Hi, yet another newbie here!

[ticteaser]

Hi!

I've been looking through all the old threads trying to find a definitive answer to my questions but I'm still a bit confused so I thought I'd ask for your help, as everyone here seems really nice and helpful (and clued-up, unlike me!).

I used to train hard but unfortunately due to illness I had to stop and ballooned in weight. I'm ok now and have been back training for about a year, losing all the horrible fat I'd managed to pile on!

I've now almost got back to something like I was before. I'm 26, 5'6, and 136lb. Not sure about my BF at the moment, I'll try and get it checked tomorrow. It's probably between 15 and 20%.

I do cardio 4/5 times a week: a combination of body combat classes, hi-energy aerobics, treadmill, cross-trainer and stepper. I also alternate Clenbuterol, ephedrine and Stack II for fat-burning, with breaks in between.

Weights-wise, at the moment I'm doing an IST programme as recovery before I up my weights again so I'm doing all my body parts three times a week rather than splitting them up. I do all the body parts as one circuit and do that for three sets. The exercises are all sets of 12 with a 4-2-1 tempo.

Chest: single-arm DB chest press on exercise ball, 12kg.
Back: single-arm DB row on ball, 7kg.
Shoulders: single-leg abduction, 5kg.
Biceps: single-leg DB curl (opposite arm/opposite leg), 8kg.
Triceps: single-arm DB tri extension on ball, 6kg.
Legs: single-arm, single-leg squat, 8kg.

I'll be finishing that this week and starting a new programme though, which will be more like a usual BB programme.

Diet-wise I'd like to think I'm pretty good. I eat about 1500 cals a day, 93g or thereabouts of which is protein. Breakfast is usually porridge or eggs, lunch is salad with tuna/chicken, dinner is chicken/fish with green veg and rice or pasta. I have a cheat day where I normally end up having takeaway or something sweet, although my sweet tooth seems to have diminished lately (hurrah!)! I have a soy-based protein shake after I train. I know I should probably eat more than three times a day but it's hard to fit into my day! I've not been drinking alcohol for a few months either.

The thing is, I'm not getting any definition even though I'm getting my muscle back. My abs aren't too bad but my legs and arms aren't great. My arms are just getting bulky. Someone suggested Anavar or Winnie to me for getting ripped but I don't want to go that way just yet, my BF is still probably too high and my diet needs a bit of work. Someone suggested creatine but in the past I've found that just bulks me up more without giving muscle definition.

What do you guys think about methoxyisflavone stacked with protein or ecdysterone? Methoxy has some great write-ups (bodybuilding.com for e.g.) but I noticed in one of the other forums on here that a lot of people said it had no effect on them and recommended ecdysterone instead. I just need something to give the muscle that I'm getting a bit more of a ripped look before I end up looking like I'm just big and bulky!

Sorry if this is a bit long but I wanted to try and give you as much idea about my habits etc as possible - sorry also if I forgot anything!!

Thanks in advance for your help.

 

[MUNECA8599]

Welcome!! I will just give a heads up and let the more experienced ladies chime in..but to me, it seems that you need more of an extensive training split- check out The Shadow Project as a sticky at the top of the forum list..It has a great body part split, with suggested reps, exercises, ect. Muscle burns fat, so don't be afraid to lift and vary it up because your muscles adapt quickly and you want to keep shocking them. For me, the most ripped I have ever got (i mean 8%) I followed a super clean, strict diet of mostly protein, low carbs (the good kind, sweet potatoes, fibrous veggies, ect.) Again, the diet forum as well as threads like Sassy's, TSO, and Bunny's can give you examples of clean eating (although the calories and servings will have to vary, as they were training for shows)--You may need more. The strict diet and consistent, smart training (not just light weights, high reps for "tone", but fatiguing myself on sets and changing things up) and also smart cardio, intervals, watching the heart rate--this is what worked for me. Fitday.com is also great. You can plug in what you are eating and it gives you protein, carbs, fat ratio and percentages, calorie info--Everything. Sometimes, you think you are eating a lot less and a lot cleaner than you are. 10-12x bodyweight is usually a starting point for caloric estimates for the day, although based on your activity and individual needs, this can go up or down. I am sure the ladies will chime in..I just wanted to give you some direction and hints I hope will help. This site and these ladies have been lifesavers for me. I just wanted to respond to you as, as a newbie myself, I know how it is to be checking and see if anyone has responded to help. You will learn a lot here. Stick around. Welcome again,

 

[ticteaser]

Welcome!! I will just give a heads up and let the more experienced ladies chime in..but to me, it seems that you need more of an extensive training split- check out The Shadow Project as a sticky at the top of the forum list..It has a great body part split, with suggested reps, exercises, ect. Muscle burns fat, so don't be afraid to lift and vary it up because your muscles adapt quickly and you want to keep shocking them. For me, the most ripped I have ever got (i mean 8%) I followed a super clean, strict diet of mostly protein, low carbs (the good kind, sweet potatoes, fibrous veggies, ect.) Again, the diet forum as well as threads like Sassy's, TSO, and Bunny's can give you examples of clean eating (although the calories and servings will have to vary, as they were training for shows)--You may need more. The strict diet and consistent, smart training (not just light weights, high reps for "tone", but fatiguing myself on sets and changing things up) and also smart cardio, intervals, watching the heart rate--this is what worked for me. Fitday.com is also great. You can plug in what you are eating and it gives you protein, carbs, fat ratio and percentages, calorie info--Everything. Sometimes, you think you are eating a lot less and a lot cleaner than you are. 10-12x bodyweight is usually a starting point for caloric estimates for the day, although based on your activity and individual needs, this can go up or down. I am sure the ladies will chime in..I just wanted to give you some direction and hints I hope will help. This site and these ladies have been lifesavers for me. I just wanted to respond to you as, as a newbie myself, I know how it is to be checking and see if anyone has responded to help. You will learn a lot here. Stick around. Welcome again,

Thanks for the help and kind welcome!

You're totally right about needing a more extensive split, but the IST I'm doing at the moment isn't really typical for me, I've just been building up my core stability for a change before going back to a more usual regime. I suppose I should've put down something more like what I normally do! Here's my last programme - everything was 2 sets of 12 with the heaviest weight I could manage unless I've put otherwise...

DAY ONE

Bench press
Smith incline press
Decline DB press
Shoulder press
Rear delts
Front delts
Lat raises

DAY TWO

Chin-ups (to failure)
Upright row
Bent-over row
V-Bar seated cable row
Pull-overs
Tri kickbacks
Tri pushdowns

DAY THREE

Leg press
Calf raises
Leg extension and leg curl (superset)
Ab/adductor (superset)
Step-ups

DAY FOUR

Rear lat pulldowns
Front lat pulldowns
EZ bar curl
Hammer curls
Side bends

And I do abs every day in some way; I try to vary what I do since endless crunches can get a little repetitive!

I've tried to find an online calorie counter like fitday.com that suits me too, but most of them seem to be US-based, and as I'm in the UK I can't find a lot of products on them (plus I have no idea what measure a cup is!)! I do keep a precise food diary though - everything that passes my lips except water goes down on it! I'd like to think it's quite low on carbs and fat too. Today was pretty typical:

0810 - Alpen light cereal bar
1130 - protein shake
1340 - 100g salad, tin of tuna in brine, 1 tbsp fat-free dressing
1830 - 220g chicken, 50g ham, 1 tbsp red pesto, 45g cheese
2000 - protein shake

Actually I wouldn't normally have a cereal bar for breakfast, but I overslept! There would normally be some sort of steamed vegetable in there too like spinach or brocolli, but I'm only going food shopping tomorrow!

Sorry if this is another long post, but from what I've read you like to know as much as possible before giving any suggestions. Thanks again!

 

[MUNECA8599]

Thanks for the help and kind welcome!

You're totally right about needing a more extensive split, but the IST I'm doing at the moment isn't really typical for me, I've just been building up my core stability for a change before going back to a more usual regime. I suppose I should've put down something more like what I normally do! Here's my last programme - everything was 2 sets of 12 with the heaviest weight I could manage unless I've put otherwise...

DAY ONE

Bench press
Smith incline press
Decline DB press
Shoulder press
Rear delts
Front delts
Lat raises

DAY TWO

Chin-ups (to failure)
Upright row
Bent-over row
V-Bar seated cable row
Pull-overs
Tri kickbacks
Tri pushdowns

DAY THREE

Leg press
Calf raises
Leg extension and leg curl (superset)
Ab/adductor (superset)
Step-ups

DAY FOUR

Rear lat pulldowns
Front lat pulldowns
EZ bar curl
Hammer curls
Side bends

And I do abs every day in some way; I try to vary what I do since endless crunches can get a little repetitive!

I've tried to find an online calorie counter like fitday.com that suits me too, but most of them seem to be US-based, and as I'm in the UK I can't find a lot of products on them (plus I have no idea what measure a cup is!)! I do keep a precise food diary though - everything that passes my lips except water goes down on it! I'd like to think it's quite low on carbs and fat too. Today was pretty typical:

0810 - Alpen light cereal bar
1130 - protein shake
1340 - 100g salad, tin of tuna in brine, 1 tbsp fat-free dressing
1830 - 220g chicken, 50g ham, 1 tbsp red pesto, 45g cheese
2000 - protein shake

Actually I wouldn't normally have a cereal bar for breakfast, but I overslept! There would normally be some sort of steamed vegetable in there too like spinach or brocolli, but I'm only going food shopping tomorrow!

Sorry if this is another long post, but from what I've read you like to know as much as possible before giving any suggestions. Thanks again!

That's more like it--the training split helps. Good exercises there. It seems like you have a lot of the planning/knowledge down already. I would try adding in squats (wide leg, 1 leg, ass to the floor--either free or Smith Machine) if the lower half is a problem. They are, IMO, the best for the hams/quads/ass all together. And one leg squats ALWAYS have me sore the next day. Lunges, too, are super effective. Hit them hard, got to for legs. Big muscles there. Preacher curls rock for bis. Try 21s to to failure. Again, the shadow project has good exercises in it.
I know that in Fitday a lot of the foods I had to go in and put in the details- calories, fat, carbs, ect.-- just straight off the labels on the food. Then you can actually save them. Pain in the ass at first, but if you eat the same things over and over, it helps to log in the daily foods. The training looks good- as long as you do 3-4 sets (I like a warm up for the first and then 3 good sets, achieving failure on the last rep or so) and do your cardio,watching your heart rate so that you are not burning muscle, you should be good with a tight diet. Congrats on the initial weight loss. I have lost 15 of a planned 20 or so myself, so I know the battle! As for your specific ? on the myo---sorry, I forgot the spelling and can't go back right now, maybe the ladies will chime in on that. How do you like Clen for a fat burner? I have heard the sides are horrible. I use an ECA stack. Going to switch to something, haven't made up my mind yet. Nothing gives me the rush like ephedrine. I like to feel the stims when I do my cardio. Do a daily log! It will help a lot. I am trying to gain the courage to do so.!

 

[ticteaser]

That's more like it--the training split helps. Good exercises there. It seems like you have a lot of the planning/knowledge down already. I would try adding in squats (wide leg, 1 leg, ass to the floor--either free or Smith Machine) if the lower half is a problem. They are, IMO, the best for the hams/quads/ass all together. And one leg squats ALWAYS have me sore the next day. Lunges, too, are super effective. Hit them hard, got to for legs. Big muscles there. Preacher curls rock for bis. Try 21s to to failure. Again, the shadow project has good exercises in it.
I know that in Fitday a lot of the foods I had to go in and put in the details- calories, fat, carbs, ect.-- just straight off the labels on the food. Then you can actually save them. Pain in the ass at first, but if you eat the same things over and over, it helps to log in the daily foods. The training looks good- as long as you do 3-4 sets (I like a warm up for the first and then 3 good sets, achieving failure on the last rep or so) and do your cardio,watching your heart rate so that you are not burning muscle, you should be good with a tight diet. Congrats on the initial weight loss. I have lost 15 of a planned 20 or so myself, so I know the battle! As for your specific ? on the myo---sorry, I forgot the spelling and can't go back right now, maybe the ladies will chime in on that. How do you like Clenbuterol for a fat burner? I have heard the sides are horrible. I use an eca - ephedrine - caffeine - aspirin stack. Going to switch to something, haven't made up my mind yet. Nothing gives me the rush like ephedrine. I like to feel the stims when I do my cardio. Do a daily log! It will help a lot. I am trying to gain the courage to do so.!

The stuff on the Shadow Project looks great, will definitely try some of the things on there!

Well done on your own weight loss. I've lost about 25kg (I'd got really big, up to about 190lb!) and am now at a size I'm more comfortable with, so now it's just a matter of getting my muscle back after so long doing nothing!

I've weighed myself again this week and I'm actually 132lb, and my body fat has come in at a shocking 21.7%, so I definitely need to sort that out. My macro ratios are about 40/40/20, although I find it hard to get 20% fat in each day after getting so used to a low-fat diet over the past year or so. I find I'm eating seeds and stuff just to get some good fat in my diet. I've started taking a multivitamin and lecithin too, along with green tea. I'm drinking a lot more water than I normally would at the moment as well (about 3 litres a day) as the owner of the gym where my mum trains said that would be one way of getting a more ripped look without resorting to gear (he did give her an explanation as to why his was, but by the time she got home she couldn't remmber it!).

As for Clen, I have never noticed any sides at all from it but I tend to just do 2 weeks on it before switching to ephedrine or Stack. It seems to have worked pretty well as a fat-burner for me but doesn't give me anywhere near the same rush or energy as ephedrine does. And as for the methoxyisoflavone: I've asked around at both my mum's gym and mine and the general consensus is that it's not worth bothering. Everyone just keeps telling me to stick with the diet and see how far I get. Fingers crossed the water makes a difference!!