Starting to work out, need advice

pistopito · 04-23-2004, 07:25 PM

Hey all,
I'm 25 y/o, about 20 pounds over what I'd like to weigh (i'm 5'11", 170), and I've begun going back to the gym. I'm pretty much the size I'd like to be, except I want to replace this fat with lean muscle. I'm not looking to be extremely cut, or to have my glutes striated; I just want to be in shape. I recently started hitting the gym again, and I go about 5-7 times a week. I'm doing an hour of cardio at about 60-70% of my max effort level, and I'm burning about 700 calories. I then do some machine excercises, mainly the lat pull down, some dips, and the butterfly chest machine. I also do about 100 push ups in the morning and 100 at night. I've actually found this routine pretty easy to do (I mean, I don't mind being on the elliptacle machine for an hour, I have my headphones on and I don't get bored), so I want to add a few more excercises onto my schedule. So here's where it gets tricky:
I do these excercises every day, I don't switch off every other day...I figure this needs to change, right?
I'm not able to go to the gym until like 7pm, which adds on to this next one...
My eating habits are WAY messed up...I eat like once a day, and not until after I work out...usually around 9pm....and then I do my push ups and go to bed at like 2am. However I've almost completely cut sugars out of my diet (I drink nothing but water) except for BEER...and honestly there's no way I can cut that out.
Ok, so what I've been thinking of doing is drinking at least some sort of shake/drink in the morning, along with maybe a couple of cans of tuna...then maybe some more tuna and like a banana for lunch...and then my normal dinner after the gym. Is this plan still ridiculously bad? Also, can someone out there tell me what I should take in the morning (what shake or supplement or whatever)? Taste doesn't really matter (hence the bare cans of tuna that I'm more than willing to eat).
My job is in research, so basically I sit all day behind a computer typing...that's why I've been trying not to eat until after I work out, so those calories won't just be sitting in my stomach not being burned up (I won't even chew gum...just drink water). Plus I've heard that working out before you eat is more beneficial than working out after you've eaten.
Ok I know that you all are probably laughing at me and how dumb my schedule is, but honestly any help would be cool, I'm obviously clueless to all this. Like I said, I want to add a few more exercises, but I don't want to put too much on my plate. And let's hear about what's the best supplement in the morning for an inactive work day!

Thanks!!

Smoo_lord · 04-25-2004, 12:29 PM

Well mate Im totally not sure, but I am in a similar situation to you with the eating thing. I work a lot and it is necessary for obvious financial reasons. And I am finding it almost impossible to have 5-6 meals a day. I only get one meal break. I eat probably 2-3 largish meals daily. I work 12 hr shifts, 4 days on, 4 days off. These hours are 6-6. Two days, two nights.

I was just wondering if more people have problems with commitments that affect their BB routine.

My advice for pitopisto, If you dont eat anything at all till about 9pm then your metabolism will be suffering.

splatman · 04-25-2004, 01:24 PM

Cook a bunch of chicken at once, wrap them individually, and eat them on the run. That's one thing I do. It taste fine heated or not. Just make sure you keep them cool until you eat them.

pistopito · 04-25-2004, 01:54 PM

What I'm thinking of doing, kind of what splatman was saying, was going to my local wholesaler's store (Sam's Club here in TX) and buying a HUGE salmon filet, I think they go for about $15, and cooking it all at once and feeding off that for the next few days. It's fish, so I assume there's lots of proteins, and it has fish oil which is good for you, and it's salmon so it's low fat (I think). I think i can manage to eat it in the morning and take some to work too, hopefully that will help boost my metabolism.
But I'm still wondering what the best morning, pre-workout and post-workout shakes/supplements are. Any recommendations?

splatman · 04-25-2004, 02:34 PM

Sam's is where I get the chicken. It's like $24 for a ten pound bag of breast. I wish all breast could be had so cheap.

pistopito · 04-25-2004, 02:50 PM

skeet-skeet

04-23-2004, 07:25 PM	#1
pistopito Registered User Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 3	Starting to work out, need advice Hey all, I'm 25 y/o, about 20 pounds over what I'd like to weigh (i'm 5'11", 170), and I've begun going back to the gym. I'm pretty much the size I'd like to be, except I want to replace this fat with lean muscle. I'm not looking to be extremely cut, or to have my glutes striated; I just want to be in shape. I recently started hitting the gym again, and I go about 5-7 times a week. I'm doing an hour of cardio at about 60-70% of my max effort level, and I'm burning about 700 calories. I then do some machine excercises, mainly the lat pull down, some dips, and the butterfly chest machine. I also do about 100 push ups in the morning and 100 at night. I've actually found this routine pretty easy to do (I mean, I don't mind being on the elliptacle machine for an hour, I have my headphones on and I don't get bored), so I want to add a few more excercises onto my schedule. So here's where it gets tricky: I do these excercises every day, I don't switch off every other day...I figure this needs to change, right? I'm not able to go to the gym until like 7pm, which adds on to this next one... My eating habits are WAY messed up...I eat like once a day, and not until after I work out...usually around 9pm....and then I do my push ups and go to bed at like 2am. However I've almost completely cut sugars out of my diet (I drink nothing but water) except for BEER...and honestly there's no way I can cut that out. Ok, so what I've been thinking of doing is drinking at least some sort of shake/drink in the morning, along with maybe a couple of cans of tuna...then maybe some more tuna and like a banana for lunch...and then my normal dinner after the gym. Is this plan still ridiculously bad? Also, can someone out there tell me what I should take in the morning (what shake or supplement or whatever)? Taste doesn't really matter (hence the bare cans of tuna that I'm more than willing to eat). My job is in research, so basically I sit all day behind a computer typing...that's why I've been trying not to eat until after I work out, so those calories won't just be sitting in my stomach not being burned up (I won't even chew gum...just drink water). Plus I've heard that working out before you eat is more beneficial than working out after you've eaten. Ok I know that you all are probably laughing at me and how dumb my schedule is, but honestly any help would be cool, I'm obviously clueless to all this. Like I said, I want to add a few more exercises, but I don't want to put too much on my plate. And let's hear about what's the best supplement in the morning for an inactive work day! Thanks!!
pistopito Registered User Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 3

04-25-2004, 01:24 PM	#3
splatman Registered User Join Date: Jul 2003 Posts: 14	Cook a bunch of chicken at once, wrap them individually, and eat them on the run. That's one thing I do. It taste fine heated or not. Just make sure you keep them cool until you eat them.
splatman Registered User Join Date: Jul 2003 Posts: 14

04-25-2004, 01:54 PM	#4
pistopito Registered User Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 3	What I'm thinking of doing, kind of what splatman was saying, was going to my local wholesaler's store (Sam's Club here in TX) and buying a HUGE salmon filet, I think they go for about $15, and cooking it all at once and feeding off that for the next few days. It's fish, so I assume there's lots of proteins, and it has fish oil which is good for you, and it's salmon so it's low fat (I think). I think i can manage to eat it in the morning and take some to work too, hopefully that will help boost my metabolism. But I'm still wondering what the best morning, pre-workout and post-workout shakes/supplements are. Any recommendations?
pistopito Registered User Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 3

04-25-2004, 02:34 PM	#5
splatman Registered User Join Date: Jul 2003 Posts: 14	Sam's is where I get the chicken. It's like $24 for a ten pound bag of breast. I wish all breast could be had so cheap.
splatman Registered User Join Date: Jul 2003 Posts: 14

04-25-2004, 02:50 PM	#6
pistopito Registered User Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 3	skeet-skeet
pistopito Registered User Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 3

04-25-2004, 12:29 PM	#2
Smoo_lord Registered User Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Darwin. Australia Posts: 240	Well mate Im totally not sure, but I am in a similar situation to you with the eating thing. I work a lot and it is necessary for obvious financial reasons. And I am finding it almost impossible to have 5-6 meals a day. I only get one meal break. I eat probably 2-3 largish meals daily. I work 12 hr shifts, 4 days on, 4 days off. These hours are 6-6. Two days, two nights. I was just wondering if more people have problems with commitments that affect their BB routine. My advice for pitopisto, If you dont eat anything at all till about 9pm then your metabolism will be suffering.

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