RetroGunslinger

Admittedly, a forum might not be the best place to ask this sort of thing, but then again I didn't think Mormons had tax exemption status and look at me now.

Anywho, I'm wondering about what sort (if any) exercise programs the fine folks at TFP use. I'm preparing a role in a future film for myself and in order to sell it appropriately I need to be in shape--not Ahnold territory by any means, but more an "active male" look, like maybe I could hold my own in a bar fight or lift a heavy box without respiration problems.

While looking online for a good exercise program, I've hit a few snags but think I know what direction I'm going to go into. However, I'd like to know if any TFPers use or have used a good exercise program that might help a tall, skinny fellow graduate to tall, moderately muscular fellow.

(And yes, I know I have to eat more. I cringe at the thought of all the sandwich meat I'll be buying at the deli.)

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Baraka_Guru

Do you have difficulty gaining weight? If you are a "hardgainer," try looking at programs designed for your type.

They're generally about focusing on big important exercises, avoiding overtraining, and eating a ton of healthy food.

Generally, keep it simple:

You're going to want to bump up your caloric intake by at least 500 calories/day above your current weight's average. Take a protein supplement as a part of that to get 25 or 30 extra grams.

Stick to the basic movements, and do full-body workouts:

• Pushup/chest press/chest dip
• Pullup/row
• Shoulder press
• Squat/lunge/deadlift

People will disagree with me, but avoid tricep and bicep exercises. If you focus more on the chest/back/shoulder movements above, your arms will get enough of a workout. If you feel like you should be doing 1 to 3 sets of curls and pulldowns...how about doing 1 to 3 more sets of pushups, pullups, and presses, champ? I'd only do tricep/bicep work for definition or if I were doing bodybuilding training for competition. Most of your muscle gain will be in your legs, chest, and back anyway. Focus on those, and the rest will follow. The exercises above use your arms well enough.

Get lots of rest. Don't workout more than 3/week, and never back-to-back days.

Drink lots of water. Take a multivitamin unless you're a health nut.

__________________
Knowing that death is certain and that the time of death is uncertain, what's the most important thing?
—Bhikkhuni Pema Chödrön

Humankind cannot bear very much reality.
—From "Burnt Norton," Four Quartets (1936), T. S. Eliot

filtherton

I'm just shy of halfway through my second round of P90x. So far, it's worked great for me. I was kind of scrawny, but in fairly good cardiovascular shape when I started. I haven't lost much weight, which isn't that unexpected, since I didn't have much to lose. I did shave a few points off my BMI, and am apparently down to the single digits BFP-wise. I have gotten noticeably stronger, with better muscle definition. I'm almost in six-pack territory. The nice thing about P90x is that you don't really have to think about it. You basically just pop the dvd in each day, do your workout and that's that.

You do need some equipment. A means of doing pullups. Some dumbells or bands. A yoga mat. You'll want a thick yoga mat, too, along with some running or cross training shoes for the plyo workout (at least I needed these things). Most of the workouts are approximately an hour long, except for the yoga and the ab workouts, which are 90 and 15 minutes, respectively. They were fairly difficult when I first started and they still are- they are scalable to your ability.

I'm probably in the best shape I've been in since I was a teenager. I'm also eating really well in terms of avoiding processed foods, getting the right number of calories and eating large amounts of fruits and veggies (mostly fruits). P90x comes with a nutrition plan, but aside from using their daily caloric intake as a guide, I haven't followed it, nor have I purchased any of the "recovery drink" that they sell. I do have a tub of whey protein that I take post resistance-workout and whenever I need to supplement my daily protein.

It's also good if you have a means of tracking your daily caloric and nutrient intakes. There are a number of android apps that allow you to do this pretty easily, some of them are likely available on the iPhone, too.

I should add that the first time I went through it, I aimed for around 1800 calories per day, which was about 600 less than their recommended daily intake. I did lose about 15 pounds, but I also didn't put on much of any muscle. This time I've been averaging more in the 2400 range (3500+ on any given holiday) and have been gaining more muscle whilst still losing some fat.

snowy

Hubby does the P90x thing every morning with a friend, and it's worked out really well for him. He's slimming down and looking more muscular every day. Having done the workouts myself for a few weeks before my wedding, I agree with filtherton that they are scalable. Personally, I skipped the ab workout (too hard on my spine) and substituted in my own ab routine (a mix of Pilates moves and core moves I learned in a core class), skipped their yoga DVD to do yoga on my own, and still managed to lose 2% body fat during the three weeks I did the workouts.

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Meier_Link

I guess I'll jump on the bandwagon here... P90X has worked out pretty well for me. A set of dumbbells or a pair quick changing dumbbells like the Bowflex or Powerblocks are a must. That and a bar to do chin ups, I use one of the hang in the door kind.

The Insanity program is worth looking into too.... No equipment required and the workouts are shorter. It's not for bulking up, more for toning up and losing fat. It's a 60 day program.

The biggest obstacle is finding the motivation to torture yourself everyday.

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Willravel

P90X is good, as long as you do about plus or minus 4 weeks of stabilization and prep first. According to my personal trainer, stabilization has to come first in order to fix muscular imbalances and posture as well as increasing neuromuscular efficiency. If you go right into strength training, you could exasperate issues like poor posture or muscular imbalances.

Baraka_Guru

A caveat: if RetroGunslinger is "tall and skinny" (as in ectomorph), the P90X program won't likely be the best option. "Hardgainers" (skinny people who have trouble gaining weight and building muscle) should break some of the rules of P90X. For example, I understand that the dietary options begin with higher protein and controlled carbohydrates. I would suggest he eat more carbohydrates to help his caloric intake to build mass. That and healthy fats.

He's not trying to tone or lose weight along with building muscle. He's trying to build mass, period. He's playing an "active male who could hold his own in a bar fight or lift heavy stuff," not a cover model.

I suggest lifting heavy and eating heavy. Cardio-ab-ripper-Yoga-X phases are going to be a waste of time for his purposes. If he were doing an action role that demanded advanced training, then maybe.

If he's too skinny to begin with, he needs to go boldly in the right direction: mass gain.

---------- Post added at 09:33 AM ---------- Previous post was at 09:29 AM ----------

This is more an issue for those who don't stick to the big movements I mentioned above. People tend to overdo it on areas for vanity purposes (big chest, big biceps) and ignore other areas that act as stabilizers or synergists.

Sticking to compound movements and avoiding isolation exercises avoids problems of imbalance.

__________________
Knowing that death is certain and that the time of death is uncertain, what's the most important thing?
—Bhikkhuni Pema Chödrön

Humankind cannot bear very much reality.
—From "Burnt Norton," Four Quartets (1936), T. S. Eliot

filtherton

I have yet to do any stabilization training outside of the multiple core-centric components of P90x. I did do about 2.5 months of five-day-a-week hourly elliptical sessions and bicycled a few miles every day for my commute prior to starting the program. When I did start P90x, my core was shit. The key was that I only did what I could and didn't overdo it. Setting aside for a minute the problems inherent in relying on anecdotal evidence, I think that one could likely forgo stabilization training if one is in tune enough with one's body to know when to take things down a notch.

The P90x nutrition plan has a high carb phase. It has three phases, actually, and the particular phase one should follow depends on their level of fitness and fat loss goals. I've been rocking a high carb high protein diet similar to the third phase P90x diet.

I think that cardio and core are useful additions to a workout plan because core strength and cardio fitness are important. Even in bar fights and for lifting boxes. Developing a flexible body, cardiovascular fitness and a strong core are not a waste of time, even if these things are supplemental to your ultimate goals. I agree that the OP doesn't seem to need a more comprehensive fitness plan if all he wants to do is look bigger. However, I think that he'd be doing himself a favor by embracing a more comprehensive plan, P90x or not. Doing cardio and core work in between lifting days is also a great way to keep your metabolism up and maintain your exercise momentum. On top of that, if you love eating like I do, doing more cardio/core work means you get to eat more. There is a substantial difference in daily caloric need between someone who works out 3 times a week and someone who works out 6 times a week.

Baraka_Guru

Yeah, he will have to make a decision based on his needs then. If he's having trouble gaining weight, then doing too much cardio and not eating enough carbs (even if it's just one or two "phases") would possibly work against him.

I've been there: working out to build mass and not being able to eat enough unless you eat 5 or 6 times a day....and a ton of carbs....400 to 500g a day, and yet it still doesn't seem enough. In that situation, a lot of extra cardio on top of that seems a bit much, and don't forget that weight training itself does a lot of build your cardiovascular health.

I say only do extra cardio (beyond warmup/cooldown or daily walking etc.) if your goal is to achieve a certain cardiovascular capacity: running a certain distance or maintaining a certain pace or whatever, or maybe if you just want to burn fat. He doesn't seem to need that.

__________________
Knowing that death is certain and that the time of death is uncertain, what's the most important thing?
—Bhikkhuni Pema Chödrön

Humankind cannot bear very much reality.
—From "Burnt Norton," Four Quartets (1936), T. S. Eliot