Bodybuilding

[Johnni]

^Did'nt they do a induction when you first joined and gave you a routine to work on?

[The Chosen One]

Originally Posted by Johnni

^Did'nt they do a induction when you first joined and gave you a routine to work on?

My induction was at 16. The gym is actually based next to where I used to goto secondary school lol and I joined up from the sixth form. Its frightening ive been at that gym for almost 10 years

Since then Ive been going to the gym on and off (after uni) so no routine or plan, but I would like to do one. I know how to use the machines but freeweights and barbells I could do with some help.

Obviously i want to exercise my wholebody but I want to focus mostly on the key exercises like squats, pullovers, bench presses and deadlifts. But I want someone to show me the correct way to do those

[hidden_away]

Well I think ar90 would no doubt be able to give you better advice mate but if you want to take some from me well..

There is a program called starting strength. It focuses on building strength on the big lifts which are compounds and does no require machine weights.

This is actually a great routine for beginners who are looking to build good strength. Now the stronger you are then normally the more muscle mass you can gain. They advise you to do this program for 3 months and then it's up to you where you go from there.

Now it might be good if you ask at the gym but I feel like some of the gym workers don't always give good advice.

The program the recommend is: http://startingstrength.wikia.com/wi...rting_Strength

Now from there I suggest you do the original program and change the power clean to the barbell bent over row.

Here are some great you tube videos on the lifts:

Squat http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kawBY5p29fQ
Deadlift http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MX8jgCFXYTU
Bench press part one http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iMq1r...feature=relmfu PART 2 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kauc-...feature=relmfu
The Press http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SAXPJ...feature=relmfu
Barbell bent over row http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YgKzGzOqiVo

I have never been great on dieting so maybe ar90 can help you out there as he seems to know what he is doing!

[ar90]

^ This is good advice, start basic, train for strength.

If anybody would like any more advice on training or nutrition id be happy to help, even if anybody would like to lose a few lbs, gym or not, id be glad to write you a diet, it could do wonders for confidence if your conscious about weight/appearance.

[Blue Haze 2]

Originally Posted by ar90

^ This is good advice, start basic, train for strength.

If anybody would like any more advice on training or nutrition id be happy to help, even if anybody would like to lose a few lbs, gym or not, id be glad to write you a diet, it could do wonders for confidence if your conscious about weight/appearance.

Do you of any types of food that raise Testosterone levels? I've heard that ginger and fenugreek can raise it. I've ordered a shite load of fenugreek, can't stand ginger.

[The Chosen One]

Originally Posted by hidden_away

Well I think ar90 would no doubt be able to give you better advice mate but if you want to take some from me well..

There is a program called starting strength. It focuses on building strength on the big lifts which are compounds and does no require machine weights.

This is actually a great routine for beginners who are looking to build good strength. Now the stronger you are then normally the more muscle mass you can gain. They advise you to do this program for 3 months and then it's up to you where you go from there.

Now it might be good if you ask at the gym but I feel like some of the gym workers don't always give good advice.

The program the recommend is: http://startingstrength.wikia.com/wi...rting_Strength

Now from there I suggest you do the original program and change the power clean to the barbell bent over row.

Here are some great you tube videos on the lifts:

Squat http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kawBY5p29fQ
Deadlift http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MX8jgCFXYTU
Bench press part one http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iMq1r...feature=relmfu PART 2 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kauc-...feature=relmfu
The Press http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SAXPJ...feature=relmfu
Barbell bent over row http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YgKzGzOqiVo

I have never been great on dieting so maybe ar90 can help you out there as he seems to know what he is doing!

This is really good, thanks very much for helping me here. Ill have a look at the videos and read up properly on that Starting Strength Program

[charlie188]

Interesting thread! From a guy who was really underweight until his early 20's, I have always looked at bodybuilders with admiration and thought how incredible and awesome it must feel to be that size and be in that shape. If you look at bodybuilders on stage too, they are so confident, even cocky, and I've always admired that, a complete contrast to how I felt about myself.

I've always wanted to make muscle gains. About 3 years ago I started going to the gym, changed my diet & started using creatine/protein shakes & literally in a few months everyone was telling me how much bigger & how good I looked. Unfortunately it still didn't stop the negative comments and feelings about the way I looked. Eventually I stopped going & I've tried to get into it since, but don't think I have the confidence anymore. A lot of gyms are full of really good looking guys in great shape, which also discourages me from going!

[The Chosen One]

Ive got a slim build, but not exactly underweight. Which sucks! But in the past I have been quite underweight and even skinnier.

[diplodocus]

Originally Posted by Blue Haze 2

This.

I'm going back on the gear and doing proper pct this time. The whole lot including hcg.

Can I ask why you don't just get a prescription and stay on a relatively low dose of test permanently? I very much doubt doing a cycle followed by PCT is going to get your normal test working again if it's not come back by itself after all this time off already

This is a good thread. Though I was never a body builder I did put on a lot of muscle from weight training. I went from 77kg up to around 90kg at one point. This was a combination of juice and powerlifting. My goal was to get as strong as possible. Off the juice I was easily able to maintain 85kg with about 12% bodyfat and have decent cardio (I was boxing and training MMA at the time).

Aesthetically it was nice being more muscular, women definitely seemed to notice. And being bigger had it's perks in other ways. People used to give me a lot more respect in general and I noticed I was given a lot more space by strangers which from an SA perspective was nice. Even silly things like playing 5 a side, people found it impossible to nudge me off the ball lol

I've given up on the powerlifting now. It was supposed to be just to help me get strong for my sport but it ended up becoming a bit of an obsession. In the end I found it didn't help that much with the boxing (for all my extra size and strength I didn't hit that much harder and my opponents were bigger too ha ha) mainly as it hurt my potential cardio, with the MMA it was more advantagous as I could just use my strength to muscle people around. But the extra muscle mass, even though I was only training for functional strength as opposed to muscle mass, hurt my cardio. In the end I decided that cardio was more important an attribute as a fighter.

I'm thinking of getting back into a bit of strength training again but staying away from the juice, limit my mass gains and try to keep it firmly in the background training wise and not let it take over this time. I miss being strong.

[Blue Haze 2]

Originally Posted by diplodocus

Can I ask why you don't just get a prescription and stay on a relatively low dose of test permanently? I very much doubt doing a cycle followed by PCT is going to get your normal test working again if it's not come back by itself after all this time off already

They won't prescribe it me mate! They keep wanting to check for abnormalities but the only abnormality is that my balls don't work. It's the NHS for ya. The only way I can get a prescription at the minute is if I see a private HRT doc. I can't afford that, I want the NHS to treat me. I should be getting these prscriptions for free seeing as so many other guys do but they're all in their 40's, 50's etc... I can't afford private prescriptions and private bloodwork. I hate the NHS system and how it works. They'll treat patients if they have mental illness but not hormones.

My main complaint is sexual dysfunction and they don't take this matter seriously. As long as I'm breathing, I'm fine to them.

[diplodocus]

Originally Posted by Blue Haze 2

They won't prescribe it me mate! They keep wanting to check for abnormalities but the only abnormality is that my balls don't work. It's the NHS for ya. The only way I can get a prescription at the minute is if I see a private HRT doc. I can't afford that, I want the NHS to treat me. I should be getting these prscriptions for free seeing as so many other guys do but they're all in their 40's, 50's etc... I can't afford private prescriptions and private bloodwork. I hate the NHS system and how it works. They'll treat patients if they have mental illness but not hormones.

My main complaint is sexual dysfunction and they don't take this matter seriously. As long as I'm breathing, I'm fine to them.

Ok so then why not just self-medicate, just don't go crazy and stick to stay 200mg every other week of Test Enanthate, still fairly cheap. Be better than doing a cycle and supraphysiological does of AAS.

[socialreject-]

I've been lifting on + off since 2007 but am going to train like hell from now on as it is only way out of social anxiety but I am actually interested in it which is a plus.

[hidden_away]

Originally Posted by diplodocus

Can I ask why you don't just get a prescription and stay on a relatively low dose of test permanently? I very much doubt doing a cycle followed by PCT is going to get your normal test working again if it's not come back by itself after all this time off already

This is a good thread. Though I was never a body builder I did put on a lot of muscle from weight training. I went from 77kg up to around 90kg at one point. This was a combination of juice and powerlifting. My goal was to get as strong as possible. Off the juice I was easily able to maintain 85kg with about 12% bodyfat and have decent cardio (I was boxing and training MMA at the time).

Aesthetically it was nice being more muscular, women definitely seemed to notice. And being bigger had it's perks in other ways. People used to give me a lot more respect in general and I noticed I was given a lot more space by strangers which from an SA perspective was nice. Even silly things like playing 5 a side, people found it impossible to nudge me off the ball lol

I've given up on the powerlifting now. It was supposed to be just to help me get strong for my sport but it ended up becoming a bit of an obsession. In the end I found it didn't help that much with the boxing (for all my extra size and strength I didn't hit that much harder and my opponents were bigger too ha ha) mainly as it hurt my potential cardio, with the MMA it was more advantagous as I could just use my strength to muscle people around. But the extra muscle mass, even though I was only training for functional strength as opposed to muscle mass, hurt my cardio. In the end I decided that cardio was more important an attribute as a fighter.

I'm thinking of getting back into a bit of strength training again but staying away from the juice, limit my mass gains and try to keep it firmly in the background training wise and not let it take over this time. I miss being strong.

Interesting read there mate. With the weight lifting and MMA boxing. I think that a bodybuilding routine will defo hurt a boxer and mma fighter in many ways. You do gain a lot of bulk but you also lose endurance and explosiveness.

Mma fighters tend to stick to strength training which can be a huge positive in the cage/ring. Lifts like snatch and the clean, Squats dead lifts and a few others can build strength and explosiveness and can also help you build mass but not a bulky mass. With the cardio side of things did you ever use kettle bells, sledge hammer and Tyre, Medicine ball and ropes? This is normally the best kind of cardio training for mma fighters especially the old sledge dragging. This combined with biking riding and also not forgetting the huge amount of ring work.

I have always had a weak punch. When I was a lot younger i went on one of those punching bag machines. I hit it and the damn thing only went half way but other people were getting it 3/4 and more. I then realized that I was doing an arm punch and that the punch is all one huge connecting punch through the body. I still have a weak ass punch though. Nothing like a weak punching making you feel even less manly.

It's great reading lots of peoples posts.

[Emski]

How do you get a toned bum without losing the big roundness ??

[hidden_away]

I hope Im not sounding like a know it all by the way. It's just after 2 years of sitting in all I do is read and read. Always been interested in mma. In fact anything to make me tougher if anyone decides to start a fight with me or attack my family. My main SA fear.

ar90 know a lot more than me, you can see by his pictures and Dip you also sound really clued up so I hope I don't sound like I'm patronizing you guys!!

[hidden_away]

Originally Posted by Emski

How do you get a toned bum without losing the big roundness ??

Hmm, Well I think that squats can really help shape the bum. I'm not really to sure on that. I think you have to keep a set amount of body fat though.

[Emski]

Originally Posted by hidden_away

Hmm, Well I think that squats can really help shape the bum. I'm not really to sure on that. I think you have to keep a set amount of body fat though.

yes but what if you end up losing that body fat i just want a slightly toned bottom i shall try and take squats up

[hidden_away]

Originally Posted by Emski

yes but what if you end up losing that body fat i just want a slightly toned bottom i shall try and take squats up

What look are you going for exactly lol. I think it's also down to genetics.
You wont lose to much body fat if you eat and don't do much cardio.

[diplodocus]

Originally Posted by hidden_away

Interesting read there mate. With the weight lifting and MMA boxing. I think that a bodybuilding routine will defo hurt a boxer and mma fighter in many ways. You do gain a lot of bulk but you also lose endurance and explosiveness.

Mma fighters tend to stick to strength training which can be a huge positive in the cage/ring. Lifts like snatch and the clean, Squats dead lifts and a few others can build strength and explosiveness and can also help you build mass but not a bulky mass. With the cardio side of things did you ever use kettle bells, sledge hammer and Tyre, Medicine ball and ropes? This is normally the best kind of cardio training for mma fighters especially the old sledge dragging. This combined with biking riding and also not forgetting the huge amount of ring work.

I have always had a weak punch. When I was a lot younger i went on one of those punching bag machines. I hit it and the damn thing only went half way but other people were getting it 3/4 and more. I then realized that I was doing an arm punch and that the punch is all one huge connecting punch through the body. I still have a weak ass punch though. Nothing like a weak punching making you feel even less manly.

It's great reading lots of peoples posts.

Funny you should say that but I have a big lorry tyre in my back yard which I hit with a sledgehammer, well I would but I gave up because the neighbours got pissed off and thought I was insane.

Yeah as I said I never trained bodybuilding. I did powerlifting but incorporated a lot of olympic lifts into my regime, power snatches and cleans. I did a lot of plyometrics, ballistics stuff and med ball work. I didn't lose any speed at all.

But I found that putting on any amount of muscle mass past a certain point even if it's purely functional definitely reduces your overall cardio potential. Cardio has always been my weak point. And the biggest problem I encountered especially for striking is that it puts you in a higher weight class. When I boxed I was in the light heavy weight class. At 5'10" and a bit, at 85kg I was fighting guys who were often 6'2" with big reach advantages. I did alright but I could see that as my competition improved the physical disadvantages would outweigh the negligble advantages of being strong and hard hitting.

So with that in mind I'm now a svelte 75kg after dieting down and hit almost as hard but now I'd be fighting guys the same size and my cardio has improved without even trying. You see this trend in the UFC today. Fighters are trying to get down to the lowest weight class they physically can so they have the biggest advantage.

And yeah punch power is far more about technique and speed than strength. I've got a pad that measures strike force and I took it to work one night. One guy who looked like a giant version of meat loaf, about 6 foot and 18 stone solid we expected to break it but he hit like a girl and had the weakest punch of everyone we tested that night. It was perplexing

[Blue Haze 2]

Originally Posted by diplodocus

Ok so then why not just self-medicate, just don't go crazy and stick to stay 200mg every other week of Test Enanthate, still fairly cheap. Be better than doing a cycle and supraphysiological does of AAS.

Thanks mate

[socialreject-]

There is some great Natural Bodybuilders out there on YouTube who provide alot of help, type in:

scondore
Vince DelMonte
Scooby1961
VicsNatural
Greg Plitt

I'm only going to go natural as steroids are the last thing I need in my body right now.

[Blue Haze 2]

Zinc, Maca Root, Tribulus. Let's see if these natural test boosters raise my levels before I start self treatment. I can put with having no libido for a little while longer, not forever though. No way.

[GoldFish]

bodybuilding? laughs, no chance, i'm probably too nerdy for that anyway, I just have a basic dumbell set and do push ups, I don't take protein or anything too serious.

[ar90]

Originally Posted by diplodocus

Can I ask why you don't just get a prescription and stay on a relatively low dose of test permanently? I very much doubt doing a cycle followed by PCT is going to get your normal test working again if it's not come back by itself after all this time off already

This is a good thread. Though I was never a body builder I did put on a lot of muscle from weight training. I went from 77kg up to around 90kg at one point. This was a combination of juice and powerlifting. My goal was to get as strong as possible. Off the juice I was easily able to maintain 85kg with about 12% bodyfat and have decent cardio (I was boxing and training MMA at the time).

Aesthetically it was nice being more muscular, women definitely seemed to notice. And being bigger had it's perks in other ways. People used to give me a lot more respect in general and I noticed I was given a lot more space by strangers which from an SA perspective was nice. Even silly things like playing 5 a side, people found it impossible to nudge me off the ball lol

I've given up on the powerlifting now. It was supposed to be just to help me get strong for my sport but it ended up becoming a bit of an obsession. In the end I found it didn't help that much with the boxing (for all my extra size and strength I didn't hit that much harder and my opponents were bigger too ha ha) mainly as it hurt my potential cardio, with the MMA it was more advantagous as I could just use my strength to muscle people around. But the extra muscle mass, even though I was only training for functional strength as opposed to muscle mass, hurt my cardio. In the end I decided that cardio was more important an attribute as a fighter.

I'm thinking of getting back into a bit of strength training again but staying away from the juice, limit my mass gains and try to keep it firmly in the background training wise and not let it take over this time. I miss being strong.

Iv been interested in MMA for a while now, i boxed for a short period and found that helped my confidence more than anything, its all good being big and to think most people wont mess with you is reassuring and definately helps with SA, but knowing you can defend yourself physically if you have to is much more reassuring, although id much rather have a physical fight than argue verbally ... not because im violent, its just an easy way out of SA.

[ar90]

Originally Posted by socialreject-

There is some great Natural Bodybuilders out there on YouTube who provide alot of help, type in:

scondore
Vince DelMonte
Scooby1961
VicsNatural
Greg Plitt

I'm only going to go natural as steroids are the last thing I need in my body right now.

Also a friend of mine Daniel Rogerson, hes sure to be British champ one day, google him

[ar90]

Originally Posted by Emski

yes but what if you end up losing that body fat i just want a slightly toned bottom i shall try and take squats up

Squats and lunges! lots of them, with a little cardio and a well balanced diet.

But in my honest opinion, round bums are the best, keep it!

[Wheelie Bin Bird]

I've never body built (too small!) but I have trained an so have me ex's. Jay's built like a brick shithouse. Tom was a boxer. Never touched 'roids Toms bro did an it fooked him up BIG style.

[Blue Haze 2]

Originally Posted by Wheelie Bin Bird

Never touched 'roids Toms bro did an it fooked him up BIG style.

I'm not the only one then. Ha ha. I thought I was really cool and stuff for taking those. Serves me right. I deserve it.

[Wheelie Bin Bird]

Originally Posted by Blue Haze 2

I'm not the only one then. Ha ha. I thought I was really cool and stuff for taking those. Serves me right. I deserve it.

Allo darlin, no your NOT alone....Dickie was buff but it was all 'roids. Made him fat and shruck his dick! Best left well alone them things! x

[Blue Haze 2]

Originally Posted by Wheelie Bin Bird

Allo darlin, no your NOT alone....Dickie was buff but it was all 'roids. Made him fat and shruck his dick! Best left well alone them things! x

Yeah, I'll never touch them again. The worst part about it is Dr's don't believe they can do permanent damage and refuse to treat people who messed themselves up after taking them. Unless your 50 or so.