dumbass Q's from Newbie

[mologwylo]

I quit my job 3 months ago and decided to take 15 months off (12 left) to travel the world and recover from four years of 100 hrs / week abuse to my body and soul. In the past 3 months I have been lifting (arms, chest, back, shoulders & traps) and doing cardio (with Xenadrine) and have gone from 235 to 202 lbs. I thought I was doing great until today when I was tested for body fat % and was shocked to find out I still have 23.3% body fat. I can already see the outline of my abs (albeit faint) and have lost most of my spare tire but now clearly have to redouble my efforts. I am 5’10” and four years ago, when I was playing university hockey, was 210 with a great six pack and good definition. I can’t believe I lost so much muscle! Assuming I was as high as 9% bf in school (likely high, although not tested), that would mean I lost 40 lbs of muscle. After today’s kick in the @ss, I am taking my workouts much more seriously (beach season in Australia starts in November and I want my old body back)!! I am in Singapore for the next 2 months and was hoping to get some good advice from this board in order to attack the problem – my dumb@ass questions are:

1. When my bf was tested, the trainer asked my age but not my weight – I am curious how they can derive a bf% without weight. I am assuming that a bf% is total lbs of fat over total body weight – am I wrong? He didn’t know (hey, what can I say – its Singapore) and I am worried they use an Asian standard denominator that might not be applicable for a pretty big white guy.
2. I am still taking Xenadrine (month on – month off), GNC Mega Men multivitamins and have just bought flax oil pills and Phosphagen creatine monohydrate. What else should I be taking (if its not in GNC I can’t buy it – you’d be surprised what they have the death penalty for here…)?
3. I clearly have to start doing legs (squats, extensions etc). What in particular should I be doing and is it okay to start on the Smith machine to re-learn form?
4. I stopped working on arms a week ago as my arms have regained my previous size (18 inches) and are starting to look dumb as my shoulders have not caught up. Am I getting enough of an arm workout from my chest, back and shoulder routines or should I keep working them with high reps (I have stretch marks from the growth already)?
5. I am starting to get my diet back under control – is it feasible to keep my diet constant (lost 35 lbs in three months) and loose fat by converting to muscle or should I increase my intake for a month and then go on a cutting cycle for a month?
6. When doing cardio I have been sticking to a heart rate around 80-85% for about ½ hour to 45 minutes but what I have read on the web suggests that a heart rate of 60-65% is optimal for fat loss. Should I stick to the high heart rate and burn the calories fast or should I take longer and lower my heart rate??
7. Sex: Here’s the really dumbass question – I am curious whether 1-2 times a day is okay. I know that the act itself burns calories, but does that include the caloric content of semen? Is cumming good for weight loss and how does it affect natural testosterone levels? Good or bad??? (This one’s really important to my girlfriend…)

Thanks in advance for the help!!!

 

[Advaik]

1. Most people can get a ballpark bf% from looks. Same as with weight. Yes bf% is bf/total weight.

2. Get flax oil, its alot better than the caps. Get some glutamine in your system or you'll be aching after each workout.

3. Smith will hurt your knees in the long run. It's better to start off with the regular squats.

4. Arms are the hardest muscle to grow - just keep working them just as hard, the rest will catch up as your arms will slow down. If you see your arms are still getting bigger then consider yourself lucky (unlucky?) and change your workout.

5. My suggestion is doing a cutting cycle first to get down to 12-15%bf, unless of course the bf doesn't bother you. You can't do both - its either you bulk or you cut. Some people do gain muscle while cutting but not as much as bulking.

6. I'm not sure about heart rate, but be careful as cardio will deplete your muscles growth.

7. Sex doesn't affect muscle growth, I'm not sure about fat loss though.

 

[Phemomena]

lets see what i can add...

welcome to the boards first off, and congrats on your progress thus far, i wouldn't be disappointed at all, all things take time... it didnt' take you a few months to get to this place and it'll take you a lot more than a few months to reach your goals, keep working hard and you'll get there though...

okay

1) how did they test the bf? (calipers can be inaccurate, BIA or Underwater weighing are more/most accurate and take into account weight)... if it was a BIA test (bioelectrical Impedance) the Xendarine probably threw it off it bit..(but if it didnt' take into account weight, it probably wasn't)

2) whey protein powder would probably be good, maybe some glutamine too....

3) start light on regular squats... its easier that way than trying to make the switch after you've adapted to the smith machine...

4) i'd not neglect any muscle group, just work them a little lighter if your concerned about being out of proportion...

5) if what you're doing now is working, stick with it.... maybe up the protein intake (not sure what your diet is, but if its typcial asian, you could probably use a little more protein if lifting regular)

6) do cardio at a pace that is challenging to you, 20-30 min should be fine, maybe a little more if you're still looking to loose a lot of fat.. make sure you're eating enough food, taking in enough protein and lifting heavy... bf is easiest controlled through diet (and not meaning lack of food but eating enough clean food... not junk)

7) can't help ya there... us girls are usually not on the giving end of that stuff

 

[blood_drinker]

hey bro! Where in singapore are you at? I lived near orchard road, in the botanical garden (gallop walk #3)

 

[blood_drinker]

I havent read the posts above, Im in a rush. Ill answer your q's.

1) It sounds like that malaysian trainer you have tested you bf % with a chart like a wast to hip ratio or a simple graph. That's crap. Calipers can be off, but they are 100% more accurate than crap like weight charts.

2) You should be taking whey protein post workout along with a high gi carb such as dextrose or maltodextrin. Whey protein can definetely be found at gnc. Dextrose isn't illegal ,and I dunno if you can find it in gnc, but you can definetely order it. It does not contain any "drugs". Heck, anything is a drug over there.

3) Screw the smith machine. Go on free weights barbell back squats. Be sure to use proper form. Go to www.ast-ss.com and click the training and exercise button on the top right. Then, go to exercise execution, and click on the legs section. It will explain all the exercises with proper form.

4) Keep training arms like you used to - if it is working, DO NOT STOP IT ! Retarding your growth will be very stupid just for the sake of another bodypart catching up. You'll need a better shoulder routine if they are not catching up.

5) Note that to gain weight, you shouldnt be doing cardio, or at least keep it to a minimum. If you want to lose fat , I always go intense on an empty stomach. Try HIIT , found at musclemedia.com - it will work wonders.

6) Don't deprive yourself from cumming. Cumming is good and it will not retard your growth. 1-2 times a day is perfect. Unless you are a porn star, don't worry about upping the cals. WHy does your gf care about the protein content in semen? Is this her main protein source?

Alright man, hope i helped.

 

[mologwylo]

Thanks for the posts...

I will see whether I can pick up some of the supps mentioned. (Whey, glutamine, dextrose)

The trainer used calipers but I am still perplexed that it did not factor body weight.

I will definitely start my squats w/free weights. I will keep arms in my routine. And I think that I will do a bulk cycle first before a cutting cycle while I still have a girlfriend (and no its not her primary source of protein... more of a supplement).

Blood_drinker... Thanks for the links. I used to live on Cairnhill Rise (top of Emerald Hill near Number 5 / Papa Joe's) but have moved to Pacific Mansions with my gf to save some $$$ (River Valley Close near Mhd Sultan Rd). Yeah, there is lots of mainland chinese and indonesian hookers that live here, but the poolside view is always entertaining...

Thanks for all the help.