yashsingh1/xdaforums huggingface dataset:
[Off-topic] Dirk:
Why on earth do you feel the need to choke down such an ungodly concoction? Get yourself some Maximuscle chocolate Protein powder and mix it with skimmed milk. The stuff is so delicious it's like nectar from heaven!

I get the maxi-milk product they sell which comes in a bottle ready to drink. It's so delicious that i go to the gym every day just to have an excuse to drink two of them daily!

So you're trying to gain 'Mass'? That explains the carb rich concoction. Frankly there's only two ways in which the body gains weight. Through added muscle, or through added fat. When people talk about 'bulking' up it means 'getting fat' quite frankly. It's what amateurs do in place of simply working the weights harder. Rather than being patient, working hard over a sustained period and waiting to get bigger through muscle mass, they want to cheat so that when they look in a mirror they appear to be bigger NOW!

What people should be doing instead is actually the opposite. Sort out your diet so that you get your body fat down as much as possible so that you are lean. Then, when you make gains in muscle from the hard gym work that you are doing you can actually see the results instantly. The muscle isn't hidden behind a thick layer of fat! To me that's a much better motivator, and it's also a much healthier way to manage your diet and lifestyle. Being big isn't clever if it's all fat and if your diet is slowly killing you.

If you have a natural tendency towards being of slight build and want to change that, training hard with weights is the only way to get bigger. Simply eating more to 'bulk up' is just going to make you fat. Nothing else.
[Off-topic] roofrider:
Phew! It tried to finish it but a part of it went down the drain.

Ya, whey alone with milk will be good...I just thought I'll try to put on some weight without having to use a weight gainer. I've gained around 4 lbs in the last 2 weeks without that pathetic smoothie I just tried.

I keep reading that many drink those, blend them all together and it's easy calories.

I just need to get the ingredients right!! Thank god I didn't add flaxseed oil!:eek:

---------- Post added at 01:06 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:33 PM ----------

Most definitely bulking up is not my idea, just trying to follow a hardgainer's diet..something like a 5 meal plan.

I am lean..really. My height's 180cms and i weigh around 60 kilos now, I've got no fat that shows (in fact I was surprised that my body fat was in the ideal range, 12.8). Just need to be patient I guess.
[Off-topic] Dirk:
Are you doing any sort of training? Use this calculator to see what your BMR is and then use the link on that page to calculate your daily calorie needs:

http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/

Now you know how many calories you need per day you can work out your diet accordingly. Anything you take in above that will just be stored as fat. For every excess 3500 calories, you gain 1lb of fat. If instead you start hitting the weights, you can expect to gain 1lb of muscle each month.

I'd go with the latter option.

Edit: This is what i came up with when i sat down and worked out my diet:

The calories are lower than my BMR for now until i've cut my body fat to minimal levels. Although i'm much smaller than i used to be according to the tape measure, i already have better definition than i had then.
[Off-topic] roofrider:
Thanks Dirk!

My BMR is 1631.

Looks like i'll need around 2700 calories a day.

My workout routine is a four day cycle:

Day 1 - Chest,Triceps and abs

Day 2 - Back and Biceps

Day 3 - Shoulder and abs

Day 4 - Legs, core

Everyday - Cardio for 15 mins (just for warm up)

Sundays are off.

It's been 3 weeks now, next month the workout changes I believe.

I gotta sit down and work out my diet now.
[Off-topic] Dirk:
Try to work out a diet plan that gives you as many calories as you need in the natural foods that you eat, to a 50/40/10 split. (Carbs/Protein/Fat). Use Protein shakes as an easy way to make up any deficit. (It's bloody hard eating 2700 calories a day when only 10% of what you consume is Fat!)

I'd leave the Cardio to the end of your sessions otherwise you run the risk of being fatigued before your workout has even begun. It's better to warm up by simply doing the first couple of sets of an exercise with a lighter weight.

Finally, here's what Scooby has to say on what i spoke about earlier. 'Bulking up':

http://scoobysworkshop.com/bulking-up-and-gaining-muscle/
[Off-topic] Dirk:
I had one of those sessions last night that you never forget. (The gym-rats among you i know will relate to this). Every so often you have a session where you feel turbo-charged. You are able to up the weight on everything you're doing, push more reps and feel stronger as you are doing them. Routines that you found challenging last week are suddenly easy, and you bang through them with an energy you didn't know you had. This morning i could really feel in my sore muscles that i'd had a good workout too. :good:

If only it were easy to pin down what exactly was different on that day to enable these sessions to occur more often!

So how's everybody here doing with their health and fitness? I've only missed one days training in the last 10 weeks and progress is good. I'm very pleased with my muscle and strength gains, body fat is lower that it's ever been my entire life and general cardio fitness is improving all the time. (My resting heart rate has come down from ~90 bpm to 60 bpm since i started this regime!)

One of the things i've had to tackle was my lack of flexibility. Along with twelve years of muscle atrophy, i was as about as limber as a steel pipe. That was making it impossible to do Squats with good form and was putting my lower back at serious risk of injury. So now i do stretches daily, mostly for Hamstrings, Glutes and Quads, and it's beginning to pay off.

Another thing that i've found a help is swapping my running shoes for something more suitable for the gym. The Nike Free 3 that i bought have such minimal cushioning that they are like thick socks to wear! It really helps stability though not having Gel packs under your heels while you are lifting. I know some people prefer to take their shoes off when squatting/deadlifting, and i see it all the time in the gym, but wearing these is almost like being barefoot!

I suppose another thing that's been a help is that i have had no problem quitting the booze and smokes. It's been two months for the former, and even longer for the latter...and i don't miss either at all! :)
[Off-topic] DanceOff:
Stop coming to xda and you'll get time to play and be active and healthy.

Seriously this is it.

But again I can't help it I'm xda-addicted
[Off-topic] idavid_:
How do I do chin ups? People told me to do 1/2 ROM or negatives and eventually I'll be able to do a full one, but isn't having a plan more useful? I don't think randomly doing them will help much.

Sent from my HTC Sensation
[Off-topic] Dirk:
Randomly doing them is exactly what you need to do if you're just starting out. You don't need to be in the gym for it either. Anything at home that you can grip and hang from will suffice. Any door frame used to be good enough for me. Even when you're out and about, tree branches or just about anything you can improvise with will do.

Don't worry about form and technique yet. Just grab on and pull like mad. Your first goal is simply to get your chin up to the 'bar' once. Just get that one rep in. Once you've done that, legs flailing and body rocking, work up to doing another. Carry on in that vein and you'll soon be knocking out ten reps. It'll be with bad form but once your strength improves you can work on improving that and making the exercise harder for yourself.

That's right. Before long you'll be looking for ways to make it harder to do!
[Off-topic] idavid_:
Hmm, I see. One more question. How many sets? I usually do 3 sets until failure, but failure for me means 3-6 half chin ups. Is that enough or should I do 5 sets or something?

Sent from my HTC Sensation

---------- Post added at 05:57 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:45 PM ----------

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GCVZ80N-2Ns&feature=youtube_gdata_player

:eek:

He doesn't even use straps

Sent from my HTC Sensation
[Off-topic] Dirk:
Doing multiple sets of a reduced ROM is only going to strengthen you for that specific ROM. What you need is the strength to complete the rest of the movement. Once you've done 1 set of half ROM, you won't have any strength left to try for a full ROM.

I'd go back to simply trying to do 1 full rep. Put 100% effort into doing that and then leave it half a day before trying again. If jerking your legs up and swinging your body helps, then do that. 1 full cheat rep is going to be better for you atm than any number of half reps.

if you have a willing friend or family member ask them to help lift you through the exercise. Get your back and biceps used to working through the entire ROM. They'll respond well with enough practice.
[Off-topic] roofrider:
Bump bump bump!!!

Bumpity bump!!

I hit the gym today after a break of almost 2 months and it was damn hard! :mad:

This week is gonna be sweeet! Welcome soreness!!!
[Off-topic] ironman38102:
I don't even exercise and eat a lot still i haven't gained weight! I usually jog aroung in my house to lose some weight
[Off-topic] Nutterpc:
That's what I pay my personal trainer for. Lol. He's keeping me on my toes every week.

Mind you, I train just once a week in the gym, but 1-2 times in the pool, doing laps. My average is about 30 laps, 25m pool, so that works out to 750m @ 10 laps per 250m
[Off-topic] LordManhattan:
I'm guessing your under 20 years old? Just wait for it... Your body will punish you in a few years :p

I haven't worked out since October now, but I'm waiting for the weather to get a little warmer, and then I'll be back on track.

- Workout: Jogging

- Distance: 10km

- When: 5 days a week

- Elevation: 0 - 500 meters (mountain)
[Off-topic] Thats OK:
Ugh!

My weights up...at least the weathers getting better.

Time to start swingin' a hammer around here.

At least I pedaled my butt over to the drugstore to get my blood pressure meds this morning.

1\2 a mile an hour and breathin' hard baby!

:cool:
[Off-topic] Nutterpc:
My training varies week to week, but I start on the cross trainer for 4-5 mins (1 km now possible in 3 mins 30 secs), 2 km ride on the bike, 1 km on the rower, plus whatever else the trainer gets me doing

Mind you, he's gotten me quite muscly in the legs and chest in the first year of training
[Off-topic] MissionImprobable:
Just started going heavy again and I love it. Low reps, heavy weight, deep burn. Changed my days too so that I get some space between deadlifts and squats. My back, shoulders, and legs have exploded. Looking forward to warm weather once more.
[Off-topic] TheSkinnyDrummer:
12oz curls. s'bout it.
[Off-topic] ironman38102:
true Im just 13 years old and man u should see my dad he is like a sit and bounce ball. i just dont want to be like him
[Off-topic] MissionImprobable:
Quality Malt Liquor doesn't come in 12oz cans. You're lying!
[Off-topic] TheSkinnyDrummer:
I don't drink the malt. Keystone or nothing! Thats the troof.

-YOLO-
[Off-topic] Nutterpc:
Lol. Arm strength is vital isn't it skinny

If our arm isn't strong, we can't hold the beer
[Off-topic] Dirk:
Good man. That's the way to do it! No point wasting time on girly isolation exercises when you should be doin' compounds.

Real men squat. :good:

I'm still going six days a week, one body part + cardio each visit. All compound lifts of course.

Overhead press

Bench press

Pull ups/downs

Rows

Squats

Deadlifts

Leg Press

Crunches (Okay, some isolations are necessary!)
[Off-topic] roofrider:
Asymmetry, asymmetry everywhere!

My right lats are visibly bigger than me lefts. :(

For lats i do pulldowns, machine rows, dumbbell rows, and bentover barbell rows.

I really try to concentrate when doing lefty db rows, but it's just not the same as doing with the right.
[Off-topic] Dirk:
I have exactly the same issue with DB rows. One side feels great, no problem with technique or strength, the other goes all to hell. Gotta stick with it though as you get a good ROM with one armed Rows.

Besides those, i like:

Pull-ups/Downs

Seated cable Rows

Bent over BB Rows

Machine High Rows

Shoulder Shrugs
[Off-topic] roofrider:
I'm not alone!! :D

I can do 5-6 proper pull ups with slightly wide grip, after that i'll need support.

Also i get left shoulder pain when doing bench press and upright cable rows, it's mostly towards the end. Hope it's nothing. :(
[Off-topic] Dirk:
I'm having a week off from lifting because of shoulder pain on my right side. Better to give it a break than make it worse. I'd stop doing upright rows as they're known to lead to Rotator Cuff problems. Instead try Lateral Raises for Lateral Delts, Reverse Fly for Posterior Delts and Shrugs for Traps.

For Bench press you should tuck your elbows to minimise shoulder involvement. I prefer using Dumbbells with a grip that is halfway between palms facing the feet, and palms facing each other. You'll immediately notice your Pecs doing more work and your shoulders doing less.
[Off-topic] roofrider:
Thanks. I'm doing lat raises (lat raises are hard!) and shrugs, will try reverse flys too. I did flat DB press last week, i'm planning to reduce the wait on bench press and do DB press for a week and see if it helps. If not i'll drop bench press completely, always found it difficult. :o Think i need to work hard on shoulders to help in stabilisation when doing bench press. Apart from the already mentioned ones, i do seated overhead DB press and barbell press for shoulder.
[Off-topic] Dirk:
OHP won't hurt unless you already have an injury. Personally, i love DB OHP, although lateral raises are a chore! I'm not a fan of BB benchpress though. I use a Smith machine when doing Incline/Flat chest press atm, and a BB for decline, if i'm doing bar work at all. I much prefer DB work for chest though. As i mentioned, you can hit the pecs more and it's less strain on your shoulders. If i were you i would drop the bar work for a while and focus on DB instead.

I was up to 3x8 incline, followed by 3x8 flat, using 32KG DBs before my shoulder started playing up. Guess i'm gonna have to drop down a bit for a while now. :(
[Off-topic] roofrider:
Yup, i'll do that.

Holy hell!! 32kg! Don't think i can even lift those. How much do you weigh now?
[Off-topic] Dirk:
~80KG. It's useful when doing DB chest press to get into the habit of using leg assist to get the DBs into position.

[YOUTUBE]TThwNhMVspk[/YOUTUBE]
[Off-topic] roofrider:
Ok, i bid adieu to upright rows today and did machine reverse fly/rear delts and tomo i'll do the same to BB bench press and take up DBs. :)

And scooby is awesome btw, love watching his videos.
[Off-topic] m0cha5hake:
I try to workout as much as I can, pretty much just running, free weights, and stretching. But one thing I notice a lot is that people (especially men) mainly just workout their upper bodies. Your legs contain the biggest muscles in your bodies: thighs, hamstrings, and glutes. You burn more calories by working out those groups of muscles and working out your legs makes your upper body stronger (a building is only as string as its foundation). IMO the best exercise that you can do is barbell squats. Not only do squats workout all of the muscles in your lower body, but also workout every other muscle in your body.
[Off-topic] Dirk:
Yeah, Scooby is the man! He gives very sound advice and guidance. If you had to choose one person to be your training guru, it should be Scooby.

You're preaching to the choir my friend. I agree completely. There's so much of it in my gym, although it's probably the same everywhere. Ego lifters with Chicken legs. I hate them with a passion. As you said, squats stimulate the whole body and leg work in general requires the most effort, therefore giving the biggest rewards.

There was a skinny-legged noob on the Squat Rack the other day with a way overloaded bar. I couldn't believe he was going to squat that weight so i watched...and sure enough the bend in his knees was so imperceptible that you had to look closely to see it. He did a whole set of 'reps' like that. It's not just the noobs either. Even some of the regular guys in my gym have obviously never done a leg day, even after years of lifting.
[Off-topic] roofrider:
Hey Dirk, i'm gonna do squats starting today (have only done free squats), one day for legs and abs (that's the plan for now). Any tips or videos for squats, smith machine or free BB squat? Looks like scooby doesn't do squats but only squat alternatives. I could ask the trainer at the gym but at this point i prefer internet knowledge to him.
[Off-topic] m0cha5hake:
Lol. I've got chicken legs. :( But my legs are the strongest part of my body. I do three days of lower body and two days of upper body. I used to be able to squat around 350 lbs in high school, but no I'm down to around 310-320 lbs. Also, I do full squats, ass to grass and don't use a belt either.

Yea it really pains the eyes watching noobs pile too much weight on the bar, try to lift it with the poorest form imaginable, then only do one set and peace out. You've got to learn how to crawl before you walk.

Everything Dirk said is right, start off light. If its your first time and you do too much weight then you will be definitely be super sore for the next couple of days; I'm talking so sore that it will probably take you a good minute or two just to sit down on the toilet. Also flexibility is really important. If you are not flexible enough you will not be able to do a full squat. So may need to stretch before attempting them. And yea I would ditch the personal trainer, everything you need to know can be found on the internet. Here is a really good site with a lot info and GIFs on weight lifting: ExRx. Youtube is also a excellent source; search for anything with squats, atg, olympic. Here are two vids with guys with good form.

[youtube]Yx5xZJwpkCs[/youtube]

[youtube]RzT1lY-q-hg[/youtube]
[Off-topic] Dirk:
And for a reminder of how puny most of us are, here's Ronnie Coleman squatting 800lbs:

[YOUTUBE]pM7uyP6cXgY[/YOUTUBE]
[Off-topic] Ichigo:
Goku can squat 1000's of tons...
[Off-topic] m0cha5hake:
I'm surprised that barbell isnt more bent than that.
[Off-topic] roofrider:
Thanks for the detailed post Dirk, it sure helps. Also thanks m0cha5hake.

But they don't have a squat rack in my gym that's why i used the smith machine today and here what i felt about it:

Feet were shoulder width apart with toes pointing out and i made sure my knees were in line with my feet. I went parallel, didn't do ass to ground. I read that causes knee injuries.. going way below?

But, i felt it only in my quads..no where else, no balance required, nothing. I'm not sure if what i did was today was correct because while my back was straight it was also perpendicular to the floor. If i had grabbed the BB i think that would be impossible cause i would fall back. If i'm going to use the smith machine again, think i need to take a step back so the bar lines with mid-foot. Am i correct?

I saw a guy using this machine, to rack the BB while doing squats. Think i'll try that next time.

Oh i wear my Converse everyday to gym so i got that covered. :D

And next time think i'll grab the BB, it feels more complete with balance and all, at one point today i was almost leaning back on the bar for support. Bad. :eek:

Also i think i have flexibility issues, if squats will help me with that, it's one more reason for me to do them. I can't even touch my feet without bending my knees, not even my ankle! As far as i can remember i've always had that issue with my legs.
[Off-topic] Dirk:
When done right you'll feel it in your glutes more than your quads. At least to start with. The glutes get more involved the deeper you squat though. As for knees, there's no evidence to suggest deep squats cause problems. Only sloppy technique does that. If you are using the Smith, line the bar up over your mid foot as you said. Personally i would steer clear. I'd rather do DB squats than use the Smith.

Try to do a few simple stretches each day. You'll be surprised how it helps over time. My flexibility was appalling but now i can put my hands palm down on the floor in front of my toes with my legs straight. Not bad for an old fella! Squatting will help, as will split squats etc. Just remember to start light and ramp up. Don't ever go heavy on the first set! The first couple of sets will loosen you up.

Shame you have no squat rack. You can always do the Clean/Press/Lower into position technique with a bar? I can manage that up to about 60KG, which is more than enough to keep you going for a while.
[Off-topic] m0cha5hake:
Yea I forget what the names of those machines are, but they allow for more natural movement than smith machines. You can do dead lifts on those, which works pretty much the same muscles as a squat. You can also do leg press if they have one at your gym. If you are going to squats on the smith machine I think its best to line your feet ahead of the bar, so you can get more of a sitting motion.

A lot of people say that ATG squats mess up your knees, but I think this is one of the greatest myths in weight lifting. Whenever you are lifting weights you always want to go through your full range of motion. If you stop halfway in your motion you are cheating the ligaments and muscles that are used in the other half of the motion. You shouldn't start off doing ATG squats, but once you gain strength, balance, and become more comfortable with your form, you should at least try them out. If you try them out and its not for you then don't do them.

---------- Post added at 11:59 AM ---------- Previous post was at 11:49 AM ----------

Yea I'm not really a fan of smith machines. I only use them for calf raises. They opened up a Gold's Gym around me last year. I went and checked it out and they didnt have any squat racks, benches, or barbells. All the had were machines, smith machines, and dumbbells. I asked the girl at the counter about why they didnt have any squat racks and she gave me some BS excuse about how they didnt have them for safety issues; I seriously have never ever heard anyone say something so stupid in all the years I've been lifting. I just couldnt believe that a Gold's Gym, the plave made famous by power lifters like Arnold Schwarzenegger, wouldnt have the equipment that most power lifter like to use.
[Off-topic] roofrider:
Palms on the floor!! Omg i would kill to get that kind of flexibility. Ya i can do that clean/press though..shouldn't be a problem as i won't be going heavy. But i don't think i'll do the clean press properly, that seem to be an exercise of it's own. I'll raise the like doing an OHP and lower it into position.

@Mocha, ya, i do leg presses, leg curls and leg extensions and seated calf raises. Again i read leg extensions are bad for knees, but i have not really gone heavy on these yet..although next time i'll try the squat press machine see how that works out. It's has a 45 degree angle.

Btw your views on smith machine bar and foot position is conflicting with Dirk's :eek: I'll try both. :) Oh, i'm going BB next week though.

In other news, i've made an attempt at getting the OP back to xda. For some reason he stopped visiting xda, he seems to be active elsewhere though. He's a cool guy.
[Off-topic] Ichigo:
So... How I work out is I push myself until I throw up or cannot continue, and then even after that I push myself until I collapse. Literally. Painful, but you get results. ;)