Some questions

Hi all

I just joined a gym (I will post which exercises I do later on the day, I don't know the correct names yet and have to go through the ExRx site to find them). My goal is the typical beach body, nothing too fancy, just too look good with, yes, some great abs by the next summer.

The question is, is it possible to achieve this beach body in these oncoming months. If I have a goal in my life, I will do everything to achieve it, so I'm willing to do whatever is necessary.

Another question: is it a good idea to do cardio like running or cycling in the 'off' days? (now I train on monday, wednesday and friday, so the off days would be sunday, tuesday and thursday)

Also, my gym isn't allowed to give me nutritional advice, I read some stuff online and the sticky, but to be honest, I don't know where to start. Besides, I'm still a student and can't always eat every 3 hours... So how can I solve this, can I achieve my goal by eating 3 times a day the correct food and in between perhaps a snack or a protein shake? Which food do I must eat, which food can't I eat, can I drink a beer from time to time,...?

My weight is 62kg and have 13% bodyfat, yes I'm a small guy . I have a BMR of about 1850kcal.

Thanks!

what's your height?

does your gym have a squat rack?

whats your grocery budget?

beach body can be achieved by 3-4 months depending on many factors.
it is feasible since a "beach body" is also a synonym for : "half starved nazi deathcamp victim"

you are too skinny already , so 1 cardio session is enough, usually ide say fvck the cardio for skinny petes like yourself but you want a beach body (aka voodoo skeleton) , so 1-2 30mins sessions are enough.

well as for the eating, just eat the usual stuff that you do,but add 3 protein shakes throughout the day. (this is assuming that like all students, you are broke)
in the case of not being broke, like having a rich step dad or maybe winning the lotto ,you can take 8 shakes per day.

no beer. if you want abs, no beer. sorry mate.

Thanks for your response

My height is 5 feet and 7 inches and my weight is 136 pounds (I accidentally put it in kg's as I live in Europe).

I don't know about the squat rack, I'll check for it next time, but currently I'm mainly focusing on my upper body so I don't know if it's available.

My grocery budget is like you said very limited as a student. So the usual stuff will do? But I guess fried foods is also a no-go and perhaps add more food containing protein and basically eat more?

And how about stronger drinks like whiskey or wine? Don't get me wrong, I'm willing to completely cut myself off, but I can enjoy a good drink from time to time so if it's allowed it would be a nice reward for myself.

wine is a no go.
whisky is fine,in moderation ofc.


fried foods are OK.oily foods are recommended actually.

the stuff you should watch out for is anything with high amounts of sugar in it like soda pop, fruit juice, sugar, biscuits ,cakes...you get the idea.

i asked for the rack since you can do the following exercises in it:

rack pulls - for upper back
heavy shrugs - trapezius , most beach bodies lack traps which makes them end up like a scarecrow



you need to gain weight so figure out a way to get more calories into ur system.they should be protein calories, so yeah get a part time job.

the exercises which can help you are listed below,

deadlifts (general back development)

pull ups (v-taper )

heavy shrugs (traps, triceps , shoulders)

military press (shoulders, triceps)

incline bench (pecs ,shoulders, triceps)

triceps press downs (triceps)

chin ups ( v -taper)

biceps curls (biceps)

forearms curls

this is not an exhaustive list but for a beach body thats all you need.

i didnt include dips , because i dont do them.they hurt my shoulder joints like hell, BUT if you can do dips pain free, then definitely add them to your list.

Ok thanks for the information, really helpful!

I also stumbled upon a stronglift program, does anyone has experience with this? Is it also allowed in this program to just use exercises focusing on the upper body?

stronglifts is good for a beginner. you can use it to build up a strength base however it is not ideal for a beach body as it lacks volume.

no, stronglifts and almost all the similar 5X5 programs rely heavily on the squat to increase your strength. so excluding the squat will basically ruin the program.

check out the vault,its all there.

So 3x8 is ok with the exercises you gave? And cardio is "good" enough for my legs? I always hear and read that when training, you should also make sure your legs grow appropriately, or else it would look funny.

Thanks again!

switch said:

well as for the eating, just eat the usual stuff that you do,but add 3 protein shakes throughout the day. (this is assuming that like all students, you are broke)
in the case of not being broke, like having a rich step dad or maybe winning the lotto ,you can take 8 shakes per day.

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He doesn't need those protein shakes, he just needs ordinary protein. You should eat about 1.2-1.6 gram protein per kilo bodyweight per day, while weightlifters should eat a bit more, 1.6-1.7 gram. You can get it from eggs and meat. Only when you weigh about 180 pounds due to extra muscles do you need so much protein that you can't get enough from regular food and need to start with protein supplements. Seriously, people gobble those protein shakes like they were a magic potion.

While we are talking nutrition, cut down on all the goddamn carbs that people love so much. The body can get energy from either sugar or fat, i.e. from carbohydrates (creating glucose, blood sugar) or protein. Our bodies were made to get their nutrition from protein, but today people get more than 60 percent of their calories from carbohydrates, sometimes much more. Yes, wheat was a great way of increasing the food supply in the Middle Ages. We don't need to do that today. Carbs makes you fat and bloated, and contrary to whatever superstitions you are filled with from schools or amateur "bros" in exercise forums, you only need at the most 10-15 percent carbs in your food. A drastic reduction from 60 percent.

Also, if you have any problems with your skin, or if you often have headaches, feel itchy, or have gas, quit the wheat and reap the rewards.

SayWhat said:

So 3x8 is ok with the exercises you gave? And cardio is "good" enough for my legs? I always hear and read that when training, you should also make sure your legs grow appropriately, or else it would look funny.

Thanks again!

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well you said you want a beach body right? so i omitted squats for you.
but if you wised up and want huge legs, then do squats
no 3X8 is not really a good idea. since certain lifts like deadlift for example should only be done in singles.

cardio doesnt do anything for your legs, cardio is for burning calories.

for cardio , try "tabata intervals" .google it.

for a routine i suggest reading these threads.

http://www.sosuave.net/forum/showthread.php?t=125444

http://www.sosuave.net/forum/showthread.php?t=18040

pick a program that you like and stick with it, i suggest doing a 5x5 program to increase your strength first.

Wolfgang D said:

He doesn't need those protein shakes, he just needs ordinary protein. You should eat about 1.2-1.6 gram protein per kilo bodyweight per day, while weightlifters should eat a bit more, 1.6-1.7 gram. You can get it from eggs and meat. Only when you weigh about 180 pounds due to extra muscles do you need so much protein that you can't get enough from regular food and need to start with protein supplements. Seriously, people gobble those protein shakes like they were a magic potion.

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i suggested shakes for the following reasons :

1.he is too poor to go paleo. meat is expensive and cooking takes time.

2.he is a student and doesnt have time to go grocery shopping or cook food.

3.students dont have the dedication to get their proteins from normal meals.

so he has to get protein from somewhere right? shakes. you can buy them wholesale for dirt cheap prices and he can sip them during his classes ...powders have a longer shelf life as compared to beef...
i swear when i was a student , i had a fungi factory in my refrigerator....its that bad :cheer:

SayWhat said:

focusing on the upper body?

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after that comment I'm not sure I even want to have an input on this thread :cuss:

If you want to look like a freaking idiot be my guest and don't train legs... if you want to have a proper well proportioned body then TRAIN LEGS. I really don't understand why everyone skips leg day

as far as nutrition goes at 13%BF I would be going for a 4 month bulk with a 2 month cut as you are already skinny so it isn't going to kill you to gain a few easily lost pounds. So what you want to be eating is complex carbs like brown rice, wholewheat pasta and bread lean protein like chicken, turkey and beef and fibrous veggies so pretty much greens like broccoli beans and so on. your abs will start to come in at about 10%BF. As far as not being able to eat every three hours that is BULLSH!T tell your tutor or whatever the hell that's stopping you that you need to eat every three hours due to a strict program, they really can't stop you. I have been in meetings with anyone from new employers to clients and other business's and bam my alarm goes off and the chicken & rice comes out no questions asked.

as you are on a tight budget buy bulk I'm sure wherever you are you have a bulk supermarket. by bulk = low /kg cost.

Alcohol? hahah what's that? I can't even remember the last time I drank. but if you must stay away from beer and just have something like whiskey neat on the rocks NO MIXERS. Drink water, no coke or fruit juice, beer, wine, minimal milk. all have too much sugar in them.

As far as supplements go... you are just starting out so there really isn't that much of a need for them as over the next 3 months your body will respond the best to the exercise that it ever will so enjoy it while it lasts. if you can afford it a good protein isolate would be good for a post workout to aid recovery but once again not necessary as you can usually get all the protein you will need from your daily diet. creatine, glutamine, pre workouts and so on arent needed but do aid in the process and can come later when budget allows it if at all.

Stort the whole eating every 3 hours is a massive load of broscience

DanZy said:

Stort the whole eating every 3 hours is a massive load of broscience

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DYEL? if it is all broscience then how come the top athletes and bodybuilders who have been backed by countless scientists, dietitians, trainers and more people than you could ever hope to shake a barbell at do it?

It all comes down to your training regime and body type. If you are trying to stack on the lean mass then eating regularly is going to help keep your body in an anabolic state. If you are cutting then it doesn't matter really if your body is in an anabolic or catabolic state but always preferably anabolic depending on your goals at hand.

If you are muscular or looking at keeping any muscle you gain then every 2-3 hours is good as it keeps a steady stream of protein and carbs going into your body and is much less taxing on it to process smaller amounts spread out than large amounts only a couple of times a day. Yes intermittent fasting and all the other eating styles work as well but it is all about finding the diet that fits your body and training needs.

At the end of the day it all comes down to total input vs output it is just trying to find the best way to go about it. But please feel free to provide all the information you have as to why it is broscience because I would love to hear it

Stort_Brød said:

DYEL? if it is all broscience then how come the top athletes and bodybuilders who have been backed by countless scientists, dietitians, trainers and more people than you could ever hope to shake a barbell at do it?

It all comes down to your training regime and body type. If you are trying to stack on the lean mass then eating regularly is going to help keep your body in an anabolic state. If you are cutting then it doesn't matter really if your body is in an anabolic or catabolic state but always preferably anabolic depending on your goals at hand.

If you are muscular or looking at keeping any muscle you gain then every 2-3 hours is good as it keeps a steady stream of protein and carbs going into your body and is much less taxing on it to process smaller amounts spread out than large amounts only a couple of times a day. Yes intermittent fasting and all the other eating styles work as well but it is all about finding the diet that fits your body and training needs.

At the end of the day it all comes down to total input vs output it is just trying to find the best way to go about it. But please feel free to provide all the information you have as to why it is broscience because I would love to hear it

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Jesus Christ, your understanding of this topic is horrifically hit and miss. Claiming that eating every 3 hours is a requirement for gaining muscle is broscience
Do tell me how you know exactly what all these top athletes are doing. Also are you one or the OP one of these people? The answer is a big fat no. What they do is simply not applicable to you. You've mentioned that you're over 20% bodyfat, your insulin sensitivity at that level is pretty awful and keeping it that chronically high is not going to help. Finally, their reason for doing so is often just large caloric intake

Please show some data to support any of your claims. Keeping your body in an anabolic state is only caused by frequent meals? Read the article I linked below.
A steady stream of carbs and amino acids is only achievable through regular meals? Your body simply does not work in that way. A single serving of casein protein will release amino acids into the bloodstream for 7 hours or so, just think about it. Protein is absorbed slowly. One good whole meal will easily fuel you for 5 hours at least.
Some data to support the claims that small meals are less taxing on the system would be great.

And then you talk about finding what's right for you as an individual, finally something on point but it's rather contrasting to the rest of what you wrote.

http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/muscle-gain/meal-frequency-and-mass-gains.htmlRead this

OP, eating every 3 hours is fine but not needed so don't stress about it. Find what works for you.

a requirement for gaining muscle mass? no not a requirement at all but a method of achieving results.

How do I know what these top athletes are doing? hmm well I wonder... could it be the countless articles videos interviews and so on of all their training and diet plans.

I never said that "Keeping your body in an anabolic state is only caused by frequent meals" I do believe I said "eating regularly is going to ***HELP*** keep your body in an anabolic state"

finding something that is right for the individual... well op said about gaining that beach body so muscle mass and BAM that's what this information is about.

Really at the end of the day I couldn't care less what you OP or anyone else does, take from my posts what information you want and take the rest with a grain of salt.... it's the internet bro no need to stress.

final verdict :
danzy knows his sh!t
stort doesn't know jack.

... cool story bro. needs some more dragons.