TASM Fitness Thread. Get your Spidey Physique tips on exercise and nutrition here!

Re: A lot of people working on TASM but are you also working on your fitness?

I am very skinny. Can't get any fat on my body. I guess I have to go with muscle suit. Any idea where to get a muscle suit? :lol

Re: A lot of people working on TASM but are you also working on your fitness?

I worried about getting into a spidey suit because it does seem so revealing but after hitting the gym 4-5 times a week for a good 5 months now I reckon I wouldn't do too bad haha.

Re: A lot of people working on TASM but are you also working on your fitness?

I'm still working to get into shape for my Deadpool costume by Halloween. I vowed to stick to a routine back in January, and I have! Right now I'm doing about an hour of cardio, three times a week. Lots of jumping, kicking, and kempo. I follow every workout with an intense 15 minute ab/core workout, and then I do a few sets of push-ups, going until my arms give out.

It's been slowly burning off fat, and building muscle. Like many people here, my main problem areas are my belly and love handles. I've been making progress, but again, it's been very slow.

I'm 6'7, and when I started exercising back in January I weighed around 185. I'm still at around 185 (my weight varies between 180 - 185 daily), but I'm assuming that's because I've been losing fat while gaining muscle. I'm not really sure though, I'm certainly not a health expert.

The hardest part has been my diet. I try to keep to low-calorie foods, but I'm not even sure if that's a good idea. I've been trying to stick to veggies and fruits, and fish. I'm trying not to eat as much, but is that really a good idea? I've read about your body going into starvation mode and holding onto fat, so I'm thinking I should start eating a regular amount, but stick to veggies and fruit.

All in all, I've been happy with myself for sticking to my routine for 6 months now, but I'd really, really like to shed of the rest this belly fat before Halloween hits. Any advice with dieting or anything would be great.

Re: A lot of people working on TASM but are you also working on your fitness?

aeonpulse said:

I'm still working to get into shape for my Deadpool costume by Halloween. I vowed to stick to a routine back in January, and I have! Right now I'm doing about an hour of cardio, three times a week. Lots of jumping, kicking, and kempo. I follow every workout with an intense 15 minute ab/core workout, and then I do a few sets of push-ups, going until my arms give out.

It's been slowly burning off fat, and building muscle. Like many people here, my main problem areas are my belly and love handles. I've been making progress, but again, it's been very slow.

I'm 6'7, and when I started exercising back in January I weighed around 185. I'm still at around 185 (my weight varies between 180 - 185 daily), but I'm assuming that's because I've been losing fat while gaining muscle. I'm not really sure though, I'm certainly not a health expert.

The hardest part has been my diet. I try to keep to low-calorie foods, but I'm not even sure if that's a good idea. I've been trying to stick to veggies and fruits, and fish. I'm trying not to eat as much, but is that really a good idea? I've read about your body going into starvation mode and holding onto fat, so I'm thinking I should start eating a regular amount, but stick to veggies and fruit.

All in all, I've been happy with myself for sticking to my routine for 6 months now, but I'd really, really like to shed of the rest this belly fat before Halloween hits. Any advice with dieting or anything would be great.

Click to expand...

For how tall you are at that weight it sounds like adding muscle should be a big priority. The cardio you do is great, but you should consider adding some lifting into your routine. Complex lifts also burn a lot of calories while you're at it.

The starvation mode concern is absolutely true, but it's more about getting the right calories. Right after heavy cardio you should have simple carbohydrates, such as sugars, and your body will dump that right back into the energy storage inside your muscles instead of fat. The rest of the day be disciplined, and try to get most of your energy from complex carbohydrates. Fruits are very healthy, but are generally loaded with sugars. You can overeat fruits on a diet. I don't like to eat fruits, so I drink a variety of natural fruit juices and use those as post workout drinks.

With protein intake it doesn't make that much of a difference when you consume, just that you are getting a good daily intake. People that talk about when to do a protein shake are trying to get the absolute most out of what they're doing, and even then there are lots of conflicting opinions (but I do have mine from what research I've read).

Re: A lot of people working on TASM but are you also working on your fitness?

I'm glad this thread is helping people keep their eye on the prize! My update: down to 163lbs and feeling great! Hoping to hit 158 or somewhere close to that by the end of the month. I want to take some cool studio shots with my suit and I want to do it better justice.

Re: A lot of people working on TASM but are you also working on your fitness?

I love these threads. You should hit up the RPF Fit Club thread. Dammit, we really need shirts.

Re: A lot of people working on TASM but are you also working on your fitness?

Qui-Gonzalez said:

I love these threads. You should hit up the RPF Fit Club thread. Dammit, we really need shirts.

Click to expand...

Haha I'm on there! I started my initial journey there when I was up at 198 lbs!! There's pics and everything. I just started this one because my goals got so Spidey-specific and I noticed a lot of other people going for the same costume The RPF fit club is a great overall fitness thread though!

Re: A lot of people working on TASM but are you also working on your fitness?

El Fett said:

Haha I'm on there! I started my initial journey there when I was up at 198 lbs!! There's pics and everything. I just started this one because my goals got so Spidey-specific and I noticed a lot of other people going for the same costume The RPF fit club is a great overall fitness thread though!

Click to expand...

You Spidey guys are TINY. P) No offense. It takes a lot more to pull of that unforgiving costume than anything else I can think of. I can only applaud your work. I'm not Spidey sized (Never will be), but a post a couple of bumps up caught my eye.

For Aeonpulse, at 6'7", to be 185 is to be ridiculously lean. Your diet of "low cal" is right in that you will hold onto the fat. The analogy that I give people is this: Say you are hungry and in front of you is one pound of the most delicious cut of meat you could imagine. Next to that is one pound of lard. Which are you going to go for? The meat, right? Well, that is EXACTLY what your body does when it is lacking fuel. It has a choice, that delicious, easily digestible MUSCLE TISSUE or that stubborn nasty fat. Guess which it is going to chose.

You need to have protein in your diet. I always believe protein should be the major staple of any good diet. As to Captain Morgan and the carb thing, he is right to a degree. I would save the carbs for post workout, as he says, but keep them complex. It leads to satiety (In other words, not feeling hungry) and there will be no serious crash. You are still replenishing the glycogen stores in your liver, but you are not causing that huge insulin spike. Some bodybuilders love the insulin surge because it also causes release of growth hormone.

Are you getting stronger in your lifts? I hope you are keeping an exercise log for your resistance training. Also, an hour of cardio is a lot, unless you are splitting up your sessions into two-a-days.

To cut it short, ease off on the fruits (Cap'n was right about the sugars) and increase your protein intake.

Re: A lot of people working on TASM but are you also working on your fitness?

CaptainMorgan said:

For how tall you are at that weight it sounds like adding muscle should be a big priority. The cardio you do is great, but you should consider adding some lifting into your routine. Complex lifts also burn a lot of calories while you're at it.

The starvation mode concern is absolutely true, but it's more about getting the right calories. Right after heavy cardio you should have simple carbohydrates, such as sugars, and your body will dump that right back into the energy storage inside your muscles instead of fat. The rest of the day be disciplined, and try to get most of your energy from complex carbohydrates. Fruits are very healthy, but are generally loaded with sugars. You can overeat fruits on a diet. I don't like to eat fruits, so I drink a variety of natural fruit juices and use those as post workout drinks.

With protein intake it doesn't make that much of a difference when you consume, just that you are getting a good daily intake. People that talk about when to do a protein shake are trying to get the absolute most out of what they're doing, and even then there are lots of conflicting opinions (but I do have mine from what research I've read).

Click to expand...

Thanks for the advice! I've been doing research on what would be best to eat, right now I just need to make sure I eat and get protein in me right after my workout, and try sticking to veggies, and away from all the delicious foods I love so much. (I really, really need to cut back on beer too.) And yeah, I'm definitely going to add lifting into my routine, as well as some core synergistics.

This past six months has been more of a trial run for myself, to see if I could actually stick to exercising three times a week. I'm very happy that I've been able to, and at this point, I don't even feel like I'm forcing myself to exercise anymore. Seriously though, sticking to a healthy diet has been waaaaayyyy more difficult that actually getting myself to work out!

Re: A lot of people working on TASM but are you also working on your fitness?

Qui-Gonzalez said:

Are you getting stronger in your lifts? I hope you are keeping an exercise log for your resistance training. Also, an hour of cardio is a lot, unless you are splitting up your sessions into two-a-days.

To cut it short, ease off on the fruits (Cap'n was right about the sugars) and increase your protein intake.

Click to expand...

Thanks Qui, from this point on I'm definitely focusing on getting more protein, and less sugar. And yes, I have been getting stronger in my lifts. I'm able to do far more push-ups than I was a few months ago.

As for my cardio workouts, yes, it's an hour, but it isn't constant soul-crushing cardio the entire time. There are several cool down periods thrown in that help me stay within my targeted heart-rate.

Re: A lot of people working on TASM but are you also working on your fitness?

I have, but from the other side. I was really skinny and now I'm trying to bulk up.

Re: A lot of people working on TASM but are you also working on your fitness?

Wow, great thread! I'm just beginning on a Sub Zero costume, with hopes to be done by Halloween, but I think the hardest part of my costume is going to be getting myself to those freakishly huge arms. I'm not too much out of shape as it is, but my arms are nowhere near as big as his. I've read a lot of good advice here and I think I might be able to force myself into a routine in order to get to my goal using some of it

Thanks!

Re: A lot of people working on TASM but are you also working on your fitness?

I've always have been fit. Been working out for 15 years. My problem was alcohol lol Liked to party to much. I decided back in May to go as Spiderman for Halloween (got a print design made up from Sonjou) and wanted to look the part as close as possible. Still sticking to my workouts and meal plans, I cut out all alcohol. Have had no booze for 12 weeks now. Still not where I want to be, but I have 3 months to get there

Re: A lot of people working on TASM but are you also working on your fitness?

Wow! This thread is fantastic! I actually started a little sub-section of my blog 2 months ago when I started my TASM cosplay for baltimore comicon. 5'9" and 190lbs was too much for me, so I set a target of 160lbs in 90 days. for the first 30 I drastically changed my diet and did the whole 'count calories' thing and p90x, then after 30 days I switched it out for Insanity. Now i'm doing a mix of insanity, jogging, and trying a hybrid of different diets based on what i've found works for me. more details at my blog if you care
cosplay body « pseudoprofessional.com

I plan to keep it up as I want to do Ultimate Cyke in the spring and Deadpool in the fall next year, but I let my body go after college and decided that just didn't sit well with me anymore.

Re: A lot of people working on TASM but are you also working on your fitness?

Hey Aeonpulse. You remember the 4 basic food groups to many fad diets now will tell you NO DAIRY, or STAY AWAY FROM CARBS! I've found that foods of this kind can be VERY usefull tools for building the body when used in moderation. Our bodies are meant to consume these things because we need them, but in moderation. From experience and others literature I've found good carbs like whole wheats and steel cut oats are great in the morning for keeping up energy and giving your body the blocks they need to build. It's when we're gorging ourselves with sweet... sweet potatoe chips and processed junk is when we head for skinny/fat guyville. I consume my carbs in the morning and early afternoon but never after 6.

These RPFers are right on the money with protien intake. Usually about 1 gram - 1 1/2 grams of protien per LB of body weight is sufficient for good muscle growth with a good dose of weight training, which is critical for muscle mass and tone. Lifting poundage is a cardio in itself! Burning calories while gaining muscle is fun to do

If I can help you out Aeon I'd love to, I've got many different programs designed for many different purposes in the gym. PM me if your interested.

Some good stuff here me 205 want to get to 175 to 180. Do plenty of weight training but need to cut.

Re: A lot of people working on TASM but are you also working on your fitness?

Lots of good stuff in this thread, I'm going to split some hairs here on minor points. I am not the typical individual, but I'll explain why I do what I do. The central concept is about achieving maximum absorption of both carbohydrates and protein. I have trouble adding weight, and will easily work out harder than my body can handle if I am not monitoring what I do.

Qui-Gonzalez said:

You need to have protein in your diet. I always believe protein should be the major staple of any good diet. As to Captain Morgan and the carb thing, he is right to a degree. I would save the carbs for post workout, as he says, but keep them complex. It leads to satiety (In other words, not feeling hungry) and there will be no serious crash. You are still replenishing the glycogen stores in your liver, but you are not causing that huge insulin spike. Some bodybuilders love the insulin surge because it also causes release of growth hormone.

Are you getting stronger in your lifts? I hope you are keeping an exercise log for your resistance training. Also, an hour of cardio is a lot, unless you are splitting up your sessions into two-a-days.

To cut it short, ease off on the fruits (Cap'n was right about the sugars) and increase your protein intake.

Click to expand...

I understand the concept of sticking to complex carbs to make yourself feel more satisfied, and an insulin spike potentially leading to a crash. I don't have issues with those things, let me explain a bit.

You are absolutely right with where I initially picked up the sugars in post workout from. I follow a lot of body building methods because I am such a hard adder if I want to increase weight it takes extreme efforts. I also picked up a few other bits of crucial information from my exercise physiology and kinesiology professors.

The first is that complex carbohydrates won't be fully processed in the recovery meal window. They will still work well for providing some carbohydrates for that recovery window, and then keep you feeling satisfied with energy after that window has closed. There are conflicting opinions on how long that window lasts, but the majority of sources cite something at 2 hours or less. Complex carbs take longer to digest (specific numbers are hard to pin down, but based on what I've read I think it's safe to say it typically will exceed the recovery window).

The next part of this is that my text books have references to studies of carbohydrate intake in relation to muscular glycogen levels. Even when getting to very high carbohydrate diets, there were NOT diminishing returns on muscular glycogen levels. My professors also mentioned that it's actually extremely difficult to give your body as much as it wants to process during the recovery window.

The effect of loading up in the recovery window is a lot more muscular glycogen for your next workout, meaning you don't gas out as soon.

So what I do is treat my recovery "meal" as something totally separate from an actual meal of the day. I'll make a light shake that has about 15g of protein, plus adding sugars. Then I'll follow that with a huge glass of natural fruit juice. I may add an extra snack here, it depends on where I am in relation to the other meals of the day. The ~15g is something I picked up more recently in research about carbohydrate absorption. A certain amount of protein will actually increase your ability to absorb carbohydrates in the recovery window, but a full protein shake will reduce said ability.

I then go eat my regular meal later. I know this isn't the typical plan, but it can work for anyone if the correct amounts are consumed based on exercise level. I do extremely high intensity cardio (typically keep HR above 175, with burnouts at the end of every session). I know that hard of cardio is a bit counterproductive towards gaining weight, but I'm also an active athlete so I can't sacrifice that for size.

aeonpulse said:

Thanks for the advice! I've been doing research on what would be best to eat, right now I just need to make sure I eat and get protein in me right after my workout, and try sticking to veggies, and away from all the delicious foods I love so much. (I really, really need to cut back on beer too.) And yeah, I'm definitely going to add lifting into my routine, as well as some core synergistics.

This past six months has been more of a trial run for myself, to see if I could actually stick to exercising three times a week. I'm very happy that I've been able to, and at this point, I don't even feel like I'm forcing myself to exercise anymore. Seriously though, sticking to a healthy diet has been waaaaayyyy more difficult that actually getting myself to work out!

Click to expand...

You can always out eat your exercise, unless you're an Olympic swimmer.

Beer and alcohol in general really sets you back. There are a lot of wasted calories. I still drink, but not in certain parts of my training cycle.

aeonpulse said:

Thanks Qui, from this point on I'm definitely focusing on getting more protein, and less sugar. And yes, I have been getting stronger in my lifts. I'm able to do far more push-ups than I was a few months ago.

As for my cardio workouts, yes, it's an hour, but it isn't constant soul-crushing cardio the entire time. There are several cool down periods thrown in that help me stay within my targeted heart-rate.

Click to expand...

What is your targeted HR? The "fat burning" range that you see listed all over is crap. Yes it's true that in that range your body is burning mostly fat calories, and that as you go higher you transition to burning more carbohydrates. There are some flaws in that thinking though when you apply this in real life. On top of burning more carbohydrates at a higher HR, at say 75% vs 50% ranges you are burning so many more calories at the 75% HR that you will still be burning more fat.

If you are really out of shape and can't maintain the higher level of cardio for longer, then the fat burning range is for you. At the point where you are in decent shape trying to get better, you would do well to actually start increasing intensity as long as you can still keep it up for long enough.

Spidermen said:

I have, but from the other side. I was really skinny and now I'm trying to bulk up.

Click to expand...

Just like me.

Wallcrawler248 said:

These RPFers are right on the money with protien intake. Usually about 1 gram - 1 1/2 grams of protien per LB of body weight is sufficient for good muscle growth with a good dose of weight training, which is critical for muscle mass and tone. Lifting poundage is a cardio in itself! Burning calories while gaining muscle is fun to do

If I can help you out Aeon I'd love to, I've got many different programs designed for many different purposes in the gym. PM me if your interested.

Click to expand...

The 1 - 1.5g/lb is an inflated number that is what all these sources who are sponsored by supplement companies cite. In my classes the number was lower, but this isn't that big of a deal. You're pee will turn really foamy when you have more than enough protein (result of excess protein that was not absorbed)

The one other tip that I follow is when to do your protein shake. If you are lifting, then drinking the shake between 1 and 2 hours before the workout is ideal. During heavy lifts your body is more able to absorb protein. There are other ideas about this, and honestly it isn't that big of a deal unless you're a body builder. Daily protein intake is the most important part here.

Re: A lot of people working on TASM but are you also working on your fitness?

thanks for the tips Captainmorgan! I am indeed trying to build my body and bulk up 1 gram of protien/ Lb is going good for me, haven't noticed any foamy pee yet lol. Heres where I'm at right now at 168Lbs, I tried to pick the most unflattering light in the house.

Re: A lot of people working on TASM but are you also working on your fitness?

sorry for the sideways pic, I'm a photobucket idiot!!

Re: A lot of people working on TASM but are you also working on your fitness?

i really like this thread, its been helping me get the motivation. although for me the problem, and mountain i have to climb, is that i am naturally skinny. and when i say skinny i mean really skinny. i and 5'11 128-130 pounds depending on the time of day. ive been know to wake up at like 123 or 125 pounds aswell. i have always had deffinition on the little muscle i have. i have started a spidey suit project with a friend and am now working out to get the figure. my problem is it has been so difficult for me to gain weight in the past that its discouraging. gotta stay focused!!! i'll post a picture or two later to show you what i mean by skinny lol