It's time for 5x5!!

First use this diet:

So a 3,000 cal diet lean bulking diet would be 300g carbs, 300g protein, and 70g fat.


A sample meal plan for you would be:


Meal 1 - 3 whole eggs + 1 cup oatmeal + 1 large serving of fruit (any type)
Meal 2 - 2 slices whole grain bread w/ 4-6 oz sliced low-sodium meat (turkey/chicken/ham) and cheese (2% reduced fat and low sodium) w/ veggies made into a sandwich
Meal 3 - Protein Shake (any brand, make sure to get approx 40g protein) + 1 large serving of fruit + handful of mixed nuts
Meal 4 - 1 large chicken breast or lean steak + 1 cup brown rice + 1/2 cup black beans + large serving of veggies
Meal 5 - 1 can of tuna + whole grain crackers + mayo/mustard + veggies or salad
Meal 6 - 1 cup cottage cheese + cinnamon + mixed nuts


and then use this plan:


http://forums.d2jsp.org/topic.php?t=21269614&f=60&p=345300636
5x5 plan



If you get tired of those foods, just keep the macros to what I advised (300/300/70 and 3K cals)

Either are fine. Overpriced electronic toothbrushes are certainly a scam in the sense that they do not offer cleaner teeth/gums, but rather other features like timers and interchangeable heads.

Manual is fine as long as you brush long enough and thoroughly enough. Electric is fine as well, just don't press too hard with the manual toothbrush in order to avoid enamel damage.

http://forums.d2jsp.org/topic.php?t=21269614&f=60&p=354227659
Basic Foods to Purchase

http://forums.d2jsp.org/topic.php?t=21269614&f=60&p=407130150
Bulking foods with no preparation or heating



You can also do other things, but just keep the macros in check. As long as macros and calories are in line, you can feel free to modify things as you wish.

Hello there, I wish to change this year and for that I need your help please!

To start off, I tell you my infos.

Age: 18
Weight: 57 kg / 126 lbs
Height: 165 cm / 5,4 ft

In year 2012 I used to hit the gym but not on a regularly basis, so I didn't really get to it. except for the month August, I went straight this plan for August only though.
My goal? To gain some weight first and some mass to not look skinny, also I want to get some strength and after I want to look toned of course, even if that would take ages..

I used to use your 5x5 Plan, but I changed some exercises (the bolded ones) , could you let me know if it is okay like this:

Day 1 (Monday) - Chest
• Bench Press - 5 sets of 5 reps
• Incline Bench Press - 5 sets of 5 reps
• Decline Press - 5 sets of 5 reps
• Dumbbell Bench Press - 5 sets of 5 reps

Day 2 (Tuesday) - Back
• Dumbbell Deadlifts - 5 sets of 5 reps
• Lat Pulldown - 5 sets of 5 reps
• Lower Back Extension - 5 sets of 5 reps
• Dumbbell Rows - 5 set of 8-12 reps

Day 3 (Wednesday) – Legs
• Barbell Squats - 5 sets of 5 reps
• Seated Machine Leg Extensions - 5 sets of 5 reps
• Seated Machine Leg Curls - 5 sets of 5 reps
• Standing Calf Raises 5 sets of 8-12 reps
• Seated Calf Raises 5 sets of 8-12 reps

Day 4 (Thursday) - Shoulders
• Military Press - 5 sets of 5 reps
• Dumbbell Shoulder Shrugs - 5 sets of 8-12 reps
• Dumbbell Shoulder Presses - 5 sets of 5 reps
• Arnold Presses 5 sets of 5 reps

Day 5 (Friday) - Arms
• EZ-Bar Curls - 5 sets of 8-12 reps
• Dumbbell Concentration Curls - 5 sets of 8-12 reps
• Sitting 3 sets of 21 reps Curl
• Tricep excerise pulling the rope from behind my head (i dont really know what the exercise is called :/ ) - 5 sets of 8-12 reps
• Tricep Cable Pulldowns - 5 sets of 8-12 reps
• Dumbbell Tricep Kickbacks - 5 sets of 8-12 reps

Day 6 – (Saturday) Rest
Day 7 – (Sunday) Rest
Crunches, Hanging Leg Raises, Broomstick Twists, Roman Chair Situps, V-Crunches

I also have some questions for you, I hope this isnt too much to ask all this.

Question 1:

Is it really useful to hit the abs 5 times a week, or is it just waste of time?
( I normally do 200 reps in total and with each exercise 20 reps atleast. Decline Situps 4x20 / Hanging Knee Raises 3x20 / Crunches 3x20)

Question 2:

I heard Asthma affects my lifting, what would you suggest me to do? Also can I make the Asthma be gone forever somehow?

Question 3:

In our school, we run every year a 3,5 kilometre distance around the park and the best runner runs that 3,5 kilometre in under 12 minutes.
Do you think it's possible for me to make it this year, if I start preparing now every single day? If so, please give me a plan to be able to do that, while
maintaining the 5x5 Plan. My main problem is my stamina, I'm out of breathe quite fast because I didnt really do much sports when I was young.. And on top of
that I have Asthma. Possible?

Question 4:

While bulking, is there any specific time when I should eat? Or can I just eat whenever I want?
Also, how much Calorie should I take? I currently try to hit 2850 Calorie for bulking and 2350 just for maintenance.
What about Protein? How much do I really need? I heard 2g protein for each lb weight.. So do I need 252g protein a day?
What's the limit for fat intake for a day, when bulking?

Question 5:

So I have a problem.. I never eat vegetables, what can I do to replace them? (I eat potatos)


I think this is it for now.

Thank you very much in advance. Happy New Year .

This post was edited by FiGi on Dec 31 2012 07:55pm

Raynor, when you are sick with the cold or flu and you have things to do while you're sick do you resort to taking over the counter medication? Do you stay natty and suck up the headaches,aches, etc?

how can i lose like just loose skin? its part fat but alot more of it is just skin..

5 11 ~170 lbs, prob around 15(?)% bf. Looking for a budget bulking diet if possible. Like around $30-40/week if you have something like that?

Recent pic:



This post was edited by dark-soul on Jan 2 2013 11:47pm

im pretty sure without surgery, you cant just "lose skin"

if you lost a bunch of weight and have extra skin, eventually it will go away. your skin is like elastic. if its stretched out for a long time, it will just take a while to go back to normal. but eventually it will

1. The exercise changes are fine.

2. The exercise is called overhead tricep extensions

3. It would be better to aggressively blow out the abs 3 times a week and train them hard like you would any other muscle group rather than just 200 reps of bodyweight exercises.

4. To help eliminate the symptoms of asthma, you need to gradually focus on HIIT cardio. Walk for 2 minutes, jog for 2 minutes, sprint for 30 seconds, and repeat. Do this for a little more each time (start with around 20 minutes). As you gradually increase this, you will help condition yourself appropriately. The asthma can be caused by many things, including environment, so eliminating that all together can be very difficult.

5. here is what you need for running: http://forums.d2jsp.org/topic.php?t=21269614&f=60&p=335958561

6. You can eat whenever you want, but I would recommend to eat heavily after a workout, and very lightly before a workout. As far as calories go, I would recommend around 2,800-3,000 for you on workout days, and around 2,300-2500 on non-workout days. Try a 40/30/30 split of calories, (protein/carbs/fat) with at least 1.5g of protein per pound of bodyweight per day. The fat can be as much as you want as long as it fits into your calories for the day, and also has a 2:1 ratio of unsaturated fats to saturated fats. (olive oil, avocado, fish, etc. are all good choices)

7. If you never eat vegetables I can assure you that the easiest way to replace them is to.......make the vegetables tasty and then eat them. You really need the fiber and nutrients from veggies....if you don't like them, try yogurt ranch dressing for the raw ones, try olive oil + lemon + romano cheese for cooked veggies, or try any combination of seasonings, sauces, etc to get yourself to like them. Either that or just mind-over-matter and down the hatch.

This post was edited by SKCRaynor on Jan 3 2013 07:55am

I never take OTC meds when I'm sick, as these just mask symptoms temporarily and can actually extend the length of the virus.

However I follow this religiously:

http://forums.d2jsp.org/topic.php?t=21269614&p=309974186
Immune System



However, I replaced the Neti Pot with a Sinus Rinse system (a squeeze bottle with salt water) which can more effectively get inside the sinuses than a neti pot. Both are good, but Sinus Rinse is much better.