So I finally started lifting, I'll post all of my questions here.

The doctor or therapist will tell him if his knocked knees are a structural issue or a compensation pattern. It could even be a dietary issue. They'll also be able to advise him better on whether he should be squatting or not, since they can actually see his knees. We're offering advise, without having a clue as to what his perception of "knocked knee" is. For all we know, his knees are fine and just cave in because the weight is too heavy. Or maybe they're worse than it seems. We don't know.

Because it can be a major risk for you to take. I've been there, done that. You want to make sure your body's mechanics are good before you start. Otherwise, you're setting yourself up to develop bad compensation patterns. Guys tend to think nothing is wrong because they see muscles growing and weight is going up, but the body is great at side stepping issues and it's not a permanent fix. That's the best advise anyone can give you here. Why? Because if you blow out your knee nothing else matters. Not the protein brand, not the reps, not the exercises, nothing. You'll be in bed for months dreaming of gains, not seeing them.

Going away from the questions pertaining to your knee aren't going to make the issue go away, if you have one. Get it looked at so you can go 100% throughout your training, instead of going 70% with discomfort and compensation. If you don't have insurance, then try locating a really good and experienced trainer who can just give you a quick movement screening, which should be cheaper than a doctor's visit.

 

Try to avoid a bagel...those generally wont lead you to your goal. It's important to get your day started with protein...maybe a protein bar if you just need to get something on the run. Try to hit that 20 grams as early as possible when you get up.

Also, dont waste 50 grams of whey protein in one shake...your body can only metabolize so much. The rest of it goes wasted. Maybe you can split that up into two shakes (25 grams of protein each), taken at different times of the day.

If you want to lose the fat, it's important to tone down the carbs...bagels, pastas, etc... It's fine if you have a little, but you dont want to base a meal around them. That is taking you in the wrong direction if you want to lose the fat, specially around the midsection/stomach area. Your diet needs to mostly contain proteins, fibers, leafy greens, etc... If you take in breads/pastas, try to take in whole grains or whole wheats, as they have more fiber...and fiber will do you good.

Another key to losing the belly fat is to make sure you snack on something every few hours...you dont want to go long stretches without eating something because that slows down your metabolism and that causes your body to store fat. You want to eat about 5-6 mini meals throughout the course of the day...that keeps your metabolism going, and ultimately, that's what you need to shed the extra pounds.

If you exercise correctly and you take in the proper protein, you will most definitely start seeing results in the bulking up process.

You just have to remember to be patient with it...results wont come immediately, but you should start seeing changes in two weeks time. Consistency is key. Also, keep in mind that having a cheat day every week is totally fine. Pick a day, probably a weekend day, and pig out with whatever you want. As long as you're good the other days of the week, then dont worry about it.

Edit: Dont forget to drink a lot of water. Have a bottle with you wherever you are...drink a cup before going to bed...drink a cup first thing when you wake up. Your body needs to be hydrated constantly.

 

Pasta is high in calories compared to other foods...so usually, that pushes you quickly towards your daily caloric intake. It's fine to eat, but it will be harder for you to have 4 other small meals and still stay around 1800 calories for the day. Edit: I looked it up because I knew I was missing something with it...Pasta can spike your blood sugar, which can cause you to get hungrier.

If you want to do peanut butter sandwiches, stick with whole wheat bread and eat it in the morning, rather than later in the day. Better to eat breads/pastas earlier in the day than later in the day.

Greek Yogurt is also another good alternative for breakfast or a snack...contains about 15-20 grams of protein.

 

And to answer your question about calories...

There's a certain level of calories you want to be at to put on muscle. Go below it and you'll likely not see any gains and will probably lose fat. I say probably because fat loss also depends on food content. Go too much above it and you'll see muscle AND fat gain, although muscle gains are also dependent on your training. That's what they call "bulking".

This means you clearly must be above that level, but to keep fat gain in check, you can't be too much above it.

That level is your metabolic rate, which others have mentioned, plus about 500 calories or so. The 500 plus calories is an estimate, it could be 700 or 800. 500 is just a starting point, but ti can be tweaked as you go along based on the results your getting.

Considering youre skinny fat, and not just fat, I would not decrease calories. I'd first just change the make up of that caloric total. So if you're having 2000 calories of mostly junk, now have 2000 of quality protein, complex carbs, good fats. If after a few weeks you're not seeing gains despite having a good routine, then you can increase calories. If youre tired, despite not really doing anything physical outside of the gym, then that's another sign that you may need to increase calories.

 

The 6 meals a day thing is debatable. I've done that vs 3-4 larger meals, while keeping everything else the same and didn't see much of a difference in fat loss. There are people out there with great physiques that don't follow it, in fact, some do the 16 hour fast, or whtvr it is, and still see results. So, i wouldn't dwell on that too much.


IMO, it came from bodybuilders, who have to eat a lot and sometimes train more than once a day. They probably found it easier to eat more frequent and smaller meals, so they wouldn't be extremely full at any point in the day and could work out. People saw this and assumed smaller frequent meals = fat loss.

Controlling your sugar and carbs from getting out of hand are much more important. And going back to posture/mechanics, that helps too. Improving that doesn't necessarily cut body fat, although it'll probably help with some edema/inflammation, which some people confuse with fat, but for example, how does your stomach look better, when you stand up straight or slouch? When the body is organized well, the muscularity is allowed to display itself to the fullest. All that improves aesthetics.

 

6 meals a day
5 of which include some variation of vegetable with chicken.
Morning egg whites. I eat the same thing every day.

I don't know if this is a result of losing 20+ pounds in 3 months, but my energy has sky rocketed and my body has taken on much more muscle definition.

Diet IMO is more important than working out.

 

For losing fat.

He wants to gain muscle too.

 

No. Don't do that.
At least from personal experience light weights will only improve muscular endurance, it won't make you stronger. Don't do light weights.

 

Your body burns carbs first before burning fat.
Carbs are what fuels your body.
Fat are pretty much like reserve fuel stores.

So if you eat a **** ton of carbs you won't lose fat at all.

Your body constantly burns energy (carbs) throughout the day even if you do nothing. So obviously if you take your carbs in early you'll burn more of it throughout the day.

1800 calories will help you gain muscle because you are a beginner. You have not plateaued. You have no muscle right now, or at least very minimal. You will see gains as long as you don't go too far below in the calorie department. Beginners can cut fat and gain muscle. Once you actually have some muscle on you, then you'll be forced to switch to cutting/bulking cycles.

 

It's very difficult to build muscle and lose fat at the same time...the key here is trying to find a middle ground where you can attempt to do both. The key to building muscle is protein intake, so focus on that more so than worrying about getting enough calories...that's why it's important to eat lean proteins and stay away from high calorie foods that dont bring much value.

If Im trying to lose weight, I dont want high calorie food before winding down and going to bed. If you take in the bread/pasta earlier, you have time throughout the day to burn the calories more easily. Now, if you eat your dinner 2-3 hours before sleeping, then it doesnt matter...at the end of the day, it's about calories and protein.

 

There's nothing wrong w/ light weights as long as you're using them in your early sets to loosen up your muscles and increase blood flow....and that's what it sounds like he's doing.

 

I always feel like I'm wasting a set when I do that lol.
I go with 3-4 heavy sets and then burnout with lighter and lighter weights until I can't lift anymore.

Also caveat to the OP. No matter what we all say here, everyone's body is different and responds differently to nutritional intake. So please keep that in mind. I would HIGHLY recommend getting a personal trainer that knows what he's talking about than consulting a bunch of randoms on an online forum.

 

Well, everyone's different. I always have a light first set, and my second set, which is heavier, is always easier for me. Also, you should probably clarify what you mean by "light" and "heavy" in terms of percentages.

 

I think he meant starting off with lighter weight. Like curling 25, 30, and then 35. It's the typical buildup for a basic program, but i get what you mean about feeling like the lightest weight reps are wasted. Personally, I try to lessen that gap in weight and just manipulate the reps instead. So I'd do 30,30,30 or 30,30, 35.

 

The dude from that vid died. Steroids are bad for you.


http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=508611&page=1

Max-OT. I finally got back in the gym consistently 6 weeks ago. Results are great if I do say so myself.

 

Don't tell that to that one moron who started a thread here claiming steroids should be widely legalized and encouraged in the sports world.