Muscles, strength and other common health stuff....

[mont]

There have been a few threads lately discussing the desire for 6 pack abs and good muscle tone etc. Here is my take on the whole thing as per my own proof in the pudding.

Everytime I am in the gym (which I go to fairly regulary), I see people working their ass off, in the hopes of eventually looking like that greek statue or SI cover babe. I see a good effort going on, while you can see a good slice of inner layer fat going on as well.

The same thing goes through my mind every time: "Too bad when they leave the gym, they're going to eat and drink their way back to where they left off!"

One CANNOT have that "look" unless one rigourisly controls both how, when, and what one EATS!!! If one wants to SEE their muscles, they have to combine their excercise with a strict diet (DIET DOES NOT MEAN LESS FOOD IT MEANS >>>>>>>SMART<<<<<<<FOOD AND SMART TIMING OF THAT FOOD!) What that means specifically is more than I have time for as of this moment. But if one isnt going to smartly feed the muscles for growth, at the same time as keeping the bad OUT of the diet, one is NEVER EVER EVER going to have the "look" we are trying to get.

One can easily have strength without a ripped and pumped body. Just check some professional powerlifters who's "job" is lifting not looking good. They are unbelievably strong, but dont look very appealing. Nor are they trying too. Many of them eat all the calories possible but aren't concerned about what types of calories, fats, and carbs - only that they can get the weight up. Bodybuilders on the other hand, are EXTREMELY careful about how, when, and what they eat - they eat food for function not because it "tastes good." TRAINING is only one part of the equation but again, if you are looking to be mean and lean - DIET is your primary concern.
IF YOU WANT TO LOOK LIKE "MR. 6 PACK" YOU GOTTA EAT WITH THE SAME CARE AS YOU TRAIN AT THE GYM!

My own physique is not "naturally given" its HARD AND DISCIPLINED WORK - and I enjoy it! When I am at the gym, I know there are many who think "oh man, that old guy must really know how to train, lets copy him." Problem is, its not so much as to HOW I am working out with the weights, but rather WHAT I am putting in my body and WHEN, and HOW MUCH. Its the COMBINATION - and one cant have one without the other. (actually you can see the muscles without working out if you just do your diet right - problem is, you will just look skinny ) If I didnt do these things I would be just like everyone else I just described at the beginning of my thread - trust me.

So really bb friends, all the others who have commented on the many threads about diet - LISTEN LISTEN LISTEN to them as they are wise! If you arent prepared to put in as much effort into your eating program as you do on the treadmill or barbell, its all for naught (if looking mean and lean and keeping quick is your aim).

[rx7master]

i agree 100%. it is hard to get to the gym and work your butt off 4-5 days a week. sad thing is; for most, that is the easier half. eating a good diet and staying away from junkfood and empty calories is the real challenge. although i do know a select few guys who posess the body type that enables them to eat what ever whenever and maintain a sculpted body. but that is very uncommon. wish i had those genetics.

[Mitch92]

Originally Posted by mont

There have been a few threads lately discussing the desire for 6 pack abs and good muscle tone etc. Here is my take on the whole thing as per my own proof in the pudding.

After reading this I was expecting some pictoral proof!!!

Actually, I really like the way you explain the importance of the dietary component of developing an appealing physique.

I am another 'older' guy who recently decided to rebuild my body. I was too light and was becoming injury prone as a result. I have always had a fast metabolism and could generally get away with eating whatever I wanted. What people who thought I was just lucky to be able to eat whatever I wanted to eat without gaining weight didn't see, was that my daily eating habits, which I had taken years to develop, are the reason I was staying skinny. Little things like not snacking at night and often going to bed hungry without a second thought about it, eating regular meals and simply keeping physically active.

I tend to subconsciously adjust my eating based on my activity levels. When I am more active I eat more and when I am less active I eat less. I love good food but I am not obsessed with food in the least. Having said that I still had much room for improvement. I was always a bit of a carbohydrate junky and didn't place a whole lot of emphasis on eating enough quality protein. That is why I could never keep enough muscle on my bones.

Perhaps the most important contributor to keeping my weight down is the fact that I don't drink alcohol. Most people who drink do not realize how many excess calories they are putting into their bodies when they drink. While I did not drink I have been a smoker for my entire adult life so as part of my program I have quit smoking as well. I figured that if I am truly dedicated to improving my overall health that quitting smoking was the best place to start!

I recently began a weight lifting and dietary program(modelled after the Body-For-Life program) to put on some muscle weight while also keeping the fat off and lowering my body fat percentage to around 8-10%. I am 5'9" and I started at 149 lbs. I weighed myself last Sunday and weighed in at 166. The results are becoming quite visible when I look in the mirror now too.

The dietary changes I have made to effect the desired results have been to increase my protein intake with the help of using, on average, 3 meal replacement shakes per day on top of my regular breakfast, lunch and supper for a total of six or seven evenly distributed meals throughout the day. I have also supplemented with creatine to support muscle building and tribulus and ZMA to naturally increase/support testosterone levels. I believe these supplements have helped a great deal (even if only from the mental boost) but the most important changes have been the foods I eat and how/when I eat them.

For the first month or so I gained too much fat because I had increased my total caloric intake too much. Over the last couple of weeks I have made some adjustments such as increasing the carb to protein ratio in my meal replacement shakes from 3:1 to 2:1 or at times 1:1 and making them smaller and I am noticing that the initial excess fat is falling off without any drastic weight loss. That means the muscle is staying which is what I want. I plan to continue gaining up to around 175 and then I will further adjust my eating to get my body fat percentage to where I want it. I expect to reach those goals in another four weeks. Things are going as planned so far so I do not forsee any problems in getting to my desired weight.

As Mont said, working out in the gym is only one half of the equation to developing a strong lean physique. The other half is what you put into your body, or diet. Personally I don't like the word diet due to the negative associations it has with the countless fad diets that rob people of their money and self respect and do little to assist them in accomplishing any permanent weight loss.

[D Beaupre]

Here's all you need to know:

It takes an hour of intense exercise to burn 1,000 calories.

You can eat 1,000 calories in about 10 minutes, maybe less.


I've always said, "exercise is no match for diet."

[efstratios1]

Originally Posted by mont

(DIET DOES NOT MEAN LESS FOOD IT MEANS >>>>>>>SMART<<<<<<<FOOD .

Is this what you mean?

[D Beaupre]

Originally Posted by efstratios1

Is this what you mean?

LOL!!
.........

[el shiatzo131]

Great article, Mont. It's totally true, too. I know I've been eating alot more fruit and less fast food lately and have put off alot of fat. It's all been replaced with muscle, but I don't even have to work out. All I do is hockey, whatever we do in gym and then I walk a mile home everyday. It's pretty cool.

[Timberwoof]

Hear, hear, Mont!

I'm one of those ectomorphs everyone hates: my body weight has been around 120# for most of my life (I'm 5'10" tall) with a very low (~5%) bodyfat content. In the past few years I've been living with a meatitarian ("Vegetables are what food eats," he says) and have as a result increased the amount of protein in my diet. That coupled with regularly playing hockey has helped me gain weight and condition my body. I'm up to 140# now and the occasional puck that finds a chink in my armor never leaves much of a bruise.

I don't like potato chips. Besides that, most of them are cooked in cottonseed oil, against which I have a borderline allergy that I don't need to irritate or risk causing a major allergic reaction with. I do't like fatty foods in general; I'm just not happy unless my meal also includes some rabbit food. (My meatitarian friends look at me funny when I munch roots, shoots, fruits, leaves, and tubers.)

Now If I dusted off that Soloflex...

[mont]

I received a PM asking more specifics about the dietary aspect for one that has gone off the deep end and how to get on track and keep it. Its such a good question I thought I'd relay it here for all.

>>It should be stated that there is a plethora of info out there. Problem is, without knowing what lies behind the information, it is often difficult to know what is good and what is gobbeldeegook info. I am just a "normal guy" sharing info about my own results and how I get them. I am not a pro or sponsored in any way regarding fitness/supplements etc. so the info I give is real, not sensationalised. After salmonella, I weighed 145lbs, three month later it was ca.185lbs low fat, and no drugs. I have no trouble showing the results either, but I think such photos belong on bodybuilding sites than here on a goalie BB lol <<

First of all it should be clear this discussion is geared towards the individual whom is able to integrate weight training into his daily life together with the "aerobic" aspect one gets from the hockey itself. We all have busy schedules but the weight training is something that only requires less than 1 hour a day every 2 days. Its really a matter of "will" than it is anything else. I have a near 24-7 job, 2 kids, plus hockey so I figure if its manageable by myself, it shouldnt be impossible for others. If the motivation isnt there, neither will the results.

About the stomach area - its all about diet - perhaps 99% . You will show a 6 pack by removing the fat on the muscles there. You will NOT show a 6 pack by having strong stomach muscle with a layer of fat. Actually you might, but they will simply "portrude" through that fat - not your goal. And you CANNOT spot reduce. All the focus on the stomach excerices without a rigid, smart form of diet, means you might as well not even try. (Timbers' comments about the TYPE E person who easily burns fat is true to a degree but not totally applicable to our goal in this case, which is for a lean, but muscular body that is well defined and powerful.) Knowing these facts, one has to first accept some simple but drastic disciplines will be required.

Weight training, and doing it properly - is essential. Thats a post in itself.

But the biggest factor, the key to the "powerful, sculpted body look" is FOOD. I say FOOD instead of diet here so there is no misunderstanding. We are not talking eating less as has been mentioned for. You can eat very little and still have a skinny body with a nice gut - but that's not what we want! So we have to learn to eat - all the time - about 6 times a day - but we must be selective and DISCIPLINED what it is, and ISNT, that we are putting in our bodies.

Here is what you want to not simply reduce, but ELIMINATE from your diet:
(once every 2 weeks is ok, but you probably wont care - see comments later)

1. mayo or anthing like mayo
2. butter
3. white rice, white bread
4. candy of any kind
5. sodas of any kind
6. anything containing ordinary "sugar"
7. fatty meats that have an abundance of "white stuff"
8. fast food - all of it
9. deserts/snacks like potatoe chips etc./ice cream
10. any milk other than skim


Here is what you want to include in your diet on a daily or weekly basis:

0. Lots of water during the day
1. Whey protein/maltodextrin blended shakes - these will have the bonus of satisfying your sweet cravings
2. chicken breast without the skin
3. tuna in water, not oil
4. salmon
5. fruits/vegetables - oranges, broccoli, carrots, and tomatoes beign good choices
6. wheat bran
7. flaxseed oil or mix of omega 3/6/9
8. quality multivitamin(s)
9. vitamin c pill ie. 500mg daily
10. oatmeal
11. lowfat cottage cheese before bedtime

(creatine is an option I use as well but I wont put it on the list as it is not relevant to the topic of the moment)
Eat 6 meals a day from morning to bedtime. Dont overly stuff yourself, but dont ever allow a "hunger feeling" either - you become catabolic which burns fat, but all important muscle as well. You want to keep out the fat and put on the muscle. Dont look at the scales - they mean nothing! Use the mirror! If you exchange 185 pounds of fat for 195lbs of muscle, wouldnt you be happy?

Sound tough? Sound boring? Sound impossible? Well, its called "using food for function" instead of ...anything else! Want results? Convince yourself to get going right away!

Now here's what is interesting. In the beginning it might be pure hell and you will have all the reasons in the world to not stick to it - but you must. You know what? After a few weeks, you might almost puke if you even look at anything on the first list! Once you get going, it's so easy and really fun because you will enjoy seeing the results!

The original PM asked how to stay disciplined and that is surprisingly, an easy question to answer. As long as you get started, the results will come and thus, the discipline will become a challenge that is fun to meet - and keep up. It will be a natural thing to do, no longer a battle with yourself. Let your mirror be your best friend. This advice WORKS and when you see and feel the changes, there is no turning back. DISCIPLINE? RESULTS TAKE CARE OF THAT!

(as mentioned, this diet must be combined with excercise (like hockey) and preferably, weight lifting but that is for later and another post. Point here is, you gotta BEGIN by changing the fuel in the tank from the norm. Its UHYGGELIGT VIGTIGT (critically important!) Get control of this aspect of the 2 part puzzle, and you have every reason in the world to believe you your goals can be achieved.

[bedris]

Damn good advice right there.

[sloth2946]

Good stuff Monty.

Question, you're a very regimented person who is meticulous. I will assume that you have a day to day diet that you follow or do you just wing it???

If you do have something written up, can you email it to me??? You know how to get me.

One other thing...cottage cheese before bed!? Explain the rationale and what it accomplishes for me if you have the time when you're not bugging me on my cell phone at work!

PS: My wife said she spoke to you...I told her you were her type....she's on a plane out of JFK tomorrow, but I get to keep my daughter!

[Fade2Black]

Originally Posted by sloth2946

One other thing...cottage cheese before bed!? Explain the rationale and what it accomplishes for me

Cottage cheese has a majority of slow absorbing casein protein. This is necessary before bed because you are essentially in a fasted state for 8+ hours while sleeping. Many people actually wake up in the middle of the night and either make a protein shake or eat a small, light meal to avoid the extended catabolic state.

[mont]

Originally Posted by sloth2946

Good stuff Monty.

Question, you're a very regimented person who is meticulous. I will assume that you have a day to day diet that you follow or do you just wing it???

If you do have something written up, can you email it to me??? You know how to get me.

One other thing...cottage cheese before bed!? Explain the rationale and what it accomplishes for me if you have the time when you're not bugging me on my cell phone at work!

PS: My wife said she spoke to you...I told her you were her type....she's on a plane out of JFK tomorrow, but I get to keep my daughter!

Lol! Very funny SlothMeister!!!!

You're right I do have a regimented diet - to a certain degree.
I may as well write it in this thread unless you object? I would think that might be useful for many.

Well now its off to one of Anton final games of the year over the cross-town rivals in green!

Oh yeah, the cottage cheese will sound very strange to many but there is a very good explanation....

[Fade2Black]

Originally Posted by mont

1. Whey protein/maltodextrin blended shakes - these will have the bonus of satisfying your sweet cravings

If I may make an addition here, I would add some fructose into the shake as well. My personal preference is to add a banana into my shake. The fructose helps restore depleted liver glycogen while allowing the muscle glycogen stores to be filled by the maltodextrin/dextrose. You don't want the liver hogging all of that good dextrose

[mont]

Fade is right about the fructose. But depending on one's goals or "problem." it is best to shy away from too much carbs unless one is very routined with the physical training side of things and thus utilises these carbs for energy instead of more fuel for fat. I think Fade meant the fructose was from the fruit he put in the shake - not added powder. Assuming the diet is rich in fruits there should be plenty of fructose acquired from those sources alone.

Regarding the whey shakes. Absolutely, create your own masterpieces! What many are afraid of is that life gets so boring with this "bland" food approach - not so! Make it up in the shake! Carrots, banana, oranges, pears, wheat germ/bran, etc. What I would suggest though, is some already blended products that take care of of the protein/carb mixture for you. For example, take ProComplex http://www.pro-complex.com/ for those with a goal of replacing fat with muscle, and ProLab N-Large http://www.prolab.com/ for those whose goal is to add muscle to skinny, hard gain figures. Remember, the previous diet guidelines and intensive weight training (intensive means just that, short and INTENSIVE - not LONG, lot of time training) must be combined with these products to be of any good.

Now on to a snapshot of things more specifically regarding the daily food intake...

Breakfast:
Protein shake blend serving like above (remember this depends on your goals)
In that, I mix a scoop of oatmeal, wheatbran, one orange, omega 3/6/9 oil blend, multivitamin, and 500mg vitamin c. Tastes fantastic and I am set until about 10:30 am ...

meal 2
Tuna sandwich. Whole wheat bread, 1 can tuna with tomato and pepper. NO MAYO! CANT EAT A SANDWICH WITHOUT IT - GET USED TO IT! Here's a tip: Instead of feeling like your sandwich is missing tha mayo, get used to alternate ideas - like pepper - or tabasco - or mustard as an example. (For the Tuna sandwich pepper is just fine thanks

meal 3
Grilled chicken breast
Carrot, tomato, apple

meal 4
Pre-blended Protein shake (see above) serving
Add wheat bran, carrot

meal 5
Chicken (never with skin) or Salmon
Broccoli (steamed)
Brown rice or baked potato (with salt and pepper - not BUTTER!)
Salad (no dressing ) Ok to use OLIVE oil/vinegar if desired

meal 6
Pre-blended protein shake serving (add small amount of wheat bran for fiber)

Before bedtime - several scoops of LOWFAT (1.5%) cottage cheese. This is because the type of protein(casein) found in this food is slow absorbing so later in the evening your body will absorb it where the other types of protein such as the meat and whey will have been long expelled from the body. This keeps you anabolic longer so that you dont "waste " so much muscle during your 8 hours of fasting while asleep. This protein intake will not make you fat - remember you may be trying to lose weight but its the FAT you want to lose, not the muscle! And for those trying to gain on lean bodies, you cannot afford to lose muscle during the night - this is where the casein (cottage cheese) comes in.

Thats a basic, "life in a day." Weight training (not counting the hockey) is the other part of the pie still unmentioned...

PS. (just noticed Fade accurately explained the reason for the cottage cheese earlier on here...