Is it a bad idea to try to gain muscle on very low carbs?

Can you just get your caloric excess with a ton of meat and milk and be fine?

Have you looked into this place at all?
http://www.crossfitathens.com

devil's advocate to the "get rid of trainers" theories, plus other ramblings:

I haven't worked out in a long time, thus in the short term so long as I am *working* all muscle groups I will benefit immensely. To my knowledge, a trainer is better than myself + 2p2 resources by far IN THE SHORT TERM because the trainer has me on schedule and constantly building and improving, and I dont get off days. By myself I miss days and get lazy. By the time I am done with personal training and leave for elsewhere I should be more than knowledgeable enough to just go into a gym and know exactly what I want. Right now, I know zero.

But let me be straight: It seems very clear to me that with regard to my body, there is no be-all end all absolute answer since physical training is a pretty inexact science. Every body is different. So coming in as somebody that doesn't know anything, it becomes very fistrating when I have numerous different very valuable resources coming to different conclusions.

So with regard to my trainers, I've decided whatever problems I *do* have with them I'm going to have them fixed with these trainers. It's my investment, and I'm going to do the best I can with it. Right now the exercises he has me doing may not be great, but those can be tweaked by my suggestion since I am paying them lots of money. That's what I have you guys to ask for.

Example: You guys are just saying he's horrible and are not providing detailed explanations. The only thing suggested was no machines/compound lifting by djk, and while I think I *should* get around to that eventually the fact of the matter is I haven't been physically active or fit in years and I think it would be kinda foolish to start out benching when I cant even perform half the exercises properly. That said, I agree I should get around to it eventually.

It seems like from my perspective (as someone who comes in knowing nothing and wanting to know everything) that the advice I'm being given from almost everyone has been different in some shape or form. This includes the "no carbs" bit. Some people are saying carbs are bad, some are saying carbs are more than fine, some are saying that I should only have a little. I'm leaning on the latter of the three but with no "real and true" answer it leaves me disenchanted with those who are providing their logic in absolutes. "this guy is stupid and wrong", etc etc

Anyways those are just my feelings on the situation, bit of a mindf*ck rant I know. Tonight I saw the Bond movie (i liked it, roomies hated it), but before that I made a lot of

TURKEY BURGERS





In the second pic u can see my brilliant triumverate of turkey burger making (I made 3 to eat later). Microwave for defrosting, george foreman grill for cooking, and tupperware for storing. 3 minutes defrosting, 5 minutes cooking, and good to go!

Plans for tomorrow:

1) Go to grocery store and buy bread and pita slices

2) Workout and get a protein shake instead of a fruit smoothie afterwards

3) REMEMBER MY IPOD BUDS. Had to jog 20 minutes watching Kornheiser talk on mute.

Clayton, anyone who sees the exercises you are doing can see that your trainer sucks (no offense, I bet he's nice and all).

This forum has a plethra of information and you would be surprised that you don't need a trainer to teach you how to lift isolation exercises... any monkey can do that.

If you want to learn how to lift, learn to lift BIG exercises - deadlifts, squats, bench, cleans, rows, overhead presses, etc. Exercises that are forcing more muscles on your body to work more than crappy isolation exercises
For example: A pullup >> a bicep curl because the amount of muscles you are training is significantly more than with the bicep curl alone which only trains the duh bicep

And you are right, physical training isn't an exact science. It's honestly hyped up way too much as a "science". Get in the gym, lift heavy weights, read H&F, and all will be well

There is a lot of PT hating for sure, but with obvious good reason

CLAYTON COMON

Honestly, I think people were critiquing machines because it's so obvious how ****ty they really are.

YOU NEED TO STOP BEING LAZY AND GET YOURSELF DOING STARTING STRENGTH

Just do squats and deadlift honestly, I wouldn't care less if you just had those, AT LEAST THOSE.

You don't need some fat isolation mongering personal trainer jerking you off with the hip abductor, whilst "piling" on the weight. Get on starting strength, progress as your strength goes up (it will go up faster then my dick did when I first saw Amanda on Entourage).

I MEAN SERIOUSLY, F PERSONAL TRAINERS, THEY ARE F BASTARDS.

My main argument against the "YOU NEED TO START LIFTING WEIGHTS AND IMPROVE YOUR STRENGTH NOW" is that I feel like the biggest thing I need to focus on first is losing bodyfat and second increasing musclemass. Forgive me for putting losing weight first as I don't want to end up a 200 pound beefcake. I'm more looking for a slimmer, cut bodytype at which point I'll look for serious strength training then.

How about this: Tomorrow, I will ask my trainer when I'm suppose to start doing squats and deadlifts (and benching, dunno that if that qualifies as a deadlift)

Then I will report back.

See, this is what I'm talking about. For the first time I feel like I can objectively make an argument as to why someone is wrong, so here goes...

I cant do pullups!

I could probably do like, 3, before I pass out. Sure a pullup is better, but I can't physically do pullups yet!!!

I need baby steps.

You can do decline pullups, jump up and get your chin above the bar, then decline slowly down.

CLAYTON:

If you try to lose fat now, there will be nothing there. You need a solid base of muscle to cut. . .

You will NOT get to be a 200 pound "beefcake", this is ridiculous. If you do starting strength + continue eating low carb, you will look lean and strong. If you want to cut some bodyfat first, sure, but that's the wrong way. You'll just be skinny fat, you won't be cut. Plain and simple, compound exercises do not automatically turn you into a fat slob doing curls. It targets your entire body, MACHINES ISOLATE.

You want noticeable abs right? You want a "lean cut look", then do this. You need to gain muscle all over, you can't spot reduce your abs or isolate your legs to look "toned". Do compound exercises (especially squats and deadlifts). Ugh.

If I had snacks I'd log them, here's another day for reference. Today that is:

Breakfast (Pre-Workout)

Bacon (90 cal)
Scrambled Eggs with Butter (170 cal)
Protein Powder (120 cal)
Banana (105 cal)

Lunch (Post-Workout)

Boar's Head Buffalo Chicken on Rye with Tomatoes and Mustard (260 cal)
Protein Powder (120 cal)
Reese's Peanut Butter Cup (110 cal)

Dinner

Homemade Beef Stew (551 cal)

Late Snack

Eskimo Pie (170 cal)

But at any rate, the workout you described is an abomination. It sounds like one of the exercises might've been dumbbell rows which might be okay, but everything else isn't what you need. Starting Strength is a good book to own.

CLAYTON WHERE DO YOU LIVE? I'M GONNA FIND YOU A CROSSFIT TO GO TO INSTEAD K?

The point is that if you are going to expend time and effort in the gym at all, you might as well expend them efficiently, by doing the most useful exercises you can.

Also the strength training in itself will definitely complement your desire to slim down, as your body burns calories both to form and to sustain muscle.

It's true that if you went for hardcore bulking that would not be the shortest path to lower bodyfat, but it sounds like with your current situation you can lose fat and gain muscle simultaneously with no difficulty.

ok dexty i see ur point, i have never heard of decline pullups, just had to make a point that every person's situation is different and it was a little frustrating to hear pullups (something i cant physically do yet) as something in place of biceps curls

ericW,

micturation, ok i see ur point aswell

scary_tiger, where do u get ur protein powder?

all: i will immediately ask about compound exercises tomorrow. thx for the friendly berating.

Noone in H & F posts anymore, we've all gone berating.

LISTEN HERE BUCKO,

I don't troll. I'm just expressing the face that I normally express when people who haven't worked out before think that they can easily become a 200lb beefcake.