The Official Gym & Fitness Thread

Also, remember that you cannot simultaneously lose fat and gain muscle; it's impossible. It sounds like your overall goal is fat loss right now. Don't worry about getting swole until you're at the desired bodyfat level you'd like; this is referred to as 'cutting' and 'bulking.' Most people bulk in the winter months because you're going to gain some fat on a bulk, so you might as well do so when no one is going to see you with you shirt off. Then, when summer is approaching, you start to cut so that you can show off all that muscle you packed on. Sure, you're going to lose some of the muscle on your cut, but not much. With a proper diet, you should be able to get down to around 15% bf in no time. Getting below 15% is what's hard.

My absolute favorite website for this kind of stuff is IIFYM.com. They have a TDEE calculator that will tell you how many calories to eat to gain, lose, and maintain weight, as well as telling you how many grams of protein, carbs, and fat those calories should be comprised of. The best part about it is that you don't have to eat a bunch of nasty foods. As long as you hit all your macros (protein, carbs, fat) and you hit your caloric needs, you can eat what you want. That doesn't mean eat honey buns and cheeseburgers all day. I try to eat around 70% clean and 30% "dirty", just so I'm getting my vitamins and minerals. I know it sounds crazy, but I have cut down to around 9-10% eating Pop Tarts, chips, and drinking Coke.

To put this into perspective, I'll give you 2 example meals:

1. grilled chicken, steamed broccoli, brown rice, salad, water: 390 calories, 35 g protein, 60 g carbs, 5 g fat

2. grilled chicken, Baked Lays, Coke: 390 calories, 26 g protein, 70 g carbs, 2 g fat

These 2 meals are almost identical in calories, protein, carbs, and fat consumed. Yes, meal one has more nutritional value, but as long as you're eating 70% or so nutritious food, there's no need to punish yourself by eating nasty crap all the time. I eat 70% healthy, take a multivitamin and reward myself with shit I actually enjoy for the other 30%

 

I was assigned to that team the day I was conceived...

 

I started using that app last week. Just gotta tweak what I eat. Right now I hit 2300 calories everyday when I need to hit 3000. Problem is, at 2300 I'm 14% over on fats and 24% over on protein. Protein is fine with me but I need to cut down on the fats. Didn't think I was eating that much over. My day mon-fri is protein shake and a banana after workout in the morning, oatmeal and one choc chip waffle with peanut butter half hour later. 3 hours later I have 5 egg whites and a handful of cashews or almonds. 3 hours later baked chicken breast, brown rice, and broccoli. 3 hours later spinach leafs with little dressing and baked chicken breast. 3 hours later a greek yogurt and protein shake and then bed. Cutting out the waffle with peanut butter should drop the fats down a bit.

 

Yeah but if he takes that "deer antler extract" he'll look like Ray Lewis

 

True. Or dat dere Celltech

 

Deer antler spray is the real reason I hunt. I make my own

 

Clearly, you're making it wrong

 

Shit, you haven't seen my progress pics since I killed that 8 point...

 

nope we have just seen your CrossFitting with friends videos

 

That was a terrific instructional video and you know it.

 

I may or may not have added those into my core/bicep day

 

You're welcome for the gainz you're about to receive.

Damn it, iPhone. Quit correcting gainz to gains.

 

Jelly. Deer hunting down here has fucking sucked this year.

In other news, my tenure at the gym ends in Jan. I just had an interview at the state Capitol and got it! No more cleaning up after idiots. My Bachelor's Degree is paying off, baby!

 

Nice! Doing what? The ex interned down there for a little while.

 

Just working as an aid to a Senator, so paperwork stuff. It's only until I start law school though. I applied for early admission to begin in January, so if I get in then, I won't be able to take the job, but if not I'll just work until August when regular admission law school begins

 

I just hope TW isn't blocked on the govt computers

 

Nope! I have it up all day at work since I'm working a desk job until January. Then I'll be back on the flight line fixing jets. You just won't be able to see all the pictures people post, only some of them.

 

Hate to burst your little bro bubble Zach, but uh....you're wrong. The more muscle you build, the more fat it'll start to burn I thought you knew that. He's not gonna get "swole" but if he keeps building that muscle and doing proper fat burning met-con at the same time, he will see a reduction in body fat.

Which at the same time is going start showing that muscle definition.

I bet the poor guy is confused as fuck now, but muscle building and fat loss go hand in hand. One is not separate from the other. It's science.

 

Yeah, but I'm sure at the beginning, a lot of the fat is lost while muscle is being gained, but when you start getting less and less bodyfat, your body is going to use some muscle for fuel. If that weren't the case, I could eat a protein only diet at a caloric deficit and my body would eat all the fat away and I'd lose no muscle, which, in my experience, has never happened. I've eaten at as little as a -300 caloric deficit and some muscle was still lost. I'm sure eating just barely over maintenance will drastically reduce the amount of fat gained, but fat will be gained. Same goes with eating under maintenance: if you only eat 100 calories below maintenance, I'm sure muscle loss will be minimal, but it will occur

This is all from personal experience with my body. I can't gain muscle and lose fat at the same time. If I were 40% bodyfat, I probably could, as I would have all that fat at my disposal

But to the new guy, just lift, eat to build muscle, and you'll be fine