Fitness Thread

[Mr Romanov Saviour of HMFC]

Can any of you more knowledgable gents chuck some wisdom at a slender gent like myself regarding what I should be doing with myself at the gym?

 

What's your goals? I assume to put on a bit of muscle?

 

This is a great starting point for anyone http://www.menshealt...s/thread/381917

 

Have a good read of that then spend a fair bit of time reading up on nutrition and you are good to go. That routine only takes about 45 minutes 3 times a week.

 

One thing I would say though is ignore yer mate and leave your ego at the door while you learn all the lifts because lifting too heavy will result in bad form and that is a one way ticket to snap city.

 

Should say I am not as knowledgeable as most of the boys on this thread but that is my take as a newbie(ish) to lifting weights.

Edited January 21, 2013 by Alan Partridge

[Boaby Ewing]

 

Can any of you more knowledgable gents chuck some wisdom at a slender gent like myself regarding what I should be doing with myself at the gym?

 

I wouldnae bother trying to put on too much bulk if you're older than about 27. When your metabolism ****s off in a couple of years you'll be glad you're a skinny bar steward.

 

 

[Hansel]

Can any of you more knowledgable gents chuck some wisdom at a slender gent like myself regarding what I should be doing with myself at the gym?

Are you looking to bulk or just get toned?

 

I'm a skinny bugger who's looking to bulk up, so I've been doing hyper trophy weight training and eating lots. In October I weighed just shy of 10 stone, but I've put on a bit and I'm now at 10 stone 7 pounds. Still way off what I want but pleased with my progress so far. A huge part of it is my diet.

 

I work out at my mate's house who has the same goals as me which I think helps to motivate each other. Been working out about 3-4 times a week and each session lasts 45 mins. Apparently I shouldn't be working out longer than that because my body will start to munch itself.

 

[Generic Username]

I'm not looking to turn into one of these raspers with nae neck or anything. Ideally I'd like to put on some weight. I've been 10 stone 2 for as long as I can remember and I think my biggest problem is diet. I'm absolutely clueless about what to eat/when to eat it.

 

I've a solid enough idea what I'm doing with free weights and form, it's just a bit "daunting" at the gym with so much equipment in front of you. It'd be good to know what stuff I should be plonking myself in front of so I'm using my time there as productively as possible.

 

As ridiculous as it sounds my goal is to actually be able to fill a size small t shirt! So that the arm holes don't look like they've got a couple of 2B pencils coming out them and folk don't think I'm terminally ill.

[BigC]

Which gym are you a member of?

 

The problem with places like Puregym is that there is little or no instruction for newbies and you can wander round doing all the wrong things and not get picked up on it.

 

For someone like you, I'd recommend a place that has decent instructors included within the cost.

 

The budget gyms are more for people who already know what they are doing.

[Generic Username]

Which gym are you a member of?

 

The problem with places like Puregym is that there is little or no instruction for newbies and you can wander round doing all the wrong things and not get picked up on it.

 

For someone like you, I'd recommend a place that has decent instructors included within the cost.

 

The budget gyms are more for people who already know what they are doing.

 

Sadly my man, I am a cheapskate and I'm using PureGym.

[Mr Romanov Saviour of HMFC]

I'm not looking to turn into one of these raspers with nae neck or anything. Ideally I'd like to put on some weight. I've been 10 stone 2 for as long as I can remember and I think my biggest problem is diet. I'm absolutely clueless about what to eat/when to eat it.

 

I've a solid enough idea what I'm doing with free weights and form, it's just a bit "daunting" at the gym with so much equipment in front of you. It'd be good to know what stuff I should be plonking myself in front of so I'm using my time there as productively as possible.

 

As ridiculous as it sounds my goal is to actually be able to fill a size small t shirt! So that the arm holes don't look like they've got a couple of 2B pencils coming out them and folk don't think I'm terminally ill.

 

 

Do you have an iphone or that?

 

Get a calorie counting app, work out what you are eating just now and increase it by 500 calories a day.

 

Eat plenty chicken, fish, eggs etc.

[Generic Username]

 

Do you have an iphone or that?

 

Get a calorie counting app, work out what you are eating just now and increase it by 500 calories a day.

 

Eat plenty chicken, fish, eggs etc.

 

Aw AP I just walk about with a slate and some chalk. Diddy

 

I've got one of they calorie apps and it tells me I should be chucking about 2700 calories down my word hole if I'm wanting to eventually hit 11 stone but regardless of what I eat I'm still coming up short. I might have to revert to injecting fat into my veins.

 

Here's a question - what do folk do to warm up before getting into their routine and how long should it take?

[Creepy Lurker]

One big misconception people have is that their diet needs to be 100% 'clean' (a totally subjective term which doesn't mean the same thing to any two people anyway). Obviously fill the majority of your diet with whole, unprocessed foods but if you're struggling to hit overall calories then fit in a few calorie dense things you enjoy. Maybe you're doing that anyway, I don't know.

 

I've said it on here before, but I think that something like Starting Strength is a good routine for beginners. Depending on how much experience you have lifting weights, though, it may be a good idea to have a knowledgeable person show you how to lift with decent form first. I don't know how good the PTs at Pure Gym really are, but they should at least be able to help with that.

[Sten Guns]

Warm up for me is a light set of the excercise I'm about to perform.

 

I'm sure there was a study that showed stretching cold muscles was a stupid idea.

 

Happily be told otherwise though!

 

I was 11st 06 when I went to Mexico in Sep. now up to 12st 10. (Increased my diet to 3000 cals a day)

 

As for learning at a dearer gym? I've been a member of Bannatynes and Virgin before Pure. The staff were no more qualified or knowledgable.

 

So long as you don't skip the basics of Bench, Incline Bench, Squats, Deads and Press. You can't go wrong IMO. The Olympic bar is your friend.

 

If your struggling to eat enough, take a couple of gainer shakes a day. Something like a 4.5kg tub of CNP Pro Mass. It's cheap, lasts ages & the carbs ain't all sugars like some gainers.

Edited January 22, 2013 by Sten Guns

[Walrus]

Warm up for me is a light set of the excercise I'm about to perform.

 

I'm sure there was a study that showed stretching cold muscles was a stupid idea.

 

Happily be told otherwise though!

 

I was 11st 06 when I went to Mexico in Sep. now up to 12st 10. (Increased my diet to 3000 cals a day)

 

As for learning at a dearer gym? I've been a member of Bannatynes and Virgin before Pure. The staff were no more qualified or knowledgable.

 

So long as you don't skip the basics of Bench, Incline Bench, Squats, Deads and Press. You can't go wrong IMO. The Olympic bar is your friend.

 

If your struggling to eat enough, take a couple of gainer shakes a day. Something like a 4.5kg tub of CNP Pro Mass. It's cheap, lasts ages & the carbs ain't all sugars like some gainers.

 

Mirin' gainzzzzzzz.

 

Good basics to follow in bold!

[Sten Guns]

 

 

Mirin' gainzzzzzzz.

 

 

[Mr Romanov Saviour of HMFC]

Hodge Twins are ******* brilliant.

 

You wanna build some muscle? You do! That's good man. That's reeeaaalllll good.

[Stuart McNeill]

My biggest problem is fighting off temptation of wanting to eat haha, I'm not a massive whale but if I keep eating so much i will become one. !

 

Anyway, so I was wondering what's the best thing to eat and drink before the gym and after the gym!?

 

And is cardio the best way to lose weight?

[Walrus]

So much love for the Hodgetwins!

[Generic Username]

Was actually watching some of their videos last night. They're no right in the brain. Daft for telling you that you'll "snap some shit".

[Sten Guns]

ONE WAY TICKET TO SNAP CITY

[Generic Username]

Yo gon' snap you mutha badword' knee cap straight the **** off

[Hansel]

Hodge twins are funny guys. Good advice for skinny buggers trying to bulk.

 

 

But you can do whatever the **** you wanna doooooo!

Edited January 22, 2013 by Bill Paxton

[Gerd Muller]

I'm trying to lose a bit of weight and get stronger with the weights. I'm doing 30 mins cross trainer every 2nd day plus the weights doing reps of 12, sets of 3. Is this the correct reps sets I should be doing if I'm looking to lose weight/tone up?

[Gerd Muller]

Yeah think you are right about diet. My diet is horrendous but get away with it as I'm a postie so walk more than 4 hours a day. I'll maybe make small changes to diet and change up the routine. Maybe take up running once or twice a week

[Gerd Muller]

Thats part of my gym membership so will try it. I'm actually enjoying going to the gym at the moment so thats probably half the battle.

[BigC]

Swimming is great! Do loads of it myself. The key is to just try and keep improving if you can. Either more lengths, or same number in a faster time.

 

The main thing you want to do to lose weight is speed up your workout a bit and that goes for the gym too.

 

Tabbata works because you are doing things like press ups and burpees which work your muscles and get you out of breath at the same time so you are burning mega calories during exercise and also after through muscle recovery.

 

If you try and speed up your weights workout so that your heart rate stays high, you'll achieve similar results.

 

I'm trying to do my regular weights work out in the gym, but speed up the time the whole thing takes me, because I'm also trying to burn fat.

[BigC]

Thoughts on dead lifts people?

 

It's much easier for me to do it on a smith machine, but I know it's not quite as functional.

 

How big a difference does it make? Is it worth spending a couple of minutes setting up the heavy weights on a bar?

[Guest GhostHunter]

Thoughts on dead lifts people?

 

It's much easier for me to do it on a smith machine, but I know it's not quite as functional.

 

How big a difference does it make? Is it worth spending a couple of minutes setting up the heavy weights on a bar?

 

My question as well !

 

Smith Machine is great for incline & bench but I've never used it for deads, which leads to me not doing them

[Guest GhostHunter]

As an aside - Mark Solstafir trains at Pure in Glasgow - he's an absolute machine and absolutely enormous.

 

180kg deadlift in video (filmed by yours truly)

 

Top bloke as well...best bit of advice - "leave your ego at the door"

 

[Guest GhostHunter]

I use the smith rack for deadlift. I would rather use a traditional bar but for a variety of reasons would take about 30min.

 

They're fine on the rack, you get used to the movement fairly quickly.

 

Though I hate dead lifting so generally rush on through the exercise, which is a bit stupid. I also stopped using lift straps doing exercise don't lift as much but help strengthen grip.

 

What weight do you go for ?

[Sten Guns]

Stay away from the smith IMO.

 

When using an olympic bar to bench, incline bench, deadlift, squat etc. It doesn't travel in a perfect straight line

 

The smith obviously does. It's very unnatural. It's a fixed plane of motion. You can barely call it a free weight workout. In fact, id go as far to say you're putting stress on the body in a way you shouldn't, the lift is that unnatural.

 

You'll get far, far better results staying away from it.

[BigC]

I know the smith machine is less effective than pure free weights.

 

I always grab the dumbells after my sets and press them too.

 

My gym is not designed for a lot of heavy lifting... It's designed to keep the meatheads away so they don't scare all the rich women!

 

It does have 1 Olympic bar but space is tight, the benches don't have slots to rest the bar etc... which is why the smith machine is useful.

 

My question is... Doing dead lifts on the smith is obviously better than nothing...

 

Would you say it was 50%, 80% or 90% as effective as doing it free?

[Guest GhostHunter]

Thanks LBJ..

[Creepy Lurker]

Eat plenty of soap mate. Very clean calories right there.

[Sten Guns]

 

 

I don't disagree with much of that. It's kind of the argument against weight machines.

 

I generally try and use free weight however the gym I workout at us chosen for convienance as opposed to quality.

 

So it's either that or dumbbell exercises which for squating and deadlift I just find awkward.

 

Fair do's. Understandable.

 

The video of the boy doing 180kg deads.

 

What's stands out for me is the fact he is using 4 sets of 20's.

 

My Pure only has 3.

 

[Guest GhostHunter]

There's actually more sets in Glasgow - at least 8 sets in total...

[Sten Guns]

There's actually more sets in Glasgow - at least 8 sets in total...

 

6 in Gorgie.

 

Ocean T one is a shambles.

 

My complaint email has been ignored.

[Mr Romanov Saviour of HMFC]

I love straight leg deadlifts.

 

Make all kinds of gains on your hamstrings.

[Lancashire_Lou]

I've just started Roller Derby. Brutal.

 

[Snake Plissken]

 

Ocean T one is a shambles.

 

My complaint email has been ignored.

 

A friend let me use his code while I was back and that gym is f******* diabolical.

 

Some short arse personal trainer with no neck had his wildebeest of a client doing circuits using one of the squat racks when the fat boot could have done it anywhere in the gym. I had to hover for ages before I could get on it, there's room for plenty more of them - the gym I use in Korea has twice the equipment and barely half the space Ocean T squanders and it's in the building next to my apartment.

 

Anyway, I've been on a bulking routine since October and I've gone from 67 to just under 80kg. I didn't eat 100% clean but I was reasonable in the type of calories I took in, I thought I gain much more fat than I actually did. I stuck to the big compound exercises and it's worked really well, the next stage of my plan is to cut from the start of February, I'll probably get back down to about 75/76kg but it's really just about shifting a wee bit of fat around the middle.

 

I'd hovered at around 67-71kg for most of my adult life, all it took to bulk up was really getting some calories down my neck and frequent, short but intense workouts.

[BigC]

Got in on the dead lift action.

 

I think dead lifts on the Smith are too out of alignment with natural lifts so I'm going to make the effort and set up the Olympic bar every time.

[Sten Guns]

 

 

A friend let me use his code while I was back and that gym is f******* diabolical.

 

Some short arse personal trainer with no neck had his wildebeest of a client doing circuits using one of the squat racks when the fat boot could have done it anywhere in the gym. I had to hover for ages before I could get on it, there's room for plenty more of them - the gym I use in Korea has twice the equipment and barely half the space Ocean T squanders and it's in the building next to my apartment.

 

Anyway, I've been on a bulking routine since October and I've gone from 67 to just under 80kg. I didn't eat 100% clean but I was reasonable in the type of calories I took in, I thought I gain much more fat than I actually did. I stuck to the big compound exercises and it's worked really well, the next stage of my plan is to cut from the start of February, I'll probably get back down to about 75/76kg but it's really just about shifting a wee bit of fat around the middle.

 

I'd hovered at around 67-71kg for most of my adult life, all it took to bulk up was really getting some calories down my neck and frequent, short but intense workouts.

 

Spot on regarding OT. Apparently more free weight equipment has been ordered. I won't hold my breath though.

 

That's a cracking weight gain. Good going.

[Sten Guns]

Got in on the dead lift action.

 

I think dead lifts on the Smith are too out of alignment with natural lifts so I'm going to make the effort and set up the Olympic bar every time.

 

Good man.

 

Two PB's on sunday.

 

170kg deadlift and 160kg squat.

 

Still sore now.,

[Hansel]

 

 

A friend let me use his code while I was back and that gym is f******* diabolical.

 

Some short arse personal trainer with no neck had his wildebeest of a client doing circuits using one of the squat racks when the fat boot could have done it anywhere in the gym. I had to hover for ages before I could get on it, there's room for plenty more of them - the gym I use in Korea has twice the equipment and barely half the space Ocean T squanders and it's in the building next to my apartment.

 

Anyway, I've been on a bulking routine since October and I've gone from 67 to just under 80kg. I didn't eat 100% clean but I was reasonable in the type of calories I took in, I thought I gain much more fat than I actually did. I stuck to the big compound exercises and it's worked really well, the next stage of my plan is to cut from the start of February, I'll probably get back down to about 75/76kg but it's really just about shifting a wee bit of fat around the middle.

 

I'd hovered at around 67-71kg for most of my adult life, all it took to bulk up was really getting some calories down my neck and frequent, short but intense workouts.

That's incredible weight gain.

 

I thought I was doing well.

 

What have you been munching?

[PaulHartley10]

Are you better with a smooth motion when using weights or going at a quick tempo? Seen a lot of different views on this.

[Chrambo]

 

 

 

A friend let me use his code while I was back and that gym is f******* diabolical.

 

Some short arse personal trainer with no neck had his wildebeest of a client doing circuits using one of the squat racks when the fat boot could have done it anywhere in the gym. I had to hover for ages before I could get on it, there's room for plenty more of them - the gym I use in Korea has twice the equipment and barely half the space Ocean T squanders and it's in the building next to my apartment.

 

Anyway, I've been on a bulking routine since October and I've gone from 67 to just under 80kg. I didn't eat 100% clean but I was reasonable in the type of calories I took in, I thought I gain much more fat than I actually did. I stuck to the big compound exercises and it's worked really well, the next stage of my plan is to cut from the start of February, I'll probably get back down to about 75/76kg but it's really just about shifting a wee bit of fat around the middle.

 

I'd hovered at around 67-71kg for most of my adult life, all it took to bulk up was really getting some calories down my neck and frequent, short but intense workouts.

 

Pretty sure I know the exact guy. Wee tanned boy in his 30-40s, wouldn't look out of place in a Rangers top.

[Chrambo]

The January lot are still hanging about unfortunately, had 4 boys training chest together on Monday. Unfortunately Virgin only has 1 incline bench so had to wait ages to try on it. Also nothing more annoying than the idiots who hang around the edge of the weights area and as soon as you finish 1 set and stand up come running over "you finished with that bench?". Had one of these f*nnies following me about on Monday night.

[Snake Plissken]

That's incredible weight gain.

 

I thought I was doing well.

 

What have you been munching?

 

Any kind of gain is good.

 

I think my less than taxing occupation has helped my weight gain considerably. I have quite a lot of down-time where I have nothing to do in the office so I have a lot of time to eat between classes (I'll spend about four hours teaching per day). I bought a little rice bowl and I'd bring large amounts of food into school and eat a bowl of it every few hours, I found I'd be able to take in large quantities but not feel too full afterwards. I had a lot of success with muesli, not too high in sugar or salt and I could put away four little bowls of it over the course of a day (somewhere in the region of 1000 calories), other teachers bring in boiled eggs most days so I'd help myself to a couple of those. I've also been quite partial to yogurt drinks and cereal milk. My commute is quite long so I'd snag a bagel or two on the way home and eat them on the bus and then I'd hit the gym.

 

After the workout I'd have a big choice of places to go out to eat (my area is full of cheap places to eat), Korean food tends to be loaded with rice, vegetables and lean meat. I didn't really count my calories but I'd be surprised if it was less than 3500 a day, probably more. My weight increased steadily but the fat build-up I'd feared never came to be, my T-shirts started getting tight in the arms and shoulders and I had to throw out a pair of trousers that still fit my waist but couldn't accommodate the growth in my quads and hamstrings. I'm not enormous by any means (and wouldn't wish to be) but I'm pretty happy with my build.

 

I centred my workouts on the Olympic bar - bench press (incline, flat and decline), squats, straight-legged deadlifts, shrugs, rows - each day would be dedicated to one large muscle group and one smaller one (chest+tris, lats+bis etc). I also sacked cardio from routines, I stopped running completely for four months (something I'd never done before) and just focused on packing on as much weight as I could.

 

I'm starting my cutting program tomorrow, I should be just about where I want to be by the end of March if I can keep my discipline.

[Snake Plissken]

Pretty sure I know the exact guy. Wee tanned boy in his 30-40s, wouldn't look out of place in a Rangers top.

 

That's the boy.

[BigC]

Are you better with a smooth motion when using weights or going at a quick tempo? Seen a lot of different views on this.

 

Depends on your fitness goals...

 

My knowledge isn't perfect on this, but if you are looking to train for speed/local muscle endurance, you should go up fast and down slow.

 

(I worked at Greens 10 years ago and Kenny Miller was told to do this by an instructor who was fairly experienced, he was looking to built his LME without bulking up).

 

The machines at my gym have a blip that you follow and they tell you if you are going too fast or slow.

 

In general, it should be a slow controlled movement, especially on the way down. You don't get the same benefit if you just drop the weight and catch it at the bottom.

[Mr Romanov Saviour of HMFC]

Are you better with a smooth motion when using weights or going at a quick tempo? Seen a lot of different views on this.

 

I'd go with the Hodge Twins view on this - it ain't that serious bro.

 

It ain't that serious.

[Sten Guns]

Regarding the last few posts.

 

This is great advice which far too many ignore.

 

[ellsbells]

Great video that, Sten. Boy explains it almost to perfection.

 

The muscle soreness people experience the couple of days after a heavy weight session comes from unaccustomed eccentric exericse (the negative part of the rep). If you're training properly, you should still feel a degree of muscle soreness after a weights workout no matter how lon you've been training. You'll also get much better gains by emphasising the contraction and the negative.