[Whostheboss]

Originally Posted by MrSugarSkulls

That's actually a really good weight to aim for. I want to try to hit 200 lbs too but it's a struggle for me considering I swim 5-6 days a week. I'd have to give up a big portion of that and it's such a pain getting back into the motion of things.

Did you take any supplements to increase size like creatine or a mass gainer?

The only supplement i took was whey protein.

I increased my daily calorie and I stopped my nightly cardio. My six pack is now a 4 pack with a slight gut. But i did that purposely so i could hit my weight goal. If you wanna reach 200lbs i think you may have to cut down on swimming.

[jlstyle]

Man this is motivational for me.
I've never worked out in my life and now I'm old and can't figure out how to split work and work out anymore.

[g_petko]

Just throwing it out there, you must like torture because 3-4 miles of swimming sounds exactly like that to me haha.

Since my house build has moved into the next stage, I can get back into training again (been about 2 months since I consistently trained).

I have a push and pull program going with boxing / kickboxing as cardio. Main lifts are Bench, DL, Squat, O'head Press and Pull-ups. The rest act as supplementary. 3 week increases in weight and set/reps followed by a week decrease (recovery) then repeat.

I am working towards getting back into rugby next year. Personal goal is to hit 2 x BW on DL, Squat and Bench.

[davis449]

I wouldn't call myself a "fit head" by any means, but I was into sports all through my childhood and through H.S. (until my Sr. yr. when my career became a way more important focus for me). I was a competitive swimmer for ~10 years and roller\ice hockey were my highlights. I always hated the gym stigma, so I never went to them. Out of college I had the sort of active IT job where I never sat down and was constantly lugging 100's of lbs. of equipment around almost everyday to facilities that lacked elevators and stuff. I got used to doing that kind of work all the time and it kept me in shape. I've made gradual steps in improving certain health aspects of my life over the last two years. I quit smoking in Nov. 2013 (started vaping instead, haven't picked up a smoke since). After acquiring my most recent job where I am no longer active AT ALL during the day, I gave myself a 6 month reprieve to rest from all the B.S. I've had to do at my various jobs over the past 8 years before getting on an exercise regimen. With the help of a close friend who became a real "fit head" to lose weight (wow, was he successful), I decided to ask him for help. He got me on a simple circuit training routine a couple months ago and I love it so far. I have not lofty expectations from it. I just want to get and stay a bit more fit than I am. I haven't lost any weight, but what little fat I had to begin with is turning to muscle, so I am happy. The gym I go to is small and gets the job done. It's patrons (all ages), so far, are the type of people there to work out and not act like douchebags. I am ok with it, so far. However, when\if it turns into douche central, I will take my routine to my apt. gym where they have equally good equipment. Right now, I am out of the gym for 2 mos., at least, for a series of surgical procedures and IT'S KILLING ME.

[e92_boost]

195 under 12% BF leaned out and ready for wrestling season when I was in high school

[Mr.SugarSkulls]

Originally Posted by e92_boost

195 under 12% BF leaned out and ready for wrestling season in high school

Looking solid brother!

[EdM5]

Originally Posted by Mr.SugarSkulls

The hardest part is GETTING to the gym,

Agreed! That used to be my problem.
That's why I made a gym (Technogym machines, heavy bag, speedball, dumbbell rack, BOSU, row, etc.) in the basement of my house.
Plus twice a week my muay thai trainer comes to the house for sparring and technique training.

Smartest thing I ever did because now I do workouts 5 / 6 times a week.

[Mr.SugarSkulls]

Originally Posted by EdM5

Agreed! That used to be my problem.
That's why I made a gym (Technogym machines, heavy bag, speedball, dumbbell rack, BOSU, row, etc.) in the basement of my house.
Plus twice a week my muay thai trainer comes to the house for sparring and technique training.

Smartest thing I ever did because now I do workouts 5 / 6 times a week.

There you go!

I personally enjoy the atmosphere of having others working out around me (as long as it's not rush hour time) but whatever keep you at it! Keep it up!

[KingOfJericho]

Been doing CrossFit for 8-9 months now and I thought I would go maybe two or three times a week. After the first week I was hooked and have been going M-F every since. Definitely like the motivation of having people around and even with two little kids and long work hours, I still happily get up at 530am to get to the gym for 6.

[csu87]

Im working through injuries lately so it's been harder to get motivated. Had shoulder surgery last august for a torn labrum/bicep tendon, worked my way back up to benching over 300 in a year, now other shoulder is fubarred.

5-8 190lbs 15ish% bf. Had dropped down to 160ish after surgery when i couldn't lift but gained 30lbs now since december. All natty too, with only protein shakes and a pre workout energy booster.

I change my prs after each major injury but the latest are
315 bench
475 dl
375 squat

[Shirley11]

Hi all,

I'm Shirley and i really want to get fit but I have been struggling with weight loss for years. Recently came across a great diet on top3weightlossproducts.com and thought I would give it a go. Already lost 15 lbs in a few weeks! It might help others to get fit and pursue a healthier lifestyle.

[1MOREMOD]

Originally Posted by csu87

Im working through injuries lately so it's been harder to get motivated. Had shoulder surgery last august for a torn labrum/bicep tendon, worked my way back up to benching over 300 in a year, now other shoulder is fubarred.

5-8 190lbs 15ish% bf. Had dropped down to 160ish after surgery when i couldn't lift but gained 30lbs now since december. All natty too, with only protein shakes and a pre workout energy booster.

I change my prs after each major injury but the latest are
315 bench
475 dl
375 squat

Similar numbers as me although I'm little taller and heavier. 6 foot and 203, also over 40.

[squidlyboy]

Originally Posted by Mr.SugarSkulls

I'm a swimmer so it's relatively light compared to a lot of gym enthusiasts I know.

These are all PRs- DL 405
Bench 275
Squat - 315

I hit weights 4 days a week on my shorter swim days 4800-6400 meters(3-4 miles) my distance days I only swim and go 9500 meters (6miles)

I'm definitely trying to get "bigger" but it's a challenge with my level of swimming. I eat upwards of 6K calories and even then/ whether it's pizza donuts or burgers- it melts right off.

I rue the day I stop because I'm sure i will blow up I stopped for a month a few years back- and gained 20 lbs that month.

wow... good for you bro - the swimmers i know are typically super cut and lean but not necessarily strong. your PRs are pretty out of the ordinary for most swimmers i know, especially your bench - dang well done.

the 6k calorie day kinda blows my mind too haha.. not quite michael phelps level, but you must be on the CAN like 5 times a day

I grew up in hawaii and was like 110lbs in high school, went surfing almost every day, and couldn't put weight on to save my life. That changed in college when i started to lift. I'm 5'10" and currently fluctuate at 190-194lbs and 10-12% BF. I only supplement my diet with whey protein. creatine doesn't seem to do much for me. other than lifting, my new passion is dragonboating (paddling) - thats the only cardio i do now as i find running pretty boring. My PRs are:

bench - 365
squat - 385
deadlift - n/a (never really did dl's and have bad back now and can't do dl's)

I find that when i get over 200lbs, almost all of it is fat (can't put on any more lean muscle mass), so i gave up trying, and maintain my weight around 190 now. my weakness is craft beer - ipa's, stouts, belgian trippels, barleywine, ales, ... i gotta have it. otherwise, don't really have many other guilty pleasures (e.g. junk food, soda, smoking, drugs, ...)

[///WORK-F36]

Trying to get bigger as well without adding body fat.....naturally skinny guy....6 foot around 165. Hardest part is eating right and eating enough food....hard to get in a lot of calories when eating clean

[e92_boost]

Originally Posted by Mr.SugarSkulls

Looking solid brother!

Thank you! Just seen your response haha

[e92_boost]

Originally Posted by ///WORK-F36

Trying to get bigger as well without adding body fat.....naturally skinny guy....6 foot around 165. Hardest part is eating right and eating enough food....hard to get in a lot of calories when eating clean

Try Size-On by Gaspari! Had my friend on it and he got great results from it. How many calories do you intake first of all though and what supps do you take?

[csu87]

Originally Posted by ///WORK-F36

Trying to get bigger as well without adding body fat.....naturally skinny guy....6 foot around 165. Hardest part is eating right and eating enough food....hard to get in a lot of calories when eating clean

Lift heavy, eat lots of clean foods and tons of protein shakes. You'll start packing on the weight in no time.

You are going too add a little fat if you are trying to bulk up, that comes with the territory. But if you Lift right, you won't be able to tell as much.

[TSM330i]

I started a new thread on Spartan Races as that's my "goal" for working out.

I'm 45 years old, 6'0" and 175lbs. I don't know what my BF is, but I know it's definitely under 10%. When I don't workout, I will lose about 5 - 10 pounds. I have a difficult time gaining weight even at 45.

As for getting to the gym, I have pretty much a full gym in my basement (see partial pic of my gym). I have a power station, bike and full dumbbell set from 5 - 75lbs. also.

I'm gaining strength as well as stamina. My next Spartan race will be a Super, so 8 - 10 miles with 30 obstacles. The first race was "only" 4.5 miles, but it was a signature event and was not easy.
The only downside to working out at home is not having a training partner, so I'm limited to really pushing myself on certain exercises. Bench I only work up to 185lbs and do six reps. Squats I'll work up to 225lbs and do 12 - 15 reps. When I was 20 years younger, I weighed 170lbs and would max out at 315 bench and squat 405 for six reps. Leg press I'd do 720lbs for reps too.

Part of my cross-training is doing pull-ups (3 sets of 12 - 15 reps), sand bag carry (50lbs for 30 minutes), bucket carry (5 gallon bucket, weighing 75lbs for 10 - 15 minutes - NOT EASY!) and running twice a week (7 - 9 miles each run off road).

My wife and I lead a very healthy lifestyle too. We have for years. I drink socially and eat very healthy the vast majority of time. I haven't drank a soda in 18 years and NEVER drank diet soda.

[ATTN]

Yes I eat and I lift

[m3_love]

Originally Posted by TSM330i

I started a new thread on Spartan Races as that's my "goal" for working out.

I'm 45 years old, 6'0" and 175lbs. I don't know what my BF is, but I know it's definitely under 10%. When I don't workout, I will lose about 5 - 10 pounds. I have a difficult time gaining weight even at 45.

As for getting to the gym, I have pretty much a full gym in my basement (see partial pic of my gym). I have a power station, bike and full dumbbell set from 5 - 75lbs. also.

I'm gaining strength as well as stamina. My next Spartan race will be a Super, so 8 - 10 miles with 30 obstacles. The first race was "only" 4.5 miles, but it was a signature event and was not easy.
The only downside to working out at home is not having a training partner, so I'm limited to really pushing myself on certain exercises. Bench I only work up to 185lbs and do six reps. Squats I'll work up to 225lbs and do 12 - 15 reps. When I was 20 years younger, I weighed 170lbs and would max out at 315 bench and squat 405 for six reps. Leg press I'd do 720lbs for reps too.

Part of my cross-training is doing pull-ups (3 sets of 12 - 15 reps), sand bag carry (50lbs for 30 minutes), bucket carry (5 gallon bucket, weighing 75lbs for 10 - 15 minutes - NOT EASY!) and running twice a week (7 - 9 miles each run off road).

My wife and I lead a very healthy lifestyle too. We have for years. I drink socially and eat very healthy the vast majority of time. I haven't drank a soda in 18 years and NEVER drank diet soda.

Very impressive home gym! I think the key of maintaining good weight, diet plays an important part. Like you sir, we only drink socially and we stay away from junk food and drink/foods with high sugar content. I've only been training for 3 years, and at age 29 I feel better overall and stronger than my earlier self (18-25). My girl and I have been living a healthy lifestyle since we started training together, and I hope to maintain this lifestyle. It's not always easy to stay fit, however the results are worth the sacrafice.

[pgviper]

REACHING OUT FOR HELP!!!

Going to the gym has been my absolute favorite thing to do for the past ten years or so. Participated in a fit competition in college and then moved into power lifting and put up some descent max numbers:

Bench: 315 x 1
DL: 405 x 5
Squat: 335 x 8

Height: 5' 9"
Weight: 175 - 185

Within the past year and a half or so, life has been so chaotic that I just can't get myself into any sort of routine. Some weeks I get to the gym 2 times, sometimes, I have a good spurt of 5 times. Whatever it may be, it isn't consistent. My diet likewise is not consistent.

My question is:

What type of gym routine do you recommend for someone who is not able to make it to the gym consistently?

First solution I have tried:
having 3, 4 and 5 day routines with same goal and cycling through them depending on days I can make it to gym. First problem is that if I start a 4 or 5 day routine, chances are I don't make it through all the days. Likewise if I start a 3 day routine, I have no motivation in case I get a free day.

Second solution:
Focus on cardio. Cardio doesn't need any type of specific routine. You just have to do it. But then I feel like i'm getting smaller which I'm sure everyone here understands is not what you want to have happen.

Current solution:
Chest / Back - Heavy lifting (2 or 3 exercises each)
Legs / Abs - Focus on squat and then extensions and curls, again heavy lifting
Shoulders / Arms - (2 exercises each) Again focus on heavy movements
Crossfit Day - Do some crazy all body crossfit workout for stamina. Currently tried the following and thought I was going to die
run a mile
10 db squat press
10 pull ups
20 pushups
30 bodyweight squats
rest / repeat for as many sets as you can make it
run another mile

Current solution seems to be working ok. But in the next month, I am starting work that will last to the end of december which will keep me tied up from at least 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. and since i've always been a middle of the day gym person. No idea what i'm going to do.

ANY ADVICE IS WELCOME! Thanks in advance.

[csu87]

Originally Posted by pgviper

REACHING OUT FOR HELP!!!

Going to the gym has been my absolute favorite thing to do for the past ten years or so. Participated in a fit competition in college and then moved into power lifting and put up some descent max numbers:

Bench: 315 x 1
DL: 405 x 5
Squat: 335 x 8

Height: 5' 9"
Weight: 175 - 185

Within the past year and a half or so, life has been so chaotic that I just can't get myself into any sort of routine. Some weeks I get to the gym 2 times, sometimes, I have a good spurt of 5 times. Whatever it may be, it isn't consistent. My diet likewise is not consistent.

My question is:

What type of gym routine do you recommend for someone who is not able to make it to the gym consistently?

First solution I have tried:
having 3, 4 and 5 day routines with same goal and cycling through them depending on days I can make it to gym. First problem is that if I start a 4 or 5 day routine, chances are I don't make it through all the days. Likewise if I start a 3 day routine, I have no motivation in case I get a free day.

Second solution:
Focus on cardio. Cardio doesn't need any type of specific routine. You just have to do it. But then I feel like i'm getting smaller which I'm sure everyone here understands is not what you want to have happen.

Current solution:
Chest / Back - Heavy lifting (2 or 3 exercises each)
Legs / Abs - Focus on squat and then extensions and curls, again heavy lifting
Shoulders / Arms - (2 exercises each) Again focus on heavy movements
Crossfit Day - Do some crazy all body crossfit workout for stamina. Currently tried the following and thought I was going to die
run a mile
10 db squat press
10 pull ups
20 pushups
30 bodyweight squats
rest / repeat for as many sets as you can make it
run another mile

Current solution seems to be working ok. But in the next month, I am starting work that will last to the end of december which will keep me tied up from at least 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. and since i've always been a middle of the day gym person. No idea what i'm going to do.

ANY ADVICE IS WELCOME! Thanks in advance.

I am in a similar situation where I cant always get to the gym or dont have a ton of time in the gym. Here is what I do.

3 Day Cycle

Day 1: Chest.
Major Lifts: Start with regular Bench, then move to Incline and Decline Bench.
Ancillary Lifts: If time allows, get several Fly Variation Exercises then do Bis/Tris last.

Day 2: Deadlift Day.
Major Lift: I did the 100 Rep Deadlift Workout for 10 weeks and had great results. https://www.t-nation.com/workouts/10...ap-bar-workout or just do a high weight, low rep workout or any deadlift regimen you enjoy. However, keep in mind that this is also counting as a leg day, so keep that in mind when choosing a deadlift workout.
Ancillary: Once done with deadlifts, hit leg extensions/leg curls type excersises. Then Rows/Pull downs then arms if time allows.

Day 3: Shoulders.
Major Lift: Overhead Press, Cleans, Shrugs for the main lifts,
Ancillary: front and side raises then arms if tim allows.

If I am able to make it a 4th day, I will either hit the ancillary lifts that I missed on the 3 days or, if I was able to make it through all those lifts, I do the major lifts again with similar weight/reps as the original days. Bench, Deadlift, Overhead Press, Cleans.

Optional 5th/6th/7th are Cardio, Abs, High rep/low weight major lifts.


This has worked out best for me since I can get through the major lifts in about 30minutes, and will at least keep strength/size up until I start having more time for the ancillary lifts. These 4 lifts, Bench, Deadlift, OH Press and Cleans should be the staples of any workout routine, and adding in squats will also help, but isnt needed if doing that 100 rep deadlift workout. And, I hate cardio so doing those on the optional days is a win/win for me.

As for diet, it is tough but you have to set your mind to following it. Ive resorted to making my lunches/snacks on Sundays, so I can just grab and go during the busy week. Salads with chicken are always easy and stay fresh, lots of nuts, and always having a protein shake or 2 on hand makes for quick and easy snacking.