John Stone Fitness Forums http://forums.johnstonefitness.com Forum for all things related to health, fitness, weight training and body transformation. en Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:29:33 GMT vBulletin 60 http://forums.johnstonefitness.com/plasma/misc/rss.jpg John Stone Fitness Forums http://forums.johnstonefitness.com Help with abs with lumbar problem http://forums.johnstonefitness.com/showthread.php?t=49123&goto=newpost Fri, 20 Nov 2009 17:34:09 GMT Hey everyonem,its been nearly 2 months since I started doing exercises,and I dont think I have been improving my abs at all. I only can do some types of exercises for the abs because my back...well my lumbar molests,and I don´t know if I am doing it right,also my neck is always tense. Can anyone... Hey everyonem,its been nearly 2 months since I started doing exercises,and I dont think I have been improving my abs at all.
I only can do some types of exercises for the abs because my back...well my lumbar molests,and I don´t know if I am doing it right,also my neck is always tense.
Can anyone give me some advice/exercises that can help?
Thanks ]]> rubito http://forums.johnstonefitness.com/showthread.php?t=49123 Carb question http://forums.johnstonefitness.com/showthread.php?t=49122&goto=newpost Fri, 20 Nov 2009 09:50:35 GMT I know youre supposed to cut out carbs when trying to lose weight. But am I correct in that its ok to eat carbs if they come from whole wheat stuff? I'm not sure of the ins and outs. ]]> FORTYnFIVE http://forums.johnstonefitness.com/showthread.php?t=49122 Month and a Half Progress http://forums.johnstonefitness.com/showthread.php?t=49121&goto=newpost Fri, 20 Nov 2009 05:24:25 GMT Image: http://img97.imageshack.us/img97/1208/123front2.jpg Image: http://img689.imageshack.us/img689/5098/106front2.jpg Image: http://img691.imageshack.us/img691/9640/1013front2.jpg Image: http://img41.imageshack.us/img41/8237/1020front2.jpg Image:...



The first picture is from January 23, 2009. That is the heaviest I have ever been, 265 lbs. I tried working out and getting in shape then but I wasn't committed enough.

The next picture is from October 6, 2009. At that point I was 250 lbs.

I took a picture a week until now. The latest picture was on November 18, 2009. I am down to 222 lbs.

I have been eating right, working out consistently, and just feeling a lot better.

I can't wait to see the kind of results I have at the end of the year. ]]> Media Gallery DarthDave http://forums.johnstonefitness.com/showthread.php?t=49121 excess sodium http://forums.johnstonefitness.com/showthread.php?t=49120&goto=newpost Thu, 19 Nov 2009 23:59:52 GMT Whatsup every1 Does anybody know how much sodium it takes to retain extra water? I had a chipotle burrito today, and it was 810 cals (tortilla, corn, hot sauce, pork, guacamole.) No cheese our sour cream Whatsup every1

Does anybody know how much sodium it takes to retain extra water?

I had a chipotle burrito today, and it was 810 cals

(tortilla, corn, hot sauce, pork, guacamole.)
No cheese our sour cream


However, it had around 110 % sodium.
Tommorrow I have a weigh in, and I should be fine, as I am 7lbs below what I need to be so technically I'm ok.

But it got me wondering....
I did drink plenty of water today.................................

SHould I drink a lot / excess water?
Thanks guys
Tobias ]]> Fat Loss/Cutting tobias7912 http://forums.johnstonefitness.com/showthread.php?t=49120 <![CDATA[I'm just not gaining any muscle -- help!]]> http://forums.johnstonefitness.com/showthread.php?t=49119&goto=newpost Thu, 19 Nov 2009 18:24:49 GMT I've been lifting 3-5x a week for more than 6 months. I've seen good progress in every area except my arms. Although my strength has improved SLIGHTLY, my arms have gotten as skinny as a girls. I'm not building muscle at all, and I expect my gains are just better flexibility/form and not muscle.

I generally lift 5x a week 20-30 minutes a shot. 3x arms, 2x legs. A good bit of what I do is overhead lifts and curls, mostly on machines (not so much free weights). I eat pretty clean and get a good bit of prot (mostly from tunafish or salmon). No supplements of any kind. My weight/measurements have been stable for some time, and I might be gaining a slight bit of meat instead of fat but its not much, if any.

Can someone give me any suggestions? Its not the end of the world if I stay where I am but I'd like to gain some arm strength/size.

Thanks. ]]> Catalyst http://forums.johnstonefitness.com/showthread.php?t=49119 Anyone work at OfficeMax? http://forums.johnstonefitness.com/showthread.php?t=49118&goto=newpost Thu, 19 Nov 2009 16:40:32 GMT I'm looking at a Day-After-Thanksgiving sale item, and trying to get some information about 1) Whether or not it will be offered online at the same price as the in-store deal, and if so, when it might be available at the sale price (midnight? same time as store opening?) and 2) How many each store may be stocking on the floor? Of course, if you work at OfficeMax and can secure one prior to the sale for me, I'd be eternally grateful. PM me if you don't want to reveal your secret identity. ]]> Off-Topic Discussions phillydude http://forums.johnstonefitness.com/showthread.php?t=49118 Visceral Fat (Hard, Pot Bellies) Gone? http://forums.johnstonefitness.com/showthread.php?t=49117&goto=newpost Thu, 19 Nov 2009 14:50:02 GMT Hey, gang. I did a quick search in the Forums for "visceral fat", and mainly short discussions regarding it came up.

I've a lot of body fat, and on this 5'3" frame it's shows! And I've found to my embarrassment that exercises as relatively simple as crunches are difficult because I can't curl very far up. I'm guessing it's weak abs plus visceral fat. :o

I'm looking for words of inspiration, examples from among those of you who've had the hard pot belly and lost it. ]]> tommyzDad http://forums.johnstonefitness.com/showthread.php?t=49117 Best way for a woman to bulk up quickly? http://forums.johnstonefitness.com/showthread.php?t=49115&goto=newpost Thu, 19 Nov 2009 07:05:49 GMT I've lost a little over 35 lbs in 19.5 weeks and have about 60 more to go. 5'4" female, last weigh in on Monday was 180lbs, started at 215, want to be 120.

I go to 10-15 gym classes a week. A weights endurance class with barbells and dumbbells, Zumba, TurboKick, Pilates, extreme Kickbox, etc.

I haven't put on too much muscle with the group weight classes. I don't like the weights or cardio sections of the gym. I only go for the classes.

I have a step at home with 4 risers total and 2 slanted risers to turn it into a bench and a pair of SelecTech dumbbells (the ones that go to 45lbs or so each).

What's the best way to see NOTICEABLE differences in a month? Is it true that if you go high weights with low reps it only takes 30 minutes 3 times a week to see great results, and that most people at the gym will not see as good results with twice the effort? ]]> GatorDeb http://forums.johnstonefitness.com/showthread.php?t=49115 <![CDATA[Rookie's routine, need some help]]> http://forums.johnstonefitness.com/showthread.php?t=49114&goto=newpost Thu, 19 Nov 2009 01:40:22 GMT Hey guys, I've got a list of a lot of exercises I've been using, but I'm not sure how to split them and which ones are most appropriate for me.

I'm 145, 5'9 and soft(no muscle just chub)
weakness: sensitive abs, bow legs/flat feet, not flexible!
My friend will be doing this with me he's 230lbs, 6'3 and naturally strong
weakness: bad knees(ache), over weight

Here's the list of exercises we have so far:

Chest: 3x incline, 3x flat, 3x fly, 3x dumbbell pullover

Shoulders: 3x military press, 3x dumbbell front raises, 3x side raises, 3x shrugs

Back: 3x pullups(assisted for me), 3x standing rows, 3x back flies, 3x single arm dumbbell rows, 3x lat pulldowns

Biceps: 3x standing curl, 3x preacher curl, 3x hammer curl

Triceps: 3x closed grip bench, 3x skull crushers(not yet!), 3x cable pull downs, 3x dips

Lower back: reverse situps? sort of lost here

Forearms: 3x forearm curls, 3x reverse curls

Legs: 3x squat(not yet!), 3x leg press, 3x leg curl, 3x quad extensions, 4x calve raises

Abs: lost here as well, not too interested in working this area. My abdomen has been injured easily in the past, so I'd take this very slow

So those are all the exercises I know of. I was hoping someone would be able to help me select 2-4 exercises for each and then teach me how to best split them on a 9 or 10 day schedule. I was aiming for no more than 15 total sets per day if that's possible.

Oh yeah! Last thing, I was wondering if I'm missing any important exercises or if I've listed innappropriate or redundant exercises?

Anyways, Sorry I wrote so much, thanks for looking and happy lifting! ]]> ck101 http://forums.johnstonefitness.com/showthread.php?t=49114 Breaking the Sisyphean cycle http://forums.johnstonefitness.com/showthread.php?t=49113&goto=newpost Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:36:44 GMT Hello hello,

Well I thought I'd just start up a journal here. I've kinda went AWOL from these forums and thought I'd get back into the swing of things. I’m keeping this journal for two reasons. First is for accountability. I’ve kind of been all over the map over the years and hope to get and stay on track by keeping a journal. Second, since I’m kind of going about things a bit unconventionally and seeing as this is such a good and open-minded community, I thought this might be interesting for others to see as well.

I'm currently in the process of joining a reserve unit with the Canadian Forces, so this has inspired me to come back after a wicked slump.

The short of it is my ass is getting back into shape with a combination of the TRX, Warrior Diet, lots of cardio, and generally just being healthier and more active. I've been going on this path for about two months now, and aim to keep it up.

I'm not really new to diet n exercise (two years ago, SwoleCat [RIP] taught me a hell of a lot about diet/exercise) but have really gone through some peaks and valleys since. Well now I'm climbing out of a valley so let's do this! ]]> Fitness Journals kinewone http://forums.johnstonefitness.com/showthread.php?t=49113 Router with WPS http://forums.johnstonefitness.com/showthread.php?t=49112&goto=newpost Wed, 18 Nov 2009 21:08:45 GMT I want to preface this by saying I am not a tech guy. I fumble around and I got my router set up, printer and additional computer set up with it. Anyhow, I occacionaly have problems with my router (Rangemax from Netgear losing settings or something) and long story short after many hours of trying... I want to preface this by saying I am not a tech guy. I fumble around and I got my router set up, printer and additional computer set up with it. Anyhow, I occacionaly have problems with my router (Rangemax from Netgear losing settings or something) and long story short after many hours of trying to figure it out, all I had to do was unplug and plug the router back in. The guy I was talking to at Canon tech support said if I had a router with WPS, I could avoid this. What do you all think?

http://cgi.ebay.com/Netgear-WNR2000-...ht_6159wt_1031

I can sell mine, and offset the cost, so that isn't an issue at all. Its just avoiding the future headaches.

Let me know what you all think. ]]> Off-Topic Discussions sodomojo http://forums.johnstonefitness.com/showthread.php?t=49112 Forced Lifestyle Change http://forums.johnstonefitness.com/showthread.php?t=49111&goto=newpost Wed, 18 Nov 2009 09:19:13 GMT Two months ago (mid September) I moved to Central Asia for work and will be here until June/July 2010.

In these two months I've begun noticing my clothes becoming baggier and baggier; not a lot, mind you, but it's pretty clear I've lost some weight. Obviously this is due to the forced lifestyle change that moving to another country necessitates (less processed/fast food, more walking, smaller meal portions, etc).

So I figured why not take advantage of this seemingly ideal situation and try to really get into great shape before my return to the states!

My problems are:

1) I don't really have access (nor time) to go to a real gym, and I don't want to buy weights/equipment to use at home since I'm only here temporarily.

2) I have pretty bad arthritis in my wrists, which means body weight exercises such as pushups are not doable for me.

3) Availability of food is...sparse, to say the least. Fresh fruits/veggies/meat is a problem.

So here's what I've been doing:

Wall Pushes (as a substitute for pushups, my wrists are ok cause there isn't so much weight being put on them)
Stick Ups
Squats
Crunches

Every morning I do 2 sets of 40 of each exercise, and do the same at night before bed. I know it probably doesn't sound like much, especially considering it's all being d.one without any weights, but afterwards I can certainly feel that "burning" in my arms/legs/stomach.

Any advice for me on my workout? My goal is to be steady and do it everyday till Christmas, and check my results then and make adjustments if necessary. I figure it's better to be consistent and do something than worry about doing it perfectly and do it sporadically or not at all.

In terms of diet I haven't really been trying to do anything specific. Like I said, because of living where I am almost all of my food is homemade and from fresh ingredients. Processed stuff just isn't as popular or available here like in States. Unfortunately, the bulk of my food is carbs (potatoes/pasta/bread) because it's the cheapest and most abundant type.

I'm trying to work more protein into my diet; I'm starting to eat eggs and fish more often, which are both relatively cheap and available. It'll take some time to figure out though; I was at the store today and picked up what looked like a frozen filet of fish, but I noticed the word "tongue" written on the label and got scared and put it back cause I didn't understand any of the other words. :lol:

Anyway, comments/suggestions are more than welcome! ]]> Bradley326 http://forums.johnstonefitness.com/showthread.php?t=49111 <![CDATA[Some input on my "diet"]]> http://forums.johnstonefitness.com/showthread.php?t=49110&goto=newpost Wed, 18 Nov 2009 06:58:52 GMT Well I have been on my journey of eating better and the nice thing about my normal eating is that I do not eat a lot of sweets and I drink diet soda. I guess I am looking for some critque on my meal plans so so I will post an example (today's meal) of what I eat.. I want to pin point what could be missing.. Here goes. Keep in mind I am 6ft and 260 lbs sadly.

Breakfast - 2cups of oatmeal (cooked) and 1 cup lowfat cottege cheese
meal 2 - a handful of baby carrots (around 10-15)
lunch- 2 cups (cooked) brown rice, 1/2 cup peas carrots and 1 can tuna in water
meal 3- Whey protein powder (2 scoops @ 26g protein/scoop) 52G protein total.
meal 4- I turkey sandwich- 2 pieces of oven roast turkey, 2 slice whole wheat bread, 1 tbsp mustard and 1 boiled egg (all combined into a sandwich) Also a lean cuisine type deluxe pizza @ like 340 calories maybe.. and for a late night snack maybe 10-15 raw whole almonds.

From this what do I appear to miss ? This is very similar to my daily intake especially lunch because I have cooked a huge batch of brown rice and throw in some raw canned tuna.. Sometimes I sub in an apple for a snack or 2 quaker rice cakes for a snack. Any advice is much appreciated.. By the way I looked up fat loss calorie intake and it should be 2500. for Extreme fat loss 2000 cals.. I guess I want to confirm I am eating enough healthy nutrients.. Today for example I lifted but I want to do it right and not consume too few calories if that is my current case.

ps> Sadly I will admit after work I drank 1 pint of vodka with a 2 liter of diet 7 up and a 40oz of Bud Light. To some it appears to be a lot of booze but I can handle that nightly.. I really would like some input on this because I feel like I am becoming an alchoholic because I drink this about 4-5 days a week and if someone could post how this would hinder my progress I would appreciate it. I know its bad but I don't see it as that many calories per se.



Any advice is much appreciated. :bb: ]]> MixweLL http://forums.johnstonefitness.com/showthread.php?t=49110 40 Pounds in 4 Months! http://forums.johnstonefitness.com/showthread.php?t=49107&goto=newpost Tue, 17 Nov 2009 18:23:53 GMT I decided I had had enough. I was starting to feel my fat rolls bounce when I went over speed bumps and hit potholes in the road. I had tried to lose weight in the past, everything from Atkins low-carb diet to whatever else I read. I came across this site and saw John’s transformation, saw what... I decided I had had enough. I was starting to feel my fat rolls bounce when I went over speed bumps and hit potholes in the road. I had tried to lose weight in the past, everything from Atkins low-carb diet to whatever else I read. I came across this site and saw John’s transformation, saw what he did in 3-4 months, and decided I could do that too.

I graduated with my Masters degree in May, and coincidentally, was at my highest weight. I weighed 196 pounds; I am 5’ 8.5”. I was starting to feel unhealthy, and even though I had quit smoking nearly a year before, was still not feeling great. I was eating McDonalds, Burger King, Chinese food, pizza, and drinking lots of regular beer. And LOTS of regular soda. Not to mention the McFlurries at 1am, Taco Bell 4th meal, etc…

I purchased a business suit for my graduation. Size 36 pants. XL shirt.

On July 22, 2009 I started my transformation. I was 198 pounds. I haven’t really changed my fitness plan since the beginning- and this is what it looked like.

Diet: Breakfast- Clif Bar (240 cals) or Powerbar (180-210 cals) nut and fruit bar & coffee (tsp sugar, half and half). More coffee, coffee, coffee through the day!

Lunch- Subway chicken breast or buffalo chicken 6” on wheat w/ little bit of honey mustard and all veggies and pepper jack cheese (380 cals). Bag of baked lays (120 cals) & diet coke.
Snack- another clif or powerbar or a handful of peanuts (honey roasted or regular), or better cheddars, or a muscle milk (chocolate- yum!)

Dinner- varies. I do keep my portions in check… Always a meat (lean hamburger, turkey, chicken breast, turkey breast) – side (mashed potatoes, red potatoes, white or brown rice, spaghetti noodles, whole-wheat spaghetti noodles) & veggy- peas, green beans, corn, baked beans, etc…

I do drink diet sodas throughout the day, and have some beers every couple days or so (MGD 64 cals)…

I estimate I take in 1500-2000 calories per day. I don’t eat enough during the day sometimes and can feel it when I start begging my girlfriend to cook for me before I die! LOL… I also work 6 days a week 50+ hours with heavy lifting at work every once in a while but generally just running around, lots of networking, computer, automation system work… I never feel too tired not to work though, and I NEVER feel too tired to NOT go to the gym!

Gym Routine:
Monday, Weds, Fri Upper body (all upper body machines at gym, I think there’s like 6-7 of them) with 20 crunches on a machine between every exercise. 15-20 minutes elliptical or stair climber.

Tues, Thurs, SOMETIMES Saturday: Lower body (all lower body machines at gym, 5-6) with the 20 crunches between each machine. Again, 15-20 minutes elliptical or stair climber.
I have done this routine without fail from my start date, July 22… I took a 1 week vacation in October and didn’t hit a gym period during that week, but kept with my basic food plan.

Results: I now weigh 155 (40 pounds loss!) and am around 16% BF. I feel stronger, have more definition, and can now wear Medium shirts, and size 30 pants! I have to buy new clothes (this losing weight thing is expensive!) but also feel great because I don’t worry about being “fat” in my clothes.

My goal is to have a six-pack by April. I have definitely plateued and haven’t seen much change in the last couple weeks. The way I calculate it, with my height, at 9-10% BF I have like 7 pounds more to lose? Is that right?

My question: What to do now? I am so busy that I CAN maintain my current food regime, but don’t feel I want to start figuring out macros and eating based on them. I also think it is time to start changing up my weight routine. There is just so much to learn and live by, it is kind of intimidating!

Regardless, I am happy with the progress so far and believe that anyone can do it. I have made huge changes in my life, but haven’t taken it so extreme that I fall off.
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]]> Fat Loss/Cutting citabriappl http://forums.johnstonefitness.com/showthread.php?t=49107 Should I expect strength gains while cutting? http://forums.johnstonefitness.com/showthread.php?t=49106&goto=newpost Tue, 17 Nov 2009 16:57:05 GMT Hello, everyone.

I started lifting a few months ago. In that time I didn't pay enough attention to my diet, so, I had not good results. My cardio was close to zero too. But, after a mastover response of one of my threads, when he said something like, "if you not watching your diet, you won't have solid results" (thanks for that, btw), I decided to get serious about fat loss.

Two weeks before my start, I injuried my shoulder and couldn't do upper body training. Now that I'm back, I'm doing a 4 times a week full body routine, with 2 cardio sessions per week. My diet consists in a 40/40/20 split , keeping a deficit of around 700 kcals.

But, in the old days, when diet wasn't a concern, the weights I used were constantly increasing in a very fast pace. Now, I feel like I'm in a plateau. I find my usual weights very challenging and they are lighter than the old ones.
So I came to these questions:

1- Should I be expecting any kind of strength gains while cutting?

If yes then it's possible than one of these are wrong:

- am I doing too much cardio?
- is the full body routine stopping me? Maybe because I don't have enough time to rest my muscles?
- am I eating enough? I mean, I have the 700 kcals deficit in the diet plus what I burn from gym. This should be much more than the 1000 kcals max, that is recomended.

A few observations:
*I'm doing to full body routine for he first month, to get used again with weights trainning in the upper body. After the first month, I'll split my routine.

*I already lost weight since the start of a clean diet. I lost almost 2,5 pounds in the first week.

*I'm not really concerned with gainning strength right now. If it's normal to cut and keep pulling the same weights, I don't care. As long it's expected

Thank you ]]> Fat Loss/Cutting Back on Track http://forums.johnstonefitness.com/showthread.php?t=49106