GordyR's Beginners Guide to Bodybuilding

Do you sit refreshing this thread every 15 seconds or something? :p

Well, I better not drop any more bodyfat, I'm 5ft 6 and weight 120Ibs. :eek:
 
iCraig said:
Do you sit refreshing this thread every 15 seconds or something? :p

Well, I better not drop any more bodyfat, I'm 5ft 6 and weight 120Ibs. :eek:
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Lol no I just get an Email when somone replies. :p

At 120 lb's I would forget about your abs and start bulking. Hit the weights hard and heavy, eat like a pig and don't be afraid to gain a bit of fat. You can worry about dieting down to get your abs back once you have some more lean mass on you. :)
 
Hi gordy, in the programme you posted on the first page which on the saturday exercises are focuses more on the triceps (i'm guessing skullcrushers are one of them?). I feel like it's hitting them too much and when I come to the last exercises they're exhausted! I was thinking of swapping them with some ab work.
 
suicidle_tramp said:
Hi gordy, in the programme you posted on the first page which on the saturday exercises are focuses more on the triceps (i'm guessing skullcrushers are one of them?). I feel like it's hitting them too much and when I come to the last exercises they're exhausted! I was thinking of swapping them with some ab work.
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The routine I posted was just a guideline so by all means change it up to suit yourself. There are many different types of routines out there and everyone responds differently, the trick is to experiment and find out what suits you best.

For a lot of people doing Triceps on chest day can be too much. In which case switch it around. Maybe do a four day split and have a chest day, a back/bicep day, a shoulder/tricep day and a leg day. Or maybe try chest/shoulders, legs, bicep/triceps, back. The possibilities are endless and vary from one person to another. Just listen to your body, if it's feeling too much or not enough in any particular area then change things around. :)

Also bear in mind that splits aren't the only way to workout. Plenty of people have great results from full body workouts, upper body/lower body splits and push/pull splits. In some of these programmes you tend to lower the amount of exercises per bodypart, but perform them more often. There is no real right or wrong way to train (to an extent) as long as it gets you results then you are doing whats right for you.
 
What I wanna know about this is:

1: Once you have reached your desired weight and muscle gain, how hard is it to maintain this? Do you have to keep working out regularly and eating the same? Does it require work to keep it?

2: How much did your weekly food shop increase? Seriously, I dont know if I can afford to eat 6 times a day.

3: What is the minimum amount one can spend in a gymn each week to properly follow such guides to muscle gain? i.e Could I go only twice a week? I am not lazy, but I have a very busy life style with 2 kids to look after in addition to work.

Cheers
 
sniper007 said:
1: Once you have reached your desired weight and muscle gain, how hard is it to maintain this? Do you have to keep working out regularly and eating the same? Does it require work to keep it?
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It does require work to maintain. The amount needed will vary from person to person and will depend on how much you are eating amongst other things. If you discontinue all exercise and eat badly again you will find your muscles will eventually revert to an untrained state and shrink. However, if you have had the muscle once then it is far easier to get back if you were to begin training again. We call it "muscle memory".

sniper007 said:
2: How much did your weekly food shop increase? Seriously, I dont know if I can afford to eat 6 times a day.
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Mine actually went down! I find it far cheaper to eat a lot of healthy whole foods than to buy expensive "ready meals" and the like. Oats and rice are stupidly cheap and should be your main source of carbs. Eggs are cheap also and are a great source of protein. You don't have to pay out for a nice sirloin steak for every day of the week. If you budget carefully and stick to the good simple foods it is far cheaper than you think.

sniper007 said:
3: What is the minimum amount one can spend in a gymn each week to properly follow such guides to muscle gain? i.e Could I go only twice a week? I am not lazy, but I have a very busy life style with 2 kids to look after in addition to work.
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There is no minimum amount since everyone responds differently. Some people can make fantastic gains on only two days a week. A full body routine twice per week (based purely around the compound lifts so less exercises overall) works very well for some. You could also try an upper body/lower body split. As long as you work hard when you're there and concentrate on the compound lifts (bench, squat, deadlift, rows etc.) then you should do fine. :)
 
A2Z said:
Gordy, just wondering if you have tried HST?
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I have indeed and although I was admitedly skeptical at first, once I looked in to the scientific reasoning behind such training I decided to give it a shot. I had some good gains on it but for pure overall mass building I prefer something akin to Bill Starr's 5x5 workout which although similar to HST in principle, focuses on the compound lifts a little more.

For beginners though I would personally recommend learning the exercises properly first on a standard split. The thing about HST and other similar routines is that they require you to know exactly what you are capable of weight and rep wise since the programs are build around different percentages of your 1 or 5 rep max etc. This is something that beginners will have no idea of obviously.

If you know what you are doing and follow the guidelines properly you can make great gains on such routines. :)
 
GordyR said:
I have indeed and although I was admitedly skeptical at first, once I looked in to the scientific reasoning behind such training I decided to give it a shot. I had some good gains on it but for pure overall mass building I prefer something akin to Bill Starr's 5x5 workout which although similar to HST in principle, focuses on the compound lifts a little more.

For beginners though I would personally recommend learning the exercises properly first on a standard split. The thing about HST and other similar routines is that they require you to know exactly what you are capable of weight and rep wise since the programs are build around different percentages of your 1 or 5 rep max etc. This is something that beginners will have no idea of obviously.

If you know what you are doing and follow the guidelines properly you can make great gains on such routines. :)
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What is HST exactly? Any useful links?
 
Bit of a weird dilemma here, I've noticed that my left pec and left tricep seem to be more developed. They also appear to be my stronger side but I'm right handed. I take it this could be a good thing but my left pec has a lot more mass at the top. Looking in the mirror I don't see a difference but when I flex them, the left one seems more complete. I'm considering doing additional exercises after my workout with some dumbbells and use them solely on my right side to see if I can help them catch up. Anyone else had this? I've just introduced incline bench press to my regime so hopefully this will help out as well.
 
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Yeah, a good body should be symmetrical, I'm no expert but I'd obviously do excerises that focus equally across your body. And make sure that when you do barbell curls for example the weight is distributed properly and both arms are working just as hard as each other.

However I was under the impression your body will stay in balance anyway GordyR?

Like if you only excerise your arms, they won't go massive unless you increase your chest, shoulders and back aswell etc.
 
I took a two week break there, and resumed exercise last week. It wasn't until after the first workout that I noticed, and since then after every workout my left side feels more worked out. I feel that both arms and chest are getting equal workouts. I just wondered if it happened to anyone here.

I now have a 3 day split. Workout 1 is as follows:


Chest

Flat Bench Press - 3x8
Incline Bench Press - 3x8
Butterfly - 3x8

Triceps

Skullcrushers - 3x8
Close Grip Bench Press - 3x8
Weighted Dips - 3x8

Traps

Barbell Shrug - 5x10

Shoulders

Standing Barbell Press Behind Neck - 3x8
Arnold Dumbbell Press - 3x8
 
iCraig said:
However I was under the impression your body will stay in balance anyway GordyR?

Like if you only excerise your arms, they won't go massive unless you increase your chest, shoulders and back aswell etc.
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Thats correct, regarding growth. You can't ever expect to go from 13" to 18" arms without increasing your mass all over. The body just wouldn't let it happen. However, symmetry (left side/right side) imperfections are another matter altogether. Everyone has a slightly better bicep, or a slightly better pec, quad, delt etc... In a lot of cases this is just down to genetics.

wintereverlong said:
I took a two week break there, and resumed exercise last week. It wasn't until after the first workout that I noticed, and since then after every workout my left side feels more worked out. I feel that both arms and chest are getting equal workouts. I just wondered if it happened to anyone here.
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Many of us experience that. My left pec was stronger and more developed when I first began lifting. It's just a case of one side being stronger/larger than the other naturally. Continue lifting and it should even up over time as you add more weight to your lifts. If it is still a problem then switch to purely dumbells for a few months. Doing your bench and incline presses with dumbells should allow your slightly weaker side to catch up since the stronger side won't be taking the majority of the stress during the lift. You can also try throwing an extra couple of reps or doing an extra set on your weaker side until it catches up though this probably isn't necessary.

In general though as you increase your overall mass you tend to find that these imperfections "fill out" and your body naturally get's more symmetrical. Concentrate on heavy presses, eat, eat and eat and i'm sure you'll be fine. :)
 
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Im quite amazed by the difference ive seen upto now.
I hate the new lifestyle, but ive gotten on the scales, 7 days after first weighing myself, and ive lost 0.3 already (scales set to stones).

Regarding pizzas, are they ok?
Ive been staying off them, but my mother makes pizzas from scratch so i was thinking i could get some 'custom made'.
Thanks again.
 
OK, done my research and started lifting relatively small weights at home and eating regularly, lots of protein, less booze. Now it's a case of overcoming my embarrassment at being a skinny wretch and getting my arse down to the gym and into those weight training areas ;)

Going to book an initiation by this weekend. Hardcore time :eek:
 
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