Gym or p90x

[Captain Harlock]

Agreed about size...using free weights is the most effcient and effective way to induce size...injury proof, though? I don't think it matters.

the movement path is predetermined on machines which might lead faster to injures than with dumbbells. For example, I can't bench press with a barbell (not to mention a chest press machine) without my shoulders hurting a lot, but with dumbbells there's a lot less strain on my shoulders because the dumbbells are seperate from each other. It's hard to explain but I hope you get my point.

 

[j0n024]

Cottage cheese....that's another one I am going to have to get use too I suppose.

I was wondering would lowfat yogurt be an allright substitute, I noticed thought that it has a pretty high amount of sugar and carbs though.

Oh and for workout days I am starting to eat 4 eggs with a yogurt , would this be to much to eat or am I ok? Oh and I eat the eggs by themselves.

 

[SwtChry]

Check out the Eat this not that books by Men's Health author David Zinczenko. Newest book is on supermarkets. The book compares brands and makes suggestions on which items you should choose. Eh, I like them and have put it to good use when I go shopping even if its for those times when you want to know which yogurt is healthier for you and you don't want to have to read 20 different labels.

IMO of course.

 

[I-tallionStallion]

At night stay away from carbs. Carbs should be cut off on your last meal or two. Which could be around 7 or so depending on your eating schedule. I don't see a real diet here -whats your plan? How the hell are you hungry at night if your trying to build muscle. Usually I'm so full I don't even want to look at food. You have whey?? Trueprotein.com is really good. Go with Whey Concentrate and pick a flavor, sweetener, and get a canister. It's a about $4 a pound and it's amazingly easy to eat. Also START jugging down like a gallon of water a day

Fvck yogurt...RED MEAT, EGGS, CHICKEN, VEGGES, TUNA, WHEY, BROWN RICE is all you need. Lets get a eating here. Check the vault and do the started diet. cutoff carbs in the last two meals and keep on morning cardio 6 days a week with a scoop of whey and a empty stomach. This is a cheap way to bulk clean.

 

[Quiksilver]

Agreed about size...using free weights is the most effcient and effective way to induce size...injury proof, though? I don't think it matters.

Machines don't tend to build core strength and natural affinity for the weight you're slugging around. Last summer I was moving around railway ties(big thick lengths of wood) with ease while the kids working with me were struggling to carry single ones between themselves. One of the struggling kids I was working with used to hit the gym with me quite alot, not a lifting buddy, but we'd always be there together. He used to use machines alot, and do "the circuit" around to all the machines, generally avoiding freeweights except for bicep curls. Meanwhile I was busting ass in the powerrack.

Needless to say he strained his back doing that work while i barely broke a sweat(okay okay i was sweating like a bush pig, but still).

He was no newbie in the gym and he was pretty thick, but when it came time to use the muscle he put on for something other than the prescribed motion to him given by the machines, he got spanked.

There really is no point to this story, but it should speak for itself. Slinging around barbells gives you a "feel" for the weight, and a sense of how to balance a load properly for your body, despite never having lifted it before.

 

[Captain Harlock]

At night stay away from carbs. Carbs should be cut off on your last meal or two. Which could be around 7 or so depending on your eating schedule. I don't see a real diet here -whats your plan? How the hell are you hungry at night if your trying to build muscle. Usually I'm so full I don't even want to look at food. You have whey?? Trueprotein.com is really good. Go with Whey Concentrate and pick a flavor, sweetener, and get a canister. It's a about $4 a pound and it's amazingly easy to eat. Also START jugging down like a gallon of water a day

Whey isolate over concentrate - higher concentrations of protein, less sugars or other stuff.

 

[j0n024]

Well I AM hungry at night and that's the problem , that's why I asked the question.

I eat througout the day close to 6 meals a day and around 8 or 9 I start to get hungry again. I DO drink of water as well..I go through a 24 bottle pack in 2 days, oh and where did you find that 4$ a pound whey at true...all I could find was 10$ a pound....link would be extremely appreciated.

Most of all I eat now is Tuna, Salmon tuna (That's new and different) , A package of chicken planks, a package of beef strips , a package of brocolli , egg's and whey on my workout days....I do NOT have a whey that I take everyday and that is what I am looking for right now .O

On another topic...I wouldnt trust or look for help from PT's ...I never really cared for them that much since most of the time they dont know what they are doing and give you useless MACHINE workouts.....yesterday I get to the gym and started stretching and some trainer was with some girl just talking the whole damn day! I mean it was maybe 1:30 of talking with little bits of workouts thrown in .....by the time she is leaving and she says "Good workout," I am sweating my ass off....lol.

 

[TheSplat]

Machines don't tend to build core strength and natural affinity for the weight you're slugging around. Last summer I was moving around railway ties(big thick lengths of wood) with ease while the kids working with me were struggling to carry single ones between themselves. One of the struggling kids I was working with used to hit the gym with me quite alot, not a lifting buddy, but we'd always be there together. He used to use machines alot, and do "the circuit" around to all the machines, generally avoiding freeweights except for bicep curls. Meanwhile I was busting ass in the powerrack.

Needless to say he strained his back doing that work while i barely broke a sweat(okay okay i was sweating like a bush pig, but still).

He was no newbie in the gym and he was pretty thick, but when it came time to use the muscle he put on for something other than the prescribed motion to him given by the machines, he got spanked.

There really is no point to this story, but it should speak for itself. Slinging around barbells gives you a "feel" for the weight, and a sense of how to balance a load properly for your body, despite never having lifted it before.

This is exactly what I meant when I said "injury proof." You use stabilizer muscles w/ squats and deads that you could never hit with machines. Which translates to less injuries outside the gym. A must if you play sports.

 

[I-tallionStallion]

Whey isolate over concentrate - higher concentrations of protein, less sugars or other stuff.

I'm aware of that but it's a lot more expensive then $4.65 a pound. You can also get concentrate without sugars and such at Trueprotein.com

---
Here is your link Jon...it's a little tricky to find but its on there...there are so many damn things you can get on the webpage. You just have to look a little harder next time.

http://www.trueprotein.com/Product_Details.aspx?cid=22&pid=6740

I highly recommend you get like three protein flavors for 3 pounds with jugs and from there on in just get the food grade bag which is free. I hate you, your so much closer to CA and the shipping won't be as bad as here in NJ The flavors are good, just stay away from Mango!

How many ounces are your servings for the chicken and beef you eat?

 

[j0n024]

oh thanks, I found the recession bags and was really thinking about getting a 25 pound bag for 100.

I bought a pound of creatine mono from there and the shipping was 8.85!!!

I dont really know how many ounces of chicken and beef I eat but I think THAT'S what the problem really is , I am not really eating enough I think that's why I am getting hungry at night....its crazy though since I started to eat every 2-3 hours I am use to eating now like that and get hungry at certain times of the day.

Oh would the recession protien be good to get or 3 3lb bags of protein be better...it seems a hell of a lot better then buying pro-NOS 3lb tubs for 54!

 

[simon]

So are you trying to lose fat or gain muscle?

If you're not eating many carbs you need to eat more fats. You also need to get more of your calories from fat than from protein. Your diet looks to be high in lean meats and fish and therefore lacking in fat. A keto diet would be ~ 60% (or more) calories from fat, ~ 40% (or less) from protein. TCD you have more carbs and decrease the calories from fat + protein accordingly.

 

[I-tallionStallion]

yeah it's a hell of a lot cheaper. BTW if you look on the internet and type Trueprotein.com coupon into a search engine you can find a 10% off coupon. You could buy the recession protein and flavor packs for a couple extra bucks so you have even more variety. I would do it that way if I had the money heh.

 

[j0n024]

I am trying to gain muscle while at the same time fix my diet.

I actually remember seeing someone have a code for the 10% off in a thread in health and fitness so I have the 10% off already.

....For the flavor packs...are they really necessary? I mean does it taste that bad, I mix my protein with a banana and mil now so I dont know it tastes decent...never really cared for the taste before.

 

[Being_the_Don]

Machines don't tend to build core strength and natural affinity for the weight you're slugging around. Last summer I was moving around railway ties(big thick lengths of wood) with ease while the kids working with me were struggling to carry single ones between themselves. One of the struggling kids I was working with used to hit the gym with me quite alot, not a lifting buddy, but we'd always be there together. He used to use machines alot, and do "the circuit" around to all the machines, generally avoiding freeweights except for bicep curls. Meanwhile I was busting ass in the powerrack.

Needless to say he strained his back doing that work while i barely broke a sweat(okay okay i was sweating like a bush pig, but still).

He was no newbie in the gym and he was pretty thick, but when it came time to use the muscle he put on for something other than the prescribed motion to him given by the machines, he got spanked.

There really is no point to this story, but it should speak for itself. Slinging around barbells gives you a "feel" for the weight, and a sense of how to balance a load properly for your body, despite never having lifted it before.

That's because most exercises performed with free weights are intended to workout several muscle groups at the same time, and the movements essentially build functional strength. Before joining H & F I thought that machines were somehow better than free weights but I learned differently soon enough. At the same time, machines must have some benefits or no one would ever use them.

 

[Being_the_Don]

It's good that you're making the effort to ask questions, but I have to disagree with the trainer...

Tone is brought about by diet and resistance training...the only difference I've experienced with machines versus free weights is variety in the movement and angle...machines AND free weights have toned my physique, but that's due to my strict diet.

In other words, you're combining free weight and machine exercises because both provide benefits to your overall fitness. And that makes sense. Personally I prefer free weights to machines now, I know that my strength has increased because of them. The reason I got into this discussion is because another poster said that machines were stupid which I thought was misleading considering the possibility that some people may only have access to machines. Besides that, since so many people are reluctant to get in shape, working out at all is an accomplishment and machines may have been what got them interested in exercise. If they think that whatever they're doing has no benefit they might just give up on exercise altogether and never become healthy or fit.

 

[Quiksilver]

At the same time, machines must have some benefits or no one would ever use them.

I actually can't remember the last time I used a machine, except for the smith bar and the leg press.

Unless you're on the low end of a cutting diet(where you lack energy and can injure yourself lifting heavy barbells), then I fail to see any benefit to machines.

IMO, you can do everything with free weights(barbell,db,bodyweight+) that you can do with machines, and get better results.

That's because most exercises performed with free weights are intended to workout several muscle groups at the same time, and the movements essentially build functional strength.

Exactly, it builds muscle as well as training your body to use muscle groups together, in synergy, something that machines cannot provide.

 

[mrRuckus]

That "muscle confusion" nonsense is way overblown.

I'm on something like week 36 of my current program and have made near constant progress on all lifts and my "muscle confusion" consists of:

i switched from db bench to dips
i did neutral grip pullups for a while then switched to rack chins
after 33 weeks i stopped doing barbell rows to do chest supported rows


i don't even know why you would want to use machines. if there's an argument about it, why even bother risking it if it's still easily enough to just do free weights? Are you just too lazy to load up the bar?

There are completely different types of machines anyway. Not all are that locked into position pulley stuff. The chest supported row machine i've been using just has a free motion lever that you can load up with plates. It barely matters that it's a machine since the motion is still free in all directions.


--rant--
i am the only person in my entire gym who knows how to squat. i watch everybody. even guys bigger than me have no idea what they are doing. One guy at least asked me one time to watch him squat and he was pretty close and at least knew he had to go deep... but lately i've been getting so po'd being unable to get in the rack with people doing curls and some weirdo versions of half power cleans with like 40 lbs on the bar and no point to being in a rack. Then a dumbass gets in and is squatting like 4 plates a side but goes down like 6 inches. I keep hoping for his knees to sheer off.

 

[j0n024]

Thats kinda mean to say...but I understand what you mean....I took 2 months to work on my form and I always see people cheating and for some reason the exercise of choice is always arms...its weird.

How do you know when you've pleateaued? I know I am probably still on my easy weight and strength gains but I wondered how long and when you know you've hit a wall. I probably havent hit it yet but cycling off creatine made me weaker and I feel kinda weak since I am at the low end again....

Oh and I was wondering what kinda of exercises you can use for your lower body (Ab,stomach region) ...I know crunches are obsolete but I was wondering if there was any useful exercies for that region...or would squatting be enough?

 

[simon]

Oh and I was wondering what kinda of exercises you can use for your lower body (Ab,stomach region) ...I know crunches are obsolete but I was wondering if there was any useful exercies for that region...or would squatting be enough?

Hanging leg raises, decline situps, cable ab crunches, ab wheel, turkish getups etc.

 

[I-tallionStallion]

Flavors are good. Do whatever you want. You could always use fruit or kool-aid mix, juice...or something like that. do whatever you want. The flavor packs aren't that expensive.