The Bodybuilders Thread!

[RogueTr00per]

Right about now u guys probably have a skinny fat image of me. So here are a couple of pics from 2 weeks ago. Not really flexing (other than abs) as I had to hold the camera.

1.68m tall, 61kg, 16% bf. 3 months of doing stronglifts5x5 which added some muscle and dropped some fat (maybe 1kg?).

 

[InternetSwag]

Right about now u guys probably have a skinny fat image of me. So here are a couple of pics from 2 weeks ago. Not really flexing (other than abs) as I had to hold the camera.

1.68m tall, 61kg, 16% bf. 3 months of doing stronglifts5x5 which added some muscle and dropped some fat (maybe 1kg?).

View attachment 46633
View attachment 46637

Hey not bad at all You'd be surprised at what's hiding underneath

Your arms actually look pretty big hey and their not even flexed.
Traps looks big too

 

[RogueTr00per]

Hey not bad at all You'd be surprised at what's hiding underneath

Your arms actually look pretty big hey and their not even flexed.
Traps looks big too

Thanks, I need to take some proper photos flexing and non-flexing before I get too big Need to keep a record of improvement. Must keep my eye on the prize, that is to get stronger (by-product is getting bigger).

Right bicep flexed:


Left bicep flexed:


OK looking at my arms again now, I think my triceps on my right arm are bigger which makes the bicep look smaller relative to the entire arm mass.

 

[InternetSwag]

Your biceps bigger than mine bro

I have huge hands as well, makes my wrists look tiny :f

 

[RogueTr00per]

Heheh, I think my biceps are naturally that size. I haven't been working them with stronglifts5x5, maybe once a week I'll do a couple of sets of curls as an afterthought. Gonna start working on them now though in addition to triceps.

I saw a personal trainer upload his biceps pic for "muscle monday" on the sleekgeek FB page , and I thought, meh, my biceps are bigger than his Though my bf% is a few % higher so perhaps not a fair comparison

Met a dude today who was on the powerlifting team for western province as an under-21 a good few years ago. Was good chatting to him to get some advice and what he thought of the stronglifts5x5 methodology.

We were at the driving range today and I must have weak wrists or something cause just taking about 10 swings has made my wrist feel kinda sore now and reminiscent of injuring my wrists over 2 years ago which also started with swinging golf clubs whilst doing the mashie course. Golf is so not my sport...

 

[Tinuva]

Heheh, I think my biceps are naturally that size. I haven't been working them with stronglifts5x5, maybe once a week I'll do a couple of sets of curls as an afterthought. Gonna start working on them now though in addition to triceps.

I saw a personal trainer upload his biceps pic for "muscle monday" on the sleekgeek FB page , and I thought, meh, my biceps are bigger than his Though my bf% is a few % higher so perhaps not a fair comparison

Met a dude today who was on the powerlifting team for western province as an under-21 a good few years ago. Was good chatting to him to get some advice and what he thought of the stronglifts5x5 methodology.

We were at the driving range today and I must have weak wrists or something cause just taking about 10 swings has made my wrist feel kinda sore now and reminiscent of injuring my wrists over 2 years ago which also started with swinging golf clubs whilst doing the mashie course. Golf is so not my sport...

ryan411, you may not have specifically targeted your biceps with Stronglifts 5x5, but you have been working them out if you have been doing Pendlay/Barbell Rows, and perhaps a little bit with pullups. As a beginner, any compound exercise will work your muscles, that's after all why they are called a compound exercise.

Once you get to intermediate/advanced, that is when compound exercises don't have as much of an effect on the assisting muscles any more, which is when isolation becomes necessary. While you are a beginner, isolation is not yet a requirement.

I'd say, after 6-9 months of SL 5x5, it will be time for you to look at another program. It sounds like you may be more interested in bodybuilding than powerlifting, so my advice would not be the same as what SL suggested after the initial SL 5x5 routine, but rather a mix between bodybuilding and powerlifting, or if you are deadset not about caring about strength, a proper bb routine. I personally always liked keeping strength in check, and keep on improving it, so I stayed with the mix programs.

 

[InternetSwag]

Heheh, I think my biceps are naturally that size. I haven't been working them with stronglifts5x5, maybe once a week I'll do a couple of sets of curls as an afterthought. Gonna start working on them now though in addition to triceps.

I saw a personal trainer upload his biceps pic for "muscle monday" on the sleekgeek FB page , and I thought, meh, my biceps are bigger than his Though my bf% is a few % higher so perhaps not a fair comparison

Met a dude today who was on the powerlifting team for western province as an under-21 a good few years ago. Was good chatting to him to get some advice and what he thought of the stronglifts5x5 methodology.

We were at the driving range today and I must have weak wrists or something cause just taking about 10 swings has made my wrist feel kinda sore now and reminiscent of injuring my wrists over 2 years ago which also started with swinging golf clubs whilst doing the mashie course. Golf is so not my sport...

My wrists are killing me too! Actually hurts when I drive sometimes (curses for not having power steering).

And on that note I am getting sick too!

And this was supposed to be my deload week.

brb detraining

 

[Tinuva]

Yup also got sick yesterday, at work though today, under the influence of meds. Will make an appointment at the doc soon so I get booked off and sleep a few days to accelerate the healing process.

As for wrists, mine used to hurt, always had weak tiny wrists. But since I got my pendlay rows up to 85kg and my deadlift up to 120kg the problem went away when doing lower weights, I will probably feel them again when I go higher again and force the ligaments to get stronger.

 

[Chicken Boo]

PSA

Be glad and thankful for your health. It can go so, so fast.
And listen to your bodies.

I was deadlifting on Saturday, at a weight only a few kgs above one I'd done for reps in my previous workout 2 weeks earlier (I dl alternate weeks). For all warm-up sets the bar had been feeling heavy and the workout wasn't really feeling good. I was considering the current set as part of warm-up, not a working set, still intended to add a few more kgs. On the last rep as I was setting the bar down I could feel my grip going. I did not find this acceptable, since as I said I'd recently done only slightly lower weight for reps with no grip issues.
At this point I should've said, "That'll do." and ended the workout. Instead I decided to do another set at the same weight and see how it went. First rep was fine. Second rep, I had the bar a couple inches off the ground when I felt somewhere low in the sacral spine area yell "**** YOU BUDDY" followed by large waves of horrible pain. I dropped the bar (home-gymming ftw) and proceeded to mentally abuse myself for being such an idiot. Why, why WHY had I pushed for one more set?? What the F positives could have come from it? None, only negatives, which was what I now had to deal with. Standing straight was fine, bending even slightly forwards was agony.
It took about half an hour of very careful and painful movement to put the bar and plates away. Spent the rest of the day trying not to move, but learned just how many positions that sacral region is a part of (answer: many), as well as how using proper form in every day movements is something to consider - the only way I could sit or stand was by assuming a very rigid squat motion as this took the injured region out of play.

On Sunday the pain was thankfully only a fraction of what it had been and I could move normally for the most part, only in a few positions did I have it reminding me of my foolishness.

Today it seems almost 100% and I feel fantastically flexible (which is to say, normal). I'll probably still lay off exercises for a few days at least, and it'll be a few weeks before I dl again (with reduced weight).

So next time you're working out and it's one of 'those' workouts where you seem to be fighting your body more than the bar, I hope you think back to this chicken's post and ask yourself if it's worth fighting through the rep/set/workout and quite possibly injuring yourself and having to take weeks off while managing pain as a prize, or just cancel the workout, take a day or two off, and not suffer.
Not all workouts can be good, and your body will advise when to leave it for another day - it's up to you to hear the advice and heed it.

 

[Orihalcon]

Sounds like a herniated disk that impacted the sciatic nerve...

Did pain shoot down your right leg? If so - yup - lower lumbar disk that herniated. Sounds like a mild tear luckily.

I would invest in weighted good morning and lower back stabalization excercises - also check deadlift form.

 

[Hemps]

Weekends kill my diet, braaivleis and beer I'm sure are no good for bodybuilding.

Only carbs I got in was potato bake and beer but fatty chops direct from family farm.................the good stuff.
Saturday managed to get a chest workout in but felt lazy so switched to legs which went well considering I have just started legs.

Squats: 6 sets of 6 reps with 58kg
Leg Raises: 6 sets with 40kg

My legs tire very quickly.

Going to start the week off with back today:

Wide Grip Pullups: 50
Deadlift: 6 sets 8 reps with 120kg depending on how I feel
Seated cable rows 3 sets
T-Bar rows as many as possible until I'm exhausted, changed my form here so going to try something new.

 

[Joe505]

I need to start a new workout.I've been gyming for the past year or so, but only been 100% committed for the past 4 months, on both diet and workout. Been doing compound exercises for those 4 months so thought i could change it up a bit now and do isolation type exercises. I am flippin' skinny, been so all my life So im hoping to get advice and tips from especially all the skinny guys on mybb - What kind of program are you guys on and how long did it before you began seeing noticeable gains.

Thanks!

 

[Hemps]

Be glad and thankful for your health. It can go so, so fast.
And listen to your bodies.

I was deadlifting on Saturday, at a weight only a few kgs above one I'd done for reps in my previous workout 2 weeks earlier (I dl alternate weeks). For all warm-up sets the bar had been feeling heavy and the workout wasn't really feeling good. I was considering the current set as part of warm-up, not a working set, still intended to add a few more kgs. On the last rep as I was setting the bar down I could feel my grip going. I did not find this acceptable, since as I said I'd recently done only slightly lower weight for reps with no grip issues.
At this point I should've said, "That'll do." and ended the workout. Instead I decided to do another set at the same weight and see how it went. First rep was fine. Second rep, I had the bar a couple inches off the ground when I felt somewhere low in the sacral spine area yell "**** YOU BUDDY" followed by large waves of horrible pain. I dropped the bar (home-gymming ftw) and proceeded to mentally abuse myself for being such an idiot. Why, why WHY had I pushed for one more set?? What the F positives could have come from it? None, only negatives, which was what I now had to deal with. Standing straight was fine, bending even slightly forwards was agony.
It took about half an hour of very careful and painful movement to put the bar and plates away. Spent the rest of the day trying not to move, but learned just how many positions that sacral region is a part of (answer: many), as well as how using proper form in every day movements is something to consider - the only way I could sit or stand was by assuming a very rigid squat motion as this took the injured region out of play.

On Sunday the pain was thankfully only a fraction of what it had been and I could move normally for the most part, only in a few positions did I have it reminding me of my foolishness.

Today it seems almost 100% and I feel fantastically flexible (which is to say, normal). I'll probably still lay off exercises for a few days at least, and it'll be a few weeks before I dl again (with reduced weight).

So next time you're working out and it's one of 'those' workouts where you seem to be fighting your body more than the bar, I hope you think back to this chicken's post and ask yourself if it's worth fighting through the rep/set/workout and quite possibly injuring yourself and having to take weeks off while managing pain as a prize, or just cancel the workout, take a day or two off, and not suffer.
Not all workouts can be good, and your body will advise when to leave it for another day - it's up to you to hear the advice and heed it.

Yeah, I was also sceptical when I started deadlifts, you fark up your back so young and you'll feel it later in life.
Since then I have dropped weight on deadlifts and listen to body, it's just not worth it.

 

[Chicken Boo]

Sounds like a herniated disk that impacted the sciatic nerve...

Did pain shoot down your right leg? If so - yup - lower lumbar disk that herniated. Sounds like a mild tear luckily.

I would invest in weighted good morning and lower back stabalization excercises - also check deadlift form.

No, there was no pain in the legs, it was all centered deep in the lower back/upper hip area.

I think some dl form inspection may be due. Since reading Rippetoe's Starting strength a while ago I narrowed my foot position according to how he says, and since then it does feel like my lower back has to take a lot more strain. A wider foot position might suit my body geometry better, I'll have to experiment (next month ).

 

[Tinuva]

Yeah since I am a little sick today, I am going to have to skip gym sadly. Feeling weak is usually a sign of something bad to come for me, so I will do mostly resting to get healthy then hit the gym hard again.

 

[xrapidx]

Started the 100s HIIT program today, dropped the weight a bit, and I was still screwed, up at 4:30 - and all I want to do is go home and sleep Hoping tomorrow will be better without a hangover

This is what it ended up looking like from fitocracy:
Barbell Bench Press:
45 kg x 10 reps (+61 pts)
45 kg x 10 reps (+61 pts)
45 kg x 10 reps (+61 pts)
45 kg x 10 reps (+61 pts)
45 kg x 10 reps (+61 pts)
45 kg x 10 reps (+61 pts)
45 kg x 10 reps (+61 pts)
45 kg x 10 reps (+61 pts)
45 kg x 10 reps (+61 pts)
45 kg x 10 reps (+61 pts)
90 kg x 6 reps (+107 pts)
90 kg x 5 reps (+101 pts)
90 kg x 5 reps (+101 pts)


Incline Dumbbell Bench Press:
30 kg x 8 reps (+75 pts)
30 kg x 7 reps (+73 pts)
30 kg x 7 reps (+73 pts)


Cable Crossover:
7.5 kg x 15 reps (+9 pts)
10 kg x 15 reps (+9 pts)
12 kg x 9 reps (+9 pts)


Wide-Grip Lat Pulldown:
35 kg x 10 reps (+26 pts)
35 kg x 10 reps (+26 pts)
35 kg x 10 reps (+26 pts)
35 kg x 10 reps (+26 pts)
35 kg x 10 reps (+26 pts)
35 kg x 10 reps (+26 pts)
35 kg x 10 reps (+26 pts)
35 kg x 10 reps (+26 pts)
35 kg x 10 reps (+26 pts)
35 kg x 10 reps (+26 pts)
70 kg x 8 reps (+42 pts)
70 kg x 8 reps (+42 pts)
70 kg x 7 reps (+41 pts)


Bent Over Barbell Row:
60 kg x 5 reps (+36 pts)
60 kg x 5 reps (+36 pts)
60 kg x 5 reps (+36 pts)


Lat Pulldown:
20 kg x 15 reps (+16 pts)
20 kg x 15 reps (+16 pts)
20 kg x 15 reps (+16 pts)
*Straight arm pulldown


Crunch:
10 reps (+5 pts)
10 reps (+5 pts)
10 reps (+5 pts)
10 reps (+5 pts)
10 reps (+5 pts)
10 reps (+5 pts)
10 reps (+5 pts)
10 reps (+5 pts)
10 reps (+5 pts)
10 reps (+5 pts)
superset with reverse crunch


Reverse Crunch:
10 reps (+13 pts)
10 reps (+13 pts)
10 reps (+13 pts)
10 reps (+13 pts)
10 reps (+13 pts)
10 reps (+13 pts)
10 reps (+13 pts)
10 reps (+13 pts)
10 reps (+13 pts)
10 reps (+13 pts)
superset with crunch


One-Arm Dumbbell Deadlift:
14 kg x 10 reps (+38 pts)
12 kg x 10 reps (+37 pts)
12 kg x 10 reps (+37 pts)
12 kg x 10 reps (+37 pts)
12 kg x 10 reps (+37 pts)
12 kg x 8 reps (+36 pts)
12 kg x 8 reps (+36 pts)
12 kg x 8 reps (+36 pts)
12 kg x 8 reps (+36 pts)
12 kg x 8 reps (+36 pts)
TWO arm dumbell deadlift (done with curl and press in one movement.)


Standing Dumbbell Shoulder Press:
14 kg x 10 reps (+65 pts)
12 kg x 10 reps (+61 pts)
12 kg x 10 reps (+61 pts)
12 kg x 10 reps (+61 pts)
12 kg x 10 reps (+61 pts)
12 kg x 8 reps (+59 pts)
12 kg x 8 reps (+59 pts)
12 kg x 8 reps (+59 pts)
12 kg x 8 reps (+59 pts)
12 kg x 8 reps (+59 pts)
done with dumbbell deadlift and curl in one movement


Dumbbell Bicep Curl:
14 kg x 10 reps (+28 pts)
12 kg x 10 reps (+28 pts)
12 kg x 10 reps (+28 pts)
12 kg x 10 reps (+28 pts)
12 kg x 10 reps (+28 pts)
12 kg x 8 reps (+27 pts)
12 kg x 8 reps (+27 pts)
12 kg x 8 reps (+27 pts)
12 kg x 8 reps (+27 pts)
12 kg x 8 reps (+27 pts)
done with dumbbell deadlift and shoulder press in one movement

 

[InternetSwag]

I need to start a new workout.I've been gyming for the past year or so, but only been 100% committed for the past 4 months, on both diet and workout. Been doing compound exercises for those 4 months so thought i could change it up a bit now and do isolation type exercises. I am flippin' skinny, been so all my life So im hoping to get advice and tips from especially all the skinny guys on mybb - What kind of program are you guys on and how long did it before you began seeing noticeable gains.

Thanks!

Bulk - How much do you weigh and how tall are you?
Progressive Overload, if you're not getting stronger month by month you're not getting bigger.

 

[InternetSwag]

Be glad and thankful for your health. It can go so, so fast.
And listen to your bodies.

I was deadlifting on Saturday, at a weight only a few kgs above one I'd done for reps in my previous workout 2 weeks earlier (I dl alternate weeks). For all warm-up sets the bar had been feeling heavy and the workout wasn't really feeling good. I was considering the current set as part of warm-up, not a working set, still intended to add a few more kgs. On the last rep as I was setting the bar down I could feel my grip going. I did not find this acceptable, since as I said I'd recently done only slightly lower weight for reps with no grip issues.
At this point I should've said, "That'll do." and ended the workout. Instead I decided to do another set at the same weight and see how it went. First rep was fine. Second rep, I had the bar a couple inches off the ground when I felt somewhere low in the sacral spine area yell "**** YOU BUDDY" followed by large waves of horrible pain. I dropped the bar (home-gymming ftw) and proceeded to mentally abuse myself for being such an idiot. Why, why WHY had I pushed for one more set?? What the F positives could have come from it? None, only negatives, which was what I now had to deal with. Standing straight was fine, bending even slightly forwards was agony.
It took about half an hour of very careful and painful movement to put the bar and plates away. Spent the rest of the day trying not to move, but learned just how many positions that sacral region is a part of (answer: many), as well as how using proper form in every day movements is something to consider - the only way I could sit or stand was by assuming a very rigid squat motion as this took the injured region out of play.

On Sunday the pain was thankfully only a fraction of what it had been and I could move normally for the most part, only in a few positions did I have it reminding me of my foolishness.

Today it seems almost 100% and I feel fantastically flexible (which is to say, normal). I'll probably still lay off exercises for a few days at least, and it'll be a few weeks before I dl again (with reduced weight).

So next time you're working out and it's one of 'those' workouts where you seem to be fighting your body more than the bar, I hope you think back to this chicken's post and ask yourself if it's worth fighting through the rep/set/workout and quite possibly injuring yourself and having to take weeks off while managing pain as a prize, or just cancel the workout, take a day or two off, and not suffer.
Not all workouts can be good, and your body will advise when to leave it for another day - it's up to you to hear the advice and heed it.

Fuuuuuk makes me not want to deadlift ever again

 

[Tinuva]

Fuuuuuk makes me not want to deadlift ever again

No!

This one time I went to the VA in Tygervalley, and there was a dude using the only Squat rack, so as upset as I was I went over to warm up on the other side of the gym on the row machines. So 5 minutes later I went back and this guy was on the ground with paramedics rushing him out. He also hurt something on his back whilst doing squats. I checked the plates loaded, and he was doing 100kg squats. While quite heavy, I have done up to 110kg at my max with squats.

I am pretty certain, if you do an exercise with bad form, it will hurt you, especially when it is a day that you are not feeling great. Me? I am smaller than the guy that got hurt, and I have in the past done more than he did that day.

When you go heavy on Deadlift and Squats, form has to be near perfect. I would go as far, and say the same goes with Bench Press and Overhead Press.

I am a thin'ish guy bodyweight of 72kg and I haven't hurt myself like that before, so all I can believe is, good form helps. A spotter also helps if you do it with bad form, seeing as Chicken Boo exercise in a home gym, I am pretty sure he had no spotter, which makes near perfect form a 1000 times more important. This is also the reason, that if you see form is not what it should be, that you should back down on the weight, even if it is a weight you normally use to warm up with, it means something is wrong and you need to fix that before you go heavy again.

 

[RogueTr00per]

ryan411, you may not have specifically targeted your biceps with Stronglifts 5x5, but you have been working them out if you have been doing Pendlay/Barbell Rows, and perhaps a little bit with pullups. As a beginner, any compound exercise will work your muscles, that's after all why they are called a compound exercise.

Once you get to intermediate/advanced, that is when compound exercises don't have as much of an effect on the assisting muscles any more, which is when isolation becomes necessary. While you are a beginner, isolation is not yet a requirement.

I'd say, after 6-9 months of SL 5x5, it will be time for you to look at another program. It sounds like you may be more interested in bodybuilding than powerlifting, so my advice would not be the same as what SL suggested after the initial SL 5x5 routine, but rather a mix between bodybuilding and powerlifting, or if you are deadset not about caring about strength, a proper bb routine. I personally always liked keeping strength in check, and keep on improving it, so I stayed with the mix programs.

Sounds good, will go for a mixed programme after 6-9 months of SL 5x5! Would be a shame to lose strength after all that work, so will look to increase strength after SL5x5 even if it's at a slower pace.

Have not been doing barbell rows in the last 3 weeks as i went back to reverse rows on the smith machine aiming to be able to complete 3 sets of 12 reps first. Can only manage 8 or 9 reps currently, so then I do 5 sets of 8 reps.

I think my left biceps/triceps grew 3 cm somewhere in the last few months and the right one only about 1cm. Which is about right in terms of feeling like the left arm is always being pushed harder and right one taking it relatively easy.