# Beginner's First Pics



## Haimer (Sep 1, 2008)

Basically I decided I would start posting pictures so I can see a physical change over a period of time. I started just going up to the gym "freely" in about May, just after turning 18. However I didn't properly get into it until about a month ago. I used to be a complete ectomorph (is the term I believe). I used to eat & eat (a lot of rubbish foods to be fair) and was rather skinny. In my time in the gym I am pretty happy with my changes but still want to progress a lot more. To be honest I want the massive arms & the nice 6 pack. I do a high rep & high set full body workout which consists of:

Bicep DB Curls (using 45degree bench) - 10x sets of 10 reps on 10kg.

Tricep Overhead Extensions - 6x sets of 15 reps on 10kg & 1x set of 10 reps on 10kg.

Lat Pulldowns - 5x sets of 10reps on 40kg.

Crunch (using an air machine) - 5x sets of 20 crunches on a 75kg resistance.

Chest Press (using an air machine) - 5x sets of 10 reps on 35kg resistance.

Then I'll do bench and a few others throughout the week, though I do this workout Sunday, Monday, Wednesday, Friday & Saturday.

Below are pictures of my progress so far, but I intend on getting a lot bigger & getting great abs.

Criticism is both welcome & needed, many thanks.


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## Haimer (Sep 1, 2008)

Oh yeah, I'm about 6ft 1 and 168lbs currently. Trying to bulk though.


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## leveret (Jun 13, 2007)

your doing too many sets not enough weight.

have a look around the forum for a 5x5 routine, including major compound lifts

look for good diet info in the diet section and make sure your getting enough protein / carbs n fats

sleep and rest well


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## leveret (Jun 13, 2007)

PS- classy tat:whistling:


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## Haimer (Sep 1, 2008)

Liam said:


> your doing too many sets not enough weight.
> 
> have a look around the forum for a 5x5 routine, including major compound lifts
> 
> ...


Thanks for the advice.

However I've been getting pretty good gains with high sets. If I move upto say 12.5kg on bi's & tris then I seem to struggle after 2 sets of 10 reps.

My current diet consists of:

7-AM - 4x Scrambled Egg on 3x W/Meal Toast

08:30 - Protein Shake (43.6g Protein)

10:30 - 1x Ham Sandwich (W/meal Bread)

11:30 - Same as 10:30

14:30 - 2x Tins Tuna

17:30 - Evening Meal, (Tues, Thurs, Sat & Sun this is 240g Rice & 200g fish, usually mackeral, sardines or pilchards).

19:30 - Workout

21:30 - Protein Shake (43.6g Protein)

22:30 - Protein Bar - 19g protein.

I aim for 8 hours of sleep a night but I am not the best of sleepers throughout the week & sometimes get woken early regarding work, so I average between 6.5 and 7.5hours of sleep weekdays & then about 8-10 on Saturday & Sunday.



Liam said:


> PS- classy tat:whistling:


I never claimed to be classy so no need to judge. Your advice was appreciated but the sarcastic comment wasn't.


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## flapjack (Mar 1, 2008)

Don't think he was being sarcastic mate


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## Bulk_250 (May 10, 2008)

flapjack said:


> Don't think he was being sarcastic mate


I got the impression he was... each to their own, I was gonna get the Three Lions across my back, no need to judge him.


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## The Chauffeur (Dec 3, 2007)

Your diet is more like a cutting diet than a bulking diet, search the forums for a bulking diet.


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## hackskii (Jul 27, 2003)

I typed this up for a guys web site, I am sure I am not supposed to use this, but it fits here.

*
Tips for teenagers wanting to start bodybuilding.*

First of all I wish I had some information when I started out.

I was 15 years old when I first started training, for the most part I just watched the football players in school.

Sure they had some direction from the coaches and this is why I tried to copy them.

But bodybuilding is a different training philosophy than football training (American Football).

Bodybuilding in itself is not just lifting weights but we will focus on that here. It is a balance of diet, exercise and rest.

To make it simple, you grow when you sleep and not in the gym.

The idea is very simple, you stimulate the muscle, and let the body adapt to the stimulation you have given the muscle.

If you are eating and sleeping in theory you should grow.

This all can be shortchanged by not getting enough food, or not getting enough rest, these two things will hinder the body's recovery and growth.

Overtraining is another obstacle that most people will do without even knowing it, in the normal thinking of things, more is not better here.

Ok, best advice I can give for anyone starting out would be to stick to basic compound movements. Compound movement's mean that the exercise has more than one joint.

For instance leg extensions have one joint movement (knee), whereas squats will have knee, hip, ankle, etc.

What are basic compound exercises?

Squat, dead lift, military press, pull up's, bench press, incline press, bar dips, rowing exercises, etc.

You can not go wrong by choosing all of the above in your workout routine.

Notice that curls and triceps are not included there?

That is because they are an isolation movement and not a compound movement.

Every one of those in some way or another hit arms, for instance. Bench will hit chest, front deltoids and also triceps. Military press will hit triceps, so will dips. Actually those three exercises will hit the whole tricep.

Now that we have the basic compound exercises identified, we will figure out what rep range we want to use. I have found that a rep range of between 8 to 12 reps to work very well for most people, some may like less reps, some may like more, but we will stick to those for now as 70% of your 1 rep max will work 90% of both slow and fast twitch muscles. Or in simple terms, it will work all your muscles, which is what we want.

Remember these rep ranges are on your own with no help from someone else, if you need help to get to your 8th rep, then you are going too heavy.

It is often said, control the weight or the weight will control you.

What does this mean?

This means that you choose a weight you can do comfortably without having to cheat or ask for help to execute the exercise. It is a good idea to use the full range of the movement and not do half reps, or cheat reps. This is not only good practice but also will help you to avoid injury.

I know it looks good using big weights in the gym and others are watching you, but if you use a weight you can handle, over time you will get stronger, and what you lift tomorrow will be more than you lift today.

It is a good idea to write your lifts down to compare from week to week or month to month. Once you have a weight you do more than 12 reps with, next week, you will add some weight to the bar and probably take you back down to the 8 rep mark.

Remember Rome was not built in a day and neither was Arnold.

Now that we have the exercises down, the rep range down, let's focus on how many exercises for each body part. I myself like to work with about 3 different exercises per body part, for instance, I like to do bench, inclines and dips for chest, pull downs, bent over rows, and dead lifts for back. I occasionally do add another rowing exercise to that due to most people do too much pushing and not enough pulling exercises.

Remember the bigger muscle groups will generally have more exercises than let's say the smaller muscle groups like let's say biceps. For some reason biceps tend to get more attention than most other muscle groups. Arms in particular seem to be everyone's favorite to work. It might sound strange that many don't even work arms directly as they get hit with all the compound lifts. So, not only should they not be the main focus, but they should be the least focus. Arms will grow if you do compound exercises period. Yes it is ok to do some arm work but it is not priority.

So, let's think of the bigger muscle groups as having between 3 to 4 different exercises per large group and 2 exercises for the smaller muscle groups.

Never neglect working your legs.

Most think that weight lifting is either pushing (concentric) the weight up, or pulling (concentric) the weight down. Yes, muscles do contract and this is called the concentric part of the movement. An example of this is the bench press where one was to push the weight off of the chest; this is called the concentric part of the exercise.

Many will let the weight just drop with little resistance. But doing any lift this way cheats you out of half of the benefits of the exercise.

The eccentric part of the bench press would be controlling the weight on the way down (giving resistance) to force the muscle into a stretched contraction, or lengthen under tension.

This eccentric part of the exercise actually causes the muscle to have greater soreness.

Using both the concentric and eccentric part of each lift will offer greater gains in strength and muscle size then not using both.

So, next time you are in the gym, use those basic compound movements, utilizing both concentric and eccentric parts of the exercise, shoot for 3 to 4 max exercises for the big muscle groups, and 2 exercises for the smaller muscles.

Try to keep the rep ranges between 8 to 12 reps, if you can't get 8 you went too heavy, if you can do more than 12 you are too light.

Try and get at least 8 hours of sleep and take rest days when you feel fatigue.

Muscle takes time to develop, it is not something that happens over night, it takes along time, be patient.


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## 3weights (Jul 22, 2008)

Nice post hacks :thumbup1:

And ive just got 100th post!


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## Jasper (Aug 18, 2008)

Liam said:


> PS- classy tat:whistling:


dont think he was being a dik... just being nice... take it as that i think mate and you will go far... hope the training goes well for you... work hard and you will grow... eat right train nutta ALL THE BEST!!!


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## Guest (Sep 8, 2008)

Jasper said:


> dont think he was being a dik... just being nice... take it as that i think mate and you will go far... hope the training goes well for you... work hard and you will grow... eat right train nutta ALL THE BEST!!!


 I think he was trying to be a dick but so what he put up his picture and thus he is criticised.

Nice post Scott, original poster read and follow what is written in that post.


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## Haimer (Sep 1, 2008)

Bulk_250 said:


> I got the impression he was... each to their own, I was gonna get the Three Lions across my back, no need to judge him.


Cheers fella.



The Chauffeur said:


> Your diet is more like a cutting diet than a bulking diet, search the forums for a bulking diet.


Is it? I'm getting about 1.25g - 1.5g of protein per lb of bodyweight, so surely this isn't a cutting diet?



hackskii said:


> I typed this up for a guys web site, I am sure I am not supposed to use this, but it fits here.


Thanks for the decent reply, very interesting and it is very helpful. Thanks!



Jasper said:


> dont think he was being a dik... just being nice... take it as that i think mate and you will go far... hope the training goes well for you... work hard and you will grow... eat right train nutta ALL THE BEST!!!


Cheers mush, much appreciated.


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## colt24 (Aug 24, 2007)

You need to eat so much more


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## Littleluke (Nov 21, 2005)

It's not just about the protein my friend. I had alot more protein than you when I was cutting for my show.

Every meal should have protein in the form of fish/steak/eggs/chicken/whey etc etc.

Get some good carbs in you from brown rice, oats, sweet spud etc

and as for fats, get some Walnut oil, Udos and natural peanut butter. Then combine on of the following in each meal 

SIMPLE SIMPLE!


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## Littleluke (Nov 21, 2005)

colt24 said:


> You need to eat so much more


Valid point but maybe should offer some advice instead of a meaningless post like that.


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## colt24 (Aug 24, 2007)

I was waiting for a response, Theirs no need for the prattish remark... :thumbup1:


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## Haimer (Sep 1, 2008)

colt24 said:


> You need to eat so much more


 I admit I could do with eating more in the evenings especially. But sometiems I find it hard for time seeing as I work 9-5 and it's a desk job, but I do try and fit it in. I'm stuff after 8.30am after the scrambled egg on toast at 7am and Protein Shake at 8.30. Then I force myself to eat something at 10.30 and 11.30 (the ham sandwich at 10.30 and 11.30 really aren't that appetising, might change it to chicken!). Then I have my "lunch" at 2PM, however if I eat between 2 & 5 then I find it difficult to eat my main meal (only 18 and still at home). Then after tea at 5.30ish I don't really eat until 9ish which is a protein bar. Then at about 11ish I have a shake (unless I've worked out).



Littleluke said:


> It's not just about the protein my friend. I had alot more protein than you when I was cutting for my show.
> 
> Every meal should have protein in the form of fish/steak/eggs/chicken/whey etc etc.
> 
> ...


 Thanks for the great advice bud. I was thinking of purchasing a proper blender so I could blend up eggs/whey/oats or something so I could make home-made shakes on top of my Protein Shakes. Is this a good idea?

I have 2 tbsp of Natural Peanut Butter (just from H& B) everyday before bed usually, is this enough?

And based on my diet above, what sort of times do I need to be adding more to my diet?

Thanks a bunch for the advice everyone, much appreciated.


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## colt24 (Aug 24, 2007)

I know what you mean mate, I'm at uni and living away from home and I also have a job. I still find time to eat atleast 5-6 meals a day. you should be eatting every 2-3 hours thats what i aim for 

i tend to pre make my meals and take them to uni and work 

Average Day for me

*Meal 1*

Two weetabix one chopped banana

Protein shake 200g oats

*Meal 2*

Wholemeal pasta tuna

*work out*

*Protein shake 200g oats*

*Meal 3*

5 eggs scrambled two wholemeal toast

*Meal 4*

200g Chicken breast veg

handful mixed nuts

*Meal 5*

200g chicken breasts Or steak Veg

Handful mixed nuts

*Protein shake*

bed

somthing like that :0


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## fozyspilgrims (Oct 22, 2007)

Good luck with your goals, take the advice given eat lots and keep training hard. Stick to the compound lifts: Squat, Deadlift, Bench, Row, Mil press, pull ups.


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## musc (Oct 11, 2006)

Check out the article posted by pscarb originally by gavin kane on how to bulk. That will give you simple easy to follow advice on the sort of foods that are calorie rich and will be essential for you if you want optimum growth. Don't get to anxious about supps and science the basics are what have been making people grow since forever. Those series of articles are some of the most useful stuff you will find on any forum.


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## Five-O (May 21, 2006)

Liam said:


> PS- classy tat:whistling:


oi git!

ave got that on my leg :cursing:


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## Five-O (May 21, 2006)

Haimer said:


> I admit I could do with eating more in the evenings especially. But sometiems I find it hard for time seeing as I work 9-5 and it's a desk job, but I do try and fit it in. I'm stuff after 8.30am after the scrambled egg on toast at 7am and Protein Shake at 8.30. Then I force myself to eat something at 10.30 and 11.30 (the ham sandwich at 10.30 and 11.30 really aren't that appetising, might change it to chicken!). Then I have my "lunch" at 2PM, however if I eat between 2 & 5 then I find it difficult to eat my main meal (only 18 and still at home). Then after tea at 5.30ish I don't really eat until 9ish which is a protein bar. Then at about 11ish I have a shake (unless I've worked out).
> 
> Thanks for the great advice bud. I was thinking of purchasing a proper blender so I could blend up eggs/whey/oats or something so I could make home-made shakes on top of my Protein Shakes. Is this a good idea?
> 
> ...


It is a good idea bud, to get big, eat big, but if your willpower allows, keep it as clean as you can, its not easy, but as your body changes you become more focused and its easier to eat that way.


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## Haimer (Sep 1, 2008)

Cheers for the diet info colt!



fozyspilgrims said:


> Good luck with your goals, take the advice given eat lots and keep training hard. Stick to the compound lifts: Squat, Deadlift, Bench, Row, Mil press, pull ups.


Thanks bud, advice is appreciated.



musc said:


> Check out the article posted by pscarb originally by gavin kane on how to bulk. That will give you simple easy to follow advice on the sort of foods that are calorie rich and will be essential for you if you want optimum growth. Don't get to anxious about supps and science the basics are what have been making people grow since forever. Those series of articles are some of the most useful stuff you will find on any forum.


Could you possibly link me to the article? There's a few articles posted by Pscarb so not sure which one you mean. Again advice is appreciated and thanks for your time and help.



Five-O said:


> It is a good idea bud, to get big, eat big, but if your willpower allows, keep it as clean as you can, its not easy, but as your body changes you become more focused and its easier to eat that way.


Yeah I try to eat as clean as possible & drink clean. I've had 4 pints in 5 weeks (I used to average 10-12 pints every Friday and the same every Saturday) so I have cut down a lot!


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## Bulldog88 (Aug 23, 2008)

good luck with the bulking m8 i would have give you some advice but it seems everybody else has already done it lol there's plenty of different bulking tips on the bulking/gaining weight forum, keep chuckin the food in :tongue:


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## kawikid (Apr 28, 2008)

I'm going to follow this thread as i'm interested in seeing your transformation. I'd listen to what the guys are saying about basics and compounds. I wasted too much time fannying about with machines and i'm playing catchup now.

There are a few good posts on here that state, if you eat well then you can build a good body using deadlifts, bench, squats and chinup alone. Thats it. No complex machines. Eat till you cant eat anymore, then eat more (all good stuff). And stick to the basics and build a good core. I went back to basics a good few months ago and have noticed a huge difference. I wish i'd done that from the start.


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## Outtapped (Dec 10, 2012)

you wanna listen to these guys they are making a lot of sense, if you want to get serious about it then trying working out the amount of protein carbs etc that you are getting in each meal, also dont worry about trying to take loads of protein shakes, try to go for the natural stuff instead and try to get some more fibre in the morning. Here's my current diet, its not perfect but is working really well for me......

MEAL 1:

1 CUP 1% MILK

1 CAN SALMON

1 CUP OATMEAL W/BERRIES

1 MULTIVITAMIN

P: 54 C: 66 F: 8 CAL: 565

MEAL 2:

80Z. CHICKEN BREAST

1/2LB. SWEET POTATO

1 TSP. FLAX OIL

P:68 C: 43 F: 11 CAL: 535

MEAL 3 (PWO):

2 SCPS. ON WHEY PROTEIN

2 CUPS NONFAT MILK

1 BANANA

P: 68 C: 81 F: 5 CAL: 620

MEAL 4:

300G. TURKEY BREAST

3 SLICES WHOLE GRAIN BREAD

VEGGIES (NOT INCL. IN TOTALS)

1 TSP. FLAX OIL

P: 60 C: 45 F: 13 CAL: 545

MEAL 5:

1 CUP NONFAT MILK

8OZ. TRI-TIP STEAK

1/2LB. SWEET POTATO

P: 61 C: 53 F: 17 CAL: 620

MEAL 6:

1 CAN TUNA

1 CUP LENTILS

1 TSP. FLAX OIL

P: 55 C: 40 F: 9 CAL: 440

BEFORE BED:

1 SCP. ON CASEIN PROTEIN

2 FISH OIL CAPS

P:23 C:4 F:3 CAL: 145

TOTALS: PRO: 389G CARBS: 332G FATS: 66G KCALS: 3,470

Also as for the routine, i think they main problem you will find with doing that many sets on one movement is that it restricts the amount of the muscle used, for example on bench press it is good to do some form of flat. incline and decline to work the muscle fully. You will find your initial gains are good but believe me it gets harder. Hope this advice helps and good luck with the training mate.


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## Haimer (Sep 1, 2008)

Bulldog88 said:


> good luck with the bulking m8 i would have give you some advice but it seems everybody else has already done it lol there's plenty of different bulking tips on the bulking/gaining weight forum, keep chuckin the food in :tongue:


Cheers mate. Eating as much as possible is going to be difficult but I'm going to try harder. I will revise my diet sometime this week when I'm free and I will look at eating more at night in particular.



kawikid said:


> I'm going to follow this thread as i'm interested in seeing your transformation. I'd listen to what the guys are saying about basics and compounds. I wasted too much time fannying about with machines and i'm playing catchup now.
> 
> There are a few good posts on here that state, if you eat well then you can build a good body using deadlifts, bench, squats and chinup alone. Thats it. No complex machines. Eat till you cant eat anymore, then eat more (all good stuff). And stick to the basics and build a good core. I went back to basics a good few months ago and have noticed a huge difference. I wish i'd done that from the start.


I will try and update this thread as much as possible, and get new pictures in when I feel the time is appropriate. I've heard a lot about basics and how they are extremely good especially when starting off. My current workout consists of DB Curls, Bench, Crunches & I think that's the main exercises, though I do lat pulldowns every so often. Cheers for the advice mate.



WhySoSerious said:


> you wanna listen to these guys they are making a lot of sense, if you want to get serious about it then trying working out the amount of protein carbs etc that you are getting in each meal, also dont worry about trying to take loads of protein shakes, try to go for the natural stuff instead and try to get some more fibre in the morning. Here's my current diet, its not perfect but is working really well for me......
> 
> MEAL 1:
> 
> ...


Well in my head I roughly work out how much protein I have, and it's about 200-225g per day which is about 1.25g of Protein per lb of bodyweight.

Why do you take flax oil? I seen it in Julian Graves' but wasn't sure what it's used for as such.

Much appreciated, everyone.


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## Outtapped (Dec 10, 2012)

flax oil is rich in omega 3 (fatty acids), also 2/3's roughly are protein and fibre so good for that as well, the are also a great source lignans, vitamins and minerals


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## treb92 (Jun 10, 2008)

Yes mate get yourself a blender and make some bulking drinks.

I make up 100g of oats, whey, peanutter butter and water.

Roughly about 500 cals. Drink a few of them a day and your

already well on your way to uping your calorie intake.


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## Haimer (Sep 1, 2008)

WhySoSerious said:


> flax oil is rich in omega 3 (fatty acids), also 2/3's roughly are protein and fibre so good for that as well, the are also a great source lignans, vitamins and minerals


 Nice one, I will look at adding it to my diet then.



lambert said:


> Yes mate get yourself a blender and make some bulking drinks.
> 
> I make up 100g of oats, whey, peanutter butter and water.
> 
> ...


Great, I was actually thinking of getting a blender and making my own drinks, so thanks for the advice.

Changed my workout today and did:

4x sets of 10 reps on 12.5kg DB Curl (bicep resting on 45 degree bench)

4x sets of 10 reps on 12.5kg 'French DB Tricep Curl'

5x sets of 20 reps on Air Crunch Machine on 75kg resistance

2x sets of 20 reps on Air Crunch machine on 80kg resistance

5x sets of 10 reps on Air Chest Machine on 35kg.

1x set of 10 reps on Air Chest Machine on 40kg.

4x sets of 10 reps using 30kg barbell on bench press.

I must admit my arms looked bigger post workout. I had a 2 minute post-workout cold shower followed by a 5 minute hot shower. I'm not sure if it's correct but I heard cold showers release the lactic acid quicker?!


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## Outtapped (Dec 10, 2012)

if you are talking air machines as in air pressure, then ditch them straight away, the more free weight the better. try bench press with dumbells, for added core stability try a lighter weight but doing them on an excercise ball


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## Guest (Sep 13, 2008)

haimer -

the change of workout is not a good one mate both of those workouts you have listed are awful... you need to do a more classic split which has been tried and tested.... something like 5x5 or a 3 day full body HIT would work well.... google it!!!


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## Robbie (Dec 31, 2007)

Do a search for Mark Rippetoe Starting Strength!

Also be warned - flaxseed oil (in my opinion) tastes FOUL it taints the taste of anything you eat it with!


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## TH0R (Aug 15, 2007)

Haimer said:


> Nice one, I will look at adding it to my diet then.
> 
> Great, I was actually thinking of getting a blender and making my own drinks, so thanks for the advice.
> 
> ...


Ditch the machines, concentrate on dead lift, squat, bench press and chins, its all in the advice above,you just have to LISTEN, less is sometimes more. Wish I had this advice before I wasted so much of my time.

If you do continue with the workout above at least start with your bigger muscles, then after, if you must:confused1:, do the isolation exercises.

Good luck


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## Haimer (Sep 1, 2008)

WhySoSerious said:


> if you are talking air machines as in air pressure, then ditch them straight away, the more free weight the better. try bench press with dumbells, for added core stability try a lighter weight but doing them on an excercise ball


Cheers bud. But I would prefer to keep using the 'Crunch Air Machine' because it has a place for my legs so they are constantly still and it's just my abs working, is this okay?



PompyMan said:


> haimer -
> 
> the change of workout is not a good one mate both of those workouts you have listed are awful... you need to do a more classic split which has been tried and tested.... something like 5x5 or a 3 day full body HIT would work well.... google it!!!


Are they? I've read a few places that doing 4 sets of 10 is good. However I will check out the full body hit and do a search for it, thanks.



robbiedont said:


> Do a search for Mark Rippetoe Starting Strength!
> 
> Also be warned - flaxseed oil (in my opinion) tastes FOUL it taints the taste of anything you eat it with!


Thanks for the tip and I will also check out the recommendation!

My diet currently sits like:

07:00 - 4x Scrambled Eggs on 3x W/Meal Toast

08:30 - Protein Shake (Soon to be Reflex Whey, 53g Protein per Shake)

10:30 - 1x Ham Sandwich (W/Meal)

11:30 - 1x Ham Sandwich (W/Meal)

14:00 - 2x tins tuna (Bit of S/Cream & Vinegar)

15:30 - 1x tin of 'Sild' in tomato sauce

18:00 - Main meal, usually 200g Rice & 1x Tin of Mackeral/Pilchards

20:00 - 100g Oats, 1 Banana and 1 pint of S/Skimmed Milk.

Workout/Cardio.

22:30 - Protein Shake (Same as 08:30)

23:30 (If I get peckish) - 1x CNP Oat Flapjack bar (18g protein)

Is this okay?

Many thanks



tel3563 said:


> Ditch the machines, concentrate on dead lift, squat, bench press and chins, its all in the advice above,you just have to LISTEN, less is sometimes more. Wish I had this advice before I wasted so much of my time.
> 
> If you do continue with the workout above at least start with your bigger muscles, then after, if you must:confused1:, do the isolation exercises.
> 
> Good luck


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## Outtapped (Dec 10, 2012)

well theres many types of workouts that some people will agree with and xsome people disagree with, i stay true to the old fashioned way of squats, deaddy's, bench press and bent over rows. well thats how i sarted paying little attention to he smaller muscles such as bi's and tri's as they work themselves to a certain extent. once you have done a decent cycle like this then you can move onto smaller muscle groups. i train like this and it works for me......

4 x 10 reps (4 sets of major muscle group and 3 sets of smaller, i.e. 4 sets of dumbell bench press, 4 sets, incline press, 4 sets decline press, 4 sets ez curl, 4 sets bicep rope curl, 4 sets concentrated curl)

i split my work out into chest and bi's, back and tri's, shoulders and legs


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## Haimer (Sep 1, 2008)

Has been a while since I posted on this, although I've been using my notebook at home to record day to day workout/diet. Thought as it has been a month since the last pics I'd add some newer ones. Had a fair bit of positive feedback in the past 2 months regarding my arms. Seeing as I used to be so skinny in the arms some people can't believe how big my arms have got, though I still want them to be a lot bigger.

I have neglected my back and will start regularly training that, along with shoulders which I neglected up until a few weeks ago. Currently at about 78/79 kilos, getting real close to the 80 kilo mark now.

Pics are below, comments & constructive criticism welcome:


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## Haimer (Sep 1, 2008)

Felt bad at neglecting my legs, having not bothering with them. So I trained them for the first time last night and they felt like jelly after & today, was great! I did:

4x sets of 10 reps 'Reverse Leg Curl' @ 35kg (for both legs, combined)

4x sets of 10 reps 'Leg Extension' @ 40kg (20kg per leg)

4x sets of 10 reps 'Adductor Machine' @ 65kg (combined)

4x sets of 10 reps 'Leg Press' @ 65kg.

Would love to start doing Squats but there is no Squat rack at my current gym and I am worried about getting form wrong.


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## Outtapped (Dec 10, 2012)

you dont need a squat rack although it is better, but grab some dumbells and do it that way, grab an instructor to show you the technique. Theres too much machine work in your work outs if you really do want to get bigger. Its all about the free weight my friend, take it from me and every other person who has posted on this thread.


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## Haimer (Sep 1, 2008)

WhySoSerious said:


> you dont need a squat rack although it is better, but grab some dumbells and do it that way, grab an instructor to show you the technique. Theres too much machine work in your work outs if you really do want to get bigger. Its all about the free weight my friend, take it from me and every other person who has posted on this thread.


Cheers for your help & comments buddy, I am looking into moving gyms soon (so better facilities) and I'm taking your comments in and will be looking to using free-weights.

Now for nutrition, this is my current diet:

07:00 - 4x whole scrambled eggs on 3x wholemeal slightly buttered toast (with tomato ketchup)

08:30 - 1x Reflex Instant Mass shake

11:30 - 2x Turkey Sandwiches (with wholemeal bread)

14:30 - 2x tins of tuna, bit of s/cream & vinegar.

17:30 - Around 200g mushroom savoury rice (giving me both carbs and about 20g protein, only in the mushroom flavour though..) and either 100g chicken or 300g sardines/sild.

20:30 - 1x tin of Heinz reduced sugar & salt baked beans & 2x tbsp Whole Earth Peanut Butter

22:30 - 1x Reflex Instant Mass shake.

If I'm feeling hungry throughout the day I'll perhaps add a blended shake of 100g oats, 1 banana and 1 pint of semi skimmed milk. Usually on Mondays & Fridays I'll have a roast (roast potatoes, fresh carrots, fresh runner beans, peas, roast beef/chicken, brussel sprouts - no gravy) or cottage pie (with runner beans, carrots & peas).

Have recently purchased some Brewers Yeast which has 45g Protein per 100g of it so will look to be adding that into my blended oat shake. And also been looking at perhaps adding raw eggs into my diet.

Anything else recommended nutrition wise?


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## Outtapped (Dec 10, 2012)

try some better quality carbs, red sweet potato is the way forward, im currently on a diet where drinks are replaced with milk for loads of protein, will not help if you want to cut up though. not too keen on the rice dish either as that sauce will prob be quite bad. you have quite a lot of protein but no where near enough carbs if you want to get bigger. get yourself a couple of issues of mens health as well, always a good idea for food each issue and they often have good excercises when limited with equipment


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## Haimer (Sep 1, 2008)

WhySoSerious said:


> try some better quality carbs, red sweet potato is the way forward, im currently on a diet where drinks are replaced with milk for loads of protein, will not help if you want to cut up though. not too keen on the rice dish either as that sauce will prob be quite bad. you have quite a lot of protein but no where near enough carbs if you want to get bigger. get yourself a couple of issues of mens health as well, always a good idea for food each issue and they often have good excercises when limited with equipment


Actually mate I forgot to mention I do have sweet potato atleast once a week. The thing is it's really easy to eat mashed sweet potato, I can easily 1kg of it on a Saturday night with like 150g chicken! Sweet potato is great and probably my second highest source of carbs throughout the week. Cheers mate.


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## Haimer (Sep 1, 2008)

Had 800g mashed sweet potato & 200g Steak for tea last night, yum!

I went up the gym with a good friend of mine who has been working out for about 4 years and he knows his stuff. He showed me a lot more exercises and I've changed my workout from a full body routine to a split.

Last night was Chest & Tri's (Had a lovely burning sensation from the tris at the end!):

Chest -

3x sets of 10 reps of Flyes @ 15kg.

3x sets of 10 reps Incline Flyes @ 15kg

3x sets of 10 reps DB flat bench press @ 15kg

3x sets of 10 reps DB Incline Bench Press @ 15kg.

Tri's:

3x sets of 10 reps DB Overhead extension @ 15kg.

3x sets of 10 reps Reverse Grip Tricep Pulldown @ 10kg (trying to work on form as haven't really used these before)

3x sets of 10reps of Dips @ Bodyweight.

The workout felt really good and this new split routine is going to be a lot better than previous full-body.


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## Robbie (Dec 31, 2007)

What are you planning on doing on your other days?!?!


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## Haimer (Sep 1, 2008)

Robbie said:


> What are you planning on doing on your other days?!?!


Well, the routine he suggested was:

Monday - Rest/Abs

Tuesday - Chest, Triceps & Shoulders

Wednesday - Cardio (Football training)

Thursday - Back, Bi's & Legs

Friday - Chest, Triceps & Shoulders

Saturday - Cardio (Football match)

Sunday - Back Bi's & Legs

That is his routine at the moment and he is pretty big. I knew he was big but it wasn't until seeing him at the gym (because we go seperate gyms, he said he'd come to mine & give me some tips) how big he actually is. He said I would need to upgrade gyms by February (because mine isn't a massive gym, just a small one) and will join his gym Esporta then. He actually pushed me more than I imagined. I always enjoyed training on my own but having him push me did me the world of good, so we'll be training once a week together for now.


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## Robbie (Dec 31, 2007)

Thats not enough rest.

Monday - Back/Bi

Wednesday - Chest/Tri

Friday - Legs/Shoulders

Although you may want to move legs away from your football match.

Less is more.


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## Robbie (Dec 31, 2007)

Just because someone is big, doesn't mean they know how to train...


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## Guest (Oct 18, 2008)

thats exactly what im doing now i put legs and shoulders together, bit of a killer but it means one more days rest

leave the abs in my opinion, deadlifts will sort them out



Robbie said:


> Thats not enough rest.
> 
> Monday - Back/Bi
> 
> ...


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## Robbie (Dec 31, 2007)

I have "abs" on my list, but I always feel they get worked hard from the compounds in my plan anyway so don't bother.


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## MaKaVeLi (Aug 12, 2008)

Robbie said:


> Just because someone is big, doesn't mean they know how to train...


Exactly like one of my friends, he doesn't know the first thing about diet and training. He just goes to the gym 4 days a week, doesn't follow a set routine and eats **** and he weighs about 14 stone at 5'11" with around 10% bodyfat and has 16.5" arms. Not saying this is big but it is to say he doesn't know **** all about proper diet etc. And he gets accused of taking gear lol


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## Haimer (Sep 1, 2008)

Robbie said:


> Thats not enough rest.
> 
> Monday - Back/Bi
> 
> ...


Yeah, I'll change leg days due to football match, nice one!



Robbie said:


> Just because someone is big, doesn't mean they know how to train...


I know, but it appears to have been & currently working for him.



Mrdaveyk said:


> thats exactly what im doing now i put legs and shoulders together, bit of a killer but it means one more days rest
> 
> leave the abs in my opinion, deadlifts will sort them out


I just find it hard not going to the gym, I dunno why just always want to be up there doing something. It makes me feel like I'm neglecting something, but all I'm doing is neglecting rest. Nice one.



Robbie said:


> I have "abs" on my list, but I always feel they get worked hard from the compounds in my plan anyway so don't bother.


Well by abs all I was going to do was crunches, side crunches and a few ab exercises - nothing too much. But thanks fella.


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## Robbie (Dec 31, 2007)

And stick to compound exercises.

Bench Press

Over Head Press

Rows

Squats

Dead lifts

Pull Ups

And you won't go wrong!


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## Guest (Oct 18, 2008)

its completely normal mate to feel you aint doing enough, but if you lift heavy enough instead of tickling the muscles (not saying you do lol) your body wont need it

my training buddy used to (doesnt anymore) fails a rep as soon as it gets hard or starts to jolt, if you break passed that then you are doing very well and the whole not training enough feeling goes out of the window, you are doing well mate just dont over do it as yourll be slowing your gains

i leave the gym thinking to myself 'your a cvnt now go home and rest, you;ve put me in enough pain today' lol i train way out of my comfort zone unlike most people in my gym and thats when you loose the whole neglecting feeling

best of luck butt


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## Haimer (Sep 1, 2008)

Robbie said:


> And stick to compound exercises.
> 
> Bench Press
> 
> ...


Yeah, had a bit of trouble doing squats/deadlifts as there wasn't an olympic bar up the gym I use, however I'm going to take mine up next time. I do enjoy bench press, probably one of my favourite exercises.

Cheers mate.



Mrdaveyk said:


> its completely normal mate to feel you aint doing enough, but if you lift heavy enough instead of tickling the muscles (not saying you do lol) your body wont need it
> 
> my training buddy used to (doesnt anymore) fails a rep as soon as it gets hard or starts to jolt, if you break passed that then you are doing very well and the whole not training enough feeling goes out of the window, you are doing well mate just dont over do it as yourll be slowing your gains
> 
> ...


Cheers for the help bud. Been looking through your journal for tips here & there. I too was a bit of an ectomorph, used to weigh around 10 stone and put a lot of mass on, though at around the 12.5 stone mark it's getting a bit harder to add. I just need to get it into my head to rest, I push myself at the gym as hard as possible but even then the next day or when I'm resting for a day I think "I should be up the gym!!".

Cheers!


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## Outtapped (Dec 10, 2012)

robbie has backed up almost everything i have said mate, dont do 3 muscle groups in one work out its too much, split it like robbie said, i do te same except i work bi's with chest and tri's with back. compound movements are the way forward! and also your mate, yes its working for him but he is obviously a lot different body type to yours. some people can just put size on really easily


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## Littleluke (Nov 21, 2005)

Hello mate,

Hope all is going well..

Just a little input on your training, this is what I do.

Back and Biceps,

Chest and triceps

Legs - Quads and Hams

Shoulders + Calves

In this you need to include, dealifts, squats, bench press, bent over rows and should press.

Hope this helps!

You have some good diet examples there.. I know it's hard sometimes to get a meal in you so just replace it with a good weight gainer.. You're quite lean anyway so something like Mass Attack from boditronics would be good. Toffee flavor is my preffered choice 

Keep it up fella.. I was probably smaller than you when I started LOL


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