gourimoko
Fighting the good fight!
- Joined
- Aug 13, 2008
- Messages
- 39,845
- Reaction score
- 53,645
- Points
- 148
Okay people.. So a little background first. I'm 5'10, with what used to be a really solid muscular build but over the past decade turned into someone who looked like they were athletic at some point and weren't anymore. For awhile I was comfortable with that, but then shit got out of hand and I stopped looking like I used to be athletic and was just a fucking fatbody.. Fuck that shit.
It's that transition phase man. I'm damn-near 30, and my shit just doesn't burn calories like it used to, so pounding beers and eating pizza doesn't cut it. So when I moved out to Hawaii I started eating more lean foods, more salmon and tuna, way less pastas and breads. Honestly, you can't find a Jewish Deli out here to save your life, so forget getting a decent sandwich -- it's not fucking happening (haven't had corned beef in a year!)
So yeah, when I came to Hawaii I was pushing 235 lbs and felt disgusting. After calorie counting but still eating pleasant foods, in basically 10 months I lost 10 lbs, down to 225lbs.. Fucking joke. Still overweight. Now just so we understand, my frame is large (for my height), my shoulders very wide and I can easily bench more than I weigh - so I'm not like a butterball, I just have too much fat over my muscle and it looks bad.
So in the last several months (and since I've lived alone, unfortunately...) I've been doing more intense dieting. Won't get into that unless someone asks because I've rambled on enough, but suffice it to say I'm now down to 195 from 225 in under 50 days. I will still be cutting for 8 weeks, 2 more in a near 90% protein caloric intake, and 6 in a 70/20/10 breakdown eating more natural foods. Remember: this isn't for "weightloss" but body-fat percentage reduction. I want to lose FAT with minimal catabolization of muscle tissue.
The purpose of this post is to ask anyone out there about their particular workout routines, and how many carbs they take in to sustain high energy in the gym. Right now I'm working out 4 times a week (excluding 1 day of cardio -- not trying to get small so cardio is not a goal). My workout:
Mon, Thurs (Upper-body):
Tues, Fri (Lower-body):
Sunday: Ride my bike long-distance.
Okay so here's the problem. When I was young I would just go to Heights High and hit the gym everyday and do every exercise available without problems. So I really don't have a good idea as to what to do as a guy who's my age and in what proper order I should work what muscles. Should RDLs be the first thing I do when I walk in the door?? I'm also having a hard time in the gym because I'm low-carb. I just can't find the strength to get through even such a small amount of sets. Also I think my core strength is shit. When I do any free weight, the fucking bar (or even dumbbells) is shaking, my back is shaking, and I can't stabilize - even though I can lift the weight without major difficultly, everything is fucking wobbly! This is one of the biggest problems I'm having!
Also, and most importantly, you'll notice I use machines heavily. It's because I have no spotter that can work around my schedule. So I can't do free weight barbells where I might fuck my shit up.
So any advice on routines to increase core strength or the muscles that help me stabilize the fucking bar? Any advice would be great, period. Or whatever has worked for you to improve your upper-body (particularly chest, triceps and biceps) size and shape?
And what about lats, I hear people talking about doing pull-downs...
Greatly appreciate any help anyone may have.. Thanks!
It's that transition phase man. I'm damn-near 30, and my shit just doesn't burn calories like it used to, so pounding beers and eating pizza doesn't cut it. So when I moved out to Hawaii I started eating more lean foods, more salmon and tuna, way less pastas and breads. Honestly, you can't find a Jewish Deli out here to save your life, so forget getting a decent sandwich -- it's not fucking happening (haven't had corned beef in a year!)
So yeah, when I came to Hawaii I was pushing 235 lbs and felt disgusting. After calorie counting but still eating pleasant foods, in basically 10 months I lost 10 lbs, down to 225lbs.. Fucking joke. Still overweight. Now just so we understand, my frame is large (for my height), my shoulders very wide and I can easily bench more than I weigh - so I'm not like a butterball, I just have too much fat over my muscle and it looks bad.
So in the last several months (and since I've lived alone, unfortunately...) I've been doing more intense dieting. Won't get into that unless someone asks because I've rambled on enough, but suffice it to say I'm now down to 195 from 225 in under 50 days. I will still be cutting for 8 weeks, 2 more in a near 90% protein caloric intake, and 6 in a 70/20/10 breakdown eating more natural foods. Remember: this isn't for "weightloss" but body-fat percentage reduction. I want to lose FAT with minimal catabolization of muscle tissue.
The purpose of this post is to ask anyone out there about their particular workout routines, and how many carbs they take in to sustain high energy in the gym. Right now I'm working out 4 times a week (excluding 1 day of cardio -- not trying to get small so cardio is not a goal). My workout:
Mon, Thurs (Upper-body):
- 4x6 Romanian Deadlifts (225lbs) (barbell)
- 5x8 Inclined Bench (225lbs) (machine)
- 5x8 Shoulder Press (185lbs, reduced cuz I'm tired at this point) (barbell).
- Mix of tricep workouts (dips, kickbacks, etc) until muscle failure (dumbbells).
Tues, Fri (Lower-body):
- 3x8 Squats (400lbs) (machine)
- 4x10 Leg-Press (500lbs) (machine) *Fridays I do dropsets to failure.
- Hamstring curls iso'd, variable weight.
Sunday: Ride my bike long-distance.
Okay so here's the problem. When I was young I would just go to Heights High and hit the gym everyday and do every exercise available without problems. So I really don't have a good idea as to what to do as a guy who's my age and in what proper order I should work what muscles. Should RDLs be the first thing I do when I walk in the door?? I'm also having a hard time in the gym because I'm low-carb. I just can't find the strength to get through even such a small amount of sets. Also I think my core strength is shit. When I do any free weight, the fucking bar (or even dumbbells) is shaking, my back is shaking, and I can't stabilize - even though I can lift the weight without major difficultly, everything is fucking wobbly! This is one of the biggest problems I'm having!
Also, and most importantly, you'll notice I use machines heavily. It's because I have no spotter that can work around my schedule. So I can't do free weight barbells where I might fuck my shit up.
So any advice on routines to increase core strength or the muscles that help me stabilize the fucking bar? Any advice would be great, period. Or whatever has worked for you to improve your upper-body (particularly chest, triceps and biceps) size and shape?
And what about lats, I hear people talking about doing pull-downs...
Greatly appreciate any help anyone may have.. Thanks!