Weight Loss or Weight Gain Thread "2012"

[SlowNA06]

Couldn't work out for a week from getting my new tattoo and I lost 10 pounds on each arm doing dumbell press... back to 40lbs

Strength doesn't disappear, but it fluctuates on a cycle and takes nosedives sometimes if you take a break. For example, I sprained my ankle badly and didn't go anywhere near a gym for two weeks. I go back in and my legs cramp painfully squatting 135, and I couldn't put up more than 5x175 for a while. Within 7 days, I was back up to doubles at 315lbs... and the ankle's still not healed.

each set, muscle fatigue/failure.

Training to failure is simply training to fail. Not recommended. Nobody that's strong does this, I guarantee it.

Even contemplated test boosters/steroids but thats an awful choice at my young age of 19.

As a loose rule of thumb, steroids shouldn't even be a consideration until you've been lifting seriously for 10+ years and your lifts haven't budged in two years. Let's not pretend that "test boosters" aren't in the same boat.

I watch what i eat, and im not trying to gain mass/size. Im going for more looks since i dont play football anymore and have no need for the mass. im aiming for the big(ish) muscles, little fat, with muscle definition. Im already quite toned, i just need more muscle now.

I think you're confused.

Firstly, you're not toned; you have a low bodyfat %. The only people that say "tone" (and "core") are aerobics instructors because they preach to the weak-minded, -willed, and -bodied.

Second, you're trying to gain muscle without gaining mass? Don't say that because it doesn't make any sense. If you're trying to gain muscle, which has mass, you're gonna want to look to get a bare minimum of 300g protein a day. I'm willing to bet you barely get half that since most people barely eat any protein at all. If you're lifting 4-7 times a week, you're probably looking to intake something like 3,000-5,000 calories a day to keep getting stronger. This of course, depends on your body and how much and hard you work. Basically, if you hurt and feel weak, eat and sleep more (and attack the weights like like a rabid wolverine). Nobody is packing on muscle with 2,000 calories and day.

As an aside, clean bulking is SLOW bulking, which is why powerlifters and bodybuilders cycle their diets (and lifting routines) to gain quick mass and strength, then diet back down for competition. There's nothing wrong with taking it slow and steady, since you're in the game for the rest of your hopefully long life, but for someone that's so frustrated by their current plateaus that they're considering steroids, I can't imagine you're looking for slow results.

[DanPrixGTP]

im a very impatient person. But you sound as if your right, slow and steady is the correct way to go. I just grow muscle sooooo slowly and its getting frustrating, very frustrating. As most of my friends have been lifting less than me and can now bench 350pounds as a max as im stuck at 275.

Thinking about trying Creatine - SizeOn.

Yes maybe toned was incorrect wordage but i have a very low body fat % as ive lost 18 pounds of fat alone.

And as far as calories and protein, i dont got out and eat Mcdonalds non-stop to get my calories, i eat alot, im constantly hunger but i eat like three of those Lean-Cuisine dinners at a time. For protein i take in about 100g a day and thats about it.

[Kolton Lock]

Haven't gained much mass. Only 15 lbs

I'm still nestling at 5-7% body fat.

But I've doubled and even tripled most of my weights

Edit: I eat like a crazy mofo.

[SlowNA06]

most of my friends have been lifting less than me and can now bench 350pounds as a max as im stuck at 275.

Last time anyone legitimately cared "what's your bench, bro?" was high school. That being said, there's no sense in comparing yourself to people who weigh more, eat and train differently than you, and have been for a different amount of time. There's also such a thing as natural leverages due to bone sizes and shapes, which is why my deadlift far exceeds my overhead, bench press, and squat by a stupid amount. Some people are born to press. Flip the script and out-squat them if you need an ego boost. And start overhead pressing - it will increase your bench, I guarantee it.

Thinking about trying Creatine - SizeOn.

I like Gaspari's protein. That being said, SizeOn looks like it's about 4g creatine, so make sure you get no more than one serving a day (typical creatine mono supplementing is 2-5g/day), or you'll probably have an unhappy tummy. It's also got 37g of sugar in it, which is quite a bit... something like 9 teaspoons of sugar... so that's where 150 of the 180 calories come from. My suggestion is that you get the following:
Protein, because you don't get enough from food alone. Good, cheap blend here.
Good cheap creatine powder, if you must.
The best shaker cup I've ever used for only $1.50, so grab a couple
...with $5 flat rate shipping.

For protein i take in about 100g a day and thats about it.

Triple that. Not kidding. That's definitely what's holding you back. 100g is about enough to keep you alive, forget putting on muscle. If you simply cannot eat more food, try getting six scoops of protein shake into your day.

[DanPrixGTP]

Do i care about What they bench? no. I use it as a reference as how much stronger they are than me, thats why i brought it up.

Ive heard good about Gaspari products and read some reviews on the SizeOn and the majority of the people liked the gains. Now can you stack this with Mono or is it one or the other?

Isnt "to much" protein bad for your heart or something like that?

[REDCRAPGP]

I thought to much protein was bad for either or liver or kidney but I could be wrong.

[SlowNA06]

Now can you stack this with Mono or is it one or the other?

That stuff IS mono. Increasing your creatine intake beyond that is asking for stomach cramps and bad poops.

Isnt "to much" protein bad for your heart or something like that?

As it turns out, there's no such thing as "too much protein." If your body has any waste protein (pretty unlikely for you), you just poop it. It doesn't poison your system or anything. Unless you've been diagnosed with liver disease. Have you been diagnosed with liver disease? If not, then there's no way you can hurt yourself with protein.

Edit:

read some reviews on the SizeOn and the majority of the people liked the gains.

One thing you will learn if you pay attention is that pretty much every supplement gets glowing reviews because 95% of the people on the internet are too retarded to be able to evaluate whether that supplement worked or not, but by golly, they paid $75 for it, so they've got to justify the purchase with a review. Pay attention to what actually strong people do and use, learn some chemistry and biology, do your own research on EVERY ingredient, and then if it still seems like the bees knees, test the stuff out on yourself using some approximation of the scientific method.

No supplement is required to be strong. Folks were tough-as-nails crush machines way before phamaceutical companies got in the game. Know what they did? They trained their asses off, then ate their faces off, and slept their brains out. That's it. Then they went around wrestling elephants and stealing girlfriends between meals, just because they could.

[DanPrixGTP]

So i guess in a way, when it comes to creatine. Its almost like the saying "less is more."

Correct? i cant just double up on creatine intake to increase my size.

[SlowNA06]

Your body can only absorb and use so much creatine per day. The rest hangs out and upsets the stomach. For creatine monohydrate, it's been established that 5g is the max. Which is why Gaspari only put 4g in their supplement - they don't want people complaining about indigestion.

[acidcrashdburnd]

Your body can only absorb and use so much creatine per day. The rest hangs out and upsets the stomach. For creatine monohydrate, it's been established that 5g is the max. Which is why Gaspari only put 4g in their supplement - they don't want people complaining about indigestion.

I have experienced this. This is why I have spaced the dosage out throughout the day. Morning/after work (pre workout)

[E IN v Y]

Going to the gym everyday now.
This giant sports delicious protien is beast mode! So tasty.

Sent from my Samsung Galaxy S3

[SlowNA06]

Jaime Lewis (all-time world record holder at 181lbs with a 1705 total, with a raw, wrapless squat at 650), when asked about creatine:

Quite frankly, I think creatine is a massive ****ing waste of money, unless you're doing a glycogen supercompensation. The evidence supporting creatine shows that it gives strength benefit of one to two reps on high rep exercises. For strength training, I've found it to be less efficacious than assiduous adherence to a masturbation schedule that'd make the biggest D&D nerds on the planet blush. Yeah, that's right- I think jerking off promotes greater strength gains than creatine consumption. My proof? Me. There's no clinical evidence to support this theory, because no one in sport science academia is cool or interesting enough to even suggest such a study, much less conduct one. My motto, though? "Three times a day keeps Hormone Replacement Therapy away."

Eat red meat. It contains creatine (2 grams per lb of uncooked meat), B vitamins, protein, and manliness. Its consumption makes vegans weep and the girlfriends of pussies miscarry every time a whole cow is eaten.

This is the stuff I mean about getting your advice from people stronger than you.

[SlowNA06]

Trying to work back into the gym routine... flu, sinus infection (result of a bout of insomnia then hanging out with retardedly sick people for days), sprained ankle, and another cold (poor immune system) all struck. Still trying to kick the last of this cold, but squats are the only thing that make my ankle feel better, so I'm generally sucking at the gym.

Kolton: 2 years at 6'5" (you tall people burn through calories like a joke). 100lbs. Lotsa work. (Also, more body fat than I find inspiring (looks like 10% to 25%, meaning he gained 50lbs of muscle), but he was going for sheer mass and strength gains (and his strength gains are sick), not lean gains. I think he now competes as a strongman, not sure if he competes in weightlifting anymore.) I'd say that in overall appearance, in two years he went from boy to man easy. The lesson is that 25lbs of muscle/year is possible if you train hard enough and eat enough.

[Kolton Lock]

Today I'm working on balance lifting lol like curling weights while standing on one foot. :what:


Also I doubt I could ever get past 15% body fat. Even in my dreams lol

[SlowNA06]

You're driving me nuts. That's not a thing.

Insofar as fat is concerned: Everyone else in the U.S. proves that you can get fat. That being said, you should by no means want to get fat. Eat your meat, do your squats.

[Kolton Lock]

You're driving me nuts. That's not a thing.

Insofar as fat is concerned: Everyone else in the U.S. proves that you can get fat. That being said, you should by no means want to get fat. Eat your meat, do your squats.

It's a thing lol and you don't understand my weight gain problems dude lolol

[SlowNA06]

I think you're making it up. Both your wacky monk/ninja training and the weight gain problems.

[DanPrixGTP]

i would have to agree with SlowNA on this one.

i thought i was one of those young guns that wouldnt gain a pound of fat no matter what i ate/did.

I got injured my senior year of football so for a year i sat around, did nothing, ate McDonalds every other day, gained 20 pounds of fat.

After realizing i can actually gain fat, i changed my life.

[Kolton Lock]

Lol yoga is real?! I'm just working on the balance part!

I don't get injured though.... Lol

[SlowNA06]

Yoga?

Hatha yoga has never, in India, been considered to be exercise. Instead, that **** was used by yogis who basically tried to remain still as they starved to death. Hatha yoga dates to the 15th Century and was apparently invented so monks could stand around and just breathe, and was later introduced to the West as a codified series of movements taught by people wearing pastel and speaking with a ridiculous, super-chill affectation in their voice in the mid-1900s. Western yoga is basically a combination of the standing around done by the ancient monks and their breathing exercises with a couple of traditional strength movements added in for fun, which is why people think it's "exercise" I suppose. The strength movements that form the basis of yoga have existed for about a thousand years thousands of years and are considered to be both gymnastics (mallakhamb) and bodybuilding exercises. Most of the movements you see in a yoga class at your gym arise out of basic mallakhamb asanas (postures). Mallakhamb was used by wrestlers and the average people since about the 1100s as a means by which to develop and maintain physical strength without equipment. Over time, the movements expanded in scope and it flourished, then fell from national prominence with as foreign powers took hold of India. There are two distinct types of mallakhamb in its current form, and neither of which is performed on the ground like modern yoga. What you think of as yoga, by the way, is about as much like traditional Indian gymnastics as the broad from Shrek is like Texas Alexis- nothing whatso****ingever. The postures you assume in yoga are essentially the first baby steps toward doing real mallakhamb asanas, which are postures for which you have to be equal parts high-wire artist, balance beam expert, and loincloth-clad pole dancer. Oh, that's right mother****ers- they do all that **** on top of a nine foot tall freestanding pole or hanging from a ****ing rope.
...yogic movements as they were performed in India in the past is nothing whatsoever like the stupid bull**** your girlfriend does on Saturday mornings. Instead, yoga as the Indians used to do it was often performed atop a "pillar" which was more or less a vertical miniature telephone pole, or a gigantic club bell, based on your perspective. That's right, mother****ers- according to the Encyclopedia of Indian Physical Culture, which predates the yoga movement in the West, "Yogik Body-Postures have been treated as health-giving exercises from ancient times in India. Breath-control (Pranayama) is the key to these exercises. These exercises should first be practiced and steadied out on the ground.

So, unless you're working up to pole gymnasitcs... why?



And squatting will give you way more balance than crane kicking the curl bar or whatever nonsense you're doing.