The Official Hype Fitness Thread

I have recieved a lot of e-mails lately....However I cannot fit what I need to say in PMs anymore...so here is a thread about it

Simply ask me a question...I will answer

This is in response to a poster who will remain nameless (I know its your PM buddy...but I'll keep your name from appearing so no worries )

whoo boy....okay there is a lot to be said here.

First off it is good that you are exercising...however being in shape is a multifacited thing. My goal until late was to get into the shape of most hollywood actors. This is typically the male model type body of the pinups you see in magazines. However it was a trail and error process for me just as I feel bodybuilding will be.

You are either one of three types a mesomorph who gains muscle easy and has a low to moderate amount of fat (Mesomorphs: Bruce Willis, Franco Columbo, Ronnie Coleman, the Rock, Michael Vick), an ectomorph (myself, Brad Pitt, Christian Bale, Arnold Schwarzenegger [according to him, people are suspect of this], Frank Zane, Flex Wheeler, virtually every actor and male model) who puts on muscle slowly (hardgainer) tends towards endurance athletics and doesn't retain fat, or a endomorph who retains fat easily and has a low threshold for physical activity (Jack Black, Ken Waller, Lee Priest, Jerry O Connell, the Big Show, Warren Sapp).

Ectomorphs which I would assume you are since you mentioned distance running 5 miles in the morning will have a hard time bulking up. Ah-Nuld may have been an ectomorph, but through the use of steroids improved his recovery time to the point where his body readily adapted and grew rapidly. Either way both he and Frank Zane became ecto-mesomorphs. I too am an ectomesomorph as my body responds a lot more like a mesomorph now than it did prior to 3 years training.

Ectomorphs, in order to gain mass while losing fat...which is how you attain that "cut look" everyone covets...have to take in over 3500 calories a day spaced out over 5-7 meals. Each meal (except the post workout and last meal) is a 40% carb 40% protien 20% good fat meal. Diet is the key to training.

Next key is training itself. Weightlifting is a necessity since unlike ads claims, six packs and chisseled muscles do not wait underneath fat. If you are an ectomorph as it sounds training more than 4 or 5 days a week will draw you into what is known as "overtraining"...this is when one trains to the point that the body has insufficent time to recover and therefore muscles do not grow and sometimes shrink. The use of steroids by people is an attempt to speed up their recovery to a point where they can train consistently..also increases strength to a degree (I do not suggest taking them [I do not], however most fitness models and bodybuilders do and therefore you should not not use their gains as a template for yours).

If you are running five miles (probably takes you 45minutes to a hour) and doing 10-30minutes of calisthenics you (if you are an ectomorph) are overtraining. Ectomorphs ought to weight train 3 to 4 days a week and get no more than either 2 high intensity cardio sessions of three longer light ones. The point of getting buff and toned is two fold. You must first gain muscle mass and second cut fat mass. This is two conflicting things, and is very hard for the body to do. the Body would much rather gain fat and muscle simultaneously.

The reason you need to keep carbs in your system is because your body requires an active fuel source at all times...even when you sleep. If it has no active fuel source it will store what it has not used as fat. Carbs are the fuel that burns fat. Just like a car needs electricity to burn gasoline, so too must you have an energy source to burn fat.

The reason for weight training is many fold. First the basic health reasons are clear, it promotes bone density, heightens the immune system, even improves cardiovascular strength to a point. That is why over the last 20 or 30 years sports have began requiring athletes to weight train (a once huge taboo in sports). However you are referring to the aesthetics benefits of weighttraining. This requires a different approach. Early and modern powerlifters and average joes tend to do the traditional three day a week full body workout. However for aesthetics the split routine works best.

Your body is broken up like this
Chest (Inner, Upper, Middle, Lower)
Shoulders (front, middle, rear)
Back (Upper, Inner, Lower)
Abdominals (Lower, Upper)
Bicept (Outer, Inner)
Tricept (Outer, Middle, Inner)
Quads (Outer, Inner, Glute)
Hamstring (Outer Inner)
Calves (Front, Back)
Traps
Forearms (Front, Back)

In a single week all areas listed must be hit with at least one exercise and a powermovement for each major body part (Legs, Shoulders, Chest, Back)

An example
Back Day
Power (Deadlifts) 3x8
Upper (Pull ups) 3x8
Inner (Seated Rows) 3x8
Lower (Roman Chair) 3x8

That would be a basic back routine

Unlike some very accredited (I am ashamed to say) fitness proffessionals would have you believe weight training is NOT a causal activity. It involves a massive amount of concentration from start to finish. You see when most people weight train they use THEIR weight to move another. They disregard form and gradually teach their bodies to use the momentum force of the weight to drive it back up. This works for a powerlifter since he/she has such a low center of gravity and dense mass and therefore can do this to momumental amounts of weight. Frank Zane could never do this, neither could Flex. People who are not genetically prone to powerlifting typically plataeu from doing this.

The lift properly you must achieve a "pump" or as I call it a "peak contraction". To do this you must keep the muscle tensed during the movement, never releasing the tension. During rest periods you should either be flexing said trained muscle or be doing another exercise (supersetting). The goal is to cause the muscle to break down so that the protien you eat over the course of the week can repair it. You should only train major muscle groups once a week. Otherwise overtraining will occur. Eventually you may be able to work muscles twice a week.

I will try to provide you with more information later...but I gtg

 

Ah yes the stubborn six pack. Well here is the deal. You go into gyms everyday and here this guy..."I'm doing more reps for tone". I want to slap those people (heck I want to slap a lot of people in the gym). Reps don't equal tone...the only thing that equals tone is bodyfat percentage. Some people will never be able to have a clear definitive six pack....actually Schwarzenegger was one of these people as are several pro bodybuilders. For them the only path to a six pack is maximizing the muscle size (or in Arnolds case just simple there general appearance). People without a definitive six pack tend to be either endomorphs, who will have to do an excessive amount of low calorie dieting and target heart rate cardio to get rid of it, or the other two groups with a POOR DIET. I can tell you one things, outside of eating frequent and small meals you also need to cut out non-egg dairy (Ice cream, Milk, cheese) if you ever want to see your six pack. Milk products create a very fine layer of fat between your muscle and your skin. Most fat inertwines with muscle. Perhaps you've seen people with fatty muscle before...Powerlifters and Football players tend to be like this.

Unless you have a freakishly high metabolism, you must diet AND exercise to see a six pack. For ectomorphs, highly intense cardio typically provides good fat burning. A good cardio session may actually only be 4 minutes of 30 second sprint then 30 secong jog...do this 3 times a week and bump it up on the third or fourth week a minute if it proves to easy. Other good cardio ideas for people is distance running for 30 minutes twice a week with something else on the third day (swimming maybe). Another is the bleep test.

 

Nono-no-nononono...well kinda

It works differently for different people. If you are an ectomorph you want your reps in the 6-8 range with up to 3 minute rests. If your a mesomorph a high intensity program with 8-12 reps will do it. If your an endomorph (i.e. fat) higher reps are better 12-15.

Also its important to note that this is not fixed. Typically those repititions apply only to POWER movements. Power movements include Deadlifts, Cling and Press, Bench Press, Bent over rows, and the king of them all Squats

Squats: Squats are imperitive. But before I go on some do's and don'ts. Do go to parrallel, going below is unnecessary but you can do it. Do keep your back straight. Do press through your heals and do look up. Don't squat on a smith machine...except maybe to burn out after your set of real squats. Don't do leg press instead thats a supplementary exercise. Don't let the bar change in its position...straight down, straight up...and DO NOT do it sitting on a bench. Try not to wear a belt either, they give you a false sense of security (same with gloves). Squats are the number 1 muscle building exercise for everything actually. They promote growth everywhere...similar to the deadlift.

You also need to mix it up. Ectomorphs should do low reps...but try high reps. Heck there is even a centurian program out there where you 100 reps.

Also lastly you need a proper diet...never get anywhere without one. You see in order to gain mass you need to take in more calories than you burn just like if you were trying to get fat. But you need to take them in from natural food sources. Meat, Eggs, Veggies, Whole Wheat, Fruit and especially good fats.

 

Body mass works just like trying to gain fat only different. You need to restrict but at the same time push your limit with calories. In other word you need to take in enough calories so you don't burn all of them but don't store them as fat either. Depending on your body type this will mean anywhere from 5000+ to 1500 calories (for the extreme endomorph).

Calories must come from non processed (or not much processed) food thats is good for you. Veggies, meats, eggs, whole wheat and especially good fat (polyunsaturated and unstaturated)

 

Sounds like a classic ectomorph...you can cut back on cardio big time, especially if you are naturally cut

 

My diet (the typical ecto-mesomorph)

Morning (immediately upon rising)
7am
1-1/4 cup Egg whites
I tblspn safflower oil (good fat)--flaxseed is better
2 cups raisin bran
1 10oz glass of skim Milk
1 8oz glass of juice w/ creatine

10am
46g of Whey Protien
banana
2 cups oatmeal
2 16oz glass of water (cold)

1pm
1 1/3lb turkey sandwich
1.5 cups whole wheat pasta
2 cups veggies
1 16oz glass of water (cold)

3pm
46g of Whey Protien
banana
water w/creatine
1 16oz glass of water

4pm
1 ostrim strick (14g protien)
1 scoop whey protien w/ 2 scoops carbs w/ 1 scoop glutamine
2 slices of whole wheat bread

7pm
1/2lb chicken breast
2 cups veggies
1.5 cups whole wheat rice.
2 16oz glass of water (cold)

10pm
46g Whey Protien