Weightlifting and Bodybuilding thread v. holy shit we have the sub back
386 replies, posted
Just started out after 3 failed attempts to get in to weight training. This is my final attempt. My dad bodybuilt through his twenties despite having chronic fatigue syndrome, so renting a room at his place is helping me get in to the swing of things properly. I'm signing up for the gym tomorrow. Any advice for someone starting out?
To get my first bank of knowledge, I've been reading my old man's copy of The Modern Encyclopedia of Bodybuilding. The book seems to make sense and highlight the no-frills no-beating-around-the-bush attitude I've learned to apply to my work ethic as a stocktaker, so I assume the same mindset will really help me get off my feet with building muscle. I'm 6'3 and 9-stone-something and I've been doing light training the past week. I smoke weed as a sleep aid, smoke cigarettes regularly and drink alcohol occasionally - I know that I need this hobby to replace my cigarette habit, but must I forgo my other two vices?
I aim to weight train as a form of living suicide. Due to unique circumstances over the past few years I've been left in a very confusing and emotionally terrifying situation, and rather than off myself or spend ages being depressed I've decided to take this up. I lost my PC gaming hobby years ago, my interest in making music is waning as I change as a person and I've essentially lost every part of who I used to be to a complete psychological tearout. I won't go in to detail - but think along the lines of being completely manipulated out of everything you ever grew to love by a handful of the wrong people over a few years.
Based on my circumstances, what I would like to know is - are there good prospects for me? I struggle to put in 2000 calories a day, let alone 3000. As I type this I'm on 2000, staring at a 4-pack of Mars Bars. The thought of shoving one in makes me feel sick, but I also tell myself I must do it. Food is a challenge for me, but I know my vices hold me back too. I'm smoking less and less cigarettes on my days off, but my job makes me smoke. There is nothing to do other than smoke there sometimes.
Do you have access to psychiatric help in the UK through the NHS? Your attitude in approaching this sounds like it will lead to injury, dysmorphia, etc. Therapy will help you see life in a healthier context.
Gainer shakes made from oat flour, honey, frozen fruits, whey protein, yogurt will ease calorie intake. Liquid calories are easier to spread out through the day. It gets much easier with time. Fiber helps stretch your stomach. Eat lots of greens.
Get most calories from healthy whole foods, drop the candy and processed bullshit. It sounds like you have the time to commit. Boil eggs, make egg salad sandwiches. Grill some chicken. Learn to make food fun for yourself. Make it a social ordeal.
Include cardio in your routine, it will help you reach your athletic goals. Use one of the bikes they have at gyms and read a book. The library is your friend if you have nothing else to do. Study a profession, contact a local group and express interest after you've read a bit.
I do, but I struggle to get the help I need. I can tell them all my sick thoughts and shit (or at least, the thoughts I consider to be sick) and they just sort of send me packing. I'm baring safety in mind too - trying to work my way up through weight gradually. I'm not trying to punish myself, perhaps my wording was a little extreme from the emotion
I managed to hit 3000 calories for the first time in my life today. I've always struggled to reach 1000 since becoming independent, and my mother would underfeed me on her busier days as a kid - I've always had a tiny stomach. Not a huge achievement, but it feels like it for me. Signed up for the gym and met my brother there and we had for the most part a productive and informative session. Apparently there's a free half hour with a PT included but I'd rather get used to the gym and then maybe try that then.
I worry about the sweeter foods and proceed shit that you mention - right now, I'm relying heavily on peanut butter, honey, ice cream smoothies that I neck in 5 seconds to bulk out my calories for the day. I've been cooking again, I just need to fall in love with it as you say. My ex-girlfriend always made cooking an unpleasant ordeal (she let me cook less and less as the relationship went on) so it'll be nice to re-discover that hobby.
As for cardio - I won't lie. I'm scared of it. I cycle 10.6 miles a day (there and back) to work. I don't have a car and the bus route is incredibly poor. I fear that it's already burning weight off me that I can't afford to lose. Your thoughts on this?
Thank you for such a detailed reply though. I've jotted some of the stuff from your post down on paper so I can see it AFK.
First of all, dirty bulking is a meme. You're better off doing a slight excess caloric intake so you don't get fat, and you don't have to force yourself to eat an uncomfortable amount.
Calorie Calculator
Secondly, as you said processed foods are not so great. There's more to eating than just macros, you need your micronutrients as well. Good luck bruh.
By slight excess caloric intake, do you mean gradually bumping up what I'm eating in a day? The past two night I've felt nauseous as the day comes to a close and I suspect it's all the sweet goop I'm throwing in there. If I try to cook my entire calories for the day, I hit 1500-2000, peter out and fall asleep. What makes you regard dirty bulking as a meme?
For the first question, do whatever makes you feel comfortable, your stomach will stretch over time the more you eat. If you think you can handle eating as much as the target calories, by all means go ahead.
For the second, an excess of calories over a certain threshold doesn't promote any more growth of muscular tissue (goto the Bulking section), your body only needs so much more extra energy from calories to promote muscle growth (In fact, you can make noob gains starting out for quite some time even on a deficit. It's also quite possible for an experienced lifter to do so if they're on a slight deficit and meeting their macros, it won't be as "efficient" as a bulk, but that's up to an individual to decide the pros and cons. )
Working out is great, it will help with self esteem and if you work in some cardio you will get an antidepressive effect as strong as benzo! (This is actually proven.) I'm worried when you say you will treat it as living suicide, you need rest too man. Start out with something like SS and then move on to other stuff as you progress.
As for the alcohol and smoking. Stopping smoking is just about the healthiest thing you can do and it will have an immense effect on your training but you can still drink alcohol in moderation (1 - 2 beers) without any negative effects on recovery. Some studies have actually found a positive effect of one beer after training.
One final thing, you need to eat. If you are 6.3 2000 kcal is not nearly enough. The good news is that you will get a bigger appetite as you start to lift and do cardio which can help you eating more. Otherwise I would suggest getting into cooking, that is what has worked best for me. Then you also have something to do other than smoking.
the strength symmetry thing looks fun. heres mine:
https://files.facepunch.com/forum/upload/58199/abd7b733-fe09-4389-a0f0-e6f57988665a/image.png
how come your press is so good but your bench isnt?
90kg ohp is very impressive
not sure tbh. my best OHP was 185 lbs x 5 but it was a hard fucking set and i really dont think i could have done 200 lbs on that day. its estimating my OHP from that set of 5
great video on the dark side of bodybuilding. Probably the only honest BBer I've ever seen on camera.
https://youtu.be/Zjlm-n5d288
Tl;dr higlights for people who dont want to watch the whole thing:
people strongly underestimate just how much this sport has become about drugs and mostly just drugs. bodybuilders continually lie and evade about the truth, no one gets to the monstorous distorted size of IFBB pros today on just a "few" light cycles of steroids. Pro physique is a product of almost non stop abuse of grams of steroids, insulin and HGH.
Insulin is absolutely dangerous and it is troubling how casually gym rats (amateurs) are talking about using it now. This guy almost died from a hypo event and surely would've if his girlfriend hadnt been home to call the emergencies
His health towards the end of his career had deteriorated to the point a kidney specialist was telling him they were going to have to plan to put him on DIALYSIS within 1 year
blood pressure of 200/110 . to put this into perspective, a "high" and at risk blood pressure would be considered 140/90.
painkiller abuse is rife in the sport due to chronic injuries. Many guys are straight up addicted to opiates. Daily nubain use.This guy is still struggling with it today.
some guys are using methamphetamine to get into condition for shows
the blase attitude towards the sheer amount of drugs they are using leads to a gateway effect into rec drug abuse. Ketamine, mdma, etc are commonly used after shows. One drug culture leads to another with very little caution
between the food bill and the drug bill, bodybulding is extremely expensive. Rumors of "gay 4 pay" stuff are absolutely true, although often fall short of actual prostitution.
Can you guys recommend any 2 day program for my father to do? He's over 50 years old and feels out of shape a bit. He used to workout for some years before, so he's not a total beginner.
@Chocolate Golem
r u alive
Last seen 4 months ago, he's probably figured out this forum is filled with leftist soycucks and health at every size activists and returned to the misc
too vague
what does he want to achieve, what kind of facilities or equipment does he have access to, does he have any injuries he needs to avoid exacerbating etc.
Getting closer to 3000cal/day now. Some days I pile an excess (3500) and other days such as today, not so good (2100). Need to get out of my overdraft properly and sort out my finances. Fucking university.
I'm interested in Oly Lifting but my local area doesn't have much in the way of a following, and the gyms that do supposedly offer lessons are CrossShit. Over the border in Canada it's apparently quite popular but it's not practical for me to go over to lift.
What's my best bet to self learn the lifts properly, what's a good resource or person to learn from?
Was doing some concentration curls this morning and noticed my sweat looks more like semen. What's going on there? Google isn't clearing anything up.
maybe your testosterone and testes production efficiency is so high your body has to find a way to get rid of all that extra semen.
on a more serious note: could be chromhidrosis, not enough cardio, high salt intake, dehydration, or a combination of these factors(?).
Dunno see a doctor if you're concerned, or maybe someone else is in here is more knowledgeable.
Sincerely hope you're not one of the people that never wipes off their equipment
:q:
Wonder what it tastes like haha
I'll mail you 25ml for £20
What depth do ya'll do your squats? ATG, parallel? Highbar? Low Bar?
I goto a commercial gym and I don't see anybody do ATG. Curious to see how popular it is with more serious people/athletes. I've always assumed Oly Lifters and the like do them whilst powerlifters stick more to just breaking parallel.
I stand a set of dumbells up on their ends so they sit tall, put those under where my ass will go and squat down til I hit those. I’ve found that works well for me at least
Used to do the same, but with a giant BBC dildo.
Used to squat high bar atg, with a narrow stance, progress stalled, i started getting back pain, switched to low bar hip crease below knee depth.
Back pain is gone, gains are coming in strong.
But now i've got hip pain so idk
I've always done highbar just because that was how I learned to do it, didn't even know there were 2 types till a few months after I started. My depth is also dependant on how I feel that day but I usually aim for parallel, atg is too hard
I found I couldn't rely on the BBC dildo to stand exactly straight every rep
sometimes it just limped to the left or the right, no rigidity at all
sounds like you skimped on your squat plug, if youre miserly with your plugs then you're just flushing your gains down the toilet
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