OcUK Health Seekers: Post your progress pics

[Clipsey]

I'm going against the grain here, to me (and this is me) gaining muscle and strength is FAR easier than getting utterly ripped. It takes a lot more effort and training on all sides of life as opposed to gaining mass and strength.
Getting big and strong (while staying reasonably lean) is eating, lifting and resting.
If you want to get really ripped down, you have to really watch what you eat, drink, add the right amount of cardio and still hold your own in the lifting.

 

[Vegeta]

I'm going against the grain here, to me (and this is me) gaining muscle and strength is FAR easier than getting utterly ripped. It takes a lot more effort and training on all sides of life as opposed to gaining mass and strength.
Getting big and strong (while staying reasonably lean) is eating, lifting and resting.
If you want to get really ripped down, you have to really watch what you eat, drink, add the right amount of cardio and still hold your own in the lifting.

= my point.

 

[Cristian]

Getting big and strong (while staying reasonably lean) is eating, lifting and resting.

The difference is that this is fairly easy in your first year of lifting, after that it takes ages to put half an inch on your arms or add another 10-20 on your max bench/squat/deadlift. there are a lot of lifters who eat well and train hard and while they do indeed progress, it is a very very slow proces once you get past the initial noob gains.

If you want to get ripped you do have to watch what you eat, it's indeed very hard to get ripped at 90 kg, but it's nowhere near as hard as you guys try to put it at 60 kg.

 

[BennyC]

I still stand by my guns that a bit of calorie calculation and moving more is easier than having to constantly change your training, push yourself way out of your comfort zone and shoveling in enough calories. It's a bit of a no brainer, depsite not agreeing with them I can still appreciate your opinions.

 

[Clipsey]

I'm guessing it changes person to person. I have done both, and I just feel that I enjoy lifting weights way more.
I think it's one of those things, until you have tried it it's hard to realize just how difficult something can be.

 

[odevans]

I'm going against the grain here, to me (and this is me) gaining muscle and strength is FAR easier than getting utterly ripped. It takes a lot more effort and training on all sides of life as opposed to gaining mass and strength.
Getting big and strong (while staying reasonably lean) is eating, lifting and resting.
If you want to get really ripped down, you have to really watch what you eat, drink, add the right amount of cardio and still hold your own in the lifting.

Before going on holiday, my g/f wanted to lose 1 stone. She did. How? She ate less and carried on with her uni work. No cardio. You do not NEED to do anything what so ever other than create a calorie deficit (otherwise you wouldn't need to use your stores). Job done, just ****ing eat less, its not rocket science.

For me to increase my strength, I have to -as there is no single other possible way- get my ass to the gym 3/4 times a week (the 4th one is usually for recovery/vanity if I'm going to be honest about it) and bust my ass so hard that my eyes are literally red - I have actually burst minor blood vessels during workouts. The amount of effort that I put into one single workout is more effort than most will ever put into anything, at all. Blood, sweat, tears, the lot (literally). So don't you dare sit there and tell me that my efforts pale in comparison to someone wanting to lose some god damn fat. And yes, I've done this whilst cutting, its called calorie cycling.

And by the way, I have trained with competing bodybuilders (and currently training with a BBer that will be on stage for his first time before too long, fingers crossed), so I know how much effort goes into getting dangerously ripped; its more of a pain in the ass than anything else.

P.S.

BennyC, looking great in those pics (no homo lol)

 

[Clipsey]

Easy there tiger
I said this is for me - I didn't accuse you of having no effort lol
I am not talking about a skinny runt that has low "body fat" I am talking about body builders as I thought this what this thread was It is not simply eating less calories without doing anything else as you clearly stated. My cousin was a bodybuilder for many years and I learned a lot from him.
Building muscle takes less commitment than building muscle AND being ripped - understand my point?

 

[welshdragon]

I may post my picture up as a before shot to further motivate me when I start back training monday.

Any good before/after shots guys for motivation, low ebb at the moment!

 

[aftershxck]

Some pics of me from a few months back... trying to cut up atm.

In the picture I was around 85kg, now I'm at around 81kg but have kept my strength and (most!) of my mass..

Hopefully in December I can post some comparison pics

p.s. my chest looks terrible here it's not like that IRL, honest guv

 

[Vegeta]

Nice little rant odevans but you're missing the point. He's on about retaining muscle mass yet have close to no fat. Anyone can be skinny just don't eat - to be ripped you still have to eat plenty, eat perfectly and do cardio but not over do it and lose the muscle mass. Much harder than just shovelling pasta and tuna down your neck and lifting weights a hour a day.

 

[Vegeta]

Building muscle takes less commitment than building muscle AND being ripped - understand my point?

It's why I admire Rico's body soo much.

 

[odevans]

Last sentence, second paragraph of my previous post. Calorie cycling. I did it before going on holiday (with the 'wifey'), got down to 80kg and looked very ripped without loss of muscle or strength - as I stated in a previous post.

I know that you didn't accuse me of having no effort, but saying that keeping your fat levels down is hard when compared to strength training pretty much says the same thing to me as strength training is ****ing agonizing at the best of times.

OK, explain to me why you NEED to do cardio in order to lose fat? Give me some scientific reasoning. Fat loss is entirely dependant on how many calories in vs calories out. Cardio just increases the calories going out, though you can just eat less so you do not require to use cardio as a mode of increasing outgoing calories.

Do you mean just another 'body builder', or someone that actually competes in the brits - that's where my info comes from, and I used their words.

When I looked at myself this morning, I had an some degree of an eight pack. I maintain this whilst powerlifting, which is immensely hard and requires a lot of eating. When I start putting on fat, I eat less, when my performance goes down, I eat more. Why do you make it out do be such a difficult thing to achieve?

 

[odevans]

Oh yeah, and being "close to no fat" is what BBers are on stage, which is dangerous. There is no picture on here (that I have seen) resembling anyone that comes close to that.

 

[Cristian]

Building muscle takes less commitment than building muscle AND being ripped - understand my point?

It's why I admire Rico's body soo much.

you do realise the guy weighs 62 kg, right?

aftershxck - nice upper body but picture 3 - do you train legs?

 

[zuludawn]

Vegeta with all your vast experience and comments its about time you posted a pic of youre results. You seem to know a lot about the contents of training lets see if You have put them to good use and have a lean body full of muscle mass, then you can lay all these comments to rest and end it once and for all, (saying goes put youre money where youre mouth is dont it!!!!!!)

Think all this ranting is going to stop people from posting their results.

 

[-|ScottFree|-]

You dont "need" to do cardio to lose weight, but it will help you lose weight a whole lot faster if you do. It also depends how you do your cardio, fast spurts of sprinting to walking to jogging helps kick up your metabolic rate. Doing cardio after a heavy weight training session also burns more fat far quicker than doing cardio before.

So without getting to involved in this pointless argument, I think you knew what Vegeta was saying.. cardio can have an enormous effect of fat loss and is vitally important to someone who is trying to get to the body fat levels of Mr Rico!!

 

[zuludawn]

First Bodybuilding show at age 19, diet of around 400 cals a day for 12 weeks, these pics week 11 so still had 1 weeks to loose more body fat especially on the legs. All done with 20 mins of cardio on a bike after training, dont forget this a Competition diet so i had to carb up 3 days before so I look very flat in these pics. Weight was from 15 stone to around 12 stone here, if we talking about fat loss ask any competing bodybuilder what this is like!

Look very tall and thin in pics as well so does the dresser behind lol.

Came 2nd on that day messed carbing up was awsome the day after, still was first time, did better after this one.

 

[gambitt]

Out of interest, do most of you guys train for looks only or for a functional purpose as well? I see many comments along the lines of "looking thick, but your legs should be bigger and you back/shoulders/butt cheeks needs more mass".

I'm 6'1 and around 100kg at the moment. I've been training properly about 5 years and when I first started I really got into it and was near 110kg after lots of squats and deadlifts. But I also play tennis and I noticed my game really suffered with bigger legs and upper back so I dialed it back a bit and settled around the 98kg mark which felt the perfect balance for speed and strength. Plus I could fit into jeans that weren't only extra loose fit

So what are the advantages to having huge legs and upper back? Is it only for looks?

 

[zuludawn]

Think you may find its a bodybuilding thing so you look in proportion, dont forget your leg muscles are massive and so many people train upper body to look big and dont train legs the same. Plus Squats and Dead Lifts give you a (thickness overall) that cannot be achieved by any other way, plus massive core strengh.

As for others like yourself and sports people big legs can be a nightmare, taken from personal experience went karate and I couldnt even lift my leg high enough to kick you in the knee, legs that Squatted 630lbs then, dont do other sports and you tend to where shorts all the time not jeans lol.

 

[Clipsey]

you do realise the guy weighs 62 kg, right?

aftershxck - nice upper body but picture 3 - do you train legs?

I was not talking about Rico, he has done very well and looks great but as you mention is very lean. I am talking about bodybuilding

I just heard a lot of people mention 'oh getting down to really low body fat % is easy....but it's not for me" etc just wasn't sure what these comments were based on?

odevans - My cousin competed in the late 90's I wanna say, got up to 4-5th best in England I think. He was a UNIT!