Advice Please!

[BlackHanzo]

Hey, I'm need alot of help, I'm trying to get my body fat% down and i'm wanting help on what sort supplements i should be taking, what sort of diet i should be on, what kind of training i should be doing..i'm 21 years old, 6ft5 and 108kgz i'm around 15%-20% body fat and just a beginner really, I've got a decent looking body but i really want some solid muscle, abs, so looking for some help on these things! please help

my diet is just freestyle really i'm just sorta snacking 6 meals a day small portions, mostly canned chicken with rice crackers, creamed rice, tuna and brown rice, but then i always get sick of it and get hungry, thats when i fall off track when i crave something else..i think its because i dont really have a variety of foods, because i don't know how to cook, my trainings just 30min cardio, well i try, everyday and then weight training is just mostly doing one muscle each day 4sets of 12-10-8-max going higher in weight ofcourse, with every excercise and i probanly have 4-5 exercises, hardly do abs which i really want, sometimes i superset abs between my exercises..but this is all freestyle i really dont know what i'm doing, its worked but only up to a point where i always stop and hav a long as break, really want to burn fat gain solid muscle.....suggestions??thanks

 

[oso0960]

Everything needs to be changed.

Your workout: Bill Starr 5x5 - Madcow Intermediate or Linear Version Read everything.

Make sure your form is great on all lifts.. Squats BELOW parallel, no smith machines, no more arm days, etc. It sounds like you used to do what everybody else does in the gym, no schedule, just whatever. Always have a plan.

Your diet: Well stop eating the same things! lol. Learn to cook basic things. learn how to cook eggs in a frying pan or get a tiny indoor foreman grill and cook meat. If you have to, you can go to ehow.com for different ways on how to cook things. Add spices or sauces to your food. eat varieties of fruit. Drink milk. peanut butter sandwiches, etc, etc. there's many things.

Here's some simple guidelines:
protein with every meal
at least 1g of protein per pound of lean muscle mass
whatever else you want, the cleaner it is the better.

Supplements: multivitamin, protein, fish oil.

Get motivated to have a schedule. The more you 'freestyle' the more time it'll take you to reach your goals. Think about how bad you want to reach them.

Abs are made in the kitchen.

 

[Gawd]

Anabolic Kitchen - Cooking for Bodybuilding

That will be a HUGE help with your diet.. adding variety, the right foods, how to cook it, etc.

 

[BlackHanzo]

Everything needs to be changed.

Your workout: Bill Starr 5x5 - Madcow Intermediate or Linear Version Read everything.

Make sure your form is great on all lifts.. Squats BELOW parallel, no smith machines, no more arm days, etc. It sounds like you used to do what everybody else does in the gym, no schedule, just whatever. Always have a plan.

Your diet: Well stop eating the same things! lol. Learn to cook basic things. learn how to cook eggs in a frying pan or get a tiny indoor foreman grill and cook meat. If you have to, you can go to ehow.com for different ways on how to cook things. Add spices or sauces to your food. eat varieties of fruit. Drink milk. peanut butter sandwiches, etc, etc. there's many things.

Here's some simple guidelines:
protein with every meal
at least 1g of protein per pound of lean muscle mass
whatever else you want, the cleaner it is the better.

Supplements: multivitamin, protein, fish oil.

Get motivated to have a schedule. The more you 'freestyle' the more time it'll take you to reach your goals. Think about how bad you want to reach them.

Abs are made in the kitchen.

theres so much to read on that page! I don't get some of it aswell, can you sum it up for me? just the program?....

 

[the.gladiator1987]

dude just read the whole thing, it wont take more than 20 minutes....

 

[Big_BK]

theres so much to read on that page! I don't get some of it aswell, can you sum it up for me? just the program?....

In all honesty if you can't even sit down and read that page you are gonna have a tough time lifting. Gains do not happen overnight, it is a lifelong journey.

 

[BlackHanzo]

In all honesty if you can't even sit down and read that page you are gonna have a tough time lifting. Gains do not happen overnight, it is a lifelong journey.

Man honestly i tried to read it but didnt really understand, i know its not a overnight thing, thats why i'm tryna look for something to work on so i can stick to it,
but yeah just hard for me to understand

 

[Big_BK]

what exactly dont you understand so we can help you out.

 

[BlackHanzo]

what exactly dont you understand so we can help you out.

just the how the workout is explained i dont understand...
the way you move up n stuff..im not good with math..

 

[oso0960]

Save yourself the hassle then.

Download this: http://www.geocities.com/elitemadcow1/5x5_Program/5x5_intermediate_v0.3.zip

After you have that you need to open it with Microsoft excel. If you don't have excel and I'm sure you don't want to waste your 500$ or whatever it is on it, download openoffice.org at *surprise surprise* openoffice.org lol.

Now when you go into the gym, find out your 5 rep maxes in the Squat, Bench, Row, Deadlift, Standing Press. Now enter your 5 rep maxes in the yellow spaces on the excel sheet you downloaded. Voila. No calculations or anything. Basically, it's all set up for you.

Also, this is a big thing (I'm serious), learn how to PROPERLY execute the Squat, Bench, Row, Deadlift, Standing Press if you don't already know how. If you're not squatting below parallel, learn how. If you think you are squatting below parallel, you probably still aren't, so learn how. I don't know how many times I've gone into the gym and overheard a guy squatting and asking his buddy if he's squatting parallel. Clearly he moved an entire 2 inches but his buddy says "yeah, you're hitting about parallel". Also, you don't necessarily need to squat BELOW parallel, you basically squat as low as your body allows you to do while maintaing proper form...which 99% of the time is below parallel.

If you're unsure about your form, find a video camera, and post it on these forums so we can give you feedback.

 

[BlackHanzo]

Oh awesome thats better,
this workout is totally different from what i'm used to, 5 sets of 5 reps 3 exercises? isn't that short?can probably do that in 45min or so?...how much cardio will i be doing?just want to get my body fat down! i'm starting to eat right aswell...

 

[oso0960]

Oh awesome thats better,
this workout is totally different from what i'm used to, 5 sets of 5 reps 3 exercises? isn't that short?can probably do that in 45min or so?...how much cardio will i be doing?just want to get my body fat down! i'm starting to eat right aswell...

You know, that's what everybody says lol "it looks short." Yeah you could probably finish it in 30 mins. At first it isn't hard. It should be a breeze. But once you keep adding 5-10lbs a week to all your lifts, it gets harder. Your workouts end up pushing 60mins sometimes. DON'T add anything. Do whatever amount of cardio you feel like. Don't go overboard.

 

[ceo]

do the 5x5, eat clean(er), drink plenty of water (gallon a day), limit carbs late in the day (say after 6pm - little to no carbs unless post workout), find a good green tea extract and take as directed, cardio as needed.

very general, I know, but good for a start.

 

[Foxxxy]

I hope you realize it really depends on your blood type. Like mine for a diet i can eat all meat, eggs, and wont gain an ounce.

 

[the.gladiator1987]

I hope you realize it really depends on your blood type. Like mine for a diet i can eat all meat, eggs, and wont gain an ounce.

lololol are you for real?

you can make all the excuses you want but if you eat like a 200lb person you will be a 200lb person, enough said.

You might need more carbs too bro. That helps your body to use those up for energy and not your hard earned muscles. Its really about calories. Lets see your diet and ill change it to where you will gain weight i promise.

 

[BlackHanzo]

lololol are you for real?

you can make all the excuses you want but if you eat like a 200lb person you will be a 200lb person, enough said.

You might need more carbs too bro. That helps your body to use those up for energy and not your hard earned muscles. Its really about calories. Lets see your diet and ill change it to where you will gain weight i promise.

well most of the time i drink a up n go for breakfast, or sometimes cereal and then sometimes 2 hours later i eat another meal of cereal, realy my diet only consists of canned tuna and chicken, rice, creamed rice, flavoured rice crackers and fruit.. thats pretty much it..??I'm trying to get my body fat down so always open to things that'll make that happen..
is cardio not needed much?

 

[Gawd]

well most of the time i drink a up n go for breakfast, or sometimes cereal and then sometimes 2 hours later i eat another meal of cereal, realy my diet only consists of canned tuna and chicken, rice, creamed rice, flavoured rice crackers and fruit.. thats pretty much it..??I'm trying to get my body fat down so always open to things that'll make that happen..
is cardio not needed much?

You'll want some cardio for sure. Try out different things and see what works best. I generally switch up every few months between doing normal steady cardio (treadmill, bike, etc for 30 - 45mins), and HIIT cardio (treadmill, bike, etc for 16 - 18 mins, 1 min fast, 1 min med pace, etc.).

I'd probably up protein intake and lift heavy, to preserve your muscle as your dropping fat.

Also, do your cardio first thing in the morning on an empty stomach.