quote:

Originally posted by ChrisD I would wager your not doing chins?

definitely gonna burn after that

quote:

Originally posted by Killah Monkey I am just suggesting that you might have too many exercises in your routine. For example... what can you squat? Free-standing? and how many reps/sets do you do?

last time i tried was maybe close to 100 lbs? but it was more than a month ago because i slipped on the ice on a drunken night and really damaged my ankle badly, i couldnt walk with that foot for over 2 weeks and polish as i am, i didnt even bother going to a doctor to check it out but ill try tomorrow when i do legs and ill get back to you

quote:

Originally posted by bigfatandugly well ravist, i don't believe in adding bulk in the shortest time possible. approaching weight gain like this will result in more adipose tissue than lean muscle. a slow, steady approach to weight gain will produce a more quality physique over time- try not to look at weight gain as a sprint, but a marathon. now, secondly it isnt your routine that will produce results. this is a common misconception. everyone focuses on thier routine. the routine is secondary to your nutrition. i could say as much as 80% of the gains you make from your efforts in the gym start with your diet- it doesn't matter what your routine is. if your diet is on point, and your adding a stimulus to a muscle cell, progressively overloading it over time you will make gains. once you get your diet on point, then experiment with a system that will work best for you. try 3 day splits for a month or 2 working the entire body twice in one week. how do you feel/ look? then try a one bodypart a day routine, training each mucsle group once a week for a month. how do you look/ feel? you will read about routines for body types. i have issues with this. everyone's body is different, no matter what your body type. just find what works best for you. take all the top pros. no two have routines that are the same, even though they are the genetically elite of thier sport. you'd think they'd all train the same, right? wrong- its just goes to show you how individual your body is. find what works best for you. take the time and you'll be rewarded with resutls, not immediately, but you will reap better results over time- run the marathon, not the sprint. dont sweat being an ectomorph, you can turn this seeming disadvantge into a huge advantage. why, well for one, you'll be able to consume a considerable amount of caloires in the form of clean calories without needing to worry about gaining too much fat. just make sure those excess calories are clean and you'll build quality muscle. unlike endo's like myself who can't consume an excess of calories no matter how clean, without gaining unwanted fat. i have to be very careful with how much i eat, no matter how clean. this gives you a distinct advantage over other trainers. you can cover all your nutritional bases and then some to ensure maximum hyertrophy. use your seeming disadvantage to a huge advantage. i'll address other questions in a bit band will be back to throw in my $0.02 regarding other things hope this helps ravist. BFU

yes a healthy diet is essential to body building that i know, im trying to eat around 4-6 meals a day perferably 6 since i wanna gain mass. You are right about me having advantages to being an ectomorph, when i get to the size i want, cutting down and getting definition will not take long for me. So far i have two different workout routines that i change every month or so, but i'll make more varities because Killah_Monkey is right about the 3 exercises per muscle group, so i could create a routine like that and the one's you talked about. The more variations of routines that i have the stronger i'll get in a shorter amount of time because doing the same routine for months won't get you the results as fast as changing it up.

quote:

Originally posted by bluE_Neon If you want to become a bodybuilder your on the right track with the routine. Working out one muscle group a day gives high potential, power & intensity to the muscle occupied. This way you also give your other muscles rest. Switch up the routine by exercising shoulders on the second day, fourth day back and fifth day chest. Never ever start a routine without working your arms on the first day because your bound to injuries quickier than you think. Logically speaking you lift, pull & push in all exercises rather it's a shoulder, back or chest routine. It's imperative that you give your arms a proper pump. If you come to the gym and release all tension and power on the muscle and you feel exhausted after than there's no problem. But if your feeling weak than reevaluate your training routine. Cut down on the reps or sets. Experiment with your body first. See what it desires and feels best for it. Remember, where the mind goes the body follows

thanks for the advice, but i have one question. I talked to a personal trainer at my gym and he told me that if im doing back 1 day and chest the next day i should space those 2 out 3-4 days apart, did u ever hear of this?

quote:

Originally posted by Ravist last time i tried was maybe close to 100 lbs? but it was more than a month ago because i slipped on the ice on a drunken night and really damaged my ankle badly, i couldnt walk with that foot for over 2 weeks and polish as i am, i didnt even bother going to a doctor to check it out but ill try tomorrow when i do legs and ill get back to you

Drinking and bodybuilding dont mix. You have to squat at least once a week man... start with low weight and work your way up. In no time you will be pushing 2 plates + a side. You will be suprised how fast your squat improves at the begining.



You gotta throw in some deadlifts into your routine as well. I would suggest Romanian Deadlifts on your ham session

Last edited by _EuG_ on Apr-13-2007 at 21:57

I <3 leg day

This week my leg routine included...

Free-Standing Squats ss w/ Reverse Lunges
Narrow Stance Hack Squats ss w/ Smith Machine Lunges
Leg Extensions ss w/ Lying Leg Curls

I don't really like to do supersets on Leg day, I find it takes away from my power, but I was working out on someone elses routine.

___________________

quote:

Originally posted by Killah Monkey I <3 leg day This week my leg routine included... Free-Standing Squats ss w/ Reverse Lunges Narrow Stance Hack Squats ss w/ Smith Machine Lunges Leg Extensions ss w/ Lying Leg Curls I don't really like to do supersets on Leg day, I find it takes away from my power, but I was working out on someone elses routine.

Ye leg day is definatly the most fun (hardcore) day at the gym.

I am currently doing

4 sets of Squats 6 - 10 reps
3 sets of lunges or leg press 6-8 reps ( i hate lunges and i suck bad at them so i do em every other leg work out)
4 super sets for my calves (standing / seating raises)
3 sets of Standing/laying/seated leg curls 8 - 10 reps (each workout i change exercise)
4 sets of Romanian Deadlifts 8- 10 reps.

Im basicly dead after that and have to limp to the change room to have my PWO

quote:

Originally posted by _EuG_ Drinking and bodybuilding dont mix. You have to squat at least once a week man... start with low weight and work your way up. In no time you will be pushing 2 plates + a side. You will be suprised how fast your squat improves at the begining. You gotta throw in some deadlifts into your routine as well. I would suggest Romanian Deadlifts on your ham session

i do deadlifts but just the regular one's not the romanian deadlifts, i do deadlifts when im working on my back

wow, i just read all the posts i missed out on earlier and there is alot of stuff i'd like to try to address, so much so that i have lost track of it all.

its really overwhelming. heh.

um, ok the best analogy i can use to help anyone with thier training and what type of routine they should be following is as follows. your body is like a house. its really that simple. every house has a strong foundation. building a strong foundation for your body involves using primarily compound movements. don't worry about all the various exercises, variations and such that you read- about stick to the basics.

once you have built a foundation for your house, you then proceed to the finishing work just like your body- once you have reached a specific point in building your body, then start to refine it using different exercises, different rep schemes, different exercises. this can take years to achieve it took me 8 years of heavy, compound movements until i reached a point where i considered that i might begin to refine what i then had. i would not look the way i do today had i not done this.

any house is only as strong as the quality of the material you build with. if you use poor quality material, your house will show it. same thing with your body, except the material your building your body with is your nutrition. want a good body- eat good food. want a shit body, than eat the same way your body will always be a result of the effort you put into it in all aspects of what you do. thats what makes working out such a reward- someone cant go to the store and buy a good body, you have to sacrifice for it and with that comes from disciplene and hard work. the end result is something that no one can take from you, copy from you or steal from you. its the one thing in life you truely own and makes you a true individual.

routines- can anyone on here tell me why you need to work a body part out more than once a week? why you need 3-4 movements in a 6-12 rep range? why you need 8-12 sets per body part? do you need to do these guidelines?

everyone treats this sport and lifestyle as a rocket science (the only exception to this is pre-contest, especially the last week, more particualrly the last 3 days- this is a science in itself). they end up complicating it so much more than is necessary. it doesnt have to be complicated. it doesnt have to be difficult. alot of people think the more compliated the routine, or more difficult the workout, or the more demading it all is the better your results will be. this is such a huge fallacy. keep it simple. use the K.I.S.S acronym and live by it. you look at the guys in magasines, or the big guys in the guy and think, wow, they must have great routines. it isnt the routine. it isnt the exercises. it isnt the set/ rep schemes. its all in the nutrition. in the consistancy of taking in every meal your supposed to for years on end. the rest needed to re-couperate. as long as you are stimulating a muscle group and causing that cell to tear down, and rebuild you will grow. as long as you constanly tax that cell with progressive weight it will grow. the only ceaveat to this is one's genetic set- point, where your body will stop growing, no matter how good your nutritional intake or how good your disciplene.

i can offer this up as proof to anyone who will tell me that a certain type of routine is important. we'll need two volunteers though. i will train one person using only, at the most 5-6 movements for thier whole body. someone else who believes in the power of the routine can train his person to his liking. we'll do it over a period of say 3 months. at the end of it all, my trainee will be bigger, stronger and leaner. why? steriods (ha! figured that'd wake you all up!), no seriously, its all in the power of nutrition thats where all true results come from, routines- not so much.

the only time i will say that a routine becomes important is to a competitive bodybuilder- thats when knowing your body and what works for it is the difference between standing at the back of the stage when thier giving out trophies, and getting one. but for the average trainer- you WILL make gains using the simplest of routines, but people dont want to believe this. it cant be this easy. there has to be more to it. sorry, there isnt.

im sorry if this takes the fun out of all this, but i just wanted to speak the rtuth. thruth is, if finding a routine that is varied and different is going to be more to your liking, then do it for that reason. if its going to get your ass in the gym, then do it for that reason. if its going to make you enjoy your workouts more, then do it for that reason. but if you think there is a magic routine, or that one routine will offer up better results than the next one, then save yourself alot of misspent time and frustration, and take my advise- K.I.S.S.

BFU

quote:

Originally posted by bigfatandugly wow, i just read all the posts i missed out on earlier and there is alot of stuff i'd like to try to address, so much so that i have lost track of it all. its really overwhelming. heh. um, ok the best analogy i can use to help anyone with thier training and what type of routine they should be following is as follows. your body is like a house. its really that simple. every house has a strong foundation. building a strong foundation for your body involves using primarily compound movements. don't worry about all the various exercises, variations and such that you read- about stick to the basics. once you have built a foundation for your house, you then proceed to the finishing work just like your body- once you have reached a specific point in building your body, then start to refine it using different exercises, different rep schemes, different exercises. this can take years to achieve it took me 8 years of heavy, compound movements until i reached a point where i considered that i might begin to refine what i then had. i would not look the way i do today had i not done this. any house is only as strong as the quality of the material you build with. if you use poor quality material, your house will show it. same thing with your body, except the material your building your body with is your nutrition. want a good body- eat good food. want a shit body, than eat the same way your body will always be a result of the effort you put into it in all aspects of what you do. thats what makes working out such a reward- someone cant go to the store and buy a good body, you have to sacrifice for it and with that comes from disciplene and hard work. the end result is something that no one can take from you, copy from you or steal from you. its the one thing in life you truely own and makes you a true individual. routines- can anyone on here tell me why you need to work a body part out more than once a week? why you need 3-4 movements in a 6-12 rep range? why you need 8-12 sets per body part? do you need to do these guidelines? everyone treats this sport and lifestyle as a rocket science (the only exception to this is pre-contest, especially the last week, more particualrly the last 3 days- this is a science in itself). they end up complicating it so much more than is necessary. it doesnt have to be complicated. it doesnt have to be difficult. alot of people think the more compliated the routine, or more difficult the workout, or the more demading it all is the better your results will be. this is such a huge fallacy. keep it simple. use the K.I.S.S acronym and live by it. you look at the guys in magasines, or the big guys in the guy and think, wow, they must have great routines. it isnt the routine. it isnt the exercises. it isnt the set/ rep schemes. its all in the nutrition. in the consistancy of taking in every meal your supposed to for years on end. the rest needed to re-couperate. as long as you are stimulating a muscle group and causing that cell to tear down, and rebuild you will grow. as long as you constanly tax that cell with progressive weight it will grow. the only ceaveat to this is one's genetic set- point, where your body will stop growing, no matter how good your nutritional intake or how good your disciplene. i can offer this up as proof to anyone who will tell me that a certain type of routine is important. we'll need two volunteers though. i will train one person using only, at the most 5-6 movements for thier whole body. someone else who believes in the power of the routine can train his person to his liking. we'll do it over a period of say 3 months. at the end of it all, my trainee will be bigger, stronger and leaner. why? steriods (ha! figured that'd wake you all up!), no seriously, its all in the power of nutrition thats where all true results come from, routines- not so much. the only time i will say that a routine becomes important is to a competitive bodybuilder- thats when knowing your body and what works for it is the difference between standing at the back of the stage when thier giving out trophies, and getting one. but for the average trainer- you WILL make gains using the simplest of routines, but people dont want to believe this. it cant be this easy. there has to be more to it. sorry, there isnt. im sorry if this takes the fun out of all this, but i just wanted to speak the rtuth. thruth is, if finding a routine that is varied and different is going to be more to your liking, then do it for that reason. if its going to get your ass in the gym, then do it for that reason. if its going to make you enjoy your workouts more, then do it for that reason. but if you think there is a magic routine, or that one routine will offer up better results than the next one, then save yourself alot of misspent time and frustration, and take my advise- K.I.S.S. BFU

Long term goals are key.

I have a question about partying and working out. Oviously partying should be done in moderation and all that. But if one does decide to go to a club and dance till 8 am and indulge, how damaging is it to your training progress and your muscle???

quote:

Originally posted by infinity HiGH What kind of exercises do you guys do for the back? it seems like everything I do, I can never get that burning feeling. My biceps get a better workout than my back does.

hi infinity...

it isnt so much the exercises that your doing for your back that aren't working, its just that you may not be doing them correctly. most exercises work, its just you have to find the key to unlocking how they hit the muscle your trying to target.

your feeling your biceps more as they are what is called your weak link muscle. your bcak is capable at this point of handling more weight than your bicep is used to, thus the tire and burn out more quickly than your back will.

not much you can do here to avoid this until your arms become used to the weight, but there are tricks you can use to target your back more.

first, dont grab onot the bar with your hands- try to picture your hands simply as 'hooks'. all those hooks do is attach your hands to the bar and allow you to move the weight you wish to move using your back. when you pull the weight, dont pull with your arms, your arms are simply attached to the hooks that now hold the bar. use your back to move the weight. see?

now that you have the weight in motion, it is important to finish the rep. at the end of the rep, pretend in the middle of your back is an orange, and your trying to squeeze that orange using your shoulder blades.

the it is important to mentally attach yourself to the muscle your trying to work in order for the movement to reach its utmost efficacy. if you dont feel the muscle working, then chances are your not working it.

hope this helps.


BFU

Another factor that hasn't been touched on is variety of your workouts. Now I agree with the use of compound movements as the base of any good workout, but the human body is an extremely adaptive organism that wants to stay in a constant state of homeostasis, so if you change things up every 3-4 weeks your body will be forced to adapt (i.e. grow or become better conditioned). Using the same compound movements over a prolonged duration will result in a plateau.

So keep it simple, but don't keep it stagnant.