Need some professional opinions.

[InsidiousNstinct]

Hey guys, I want to get into better shape. Lately I've been slacking off on my excersies. I don't have a car or job at the moment so I cannot get into a gym.

First things first, my pic...


Me

My goal is to become stronger and put on a little more mass and define it. Because I'm only 5'6 and 145lbs. And 145lbs just ain't cuttin it. I have some strength but not to much. I think a good weight for me would be around 160-170 bracket?

Background info....

You can probably tell from my picture (my neck is fused) in other words I cant turn my head from side to side so some excersies are more difficult I believe this is also one reason im a little bit weaker.

Excersies...

I have dumbells and a curl bar (the type thats wavy so you can get a good grip) not good with all the names of different excersie equip.

I usually lift around 35 lbs in each hand while standing. I usually do 5 sets of 4 reps while standing, alternating.

For barbell curls I usually only do 50lbs at 5 sets and 10 reps. It seems as though my arms are at ok strength but my upper body is at a disadvantage because of my neck.

Any thoughts or opinions and some workout ideas would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks again,

 

[sfalexi]

Here's a picture of me doing some flexin.

Now that's done SOLELY with 25 pound dumbells and some cardio. Mostly pushups, with dumbell flies, presses, situps, and riding a bike around town instead of driving. Also, I didn't watch what I ate. And lastly, I took no supplements of any kind (no flax seed oil, no protein, nothing - although that was mainly cause I had no $$$)

Granted, it's no 6% body fat like some other guys out there, but it's better than average. And it was done in 25 minutes every other day.

One main thing to keep in mind is, since I'm not sure how much your neck would stop you from doing, just remember that if something hurts, stop. Find something else to substitute. Also, you may want to go to a doctor and get advice on what exercises to try and which to stay away from (which is more than likely going to be the same advice as I said . . . if it hurts or is uncomfortable strain on your neck, stop. Cause that's NOT good)

That being said, here's what I advise.

You got a pretty decent build to start with. Looks like a good base to start from. If you wanna lose some of that fat, I've found the best things are circuit training. one minute high intensity, one or two minutes low intensity. Accomplish this running, biking, rowing (one of my favorites!) or any other way. Just go REALLY hard for a minute, then a slow easy pace for one or two. This builds up your heartrate and builds up your metabolism. Do it a few times a week (three, four, whatever. When you think about it logically, doing this ANY times a week is better than what you're doing now, so the results can only be positive - just matters on HOW shredded you want to get).

For exercises, judging by what doesn't move my head much, I'd say try pushups. If not, do a dumbell press (both lying down and military press for chest and shoulders respectively). Dumbell flies would probably be good. One armed rows on a chair. Reverse kickbacks for triceps. Concentration curls and regular alternating curls or hammer curls (whatever curl you feel like doing that day).

If you have a spotter, do some skull crushers with the curl bar for triceps (if you DON'T have a spotter, don't do it or do VERY light weight. This can be a very dangerous exercise, hence the name)

Oh god. Where do I stop? Lunges while holding a dumbell, bent over row with the barbell (although might hurt neck so be careful), hold a dumbell in one hand, put your other hand behind your head in the other (like a crunch) and pull your elbow towards the ground sideways for the obliques, regular crunches, or if that hurts, put a pillow under your head laying flat on your back, put your hands under the small of your back and do leg raises/flutter/scissor kicks for a flatter stomach.

And, above all, I don't know if you do already, but eat healthier. Depending on how well you want to progress and how much, eating healthier can mean cutting out unnecessary carbs right before bed and less bad fatty foods (for good fats look at seed/nut oils and omega 3s), or it could mean a pill ****tail with protein supplements and nothing but tuna, egg whites, and whole grain bread.

Ok. Granted, your neck may limit you a BIT as to what exercises are available, but the stuff I mentioned above, well, most of it will probably work fine with no discomfort. And that's just the tip of the iceburg as to what exercises are out there.

Good luck man. And remember, it AIN'T gonna happen overnight. But you're starting at a good time to get in better shape by summer. And you won't see the change day to day, but one day you'll look in the mirror and be like, "DAAAMN! Where'd THOSE come from?" (lookin' at veins and muscles)

Peace and g'luck.

 

[MrFitness880]

it could just be me but i dont see a pic

i would suggest doing bent over bb rows, and some sort of pressing movement

you should really get some squats in. if anything you can try cleaning up the weight and doing some higher rep really deep front squats

this really is not going to do too much more than help you stay fit. you really do need to get into some real weights with real equipment and variety.

look into a local highschool. you can usually use their weightrooms after school for free

 

[InsidiousNstinct]

Dieting is my biggest problem I usually eat pizza, chicken fingers, and lots of mac and cheese since its my favorite food...I still have an ok body I think but like you were saying if I want to get more lean exc I'll have to start eating better.

You mentioned tuna (insert gag here) what are some other things, or better yet what kind of diet (naming certain foods) would you think would be in my best benifit?

To give a more indept report, I eat ALOT usually every hour and a half to two hours (mom usually complains because she cant keep food in the fridge) I use to never be like that but for some reason about a year ago my metabolism picked up big time.


Thanks again,

 

[sfalexi]

With a fused neck, I'd stay away from conventional squats (where the bar is placed on your shoulders). Maybe more a deadlift (straddel the curl bar, grab one hand in front, one in back, and lift away).

And I don't know how it is there where you live, but here in my town the schools don't allow the weightrooms being used due to a fear of lawsuits. But still, it doesn't hurt to ask.

this really is not going to do too much more than help you stay fit. you really do need to get into some real weights with real equipment and variety.

I disagree. I don't use "real weights" and definitely got into BETTER shape. Granted, I didn't gain much bulk, but I definitely tightened up and still improved.

Also, Johnathon, if you do intend on doing lower weights, do lots of reps. Doing ten benchpresses of 180 pounds will definitely help you get into shape. But if you're doing pushups, ten pushups ain't gonna cut it. Try for as many as you can. Or do a pyramid-style workout (5, 10, 20, 30, 40, 30, 20, 10, 5). The options are endless, but that just makes it easier to find options that you enjoy doing and therefore you won't HATE when it's 'workout time'.

Alexi

 

[InsidiousNstinct]

I do push ups, usually 5 sets of 20 reps of wide grip then do the same routine but normal grip.

I also noticed that I see better results in my stomach region if I do crunches and the sort only maybe 3 times a week instead of everyday like some people say to do.

also alexi do you have aim so I could just IM you if I got questions?

 

[sfalexi]

aim is sfalexi1

So far sounds so good. Go ahead and eat every three hours or so, but eat slightly less and eat slightly better.

You don't like tuna. Got it. Diets are a little tough for me to comment on (cause I don't follow a strict one myself), but darker breads are better. Whole wheat, whole grain, multi-grain (which tastes PHENOMINAL when toasted, and is great for you). Things cooked in extra virgin olive oil (egg whites is usually what I cook in there), cause olive oil is good fat and egg whites are pretty much the best type of protein you can get for muscle building. Not too fatty meat (lean cuts of beef, OBVIOUSLY chicken, try to grill or bake instead of fry - george forman grill works great here).

I've read in article after article and magazine after magazine that it doesn't hurt to have one or two meals a week of "whatever". So have your pizza/beer/cheesesteak night. But save it for a time when you're hanging out with the fellas. The reason for this is because it really doesn't do any noticeable damage to a good diet, and it keeps you from going crazy.

Greens, fruits, etc. If you are gonna buy protein powder, what people recommend (and works great) is to eat, wait 2 - 3 hours, have a protein shake, wait 2 - 3 hours, eat, etc. etc. as the day goes on. Translates to about four to 6 meals a day interspersed with lots of protein. It'll build you up well.

Also, learn some 'tricks' with food. For instance, I love a good taylor ham egg and cheese sandwich. So I used lowfat cheese (and sparingly), with egg white (cooked in olive oil), and instead of taylor ham, regular ham (cooked on a dry pan) on toasted multi-grain bread. Tasted GREAT. So good, that that's what I had for breakfast every day of the summer (except for my freebie meal which I had some french toast on multi-grain). Start drinking skim milk instead of regular three times a day (studies show clearly that three servings of low/non-fat dairy a day helps to lose some fat). Drink a lot of water with meals (especially when taking that much protein). And eat some apples. Good for you, and with all that damned protein a little extra fiber wouldn't hurt (although you'll probably get 3 - 5 grams from multi-grain or whole grain bread).

Before you go to bed, don't eat any carbs. You don't want carbs sitting in your system while you're not active. Grilled chicken salad is good. That's about all I can think of right now. Feel free to contact, thought I won't be around often as I have an odd work schedule.

Alexi

 

[InsidiousNstinct]

bumping my own thread.....beep beep.


The hardest thing Ive found is trying to eat right. Im detirmined to stick with it though. Ill keep updating frequently...




Tootles....