Gains without supplements????

[tambee]

Hey there, so I got my bodyfat results and it is 25%. (yipes, does that mean a quarter of me is all fat!!!!! ).

I am not going to concentrate on the fat loss, as that will come......my basic schedule is:

Mon: Chest
Tue: Shoulders
Wed: Back
Thurs: Legs
Fri: Arms

On tue and fri, my cardio will be more than the other days (which are 20-30 mins).

Currently, I only take vitamin C, though have taken glutamine and protein powders in the past........I am wondering if I can just maintain enough protein/essentials in my diet without supplementing (as many of you have yet to find out I am pretty stingy ).

Any input on weight training without supplements or a suggestion on my workout schedule is welcomed....thanks, tammy

 

[superqt4u2nv]

Hey Tammy Welcome to Elite

Quick answer to your question yes you can get away with out supplementing providing your getting enough of the vitamins etc in your diet. You do however need to make sure that after weight training you do eat your protien source asap. I have been eating a piece of chicken or lean steak right after my works outs and has not effected my lean mass that I can tell. I am not doing it cause I am cheap cause whey is actually much cheaper then chicken breast etc. I am doing it cause I am intaking so few cals that I want to eat all my meals rather then drink any of them.

How much cardio are you doing in total? What goals do you have set? Where do you want you body fat at? What is you current rep range etc like with you lifting? In a nutshell what are you doing now and what is your plan of action to bring down your bodyfat. And if you don't have a plan no worries pleanty of people here to help you out.

 

[tambee]

I have just started back at they gym.....I had taken about a 2 month hiatus due to laziness......

I am planning on doing about 20-30 mins of cardio on my large muscle weight training days (chest/back/legs), and then 45-1 hour (or more when my cardio shapes back up) on my small muscle days (arms/shoulders).

Right now, I use the elliptical trainer for my cardio, though I am going to try phasing my running back in (used to run quite a bit, but I haven't for a while due to torn meniscus).

During my weight training portions I plan on doing about 4-5 exersizes. For instance for my chest day yesterday I did straight, incline, and decline bench presses, as well as cable and dumbell flyes. Since I need to shape back up, I went light, and will go fairly easy for the first couple weeks. I did 3 sets of 12. Though this may change as I get into heavier weights......and do fewer reps at a higher weight to get some size back in.

I hope to slightly vary my exersizes every week, and use a different piece of equipment, or do something else (like next week I may use the pec dec and not do cable flyes). My chest is a little achey today.....so I know I have done enough to remind my muscles what they are there for......but not so much that I want to wince when I try to move......

 

[superqt4u2nv]

Total sets for a muscle group is best left around 9-12 more then that and it is over training IMO. Changing up exercise every week is a good idea. As for cardio if your just getting back into things from a muscle tear I would work into it a bit slower do 3-4, 30-45 minute steady state cardio sessions per week. Slowly increasing it cardio sessions as you see how you body is responding.

What is your plan of action with your diet? Is your over all goal to lose BF % or put on muscle?

 

[slat1]

Real food is the best source for everything you need to grow and lean out.
Remember that supplements are just that... supplements. They are to be used when you diet is 100% on.

 

[*Bunny*]

Real food is the best source for everything you need to grow and lean out.
Remember that supplements are just that... supplements.

$.02

I agree that Diet #1, Training #2, Supps #3 ...

Good Luck Tambee!

 

[tambee]

My goals are more for muscle building/shaping, and hopefully the fat loss will follow with a fairly clean diet, and moderate cardio. If I am starting to build muscle, but am not having any luck in the fat loss area....I may revamp the diet and training aspects.

For now though.....I eat cereal in the morning.....and for the rest of the day I eat 4 smaller snacks/meals.....consisting of things like mixed nuts, pb&j, chicken, salmon, tuna, v8, granola bars,yogurt, and rice or pasta. I have chocolate milk for a treat.....and am really focussing on not having any OTHER yummy treats. As I would eat cake all day if I could .

 

[superqt4u2nv]

Tambee your diet needs some work for sure. You can't put on musle and lose fat at the same time. So pick one and focus I suggest gaining muscle first then cutting away the fat.