*** The 2010 Gym Rats Thread ***

So I've done it! i've done cardio! can you believe it pmsl.
I signed a 2 year membership with some gym that opened a few miles from me so I'll use my bodybuilding gym for the weight training and this gym for treadmill etc. Just doing HIIT fitness is pretty dire but I'll get there :L.
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Hey B1C3P I know it sucks at first to do cardio man but I've been doing it for just over 3 years now and after a while it gets easier, I'd say first 6 months is hardest and then it just becomes normal, plus you feel amazing for doing it, like in your head, the chemicals or whatever, like I feel really happy when I do cardio, I even start smiling and laughing to myself LOL! I know that sounds crazy and wierd but oh well! lol

I did mostly running for first 2 years and then this year I dont really run anymore, I bike to gym and back home and then do extra cardio in gym, and all I do is walk up a hill fast walking on tredmill for 20 mins or 30 mins sometimes and then I go on crosstrainer for 20 to 30 mins, the cross trainer is the best cardio machine in gym imo, I love it, seriously you got to try it, you can go slow or fast, and make it easy or hard, I kinda go fast then slow over and over again in a circle, by the end I am drenched in sweat and my top is sticking to my body lol. I dont always do the top bit on crosstrainer either with my arms, sometimes I give my arms a rest and just move it with my legs, still works.

EDIT: Also, sometimes I feel out of place doing cardio in my gym, coz the gym is split in half, prob like most gyms, and theres like a massive cardio section and then a massive weights section, and the weight sections is just full of guys, maybe one girl sometimes, and the cardio section is like 80% girls and 20% lads and 99.9% of them are just really skinny/slim people that weigh like 9 stone and around 5 foot 8...even some of the guys in the weight section ask me why I do so much cardio lol.

EDIT:
not trained in 5 days now, due to hurting my right shoulder (overhead press). going to give it another week. cissus is hopefully helping it to heal. i have a hospital appointment with a specialist for my knee (football injury), next week too, im going to mention the shoulder to them too, see if i can get it looked at properly.

killing 2 birds with 1 stone, well 3, ill get them to look at my left elbow too (old lifting injury) hurts whenever i do certain tricep exercises.

feel like im getting old with all these injuries, the main worry is the shoulder, i hope it's nothing serious, ive never felt like this before over an injury, im not in any pain, just a slight burn every now and again, i have a feeling that something aint right, so i havent touched any weights since it happened. hopefully the 2 weeks off is enough for it to heal by itself.

i can move it in any direction i want and its pain free and lifted heavy shopping no problem. even picked up a grown person and nothing. im hoping it was just a pull or something small.
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I dont get how people have so many injuries, I've never been injured in 3 years of lifting, I've got legs tonight so lets hope I didnt speak too soon and I dont injure myself squatting lol.
 
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I've been terrible lately, sick as a dog and no motivation for college or training.

I tried a leg day on Monday, did upto 120kg squats, nearly passed out. So light headed and wrecked, just called it a night.

Going to have to take the rest of the week easy, and get some proper meals in. Not eating for nearly a week is a mess. :(

That 200kg deadlift is starting to slip away I think. :(
 
-|ScottFree|- said:
If you are going to work out to get in better shape, then put a leg workout in your week.

Get a structured diet and add cardio to end every workout that you do.

Losing weight across your mid section through both your diet and cardio will keep your much more focused and motivated. You will see more of what is happening by improving your bodyfat levels and it will inspire you to add intensity to your workouts, thus improving your overall size and shape.

Good luck in reaching your goals, its pretty amazing what can be achieved in a short space of time if you are determined to hit your targets.

all the best!
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Yeah i do plenty of cardio, usually 26 minutes before and after the weight session, feels about right for me. Any more and id be knackering myself as i have a hard job, but i do enough to keep the chub to a minimum.

I did start off with a bit on my mid section, not a lot but it was there i couldn't lose the last bit as it was making me suffer on my job, hopefully when i cut next year i'll handle it better now i have some size on board.

Knocking bodyfat is a doddle for me, done it before so i know exactly what is required of me, it's this bulking business that needed tweaking at first. Plus it throws you having to eat more the bigger you get, common sense i suppose but still.

Oh and as for the legs, i do work them out pretty hard what i meant to say is they're good responders as you probably saw in the pics so they take care of themselves really, it's the upper body im really watching.

As for diet, well that's pretty much sorted, just a tweak here and there to see what works best. Some would say im mental at being so strict not much in the way of a cheat, no sugar not much milk for that matter. Carbs usually wind up being a seeded bagel/wholemeal pasta, quinoa or at last potatoes. For some reason i no longer crave bad food yay bonus for me :)

Actually guys i have some back pain, not much but if i go heavy on a squat i get a twinge and it buggers up the lift. Do you think a belt would be a good move?
 
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hux said:
Actually guys i have some back pain, not much but if i go heavy on a squat i get a twinge and it buggers up the lift. Do you think a belt would be a good move?
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Definitely not.

Back pain during squat is usually down to pushing forward too much
 
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Took the plunge and joined the local sports centre and got my overweight arse going for the first time in years! Really enjoyed the weights, though using the polo mint ones concentrating on form. Next stop, weightloss and improved fitness!
 
Oops, I forgot you can only use a referral code on your first purchase. Makes sense I guess. But thanks for the codes anyway.

My lifts are progressing nicely. I'm up to 135kg for 5x5 on squats (1.5*BW :D) and 125kg 5x5 deadlifts. I'm sure my 1RMaxes would be higher than indicated in the powerlifting thread now so I'll have to do a 1RM session at some point.
 
I hear people talk about rest days and that its needed for growing muscle and I understand when people say about the science behind growing muscle, and that it needs time to repair after your workout but I honestly dont think when I start bulking again that I can have rest days...well, defo not one day on, one day off...I just like to go to gym everyday, I dont mind cutting back the hours, but I dont want to cut out the days.

My current workout schedule is like this:

Routine (5 day split)
Day 1: Chest
Day 2: Back
Day 3: Shoulders
Day 4: Biceps/Triceps
Day 5: Legs

The reason I do this workout is because I was introduced to a website by "America's Number 1 Fitness model", greg plitt, you prob never heard of him, anyways his website has videos of him working out and you can watch his whole routine and I got this routine from him, I learnt a few things from him but allot of the exercises he showed I was already doing.

He says he doesnt plan for a day off, he just has one when he feels like his body needs it, he just listens to his body.

And I've been doing exactly same as him for past 6 months, and I've been just going everyday, sometimes for aslong as 14 to 21 days without a single day off.

I know he's a model and not a bodybuilder, and hes not that big either, he'd look like nothing next to me, he only looks good because hes ripped and you can see all his muscles.

So I was thinking, maybe when I start bulking again I could do same routine but have 2 days off, like 5 days on, 2 days off, then 5 days on, or do you still think this wont work for building muscle? do you still think I should be doing 1 day on, one day off?

If you look at the structure of my current 5 day split routine, it keeps shoulders away from chest and it keeps bi's/tri's away from chest and back, so it's always seem good to me.

The routine I did for first 2 years 6 months was one day on, one day off just so you know.
 
Yes, I have heard of him and yes I have seen his websites and videos on youtube. Don't always believe what you see or hear, he endorses products and supplements, he'll say what he needs to until the money stops flowing from these sources.

I don't understand what you're asking? You've answered everything, training is very much entirely individual, each to his own and all that. If you're eating, resting and sleeping enough to support whatever you're doing in the gym and enough to still induce growth then do what you must without getting into a state of over training.
 
Sorry if I wasnt clear, its prob coz I write too much, well its just I've heard most people online say have one days rest inbetween each workout, but I like to go everyday and dont really want the days rest, but when I start bulking again I want to do everything correct and I want to achieve maximum muscle growth.

I think this is another one of those problems where theres different opinions online but I'm looking for exact answers.

I kinda wish I had someone to take me under their wing, like micky in rocky lol.
 
SkScotchegg said:
I kinda wish I had someone to take me under their wing, like micky in rocky lol.
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That's the trouble, there is no ONE definitive answer. Each person is different and what might work for me might not necessarily work best for you.
All I can say to you is if you want to train 5 days a week and are bulking, give your body parts at least 3-4 days rest between training. Your body will tell you pretty quickly if you are over training.
Personally I'd max it at 4 days a week, or just do 2 days on 1 day off etc
 
I go every day and take time off when I really want/need it. Do what you want, not what everyone says is the best.

If you can make the gains and the progress you want by going everyday, then do that. If you are not getting stronger and hit a plateau, then change things up.

That 5 day split is exactly what I do, it's just that I will do 2 cardio sessions to give my upper body rest.

I work nights so I like getting to the gym every afternoon before work. Its breaks up my day so like you, I like going as often as I can.

The only way you will over train is by hitting the same body part twice (regularly) within the same week, otherwise your splits seem fine...
 
Chest day today. Going to aim to do:
Barbell Press
Incline Dumbell Press
Incline Flies

What else should I throw in there? Cable Cross Overs?
 
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