wmr1980

Hot weather = sticky tyres = lots of smiles round the corners! Imagine what bikers must feel like in leathers, that's why we're always going fast... To keep cool!

It's going to be 30C in London this weekend! However, I'll be I Dublin so it'll probably rain!

Here is a post I made up for some friends in the past, hopefully this will help some of you The key to "diet" is not to regard it as a diet but as a way to live life. I've grown distant from all the @*!# food that exists in the world - refined, processed foods. Don't get me wrong I still enjoy the odd cake, and biscuits etc... however these are the exception to the rule. Golden rule number 1 is to keep away from heavily refined/processed foods. Basically anything that exists naturally and requires no human intervention (other than butchering or picking) is ideal. Now, of course that precludes things like pasta and rice - which I'm not hugely against - so I'm not THAT strict, however, I do keep those to a minimum. Carbs aren't the enemy - but the key is to get your insulin sensitivity to be enhanced - i.e. when you do eat carbs your body processes it more efficiently. Golden rule number 2 - don't follow a fad diet. I don't think things like Atkins, or low carb or high fat or whatever is the answer. The answer, is to follow a lifestyle that you can follow and integrate into your life. Making a conscious effort to eat the "healthier" option. Also not buying treats for the home makes them less accessible. Golden rule number 3 - fats aren't the enemy. I know - it seems completely opposite to what gets bandied around - but they are actually critical to energy, and helping your body use fat as an energy source rather than relying solely on glycogen stores (carb based energy). To turn your body into a fat burning machine, you need to fuel it with the right fats. That's not to say you should eat lumps of butter every day, however, eating say, a tub of ice cream, vs a tub of avocado, let us say the calorie content is the same, the avocado will promote fat loss whereas the ice cream will just cause a massive insulin spike that will promote fat storage. That's what I was talking about insulin sensitivity - if you keep hammering your pancreas it becomes less effective - so keeping it more stable is a far better way of treating your pancreas. Onto diet - how much to eat... This isn't a straight forward question, and a number of things all make up the determining factor of what makes up the answer to that question - Age - Sex - Body type, lean mass vs mass - Hormones - How active are you? - Macronutrient intake Things that are out of your control like age and sex can play a big part, as males typically burn more calories just being alive than females, and older people burn less than younger people. But other things make it up too, and these you can control. Your lean mass, having more muscle mass on your frame will cause your body to burn more calories even when you're doing nothing. Your hormone levels (some of this you can't control, but diet and exercise play a part in regulating hormone levels) and your activity level. There are many online calculators that you can use, but avoid these as a lot are hardcoded with values that don't relate to your particular circumstances. And will probably over estimate what you need. Some of the calculations you can use are as follows: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harris-Benedict_equation Probably the most commonly used method, but it is also notoriously inaccurate, I'd avoid using this unless you are totally unaware of your bodyfat and lean weight. If you do know these, use the next one For MEN: BMR = 66 + [13.7 x weight (kg)] + [5 x height (cm)] - [6.76 x age (years)] For WOMEN: BMR = 655 + [9.6 x weight (kg)] + [1.8 x height (cm)] - [4.7 x age (years)] Katch-McArdle This is far more accurate as it uses your own bodyfat and lean bodymass measurements to calculate the intake - to get those measured you need to speak to a health advisor/doctor - do not use those digital scales they're rubbish and inaccurate. Base Metabolic Rate (BMR) = 370 + (21.6 x LBM) Where Lean Bodymass = [total weight (kg) x (100 - bodyfat %)]/100 So using one of the above will give you your BMR, this is what you use just by being alive and your body running so to speak, but now you need to factor in your activity level. Which we will then use as a multiplier against your BMR. To calculate this multiplier we must determine the following: 1.2 = Sedentary (Little or no exercise and desk job) 1.3-1.4 = Lightly Active (Little daily activity & light exercise 1-3 days a week) 1.5-1.6 = Moderately Active (Moderately active daily life & Moderate exercise 3-5 days a week) 1.7-1.8 = Very Active (Physically demanding lifestyle & Hard exercise or sports 6-7 days a week) 1.9-2.0 = Extremely Active (Hard daily exercise or sports and physical job) Match yourself against one of the above and multiply your BMR by that number. Remember, be honest with yourself. If you have an office job but work out 3-4 times a week, that doesn't necessarily mean you're Moderately Active. You might be bordering between the two, but remember, if you're dishonest on this part, you're going to be eating more than you need to be which will ruin your progress to your goals The key thing to remember with whatever number is eventually calculated, is these are estimates, they might use some science and individual measurements, but they are still estimates, and therefore shouldn't be treated as a concrete number. Be prepared to adjust and tweak this number. My advice to you is to give yourselves 2-3 weeks at this number, if you're gaining/losing too much weight, tweak it. However don't just chop off 1000 calories do it gradually, literally a couple of hundred calories a day). Anyway.... so you have a number, say 2800, now what? Well it depends on what you want to do. So if you're trying to lose weight, take 2800 and remove 10-15% from it, so 2520 or 2380. Again this should give you a healthy weight loss amount per week. However, these percentages can be increased or decreased as much as you like depending on how quickly or slowly you want to achieve your goals. But the optimal amount is 10-15% So breaking down the calories - I mentioned these in the golden rules above... Don't base these amounts on percentages, your body has no idea of what percentages it really wants or needs, so just make sure the end totals match the requirements for you. And as long as you do that, they'll work, it really is that simple Protein! My favourite! Aim for about 1g per lb of bodyweight. Ideally this should be per lb of lean body weight, but if you don't know this then it's not going to be a huge problem for doing total weight. However if you've used the Katch-McArdle method above you should know your LBM http://i.imgur.com/g00k2.png Some sources of protein. Carbs always get a bad rep, they're the first point of blame when people are dieting or putting on too much weight. But eating carbs, and the right carbs can be beneficial to your goals, both gaining and losing weight Carbs give you the energy to have intense workouts or do high amounts of exercise. As I mentioned before they're not the enemy but should be from good sources if you're going to have them (remember the refined discussion I said). Aim for wholegrain foods - and "organic" if you can, oats and other stuff low on the glycemic index (GI). The thing to remember with carbs is they are split into two categories at a basic level, Complex and Simple Carbohydrates. Complex carbs such as the ones I mentioned earlier are digested at a much slower rate, keeping you fuller for longer and giving a much more stable and steady flow of energy. Simple carbs, while deliver the same amount of energy per gram, are digested at a much faster pace and deliver an immediate boost in blood sugar and energy, but it wears off quickly. Meaning you feel hungrier sooner and your energy falls quicker. Hence why keeping away from sugar and refined carbs is important. If you consider yourself highly active, 3g per lb of lean bodyweight, moderate 2g and less active 1g. Again very approximate figures. As mentioned, these get a bad rep, people assume because of the name that fats make you fat. But only the wrong kinds (trans fats are the worst kind) Fats are crucial to regulating hormone levels, as well as aiding the body to actually burn fat. So these are a must in the diet. Saturated fats are important too, but again these are something that must be had in moderation The types of fats you need to know about are Saturated Fats, Monounsaturated Fats, Polyunsaturated Fats and Trans Fatty Acids. Sat fats: Usually found in food from animals (meat, butter, cream etc), they yield more energy than unsaturated fats however are linked to higher cholesterol levels and heart diseases. However, please don't shy away from Saturated fats, as a certain amount is important in your diet. For men, you should be eating no more than 30g per day of saturated fats, for woman, 20g Monounsaturated and Polyunsaturated Fats: Found in plants, oils, cereal grains and fish oils. These are the good fats and you should be making up most of your fat intake from these. They are good for a number of reasons, two of these being Omega 3 and Omega 6. The oils and cereal grains provide Omega-6. The body uses the Omega-6 fatty acids to make hormone like substances called eicosanoids. These provide a number of functions including muscle contraction/relaxation, blood vessel constriction/relaxation, immune response to injury and infection. They also help to lower LDL cholesterol, the bad kind. Omega-3 fatty acids from fish oils help with the brains cerebral cortex development and retinal development for vision. There are also a number of health benefits from Omega-3 fatty acids, including a healthier heart which is always a good thing and healthy joints. A number of studies also show Omega-3 fatty acids help with fat burning and minimising the effect of catabolism. Trans Fatty Acids: Most of the nasty nasty fatty acids are the result of industrial hydrogenation of polyunsaturated fats. These fats are bad because not only do they massively raise the bad cholesterol, LDL, they also reduce the HDL levels of cholesterol too, the good kind. Margarine is a source of trans fats, so be careful if you use margarine. Typically you want to aim for 0.45-0.8g per pound of total body weight, however if you are of a high bodyfat percentage, you want this to be per LEAN pound of bodyweight. And remember, make sure it's made up of mostly good fats and not bad fats. Now a lot of people will tell you that you should eat every 3 hours to keep your metabolism firing on all cylinders. This isn't proven to be completely true, but mainly because eating smaller meals this often will keep you from being hungry like you potentially would be on a diet consisting of just 3 bigger meals. It will help you from being tempted to pick at junk food and it will just keep you feeling fuller longer. Aim for 6 small meals a day, with a couple of them just being nothing more than snacks if you like (handful of nuts/mixed fruit or something). However, if it doesn't fit into your lifestyle, eating 3 square meals a day is fine - just be aware of the snacks you eat! Grazing style suits me, it might not suit you. There are a number of different dieting methods however that encourage you to break this tradition and I encourage you to look into them, but ultimately it is down to calories in vs calories out. If you miss a meal and are short on your macros, don't eat for the sake of it. Junk food will have some nutrients but also a lot of bad stuff too. Don't worry too much, remember, your macros average out across the week. If you're at work and eating is a problem, buy a bag of nuts/dried fruit, or make some snacks you can pick at the night before. And just eat when you can, but don't think that making up for not being able to eat quality food by eating junk is the same thing Breakfast - I can't stress enough just how crucial a good breakfast is for anyone, no matter what the goal is. Be it gaining mass, or training for a marathon. A good healthy breakfast will kick start your metabolism, give you the energy for the day ahead and just general give you a better start to the day in my opinion. It doesn't have to be much either, find something that fits with your macros and make it something you enjoy. If you are short on time, make a smoothie the night before and have it in the morning, but I think it's a pretty special circumstance when you don't have time to fuel your body for the day ahead Carbs before bed.... No not really, infact several studies have shown carbs in the evening can actually aid weight loss. But as with most things related to diets, it's unproven either way. You can have carbs after 6, just keep them sensible and keep them good. If they fit with your remaining macros, eat it and enjoy it What bout drinking? This is also an important part of the dieting process. Being dehydrated will leave you feeling lethargic and in no mood to do any form of exercise. I personally need or feel most comfortable when I'm drinking at least 4 litres of water a day, but I'm no nutritionist and everyone is different, so you can take or add to that as much as you want. Just make sure that when you're going to the toilet, you're weeing a nice straw colour every time. If you're doing that, you're hydrated and all is well Alcohol is the killer - that will undo all the hard work you do. Use an app like myfitnesspal to track calories - knowing how much you eat is critical to making changes/improvements. You need to benchmark. Onto me. I eat around 2,500 - 2,700 calories a day depending on if I hit the gym or not - when I hit the gym and because I do VERY intensive exercise, I need to bolster the calories to recover. Food is fuel but it also aids recovery and fixes your muscles that you actually tear when you exercise. You also grow/recover when you sleep. Also doing something like HIIT (high intensity interval training) which is literally a 10 minute blast can push your heart into the fat burning zone for longer and up to 24hrs after the exercise. I generally do skipping, and I skip like a mofo for 30s - then rest for 30s - then skip for 30s and rest. But it's not just an idle skip, it literally is going as fast as I can. I do this 10-12 times (i.e. 10 skips and 10 rests). The alternative is to do hill sprints. I measure out 30m, and then sprint up as fast as possible. Take 90s rest as you're walking back down, and sprint back up again. 10-12 times. It puts your heart in the lactate point - and just helps puts your body into a fat burning state. Look up HIIT online for some examples. The key, is that it must be 90%+ intensity - i.e. really go balls out. However these are done on "off" days or days when I cannot get to the gym. A typical day for me is like this. Breakfast: 2 eggs fried in coconut oil or poached Smoked haddock fillet Handful of blueberries Sometimes a small bowl of porridge (no sugar - but I use cinnamon) with blue berries. Snack: ~70g of mixed unroasted nuts apple Lunch: Spinach cucumber cherry tomatoes large chicken breast lardons pine nuts olive oil more fruits Before gym: banana coffee Post gym: if I'm having dinner later I have a protein shake Dinner: fish/chicken/lamb/pork/beef (though we have fish a lot) mixture of vegetables (the vegetables take up over 1/2 the plate) That's it - sometimes I add some cous cous, or wild rice with dinner depending on the dish and if it fits with it. That works out to anything between 2,500 to 2,700 calories. I sometimes go in excess of 3000 but only if I know I'm going to be doing some intense exercise or if I want to enjoy myself! However I do not eat manufactured bread, hardly drink any milk, I don't have sugar or treats, I do not eat white refined carbs. If I'm hungry and want to snack, I'll have an egg, or some nuts, or a protein shake (just because it's convenient). I don't eat any refined foods basically. IF I'm losing weight and I want to put some more on, I eat more. I also work VERY hard in the gym - and I need the calories to help recover. If you're not interested in the gym, you don't' have to go - but doing some exercise, even bodyweight stuff is good - you want to improve your core and boost your lean muscle mass. However to accelerate fat loss, doing exercise is important - as doing exercises boosts your metabolism - it fires it up. Remember when we were hunter gatherers, we'd eat, then spend days hunting and fasting eating berries, leaves and nuts until we found a wilder beast to eat - then hunt, and gorge ourselves (we didn't have fridges ). Some people follow a lifestyle called intermittent fasting - whereby you fast for 16hrs, then eat all your calories in an 8hr window. So go to bed , and then don't; eat until lunch time - which goes against the eat breakfast rule - but that would effectively be your breakfast - and you'd still have your 3 meals a day but in a shorter time period.

It doesn't have to dominate your life, unless of course you want to compete in bodybuilding. I'm more into strongman and powerlifting and functional strength rather than the vanity of it, though let's be honest, if we look better we're not going to complain. It's a balance of lifestyle. If you have a good lifestyle that works well it'll be easy to maintain. I do the food shopping and prepare lunches for my fiancée and I, and eat very well throughout the week, and allow myself a few treats over the weekend, but I'm not a big drinker either so I don't have that downfall. however, it's an easy lifestyle for us to live. Go to work, gym, eat, enjoy each others company, and still have nights out I take my health seriously, and train hard, (hence my 600kg totals) but, if I'm on holiday I enjoy my holiday, if I'm not at home I just embrace what's around me, I'm not obsessive about it. I actually enjoy being fit and lifting weights, others like to bet on the dogs and go for a pint, others play wow online all night. Soon I'll be spending my spare evenings tweaking a 350z when I finally get ones! Haha! Enjoy life, and do what's important to you, and if it's causing strain on things, maybe see how you can reestablish a balance to keep everyone happy. I'm not big, 92kg or so, young (32-33) but feel fit, strong, and generally happy, a lot of that is because I sleep, well am healthy and try not to obsess over things. Anyway this has got far too serious! Maybe we should do a zed meet and see how many zeds we can deadlift and squat!

That's the thing, regular dips, my shoulders don't like, but ring dips owing to the fact that the rings can move in 360 degree plane actually reduces the shoulder issues for me. For you though it may be different. incline bench make my shoulder ache a lot. Bloody rugby and feeling young and invincible!

Nice lifting. I'm envious of your squats though. I struggle with bench like you owing to shoulder issues through rugby I use Olympic Rings now for all my dips it's much more dynamic and requires more core strength and stabilising muscle activation. Have you ever tried? Rather humbling! Can't believe I've been doing sports or lifting weights now for nearly 15years! Only got into proper weight lifting in the last 8 yrs so not as far ahead as I could be. Still, got 600kg out of the big 3. Was hoping I'd breach that, but I'm struggling to get back to my old strength so I'm knocking about my 10-5 RM at the moment and quite happy at that. Lacking a training partner doesn't help for motivation. Still boringly health conscious though! ;D Maybe we should have a sports specific forum?

Congrats and all the best! I shall be in the same position in May next year - can't wait! Make sure you come back and tell us what it was like!

What about deadlifts? My favourite lift! Nothing more neanderthal than picking up something really heavy from the floor! As for pics I've posted and post in other sports forums and for those that are trying to get encouragement or show what is achievable.

It really is that simple. Good post Though I will say fats aren't the enemy. I'd rather eat good fats rather than carbs from refined and processed sources.

To be honest trib and zma don't boost test that much certainly if you are in you 20-30s. D Aspartic Acid (DAA) is a better supplement if you're after enhancing and maintaining natural hormone levels. Still, you are dealt the hand you are given, unless you ready to go exogenous (which is pointless to me ) the best you can do is improve your diet, train hard, that alone will help enhance and improve your hormonal profile, I'm not saying that supps don't help, but until you get everything else nailed in your lifestyle then you're peeing money away.

It's like a pack of nuts saying warning, contains nuts. Edit: dammit Mrs Buster beat me to it! Great minds clearly

I knew I got a good vibe from you! Yes it's been a while since my performance down the pitch was that good, I gave up rugby owing to too many injuries and just not having the time to keep doing it at a decent competitive level. 220 squats are impressive! 20 more than my max. I'm taller at just under 6'1 so you're undoubtedly a stocky bugger compared to me! You technically *can* gain muscle and reduce adipose tissue but it is very very tough, and you need constant tweaking and monitoring of your diet and hormonal responses etc... Unless you're a pro sportsman we don't have that luxury.. Personally I prefer being slightly leaner and training and eating enough to progress rather than have to go OTT then have to cut.

Well during my time playing rugby I was a 102kg outside centre but at about 18% BF and a 36" waist I no longer play, but am at 92kg at around 14% with a 33" waist. I don't really do the bulk/cut thing as I'm not really into bodybuilding but into strength training, have done a few amateur strongman comps (lots of people on gear there though!), and generally do Olympic lifting. Most of my lifts are around squats, deadlifts, power cleans, push press, Olympic ring work, bench press, and other explosive plyometric based exercises. Good luck with the cut! I did feel scrawny for a while when you're used to being over 100kg for so long, it took me a while to get used to being "small" again. However you'll feel better and look better, especially if you're able to maintain your strength.

I agree little point in gear unless you're going to take it up in a more full time approach. But the risks for me outweigh the benefit. I'm strong enough to rub shoulders with those that are "on" and I look like I lift - but that has come from years of playing rugby, and weight training. I have patience, and the thought of exogenous hormonal injections does not appeal! I make my own mega smoothies which offer plenty of nutrition and calories. Good handful of frozen berries / summer fruits (or fresh is even better) Banana Apple Cinnamon Probiotic yoghurt 1/2 a pot Good handful of unrolled oats (a nice large handful) Scoop of unflavoured protein Heaped Table spoon of crunchy peanut butter Gold top milk until you reach the right consistency Get it right and it's a delicious nutritious and calorific meal, around. 1000 cals and far nicer than just a shake, plus you get more fibre content too. I you want to load more calories, add some MCTs I normally use coconut oil.

The thing is, whey is just protein, it's not a magic potion or androgenic or even anabolic. It's just extra nutrition that is easily absorbed. The best way to take protein post workout though is with fast acting carbohydrates - this gives for a greater insulin release, leading to a greater amount of amino acids/glucose being transported into the muscle. Thus the point is MORE amino acids and glucose being available to the muscle to which helps for recovery. However if you're taking shakes to help boost your macros, that's what they're there for - if you're taking them because you think you're "gaining" on them other than extra calories, and potentially better recovery you're not. Taking naughtier supplements do have a more profound effects, but I'm rather anti them! Creatine is one of the best researched longest used supplements - it does offer benefits if taken properly, and "cycled". After all our body creates it, so it's not a vitamin. Here's a useful site with a summary/investigation on creatine: http://examine.com/supplements/Creatine/

http://www.theproteinworks.com/ is a fantastic company based from the previous directors/owners of MP. The flavours are good - but I usually go for unflavoured, what is good is the fact you can create your own shakes. I'm a minimal supplementer, as I focus on good nutrition through my diet - but I rather like TPW's marketing and business strategy, and reasonably priced as well as being pretty good quality. Happy to give you my referral code WR210 (if that's allowed - sorry mods if it isn't) which gives you 250g of protein for free on your first order. Nice to see there are some gym rats here

I haven't even bought a 350Z yet and I know I'm going to spending some time down in Surrey (I live less than an hour away from your workshop).... I think Mark and I are going to be good friends! Will

Hi, I was actually going to drop you a note - having seen some of your adverts on Autotrader - so will be in touch soon! Thank you.

Although I'm not yet an owner (I hope to be in a couple of months), one thing I've always done is a bit of performance tweaking. From what I've read, it seems plenum mod, intake, exhaust and ecu remap are worthy of looking at. From my few test drives, the handling doesn't seem to need much tweaking but perhaps a geo that suits your driving style may be sensible. I you're going to go faster you also want to consider the brakes, but from again a limited experience, the brakes seemed good in terms of feedback and power.

The next question is which year do I go for? A newer one or not! Definitely going for the GT however, I like my mod cons!

Cool - thank you. And thanks again for the warm welcome! You seem like a nice bunch!

Thanks for the welcome! I'm sure most of the questions I'm interested in have been posted (i.e. known issues (I've found this already), and tax brackets for different year cars)) so rather than ask a repeat question I shall do a lot of reading. However, if anyone wants to suggest posts to read, or a general FAQ before becoming a Z owner then I'm all ears (eyes!). FYI my budget is around 8k, which from what I've seen can get me a decent GT model (which is what I want). Thanks, Will

Hi all, I haven't quite got my 350Z yet - however, I'm planning on purchasing one around September time or earlier if i find one I like. I thought I'd sign up and have a look around, ask some (undoubtedly stupid) questions, and hopefully join you in the joy of Z ownership. I've test driven several, and I have my mind set on one - whilst in my 30+ years of life, it won't be the most powerful car I may end up owning, there is something about it's characteristics that really struck a chord with me, and as a GT/Sports Tourer it's a great balance of power/fun and involved driving. I'm looking at a 54-55 plate + the GT pack unless you can suggest otherwise - to me the GT pack offers all the mod cons I'm after. I'm afraid I am a tweaker (more in terms of under the hood rather than sticking on halfords special) so will undoubtedly ask for recommendations on exhaust/intake/plenum/ecu tweaking. No superchargers quite yet haha! Look forward to getting involved. All the best, Will