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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Andr3w said:
I haven't been to the gym now for 4 days now for various reasons. Its making me feel very skinny/weak/unfit etc, its strange. Does anybody else get like this?
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I tend to feel fat and weak :p

NitrogenY3K said:
Just thought i would posts this to get some other opinions.

Im currently on a bulk and weighing at about 18st 3lbs, but im not sure if I want to carry on bulking for another 3 months or so and then do a cut after that. My initial plan was to get to 19st and then cut from there, but my waist is creaping up and im unsyre if I should start a good cut at the end of the month.

So my options are.

Bulk for another 3 months and hopefully get to 19st then cut.
Or
Start a major cut at the end of the month get down to a hopeful 10-12% bf, and then bulk from my new base of less bf. (By major cut i mean lossing around 3st)

What do you recon? Only thing is im worried about looking small 3st lighter.


If this helps, current statistics are:

Arms - 17"
Legs - 28"
Waist 39"
Chest 48.5"
Calves - 17"

Not really that good, thats why im concerned about cutting so soon.
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Not bad for 6ft, but waist is a bit big, arms are small for your size but chest and legs are good! What's your BF like? As my stats are very similar to you expect my waist (smaller) and legs (27") and only weigh in at 99kg :)
 
Freefaller said:
I tend to feel fat and weak :p



Not bad for 6ft, but waist is a bit big, arms are small for your size but chest and legs are good! What's your BF like? As my stats are very similar to you expect my waist (smaller) and legs (27") and only weigh in at 99kg :)
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Yeh waist is big, had a year off training due to an op, and just went straight back on a bulk when I returned to the gym, so think that contributed to the bigger waist.
Havn't got a clue on bf at the moment, but is more than i would like, thats why im a bit conerned about carrying on bulking for another few months
 
NitrogenY3K said:
Yeh waist is big, had a year off training due to an op, and just went straight back on a bulk when I returned to the gym, so think that contributed to the bigger waist.
Havn't got a clue on bf at the moment, but is more than i would like, thats why im a bit conerned about carrying on bulking for another few months
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Is your strength up? Personally, I'd trim down, and take a hit on the strength a little. I'm till aiming for 16st at 13-14%... I'll probably get there by the end of the year, but putting on 1/2 a stone over a year sounds easy, but doing it lean is not so easy!!
 
Yeh my strength is up and its quite good at the moment. I have just given James an email on MT and he suggests I cut down to a decent bf and then lean bulk after that. Which i think is a good idea now.

Always had problems with my arms and the size of them compared to the rest of my body. Any ideas how to help growth in terms of training?

So looks like im going to be going on the cut at the end of the months, so do you think i should asjust my rep range in the gym and go for more volume. Say do a rep range of (15, 12, 10)
 
Volume is always good for bulking and muscle development.

This is the program I follow:

1 week heavy high reps (8-10).
1 week medium/light high reps (12-15)
1 week v.heavy low reps (5-8)
1 week medium light high reps (12-15)
1 week 5x5

repeat.

Works well. Sometimes I throw in a full body workout circuit week.

As for arms, I seldom train them, I find they get hit hard doing back work and other big compound exercises. If you did want to isolate them more you'd have to do some high volume/drop set work on them. But remember arms are predominantly triceps, the bis are still significant but provide less of the size.

Good to see the calves are in proportion though. :)

For me I'm standing at 6'1" (ish, just under), @ 99kg, BF 13.5%

Chest: 47"
Waist: 35"
Neck: 18"
Leg: 27"
Arms: 17.5"
Calves: 16.5"

That was last weekend. Pretty happy with that, still would like better arms and better calves but I'm not training them that hard it must be said. Wouldn;t mind losing an inch off the waist and 1% BF but keep the weight.... hard work... might give it a go if I can stop myself wanting to lift more weight! lol!
 
Had a pretty good back day on Friday.

Assisted Pull ups:
10x40kg assistance
10x40kg assistance
10x40kg assistance
10x40kg assistance
(BW is 112.5kg)

Dead lift:
10x60kg
10x80kg
10x100kg
10x60kg (DS)

BOR (Yates):
10x50kg
10x60kg
10x60kg

One hand rows (DB, weight/reps are listed as each hand):
10x20kg
10x26kg
10x30kg
10x32kg

Vertical Row:
10x35kg
10x35kg
10x35kg

Front Raise (DB, weight/reps are listed as each hand):
10x10kg
10x12kg
10x14kg
10x10kg (DS)

Reverse Fly (Machine):
10x35kg
10x35kg
10x35kg
8x35kg

Planned on Seated rows as well, but it just wasn't going to happen. Stiff as a board over the weekend. :)
 
Freefaller said:
Volume is always good for bulking and muscle development.

This is the program I follow:

1 week heavy high reps (8-10).
1 week medium/light high reps (12-15)
1 week v.heavy low reps (5-8)
1 week medium light high reps (12-15)
1 week 5x5

repeat.

Works well. Sometimes I throw in a full body workout circuit week.

As for arms, I seldom train them, I find they get hit hard doing back work and other big compound exercises. If you did want to isolate them more you'd have to do some high volume/drop set work on them. But remember arms are predominantly triceps, the bis are still significant but provide less of the size.

Good to see the calves are in proportion though. :)

For me I'm standing at 6'1" (ish, just under), @ 99kg, BF 13.5%

Chest: 47"
Waist: 35"
Neck: 18"
Leg: 27"
Arms: 17.5"
Calves: 16.5"
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That looks like a good way to train, at least it wont get boring as your changing it up all the time. After you have completed the full 5 weeks, the next time you do it, do you up the weight? and do you mix up the exercises or just keep them the same?

I would like to get to your bodyfat level or maybe a bit lower, if i could get to 10% that would be amazing.
 
I vary the exercises all the time and always make sure I hit my minimum reps. If I don't, then I drop the weight to ensure I do. yes I up the weight after the 5 weeks. Sometimes by only a little. But over the past 2-3 years I've managed to increase the weight by well over 100%. I.e. Max bench has gone from 60 to 150... DLs have gone from 110 to 220... Squats from 80 to 180... etc... The numbers speak for themselves really.

I vary the volume, on the strength days I do lots of sets. On heavy I do about 4 sets, on light I do about 6 sets, and then I have my 5x5 week which is self explanatory.
 
So for example on the 1 week heavy high reps (8-10). I would do:

Bench - 10, 10, 9, 8
Incline Same
Dips - Same
Flyes - same

1 week medium/light high reps (12-15)

Bench - 15, 13, 12
Incline Same
Dips - Same
Flyes - same

1 week v.heavy low reps (5-8)

Bench - 8, 8, 7, 6, 5, 5
Incline Same
Dips - Same
Flyes - same


Would that be the sort of way i would go about it?
 
Got 2.5 (third was assisted) reps at 110kg tonight on bench, felt good. Couldn't get 115kg up though.

WSB is definitely a good routine at getting your lifts up.
 
I was given the option of a free personal training session last week as my gym didn't pass on the VAT drop. Decided it was time to switch things up and get back on a proper routine...which is far easier when someone puts one in front of you, kind of like a challenge I suppose.

I opted for a 4 day split, which gives me the opportunity of having 1 day to play in the gym, here's what has been suggested:

Day 1 - Chest
Flat BB Bench
Incline DB Bench
Low Cable Flyes

Day 2 - Back
Bent Over Rows
Reverse Flyes*
Lat Pull Downs*
Weight Hyperextensions (45 degree)

Day 3 - Legs
Leg Press*
Squats
Lunges
Leg Curls*
Leg Extensions*

Day 4 - Arms
Seated DB Shoulder Press
DB Front & Lateral Raises
EZ Bar Curls
DB Curls
Skull Crushers
Rope Tri Extensions

Day 4 - Cardio (HIIT)
10 Minutes Treadmill (90s off, 30s on)
10 Minutes Bike (30s off, 30s on)
10 Minutes XTrainer (Pyramid)
15 Minutes Heavy Bag Work

Throughout - Abs
Various forms of Crunches (4 exercises)



All weight days include 5 minutes warm-up and 5 minutes cooldown on the bike. Any excerise marked with an asterix is a resistance machine exercise, all other are free weight.

To be honest my concern is that I'll miss the bag work a lot, training Muay Thai but only going once a week to the class means I get most of my training done at the gym.

I also think the leg day has too much quad work and may drop the extensions, I think Dead Lifts should have been in this too.


Also had my measurements taken, quite pleased as I'm not as high BF as I thought:

Mass: 97KG
BF: 25%
Height: 69"
Chest: 44"
Waist: 37"
Quads: 28"
Calves: 17"
Arms: 14"

My arms are abysmal, I was suprised they were that size to be honest. If it wasn't for the fact that I put so much effort into training my triceps last year I think they would have still been 12"!

Still, considering I was 18% BF @ 164lbs (135lbs LBM) a couple of years ago and 36% BF @ 213lbs (137lbs LBM) a few years before that I am pleased. My diet hasn't been as good as it could be by a long way, but I've still managed to gain around 20lbs of LBM (although a fair amount of fat too :p).

Still, it means I'm only about 28lbs away from my target of 13% BF before I plan to do a clean bulk. Which should be possible before the cold months come around again.
 
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got a new pb of 55kg bernch for 5 reps today :P, gonna cut dow to 11 stone I think (from 11.5) then start bulking up/strength training. Had a really poor tricep effort today, felt a clicking in my left arm doing french press and couldnt get on the smith machine to close grib bench, overall pretty good though.
 
The Craig said:
got a new pb of 55kg bernch for 5 reps today :P, gonna cut dow to 11 stone I think (from 11.5) then start bulking up/strength training. Had a really poor tricep effort today, felt a clicking in my left arm doing french press and couldnt get on the smith machine to close grib bench, overall pretty good though.
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any pics mate? I'd say from your weight and what your lifiting forget the cuting and go straight into getting some mass on you
 
PAz said:
woah....you are alive? how you doing man
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hi mate, long time innit..

yeah i got back from korea last week..gonna be in the UK for a while..not much to do other than work and workout..so should be a good chance to get rid of some of this excess flab...
 
Went to the docs today about my ankle....Apparently I've torn a ligament :p

So I guess I need to take thing's easy for a few weeks =/.....May as well be starting from the beginning again!
 
DampCat said:
Sorry guys.

I'm going to post this stuff here because i have nowhere else to post it. I dont have a blog or anything like that. Also, because nobody in my life really cares so even if you dont reply, at least you'll understand.

Did another session tonight, PT was bloody horrible. I told him before we started that i felt i could do more than i have been and i need to find my limit, so he found it for me.

5 min run @ 10kph
80 x Assisted Pullups
80 x Press Ups
80 x bodyweight squats
80 x tricep dips
80 x jackknifes
cool down 1 min run @ 8kph, 1 min @ 9kph, 1 min @ 10kph and some vomit.

33 minutes total.

So it's still early days, but you know, 4 weeks ago i'd never done a day of excercise in my life and couldn't do 3 unassisted pullups successfully. I'm feeling pretty good about where this is going and hopefully i'll be able to push on with my progress at a decent speed!

In hindsight some lower back work and maybe chest would have been nice but at the time all i was thinking about was the mouth full of carrot chunks i was trying to keep in.

ho hum!
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Woot! Pushed this to 10 circuits last night, no vomit. I didn't realise the progress would be so.. noticable!
 
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