nice benching man

ash fletcher wrote:nice benching man

cheers pal, only been benching a few weeks, id always avoided it in favour of DB's but im starting to enjoy it!

these are some pics taken today after the gym. To be honest im not overly happy with where im at currently. Im not particulary big, which obviously id like, but at the same time im unhappy at the amount of fat around my midsection. Obviously before i make any changes i want opinions of others, but i feel its maybe time i had a small cut, if for nothing else but to make myself feel a little more comfortable.
any feedback appreciated!

OK, so you're not happy with the pics. First off, one of the delights of BBing is NEVER being happy. As you improve your goalposts shift and you end up disappointed. Compare them to your very first pics. You'll see a difference. Those shots were taken outside on a sunny day and you are almost as pale as me. That doesn't encourage muscle definition to be obvious!

I didn't realise you had a lumber puncture! MUCH SYMPATHY. Headaches can last a while, think it was 2 or 3 weeks before mine went completely. Kudos on coping with that. I cried like a little girl.

you're also quite young right? Trust me, things change quite quickly when you're young. You're doing good stuff in the gym so it'll happen.

health4ni wrote:you're also quite young right? Trust me, things change quite quickly when you're young. You're doing good stuff in the gym so it'll happen.

yeh im 19 so pretty young compared to most people om here (no offence intended )!
i suppose we can be overly critical of ourselves and that why i needed the opinion of others before i change anything and end up taking backward steps. Would your advice to be carry on as i am doing and basically keep things consistent and let the changes come?

Not being funny, but it's relatively simple (more so when you're young):
1. clean up the diet
2. lift hard & heavy

3-4 weight sessions a week.
1-2 20-40min "cardio" / interval training sessions a week. Although imo if you work your ass off in the weights area you don't need this.

I'd do lower limbs every session that lasts 20-30mins. Then the last 30min can be body parts.

So, an example:
Mon: posterior chain dominant lower exercise + arms
Wed: quad dominant lower exercise + chest & back
Fri: posterior chain dominant lower exercise + shoulders

Working your lower limbs every session will cause a big anabolic release of hormones due to the lower limbs mass; plus they're bloody hard.

As you're young I think you're respond well to this.

Try not to make it too complex. You don't need lots of exercises.

I'm feeling nice today, what with the weather etc, so here's an example workout:

A1 :: Front Squats: 3-4 warm-up sets, then 4 sets of 6 reps. Last rep must be tough. Tempo 40X0. 90s rest

B1 :: Weighted Press-Ups: 5 sets 8-12 reps. Tempo 31X0
B2 :: Chins/Pull-Ups: 5 sets 8-12 reps. Tempo 31X0

C1 :: Ab exercise is you've time

You must be f*cked after this. Work your ass off!

And you're done. Simple but effective. It's similar to what I gave to Alex & GB. Ask them what they think.

It's not necessarily the way I go for everyone, but I reckon for you this would be good.

health4ni wrote:Not being funny, but it's relatively simple (more so when you're young):
1. clean up the diet
2. lift hard & heavy

3-4 weight sessions a week.
1-2 20-40min "cardio" / interval training sessions a week. Although imo if you work your ass off in the weights area you don't need this.

I'd do lower limbs every session that lasts 20-30mins. Then the last 30min can be body parts.

So, an example:
Mon: posterior chain dominant lower exercise + arms
Wed: quad dominant lower exercise + chest & back
Fri: posterior chain dominant lower exercise + shoulders

Working your lower limbs every session will cause a big anabolic release of hormones due to the lower limbs mass; plus they're bloody hard.

As you're young I think you're respond well to this.

Try not to make it too complex. You don't need lots of exercises.

I'm feeling nice today, what with the weather etc, so here's an example workout:

A1 :: Front Squats: 3-4 warm-up sets, then 4 sets of 6 reps. Last rep must be tough. Tempo 40X0. 90s rest

B1 :: Weighted Press-Ups: 5 sets 8-12 reps. Tempo 31X0
B2 :: Chins/Pull-Ups: 5 sets 8-12 reps. Tempo 31X0

C1 :: Ab exercise is you've time

You must be f*cked after this. Work your ass off!

And you're done. Simple but effective. It's similar to what I gave to Alex & GB. Ask them what they think.

It's not necessarily the way I go for everyone, but I reckon for you this would be good.

i see what your saying about your lower body.
a few other questions i have, one regarding diet and one training.
iv read a few of your posts and i may have seen your write it before, that you dont do any (little) cardio? do you think that if your weights sessions carry the right intensity theres no need for cardio? and also with diet, i see you advocate plenty of greens, veg, etc, but not large amounts of carbs and/or protein. My question would be, do you not think one or the other (or both) either carbs or protein are needed in large amounts for someone looking to gain lean(ish) mass as oppose to maintain or become leaner?

Robisco wrote:you dont do any (little) cardio?

Not in the gym. I go swimming once or twice a week as part of a recovery/regeneration process. I don't really swim though, rather a few lengths, some underwater, some walking and stretching, then sit in the sauna for 15mins. Def helps my muscles recover.

I do go walking with my wife sometimes.

But standard cardio? Nope.

Robisco wrote:do you think that if your weights sessions carry the right intensity theres no need for cardio?

I do. I'm wrecked after each session in the gym. Unless it's a "download"/easy week then that imo is how you should feel. But even then it's less volume but still high intensity.

Robisco wrote:and also with diet, i see you advocate plenty of greens, veg, etc, but not large amounts of carbs and/or protein. My question would be, do you not think one or the other (or both) either carbs or protein are needed in large amounts for someone looking to gain lean(ish) mass as oppose to maintain or become leaner?

imo it's about the right carbs & right protein. And at the right time.

I eat carbs & I eat protein. I've reduced my protein intake and feel better for it. I have gained strength and added some muscle (well, back up to 70kg and 4% BF which is about as good as I've ever been). I'm currently in a state of flux with regards to the exact "formula" needed for healthy lean muscle mass gain.

More calories than ever before come from good oils (hemp, olive, avocado, coconut) and this has def helped. Try it.

If you keep protein intake high then I'd recommend getting most if not all from fish. Once a week have red meat. A few times a week have eggs. Then lots of greens. And btw greens aren't just lettuce. Avocados have protein in them. Pumpkin seeds are great. Add a nice crunch to salads with protein. In fact, I've just finished my lunch which consisted of spinach, grated cucumber, wild salmon fillet, almond flakes, sesame seeds and shed loads of olive & hemp oil + some olives.

health4ni wrote:I'm feeling nice today, what with the weather etc, so here's an example workout:

A1 :: Front Squats: 3-4 warm-up sets, then 4 sets of 6 reps. Last rep must be tough. Tempo 40X0. 90s rest

B1 :: Weighted Press-Ups: 5 sets 8-12 reps. Tempo 31X0
B2 :: Chins/Pull-Ups: 5 sets 8-12 reps. Tempo 31X0

C1 :: Ab exercise is you've time

You must be f*cked after this. Work your ass off!

And you're done. Simple but effective. It's similar to what I gave to Alex & GB. Ask them what they think.

And VERY similar to the routine I made for myself.

You got the Rilla seal of approval. What more do you want?

GymBunny wrote:You got the Rilla seal of approval. What more do you want?

A christmas basket and a dirty whore?

Rilla wrote:

GymBunny wrote:You got the Rilla seal of approval. What more do you want?

A christmas basket and a dirty whore?

And this is why there can only ever be one Rilla! They broke the mold when they made you!

back today

deads- 60kgx10, 80kgx10, 100kgx10, 120kgx10, 140kgx8
t-bar rows- 60kgx10, 80kgx10, 100kgx8, 100kgx6 drop 80kgx6 drop 60kgx10
barbell rows- 60kgx10, 80kgx10, 100kgx8
lat pulldowns- 135lbx10, 150lbx8, 150lbx6 135lbx8

done and dusted, didnt go really heavy on anything and felt fit and healthy again. Finished with 30 mins cardio.

GymBunny wrote:

Rilla wrote:

GymBunny wrote:You got the Rilla seal of approval. What more do you want?

A christmas basket and a dirty whore?

And this is why there can only ever be one Rilla! They broke the mold when they made you!

Hah yea, scared the shit out of those scientist, didn't I?

fcuking hell!! This site hasnt let me log on for 2 monthS!!!! and then today it lets me!? so random....
hope i wasnt missed too much......

not been able to get on, im not going to bore everyone with endless gym sessions, il just update from this point forward. Some more progress pics, everythings going well, weighing around 12st10-10lb now, so up 3 stone from when i started. Il put up the first pics i posted and my latest pics. Im looking thicker and fuller, so far so good. Going to keep going as i am as i seem to have got everything balanced now.

6months ago





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