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

[Lurker]

Give me some tips. And I really need some weight. Gaining weight is harder than losing weight. Start weight : 120 pounds Height : 6'1 or 6'2 Target: 175 pounds. I suppose the bones wont grow at my age so Im stuck with my bone structure. I am fairly active so its not I do no exercise but havent done any substantial weight training. This will also enable me do bowl even faster and rip out the stumps:tounge_smile: Also, is weigh protein vegetarian? I researched on this and to my findings it was. Will start on it today and tips would be helpful.

Hey Ludhianvi. I didnt see your post earlier so couldnt respond. Good to hear that you have to gain weight. I mean gaining weight is almost always easier than losing some. You obviously know what you have to do - eat, eat and eat. Either you are not taking enough calories or you have a superfast metabolism. Regardless you have to eat LOTS to make sure you pile on weight. The good news is since you want to gain about 50 pounds you can pretty much eat everything under the sun, including pizza and ice-cream. What I would suggest is to set realistic goals first. Think of adding 2-3 pounds a month. This will mean that by end of the year you will have anything between 25-36 pounds. This is very achievable. It is important to be realistic because if your goal is 50 pounds in 1 year it wont happen and most likely you will get disappointed. 2-3 pounds is very achievable and of course if you gain more so much the merrier. Yes Whey Protein is vegetarian(its made from Milk) so you can drink it without any problem. What I would suggest is to get Whey Protein Isolates, they are finer and more digestible than whey protein concentrate. Buy it in bulk since you can drink it all year long. Lets start with a simple smoothie to beef you up. 2 scoops of Whey Protein 2 spoons of Peanut Butter 2 large bananas(or apple, or pineapple, or orange...upto you) 2 glass of regular milk(if you are Lactose intolerant go for Lactose free). Blend them together and split into two servings. Take one in the morning between meals and 2nd one in the evening, between meals. You may want to start with 1 serving a day and graduate to 2 servings(or more). A serving should get you about 500 calories, which would mean 15,000 calories in a month which would be about 4 pounds or so. Even if you retain half of it we are on track with 2-3 pound per month goal. Let me know if you have any questions mate.

[Lurker]

My BMI is around 23' date=' which is fine I suppose. The thing is, IF i run at 5 mph, [b']I am almost bored to death. Its like I am about to go to sleep when running. At those speeds, I dont feel tired at all, nor do I get any sort of chest pains.I definitely feel I can push it upto 6.5-7. But, when I look at the pulse meter and it shows 184-185, I get the creeps and slow down the pace to 4.4-4.6 mph. Even then, the reader shows 173-174.

I so hear you Sriram. yes it is boring, specially because you have to do it for 30 minutes when a minute on treadmill seems so mundane. What you can do is to change things a bit. If you are in a gym then switch to cycling, rowing etc. If you are at home then go out for jogging and that may change settings a bit.

I generally run 3 miles, with a 5 minute break between every mile. After a 5 minute warm-up, I start at 4.8 mph and accelerate by .2 mph for quater mile that I have covered. But I feel I can up the intensity a bit, but I am too sure about that.

That looks pretty solid. I hope you are doing the running on empty stomach(dont have anything for atleast 3 hours), if you are doing it early morning first thing thats the best option. However not sure how it fits in your work schedule etc.

This is probably the fittest I have ever been in a few years.

Great to hear that. Here is looking forward to you kicking your own butt and getting in even better shape :hatsoff:

[Dirty_South]

I bought Whey Protein last month ....but haven't opened it yet ! :D Have to start my Weight gaining classes with our in-house instructor , Lurker :)

[triam]

Hey Lurker and others, I am 30 years old 5 8, 185 pounds. I am a major sports junkie, play serious badminton twice a week, once or twice volleyball ( beach volleyball) pretty competitive, and tennis once a week. I have decent speed and power, have always substituted playing sports for working out, now as I am getting older my recovery period from sports is increasing and my stamina is getting lower. My diet is breakfast - glass ofsoy milk lunch - 3 rotis with some vegetable curry. dinner - rice and south indian dishes (sambar etc) Bad habits - i smoke. I have no qualms eating chicken or fish, just that i am used to cooking veggie stuff and try to limit eating out as much as possible. I dont want to cut my sports time by much since I love that, mainly this being summer, in winter i play only badminton twice a week, and go to gym maybe twice a week. What will help me recover easily from muscle soreness etc, eating habits change, working out rather than playing etc, will be great if you can help me out here, I need to lose 10 pounds too

[cybervickey]

man where was this thread al this time....since i see it now i have alot of questions to ask: i wanna lose weight,i have gained some extra pounds around my belly area , doesnt look good ! i am 5-9 or 9 one of those and weigh about 181.4, i have a gym membership but o barely go there .I eat a lot of junk food plus desi food. i was wondering if there was a way i could lose weight doing cardio as well as weight training... the most difficult thing for me is to give up my eating habits.

[Lurker]

I have decent speed and power' date=' have always substituted playing sports for working out, now [b']as I am getting older my recovery period from sports is increasing and my stamina is getting lower.

You raise a good question Triam. I suppose most of us tend to start losing a bit of stamina over the years(specially the recovery period example is very pertinent). Part of it is obviously age as metabolism will slow down but that, in my knowledge and experience, is not even 1/4th of the reason. The bulk of the reason is the lifestyle - family, career, eating at desk/vending machine etc. What this means is your waistline may be larger than what it was say 5 years ago. I have noticed this recovery period syndrome specially in events where you have to jump - as in Volleyball, or tennis, or while bowling. Batsmen typically dont suffer from this. The reason of course is that extra weight we pile over the years. So first thing is you have to lost some weight. I wont put a number here, 5 lb or 10 lb, totally upto your body type but I can bet if you lose your weight your endurance goes up. Not to mention your heart has to pump blood for less weight and stamina goes up automatically.

My diet is breakfast - glass ofsoy milk lunch - 3 rotis with some vegetable curry. dinner - rice and south indian dishes (sambar etc) Bad habits - i smoke.

I would say put some more stuff in breakfast. Dont worry about calories. You were lot more energetic when you were 20 because well you ate all the time. Also I see you dont take fruits and veggies a lot. Try adding a fruit in the morning, say orange or apple, and have some boiled veggies like broccoli with dinner(dont make another oil based curry). Fruits and veggies will supplement you with vitamins and minerals and that will greatly affect endurance.

I have no qualms eating chicken or fish, just that i am used to cooking veggie stuff and try to limit eating out as much as possible.

If it works for you then stay veggie. Eating chicken(or eggs) is good but I wouldnt force that on you. What you can do is to get Fish Oil supplement. You can get about 200 capsules for about 10 bucks or so. It will help your heart health(stamina), bones(less ache and pain) and also provides good fat for your harmones. I will definitely ask you to look into this.

What will help me recover easily from muscle soreness etc, eating habits change, working out rather than playing etc, will be great if you can help me out here, I need to lose 10 pounds too

Add fruits, veggies and fish oil. Nothing out of the world for now. Increase cardio to lose some weight. If you cant have fruits or veggies then look into any decent multivitamin(Centrum for example). xxx

[Lurker]

i was wondering if there was a way i could lose weight doing cardio as well as weight training...

Yes. To get the best result it is always advised to mix weight training with weights. I would suggest you do 30 minutes exercise followed by 30 minutes cardio 4 days a week. Look for full body exercise programme. If you cant find it let me know and I can make one for you.

the most difficult thing for me is to give up my eating habits.

You wont lose weight unless you get a grip on eating habits. No matter how much you workout. So this is the first area you need to get disciplined about. You obviously know that this is a problem so just take care of it. Not at one go but cut down slowly. I am sure you can do it mate.:two_thumbs_up:

[fineleg]

man where was this thread al this time....since i see it now i have alot of questions to ask: i wanna lose weight,i have gained some extra pounds around my belly area , doesnt look good ! .

Extra pounds around belly? belly paunches... Lurker, won't stomach crunches help? What other exercise suggestions for this?

[Lurker]

Extra pounds around belly? belly paunches... Lurker, won't stomach crunches help? What other exercise suggestions for this?

Crunches will tone your abs but it will not melt the fat. To melt fat you have to do cardio and burn those calories. There is no other way. Once you melt the fat you can do crunches to tone the muscles, just like you would your legs, shoulders etc.

[cybervickey]

Yes. To get the best result it is always advised to mix weight training with weights. I would suggest you do 30 minutes exercise followed by 30 minutes cardio 4 days a week. Look for full body exercise programme. If you cant find it let me know and I can make one for you. You wont lose weight unless you get a grip on eating habits. No matter how much you workout. So this is the first area you need to get disciplined about. You obviously know that this is a problem so just take care of it. Not at one go but cut down slowly. I am sure you can do it mate.:two_thumbs_up:

thats for the help, about the full body workout program -- i have read a lot about this but to be honest its like "jitne moon utnee baatein"...some of them talk about 5 days of weights ,some talk about 3-4,some talk about 45 min to an hour work out some 30 mins. some talk about higher weights and lower reps, other lower weights and higher reps.. then i have some buddies that work out 5 days a week , alternating their weight training schedule for different muscle groups.they do chest twice a week tho !so i dont know which one to follow

[Lurker]

Still confused about which whey protein to get. Which one do you recommend from this site http://www.gnc.com/shop/index.jsp?categoryId=2665513&cp=2167077.2325087. Any particular one that you've had experienced. Ofcourse, take your time, no need to rush as today is my offday already.:cantstop:

Where do you live Ludhianvi? If you are in USA I can give you some tips about the better whey protein out there, the ones I generally use. If you are outside US then shipping might be an issue.

Btw, if I do strength training alongside, should I be exercising before or after the intake of whey protein. IMO, should put in whey protein in the tummy after the exercise right?

Whey protein works best before and after exercise because they are the fastest acting protein. So while working out(and after) if your muscles need the Nitrogen balance they would soak it straight out of the whey you consumed. Since you are trying to gain weight you can consume whey protein(along with some good carbs) before and after. I would recommend taking half about 30 minutes before workout and the rest right after.

[Lurker]

thats for the help, about the full body workout program -- i have read a lot about this but to be honest its like "jitne moon utnee baatein"...some of them talk about 5 days of weights ,some talk about 3-4,some talk about 45 min to an hour work out some 30 mins. some talk about higher weights and lower reps, other lower weights and higher reps..then i have some buddies that work out 5 days a week , alternating their weight training schedule for different muscle groups.they do chest twice a week tho !so i dont know which one to follow

Well that is certainly true. There is no one-size-fits-all. Ultimately we are all different. However any training regime that you choose - 4 days a week or more - you will end up gaining muscles and losing fat. The question of course is which one is best. However since you are just starting I would bother much about it. Start slow. Say 3-4 days a week. You need to push yourself in the gym and need to rest afterwards. I would suggest Workout: Day1 Day3 Day5 Day7 Rest: Day2 Day4 Day6 I will also suggest full body exercise. Do 5 different exercises - Squats(legs), bench press(chest), shoulder press(shoulders), pulldowns(back) and one arm exercise(whichever you fancy). Start with very low weight and about 3-4 sets of each, atleast one of which is a bit heavy. Keep repeatitions around 12-15 reps(dont lift heavy for ego). Try it for a month or two, I bet you will be stronger and also in a position to judge if you should take 1 less rest day and workout more etc.

[Ram]

I so hear you Sriram. yes it is boring' date=' specially because you have to do it for 30 minutes when a minute on treadmill seems so mundane. What you can do is to change things a bit. If you are in a gym then switch to cycling, rowing etc. If you are at home then go out for jogging and that may change settings a bit.[/quote'] I can probably try cycling, sure

That looks pretty solid. I hope you are doing the running on empty stomach(dont have anything for atleast 3 hours)' date=' if you are doing it early morning first thing thats the best option. However not sure how it fits in your work schedule etc.[/quote'] I train in the night, past 11 o clock, mainly for 2 reasons. a) The Gymnasium is almost deserted then, so it gives a lot more freedom in what I want to try. b) By the time I am done, I am so exhausted that I just return home and fall flat on the bed and get excellent, uninterrupted sleep.

Great to hear that. Here is looking forward to you kicking your own butt and getting in even better shape :hatsoff:

Yep, I am looking forward to that too. It feels quite nice to put your body through all the rigors and return home with a satisfied feeling!:-D

[cybervickey]

Well that is certainly true. There is no one-size-fits-all. Ultimately we are all different. However any training regime that you choose - 4 days a week or more - you will end up gaining muscles and losing fat. The question of course is which one is best. However since you are just starting I would bother much about it. Start slow. Say 3-4 days a week. You need to push yourself in the gym and need to rest afterwards. I would suggest Workout: Day1 Day3 Day5 Day7 Rest: Day2 Day4 Day6 I will also suggest full body exercise. Do 5 different exercises - Squats(legs), bench press(chest), shoulder press(shoulders), pulldowns(back) and one arm exercise(whichever you fancy). Start with very low weight and about 3-4 sets of each, atleast one of which is a bit heavy. Keep repeatitions around 12-15 reps(dont lift heavy for ego). Try it for a month or two, I bet you will be stronger and also in a position to judge if you should take 1 less rest day and workout more etc.

thank you . one more question,should i use whey protein at all?. a friend of mine that lost weight and put on a lot of muscle has been using this thing called"iso=pure" its a whole bucket that costs about 70 bucks, he was saying that its good coz it has zero carbs

[triam]

Thanks Lurker, will try out more fruits and let you know how it goes

[FistOfFury]

Interesting thread... I've gone from about 148 pounds in March, to 165-168 pounds, i'm 5'11. I follow a Vaishnav diet (Lacto-veg, no onion no garlic). I've been bulking on Whey Protein, Cheese, Milk, Various Beans,Seeds, Nuts, Oats etc... I dont touch Soya or any fake meat products...theyre cr@p. i'm still working hard, still a beginner. The key to my weight gain is eating more of the above, lifting heavy weights... doing largely compound exercises. For veggies and non-veggies check out http://www.mikemahler.com/

[FistOfFury]

www.myprotein.co.uk, has whey protein suitable for veggies.

[Lurker]

thank you . one more question,should i use whey protein at all?. a friend of mine that lost weight and put on a lot of muscle has been using this thing called"iso=pure" its a whole bucket that costs about 70 bucks, he was saying that its good coz it has zero carbs

Isopure is Whey Protein Isolate Vickey. Whey Protein is sourced from Cows milk. It is manufactured by different companies, and in differnt quality. The purest form is WPI(Whey Protein isolates). Natures Best is amongst one of the companies who makes WPI and sells it as Isopure. Yes it is pretty good and if you get a good deal go for it.

[Lurker]

I am in Canada. Usually the same products can be found here as well most of the time.

Ludhianvi. Yes you should be able to get most of the products in Canada as you can in USA. I beleive the best deals in Canada are at Popeyes Health stores. However the best deal almost always will be via Internet. A couple of companies I know within USA do free shipping so thats always a plus but you may have to pay for it since you are in Canada. A few recommendations: a) ON 100% Whey - Manufactured by ON (Optimum Nutrition)This is generally considered the most popular of all Whey Protein out there. Quite good and very reasonably priced. b) MRI Pro-Nos: Manufactured by MRI. A little pricey but worth it. Good taste as well. You can order them from any of the following websites: www.prosource.net www.nutraplanet.com www.dpsnutrition.net www.bulknutrition.com c) Cinnamon Bun: Manufactured by ATW(All the Whey). This is a company in itself and so you can order it directly from their website http://www.allthewhey.com/whpris.html. Make sure you pick Cinnamon Bun as flavour as it has best taste. These are all Whey based. You can also try Muscle Milk by Cytosports. It is Casein based. Whey is fast acting, casein is slow acting. Muscle Milk has some very healthy fat(Medium chain Triglycerides). Since you want to gain weight this will help you. No need to add peanutbutter, just have some Muscle Milk. Look at the various websites and see where you get good deal. Also I would suggest you take some Fish Oil tablets. Cheap and really affective. You can get it all any of the above mentioned website.

[cybervickey]

Isopure is Whey Protein Isolate Vickey. Whey Protein is sourced from Cows milk. It is manufactured by different companies, and in differnt quality. The purest form is WPI(Whey Protein isolates). Natures Best is amongst one of the companies who makes WPI and sells it as Isopure. Yes it is pretty good and if you get a good deal go for it.

cool thanks for the info, one last question, since i want to lose weight and gain muscle, would taking 0 carb protein be suitable for me ? because ii have heard people saying that if you take protein and not workout enough , that protein ends up converting in fat ,and fat is the last thing i want for me!