GordyR's Beginners Guide to Bodybuilding

Phd Pharma Blend if you want a decent slow release protein before bed.

scott212, I wouldn't buy any more maximuscle products if I were you. They tend to be over priced for what they are. Not bad products don't get me wrong you can just make your money go a lot further.
 
Well, currently what Im doing is..

30 mins cardio then weights mon/tues/thurs/fri - bottom/top/bottom/top.

So Im doing both cardio and weights every time I go to the gym..
 
Right so I've done my first Push/Pull/HIIT routine. I've done the weights so it's HIIT tomorrow but I think it's too much for me. My muscles are absolutely dead and I can't see how I won't end up over-training. One day's rest surely isn't enough? I also didn't manage to fit in abs stuff so would it be OK to do that on the HIIT day?

Cheers
 
if you are doing cardio then weights first thing in the morning then you want to be eating as soon as you wake up to fuel the weights.

if you are only doing steady state cardio then do it on an empty stomach, maybe have a strong black coffee on waking
 
UltimateBadger said:
Listen to your body. If you don't feel rested then add in another rest day.
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It seems to be fine, I've just done a 50 minute session triceps/chest/shoulders and my arms feel completely dead now. However when doing a single arm extension with my left arm, it is excruciatingly painful and feels like my left bicep is about to rip despite the fact it is absolutely fine when doing bicep curls.

Anyway the fact is you guys have given me some invaluable advice a long with GordyR's guide and I feel set up to achieve the results I want for the time being. My final question though would be to ask if going for a short 15 minute run every morning (before breakfast) is going to interfere with my weights regime. I really enjoy going for a light jog before work, not really pushing my self to my limits by any means. This does not make up part of the cardio HIIT training in my regime.

As for the protein I'm taking 30G mid-morning, 30G after the workout and eating about 200G of cottage cheese before sleeping on top of my usual diet. I'm assuming this is all good.

Cheers
 
BennyC said:
Phd Pharma Blend if you want a decent slow release protein before bed.

scott212, I wouldn't buy any more maximuscle products if I were you. They tend to be over priced for what they are. Not bad products don't get me wrong you can just make your money go a lot further.
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What would you recommend as a cheap, student-friendly alternative. I wouldn't even bother with protein but I also can't afford to spend loads of money on protein rich foods the whole time.

Also is it safe/sensible to do HIIT first thing in the morning on an empty stomach?

Cheers
 
Hi, I've recently become interested in strength training to add power and strength in the kick boxing session I attend weekly. So I'm not in it for body building per se, but it amounts to the same. Having said that, is this the sort of exercise I really want to be doing, or would I be better off with circuit style training?

I've the luxury of having a home gym (up to this point used by other members of the family). It consists of a multi-gym (disliked by many I know), cycle, rower, treadmill and free weights (up to 10KG per dumbbell). We don't own a barbell, is this likely to inhibit my progress?

I'm 22, 5'11, 70KG, low body fat and fairly fit. I do a fair bit of cardio during the week, consisting of 2-3 runs a week plus the hour long workout given by the kickboxing session. The runs are often 2 short runs during the week (3mile) and 1 long run on the weekend (5-8 mile).

I've started with the routine suggested in the OP, substituting any barbell exercises with others where I can. For instance instead of the bench press, I will use the chest press on the machine. It's not ideal but it's the best I can do until I get my hands on a barbell set. I completed the Chest/Shoulder/Triceps session on Tuesday and will be doing the Back/Biceps session on Thursday. I will use dumbbells for the dead lifts and bicep curls and I'll use the lat pull down on the machine instead of chin-ups.

Will there be a problem with the substitutions I will have to make? Obviously I will probably outgrow the 10KG limit on the dumbbells fairly quickly so I'll look at getting some larger dumbbells as well.
 
If you want to build up relevant strength for kickboxing you'll want extra core work. Not 100 crunches, more like decline situps holding 25kg to your chest. Leg exercises (squats and deadlifts) and lots of work on your back and shoulders. Chest and biceps aren't a priority.

Unless you're an abnormally weak person the home gym won't have much longevity as far as strength training goes. Unfortunately you want to do strength training which requires heavy weight and low reps. Buying 100kg+ of weight and barbells and racks and benches is apparently quite expensive... To the extent that you'd probably better off joining a gym.
 
I'm going to be focusing on gaining weight after losing a stone over the last few months.

I'm 20, 5' 10", and 150lbs. Too skinny for my liking.

The problem is that I'm a very picky eater and there's a lot of foods I 'don't like' which is something I'll have to get over anyway, but looking at the first few posts in this thread, I should easily be able to sort out a decent diet from the foods listed.

I tend to be pretty lazy when it comes to cooking though, often just choosing something quick like a Pot Noodle or that 'Pasta 'N' Sauce' stuff. That's another thing that I'd say is to blame for my current weight, as well as skipping meals. Haven't had breakfast in months and as such, my appetite suffers.

I do exercise a fair bit. (Roughly 10 hours/week) I know it's not a lot, but it's more than most people I know. :p

So yeah, basically, any specific advice for someone as messed up mentally as me? :D

I should also say, I'm too self concious and paranoid to use a gym. :( :p
 
Hey Skippi!

Congrats for realising you need to put weight on - the first step to success :-) A few questions will help us to help you out though :-)

1. What's the reason for the weight loss in the past few months?
2. What foods do you dislike?
3. 10 hours of exercise sounds good - i take it you're doing cardio all this time?


Uni student ey? Convencience food at its finest! I used to be similar and still am into quick and easy to make food. One thing that got me out of that spiral was the investment of a £7 steamer from Asda. They are brilliant! Just chuck yer veggies, carbs and protein, shove some water and then run off for 20 mins, come back and its all done.
 
semi-pro waster said:
From what I understand it depends on what you are doing and how close to your max effort you are (e.g. if you're nearly reaching failure then you might leave longer to enable you to get a few more reps) but 60-90 seconds is probably a reasonable starting point.
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Are ok then cheers buddy. When I do the core exercises for example bench press I don't feel my chest getting 'pumped' or feel ache there, my arms always ache and feel like jelly. Does that mean I need to improve my form or is that normal or are you not supposed to feel chest ache after benching?
 
davetrace1 said:
Are ok then cheers buddy. When I do the core exercises for example bench press I don't feel my chest getting 'pumped' or feel ache there, my arms always ache and feel like jelly. Does that mean I need to improve my form or is that normal or are you not supposed to feel chest ache after benching?
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I don't really feel that I know enough to comment properly but as a guess a couple of possibilities amongst many are that it may be that your technique is slightly off (I found that holding the bar a little wider after a recommendation helped me to feel it more but that may not be appropriate for you of course) or it could be that your arms are a weak area for you and fatiguing first I suppose. Is there anyone you can ask to check your technique or failing that you could get someone to video you and ask some of the guys here to look over the video.
 
agreed, sounds like one of 2 things:

form: your grip might be too close, this activates the tris more.
strength: your tri's might be really weak, this would mean they are hitting the wall before your chest really starts working.

i wouldnt say bench is really a core exercise either mind, though when done right it can hit it well
 
Surely this isn't right. I haven't been to the gym or worked out at home for over seven months. I went to the gym on monday and worked on my chest and back and since monday I haven't been able to move! I've been in serious pain. Arms, chest, back etc It's slowly getting better now though. I know if you work out after a while you do suffer the next day, but it's been three days! I'm thinking I may have damaged something?
 
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