Gastric Bypass and muscle gain

[jayd4wg]

this is gonna be a long one...i'm really reaching out for some assistance...not expecting much but there's a bit of street knowledge here that i'm willing to listen to.

2.5 years ago i had gastric bypass and have lost a total of 180 lbs. i'm running steady 230 now and eat roughly 1300 to 1500 calories a day, and average 50 percent protein, and 25 percent fat and carbs with as much fiber as i can get to cut down on total carb effect. I can't get in enough protein to build muscle quickly but I started actually working out a month ago and have noticed good definition. What got me started was pulling my bow back in august and having difficulty holding target. I do 30 shots a day and my groups have gotten really good. My workouts consist of calisthenics only, and i'm ready to add weight.

I joined Fitness 19 and am going up tonight for my first "workout", basically going to go around and get a feel for each of the machines.

I'm looking for some guidance in general, not specific exercises per-se, i believe in variety and not focusing on specific individual muscles but more "bang for the buck" exercises. My initial thought is to go back to high school and early college workouts with a 6 day schedule:

day 1 - chest/tri's, push legs, abs, power day 8-10 reps till failure
day 2 - back/bi's, pull legs, abs, power day 8-10 reps till failure
day 3 - abs/cardio
day 4 - chest/tri's, push legs, abs, endurance day 15-18 reps till failure
day 5 - back/bi's, pull legs, abs, endurance day 15-18 reps till failure
day 6 - rest (saturday is my hunting day so i'll be getting some good hiking in anyway)
day 7, abs/cardio

the only reason i don't show cardio for 1,2,4,5 is all my weight training was done as "circuit" training with little or no rest between sets, but changing muscle groups - for instance: bench press, squats, then tricep pulls and leg extensions, etc.

am I on an even keel here? I'm a bit intimidated right now because of my nutritional needs/hurdles. I simply cannot eat enough to foster fast growth and no matter what I do i'm fighting a losing battle from the start. I've come a long way from 400+ lbs and I'm sick of the loose skin on my arms and legs..i want to put some tone bulk back in there. I'll deal with getting an apron-ectomy later...i'm not 20 grand vain and though I need surgery to get rid of it, i'm in no hurry to get it done. I just want to be fit. I have no problems anymore keeping up with my hunting buddies in the field, but i stand not a chance right now at keeping up on a 5k or any real endurance stuff. I still have a little extra weight to lose, i'm 6'1 and though i look okay with the clothes on, i'm just not content with my overall appearance.

sorry for the long winded post...guess i'm just venting before i go hit the weights. again...this week is going to be mostly discovery and figuring out what machines and free weights exist in this gym. Thanks in advance for any input.

 

[JJones75]

Re: Gastric Bypass and muscle gain

You CAN take in enough protein to gain muscle despite your bypass , I have worked with two bariactric Surgery patience one bypass and one lap band , the bypass works very well but it does impede alot of the ability properly digest whole food so you will need a good easily digestible protien like whey ISOLATE !! egg white and my personal favorite Lean Beef Amino's which is hydrolyzed beef cologen.

The excess skin will tighten up over time to a point depending on how much you have and your age

 

[jayd4wg]

Re: Gastric Bypass and muscle gain

the majority of my skin is torso. I have some bat wings but they will tighten after i get my arms back the way they were before i let things go. I have an issue with protein powders...i dump on many of them. Even the non sugar ones. Seems like one of the few i can keep down and don't feel like shit afterwards is the EAS bags from Sams or Costco. just now getting to run up to the gym, won't have much time, just gonna get a feel for what is where and come up with a game plan for the first week.

 

[PaleRider77]

Re: Gastric Bypass and muscle gain

seems like a solid plan, but i think your doing too many sets. instead of doing 8-10 reps til failure, i would do the same 8-10 reps for 4 sets. im also a fan of the "push/pull" method of lifing. for expample on your arm day, doing a curl would be the pull, and a tricep extension would be the push. gives an incredible pump and i think you'll notice gains faster.

i understand that your trying to dump the excess skin around your torso, but i also think your overdoing it on the abs. if you do work abs everyday, keep it light and don't use alot of weight. your trying to tone, not build a big thick core.

start out slow. maybe only 4days a week, and build up to the six day split

 

[JJones75]

Re: Gastric Bypass and muscle gain

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: JasonB</div><div class="ubbcode-body">the majority of my skin is torso. I have some bat wings but they will tighten after i get my arms back the way they were before i let things go. I have an issue with protein powders...i dump on many of them. Even the non sugar ones. Seems like one of the few i can keep down and don't feel like shit afterwards is the EAS bags from Sams or Costco. just now getting to run up to the gym, won't have much time, just gonna get a feel for what is where and come up with a game plan for the first week. </div></div>

If you can stomach Mayoplex then your doing good , it's a middle of the road (as far as quality goes) protein.
You will need to take in more smaller shakes to avoiding the "dumping" look at it like filling a glass of water from a 5 gallon bucket , if you take your time and trickle it in it's fine but to much at once and your gonna have a mess.
Look for 100% whey isolate , it's the easiest to digest of the whey proteins and has the highest PER of milk proteins.
True Protein makes a protein powder specifically for baraitric patience , but their pure whey isolate is just as good and cheaper , has it sweetened with stevia and have the "protease" enzyme added to make it even healthier

 

[jayd4wg]

Re: Gastric Bypass and muscle gain

Thanks JJones for the heads up on the TP brand...will have to try to source locally.

I should have been clear about the "to failure" part - meant that failure comes on rep 8-10 on power days, and i totally forgot to mention power days are 3 sets, enduro days are 4 sets. I remember this workout well now, and much of it came back to me quickly. about as quickly as my muscles failed me last nite. on my third set of benchpress, my failure on last set came from just the weight of the bar alone. I'm in trouble LOL...feel surprisingly good today though, kinda still waiting for the lactic acid to kick in...might not feel it till tomorrow though.

Looking back thru my notes, my HS and college workout program was almost identical to the program sold by Mens Health...TAP i think it was called...

 

[jayd4wg]

Re: Gastric Bypass and muscle gain

2nd session down, triceps are on fire today as i thought they would be.

Cashed in one of my free trainer sessions as well, and got introduced to a different concept in a 6 day workout

Chest/tris

Back and shoulders

legs and bi's

abs and cardio EVERY day, taking ONE day off a week. If i can keep this pace up, i'll be dead tired for a couple weeks but as long as i can keep the food coming in i'll manage. Going to try it for a while and see what happens. at this point any activity is better than what was going on. WAY too f'n early to leverage the way I feel with any kind of results, but he encouraged me to take pics of the now, put them all over the net and use them for motivation to change.

 

[jayd4wg]

Re: Gastric Bypass and muscle gain

day 4 down, feel good. sore but good. A Marine buddy of mine said "pain is weakness leaving the body"...i'll keep that in mind.
did shoulders and legs last nite...the ride home was interesting, steering with my hands on my lap holding the bottom of the steering wheel. Glad I don't have a standard tranny anymore LOL...

legs STILL feel rubbery, did 30 mins on the Precor after blasting legs with squats, extensions, curls, donkey press, and hack squats. I stopped after the hack squats, my knee started giving me issues. I have a crunchy knee from carrying all the extra weight for so long, and it definitely started getting tender last nite...feels good today though. I still have a bag and a half of the EAS protein, will use that up and then get some of the whey isolate next.

Wife started working out too with our BFF - Amy absolutely trashed the wife yesterday...W1f3 unit said "ow" 30+ times before she got out of bed this morning

on the subject of protein and a good segway...let's chat snacks. ...wait...this snack deserves a thread all it's own...

 

[jayd4wg]

Re: Gastric Bypass and muscle gain

2 weeks in now, got one more workout this week and noticing something quite strange. I have packed on 6 solid lbs...I had anticipated LOSING a few pounds at first, not gaining. up to 244 today, but my clothes are looser. I have an interview today and my armani is a bit loose...gonna have to go with the brioni 2 button instead...this was a suit i never thought I'd fit into...both were gifts from a dear friend. I love when the smaller clothes fit better

now to kill the nervousness of the interview