do you work out?

deadlifts, squats, are both good for back. Don't forget back extensions, and also supermans (aquamans)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELxuEhBvndE

And when you're unloading, make sure you lift properly there too - bend your knees, keep your back perpendicular to the ground.

  On 8/8/2012 at 10:41 PM, Smettingham Rutherford IV said:

ok, so I think Im finally starting to slow down my growth/improvement in most exercises...sorta disappointing as Im only up to 35 for arm curls and 35 for triceps..was hoping my arms would get a little bigger but I spose that'll come in due time. My chest exercises are now focused more or less completely on endurance/toning as I don't really want a gigantor weightlifting chest.

 

Minor improvements in cardio workout in terms of numbers, but amazing results in terms of how I feel during and afterwards. No more feeling sluggish, just straight up runner's high. I need to get some stuff to do a body fat measurement, would be interesting to see where Im at and if I can get any better in the coming months.

 

My diet has improved quite a bit, as my body seems to want less sugary stuff and more easily recognizable foods. Mostly fish or meats for dinner with veggies, I try to eat a good bit of fresh fruit every other day (i don't have the money for daily purchases)..eggs in the morning, and PBJ's or trail mix whenever I want a snack.

 

Question for peoples, maybe chen of BFC, etc.: Can you recommend some back exercises? I realize I have been concentrating on the upper body and shoulders, but I would really love to strengthen my back for support when Im unloading supplies.

 

Oh also, for those of you that find motivation in looking good, Ive received some really awesome compliments from the ladies in the past week! And I wouldn't say Im that good looking of a guy, so there you go! Hope everyone is still pushing along...haven't seen many updates.

Hitting a weight limit for your arms that might seem kind of low isn't something that you should be overly concerned about. Your biceps and triceps are relatively small muscles in the grand scheme of things, and you have to remember that bio-mechanically speaking they are pretty poor levers, so you're never going to be hauling massive weight in arm isolation exercises.

As mentioned above, deadlifts are great for your entire posterior chain and I'd definitely recommend doing them but be sure to learn good form first before giving them a shot. Try back extensions as well, and you should find squats strengthen your lower back too.

EDIT: I see chenGOD beat to me to the punch with good examples of back work.

Yeah Smett.. Deadlifts and squats :)

Just so happens they're really fun exercises that feel good..

I hate going to the gym... what can I do at home to achieve this?

I should really start doing free weights soon. I've been at my gym for about 18 months but only spend just over an hour there 4 mornings a week before work. I spend half running, of which I up the speed in increments every week. The rest I use mainly machines. One day chest + triceps, one back + biceps, one shoulders + legs and the last day doing whatever I fancy. I know I'd be getting more from it if I used free weights but I've yet to sort myself out with a routine.

I'm enjoying the running right now cause my weight is getting to where I want it, so I don't want to cut that down. This means only around 30 mins, 4 times a week on weights. Is that a decent enough time to build up decent growth over time?

I mean, I'm not weak, I've been doing weights more or less constantly over the last 3-4 years. I've just never really put a huge amount of thought into it, hence using machines a fair amount. I just feel it's time to build muscle now that my weight and eating situation is pretty much on a good track.

Keep working your asses off people!

I'm trying to spend more of my free time working on being a better musician (already an amazing artist hah) so as a consequence I'm learning how to get more out of my workouts in less time.

I'm lifting more weight with less reps, not worried about getting bulky because my diet wont allow much growth. All my cardio is going at a faster and faster pace so I get more hormonal stimulation in much less time. My lungs are really taking a beating and starting to like it.

Trying to more nutritional benifit from less caloric intake, eating a little more veggie and fruit carbs, eating slightly smaller portions, just enough to kill my hunger, growing more discipline with my intermittent fasting.

  On 7/4/2011 at 6:35 AM, data said:

i don't work out, im vegetarian but don't eat nearly as healthy as i should, i smoke, i drink too much sugary drinks, i pretty much just sit on my ass all day both at work and at home and i don't really sleep as much as i should.

 

fffuuuu

 

i rarely drink nor do drugs and im not overweight though, so i guess that's a plus?

 

i think you should hunt, that way you'd do some sports, get more proteins from the animals you kill, while still avoiding to fund questionable slaughterhouses.

  On 7/4/2011 at 5:26 AM, Capsaicin said:

I jerk off occasionally

i jerf off occasionally on a daily basis, i dive into a swimming pool evey 4 years

I have been weight lifting consistently for about 5 or 6 years now.

Started seriously in college, decided instead of just getting fat from the change in diet that I would put on muscle instead. Was always skinny as hell as a kid.

Worked perfectly. Learned from various avenues how to lift, which exercises to do, etc. But what it really comes down to is knowing your own body. Once you understand how your body works, you can adjust your workouts to fit around it perfectly.

The factor that kept me lifting was potent pre-workout supplements (still over the counter though). It's like a high almost. Makes lifting to music incredibly fun, puts me in my own world. Horrible for your body, but what isn't? We're all going to die anyway.

which supplements ? I am always tired when i lift. I was thinking of maybe switching to mornings and pounding red bull

has anyone heard of Citrulline Malate or Sulbutiamine? The former is supposed to decrease fatigue while the latter is like a legal amphetamine. Probably both good for running, I heard the Sulbutiamine actually gets you high though, might be a decent energy alternative. Its a synthetic b vitamin designed to easily pass the blood-brain barrier

Anyway, I recently bought a bench with some adjustable weights.. it's just convenient having it around, so I don't have to spend hours a day getting to a gym and doing a routine. I just lift whenever I feel like it. I mainly use it as another stress reliever, but it doesn't take much to maintain a normal, healthy bulk if that's what you're aiming for..

@marf I've tried just about all of them but I've been using C4 religiously. It's not as over-caffienated as some of the supplements, doesn't make me quite as jittery.

i'm fucking this right up. right now i'm eating chicken in a (grass-fed) butter sauce, sweet potatoes, potatoes, parsnips, carrots and sprouting broccolli.. washed down with milk... as my post-work out (that lasted about 20 minutes) meal. i had the same meal 3 hours ago. i only did 7 squats (with weights). 10 without for some reason. i'm gonna get fat at this rate.

oh and roasted onions

most delicious workout ever.

I've been doing a pretty intense full-ish body workout once a week, with a smaller one another day. I am part of a class that does everything outside, which is great (hate gyms). Being stronger is a great feeling.

thanks lyst, having a lot of energy must make a world of difference. i ate a bunch of bacon once and it gave me energy for lifting.., but most times im dog tired. Probably avoiding carbs is best

damn. can't attach my workout sheet! =(

basically modified p90x shoulders and arm workout + x2 ab ripper.

yay vpx sports supplements

Exercise Sets Reps Weight

Alt shoulder press 2 32 50

in and out bicep curls 2 16 40

two arm tricep kickbacks 2 16 30

deep swimmers press 2 15 40

full supination concentration curls 2 32 50

chair dips 2 30 220 (body weight)

upright rows 2 15 50

static arm curls 2 24 40

two angle shoulder flys 2 16 20

crouching cohen curls 2 15 40

lying down tricep extensions 2 20 30

in and out straight arm shoulder flys 1 15 20

side tri-rises 1 40 220 (body weight)

Strip set curls 1 8 50

Strip set curls 1 8 40

Strip set curls 1 8 30

Strip set curls 1 8 20

are these supplements on solid ground? theres a reason i ask this

I take whey and tend to avoid any and all other recommended stuff...simply because one person recommends it, another person just as experienced recommends yet a completely different supplement in its place. now im hearing in this thread about legal amphetamines and shit...is that really proven to be a healthy idea to aid in an exercise routine?

  On 8/13/2012 at 12:55 AM, Smettingham Rutherford IV said:

are these supplements on solid ground? theres a reason i ask this

 

I take whey and tend to avoid any and all other recommended stuff...simply because one person recommends it, another person just as experienced recommends yet a completely different supplement in its place. now im hearing in this thread about legal amphetamines and shit...is that really proven to be a healthy idea to aid in an exercise routine?

Healthy? I doubt they are proven healthy. Many people do get results (whether healthy for the rest of your body IE liver, digestive system, brain, vascular system etc, I doubt it...).

I personally get massive results and gains off over the counter sports supplements. Again, I doubt any of these companies could claim they are healthy in the long run, with continued use. They recommend cycling them on and off to counter any negative effects. But if you're looking for strength, size, or endurance gains, then yeah supplements can help achieve that.

RE one person recommending it and another not: supps are subjective just like anything I guess. Some supp stacks work for one person and not another.

Whey protein isolate is a good start, and more natural than most of the other stuff out there.

the supplements I listed I haven't actually tried myself.. to be honest no one really has any reason to take them unless they are looking for a competitive edge. Whey products might provide the protein necessary to rebuild muscle tissue, but even that is only beneficial if you train rigorously and can't get the same through just eating enough meat

the only other product I have heard about, outside of doing my own research, is Creatine, which I heard just allows the muscles to retain more water, making them appear larger

but again, it all depends on why you workout to begin with. To get Big, to compete, or just to be healthy. I do it because it gives a self esteem boost and helps psychologically, getting the endorphins flowing

sulbutiamine isn't anything like a legal amphetamine, though it does sort of increase your motivation for about 4 hours, before driving you into an irritable crash. i've used it at work a few times (manual labor).

i'll add that i don't do any 'gym' workouts, but do get my cardio from working, walking, biking, etc. if i was to work out in a gym setting, it would be for some specific end (like getting some funky breakin' moves down by the winter) instead of just "bulking up" or some equally superficial (imo) reason for working on your body. gaining actual strength is nice, but i don't really care to be much stronger than i need to be. just seems like extra maintenance to impress dumb gym bunnies.

  On 8/13/2012 at 1:17 AM, StephenG said:

  On 8/13/2012 at 12:55 AM, Smettingham Rutherford IV said:

are these supplements on solid ground? theres a reason i ask this

 

I take whey and tend to avoid any and all other recommended stuff...simply because one person recommends it, another person just as experienced recommends yet a completely different supplement in its place. now im hearing in this thread about legal amphetamines and shit...is that really proven to be a healthy idea to aid in an exercise routine?

 

Healthy? I doubt they are proven healthy. Many people do get results (whether healthy for the rest of your body IE liver, digestive system, brain, vascular system etc, I doubt it...).

 

I personally get massive results and gains off over the counter sports supplements. Again, I doubt any of these companies could claim they are healthy in the long run, with continued use. They recommend cycling them on and off to counter any negative effects. But if you're looking for strength, size, or endurance gains, then yeah supplements can help achieve that.

 

RE one person recommending it and another not: supps are subjective just like anything I guess. Some supp stacks work for one person and not another.

 

Whey protein isolate is a good start, and more natural than most of the other stuff out there.

i've used a bit of supplements back in the day but just stick to the very basics nowadays. mostly because i really doubt how healthy it is to take any supplements that are too newly developed for long-term studies. and at least prohormones aren't around anymore. that whole market was essentially legalized steroids. you'd get jacked up in no time yet suffer from most of the bad side effects. mega unsafe.

nowadays, i stick to branched chain amino acids before working out, but mostly because i lift/sprint/jog at ~5:30 AM on an empty stomach. this at least settles my stomach down and is supposed to somewhat prevent your muscles getting unnecessarily wasted for energy expenditure from the lack of food. other than that, just whey protein afterwards.

really you shouldn't need any of them; your diet should take care of this. i've just seen that the basic amino acids and proteins work pretty well, and pretty natural to boot. if the stuff starts listing really hard-to-pronounce compunds that don't sound too biologically familiar, that's the cue to get suspicious and look elsewhere. the supplement industry and their producers simply rake in the money trying to sell you crap that you don't need, much less what's truly good for you.

  On 8/13/2012 at 2:37 AM, viscosity said:

the only other product I have heard about, outside of doing my own research, is Creatine, which I heard just allows the muscles to retain more water, making them appear larger

i'm not sure that's all of the picture in how creatine works. i'm pretty sure most of its efficacy has something to do with being a precursor to ATP for use in the krebs cycle for the muscles cells, thereby allowing you to get more energy and thus lift heavier weights/run faster/etc. and because of this, your muscles get bigger and stronger. but i do remember reading something about intramuscular cell water retention like you said. but i'm not a biochemist by any means so take that for what it's worth.

  On 8/13/2012 at 2:37 AM, viscosity said:

the supplements I listed I haven't actually tried myself.. to be honest no one really has any reason to take them unless they are looking for a competitive edge. Whey products might provide the protein necessary to rebuild muscle tissue, but even that is only beneficial if you train rigorously and can't get the same through just eating enough meat

 

the only other product I have heard about, outside of doing my own research, is Creatine, which I heard just allows the muscles to retain more water, making them appear larger

 

but again, it all depends on why you workout to begin with. To get Big, to compete, or just to be healthy. I do it because it gives a self esteem boost and helps psychologically, getting the endorphins flowing

basic creatine monohydrate causes water retention as a side effect and part of its mechanism of action (intra cellular water retention), but that isn't the sole intention of the product.

it also purportedly increases adenosine tri-phosphate production. The end result of increased ATP production is a decrease in lactic acid buildup (the burn in working out) meaning more, higher weight reps.

Again, I wouldn't use a basic creatine monohydrate though because of the water retention. Instead go for a PH correct (highly absorbable) creatine or a blend of creatine taurinate, gluconate, ethyl ester HCL, COP, magnesium chelate, or tetrahydrate.

There are many benefits of taking creatine both for your body and as new research suggests, your brain as well (creatine is naturally occurring).

The reason you supplement with creatine is because it would take roughly 2.2 pounds of red meat or 1.8 pounds of chunk light tuna every 4hrs to reach creatine levels possible with supplementation.. you want less burn = more reps= better results, take some creatine!

Then again, there are many reliable sources that have evidence contra to everything I just said.

lol benc812 you said pretty much the same thing as me! :emotawesomepm9:

This past week I went to some natural hot springs 10 miles inland in Big Sur, CA. Hiked 20 miles in 2 days. Biking muscles are very different from hiking muscles...

Still rockin my grass-fed cheese, tubers, eggs, fruit, and meat diet.. I reserve the big meat fests for after I workout, which lately has been infrequent.. still no gym membership.

I just don't see the point of the supplements really.. Why are Western people so obsessed with mass? Every time I see a guy with massive arms, massive legs, massive torso, etc it just doesn't look very appealing to me. It's usually obvious who has been shoving powders down their throat. Doesn't that put you in a huge survival disadvantage? Not being able to move quickly kind of sucks, even if you can land a few slow moving powerful punches..

I presume people like the look because it appears tough, strong, threatening, etc.. but as kimbo slice once found out even an average jiu jitsu or muay thai fighter can put an end to that image in a hurry.

ah.. yes :) fast, powerful, agile.. I prefer that look over this:

supps aren't just about mass.

They are also about practical strength. In my line of work I need to be strong. I also need to be able to lift my body weight of 220lbs when rock climbing or hiking up mountains which I do in my free time.

Many supplements promote lean mass and strength. It's not necessarily about size.

Also a lot of disillusioned women are into the look. And I like to fuck have sexual relations with women because it's good for my health..

Also, size doesn't mean slow. Those are not synonymous. I can run faster, jump higher, and generally move quicker than most people I know. It just boils down to conditioning through cardio/plyo etc.

Supplements and mass and slow are not synonymous.