GordyR's Beginners Guide to Bodybuilding

Well, just thought i'd show you how my progress is going after I looked at my decadent state and decided enough was enough.

Here's a before and after pic of how bad I was a few months ago when I drank a LOT of beer almost every day, ate like a pig, and got zero exercise. Note the serious love handles, flabby pecs and overall saggyness on display, a far cry from my once athletic youth. Ignore stupid expression and glasses, was making my ex-gf laugh at the time.

Before.jpg


...and how I am after a relatively short time improving my diet and getting some exercise/weights.

After.jpg


The stupid facial expression/glasses in the first pic are because my gf at the time was there and I was playing up for the camera. Ignore them please.

Starting on the protein shakes soon... needless to say in a few months I expect (hope) to be pretty buffed up. Just need to get those pecs bigger and lose that last bit of puppy fat on my stomach. :)
 
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Good man, taking an active step in trying to change your bodies appearence to something you'll like the look of more.

You've made some excellent progress there bud. What sort of things are you doing? I presume you're going to the gym (if so how often and what are you doing there i,e 3 day 4 day split etc) and i also presume you're doing cardio work, what does this consist of?

Anyway only a quick post, but well done and keep up the good work :)
 
Thanks mate. :)

At the moment my workout is approximately 3x a week, very simple, and consists of, in this order:

*5-10 mins stretching, which i'm very good at from rugby days, drilled into me you might say.
*10 minutes on step machine to warm up, breathing deeply.
*15 minutes on rowing machine, average 2km.
*A session of approx 2x 8-12 reps of weights... pecs and arms + legs.
*10 minute run on runnng machine.
*10 minutes on cycling machine.
*A 20-40 minute swim in the pool.

Considering I only very recently started back at the gym I consider that decent enough, and the gains (loss?) i've made are showing it to be effective.

In a week or two when my body is fully prepared i'll start on the proten shakes, and then i'll hopefully start to see some more significant gains.

I attribute most of this to simply cutting out the the horrible things in my diet,... bacon and egg sarnies etc that I used to get at work a lot. I find it easy to lose weight due to being naturally thin, though obviously carelessness andf lack of discipline can (has) damage(d) that.

Any advice, as always, is most welcome. :)
 
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Richdog said:
In a week or two when my body is fully prepared i'll start on the proten shakes, and then i'll hopefully start to see some more significant gains.
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Fully prepared :confused:

They aren't wonder drinks either, you wont start seeing massive gains just because your taking a few protein shakes.

Good progress still, but if your wanting to build muscle, less cardio and more emphasism (sp?) on a proper weights routine would be benificial.
 
bolger said:
Fully prepared :confused:
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I've done nothing in a long time... i'm getting myself in shape before I start doing it more heavily.

They aren't wonder drinks either, you wont start seeing massive gains just because your taking a few protein shakes.
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That's a little patronising. I know this, but they most certainly help as part of a balanced training programme, especially if I don't get enough protein in my diet.

Good progress still, but if your wanting to build muscle, less cardio and more emphasism (sp?) on a proper weights routine would be benificial.
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Agreed, see above. :)
 
Sorry didn't mean to sound patronising, but when i read 'fully prepared' and 'start to see more significant gains' it did sound a bit like you thought that.

Proper diet and routine are key, supplements are just an addition and without proper diet and routine, you wont see the same gains.

If you haven't read the sticky at the top, should try that, all the info you need.
Good luck :)
 
bolger said:
Sorry didn't mean to sound patronising, but when i read 'fully prepared' and 'start to see more significant gains' it did sound a bit like you thought that.

Proper diet and routine are key, supplements are just an addition and without proper diet and routine, you wont see the same gains.

If you haven't read the sticky at the top, should try that, all the info you need.
Good luck :)
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Hehe this is the sticky! And i've read it several times, great guide. Sorry I was a bit vague in my posting... I have a tendency post a minimum of words and somehow expect people to miraculously piece everything together and know exactly what I mean lol. :)
 
Just got out of bed :eek:

Anyway, the routine on the first page is a good one to follow and should see the gains come thick and fast if you follow that.

:)
 
My suggestions now would be:

As you've lost some of the excess weight you didn't need to be carrying, cut the cardio work right down and start with the lifting.

You want to get yourself a good routine nailed down, one which works for you. I would suggest a 3 day split as to start with. Something along on the lines of:

Day 1:
Chest / Shoulders / Tri's

Day 2:
Legs

Day 3:
Back / Bi's

I don't believe you'll need ab work at the start, as the basic movement will develop your core strength. After a while tho, I would add some weighted crunches and leg raises in, a couple of times a week. You'll also want to be doing calf movement, as to develop a balanced look.

Now as for diet, you're probably going to put back on a little weight but this will be temporary and will be easily lost. The basics of your diet will be that you need to be taking in more calories than you're burning. You need to do this in a controlled way, which is why I recommend starting a Diet Journal of your own and recording everything you eat in terms of it's name, calories, protein, carbs, and fat. This will also help you realise and remember what each sort of food you are consuming contains.

Right phones ringing, gotta go i'll finish this later.
 
i just bought myself a flat bench, some dumbells and barbells :cool:
due to the fact i cant be bothered going to a crappy gym

i made up this routine from the site pasted on the 1st page, what do you think of it? im pumped up and ready to go

SATURDAY

NECK
Weighted neck extensions
CHEST
Barbell Bench press, Dumbell flys, Dumbell pullovers
TRICEPS
Barbell close grip bench press, Dumbell extensions, Dips


MONDAY

ABS
Weighted crunches
LEGS
Dead lift, Standing calf raise
BACK
Barbell bent over row, Dumbell lying rows, Chin ups, Shrugs
WRISTS
Barbell wrist curls, Barbell reverse wrist curls



WEDNESDAY

BICEPS
Barbell curls, Dumbell curls
FOREARMS
Hammer curls
SHOULDERS
Barbell military press, Dumbbell shoulder press, Barbell upright row, Dumbell raises

I will be doing 3 sets of 8 reps for each, and chinups to exhaustion
 
I think a lot of the experienced trainers on here would tell you to do fewer sets (especially for the smaller muscles) and to include squats (one of the most important exercises), and to maybe get rid of the neck and wrist exercises.
 
Runbalk said:
I think a lot of the experienced trainers on here would tell you to do fewer sets (especially for the smaller muscles) and to include squats (one of the most important exercises), and to maybe get rid of the neck and wrist exercises.
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I think 3 x 8 is an ok amount although 3 x 6 is probably more preferable, not a huge difference in it though, it's usually advice given to those who insist on doing 50 reps or something mad ;).

I probably wouldn't bother with the neck exercises, might use the wrists ones though, can be useful for you if you have weak wrists, something that can impede lifts.

And definitely try and get in some squats :).
 
Phnom_Penh said:
I think 3 x 8 is an ok amount although 3 x 6 is probably more preferable, not a huge difference in it though, it's usually advice given to those who insist on doing 50 reps or something mad ;).
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I was referring to the total number of sets he's got for some muscles - e.g. he's got 12 sets in total for his shoulders alone.
 
Archibald0 said:
SATURDAY

NECK
Weighted neck extensions are wanting to do boxing or something?
CHEST
Barbell Bench press, Dumbell flys, Dumbell pullovers drop the flyes for now, do incline DB Press instead
TRICEPS
Barbell close grip bench press, Dumbell extensions, Dips drop the DB extentions, I'd even drop the close-grip bench press if I was you for at least the first 6 weeks or so


MONDAY

ABS
Weighted crunches
LEGS
Dead lift, Standing calf raise deadlifts mainly hit the back, they are not classed as a leg exercise. Squats are ;)
BACK
Barbell bent over row, Dumbell lying rows, Chin ups, Shrugs drop the lying DB rows
WRISTS
Barbell wrist curls, Barbell reverse wrist curls I'd drop these, at least for now. They can cause damage and aren't worth it imho



WEDNESDAY

BICEPS
Barbell curls, Dumbell curls drop the DB Curls
FOREARMS
Hammer curls
SHOULDERS
Barbell military press, Dumbbell shoulder press, Barbell upright row, Dumbell raises Just the military press will be fine or the upright row, no need for all these. Maybe add some rear raises?

I will be doing 3 sets of 8 reps for each, and chinups to exhaustion
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That's an unbalanced workout, comments in green, still not perfect but better. You just need to count the exercises per bodypart to know this. The tiny bicep gets 4 exercises a week (chinups, barbell curls, DB curls, hammer curls) yet you have 1 paltry exercise for the legs!! no quad work and no hammy work, tut, tut.

Not keen on the way you've split the bodyparts. I'd go for a more conventional Push/pull/legs split... much better ;)
 
A usefull guide here from a study into the the most effective exercises for each muscle group. Be a shame to let it die in non-sticky thread.

IEMG max motor-unit activation

Exercise/% EMG Muscle Stimulation

Pectoralis major:
Decline dumbbell bench press - 93
Decline bench press (Olympic bar) - 89
Push-ups between benches - 88
Flat dumbbell bench press - 87
Flat bench press (Olympic bar) - 85
Flat dumbbell flys - 84

Pectoralis minor:
Incline dumbbell bench press - 91
Incline bench press (Olympic bar) - 85
Incline dumbbell flys - 83
Incline bench press (Smith machine) - 81

Medial deltoids:
Incline dumbbell side laterals - 66
Standing dumbbell side laterals - 63
Seated dumbbell side laterals - 62
Cable side laterals - 47

Posterior deltoids:
Standing dumbbell bent laterals - 85
Seated dumbbell bent laterals - 83
Standing cable bent laterals - 77

Anterior deltoids:
Seated front dumbbell press - 79
Standing front dumbbell raises - 73
Seated front barbell press - 61

Biceps:
Biceps preacher curls (Olympic bar) - 90
Incline seated dumbbell curls (alternate) - 88
Standing biceps curls (Olympic bar/narrow grip) - 86
Standing dumbbell curls (alternate) - 84
Concentration dumbbell curls - 80
Standing biceps curls (Olympic bar/wide grip) - 63
Standing E-Z biceps curls (wide grip) - 61

Triceps:
Decline triceps extensions (Olympic bar) - 92
Triceps pressdowns (angled bar) - 90
Triceps dip between benches - 87
One-arm cable triceps extensions (reverse grip) - 85
Overhead rope triceps extensions - 84
Seated one-arm dumbbell triceps extensions (neutral grip) - 82
Close-grip bench press (Olympic bar) - 72

Latissimus dorsi:
Bent-over barbell rows - 93
One-arm dumbbell rows - 91
T-bar rows - 89
Lat pulldowns to the front - 86
Seated pulley rows - 83

Quadriceps:
Squats (parallel depth, shoulder-width stance) - 88
Seated leg extensions (toes straight) - 86
Hack Squats (90 degree angle, shoulder-width stance) - 78
Leg press (110 degree angle) - 76
Smith machine squats (90 degree angle, shoulder-width stance) - 60

Hamstrings:
Seated leg curls - 88
Standing leg curls - 79
Lying leg curls - 70
Stiff Legged Deadlifts - 63

Calves:
Donkey calf raises - 80
Standing one-leg calf raises - 79
Standing two-leg calf raises - 68
Seated calf raises - 61
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Chong Warrior said:
A usefull guide here from a study into the the most effective exercises for each muscle group. Be a shame to let it die in non-sticky thread.
Click to expand...

Good stuff - you got a link to the rest of the article/paper?
 
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