Gym Heads Thread
 

Alright, this thread is for all you gym junkies or anyone with working out questions.

Post anything you want that has to do with fitness, supplements your using, your workouts, diet, diet tips etc.

Ill start out,

Currently my work out is a little bit of weight lifting here and there with friends but mainly cardio. I got about a week now though until I get my P90x and Im gonna give that a go :D see how it works out for me. Was debating getting the recovery formula and whey but opted out of it for the sake that I have some other things I need to buy atm so I will either get those in month two or during my second round when building for mass.

Start discussion LOL!

I used to go the gym on quite a regular basis, but after going in hospital a few years back I've never really got back in the swing of things, I make an effort once in a while to start up again & fail miserably, but nevermind.

Well I for one am no expert in the realm of fitness. However, your intake of foods I do know needs to be relevant for what you will be working off. So I would try and figure out how many calories you burn a day and bass off of that adjusting accordingly. Like if you keep feeling really tired you need more carbs. You also dont want to eat to little because than you will force the body into starvation mode where it will just hold onto the fat. You have to find that happy medium where you feel comfortable after every meal. Also, I will be doing about 5 or 6 meals a day (I think 6 is the recommended). With my first and second meal being the biggest and dinner being smaller giving my body time to break down everything.

As for recipes and stuff, well there im not much help either. The P90x comes with a health plan guide so I will be using that. One thing you can look into is the Beach Body website offers a VIP membership that gives you discounts on things, gives you access to a coach, and they would do personalized meal plans. Im not sure on the price but I think its about $2 or 3 a day.

I go twice a week (which is hardly as hard core as you people I'm sure), but it keeps the weight off. I use my old fitness card from when I was in a Nautilus Fitness class plus 20-30 minutes on the elliptical (resistance at least 8, usually 12-14). I also consume one serving of soy protein after my workout.

I wouldnt say im hardcore at all, all my running is around town or through trails, staring out the window on a treadmill bugs me unless the weather is bad haha! I try to lift weights twice a week but lately I have been working only on cardio trying to up my distance for a little race lol.

When I start P90x I will definitely be posting updates here and my thoughts on it. Though from a friend who is using it I am pretty sure that after my first day I may be to sore to type :D

Whats everyones thoughts on supplements? Like recovery formulas, protein shakes, replacement meal shakes, whey etc.?

I don't know if I would be considered a Gym head but after seeing Avatar I have started running. I started off just running about half a mile every day to get my heart off of the lazy boy since I never ran for anything expect in P.E. Now I run a few miles about every 3 days and when the weather gets warmer and summer gets here I want to step it up to every other day or even everyday because I feel so good after I run. I used to lift weights in school but I really didn't like it too much, I want to build up my cardio more for endurance which I would rather have than strength, I dunno why, just appeals to me more I guess.

lets get this thread goin again! :D

had to wait on some supplements and equipment to arrive but I am starting up P90X on Monday. Biggest shock for me is definitely going to be eating healthy as I am not the best at it. I am following the nutrition guide that comes with the program though I will be mixing some of the meal plan approach and also part of the portion approach because I am not a fan of all the things they have.

My diet for this first month is going on to be about a ratio of fat/carb/protein % 20/30/50 and im taking in around 1,800 calories a day. When I purchased the P90X program I also got the 30 day free membership from beachbody so I will use that to get a custom meal plan and use some of the recipes from that to mold it to the fat shredder part of the nutrition plan. Supplements I am taking are an Activit multivitamin (just for the first month) and the P90X recovery formula. I will probably wait and and purchase some whey protein later in the program when I want to bulk up.

One thing I have been looking into is Shakeology. It is a meal replacement shake and the specs on it are very good, the only thing holding me back is the $100+ price tag for a month supply. Anyone have thoughts on this?

Ill use this thread to slowly update my thoughts and process through my 90 days of this program! :D

^you are lucky you got a fast metabolism :P When I want results I gotta go all out for them hahaha! Farthest ive gotten is just flat on my stomach, though that was when I ate terrible and was just really active, also partially due to the plateau affect. When I finish up these 90 days if I keep myself strictly on this diet plan than I should end up pretty ripped :D

I need to get back to working out 4 to 5 days a week. Can't afford a gym membership at the moment, though (plus, when I go to the gym, I get sucked into playing basketball right away). I would like to get back into the shape I was in high school, back when several small colleges expressed interest in having me tryout for their basketball teams.

I would concentrate more on getting the right ratio of fat/carb/protein than a specific amount. The concept behind eating 5-6 meals a day is that it boots your metabolism. Instead of eating those few meals in smaller quantity and feeling yourself starving later in the day.

There is a little something called the thermic effect of food, which means that the breakdown and absorption of food itself requires many calories. Let’s take complex carbohydrates, for example. Complex carbs, such as spinach, corn, green beans, have a 30% thermic effect, which means that 30% of the calories are already burned up just during breakdown and absorption! Simple carbs, such as white breads, sugar, baked goods, have a 3% thermic effect, which is very, very bad! Now you know one of the reasons I tell you all not to eat them!

It will also help muscle as it is constantly feeding them nutrition. If you arent normally eating lunch something you should look into is Shakeology. I havent tried it myself though I am dying to. It is a meal replacement shake and everyone I know says it tastes amazing and is by far the best out on market today. While the price for a month supply seems pricy at $120 it really equals out to about $4 a serving which is less than I pay when I eat out.

Gunny whats your goal from your workout? For me I'm just trying to lower my BFP for the summer, so I'm sticking with a mix of cardio 5 days a week, low weight/high rep weight training, and resistance training 3 days a week. If you want to lose weight, definetly don't starve yourself :P Just stay away from processed food, as they are loaded with fats, sugars, and simple carbs that your body can't use much of for energy. Eating foods that boost your metabolism helps as well, and be sure to drink a LOT of water throughout the day.

I'm going through a 3 month program and using P90x. First phase is going to be fat cutting and then ill be working on building mass for the rest changing my diet for that and probably start taking some supplements

Right on man, I'd stay away from the protien shakes then till the building part. Also, I'd stay away from creatine. All it does is store excess water in your muscles.

Yeah I'm really gonna be picky about what I take, id rather build it all natural than taking protein shakes and stuff tbh. Still looking into what I might take, though i have been looking into shakeology as a meal replacement though heard great things about it so far.

I'd be very catious in getting into that. You're body needs the complex nutrients it gets from actual food, plus who doesn't ebjoy eating real food! Lol if you eat less and more frequently, it will help you lose weight as well.

Okay so this is my second week doing P90X now and thought I would update the post...

My first day I put in the chest and back workout and wasnt really sure what to expect...well it completely kicked my butt and halfway through I could tell this workout is really going to work. The entire week my body was very sore, each workout just added to a new sore body part :D

Another thing I have found is following the given nutrition guide is actually very important. With my first day I just made a few healthier choices didnt follow to strictly but that changed, I had to adjust my diet because I was getting fatigued much quicker than I should. Now after only a little over a week of cutting junk food cold turkey I actually feel much better, more energetic etc. I am currently following this program using no supplements, I received a free multivitamin from beachbody that I may try out but atm Im doing it all natural. Next month I may possibly step up and purchase a whey protein, the P90X recovery drink, or Shakeology that I mentioned in previous posts. However, I want to see what my body is capable of naturally in this first round.

Having just finished Chest and Back workout for the second time now I realize even more than before how well this program works. I was able to do more than before and really push myself during this workout. Being the type of person who never settles for average I really try to keep up with the others in the video go for a goal higher than them (hasnt happened yet :P). With only one week I can say I do see improvement in my body already and cannot wait to see where I am at the end of this first month. The one area I still struggle is the Ab ripper X, its intense 16 min straight through and if I recall correctly a total of 340 core movements in all. I still need my breaks but I make sure to bust out 25 reps of everything even if I need to pause the tape.

So for anyone else thinking of purchasing, if you are ready to commit yourself to a hard workout to really get in shape dont hesitate to buy! I feel great after only one week of working out, just imagine what it will be after 3 months! :)

Okay thought I would revive this for my review of Shakeology!

So Ive only used it for two days now and will update after a few weeks but these are my initial thoughts. Having used various meal replacement shakes in the past there are many that dont taste all to great. I also always have the problem that after a while that same taste just gets really boring. Well I believe Shakeology has solved that problem!

Not only was I extremely glad that it tasted great (got the chocolate flavor) but the fact that it tastes so great and has so many great things for you is a huge bonus! While one draw back for some may be that it comes in a powder form so you have to do the mixing (I use a blender) causing for more cleanup I find this okay and heres why. With Shakeology when you get tired of the same flavor all you have to do is make up another concoction and try it out! The times I have had it Ive used:

-skim milk
-tablespoon of peanut butter
-ice
-one scoop of shakeology

on another time I also included banana! The shakeology mixed with these ingredients puts the calories up around 300 give or take depending on what I add. This makes it perfect for my diet.

Another thing great is that it has satisfied my sweet tooth! I have a bad one and would always be resisting the urge for that piece of cookie or candy, with this I get all the nutrients I need and still get that sweet chocolate flavor! The first recipe I used was like a reeses cup smoothie!

Last thing I want to say is that while I have only used it for 2 days (third time while writing this) I do feel better in my workouts. This is probably much in my head, however, I feel I do have more energy in my workout and throughout the day. I will find more on this after longer usage though. Oh, and I also want to add that this shake is very filling! I didnt think it would be but most of the time I am full before I finish it! Even better is I dont feel hungry for 3 to 4 hours after!

So that is my review! While you may think the price may be steep its actually only around $4 a meal which I know is less than I pay eating out for lunch! So for anyone even thinking about it I urge you to give it a try! I was very skeptical about it and so far am absolutely loving it! If you have any questions about it ask away! :D