Poll: ***The all new gymrats thread***

Do we archive this thread and start a new one for 2010?

  • Yeah good idea.

    Votes: 11 78.6%

  • Nah I'm happy with this one.

    Votes: 3 21.4%
  • Total voters
    14
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Pretty much most bodybuilders are stronger than the average person and the rest, however it's not that functional and designed purely for looks - I don't mind looking muscular, but I know it's functional rather than just for looks. I don't do it for looks, that's why I'm not interested in getting super cut, or vascular etc... I know I could do it and look immense, but I'm just not interested in it. :)

That aside, I still believe big compound lifts and olympic exercises are a vital part of the lifestyle and discipline.
 
It's about intensity. Sprinters run lots every day - but they're not skinny, look at Linford Christie! You can lose fat and keep fitness up, but running long distance isn't one of them unless you like it. It's quite possible to use up surplus fat stores running, but at the right intensity. There will always be some muscle atrophy with cardio to a certain extent even HIIT, but it's a balance, and it's hard to get right, but it's possible.

I, personally, am not a fan of running, but rowing and swimming as well as basketball and squash I love. In winter rugby keeps my fitness levels up rather nicely too.
 
WalkeruK said:
Maybe an odd question but, im currently dieting ive lost just over a stone in near enough 3 weeks hoping that it keeps down and i keep on going, whats the the average mans waist im worried that after all this effort and dropping 3 stone or so that ill still have big hips due to my bone structure any indication as to what i can expect would be great.
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How long's a piece of string?! IT really does depend on height, weight, genetics, bone structure etc...
 
This GVT is killing me.

However I'm making some awesome progress.

Still close to 80 reps of wide grip chins, squats, bench etc... per session is somewhat deadly! It's also strange using lighter weights but at the same time brilliant as I've really re-established my form and have been doing much more controlled movements - and feeling as though I'm getting so much more out of it.
 
You could have started another thread it's ok. :)

For a start you're trying to bulk up but lose FAT not weight!!! ;)

Secondly, alcohol lowers test levels significantly and your body resources it's time for digesting the alcohol rather than regenerating muscle. 20/30 units is a lot to have! I don't think I even have that much a month!

Nothing wrong with cardio whilst training, just bear in mind that there are different levels of cardio which affect your body in different ways.

The Energy Efficient or Recovery Zone - 60% to 70%
Training within this zone develops basic endurance and aerobic capacity. All easy recovery running should be completed at a maximum of 70%. Another advantage to running in this zone is that while you are happily fat burning you may lose weight and you will be allowing your muscles to re-energise with glycogen, which has been expended during those faster paced workouts.


The Aerobic Zone - 70% to 80%
Training in this zone will develop your cardiovascular system. The body's ability to transport oxygen to, and carbon dioxide away from, the working muscles can be developed and improved. As you become fitter and stronger from training in this zone it will be possible to run some of your long weekend runs at up to 75%, so getting the benefits of some fat burning and improved aerobic capacity.

The Anaerobic Zone - 80% to 90%
Training in this zone will develop your lactic acid system. In this zone, your individual anaerobic threshold (AT) is found - sometimes referred to the point of deflection (POD). During these heart rates, the amount of fat being utilised as the main source of energy is greatly reduced and glycogen stored in the muscle is predominantly used. One of the by-products of burning this glycogen is lactic acid. There is a point at which the body can no longer remove the lactic acid from the working muscles quickly enough. This is your anaerobic threshold (AT). Through the correct training, it is possible to delay the AT by being able to increase your ability to deal with the lactic acid for a longer period of time or by pushing the AT higher.

The Red Line Zone 90% to 100%
Training in this zone will only be possible for short periods. It effectively trains your fast twitch muscle fibres and helps to develop speed. This zone is reserved for interval running and only the very fit are able to train effectively within this zone.
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Personally I tend to train in the last 2 categories, but I do sometimes do the 1st but in this instance you're not depleting fat efficiently and you could be using muscle tissue as well.
 
Dj_Jestar said:
bulk, then cut. It's very hard to do both at the same time. :)
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Bulking and cutting is daft and it is simply not necessary these days. Bodybuilding has come a long way since the days of the 80s mentality of bulking and cutting. Bulking and cutting effectively came aroudn owing to AAS anyway.

There is absolutely no need to bulk and gain lots of fat which is effectively all you do. You may retain on a few lbs of muscle but it really isn't worth the effort without special sauce.

If you're a natrual trainer it is more than feasible to do a lean bulk - I 've been doing it for 3 years and it's been doing me well.

The whole bulk/cut cycle is antiquated IMO.
 
Keeping fit whilst bodybuilding is extremely important, you're puttign your body through a lot of stress and you want to make sure your body's cardiovascular system is able to cope with the extra strain. So many bodybuilders and powerlifters have burst blood vessels and had mini angina attacks owing to their poor ability to cope with stress on the body.
 
Even natural comps now don't bloat excessively - they do cut a lot though.

Assisted you've got an advantage anyway and cutting isn't hard to do with special juices.
 
People in my gym are happy to share - no one has said no yet. :)

I'm coming to the end of the 5th "week" of my gvt training and boy it's been tough.

I started off on the following weights:

Flat bench: 70kg
Incline bench: 60kg
Dips: BW
W/G Chins: BW
Hammer Grip Chins: BW
Squats: 100kg
SLDL: 70kg
Single arm DB Row: 25kg
DLs: 110kg
Front squats: 65kg
Step ups: 100kg
BORs: 60kg

A selection of arm workouts which I'm not interested in listing as I HATE HATE HATE arm workouts.

Remember these are slow 4s negs and I mean 4s negs with a lot of effort and grunting and shouting - it's a lot harder than it seems! 10 sets of 5 reps. So a lot of volume.

You do 2 major muscle groups then follow it up with a subsidiary exercise.

Bear in mind my max lifts are stated in my sig you can see that I've significantly lowered my efforts but I tell you what it's been the hardest 50 days of my life so far! :D

I will be starting my final 10 days on the following:

Flat BB bench: 105kg
Incline BB bench: 90kg
Flat DB bench: 35kg
W/G Chins: BW+12.5kg
Dips: BW+12.5kg
Hammer grip chins: BW+12.5kg
Back squats: 125kg
Heel elevated Front squats: 90kg
DLs: 140kg
SLDL: 90kg
Leg press: 260kg
BORs: 90kg
Single Arm DB rows: 35kg

So again not big weights, and bear in mind some of the smaller weights are the subsidiary exercises where I only do 3x8 reps so will already be pre-exhausted by the 50 reps done previously.

So far chest and back have been the hardest - 4s negs on w/g chins is so so hard, I must say I don't always do the negative that slow, but I slow it down as much as I can, but it's just not slow enough unfortunately. Bench is easy enough to be controlled on the negative.

Leg days have been the most rewarding but again the negative is enough to make you want to cry/vom/scream possibly all at the same time. Absolutely wonderful workout.

When I finish the last 10 days I will go back to a sort of pyramid/volume style of training before my holiday just to get the last bits of definition with a few more isolation movements (uuuughhhhh :(). I've shed a little BF doing this but tipping the scales at about 222lbs so pretty happy with that. I will probably lose a bit of bulk over my holiday but will be active and eating well and it'll do my body some good to do some swimming and non gym-type of activity.

Although I haven't finished AGVT yet I thoroughly recommend it if you stick to you religiously and are committed to doing it properly and leaving the ego at home. It's quite hard turning up and keeping the weights low but once you realise how hard it is you soon are happy about it. I can imagine if you were on naughty juices how much strength/size you'd be putting on with something like this!
 
Well considering I've dropped perhaps 0.5-1% BF but gained 4lbs I must have gained more LBM than that, but still 4lbs is 4lbs!!

I'm sure my strength will have taken a bit of a hit, but I'll focus back on that in due course. :) I think I'm still on target for 200kg squats and 250kg deads for the end of the year. I'm happy with 150kg bench.

20kg chins?!! Damn that's impressive! How many reps? I'm rather jealous of that - I used to struggle with just 1x WG chin with bodyweight alone! :o How wide do you go?

It's good to see other people doing WG chins, so many people don't do them, or have their hands 1 foot apart thinking that's enough :/ Oh and don't get me started on the people that jerk or only go down partially and start pulling up when they still have a bend in their arms! Argggh!! lol! :p

So you're doing 5 reps for 3 sets?
 
dun said:
So far (only started Friday, so today will be the third day) I've been going with 3-4 reps just to get in the groove for 2 sets on each exercise, then 3 working sets of 5 reps. If I feel like I could do more reps on the working set don't, and instead add more weight.
EG:
15kg+BW WG chins 3 reps
17.5kg 4 reps
20kg 5 reps
20kg 5 reps
20kg 5 reps

On the bar in the gym you have to be careful not to go too wide due to the design of the bar (built for someone 7ft tall and equally as wide) so they end up being pretty wide grip :D and I like to go all the way till my arms are fully extended to get a nice lat stretch.
I'm past even looking at some of the kids on the pullup bar. They crank out 20 plus reps and 0 counted as an actual rep. Crazy swinging and momentum with about 3 inch ROM from the top of the bar. Oh well not long school holidays left :p

4lbs with a bit of fat off is great. People get caught up with silly inflated numbers. Id be very happy with that over 5 weeks.
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That's impressive Power to weight Dun - you should be chuffed! Sounds like my WG bar here, though I'm just about 6'1" I can hold the bar but have my feet dangle with a few inches to spare, so yeah it's pretty wide - I reckon 3.5 feet?

Remember it's 50 days not 5 weeks. :) But yes rather chuffed at that. :)

How on earth do you manage so many reps with 20kg?! Actually I may be doing myself an injustice as I do silly high volume, so I reckon once I finish this I may be able to do 20kg for a few reps. :)
 
N19h7m4r3 said:
True, but it stops those horrible hungry stomachs after a workout.

Also good for getting some protein to your starved body.
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You do realise I know all about protein shakes right?

Whilst protein & carbs are good after a workout it's only part of the story, a hearty meal outshines all shakes. Not saying I don't use shakes, I just spend a fortune on food a week and it offers me a helping hand.
 
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