Before pictures.

[theatrain]

The past month I have been boosting my physical activity, and taking health more serious, but still not serious enough. I'm in weight training class and I have been dedicating myself to that class 100%, but I still think I can do 110% by constantly concentrating on my health and how I can make myself better. Right now I have been doing good @ eating good things, but still I have been snacking here and there on junk food and I need to completley cut that out.I've been stuck @ 169.5lbs the last 2 weeks and I want to start seeing some numbers change. My goal would be to be about 155lbs with very low body fat.
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Age: 17
Weight: 169.5lbs
Height: 5'8


I'm trying to cut fat, gain muscle, and become stronger over all.
Right now in weight training class I have been working hard,
but I just found out I have a torn rotator cuff and some things
are very painful so I have been taking it easy this last week.
The schedule the weight training teacher gave me is the same
the football/wrestling team uses, but I have edited it slightly
because I feel that the triceps and biceps were not targeted
enough. I do not have the exact routine with me, but I will get
a copy of it from school tommorow post it tommorow. Anyway
right now this is how I look. I'm not taking any supplements like
protein or creatine because i posted in another section on this site
and it was reccomended someone my age does not take these sort
of supplements because I would see no real difference or results
and I should wait before choosing to take them.
http://www.freewebs.com/fupe/b2.jpg


http://www.Freewebs.com/b1.jpg



Anyway. Tell me what you think, and maybe someone here would like to reccomend me some things, and point out some stuff you see needs to be worked on, and maybe reccomend a workout routine after i show you mine tommorow if you feel its not good enough. Thanks for any help. I really really want to start seeing results and I want to make my body look good so I feel better about my self and the way I look. Thanks!

[Insex]

Originally Posted by theatrain

I've been stuck @ 169.5lbs the last 2 weeks and I want to start seeing some numbers change.

You say that as if 2 weeks is an eternity. In reality 2 weeks is not enough time to see any real significant changes. The best advice I can give you is keep giving your best effort in your workout routine and dietary habits as you said you were, and let the time fly by.

Originally Posted by theatrain

I'm trying to cut fat, gain muscle, and become stronger over all.

Your goals are no different than those of all the other newbies who come in here looking for advice. And the way to accomplish those goals are still the same: eat smart, train hard, and rest well. You're young right now, so you'll continue to grow for the next 3 to 8 years no matter what you do. But if you establish good eating habits right now, you'll be way ahead of the game by the time you get to college. By then, all the guys will be asking you for advice.

It's not too tough to motivate someone to train hard. Guys get motivation to do that through movies, watching their favorite athletes on TV, looking through bodybuilding magazines, reading stories and training logs, ect. In fact, lot's of guys easily train too much. But how many guys you see get motivated to eat healthy? Hardly any at all. So keep your diet in check. Eat plenty of the following nutrients:

Complex Carbohydrates - Whole wheat, pasta (not too much cheese), brown rice, oatmeal, beans (not canned beans, has too many preservatives), vegetables (the greener the better).

Protein - Ground beef (not fast-food burger joints), chicken (not KFC), fish, beans, brown rice.

Polyunsaturated and Monounsaturated Fats (the healthy fats) - Fatty fish, fish oil, walnuts, corn oil, soybean oil, cottonseed oil.

Don't forget to get plenty of water too. A gallon a day.

Originally Posted by theatrain

Right now in weight training class I have been working hard, but I just found out I have a torn rotator cuff and some things
are very painful so I have been taking it easy this last week.

If you completely tore your rotator cuff, then you need to stop what you're doing and see a doctor immediately. A torn rotator cuff requires surgury. But if you just strained your rotator cuff, then you should still see a doctor and take it easy for a while. When you begin exercising again, keep your range of motion below the level of pain. Meaning, if it hurts then don't stretch that far, and use only partial range of motion. Make sure you rehabilitate both your shoulders with rotator cuff exercises. Ask your doctor of a list of rotator cuff exercises that you can do, and he or she will provide you with a list.

Originally Posted by theatrain

I'm not taking any supplements like
protein or creatine because i posted in another section on this site
and it was reccomended someone my age does not take these sort
of supplements because I would see no real difference or results
and I should wait before choosing to take them.

It's ok to take a why protein shake immediately after your workout. But creatine is a little more serious than protein shakes, so I don't think you need to mess with that for now. If you do decide to take creatine, make sure you get lot's of water. Otherwise you will get muscle cramps and pulls.

Finally, stand more upright. I hope you don't slouch like that all day long. That can be very bad for your back. Stand tall, look like a man, and try to look like you're proud of the skin that you're in.

[theatrain]

Thanks for everything. I'll be posting some AFTER pics as soon as I whip this body into shape, stay tuned
oh and no I didn't tear it, I just strained it. I've already seen a doctor.

[Presa_Canario]

Originally Posted by theatrain

The past month I have been boosting my physical activity, and taking health more serious, but still not serious enough. I'm in weight training class and I have been dedicating myself to that class 100%, but I still think I can do 110% by constantly concentrating on my health and how I can make myself better. Right now I have been doing good @ eating good things, but still I have been snacking here and there on junk food and I need to completley cut that out.I've been stuck @ 169.5lbs the last 2 weeks and I want to start seeing some numbers change. My goal would be to be about 155lbs with very low body fat.

I was going to say the same thing about posture Work on it, it really does help. At first you'll feel pretty awkward/unnatural forcing yourself into correct posture but after a little bit you should really feel better standing up straight.

Also, you seem a little overly self-conscious about your bodyfat level. You're not shredded at this point, but if that's your goal, then that's cool. But I doubt people are calling you fat. I would recommend some kind of martial art or boxing if you want to be at 155 and real cut up. Boxing if you aren't really concerned with actually learning a style and just want to use it as a way to get shredded. Get yourself a heavy bag and a jump roap and stick to power training with the weights, and you should be pretty set as far as your goals.

Protein shakes are a good idea post workout like Insex said. I personally believe creatine has helped me, but since you're looking to drop 15 pounds (which looks to me like the maximum you should drop), I'd stay away from it.

Best of luck and stick with it, man.

[pliny_2001]

I'll weigh in, too: congrats on working hard, and concentrating on your diet. Like Insex was saying, the real battle is the diet: if a person can get that under control, then the whole training part is just a tremendous bonus. Insex recommends some whey protein immediately after working out, while I'm a big fan of (skim) chocolate milk - either are ok. And keep concentrating on getting rid of all soda and fast food - they're really, really not good for you (or anyone).

As for posture/weight/workout: I'll just add that, like everyone else said, posture's very important. But - instead of just concentrating on keeping your shoulders up and back - I'd say that almost everyone (me too) when they start training, work out all the vanity muscles: Chest, biceps, ab crunches, etc. This kind of over-reliance will aggravate posture imbalances. I'm harping on this b/c you said you edited a training program to include more arm work. Unfortunately, extra work on bi/tri isn't worth it at all: you'll get much bigger arms from concentrating on your back (I know, it seems wierd, but it's true). So skip the enhanced arm work, double-down on rows, and your posture and arm size will undoubtedly become more to your liking.

And weight: your BMI's 25.8, which is kinda high, so some some weight loss is good. But I'd concentrate more on just having a good diet and exercising: you'll lose weight along the way as you muscle up (and - again - I don't think that people who are still growing should work on getting shredded. Growth requires energy. Make sure your body's got some in reserve).


Remember - building a physique (and good health) is a long journey.

Good luck - keep lifting.

[theatrain]

Thats pretty weird you say I should join boxing or some sort of a martial art, because my cousin has been sort of pracitcing in a few different martial arts. He has been taking boxing almost 2 years now, and there is a friend of the family who is training him in other various things I guess the guy used to do some sort of MMA when he was younger, and he starts BJJ classes soon. So whenever I'm over my cousin's house I'm motivated to learn boxing and all these other fighting styles and I have been looking into boxing this past week and i do have a punching bag. Its 100lb bag , I only use it about once a week

[Presa_Canario]

Originally Posted by theatrain

Thats pretty weird you say I should join boxing or some sort of a martial art, because my cousin has been sort of pracitcing in a few different martial arts. He has been taking boxing almost 2 years now, and there is a friend of the family who is training him in other various things I guess the guy used to do some sort of MMA when he was younger, and he starts BJJ classes soon. So whenever I'm over my cousin's house I'm motivated to learn boxing and all these other fighting styles and I have been looking into boxing this past week and i do have a punching bag. Its 100lb bag , I only use it about once a week

I would use the punching bag as a part of your cardio work if I was you. Doing some intervals with jumping rope or running and hitting the bag for a while should really help you cut up. I almost kill myself just shadow boxing sometimes

[Goose102]

Originally Posted by theatrain

I'm not taking any supplements like
protein or creatine because i posted in another section on this site
and it was reccomended someone my age does not take these sort
of supplements because I would see no real difference or results
and I should wait before choosing to take them.

I'm 15 years old. Going on 16 this December. I have been taking Whey since i turned 15. I have seen massive gains since then because i know when and how to take it. IMO you should take Whey after your workout along with other essential post workout nutrition.

About creatine, I have had some experience with it. All i noticed was increased strength while on it, but when i stopped taking it a little of my strength left with it. But i would do what Insex says and stay off it for a while. He's knows what he's talking about.

[stephenlavin]

ya ...i'd lay off the creatine buddy ...i know some people are for it but i was on it for a while and during this period i found myself extremely tired as a result
once i quit taking it my energy levbels zoomed back up and this was doing the same amount of training
like Insex said ..if you want to get big then the diet is important
Anyroad best o luck with it !

[UNCCDan86]

hey goose, when you were taking creatine how were you taking it? Were you cycling or were you just taking it consistantly?

[Goose102]

I took it prior workout.

[UNCCDan86]

so you were taking it consistantly then? did you get off it for a while then come back on it? bc i have friends that took it and they stoped getting stronger bc thier body got used to it but then stopped for a while and got back on it and then they started gaining again.

[pliny_2001]

Creatine itself doesn't make you stronger - it keeps a higher ratio of ATP available for energy. ATP is used in short bursts (30 seconds), so creatine makes sense for stength training, but it doesn't have much effect for endurance exercise. If people exercise consistantly, they'll get stronger with or w/o it.

When I used creatine, I'd use it for a month, 2-3 times a year. Some people take it practically continually, and seem fine, but there haven't been any studies that have shown that continuous use is healthy (Well, there was one that was funded by the supplement industy, but there weren't enough people in the sample to make any conclusions).

The reason that we're not recommending it for younger people is b/c there have been no studies on the effects that creatine supplementation on youths, so it just seems safer not to deal with it until you've stopped growing- let's call it 19-20 or so.

[Insex]

Originally Posted by pliny_2001

The reason that we're not recommending it for younger people is b/c there have been no studies on the effects that creatine supplementation on youths, so it just seems safer not to deal with it until you've stopped growing- let's call it 19-20 or so.

In addition to that good point, you're a beginner right now. You're not an advanced or elite athlete who has been training consistantly for 10+ years. Right now, you're just trying to:

- Create a base. A steppingstone for developing a chiseled physique. You've got to crawl before you can walk, right?

- Increase muscular development.

- Increase your body's ability to utilize and burn stored fat.

You just need to stick to the basics for now. Which are training smart & frequently, eating clean, and getting plenty of rest & recovery. Sleep is esspecially important for you because you are still young and growing. My body is already done growing at the age of 24. So sleeping in an extra hour or two and increasing my calcium and iron intake will not add anymore height to my 6'1" frame. But you're only 17, so you can end up being taller than me by the time you hit my age.

I believe creatine can help you later on in your endeavor once you have established a base for your physique. My nutrition professor has done extensive research on creatine, and believes that it is one few supplements out there that is backed up by sound, scientific evidence. Although, I prefer not to take creatine because I didn't think the results I got from it in the past were significantly big enough to keep spending $50+ on a small container every two months.

[Jeremy Minton]

I took creatine when I was 16, and I drank a lot, I mean a lot of water. It helped me get a six pack, larger chest, and bigger arms. Within a month there was a difference, I took a 2 week loading cycle where I did double the reccomendation, and then onto the reccomended. But, I wouldn't say my muscles were really muscle, they were watery... When you poked it, it was just jiggle... Anyways, good luck on training, seems you are heading in the right direction.