Mex's Journal

[EFFORT]

Any fruit? Also, I am assuming I can sub pasta/potato for rice on occasion, and sub pork for chicken/ beef? I am a fan of simplicity, but my stomach will turn after eating the same things over and over.

By the way, 6 scoops of whey each day will be expensive. Can I do say 1 scoop plus peanut butter or cottage cheese or milk, just something less expensive that is protein heavy?

As far as the oats. How do you eat them? Do you add hot water like oatmeal?

I wouldn't do any replacing for now, once you swap this for that and that for this things get mixed up, the measuring gets off and before you know it you'll have a random diet again and probably gain excess fat while your at it.

In terms of it being the same thing use spices to keep things interesting. Learn some ways to make brown rice taste good, tons of different stir fry ideas to try. You'll also have your weekly cheat meal to look forward to.

In terms of the whey, where are you located? I'm pretty sure I could make your grocery bill less than it is now with what your eating and taking in i think you said 1.5 scoops of whey, to eating something more optimal like I laid out while taking in 6scoops of whey. When you keep things simple and basic the foods become cheaper since you can buy in a smart way.

For oats you put them in the blender with your whey water and eggs and blend for awhile to make sure there ground.

 

[lukester19]

I'm a big fan of having a set diet ...this doesn't mean it has to suck either, you can use spices to make things taste better. When you eat the same thing everyday it really brings clarity to your results or lack of results. It makes changing things as simple as saying "add 3more eggs to meal 2 and 3".

Its not mandatory to do it this way, but most people would have better results on a set already planned diet. And having a set diet would def do more for your progress than any supplement would do. The diet below would be a good starting point for you

Meal 1 - 2scoops whey, 2raw eggs, 1/2cup oats
Meal 2- 5oz beef, salad, 1/2 cup brown rice
Meal 3- 2scoops whey, 2raw eggs, 1/2cup oats
Meal 4- 5oz beef, salad, 1/2 cup brown rice
Meal 5- 2scoops whey, 2raw eggs, 1/2cup oats
Meal 6- 2 cans tuna or 5oz chicken breast

Lol my diet is so similar to this and it is so easy to track. I find the more experienced you get the more necessary it is to tweak and make the diet cleaner. When gaining weight it gets harder to put on muscle as you get more experienced so there is no point to get in a 1000 or more calories extra as surplus. And when cutting you just take 1-2 compex carb meals out slowly and add in some cardio and you are set.

Lol i bet the tuna takes like cardboard though. I have to add in some vegies there.

 

[Mex]

In terms of the whey, where are you located? I'm pretty sure I could make your grocery bill less than it is now with what your eating and taking in i think you said 1.5 scoops of whey, to eating something more optimal like I laid out while taking in 6scoops of whey. When you keep things simple and basic the foods become cheaper since you can buy in a smart way.

My grocery budget is $250/month. Heres what I would nee for this diet each month.

Per month breakdown (rounded up)
225 oz beef @ $2.70/lb = $38/month
60 cans tuna @ $1.30.can (5 oz cans) = $78/month
150 oz chicken breast @ $4/lb = $38
180 eggs @ $.90/dozen = $14/month
oats (not sure on price, never bought) but lets say $15
Plus random stuff to add to food for flavor (celery, pickles, onion, spice). Gotta add another $25 here.

This brings total to $210. That leaves $40 for whey. How to get 6 scoops daily for lees than that?

 

[EFFORT]

My grocery budget is $250/month. Heres what I would nee for this diet each month.

Per month breakdown (rounded up)
225 oz beef @ $2.70/lb = $38/month
60 cans tuna @ $1.30.can (5 oz cans) = $78/month
150 oz chicken breast @ $4/lb = $38
180 eggs @ $.90/dozen = $14/month
oats (not sure on price, never bought) but lets say $15
Plus random stuff to add to food for flavor (celery, pickles, onion, spice). Gotta add another $25 here.

This brings total to $210. That leaves $40 for whey. How to get 6 scoops daily for lees than that?

14lbs ground beef= $32/month http://www.samsclub.com/shopping/navigate.do?dest=5&item=444074

12lbs Chicken Breast= $26 http://www.samsclub.com/shopping/navigate.do?dest=5&item=388490

Oats 2/4.5lb bags= 6.73 (last a LONG time) http://www.samsclub.com/shopping/navigate.do?dest=5&item=193531

Brown Rice 5lbs- $8 from your local walmart or grocery store http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=10536091

180 eggs @ $.90/dozen = $20/month


60 cans tuna= $45 http://www.samsclub.com/shopping/navigate.do?dest=5&item=404815

8lbs broccoli = 11.50 http://www.samsclub.com/shopping/navigate.do?dest=5&item=175075

Some basic seasoning should be near 10 and it last a long time

Total= $160

That leaves you $90 in your budget to get those 6scoops of protein

http://proteinfactory.com/shop/product.php?productid=847&cat=0&page=1#tabs


You can also make things cheaper than this if your really on a budget, would just have to change some food choices and not care about taste so much, its hardcore but doable.

 

[Mex]

Friday, 11/20/09 - session 3 (all weight quoted in lbs).

Body weight = 146.6

Workout:
Squats 5x5x55
Bench 5x5x50
Inv Rows 7,6,6 (no resistance no support)
Pushups 27,12,11 (no resistance no support)
Rev Crunches 12,12,12 (no resistance no support)

First set on squats was tougher than last 4 sets, probably because of soreness still. But last 4 sets were pretty easy. Bench again was cake, but I am sticking with the plan. Inverted rows again were toughest, numbers down from session 1, but my form was better. Push ups improved from last time as well. I really felt the reverse crunches this time, as I paid closer attention to the form and mechanics - built up a nice sweat.

 

[Mex]

Weight = 149.0 lbs (all weights quoted in lbs)

Workout:
Squats 5x5x60
Overhead Press 5x5x50
Deadlifts 1x5x95
Pullups 5,4,5 (no resistance no support)
Prone Bridges 3x30seconds (no resistance no support)

Squats were smooth, I am noticing improvement on my form. Still kind of easy, but I pushed up very fast, as hard as I could while maintaining good form on each rep. I went up to 95 on deads (last time was supposed to be 85 but I did the wrong weight by accident). I am glad I am doing higher weight here, since I felt the resistance...deadlifts are tough! I definitely have to pay more attention to form as it didnt feel very smooth. I did pull-ups instead of chin ups this session (will alternate each time) and they were hard. Prone bridges were same as last time. I am feeling very good now that I have a routine, and I cant wait until Wednesday!

Also, I gained 5 lbs from last Monday, so I am happy about that. I do not have a fat caliper, but I am sure it is mostly muscle, as I have pictures each Sunday night, and my belly is the same size, but my arms and legs are harder, so the muscles must be growing!

 

[Mex]

Diet update:

First of all, thanks for the input on this, especially Espi and EFFORT. I bought some oats to add to the shakes. I will be drinking a lot of milk too, and less whey. Mostly because milk tastes good, and I have read stories about milk helping to gain weight fast. I am staying away from whole milk though, as I already have a belly and I dont want to look 9 months pregnant. So here is my eating schedule (for under $250/month!)

Breakfast: shake 1 (2 cups milk, 1 scoop whey, 2 raw eggs, 1/2 cup oats)
pre workout: fruit (apple or banana)
post workout: shake 2 (3 cups water, 1 scoop whey) small box raisins, and some cantaloupe or grapes.
lunch: 4 oz beef, 1/3 cup brown rice (measured raw but of course cooked), mixed veggies.
Snack: Either peanuts, more fruit, or anything healthy. Just get rid of hunger until dinner (I am not counting this towards daily protein intake).
Dinner: 4 oz beef, 1/3 cup brown rice (measured raw but of course cooked), mixed veggies.
Snack: shake 3 (2 cups milk, 1 scoop whey, 2 raw eggs)
Pre bed: Chicken, or 1 can tuna with 1-2 slices whole wheat bread.

I count pre and post workout snacks as 1 meal, and on days off, I will combine this into 1 sitting.

This puts me around 200g protein, with decent carbs (havent measured carbs, but I never let myself feel hungry). I am also getting plenty of fat I am sure with the milk and red meat. The best part is, it is quite simple, tasty, and easy to increase portions as needed.

By the way, the oats always clump at the bottom of the shake then I end up getting most at the end. Is there any trick to make them distribute more evenly through the shake? Also, I would like some kind of veggy with breakfast, but I have no clue what to have...any suggestions?

 

[EFFORT]

Diet update:

First of all, thanks for the input on this, especially Espi and EFFORT. I bought some oats to add to the shakes. I will be drinking a lot of milk too, and less whey. Mostly because milk tastes good, and I have read stories about milk helping to gain weight fast. I am staying away from whole milk though, as I already have a belly and I dont want to look 9 months pregnant. So here is my eating schedule (for under $250/month!)

Breakfast: shake 1 (2 cups milk, 1 scoop whey, 2 raw eggs, 1/2 cup oats)
pre workout: fruit (apple or banana)
post workout: shake 2 (3 cups water, 1 scoop whey) small box raisins, and some cantaloupe or grapes.
lunch: 4 oz beef, 1/3 cup brown rice (measured raw but of course cooked), mixed veggies.
Snack: Either peanuts, more fruit, or anything healthy. Just get rid of hunger until dinner (I am not counting this towards daily protein intake).
Dinner: 4 oz beef, 1/3 cup brown rice (measured raw but of course cooked), mixed veggies.
Snack: shake 3 (2 cups milk, 1 scoop whey, 2 raw eggs)
Pre bed: Chicken, or 1 can tuna with 1-2 slices whole wheat bread.

I count pre and post workout snacks as 1 meal, and on days off, I will combine this into 1 sitting.

This puts me around 200g protein, with decent carbs (havent measured carbs, but I never let myself feel hungry). I am also getting plenty of fat I am sure with the milk and red meat. The best part is, it is quite simple, tasty, and easy to increase portions as needed.

By the way, the oats always clump at the bottom of the shake then I end up getting most at the end. Is there any trick to make them distribute more evenly through the shake? Also, I would like some kind of veggy with breakfast, but I have no clue what to have...any suggestions?

The diet is ok, but there far better ways to set it up for even less than your budget. You also mentioned having a gut? So that would mean your "skinny fat"....so with your carb choices and timing (and the milk) you'll add some unnecessary fat. I agree with espi about it not killing anyone to eat some dirty foods for cals, but a lot of guys take it way to far and really over do it. And assuming your skinny fat things can get out of hand.

Buy a coffee bean grinder and grind the oats into a fine powder then blend in your shakes, that will prevent a lot the clumping.

 

[Mex]

The diet is ok, but there far better ways to set it up for even less than your budget. You also mentioned having a gut? So that would mean your "skinny fat"....so with your carb choices and timing (and the milk) you'll add some unnecessary fat. I agree with espi about it not killing anyone to eat some dirty foods for cals, but a lot of guys take it way to far and really over do it. And assuming your skinny fat things can get out of hand.

So you think I should cut out the milk? And what do you mean about carb choices timing? This is actually less carbs than what you suggested before (1/3 instead of 1/2 cups rice, and I only added oats to morning shake as opposed to all three shakes). The only substitution I made was more milk and less whey. Let me know, thanks.

 

[EFFORT]

So you think I should cut out the milk? And what do you mean about carb choices timing? This is actually less carbs than what you suggested before (1/3 instead of 1/2 cups rice, and I only added oats to morning shake as opposed to all three shakes). The only substitution I made was more milk and less whey. Let me know, thanks.

The fruit, milk and wheat bread before bed, I'd cut out. Oats and Brown Rice are better carb choices. Also like Espi pointed out a lot of the meals aren't really meals and lack clarity. I know this feels nit picky but diet is really important and where everyone misses it. Most guys will spend forever and a day getting there routine laid out perfect then just waffle around with a diet. Treat your diet like its your lifting routine. Lets do it like this.

Meal 1 - 4cooked eggs 1/2cup oats
Meal 2- 4oz beef, salad, 1/2 cup brown rice
Meal 3- 4oz chicken 1/2cup oats
Meal 4- 4oz beef, salad, 1/2 cup brown rice
Meal 5- 4 cooked eggs, veggies
Meal 6- 1.5 can tuna

and take 2 scoops of whey post workout+ 1cup of orange juice (or any other sugar loaded juice)

for the oats just grind them, put them in water and drink down will be pretty blah.

You'll make good progress on that and its very easy to make changes once progress stops.

 

[Mex]

Wednesday, 11/25/09 - session 5 (all weight quoted in lbs).

Body weight = 150.8

Workout:
Squats 5x5x65
Bench 5x5x60
Inv Rows 7,7,5 (no resistance no support)
Pushups 28,16,12 (no resistance no support)
Rev Crunches 12,12,12 (no resistance no support)

Squats went very smoothly. I still am pretty far from my limit, but I can tell my form is improving very much as I am getting more practice. I will keep increasing by 5 lbs each time as I do them every session, and I feel good knowing that my form is getting better. Bench is TOO easy. I was supposed to do 55 lbs today, but I jumped to 60. When I got done, I dont feel like I did anything. I will probably go up 10 instead of 5 lbs next time also until I can feel at least a little strain. Inverted rows again were toughest. Push ups improved from last time as well. Reverse crunches were sloppy in the first set, dont know why. Last two sets I did them very slowly to get the form, and man they hurt when you do them slow.

 

[Mex]

Saturday, 11/28/09 session 6

(this workout was supposed to be Friday 11/27/09 but gym was closed due to holiday)

Body Weight = 151.2 lbs (all weights quoted in lbs)

Workout:

Squats (warm ups 1x5x45) actual 5x5x70

Overhead Press 5x5x55

Deadlifts FAILED on 2nd rep!! tried for 1x5x110

Chinups 5,5,4 (no resistance no support)

Prone Bridges 3x30seconds (no resistance no support)


Squats went very nicely, still relativley easy, but I am improving my form and going deaper into the squat-slightly below parallel whereas before I could only get to parallel. Overheads were pretty easy the first 4 sets, but last set I felt a little burn, not much but enough to feel good.

DEADLIFTS WERE A DISASTER! I did the first rep, and it seemed fine, but second rep by lower back gave out. I tried to focus on form, so I am not sure what I did wrong. Maybe the bar was too low since the biggest plate was only 25 lbs. I really dont know. But I am pissed, and my back is f***in killing me now. I used to have lower back pain a while back, which I think was due to bad posture, but that improved a lot. However, I slouched a lot over the last few days (laziness from the holiday) and my back was not 100% this morning, but not bad enough to interfere with my exercise I thought. Anyway, I know I f***d up something in my form, but I dont know what. Wish I had someone watching.

After that, chinups were weak, and I lost my pump and determination from the pain.

For now Ill just play it by ear. I will get back in the gym Monday, so long as I fell a little better, and I will see how squats go. If all is better, I will try deads again on Wednesday, same weight, but maybe start higher up. If I still have problems I guess I will have to see a doc and have it checked out. I hope its not a slipped disk.

 

[Kerpal]

Using only 25 lb plates on each side will make the bar too low and your back will round. Put it in the rack at the height it would be at with 45 lb plates on each side and go from there until you get up to 135 lbs, then you can put the bar back on the floor.

Also switch to Starting Strength, 5x5 is too much volume for a beginner.

 

[Cure]

Are you doing proper warm ups for your deadlifts? Ie starting with just the bar and doing 4-5 sets of 3-5 reps with the weight gradually increasing untill you are at working weight? Its important.

I'd strongly suggest taking at least a week, possibly more, break from lifting completly.
I slightly pulled a muscle in my middle back squatting and even then I still took over a week off, doing nothing but light stretching and foam rolling, to let it fully recover, its just not worth agrevating an injury and making it worse, take a break.

Cure.

 

[Mex]

Are you doing proper warm ups for your deadlifts? Ie starting with just the bar and doing 4-5 sets of 3-5 reps with the weight gradually increasing untill you are at working weight? Its important.

I did not warm up for deadlifts, since I already did squats. Maybe I should have, and next time I certainly will.

I will play it by ear as to whether I take time off or not though. I feel a little better today after resting last night. I will be doing stretches to day for therapy that helped me in the past too when I had back pain. But going to the gym, assuming I dont screw up again, will probably help me improve the fastest by strengthening the other muscles. So as long I feel that my pain wont prevent me form doing my exercises properly, I will go. Thanks for the feedback Cure.

 

[Cure]

No worrys mate, but seriously, take time off, assuming there is only a one in 100 hundred chance that weights will aggrevate you injury further, its still worth taking a week off to be sure, rather than risk NEVER being able to lift again properly if you mess your back up.

and yes, warm up for everything, its vital.

My typical deadlift is technically only 1x5, but really its more like
8x1
5x1
5x1
3x1
3x1
2x1
5 reps workset.
The weight starts at 20kg and goes up in increments to a little over 100kg (currently, but its going up nicly!)

good luck

Cure.

 

[Mex]

Wednesday, 11/30/09 - session 7 (all weight quoted in lbs).

Body weight = 152.0

Workout:

Squats 5x5x75

Bench 5x5x70

Inv Rows 9,7,5 (no resistance no support)

Pushups 24,12,10 (no resistance no support)

Rev Crunches 12,12,12 (no resistance no support)

I was not sure if I was going to the gym today or not because of my back, but it was feeling much better, though not 100%. Sorry Cure, I went against your advice man but I did some empty bar squats for warm-ups first and it felt fine so I just went ahead with the workout.

On a similar note, I was contemplating switching to Starting Strength 3x5 program, but I also decided to stay on Stronglift's 5x5 for now. There are good cases for switching, mostly because of volume, but I will stay here until I stall. I just feel adverse to switching, unless there is a absolute reason to do so. Therefore, once I stall, on ANY exercise, I will use that as an excuse to switch to 3x5. Seems like a reasonable compromise between the two sides of my brain...haha.

Anyway, back to business. Squats were great, felt the resistance in my glutes more than the past, but still plenty of room to go, and they were quite smooth and quick. On the bench, I jumped to 70 (instead of 65) and they are still a joke, trying to be patient here, but I am going to increase by 10 next time too. Inv rows were better, at least on the first set, I got 9 which is a new PR for me. Body weight not up too much, I need to get a fat caliper to see if I am replacing muscle for fat.

Thats all for today, anxious to see what happens Wednesday with deadlifts. Cheers!

 

[Quagmire911]

Note that you can't replace fat with muscle. You can lose fat/gain fat and lose muscle/gain muscle. Maybe you didn't mean it literally .

Also quick note. On post 6 of this journal you mentioned squats going up 15lbs a week and the other 3 going up 15lbs every two weeks. Deads should go up at the same pace as squats if not faster, especially at the weight you are using. I don't care if Mehdi says other wise (stronglifts), I doubt he would. So you'll have to put more on the bar every workout, keep that in mind.

And remember if you aren't using the big plates yet, raise the bar to the correct height using a rack or by putting the plates on top of plates ( hope you get that). Getting the bar to the correct height will be a lot more comfortable.

Now let's see 100/150/200/300 on ohp/bench/squat/dead. You'll be there in no time!

Keep it up,

Quagmire

Ps- If I deadlift after squats I will usually do an abbreviated warm up for the deadlifts. However, there isn't much use if you aren't using the big plates yet. The biggest thing right now is to start at the correct height. Also, you should try and incorporate some dynamic stretching before a workout:

http://www.tmuscle.com/readArticle.do?id=1778726

This will help prevent injury.

 

[Mex]

Note that you can't replace fat with muscle. You can lose fat/gain fat and lose muscle/gain muscle. Maybe you didn't mean it literally .

Yes, thats what I meant haha. Thanks for the encouragement Quag!

 

[Mex]

Also quick note. On post 6 of this journal you mentioned squats going up 15lbs a week and the other 3 going up 15lbs every two weeks. Deads should go up at the same pace as squats if not faster, especially at the weight you are using. I don't care if Mehdi says other wise (stronglifts), I doubt he would. So you'll have to put more on the bar every workout, keep that in mind.

Yeah, the deads are supposed to increase about 10% (will do 15 lbs when weight is low) each session, good catch. But I will be continuing from lower than where I should be. I was supposed to be at 120-125 by Wednesday, but now I will be considerably less. I will probably just do 95 or so, since I did that weight last week, and just practice form before adding weight. I guess I will have to play it by ear and get advice from folks here.