.

So what your telling me that if you take a couple of courses of steroids, you'll continue to make those gains or at least you'll keep all gains when you stop? Thats rubbish.

[raised by monkeys]

Mont5.0

heres a quick link:

I prefer academic material. Try info attached to gov or edu sites

http://www.nida.nih.gov/infofacts/steroids.html

[jimmyxr6t04]

Originally Posted by raised by monkeys

I understand that. But basic logic tells me that if A) steroid help make gains then B) stop steroid you wont make the same gains.

So what your telling me that if you take a couple of courses of steroids, you'll continue to make those gains or at least you'll keep all gains when you stop? Thats rubbish.

For the most part you'll keep the gains provided you keep training to a high standard. You won't keep all the size, but you won't magically shrink within the space of a few months when you cease taking them...

You won't keep making gains, but you won't rapidly go backwards either.

It also depends on who takes them and when... A person who has trained for many years, hit a plateau, takes roids and gets even bigger may find it harder to keep those gains as they've reached a very high point naturally.

Another person who takes roids early on, gets massive, but hasn't reached near the peak of what they might have naturally, will probably keep, or exceed those gains down the track.

Either way, people don't start shrinking as soon as they stop taking the gear. If the training is good, then they'll maintain it for quite some time.

[sexyxe]

Most .gov or .edu sites will portray steroids in a very negative light. Much like that link where a lot of 'possibles' 'potentials' 'some cases' 'has been known to' are used. Using minorities to give a majority a bad name.

That link also didn't mention anything about maintaining gains, which I believe that comment to be directed at.

[raised by monkeys]

Originally Posted by sexyxe

Most .gov or .edu sites will portray steroids in a very negative light. Much like that link where a lot of 'possibles' 'potentials' 'some cases' 'has been known to' are used. Using minorities to give a majority a bad name.

That link also didn't mention anything about maintaining gains, which I believe that comment to be directed at.

If you go to a corporate brands website, they are only going to encourage you to buy their product. Academic material provies information on research.

Anyhow, my argument isnt for or against steroids. I can see your argument though.