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How did you get off your butt today?

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DrinksWithEvil said:
to be honest dude, i have no idea what im doing. i just go in there every day and rotate from doing chest/tris one day, then the next shoulders/bis/back. Everyday i throw in some legs and abs too. I need a better regimen.
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Try a split of push day, pull day, and legs day. You don't wanna be training w/o any kind of plan; gaining anything worthwhile is hard enough in the 1st place, you really want to make sure you're actually progressing over time (doing your approach will give you some gains w/o doubt, but they'll come slower and they'll plateau very very quickly).
push day: shoulders/chest/tri's
pull day: back/bi's
leg day: quads/glutes
(re hamstrings/lower back, they can go on pull day or leg day, hopefully you can see why either is appropriate for them :) )

and remember how important diet (specifically, overall calories and overall protein) is to your gains. sufficient calories/protein for growth + shitty training routine still = growth. Fantastic routine with professional guidance, + insufficient calories/protein, still = no growth. And remember to drink tons of water, especially in your climate - the things you're trying to make happen w/ training stimuli and food need proper fluid levels to work right :)
 
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Word I'll try that. So I can just do push day then pull day then leg day and just keep cycling that ? I work out 7 days a week. I need to get some protein powder also
 
Hella mountain hike in the forest and the sun! Renewal of the body spirit and mind! :)
 
DrinksWithEvil said:
Word I'll try that. So I can just do push day then pull day then leg day and just keep cycling that ? I work out 7 days a week. I need to get some protein powder also
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7d/week is too much training for you right now and is counterproductive (7d/week at normal/high intensity is too much anaerobic, or "muscle", training in non-enhanced<read: steroids> trainees. Your body cannot recover properly from 7d/week especially with people who're prone to overdoing it as i know/suspect you're still doing ;P )
but a 3d split doesn't mean "only 3d / week" it just means your workouts, however they are spaced, go from workday1, to #2, #3, then back to #1. If you're still trying to squeeze in as much gym time as possible (and are likely training past what is proper), then a 5d split may be a better approach (not because it's inherently better, but because it'll spread things out so that your overtraining is less damaging lol).

Protein powder is nice for closing a protein gap, and *especially* for high protein intake before/during/after training. However, even a quasi-modest protein% out of total calories will usually be sufficient for most, ie if you're eating enough calories it's not too hard to have gotten sufficient protein from said calories :)
 
DrinksWithEvil said:
Word I'll try that. So I can just do push day then pull day then leg day and just keep cycling that ? I work out 7 days a week. I need to get some protein powder also
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The good thing about the three-day split that bmx suggests is that it focuses on the one thing that people tend to not realize is super-super important until they've been training for a while - strength on the big compound lifts (squat, bench, deadlift). This set allows you to train bench on push day (along with military press), deadlift on pull day (along with barbell row) and squat on leg day (perhaps with barbell lunges). Compound movements like these get your entire body strong, as opposed to a lot of the isolation work, which will give you a limited amount of "fake muscle." If you have solid core compound lifts, you will be able to hone the isolation movements one you're ready to really sculpt a body (let's say after a year of strength-based training). However, you can work yourself up to good numbers on the isolation movements, but you'll be surprised at just how weak your compound lift will still be if you have not been training them.

I understand the mental drive to work out 7 days a week, but with regard to the science of body-sculpting, it's not the optimal way. Take that three-day split and add a fourth day for abs, two days of cardio or some type of physical activity. You might not see results as fast doing 3-day split working each muscle group once a weak as someone might doing some hardcore 6 day split to pack on lean muscle, but you also won't burn out/plateau nearly as fast. Which you'll come to learn is a good thing, since seeing continued, regular progress is extremely important on a regular basis.
 
ya people who go crazy in teh beginning on 5 or 7d programs never seem to bulk as quick as people who do 3-4d routines (and, again, calorie intake/protein intake are *essential* requisites for growth, if you're not fueling hte tank don't even bother to expect gains ;P )
 
bmxxx said:
Try a split of push day, pull day, and legs day. You don't wanna be training w/o any kind of plan; gaining anything worthwhile is hard enough in the 1st place, you really want to make sure you're actually progressing over time (doing your approach will give you some gains w/o doubt, but they'll come slower and they'll plateau very very quickly).
push day: shoulders/chest/tri's
pull day: back/bi's
leg day: quads/glutes
(re hamstrings/lower back, they can go on pull day or leg day, hopefully you can see why either is appropriate for them :) )

and remember how important diet (specifically, overall calories and overall protein) is to your gains. sufficient calories/protein for growth + shitty training routine still = growth. Fantastic routine with professional guidance, + insufficient calories/protein, still = no growth. And remember to drink tons of water, especially in your climate - the things you're trying to make happen w/ training stimuli and food need proper fluid levels to work right :)
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This. I'm new to working out myself, and I've been learning this shit the hard way. I started out at 5-6 days a week and everything got sore. Overworking. I also completely neglected deadlifts (or any lower back exercise) and my lats, because I hated doing them. Fortunately, I caught on before I got out of proportion. 3-5 days a week now, depending on whether or not I get all my exercises done for the day (for example, I try to do shoulders and upper back in the same day, but if I get through my upper back and something comes up or I find I don't have the time/energy to complete, I will do shoulders the following day and then move on to my arm day. It's still a 3 day plan, sometimes it just takes a little longer).

I also find it helpful to not have set days, and I aim for a full rotation every 6 days, although it often takes 7-8 days to go through a rotation depending on time.

Also, with regards to shoulder exercises, find a good compound shoulder exercise to work out your rotator cuff. It will get sore, and it will get injured if you neglect it. Don't just do the glamorous deltoid muscles.
 
the rotator cuff gets ample work in any compound shoulder lifts. now, if you have a bad one, be VERY careful and do NOT do moves that hurt it. and learn the moves to stretch/train it properly (ie with bands and/or 1-10lbs db's as your strength allows - note that you do NOT try to work the rotator cuff like other muscles in terms of how far/intense you push it).
For many with rotator cuff problems, bench press is a no-no. I actually have a *terrible* right rotator cuff from a wrestling injury over a decade ago; i can bench and train shoulders/etc w/o any hint of a problem, but things like throwing a baseball as hard as i can will leave my shoulder practically inoperable for days if i'm not careful :|
 
DWE (everyone, actually), please understand that your training must focus on the principle of "progressive overload". This is the idea that the body, upon encountering training stimuli that make it operate closer to its capacity than it is used to, will cause the body to adapt (overcompensation). This is of the utmost importance to understand why, and how, the way you set your program up will make/break your goals (regardless of whether you're running for time, going for a raw 1rep deadlift, or looking to increase muscle mass).
There is wayyy too big a trend of people who go to the gym regularly, yet never really get anywhere - they basically just chill at a given level indefinitely. Some mistakenly think they've plateau'd, others say they're just "maintaining" (lol wut? go to gym and don't bother to improve??) These people are generally those who are ignorant of the principle of prog overload, and to their own detriment.

Once you're past your "base"/beginner period*, it can be quite a PITA to keep yourself at a level of overload that results in gains, w/o overtraining. THIS is why a proper approach to training is basically requisite for advancing.
*= a certain level of 'base' condition is the 1st thing ANY athlete needs to do. It can be extremely difficult to restrain oneself from just going 'all-in' the 1st week they train, but it is foolish not to do so. You do not necessarily need to look for/expect gains during this period, so much as get yourself ready to start gaining, if that makes sense. Without a proper base you'll be in a poor position to begin progressive overload approaches (and you're dramatically increasing risks of injury, general overtraining/DOMS, etc etc etc)
 
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intstrukshunz for dwe
mondays: squats, deadlifts(regular stance), reverse hypers(if you have the equip at your gym) or back extensions otherwise. calf work if desired.
wednesdays: bench press, shoulder press, tricep pushdowns and/or overhead tricep extensions. chest flyes, and various shoulder raises, as desired.
fridays: bent barbell rows, barbell shrugs, hammer curls. forearm work as desired.

Notes:
- exercises are listed in order of importance
- abs/core/whatever, circuit/crosstrain/crossfit/etc, and cardio work are all done on NON-training days (if done at all. but recommended to do so)
- aim for 6 meals daily. understand that the feeling of 'hungry' is not something you will have in your life. big spoons, liquid calories (consumed AFTER eating what you can of solids, as in chug protein/weightgain after meals), etc are useful. water consumption should be high-as-hell. take $10 to walmart and get the cheapest multivitamins(regardless of 'type', men/women/children/whatever), magnesium+zinc(take 3 before bed), and fish oils. maybe bring $12 i dunno.

enjoy

EDIT: moar notez
- do NOT drink more than 2 drinks in any 24hr period.
- do NOT use any ndtitl that'll have you super sped and lose sleep/hurt diet
- do NOT neglect sleep (you do a large part of growth, and the majority of test/hormone production, as you sleep)
- train in such a way that you're sore, but not too sore, after your sessions (DOMS, or delayed onset muscle soreness, peaks around 48hrs after stimuli. do not get to that "can't move my arms" shit you were doing).
- regardless of where you are in your training, understand that you need to progress every time you train. It may be that you get 1 or 2 more reps/set than the previous session, or that your reps/set are getting too high and you need to up the weights. THAT is progressive overload, and you won't get bigger/stronger without it.

if you follow this post explicitly you will get bigger and stronger in about as expedient a fashion as possible. If you are unable to follow this post, just give up now ;P
 
DrinksWithEvil said:
Thanks brah. Appreciate it. Hardest part is going to be diet . Shits expensive
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I hate to post in this thread without having exercise to boast of, but I gotta highlight this misconception.

If you're eating to improve your physique, you're going to be eating healthily, which means less processed food. On the whole, unprocessed nutrition is cheaper by the calorie. Eating brown rice or whole grains and lean meats will not break your bank. Eggs are cheap, fruits and veggies can be bought cheaply when in season, and meat can always be purchased in bulk and/or frozen. If you are finding yourself spending a lot of money on eating large quantities of healthy food, you're probably doing it wrong. Things will admittedly cost a lot more if you are one of those organic ONLY freaks, but you will get sympathy from practically no one if paying twice common price (for peace of mind?) is making you cry. Supplements are useful, however one doesn't need more than a whey isolate and perhaps creatine.

There's always a wallet-friendly alternative. Go for cottage cheese instead of greek yogurt, or tuna instead of salmon. etc... rant over
 
ya food budgets need to be scrutinized if you're trying to bulk. it CAN be done surprisingly cheaply and still be healthy/tasty. a big staple for me is my "fiesta rice" mix (bag of beans, bag of rice, bag of frozen veggies, stick of butter, spices. I make this up every ~3 or 4days depending. Cook it up, throw it into bowls, saran wrap, and i got ready-made microwave meals to help me cover my increased calorie requirements. It's a very very cheap, delicious, nutritious (yknow how much protein/fiber are in a bag of beans?), quick/easy thign to add to your existing diet if you want to bulk. For me, it's more just to help keep my carb stores up and preserve bodymass during my current training (intense cardio/endurance work).


ANYWAYS- we're kind of tearing this thread wayyyy off topic, this isn't a thread for routines nor diet, we have threads for both already actually and most who're scribed to this are scribed to the others!

OT:
Yesterday:
was kinda weak from day before, so just did light riding (7.5mi), and 2 sets each of pushups / pullups :)
 
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