Rii's Workout Diary.

[Retardobot]

My fiancée bought me a gym membership before she took off to the States for 3 months.

Last night I had my first session so my PT could figure out my level of fitness. Embarrassingly I showed that I am severely unfit. I was set 3 reps of a handful of exercises that are designed to work out different parts of the body while the PT took notes of how much I could do in 1 minute per exercise. I only managed to do 2 reps and at the end I felt like I had been put in all 7 circles of hell at once. I don't think I have ever gone that far beyond my limit before - I wanted to puke and just pass out (I didn't know I had gone past my limit until I started to fade in and out of conciousness).

This morning I picked up my meal plan and suffice to say its pretty boring, but I gather that is the nature of the beast. Foods high in protein and low in sugar. Things like steak, eggs, fruits, rice and pasta as well as tuna (which I wont touch, tuna is like catfood to me, really can't stand it).

My target protein intake per day is 185gm. After one meal of scrambled eggs and wholemeal toast I took in a grand total of 24gm of protein. I have protein shake as well which I will have to supplement. My current body weight is bang on 78.0Kg with 14.5% body fat. My target weight is 80Kg+ with 10 - 12% body fat (I have been 11% before so I feel this achievable).

This morning I feel wrecked and have had a metaphorical kick in the balls as to just how unhealthy my lifestyle is. Right now everything seems a little daunting because I fucking love food and am a little depressed at the prospect that I will be a slave to a relatively boring diet (as opposed to your typical high sodium diet).

Can anyone offer some tips on foods that fit within the paradigm of a protein rich diet but are relatively tastey? This morning I went shopping and grabbed things like salmon, chicken, rice, rice-crackers, cottage cheese, fruits & nuts, salad foods, fat-free sauces (go on salads), yoghurt, steak and eggs.

My next session is next Thursday and will do my best to get back to the gym before then but right now my upper body feels like it is wearing armour woven from the very fibres of pain itself.

[Apostrophe Spacemonkey]

armour woven from the very fibres of pain itself.

Is that a passive skill?

[.osiRiS]

Keep moving about on rest days.

Boring but invest in some herbs and spices.

[Equity]

Chicken + morrocan spice = win

[Zarkov]

Quit right now Retardo.

Save yourself a lot of pain.

[Retardobot]

Chicken + morrocan spice = win

Did something similar today. Chicken salad wrap for lunch, coated the chicken in smoked paprika, tumeric and tandoori masala. Was bloody good.

Zarkov. My arms are in an insane amount of pain. Having real trouble straightening them out. Was kind of hacked off the PT didn't show me or instruct me to stretch before he took me through my first session. Will have to pull him up on it next time.

[Obble]

What a shit PT, that's a pretty basic thing.

[.osiRiS]

Stretching is 50/50 tbh.

[Vaelo]

One Square Meals are awesome.
For sauces hot is good and Blair's is hot. Can get them on trade me, they do a range of sauces imported by tongue hammer food
http://www.tonguehammerfood.co.nz/death-sauce.html
I pretty much drink the Original Death sauce, and put Ultra Death on almost everything, only need 5-7 drops per meal. Ultra Death makes everything fun, even baked beans (or in your case rice crackers)

[Apostrophe Spacemonkey]

Berfore and after pics, this thread requires.

[Black Heart]

lol @ exercise. You'll just die tired.

[Apostrophe Spacemonkey]

lol @ exercise. You'll just die tired.

You'll die tired as well if you're too fat, lugging all that extra weight around.

[Black Heart]

He's 78 kg, and is looking to slightly gain weight. You are correct, but its not applicable to the context.

[Retardobot]

I fucking hate exercise and love food.

I'm unhealthy. If I find myself still hating exercise and feeling hungry all the time due to boring, bland protein rich food then I'm going to chuck the whole thing in. I'd much rather enjoy life with tastey food and not having to calorie count like a little bitch than to spend an hour every other day at the gym slogging away.

Boring as shit but I'm giving it a go to see if I end up liking it.

[Apostrophe Spacemonkey]

Steak isn't boring. A nice juicy steak is the best meal ever.

Fish is awesome too.

[Retardobot]

Yeah, steak is great. However Steak piled with salad, rice and veges isn't.

Fish is great. Hoever Fish piled with salad, rice and veges isn't.

If I continue this, I'm going to have to allow myself at least once a week when I can eat shit food.

[Erelyes]

How tall are you? I assume at 78kg and that BF, you're close to 6'

What's your actual goal gym-wise? Cardio (muscle endurance), or strength/muscle? Or not sure, are you just doing what your PT says?

Anyways, on the food front:
1. Make up a big batch of bolognese and freeze it. Then you can just boil pasta, reheat a thing of bolognese, et voila.
2. Omelettes. I use 3 size 7 eggs, and will usually have some chopped mushrooms in there too (sauteed beforehand then added at the end). You can do a lot of variety... ham, cheese, or some sort of vegetables I suppose.
3. Casseroles. It's basically meat and sauce with *some* veges.
4. Like others said, spices. I really like Masterfoods Cajun.

185g/day protein sounds right.

TBH I think the main thing is not changing your diet, but changing your philosophy. Sounds a bit wanky, but what I mean is, you have to want to change. So that when you go to grab a drink, you're getting water or milk, not Coke.

IMHO a lot of diets are a bit OTT. You may have slower progress eating a bit of junk but as long as the bulk is good that's what counts. I think 75% of your diet should be the 'good' stuff (whole foods, protein, blah blah). The other 25% should be sanity food.

TBH though mate; I think it's not great that you're finding it depressing. I started 3 months ago and have been relishing it; I do research, I look forward to workouts. I have never gotten close to passing out, puking, or anything like that.

[Erelyes]

How tall are you? I assume at 78kg and that BF, you're close to 6'

What's your actual goal gym-wise? Cardio (muscle endurance), or strength/muscle? Or not sure, are you just doing what your PT says?

Anyways, on the food front:
1. Make up a big batch of bolognese and freeze it. Then you can just boil pasta, reheat a thing of bolognese, et voila.
2. Omelettes. I use 3 size 7 eggs, and will usually have some chopped mushrooms in there too (sauteed beforehand then added at the end). You can do a lot of variety... ham, cheese, or some sort of vegetables I suppose.
3. Casseroles. It's basically meat and sauce with *some* veges.
4. Like others said, spices. I really like Masterfoods Cajun.

185g/day protein sounds right.

TBH I think the main thing is not changing your diet, but changing your philosophy. Sounds a bit wanky, but what I mean is, you have to want to change. So that when you go to grab a drink, you're getting water or milk, not Coke.

IMHO a lot of diets are a bit OTT. You may have slower progress eating a bit of junk but as long as the bulk is good that's what counts. I think 75% of your diet should be the 'good' stuff (whole foods, protein, blah blah). The other 25% should be sanity food.

TBH though mate; I think it's not great that you're finding it depressing. I started 3 months ago and have been relishing it; I do research, I look forward to workouts. I have never gotten close to passing out, puking, or anything like that.

[Retardobot]

How tall are you? I assume at 78kg and that BF, you're close to 6'

Yeah, roughly 6'1.

What's your actual goal gym-wise? Cardio (muscle endurance), or strength/muscle? Or not sure, are you just doing what your PT says?

It's hard to define my goal. I've explained them to my PT, so he's working for me and with that in mind I am listening to his tutorage. To put it blunty, I want 'definition'.

Anyways, on the food front:
1. Make up a big batch of bolognese and freeze it. Then you can just boil pasta, reheat a thing of bolognese, et voila.
2. Omelettes. I use 3 size 7 eggs, and will usually have some chopped mushrooms in there too (sauteed beforehand then added at the end). You can do a lot of variety... ham, cheese, or some sort of vegetables I suppose.
3. Casseroles. It's basically meat and sauce with *some* veges.
4. Like others said, spices. I really like Masterfoods Cajun.

185g/day protein sounds right.

Cheers for the tips! I think my distaste for the regime at this point is my diet plan. It's built like it is serving a 400 pound man. No variety, basic foods like rice, shredded chicken, rice crackers.... Which is why I asked for some food tips because whilst I want change, I don't think I want, or need the diet of a severely overweight diabetic woman.

TBH I think the main thing is not changing your diet, but changing your philosophy. Sounds a bit wanky, but what I mean is, you have to want to change. So that when you go to grab a drink, you're getting water or milk, not Coke.

I agree. It's a mental game as much as it is a physical one.

IMHO a lot of diets are a bit OTT. You may have slower progress eating a bit of junk but as long as the bulk is good that's what counts. I think 75% of your diet should be the 'good' stuff (whole foods, protein, blah blah). The other 25% should be sanity food.

I think that's how I feel about how my diet has been written up. It does feel OTT. I have cut out all sugar and I think what I am wanting is some sort of compromise considering I'm only a small guy wanting small gains, not a big guy wanting to slim down and then start cutting drastically.

TBH though mate; I think it's not great that you're finding it depressing. I started 3 months ago and have been relishing it; I do research, I look forward to workouts. I have never gotten close to passing out, puking, or anything like that.

Looking back on Friday, I see why I bombed the way I did. For the most of that week I had shit..I mean REALLY shit food. I was missing lunch, not eating breakfast and was severely dehydrated and didn't know it. I've just gotten back from another session and I feel great. Was on the bike for 20 mins doing 30K an hour, did some weights and alternated between the pull up machine and the bench press machine (I think that's what it's called) then finished off with more weights and another go on the bike. On the drive home I caught myself saying "I might go back in tomorrow" after working out I'd be going every second day.

So, onwards and upwards!

[Retardobot]

Berfore and after pics, this thread requires.

Thanks for reminding me.

Just started an album. I'll show the kids when they're old enough to understand.

[frankytanky]

How tall are you? I assume at 78kg and that BF, you're close to 6'

What's your actual goal gym-wise? Cardio (muscle endurance), or strength/muscle? Or not sure, are you just doing what your PT says?

Anyways, on the food front:
1. Make up a big batch of bolognese and freeze it. Then you can just boil pasta, reheat a thing of bolognese, et voila.
2. Omelettes. I use 3 size 7 eggs, and will usually have some chopped mushrooms in there too (sauteed beforehand then added at the end). You can do a lot of variety... ham, cheese, or some sort of vegetables I suppose.
3. Casseroles. It's basically meat and sauce with *some* veges.
4. Like others said, spices. I really like Masterfoods Cajun.

185g/day protein sounds right.

TBH I think the main thing is not changing your diet, but changing your philosophy. Sounds a bit wanky, but what I mean is, you have to want to change. So that when you go to grab a drink, you're getting water or milk, not Coke.

IMHO a lot of diets are a bit OTT. You may have slower progress eating a bit of junk but as long as the bulk is good that's what counts. I think 75% of your diet should be the 'good' stuff (whole foods, protein, blah blah). The other 25% should be sanity food.

TBH though mate; I think it's not great that you're finding it depressing. I started 3 months ago and have been relishing it; I do research, I look forward to workouts. I have never gotten close to passing out, puking, or anything like that.

What he said. I have always been fit and kept fit so it is a little easier to say keep it up but I understand how it works.
I think you don't have to be super strict on what you eat, just remember (cliche) moderation is the key. Try to limit your takeaways to 1 day a week, the rest try to have "decent" food, I still have a ridiculous amount of coke (keep away from energy drink s tho, that's bad mojo).
TBH I hate the gym, can't stand it, too many big burley blokes standing in front of the mirrors grunting, unfortunately during winter it is far nicer to take your exercise inside instead of among the elements.
Good on you for getting into it, the start is definitely the hardest, you will ache for 3 or 4 days and it will be ever so slightly easier next time.
Then in three months time you will be ready to butter up the guns and get all GC on it.

[Black Heart]

go swimming, screw the gym & diet from hell.

[Retardobot]

Chlorine does a number on me. Can't handle the shit.

Thanks for the tips guys. After asking a lot of other people, my diet I have been set has been shown to be a little ridiculous. I fear that if I where to follow it to a 'T' it'd have me craving for other foods around the clock and then I'd end up breaking completely. So whilst I'm still following the diet, I'm just allowing myself a small amount of 'comfort food' on occasion, things like sauces, added salt and fruit juice (100% unpasteurized). I may end up allowing myself a day once a week where I have takeaways but I don't want to do that too early, maybe some time down the track when I've noticed that I've made good progress and a meal of fish 'n' chips wont reverse my hard work.

Gym again tonight as I think I'm going out to a friends place for tea (personal trainer who works at another gym). Probably get some more tips on workouts, eating plans etc.

[Erelyes]

I put up a post earlier today but seems to have gone AWOL. Anyways.

Your goal of more 'definition' basically means you want to have some decent looking muscles, and get rid of a bit of the fat that hides those muscles, yeah?

Here's a few things to think about, no guarantee I'm right on any of these, but I'm happy to explain/debate.

1. Don't do cardio before weight/strength work. Do it afterwards. Feel free to do 5m on a bike to warmup, but personally I just warmup with an empty barbell and work up to my work weight. Personally I avoid cardio for the most part, cos I don't enjoy it, and lifting weights / looking after 2 kids expends enough energy as it is. The great thing about lifting iron is that the stronger you get, the more calories you burn.
2. Never do strength/weight two days in a row as a beginner. Your body needs time to recover. I'd limit any cardio on the 'off' days too.
3. Avoid supplements - pre-workout formulas, body mass stuff, etc etc. You can use whey protein powder if you think you need a boost. The prority with the powder (high to low) is: post workout, breakfast, before bed, pre workout. I only do one scoop post workout.
4. If you are limiting carbs in your diet ensure you still get some carbs post workout, for energy etc.
5. Do compound weight movements. Bicep curls work your biceps. Bench pressing works out most of your upper body.
6. Do free weight excercises. I notice you mentioned a BP 'machine'. Unfortunately a machine does all the balancing for you, which means you use less muscles and are more likely to end up imbalanced (where particular muscles in a group are much weaker). Yes, free weight means you have to learn technique; that's the fun part, and hopefully your PT paid attention in the technique part of their classes. There is a heap of technique stuff on the net if you look.

Personally I've been doing http://www.stronglifts.com for 10 weeks. My goal is gain ~10kg of strong muscle. 'Some' diet improvements but still eat bread, fish and chips, blah blah. Also doing 1/2 GOMAD. Went from 79 to 87kg so far (6'2, goal ~90kg). No BF measurements but I was probably 10-15% before and same now. Couldn't do a chin-up before, can do 3 now. I am close to squatting my weight for 5 reps, I have deadlifted my weight for 5 reps, and currently benching/pressing 1/2 my weight for 5 reps. A couple months ago I thought squatting 40kg was hard!
The Stronglifts site can seem a bit of a hard sell, and you have to submit your email for the program, but it's free. It's refreshingly candid and non-bullshit. I can flick you the report if you don't like submitting emails.

Good luck with your program; when I started my wife was all like "I like you the way you are". Now she says that she feels a little shallow cos she LOVES the more 'buff' look that I am gradually acquiring.

[Retardobot]

Your goal of more 'definition' basically means you want to have some decent looking muscles, and get rid of a bit of the fat that hides those muscles, yeah?

Yep.

1. Don't do cardio before weight/strength work. Do it afterwards.

Why is this?

2. Never do strength/weight two days in a row as a beginner. Your body needs time to recover. I'd limit any cardio on the 'off' days too.

I get nil exercise during the day. I sit on my bum at a desk. I try to bike to work but during the winter the weather doesn't allow for that. I feel guilty if I do nothing.

3. Avoid supplements - pre-workout formulas, body mass stuff, etc etc. You can use whey protein powder if you think you need a boost. The prority with the powder (high to low) is: post workout, breakfast, before bed, pre workout. I only do one scoop post workout.

I'm not going to bother with workout supplements. Just as you have suggested, I'm only taking a protein mix pre and post workout and occasionally in the morning if I feel I'm not going to hit my protein intake for the day.

5. Do compound weight movements. Bicep curls work your biceps. Bench pressing works out most of your upper body.

Yep. Have been doing the bicep curls. PT showed me how to do them. My form will get better over time. I'll be shown more exercises come Thursday (next session). For now, I'm doing what I know and what I can when at the gym.

Good luck with your program; when I started my wife was all like "I like you the way you are". Now she says that she feels a little shallow cos she LOVES the more 'buff' look that I am gradually acquiring.

The Mrs. is away in the States. While she's over there (3 months) she's doing yoga etc so she is looking forward to seeing me after 3 months of gym and I'm looking forward to seeing her after 3 months of muscle toning.