How to get great results from working out?

[-ALPHA-]

I've been working out for 2 years with weights and cardio (running, jumping rope) regularly.. my first year was great, had some good results.. but over this last year my results were pretty bad.. I don't have a good diet, I've been missing my runs, little sleep, I've put on some pounds of fat... so I need advice from someone experienced, what are the most important things for getting my muscles stronger and bigger + losing a little weight.. thanks :-)

[lucky24]

It is very important to have proper nutrition to gain mass and lose fat

Sleep is an important aspect of it as well

other thing is switching your workouts around since if you do the same thing you will plateau and your results won't be too great

for losing fat quickly you should also start doing HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training)

Most people hate doing HIIT but if you can keep going at it you will be in the best shape of your life

[-ALPHA-]

What do you mean by switching my workout around? Do I change the order of the excercises I do for each muscle group or..? HIIT - you mean like sprinting, or jumping rope at a high intensity for a longer period of time, something like that? And one more thing, I never took any kind of shakes or protein bars, and I probably won't.. so can I still get results without that stuff? What diet do you suggest?

[lucky24]

if you are getting enough proteins you don't need shakes (according to the article I have read most shakes only make a diff by about 5-7% more gains)

everyone has a diff opinion on this some people say 1g for every pound of your goal weight ex, you are 250 and your goal is 200 you want to take 200g of protein

i go by the .75g per pound rule

switch up workout as in do either a different variation of the same exercise or a different exercise that targets the same muscle

so if you were doing regular

[lucky24]

lunges change it to reverse lunges

HIIT for sprinting is great

do 8 sec sprint take 8 sec break for 12 reps

8 sec to do as many pushups as you can then 8 sec break

play around with it and find diff exercises it can be useful on (either trial and error or check online)

i forgot to mention this earlier

but do compound exercises (things that target multiple areas) too since they help you get bigger

doing things like

bench, pullups, pushups, squats, deadlifts

[-ALPHA-]

ok, thanks!

[lucky24]

forgot to mention this but also when you take those protiens make sure they are split up through the day

dont eat 70g in one meal and say I got my daily amount

i eat about 5-6 meals a day (1 being the protein drink) and I spread it out thoughtout the day

ex

morning peanut butter sandwich with half a liter of milk = 30g of protein

3 hours later ill have a salad with beans 30g of protein

ill workout and after that ill have a protein shake with fruits = 30g of protein

dinner 20g

late night yogurt 14g

[snowboarder720]

it's the process of growing up. I used to be into working out myself in my late teens. Now, College and Work makes me not only broke so I can't afford a gym membership, but they take up my entire schedule of weekdays. 6:15am-11:00pm. That means NO working out.

... unless you count hustling back and forth on campus

[coolllama]

I'd say to cut fat before building muscle, and clean up you diet. Make sure you're getting enough sleep to go with your workouts. Lift heavy with few reps, and change up the types of exercises you do every few weeks to keep your body guessing. Focus on compound movements first for overall muscle then worry about isolation moves for the detail.