I went from morbidly obese to 6 pack abs! Ask me Anything
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ok. stupid question. I just started lifting and my muscles hurt the next day. I see a gradual increase in the number of reps I can do, but I'm wondering if I should decrease the weight to increase the reps & not be sore the next day. Note: I'm in the lifting to maintain muscles while I lose 80 lbs phase. thanks!0
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another Q. I've noticed since I started lifting that I'm peeing more volume Is this normal? thanks!0
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Truly inspirational! good job!0
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What did you hope to gain from doing squats lunges and burpees?ncandelaria1145 wrote: »I've always wanted to do an AMA so I thought I'd set one up here. The basics about my story are that I went from 315lbs to 195 and have been making small gains in muscles/losses to fat ever since. Ask me anything, anything at all!
Add me as a friend on here too!
Hi i need some help im doing lunges squates some burpies n im not seeming to do anything can u help nn i would likevto have u as a friend as well cant seem to figure
Decreasing weights and increasing reps won't alleviate soreness. In fact, I tend to be more sore after a lower weight, higher rep workout, than a high weight low rep workout. If you are progressing on your weights, I would not lower them. Your body will eventually adapt to your workouts and you won't be as sore the next day. This does NOT mean that you aren't getting effective workouts. Soreness doesn't really correlate with a good workout, nor does lack of soreness mean you had a bad workout. Over time your body adapts to the workouts and you simply aren't as sore. This is called the repeated bouts effect and it is not a bad thing. All too often people rate the quality of their workouts by how sore they are next day. This is a trap that can lead you to doing less effective workouts in the pursuit of feeling sore.ok. stupid question. I just started lifting and my muscles hurt the next day. I see a gradual increase in the number of reps I can do, but I'm wondering if I should decrease the weight to increase the reps & not be sore the next day. Note: I'm in the lifting to maintain muscles while I lose 80 lbs phase. thanks!0 -
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Hi Vismal, your story is truly very inspiring and motivating.
I have watched your YouTube videos and subscribed to your channel too. looking forward for more amazing videos.
I have a questions for you.
My current weight is 180lb (81.9 Kg)
Height is 5/8 (177cm)
Body Fat 22.8%
Body Water 56.3%
Body Muscle 73.0%
BMI 26.2
(All of the above is according to the digital BMI calculator)
I used your method to calculate how much calories and macros should I consume to lose weight following IIFYM.
and these are the numbers.
1800 Kcal
Protein 126g - 504 kcal (minimum)
Fat 63g - 567 kcal (Minimum)
Protein + Fat calories total - 1071 kcal
1800kcal - 1071kcal = 729 kcal
If I would use all of the remaining 729kcal in carbs that would equal to 182g of carbs.
What do you think, do these numbers sound about right?
I work a 9-5 office job, sitting at the desk 90% of my day.
I was already working out before but I was never properly measuring my food and I just wasn't loosing weight.
I guess you can't really outwork a bad nutrition. after all 80% of the transformation success is based on nutrition and 20% of the hard work at the gym.
So what I'm starting to do now is logging and measuring every single thing I eat.
I want to follow the above macros and lift weights 3x a week and do HIIT Cardio 2/3x per week.
This is my Weight lifting plan below, what do you think, will this plan and following IIFYM approach of dieting help me to lose fat and eventually achieve lean physique? I'm looking to lose about 16 - 20 lb of overall weight and then going in to bulk.
Work Out Plan:
Chest and Triceps
Dumbbell Chest press 10 - 12 reps 3 sets
Incline dumbbell chest press 10 - 12 reps 3 sets
Dumbbell Flies 10 - 12 reps 3 sets
Triceps pull downs 10 - 12 reps 3 sets
skull crushers 10 - 12 reps 3 sets
Bench Dips 10 - 12 reps 3 sets
Shoulders and Legs
Lateral side raises 10 - 12 reps 3 sets
Lateral front Raises 10 - 12 reps 3 sets
Shoulder Press 10 - 12 reps 3 sets
Squats 10 - 12 reps 3 sets
Leg Press 10 - 12 reps 3 sets
Seated leg extensions 10 - 12 reps 3 sets
Seated calf raises 10 - 12 reps 3 sets
Back and Biceps
Cable Pull-down 10 - 12 reps 3 sets
Cable Row 10 - 12 reps 3 sets
Hyper-extensions 10 - 12 reps 3 sets
Barbell curl 10 - 12 reps 3 sets
Dumbbell curl 10 - 12 reps 3 sets
HIIT Cardio 2 - 3x per week
Best Regards,
Kris0 -
Hi Vismal,
Thanks for this. Long time lurker here, and really appreciate seeing you maintain your results after losing that much weight. It's a big motivator, especially seeing that the skin doesn't stay Jello forever
Keep up the good work, and thanks again.
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Thank you Vismal for all that you've done for us here ! I truly stopped reading other blogs because yours have worked for me and although you might not be licensed for nutritional advice or as a trainer, you have a gift and talent to bring all the noise to a low beautiful sound to what really works in this world of fitness.
Thank you !0 -
I've always wanted to do an AMA so I thought I'd set one up here. The basics about my story are that I went from 315lbs to 195 and have been making small gains in muscles/losses to fat ever since. Ask me anything, anything at all!
Add me as a friend on here too!
Awesome, I'm happy for you in all your success. One question, how do you prevent saggy skin?0 -
It appears you used the lower range of all the figures I gave in determining calories and protein intake. You do not have enough weight to lose to need the lower range. I would start with the 12 calories per lb and 0.8 grams of protein per lb. That would change calories to 2160, and protein to 144 grams minimum. 63 grams of fat is fine so that gets you about 1017 calories remaining. You do not have to use all those calories for carbs. You could if you wanted to, but you could also eat more fat or protein. That can change every day if you want. That's what nice about flexible dieting. All you have to do is get in 144 protein minimum, 63 fat minimum and stay under 2160 calories. The exact macros can change every day.KrisMartinsons2015 wrote: »Hi Vismal, your story is truly very inspiring and motivating.
I have watched your YouTube videos and subscribed to your channel too. looking forward for more amazing videos.
I have a questions for you.
My current weight is 180lb (81.9 Kg)
Height is 5/8 (177cm)
Body Fat 22.8%
Body Water 56.3%
Body Muscle 73.0%
BMI 26.2
(All of the above is according to the digital BMI calculator)
I used your method to calculate how much calories and macros should I consume to lose weight following IIFYM.
and these are the numbers.
1800 Kcal
Protein 126g - 504 kcal (minimum)
Fat 63g - 567 kcal (Minimum)
Protein + Fat calories total - 1071 kcal
1800kcal - 1071kcal = 729 kcal
If I would use all of the remaining 729kcal in carbs that would equal to 182g of carbs.
What do you think, do these numbers sound about right?
I work a 9-5 office job, sitting at the desk 90% of my day.
I was already working out before but I was never properly measuring my food and I just wasn't loosing weight.
I guess you can't really outwork a bad nutrition. after all 80% of the transformation success is based on nutrition and 20% of the hard work at the gym.
So what I'm starting to do now is logging and measuring every single thing I eat.
I want to follow the above macros and lift weights 3x a week and do HIIT Cardio 2/3x per week.
This is my Weight lifting plan below, what do you think, will this plan and following IIFYM approach of dieting help me to lose fat and eventually achieve lean physique? I'm looking to lose about 16 - 20 lb of overall weight and then going in to bulk.
Work Out Plan:
Chest and Triceps
Dumbbell Chest press 10 - 12 reps 3 sets
Incline dumbbell chest press 10 - 12 reps 3 sets
Dumbbell Flies 10 - 12 reps 3 sets
Triceps pull downs 10 - 12 reps 3 sets
skull crushers 10 - 12 reps 3 sets
Bench Dips 10 - 12 reps 3 sets
Shoulders and Legs
Lateral side raises 10 - 12 reps 3 sets
Lateral front Raises 10 - 12 reps 3 sets
Shoulder Press 10 - 12 reps 3 sets
Squats 10 - 12 reps 3 sets
Leg Press 10 - 12 reps 3 sets
Seated leg extensions 10 - 12 reps 3 sets
Seated calf raises 10 - 12 reps 3 sets
Back and Biceps
Cable Pull-down 10 - 12 reps 3 sets
Cable Row 10 - 12 reps 3 sets
Hyper-extensions 10 - 12 reps 3 sets
Barbell curl 10 - 12 reps 3 sets
Dumbbell curl 10 - 12 reps 3 sets
HIIT Cardio 2 - 3x per week
Best Regards,
Kris
I do not like the workout at all. Everything is in the 10-12 rep range, why? I'd vary the rep range among exercises and try and do the compound movements somewhere in the 5 rep range. Also you are only hitting each body part directly one day a week. You should strive to hit all body parts 2-3 times per week. If you want to lift 3 days a week, switch to a total body program. That has you hitting all parts 3 days a week. I would do barbell bench press if possible, as well as barbell bent over rows. For leg day you are doing squats which hit the everything but hit the quads hardest. leg press which is also quad dominant, and then a quad isolation movement in leg extensions. You are doing lots of quad work and no work targeting your hamstrings or glutes. I'd try and deadlift or do RDL's, leg curls, glute ham raise, or something to correct your quad to hamstring imbalance.
Honestly it's best as a beginner to just do a proven beginners program. ICF 5x5, starting strength, and Stronglifts are all good choices. They are all total body 3x a week.1 -
Hi Vismal,
Thanks for this. Long time lurker here, and really appreciate seeing you maintain your results after losing that much weight. It's a big motivator, especially seeing that the skin doesn't stay Jello forever
Keep up the good work, and thanks again.Thank you Vismal for all that you've done for us here ! I truly stopped reading other blogs because yours have worked for me and although you might not be licensed for nutritional advice or as a trainer, you have a gift and talent to bring all the noise to a low beautiful sound to what really works in this world of fitness.
Thank you !
Thank you both for the kind words! Keep up the hard work and keep me informed of your progress. I love seeing progress pictures of anyone who's used any of my advice or tips!0 -
are you really goddamned tall?0
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Answered many many times throughout this AMA. Check back a few pages, I posted a video as a response.mythicalenchantress wrote: »
Awesome, I'm happy for you in all your success. One question, how do you prevent saggy skin?
I'm 6'1so above average, yes. "Really goddamned tall", no.are you really goddamned tall?
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I love the honesty in your pros and cons. Thanks for that And I mean come on, AWSEOME JOB !!!! It is very encouraging for a person like me who is just starting
Thanks !!! 0 -
I personally don't bulk for less then 4 months at a time and prefer to go for 6.
Thanks for making this thread, I think I speak for everyone here when I say we're enjoying it quite a bit.
My question is, if your bulking phases range from around 4-6 months, how long do you usually find yourself doing your cutting phase?0 -
ldhudsonjr wrote: »
It depends. Normally 12 weeks. I've done ones as short as 8 or as long as 16. The main factor is how much body fat I have at the start of the cut.I personally don't bulk for less then 4 months at a time and prefer to go for 6.
Thanks for making this thread, I think I speak for everyone here when I say we're enjoying it quite a bit.
My question is, if your bulking phases range from around 4-6 months, how long do you usually find yourself doing your cutting phase?0 -
Bump man, lets keep this thread going. Also, if you haven't checked it out yet, this guy has a youtube channel called feeding fitness with some good stuff on it.0
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I just looked up Ice Cream 5x5. Do you really spend 1.5 hours per workout? If I did it with lighter weights, do you think I could bang it out in 50 mins?0
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Will you marry me? (You said ask anything)
Oh I'm already married... never mind
JK but you look awesome, congrats.0 -
ICF does not need to take 1.5 hours, though it can. I was usually able to knock it out in around an hour. As you progress and the weights get heavier, you generally will require a longer rest period between sets of the heavy compound lifts.I just looked up Ice Cream 5x5. Do you really spend 1.5 hours per workout? If I did it with lighter weights, do you think I could bang it out in 50 mins?
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Great work !
how much calories did you consume per day during the first 3 months ?0 -
first off, thanks. I started lifting and counting calories almost 2 months ago largely due to your post. so far i'm down about 10lbs (holidays set me back slightly)
did you ever change up your 5x5 program as you kept cutting?
i'm up to 225 on squats and my quads hurt constantly. the weight is getting pretty heavy but more so I just feel like its hard because i'm sore. it's really the only one of the lifts i'm having problems with so far
current weights
bench 190
squat 225
dl 235
row 160
ohp 115
i'm 6'5 259lbs and have consistently been eating ~2000 cals/day with 75g fat and 150g protein minimums. occasional cardio but nothing consistent
thanks again and love your youtube channel as well!
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When I initially started losing weight I was not calorie counting. I probably ate very few calories most days and then ate quite a few on "cheat" days that I probably took too often. Tracking calories was the critical step in my transformation.optimistic1991 wrote: »Great work !
how much calories did you consume per day during the first 3 months ?
Eventually you need to roll back volume while you are in a deficit. For most people this is somewhere around 6 months though some need to do it earlier and others can keep up with the volume for longer. The first thing I would change is to make the lifts 4x5 instead of 5x5 and eventually all the way down to a 3x5. When you say "my quads hurt constantly", if it's to the point that they actually hurt, vs. just feeling like they've been worked out, there may be some problems with your form. Squat is a very difficult lift to master form and requires a lot of flexibility and mobility to do properly for most people.ljsmith1978 wrote: »first off, thanks. I started lifting and counting calories almost 2 months ago largely due to your post. so far i'm down about 10lbs (holidays set me back slightly)
did you ever change up your 5x5 program as you kept cutting?
i'm up to 225 on squats and my quads hurt constantly. the weight is getting pretty heavy but more so I just feel like its hard because i'm sore. it's really the only one of the lifts i'm having problems with so far
current weights
bench 190
squat 225
dl 235
row 160
ohp 115
i'm 6'5 259lbs and have consistently been eating ~2000 cals/day with 75g fat and 150g protein minimums. occasional cardio but nothing consistent
thanks again and love your youtube channel as well!
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Amazing progress, congrats!!
Question for you, I am 34 female and am just unable to lose the 40lbs I gained in the last 3years after an injury and a whole bunch of failed diets (which included the HCG). I'm pretty athletic and lift heavy, but can't seem to shed the pounds. I just weighed in at 188 (I'm 5'4) and in comparison to other ppl that weigh that much, I'm much smaller and more toned. I usually do a body part a day 5 days a week at the gym + 30min cardio after weights. Do you think I should incorporate HIIT? I'm eating around 1500 calories a day tracking through MFP. Do you think what goes in matters as well? I used to be so fit, but now I'm so lost and I keep trying to grasp on to anything that make sense. Thanks in advance for your help!!0 -
At 5'4 188, you should almost certainly be losing weight eating 1500 calories. How tight is your tracking? Are you weighing everything on a scale (not using cups and tablespoons for solid foods but using an actual food scale)? Do you do cheat days, if so how often? This guide is very useful for making sure your tracking is spot on: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1296011/calorie-counting-101
As for workouts, a single body part a day is inefficient for natural lifters in my opinion. You should try to hit all body parts 2-3 times per week. Total body 3x a week or an upper/lower/upper/lower split is much more efficient. HIIT is okay but it's not going to make a huge difference in calories burned for the week. Diet will go much further than cardio in terms of how much fat you lose. What you eat is certainly important but even if you ate nothing but garbage, you'd still lose weight if you create a calorie deficit. You should ultimately strive to eat a diet based mostly around minimally processed whole foods and enjoy less nutritious things in moderation. I never recommend eliminating any foods from a diet, but rather I encourage the use common sense when balancing whole foods with treats.0 -
Just wanted to give you a shout out for an awesome job on taking back control of your life! I too have done this--lost 117lbs & still counting. My question is how do you stay motivated to working out?? I walk every day & take the stairs at work (4th floor). I have a dreadmill at home--oops...I mean treadmill ☺️. I have a hard time sticking to something because I get bored. Any advise to help with this??0
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Thanks Vismal!!0
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Is it possible to gain muscle while in a calorie deficit? Sorry if this has already been asked.0
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Any advice for me who has to lose 150 lbs to goal and was wondering if i should immediately start working out, and if i should skip cardio and just do weights?
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It seems you aren't very fond of using the treadmill. Neither am I! Infact, I loathe walking or running on a treadmill. The key is to find some area of fitness you genuinely enjoy. I love weight lifting. I get to set strength goals and constantly progress with the weights over time. For cardio, I enjoy hiking. While I can only do that so many months out of the year in Ohio, it requires little motivation because it's an activity I enjoy. When someone says they don't enjoy any type of physical activity, to me, that person simply hasn't tried enough different activities. There's a million and one ways to stay fit, find one or two you love and motivation won't be a problem.Just wanted to give you a shout out for an awesome job on taking back control of your life! I too have done this--lost 117lbs & still counting. My question is how do you stay motivated to working out?? I walk every day & take the stairs at work (4th floor). I have a dreadmill at home--oops...I mean treadmill ☺️. I have a hard time sticking to something because I get bored. Any advise to help with this??
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