The Bodybuilders Thread!

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ryan411 said:
3 times a week, yoh! How were ur gains training chest 3 times per week? Though CT Fletcher says there ain't such a thing as overtraining :p
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I was very self-conscious about my chest, so I wanted to pump that mo-fo. :p Gains were good in the beginning, but then I stalled and couldn't push through and some days I just felt weaker. I was fatigued too early and was struggling with form in my 3rd/4th sets as my body tried to compensate, so the quality of the workout was not good. I wouldn't even feel (you know that really deep burn inside the muscle) the workout somedays. Now, I feel it all the time. I think as the weight got heavier I needed to extend my recovery times to get the best out of it.
 
kolaval said:
Why not permanently?
Asking cause I am liking the 5x5 workout, it keeps things simple without me having to worry about everyone's opinions on e.g. skull crushers Vs. tricep push down.
I see a lot of guys following X one month and then Y another month.
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The program that I followed, was specifically designed to stretch 6 weeks, and even if you do stretch it, it becomes significantly more difficult to keep the progress it. The program increases weight every week.

Then there is also the fact, that your body gets used to a program after about 3 months, at which time you should go into a new program. That said, you shouldn't change programs every month or even less. The idea is to follow a program and get maximum effect out of it before switching.

5x5 programs work great, but you will notice at some point (3-6 months later) it doesn't work as great anymore, ie you were at beginner level, but have progressed to the next level, which may require lots of deloading, and then at some point the deloading wont work anymore, which is where the next program will come in. The next program will be a lot like the 5x5, ie. 3x5 or 3x3 if you going for strength. Then there is a program that follow the same format as SL5x5, called madcow, but it does monday heavy, wednesday light and friday medium. The bench program I followed, followed that same principle.

Also, you don't want to focus on bench for a whole year and let all your other lifts stagnate. I kinda rotate between squats and bench. In the time I focus on squats, I keep bench where I had it, then when I go back to it, I find I can easily push up the first few weeks because I got used to the weight I was doing.
 
InternetSwag said:
Nah I didn't gym while sick, I lost everything lol.

Water weight, muscle and fat, maybe even bone density.

There was a period where I had 300~ calories across 4 days. I just could not eat with the ulcers and the nausea. Ulcers are still there, but they are not as sore anymore.

That being said, I went down from 3000+ cals to probably getting less than that per week. I tried eating 3000 today, but it's asif my stomach shrunk, could barely hit 1000 cals.

I've lost a lot of size, my body went into starvation mode and went all cannibal mode on what tissue I had left.

I look like I got out of a concentration camp. I probably couldn't even bench 40 kg's atm.
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Sux to hear this, but at least you now know what was wrong and getting it sorted out.

If it helps, I have also lost some weight in the last 6 weeks, been going through a stressful few weeks, stress causes me to eat less...so yeah that wasn't too great. That said, yesterday my session was ok untill I hurt my back whilst doing OHP, or just some small muscle behind my right shoulder blade.

Life goes on at least :)
 
Is that your home gym
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I wish, nope, was the guy selling off his equipment, I'll post pics once I have arranged all my equipment.
Just mounted my pullup bar over the weekend and re-cabled my cross over machine.
 
Tinuva said:
Sux to hear this, but at least you now know what was wrong and getting it sorted out.

If it helps, I have also lost some weight in the last 6 weeks, been going through a stressful few weeks, stress causes me to eat less...so yeah that wasn't too great. That said, yesterday my session was ok untill I hurt my back whilst doing OHP, or just some small muscle behind my right shoulder blade.

Life goes on at least :)
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Eish, hang in there brah. Stress is a bitch and can make you ill long term. The thing with stress is that it forces you to tackle it head on :<
 
thestaggy said:
I was very self-conscious about my chest, so I wanted to pump that mo-fo. :p Gains were good in the beginning, but then I stalled and couldn't push through and some days I just felt weaker. I was fatigued too early and was struggling with form in my 3rd/4th sets as my body tried to compensate, so the quality of the workout was not good. I wouldn't even feel (you know that really deep burn inside the muscle) the workout somedays. Now, I feel it all the time. I think as the weight got heavier I needed to extend my recovery times to get the best out of it.
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Yeah, i think in this video below Mike Chang said one could workout chest (for example) 3 times per week but then you wouldn't be able to go heavy in terms of volume. Ideally 2 times per week he said. But it would depend on the person.

[video=youtube;H9lqPoHf1ag]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H9lqPoHf1ag[/video]
 
ryan411 said:
Yeah, i think in this video below Mike Chang said one could workout chest (for example) 3 times per week but then you wouldn't be able to go heavy in terms of volume. Ideally 2 times per week he said. But it would depend on the person.
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Yeah, pretty much what I experienced. My muscles were shot and I felt weaker. I got pumped, like he said you would, but I didn't feel strong. I also agree that it will depend on the person though and I like that he acknowledges that each person will be different. Far too often I find that ''experts'' try and place everyone - regardless of the fact that we all differ physically - into the same bracket when it comes to how things should/shouldn't be done.
 
InternetSwag said:
Eish, hang in there brah. Stress is a bitch and can make you ill long term. The thing with stress is that it forces you to tackle it head on :<
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Heh thanks, but I think it is a bit different. While the stress caused me to eat less, I was still working out, dancing and going about the rest of life normal. I did however lose weight, down from 72 to 68.5kg about. Funny though, I definitely can see I look more defined now.

That said, stress also have good attributes. For one, it pushes up adrenaline, and I believe this kept me going through most of my workouts, it also boosts your immune system. The problem comes in, when the stress levels go down, that is when you become sick, and is when I boost my vitamin C intake. Just know how to deal with it I guess.


thestaggy said:
Yeah, pretty much what I experienced. My muscles were shot and I felt weaker. I got pumped, like he said you would, but I didn't feel strong. I also agree that it will depend on the person though and I like that he acknowledges that each person will be different. Far too often I find that ''experts'' try and place everyone - regardless of the fact that we all differ physically - into the same bracket when it comes to how things should/shouldn't be done.
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I agree, everyone is different, but it is more than just different physically, more importantly it is to do with how far you have progressed in your lifting career. Beginners can do all exercises 3 times a week easy. Only once you get to advanced to expert the once a week is really required.
 
that feel when new gym equipment makes your bench go down

brb gym buys 4 new bench press stations (but doesn't buy bars lolwat)

moves the old benches to another gym

aaand the new benches are a different design.

Problem?
Yes. Problem!


The bar rests at a totally different position! The old benches bar was rather forward in that if you lied under it the bar would neatly be parallel to your chest! Awesome!

New bench? Notsomuch. The new bench rests the bar in line with the top of my head, so getting the bar from my hairline to my chest is a ****ing mission and feels like 2 reps in itself and actually can be very uncomfortable on the shoulders at higher weights!

This is stupid design and just goes to show that gym managers don't actually lift - phaggots.


It does raise an interesting point though - which I see often, is sales reps being made to teach people how to use equipment when they themselves have never done the exercise.

hmm.
 
The gym at Sunningdale has new equipment, also not a fan of the benches... and I swear the weights are heavier.

Been off for three weeks, and couldn't do 90kg for 2 on Wednesday, used to easily do 10+
 
xrapidx said:
The gym at Sunningdale has new equipment, also not a fan of the benches... and I swear the weights are heavier.

Been off for three weeks, and couldn't do 90kg for 2 on Wednesday, used to easily do 10+
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Fuark it sucks brah, I can't even arch my back on the new benches :D
 
xrapidx said:
The gym at Sunningdale has new equipment, also not a fan of the benches... and I swear the weights are heavier.

Been off for three weeks, and couldn't do 90kg for 2 on Wednesday, used to easily do 10+
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I upgraded some of my barbell bars last week and had the same problem. Could not go as heavy as in the past, but I think it is all in the mind since I had a super awesome arms day yesterday on the same bars, man, I felt like superman!
:D
 
InternetSwag said:
that feel when new gym equipment makes your bench go down

brb gym buys 4 new bench press stations (but doesn't buy bars lolwat)

moves the old benches to another gym

aaand the new benches are a different design.

Problem?
Yes. Problem!


The bar rests at a totally different position! The old benches bar was rather forward in that if you lied under it the bar would neatly be parallel to your chest! Awesome!

New bench? Notsomuch. The new bench rests the bar in line with the top of my head, so getting the bar from my hairline to my chest is a ****ing mission and feels like 2 reps in itself and actually can be very uncomfortable on the shoulders at higher weights!

This is stupid design and just goes to show that gym managers don't actually lift - phaggots.


It does raise an interesting point though - which I see often, is sales reps being made to teach people how to use equipment when they themselves have never done the exercise.

hmm.
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Hectic. Not 100% sure I know what your new benches are like, but I am fine with the new ones at Tygervalley. I had to ofcoarse learn to just stick my head in deeper to make it easier to lift the bar myself without a spotter, although having a spotter to just help you unrack and rack helps A LOT.

xrapidx said:
The gym at Sunningdale has new equipment, also not a fan of the benches... and I swear the weights are heavier.

Been off for three weeks, and couldn't do 90kg for 2 on Wednesday, used to easily do 10+
Click to expand...
Saw the same thing at Tygervalley, it is as if the old equipment was labelled in pounds instead of KGs. Interestingly enough once you work that out, you can get to the same weight you used to do, just they now look like smaller numbers :P
 
Tinuva said:
Hectic. Not 100% sure I know what your new benches are like, but I am fine with the new ones at Tygervalley. I had to ofcoarse learn to just stick my head in deeper to make it easier to lift the bar myself without a spotter, although having a spotter to just help you unrack and rack helps A LOT.


Saw the same thing at Tygervalley, it is as if the old equipment was labelled in pounds instead of KGs. Interestingly enough once you work that out, you can get to the same weight you used to do, just they now look like smaller numbers :P
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The thing is the bench itself is short so I can't even lie further up >.>

5'7 people problems :D
 
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