Hey all, I'm currently in the best shape of my life. Believe it or not, before I ever started smoking weed religiously, I would watch what I ate nonstop (eating routine I picked up bits and pieces of info here and there), work out almost every day, and train MMA/BJJ three times a week. I was consistently at 205; the lowest I'd get to was about 198. I broke up with my ex and started dating my current girlfriend. I completely quit all my exercising/dieting. I picked up smoking weed instead, and I actually shrunk down to 180. I'd say it was losing a lot of muscle I had built up during training, but I was noticeably thinner and my muscle was still there. I started working for my father as a full time pipe fitter (fire sprinklers), and lifting/hanging/wrenching that pipe up/down ladders/stairs all summer long got my body down to the high 160s. I'm consistently 167-170 now with little fat. However, a lot of my muscle is in my shoulders, arms, and back (from pipe, naturally). I have a lot of muscle in my lower body from being fat my whole life. Basically, two areas I have never truly worked on are my chest and abs. I don't have access to a gym. I have some dumbbells with a little weight, but most of the exercise I prefer is no-weights exercise at home. I have a bar for pull-ups, a bag for boxing and a floor for push-ups/sit-ups. Two questions: What can I do to start noticing more muscle definition in my abs/chest? I want both areas to grow to fit my body better all around. I'm not a huge fan of rigorous exercises; I prefer a simpler, shorter, more frequent routine if possible. What can I do to start eating better? What are certain foods/types of foods to target? I'm not particularly worried about eating for weight loss. I'd rather eat well so that I can maintain muscle, help my heart and organs, and clear any crap I may have caused over the years. I mainly want to improve in those areas of my body and to start eating better as described. No essay response required, just a few bulleted pointers would be greatly appreciated.
hey man... just got finished playing 5 years of division 1 football in the pacific northwest. in all honesty, the best way to gain quick definition is cardio and a proper diet. stay away from white rice, plain pasta, white bread, regular potatoes. Move towards lots of greens, spinach, brocoli, green beans, asparugus. brown rice, red potatoes, sweet potatoes, some lean meats. drink hella water, and dont ignore ur body. pretty much bro...if ur hungry, snack..try to eat 5x a day, 3 decent meals, 2 snacks. lots of water, and run ur ass off, ull b straight. in terms of lifting, lower weight & more reps increase definition. b easy!
After checking out a russian guy named Pavel's "Naked Warrior" movie, I'm really into using everyday things for working out. Sometimes, on my way home from work, I'll stop at a large parking lot and just push my car around for awhile. At my home, I'll do random pull ups and push ups throughout the day. Monday, Wednesday and Friday are my running days. Saturday I devote to weight training or working outside. I've got a ton of rock to move around right now, so I'm using that, sometimes it's chopping wood. Plus the diet. Watching what you eat is imperative. Oatmeal and berries or apples for breakfast, no sugar. Then lunch varies, but is usually small. At dinner, I'll eat my protein foods like fish. And later (I stay up late and smoke), I'll eat a salad with vinegar as a snack. Only the lunch varies much, and I sometimes skip it. But that's not a lot of intake, so I supplement it with fruits. I've got a garden, plus there's a farmer's market near my work.
Fasho man, those are all great techniques and even better ways of getting toned than the monotony of staying in the gym 5 days a week. keep up the good work, increase your protein and withing a few weeks you will definitely notice results.
Thanks for all the advice guys. Keep it coming! I love using everyday things, but how successful is it compared to using weights? Obviously your muscles can't tell the physical difference aside from the weight, but, for example, how many push-ups would I need to do every day to start seeing results within a couple weeks? Basically, if I do 60 push-ups a day, around when will I start noticing a difference? And how much of a difference will I be adding by doing them all together (not 60 reps in one set, but like 3 consecutive sets of 20)?
I noticed a huge difference in a very short period of time. I throw down ten one handed pull ups several times a day, sometimes adding up to 100 with each arm in a day. Same with pull ups (but two handed, I'm not that big of a beast). I noticed my shoulders, chest, and back bulking up very quickly. It helps that I don't have much fat on me too. If you want definition, cut the fat out and you'll see every muscle. I actually enjoy using everyday tasks to bulk up much more than I enjoy using a machine or weights, so I'm more inclined to work out frequently. Time always depends though. I see it this way, I'm making a process of it. I don't look the way I want right now, but I'm working towards it. I notice small changes in myself over the weeks and know that if I keep up my lifestyle, not only will I look the way I want, but I'll be healthy. I really can't give you an estimate on that stuff, nor do I know if it makes a difference by grouping them rather than spreading them out. Most programs that I see suggest about six weeks. I saw changes in my body much before six weeks, but everyone is different. I suggest shooting for health. The body will follow.