Official Slushbox is getting back in shape thread

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SlushboxTeggy

It's only stupid if it doesn't work
VIP
I haven't done anything really athletic besides rugby in months. I put on a few pounds but I didn't think it was that big a deal. Well this weekend I was home from college and went to a friend's party. Somehow the conversation turned to "beer guts". Sidenote-My friends from home work full-time jobs and drink beer, that's it. Well as you all can already assume, I won the beer gut contest. Not to mention that my 34" pants are starting to get tight(I wear a 36" but I have a few pairs of 34"s). Big deal right? Well 2 and 1/2 years ago I was 195 with a 6 pack, benching 260 and squating 555. My family was questioning me if I was using steroids. Now I'm 205 with a quarter keg.

So I decided that I need to start getting my "beach" body back. Here is what I plan on doing...

-Low/zero carbs, high protein, high veggie diet. Mostly beef, chicken, fish, and veggies/salad.

-Running. Lots of it. I'm going to start with a mile 3-4 days a week until I get back to "running" shape. After I get there I want to run 2 miles 5-6 days a week and build my upper body again(my lower just needs the tone).

I guess I'm just looking for some feedback of what you guys think. Any input on anything I'm doing, etc...
 
Mother fucker, if I go through the trouble of reading this shit and providing advice - I better not come back to this thread in two weeks to you saying, "oh I gave up on that."

understand?
 
if you are trying to lose weight and tone, don't eat a too much protein. most beef that is high in protein has a lot of calories.

and lots of water, water, and more water.
 
I always figured your name had a dual meaning. :)


Good for you though. :thumbsup:
 
Red meat is the shit. LEAN red meat. A 4oz serving has tons of creatine and amino acids that kick start metabolisms. Overeating it sucks though, as you can get constimpated.

Chicken is better, Turkey is way better, and Fish is the best you can eat. Avoid fish though high in mercury as it'll fuck you up if you eat more than once a week.
Carbs are the devil.

I'm getting back into shape. Up to 195 and I'm repping 185 again on the bench.
4 weeks going strong, and a mile a day is nice, but I've pumped it up to a solid mile of HIIT. It kicks ass, but makes your heart hurt like a bitch if youre me.
 
If it's any consolation I'm in the same boat, I was 6' and 145# in high school... Now I'm still 6'... but I'm pushing 210 with a gut and a half. My old 33s? Pffffffft. The size 34s are snug, so I just had to throw a bunch of 36s on credit until I see some results. I was a gym rat for a while, but I ate lots of garbage, so I gained muscle but looked like crap. Now I've wisened up and am eating right, just like you said - low carbs, high protein. You should eat big in the morning, a solid lunch, and a salad for dinner (the darker green the veggies, the better for you), and if you absolutely need something later on, go for an apple or some other fruit. Which is a very difficult thing to do, seeing as the American way is to eat shit for breakfast, no lunch, and gorge on dinner.

If you're doing like me and going for a lean muscular look, not thin, and not beefy... Push-ups, pull-ups, and sit-ups are your best friends. Solid toes-on-a-step push-ups. And when I say pull-ups I mean palms forward pull-ups, none of that weak shit, those'll get your back tight. And get a partner and do leg throws, it'll get your mid in shape in no time.

But I don't know why people are telling you to stay away from meat, because when building muscle, red meat is another one of your friends. But not cheeseburgers like my dear ol' dad seems to think... steaks. Mmmmmm. One of my faves is a hamburger patty with some eggs and a little cheese on top. It sounds unhealthy, but it's a good morning supply of protein and calories to get your day started.

Also important is making sure you get adequate vitamins. A multivitamin is good, but I take a large cocktail when I can. A multi, vitamin C, super B, vitamin E, calcium with magnesium and zinc, and a very important one is the flaxseed oil. Both flax and fish oils are rich with omega-3 fatty acids, which are among your best friends if you're trying to be healthy. My vitamin B supplement not only gives me more energy after a meal, but also makes my pee neon yellow which is cool. And some pomegranate juice or a good supply of blueberries for antioxidants are good for overall health too.

And you hit the nail on the head with running, without a good amout of cardio your body will never start it's anabolics. But running too much might eat up too much nutrients, so keep it at a few miles a day, my girlfriend's dad runs at least ten miles a day and does marathons... And he looks like shit beacause he doesn't eat right/enough.

BUT!!! MOST IMPORTANT!!! Whatever that is you're drinking in your avatar... is only going to harm you. Beer is your enemy. Other alcohol may not be as bad for you nutrient-wise, but you can be sure you won't be following your diet when drunk or hung over. Also, getting wasted, getting a girl pregnant, and having to work two jobs to support your new "family" doesn't help either ;). Trust, it's happened, and now he's a fat loser with a shitty little kid.
 
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I don't know why people are telling you to stay away from meat, because when building muscle, red meat is another one of your friends. But not cheeseburgers like my dear ol' dad seems to think... steaks. Mmmmmm. One of my faves is a hamburger patty with some eggs and a little cheese on top. It sounds unhealthy, but it's a good morning supply of protein and calories to get your day started.

And you hit the nail on the head with running, without a good amout of cardio your body will never start it's anabolics. But running too much might eat up too much nutrients, so keep it at a few miles a day, my girlfriend's dad runs at least ten miles a day and does marathons... And he looks like shit beacause he doesn't eat right/enough.

BUT!!! MOST IMPORTANT!!! Whatever that is you're drinking in your avatar... is only going to harm you. Beer is your enemy. Other alcohol may not be as bad for you nutrient-wise, but you can be sure you won't be following your diet when drunk or hung over. Also, getting wasted, getting a girl pregnant, and having to work two jobs to support your new "family" doesn't help either ;). Trust, it's happened, and now he's a fat loser with a shitty little kid.
I'm not trying to lose weight. I'm trying to lose fat and build muscle (get back my abs and upper body). I want to look good in a mirror, not on a scale. IDC if I'm 175 or 210.

I'll have to try that eating big in the morning and light at night, it seems logical. I was thinking something like EggBeaters whites and steak for breakfast. Fish/Chicken and veggies at lunch. Salad with plain tuna and vinegar for dinner. And fat-free yogurt with fruit if I'm hungry after that. Of course I need to find a few good snacks too so I get 6-8 meals a day and keep my metabolism working.

As far as vitamins go, I take a daily and when I start lifting again I'll be taking some sort of supplement (thinking about xcience nox cg3). And I always drink plenty of water and I love pomegranate juice, so no problem there. And running is easy as hell for me even when out of shape. 10 minutes on my iPod for a mile/mile and a half. I use to run hours every night back during high school wrestling just to stay on weight //shudder//.

As far as drinking, I have half a 30 of Bud light in my fridge. Once it's gone I'll be drinking vodka or whiskey only (no beer or high sugar mixers)and in more controlled amounts. Maybe with some pomegranate juice, haha (actually sounds good). But a lot of this is to jump start my body. Once I'm back in shape the diet will get a little more friendly and I'll be able to enjoy a nice thick beer every now and then.
 
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Mother fucker, if I go through the trouble of reading this shit and providing advice - I better not come back to this thread in two weeks to you saying, "oh I gave up on that."

understand?
I am a man on a mission.

-2 of my friends from home were always bigger/fatter than me and now they're not.
-I don't like the spare tire stuck around my mid section.
-I have a new tattoo on my ribs that will look awesome on a lean mid section.
-This thread and comments like yours will push me when I don't feel like it anymore.
-And the last real important reason.... I get winded if I go up and down the stairs more than twice. That's pathetic, we use to run the staircases of my school for an hour during wrestling practice.
 
Okay, lets start here.

Short of bashing everyone's sincere thoughts and ideas, I'll tell you whats up.

Carbs aren't the devil. Heavy starches and simple carbs <except after workouts> are the devil.

Complex carbohydrates and fiber are your dearest of friends.

Lean protein is your friend. 90% lean beef is excellent for you, despite any of the crap thats been posted on here. Its an excellent source of protein, antioxidants, and vitamins which leads to an ultimate ends of being a building block for muscle.

As Jordon said, <I taught him so well, *pats him on the head*> Turkey <whether it be turkey burgers which myself and my roomate have daily on the Foreman, deli turkey (which has preservatives in it which aren't the best things for your body, but it beats most other forms of protein), or fresh turkey.

Fish. Omega-3 fatty acids. Yeah, in short - they're the shit. Salmon, trout, halibut, whitefish, bass, you name it. Don't forget about tuna here. Mercury can become an issue if you eat as much tuna as myself and others do, but it can be reduced by buying Chunk Light tuna rather than solid white albacore. It really should be a non-issue though.

Chicken. Boneless, skinless, chicken breasts. Purdue sells a bunch of small, precut and prewrapped chicken breasts in separate bags for about $9.00 for 12 small breasts. Buy store brand stuff, cut it up, beat it flat, and wrap it in tin foil and freeze it if you want to be economical.

Carbs;
Whole grain breads and pasta, wheat pasta, wheat bread, wheat english muffins...yeah, they're the shit. Yams a.k.a. sweet potatoes. Absolutely amazing for you and can taste really good as well.

Trying to build muscle? A nice starchy baked potatoe is good as well.

Throw in your mixed greens and other veggies in this carb batch as well.

For fats;
Omega 3 fatty acids, monounsaturated fat <the stuff in peanut butter>. Nuts, peanut butter, olive oil, fish oil.

For supplements;
Whey protein. Buy online for a small discount or buy from Vitamin Shoppe for convenience.

Specifics for some foods that I buy;
Boneless skinless chicken breasts. Purdue prewraps if they're on sale.
90% lean 10% fat, ground beef.
Turkey burger patties, fresh - not frozen.
Wheat wonder bread.
Wheat or mixed grain Thomas english muffins
Wheat pasta - either Barilla plus, or the real deal stuff from the health food isle.
Kashi Go Lean Crunch! cereal. Stuff is real good. Its hard and crunchy but let it soak in skim milk for a few minutes.
Kashi blueberry frozen waffles
Kashi granola bars. The peanut butter ones are banging and a great snack for you.
Optimum Nutrition 100% Whey protein powder. $30 for 5lb jugs, a.k.a 77 servings. Can be found at Vitamin Shoppe.
Extra virgin olive oil
Peanut butter, especially natural peanut butter <but the oil separates out and its way dryer than the hydrogenated stuff that you get when you buy Jiffy>

Go to Wanna be Big.com - The Ultimate Weight Training and Bodybuilding Resource

Sign up for the forums. There's olympic athletes, body builders, sports coaches, speed coaches, wrestlers, MMA fighters, powerlifters, amateur bodybuilders, and the everyday joe on the site. Great, great information.

Search for "What a bodybuilder eats". Its a huge thread with a great list of healthy food. I'm sure its updated with a ton of new stuff, since I haven't been on there in forever.

Ask whatever questions you need on there or do a search, its been asked 1000times before.


Eat small meals. 6 small meals a day. This will speed up your metabolism and give your body nutrients when you need them. There's an entire science behind these things, but you don't have to get that in depth. Just understand that its not just what you eat but when you eat it. <Complex carbs in the morning, healthy fats> <Simple carbs right after workouts for fast absorption> <Lean protein at night, less starchy food as the hours go by>
 
Hmmm looks like we have diet covered to a degree so far.

As far as working out. Don't listen to any idiotic thing about wearing a sweatshirt while working out. You lose water weight, you don't burn more calories - infact research has proven that your performance is decreased. If you see any national collegiate champion wrestler, he'll train in shorts and a T-shirt, none of this high school bullshit about running in plastic suits or what not.


HIIT. Learn it, love it, live it.
High Intensity Interval Training. Sprints combined with jogging. Latest, cutting edge method. Been proven to be the most effective method to burn fat, while retaining while muscle. Search wannabebigforums.com or google for more information.

Lifting;
Full body routine 3times a week is the healthiest routine to go, but there's other ways to workout as well.

Search for HST. hypertrophy specific training. Developed by a huge russian bodybuilder - it has charts and calculators on the website and will tell you exactly what exercises to do on what days, with a certain number of reps and sets.

I do a program thats 4 days a week and is a modification of my buddy's Monmouth Football training program. It consists of 2 heavy days and 2 light days.

This is what my workout split looks like. Previously, I used a HST 3day a week, full body split.

Monday - Legs, Back, Bis - Heavy (4-8 reps), plus light cardio and abs
Tuesday - Chest, Shoulders, Tris - Heavy, plus light cardio
Wednesday - HIIT, abs
Thursday - Legs, Back, Bis - "Light". Higher reps. (8-10reps), plus light cardio
Friday - Chest, Shoulder, Tris, Lighter reps (8-10reps), plus light cardio
Saturday - Cardio, abs
Sunday - Cardio
 
I dunno, I've seen Chrism's results, and I would go with what he says :)
 
I'm going to try a few different things and see what gives me the most energy, etc. Like I said, I want to get cardio simply by running, lift to get my upper body back up in size, change my diet to help get my abs back, and then I have rugby practice 3 days a week anyway.
 
Football player here. I say, cardio is the key. 20-30 minutes a day of anything that makes you sweat (running, jump rope, whatever) for 3-4 weeks will not only build muscle endurance but also burn fat like a George Forman. I only strength train and do speed building lifts like squat and power clean and of course upper body. More muscle = faster metabolism. Best way to get in shape (for all you fatties out there) is to lift with moderate weight and lots of reps. FACT: 3 sets of 8 is more muscle gain than a 5-3-1 set. Also more lean muscle.

more reps=lean less reps more weight=bulk.

take it from me.....i know more than 99% of ppl on here. and no im not BS'ing this time ahhvtec.


for all you chubs, the key is dedication, cardio, and lots of reps. Pushups and crunches can help you more than free weight if done correctly and are better for your joints.


try this: cross your arms and deep squat keep your heels on the ground go down to a 90 degree angle with the floor. 20 times.

do 20 pushups, flat back!!!

20 crunches.


your core helps your running. your running helps your legs. your legs when built help your bloodflow. etc.


good luck.

p.s. how did a engine swap forum turn into Bally Total Fitness
 
no im not fat despite my sig. lol


6'2" 217

bench 265

squat 335

power clean 245


40 time : 4.9



made all conference last year as a sophomore on varsity......cheaaaaaaaaaaa
 
no im not fat despite my sig. lol
6'2" 217
bench 265
squat 335
power clean 245
40 time : 4.9
made all conference last year as a sophomore on varsity......cheaaaaaaaaaaa
Where was that? My senior year I was 5'11", 190lbs. Benching 255, Squating 550, cleaning around 300 and my 40 was 4.8. Of course I quit before my senior season. I wanted to play D and my coach said, "play tight end, or don't play". He had no idea how right he was.
 
i play tight end cuz im tall and yeah im still a JUNIOR so ill catch ya haha. gotta work on my squat though. hard to get parrallel with long legs dawg. lol
 
no im not fat despite my sig. lol


6'2" 217

bench 265

squat 335

power clean 245


40 time : 4.9



made all conference last year as a sophomore on varsity......cheaaaaaaaaaaa

Not bad 40 but man. That's not much seriously, I'm a touch under your bench max, and on par with the rest, but I weigh in 25lbs less, and only an inch/maybe half inch shorter.

Come to college, and you'll see maxes like mine and yours are nothing. Lift for a couple years, 30lbs a year isn't un heard of, and you'll see the most gains. Especially out of high school. Sounds like you're doing a football program. Football often over trains the body, and when taking time off, you'll get stronger. Hell the guy I lift with looks like a wimp, weighs in atleast 20 lbs less than me and throws up 225 as a rep weight, while its a 4x for me tops
 
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