My training thread, progress, advice etc

[erics44]

alright man, first time ive seen your training log so first time ive posted

what was the radiotherapy for? i havent read all the thread so soz if ive missed something

from your first post it seems you are trying to add muscle(weight) and lose fat at the same time

id say unless you are very young and/or a freak of nature thats probably gonna be difficult

most people do it in cycles (bulk then cut) so say you are 130lbs and 25%bf and you want to be 140lbs and 14%bf, the best thing to do would be to bulk (eat lots and lift lots of weights) for 6months say

reaching 160lbs and 35% bf maybe

then cut (lots of cadio, low cal diet)

dropping then to nearer to your target

its pretty impossible to do it all at the same time

[Kev]

alright man, first time ive seen your training log so first time ive posted

what was the radiotherapy for? i havent read all the thread so soz if ive missed something

from your first post it seems you are trying to add muscle(weight) and lose fat at the same time

id say unless you are very young and/or a freak of nature thats probably gonna be difficult

most people do it in cycles (bulk then cut) so say you are 130lbs and 25%bf and you want to be 140lbs and 14%bf, the best thing to do would be to bulk (eat lots and lift lots of weights) for 6months say

reaching 160lbs and 35% bf maybe

then cut (lots of cadio, low cal diet)

dropping then to nearer to your target

its pretty impossible to do it all at the same time

I don't really buy into this cutting/bulking talk. I think that's true for serious athletes, not people just starting working out.

Somebody who is inactive will both lose fat and gain muscle initially as their body is out of shape and muscle underdeveloped.

Obviously if you are already in shape then it wouldn't be possible as youe muscle mass is already developed and your bodyfat already at a healthy level.

An overweight, undermuscled average guy however will start building muscle from working out and losing weight also, providing they eat properly, at least until they are in shape.

As an example, Manny Pacquiao obviously couldnt build muscle and lose fat simultaneously, but Eddie Izzard clearly did when he did his marathon challenge. He lost a lot of fat from his daily marathon regime, he also built up some decent muscle mass in his legs.

Ricky Gervais clearly lost a lot of weight and packed on some muscle when training for his celebrity boxing challenge a few years ago.

[erics44]

alright man, first time ive seen your training log so first time ive posted

what was the radiotherapy for? i havent read all the thread so soz if ive missed something

from your first post it seems you are trying to add muscle(weight) and lose fat at the same time

id say unless you are very young and/or a freak of nature thats probably gonna be difficult

most people do it in cycles (bulk then cut) so say you are 130lbs and 25%bf and you want to be 140lbs and 14%bf, the best thing to do would be to bulk (eat lots and lift lots of weights) for 6months say

reaching 160lbs and 35% bf maybe

then cut (lots of cadio, low cal diet)

dropping then to nearer to your target

its pretty impossible to do it all at the same time

I don't really buy into this cutting/bulking talk. I think that's true for serious athletes, not people just starting working out.

Somebody who is inactive will both lose fat and gain muscle initially as their body is out of shape and muscle underdeveloped.

Obviously if you are already in shape then it wouldn't be possible as youe muscle mass is already developed and your bodyfat already at a healthy level.

An overweight, undermuscled average guy however will start building muscle from working out and losing weight also, providing they eat properly, at least until they are in shape.

As an example, Manny Pacquiao obviously couldnt build muscle and lose fat simultaneously, but Eddie Izzard clearly did when he did his marathon challenge. He lost a lot of fat from his daily marathon regime, he also built up some decent muscle mass in his legs.

Ricky Gervais clearly lost a lot of weight and packed on some muscle when training for his celebrity boxing challenge a few years ago.

you look more musular when you lose weight, less fat and you can see whats underneath, your body also changes shape when you do vigurous excersize

ricky gervais and eddie izzard were fat potatos, they started doing some excersize and they began to lose weight so the muscles showed through more, their backs began to straighten a bit, shoulders less hunched so they definately will have looked better

its very unlikely they will have added muscle tho

adding lean muscle is very difficult

UK-Muscle Body Building Community - Bodybuilding Forum is a good site for advice on this stuff

[Kev]

alright man, first time ive seen your training log so first time ive posted

what was the radiotherapy for? i havent read all the thread so soz if ive missed something

from your first post it seems you are trying to add muscle(weight) and lose fat at the same time

id say unless you are very young and/or a freak of nature thats probably gonna be difficult

most people do it in cycles (bulk then cut) so say you are 130lbs and 25%bf and you want to be 140lbs and 14%bf, the best thing to do would be to bulk (eat lots and lift lots of weights) for 6months say

reaching 160lbs and 35% bf maybe

then cut (lots of cadio, low cal diet)

dropping then to nearer to your target

its pretty impossible to do it all at the same time

I don't really buy into this cutting/bulking talk. I think that's true for serious athletes, not people just starting working out.

Somebody who is inactive will both lose fat and gain muscle initially as their body is out of shape and muscle underdeveloped.

Obviously if you are already in shape then it wouldn't be possible as youe muscle mass is already developed and your bodyfat already at a healthy level.

An overweight, undermuscled average guy however will start building muscle from working out and losing weight also, providing they eat properly, at least until they are in shape.

As an example, Manny Pacquiao obviously couldnt build muscle and lose fat simultaneously, but Eddie Izzard clearly did when he did his marathon challenge. He lost a lot of fat from his daily marathon regime, he also built up some decent muscle mass in his legs.

Ricky Gervais clearly lost a lot of weight and packed on some muscle when training for his celebrity boxing challenge a few years ago.

you look more musular when you lose weight, less fat and you can see whats underneath, your body also changes shape when you do vigurous excersize

ricky gervais and eddie izzard were fat potatos, they started doing some excersize and they began to lose weight so the muscles showed through more, their backs began to straighten a bit, shoulders less hunched so they definately will have looked better

its very unlikely they will have added muscle tho

adding lean muscle is very difficult

UK-Muscle Body Building Community - Bodybuilding Forum is a good site for advice on this stuff

Adding lean muscle is difficult if you aready have lean muscle. The average man who has never worked out will put on muscle in the first year of lifting almost inevitably.

I think bodybuilding forums and taking advice from experts is confusing as they are further along the road than you (me anyway).

Doing multiple sets per bodypart, negative reps, pyramid sets, cutting/bulking, taking creatine etc are all advanced techniques for later down the road.

You can get into decent physical shape by just eating healthily, and doing weights and cardio a few times a week. That's fine for a couple years, the mor4 advanced stuff can come later.

Basically I think for me, to kick start my program again I need to a) stop missing workouts, I've skipped a few, b) Try some different exercsies and vary my routine a bit, and c) in January cut my workout in half and train 4 times a week, adding a set for each bodypart to give them extra stimulus. d) Switch from high rep training (12-15 reps) to lower reps (6-10) to build some strength.

I reckon that will kickstart me again. Cutting/bulking I'll worry about in 2015 when I can't improve by any other means.

[erics44]

Adding lean muscle is difficult if you aready have lean muscle. The average man who has never worked out will put on muscle in the first year of lifting almost inevitably.

I think bodybuilding forums and taking advice from experts is confusing as they are further along the road than you (me anyway).

Doing multiple sets per bodypart, negative reps, pyramid sets, cutting/bulking, taking creatine etc are all advanced techniques for later down the road.

You can get into decent physical shape by just eating healthily, and doing weights and cardio a few times a week. That's fine for a couple years, the mor4 advanced stuff can come later.

Basically I think for me, to kick start my program again I need to a) stop missing workouts, I've skipped a few, b) Try some different exercsies and vary my routine a bit, and c) in January cut my workout in half and train 4 times a week, adding a set for each bodypart to give them extra stimulus. d) Switch from high rep training (12-15 reps) to lower reps (6-10) to build some strength.

I reckon that will kickstart me again. Cutting/bulking I'll worry about in 2015 when I can't improve by any other means.

the bit in bold isnt really true

i wish it was

you could argue that your first year will be your most productive, as in when you will see your body change the most (that obviously depends on what you looked like to start with) but then you have to do things right in that year, you cant just go to the gym 4 times a week and do anything and eat anything

when i go through bulking cycles i am miles better at it now than i was in my first year of trying, mainly coz i know what im doing and what works for me, maybe if i knew then what i know now my first year would have been my most productive

[erics44]

actually your first year could "inevitably" be your most productive if for instance you were a big fat man

all you would need to do is add any kind of excersize as long as it was significant enough you would probably look a lot better by the end of the year and maybe wouldnt ever make that much improvement again

[Kev]

actually your first year could "inevitably" be your most productive if for instance you were a big fat man

all you would need to do is add any kind of excersize as long as it was significant enough you would probably look a lot better by the end of the year and maybe wouldnt ever make that much improvement again

Exactly that is what I mean. Before I started training all I did was sit in a chair in front of my computer and masturbate all day. I ate crap as well.

Changing my diet hlped, as did rowing and weights. Next year I will find it harder to make as much of a difference to my body as I have already lost some fat and gained some muscle.

But I'm still nowhere near what anyone would call athletic, and will still be able to make gains by doing routine things like eat, sleep well, train regularly etc, providing I just mix things up a bit.

I think things like cutting and bulking, and advanced training ideas that work for the pros are ridiculous for beginner/average guys. Just master the basics first.

It's not just with bodybuilding but every aspect of life. I see it in chess whenever I play in competitions, people discussing advanced openings they are learning, played by the super GM's that they are spending hours studying, which is just utterly pointless as they still lack even basic chess knowledge. Most people in life (imo), always regard themselves to be more advanced than they really are at whatever it is they do, and so focus on advanced techniques and ideas, whilst never really learning the fundamentals and basics.

Me, I know I'm a pretty weak and feeble guy, and am happy to admit that. I will continue to improve by health the old fashioned way, healthy diet and regular exercise. I'll leave cutting/bulking and counting and weighing calories to the Olympians.

[ono]

alright man, first time ive seen your training log so first time ive posted

what was the radiotherapy for? i havent read all the thread so soz if ive missed something

from your first post it seems you are trying to add muscle(weight) and lose fat at the same time

id say unless you are very young and/or a freak of nature thats probably gonna be difficult

most people do it in cycles (bulk then cut) so say you are 130lbs and 25%bf and you want to be 140lbs and 14%bf, the best thing to do would be to bulk (eat lots and lift lots of weights) for 6months say

reaching 160lbs and 35% bf maybe

then cut (lots of cadio, low cal diet)

dropping then to nearer to your target

its pretty impossible to do it all at the same time

I don't really buy into this cutting/bulking talk. I think that's true for serious athletes, not people just starting working out.

Somebody who is inactive will both lose fat and gain muscle initially as their body is out of shape and muscle underdeveloped.

Obviously if you are already in shape then it wouldn't be possible as youe muscle mass is already developed and your bodyfat already at a healthy level.

An overweight, undermuscled average guy however will start building muscle from working out and losing weight also, providing they eat properly, at least until they are in shape.

As an example, Manny Pacquiao obviously couldnt build muscle and lose fat simultaneously, but Eddie Izzard clearly did when he did his marathon challenge. He lost a lot of fat from his daily marathon regime, he also built up some decent muscle mass in his legs.

Ricky Gervais clearly lost a lot of weight and packed on some muscle when training for his celebrity boxing challenge a few years ago.

It's more the result of losing fat to reveal muscle tone, than genuinely losing fat and gaining muscle.

[Gandalf]

I know nobody is interested, but seeing as we are talking about progress I thought I would share my progress. Since going a little bit mental I have taken up daily exercise. I bought myself one of those funky MP3 things and have been marching around the lake near my home like all the other old people do. No lifting of weights or running or anything like that, though I imagine my walk would involve Bilbo needing to canter to keep up with me. I do 3 and a 1/2 KM in about 35 minutes and I quite enjoy it. I stare into the distance, march and listen to some of the finer artistry from music history. I get home feeling quite content.

During my vacation I plan on doing this everyday. It will be part of my routine as I kind of got a little self indulgent on my last vacation. Exercise, study, reading, eating properly, buying new instruments. Maybe start work on the eclectic literary masterpiece of the 21st century. The usual things a man does to fill in the time when not selling a soul to a corporation.