GordyR's Beginners Guide to Bodybuilding

[Noxis]

Post your whole diet as it is atm. with times and food eaten.

Regular Parts of my diet (week days):

9am: Fruit n Fibre cereal
1pm: Sandwiches (white bread) with either cheese or ham, some lettuce and mayo + crisps + Jaffa Cake Bar + Apple and a Banana, for drink its usually a carton of Juice (Pineapple / Orange).
7:30pm: Evening meal can be many things but always includes either mash potato or rice with either chicken or beef and a portion of freshly boiled veg (cabbage etc).

Weekends:
Skip breakfast coz I am never hungry until lunch
Lunch: Beans on toast / Macaroni and cheese (with ketchup!)
Dinner: Many things (I do the weekends cooking ) steak n chips / pizza / pie / spag bol...

 

[richie.guy]

Wow that diet is terrible

Read the first post he makes about diet. They're rough guidlines...you need to change it totally, i don't know where to start with it so have a read of the first post.

 

[Alchemy]

Hi, I've got another question about reps/sets. This sounds like a relaly silly question, but I'm really not sure what to do.

When you do your first set do you push yourself your hardest and really max out, or do you just do between 8-10 (or however many reps your normally do) despite the fact that you can do more but you don't in order to be able to do 8-10 in the following sets.

The way I have always done it is aimed at doing 8-10 sets but really pushing myself, so just managing to get that last one in with every last bit of strength in me, but this results in me only managing 5-7 reps in the second set and maybe 4-6 in the third set etc.

Thanks.

 

[oddjob62]

Hi, I've got another question about reps/sets. This sounds like a relaly silly question, but I'm really not sure what to do.

When you do your first set do you push yourself your hardest and really max out, or do you just do between 8-10 (or however many reps your normally do) despite the fact that you can do more but you don't in order to be able to do 8-10 in the following sets.

The way I have always done it is aimed at doing 8-10 sets but really pushing myself, so just managing to get that last one in with every last bit of strength in me, but this results in me only managing 5-7 reps in the second set and maybe 4-6 in the third set etc.

Thanks.

For me, if for example i am doing 5 sets of 5, i will make sure i get 5 reps on each set. If i get all 5x5 i move up the weight for next time, if i don't get it i stay on the same weight.

Both ways are good, but some people find one way works for them better than the other.

 

[Viral]

I have a quick question for you. If I am already carrying some excess fat should I skip the bulking up phase and go straight to the weightloss phase. I am currently 171 pounds and 5ft 6in and I would guess that I have around 30% bodyfat, but I have no way of measuring it.

 

[Alchemy]

For me, if for example i am doing 5 sets of 5, i will make sure i get 5 reps on each set. If i get all 5x5 i move up the weight for next time, if i don't get it i stay on the same weight.

Both ways are good, but some people find one way works for them better than the other.

So how do you manage to always do 5 reps on ever set? What I was asking is do you really max out on the first few sets or could you actually manage to do more reps but you stop in order to do 5 reps on the next few sets?

 

[A2Z]

So how do you manage to always do 5 reps on ever set? What I was asking is do you really max out on the first few sets or could you actually manage to do more reps but you stop in order to do 5 reps on the next few sets?

you stop at 5

personally i do 4X6, when i get to 6 reps i stop, regardless if i can do more reps, until i can do 6 reps for 4 sets, then i push up the weight

I have a quick question for you. If I am already carrying some excess fat should I skip the bulking up phase and go straight to the weightloss phase. I am currently 171 pounds and 5ft 6in and I would guess that I have around 30% bodyfat, but I have no way of measuring it.

Personally i would yes. When you're cutting, your workout routine is the same as it would be if you're bulking anyway, just the diet is different, so you would still be gaining strength

 

[Youstolemyname]

I have a quick question for you. If I am already carrying some excess fat should I skip the bulking up phase and go straight to the weightloss phase. I am currently 171 pounds and 5ft 6in and I would guess that I have around 30% bodyfat, but I have no way of measuring it.

I am assuming you are a beginner at training, if you aren't then I apologise in advance. I would go for an all around body workout coupled with decent diet and cardio eg.

Monday- All over workout +20-30 mins steady cardio
Tuesday- High intensity interval training
Weds- All over workout+ 20-30 mins steady cardio
Thurs-No exercise
Friday- All over workout+20-30 mins steady cardio
Saturday- Sprints
Sunday- No exercise

This will get your body used to lifting weights and doing exercise. In the first few months, if you eat correctly, then your bodyfat will drop and you should gain a little bit of muscle. After the first few months you will plateau and wont gain anything. That's when you need to go onto a split routine and really work the bodyparts individually and hard.

I can spec you a diet and exercises to go with that plan if you want?

 

[Euro_Hunter]

So how do you manage to always do 5 reps on ever set? What I was asking is do you really max out on the first few sets or could you actually manage to do more reps but you stop in order to do 5 reps on the next few sets?

What you need to do is keep a training diary listing what exercises you have done, what weight & how many reps.

So for example last week you bench pressed:
1 set of 12 reps - 100lb
1 set of 10 reps - 110lb
1 set of 8 reps - 125lb

So this week you would want to aim a bit higher (increasing either weight or reps) now you know what you can do, say for example:

1 set 10 reps 105lb
1 set 10 reps 115lb
1 set 10 reps 125lb

No increase in max weight lifted but still harder than last week & now you have reached the 10 reps with 125lb next week increase this by 5 or 10lb.

This is the method I use whenever I can lift the weight for my target number of reps (10) I increase the weight.

Nige.

 

[Viral]

Thanks for the info Youstolemyname, it would be great if you could draw up a regime for me, thanks

 

[Fusion]

I can highly recommend lunges, my glutes love them. Combined with squats, you've a formidable leg building force.

 

[brocksta]

I can highly recommend lunges, my glutes love them. Combined with squats, you've a formidable leg building force.

seconded, lunges are the most nackering weight exercise ive ever come across, but they are flippin' good!

dumbell lunges are also great for working on your grip too!

 

[VeNT]

that OP looks realy good, if only I understood any of it
I've been going to the gym for about 6 months now, just about to change to another (newer, closer, cleaner etc) and have to do induction etc again.
I've not lost any weight, and I don't think I've lost any fat either tbh.
when I started the guy showing us what to do told us that we should do all the muscles every time (ie the weight machines for legs, arms, back, chest etc) rather than doing one group each day, guess I've been going wrong following his advice .
I never realised how big a part the diet played in exercise, I've been trying to eat less (I've cut out the burgers etc) but I'm hopeless at getting breakfast in the morning and lunch most days! another thing I can see I need to change.

love the sticcy GordyR, realy think this is going to help!

 

[oddjob62]

when I started the guy showing us what to do told us that we should do all the muscles every time (ie the weight machines for legs, arms, back, chest etc) rather than doing one group each day, guess I've been going wrong following his advice .

There's nothing wrong with full body workouts especially for a beginner. For the first few months you won't actually be pushing your muscles to the limit, you will be "Learning" the lifts, and strenghthening all those little stabilizer muscles that you never used before.

If you've been consistently going for 6 months now you might want to think about splitting your days, then again, a lot of people keep with full body all the time.

I never realised how big a part the diet played in exercise, I've been trying to eat less (I've cut out the burgers etc) but I'm hopeless at getting breakfast in the morning and lunch most days! another thing I can see I need to change.

Some changes will definately need to be made if you want that dream bod

 

[VeNT]

Some changes will definately need to be made if you want that dream bod

yeah I guessed that, but who has the time? but then if we do not make time how can we ever HAVE time?

 

[Youstolemyname]

Thanks for the info Youstolemyname, it would be great if you could draw up a regime for me, thanks

Have a looksie in HERE and this should really help

 

[Alchemy]

Thanks for the responce Euro_Hunter and A2Z.

 

[brocksta]

yeah I guessed that, but who has the time? but then if we do not make time how can we ever HAVE time?

It is tough but i found the best thing to do is make a diet plan. Look at the times you have free, and work up a plan of what to eat during that time. Its hard at first but once youve been doing it for a while it comes a lot easier believe me

 

[BoomAM]

I'd agree with the above.
After a month or so your diet plan will become second nature. I now find myself naturally avoiding certain foods & drinks and going for others without thinking about it now.

 

[Alchemy]

I'm having a little break, as I need to spend all my time doing revision. I will be all done by the end of June, and I will then carry on. Is there anything I should know when I do get back into it? Maybe I should cut down the calories I'm taking in as I'm not working out for the time being?