I WANNA BE A BODYBUILDER Subject: Re: HELP! I want to be a bodybuilder From: "Jeffrey Klaus" Date: Thu, 24 Sep 1998 23:25:55 -0700 Okay, lets see if we cant get you off in the right direction. Bodybuilding is as much an art as it is a science, so everything you hear/read has to be taken with a grain of salt, whether it be an IFBB pro bodybuilder or a Kenisiology expert. One thing to note -- nutrition is one of the most important aspects of bodybuilding. >>I've changed my workout program probably hmm about 35 times now. I work out at a First off once you decide on a decent schedule stick to it. Bodybuilding is a long process and takes time to see results. You should stick with the same basic schedule for at least two months as you are beginning. Slight changes can be made, but basically keep it consistant so you can see what is working and what isnt. >>"fitness center" with free "trainers" who don't have much knowledge of bodybuilding. >>I've been misguided, by them, and by my own reading many times. Dont be surprised, most people, even `fitness experts' know very little about bodybuilding. They might have theoretical or textbook knowledge but lack in actual experience. You will soon learn by your successess and mistakes, and become your own expert. Everyones' body is different and responds in different ways so be patient and you'll learn what works for you. >>Every week or two I find out something new that I've been doing wrong. A lot of >>the time I don't know if what I'm doing is right or not, I just cross my fingers and >>go with it until something goes wrong. Dont beat yourself up. If your just beginning you will make mistakes, and that is how we learn. If you are making mistakes, take them in stride; you are learning. Once your on your track you'll start to learn what are simple do's and dont's. >>I really, really want to be a bodybuilder. I have the DRIVE, I have the MOTIVATION! >>I love working out! BUT, I don't have the knowledge. It's really frustrating to >>wake up one day and say "oh I've been doing that all wrong for the past 6 months." Well you're more than half way there. Bodybuilding is equally a muscle and mind regiment. If you are willing and patient all else will follow - yes even the knowledge :-) >>1. Do I really need a trainer? There is a big guy at the gym, he's >>obviously a sucessful bodybuilder. He can work me into his schedule, and >>not charge me anything. Do I have him set me up a program? Do I TRUST >>him? What if I LOSE muscles? I don't really have a lot of money to spend No you dont need a trainer. I know I might get flamed for this but I believe it to be the truth. Hard work, dedication, eating right, and time will yeild the results your looking for. I know Ive come from there. Save your money for a trainer. The basics is all you need and as you'll see later is really quite simple. >>2. Every source I've read says something different. High reps, low weights, low >>reps, high weights. Train at least twice a week or you are just teasing your >>muscles. Train hard once a week, or you won't rest enough to make gains. Use an >>exercise that works 3 muscles at once. isolate! etc. Sometimes it can be very confusing. Ask five experts and get five answers. Here are the basics. For muscle growth using a rep range of 6-10 and about 3-4 sets, and 3-4 excercises per body group -> this will yield more muscle development than would high reps. Its pretty much the norm thinking and IS accurate. As for training frequency you might have just missunderstood. Usually train 3-4 days a week (actually going to the gym), but only train each body part once a week. Example: Monday - Chest & Arms Tuesday - Legs Wednesday - Rest Thursday - Back Friday - Shoulders, Abs Sat & Sun - Rest This is just an example. As you can see you are working out 4 days a week, but only every body part just once per week. This allows you to effectively work your muscles and get enough recouperation time. >>I've tried them all. People keep stealing my workout journals, so I don't >>have much of a record, unfortunately. How do I figure out what is best >>for me? I'd love to be stronger, but when I lift heavy, say 3-4 sets of >>about 8 reps or failure, my muscles start shaking and that's it- it takes >>me a week to before I can lift heavy again. If I lift lighter my muscles >>swell up..I'm not sure if it's water retention or actual muscle! I mean, >>what if I thought I was all buff and all, and I took a diuretic and I >>SHRANK! haha. I really need help working out a program I can stick with. Keeping a journal is a good idea. Buy a small bound notebook and carry it with you as you work out. Ive had a journal for about 3 years. Its nice to look back at your progression. As for lifting the Example should give you an indication that you cant lift heavy every bodypart everyday otherwise your overtraining. >>3. I love to skate- it's my other hobby. If I could do it, I would go >>skating every single day of the week. I need a program where I can do >>both, and not get so EXHAUSTED! . It seems like when I get on a really >>tough program at the gym I don't have much energy left for HIT skating. >>Do I have to make a choice between which I'm going to train hard at? Or is >>there some way of doing both? At only 1 day a week of HIT skating my If your looking for maximum gains, you wont be able to achieve them with doing heavy cardio work for 1-2 hours a day. However if you looking for a good balance, cardio is an integral part of Bodybuilding. You can do say 20-30 minutes a day or say on saturday or sundays. Just make sure you are eatting enough. >>4. I've been reading up on Type I and II muscles. I think I know what >>that means now. I also read that if you do anaerobic training you build up >>lactic acid, which causes the aches and pains. I think that's Type II. Dont be too concerned about actual muscle types as there are many variations and differences in opinions, stick with the basics and your set. Remember the best advice is K.I.S.S. -- Keep It Simple Stupid >>5. I also read (I caught a virus this week and couldn't do any activities >>so I made up for it by reading about it..) that creatine works by giving >>you the precursors to ATP, so that when you are using type II muscles, you Yes creatine is an effective supplement. Although not necessary a good choice. It will aid in muscle size and strength. First try and get on a good routine and start seeing some gains, then try creatine. >>6. After about 5 days of training I get pretty tired. . What can I do >>to maximize my energy levels? Do I just gradually increase over time >>until I get stronger and more energy? Does it take more years of training? >>Does more muscle mass really give you more energy? Is lugging around Fat is a bad food source, usually only stored. Protein is essential -- usually 1gram per body pound. Which is quite hard to get so usually a supplement shake is in order. Try and keep your diet balanced between food types, not 12 cups of veggies and nothing else. Vitamins/Minerals are important. Usually the average bodybuilder needs 3x the RDA listing. Hopefully this answers your questions. Stick to a simple routine, something like the example above. For actual exercises there are a good variety. Usually cables and machines arent the best for mass but are good shaping techniques; put one cable exercise in your workout for each body part. Try for the basics like incline press, decline press, flat bench press - either dumbells or bar. Squats, leg press, leg extensions, ham curls. Standing barbell bicep curl, preacher curl. Tricep push down, tri extensions. Donkey Calf raises, calf extensions, seated calf raises. Lat pull downs, Rows. These are basic exercises. When starting out its best to use these basics to get you going. Once your on your way youll see and start to learn. Let us know how you do!! Keep pumpin. Jeffrey Klaus 97 Alberta Bantam 3rd Place 97 Southern Alberta Bantam Champ ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Subject: Re: HELP! I want to be a bodybuilder From: "Hamish Ferguson" Date: Thu, 24 Sep 1998 23:27:34 -0700 >From: "Scorpina" >So here are some questions for anyone who is willing to answer. Please >help me if you can! Just as a suggestion you may want to post each question separately. Long posts are usually skipped by a lot of people and quite often you lose track of the original questions if a specific question generates a lot of discussion. >1. Do I really need a trainer? There is a big guy at the gym, he's >obviously a successful bodybuilder. He can work me into his schedule, and >not charge me anything. Do I have him set me up a program? Do I TRUST >him? What if I LOSE muscles? I don't really have a lot of money to spend >on a personal trainer right now (starting our own business) but if that's >what is necessary, I'll do it. Or can I get along ok on my own? Yes you need a trainer. Choose someone with knowledge, experience, qualifications and most importantly results in training OTHERS. I emphasise the last piece. Your big guy at the gym may just be naturally big or have been training for many years. Doesn't mean he knows how to train others. Quite often the benefit of a trainer is that they cut a lot of unnecessary training out of the programme and will also steer you past a lot of the training and supplements BS that is part of bodybuilding. They will also help you set reasonable yet challenging goals. The short term results along the way will only further your desire to get better. So yes spend that extra money. Even if it's once every 3-4 weeks to update a programme or to just swap ideas. >2. Every source I've read says something different. High reps, low >weights, low reps, high weights. Every thing is right. It's just where you place it in the programme. >I've tried them all. People keep stealing my workout journals, so I don't >have much of a record, unfortunately. Huh? >How do I figure out what is best >for me? I'd love to be stronger, but when I lift heavy, say 3-4 sets of >about 8 reps or failure, my muscles start shaking and that's it- it takes >me a week to before I can lift heavy again. This is good, backs up the train each body part once a week plan (within reason). >3. I love to skate- it's my other hobby. If I could do it, I would go >skating every single day of the week. I need a program where I can do >both, and not get so EXHAUSTED! . I think the thing with lots of aerobic training is that it takes up a lot of energy that detracts from time spent in the gym. The really big guys at our gym (admittedly a few of them are steroid users, but lets not go there) do bugger all aerobic work. A bit of walking on the treadmill. A few of the more athletic bodybuilders (in the NABBA Mr Athletic grade) still do lots of cardio, aerobics class's and outdoor aerobic activities. >Do I have to make a choice between which I'm going to train hard at? To be really big I would say yes. >Or is >there some way of doing both? At only 1 day a week of HIT skating my >performance improved SO much. I was training on with a speed team last >year and my heart became incredibly stronger. This is a big advantage. Greg Kovacs was a guest poser here in Christchurch, New Zealand last year. He ran out of puff just posing on stage. I sorta think that if this guy had to run 100m he would die! > Since I really just want to >be a bodybuilder and not really a power-lifter, can I somehow just ...can I >have a program where I'm lifting, but not to exhaustion, but still making >some gains? I like to do a little every day instead of this kill >yourself on Monday and Tues, then take the rest of the week off stuff. Depending on your training history you should be able to progress onto a 3-5 day split programme. > So what happens if you do mostly aerobic weight training? Do you still >get sore muscles? (Besides DOMS). Is that how people train several >times in the same week, by working Type I muscles? You will get well trained Slow Twitch muscle fibres. This is what endurance athletes train for. You will get hypertrophy in these muscle fibres but this will not make you a large bodybuilder. Just look at the top endurance athletes in any sport. >5. I also read (I caught a virus this week and couldn't do any activities >so I made up for it by reading about it..) that creatine works by giving >you the precursors to ATP, so that when you are using type II muscles, you >can make more ATP (more anaerobic energy), you don't build up lactic acid >as fast, and can do more in a workout. hmm My take on creatine is that you take it to resupply creatine used during intensive training. The body does this anyway and over time you will build up higher stores in the muscle. Creatine supplementation helps if you are training intensively each day and are not allowing enough time for the bodies creatine supplies to be restored. This is why creatine is likened to steroids as a way to help sustain a higher volume of training. So until you are ready for the 5 day split save your money. >6. After about 5 days of training I get pretty tired. . What can I do >to maximise my energy levels? Rest and eat. Heaps of carbs, you need lots of energy to fuel the training and hopefully the subsequent growth of muscle. >Do I just gradually increase over time >until I get stronger and more energy? Does it take more years of training? > Does more muscle mass really give you more energy? No it actually uses more energy. With consistent training, recovery and sound nutrition your muscle will store more creatine and glycogen so can work harder but a larger muscle is more metabolically active than a small one and requires more energy. >Is lugging around >this extra 10-20 lbs making me more tired? I changed my diet around >because of hypoglycaemia last month. Originally I was eating a ton of >carbs, mainly pasta to keep my energy levels high. As soon as I ate I >could actually feel my metabolism speed up..my body would even heat up. >Then I switched to meat, veggies, and fruit only, to control the blood >sugar. I got run down really fast...then I would go into a carb frenzy and >eat like a ton of oats and suddenly my energy would all come back. I did >some more research this weekend on foods: those veggies just don't charge >my batteries too well. . Trick is to eat constantly over the day. Several small meals. It is not unheard of to see bodybuilders get up at 2am and 5am at night to have a small meal to keep their energy levels high. >I just can't seem to get >fat to work as my main energy source...or does that take longer than a >month to switch over? Without going down the low-carb path you should focus on getting a good balance. If you want to loose body fat you will need to cut calories. This is hard to do while trying to put on muscle. Fred Hatfield suggests a zig zag style diet where if body fat loss is your goal then eat fewer calories than needed for five days to lose fat and eat above your optimal level for two to ensure that too much muscle is not lost. To gain muscle he suggests to eat above your optimal level for 5 days and below for two to provide enough cals to gain but a couple of low cal days to prevent too much fat going on. >BTW, we got a new girl at work. Everyone else now is used to my huge >"lunches", but she hasn't seen it before. She looks at me and says "you'll get fat!" Meanwhile she is "lightly >snacking" on a ho-ho and a Pepsi...lucky for her I was too busy eating to >say anything.. How old is she? At our gym, which is supposedly the babe hangout there are tons of really attractive 16-23 year old girls but past 25 there are far fewer. At about 20 metabolism starts to slow down and it takes 3-5 years before it starts to show. Just an observation. Cheers Hamish ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Subject: Re: HELP! I want to be a bodybuilder From: Bill Kerr Date: Thu, 24 Sep 1998 23:29:00 -0700 The following is based on my years of training and study; having been through what it sounds like you're going through and having watched the various schedule-wars on this list and in other places. I am not currently certified in any physical training organization, but I have helped myself and a number of friends achieve a variety of fitness goals. So take this with a grain of salt, your mileage may vary, see a physician before engaging in any strenuous physical activity and blah blah blah...... > 1. Do I really need a trainer? No. Especially one you don't know, who may or may not have any certifications, may or may not be using illegal supplements (if he's really that big), may or may not have any experience assisting others and may or may not have some other (ulterior) motive for be willing to work with you, for free. I would be flattered if someone asked me, but I would have a lot of questions for them before I said I would work with them. And the bototm line is that you don't need a trainer. What you do need, and this applies to the rest of the advice here, is to know what you want to accomplish. Do you really want to be a bodybuilder? Do you want to be a powerlifter? Do you want to be better at athletics and sports? Do you want to have a certain look? Do you simply want to be strong and healthy? You need to figure that out so that your training will get you where you want to be. > 2. Every source I've read says something different. Because different workout strategies work for 1) different physiologies, 2) different levels of experience and 3) different goals. Powerlifting workouts are quite different from bodybuilding workouts. An advanced lifter's workout is quite different from a beginning lifter's workout. You have to try different things and stick with the ones that work. In general, beginning lifters can work the same muscles more often because they recover faster. Advanced lifters usually do fine with a once per week per muscle group workout. Beginners can do three full-body workouts per week and get enough recovery. > .... when I lift heavy, say 3-4 sets of > about 8 reps or failure, That's too many sets at the same weight. Do one or two sets with the highest weight you're going to handle (4-8 reps). Pyramiding up, pyramiding down -- that's all up to you to figure out what you like and what works, but you don't need to do 4 sets of 8 or so reps, to failure, for every muscle group. > I really need help working out a program I can stick with. This depends on your overall health and fitness goals and the time you have available. In general, you can really only maintain the high intensity that makes a weight program successful for 45-60 minutes in a workout. One of the main reasons why some people use 'roids is because they allow you to recover much more quickly, which means you can work out more often. They don't so much add muscle per se, but rather allow you to build muscle more quickly. > It seems like when I get on a really > tough program at the gym I don't have much energy left for HIT skating. You probably need more sleep. Sleep is usually one of the things missing in a lifter's program. Sleep is when your body actually builds muscle. Sleep is when your entire system recovers for all the hard work of the day. Pros sleep a lot when they're training. Most people these days do not sleep enough if they're doing a lot of exercise. > I like to do a little every day instead of this kill > yourself on Monday and Tues, then take the rest of the week off stuff. I doubt that you're really at a level of training where this kind of schedule would be an effective one. You need to be very well developed and at peak performance, usually after years of hard training, before a once-a-week regimen is enough. > 6. After about 5 days of training I get pretty tired. Sleep! Your eyelids are getting heavy........... > Does more muscle mass really give you more energy? YES! This is the worst thing to get people to believe. They're tired at the end of every workday and you tell them they need to walk for 30-60 minutes for their health and they all say, "But I don't have any energy." Of course not! You haven't built up any muscle to store it up in! But if they do it, they learn. > Is lugging around this extra 10-20 lbs making me more tired? Out of what? I weigh 250 and 20 pounds is less than 10% of my weight, so it doesn't matter that much to me (and bodybuilding isn't my schtick, so I'm not looking for absolute minimum on bodyfat). Think percentages, not absolute weight amounts.