Metal Reviews

Not as long you get some after, as well.
You should space out your protein / meal intake over roughly six meals a day.
The amount and content really depends on your goals.

I heard it was good to get some protein and carbs 30min before and after a workout. But not so if you're trying to lose weight. I'm no expert on the subject though that's what I heard.

No, you can eat before working out, in fact you really should. If you want to lose weight, eat small well balanced meals throughout the day. and do some light weight training (more reps) with some cardio. Eating small meals throughout the day keeps the metabolism going, and if you don't eat, your body will burn muscle for energy before it acually burns fat. If you don't eat enough, your body will actaully hold onto it's fat, due to it's survival instinct.
That's why an intake of the appropriate amount of protein is crucial.
I myself have adopted what they call the caveman diet... I only (well, mostly, haha) eat meats, eggs, fruits and veggies and nuts, and avoid potatoes, rice and bread, supplemented with a post workout whey powder, of course.
Actually works pretty well.

If you REALLY want to lose weight though, cut away literally all carbs. Eat proteins and healthy fat and you'll lose a lot of weight. I don't recommend doing this for more than 4-5 weeks though, because well, it's harming your body, and you'll get tired as fucking hell as well as adopting a very low energy-level. I eat carbs mostly for replenishing my strength straight after an hour in the gym. I also get some slow carbs for breakfast because the insulin activity is much more frequent right after you woke up and right after exercise.

My sister's doing a diet where she has no carbs except for one hour during dinner and she's losing quite a bit of weight.

Only time I work out is doing basic stuff like push ups, sit ups and squats while watching TV

So what do you guys suggest I eat in those 6 meals? I don't need to lose much, just have a bit of belly fat I need to shed. And should I eat stronger meals in the days I go to the gym (3 times a week)?

Just basic square meals, and a couple of healthy snacks (fruits, nuts, etc.) but smaller portions, really; lean meat, veggies / fruits, etc. and lots and lots of water.
A good rule of thumb is eat only what comes from the earth... if it has a laundry list of chemicals and additives, it's man-made garbage.
Cut out any sugar, junk food etc., of course that goes without saying, and exercise.
There's no trick to losing weight; it's a matter of burning more calories than you take in.
Proper diet and exercise = results.
Simply not eating won't do it; you'll be weak and tired and your body will lose muscle, and you don't want that.
As for the pre-gym meals; carbs are good for energy, both pre and post workout, and make sure you feed your muscles with protein.
How much really depends on your body weight.

Well.. Kinda disagree on the fruits thing.. A couple does it, too much results in fat as the glycogen storage spaces will be full.. Here's what I did to shed about ten kg's in a little more than a month:

Morning: Slow carbs and proteins (Oat meal)
Lunch: Proteins, fiber (nuts), vitamins (vegetables as in paprika and a carrot maybe)
Dinner: Proteins and healthy fat (meat, eggs), drop potatoes and rice.
After gym session: Fast carbs (for replenishing sakes), fruit is nice here along with some orange juice or something.
Supper: Slow carbs (bread, oat meal)

If you need a meal between work-out and supper, then focus mainly on the proteins.

I worked out five days a week on that diet, and those two combined worked wonders. General weightlifting Monday, Wedensday and Friday combined with intervals Thirsday and Thursday did the trick. I did it without losing too much strength as well, which is kinda normal. Expect to lose some strength.

Follow this for a month or two, and you will notice the difference. You could do the no Carbs at all thing on the same work-out program. But I don't recommend that. Especially not with work and school, it will wear you down, plus, when you start eating carbs again, you will gain kilos easier.

I agree about the zero carb thing... your body needs them.
Same with fats, as long as they are in moderation and the right kind.
I don't eat many starches (bread, pasta, potatoes, rice, etc.) so, for me, three to five servings of fruit and veggies a day works pretty good. Plus I tend to eat a lot of meat, and that means I need fiber.


I was doing the old push-pull routine for a long time, but found myself in a slump.
My regiment now consists of:

Day 1: shoulders and chest
Day 2: arms and grip/forearms
Day 3: back and legs

repeat, with a day off at the end of the second cycle.

I know that, if I eat before working out, I usually get indigestion. So I often prefer to work out and then eat a big meal thereafter (largely so that I don't start losing weight).

Thank you both for this valuable info. I'll try it and ask more questions to you guys if I have any problems.

No problem, man, and good luck. Play around with it a little, see what works for you. Everybody's a little different but the basic rule of thumb is pretty consistent.
I am a firm beleiver in self discipline and that a strong healthy body is as crucial as a strong healthy mind.

No problem Kathy.. I'm studying to become a dietician, so I actually find this pretty interesting so don't hold back.. Here's my schedule by the way:

Monday: Chest, Triceps
Tuesday: Thighs, Legs, Abs
Thursday: Back
Friday: Shoulders, abs

I'm doing a couple of excercises for each muscle group. Especially those with several heads (Triceps, Thighs) and the big ones of course so that I work the whole muscle.

V: The fiber is nice, because it doesn't get digested like carbs usually do, which allows you, on the cetosis diet (no carbs), to eat nuts and some fruit.

What's the breakdown of your routine?

For me, I do:

Day 1:
4 sets of flat bench, 6-8 reps.
4 sets of inclines, 6-8 reps
4 sets of military dumbell press, 'til fatigue
4 sets of lateral flys, supersetted with frontal flys 'til fatigue
4 sets of upward rows, 'til fatigue

Day 2:
5 sets of dumbell curls, 10 reps
4 sets of hammer curls, 8-10 reps
5 sets of overhead reverse curls 10 reps
4 sets of handgrips (captains of crush, 120 lbs. per) for each hand
'til fatigue
4 sets of wrist curls, 'til fatigue

Day 3:
4 sets of "6 to 12", or ground to chest rows 8 reps
4 sets of leg press, 'til fatigue.

repeat, and take the seventh day off.

Monday:

Benchpress: 5 sets, 10-8-6-5-4 reps.
Inclined bench with dumbbells: 3 sets, 10-8-6 reps.
Dips: 5 sets, 7 reps.
Pushdown with bar: 3 sets, 10 reps
French press: 3 sets, 10 reps
Pushdown with rope: 3 sets, 10 reps

Since I tend to have a narrow rather than broad grip on the bench bar, my triceps hurt like a motherfucker after Mondays. Like today heh. Forward leaning dips is very effective on the chest, and an important exercise. I recommend you guys try it.

Tuesday:

Squats/Leg-press: 4 sets, 12-10-8-6 reps
Leg extensions: 3 sets, 8-12 reps
Hamstring Curl: 3 sets, 10 reps
Heel raise: 3 sets, 10-12 reps

Thursday

Pulldown with broad grip: 3 sets, 10-8-6 reps
Rowing (sitting) narrow grip: 3 sets, 10-8-8 reps
Pulldown with narrow grip: 3 sets, 10-8-6 reps
Pull-over: 3 sets , 8-10 reps-

* This day I do most excercises without any pauses. I.e I switch between pulldown and rowing after each set. Same with Pulldown (narrow) and Pull-over. I allow myself to do this, because it'll be a whole week until next time, and I can allow myself to break down my muscles even more seeing as how they'll recover in a week.

Friday:

Military dumbell press: 3 sets, 10 reps
Flank raise: 3 sets, 12 reps
Reversed peckfly: 4 sets, 12 reps



For abs I just do normal or varied forms of sit-ups. Effective and nice. You might notice that I don't do biceps. That's because both rowing and pulldown stimulates the biceps pretty heavily as well as your back so it's not really necesarry unless you want them huge.

I try to stay away from routine. Surprising your muscles is a good way to build muscle. I exercise whatever part of my body I feel like working on. I do a lot of the same types of work outs you guys do, but I don't schedule them out. I go to the gym at least 3 times a week. If I go anymore than that it is because I drank to much beer over the weekend and need to burn some calories. If that's the case I'll throw in an extra day of clean and press. Great exercise for cardio, lower back, shoulders, and gluts.

What are your favorite exercises?
Mine -

Shoulder squats. I prefer to do squats with the bar behind me, although I commend those of you who have the focus to balance it in front. This exercise is by far the most effective out there, imo.

Clean and press - I like this exercise because it gets every muscle, plus adds a little cardio.

Dumbbell flies - The prime upper body exercise, imo.

Fair enough, I don't do the same program for over six weeks, as variation is crucial. However, I would argue that structure is very important to achieve goals, if you have any. If you don't then okay, dow hatever you want to. Squats with the bar on the upper part of your chest doesn't weigh down you back that much, and is a nice exercise if you have troubles with your back.

Rowing, pulldown, squats and/or deadlifts is the more effective upper body exercises. Imo.

Exactly right. Making slight changes in your routine every couple of months is a good thing, but a structured routine is critical in order to get results.
That means making a schedule and adhering to it.

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http://crossfit.com/

Everything you need to know.

What I usually like to do is change the order in which I do my exercises every couple of months. I don't really like to change the actual exercises, though, as I already use most of the exercise machines at my gym anyway. The best I'd be able to do is change my free weight exercises (although curling is something I like to keep in my routine).