ECM Fitness Thread

[exelr8]

Go to bodybuilding.com and go through the Find a plan. There is one called kris gethins dtp mass trainer. Also, since you're not taking supplements, are you using a post workout protein? I would recommend musclemeds carnivore. It is a beef protein instead of whey. It has creatine(not added, naturally found in beef) and has no sugar.

[alpha]

OK fitness gurus.  What would be your suggestions for adding muscle mass to a 6'-0" 156lb frame?  Starting with cardio and light weight lifting (more circuit training, high reps, low weight) to get my muscles accustom to endurance training; then plan to add more weight and do heavy lifting.   I currently do not take any supplements, not plan to do so.  I eat relatively healthy, but my metabolism somewhat hinders by ability to maintain good weight.  At one point I was about 170 lb (and in pretty good shape with very low body fat (5%)), but I think my "natural weight" is the high 150lb area.  I would love to have the natural weight at 170 lb.  I am by no means "skinny"; I prefer the term "lean"  ...

Any advice would be much appreciated. 

You will have to eat at a calorie surplus to gain weight.  OK, now that the obvious is stated, let me clarify..

You will want to calculate your TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure).  This would be based on your estimated BMR and an estimated Activity Factor.  Once you have your TDEE, add about 10% to 20% to your daily caloric intake.  Since this is an estimate, you'll want to keep an eye on your results and adjust accordingly.  Allow at least 2 weeks between changes to realize results.  If you want to get really strict about your diet, calculate your macronutrients.  The most important will be your protein macro though; so you will want to make sure that you eat enough protein per day.  You'll want about 1g to 1.5g of protein per pound of lean body mass (or in your case, you could go with per pound of total weight) per day.

[HEcreated487]

Go to bodybuilding.com and go through the Find a plan. There is one called kris gethins dtp mass trainer. Also, since you're not taking supplements, are you using a post workout protein? I would recommend musclemeds carnivore. It is a beef protein instead of whey. It has creatine(not added, naturally found in beef) and has no sugar.

Thanks Country!  I took creatine and amino's back in highschool and gained a solid 7-8 lbs of muscle in two (2) weeks.  Was a little scary at the time.  Will definitely look into musclemeds carnivore.  Is that relatively expensive?  Does GNC carry the product?  Sorry, didn't so any research yet.

You will have to eat at a calorie surplus to gain weight.  OK, now that the obvious is stated, let me clarify..

You will want to calculate your TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure).  This would be based on your estimated BMR and an estimated Activity Factor.  Once you have your TDEE, add about 10% to 20% to your daily caloric intake.  Since this is an estimate, you'll want to keep an eye on your results and adjust accordingly.  Allow at least 2 weeks between changes to realize results.  If you want to get really strict about your diet, calculate your macronutrients.  The most important will be your protein macro though; so you will want to make sure that you eat enough protein per day.  You'll want about 1g to 1.5g of protein per pound of lean body mass (or in your case, you could go with per pound of total weight) per day.

Thanks Mark!  Not sure if I would want to get that serious, but if it'll help me gain the "good" weight and maintain it, I am down for anything.  Because of the increase in protein each day, what type of "good/healthy" protein would you recommend?  I wouldn't want to have to each a bunch of steak and burgers .  Seriously though, if I can substitute other means of protein, that would be a plus.

Thanks again fellas!

[exelr8]

You can get about a month supply of it for 35 bucks after shipping from bbcom. As for aminos I def recommend scivation Xtend(no not penis pills) its one of the best bcaa's on the market. Watermelon tastes great! I should be getting the raspberry blue in today and will let you know how that tastes

[alpha]

Thanks Mark!  Not sure if I would want to get that serious, but if it'll help me gain the "good" weight and maintain it, I am down for anything.  Because of the increase in protein each day, what type of "good/healthy" protein would you recommend?  I wouldn't want to have to each a bunch of steak and burgers .  Seriously though, if I can substitute other means of protein, that would be a plus.

Thanks again fellas!

You'll want a mix of protein sources; which you can get from lean meats, fish, eggs, unsalted nuts, whey, casein, and dairy products.  That's not to say that you have to eat all of those types in a day, but they are different ways to help you get to your protein amount.

As for aminos I def recommend scivation Xtend(no not penis pills) its one of the best bcaa's on the market. Watermelon tastes great! I should be getting the raspberry blue in today and will let you know how that tastes

I've heard good things about Xtend.  Another great amino product on the market is AEN IntraBolic, which is what I use.  I've also heard good things about Purple Wraath.

[exelr8]

I think(don't quote me) the mix for gaining is like 2g protein per pound of lean muscle weight per day

[exelr8]

So I got the chocolate flavored carnivore today... AFUCKINGMAZING!!! It tastes like hot chocolate and has ZERO sugar

[HEcreated487]

^^ Nice Country!  I was talking to the wife about the carnivore the other day.  Need to do a little more research on the stuff

[exelr8]

I swear, getting stopped in the hall at work and having people at work ask how much weight I've lost never gets old!

[alpha]

I swear, getting stopped in the hall at work and having people at work ask how much weight I've lost never gets old!

Nice!

[accordguy04]

I swear, getting stopped in the hall at work and having people at work ask how much weight I've lost never gets old!

Pics or it didnt happen.  JK Thats awesome man!  So how much have you dropped? Lol

I started doing stuff before work this mornin, push ups, crunches, dips and some curls.  Just a little to combat the coming winter.

[exelr8]

I'm still right around the 20lb mark. But I'm still losing fat and size

[Jeff Likes Bagels]

I'm curious on your guys' opinions...

I'm looking to get some more protein powder. I'm currently using GNC Pro Performance AMP Wheybolic Extreme 60 (that's a mouthful), but I've noticed that it's expensive as shit compared to the other brands. Here is what I'm currently looking to get compared to what I currently have:

http://www.gnc.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3267268

http://www.gnc.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3513369

As you can see, for nearly the same price (I have a gold card), I can get over two pounds more of protein powder with the Optimum Nutrition vs. the GNC brand. Every GNC employee that I've talked to says that the GNC brand is wayyyy higher quality (of course). Am I really going to tell the difference though? I'm not some hardcore weightlifter, I'm just looking to have something to supplement when I exercise. I mainly just want to stay in shape and lose some gut fat.

Thanks guys (except for Z  ). I kid.

[exelr8]

Optimum nutrition makes a lot of great products. Protein is protein, when my trainer is getting ready to compete, he uses Walmart protein powder simply because he uses so much of it. Right now, I'm using musclemeds carnivore. I really like it, enjoy the taste, and it has 0 sugar. I'm very cautious when it comes to protein powders as a lot of them are filled with sugar due to the flavoring. If cost is an issue and you have enough protein powder to last you a week or so(usually less depending where you order) I would recommend shopping online. You will usually get a much better deal online, I've not had good luck with gnc and their high mark up. One of my other personal favorites is BSN labs Syntha-6. Also for tastes, you can look up the product you are curious about on bodybuilding.com and get very good customer ratings. I usually order my supplements through bodybuilding.com or supplementwarehouse.com.

[Jeff Likes Bagels]

Thanks for the info. What about the amino acids and leucine in the GNC brand? From what I've read, the leucine turns fat into energy, and the amino acids do other shit. How important is it?