Hi all.

Some of you know me, and some have been escpecially kind in the past so it's nice to be back amongst a quality crowd. Whilst not a beginner, I wouldn't call myself an experienced trainer by a long shot yet, so I thought I'd stick this in here - may be of help to others.

Things are a little different for me now, I still work nights, but I'll be training after work about 6:30 rather than a few hours after I get up. AND!!! I'm actually going to be using a gym. This is a first for a long time. It's only the local fatness first, but they have a good range of (colourful) free weights, and a squat rack which is all I need.

So, having had plenty of time ro reassess my entire life, whilst been put through the rinser by a wicked witch, my life goals aren't to different from before and the last piece of the puzzle for me is to get back to building a better me. I think I've realised that aesthetics are more important to me than I may have realised, being stronger is still the main goal, but I expect to achieve better results than before without lletting my diet go to shit here and there.

So a few questions,

With training last orders, is it OK just to sink a shake and head for the comfort and warmth of a beautiful lady laying in wait? I'm concerned about my nutriton around training this way. I used to get a shake and be eating an hour-2 hours later...

Returning, my confidence is not 100% YET, I was thinking a month of curcuit training, employing a few of the machines they have at the gym might give a nice quick strength increase...

After this, Starting strength looks good, any suggestions? probably do the wardie route(rows), but will practice cleans after each session with the rows, just light at the end and will switch out when I have them figured correctly.

Cheers for any help

Hi Mate,

Great to see you coming back to the iron!

If you can get some decent food in you a few hours before the session and a shake after, I'm sure you'll be fine.

The BSD BCAA tablets are great for during training and may help you as well.

Cheers Cap'n Muff Plunder - i'll check out the BCAA.

good to see you back mate - all sorted or nearly done? living elsehwere now?

I'll have to disagree on the circuit training and machine route.

I would go straight for the deep end. Get stuck in! It's the best way. Concentrate on a few good movements, a fair bit of volume (15 x 3), obviously focus on form, with sufficient rest between sets. Performing new exercises in a fatigued state, circuit style, would not be a good idea for a beginner imo.

Give starting strength a go. As you say skip the cleans and go for BB rows.

Good luck anyway man

Karlos wrote:I'll have to disagree on the circuit training and machine route.

I would go straight for the deep end. Get stuck in! It's the best way. Concentrate on a few good movements, a fair bit of volume (15 x 3), obviously focus on form, with sufficient rest between sets. Performing new exercises in a fatigued state, circuit style, would not be a good idea for a beginner imo.

Give starting strength a go. As you say skip the cleans and go for BB rows.

Good luck anyway man

You make a fair point, but I'd still like to get to look around the machines, helpful to know for future reference what might be swapped in fir the sake of training through injuries and stuff. Would like to get straight back to proper lifts though...

kp1512 wrote:good to see you back mate - all sorted or nearly done? living elsehwere now?

HAHA - not by a long shot mate, but settled with my new life and prospective short term future. I'm very happy at the moment, living back with Mum - will be a 3yr deal probably, but Lucy has her own room too now. It's not ideal, but I just let alot of stuff wash over me and concentrate on making the changes that I can and don't concern myself too much about the things that can't be changed.

It's a very long road back to where I was, but, that was not what I wanted it to be exactly so maybe this is all a blessing. Don't want to wash all me linen in open forum mate, but I'll probably be hitting a few people up for ideas in the coming months as there are many experienced life schoolers here, some who've had plenty sh!t on thier plates...

I also have a "new" lady in my life - ironically, a good friend of 10 years or more and she is having a very calming affect on me - bizarrely as she is bonkers!

upright wrote:I also have a "new" lady in my life - ironically, a good friend of 10 years or more and she is having a very calming affect on me - bizarrely as she is bonkers!

Don't tell me you're shagging Dizzee Rascal!

simon m wrote:

upright wrote:I also have a "new" lady in my life - ironically, a good friend of 10 years or more and she is having a very calming affect on me - bizarrely as she is bonkers!

Don't tell me you're shagging Dizzee Rascal!

Sir, I am afronted! Although, he may be a master of disguise - I'll have a bloody good look for a tuck line... I must say though, he's a great smash

welcome back crewe massive!
dont listen to those powerlifting dudes- i think a great way for you to get back up to speed would be a hst routine, i kid yee not, when i was in oz, i made a dude go from a 1 plate squat to a 3 plate squat within 6 weeks.

Well I for one am thrilled you are back on the boards. Know what I think? I think do whatever the hell makes you happy in the gym. You've been through so much shit this year that the last thing you need is to do something in the gym that doesn't make you happy.

Mental attitude is repsonsible for so much of what we achieve. So say fuck it and play around however the hell you want until things are a little more settled and you feel that you want to focus on training 100%. For now, relax, enjoy yourself and train as hard or as gentle as you want.

So glad Lucy has her own room and you are getting to see her. Also, it's amazing how calming utterly insane people are. My best mates are madder than a sackful of ferrets but they relax me so much.

GymBunny wrote:Also, it's amazing how calming utterly insane people are.

I am absolutely insane, but I don't seem to have any calming effect....

@upright: glad to know things are better, if you want some more recipes let me know, I have always found cooking sooooooooo relaxing!

Cat..reading your posts relaxes me.

Speaking of recipes I have a recipe for low carb chocolate cake. It has no flour so Master Yoda could, technically, eat it....unfortunately it makes up for the lack of flour with a good 1/2 kg or so of chocolate.

I shall post it on all forums I use on the 4th July...I have promised not to share it before then.

GymBunny wrote:Cat..reading your posts relaxes me.

Speaking of recipes I have a recipe for low carb chocolate cake. It has no flour so Master Yoda could, technically, eat it....unfortunately it makes up for the lack of flour with a good 1/2 kg or so of chocolate.

I shall post it on all forums I use on the 4th July...I have promised not to share it before then.

4th july...... IB's comp date?

Craig wrote:

GymBunny wrote:Cat..reading your posts relaxes me.

Speaking of recipes I have a recipe for low carb chocolate cake. It has no flour so Master Yoda could, technically, eat it....unfortunately it makes up for the lack of flour with a good 1/2 kg or so of chocolate.

I shall post it on all forums I use on the 4th July...I have promised not to share it before then.

4th july...... IB's comp date?

Yep. I have promised him the cake recipe as a reward but have been asked not to share it before hand. As the poor man is in a state of serious carb depletion I am, for once, being nice.

It will be interesting to see what he looks like when he's not depleted.

Craig wrote:It will be interesting to see what he looks like when he's not depleted.

It will, I must admit I am extremely impressed with the progress he is made. As to the final result? I don't know what that will be, but it's certainly been an eye opening experience for him and I know he plans to compete again next year, so if he can hold off going bulk crazy again, and I suspect he will be able to then I look forward to an impressive show next year.

In actual fact as I know diddly squat about comp prepping it's been an interesting and eye opening experience for me to follow his prep. It certainly is an emotional rollercoaster and I don't think people realise quite how much determination you need to do a contest, the mental as well as the physical.

Sorry for hijacking your thread upright!

Thanks Ladies, but I'm trying to steer clear of cake n stuff at the moment. Already started clearing up the diet this week, introduced fish oils and several cups of green tea each day.

I actualy got into baking cakes in May when I couldn't afford anything spectacular for my Mum's 50th so baked and iced her a Winnie the Pooh cake - I knew she'd appreciate the trouble I would have with doing anything creative and it actually turned out perfect. Then I made an old skool acid smiley face cake the other day for a laugh.

My new lady has actually opened up the creative part of my mind I only ever knew when I was stoned years ago, of course, I was stoned then and nothing came to fruition - but now I ballooon model, have a scale replica plasticine Morph have designed and printed our own T-shirts and wrist bands and all sorts. Good fun stuff. We're in talks of opening a stall in a club selling tooth brushes, cups of tea and various other creature comforts to people not quite on planet earth.

@Craig - no probs Stud

OK if you start doing Morph T-shirts I want one...and I know someone who would be perfect for a Chaz T-Shirt!

Working for your self is the way forward bro, even if it starts off small time.

GymBunny wrote:OK if you start doing Morph T-shirts I want one...and I know someone who would be perfect for a Chaz T-Shirt!

Found a load of white plasticine Mum has while clearing for Lucy's room - Chaz is next and themn Morph's lady friend - Muff T-Shirts are simple GB - they're not huge quality - market type standard but I'm looking into the higher end stuff and we can put anything you want on a T-shirt

Craig wrote:Working for your self is the way forward bro, even if it starts off small time.

Still Pie in the sky mate - Assuming bankcruptcy can be avoided over getting rid of the house, then it's a definate hope for me that we can go into business doing something simple that makes others smile.

Ye to have a business you do need not to have gone bankrupt but then again you could always just have a relative as the owner, not too much of an issue if the business is not built on new debt.

As for training just get back to getting strong and whatever you choose to do down the gym do it with a whack load of intesity.

Well I gotta straighten out a few niggles I got with knees n back at the moment, but I think these are tiredness due to the summer months - can struggle to sleep with the sun sometimes. I think getting back to the gym should sort that pretty quick, especially training before bed. Knees can ache quite alot at the moment and I have a little knot in my back, but nothing to dramatic - probably just needs a bit of stretching. She has a Yoga DVD I might look at - for a laugh if nothing else, can't hurt. Aside from that, I'm all set to start piling on the intensity.

Glad to have a man of upshites calibre back on the forums. Ive missed you mate!

this place has never been the same since you left for personal reasons and Simon lost a leg and testicle in an unfortunate piracy accident.

TBH mate i would just start int he deep end. none of this pussy boy easing yourself in shite. Start the way you mean to go on. Karla talks sense

two workouts maybe and just rotate them whenever you have the time to train. keep it light obviously and get the reps in and blood flowing again.

squats
bench press
shoudler press
dips

deadlifts
rows
pullups
bb curls


no messing.

If its off to see the new wonan then at least stick a wee tupperwear with some food in your bag along with the shake? make it up with your "brekkie" at tea time when you get pout your bed before gym???

That's pretty good advice from Jockstrap actually. Must be this getting hitched melarky.