Gymrats - Sharing Tips/information

[Addadude]

Gentlemen, gentlemen, let's not get too heated here. I don't believe that BB is pimping steroids.

HRT is a perfectly valid medical treatment that has enhanced the lives of countless men over the age of 40.

It is a fact that testosterone levels in males decline from the age of 30, and this loss accelerates once you are past 40. This decline can lead to health issues that include depression, loss of libido, increased body fat, muscle atrophy, bone loss, lower energy levels and lower immune functions.

A healthy diet and well constructed exercise routine can slow down this decline but it won't reverse it. I have noticed this myself as my gains in the gym in my forties are nowhere near as rapid as when I was in my twenties.

HRT is NOT steroid abuse. It doesn't seek to enhance test levels to superhuman amounts. All HRT does is return testosterone levels back to what would be considered normal in a healthy 35 year old male or thereabouts. As administered by a qualified medical professional, side effects are a non-issue.

Granted, when you use anabolic steroids to boost your test levels far above normal so as to induce the kind of musculature you see on advanced bodybuilders, side effects and health issues are a reality. I don't think BB is disputing that. But funnily enough, these health issues have been pretty exaggerated by the media. There's plenty of perfectly legal stuff out there that will kill you far faster - from alcohol to aspirin. In fact, most of the bodybuilders from the 70s and 80s, including Arnold and KSL's hero Clarence Bass, used pretty large amounts and they are still very much around and in good health.

[BodyBlitz]

Thank you Adaddude, at least someone has a voice of reason and thought.

Anabolic steroids for performance enhancement vs Hormone replacement therapy is two different usage of the same kind of drugs.

However like you said idiots will be idiots, like any other thing they'll look for ways to kill themselves even if they're not looking. =)

[ksl]

Addadude no one is disputing the fact that it doesn't work, or is illegal in Singapore, it is in fact illegal in many Countries and can only be prescribed by a medical practioner.

Just because Singapore is so relaxed on it doesn't make it safe to use, overuse is quite unsafe and can cause quite a lot of harm, especially in gyms, it is quite a poor ethic to sell ones own skills in health & fitness encouraging HRT, in stead of recommending that one gets tested for a lack of it.

Naturally people that need to take it will have that choice, however it is not recommended without medical control by a GP. It is nothing to do with the fact BB is peddling it or not.

I am quite sure those that are well into fitness are aware of HRT and the results one can get, the fact one doesn't need it, maybe a great concern for many, hence it is foolish especially has a coach to encourage its use.

Like most drugs the majority get hooked, and it is very expensive to maintain any form of gains, I believe it's around 300 pound for 10 or 12 shots, but not sure.

Stallone got busted with it going into Australia Although the others you mention have been doing it for years, it doesn't work for all, for putting on muscle, but just balances their body of hormones, doesn't in any way change your genetics.

So if you are meant to be thin, fat or obese that's probably your destiny

There is a slight difference, than experimenting, with a fitness coach's ideology, because he thinks it's new, when in fact it isn't new at all.

The problem we are really discussing, is his method of trying to advertise in his threads, without being cool about it, and posting links he hasn't really any idea about, because he doesn't read them in depth.

In the end the mods can see right through his own negligence to take the board serious, because he is posting a lot of crap, he doesn'y fully understand, it is just like the preverbial salesman pitch, his knowledge is that of a salesman and not of a dedicated coach, who would go to lengths to post correct information of quality, that people will read and think hey, this guy knows what he is talking about.

The links suggest he doesn't know what he is talking about, because he hasn't read them himself. So it's not about HRT but about his sales pitch overall.

[BodyBlitz]

Naturally people that need to take it will have that choice, however it is not recommended without medical control by a GP. It is nothing to do with the fact BB is peddling it or not.

Its unfair to make this accusation, please retract it because i do not.
I was making a statement which you've blown out of proportion and accused me of things.

I don't expect you to agree with me, but i don't appreciate your accusation either.

[ksl]

Naturally people that need to take it will have that choice, however it is not recommended without medical control by a GP. It is nothing to do with the fact BB is peddling it or not.

Its unfair to make this accusation, please retract it because i do not.
I was making a statement which you've blown out of proportion and accused me of things.

I don't expect you to agree with me, but i don't appreciate your accusation either.

(It is nothing to do with the fact BB is peddling it or not.)

It isn't an accusation at all, because i have no idea, what you are doing which i have stated (It is nothing to do with the fact BB is peddling it or not.) it or not in my book means basically that isn't what i am discussing! So maybe you have misunderstood the discussion altogether.

HRT is like addadude points out, if it's required, it should be safe, but again if it's not required, then what?

[BodyBlitz]

Thank you for clearing the implication up.

[ksl]

Thank you for clearing the implication up.

I would actually recommend HRT for those that are in need, and I must admit to once considering using it, and did quite a bit of deep research on it, when i discovered lots of risks, if it wasn't really needed. The risks out weigh the benefits in most cases, although under medical supervision these risks are lowered quite a lot.

[Addadude]

KSL, HRT is NOT illegal here. It is a perfectly valid medical treatment. In fact it has been mentioned quite freqently in the newspaper we cannot name here when they have run articles on "Andropause' - which is the male equivalent of menopause.

In those articles they state quite clearly that if you suspect that you are suffering from low test levels, your GP can do a very simple blood test to determine if this is so. If this is indeed found to be the case, he can prescribe either a once weekly injection or a daily applied gel. The amount of testosterone administered will be absolutely minimal - just enough to get levels back to normal.

The type and quantity of anabolic substances that are used by hardcore bodybuilders will almost certainly NEVER be prescribed a doctor here so roidheads in Singapore rely on 'gym suppliers' - a very dangerous thing to do or even worse, order their gear over the internet.

Honestly, it's pretty clear to me that BB was trying to be helpful by suggesting HRT. I don't think he would be so foolish as to openly pimp steroids on this forum!

[Addadude]

Oops! It took me so long to post my reply that it's now irrelevant. Please ignore it!

[BodyBlitz]

No addadude, your contribution to this discussion has been helpful and insightful.

Do participate more.

[BodyBlitz]

Dammit I hate dieting!

It sucks seriously but theres no way around it. The hunger lingers and you're going crazy just about what to eat, when to eat and where to get your next meal.

Anyone who says that you don't need to cut calories isn't really helping you but selling you a product (or intelligently masking the truth about it). Truth is, though we might wish to not be hungry all the time and eat quite tastless food, we don't have much of a choice.

However i found quite a few nifty tricks to help anyone on their path to fitness and better body composition.

Let start with calorie counting...

The only way you can control exactly what you eat is that you prepare the food yourself or short list the food which you can buy out side that you can trust.

An artist has his tools, so must a dieter who wish to achieve what he/she wants.

Let start from the basic -



The measuring spoon is be all end all in spoon size. Don't bother to use normal spoons because they're not the same size and standard.

I carry 2 - 1 tablespoon & 1 teaspoon around with me all the time just in case i need to pour some stuff out to consume - cold storage $9.90. I have another set at home which i got from NTUC which is made of plastic and its fairly cheap however its binded together with a ring so you can't separate them.

This is to exactly measure what you consume in liquids - Fish oil or scoop protein powder etc.



The weighing scale is a must! Knowing how much your portion is, would determine how much you consume per meal.
I've got the old school spring loaded one, it sucks...

Zeroing the scale to fit a plate, then putting the portion of food on it to try to figure out how much is it then taking off the plate and having to re-zero it..for the love of god! @#!#@! it (sorry hunger monster is getting a better of me)
Seriously, dieting is a stressful period of time.. make your life easier with a digital weighing scale.

One press of the button and it'll auto zero for you and even when you take stuff out it'll measure for you the deficit weight.

I got mine too from NTUC (AMK Hub) for $29.90 - Camry.
My friend told me that you can get a classier one from Tangs for $50 and the same brand.



Tupperwares are a must.
I carry alot of tiny snacks like almonds along with me when i go out.
And without tupperwares, i'd have to use zip lock which are not as durable.

I got a set of 4 from Cold Storage at $3.90, its cheap and serves its purpose. The downside is that it doesn't store much.



Lock and Lock are great because they're airtight and better quality but more expensive but better investment as they're more durable and microwave friendly.

If you're carry lunch - say broccoli/chicken etc. Lock and lock tupperwares are great to use.
They come in various sizes for lunch boxes to nuts stashes which you dump in your bagpack.



The water bottle, need i explain more about drinking enough water?

I use it alot just to drown my hunger demons in me. If not i'll be spending $1.50 a day on a coke zero. Considering i get hungry a few times a day, i'm not prepared to spend that much just because...



www.fitday.com

Fit day, what 21st century technology has brought us.

These days, theres always an internet access around. WIFI@SG, Mobile broadband the office internet, etc.

We are all so well connected that we would practically crawl without the internet.

Fitday is a great way to have a online food log, it counts your daily calories and even micronutrients. With it, there is no reason to over eat or say you don't know how much you're eating.
Did i say the online version of it is FREE?

Even if you don't have the internet, there is always a offline version but it comes with a price tag. The down side is that it doesn't have all the calorie count for local cuisine however it has a customize function for the food - http://www.nutrition.com.sg/do/dolocal.asp use this as a guide.

So now you have the tools to sculpt your body to what you want it to be, i hope i made your day a little bit less stressful.

[sundaymorningstaple]

For once I almost agree with you 100%. However, it is possible without counting calories (course the doc as already done that for you). And it is possible to have food that tastes good and even has provisions for adding spices to you dishes, allows you to have a little salt if you must, and generally gives you a feeling of being satiated while on what is actually a VLCD without even knowing it. And it works beautifully. But then again, you have seen my chart so you already know it works.

[BodyBlitz]

well it depends on how far you wanna go and how fast you want to achieve it by.
If you stop eating crap and real food, you'll unknowingly cut calories because you'll reduce calories without knowing.

But if you're having plateaus, then you'd have to look into your diet and see what you've been doing wrong.

For me, i'm gunning for 10% BF as a fitness goal this year thats why i'm hungry all the time.

[Addadude]

Have you thought of trying the so-called "Dave Palumbo Diet"? High protein, high healthy fats, zero carbs - except for one 'cheat meal' a week?

[sundaymorningstaple]

For me, i'm gunning for 10% BF as a fitness goal this year thats why i'm hungry all the time.

We touched on this a while back but there wasn't any further discussion on it. So I'll broach it again now. What are you measuring your BF% with? Are you using Accumeasure calipers or electrical induction via a body composition type electronic scales like Tanita Inner-scan monitors? Course you could be using hydrostatic weighing but I kinda doubt it.

I weigh myself at the same time every morning upon waking before breakfast or drinking any fluids. That way, I don't have to worry about the 4 hour fast from liquid or 12 hours after exercising.

I use a Tanita Inner-scan and my body fat has maintained at between 9.8 and 11.5% ever since finishing my diet last June. Granted Tanita monitors may have up to an 5% error margin when compared to DEXA but using it as a gauge it dropped from around 28% January 07 to this mornings 11.1% it's still a fair gauge of where I've come from as there is less than a 1% deviation as I use it exactly the same time & circumstances daily at 6:30 in the morning.

Independent research at several major universities (including Columbia University in New York City) has confirmed that in clinical settings, the Tanita Body Fat Monitor is accurate within +/- 5 percentage of the institutional standard of body composition analysis--Dual Energy X-ray Absorptiometry (DEXA). It should be made clear that there is only one method of calculating body composition that is close to 100% accurate, and that is an autopsy. Tanita believes its method to be the most convenient and accessible to accurately predict body composition. The TBF Series results are repeatable to within +/- 1 percent variation when used under consistent conditions.