Been training now for 15 months,need help

[gp200sx]

Hi there,i was in contact with this site a couple of months ago about going on a program to bulk up to get up to size for rugby but after discusing was advised not to due to not training for a long enough period and needing a mix of bulking up and keeping a good cardio workout aswell for rugby.Was advised either decide on cardio or bulk up,but i need both!!

So i took the advice and have been training hard since,but i need guidance to loose weight(fat)and turn it into lean muscle and become stronger.

This is my week as it stands,i work as a mechanic at a busy workshop and am quiet active throughout the day
Monday-Friday
06.30-get up at 6.30 to get to work by 8
10.00-Eat a big bowl of muslie
13.00-Lunch-Pasta,Soups etc
16.30-Go to the gym/or a long run/cycle
18.00-Protein shake and head for home.
19.30-Have supper containing meat/eggs/pasta/loads of veg and fruit etc,no fatty foods.
22.30-start thinking about going to bed.

As you can see the times i work are not ideal for training but cant be helped.

When it comes to the gym etc it tends to be like the following
Monday-Gym,training upper body+small cardio.
Tuesday-Go for a run or cycle.
Wednesday-Gym,training lower body with small cardio.
Thurs-day off
Fri-Gym,a bit of everything
Sat/Sun-Rugby/Squash/cycling/Running/Boxing etc depending on weather etc

The bit i need help with is that i don't have a proper structure to my training,i loose focus and seem to be jumping about a lot and do different things each time.But have been very dedicated for the last 15 months.I also struggle a bit on the lower half training due to having a poor lower back with a lot of problems in the past!

What would be the best program for me with my work times to loose my beer belly/become fit but also bulk up for strengh on the pitch.

Any tips on the way i do things in the gym,the things i eat etc would be really fantastic as i am training hard but dont feel im gaining much!!.
Many thanks in advance for any info given

[rugbylife]

it really depends on what stage of the season you are in. the off season is when you want to do the majority of your bulking work as you can focus solely on the weight training and the increase in your calorie intake. preseason your looking at low weight high reps to tone up all that new built muscle as well as upping your cardio to get you fit for the start of the season. during the season your looking at maintenance work with a few exercises for power thrown in for good measure. what sort of level do you play at? and what position? as this will effect the exercises and repetitions you want to be doing. its important to be able to get good recovery time in as well between sessions.

a basic outline of your week might want to look like this. im working on sunday as the start of the week preparing for saturday as your match day. it will also depend on which days your club trains on but im working on the usual tuesday thursday training.

sunday: gym session legs+shoulders superset - gives good contrast training as your heart is working hard to pump the blood between your shoulders and legs. end with abs and calves followed by maintenance and developmental stretching

monday: cardio 15- 30 minutes on either bike or rowing machine. go for interval training as this gives better match fitness. if the bike has a hill profile function use that. if not then just manually increase and decrease the level of difficulty and intensity, same with the rowing machine, however it can be difficult to change the level without a training partner.

tuesday: club training day. depending on the session the coach runs then you may want to end with some cardio or some s.a.q work

wednesday: gym session chest + back superset

thursday: club training day, again depending on the session you may want to end with some cardio or s.a.q work

friday: gym session arms superset

saturday: game day

again this is a really brief outlay n im sure there are some here who may disagree with it or have alternatives. if u post up the level your playing at and your position then i can put togethor a more detailed program for u if u like

[StrappingYoungLad]

In addition to the excellent advice posted by Rugbylife, I would add don't eat fruit as fruit is guaranteed to turn to fat, and lose the pasta from your evening meals. Stick with meat/eggs and vegetables, not starches for your last meal.

[hoover]

Crossfit mate. Its what I beleive you need n hate to say it but cut out the beer for a couple of months n you'll be surprised how quick the belly goes.(you play rugby so there is deffinately beer in that diet.) I was a flanker but stopped playing due to unlucky injuries. Crossfit is a perfect ballance between weight training n cardio which you need playing rugby. You prob wont bulk to much but you will get way stronger n fitter n your core strength will go through the roof. N as knoledgable as he is i disagree with strapping about the fruit, your body will need them good sugars to cope with the output if you training hard enough just dont eat at the wrong times. I've seen race horse jockeys eat pretty much nothing but fruit n pasta os rice to stay light and maintain the energy they require.But yes cut the pasta from evening meals except before game days. I doubt you guna need to much bulk unless you a prop cardio n strenght is way more benificial n be a flanker anyway mate why would ye want to be anything else.

[rugbylife]

Originally Posted by hoover

be a flanker anyway mate why would ye want to be anything else.

its all about being a winger!

[StrappingYoungLad]

Originally Posted by hoover

... i disagree with strapping about the fruit...

Fruit is primarily fructose. As is honey. Most people aren't aware of the facts of fructose metabolism so here is a little primer in Human biochemistry.

Metabolism of fructose to DHAP and glyceraldehyde

The first step in the metabolism of fructose is the phosphorylation of fructose to fructose 1-phosphate by fructokinase, thus trapping fructose for metabolism in the liver. Fructose 1-phosphate then undergoes hydrolysis by aldolase B to form DHAP and glyceraldehydes; DHAP can either be isomerized to glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate by triosephosphate isomerase or undergo reduction to glycerol 3-phosphate by glycerol 3-phosphate dehydrogenase. The glyceraldehyde produced may also be converted to glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate by glyceraldehyde kinase or converted to glycerol 3-phosphate by glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase. The metabolism of fructose at this point yields intermediates in the gluconeogenic and fructolytic pathways leading to glycogen synthesis as well as fatty acid and triglyceride synthesis.

The resultant glyceraldehyde formed by aldolase B then undergoes phosphorylation to glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate. Increased concentrations of DHAP and glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate in the liver drive the gluconeogenic pathway toward glucose and subsequent glycogen synthesis. It appears that fructose is a better substrate for glycogen synthesis than glucose and that glycogen replenishment takes precedence over triglyceride formation. Once liver glycogen is replenished, the intermediates of fructose metabolism are primarily directed toward triglyceride synthesis.


Fructose is not metabolized as other sugars. Fructose does not undergo digestion. Fructose passes through the small intestine virtually unchanged, then enters the portal vein and is directed toward the liver. There it is converted first to liver glycogen (if needed) and then to triglyceride (fat). These are the only two possibilities. The amount converted to glycogen is enzyme limited as well as limited by the amount of glycogen needed to fill the liver. Fruit will turn to fat. This is not negotiable. This is not "maybe". This is not opinion. But then again, not commonly known. It isn't as if they shout it from the rooftops. A small amount of fruit in the morning every couple days is sufficient to maintain liver glycogen but eating "loads of fruit every night" is not the way to lose weight.

[gp200sx]

Jesus guys,many thanks for all the good info,really much appriciated,thanks

Rugbylife-Many thanks for all the info.Ok were to start-

As far as the rubgy is going,i had a small op on my back about 2yrs ago and during me getting better i became lazy and hit the beer/curries way to much,didnt pile on the weight too much(mainly a beer belly) but came unfit and lazy.So over the last 15 months i have been training on my own mainly to get hopefully back to train/play the start of next season.i dont feel happy with my physical self to turn up on the pitch as yet!
I was playing second row,weigh 14 stone and am about 6.1.5ft tall

So what type of program would you recommend different to you on the training with the squad days?????

As i mentioned i start work early and finish late but do have a really good gym in my place of work and at home then i have been doing a lot of night running and boxing.

Would you be able to give me a program to follow by any chance,would be very greatfull if you could.

Also what type of supplements would you recommend to help me along,at the moment im useing Reflex One stop after each trainig session.
Many thanks for any info in advance

Strapping Young lad-Would you be able to guide me on some more diet tips,as mentioned above ive put on some weight around the gut,my upper body(arms/shoulders etc are in pretty good nick)but i know it sounds odd but i want to slim down but bulk up!!

I want to loose all my fat and turn it into a strong solid body,would you be able to guide me on the type of diet i need.

I mentioned i eat muslie for breakfast,soups/pasta with veg for lunch and as for evening meal it could range from steak/jacket potatoes/omlets/but say i have pasta like bolognaise/lasagne/bakes usually around two nights a week

Is this bad to get what i want,and reagrding the fruit i tend to eat it because im trying to pick at things like that in between meals rather than junk and i feel i get good vitamins out of them,is it really bad?????

Any info would be great.

And hoover mate,could you explain crossfit to me some more,very interested.

Many thanks to you all

[StrappingYoungLad]

It's true that fruit has vitamins, just as it's true that it makes you fat. There is no way around this. It's a function of human biology. It's like trying to defy gravity. I don't know if you can adapt it to your situation but the general advice I would give regarding nutrition would be this:
Eat 5 small meals a day. Each meal consists of a protein (chicken, fish, beef, eggs) a fibrous vegetable or other fiber(oatmeal, (muesli) cauliflower,broccoli, green beans, squash etc.) a starch ( yam, potato, brown rice). A serving size is the size of your closed fist. Eat the protein first, then fiber, starch last. Eat slowly, chew thoroughly. Your post workout shake can count as a meal. Don't eat the starch your last meal. Drink fresh clean water before you are thirsty.

Avoid refined flour, refined sugar, no more than 1 piece of fruit every 3 days. No fruit juice or diet soda. No milk.

Incorporate as best you can any of the bits you see wisdom in if you can't follow exactly.

[gp200sx]

Many thanks for the response mate,regarding the meal situation i keep to that pretty well,regarding the veg i tend to mix up a tone of veg and eat it as soups and try to eat meat/fish with every main meal and also a tone of muesli.

What would you recomend for nibbling at between meals that would affect my fat levels and also are some fruits worse than others,i eat a tone of kiwi fruit.I mainly eat it to keep to my 5 a day really.Does the type of fat in fruit burn of easier than the type of fat in cakes/chocolate etc???

Also i forgot to mention when i have pasta with me meals ita allways brown wholemeal pasta not the whit stuff,does that help at all???

[StrappingYoungLad]

Well the thing is that fruit isn't digested as other foods are and can't be used as energy. Liver glycogen or fat storage. That's it. Adding fat while trying to lose it makes no sense to me. The 5 a day thing and the food pyramid and all that was put out by the US Department of Agriculture. What do you think they are going to recommend? Ha ha. Sunflower seeds, nuts, beef jerky, bits of cheese, carrots, I don't know but not fruit. And not refined sugar. If it was easy or convenient no one would be unhappy with their body composition.