STAY/GET BACK IN SHAPE VOL 3.0 -- A New Niketalk = A New Thread

Wearing some aircast walking boot for now. My calf occasional still feel some flicking sensation. Not sure if it is something to be worried about on whether it would impede my recovery or just the normal healing process.
 
Hey guys. Hope this is the right thread for my question.

Started going back into the gym earlier in November (Ambitious for this time of the year). I'm traveling like crazy (in a different continent/country almost every other week), and haven't been eating the best or been very active. I was also suffering from severe depression the last few years, and this year has finally been the turning point I've been searching for. But It's been some time since I was regularly working out and conscious of my fitness goals. So, I started off slowly, with low weights and focused mostly on my form/muscle groups.

Wanted to now incorporate supplements to help aid and enhance my journey (Not looking for roids or drugs). I'm really looking to cut down my weight and get a little bit more cut. I have a decent size for my height, and wouldn't want to lose too much muscle (none at all would be ideal). What would you guys suggest a great Protein Powder, Creatine and possibly pre-workout would recommend? Also, anyone recommends fat burners?

I'm 5'10" and 220lbs. I'd like to eventually cut down all the way to 175lbs, but I'd be OK with setting something more realistic at around 195lbs. I was on a plant-based diet for over 6 months, and I truly did enjoy it. I'm not too into meats and dairy, and I hired a chef to help with my meals. But I think I want to start back into Keto, which I've done before and found excellent results from. I used to be an athlete (basketball & boxing) during my youth, so I know what I'm doing in the gym, I just need some direction with the supplements and what's best for me and my goals.

Also, is anyone aware of any fitness workout plans I can use online? Don't really want to hire a trainer, just need the workout plan. I can stick to the plan myself. The chef I've hired is absolutely incredible. It's really improved my quality of life. And I'd recommend everyone to make that investment, if they're capable of doing so.

Thank you in advance!
 
Last edited:
Hank Scorpio said:
Hey guys. Hope this is the right thread for my question.

Started going back into the gym earlier in November (Ambitious for this time of the year). I traveling like crazy (in a different continent/country almost every other week), and haven't been eating the best or been very active. I was also suffering from severe depression the last few years, and this year has finally been the turning point I've been searching for. But It's been some time since I was regularly working out and conscious of my fitness goals. So, I started off slowly, with low weights and focused mostly on my form/muscle groups.

Wanted to now incorporate supplements to help aid and enhance my journey (Not looking for roids or drugs). I'm really looking to cut down my weight and get a little bit more cut. I have a decent size for my height, and wouldn't want to lose too much muscle (none at all would be ideal). What would you a great Protein Powder, Creatine and possibly pre-workout you guys would recommend? Also, anyone rec fat burners?

I'm 5'10" and 220lbs. I'd like to eventually cut down all the way to 175lbs, but I'd be OK with setting something more realistic at around 195lbs. I was on a plant-based diet for over 6 months, and I truly did enjoy it. I'm not too into meats and dairy, and I hired a chef to help with my meals. But I think I want to start back into Keto, which I've done before and found excellent results from. I used to be an athlete (basketball & boxing) during my youth, so I know what I'm doing in the gym, I just need some direction with the supplements and what's best for me and my goals.

Also, is anyone aware of any fitness workout plans I can use online? Don't really want to hire a trainer, just need the workout plan. I can stick to the plan myself.

Thank you in advance!
Click to expand...

Hi, Keto would be nice and some intermittent fasting as well. I guess most crucial is cutting on the carb. I'm also targeting a goal of 180lbs realistically speaking since I've bulked up a couple of years ago unless I'll lose some muscle mass. but I would have love to even reach 165 hopefully if it were still that easy considering my current body frame. as far as supplements go there are quite a few, I know there were previous postings here but I personally take Alpha King Supreme.
 
Hank Scorpio said:
Hey guys. Hope this is the right thread for my question.

Started going back into the gym earlier in November (Ambitious for this time of the year). I'm traveling like crazy (in a different continent/country almost every other week), and haven't been eating the best or been very active. I was also suffering from severe depression the last few years, and this year has finally been the turning point I've been searching for. But It's been some time since I was regularly working out and conscious of my fitness goals. So, I started off slowly, with low weights and focused mostly on my form/muscle groups.

Wanted to now incorporate supplements to help aid and enhance my journey (Not looking for roids or drugs). I'm really looking to cut down my weight and get a little bit more cut. I have a decent size for my height, and wouldn't want to lose too much muscle (none at all would be ideal). What would you guys suggest a great Protein Powder, Creatine and possibly pre-workout would recommend? Also, anyone recommends fat burners?

I'm 5'10" and 220lbs. I'd like to eventually cut down all the way to 175lbs, but I'd be OK with setting something more realistic at around 195lbs. I was on a plant-based diet for over 6 months, and I truly did enjoy it. I'm not too into meats and dairy, and I hired a chef to help with my meals. But I think I want to start back into Keto, which I've done before and found excellent results from. I used to be an athlete (basketball & boxing) during my youth, so I know what I'm doing in the gym, I just need some direction with the supplements and what's best for me and my goals.

Also, is anyone aware of any fitness workout plans I can use online? Don't really want to hire a trainer, just need the workout plan. I can stick to the plan myself. The chef I've hired is absolutely incredible. It's really improved my quality of life. And I'd recommend everyone to make that investment, if they're capable of doing so.

Thank you in advance!
Click to expand...

i have a somewhat similar goal to you in that i'd like to get somewhere south of 200lbs (albeit kinda arbitrarily, aiming to be able to dunk consistently at 40 so the lighter the better!) at a similar height (hovering around 205-210 for a minute now) down from 240 earlier in the year. taking a decent creatine monohydrate daily (something like 5 grams, altho doing so can result in a modest bit of water retention in the muscle(s)) is a good idea as has proven benefits as one of the most studied supplements...as for protein powders, ideally you would want to structure your diet such that you can satisfy your protein needs from food (easier to do with animal based protein, but not impossible with plant based altho i haven't tried strictly plant based)...you should likely skip pre-workouts & fat burners altogether pre workouts because again you could achieve similar stimulus with food (beet juice/caffeine in the case of pre-workout & in the case of most fat burners---that are safe anyways--- you would want to look into natural appetite suppressants---because this is my understanding of how the safe fat burners actually work---, which caffeine is actually so 2 birds with one stone type of thing)

i tried keto and tho i did see results i stopped, after getting a bit more insight about how certain diets work; it basically worked in my case as an exclusion diet because i stopped eating certain foods and cleaned up my food intake timing (fasting & maintaining a more consistent eating window) and that excluding &/or limiting carb intake so strictly is inefficient for performance generally and while there are benefits to keto, the same/better outcomes can be achieved by just adjusting what one eats to getting the necessary nutrients & for the needs of the day

if your goal is just to lose weight without losing too much muscle you will prolly have to do some experimenting with your diet & workout routine to figure out if you need to be in a slight calorie deficit or surplus depending if you want to prioritize building muscle or losing weight. granted i have no real knowledge of exercise programming but i think it maybe would make sense to focus on easing into the full body compound lifts & free weights since you are just getting back in the gym rather than machines or specific body parts; you'll have to do some digging & comparing but there are so many sources of (good & bad, hence the digging & comparing!) information related to fitness that will at least give some direction related to your specific goals

good that you hopefully made it out the other side of depression to a better outcome and good luck with your fitness goals, just remember that it is a process!
 
tokes99 said:
i have a somewhat similar goal to you in that i'd like to get somewhere south of 200lbs (albeit kinda arbitrarily, aiming to be able to dunk consistently at 40 so the lighter the better!) at a similar height (hovering around 205-210 for a minute now) down from 240 earlier in the year. taking a decent creatine monohydrate daily (something like 5 grams, altho doing so can result in a modest bit of water retention in the muscle(s)) is a good idea as has proven benefits as one of the most studied supplements...as for protein powders, ideally you would want to structure your diet such that you can satisfy your protein needs from food (easier to do with animal based protein, but not impossible with plant based altho i haven't tried strictly plant based)...you should likely skip pre-workouts & fat burners altogether pre workouts because again you could achieve similar stimulus with food (beet juice/caffeine in the case of pre-workout & in the case of most fat burners---that are safe anyways--- you would want to look into natural appetite suppressants---because this is my understanding of how the safe fat burners actually work---, which caffeine is actually so 2 birds with one stone type of thing)

i tried keto and tho i did see results i stopped, after getting a bit more insight about how certain diets work; it basically worked in my case as an exclusion diet because i stopped eating certain foods and cleaned up my food intake timing (fasting & maintaining a more consistent eating window) and that excluding &/or limiting carb intake so strictly is inefficient for performance generally and while there are benefits to keto, the same/better outcomes can be achieved by just adjusting what one eats to getting the necessary nutrients & for the needs of the day

if your goal is just to lose weight without losing too much muscle you will prolly have to do some experimenting with your diet & workout routine to figure out if you need to be in a slight calorie deficit or surplus depending if you want to prioritize building muscle or losing weight. granted i have no real knowledge of exercise programming but i think it maybe would make sense to focus on easing into the full body compound lifts & free weights since you are just getting back in the gym rather than machines or specific body parts; you'll have to do some digging & comparing but there are so many sources of (good & bad, hence the digging & comparing!) information related to fitness that will at least give some direction related to your specific goals

good that you hopefully made it out the other side of depression to a better outcome and good luck with your fitness goals, just remember that it is a process!
Click to expand...
Sub 6’ and dunking at 40 is very tough, I play a lot and can’t say I know any guys doing that right now.

sub 6 and dunking, a lot of guys
40 and dunking, a few
Both, that’s tuff lol. Definitely doable. Good luck
 
206to813 said:
Sub 6’ and dunking at 40 is very tough, I play a lot and can’t say I know any guys doing that right now.

sub 6 and dunking, a lot of guys
40 and dunking, a few
Both, that’s tuff lol. Definitely doable. Good luck
Click to expand...


😂 who you telling! my knee knows this very acutely!! tho my ace is that i have freakishly long arms, 6'8" wingspan...right now i can still flush a volleyball on regulation hoop off 2. and if the moon, stars, & sun align, with the lob thrown just right i could maybe get a regular basketball were i properly gassed up
 
sneeker said:
Hi, Keto would be nice and some intermittent fasting as well. I guess most crucial is cutting on the carb. I'm also targeting a goal of 180lbs realistically speaking since I've bulked up a couple of years ago unless I'll lose some muscle mass. but I would have love to even reach 165 hopefully if it were still that easy considering my current body frame. as far as supplements go there are quite a few, I know there were previous postings here but I personally take Alpha King Supreme.
Click to expand...
forgot to add, if you are seriously wanted to loose some fat but maintain muscle, do a lot more cardio exercise. I lost some considerable mass when I was jogging and swimming a couple of years ago.
 
tokes99 said:
😂 who you telling! my knee knows this very acutely!! tho my ace is that i have freakishly long arms, 6'8" wingspan...right now i can still flush a volleyball on regulation hoop off 2. and if the moon, stars, & sun align, with the lob thrown just right i could maybe get a regular basketball were i properly gassed up
Click to expand...
so jealous of you guys. I got average arm length and shorter lower torso than my upper torso. so a lot of effort on my legs and knees which is understandable why I developed some knee and leg injuries most often. this is the reason why I wanted to retain my small frame back then. funny thing I was small compared to my bros and cousins back then, nowadays I just dwarf them in terms of built and height.
 
sneeker said:
forgot to add, if you are seriously wanted to loose some fat but maintain muscle, do a lot more cardio exercise. I lost some considerable mass when I was jogging and swimming a couple of years ago.
Click to expand...

my understanding is that cardio is an inefficient way lose weight/build muscle, especially over time...because muscle is expensive metabolically doing a bunch of cardio will penalize muscle generally; better to try to build muscle even at the cost of some slight weight gain, it will help in the long run with body composition!

sneeker said:
so jealous of you guys. I got average arm length and shorter lower torso than my upper torso. so a lot of effort on my legs and knees which is understandable why I developed some knee and leg injuries most often. this is the reason why I wanted to retain my small frame back then. funny thing I was small compared to my bros and cousins back then, nowadays I just dwarf them in terms of built and height.
Click to expand...

i don't know that your anthropometrics would necessarily predispose you to lower body injuries, rather maybe just the way you learned to move? might be worthwhile to examine your movement to see if you may need to improve certain things
 
tokes99 said:
my understanding is that cardio is an inefficient way lose weight/build muscle, especially over time...because muscle is expensive metabolically doing a bunch of cardio will penalize muscle generally; better to try to build muscle even at the cost of some slight weight gain, it will help in the long run with body composition!



i don't know that your anthropometrics would necessarily predispose you to lower body injuries, rather maybe just the way you learned to move? might be worthwhile to examine your movement to see if you may need to improve certain things
Click to expand...

my first statement was in regards to hank's question on losing weight. considering his situation, I believe he has enough muscle mass to warrant a reduction on fat/calorie burning and water reduction. I'm just sharing my experiences when I ballooned up and cardio took care of it before my injuries.


it does depend on movement and the way I play and my position/s on playing basketball. my lack of reach basically made me adapt and compensate on certain body parts to use more often since I couldn't make my arms any longer, so I had to jump higher. this is also the reason I don't believe in what crossfit is trying to achieve, becoming the perfect specimen.
 
sneeker said:
my first statement was in regards to hank's question on losing weight. considering his situation, I believe he has enough muscle mass to warrant a reduction on fat/calorie burning and water reduction. I'm just sharing my experiences when I ballooned up and cardio took care of it before my injuries.


it does depend on movement and the way I play and my position/s on playing basketball. my lack of reach basically made me adapt and compensate on certain body parts to use more often since I couldn't make my arms any longer, so I had to jump higher. this is also the reason I don't believe in what crossfit is trying to achieve, becoming the perfect specimen.
Click to expand...

cardio can definitely work but it is just an inefficient strategy generally for weight loss and muscle maintenance/gain, especially because as one increases their cardio expenditure the body starts to either get rid of muscle or hinders the growing additional muscle to be more efficient for cardio...it is best to not confuse the body with mixed signals, this doesn't mean ignore cardio completely but weight lifting is a much better strategy long term as building muscle will help burn more energy.

for sure, your anatomy dictates how you can play/what you are able to do but if you are getting injured frequently, that might be more a result of how you are moving as opposed because of your anatomy; obviously injuries are variable & unpredictable but moving better might also better prepare on for the unexpected
 
tay1 said:
Anyone prefer wide squats over narrow? I just can't do narrow squats. Feels like my hips wont let me get low in that stance.
Click to expand...

how wide?

I’m maybe slightly less that shoulder width. Anything more would be uncomfortable to me.
 
Didn’t lift all summer getting back to normal. Squats coming up fast.

what suffered the worst is hand stands. :lol:

i used to be able to hold a handstand damn near a minute. **** is hard af if you never tried it.
 
tay1 said:
Anyone prefer wide squats over narrow? I just can't do narrow squats. Feels like my hips wont let me get low in that stance.
Click to expand...
I set up a little wider than shoulder width. Feels more comfortable for me. Guess it just depends on whats comfortable/your body. Unless its a crazy wide stance dont think its much of an issue.

Ive always thought of things like a stance (squatting, swinging a baseball bat, fighting stance) as just personal preference/comfort based on body type and build. I guess as long as youre doing the correct cues and getting to the proper position when executong the movement its all good. Hitting a ball comes to mind as a good example. I look at MLB hitters (or even tennis players swining a racket) they all set up different in their crouch, hand placement etc but when they get to that point they gonna swing they all get to the same position, foot down, hands back ready to hit. Same **** really for any other athletic movement imo.
 
mplsdunk said:
Didn’t lift all summer getting back to normal. Squats coming up fast.

what suffered the worst is hand stands. :lol:

i used to be able to hold a handstand damn near a minute. **** is hard af if you never tried it.
Click to expand...

definitely concur, handstands for time are torture…started to mix in wall supported handstands a couple months ago to improve my back handspring; difficult even with the support of the wall
 
ahat said:
Ice cream at night sounds like a recipe for disaster bruv
Click to expand...

You right :lol: I didn't think about it but I'm going to switch it up.

Hank Scorpio said:
Hey guys. Hope this is the right thread for my question.

Started going back into the gym earlier in November (Ambitious for this time of the year). I'm traveling like crazy (in a different continent/country almost every other week), and haven't been eating the best or been very active. I was also suffering from severe depression the last few years, and this year has finally been the turning point I've been searching for. But It's been some time since I was regularly working out and conscious of my fitness goals. So, I started off slowly, with low weights and focused mostly on my form/muscle groups.

Wanted to now incorporate supplements to help aid and enhance my journey (Not looking for roids or drugs). I'm really looking to cut down my weight and get a little bit more cut. I have a decent size for my height, and wouldn't want to lose too much muscle (none at all would be ideal). What would you guys suggest a great Protein Powder, Creatine and possibly pre-workout would recommend? Also, anyone recommends fat burners?

I'm 5'10" and 220lbs. I'd like to eventually cut down all the way to 175lbs, but I'd be OK with setting something more realistic at around 195lbs. I was on a plant-based diet for over 6 months, and I truly did enjoy it. I'm not too into meats and dairy, and I hired a chef to help with my meals. But I think I want to start back into Keto, which I've done before and found excellent results from. I used to be an athlete (basketball & boxing) during my youth, so I know what I'm doing in the gym, I just need some direction with the supplements and what's best for me and my goals.

Also, is anyone aware of any fitness workout plans I can use online? Don't really want to hire a trainer, just need the workout plan. I can stick to the plan myself. The chef I've hired is absolutely incredible. It's really improved my quality of life. And I'd recommend everyone to make that investment, if they're capable of doing so.

Thank you in advance!
Click to expand...

I was/am very similar to you in regard to this post except for me I started getting back into working out at the onset of the lockdown in April 2020. Prior to that I was constantly traveling, eating out and drinking frequently while on business travel, not really exercising, etc. LOTS of bad habits and excuses.

I'll start with supps since you asked about those specifically...It's tough to comment about efficacy because I've used different things at different times but some supps I have found helpful are a Nitric Oxide supplement prior to my workout and a fat burner/sleep aid (N.O. XT and LEAN PM) and CLA supplements (take them prior to or with meals depending which one you get). I've also used Hydroxycut Elite which I guess was effective. I have read all sorts of reviews on both ends of the spectrum for all of these so I would advise doing your due diligence. However, I can say that I have used the aforementioned products and did not suffer any negative side effects.

Beyond that, one thing I learned throughout my weight loss journey is that it is best to cast a wide net, like you've done by posting in this thread, in terms of getting information and recommendations. It gives you a lot of ideas of things to try out so you can find out what works for your body in terms of diets, regimens, vitamins, supplements, etc. Your program today likely won't be the same in three months, same for 6 months, 9 months, etc. but IMO that's good because it shows you are positively adapting your program to how your body responds rather than trying the same thing and expecting different results.

While my diet/regimen/vitamins/etc have changed, some of the key tenets that I've maintained throughout are intermittent fasting and making sure I eat my heaviest meal as early as possible within that window so I have enough time to digest/burn it off. For exercise since I travel for work similar to you, I have ve found the Nike Training Club app to be useful because they have a variety of core, strength, cardio, endurance, mobility, etc. workouts that I am able to do at home, at the gym, in my hotel or any open space (I modify which workouts I do depending on space/location) . I'll also add in some form of lifting but I'm not pushing heavy weights like most people in here :lol: It varies based on where I am and what is available but it has been mostly lower weights with high reps.

In terms of food, I was kind of reckless at first but got a handle over time which became beneficial as I started monitoring eating windows, portion size, etc. Recently I have been a lot more controlled with my meals because I am traveling less at the moment. As it was mentioned in here, I try to limit carbs and fit in as many fruits and vegetables as possible. I really feel throughput all of it, the biggest thing for me was portions. I now go as far as weighing and measuring out portions so I can maintain consistency there.

It has also been helpful for me to track my activity every day which there are plenty of apps, sites, programs or other form of technology that someone could recommend to you. I do it myself because I add extra notes and include little things like what I listened to during my workout :lol: But again that overall helps provide consistency and I like how I can control the tracking and visualization the data.

You can absolutely reach your goal but just know it's going to take time. You just have to figure out what works, what doesn't and just keep chipping at it every day :nthat:
 
storm2006 said:
You right :lol: I didn't think about it but I'm going to switch it up.



I was/am very similar to you in regard to this post except for me I started getting back into working out at the onset of the lockdown in April 2020. Prior to that I was constantly traveling, eating out and drinking frequently while on business travel, not really exercising, etc. LOTS of bad habits and excuses.

I'll start with supps since you asked about those specifically...It's tough to comment about efficacy because I've used different things at different times but some supps I have found helpful are a Nitric Oxide supplement prior to my workout and a fat burner/sleep aid (N.O. XT and LEAN PM) and CLA supplements (take them prior to or with meals depending which one you get). I've also used Hydroxycut Elite which I guess was effective. I have read all sorts of reviews on both ends of the spectrum for all of these so I would advise doing your due diligence. However, I can say that I have used the aforementioned products and did not suffer any negative side effects.

Beyond that, one thing I learned throughout my weight loss journey is that it is best to cast a wide net, like you've done by posting in this thread, in terms of getting information and recommendations. It gives you a lot of ideas of things to try out so you can find out what works for your body in terms of diets, regimens, vitamins, supplements, etc. Your program today likely won't be the same in three months, same for 6 months, 9 months, etc. but IMO that's good because it shows you are positively adapting your program to how your body responds rather than trying the same thing and expecting different results.

While my diet/regimen/vitamins/etc have changed, some of the key tenets that I've maintained throughout are intermittent fasting and making sure I eat my heaviest meal as early as possible within that window so I have enough time to digest/burn it off. For exercise since I travel for work similar to you, I have ve found the Nike Training Club app to be useful because they have a variety of core, strength, cardio, endurance, mobility, etc. workouts that I am able to do at home, at the gym, in my hotel or any open space (I modify which workouts I do depending on space/location) . I'll also add in some form of lifting but I'm not pushing heavy weights like most people in here :lol: It varies based on where I am and what is available but it has been mostly lower weights with high reps.

In terms of food, I was kind of reckless at first but got a handle over time which became beneficial as I started monitoring eating windows, portion size, etc. Recently I have been a lot more controlled with my meals because I am traveling less at the moment. As it was mentioned in here, I try to limit carbs and fit in as many fruits and vegetables as possible. I really feel throughput all of it, the biggest thing for me was portions. I now go as far as weighing and measuring out portions so I can maintain consistency there.

It has also been helpful for me to track my activity every day which there are plenty of apps, sites, programs or other form of technology that someone could recommend to you. I do it myself because I add extra notes and include little things like what I listened to during my workout :lol: But again that overall helps provide consistency and I like how I can control the tracking and visualization the data.

You can absolutely reach your goal but just know it's going to take time. You just have to figure out what works, what doesn't and just keep chipping at it every day :nthat:
Click to expand...


for me, it took me over a month to start to see some results. I think I was doing it 3-4 times a week of gym work for 2 hours of weights and cardio. I met my target around 3 months just before we went to an event. people were completely surprised on my transformation. too bad I didn't keep it like that and went bigger.
 
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