Fitness and Nutrition advice sought - JP Fitness Forums

shugga · 09-19-2006, 01:49 PM

Hello. Lurker coming out of his shell looking for some advice. There seems like a plethora of knowlege here.
I am 30 yrs old. Male. 6'. 193lbs. Small framed upper body (small bones and very small wrists). Currently on testosterone replacement therapy.
I am trying to improve my peformance in a basketball rec league. The biggest problem is that I am outweighed by probably 25 lbs on average. I really don't want to just put on a bunch of extra unhealthy weight. If I could pack on 10-15 lbs on muscle, that would go a long way. (Yes, I know that some fat will come with 10-15 lbs of muscle. )
I currently train about 3 times per week doing some combination of deadlifts, front squats, lunges, bulgarian split squats, push-ups, dips, woodchops, chin-ups, military press. I do 3-4 sets of 6-12 reps. I either do supersets or straight sets, no circuit training. I usually do dealifts (because they are fun) and then pick 5 others to do. I use a barbell for most everything, but I do not have a bench to do bench presses.
My calories are around 3500. I try to eat pretty clean and have a 1-2 of protein shakes per day.
I have New Rules of Lifting, but I haven't followed one specific program as of yet. Partially due to the no bench thing.
Does it sound like I am on the right track or is there something glaringly obvious that is wrong? Should I stick with a certain set of exercises or is switching up every time ok? Does that seem like the right amount of calories?
Thanks in advance for any and all advice.

David

Waittz · 09-19-2006, 02:13 PM

Sounds like your on the right track. I would really reccomend starting hypertrophy 1 in NROL. If your this serious about lifting and a healthy lifestyle then I dont think shelling out 150-250 on a bench is a bad investment at all. Think of it as taking out a body equity loan. But you deffinately sound like your on the right track. Just remember fitness is a lifestyle and goals are long term. Dont look to add 15 lbs of muscle in a month or your setting youself up for failure. I really suggest you get on the NROL routines n log your workouts. The main plan in the game is progression and lifting blind without a path makes it hard to continually better yourself. With that said good luck and keep us posted.

Waittz · 09-19-2006, 02:16 PM

Also as for that 15 lbs of muscle. Look to gain .5 to 1.5 lbs a week and remember that not all will be muscle. To truely get those 10-15 of muscle it gunna take lots of time and patience. A friend once told me Sucess=Consistency x Time.

shugga · 09-19-2006, 03:07 PM

TheSteve,
Thanks for the reply. I will take a look at Hypertropy I.
Yeah, I should have said that I would expect that the muscle gains would be for the basketball in 2 years, not any time soon.
Thanks again.

David

Waittz · 09-19-2006, 04:13 PM

Good luck again, you seem to have a great attitude and understand the importance of the almighty deadlift. You said you eat clean, care to elaborate a bit? Nutrition is the biggest part of the exquation.

Lisa~ · 09-19-2006, 04:16 PM

Don't wait until you have the new bench to start Hypertrophy I. Go ahead and start now. If you can't think of good substitute exercises for the ones you don't have the equipment for, then ask in the NROL forum. There are usually lots of ideas and we can think of something.

You've got the right idea, you're just missing enough upper body work. Rowing should be easy to add right away.

shugga · 09-19-2006, 05:03 PM

TheSteve,
I've been trying to have a milk (~1cup) and protein shake (1-2 servings) every morning with creatine. Then Kashi/Oats/Shredded Wheat (approx 2 servings) for breakfast with some sort of fruit (usually a banana). Fruit and nuts for mid-morning snack. Lunch is usually lean cuisine, fruit, and cottage cheese or yogurt. Afternoon snack is usually some sort of protein bar or maybe a small can of tuna fish, maybe an apple at some point too. Dinner varies and is a little freer. If the wife actually makes something for dinner then I usually eat it. But figure 1-1.5 chicken breasts and some carbs of some kind. Maybe not always that clean, but no pizza or anything that I "know will kill me". If I workout, then I always have a 2 serving whey protein shake with me and maybe some sugar-free chocolate syrup thrown it there. Maybe some eggs with a light english muffin if I am hungry after the workout. Sometimes, I'll through some light ice cream in there also. I feel less guilty if I eat the ice cream after working out. Extra carbs for post workout nutrition, right?

That is a day of nutrition for me in a nutshell. At one point, I was caught up in calorie counting, but stopped because it took so much time and was getting repetitive. Lame excuse, I know, but I got to a point where I said that I needed more protein. Also, all of the fruit frustrated me by adding a ton of carbs and would through me into a 60/30/10 carbs, protein, fat profile. But I really don't want to stop eating the fruit. And measuring them that close made me want to stop eating them because they have so many carbs. Eventually I decided to turn a blind eye to it.

shugga · 09-19-2006, 05:05 PM

Lisa,
Thanks for the advice. I will take a look at the Hypertrophy program again tonight and see if there is anything that I can't do. If there is, I will take your advice and see if someone can come up with a substitute.

Thanks again, I really appreciate it.
David