Need workout/diet advice

Ok, to start I'm 5'11" 155lbs and to the eye I'm in pretty good shape. However I don't do anything to work out. My job requires me to lift heavy objects and my metabolism is through the roof which is why I stay looking somewhat in shape.

My problem is that I'm pretty oblivious when it comes to specifics in diet/exercise programs. I've ate healthy before and was up to, at one point, about 10 miles a day running. During the time I felt amazing but I had no direction what-so-ever. I just ran a lot and ate healthy which worked but I'm ready for a chance.

My goal is to trim what little fat I do have and bulk up just a little. I want to basically be runner lean with a few extra lbs of muscle. (yes, this diet is more about looking better then being healthy... lol). I work at a place where my lunch must be brown bagged and 90% of the time I don't have access to a microwave/etc. I'm looking for any direction someone wants to give me. I work 8-5pm m-f and I'm willing to buy/eat whatever. I also have a gym membership that I have yet to use (just got it a few weeks ago) so gym work outs won't be a problem.

Thanks in advance.

Originally Posted by lost in va

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My goal is to trim what little fat I do have and bulk up just a little. I want to basically be runner lean with a few extra lbs of muscle. (yes, this diet is more about looking better then being healthy... lol).

You're going to have to be a little more specific with the term 'runner lean.' Do you want to be marathon runner lean or sprinter lean?



If you want to look like the first guy, keep running more than 10 miles a day. If you want to look like the second guy, lift weights and do high intensity cardio (with maybe some low intensity activities). Eat more protein for the extra muscle. Cook an extra portion of food at dinnertime and bring it to lunch. You can get cheap pork/beef/chicken at Costco, vaccum seal it, and then toss em in the freezer.

Originally Posted by turbozed

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You're going to have to be a little more specific with the term 'runner lean.' Do you want to be marathon runner lean or sprinter lean?

If you want to look like the first guy, keep running more than 10 miles a day. If you want to look like the second guy, lift weights and do high intensity cardio (with maybe some low intensity activities). Eat more protein for the extra muscle. Cook an extra portion of food at dinnertime and bring it to lunch. You can get cheap pork/beef/chicken at Costco, vaccum seal it, and then toss em in the freezer.

Look to the right of the text you made bold... it should help. Reading is fundamental.

Thanks for the advice though.

Originally Posted by lost in va

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Look to the right of the text you made bold... it should help. Reading is fundamental.

Thanks for the advice though.

At 5'11 and only 155 lbs your skinny ass just might still look like the guy on the left with a 'few extra lbs of muscle.' Don't be a prick when someone gives you advice.

Originally Posted by turbozed

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At 5'11 and only 155 lbs your skinny ass just might still look like the guy on the left with a 'few extra lbs of muscle.' Don't be a prick when someone gives you advice.
Forgive me if I wasn't sincere enough but I was asking to be pointed in the right direction as far as specifics (what food to eat, when to eat it, what exercises to do, etc). I didn't want "eat healthy, work out" as that's pretty obvious. Everything you told me was basics or the first thing that pops up when I google "working out" If you have anything else for me it'll be much appreciated though, seriously.

Originally Posted by lost in va

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I didn't want "eat healthy, work out" as that's pretty obvious. Everything you told me was basics or the first thing that pops up when I google "working out" If you have anything else for me it'll be much appreciated though, seriously.

Google harder. Seriously.

lefty

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Originally Posted by lost in va

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Forgive me if I wasn't sincere enough but I was asking to be pointed in the right direction as far as specifics (what food to eat, when to eat it, what exercises to do, etc). I didn't want "eat healthy, work out" as that's pretty obvious. Everything you told me was basics or the first thing that pops up when I google "working out" If you have anything else for me it'll be much appreciated though, seriously.
Well that's fair. Here's what I've been doing for the past month and a half and it's made a dramatic difference: Nutrition: 1) Cut down carbohydrate intake to under 50g a day. Now, my carbs come in the form of fruits, oats, milk and veggies (instead of sugar and refined grains). If you really need your starchy carbs, at least switch to whole grain breads and pastas with lower carbs. I eat carbs in the morning for my first meal and after a workout. 2) Increase protein intake to about close to 1g/lb a day. This helps for the muscle building and to compensate for the lesser carbs. For you, I'd shoot for 150g of protein a day. Hopefully you can get this all in whole food form (aforementioned cheap cuts of meat from costco, cans of tuna, turkey breast cold cuts, eggs). However, you might need to supplement with protein powders. ON 100% Gold Standard whey is what I use for PWO period. You can use protein isolate for other times (in the morning, before bedtime, etc.). 3) More healthy fats. If you feel you're not getting enough energy then fats are a good source. Buy a big jar of mixed nuts from Costco and snack on them if you get hungry. Cooking with coconut oil and eating avocados will also help. Supplement with omega-3's. About 1.8g of DHA/EPA combined is a good amount (suggested by a recent pubmed study) Exercise: 1) Lift heavy weights. Google the 'Starting Strength Wiki' (extremely useful) and follow one of those novice programs. Squats, deadlifts, presses, chin-ups/pull-ups are what you should be doing if you're not used to weight training. You'll build a lot of lean muscle from these compound exercises and the added muscle will up your metabolism. You only need 3 days a week (maybe even 2) if you're new to weight training and you'll still see impressive gains. Remember to rest on your rest days. 2) If you want to burn more fat, I would do some high intensity or HIIT (interval training) cardio work. Running is good for your cardiovascular health, but running in excess of 30 minutes will likely be working against your goal of building lean muscle. Running 10 miles is likely catabolic. Do some other movements like burpees, sprints, etc. You can add 10-20 mins worth of these exercises after your lifting. Remember, a healthy regimen is only good if it's sustainable. For the exercise portion, this should be easy. Lifting can be fun and is a pretty addictive hobby. However, proper dieting (which is probably the bigger factor when it comes to overall health) might be tough to stick to if you're used to eating unhealthy foods. I was eating pure trash for the last 10 years of my life but it wasn't hard for me to switch because I took a directed approach to it. I made it a goal to find the best balance between health/cost effectiveness/convenience in my diet. With this goal, the past couple of months of healthy eating has been somewhat fun. I'm also relieved to find out that I can still eat most of my favorite foods (steak, bacon, cheeses, other meats) and was surprised that to enjoy eating veggies so much. Visit some nutrition blogs (search 'modern forager' or 'mark's daily apple') and get some ideas. Hope this helps. It's certainly worked for me and I've been recommending it to anyone who will listen lately.

I think the anabolic diet is a very fun diet. I don't have access to a microwave most of the time either, but it's really fun to be chowing down on eggs, hamburger, steak, and bacon all day. A plus for people cutting is that the fat keeps you full so you almost have to remind yourself to eat.

The biggest benefit for me though is the feeling. You just feel full of energy and ready to fling heavy objects around. I've never been on roids but I imagine the feeling of being in the zone of the anabolic diet is halfway between being normal and being on roids, or somewhere about there

i was in the same boat as you at 5'8" and 129 in january. i'm now at 144 and my increase in bodyfat was minimal to none. i basically just ate every 2 hours, clean meals and protein shakes. a big breakfast worked well for me, basically my diet was:

meal 1: 3-4 eggs, turkey, wheat toast with low sugar preserves, 16 oz skim milk, 10 oz oj, espresso for workout.
meal 2: 2 scoops of whey and 16 oz skim milk.
meal 3: turkey and ham on wheat sandwich with provolone and mustard, 16 oz skim milk, 12 oz low sodium v8.
meal 4: 2 scoops of whey and 16 oz skim milk.
meal 5: 10 oz tuna on wheat sandwich.
meal 6: 16 oz chicken breast, spinach feta almonds and craisin salad, 16 oz skim milk.
meal 7: 2 scoops of pm protein and 16 oz skim milk.

(this was done with a 3 on/1 off workout split)

i'm sure someone will have a problem with this, but it worked for me.

Originally Posted by lost in va

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Yep. People who refuse/cannot help should just shut their clam hole and let the experts do their stuff. Experts being yours truly and not Why.

actually, looking at the OP's situation again, given that your job gives you a lot of heavy lifting and you're eating healthy already, the simplest thing you could do would be to add some more protein to your diet. If you have trouble eating more meat, then packing some protein shakes would probably give you some very positive results.

That and working out... just pick whatever program you think is best and stick to it.

Almost all the tips given are worth following. However, don't go for a very low-carb diet except on very sedentary days. Also, green tea (in the form of your choice) might help.

Originally Posted by mensimageconsultant

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Almost all the tips given are worth following. However, don't go for a very low-carb diet except on very sedentary days. Also, green tea (in the form of your choice) might help.

More EGCG in matcha than normal bagged green tea. If he's gonna do green tea for weightloss, then this would be the form to use.