GordyR's Beginners Guide to Bodybuilding

:) I noticed something like that today with the DL , I could lift more than 8 with 30KG but on 6 or 7 with the 35KG. Anyway i've just ordered some whey protein (the stuff from myprotein). Hopefully that will help me out, it takes a while to get back from the gym.
 
I've begun taking some Creapure Creatine, I'm being careful by taking it with loads of water and fruit and taking 4gms instead of 5 per serving. And 2.5 gms on days that I'm not working out.

How long does creatine take to work?

And my other question is what are good chest excersises? Press-ups?

Bear in mind for now I just have the floor, myself and a few free weights.
 
iCraig said:
And my other question is what are good chest excersises? Press-ups?

Bear in mind for now I just have the floor, myself and a few free weights.
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Bench press is the best but if you don't have the equipment, improvise with what you do have.

http://www.exrx.net/Lists/ExList/ChestWt.html

My chest routine is the following though:
Bench press
Dumbbell flys
Weighted dips
 
iCraig said:
I've begun taking some Creapure Creatine, I'm being careful by taking it with loads of water and fruit and taking 4gms instead of 5 per serving. And 2.5 gms on days that I'm not working out.

How long does creatine take to work?

And my other question is what are good chest excersises? Press-ups?

Bear in mind for now I just have the floor, myself and a few free weights.
Click to expand...

Press-ups alone will never put that much mass on your chest. The weight just isn't enough. You could try weighted pressups since you don't have a barbell/bench. Load some free weights in to a rucksack and do your pressups with those.

However...

You say you have a few free weights? Then why not dumbell bench press? Also be sure to add dips in to your routine. They are fantastic for chest mass. Lean forward to put the stress more on your chest rather than your triceps. You can do them between two chairs if you don't have any dip bars available.


As for creatine, well I can't see the point in using it if you are not lifting heavy. In the body, creatine is changed into a molecule called "phosphocreatine" which serves as a storage reservoir for quick energy. It can allow people to lift slightly more weight than they could otherwise. The idea being that more weight = more stimulation = more growth. If you are only doing pressups then there is really going to be no benefit at all.

Once your loading phase is complete you will probably look "bigger" than before due to increased water retention in your muscles. This is only temporary and should not be confused with actual muscle hypertrophy (growth).

My honest advice is to forget the creatine (at least for now) and use the money you have saved on either a gym membership or a barbell/bench. Concentrate on lifting heavy and eating big. You will grow. :)
 
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iCraig said:
I've begun taking some Creapure Creatine, I'm being careful by taking it with loads of water and fruit and taking 4gms instead of 5 per serving. And 2.5 gms on days that I'm not working out.

How long does creatine take to work?

And my other question is what are good chest excersises? Press-ups?

Bear in mind for now I just have the floor, myself and a few free weights.
Click to expand...

What is 'being careful' all about? It doesn't matter, it's not dangerous :confused:

Some people don't respond to creatine, i know i noticed no difference when i tried it.

Bench press and weighted dips.
 
richie.guy said:
What is 'being careful' all about? It doesn't matter, it's not dangerous :confused:

Some people don't respond to creatine, i know i noticed no difference when i tried it.

Bench press and weighted dips.
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I can't do normal dips let alone weighted.

I'm being careful because I know it can dehydrate you and cause kidney problems if not taken with plenty of water, thats what a lot of sites say anyway.

Well, I've taken it for one day so no chance of seeing anything yet, I'll try it but I'm not holding my breath.

Trying to follow GordyR's advice instead, lift heavy and eat lots.
 
Start off doing bodyweight dips then, they're a great exercise and a good mass builder.

I struggled to do 3 sets of 6 at bodyweight when i started, i'm doing 65kg for 3 sets and 3 reps now :)
 
How far do you need to go down, if I bend my arms too much I literally dont have the strength to push back up.

lol I'm a celery stick tbh
 
iCraig said:
How far do you need to go down, if I bend my arms too much I literally dont have the strength to push back up.

lol I'm a celery stick tbh
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Thats to be expected at first mate. We are recommending dips for that very reason. We don't grow unless the resistance is enough. :)

It's fine if you can only manage 'partial' reps at first (or negs as richie suggested). It's probably your triceps that are the weakest link at the moment. Over time you will gain strength and be able to do them with a full range of motion. With that added strength, comes growth.

Dips are a fantastic compound exercise. You will be using not only your pecs but your triceps and delts (shoulders) too. The movement is similar to a decline Bench press in essence (assuming you are leaning forward enough to put the majority of the strain on the pecs).
 
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iCraig said:
How far do you need to go down, if I bend my arms too much I literally dont have the strength to push back up.

lol I'm a celery stick tbh
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Ok, you need to build up your tricep/chest strength.

You could just do negatives if you have a box or something?

Basically, get yourself up using the box, then one rep would be just lowering yourself down nice and slowly and controlled. Instead of pushing yourself back up stand on the box to get yourself to the top again, then perform another negative.

3 sets of 6 if you can manage, or build up to it :)
 
Great thread, only skimmed over the guide at the start but it's given me some ideas :)

I'm entering a martial arts tournament in July, and sadly my natural weight of ~81kg tips me over the scales as being a heavy weight. I'll be up against people weighing in a hell of a lot bigger than me, and since I'm already fairly slim I'm not going to be able to lose enough to drop into the next catagory. So, I've got 5 months to put on a bit of weight. :)

Realisticly how much can I expect to put on assuming I'm eating enough? Ideally I'd be looking at about a stone but I have no idea if that's possible. I'm training 2/3 nights a week with weights and a 1/2 nights actual martial arts lessons. :)
 
Lowe said:
Great thread, only skimmed over the guide at the start but it's given me some ideas :)

I'm entering a martial arts tournament in July, and sadly my natural weight of ~81kg tips me over the scales as being a heavy weight. I'll be up against people weighing in a hell of a lot bigger than me, and since I'm already fairly slim I'm not going to be able to lose enough to drop into the next catagory. So, I've got 5 months to put on a bit of weight. :)

Realisticly how much can I expect to put on assuming I'm eating enough? Ideally I'd be looking at about a stone but I have no idea if that's possible. I'm training 2/3 nights a week with weights and a 1/2 nights actual martial arts lessons. :)
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1lb every 2 weeks IMO

5-6 months for a stone, assuming you haven't done much proper lifting before. Your diet needs to be nailed though. The quality of the weight added will depend on your diet, diet is critical.

If the weight class down not under 80kg? What's the class you're in now?
 
It's only a semi contact tournament, so I don't need to be huge since I won't be getting kicked into orbit. ;) I want to be a bit bigger but maintain the speed - most of the people I'll be fighting will be 15/16 stone so if I come in at about 14 I'll be able to take a blow should it come in hard, but I'll still have my speed. :)

Yes, the lower weight catagory is 80kg, but I'd rather be faster and lighter than be the heavy guy if you get what I mean.. Plus, I'm already scrawny :D I'd rather be bigger than even scrawnier :p :D
 
Lowe said:
It's only a semi contact tournament, so I don't need to be huge since I won't be getting kicked into orbit. ;) I want to be a bit bigger but maintain the speed - most of the people I'll be fighting will be 15/16 stone so if I come in at about 14 I'll be able to take a blow should it come in hard, but I'll still have my speed. :)

Yes, the lower weight catagory is 80kg, but I'd rather be faster and lighter than be the heavy guy if you get what I mean.. Plus, I'm already scrawny :D I'd rather be bigger than even scrawnier :p :D
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If i was you (and i've been in the same situation before) i would try and drop 1.5kg to get under the weight limit tbh. If you put on size you'll probably lose some agility and some speed. Your weight doesn't really determine how well you can take a blow either from my experience. I've knocked out several people heavier than me and i've been floored by people lighter than me too.

I know what you mean about the second comment but i still believe it's best to be the best in the lower weight class than the worst in the higher weight class.

My 2p's worth.
 
As I said though - it's only a semi contact tournament. Speed will be the order of the day, though should I take a hit badly I want to be able to absorb it and carry on rather than crumple ;) I've also been training with the bigger lot now so even if I lost the weight they'd still put me in with the big guns - it's only an in house thing, not a huge championship or anything :)
 
Ah right, got ya.

Thought it was a proper comp. I used to hate comp dieting down to 80kg. Ended up stopping fighting for 6 months (still not fighting now) because i'm 95kg...which means i'm in the under 100kg class. Can't see the point in starting up again in the middle of a weight class :(

Should beable to put a stone on in 5-6 months with a good diet, hard training and plenty of rest :cool:
 
Nah the proper comps are in a month or so, not really enough time to sort myself out. :)

I'll go sort my diet out then first, got a good pair of training partners who are pushing me already. The rest thing I do naturally :) :p
 
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