Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

Tom, we had a Marine die in Okinawa from Hydroxycut when there was ephedra in it. Heat + Humidity + Hydroxycut = :td I was curious if the new version was any different.

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

Different, yes....It is safer, Bao, as it does not contain ephedra. The flip side is that it is no where near as effective.

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

I'm not holding out too much hope. I'll ask for the month free though. First time we've had a problem with this guy. Had similar problems last year once or twice with a different guy coming to open up.

:wo

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

Good luck, Pete, hope you get the month free.

Good back and delt workout today. T-Bars, Bentover Rows, Pullups for back, Seated military and some Hammerstrength for shoulders. Some of the endurance is coming back, and the crud finally seems to be breaking up....no one at the gym thought I had malaria today. :r

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

hammerstrength?

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

Don't waste your money. Stay away. Most contain herbal and chemical diuretics that shed water from the body which during the summer / heat months can be terrible. Plus people take them drop a few lbs of water weight and think it's working. This is how I believe people have died from taking diet pills. They get on a crash diet ( no calories ) do a ton ( too much exercise too fast ) and take stimulants ( diuretics and caffeine ) which in turn put a lot of stress on the heart and CNS. If you want some stimulants just stick with energy boosters etc.
You know better so I'm not going to give you the diet spiel. Post up what your doing and what your eating, let the Iron Brotherhood take a look.

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

Squatted last night. Everything was sore, tight and hurt. Although we picked up a new squat bar and it totally kicks ass.
355x5,5,5,5,5
Rack Pulls
worked up to 605x3
Leg Ext
Leg Press
GHR
Abs
Calves

Just going to keep adding volume then weight.

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

Kickin' ass, Frank! :tu

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

Didn't sleep well last night, and woke up a bit late to go lift. Decided to go to spin instead. Logic?

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

That's what I thought...too bad my gym has none of that stuff.
:tu
makes sense to me...you'd rather see women next to you sweaty on bikes than other men grunting and lifting weights.

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

Not a good sign here brothers...


Some protein drinks can even pose health risks, including exposure to potentially harmful heavy metals, if consumed frequently. All drinks in our tests had at least one sample containing one or more of the following contaminants: arsenic, cadmium, lead, and mercury. Those metals can have toxic effects on several organs in the body.


God Damnit.

http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/m...rink/index.htm

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

:td At least the stuff I'm taking has no columns in bold but yeah...crap!

This wasn't my best or normal food intake day

830ish - Whey shake in the am with almond milk
930ish - Raisin Bagel with a bit of cream cheese w/ 1 cup of green tea
1230ish - a few thin slices of ham, provolone, roast beef, turkey, proscuitto (I swear this wasn't a normal day) all wrapped in a , well wrap. :D
3ish - iced white mocha from starbucks
6pm - whey shake w/almond milk
8pm - Biceps (21s, hammer curls, preacher curls) Back ( 3 exercises I don't know the names of) sweat up a storm since it was at home and very little break.
9pm - 6 small breaded chicken wings and a half a cup of white rice and 2 tall glasses of water.
11pm - Going to take a casein shake before bed.

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

What's a normal day look like.

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

8ish - Shake in the AM..
10ish - 2 eggs wheat toast no butter and some potatoes
1230ish - 3 strips of breaded chicken fingers or some type of sandwich
330ish - Whey shake with fat free/low fat milk. If avail a hand full of almonds.
7ish - Gym then steaks on the grill or vice versa
10ish - casein for bed.

I just realized typing this out I don't drink very much water...


I believe Frank that we ingest metals in some form or another but it's all in very low dosages. I think green tea helps flush some mercury.

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

Thats a little scary, considering how many scoops I have per day, but I'm really not worried about it. Whatever happens, happens.

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

Wasabi also helps with the mercury iirc.

Bao, how many calories are you consuming on an average day and what's your weight and BMR? I've got to be honest, that looks like a pretty light day, food-wise, and you're completely missing any fruits and vegetables. I prefer to get as much of my protein from food sources, rather than supplements, so chicken, steak, bison, fish, pork, turkey and eggs are all regular parts of my diet. I do a shake in the morning post-workout, but other than that, it's all real food.

My food day yesterday:
5 - gym - aborted, went for an energetic walk instead.
6:15 - smoothie with whey, peanut butter, greek yogurt, flax seed, strawberries, milk
11 - Pear and small piece of cheese (baby bel are great for this)
1 - grilled chicken with onion & peppers, black beans, brown rice, green plaintains
4 - apple and small piece of cheese
7 - scallops, tossed salad with balsamic dressing, tomato & mozzarella salad with oil & vinegar
8:30 - fresh strawberries


When I started on my initial weight-loss spree, I had to start eating more, not less. I realized I wasn't meeting my requirements with good food, so I would eat crap at the end of the day when I was still hungry. I'm at 240 and sit at a desk all day and I have to eat about 2800-3000 calories to maintain, more on lifting/cardio days.

Anyway, this morning was shoulders and back. Hang cleans, press, lat pulldowns and the HS low row. Went heavy but not crazy.

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

No veggies, fruits or fiber. Why not post a 3 day food diary, then we can get a better idea of your intake. Post fluid intake too.

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

I don't count calories at all. I am definitely missing fruits and veggies but I've never been much on either one. I don't keep a food diary either and to be honest it's not something I look forward to starting. I don't want weight loss to feel like a job.

So far, shake at 8am, iced coffee from starbucks now and going to grab 2 eggs with wheat toast and potatoes.

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

Shoulders and chest at lunch and then ham/turkey/prosciutto wrap + whey protein.

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

Chest this morning follwed by steak, egg whites and 7 grain toast with PB. :)

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

I love it when my muscles feel soar and tight.

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

No gym this week - working tons of overtime for cigar money though! Back at it Saturday morning...

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

When your muscles fly like an eagle, to the sea? :)

Back tomorrow, time to row.

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

Spin this morning. Just figured out why I'm always late on spin days... the clock in the damn room is 5 minutes slow. Now the real trick is getting them to do something about it.

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

Anyone order from trueprotein? I've ordered some of their pre-mixed stuff before but never made my own blends. Thinking about doing it and would love to hear if anyone here has any experience making their own :hm

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

I picked up one of their sampler packs before. Has I think 24 different blends to try. Some guys also use proteinfactory also. Most guys I know avoid it due to monetary reasons. Most, myself included just get the pre mixed stuff.

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

Slacked off on Saturday, then went to a wedding a had a few drinks and a few cigars... Made up for that yesterday morning, sweating the booze out in spin class. Deads and Squats this morning. I've really been neglecting my legs, can see it in my weight totals. Need to lift them on a much more regular basis.

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

Gotta blast those legs if you wanna see gains, size or strength. Missing the gym tonight. Old lady had some crap going on , going in wed to destroy everything.

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

I don't want or need size gains in my legs. Strength is awesome, and the main focus of my lifting in general. I carry a fair bit of weight there and I already have to buy pants too big in the waist to fit them. One of the main reasons I don't do leg work for reps. I get enough of that in spin. Bigger quads/glutes/hamms would just be bad for my wardrobe.

Hit chest and arms this morning, with flat bench, some pushups, curls and dips. Was not feeling my bench today. My right forearm was a bit off and I had a tough time keeping the bar level, but worked through as much as I could. Spin tomorrow.

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

Biceps and chest last night...Speaking of legs, HS kids in the gym last night doing some pretty heavy lifting, I was impressed till I saw the chicken legs :r

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

Don't be worried about the size Pete. Strength can be obtained without getting huge. If you're prone to big legs, I put myself in this boat, then it may not matter what you do and they will grow.

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

I happen to like your big legs Pete :cb

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

:tf :eek::dance:

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

:r:confused:

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

Tom, I knew that I could count on you. I must have been more than I thought I was.

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

I did a search on this, but I couldn't find anything. Has anybody out there ever used a test booster? If so what worked for you? What did you like?

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

Gonna have to be a little more specific on this one brother. Pro-hormones? Herbal Testosterone enhancers? or the real deal?

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

OK so I've been thinking about this and don't have the knowledge to give myself the right advice....
1) eat more often and keep your metabolism burning.
2) eat less and lose weight
3) muscle burns fat

How do I lose weight but eat more and cut up without bulking? I'm only 5'6 (on a good day) and I don't want to look bulky.

I'm sure I've asked this before so I'm sorry in advance.

Today's intake:
Cereal @ 930
Starbucks specialty iced coffee @1230
1 bottle water 24oz?
4 pieces of breaded chicken strips @2ish
1 spoon(scoop) of almond butter @3ish
1 naval orange @5ish
3 angus beef patties w/provolone on the grill & 2 slices of wheat toast @7ish
Casein shake @11

Oh no gym tonite but I'll do some stretching and prob ab workout at home.

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

Herbal, I want to stay away from the other stuff.

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

Bao, calories in, calories out, yes. But it's as much about what you eat as when and how much.

Cereal - what kind? how much? Start measuring it. You'll be surprised how much of it you're eating. I know I was. Add protein to it first thing in the morning. Put raw almonds, maybe some dried fruit, and no sugar. Oatmeal is good. Grape Nuts are ok, but they have a lot of salt. Kashi Nuts or oatmeal are my cereal choices.

Starbucks - what are you drinking? If it's a frappuccino or mocha, or basically anything other than black, unsweetened coffee or a latte, it's got a crapload of sugar in it. Don't get me wrong, I stop at Starbucks every morning on my way to the office and grab either a grande bold or a venti iced coffee and drink it black. Best stuff ever.

As far as timing goes, you want to tend towards eating more earlier in the day. Big breakfast, big lunch, small dinner. I'd also stay away from processed meat of any kind. Buy chicken breast and throw it on the foreman. Buy it in bulk at Costco or BJs. Same with steaks. If you want burgers, buy ground beef and make em yourself, just break pieces off and shape em into a burger. If you don't have a foreman, Go buy one at target for $30. If you don't want to do that, I'll send you one. If you want a bit more flavor, put some barbeque or hot sauce on it when you eat it, just watch how much, that barbeque is loaded with sugar.

WATER. Drink it throughout the day. You sit at a desk? get a large water bottle and drink, refill, drink, refill. You should be drinking about a gallon a day. Drink water when you start to get hungry. Drink water before you eat lunch or dinner. Drink water first thing in the morning.

And you're still missing any veggies -(P Asparagus, broccoli, spinach, heck, even mushrooms or a salad. They will help you feel fuller without adding lots of calories and they are loaded with vitamins and minerals you need.

Set aside snacks for yourself a couple times a day, like that orange. But add protein to them. You will feel more satisfied, even it it's just a dozen raw almonds or other nuts.

Anyway, spin for me this morning.

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

Pete that was great.

Bao if you are going to be serious about it and make it a long term change you need to be more detailed. Limiting your portion size by actually measuring is the best way to see changes. That way you can also tweak it, and know exactly what your putting in your body.

Pete brings up a good point about size of different meals. Dinner should actually be a smaller meal. You aren't using those calories for anything productive. Your body doesn't need as many calories while your sleeping as it does while your awake. So following the plan of a larger breakfast, moderate lunch and smaller dinner (combined with snacks in between) will all help to reach your goal.

I see that you are trying to think about the process too much. You basically said that eating more will raise my metabolism but how am I supposed to eat more and lose weight? I hate to make this association but in the weight watchers diet you count points, and you are limited to a certain amount of points/day. Well in the diet if you workout you gain extra points to intake. A lot of successful clients workout more and eat more, effectively losing weight. Another way to look at it is look at your daily calorie total of how much you would eat if it were just 3 large meals with a snack (bfast, lunch, dinner+snack at some point). Then look at your total calories if you were to space it out during the day. Most likely you're going to be intaking the same amount but by eating every 2-3 hours, your metabolism is constantly working and the food is not being stored as fat. Obviously this doesn't work if you are eating twinkies every 2-3 hours. You need to make the right decisions on food, as Pete has already stated.

I hope that gives some insight. The reasoning you posed is a big reason why I wanted to get into nutrition more in college

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

Love the insight my iron brothers! I'll be honest, I've love to lose the weight and tone up but the whole idea of getting pickier on my foods isn't the most appealing. I've cut out the frequency of a few things that I used to enjoy (which is why I'm 200lbs) such as steak bombs, large bowls of white rice with fried chicken, fast food, well mainly convenience foods come to think of it. I'm not looking to get into any competition or steal your women with my body ;) but I'd like to feel/look good without turning it into a job.

I guess I'm going to have to evaluate what I'd like to do versus what I want to do.

What's your daily consumption of food/water intake like?

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

You have to change habits that you've formed over years. That means you will have to think about it every day, every meal for at least the first few weeks/months. It's going to feel like a job for a little while. Then, as long as you keep your new, better habits going, it will feel less and less like a job as you go along. Your body is shaped in the gym, but built in the kitchen. If you fill it with crap every day, it will look like crap.

Take sugar, for example. I used to eat sweets almost every day, if not multiple times a day. Cookies, candy, sodas, donuts, cakes and ice cream were regular parts of my daily diet. When I decided it was time, really time, to make a change, I stopped eating them. Cut all the crap completely out. There's no other way to do it. For several days, it was all I could think about. I REALLY wanted the cookies sitting across the aisle, or really wanted to take a walk to DQ and get an ice cream cone. As I resisted, it gradually became easier. My body got used to not getting that daily sugar rush, and I stopped craving it. After going without for months, I was able to indulge, occasionally. It has to be occasionally though, no more than once a month.

If you want this to actually work, and keep working in the longer term, it has to be a lifestyle change. It's not a diet, it is your diet.

My food menu yesterday:
c. 1 gallon of water, throughout the day.
7 AM Breakfast - smoothie with 2 scoops of protein, spoonful of yogurt, 4-5 frozen strawberries, 2 spoonfuls of flax seed, and skim milk.
10 AM Morning snack - Nectarine & cheese
12:30 PM Lunch - Whole wheat wrap with grilled chicken, mozzarella, onions, peppers and mayo along with celery and carrot sticks and some blue cheese dressing
4 PM Afternoon snack - apple & cheese
7 PM dinner - bison burger with cheddar, broccoli, tomato & mozzarella salad with balsamic vinegar

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

That's the crazy part...I don't care for cookies or soda...but dammit starbucks iced white chocolate mochas!!! I have one like every other day. I've cut down on the crazy take out foods and have been decent on making dinner versus eating out with the gf. I guess like anything it'll just have to be one step at a time.

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

The other main thing to remember is that it will take time. Think about how long it took to put those pounds on. Didn't happen overnight. Took months or years to do it. It will take a long time to take it off, so you need to be patient. Max healthy rate to be losing weight is about 2lb/week. And it very likely will not be a steady process. Myself, I tend to stick at a weight for about 3 weeks or so, and then drop 10 lbs the next week, then gain 4, then back at about 8 lbs below my previous weight for the next three weeks, when I do the whole thing again.

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

To the best of my knowledge there are only a few herbal supplements that have been stated to help produce testosterone naturally in the body. Before you look at moving this route, I would suggest going to the Doctors and having blood work done. Specifically ask the Dr. to screen your hormone levels.

For someone going your route about training, I would just get your levels checked and go from there. If all is well, eat right and train the gains will come. If there is something wrong you can get help under a Doctor's guidance.

With that said, tribulus terrestris (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tribulus_terrestris) is one. I have used this in small amounts. No serious cycling or anything of that sort. My experiences have been increased irritability and acne. Some minor breakouts that weren't normal for myself.

Long Jack Root (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eurycoma_longifolia) has also been said to increase testosterone in the body. I have no experiences with said product.

These are the only two that I know of. Tribulus has been around for sometime, and has had some research done with it.

With that said, there is no magic pill. Increasing testosterone levels whether they be natural or unnatural does carry the risk of side effects. Herbal will be less, obviously, but the body will attempt to aromatase (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aromatase) free testosterone in the body.

Even if you go the natural route, setting up a dosage schedule and possibly taking some anti-estrogen supplements would be the best laid plan.

Arachidonic Acid (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arachidonic_acid) is said to be an herbal aromatase inhibitor, although research says other wise.
Chrysin (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chrysin) is also said to be an anti-estrogen inhibitor also, but much like A Acid claims are not backed up by much.
Long Jack Extract has also said to help inhibit aromatase in the body.

The anti-estrogen route will need to be done chemically in my opinion. As there are not true herbal supplements to prevent estrogen levels.
Natural things, like minimizing stress, eating a clean diet, cycling supplements properly will keep things under some control.

Hope this helps.

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

Thanx

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

back, chest, abs today and lots of water.

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

Spin this morning. Roasted a whole chicken last night for the first time, probably since I was a kid. I forgot how damn good it tastes when the whole thing is cooked together, instead of just eating the breasts. Gotta do that more often.