Want to get in shape for summer? Join in...

[maniac]

Great to seee a fellow vegeterian hitting gymm.. prove these Indians with Pakistani mentantilty that u need to eat meat to be phaaaaast and strong :--D Coming to ur schedule.... Breakfast is the most important part of ur meal...It can be heavy if u want.... Try to eat 4 boiled eggs(take egg yolkks of 2 out) + Milk(not more than 2%)...Add some more carbs if u want.....I usuallsy eat 10 almonds for my snacks between bfast and lunch... In lunch, I make sure to take yogurt with me if I m having Indian food..If I am eating chinese I make sure to order and pay for xtra TOFU... For Indian foood,I usually take daal, chickpeas or paneer dish..... I snack on fruits(apple, orange) after lunch... Before hitting the gym in evening, I eat 20-25 grapes to get that instant energy.. Right after gym, I take a banana shake and add some icecream or p.shakes.. I take my dinner early around8 30 .. In dinner, again I dont eat too much.. Jus 3-4 rotis,lil bit rice, a bowl of daal and yogurt ..add some orange juice at the end of dinner..since u r planning to start working out, eat as much paneer as u can.. yes it has fat but it will give u good mass in ur initial bulky period...I remember there was a time when i used to put paneer in every sabjee in every meal..I still do it but not in same quantity.. Water is the msot important thing.. I drink 1/4 glass of water after every hour during the day and evening.. in Gym, i prolly drink more... it helps u to look fresh, and keeeps ur blood clean...and very good for working out...

Thanks Rahul will definetely try it out:two_thumbs_up:

[akshayxyz]

Agree with ur points.. Though for newbie' date=' I wud always suggest him to focus on technique and positioning.. weights will come automatically after a year..but you have different way of training others while I have my own.. Though I do undersand and agree with ur suggestions[/quote'] Newbies..hmmm, laaloo said he is working out for over 6 months, and lost quite decent weight. This is the right time to step it up, esp when motivation level is high. And with heavy weights I am not suggesting 1-2 rep sets - but stepping-up the weights to 8-12 rep range. if one is able to do more than 12reps for over 3-4 sets. It is time to add weight. I have seen people wasting time with 15-20-25-30 rep sets.. That is complete waste of time, even for a newbie - unless of course one is going rehab from injury. Also, another thing irks me is to see people wasting time on biceps and triceps - and so called trainers also encouraging the same in the name of "toning"!!. Even if you are a newbie, one should start doing squats and deadlifts as soon as possible and get the technique right. Anyway, first and foremost is - If you are healthy and getting good sleep and happy with yourself - no worries, no need to change anything :). Also - if something is working for you ( barring the bad technique) - then no need to change. But one must keep eyes open - track the progress ( or lack of it) and change something (diet or workout) - when it starts to stagnate. And most certainly - you will stagnate, if you do not change diet/workout/weights.

[akshayxyz]

Guys any serious ideas to lose the belly?? I really got serious (again) since March of this year- started eating better i.e. not a diet plan but just smaller portions focussed on proteins & cutting out carbs & fat and have hit the gym working out atleast 45mins on most days except weekends (end up working out 3-4 days in the gym in a week) On weekdays I combine cardio with lifting (chest, legs, shoulders & back) Initially I was just trying to do cardio for 45-60 mins but last couple of months cardio is 20-30 mins and the rest is lifting weights. On some days I work out for 1 1/2 hrs or so. On weekends I don't go to the gym but try to either walk, do the treadmill in basement or swim (not every weekend but I try) I eat wheat toast & drink tea (Indian style) in the morning; tea in the morning is my weakness as I can't get going without it. At lunch i try to combine a light non-beef meat dish (grilled chicken/turkey burger etc) with salad/fruit. Dinner is usually Indian with rotis, dry sabzi, dal etc (I indulge cos it tastes soooo good). All this has obviously made a difference as the body feels firmer, lighter & endurance has increased. But I still have the belly and "luv handles" on the sides of abdomen. if I could just combine the firmer chest, shoulders etc with a leaner body it will be great. My weight has not dropped drastically but I am thinking that might be because I am lifting & building muscle instead of diet+ cardio only. My weaknesses: 1) Drinking- I do consume alcohol (non-beer mostly whiskey); trying to quit because I that will definitely make a difference 2) Sleeping late- I sleep very late & usually get by with 6 hrs of sleep 3) Ab exercises- I try to do crunches etc but not very good at it; for some reason my back starts hurting even though my abs are not tired so I have to stop; don't know if it is a weak back or wrong technique 4) Family tendency- belly runs in the family after certian age despite everyone being pretty active I know belly fat is the last to go & it is hard to counter genes but it will help me if someone who knows this stuff can make suggestions or let me know whether it is impossible to change if it runs in the family. Even if I have a belly I am still motivated to follow the healthy routine to feel better inside.

Few things about your weaknesses: a) If you can not stop drinking - moderate it. Trying cutting down to 20-25% of what you take now. In terms of # of sessions and # of pegs/beer-cans per session. Once you get used to new levels, you can reduce it further. b) Sleeping timings should not matter too much, as long as you are getting good sleep, 6-8 hours per day. c) If all your aim is to reduce belly fat - Ab exercises wont matter - even if you eliminate them completely. But it is advised to have at least one good ab/core session per week. It helps in other exercises. d) Exercise and diet-management are the only way to fight your genetics. Think about this way - 6-12 months of disciplined exercise - ( depending upon how much fat u wish to lose). And once you get used to that, for the rest of your life - your experience will help you to keep eating whatever you like and still stay in shape. Now general notes on rest of your stuff. As PK also said in as few words as possible - nothing, nothing at all but cardio only will help drop the fat. Everything else (weights, diet etc.) just helps with the efficiency and quality ( losing fat while sparing muscle loss). Intial weight/fat loss is due to the fact that you started doing gym ( as against doing nothing). That created calorie deficit. To continue doing so, you have to maintain the deficit - either by cutting down diet by 5% or so, and/or by stepping up the intensity in workout. Workout - Routine - Try this - alternate between cardio day and weights day. On weights day give it all for your muscles, on cardio day - do only cardio. Cardio - Since you are already used to 20-30 minutes of cardio - time to step it up. 20-30 minutes of HIIT (Read a bit about HIIT) or 30-45 minutes of normal cardio. HIIT is the best style of cardio you can manage in 20-30 minutes with best results. Weights - focus on large muscle groups - Legs, Chest, Back, Shoulders... Legs, being the largest muscle group, are most important to help reduce fat, they will also help upping the intensity on cardio front. In case you are doing many sets of 15 or so reps, and confident of your technique - get into 10-12 rep range. you should not be able to do 13th rep w/o assistance. Diet - First step in controlling diet is to maintain it - If you cannot keep track of calories, at least keep track of portion sizes for a given combination of meal. E.g. If you eat dal-roti, then everytime keep it around same #of roti and same amount of dal. This will give you an idea - how much to cut down on diet, if required in future. Indulging once in a while is fine, but indulging every day is not. Random tips on diet front: -Try avoid large servings of meals with lot of simple carbs... simple carbs+fat is worst. -Breakfast is most important. Have a good combination of Carbs and Protein. -Eat something ( good protein+carb mini meal) an hour or so before hitting the gym. -If possible get some protein shake or some mini-meal with protein within 30 minutes of workout. esp after weights session. -Try not to stay empty stomach (get some mini-meal) for more than 4 hours - ideally small meals every 3-4 hours. -If there is a gap of more than 3 hours between last meal and sleeping time, then have something before 30-40 minutes before sleeping. Like Paneer+peanut butter, or even simple milk. most of the cell recovery happens during sleep and paneer/milk are best source of slow-digesting protein. And most important - track your progress or lack of it :).

[Yoda-esque]

Great Thread!! I am in good shape..hit the gym thrice a week..run twice a week for 30 mins.. Height is 5 10" and weight 160 lbs... Used to weigh 200 lbs until I decided to make my lifestyle change. Lost 30 lbs in 3 mnths at the rate of 2.5 lbs a week. The following is a very practical guide for you to lose weight,increase muscle and get lean and strong. Some diet suggestions : 1)Cut down completely on soft drinks and fruit drinks 2) no white bread.Eat brown bread or complex carbs like bran,millet,oats,whole wheat,bajra,jowar 3) lots of fruits and green and orange veggies (broccoli,spinach,kale,squash,zucchini,cauliflower) 4)Cut down on Saturated fats like butter,sour cream,whole milk.Get your good fat from mono and polyunsaturated fats like Peanut butter,avocado,almonds,walnuts,olive oil. Do not eliminate fat from your diet.Typically a body needs 60% carbs, 20% protein and around 20% fat for optimum functioning. 5) have at-least 100 gms of protein a day like Chicken and turkey breast,salmon,tuna,beans,fat free milk and fat free yoghurt,cereal bars For veggies, the options are cottage cheese (low fat)/paneer, milk,eggs,beans,lentils,soy milk/whey 6) drink lots of water 7) Eat 6 times a day 8) Grill , steam broil or poach ur food.Light saute-ing is fine. 9) Cheat once a week and eat anything u want.No worries.It will fly by you and make sure that ur body doesnt get into fat retention mode since it isnt getting too much fat. 10) have smoothies with blueberries,banana,strawberries and low fat yoghurt.Keeps u filled up 11) eat one food from eat of the groups: dairy,legumes,nuts,meat,oils,fruits & veggies,whole carbs workout tips : ----------------- Day 1 : arms and shoulders Day 2 : run a mile Day 3: legs and butt Day 4: rest Day 5: chest,abs and back Day 6: run a mile Day 7 :rest Sometimes do all body workouts . Eat a banana immediately after workout or something that is easy to digest.A small slice of pizza is also fine.Have a banana and or almonds 1 to 1.5 hrs before workout. perform loosening/stretching exercises. Best exercises are the ones where u use ur own body weight since u become strong too and not just get a shape. Typical exercises are squats,pull ups,pushups,dips and lunges. Try using free weights to using machines.They will give you a more functional workout. Lifting techniques: 1) Breathe out when lifting,breathe in when resisting.For example if u r doing the bicep curl,when u lift the weight breathe out and lift quickly.when u lower the weight,breathe in and lower slowly . 2) lift quickly,lower slowly 3) Control ur weight,dont let the weight control you! Doesnt matter if you arent lifting heavy..Form is important 4) do 10 reps that you can just lift...8-10..when u feel u can perform the rep 10 times with some difficulty,increase ur weight.try doing three sets or until muscle failure. 5) Keep changing ur exercise routine to avoid plateaus.sometimes lift light,sometimes shock ur muscles by lifting very heavy. Myths busted and tips: 1)abs exercises dont give u a six pack.for that u need to control ur food. 2) only arms and shoulders or chest will not help u lose weight.Exercise the largest muscles like legs,butt and back 3) You cannot have a strong chest without having strong back..perform upright rows,one arm rows ,pull ups and lat pulldowns for that "V" look 4) Eat more not less! Eat the right stuff though..I typically have 2400 cals of food in a day to maintain my 160 lbs.Calorie intakes can vary from (1900-2400) depending on your body frame. 5) Have a heavy bfast,moderate lunch and light dinner..Eat snacks in between like peanut butter sandwiches,cereal bars,yoghurt..keeps ur metabolism up.You want ur body in an anabolic state not a catabolic one. Anyone that wants to have a great bod contact me.Hope this helps. Peace!

[Yoda-esque]

HELP !!! I am trying to strengthen my CORE but the exercises I do end up hurting my back. At the moment, I am concentrating a lot on the cardio exercises (treadmills, cross trainers etc) and than plan on moving to the CORE exercises once I built my strength to pa particular level ---- Is this the right way to go about it. Lurker bhai, please help

Cross training/treadmill is good but for stamina only. You say ur back hurts while doing abs exercises.It means u are doing it wrong. Dont go all the way up.Once u crunch only raise ur shoulders off the mat , hold ur abs for a couple of seconds and then come down again.also exercise ur obliques and taverse abdominis by doing the plank (u can google all these exercises). These will strengthen ur core, but not give u six pack.For a six pack or those washboard abs control ur food.

[Yoda-esque]

Luks .. i have made certain changes in my nutrition and Supplements... Mrng.. Just have Bed Have L Gutamine 7gms with water.. Go got HIIT Cardio ... Sprinting , Skipping Etc... for 20 mins Half an hr later Creatine 10 gms .. After sometime Milk (half ltr) Mixed with 25 gms Amino Later :3 egg whites + 3 whole eggs. Heading to Office : After 2 hrs... 1 Can Tuna with 3-4 Roti's After 2hrs ... OatsMeal Mixed with Milk with added Protein supplement (Mixture of Whey + Amino) After 1 hr ... Amino Shake.. Back Home : Fish or Meat or Chicken with either 3 Rotis or Rice ... soon after meal i have Multivitamin and Calcium Tabs After an Hr .. Creatine + 4 Caps of Gakic* (MT product now available to me) * I Don't take Gakic on Non workout Days. Heading to Gym Soon after Workout.. On the way (while driving) have L Gutamine 7 gms Later on after 15-20 mins have Creatine 7 gms Followed by 25 gms - Whey Protein After 1 hr .. Dinner - Salad mixed with Extra Virigin Olive oil.. Shrimps or little Chicken (sometimes Roti) Then 1 Omega 3 tabs ... Before Bed again one Caps of Glutamine.. I am now trying to Cut Fats and increase Mass .... thats why i am on a high protein with along with Carbs Diet.... Any suggestion or changes... Btw my wife is having a hard time helping me to take all these... :winky:

Too many supplements for my liking.Just eat normal protein rich foods.Dont bulk urself this way unless u want to become a professional bodybuilder

[akshayxyz]

^@567 +1 on both crunch technique and its efficacy in reducing belly fat. You can do 100s of crunches every day and you wont lose even an inch. Do 30 minutes of high intensity cardio - 3 times a week with weights training and diet management and you can lose about a pound of fat every week.

[Yoda-esque]

^@567 +1 on both crunch technique and its efficacy in reducing belly fat. You can do 100s of crunches every day and you wont lose even an inch. Do 30 minutes of high intensity cardio - 3 times a week with weights training and diet management and you can lose about a pound of fat every week.

Thanks... Keeping in shape isnt very difficult as people make it out to be. Just a little discipline needed.

[suraj]

Good to hear that u r focussing on ur health and trying to hit the gym regularly... Regarding loosing belly.. its not too hard.. yes u wont be able to get six packs but u will atleast have flat stomatch.. here are the tricks More water(most important factor to loose weight- make a habit of quitting all the softdrinks with lunch/dinner) Heavy breakfast but lighter lunch and dinner Eating dinner early... We Indians generally eat our food right before going to bed... Thats badddd bro..Atleat give urself more than 1 and half hour of no food period before hitting the bed Dont drink milk before sleeping.. again an Indian habit of drinking milk right before the sleep...Drink milk in the morning.. drink milk in the evening.. but dont drink it right before sleeping.. More snacking than heavy meals- I said this earlier but let me clarify.. between ur bfast n lunch, lunch n dinner, keep snacking on fruits, juice so u dont eat too heavy meal As Khota said, Bhaag Boss DK... Running is the best exercise for loosing the tummy

Rahul, Thx for the detailed response; I will clarify some things a llittle later

[suraj]

Few things about your weaknesses: a) If you can not stop drinking - moderate it. Trying cutting down to 20-25% of what you take now. In terms of # of sessions and # of pegs/beer-cans per session. Once you get used to new levels, you can reduce it further. b) Sleeping timings should not matter too much, as long as you are getting good sleep, 6-8 hours per day. c) If all your aim is to reduce belly fat - Ab exercises wont matter - even if you eliminate them completely. But it is advised to have at least one good ab/core session per week. It helps in other exercises. d) Exercise and diet-management are the only way to fight your genetics. Think about this way - 6-12 months of disciplined exercise - ( depending upon how much fat u wish to lose). And once you get used to that, for the rest of your life - your experience will help you to keep eating whatever you like and still stay in shape. Now general notes on rest of your stuff. As PK also said in as few words as possible - nothing, nothing at all but cardio only will help drop the fat. Everything else (weights, diet etc.) just helps with the efficiency and quality ( losing fat while sparing muscle loss). Intial weight/fat loss is due to the fact that you started doing gym ( as against doing nothing). That created calorie deficit. To continue doing so, you have to maintain the deficit - either by cutting down diet by 5% or so, and/or by stepping up the intensity in workout. Workout - Routine - Try this - alternate between cardio day and weights day. On weights day give it all for your muscles, on cardio day - do only cardio. Cardio - Since you are already used to 20-30 minutes of cardio - time to step it up. 20-30 minutes of HIIT (Read a bit about HIIT) or 30-45 minutes of normal cardio. HIIT is the best style of cardio you can manage in 20-30 minutes with best results. Weights - focus on large muscle groups - Legs, Chest, Back, Shoulders... Legs, being the largest muscle group, are most important to help reduce fat, they will also help upping the intensity on cardio front. In case you are doing many sets of 15 or so reps, and confident of your technique - get into 10-12 rep range. you should not be able to do 13th rep w/o assistance. Diet - First step in controlling diet is to maintain it - If you cannot keep track of calories, at least keep track of portion sizes for a given combination of meal. E.g. If you eat dal-roti, then everytime keep it around same #of roti and same amount of dal. This will give you an idea - how much to cut down on diet, if required in future. Indulging once in a while is fine, but indulging every day is not. Random tips on diet front: -Try avoid large servings of meals with lot of simple carbs... simple carbs+fat is worst. -Breakfast is most important. Have a good combination of Carbs and Protein. -Eat something ( good protein+carb mini meal) an hour or so before hitting the gym. -If possible get some protein shake or some mini-meal with protein within 30 minutes of workout. esp after weights session. -Try not to stay empty stomach (get some mini-meal) for more than 4 hours - ideally small meals every 3-4 hours. -If there is a gap of more than 3 hours between last meal and sleeping time, then have something before 30-40 minutes before sleeping. Like Paneer+peanut butter, or even simple milk. most of the cell recovery happens during sleep and paneer/milk are best source of slow-digesting protein. And most important - track your progress or lack of it :).

Thanks for the detailed response; very helpful

[Jersey #10]

Played a lot of basketball and tennis today! I feel like I am back to the healthy ways of living :D This is so nice

[VRV Singh]

I guess I am a bit late for this thread.. But just to say it's a good idea, and am glad Lurker and indeed everybody recognise that healthiness is about a long term change in lifestyle rather than fad diets or diving straight into intense exercise. There must be a balance to make it work, and this way even when not losing weight one will feel much better inside anyway. Personally, I wouldnt say I am in terrible shape but during my yr of study I did not pay much attention to exercise and diet in particular. Decided in the past couple of weeks to make a few changes on both counts and am feeling the benefit. In the morning I have porridge and a banana, afternoon a light sandwich and apple, late afternoon natural yoghurt and in the evening I have whatever is cooked at home - tends to be decent anyway, rice with chicken/daal or a pasta of some sort etc. This followed by another fruit. I am 5"9 and just under 2 weeks ago weighed 160lbs, now after adopting this and mostly cardio at the gym I am 157lbs. Like I said it is steady which I am happy with. My concern is mostly losing the fat from my stomach which will take longer. I go gym at 11am. First question is what would you say should be eaten after a workout which is mostly cardio? I tend to have the sandwich and fruit which is just default, I am sure I could be doing better here.. Also would you make any other reasonable alterations to the diet in terms of achieving fat burn aim?

[Yoda-esque]

I guess I am a bit late for this thread.. But just to say it's a good idea, and am glad Lurker and indeed everybody recognise that healthiness is about a long term change in lifestyle rather than fad diets or diving straight into intense exercise. There must be a balance to make it work, and this way even when not losing weight one will feel much better inside anyway. Personally, I wouldnt say I am in terrible shape but during my yr of study I did not pay much attention to exercise and diet in particular. Decided in the past couple of weeks to make a few changes on both counts and am feeling the benefit. In the morning I have porridge and a banana, afternoon a light sandwich and apple, late afternoon natural yoghurt and in the evening I have whatever is cooked at home - tends to be decent anyway, rice with chicken/daal or a pasta of some sort etc. This followed by another fruit. I am 5"9 and just under 2 weeks ago weighed 160lbs, now after adopting this and mostly cardio at the gym I am 157lbs. Like I said it is steady which I am happy with. My concern is mostly losing the fat from my stomach which will take longer. I go gym at 11am. First question is what would you say should be eaten after a workout which is mostly cardio? I tend to have the sandwich and fruit which is just default, I am sure I could be doing better here.. Also would you make any other reasonable alterations to the diet in terms of achieving fat burn aim?

After workouts,immediately (within 15 mins to 30 mins) try and eat something that is easily digestible to replenish the depleted glucouse levels in your body and to kickstart the muscle building.Something like a banana or a white bread sandwich.Nothing too fibrous.I have a banana and some fat free milk. You diet seems OK for cardio execrcises though I would suggest that you take it easy on the rice during late evenings.

[Laaloo]

After workouts,immediately (within 15 mins to 30 mins) try and eat something that is easily digestible to replenish the depleted glucouse levels in your body and to kickstart the muscle building.Something like a banana or a white bread sandwich.Nothing too fibrous.I have a banana and some fat free milk. You diet seems OK for cardio execrcises though I would suggest that you take it easy on the rice during late evenings.

Just had 2 round of khichdi an hr after workout :cantstop:

[Yoda-esque]

Just had 2 round of khichdi an hr after workout :cantstop:

Actually, as weird as it may seem,khichdi is not that bad after workout...in moderation and without that "ghee"!

[Shehezaada]

hey guys, great to see everyone's progress!! I caught the P90 bug and have been training since January this year. One of the greatest days of my life was on April 2, when India won the world Cup and I finished P90M. P90M is the medium version of P90X, because I wasn't quite ready for P90X (couldn't do many pullups). I'm doing P90X right now and I'm on day 61. I haven't got shredded or huge, partly because I'm not really following their nutrition guide and not lifting heavy weights (10, 15, 20 pounds at the most). But I'm feeling much more in shape, getting the outline of that six pack (2 so far!), and improving on the pull ups. Realistically I'll need another round of this stuff with the nutrition guide to get ultimate results. But I'm thinking of doing Insanity next. For anyone trying to drop a whole lot of pounds, try Insanity. It's crazy intense HIIT

[akshayxyz]

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[WC2011INDIA]

I have a big tond now because I have been eating too much for the past 5 months. How to get rid of the fat on my belly??? :(( I want to look fit and trim.

[Yoda-esque]

http://www.craigslist.org/about/best/dsm/2405055624.html

:hysterical::hysterical::hysterical::hysterical:

[Yoda-esque]

I have a big tond now because I have been eating too much for the past 5 months. How to get rid of the fat on my belly??? :(( I want to look fit and trim.

Ab tak kya hum log Hebrew mein baat kar rahe the? :whack: