Originally posted by: Alone
At this time, I'm trying to lose a little bit of fat (maybe 10lbs) and gain muscle mass.
In general, unless you're a total beginner with lots of extra fat, you'll need to focus one or the other. It sounds like in later replies you want to add muscle, so here's a simple plan for achieving that:
1. Calories in > Calories out. This is the only formula that really matters for weight gain/loss. Eat more than you burn, and you'll gain weight. Don't overdo it, or you'll add lots of fat. Try not to gain more than 1 pound a week, or again, it's likely to include more fat than you'd want. A daily caloric surplus of 200-500 calories is a reasonable goal, but the best bet is to monitor your weight (and your measurements) on a weekly basis and adjust as necessary. Use
thedailyplate.com or
fitday.com to track your diet & exercise, otherwise, you would just be estimating which the vast majority of people suck at.
2. Eat enough protein. Your body needs a good amount of protein to build muscle, so aim for around 1g of protein per pound of bodyweight. Again, thedailyplate.com and fitday.com can help you track this.
3. Lift heavy. Focus on compound movements (squat, deadlift, bench press, OH press, power clean, pull-ups, dips) with free weights, 3 times a week on non-consecutive days, 3-4 exercises a day that work the entire body (push, pull, legs) with around 3-5 sets of 5 reps per exercise. Do not come up with your own routine, as that is a sure way to failure. The routine in
Starting Strength or
Stronglifts 5x5 are excellent choices.
Originally posted by: Alone
I'm currently satisfied with my legs and back, but feel most of my upper body could use some work.
The biggest muscles in your body, by far, are in your legs and back. If you neglect them in your workout you are going to seriously slow your own gains. Do NOT end up as another dude in the gym that has chicken legs and does bicep curls all day and wonders why he gets no results. Your upper body will get FAR bigger if you do squats & deadlifts as part of your routine than if you ignore them.
Originally posted by: Alone
I was looking into creatine and it seems to yield some interesting results. But what about taking fat cutters and glutamine? Would using them together make any sense, or would some just cancel others out?
If you are a beginner, you really don't need any supplements. A healthy diet & lifting heavy will produce awesome gains for a while without the need for anything extra.
Even as an intermediate, you don't
need any supplements, but you can simplify your diet by adding whey protein, fish oil and a multi-vitamin. Creatine I doubt you need, but if you do your reading, understand its purpose and use it properly, it may be beneficial. You definitely don't need any fat cutter glutamine, or anything else.
