Ray,

When I flat bench (barbell or dumbell) I start to get like a knot feeling in my upper back, any idea?

I don't think it's a form issue because I've been working out with a personal trainer from work and he's checked my form.

ALSO: If I'm trying to cut and I've heard from you and other sources that I should be intaking about 2000 cals a day for cutting, I'm only hitting an average of 1500 cals a day (usually over 200g of protein tho).

Can you just explain if that's okay, and if not WHY it's better to eat more calories for fat loss?

Thanks

This post was edited by Greet on Apr 11 2016 08:01pm

Also what should my macros be around?

I eat very low carbs (low to the point that I debate doing keto) my carbs basically all come from: Greek yogurt, avocado, salad, veggies, egg whites. And I'm ranging from 30-60g a day

If you are that low in carbs, you SHOULD be doing keto. You can still eat avocados, salad, veggies, etc. Greek yogurt would only be sparingly, however. Also egg whites have such a negligible amount of carbs that it's almost not worth counting.

Hiho Raynor looking for some help

My left bicep used to have some pain ditch of my elbow while doing curls and such. The pain was usually on the outside lower part close to my forearm so I assumed I had a problem with the tendon that connects it.

Due to a non related real life problem I stopped lifting for like 2.5 months or so.

Anywho I went back and did an arm workout yesterday and it is very clear that it is injured. I can barely straighten my left arm and when I do there is quite a bit of pain its tolerable but uncomfortable.

I was wondering how I should go about trying to rehab this since if I make a doctors appointment that is all my doctor is basically going to tell me do is to go easy on it and stretch it out.

The best rehab for it is going to be:


Rest (no bicep exercises or exercises that engage the bicep)
Stretch (keep the arm mobile and lightly stretch, but do NOT overstretch)
Ice the area (3-4x per day for 15-20 mins each time)
Massage (gently massage the bicep after a hot shower for around 5-10 minutes, not deep tissue, GENTLY)
Increase intake of Fish Oil (Omega 3 capsules, 2x per day with every meal)
Increase water intake (1-1.5 gals per day)
Take anti-inflammatory meds such as ibuprofen (as needed, do not overtake)

hey ray
im just checking in, finally back on track again. i built a home gym and posted a few picutures here http://forums.d2jsp.org/topic.php?t=74249816&f=60
since its been a few months, started a few weeks ago deloading 50% from my previous reps and am following the stronglifts 5x5 routine, except deadlifting 3x5 instead of the recommended 1x5, and doing all accessory exercises + abs at the end of every session. no cardio, but it is something i would consider.
my goals are still to gain strength and mass, essentially bulk. i've lost about 15 lbs from 6 months ago when i was at my peak 178, pretty lean. 6' tall.

a sample of my diet is as follows (lift day) with sufficient water throughout the day
breakfast; 3 eggs scrambled, bowl of honey nut cheerios, apple, banana, fiber one bar
creatine, animal pak multivitamin
lift, bcaas
mass gainer shake
lunch; deli meats sandwich, some type of berry, whey shake
dinner; some type of meat(chicken or beef), mixed veggies, brown rice
snacks throughout day(any combination of); whole grains, bagels and cream cheese (trying to work in cottage cheese in the pm), fruits or vegetables, peanut butter, raisins, smoothies self made

off day;
bcaas, creatine
breakfast; 3-4 eggs scrambled, cheerios, apple, banana, fiber one bar
lunch; deli meats sandwich, whey shake, fruits or veggies
dinner, dome type of meat(chicken or beef), mixed veggies, brown rice
gainer shake (2 cups milk, .5-1 serving Optimum nutrition gainer, B&J ice cream, PB, banana)
snacks; same as above

i think that my breakfast is solid but i need to work on lunch and snacks throughout the day to bring to work and/or school. im focusing mostly on diet at this point, because i think i've finally realized that this is more important than the routine. can you over any expert critique or advice? as always, much appreciated.
thank you!

Hey there.

If you are trying to clean up the diet AND do a good bulk, you are going to have to make sure you are getting the proper calories and macros.


Your breakfast meal is fine, but could benefit from additional protein. The 3 eggs + 1 cup of milk is only around 25g protein. Throw in a 25g shake (whey isolate) with breakfast and you'll be at the 50g mark.

For the mass gainer shake, add some fruit to it, possibly peanut butter, etc.

For the lunch meal, avoid deli meats as they are very rich with nitrates (BAD). I would advise to switch to fresh rotisserie chicken on a sandwich. Go for at least 6-8 oz of chicken, 1 oz of cheese, veggies, condiments, etc., and a complex carb of your choice on the side. You can then skip the whey shake here as you'll already be over 50g of protein in this meal.

Dinner meal should be chicken or beef (at least 8 oz) lean cut, veggies, brown rice or sweet potato or pasta. So in general, your current dinner meal is good.

The snacks throughout the day are fine, but it would be preferred to keep the protein up and increase protein rich snacks, such as: Hard boiled eggs, beef/chicken/turkey jerky, greek yogurt, protein shake, protein bar, etc.


For the off day, everything looks fine here as well (with the modifications I just gave you).


You really want to strive for at least 200-250g of protein per day at a minimum.



On a side note, if you're a hardgainer, follow this brief guide as well to get some ideas:



Hardgainer Tips/Requirements:

1. Excessive calories (approximately 3-4x as much as your BMR requires. If you need 2,000 a day, you will be eating 8,000).
2. Digestive Enzyme Supplements (NOW! Digestive Enzymes) take 1-2 with EVERY meal. This is absolutely ESSENTIAL.
3. Weight gainer - Cytosport cytogainer (you already have this - take 2-3x shakes per day in ADDITION to your regular meal plan)
4. Water (drink at least 1.5 gal per day)
5. Strength Training (5 days per week with 2 days of rest - NO CARDIO)


Sample diet for a person who's BMR requires approximately 2,000 calories per day (your diet will be approximately 6,000-8,000 calories as a result)

6,000 calorie meal plan sample

Meal 1 - 4 scoop Cytogainer shake w/ 1 cup fruit and 2tbsp peanut butter and mixed with 1-2 cups milk (approximately 1,000 calories)
Meal 2 - 6 whole eggs + 4 strips low sodium bacon + 2 slices whole grain bread w/ peanut butter and jelly (approximately 1,000 calories)
Meal 3 - 4 scoop Cytogainer shake w/ 1 cup fruit and 2tbsp peanut butter and mixed with 1-2 cups milk (approximately 1,000 calories)
Meal 4 - 8 oz chicken breast w/ olive oil + 2 cups brown rice + 1 cup black beans + large serving of veggies + 2 oz cheese (approximately 1,000 calories)
Meal 5 - 8 oz ground beef + 1 cup tomato sauce + 1 large serving of whole grain pasta + 2 oz cheese (approximately 1,000 calories)
Meal 6 - 4 scoop Cytogainer shake w/ 1 cup fruit and 2tbsp peanut butter and mixed with 1-2 cups milk (approximately 1,000 calories)

8,000 calorie meal plan sample

Meal 1 - 4 scoop gainer shake w/ 1 cup fruit and 2tbsp peanut butter and mixed with 1-2 cups milk (approximately 1,000 calories)
Meal 2 - 3/4 lb hamburger (or 1 lb chicken breast) + 2 oz cheese + whole grain bun + large serving of veggies or salad + 1 large baked sweet potato (approximately 1,500 calories)
Meal 3 - 4 scoop gainer shake w/ 1 cup fruit and 2tbsp peanut butter and mixed with 1-2 cups milk (approximately 1,000 calories)
Meal 4 - 25 grilled chicken wings w/ bbq or any sauce + 1 large loaded baked potato + 1 large serving of veggies or salad w/ ranch dressing (approximately 1,500 calories)
Meal 5 - 12 oz sirloin steak w/ olive oil + 2 cups whole grain pasta or brown rice w/ sauce of your choice + 1 large serving of veggies (approximately 1,500 calories)
Meal 6 - 4 scoop gainer shake w/ 1 cup fruit and 2tbsp peanut butter and mixed with 1-2 cups milk (approximately 1,000 calories)


Remember to keep the sodium to a minimum...no more than 2,500-3,000 mg per day.

Yo Ray, im working more often now so have less time and energy for the gym. For the last 2 months I've been going 4 times a week, doing every muscle group twice a week. For quads I'd do 6 sets, calves 3, biceps 5-6, triceps 8-9, back 7, shoulders 8, chest 8 - each twice a week. I've been thinking of cutting it down to going 3 times a week doing full body instead, partly for efficiency and partly due to laziness.

How many sets do you think is adequate for each muscle group in a full body workout? I've been primarily aiming for hypertrophy but in the last few months strength has become equally important.

If you are going to do 3x workouts a week, you should probably switch to a power-centric style plan, like this:


Day 1 - Bench Press (5x5), Dips (3x5), DB Shoulder Press (3x5)

Day 2 - Deadlift (5x5), Lat Pulldowns (12/10/8/6), Bicep Curls (12/10/8/6)

Day 3 - Squats (5x5), Calf Raises (12/10/8/8/6), Lunges (3x10)


Obviously, you aren't hitting accessories as much with this plan, but for strength you will definitely make decent gains. Hypertrophy is difficult with only 3x workouts a week, no matter how you cut it. In addition, try to hit abs for at least 15 minutes after the aforementioned workouts.

How much does a 5 mins plank burn?

or 1-2-3-4-5

This post was edited by Nevada on Apr 21 2016 01:26am