*** The 2011 Gym Rats Thread ***

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Caporegime
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18 Oct 2002
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Back in East London
I've been there for a few sessions but decided to go for fitness first instead as it was an extra 30minutes a day on commuting which was rubbish.
It's an old warehouse, not the cleanest place in the world but has a lot of equipment, from many benches to those dead lift frame bars, massive chains, hardcore machines, etc etc. And probably a few tonnes of weights as well.

A lot of steroid meatheads but a few skinny folks as well. Male only gym, not the place you would go for conversation. However I didn't feel uncomfortable in any way, people let you mind your own business and all that.

Really? I was hoping they (the members) would have a community of sorts and be one of those kinda gyms where you can just turn up and get stuck into a work out with whoever else is in the gym at the time. :) Solo training in a gym full of people feels like I'm missing out, I get much more when I'm at least pairing with someone. :)
 
Caporegime
Joined
21 Jun 2006
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The biggest change was a recommendation of a supplement to be taken in the morning and post work out alongside my protein shakes. Dymatize Nutrition Super Amino (liquid) this stuff is rank!

He explained how the amino’s where the build blocks and I would gain more energy and start to see increase in size which is what I am after, while staining lean. Also I now use some flax seed in porridge during my morning meal.

For anyone who is starting out and real does want to make changes quickly or really wanting to make the transition into eating correctly not just turning up at the gym and lifting weights I highly recommend going along to see qualified sports nutritionist. I wish I had known some of the stuff we discussed 2 years ago, instead of reading around endless magazines, forums, and websites to gain this information.

ive been taking aminos for a year now, and i didnt need to go see a sports nutritionist to know that they help a lot.

i know about most supplements out there, especially branded as i have over £1K's worth (i bulk bought from america and they shipped it twice by mistake).

i did extensive reading on them and i think the order that is most important is

protein
creatine
oil (flaxseed, fish, omega, cod liver, whichever one you want, i use a combo)
BCAA
Glutamine
Multi Vits and Joint Supps (this is for general health and i think aids recovery time and stops you from getting ill, helps cns recover quicker, etc, i cannot prove it, but i think taking a multi definitely helps your overall system, also joint supps are important for obvious reasons)

BCAA's i recommend are purple wraath, xtend and amino energy.

Multi's i recommend are orange triad and opti-men, these come with like 100 different things in them, so you dont need to take other stuff like ZMA, etc, its all in these pills.

now pre workouts are also important if you lack energy and give you that psychological boost (placebo effect sometimes) which pushes your body harder as you are in a focused state of mind.

the above list is the tried and tested, i wouldn't waste money on anything not on that list.
 
Soldato
Joined
23 Apr 2006
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Nottingham
Well decided to catch man flu on my 5's week, but going to see how much I can do tonight. Once this cycle is over, I think I will put up my calories back to maintenance as I've been eating around 1000-1500 for a month, to get a bit of fat loss going (Managed to keep strength, just energy fell through the floor!)
 

LiE

LiE

Caporegime
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2 Aug 2005
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Milton Keynes
Did a couple reps at 160kg on the squats yesterday which I'm really pleased with. I have done this before in the past but that was when I had poor form. It's good to be back to where I was with excellent form now.
 

GAC

GAC

Soldato
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well after a 3 week lay off due to flu like illness without the sniffles and general feeling like crap i finaly made it back in to the gym yesterday.

db bench press. 20kg x 10, 30kg x 10 x 2.
close grip bench. 65kg x 8 x 2, 70kg x 8, 72.5kg x 6.
shrugs with a funky frame thingy 150kg x 8 x 2, 170kg x 2. id have done more at 170 but my grip just wasnt up to it. but saying that i wouldnt have been able to handle the 150kg one a couple of months ago.

roll on tomorows session :D
 
Soldato
Joined
18 Jan 2005
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8,538
Ok, I'm going to try to keep this as brief as I possibly can. Over the past few months I've been keeping a strict diet and doing a fair amount of cardio, having got rid of all the fat I need to (and probably a little more too) I'll be switching over to purely weight training in a couple weeks time. I've known this is what I would be doing for a while now so I have a general idea of what I need to do in most areas, but there are a few pretty simple points that I'm not 100% sure on.

As of now I stand at around 10st 2lb (from around 15st earlier in the year) so as you can imagine there isn't a whole lot of me remaining, moving over to weights is a must. I've had a good read of Gordy's thread as well as other places, so here's my limited understanding of things right now -

- I need to up my calorie intake to approx 2556 a day (bodyweight x 18) and split this over 5 or 6 meals.

- I should be aiming for approx 213g of protein per day (1.5g for every lb weighed).

- For the workout itself, progressive resistance is vital, as too are compound exercises. Form is more important than struggling with weights you're not ready to lift.

- Stick to the free weights as much as possible.

This is the routine given in Gordy's thread iirc -

Monday (Chest/Shoulder/Triceps)

Flat Bench Press – 3x8
Incline Dumbbell Bench – 3x8
Skull Crushers – 3x8 (similar to lying tricep extensions)
Close Grip Bench Press – 3x8
Seated Dumbbell Military Press - 3x8
Lateral Dumbbell Raises – 3x8


Wednesday (Back/Biceps)

Dead lifts – 3x8
Bent over one arm Dumbbell rows – 3x8
Chin Ups 3x8 (Or Lat pull downs if you can’t do chins yet)
Barbell Bicep Curl -3x8
One arm Dumbbell hammer Curls – 3x8


Friday (Legs/Abs)

Barbell Squats – 3x8
Dumbbell Lunges – 3x8
Calf Raises - 4x10
Abdominal workout (Crunches, leg raises, whatever)

Now having never done weight training 'properly' before, none of these workouts seem like they would take especially long, are they really a full workout? Also going off these, any particular muscle/group will only be worked once a week, is that really enough? Rest is absolutely crucial that much I do understand, but would I be right in assuming there are routines that work certain groups more often than once a week? I have no problem with putting the work in, so if there are other routines that require more work (or more visits to the gym) for greater results then I'm certainly open to them.

On the diet side of things, should I be eating the same amount 7 days a week despite only training 3 of those days?

Also, what supplements/protein shakes should I be looking to use? At most I probably have time for 3 actual meals, so the rest will have to be made up from shakes/snacks.

As I'm sure you've guessed, when it comes to weight training I am a complete novice, so feel free to direct any responses as such :p. I've used weights as part of an overall gym session as most people have, but making the changes to my lifestyle and the workouts involved is something I'm going to have to pick up as I go, so absolutely any help/advice is appreciated, no matter how basic.

Those are the main points I can think of for now, although I'm sure there's more. Be gentle, we all have to start somewhere :D.
 
Soldato
Joined
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Wales
Those are the main points I can think of for now, although I'm sure there's more. Be gentle, we all have to start somewhere :D.

1) Whats your height?
2) You don't need to eat 5-6 meals a day, it doesn't matter how you seperate it so long as you get enough calories etc. Space it out as much or as little as you need to. I like 2 pretty big meals and 1-2 smaller ones with the odd snack.
3) Personally i would do shoulders on legs day but other than that you'll find it takes a decent amount of time.
4) Work out what you will actually be eating and add it up on something like dailyburn.com before you go thinking about supplements as they are exactly that but the basics would just be a standard whey shake if you need more protein.
5) Consistency is the key :D
 

kai

kai

Soldato
Joined
15 Oct 2007
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3,242
Location
Wales.
Boom! have just come back from a mighty session for first time i thought i would try a one max rep on deadlift never done this before, even in the bodybuilding combined post section i did this as part of a workout 6 -8 reps so i never truely knew.

147.5kg x 1 (straps) well chuffed [67kg bodyweight]
 
Soldato
Joined
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Posts
19,892
Location
Wales
Boom! have just come back from a mighty session for first time i thought i would try a one max rep on deadlift never done this before, even in the bodybuilding combined post section i did this as part of a workout 6 -8 reps so i never truely knew.

147.5kg x 1 (straps) well chuffed [67kg bodyweight]

Beastmode engaged. Can't wait till the end of this HST to try for some new maxes!
 
Associate
Joined
17 Mar 2004
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Also going off these, any particular muscle/group will only be worked once a week, is that really enough? Rest is absolutely crucial that much I do understand, but would I be right in assuming there are routines that work certain groups more often than once a week?

I'm looking to switch to a split (currently doing 1 muscle group per day) and from reading various posts on MP, everyone seems to recommend hitting the same muscle twice a week...

Would like some confirmation as I'm trying to get a new routine going too.

Is it a bad idea to consider HST? Just fancy doing something different.
 
Soldato
Joined
20 Mar 2007
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3,095
Location
Norwich
I can't recommend HST enough, it's my staple routine if I ain't got anything else going on. However at the moment due to lack of time I'm doing the following:

MONDAY
Deadlift
Bench
Pullup

TUESDAY
Front Squat
Overhead Press
Calf Raise
Chin Up

WEDNESDAY
SLDL
Bench
Pullup

THURSDAY
Back Squat
Overhead Press
Calf Raise
Chin Up

FRIDAY
Deadlift
Bench
Pullup

All 15 x 3, with a quick set of barbell complexes to warm up. Suits me nicely getting back into the swing of things after a 3 month break. Also using a barbell for all of the above, whereas before I used dumbbells for pretty much everything (bar deads and squats) so it's a nice change.
 
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