Bobybuilders?

[DaveW]

Stressing that this is not a medical question. Also, that i could go and sign up to an exercise forum to ask this, but i know for a fact that Slug Toy and Tybrenis do a bit of bodybuilding, not to mention just how many ex-military guys are loafing around here. So why would i want to do that?

...Anyway.

I'll make this short. I have a gym containing:

1) A Box with with pads, gloves, belts, a jump rope, and a couple of mats.
2) A Stepping machine.
3) A Running machine.
4) A Cycling machine.
5) A Bench press with a thigh trainer.
6) A sit-up bench.
7) A elephant's worth of weights.

What i'm trying to work out is a nice and simple way to manage workouts. My girlfriend will use this if i can make it easy for her to access a fat burning exercise routine. My mother will use it if i can get her to do the same but easier. My brother will use it to pump iron some days, and maybe a lighter work out on others. I'll probably use it to pump iron and do a cardiovascular workout-a fairly light one, as i'm asthmatic.

I'll post pics of my Gym later, mostly cos i can't find the camera and it's 2AM already...gotta book a holiday tomorrow...ok, promised i'd keep it short. :)

What i need to work out is some sort of exercise chart where the person can pick from a type of workout, then picks from a range of exercises that they feel comfortable with, kind of like how weight watchers assigns points to everything, and you can only eat so much. Except this time i want to assign points to a particular type of exercise and let the user work out things like the weights and speeds themselves.

So, for example, in a light weight gain exercise, we might say: do 3 reps with a weight you find heavy. For a heavy weight gain exercise, we might say do 6 reps with a weight you find heavy. (I've found that the definition of Reps varies everywhere. In my context, i consider it to be 10 or 11 'movements'. In this example, it would be 10 curls, so 30 curls in total for a light workout, 60 for a heavy. Feel free to point out any mistakes or interesting local differences to this for me!)

There's a good amount of stuff at this website (http://exercise.about.com)which is where I'll probably take descriptions from instead of writing them out for myself. I'll make an Access file with the name of the exercise and the workout parameters in it after i've let this idea float for the night. If we can agree on some stuff, then i'm hoping to make this into a nice poster or something that you can all use, if you decide to: but it's mainly tailored for the equipment that i have here in my little gym.

I might also include things like sparring and Katas in it as i do Karate, along with stretching exercises and such.

Wow. Long post. So...i guess I'll open up the floor on this one by going to bed and hoping that no-one's killed anyone by morning!

-Dave

[tybrenis]

That sounds like a fine start to a gym! Depending on your goals, you should be able to do a lot with that equipment. I highly recomend checking out www.bodybuilding.com for some great information. First you just have to choose a position you want to reach in the future, then build up a workout/diet plan, then just go for it.

I'll use myself as an example.

I determined that my body type is mostly ectomorphic (see this (http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/becker3.htm) quiz to find out what you are), which means that I am naturally thin, lean, and have a smaller bone structure and a very high metabolism.
Then, I determined my goals. At almost 5' 11" I was a meager 125 lbs, a laughable low for any bodybuilder. I'd always been "strong", and I could easily pull out about 20 pull ups, 50 pushups, etc. However, I lacked any real muscle mass.
Then, I developed a workout and diet plan. Having a fast metabolism, I knew that I could eat as much as I wanted without gaining any fat. So I started pumping in as many lean calories in a day as I could (3000-4000) coupled with as much protein as I could handle (250g a day).
Also, being an ectomorph wanting to build muscle mass, I knew to engage in short, intense lifting workouts, which would build the most mass. I also avoid cardio as to not waste calories and take away from any gains I might be making.

I'm currently following Rippetoe's 5x5 routine - probably the best out there for gaining muscle mass, and as a novice such as myself, its a good idea to be engaging in a compound workout, not just focusing on arms like a lot of newbs tend to do.

So simply ask yourself similar questions - find out your goals, and then plan accordingly. Bodybuilding.com is probably the best resource out there, and they have great forums too. They even have a teenbodybuilding.com! Anyways, if you guys have any questions, I'm decently versed, but don't hesitate to check out BBing.com!

[DaveW]

Oh, i should quickly point out that i've been done a lot of bodybuilding and exercise before, so i'm fairly certain about what i want to do. This is pretty much just so i can get my brother to exercise, because i'm worried about his weight. He's 6' and about 16 Stone, but he's really unhealthy more than overweight, because he's a big guy. If i can work something like this out, i'm hoping he'll use it. :)

Thanks for the info already though, I'll be checking that site out next chance i get!

-Dave

[tybrenis]

For someone just trying to get in shape and lead a healthier life, I recomend a lot of cardio (have him run a mile or more a day) and some general weight lifitng - the 5x5 routine might just be great for someone like that. The 5x5 system uses a lot of compound excercises which greatly help people get into shape.

And don't forget - diet is number 1. If anyone is really serious about getting into shape, it'll never happen without the proper diet. If losing or gaining weight ever comes into play, remember: 1 lb a week up or down is healthy. 500 less calories a week will lose you one pound, and 500 more will gain you one pound.

[.Maleficus.]

Wow. Thanks for all of that ty. I guess I'm kind of like you; I'm 5'10" 120lbs. and I can't gain weight for the life of me. I've been thinking about trying to gain muscle, and the info. you gave is really helpful. +rep dude.

[Commando]

I'm a huge fan of simple answers and I think this is a great example.

To get into cardio shape there is absolutely nothing better than running (or walking to start out). That's a fact.

The #1 way to get in shape without losing motivation is to enjoy it. This is so ridiculously important and completely overlooked.

So how to enjoy it. I've found two of the best: Start to see results and or keep it interesting.

Start to see results is usually like a 2 month thing in all honesty.

To keep it interesting, is instant. Change it up and don't push too hard. I know that sounds crazy coming from me and my profession but it's true. A quick example. Who gets in shape? 2 guys, both out of shape. 1 guy tries running and pushes himself to run 7 days a week as far as he can go, or the guy who runs every other day and stops when he starts getting tired. It's the second guy, because he realizes that he is starting to enjoy it and can start to make it a part of his life. The first guy gives up after 3 days of being miserable, not seeing results, and feeling as if it is hopeless.

My opinion, and also my experience. Especially for cardio.

For size, you really have to learn and enjoy body building. The moment you know your actually going to start getting results is when you start lifting not for size but for that crazy wicked feeling called "the pump". It is really addicting and completely elusive to the novice body builder. But once you've felt it, there's no turning back. (I made absolutely sick weight and strength gains once I found this elusive creature).

Feel free to hit me up for fitness advice. I consider myself a pretty good source of info on this subject. I'm pushing 30 and actively training for another football season. Also my boss right now was a competitive bodybuilder in college and is still active though doesn't compete any more. He is a monster though. He's who I go to for BB advice.

This is what the pump looks like (look at his stare, completely focused). But it doesn't come close to explaining how good it feels. By the way this is Jay Cutler. The man. At the moment at least.

http://www.criticalbench.com/images/jay-cutler.jpg

[Slug Toy]

well heres my method of weight training.

i divide it up into three days. day one is legs. day two is chest and back. day three is shoulders and arms. every day i spend about an hour and a half . every once in a while i might take a day off... but i try not to because i start to feel squishy.

ive found that this method works really well for me. i should also mention that according to that survey tybrenis linked to, i am between an ectomorph and a mesomorph. im 6' and about 150 pounds right now. i have trouble gaining weight, but surprisingly i gain size easily. i look bigger and heavier than i am.

anyways, ill list out groups of exercises that i do.


LEGS:

-squats- 4 sets of 10 with as much weight as possible, 1 set of as many as possible with about 100 pounds (the lighter weight with higher reps is good for toning i find). i also try to add 5 pounds every leg day, and im at about 300 now.

-hamstring curls- same as my squat method. im at 185 for this.

-leg press- same method again, except the 5th set is as many reps as possible with 200 pounds. im at a maximum of 400 now for leg press, in fact the only reason im at 400 is because thats the max weight on the machine.

-quad extensions- again, same method. back to 100 pounds for the last set though. im at about 190 pounds for this.

-abs- i do abs every day. its pretty much the only way to get them to look chiseled, especially if you're eating with the intention of gaining weight. i try to do as much as possible every day... which probably works out to about 150 situps, although i do every exercise i know of that has to do with abs.

CHEST AND BACK:

-bench press- the good old method of 4 sets of 10 reps with as much weight as possible applies here too. it applies everywhere. and of course, finish off with about 100 and as many reps as possible. ive started doing a modified bench press because i have a right hand bias that i cant shake. im doing about 120 pounds on that right now, but im escalating quickly.

-lat pull- same old... nothing new. i do about 160 pounds.

-peck fly- again, same thing. i usually up the max weight sets to 5 or 6 on this though because my pecks are... lacking. i do about 165 on this.

-back fly- the reverse of the peck fly basically. for this, i only do 4 sets of the most weight possible, and no toning set. i do about 90 pounds for this. you would be surprised how hard it is.

-incline and decline presses- same idea as the bench press, except you're pushing more upwards or downwards. same method applies, and the toning set is included. i do about 95 pounds for the incline press, and about 120 for the decline.

-seated row- same method applies for this. i max out the machine at 245 pounds, and for the toning set i go to 150.

-abs- yep, these again. like i said, every day.

SHOULDERS AND ARMS:

-military press- same old method again. i use dumbbells and barbells interchangeably for this. i do about 100 for this, and drop to 50 for the toning set.

-lateral dumbbell raise- same method again. this is pretty hard to do though. i only do 50 pounds, soon to be 60, and then drop to 30 or 40 for toning.

-shoulder shrugs- i only do 4 sets of maximum weight. i do about 110 pounds.

-triceps pull down- same method, toning set excluded again. i do about 75 pounds.

-preacher curl- same method, toning set INCLUDED. i do 75 pounds and 55 for toning.

-abs- again...


so you may be wondering why i put in all the weights i can do for the exercises. i included those to show that you dont need to be big to be strong. of course this is withing reason. i see guys come in who are obviously only 16, maybe 17, and are just starting. they are very thin, and of course they cant keep up with me. heck, i could probably lift those guys over my head by now.

now, in terms of diet.... i have one simple rule. "eat before you're hungry" is what i live by. i just eat as much as i can all the time. for dinner i usually have three 6 or 7 ounce chicken breasts, or equivalent to that if im eating some other form of meat. i have a deli meat sandwich for lunch, and a can of beans. thats probably equivalent to another two chicken breasts. breakfast (if i wake up for it) is usually a soy drink and a nutella and saskatoon jam sandwich. i dont go crazy with breakfast because eating early in the morning makes me feel sick for a while. snacks is where my diet gets interesting. late at night, when no one is around to tell me not to do something, i pig out on whatever i can find. an entire package of cookies... a 250g package of deli meat... a whole block of cheddar cheese... apples... anything is fair game for me. i probably eat enough to feed three average people. but then... the average person is only having one plate of food for each meal. the average person also has a very clear separation between the different daily meals. i dont really have that separation... its all just one big meal for me.

anyways, getting back to the actual working out part of working out. like i said, i try to work out every day. sometimes its hard to do. school gets in the way... house work gets in the way (i have to cook for the whole family every day and clean the house and all that crap). life in general gets in the way a lot. some days you just dont feel like it either. i force myself to go on those days too. it helps when you do that because as soon as you break your routine, its hard to get back into it.

one thing that i found out very quickly is how addicting weight training can be. i started last june. back then, i was doing half an hour every two days, and that covered everything. then it started taking longer as i added exercises. i had to split it into two days, so i was alternating upper and lower body and going every day by that point, and spending about an hour a day. that grew into 3 hours for upper body and an hour and a half for lower body. then i split upper body into "chest and back" and "shoulders and arms". now im at an hour and a half every day, and it just feels more balanced that way. anyways, my point is that once you get in, you get hooked pretty easily. you just need to get started, and that was the hardest step for me.

<EDIT> another thing i should mention for the heck of it is that i dont use supplements right now, although it would be a good idea. unfortunately when my mom cooks she likes to do a stir fry with lots of things i dont like and nowhere near enough meat for me. she also does lots of prawn dishes... and i dont like prawns. anyways... everyone swears by protein supplements, and ill probably be giving that a try soon.

[Spacehonkey]

Good thread. I'm currently in need of help too. I'm 6'2" and 215lbs and my overall strength in low. I'm in the Marine Corps but I'm with the air wing so I work long hours, about 11-12 a day, and then I come home to a tired wife and two energetic kids so I don't get that much time to workout. I did buy a Bowflex Revolution (http://www.bowflexrevolution.com/global/content_basic.jsp?FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2534374302 037200&bmUID=1176694926924&adID=DOAGOOGRQ27C1) and a pretty good treadmill because I thought that would motivate me to workout again but by the time I get home I'm wiped out. As for the diet my wife is a huge sweet lover so we always have tons of sweets in the house and whenever I get hungry I just go for the first thing that'll fill me up. I thought about trying that NutriSystem (http://www.nutrisystem.com/shop/main.cfm?action=catalog/displayCategoryMembers&category_id=315&template_type_id=2) meal plan but I'm not sure if it'll do any good. Any advice you bodybuilders can give I'm all ears.

[Commando]

SpaceHonkey,

Nutrisystem wouldn't work for your lifestyle. One of my buddies is single and it's great for him because it's the only food in the house. With a family's worth of food in the house it would be nearly impossible to stick to just the Nutrisystem meals.

As the work schedule goes. I'm with ya. I have a brutal schedule right now also. The trick is to slip small workouts in, concentrate on cardio, and do pullups every time you pass the bar. Slip in a quick 20 min run at chow time. If your bosses arn't giving you enough time to PT then ask for it. I don't mean prior or post work either. That's not the point. An extra 30 min at noon chow should be enough for a quick jog. Take a shower when you get home. Especially if your not in the office, which I'm guessin your not. Probably in coveralls. Right? Don't get caught off guard. Crammin for the PFT is miserable.

[Spacehonkey]

Thx for the help man, I didn't really want to waste a couple hundred on a meal plan that didn't work. I'll try and sneak in a run at chow.

[Slug Toy]

i personally have never been a fan of the commercialized diets and systems. i dont mean to sound angry... but for god sake just use a bit of self control if you think you're too fat (not anyone specific here, just people in general). ive heard lots of people say its hard to stop eating... or start eating. i find it hard to believe. i think it comes down to will power. bottom line, though, is that i dont recommend having other people tell you how to eat. do a little research, and find out how many calories you should take in each day, and how much of various nutrients. then start reading labels on foods to see what you should and shouldnt eat.

one thing that may help though is upping the protein intake. it does boost your metabolism, so it can help burn fat and give you more energy.

the one thing i keep stressing to people when they ask me about this sort of thing is perseverance. start it, and keep with it at all costs. you'll fall into a pattern soon enough and get used to it. i got used to having 4 hours of sleep a night, going to school from 6:30 in the morning until 5:30 at night, and still managed to go to the gym every day. your body just adjusts.

[xRyokenx]

Quick question, somewhat diet related:

Are energy bars such as ClifBars and some of the offbrand superstore stuff any good? I got like three different brands to try one night, and I ate all of them, to try them and I got quite hungry (which is happening more and more often, I just get hungry at random moments, somewhat...). The Target brand one seemed pretty good, berries and stuff in a pressed bar, the ClifBar was pretty good, I've had those on bikerides, etc. for years, and I don't quite remember the other one...

I'm mainly just curious as to which brands are good and which are crap, quality and taste, because if it tastes awful, then I'm not going to eat it (duh, lol).

[Slug Toy]

i dont put much faith in energy bars either come to think of it. doesnt that evangelical guy pat robertson have a line of energy bars or something? he doesnt even have a degree in anything health related, and if he can get a product line... thats not saying much.

if anything, id be more partial to the powders you can just throw in some water. everyone at the gym i go to seems to have that stuff in various colours. if you do a lot of biking, id think a drink would be better suited than a bar because you're going to get hydration out of it too.

[DaveW]

For size, you really have to learn and enjoy body building. The moment you know your actually going to start getting results is when you start lifting not for size but for that crazy wicked feeling called "the pump". It is really addicting and completely elusive to the novice body builder. But once you've felt it, there's no turning back. (I made absolutely sick weight and strength gains once I found this elusive creature).

Yeah, i remember that. It's been a while. Thanks for the info, +rep to everyone so far. :) I'll be coming back to work on this later today.

-Dave

[Eclecticos]

Have tiny weiners. Lol. .

I work out and all but those guys that go FREAK are missing something, brians or otherwise.

No offense.

[Slug Toy]

Have tiny weiners. Lol. .

I work out and all but those guys that go FREAK are missing something, brians or otherwise.

No offense.

this is true. i didnt really feel like saying anything about it before... but i suppose i might now before i go to bed.

honestly, i cant see how anyone would WANT to look like those guys that do competitive body building. once you get to that size... im pretty sure you run the risk of spontaneous combustion.

my objective IS to get bigger, but the reality is that i probably wont get very big... maybe 180 or 200 pounds if i REALLY work at it over the next year or so. even if i was capable of becoming a real monster... i wouldnt try. i think a more attractive and acceptable physique is... oh lets say daniel craig (that beach shot from casino royale). i can imagine that as being ideal... but beyond that you start to look like some sort of plastic creature. that picture of jay cutler there is scary to look at.

[xRyokenx]

Yeah, he's turned from regular beige colored skin to some "OMFG he's about to explode" looking color. I'm prediabetic (which isn't that specific, but I really can't be, at least not at the moment), so I have to eat something when I get hungry, or I get stressed a whole lot easier due to unstable blood glucose levels. That's why I was asking about energy bars.

[Zephik]

My older brother ate these bars when he was in training for the police force. He still does I think. I had one and it tasted like chocolate covered cardboard. But really, it was pretty good. lol it made me not hungry anymore at least. :p

http://www.soldierfuel.com/

I think it really just depends on the person for if it works or not. My dad eats special meals and he lost about 10 pounds in a weeks time after about a week of eating the meals (and of course working out a little bit here and there). One of his employee's got on the same deal but it didn't work for him. I cant remember what it was he was on, but it had tons of soy in it. which is supposed to be really good for you I hear.

Soy Milk = Good

Cow Milk = Bad

Thats what I've always been told. lol don't know what to really think of it though. But I gotta admit, whole milk is delicious!

[Canadian Eh?]

I had a belief for a while that, weightlifters lift weight becasuse they want to get stronger, but, bodybuilders lift weights to 'tone' and 'shape' their muscles to look like that dude in the pic. Can someone tell me if i'm wrong or right? Im not into that kind of stuff...

[onelegout]

I'm fat.

[Spacehonkey]

I'm fat.

LMAO

[DaveW]

I'm fat.

Umm...just in case the wrong impression went out, this thread isn't ragging on at fat people. I'm worried about my brothers health, and i want to set up an exercise routine for my home gym. That's all.

Just in case. :)

-Dave

[xRyokenx]

I'm fat.


Never would have known, and I really don't care anyway... you seem like a cool guy from what I've seen, so appearance really doesn't matter, unless it's really bad and something you can change, such as hygiene (not saying you have bad hygiene, just using it as an example because some people I know have it pretty much in the negative... somehow).

On another note:

How many miles would be a good weekly goal for someone that sits around most of the time when it comes to bike riding? I have this recumbent bike that I really enjoy riding, and think I should almost ride at least 10 miles daily, that is difficult to do considering my neighborhood, but that's besides the point. Also, should I try to do crunches or stretches or anything like that in the morning after I just wake up?

[Canadian Eh?]

If you do crunches in the morning, your abs will hurt for the better part of a day. And also I cant help you with the miles thing, I live in Canada. Sorry..

[xRyokenx]

If it helps at all, a kilometer is about .6 miles, I can't remember the conversion the other way around... I'm just thinking that some exercise in the morning will help me wake up quicker, I'm usually quite tired for a couple hours or so in the mornings, and I'm not that much of a breakfast person, well, at least not right after I wake up like many people around me are...

[Slug Toy]

How many miles would be a good weekly goal for someone that sits around most of the time when it comes to bike riding? I have this recumbent bike that I really enjoy riding, and think I should almost ride at least 10 miles daily, that is difficult to do considering my neighborhood, but that's besides the point. Also, should I try to do crunches or stretches or anything like that in the morning after I just wake up?

well whenever i go biking, i just go until i cant anymore. i have some pretty good mountain bikes, so i go trail blazing through parks. thats pretty rough stuff. its usually an hour and a half or two hours. maybe... 5 miles in total, but a lot of it is hills and rough terrain.

yes, exercise will wake you up. i found that out when i was sleeping 4 hours a night on a good night. sitting in class... i could fall asleep. once i got to the gym i woke up real fast, and i was good for the rest of the day.


I had a belief for a while that, weightlifters lift weight becasuse they want to get stronger, but, bodybuilders lift weights to 'tone' and 'shape' their muscles to look like that dude in the pic. Can someone tell me if i'm wrong or right? Im not into that kind of stuff...

you know, id say we're all bodybuilders. i dont know of one person ive talked to that has said they're doing it to get stronger. they all say its to get bigger. ive also had people come up to me and say "man youve gotten bigger over the past year... bla bla bla..." and no one says "look at what you're bench pressing, youve gotten way stronger." if you want to get technical... there are some people that just dont get big, and those guys would be the weight lifters. not to stereotype, but most of the asians i see stay skinny no matter what they do.


If you do crunches in the morning, your abs will hurt for the better part of a day.

keep doing it every day and the pain goes away faster and faster. i used to be almost incapacitated after a good round of situps. now, like i said in my routine list, i do about 150 a day. i could probably do that many in the morning and again in the evening now with no burn. i do wear myself out at the time im doing it, but 15 minutes later im good to go again.

[xRyokenx]

I'd do some weight lifting, I have some dumbbells that you can add those disks to so that you can customize the weight, but both my wrists are bad, I have a cyst in one and the other just hurts after too much use. I recently swapped over to a trackball due to personal preference, and the one wrist doesn't hurt as much.

I'm a little on the skinny side, but that doesn't mean I don't have some muscle, lol. My arms may look weak, but I can lift some stuff, although, not as much as I would like...

The key thing is to get into a habit and keep it, which I haven't been able to do lately, but I'll try...

What would be a good starter amount of crunches, etc? As many as I can until I'm worn out, push myself past my limit? I'm a n00b in this area... heh heh...

[Slug Toy]

i find that pushing at least to your limit is a good way to get things going. if you can shut out the pain and go further, i find that works better still.

if you can work through the pain, i think it helps a lot. i had bad knees for the longest time due to soccer injuries. i couldnt run very much at all. now that ive been doing squats and leg presses for a while... im fine. i cant tell you why it worked because common sense says i should have done more damage that way, but it just worked.

my wrists arent that great either. you should hear the cracking noises that i can make with them. its nasty. it hurt doing preacher curls and chin ups for a while, but the pain in my wrists went away too. you just have to be willing to endure a bit of pain in the beginning.

im not really surprised by the wrist problems. lots of people at the gym complain about that too, especially on the preacher curl.

[xRyokenx]

The only problem with doing pushups and such, is that I can only move my left wrist half as far upwards as the right one. They deflated the cyst once before, but it came back with a vengeance. My knees tend to hurt too, but they've done that for a long time... on my bike, even though I don't ride it as frequently as I should, I can get going about 24mph (the top speed) rather quickly, it may be the design of the bike that helps with this, but that is pretty good, especially since I can sustain it for a little while.

[Slug Toy]

The only problem with doing pushups and such, is that I can only move my left wrist half as far upwards as the right one.

try this trick then. lay on your back and do a sort of bench press with your dumbbells. that might make things more tolerable. you dont really have to move your wrists too much with the bench press.


I can get going about 24mph (the top speed) rather quickly,

i forgot about that... when im not doing the trail blazing i love to go fast. as fast as i can. i think one of my bikes has... 24 gears. i can actually go faster than cars. thats good cardio. its also good for getting attention too. ive actually raced a bus before. i think ive topped 75km/h down some hills in my neighborhood.

[.Maleficus.]

Ahh, I love biking. I just bought a Specialized Hardrock Sport. That thing is a beast.

[tybrenis]

i go trail blazing through parks. thats pretty rough stuff. its usually an hour and a half or two hours. maybe... 5 miles in total, but a lot of it is hills and rough terrain.

Do it on a unicycle for 10x the workout!


Ahh, I love biking. I just bought a Specialized Hardrock Sport. That thing is a beast.

I love unicycling. I just bought a Qu-Ax 24" muni. THAT thing is a beast.

http://www.unicycle.com/shopping/shopexd.asp?id=796

[Slug Toy]

hmmm... ya... something about a bodybuilder on a unicycle riding through a park... doesnt quite seem right to me.

[tybrenis]

hmmm... ya... something about a bodybuilder on a unicycle riding through a park... doesnt quite seem right to me.

LOL... I'm a bit of a strange one, perhaps. You should see me on my 6' giraffe unicycle.

[Luke122]

hmmm... ya... something about a bodybuilder on a unicycle riding through a park... doesnt quite seem right to me.

hahahaha

I figure I'll get in on this one..

I'm 5'10, 225lbs. I was always the chubby kid growin up, and I do have the typical IT guy belly on me, but I"m still broad chested and have decent arms/shoulders.

When I was working for MSU (Moscow State University), I didnt speak much Russian, and didnt really know too many people, so I spent most of my time just doing situps, pushups, and walking. It didnt take long for me to get to 100 pushups 5x a day, and waaaay too many crunches.

After a couple months of this almost daily (get bored, workout. got bored lots..), I happened to look at myself in the mirror. Yes, I look in a mirror when brushing teeth or whatever, but I mean, I noticed "HOLY !*&@^ I'm BUFF!"

It's funny because if you stick to it, you dont really notice the gains, but if you were to look back at yourself a couple months earlier, suddenly it's very obvious. Hell, I had 18" arms!!! (To be honest, I was also lifting water jugs by that point, because pushups were getting too easy.)

Once I got home, I was determined to keep it up, and get bigger. I didnt want to compete, but my confidence was way up and so was my energy level.

Then I got a desk job again, and now I'm back to where I started. :P

[Luke122]

Ahh, I love biking. I just bought a Specialized Hardrock Sport. That thing is a beast.

I ride a Kona Sex One (xc dually), and an 06 Stinky. :D I love to ride. I was lookin at a Specialized Stumpjumper a couple years back.. should have bought it, it was a super nice bike.

[xRyokenx]

OT, but do you mean "Six" there in that post Lukifer? Prolly something to look into, I'll delete this post after it's fixed, or not, lol.

[Luke122]

Negative.. it's actually called a "Sex One", SEX being a contraction of "Suspension EXperiment". It's an older bike that I picked up used, but if I'm not mistaken, it was one of Kona's earliest forays into dual suspension XC bikes.

It's not super light, but it feels that way compared to the Stinky. :D

[xRyokenx]

Heh heh, nice acronym, eh? They must have been experimenting with good abbreviations at the time too...

[nil8]

Resistance training I used to do in high school and I have realized since that I did it all wrong, and since I've stopped it all went away.

I spent several years trying to find exercise that I enjoyed. I starting walking daily with a friend of mine a couple of years ago. We did that for almost a year. Starting with 3 miles or so and kicking it up to around 8 after a year. Good workout, but only good if you have long spans of time to burn on walking daily. During that year I lost almost 100 lbs.

After that, I went back to not exercising.
Now, I do yoga daily. Every three days or so I also do either tai chi, hard body training, or good old calisthenics. I've found that the body is such a great tool, you can use it to train different aspects of it. I don't like using equipment, because if you travel, it's useless. You always have your body and the knowledge of how to exercise with it.
I'm losing weight on a steady scale, it's not as fast as when I was walking 3 hours a day, but it's still happening. I exercise and eat right. Wow, hard stuff.

Gyms and lifting weights aren't interesting to me.
I will probably buy a treadmill eventually for when the weather sucks outside.
Just a different idea.

As for food, obesity is now being researched as more than just chronic overeating. The receptors in the brain that fire off during sex & drug use also fire off during food. For some people, this because their medication or drug, and most of these people are chronically obese.
For the normal population, it's just a matter of making good diet choices and exercising regularly.

We all know the basics of eating right and exercise, doing them is much harder.

Bars, drinks, pills, powders are all nonsense. Diet products are bull**** in every sense of the word. Eat healthy & exercise. Stone age body. Fruits & Veggies. Meats. Nuts. Grains. It's not more complex than this.

[onelegout]

Oh crap, you guys took my 'I'm fat.' comment completely the wrong way! It was meant in a cheerful way not an 'Im pissed off because I'm fat and you're all talking about being thin' way! :D

I'm not THAT fat anyway, I just drink a LOT of beer, and do nothing else! :D

I do need to loose weight for the summer though! Short of starving myself, what do you guys reccomend I do excersise wise? All of my weight is on my stomach and hips.

How much excersise would I have to do in order to start loosing weight?
H

[simon275]

For me to stay fit.

On the food side. I stay away from soft drink and fast food. Also I don't snack as well just have three wholesome meals a day. Low fat milk on my sugar free'ish morning cereal. Alcohol is a necessary evil though.

On the exercise side I go for about 4 runs a week like 3-4kms. Sometimes after university instead of going straight to the nearest train station I may walk a few km's two train stops up my line.