GordyR's Beginners Guide to Bodybuilding

Skull is there any chance you can join a gym?

You can probably cover the amount you'll spend on a couple of months before uni with the money you'd spend on buying additional weights.

I think Tony Soprano covered most things, although I personally wouldn't use gloves, they tend to slip and stretch out in really heavy lifts. I just use climbing chalk, makes a bit of a mess but makes my grip nice and secure.
 
We'll I've bought a chin-up bar, some gloves and a belt, my exams finish on friday so ill be ready to launch into it. Can't wait!
 
Good luck with it Skull, and well done Duradrum, great results so far.

I'm going to start again now that my exams are finished. The only thing that is worrying me is that I don't seem to be in pain the day after, I hadn't been doing it for long before I stopped for my exams but the first few times my muscles would be in pain for the next few days, but after a while I wasn't in any pain after my work out. Am I doing something wrong?
 
I've been quietly following this great guide since i started training about 18 months ago. Thanks for sharing your knowledge GordyR.

Here's a pic my GF took while on hol in January:

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I was benching about 180 pounds then. Currently benching 220 for 8 controlled reps.
 
Anyone in here got any particularly good recomendations for improving your grip? I'm having problems keeping a good drip on the bar for deadlifts and shrugs, I have no problem lifting the weights with the main muscles involved, it's just becoming a problem holding onto it for a full set.
 
Duradrum - I was just thinking, it would probably have been better if you took a picture of yourself without tensing your muscles, that way there would be a much better comparison to the "before" picture.
 
Alchemy said:
Duradrum - I was just thinking, it would probably have been better if you took a picture of yourself without tensing your muscles, that way there would be a much better comparison to the "before" picture.
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Hi dude, I like to take them tensed so I can see any development so dont have any natural ones. I've just updated it so its a more recent one with a 'semi tensed' side on shot. I must be approaching sub 16% BF as my abs are almost visible. Off to the gym soon to do 20 mins HIIT sprints :D
 
Has anybody got a good diet that I can stick to for my upcoming exercise regime, I plan on doing the workouts that are listed in Gordys first post on here with cardio on the days inbetween. I am already bulked up,(read fat) so I just need a good diet plan to help me build muscle. I currently weigh 178 pounds height 5'6" bodyfat at around 25-30% at a guess.
 
Viral said:
Has anybody got a good diet that I can stick to for my upcoming exercise regime, I plan on doing the workouts that are listed in Gordys first post on here with cardio on the days inbetween. I am already bulked up,(read fat) so I just need a good diet plan to help me build muscle. I currently weigh 178 pounds height 5'6" bodyfat at around 25-30% at a guess.
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Bulking up isn't getting fat and not gaining muscle.

To gain muscle you must have a calorie surplus.

If you want to gain muscle, you're more than likely to put some fat on as it's hard to tell (sometimes) where the line lies between eating just enough calories to put on mass and eating too little and losing mass. Hence people tend to overeat and get fatter.

You need to cut - 30% bodyfat @ 178lbs is a bad starting point for a bulk, a verybad starting point. Lower your bodyfat first would be my advice.
 
Alchemy said:
Duradrum - I was just thinking, it would probably have been better if you took a picture of yourself without tensing your muscles, that way there would be a much better comparison to the "before" picture.
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Hi mate, have added pic of relaxed and one of tensed. Have made a little more progress since I posted before so these are new. Hopefully you can see a better comparison here. I still about 10 pounds of fat to lose before I'm going to go for a clean bulk. My goal is 12%BF by 1/9/6. I'm currently around 16% (original pic was around 24%) so well on the way!
 
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Maybe somebody has already replied, but you will probably find that you have a better appetite once you start training again. Secondly, you need to eat smaller meals more often - so probably smaller than you would ordinarily. A bagel and a can of tuna, for example, would constitute a low fat/high carb/high protein meal. If you don't want to use protein shakes, then you will need to eat small high protein/high carb meals during the day. I think it's simply a case of changing your eating habits so that you eat small but often (which keeps your metablism high). It can be a hassle, but is quite easy if you're dedicated. Eating so frequently means dropping the amount you eat at each meal, which is achievable.

GordyR's guide is excellent and gives you a good indication of how many calories you should consume in order to maintain your bodyweight. Remember an extra 3500 calories consumed per week (500 per day) means 1lb of weight (or lean mass) per week if you only eat clean food (Training obviously consumes calories as does aerobic activity). I don't see why you need to be a big eater to do this. Using GordyR's formula, this means that you need to consume 2340 calories per day to maintain your bodyweight. Add 500 to this and you will put on weight providing you don't exercise (it's that scientific!) Roughly then, 500 calories per meal x 6 meals will mean you gain weight (you may need to increase this to account for the lost calories as part of training).

Surely you could eat this amount per meal - as it's not much - providing the calories come from the right sources (ready made meals and pre-prepared food does not provide calories in the correct balance). Protein = 4 cals, Carbs = 4 cals and fat = 9 cals per gram. Thus, 32.5 grams of protein = 130 cals, leaving 370 from carbs and fat per meal. Easy huh? You may need to eat slightly more to counteract the calories you use from weight training.

I don't see why you need a huge breakfast either. Porridge mixed with protein powder is perfectly adequate, or you can have eggs instead.

Raider said:
Thanks for the guide. I've just joined our local gym and i'm intending to firstly get fit again, then pack on a bit of muscle if possible. I'm about 5' 8", but weigh around 9 stone 4lbs.
Problem is i'm not a big eater, so when I hear people eating a huge breakfast, then snack, then lunch, then snack, then dinner then snack I tend to get a bit scared off the idea.

I love steak and fish so dinner is not a huge problem. Where I work they have a decent salad bar with cold salmon fillets and chicken breasts, as well as stuff like baked potatoes. So lunch can be sorted.

But for breakfast I usually only manage a bowl of cereal, or a couple of rounds of toast, although at the weekend I usually go for some poached eggs and bacon in the morning.

So basically I need to find ways of having high carb, high protein snacks during the day. I don't want to go down the protein powder route, so any good ideas? Ta! :D
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I am going to start my new exercise regime and do weights 3 times a week and cardio twice a week and see if the cardio helps me lose some fat. I have also been eating a lot better since my wife and I got back from our hols. We got back on the 25th June and I weighed 178 pounds and now I weigh 171 pounds which is about the same as I weighed before we went on our hols. I have basically stopped eating cheese, chocolate and other naughty things and have only been drinking water, juice and tea.
 
Some advice please:
I havnt had the time to go the Gym lately, and so ive been doing as much walking as possible really. Whilst still keeping on the same diet.
With the last week, and possibly the next, around where i live seeing 25*c+, combined with walking, am i gonna potentially be losing more weight or am i just gonna be using up water?

Thanks in advance. :)
 
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