MMA News Forums » Sports & Training » Nutrition, Supplements, and Training for MMA

[thebwit]

Ok here's the deal. I want to start training MMA, but I have to wait for a bit till my daughter gets a little older as I am the stay at home parent. So with that in mind, here's what's happening.

I recently moved and went on vacation. Between the two I put on some decent weight. I am at roughly 180lbs now. This is large for me. One of the heaviest I have been since I have been with my wife which is 8 years now. Last year in August and September I was running quiet a bit - almost 10 miles a day at my peak. I got my weight down to 165, but I know I could do more with it.

So now I am trying to get back into running, but I am having a hard time with it. I can't go to a gym, but I do have a treadmill for when I can't run outside. The goal is to be running regularly again by August 18th or so when tickets to UFC 90 go on sale. I need to be running at least twice a day, 4 days a week or else my wife won't let me buy tickets by that time.

Additionally I got an extra kicker - if I get myself down below 160 (been about 5 years since I was that weight) or can show a 6 pack of abs she promised me something extra. More than likely that extra is a trip to Vegas.

So here's where I need help. Keeping motivated is hard until it becomes a habit. When I was running in September last year, it was very easy, I just did it. Now it is a little more difficult. Also since I have to stay at home, I can't really lift weights. I have a dumbbell set that can get to 40lbs total (20lbs per dumbbell) so I need other exercises that will help me put on muscle to help get me down in the weight as well. So that would be helpful if there is anything that you all recomend. Diet is easy - I know what I am supposed to eat, and what I am not supposed to eat. And I can make the right choice there. I always give myself a little treat (200 calories) of something I want to eat per day. Oh and no supplements. I don't care what anyone says, I won't take them. I've tried them and they fuck up my system royally.

So to recap - I need help staying motivated - any tips on that would be great. I also need help with exercises I can do at home to help put on muscle. I can't buy a weight set right now as the wife won't let me, but 8 weeks in I might be able to. So for now lets just go with what I got. Oh and my frame is a lot like Penn's frame and that's the goal is to get to a similar physique as him.

Thanks for the help with this.

[Ifightforaliving]

Originally Posted by thebwit

Ok here's the deal. I want to start training MMA, but I have to wait for a bit till my daughter gets a little older as I am the stay at home parent. So with that in mind, here's what's happening.

I recently moved and went on vacation. Between the two I put on some decent weight. I am at roughly 180lbs now. This is large for me. One of the heaviest I have been since I have been with my wife which is 8 years now. Last year in August and September I was running quiet a bit - almost 10 miles a day at my peak. I got my weight down to 165, but I know I could do more with it.

So now I am trying to get back into running, but I am having a hard time with it. I can't go to a gym, but I do have a treadmill for when I can't run outside. The goal is to be running regularly again by August 18th or so when tickets to UFC 90 go on sale. I need to be running at least twice a day, 4 days a week or else my wife won't let me buy tickets by that time.

Additionally I got an extra kicker - if I get myself down below 160 (been about 5 years since I was that weight) or can show a 6 pack of abs she promised me something extra. More than likely that extra is a trip to Vegas.

So here's where I need help. Keeping motivated is hard until it becomes a habit. When I was running in September last year, it was very easy, I just did it. Now it is a little more difficult. Also since I have to stay at home, I can't really lift weights. I have a dumbbell set that can get to 40lbs total (20lbs per dumbbell) so I need other exercises that will help me put on muscle to help get me down in the weight as well. So that would be helpful if there is anything that you all recomend. Diet is easy - I know what I am supposed to eat, and what I am not supposed to eat. And I can make the right choice there. I always give myself a little treat (200 calories) of something I want to eat per day. Oh and no supplements. I don't care what anyone says, I won't take them. I've tried them and they fuck up my system royally.

So to recap - I need help staying motivated - any tips on that would be great. I also need help with exercises I can do at home to help put on muscle. I can't buy a weight set right now as the wife won't let me, but 8 weeks in I might be able to. So for now lets just go with what I got. Oh and my frame is a lot like Penn's frame and that's the goal is to get to a similar physique as him.

Thanks for the help with this.

Ok man I see a problem here. If you get below 160. Well if you are gonna pack on muscle it ways more than fat. So lets say your waaist is 2 inches les than it was last time you weighed 160,but your arms,chest,legs,and everything are 2 inches bigger. Realistically you will weigh 5-10 lb.s more. so I wouldn't go by weight. I would measure my arms,legs,midsection,chest and go by inches. Also find someone to measure your body fat. And I would go by inches lost and body fat percentage. I don't like BMI because it is totally fucked.

Now for motivation. What motivates me is I keep a picture of Arnold up when he was a fucking beast. I also rid my home of bad foods. It will be harder if your wife tries to eat the same ,but you are trying to eat healthy. The temptation is too much.

Food intake is key here. You should keep a journal of what and how many calories you eat each day. i have found to drop weight stop eating after 6-7 pm. Don't eat at least 5-6 hours before bed. Cut out soda completely especially diet it does not work or help. NO SUGAR. No ketchup,no mayo. Nothing with High fructose corn syrup.

Cut carbs down and do not eat any within 4 hrs before sleep. Drink a metric shit ton of water. Your pee should be clear. I drink 2-3 gallons a day. No canned food. Raw veggies are best as well as fruit. No juices from stores. They have a shit load of carbs and sugar. get a juicer and use fresh fruit.

Lean meats. Bison,Emu,Turkey,Chicken. No skin. Ground turkey is cheaper than beef and less fattening and less grease. Substitute turkey for beef in everything.Grill or bake that shit. No salt. Use Mrs. Dash for seasoning. Water is going to be your friend here. Drink 2 full glasses 10 minutes before you eat. And eat slowly. You will fill up faster.

Good carbs are essential. Whole wheat pasta and bread. Also try to cut carbs wayy down 5 days a week and carb up 2 days. The days with low carbs will burn fat. And the 2 days you carb up will help build the muscle.

Incline the fuck out of that treadmill. You will burn twice the calories. Alsothe more muscle the more weight the better your body will become a fat burning machine.

Here is a trick that will help also. It will be hard to do, but works great. Organic Apple Cider vinegar. Two tablespoons before each meal. It supresses appetite and keeps you regular. Also has 100 great benefits look it up. Also increases metabolism. Hence you shit more. I have to warn you it iss fucking terrible. I mix mine with homemade apple juice. Still tastes like shit.

Thats about the best advice I can give man. if I forgot anything I will add to this later.


For motivation. Keep a picture of Vegas and a list of all the bad ass fights you will see if you succeed.

The abs are hard. You can do all the crunches in the world,but if your diet isn't right then you won't see them.

Good Luck.

Ask Clint about exercises to do at home he is a fucking master of that shit.

[thebwit]

Thanks for all the info. Some clarification on my part. I don't need to get to 160 before tickets go on sale for UFC 90. I just need to get my ass on that treadmill or outside. The bonus comes October 25th if I am down below the weight or have a six pack. My goal is to get back up to the 10 miles a day running, but for now I am starting out with 2-2.25 per run with a min of 1.5 miles before I can walk any.

As far as diet is concerned thanks for the helpful advice. I try very hard to eat the protein that you mentioned, salads, and fruit for snacks. But sometimes I just need a bowl of Cherrios for breakfast. Also I unfortunately grew up eating McDonalds and ended up working there for about 5 years so that is a serious crutch of mine, but I can resist that. I drink only water and iced tea now. I will drink some of my wife's "Naked Juice" that she brings home from work which other than the massive carbs (from the fruit) I can't find anything wrong with it.

And not to be an ass here, but you said:

Ok man I see a problem here. If you get below 160. Well if you are gonna pack on muscle it ways more than fat.

This is a common misconception amongst everyone. Muscle does not weigh more than fat as 1 pound of muscle = 1 pound of fat = 1 pound of feathers. But I know you were talking equal masses of fat and muscle in which muscle then does weigh more than fat. Just a little lesson for those that didn't know

Oh and as far as the weight goal is concerned, I know I can get there since I have been there before multiple times. Also when I was working out with a trainer 2 years ago we did some test that measured how much of my weight was fat and well it was about 30lbs (I was 170 at the time). Which means in theory, since I am male, and only need about 2% body fat, I could get down to 145 without putting on any more muscle - not something I intend to do.

Oh yeah and as far as putting on muscle is concerned, I can't look like Sherk. I don't want that look at all. So while I don't mind putting on some muscle, I would prefer to just tone up a lot more with the exception being my shoulders and triceps which could use a little more mass to them but not much.

Thanks again for all the info.

[Esox Express]

create an account at Anabolicminds.com, and you will learn everything you will ever need to learn about losing weight, building muscle, supplements....everything that has to do with nutrition and training. There is just a TON of good info on there, i spend hours scouring through the pages there.

And I noticed you have sworn off supplements. What supplements did you take, and what were your negative reactions? (if you don't mind me asking)

[thebwit]

Originally Posted by Esox Express

create an account at Anabolicminds.com, and you will learn everything you will ever need to learn about losing weight, building muscle, supplements....everything that has to do with nutrition and training. There is just a TON of good info on there, i spend hours scouring through the pages there.

And I noticed you have sworn off supplements. What supplements did you take, and what were your negative reactions? (if you don't mind me asking)

Ok not all supplements as Whey protein is worth taking and hasn't fucked me up at all. But I took Creatine and that gave me headaches (yes I was drinking plenty of water), taken 3 different weight loss supplements all of which made me jittery as fuck and not get good sleep, I have taken 2 different "multi vitamins" for putting on muscle (sold through Balleys) and both of those gave me crashes if I didn't take them on time. So yeah, my body says no to stuff that shouldn't be in there