Bodybuilding/Powerlifting

True, eggs do contain a lot of cholesterol, that slipped my mind, but as far as I recall the protein isn't all in the egg white, its 3g in the white and another 3g in the yolk. could be totally wrong :)

As for your question Feronix, if you're doing something harder you should reduce your reps until it becomes easy enough and you do something even harder and restart the loop :) its just as lifting weight, if you can lift 50kg for 8 reps, you're not going to lift 65kg for 8 reps, you increase the weight but reduce the amount of reps.
 
You guys recommend buying protein powder? :mellow:

Edit;
Also, I've been doing 3x50 push ups a day for a while now, but only started with the triangles 3 days back and I feel like I'm asking a lot more from my body then before. Do you recommend going back to 100 a day and then moving back up or just continue this way until it gets easier (already going a lot better than on day 1 tbh).


A nice ad easy meal is brown rice and scrambled or hard boiled eggs, tuna and rice with veggies.

As for exercise planking and push ups with a loaded back pack. If you can get a medicine ball do burpies with it and then slam it into the ground on the way down. The push up part should be done on the medicine ball. Also push ups on a medicine ball are great. Avoid doing these sets of 50-100.

Maybe do 5x20 with pauses? Just some food for thought. Deep pause squats while cradeling a back pack is good also.
 
As for your question Feronix, if you're doing something harder you should reduce your reps until it becomes easy enough and you do something even harder and restart the loop :) its just as lifting weight, if you can lift 50kg for 8 reps, you're not going to lift 65kg for 8 reps, you increase the weight but reduce the amount of reps.

Yeah, that makes sense. Will tone it down it bit for now, do the triangles and move really slow (someone told me 6 seconds up, 6 seconds down)? :)

A nice ad easy meal is brown rice and scrambled or hard boiled eggs, tuna and rice with veggies.

As for exercise planking and push ups with a loaded back pack. If you can get a medicine ball do burpies with it and then slam it into the ground on the way down. The push up part should be done on the medicine ball. Also push ups on a medicine ball are great. Avoid doing these sets of 50-100.

Maybe do 5x20 with pauses? Just some food for thought. Deep pause squats while cradeling a back pack is good also.

Thanks for the tips on food! Those are always useful. Someone recommended me having a banana for breakfast, you guys reckon that's useful?

The backpack idea is actually really good. I'm lightweight myself so I don't exactly have to lot to push up. When I said 3x50 I meant 50 in the morning when I get up, 50 in the afternoon when I get home and 50 in the evening before I go to bed, not all in one go.

Think I'm going to do what Maniac suggested though and move back a little bit. Maybe just 20-30 a time.
 
Yeah, that makes sense. Will tone it down it bit for now, do the triangles and move really slow (someone told me 6 seconds up, 6 seconds down)? :)



Thanks for the tips on food! Those are always useful. Someone recommended me having a banana for breakfast, you guys reckon that's useful?

The backpack idea is actually really good. I'm lightweight myself so I don't exactly have to lot to push up. When I said 3x50 I meant 50 in the morning when I get up, 50 in the afternoon when I get home and 50 in the evening before I go to bed, not all in one go.

Think I'm going to do what Maniac suggested though and move back a little bit. Maybe just 20-30 a time.



I can help you with your training and you don't need any gym equipment at all, Although maybe buying a pullup bar and a few weight plates wouldn't hurt ^_^

I qualified as a personal trainer just under 2 years ago now and have been training people from all walks of life, Fitness, Muscle building and general health are my passions in life with rigs coming second of course :D

To your first question of protein powder, It is a really convenient source of protein when your not really hungry and want to get some calories and protein into your system.

Personally I have protein powder 3 times a day, Once in the morning I mix it into some oatmeal with natural peanut butter, Flax seed meal, Half a chopped up apple, Half a teaspoon of natural cinnamon powder and then mix it all together with some warm water, Now we have an apple cinnamon peanut butter chocolate oatmeal protein packed breakfast ^_^

There you have a fantastic pre-workout meal and a fantastic start to the day nutritionally, Then the other 2 x protein powder servings I have as shakes at various points during the day in between my 2 other meals.

In all it comes to 5 meals a day as people forget but a protein shake has around 400 calories in it and is packed with nutrients not just protein so it does count as a meal, Well the way I prepare mine anyway ^_^

Now the exercise part of it I would keep to bodyweight for a few months unless you want to join the iron brotherhood ;)

Now I know I said tone it down but if you get your nutrition in check you can safely train every day and still see results.

For maintenance on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays I do the following *Added weight is optional and reduce or increase reps for your fitness level* -

50 Decline Pushups with 25KG in a backpack *Make sure this has straps for your waist so it's nice and secure.*

50 Standard Pushups with 25KG in the backpack

50 Reverse ab curls with a 20KG plate held behind your head but a version were you don't put your feet in the air but rather have your legs outstretched, Not touching the floor then bending your knees, Bring your knees towards your stomach, Rinse and repeat

50 Reverse AB Curls without weight

50 Wide Pullups with 10KG held between my knees

50 Behind The Neck Pullups with 10KG held between the knees.

50 Dips but with your elbows really tight to your body, Keeping an upright position as much as possible so you target your triceps

50 dips but this time with your arms quite wide apart and leaning forward so you really hit your chest as well as your arms.

And after all that I do 40 Minutes on a stepper machine, The first 20 minutes are with my hands on my knees so it targets your lower back and bum a lot more and the last 20 minutes are standing up straight.

My actual Training on Monday, Wednesday and Friday is Beastly and quite a few of my clients have had to stop half way through but it works for me and I love it :)

My brother did that course I wrote out above everyday for 6 months and I only see him once every 6 months as we live in different countries and I was very impressed when I saw him, He was generally slim/thin but when I next saw him he had the 300'esque type figure.

Hope this helps bud :)
 
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Squat 5x5 comfy 70kgs
2x5 @ 75kgs .. legs started going and without a spotter i didn't want to risk it.
 
Does anybody know, or even if there is a way to cure asthma without an inhaler?

Since the beginning of winter my asthma has come back, convinently as I started doing 5 mile runs, I haven't had it since 2002 my doctor said!

A few months ago she gave me a prescription of three preventative inhalers (blue ones) and I'm down to my last one now, really don't want to go back and be put on more or anything steroid, but it's getting me down now. I go to my Sisters and I'm ill because of the dog, I do my cardio (bearing in mind its only 15mins of HIIT training once a day) and I get asthma. What do I do?

I did just call the doctors but it doesn't look like I can get in now until at least Thursday anyway.
 
Does anybody know, or even if there is a way to cure asthma without an inhaler?

Since the beginning of winter my asthma has come back, convinently as I started doing 5 mile runs, I haven't had it since 2002 my doctor said!

A few months ago she gave me a prescription of three preventative inhalers (blue ones) and I'm down to my last one now, really don't want to go back and be put on more or anything steroid, but it's getting me down now. I go to my Sisters and I'm ill because of the dog, I do my cardio (bearing in mind its only 15mins of HIIT training once a day) and I get asthma. What do I do?

I did just call the doctors but it doesn't look like I can get in now until at least Thursday anyway.

I had really bad asthma when I was overweight and when I lost it all it went away, Not 100%, I still get a bit of a wheezy chest when it gets damp but no were near as bad as it use to be and I haven't used an inhaler for 5 years.

Also do you have any dairy in your diet ? If so then cut it out completely as dairy products put extra mucus on the lungs which can cause breathing problems and coughing up some nasty stuff.

Losing weight and cutting out dairy are 2 of the best things that you can do for asthma.
 
I had really bad asthma when I was overweight and when I lost it all it went away, Not 100%, I still get a bit of a wheezy chest when it gets damp but no were near as bad as it use to be and I haven't used an inhaler for 5 years.

Also do you have any dairy in your diet ? If so then cut it out completely as dairy products put extra mucus on the lungs which can cause breathing problems or coughing up some nasty stuff.

Losing weight and cutting out dairy are 2 of the best things that you can do for asthma.

I don't know if weight is the problem, I'm probably around 14st now, I must of lost around half surely over the past almost month since I started this HIIT training, I'm not particulary fat or anything, not really carrying more fat than others. I do have dairy products but not much tbh, the only real consistent thing is milk in a brew.

It just gets me down because if I get that and then I get itchy eyes, that then causes sniffing and sneezing, it's all like an alergic reaction to animals. Just so damn annoying how after all these years of escaping it, it's back when really I'm in the best if not 2nd place best shape I've been in so far.
 
Dice, huge thanks for that massive answer!

As for the protein powder, I've been thinking that. I don't think I really eat enough to naturally gain weight and get protein in my system at the same time. I want to start having breakfast gradually. Someone suggested eating a banana for breakfast, that any good?

Want to start with that and see if I can slowly build up having both a banana /and/ oatmeal for breakfast. Do you eat/drink before or after the workout? And would 1 protein shake a day be enough for me, since I'm still in the very beginner stage?

I'm not really going for the muscle-filled bamf thing, just an 'in-shape and not so damn skinny and underweight' things, which is a battle in itself for me. I'm 18 at the moment and I've only recently reached 120 pounds. When I was 16 that was 110 :(

Thanks you for the list of exercises as well! Think I'll skip the weights for now, but there are definitely some things in there that are worth a try!
 
Dice, huge thanks for that massive answer!

As for the protein powder, I've been thinking that. I don't think I really eat enough to naturally gain weight and get protein in my system at the same time. I want to start having breakfast gradually. Someone suggested eating a banana for breakfast, that any good?

Want to start with that and see if I can slowly build up having both a banana /and/ oatmeal for breakfast. Do you eat/drink before or after the workout? And would 1 protein shake a day be enough for me, since I'm still in the very beginner stage?

I'm not really going for the muscle-filled bamf thing, just an 'in-shape and not so damn skinny and underweight' things, which is a battle in itself for me. I'm 18 at the moment and I've only recently reached 120 pounds. When I was 16 that was 110 :(

Thanks you for the list of exercises as well! Think I'll skip the weights for now, but there are definitely some things in there that are worth a try!

Do you not eat breakfast Feronix?

To say when to take a protein shake is hard, the usual answer is after working out, but you could also say before working out which is recommended, and at breakfast since you've been starved of nutrients through the night, also at bed time but a slow release protein so that it acts like a trickle charger for your body over night. This whole bodybuilding thing is tough, the best advice is to just go with what you think is best, give it a try, and continue to try different things and note what works best for you, what affect it had, how you felt afterwards etc.
 
Do you not eat breakfast Feronix?

To say when to take a protein shake is hard, the usual answer is after working out, but you could also say before working out which is recommended, and at breakfast since you've been starved of nutrients through the night, also at bed time but a slow release protein so that it acts like a trickle charger for your body over night. This whole bodybuilding thing is tough, the best advice is to just go with what you think is best, give it a try, and continue to try different things and note what works best for you, what affect it had, how you felt afterwards etc.

Dude, I've only been eating lunch for a few months now. Before that I had nothing but dinner and a snack on a regular day :o

I do work out in the morning, evening and afternoon. Someone recommended drinking milk before going to bed, do you reckon this has the same effect?

How about building up to this:

Breakfast:
- Banana
- Coffee
- Protein shake

Lunch:
- Noodles/ Sandwich
- Eggs

Dinner:
- Whatever my dad decides to take when doing the groceries, but I'll try to convince him to buy red meat and some other things that were suggested

Before bed:
- Milk
- Tea (Helps me sleep)

I think my diet is actually the main thing I have to improve on before anything else.
 
I suppose if your the type to hardly eat then any progress in consuming more is great! :)

Milk before bed won't be the same no. I did try years ago when doing stronglifts the gallon of milk a day thing, I just drank one carton of milk a day, I think it was two you were supposed to drink but it was too much, I put about 7lbs on in just over a week, it did help me since I was lifting heavy and hadn't trained in years so it did help bulk but it's not going to give you big muscles or anything.

Just imrpove your diet at a comfortable pace, and train as well. With you being a skinny guy do you already have natural abs? You could always put some real effort into that and get great looking abs, doesn't require equipment. Everybody wants abs. :)
 
Dude, I've only been eating lunch for a few months now. Before that I had nothing but dinner and a snack on a regular day :o

I do work out in the morning, evening and afternoon. Someone recommended drinking milk before going to bed, do you reckon this has the same effect?

How about building up to this:

Breakfast:
- Banana
- Coffee
- Protein shake

Lunch:
- Noodles/ Sandwich
- Eggs

Dinner:
- Whatever my dad decides to take when doing the groceries, but I'll try to convince him to buy red meat and some other things that were suggested

Before bed:
- Milk
- Tea (Helps me sleep)

I think my diet is actually the main thing I have to improve on before anything else.

Hey,

I'm going to be blunt - you're not eating enough. Gaining weight is a war. You have to attack it. You'll be eating when you're not hungry. It will become a chore. You'll be choking down food and feeling sick. All day. EVERY DAY! This is a war, it isn't easy. Your food bills will be high. You'll gain a bit of fat too. You'll feel like giving up but you have to remember why you started and push on. Not weeks; months. Years.

This is the reality of gaining weight people don't like to talk about.

I went from around 160lbs to 210lbs and that took years. This is a lifestyle change because whatever you eat to get to the size you want, you'll pretty much need to continue that intake of calories to maintain.

You're on the right track with the introduction of meals. You do want a gradual increase over time to avoid gaining masses of fat. You should see the scales going up 1lb a week, I managed 9lbs in a 4 week run in the early days.

I can't be bothered with 6-8 meals a day; it's a lot of hassle and has next to no benefit for muscle/fat/metabolism which has been demonstrated time and time again. BUT if you like that, then do it. Do what you think works and what you will stick to. I prefer fewer, larger meals. Below is a template from Jim Wendler I used to great effect:

Breakfast
6 whole eggs (scrambled with cheese or hard boiled)
1-2 cups oatmeal
1 apple

Lunch
10 oz. steak
6-8 red potatoes
Bag of steamed vegetables

Lunch 2
2 chicken breasts
2 cups Spanish rice
Bag of steamed vegetables

Dinner
2 chicken breasts (or 10 oz. steak)
Large bowl of pasta and marinara sauce
Bag of steamed vegetables


It is simple and you can substitute meat for fish, pasta for rice/sweet potatoes etc for variety. Add herbs and spices too. You'll probably want to start with one or two eggs and introduce the porridge after the first week, same with lunch 2 and the number of meat servings (one breast at first, moving to two).

The key is consistency. You need to do this every day, every week. That food costs money so if you are serious you'll need to cut back on something to get the extra money.


The bit about working out morning, noon and evening is worrying. I haven't read your full story so I'm going to assume you mean you train at different times. If you train 3 times a day then you need to stop.

Workout; 5/3/1 Boring But Big or 5/3/1 for Bodybuilders or Mike O'Hearn's Power Bodybuilding. These all have something in common. The base is a big compound lift with some structured progress on that lift. The aim is to get stronger on the main lifts and treat the assistance work as assistance.

Re nutrient timing etc; I've never read any particularly compelling papers on the merits of it and from experience it doesn't seem to matter. If you want to drink milk at bedtime go for it. It's more calories and you need them!

Best of luck in your endeavours.
 
I think Feronix still needs to eat bit by bit over time, some people are just in that habit of not eating, so he needs to take it step by step and every time he does eat extra he should feel good about it.

You don't need to eat meat 6 times a day, after all you said your not looking to be become a buff bodybuilder. Your age also plays into this too, how old are you Feronix? When I worked at the gym I was 20, I was 11 1/2 to 12st, it went between the two back and fourth between me eating and trying to get abs, but I'm 22 now and 14st. I've put on a little bit of fat yeah, but I've not put 2st on in fat, my arms, my shoulders are the main points that are bigger, my chest is about the same just not as shaped as I haven't properly benched in months, my legs are bigger. As you get older chances are you'll fill out anyway, but if you can help that along with training thats right for you then great.

I'm guessing you've never really been into training before? So your body is pretty much right at the beginning of this journey, I started at 14, and I've done well with eating 3 meals a day, and when I worked in the gym at most I had two. 8am till 10:30pm shift, training, sometimes cardio at 10:30pm and one to two meals, not really how it should be done but I could still lift what I could.

Just cater your eating and training to how you want to do it.

Edit: Just done my 12min HIIT training for today, Z's Beginner Series Week 4. First time actually that my asthma has stayed back, might have something to do with trying a steroid inhaler last night.

I'm dreading doing the full on ZWOW's, ZShreds and all, I've done them before and no wonder I have never stuck to them. This 12minute AMRAP is 15 side-to-side squat with backward lunge, 12 side plank leg lifts and oh the killer, 12 minute competition burpees, as many rounds as you can in 12 minutes, I got through three rounds plus another 15 side-to-side squats.

When doing the leg lifts, resting on my right hand I can blast through them but switch sides and my left side is so weak, opening and closing my legs is a task and a half, deffo a weak area.
 
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I'm so close to benching 100kg that I'm gonna puke, took some creatine before working out today, listened to some hardcore music to get my head into place and did very low reps while building up for the 100, then did half a rep and failed, dammit :(

I need to get me some 5kg plates to be able to get to a comfy 95kg bench before trying a 100 again...
 
I'm so close to benching 100kg that I'm gonna puke, took some creatine before working out today, listened to some hardcore music to get my head into place and did very low reps while building up for the 100, then did half a rep and failed, dammit :(

I need to get me some 5kg plates to be able to get to a comfy 95kg bench before trying a 100 again...

100kgs is my goal for this year on the 3 big compund lifts.

i'm at 70-75 on them all at the mo..

We have 2.5kg plates at my gym but i want 1.25kg ones to progress at a slower safer pace but the gym refuses to invest and wont let me use my own.
 
A decent starter workout in the 5 x 5 routine..

http://stronglifts.com/stronglifts-5x5-beginner-strength-training-program/

The premise is that you focus on strength and small increments in weight and the size will follow..

Stronglifts is how i started out, i recommend it!!

I have a problem guys, it came to light today, i stopped training for a while due to personal issues! so ive been back at it for a couple of months now, and ive noticed my form whilst squatting is the kind that 'gym meme's' on facebook love!!

it never used to be bad, i was always known in the gym for the guy that could ass to grass perfect now i wouldnt even call it squatting! my legs shake when coming back up, and like my delts start aching when i get to about the 3rd or 4th set, and i cant ass to grass, i was only using 50KG today to see what i was doing wrong, and i cant work it out!

i can still 'feel it' working but my forms horrible and i dont like it
 
Stronglifts is how i started out, i recommend it!!

I have a problem guys, it came to light today, i stopped training for a while due to personal issues! so ive been back at it for a couple of months now, and ive noticed my form whilst squatting is the kind that 'gym meme's' on facebook love!!

it never used to be bad, i was always known in the gym for the guy that could ass to grass perfect now i wouldnt even call it squatting! my legs shake when coming back up, and like my delts start aching when i get to about the 3rd or 4th set, and i cant ass to grass, i was only using 50KG today to see what i was doing wrong, and i cant work it out!

i can still 'feel it' working but my forms horrible and i dont like it

How many times a week are you squatting?
 
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