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2004/04/02, 02:54 AM
Hello FreeTrainers! My name is James, I'm 20 years old and here's the short edition of my life story and fitness goals.
Up until my early teenage years I was pretty skinny. Around the time I started middle school, I put on a lot of weight very quickly until I was just shy of 200 lbs. Then, through a combination of puberty and eating smaller portions at every meal, I went through a growth spurt and lost a ton of weight. Unfortunately, I lost a little too much weight, at 18 I was about 6'0" and weighed around 145 lbs.
Sometime about a year ago, I decided to do something about it. At first I didn't do a lot, my mom bought an elliptical trainer and I ran on that for about 20 minutes a day slowly building myself up until I could keep a decent pace on a medium resistance setting for 45-60 minutes. Then a few months later I convinced my dad to buy a Weider Crossbow (it's similar to the Bowflex machine).
For the next couple months, I worked out 7 days a week, doing about an hour on the Crossbow and 45 minutes on the elliptical trainer back to back. I achieved some pretty good gains, nearly doubling the amount of weight and sets I could handle on any given exercise; my arms in particular got a lot firmer. Overall I gained 20 lbs, which brings me to my current weight of 165 lbs.
Recently, about 2 months ago, it came to my attention that I was doing almost everything wrong. My parents and friends suggested that I was doing too much and I wondered if I was doing the right things (the right exercises, the right amount of weight or sets, too much cardio, bad diet, etc.) and I revised my exercise routine. Today I work out 5 days a week: 3 days of lifting and 2 days of cardio. Even though I tried my hardest to change things up, I've hit a plateau.
If you made it this far, I know what you're thinking, "why the hell did he just tell us all that"?! Basically I wanted you to know that I'm dedicated, I'm willing to make changes to my routine...and I have absolutely no idea what I'm doing!
I signed up for the FT exercise and nutrition programs and they've been helpful, but there's nothing like a response from a real person. My primary goal is to gain muscle. I try to push myself during my workouts, usually doing 4-8 high weight, low rep sets for each exercise (not counting warm-up sets) and I try to keep a good pace when I run or use the elliptical trainer. My diet is another story completely; I've been eating whatever I want, whenever I want. I've read through my FT nutrition plan and I'll definitely make some changes, but I'd still appreciate any suggestions. I also haven't been taking any supplements and I try to drink a lot of water.
So that's about it, this post is my introduction and cry for help smashed together.
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2004/04/02, 08:15 AM
Welcome to Ft, James!
There is a lot on information here, I am sure you will break your plateau soon.
Sart looking at what and when you are eating. You want to eat six small balanced meals a day - each with protein and complex carbohydrates, and a little good fat.
Look up Grocery List for a Bodybuilder in the nutrition forum, it is a great resource for what types of foods to eat.
Pick your training program and go to it, often you just nd to switch things up to break a plateau.
Most of all, enjoy the process and learn everything you can!
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If you fall down seven times, get up eight.
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2004/04/02, 09:47 AM
Just curious, but when is the last time you took a week or so off. Sometimes in our dedication we forget to take time to let our bodies recover. I know it sounds strange but you may need to back off some. More is often not better. Otherwise, learn, evaluate, adjust, and apply. Like the lady said, enjoy the process. Good luck and welcome.
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