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2003/09/17, 11:41 AM
I just finished my 2nd 8 week program and I am currently taking the week off (still doing cardio/abs) from lifting. I am in the process of re-evaluating my goals and would like some advice.
First, let me start off by saying this site really has given me great help and direction. I would not have known where to begin without the help of this website and its members. If you read my profile you will see how I've progressed in 6 months.
Now looking ahead I want to continue to focus on building lean muscle mass primarily on my chest, shoulders and arms. I also know that I can do much better on my diet and in order to achieve my ultimate goal, I have to start a strict regimen.
I want to also focus on my abs and try my best to get the 6pack I once had. Throughout my weight training my waistline has not changed and although my abs are definitely stronger, they are not visible.
I am thinking about the 12 week program but I only have access to the gym mon-fri. Should I just startup another 8wk program and just focus on diet/abs more? Should I consider working a muscle group more than 1x per week?
I know trying to change my diet into 6 smaller meals rather than 2 or 3 big ones is going to be a challenge in itself.
Any advice from people who have been through this would be appreciated.
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2003/09/17, 03:29 PM
Looks like you already know what to do. Definitely change and clean up your eating plan. That will make a big difference. You are right though, it is a challenge and time consuming at first, but worth it in the end. Why would going to the gym M-F make a difference in the 12 wk program? Does it require you to workout 7 days a week? There are chest and ab programs on here too. You could do a home workout on the weekends. That would entail different things than a gym workout which would be good in the long run.
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~Victoria~
...There are no shortcuts to any place worth going.--Beverly Sills
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2003/09/17, 03:48 PM
Good thing you mentioned that, at first my new workout program was set for 4days/wk... I changed it to 3 again. I have been working out M-W-F and I like that frequency.
I have done the progressive gains program 2x's... Both times with ephasis on chest/shoulder/abs.
I am a little confused on whether or not to do the Gain Muscle Mass & Size Training program or the Special 12 week Mass & Strength Program. I still want to increase mass but at the same time I really want to work on diet and abs.
In the past I was generally focusing on doing cardio/weighttraining just to gain overall fitness. Now that I am at that level I want to focus on my new goals. Also, I should mention that I have been taking AST's VP2 Whey protein isolate after every workout. I am thinking about increasing the shake intake to everyday.
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Quoting from azredhead57:
Looks like you already know what to do. Definitely change and clean up your eating plan. That will make a big difference. You are right though, it is a challenge and time consuming at first, but worth it in the end. Why would going to the gym M-F make a difference in the 12 wk program? Does it require you to workout 7 days a week? There are chest and ab programs on here too. You could do a home workout on the weekends. That would entail different things than a gym workout which would be good in the long run.
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2003/09/17, 05:40 PM
I would suggest looking at both programs and picking the one that best suits your goals for right now and then do the other one when you are finished with this one. 8-12 weeks is the ideal time frame for a workout cycle so either one should be ok. For either muscle gains or fat loss, the diet is key. For gains you need to eat a lot and what seems to be all the time. Have you figured out your caloric requirements and the breakdown of P/C/F for your next cycle? As for your supplement question I will have to defer to someone else, but I would think that it is ok to have a shake as a meal replacement on off days. I have heard that you should add some flax oil or pnut butter to it though to slow down absorbtion, since fast absorbtion is only needed after a workout. If you find you are going to need more calories that you have been eating, then the shakes come in handy for that also. Hopefully someone else will jump in here with more info. Good luck.
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~Victoria~
...There are no shortcuts to any place worth going.--Beverly Sills
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2003/09/17, 07:33 PM
Thanks F/T says my intake should be as follows:
Protein - 213g
Carbohydrates - 425g
Fats - 60g
Total Calories - 3009
I appreciate your feedback. Maybe someone else can tell me if trying to gain lean muscle mass while trying to burn fat away is even possible? I know that by changing my meal frequency and exercising will speed metabolism but would a diet like the above be sufficient in achieving my goals?
...Or am I just trying to accomplish too much at once?
Any experts please feel free to chime in :)
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2003/09/18, 03:24 PM
I just asked that question in the General Fitness board, titled fat 'loss vs muscle gain'. Because I thought that is what I am doing by lifting heavy and being on a fat loss plan. There is some great info there explaining why you can/can't do both. Read it and see if you get your question answered.
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~Victoria~
...There are no shortcuts to any place worth going.--Beverly Sills
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2003/09/18, 09:31 PM
I am sending you per your request an evaluation sheet. This way you can evaluate your needs and then a concrete procedure can be set up.
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Quoting from stevegut78:
Thanks F/T says my intake should be as follows:
Protein - 213g
Carbohydrates - 425g
Fats - 60g
Total Calories - 3009
I appreciate your feedback. Maybe someone else can tell me if trying to gain lean muscle mass while trying to burn fat away is even possible? I know that by changing my meal frequency and exercising will speed metabolism but would a diet like the above be sufficient in achieving my goals?
...Or am I just trying to accomplish too much at once?
Any experts please feel free to chime in :)
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Great people never want it easier, they just want to be better!
Ron
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2003/09/18, 11:22 PM
Thanks I will go through with this!
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