mostwhimsicalchap Member

I've been plagued with the same issue. Lots of friends but the same one or two people who actually participate. Will send a request! Happy training!

You're on the opposite side of the country as me but encouragement knows no bounds! Feel free to add. Happy training!

Also to add the latter part of your question, trying lean out is more of a question of fine tuning your diet to lose that extra BF

Long story short, more strength = more muscle With the exception of the adaptation period when you're body is learning to recruit maximum muscle fibers for a neural pattern, any serious strength training will add on size. I would be more inclined to suggest taking up running or cycling to "tone" your lower body. You could…

Strength training is exactly what it sounds like; lifting in a fashion that improves your level of strength or in other words, how much you can lift. Strength training will typically revolve around compound movements (ie deadlift, squat, bench press) low reps and sets with the specific goal of trying to lift more weight…

Preworkouts work, but I wouldn't suggest them as a long term fix. Even most pre-workout labels suggest you should cycle on and off of them. The stimulants can be very irritating to your GI. Plus for the active ingredients included you are way over paying for something a cup or two of black coffee could provide. Generally I…

^ What she said. Though the beauty of it is that after YouTube rotated through your accessory exercises, you've hopefully figured out which ones are your favorite and/or are the most effective for you. Happy training!

Since you're a serious competitor you've probably tried and exhausted most of the suggestions I may have... But I've found the easiest and most convenient high protein snacks I eat that don't fluctuate my other macros too much are hard boiled eggs or a plain can of tuna. Doesn't sound very glamerous does it? Lol. If you…

Southeast Michigan

@JimTrunks Hi Jim! Fellow firefighter here from south east Michigan. I love this idea. I know I'm responding a bit late but feel free to add me if you're still looking to network and motivate. Cheers brother!

@cherrybomb333 good luck and keep us updated on your progress!!

It couldnt really hurt you but... In your situation I don't think turning to supplements will help. Concentrating on having a healthy well balanced, well proportioned diet is. In fact I'd argue that the results in a change of diet would far surpass any changes you would see with any dietary supplement, much less creatine,…

@blackcoffeeandcherrypie low resting heart rates are neat and all, but I wouldn't put much stock into them. Yes it's true that if are physically fit that you will generally have a lower resting heart rate but there are a lot of other factors that come into play. Stress levels, hydration, electrolyte levels, intrinsic…

@melissabrindley1 I prefer working out first thing in the morning. Like others have said, you either prefer before or after. I wouldn't worry about feeling "drained" at work with the morning sessions. Most people ive spoken with who work out in the AM, say they feel better throughout the day, which is my own personal…

@cherrybomb333 when I first started stronglifts I stuck to the every other day guideline which was working well, considering I was only ever moderately sore on the workout. Though I'm in a line of work that requires a high level of conditioning which I noticed was starting to suffer at the hands of my strength only…

Hi there. I've been doing stronglifts or a variation of stronglifts on and off for the past 4-5 months. Still feel pretty new at it. So far it's worked wonders for me! Not only have I noticed a difference but others have noticed changes. What is your end goal? Are you training for an event? Trying to just increase over…

Welcome to MFP! Fellow medic here... I understand the challenges of maintaining a healthy lifestyle that first responders face. I'm always looking for more like minded and motivated people to surround myself with. Feel free to add me! Cheers

Don't you fret! You've done it before and you can do it again. I try to be very very active tooffset some poor diet choices. It's always nice to have others on along the motivation train. Feel free to add me if you're interested

Welcome to MFP! I hope you peruse the exercise forums as well, I'm sure there are plenty that could use your valuable input

SE Michigan

Welcome to MFP! Feel free to add me. Always good to have positive motivated people around. Good luck on your fitness endeavor, cheers!

I typically work out first thing in the morning 4:30am or 5:30am and also have a demanding job (firefighter). I prefer working out first thing and enjoy have the gym to myself. It's just much easier to work out before shift when you have a demanding job because the motivation is usually gone after a 12 or 24 hour shift. I…

There's no easy answer to that question. To piggyback onto what Karen is saying, how closely are you monitoring the calories you are taking in versus the calories you're burning off? The more honest your are with yourself with about that, the easier it will be to get to the root of your issue. As far as your question of…