Gym thread (2014)

[Irving4Prez]

You don't have to be a body builder to 'look attractive and have big muscles'. Generally people in the 16-18 age group just want to have a nice aesthetic physique so that they look good in singlets or at the beach. I only know of one 17 yr old who wants to become a body builder and already looks like a bear

[brenden]

I think Spesh just meant that most guys aimed for hypertrophy. I don't think he was referring to contests/the profession.

[Irving4Prez]

Haha, definitely overlooked his point then.

What is your guys shoulders and traps regime?

[brenden]

Overhead press, bench press.

[abeybaby]

Side raises, DB shoulder press, rear raises, barbell military press (or front raises if feeling down), shrugs

[Irving4Prez]

Overhead press, bench press.

Yeeee man! Killer work out

Side raises, DB shoulder press, rear raises, barbell military press (or front raises if feeling down), shrugs

What's your range of motion for shrugs? I used to roll my shoulders but then got advised just to go up and down

[abeybaby]

down and forward (scapula protracted) --> up and back (scapula retracted)

[brenden]

They're a different type of shrug. If you hold them by to side and just try and touc your shoulder to your ear kinda thing (up and down), I call that "trap shrug". Rolling will activate a lot more of the upper back muscles. I used to roll forward in a big hunch, then inverse the movement and roll back with as much thoracic extension and 'chest pop' as possible. Just do both :p


Edit: what Abe said :p

[Robert243]

]tried that ones definitely not a piece of cake ,that's all I can say . Anyone do any leg weights

[abeybaby]

The difference between bodybuilders and guys with muscle is the dedication. Bodybuilding is the only sport that requires a full 24 hours of your day - literally everything you do throughout the day is conducive to your goal - you don't get time off. you don't get a break, it's not okay if you just skip 1 meal, or just have a relaxed training session once in a while. Sorry, just that bodybuilding is a big passion of mine. It teaches you discipline and dedication, how to focus on a goal and give it everything you can give it.

And yes, I do leg weights. Legs are probably my favourite thing to train.

EDIT: I didn't take offence, you don't have to amend your post Bullet

[DJA]

the difference between body builders and generally guys with muscles , are that most body builders shave their legs, arms , chest

lol what a statement

[Robert243]

Haha didnt mean to be offensive there sorry , im just curious , however not all do , just some I know . And there's nothing wrong with it anyway . I'd also say another difference is the amount of food some intake.

[abeybaby]

Haha didnt mean to be offensive there sorry , im just curious , however not all do , just some I know . And there's nothing wrong with it anyay . I'd also say another difference is the amount of food some intake.

it's okay, no offence taken

And yeah, hair removal is necessary for competition, but i mean that there are much larger differences between a competitive bodybuilder and a recreational gym goer.

[Robert243]

Out of curiosity how many hours a day , should someone who wants to be a body builder put in .

[brenden]

The difference between bodybuilders and guys with muscle is the dedication. Bodybuilding is the only sport that requires a full 24 hours of your day - literally everything you do throughout the day is conducive to your goal - you don't get time off. you don't get a break, it's not okay if you just skip 1 meal, or just have a relaxed training session once in a while. Sorry, just that bodybuilding is a big passion of mine. It teaches you discipline and dedication, how to focus on a goal and give it everything you can give it.

And yes, I do leg weights. Legs are probably my favourite thing to train.

Absolutely. This is why I have crazy respect for (legit) bodybuilders rather than the bicep monkeys in the gym.

Same. Squats three times a week. Yeeeee.

I notice some new guys in this thread so I'll say this to you now: you'll be tempted to do bicep curls, tricep extensions, lots of bench press and a fuck load of volume (because that's what you w been shown in movies etc). You might train legs for four weeks, then only once a fortnight once you realise that leg presses hurt, then you'll conveniently forget to ever do it again.
You might also think that eight weeks is enough to make a transformation or that results should come quickly. this is bullshit. Results - real results - come slowly, and with consistency. You don't need to make huge sacrifices, you just need to go to the gym even if you have a headache, even if it's been a big day, even if a customer yelled at you at work.
Also - on the bicep curls and bench press: this is an awesome way to looking really messed up really fast. You guys might think "man I'm so skinny. I'll do curls all day and be the hottest thing around". (Don't worry, I've been there, too. When I first started doing push-ups I thought my biceps would get huge).  This thought pattern is a recipe for problems down the track.
In my very personal opinion you new guys should avoid curls for a while. $10 says when you guys start doing assisted pull ups, you'll feel it all in your forearms and biceps instead of your lats/back. Start on a basic strength training program. Do squad, deadlifts, bench press, barbell rows, overhead presses, kettle bell swings, box jumps, sandbag carries (or things filled with water, some gyms have at least some type of unstable weight). This way, if you ever want to look like an absolute unit you'll have an amazing foundation and a big potential for building a great body. If you start doing only isolation exercises right now, you'll just be weaker and you'll probably end up over developing already overdeveloped muscles. Right now, train in a way that will improve your posture, that will let you breathe better. I guarantee you, almost all women (and men, if you're a girl or gay guy) will be far more attracted to you if you walk into a room with a straight back than with huge arms and a rounded back. I know right now biceps sound brilliant - but do you how sexy a good back is? I would probably turn for a sexy looking back.

Tl;dr - thank me in five years.