Abs/Pecs

[SenorBubbz]

I need them. Do you know how much of a DHV it is to have a facebook/myspace with with your shirt off and a manly six-pack showing?

What are things I can do to obtain these?

P.S. Pic of my with no shirt on (I'm not SUPER fat, just a bit chubby.)

[Nike]

really focus on what you are eating, "abs are made in the kitchen"

[nine]

For pecs, do Bench press, Incline bench press, Decline bench press, and Flys. I like to follow a 2 week 3 set of 10, 2 week 4 set 5, and a 2 week 4 set of 3.

Your pecs will look like two dinner plates in 3-4 months or longer depending on your genes and eating habits.

Nine

[SenorBubbz]

Thanks guys.

Now I need to find a way to do bench presses, the gym at my school is only open to those taking it in the curriculum (which I took already, fuck) and gyms nearby do not allow me to enter (too young).

[optimus]

You don't need to worry about a gym, you can do all the workouts you need at bodyweight. You'll have to amp the intensity way up (do a shitload more work in the same amount of time), and you won't be able to focus on muscle groups as well, but you'll get the job done.

Just sayin' because I used "no gym access" as an excuse to be lazy and get fat.

On the other hand, talk to your shcool's gym manager, ask him if you can get in to work out sometimes. Most of these guys love it when someone comes to them asking for help on a workout.

[nine]

Dec 8, 2008 21:49:21 GMT -5 @nassoor said:

I got a question for you Nine. The gym in my school isnt exactly state of the art. Is there anyway of doing the decline bench press without the declined bench itself? If not, another good lower workout would be appreciated.

Well sometimes schools have a regular bench that you use for curls and stuff that is adjustable, so you can lower that and use dumbells.

Another alternative, some pushups with your hands on a raised surface (I'm thinking bleachers, used to do 'em when I was in middle school) and touching the bottom of your sternum to the bleachers could work.

I know I'm missing something so I'll talk to the RB coach (he's the one that got me into lifting so much and knowing so much) tomorrow, hopefully he'll know something. Until then, you might want to check out bodybuilders.com. I use it a lot for putting together new sets for me and my partner.

Nine

[SenorBubbz]

optimus, what's bodyweight?

And what do I make my eating habits?
I eat a super small breakfast (some orange juice and a granola bar), for lunch I usually eat some type of meat (gyro, chicken cutlet, cheeseburger) and for dinner some classic brazilian food (red meat, rice and beans and usually some salad).

But lately, I've just been eating smaller and smaller amounts for some reason...

[Zomga48]

Wrong. Eat A LOT so you can feed your muscles. The trick is to eat a lot of calories but burn them off, more protein = good. You just need to eat a lot of the good foods. You don't need to watch your calories, watch the trans fat. Any fatty stuff that is solid at room temperature = bad. Drink Muscle-Milk or some variation of it immediately after a workout. The things you eat before and after a workout have a large effect on muscle gain. A bit of protein before bed would be good too. Your body repairs itself when you sleep so if you have a some fresh protein in your system beforehand your body should utilize it.

As for workouts, abs and pecs have lower, middle, and upper sections. Different exercise, e.g. variations of crunches and such, will target all of the sections providing a well-rounded 6-pack etc.

Another key to building muscle is that when you are working out, switch it up every couple weeks what you do. This shocks your body so it quickly builds muscle to combat the new stress.

Also, make sure to exercise ALL parts of your body. You can't get big guns/abs/pecs without working the other areas of your body too. Nine can help you with more specific stuff to build/tone muscle. More weight, less reps = bigger muscles. Less weight, more reps = tone. Don't forget to EAT EAT EAT good foods.

[SenorBubbz]

What are good foods?

[nine]

Dec 9, 2008 18:08:04 GMT -5 Zomga48 said:

More weight, less reps = bigger muscles. Less weight, more reps = tone. Don't forget to EAT EAT EAT good foods.

OMFG I LOVE MUSCLE-MILK!!!!!

K now that that's done, this is a common misconception. While it is true that high weight will produce hypertrophy, it's false that lower weight will tone you out. They will give you more endurance in those muscles, that's why wrestlers do sets of 12 and 15.

But wait, Nine, aren't wrestlers really toned? Yea, the good ones are, but they also do a shit load of cardio. To get toned you need to lose fat. Plain and simple.

I will tell you why this gets so easily confused though, when you do high weight low reps the muscles grow in bulk, just piling on. When you do low weight high reps, for example a hundred reps on squats (yes I've seen this done by a bodybuilder), no hypertrophy occurs, the muscles lengthen, creating cuts and defining all those heads on the quads, but this is not toning it, it will not show if there's fat over those. That's why you can do all the high reps you want, but if you're not under ~10% body fat those heads aren't going to look separated.

So if you wanna just get big, then go for all the calories you want, that's how power lifters do it. If you wanna get cut and ripped though, you'll need to be more selective.

What are good foods?

Chicken (no skin, baked broiled boiled or grilled) Salmon, Tuna, Turkey, and Rabbit (no fat what-so-ever, pure protein). This stuff is high in protein and low in calories. No red meat, that'll put on fat.

If you're looking to cut, most of you're carbs should be complex carbs coming from broccoli, wheat breads, oatmeal, ect. Things that take longer to digest and keep you full while packing energy. For bulking, eat everything that isn't sugary.

On a side note, talked to my coach and he said there's really nothing else you can do for your lower pecs that what I suggested, sorry.

Nine

[Nike]

hey wat i did to cut bad weight was just eat a power bar/clift bar at breakfeats, two turkey sandwiches for lucnh and one sandwich and broccoli or grapes at dinner. i wieghed 207 and after 5 months of that diet i got down to 167. thet key is COMMITMENT, no exceptions such as the occasional bag of chips or soft drink. and for your liquids i recommend water, u can get it at most places escpecially from the sink, learn to love water bc it is the best thing for u

[nine]

Damn walla, that's impressive. Do you know what your current body fat% is? Also, were you doing any sports? I'm in wrestling/lifting and it's taking it's toll. Everyday you have a card that has what weight you're supposed to do, if you don't get all your reps the coaches start to think you're slacking. It's hard on less than 1500 cal a day along with practice. Hell, I can only get like 60g of protein without any shakes.

Nine

[Nike]

it was definatley the hardest thing ive ever done both mentally and physically. But my im at 186 now and have too much body fat ... but senorbubbz post was a slap in the face for me and now im getting back on track, but the diet is not going to be as extreme.

But yea nine i was working out alot, the diet i had was really unorthodox and stupid but it worked really well really fast. But loosing weight is all in the head, you gotta be true to yourself if u want success!

[optimus]

@senor: Bodyweight excercises use only your body for resistance. Pushups, pullups, etc. Rudimentary, but it gets the job done.

@zomga: You're totally right. If you work out your entire body, you're going to get a lot of definition. If you only focus on a couple of muscle groups, you're going to look like a freak.

nine: Muscle Milk is the Best! Have you tried Muscle Milk Light? My buddies who wrestle drink it during the season because it has just as much protein, but fewer carbs and calories.

@walla: I respect you. That is impressive.

I know everyone else has put in their two cents, but I think you should eat a big(ish) breakfast, and then eat a mid-morning snack, small lunch, mid-afternoon snack, small dinner. The key is to space out your meals. Might be nothing, but I feel better when I do it.

[Volt]

hmm, I changed up my workout routine to a low-weight, high-rep one before reading this, and the last few weeks have shown me the fastest improvement in a while. My biceps and calves are much more clearly defined. Could this be because I got food poisoning and lost 10 pounds (too much, I've been trying to eat a shitload but I can't force enough down without shakes) or is it the routine?