we dont want to but we have to

[Suleiman]

i noticed that when it comes to being animal the last thing i hear about is the abs i guess because it mean cardio annd cardio kills muscle then again some have their own ways of dealing with it....my question is whats your veiw on working the abs and what tip can you give me

[peterpyper]

i do mostly leg raises,when im using the bar,chin ups or pull ups,effective as hell

[dsquared]

Leg raises, double crunches with the heaviest ball I can find, bridges I think they're called (when you hold yourself up in pushup position and focus on keeping your stomach tense), around-the-worlds for obliques, decline crunches... 3 days a week. They'll show up when I cut.

[karmazon]

cardio kills muscle


WHAT?!?

[Hollywood]

First off, cardio does not "kill muscle". Cardio burns fat. Secondly, abs are a necessary evil by all means. Nobody wants to do them because they cant see them, but they're there under our stomach fat. This is why when we're bulking we have to do abs so they are more defined when we do cardio. And no you abs wont "die" if you do cardio, they'll actually "come to life" if you want to put it that way.

[brutal]

cardio isn't killing your muscle bro. youre burning cals, so you need to eat some more so youre getting enough to sustain your gym time and build muscle. as far as abs, leg raises will get the lower part and weighted crunches will get your abs. get them two or three times a week and when it comes time to cut they'll show up. your abs might not be really defined right now, but youll get a strong core which is important in all your lifts. keep at it brother.

[Pokoritel]

The best lower ab workout that I know of are reverse crunches. Its when your on a bench and you bring your knees as close to your head as possible, and its just a crazy burn. Another good lower ab workout i like is doing bench leg raises and for some reason it just gives me a killer burn. With the way I eat you really cant see my abs at all.

[karmazon]

My favorite ab exercise is cable crunch:

http://www.exrx.net/AnimatedEx/RectusAbdominis/CBKneelingCrunch.gif

I do it a little differently than in the animation(my knees are further away from my head and I go down lower).

[CAPO190]

Since when is working out your abs considered cardio?

[Torque757]

Since when is working out your abs considered cardio?

You gotta do cardio, to burn fat, to have abs show. Cardio doenst "kill muscle", but does burn calories, which in turn can rob muscle tissue of calories needed for growth. Timing is big with cardio. Also, a good way to insure your cardio isnt burning cals that could be building muscle is to, for exanple, walk on an incline at 3.5 mph for 35 minutes. The calories burned from low intensity cardio such as that will be the highest percentage of fat calories, The cals for running will not be as high percentage of fat as low intesnity, but you are burning more cals total so it evens out fat wise, just more other cals when runnnig.

For someone like me, I need all the cals I can get going towards muscle, so I do low intensity 3x a week.

[Matoltsy85]

Abs are a problem with me also. I started eating alot and all the weight i gained went straight to my stomach. Im at NO MEANS fat anywhere on my body besides my stomach.

What I was wondering was, do I need to do more cardio to burn that fat off of my abs, so they are visable, or will doing abs workouts eventually burn off the fat?

[never_2_big]

i work my abs 2 days a week, both days focus on my lower abs cause i think this is where they are more stubborn, cardio is a necessary evil even during off season... you gotta keep your metabolism in top gear andi use 2 30 minute sessions to do it...

[IRN-NML]

My favorite ab exercise is cable crunch:

http://www.exrx.net/AnimatedEx/RectusAbdominis/CBKneelingCrunch.gif

I do it a little differently than in the animation(my knees are further away from my head and I go down lower).

Agree on this one & they can be done facing or away from the stack. If the stack isn't heavy enough, use the longest pin with a ball on it & hang a plate for added wgt.

Abs can be worked at home too; lying on floor & feet up on a chair for crunches. Easy to do when watching TV.

The abs are there; the diet is a big part of whether they show to any degree or not.

[rcrott1]

i do my abs 2-4 times a week....when i am doing db pullovers, i make sure to pretty much do weighted crunches at the same time.

rope pulls, weighted situps, hanging knee raises and leg raises.

i love the pain.

[brandona]

I Am Doing Routine 7 From The Aom, But I Have Found That Doing My Abs After My Other Sets Is Not Working For Me, So I Have Started To Do Them On My Off Days Along With My Cardio..i Am Going To Try Hanging Leg Lifts Toinght, Try To Work Abs And Grip At The Same Time...usally Do Inclines, The Crunch Machine....
-b

[Cheko]

I hit my Abs/Core 4-5 times weekly. Got lazy and skipped it and man did I pay! Squats, Deadlifts were affected the most. Solid Core is a must.

[Toni69]

You should train abs 2-3x a week to build muscle and core strength. You train legs, your abs are a stabilizing muscle, same with most of your lifting..your abs are doing more work than you think. If they are not showing, you either are not lean enough, or you just carry extra body fat there. You continue to do crazy abs exercises...like I see guys with a big stomach doing oblique exercises on the hyperextension...or holding dbs at their sides doing that side to side thing, these will make your waist appear bigger. Your building muscle under fat.

Cardio and diet is the only way to burn the fat and show the muscle underneath. Now...cardio burns fat and it can also burn muscle....depending how much cardio your actually doing and what your diet consists of.
The key factor in determining whether or not you lose primarily body fat or primarily muscle is the amount of deficit; the difference between the calories you take in and the calories you expend.

[D-Bomb]

i pretty much do sit ups up to 100 reps ( 15 reps x 7 sets ) and i feel a good tight feeling in ab area. but if i want to kick it up a notch have done up to 400 reps on ab related exercises.

[Suleiman]

i was wondering though i once read this thing that said all you needed was 4 minutes a day and the first 21 days you'll see results i did it and it worked i geuss that was because i wasn't bulking though

[Suleiman]

is it possible i've heard and seen pictures of it of ppl who transform them selves completely in just 12-15 weeks..is it possible for someone like me to get big in that amount ot time....to put you in my shoes real quick am 15 already a muscle head but i know am i can get bigger....so bottom line is it possible for someone like me to go beyond and transform myself in that amount of time b/c if its possible am more than ready to do it..

[focused]

is it possible i've heard and seen pictures of it of ppl who transform them selves completely in just 12-15 weeks..is it possible for someone like me to get big in that amount ot time....to put you in my shoes real quick am 15 already a muscle head but i know am i can get bigger....so bottom line is it possible for someone like me to go beyond and transform myself in that amount of time b/c if its possible am more than ready to do it..

bro, you're ONLY 15, don't worry about completely transforming yourself, you will develop more when you grow, but keep lifting, eating good, and you won't need to transform yourself, but more maintain. you still have PLENTY of time to develop the animal within, its not gonna happen necessarily in 12-15 weeks, hell it may take you years. but stay dedicated to the weights, don't get caught up in bullshit. keep that clean diet, maybe throw in some Animal Pak and some whey protein (you don't need anything else when you're that young) and you'll be on a good road.

peace

[focused]

My favorite ab exercise is cable crunch:

http://www.exrx.net/AnimatedEx/RectusAbdominis/CBKneelingCrunch.gif

I do it a little differently than in the animation(my knees are further away from my head and I go down lower).

how those working out for you bro? i'm gonna start to incorporate 3 sets x 25 reps of this things to the end of every workout now.

[Suleiman]

k am at the gym and more lately ive been seen this big guyz but when it you look down the they have the smallest calves i've ever seen and all they do is work out the upper body i mean whats so hard about working the legs i mean ill admit it i never used to work the legs now i do but i didnt i could feel the extra weight...now i once read an article that said training the legs is essential because if you concentrate on the upper body its bound to get heavier....so lets say you playing football or something and you take a sharp turn you can dislocate that your knee....now if thats true or not i dont knw..so my fellow brother out their you if your not you better start also because it looks better it just look funny with small legs

[ultimatefighter]

I do cardio 2-3 times a week. I train abs at least 5 days a week, sometimes twice a day. A strong core, ie. abs and lower back, make you stronger EVERYWHERE and less prone to injury.

[Suleiman]

how many of you have been been humiliated on way or another in the gym from crushing your ribs dong suicide grip to bench or just dropping that 85 pounder on you foot...whats yours


for me its when i was on the leg press i used the the rest pause technique but that day i forgot all about it it was my heavy set and i wasn't resting in between sets and lets just say that weight never went back up again...this was in my weights class so the coaches helped me but this friend of mine whos 18 just burst out laughing it was embarassing but shit happens

[Jon]

while doing cardio one day i seen this guy trying to do some chinups...all of a sudden this other guy comes and pulls down his pants....the guy imidiatly left..havnt seen him in the gym since that

[Arbalest]

On friday (leg day), i was drained completely from a set of squats... i had to sit on the ground... I finally was able to get up.. I grabbed onto the cage to help myself up, and BAM!!! I busted my head on the bar!

Thank goodness noone saw me... It hurt like mad, but i just walked away... i then went and cried in the locker room! JK JK JK!!! lol It smarted quite a bit though. =(

[Torque757]

Why are you asking us? what happens to YOUR body is up to YOU, nobody here can tell you otherwise. All you need is the pak, a good postworkout shake of simple carbs and protien(you probably already know this if you are as much a muscle head as you say you are) and a GREAT diet LOADED with protien.

I can tell you this much, your gains in the gym are DIRECTLY proportional to your diet OUTSIDE the gym. No ifs ands or buts, your progress is ONLY as good as your diet. period.

[Giant Killer]

I don't know how many times I have seen this--theres a general obsession with only the "trademark" parts of a muscled person (mainly working out only chest and biceps!), which stems from that person doing it only for show, or for the ladies. To an animal who trains because he's paying his dues, every part gets a workout because its part of the greater journey, not just to show off. Animals train because they owe it to themselves, not anybody else.

[Giant Killer]

I am convinced that most of that stuff is bullshit--it's not regulated, its not scientific results, just an advertisement.
Anything that is truly good and lasting takes time. We all know there are shortcuts, but to cheat yourself and ruin your body is not worth it. I personally would prefer to be a healthy, ripped, 90 year old-riding on the wave of steady progress-than a sick, weak, or dead 40 year old.

[YoungDiesel]

The day of a track meet i wasnt looking and dropped a 25 pound plate directly on my foot. Couldn't even run in that meet.

[Giant Killer]

I've posted this before in the "Breakin' Shit" thread but here it is...

after doing some heavy dumbell flyes I normally sit up and yes-drop the weights, my db's are rubber on the ends so its not a big deal-but this time the weight just rolled away and CRASH!, my full length posing mirror bit the dust...
after this happened my neighbor came over like "Is everything ok?" and I was in army fatique shorts with an A-tee all pumped up and soaked in sweat like "yeahyeah everythingsfineman everythingsfine alright later" haha
the sound of a full length mirror breaking is much more crazy than dropping a plate or something

so thats my "embarassing" moment

[Torque757]

I have no respect at all for anyone who trains and has an upper body unproportional with their legs. No exceptions.

[Testpolska]

Made the mistake of wearing cargo shorts when deadlifting one day. Split the pants down the ass. BIG fuckin hole. Finished my set of deads. Only reason I was embarressed was there was this cute lil girl about my age there. I didn't have another pair of pants or shorts so I just delt with the tear and finished up.

[IRN-NML]

It'll happen; now and then the iron wins and you weren't trying some dumbassed more than you can handle first rep weight. My latest was 9th rep failure on a very close grip bench with 125 and no spot. Had to roll it off my chest etc. Haven't done that in years. Humbling.

[IRN-NML]

More than likely what you saw involved fat loss and supervised coaching, nutrition etc. and yeah, mabe looking better, if not actually bigger. Not likely something they did on their own out of the blue.

There probably are some guys here on a type of 12-15 week program of some sort, but not with a complete transformation goal. Your own test is and will be kicking in for longer than 15 weeks, so just plug away like a real Animal and let the gains come when they want; not when you want.

(& I"m 50+ y/o.)

[the Force]

In my opinion, the only way you can have a complete transformation in that short of time is if you start as complete loser. If you go from spending 4 hours a day eating chips on the couch, to spending 4 hours a day working out and eating right. You will see a huge difference. However, if you're already in good shape 12 weeks won't change as much for you.

[deeder]

I have no respect at all for anyone who trains and has an upper body unproportional with their legs. No exceptions.

What if they were paralyzed from the waist down? /END SARCASM

I agree though... Huge Upper Body + Tiny Lower Body == Goofy Bastard

[focused]

hey, speaking of paralyzed from the waist down.

any one read the article in Muscle & Fitness on Colt Wynn? well, if not he was in a hunting accident and was paralyzed from the waist down and he lost so much weight cause his body was like eating away his legs, but his family was into weights, and he wasn't going to let him bein paralyzed from the waist down change his life, so he was lifting iron and everything. i cant seem to find the article on line, but if you get a chance read it. DEF a good fuckin read. heres a pic of him.

http://www.musclememory.com/show.php?a=Wynn,+Colt

someone tell me thats not a true fuckin animal

[Shark]

I remember reading that a few years ago. The whole thing started from him just sending normal reader letters to them.

[never_2_big]

hey, speaking of paralyzed from the waist down.

any one read the article in Muscle & Fitness on Colt Wynn? well, if not he was in a hunting accident and was paralyzed from the waist down and he lost so much weight cause his body was like eating away his legs, but his family was into weights, and he wasn't going to let him bein paralyzed from the waist down change his life, so he was lifting iron and everything. i cant seem to find the article on line, but if you get a chance read it. DEF a good fuckin read. heres a pic of him.

http://www.musclememory.com/show.php?a=Wynn,+Colt

someone tell me thats not a true fuckin animal

yeah man i read that article, kina makes you feel like youve got things pretty damn good. u just gotta think of that guy when youre not sure about where your journey is heading, he is true motivation.

there are a heap of huys in my gym that oly train their upper body, from what i can see it really only trains their egos. they can lift masive weights but damn they have no idea how ridiculous they look... train ur legs no excuses

[deeder]

First rep of the first working set of squats one day I ripped a huge whole in the ass of the track pants I was wearing.

I figured the damage was done and finished the set.

[darkside64]

there was this one dude in my old golds in Fort Myers. This guy prolly had a 50+ inch chest. Then you looked at his calves and they looked like they belonged on a 12 year old girl. Funny thing about this dude is that he would always make fun of me for grunting in the gym. So one day I was training calves and I yelled to him "yo Dr. Calvless why don't you join me in working those little puppies" never had to deal with a dumbass comment again. In fact last time I looked he started wearing pants. HAHa

[cuts280]

Tore my pants "RRRIP" right in the middle amidst a set of heavy sumo deadlifts.

[welshwarrior]

the link broke on me while doin some pushdowns (it wasn't much weight). needless to say the momentum carried my arms down and i smacked myself in the nuts. VERY PAINFUL.
Also...
when i first started i was overweight like 230-240 and i bought one of those in home pull-up bars (the ones that fit in between doorframes). i was too fat for it and it came loose and i ended up on my ass. I joined a gym soon after

[NickSP]

A Sr on the team a few years ago was lifting with us and he was doing db presses or flyes or something on a bench, leaves the weights at the bench, and goes and gets another pair. When he's done with his next set he dropped the weights and jammed his finger between one in his hand and one still on the ground, our assistanch coach had to take him right to the hospital

[whodeybaby]

ok heres mine doing leg presses had 1100 on there, going for eight reps on the eighth rep got cocky went about a half an inch past the last safety bounced the weight back cracked three ribs and then couldn't push it back up had to yell for someone to push it back up. kind of embarassing but hey like its been said before shit happens!

[Vinny]

a little over a year ago...i was doing 1 arm dumbell rows with 80lbs, and as i pulled it...i heard a crack in my thumb....turned out i fractured my thumb....lol

[Powerfreak]

At my last meet I Popped an adductor on the way back up with 1100, thank god for my spotters, although i still got a little crushed, just not killed. Embarrassing as hell and done for the day.

[Cheko]

Tore my pants "RRRIP" right in the middle amidst a set of heavy sumo deadlifts.

Same here … Ripped my shorts down the middle doing squats. Got my jeans on went back to the rack… ripped them also… took weeks to live that one down.

[dragondad]

Was pulling 45's off the bench, was distracted, forgot about the 25 in front of the 45.....wham right on the top of my right foot. Just missed the toes. Top of my foot was bruised for a week. There was a gal on the stair stepper, caught her laughing while I was dancing aroung like a dumbass. Fuck that hurt. Not to mention being embarrsed to explain all week while I was hobbling around the gym.

[cable]

while doing cardio one day i seen this guy trying to do some chinups...all of a sudden this other guy comes and pulls down his pants....the guy imidiatly left..havnt seen him in the gym since that

lol a real animal woulda finished his set regardless of having his pants aroudn his ankles.

My embarassing moment wasnt to bad, i was doin a heavy set of seated leg presses and as i was squeezing out one of my last reps the pin on the seat popped out, lets just say i went flyign backwards and the weight came crashing down.

also seen a guy doin heavy rows on the rowingg machine. As he was pullin the weight the cable snapped and he did a backflip off the machine into the wall. that was pretty funny

[peterpyper]

Same here … Ripped my shorts down the middle doing squats. Got my jeans on went back to the rack… ripped them also… took weeks to live that one down.

haha thats whats hardcore is about brother rofl

[Mr.Totality]

doing close grip bench with 275lbs and not wearing my wrist wraps. ( i have terrible wrists amongst other ailments). This goes back about 11 years ago. I found olut that my father could do upright rows with 275lbs when my wrists gave out just after the lift. Luckily no broken ribs, just a serious bruise

[Mr.Totality]

the link broke on me while doin some pushdowns (it wasn't much weight). needless to say the momentum carried my arms down and i smacked myself in the nuts. VERY PAINFUL.
Also...
when i first started i was overweight like 230-240 and i bought one of those in home pull-up bars (the ones that fit in between doorframes). i was too fat for it and it came loose and i ended up on my ass. I joined a gym soon after

that last one gives the best image, friggin hilarious

[Liftbig21]

theres this heavy set guy...hes pretty strong but a loud mouth "know it all"...he was unloading 315 off the bar and left 3 plates on one side...the bar slid off the side stood up and almost took a dude out....lets just say that shut him up for awhile.....as for me ive walked by a bench and knocked at bar on the ground,pretty loud...and dropped a 45 on my foot lol...i didnt even make a face i just looked in the mirror and nobody saw so i shook it off.

[Torque757]

the link broke on me while doin some pushdowns (it wasn't much weight). needless to say the momentum carried my arms down and i smacked myself in the nuts. VERY PAINFUL.
Also...
when i first started i was overweight like 230-240 and i bought one of those in home pull-up bars (the ones that fit in between doorframes). i was too fat for it and it came loose and i ended up on my ass. I joined a gym soon after

Those have to be the funniest I have read, I couldnt help but lol when I read it(no offense).

[Pokoritel]

theres this heavy set guy...hes pretty strong but a loud mouth "know it all"...he was unloading 315 off the bar and left 3 plates on one side...the bar slid off the side stood up and almost took a dude out....lets just say that shut him up for awhile.....as for me ive walked by a bench and knocked at bar on the ground,pretty loud...and dropped a 45 on my foot lol...i didnt even make a face i just looked in the mirror and nobody saw so i shook it off.

I know how that feels man I dropped a 45 right on my big toe, and damn it was painful.

[slamdogg]

Man when I was in high school some sophomore was doing squats and pushing with the wrong muscles apparently and crapped his pants and it went all over the floor...... he was never seen again.

[xb24]

Was doing squats, lost balance of the weight going ass in the bucket and fell backwards landed on my ass and the weight went crashing across the room...

Ya everyone in the fuckin place came over to have a look, fuckers.

[Suleiman]

time to time the question pops into my head where or what would i be if it was for the iron, some of us might still be that couch potatato, skinny guy or whatever. maybe some of you already think about this on a regular basis but if you dont it wouldn't hurt to think about it

as for me if it wasn't for the iron well lets just say i have a reason for waking up in the morning ..... so where would you be without the iron?

[auSStin]

without iron, i would probably be in jail or full of drugs

[Bam Bam]

I would actually be a soccer player. I gave it up for the iron.

[musclealchemist]

without the iron i would be a fat, mean, ugly, dude who would be full of anger and hate. Thank god for that iron huh?

[stumblin54]

I would be living in Breckenridge snowboarding for a living, my other passion.

Stumblin

[JUGGERNAUT]

Still doing Blacktop construction, still busting my ass so it's no change from now. I guess the difference is I work more in-doors now (The Gym)

[the Force]

When i was looking for a gym to work out in when i first moved to Minneapolis one of the areas had arms that stuck out on the bench press. The arms were designed so that if you couldnt get it up, you could set the weight there and catch your breath. Well I had never seen or heard of these before and so because i'm a dumbass decided to try them out. I was doing heavy benchpress day and i had 320 on the bar. I got stuck part way and so set the bar down on these "safety arms" As soon as I completely set the weight down the arms broke and the bar dropped firmly on my chest. I still had hold of the bar so i broke a bit of the fall, but needless to say i had a nice big bruise on my chest for a while.

[goody19]

still convinced id make the nhl playin some level of junior "im not gonna make the show" hockey... haha... i miss the ice

[Dingo06]

Skinny, depressed full of self loathing....

Thank God for that first lift!

[Axe]

Jail....no doubt..

[Big Jawn]

Probably right here in my computer chair, a little fatter.

[Buck Nasty]

new protein+Heavy squat= throw the pants away. good thing i was only there with my trainin partner

[txpower]

before the iron i was fat lazy and suicidal. i'd probably be dead or getting a heart transplant

[peterpyper]

i would still be here using my body weight =)

[heavyliftin]

new protein+Heavy squat= throw the pants away. good thing i was only there with my trainin partner

Had the same problem but with deadlifts.

[focused]

I would actually be a soccer player. I gave it up for the iron.

same here, i was fuckin nasty when i was younger like 14-15, went over to play in england, got asked to play over there for a year, but i was too young cause ya had to be at least 16 at the time....then in highschool some of the guys didnt take it seriously, so i said FUCK YOU. and Hello iron.

still love it, and the world cup in germany '06 was fuckin NUTS!

[TylerC]

Mine were when I was working out by myself here at home, so I guess it wouldn't be embarrassing if nobody saw it. But I dropped incline bench on my face/throat. That seriously hurt, but luckily it was incline so I could just stand up and let it roll to the floor. Probably at the gym I go to it would have been when I was doing seated cable rows, I was doing the whole stack for a heavy set and my foot slipped (I dont wear the best shoes to workout) and the weight crashed down and made a loud noise, I just said "I got it".

[Train]

i would be lifting rocks.

[threwdaroof]

alot of ex soccer players here. I played D1 my first year of college back in 2000. I said fuck it and went from 165 6%bf to 245 in about 10 months. I still miss soccer and play occasionally but at 260 there is no way i can compete at the level I played at, so Ill just throw around some weights instead.

[Mean Machine]

still convinced id make the nhl playin some level of junior "im not gonna make the show" hockey... haha... i miss the ice

haha i hear ya man I'd be in the same boat. missin it too

[Pokoritel]

without the iron, i would of probably been with my past friends doing drugs, drinking alot, fighting, and clubbing alot. I would probably end up in prison. Because the iron way of life taught me to live my life with honor, respect, and morals.

[Hans]

I would probably be a sailing coach, and would still sail competitively

[NumeroUno]

I would be 65 or more pounds heavier with no ambition and little self esteem. Iron teaches you many more lessons than you'd think, a lot of my life unfolds while lifting or searching for answers for iron.

[Liftbig21]

I would be that skinny boxing kid....shit i still see him when i look into the mirror...always will...its what keeps me goin

[hjayss]

seems to be the majority that sounds like where I would be also. Love the iron great path aint it brothers.

[Toni69]

Hmmmm....I would say I would probably be working 3-4 jobs to keep my ass busy. I get bored way too easily. That or home married to some rich guy (I am dreaming), prancing around the house in designer clothes all day while I decided where I will go shoe shopping next, Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills or Madison Ave. in NY....and I would have 2x as many shoes as I do now...yea, that sounds nice...LOL NOT!!!!

[Phil800101]

I would probably be where I am right now, except weak, lazy, fat, and out of shape.

[darkside64]

the iron is all I have. Just the thought of not having it makes me cringe. Id be probably be a pothead, cutter, loser piece of shit.

[welshwarrior]

Fat, in jail with a terrible temper

[Shark]

I was on the treadmill about 23 minutes in. A good looking girl got on the treadmill next to me. So of course I wasn;t paying attention to anything. I went to change the song on my ipod and trip over my own foot. I smashed down hard onto the belt and for some reason my first instinct was to try to grab something. I grabbed the front of the machine and the belt ripped my shorts down to around my knees. I let go and kinda just flopped off the machine. Normally I would have been mortified. But I was too busy laughing so hard that I was almost crying. I just pulled my pants up, and calmly got the fuck out of there.

[welshwarrior]

lmao man that gives me a great image, that sort of shit would happen to me

[Nas]

I'd be a pointguard

[Guardian]

since i'm more of an ectomorph, i would be a skinny fat, weight only 140 with too much belly fat, working for Manolo Blahnik, and design custom-built shoes for Toni69, since she'd be so rich without the iron... T_T
>=p

[Black-Jack]

If it wasn't for my love of the iron, I would probably be as skinny as I first started. I was 127 pounds, a video game addict. Now in my second year for college I would probably be out, drinking, partying and enjoing the company of people that don't know what it means to have a goal in life. And I would have lived the rest of my life, when ever I saw an Animal passing by, with the phrase:"I could be that big if I wanted to, but I just don't want to."

[ratfink1180]

Where Would I Be? Thats A Good Question I Would Be Drunk And Depressed

[Far Beyond Driven]

A chain smoking, fat, drug addicted porn hound with zero value.

[Hollow1]

Mountain Biking! Second to the iron.

[HAWK]

If lifting wasn't in my life? I'd still be workin construction/excavation, no different than now. The only difference is after work, you could definatley find me out on the lake fishin' into the night, instead of bombing the weights.

[dragondad]

I would probably be where I am right now, except weak, lazy, fat, and out of shape.

No doubt, me too.

[scals17]

Basketball or baseball player

[USMC_KILL]

stackin' wood at tha sawmill, after the USMC that is

[bigmack712004]

Instead of envisioning my old self I would be my old self. No self confidence, no self worth, yelling at my own fat ass in the mirror everyday. I would be over 280 lbs. since that was where I was at. And yes I am only 5'11". I would be a little less stressed with school since I would have more time to dedicate to it, but I would take the stress over my old self loathing self pitying self any day. Thank God I found my calling.

[k1usa]

well...at 53 I can say....if not for the war with iron...I would be a krispy creme eating happy with the remote and complaining about irregular heart beats old guy.....now...after a 23 year lay off...and back into the gym for 8 months now....its a new life....a new me....the iron...the gym...the people all brought my life back....its a energy I love...and will not give up again.....

[Giant Killer]

I wouldn't be half the man I am today. Instead of strengthening and supporting my family and peers, I would drag them down into my problems. I would be a bastion of shit, instead of a bastion of strength. Much like the others, worse case scenarios always include drugs, jail, or death.

[Brown714]

I don't want to imagine myself without the iron. I'd probably be lazy with a big beer gut hanging out of my pants.

[nawaaz]

Playin' soccer and still getting my ass kicked in pre med. Difference would be that i'd be depressed and grumpy like the dwarf in snow white.

Nawaaz

[Suleiman]

for some maybe all of us when you we walk into the gym theys something that motivates us something thats pumps us up...for some its the pain, the blood that keeps us going....what motivates me is when am standing in the gym and i look at the weights knowing that to become an animal is war and that a war can only be won by battles...and so when i pick that dumbell up its another battle and some say we must be willing to lose a battle to win the war but not tonight not tonight for i want to fight tommorow.... so what pumps you up?

[invictus1]

for me, its nothing special, and ive seen myself in the mirror too, its not pretty. it is getting up at 4 in the morning and walking to the gym. it is making the sacrifices the day before and going to bed early. It is making that cold lonely pilgrimage to a familiar spot. it is walking through the darkness until you see the light. it is being the only soul in the gym (hell, on the block), who wants it enough to be up there at that time. it is the music, blasting over the speakers. it is the sound of the weights as you load them on the bar, the sound of your breath as you gasp and go for another rep. it is the feeling you get when you finish, when you walk back even slower, while the whole world is still fast asleep, and you know, that somehow, today is going to be a good day.

[darkside64]

The pump is the greatest feeling. The euphoria is literally like a 2 hour orgasm. Thanks Arnold. Training for me is a love/hate relationship. Sometimes I will train and I will see new muscle/striations/veins and I will be like fuck yea. Then there are those other days that keep my ass grounded where just looking at my physique makes me sick. I like what you said about winning a war is about winning battles first. Keeps my mind focused and like mudvayne says, FUCKING DETERMINED

[never_2_big]

waking up everyday is motivation, every day that we train brings us one step closer to the person we need to become, a step closer for that big bright light to shine on us, i know i have to grab everyone of these days cause when that light shine on me i'm gonna be ready to show the world what and who i am.
so wake the fuck up, walk the path and let the light shine

[ShaqFu]

I'm all about the pump guys. After getting those first few sets throw, I can already feel the blood flowing like a fucking river man. Once I get to those heavy sets, the veins bulging with the pump just pushes me to do more and to want more. The looks I get motivate me even further, whether they are positive (damn i wanna be like that), or negative (what a fucking meathead), because I want to excel at this sport and prove to those who doubted that I will make something of myself.

[k1usa]

its like stepping into the ring...I spent years promoting fights....k1 fights and promoting the figthers and as well my son.....when the dust setteled...and i got back into real estate...I realized I needed to do something for myself....and after a 23 year layoff from lifting...last July got back to the gym...now hitting 2 times a day....growing and getting my life back....so....what gets me going....well....when I enter the gym....I feel like Im entering the ring....its my fight....the music is mine...the iron waits to be punished....and its me handing out the pain.....its my time buddy...its my life and I want it all when I hit the gym

[RooRooTJ]

I love the feeling after the first couple sets you get when you can feel and see the blood pumping and your body is challenging you to push hard, lift more. The feeling you get when you know you you just had a great workout. Veins popping and new muscles coming to the foreground. That is what gets me going.

[rcrott1]

P.S. this goes in the Livin section.

[Pokoritel]

Its not just one thing for me. Downstairs in my dungeon I enjoy walking in going from beauty parlor fresh air straight to fuckin sweat. Wooden walls and the music either is playing hardcore rap or heavy metal which I am a fan of both. I enjoy gripping the bar it just makes me unleash hell. It makes me feel powerful. Its my dungeon and thats what pumps me up

[Suleiman]

hypethetical question but important one day after an intense workout an oldman walks up to you and says not bad..u say thanxs but then he asked one question....what makes you worthy to be an animal...after all you cant walk around saying your the shit without proving it...for me i tell the old man i am worthy all you have to do is take look at the sacrifices i make(shit i could be at the movies but i bustin my balls instead, or sleeping)..not to mention look at my hands the blisters and cuts could tell you a story.... so what for all my animal brothers what do you say to the oldman are you worthy or not...

[invictus1]

id tell him "i dont know, thats not for me to judge. What do you think?"

[RedIron 392]

I'm an "Old Man" and I don't have to ask,all I have to do is watch. Actions speak louder than words.

later

[IRBS]

all I have to do is watch. Actions speak louder than words.

Truth

[Far Beyond Driven]

Simple. Back day, when my callouses are ripped off and there's blood running down my shins. Look at that and you'll see.

[Mr.Totality]

watch me lift. nough said

[paintrain69]

look at how much weight im puttin up for my size and age...not many can do all this at my weight and age...this didn't come over night...this is dedication and time...this is life...

[k1usa]

Im the old man...and the younger fellow...he ask me...."how the fuck old are you and how did you just lift that?"....all I can say while my hart is pumping and Im trying to not pass out...all I can say is...."its will and faith buddy....dont give up...just plow through your fears and move the fucker...

this happenes almost every day...Im the old guy....Im the one that is changing...im the one that gets the wierd looks from the other shit head older lean on the machine guys....and i suprise the shit out of the younger guys...they see my intensity....they see the animial shirt...they see the animal additude in how I make war with the iron


its my turn...its my time

[LuvsThePain]

Im the old man...and the younger fellow...he ask me...."how the fuck old are you and how did you just lift that?"....all I can say while my hart is pumping and Im trying to not pass out...all I can say is...."its will and faith buddy....dont give up...just plow through your fears and move the fucker...

this happenes almost every day...Im the old guy....Im the one that is changing...im the one that gets the wierd looks from the other shit head older lean on the machine guys....and i suprise the shit out of the younger guys...they see my intensity....they see the animial shirt...they see the animal additude in how I make war with the iron


its my turn...its my time


When I see older gentlemen tearing it up, it inspires the hell out of me.

What do I say to the old guy? Nothing, I don't have time to talk. I have a workout to finish.

[k1usa]

and I love to tear it up...its the one thing I do that goes right to my core...I love the pain...I love the pump....and i appreciate your comment bro...really do...this forum gets me going....

we love this shit

[LuvsThePain]

Hell ya we do. Keep it up man.

[peterpyper]

this old man i know is like 66 yrs old hes a animal respect lol,and one day i had my hood on and he was like'' i know whos under that hood '' after that i walked up to him and i was like im proud of u and he just laugh rofl

[Tron]

I'm an "Old Man" and I don't have to ask,all I have to do is watch. Actions speak louder than words.

later

Exactly. You can say what you want, but what are words without something to back it up?

[darkside64]

I tell the old man lets do legs. When you crap out after five sets watch the expression on my face when I squat 365 to my calves.

[rcrott1]

let em ask. ill tell em to come here, and they can read my thoughts, and my other posts, and see what inspires me.

they would have to interrupt my music though, which isnt typically a good idea when im lifting.

[Thorgrym]

I think alot of people are missing something here.

Being an animal isnt about words or about proving you're "animal" to anyone but yourself, day in and day out.

If someone were to ask me I dont think I would have an answer because there isnt one single reason. I just am, and thats enough for me, which in turn makes it enough for anyone else. If it isnt then let them waste there time trying to figure it out and shoot me down. I dont have time to waste cause chanses are after im done training Im hungry enough to eat a baby cow and im going home to feed .....


Thor

[Carthus4]

I would say.....because I am in the gym busting my ass at 3:30 in the morning while EVERYONE else I know is asleep, because I am eating my 3rd meal around the time most people are having their first, because instead of going out to eat for lunch with people at work Im eating tuna and rice, Because i go to sleep at 8pm to so that I can get to the gym at the right time in the morning, because I have lost friends cause I stopped being a booze hound, shit......I better stop writing and get back to work.

[Hollow1]

I'm an "Old Man" and I don't have to ask,all I have to do is watch. Actions speak louder than words.

later

Another "Old man" agrees! Enough said! Actions speak louder than words.

[gnoll5]

i think that anyone who lifts will be able to tell if you are "animal" or not just by looking at you. so i guess if they have to ask, you're not.

[Suleiman]

sup fellas just wondering what did feel like when your entered the gym for the first time am not talking about the avarage joe work out am talking about when you first demoplished your body when you punished...for me i wished i go to sleep not to mention when i went to take a shower the bar soap was heavy as shit men lol..what was it like for you the first time?

[Suleiman]

recently a post was posted on whether girls like the body building life...though iwas was thinking on the same note would any of you guys ever go out with a girl with muscle i mean i know some guys feel intimidated or feel like their manhood is been taken away or whatever..me personally i havent gone out with any i geuss because am still in high school but anyways i dont mind shit i got a lifting buddy lol know what am saying also some find it disgusting but i dont i think its kinda attractive..... so guys would you date a muscle or chick on the same note do you find it attractivve or not?

[Shark]

I would soooo give my left to go out with Melissa Dettwiller. Hell yeah.

As far as finding muscular women attractive. Yes to an extent. She still has to be feminine for me to find her at all attractive.

[brandona]

MY 1st time was in high school...the weight room was up stairs in the gym...the coach devised this insane circuit....that fucking stair case looked ten miles tall when class was over...there was no talking in the locker room....ahh the good old days...
-B

[IronChin]

The first time I seriously trained was at my college gym. I was about to leave and the girl at the desk said to me, "Are you ok? You look like you're about to die."

[k1usa]

my first time was ovr 26 years ago...was horrible at first...but stuck at it for 5 years....then took 26 years off...and started again last july.....so...I have had 2 real starts in this game..but to be honest...this time its for real...my mind and soul are ready now better than ever...and this forum is a huge part of my comeback...

[Mr.Totality]

Mine was almost 19 years ago. I was just a punk 12 year old, watching my dad show me what it was to lift. I got into it, and by the time I was 14 I was closing in on 300lbs on the bench. After that it took me 4 years to hit 400lbs but I did get there damn it

[Ricky P]

Mine was back in HS, when I did squats for the first time. My legs felt like Jell-O walking to my car. Next day, couldn't walk. Great memory.

[doomsdaylover]

scared stupid, but at home all the same. I was 16. Been hooked ever since.

[Tron]

It felt like I was with a woman and coming....


On a more serious note, it apparently felt great, because I keep coming back for more. It makes me relax more at night, too. Nothing like being content staring at a blank wall..

[ChrisG]

Well I'm new to lifting and just did my first real workout earlier today..

I felt like I was going to die sittin there tryin to get out the last few sets and everytime I took a 2 minute break inbetween sets I had to chug down some water because I had a puke feeling in my stomach.. ended up drinking a gallon jug of water before I was done. Walking back inside I had to stop on the backporch and puke lol but I can't wait for tomorrow to come... speaking of that it's time to go to sleep so them muscles can grow =D

[widdlewade44]

my first time was ovr 26 years ago...was horrible at first...but stuck at it for 5 years....then took 26 years off...and started again last july.....so...I have had 2 real starts in this game..but to be honest...this time its for real...my mind and soul are ready now better than ever...and this forum is a huge part of my comeback...

Sweet. Welcome back into the mix brother!

Kevin
widdlewade44

[hjayss]

my first time was ovr 26 years ago...was horrible at first...but stuck at it for 5 years....then took 26 years off...and started again last july.....so...I have had 2 real starts in this game..but to be honest...this time its for real...my mind and soul are ready now better than ever...and this forum is a huge part of my comeback...

Man this dude has the most inspiring post for us over thirty guys look for it...K1USA...YOU ARE A MONSTER BRO HA HA HA .....

My first gym experience was last week I went to the gym for the first time I work out at home so this was like a kid in a candy factory lol. All the weights the machines the awwwwww man. We hit up legs I was able to use a leg press for the first time awwwwww man that was great my legs got the best workout ever and wednesday me and my boy dtrain gonna hit em again.

[Mr.Totality]

my first time was ovr 26 years ago...was horrible at first...but stuck at it for 5 years....then took 26 years off...and started again last july.....so...I have had 2 real starts in this game..but to be honest...this time its for real...my mind and soul are ready now better than ever...and this forum is a huge part of my comeback...

welcome back brother. you are never truly away from it

[Mickey]

Back in school my football coach used to have us do total body workouts, and squats and deads were on the same day. One day I really hit it hard, and after the next hour of class I started to walk down the stairs and my legs just failed, landing me on the person walking in front of me. I looked like an ass but I knew that my quads were gonna grow like weeds.

[Masculus]

Mine was just over a year ago in January, my friend chris convinced me to join a gym and go work out, I thought, at $10 a month so what if i dont stay with it. But i loved it, i remember the first thing i did in there, dumbbell bicep curls, with 20 lb weights, and sets of 10 each. The only thing that keeps me coming back to the gym is results, in just over a year, i went from curling 20's to 60's, bench from 95 one-rep max to 245, its these numbers among others that keeps me coming back for more every day.

[exolyte]

My first body-wrecking workout was during my sophomore year in high school with a personal trainer named Robbie (yea I still remember his name). We did chest and bi's I remember I couldn't wash my hair when I got in the shower and the next day I couldn't bend my arms or anything. I wish I could feel like that after every workout.

[Suleiman]

i have this thought that theys no such thing as overtraining (note this is just my opinion) maybe some of us say its overtraining because were scared of busting our balls..keep mind that as long as you get your zzz,calories, and supplements in they no such thing as overtraining and if they're is then it has deal with you...by now we all should know our limits some look at someone elses workout and say its overtraining.. keep in mind result may vary ....not too mention what you cant handle someone else can...its all on you...

[NickSP]

Just cause some of us sometimes suggest to people that they may be overtraining doesn't mean we don't bust our balls like the next guy. Even with a good diet and supplementation there are ways to overtrain

[TheOak_akl]

Just cause some of us sometimes suggest to people that they may be overtraining doesn't mean we don't bust our balls like the next guy. Even with a good diet and supplementation there are ways to overtrain

I agree NickSP. If someone didnt train balls to the wall, i doubt they would be on an ANIMAL forum. There are ways to overtrain, even with a good diet and supps......

[Dunk]

hey man, there is such a thing, and alot of people suffer from it. For instance, take the guy that thinks its best to workout 5-6 days a week. While on this split, he is hitting each body part twice with a decent amount of intensity, he's more than likely goin to be suffering from overtraining.

[gnoll5]

there definitely is overtraining. the body can only take so much abuse before it has to rest and heal itself. it will vary from person to person, but everyone has their limits. just because you are physically able to do the excercises, it doesn't mean that the body is responding to the excercises. and even though physically you can tear down your body day after day, it will take a toll on you mentally. fatigue, restlessness, moodiness are just a few of the common side effects from overtraining, and its not something to be taken lightly. if your body has to spend all of its time and energy trying to fix itself, it will eventually need to shut down other functions in order for it to do so. train smart, pound the weights, but make sure you take the time to heal yourself too.

[TheNaturalG]

Overtraining is real and is no longer a debate. If we are gonna talk about it, we should be talking about what to do when you have overtrained, the effects of overtraining, etc.

[TufffGuY]

bro i workout twice a day 5 days a week 1 hour each session and im not overtrainign it just really depends on diet, stress, and rest

[Brute Force]

A lot of people confuse over-reaching with overtraining. It takes weeks of intense, volumous training for the effects of overtraining to set in. The effects are undeniable, if you are overtraining, you will know it. In fact, it takes weeks to months of no training at all to get over the lingering effects.

So while it is true that overtraining is rare and difficult to accomplish, there is the law of diminishing returns. The more sets you include in a workout the less you will get out of it. If you train to long (over 90 minutes a session) you run the risk of fully depleting muscle glycogen and end up comprimising recovery. So you definitely can workout too much. You need to train balls to the wall, but not so much that you comprise recovery.

In my opinion, it doesn't matter how many sets, reps, exercises, etc. you do, but you should keep it between 60-75 minutes. The more time you spend working a muscle, the more time it will need to recover. So say you spend 45 minutes blasting chest, you may need a week to recover. If you blast it for 30 minutes you might only need 4 days.

[gsb239]

I don't see the point of this thread... was there a question being asked?

If you don't believe in overtraining then keep doing what you're doing.

[Suleiman]

my brother just said that it looked like i wasn't gonna get any bigger i told him it takes time and patience but now his got me thinking that ive stopped growing.....need some motivation here..
thanks all

[Giant Killer]

Stopped growing? You think Machine looks in the mirror and says, "I wonder if I'm as big as I can get, I think I'll quit." Not on your life. What does your brother know about it? Maybe a lot, maybe nothing. Either way, an animal would keep lifting, eating, and growing. Just to test his mettle.
Go eat somethin'.

[karmazon]

my brother just said that it looked like i wasn't gonna get any bigger i told him it takes time and patience but now his got me thinking that ive stopped growing.....need some motivation here..
thanks all

You don't need motivation, you need to stop caring what other people think.

[never_2_big]

dude youre 15, the science guys will even tell you that youve got more growing to do, youre brother knows shit. eat train eat sleep take your supps and did i mention eat? you'll be fine man, go hard and dont worry about what your brother has to say.

[ChrisG]

Man look... you can't let what other people say bring you down. If someone says that you can't do something then just tell them to fuck off and use it as fuel to push yourself even harder to accomplish your goals. If you want to get bigger you can you just have to put in the effort. GL

[vIShuS]

like you all the other guys said above, you gotta have THICK SKIN. thats all you have to say when you get those remarks. I get rideculed everyday by my peers when im at school and even when im out of school in public. I look in the mirror when im training and see a 220 lb piece of shit. I still think im smaller than everyone else in there. Im never going to stop growing.....ever. thats what you gotta keep saying to yourself......thick skin. everything thats thrown at you just bounces off. if you have the balls to even entering the realm of bodybuilding, then you for sure have the balls to shrug those remarks off your shoulder. dont worry about it, this is just the beggining.....you have a long ways to go bud. Just keep pushin and pullin.

-SiSu

[IronChin]

Learn how to use your middle finger.

[TheNaturalG]

Good stuff Brute Force. I also just want to add that I think intensity is one of the biggest contributors to overtraining.

[spartan300]

Class for your next assignment Please read "The Barbarian Brothers" guidelines to overtraining.

[NickSP]

Dude you're 15, no offense but how big could you be? Not only are you not even close to being done, but you're coming into your prime years for growing.

[LuvsThePain]

Hey bro, I'm just letting you know that this topic has been posted and debated in threads many times. I would like to encourage you to use the search function before posting.

LTP

[LuvsThePain]

Dude you're 15, no offense but how big could you be? Not only are you not even close to being done, but you're coming into your prime years for growing.

Exactly. You've got more than plenty of room to grow. I've never heard of anyone that stopped growing at age 15. I'm not talking heighth here, I'm talking muscular development. I personally don't believe you could be developed to your max potential at age 15.

LTP

[billmd1334]

bro... you're 15... you haven't even finished growing through puberity yet... there's no way you're done growing in the gym... if you listen to every single thing someone says about you, you'll never get ahead in life... keep doing what you do.. and let the haters hate

[BigAnt]

my brother just said that it looked like i wasn't gonna get any bigger i told him it takes time and patience but now his got me thinking that ive stopped growing.....need some motivation here..
thanks all



We always see the glass 1/2 full!

15 years old, you are going to grow a lot if...IF---you train smart-hard, using the basic movements, eat a lot of good food, get your rest, drink your water intake for the day (1/2 your body weight in ounces)

But, most importantly....you need...got to have...and always take with you in life...Dedication-Discipline-Desire.

And when you are huge and ripped with freaky muscles, go kick your brother's a$$

Just kidding, maybe he was being tough on you to make you push yourself harder....

Have fun with weight lifting, track your progress, ask questions here on the forum...

Hope this helps!

[Tron]

The Animal life is 90% mental. Keep your head on and you could go places... Let others dictate things... "You look disgusting." "Aren't you big enough." "Why would you do that?" Then you are done.

[Kiwi129]

Not to be a dick but your theory is half-baked. You're not more "hardcore" than any of us because we all bust our balls. Overtraining exists, it's scientific/biological, not a figment of our imaginations. Should've posted this in one of the 8,473,400 other overtraining threads...

[nawaaz]

Learn how to use your middle finger.

I'll second that! Let no one bring you down. It's YOURS to take man

nawaaz

[spartan300]

It's all subjective. Your idea and my idea of "overtraining" may differ vastly. Hardcore has nothing to do with it. Hardcore is a state of mind. My idea of serious training is 6 days a week 25-30 sets a body part. I personally don't consider that to be over training. Do you? Most will disagree. My body responds well to this type of schedule. Anything less than the aforementioned is what I consider "recreational" lifting.

[jadizt]

Work your chest everyday for 1 week straight, balls to walls. Start off with a bench press. Evaluate bench press weight and rep at the end of 1 week.

That is an amplified version of over-training. That is the obvious one. That is the 9.1 on the ritcher scale.

And there are minor ones, compliments to the 9.1 too, get wat I mean?

[Suleiman]

now we all know bodybuilding is all about hitting the gym,eating,supplementation. etc but i have to add one more thing to the list and thats the forum better yet the FORVM.i honestly have to say after a long ass day the first thing i do is grab a meal on get on the fucking computer...seriously i dont know i would be ..where i live they little to noe support not from my family,friends ,collegues nothing..in a way am saying thanks n to whoever thought of this is fucking genius...thanx all for the life long motivation..

[Suleiman]

Maybe its just me but sometimes parts of my body get sore even when i havent even worked them out like earlier this week my back was like it got demolished or some shit...then the next day my quads and hams where sore like i had done heavy leg press....any body ever experience this

[tanktwism]

Did you do deads for your back or anything that incorporated legs? Its also possible you were bracing really hard with your legs and taking away from the back workout bro.

[Grantski]

amen...im on here everyday after school mowin down some tuna and yams....this is where its at

[k1usa]

Im on the forum at work ...and late night at the house catching up...its a strong brotherhood...good people....super animals. I truly enjoy this forum....its a life line for me

[born0withno0soul]

been a great help for me as well. thanks guys. i try to stay active on the posts and learn as much as possible and also input on what i have learned over the past years. if i have learned nothing else, its the fact that this is a solitary lifestyle and we have to take support wherever we can.

[born0withno0soul]

You don't need motivation, you need to stop caring what other people think.

thats your best answer

[Hikeon3]

Don't let other people be your motivation. You're doing this for you. Nobody else. Look in the mirror and hate what you see, but at the same time love it. Love the transformation in progress. Love the flesh as it stretches and tightens around what you sweat, bleed, and puke for in the gym. Love the animal that is inside and only tears its way out when it smells the iron, hears the plates slamming together on the bar, and feels the pain of exhaustion.

You want motivation? Yourself is as far as you need to look. Look in the mirror and love what you are, but never settle for it.

[Hollow1]

Do not worry what other people are saying. Whether it is a family member or friend somebody will always knock what you are trying to do. You are only 15 yrs old, you are growing! Train hard, eat right and get plenty of rest and you will grow. There are plenty of people here on the site that can provide answers for all your training and dieting questions.

[Suleiman]

ok so lets face bodybuilding lifestyle aint the cheapest thing in the world.so question is if u fellas dont mind is how do you pay the grocery bill.for me im lucky enough to be 15 working at a gas station that pays more than minimum wage nuff said.

[focused]

http://forum.animalpak.com/showthread.php?t=247

there you go bro, knock yourself out.

[Suleiman]

i was just wondering what was the first body part that you trained the first time you walked in the gym. for me it the bicep and i did concentration curls

[musclealchemist]

I did chest. I maxed out with some of my friends. It was good stuff

[karmazon]

I think back because my dad told me to work the biggest muscles first.

[invictus1]

i tagged along with my older brother, we did deadlifts :)
ive never been the same since

[BigAnt]

i tagged along with my older brother, we did deadlifts :)
ive never been the same since



was legs, front and rear squats, an old school football coach said "squats are the most important lift"

[maddawg]

i think it was chest for me back than everyone i knew wanted to bench press everyday.

[djlr42789]

My first time was when I snuck into the weight room at my school for freshman year football and just tried out random things.

I tried the incline-press and couldn't even lift the bar.
Tried Decline sit ups and barley could do 5.

haha things have defiantly changed

[wolfman]

Before: TRICEPS!!!!!!

Now: Delts and External Obliques

[Suleiman]

haha today i turn 16 its been a good sixteen years..now like most theys probably a cake and all kinds of junk food...also all they do is chillax but you know what i think ama celebrate differently and thats by working out..by doing the work outs i love the most thats chest and bicep...infact if its not to much celebrate to by doing which ever workout you feel like doing men after all nothing wrong with a little reward animal style u dig......so go on hit those squats,bench,deads whatever you feel like..and now if you'll excuse me its my birthday and i feel like bustin my balls in the gym...lol

[IRON_ITALIAN]

lol happy b-day bro

[JUGGERNAUT]

shit , what I would give to have found this forum before I was 16. Enjoy kid and Happy B-day!

[never_2_big]

good way to celebrate man, go hard brother and have a good birthday

[pump or die]

happy birthday bro, i turn 18 on wednesday, i wish i could go back and start training at like 13 and become more of an animal now. still tryin for that elusive 300 mark on bench, im 25lbs away, and every second is mind numbing. youre 16 man, keep it up, dont slow down the intensity, your high school days cannot be wasted, live it to the fullest.

[gnoll5]

Happy B-Day man...oh to be 16 again...

[Suleiman]

its tuesday and my hamstring is still killing me from saturdays killer leg workout(40 sets).......anyway i was wondering whats the longest its ever taken you too recover from a workout and howd you deal with...

[Fury317]

man that seems a little too long. the longest ive felt really sore was 2 days tops with legs. after that im usually good. you gettin the right nutrition?

[Jaymafin]

8 days was my longest. two weeks in a row. i took 6 months off from legs a couple years ago and the first two workouts back were total destruction.

[Suleiman]

hey bros time to time i get interseting emails on bodybuilding i just got one that i wanted to share with u(hope you got time to read)

A few months back I was over at the MuscleMag offices in
Mississauga, Ontario and I ran into the publishing legend himself
Bob Kennedy. Of course it was exciting because Bob Kennedy's been
publishing health and fitness magazines for over 25 years. In fact
one of my biggest thrills in my bodybuilding career occurred when I
was written up in Canadian Corner nearly 10 years ago at which time
my picture appeared as the overall winner of my provincial
championships.

I will always be grateful for Bob's coverage of the sport that has
given so much to me and for helping me realize one of my first big
dreams of having my picture grace the pages of his magazines.

Amazingly enough, nearly ten years later I am face to face with the
man that has been around the best of the best in bodybuilding.

Bob a tall soft-spoken man appeared older than the smiling picture
I see in the editorial section of his new magazine REPS. He told me
that he has started REPS as a way to bring bodybuilding back
towards the Golden Age Physiques of the 60's and 70's when health
and the ideal physique were achievable without the massive levels
of drugs taken by today's bodybuilders.

This of course was the age often referred to as the Golden Age of
Bodybuilding. Legends like Arnold, Frank Zane, Franco Columbu,
Robby Robinson and all the gang could be seen sunning themselves on
Venice Beach or putting in ferocious workouts in at Joe Gold's gym
in Venice.

I listened intently as Bob still as enthusiastic about pumping iron
as he was back then recall a conversation he had the night before
with the Legendary Frank Zane.

Bob laughed heartily as he recounted how Frank was on the phone for
hours talking about bodybuilding, how it's been and where it's
going. I thought to myself "Gee, imagine Frank Zane calling you up
to talk shop for hours. Most guys would kill just to talk shop
with Frank for 10 minutes and here Frank is calling Bob to talk
Bodybuilding for hours without charging him a red cent.

Well one thing led to another and before you know it Bob was
sharing me about insights that Frank had made about Arnold and the
rumor that Arnold was told by his doctors that he could not train
anymore because of his heart troubles.

Well I am not in a position to comment whether the report was true
or not Frank did relay some first hand experiences with Arnold back
when they used to hang out on Muscle Beach in the 70's.

Frank told Bob that Arnold was a big eater, and ate all sorts of
crappy food in the off-season. Of course when dieting he was laser
focused as only Arnold can be but Frank was clear that Arnold would
love to scarf down tons of fried foods, and sweets. Other
bodybuilders would try to follow Arnold's plan and just wind up
fat, out of shape, and most of all confused.

Arnold was blessed with a fast metabolism and he was also known for
incredible levels of stamina. He would routinely train 4 hours
plus per day could get away with the junk food back then as he was
young, and it apparently had little or no effect on his physique.

Even after his bodybuilding career ended, Arnold continued his hard
living lifestyle as movie star, entrepreneur and now Governor of
California. While no one would consider contesting Arnold's
achievements, as he is an inspiration to every bodybuilder who ever
picked up a barbell, Arnold's once famous body has degenerated
perhaps more than it should for someone of his age and physical
capacities.

The question is of course why? How could something like this
happen to the Greatest Bodybuilder of All-Time?

The Metabolic Damage Factor

Frank believes that Arnold's disregard for clean eating had a
deleterious effect on his metabolism. He stated to Bob Kennedy
that he felt all the junk food, had some how compromised Arnold's
tremendous physical capacities. Eventually, Arnold's body started
showing the signs of wear and tear. His genetic heart condition
needed surgery, which forced Arnold to cut back on his training
intensity and focus more on cardio vascular training.

It seems life has dealt the Champion perhaps the cruelest hand of
them all by not allowing the 7-time Mr. Olympia from training at
all, even though he is still a relatively young man at 60 years old.

Frank also confessed to Bob that he found it harder and harder to
get in top shape each year as his body just didn't respond to
training the way it used to 10, 20 or even 30 years ago. Although
Frank is a bit older than Arnold he still maintains great
conditioning for a man at any age, and has always been known to
keep a careful eye on everything he eats.

Bob asked me what I thought of the two cases and I quickly pointed
out that both Arnold and Frank were suffering from the same
problem, just at different intensity levels. Bob quickly agreed
and added, yeah it's called the "AGING PROCESS". Which of course
garnered a round of laughs of all those present as most of the
individuals around during the conversation could relate.

I chuckled as well but quickly added... "Well, I believe what your
saying is true Bob but have you ever considered what causes Aging?"

Bob looked at me with a little more intensity then before and
asked, "Just what exactly did I mean."

Sensing that this was my moment, I quickly gave the low down as
fast and concise as I could about the research performed by Enzyme
Pioneer Dr. Howell and how he had discovered that the rate of aging
was directly proportional to the total Enzyme potential of any
organism.

Then, I saw the light bulb turn on in his eyes.

to be continued

[xenrus]

a week :)ive put the straight leg deadlifts to my routine n it took me a about a week to recover from the last leg routine ,thats because i've just started to seriously hit my legs

[Young&Hungry]

40 sets? Did Arnold even do that many?

Listen bro, unless you're taking every steroid they make at extremely high dosages, there's no way that your body can naturally recover from that kind of volume. You're tearing up more muscle than your body can repair. It's great that you're enthusiastic about training, but to really see your hard work pay off you need to do a little less. Take a day off or two and try doing 16 sets for quads, 6 for hams, and 6 for calves whenever your next leg session is on your schedule and see how you feel the next day.

[Everyonedoes]

part 2 please?

[Suleiman]

i============================================
Bob asked me what I thought of the two cases and I quickly pointed
out that both Arnold and Frank were suffering from the same
problem, just at different intensity levels. Bob quickly agreed
and added, yeah it's called the "AGING PROCESS". Which of course
garnered a round of laughs of all those present as most of the
individuals around during the conversation could relate.

I chuckled as well but quickly added... "Well, I believe what your
saying is true Bob but have you ever considered what causes Aging?"


Bob looked at me with a little more intensity then before and
asked, "Just what exactly did I mean."

Sensing that this was my moment, I quickly gave the low down as
fast and concise as I could about the research performed by Enzyme
Pioneer Dr. Howell and how he had discovered that the rate of aging
was directly proportional to the total Enzyme potential of any
organism.

What Are Digestive Enzymes?

You see enzymes are regularly found in food, whether its fruits,
vegetables, even meat that occurs naturally in Nature. Digestive
enzymes are required for the breakdown and digestion of food and
fall into 4 main digestive enzymes and a whole pile of other
enzymes and enzyme precursors. Sucrase and lactase are a couple of
familiar ones you may be familiar, mostly because some is unable to
digest certain foods because of a lack of that enzyme.

Protease - which digests protein
Amylase - which digests carbohydrates
Lipase - which digests fats
Cellulase -which digests cellulose in vegetables (that's the fiber)

There are also many other enzymes such as.

Sucrase - which digests sugar (Sucrose)
Lactase - which digests Lactose (the sugar in milk)

And the list goes on with other enzymes enzyme precursors etc.

Research has shown that any food that is heated above 118 degrees
loses all of its enzymes. In other words all cooked food is
deficient in digestive enzymes.

Processed foods, irradiated foods, foods grown with pesticides,
chemical fertilizers, or on mineral deficient soils all have minute
levels of enzymes that occur naturally.

Our bodies are actually designed to recognize the taste of enzyme
and nutrient dense foods by seeking foods that break down easily,
and taste sweet. Anyone who has eaten a vegetable or fruit at an
organic garden or farm will quickly attest to how different
organically grown enzyme rich foods taste.

You see nature designed our food to break down itself in our
digestive tract, however modern man has gone against Nature's
natural ways and started eating food that is deficient in enzymes.

Humans are the only species on the planet that cooks their food.
Humans are also the only species on the planet that puts chemicals
on the ground to grow food, or sprays pesticides on the food, and
we are the only species that processes food with chemicals,
additives, artificial sweeteners, artificial preservatives, or
worse create genetically modified foods.

The bottom line is Humans are going against over 4 Billion Years of
evolution. Now that is serious.

Now what does this have to with Arnold you might say? And more
importantly what does that have to do with you.

Everything...

Bob Kennedy Gets Interested In Enzymes...

As I went on about enzymes, and the effects of enzyme deficient
diets Bob asked, "Wade, don't you get your enzymes from fruits like
pineapples and papayas."

"Great point Bob, and for many years that was true but most of
these foods have been irradiated or grown with chemicals which
wipes out most of the enzymes naturally occurring in the fruits."

"Second problem is even if someone ate a great amount of the foods
especially bodybuilders they would still have to digest all that
protein they consumed. Now bodybuilders tend to stay away from
fruits in the first place as they are worried about holding water
but it's been my experience that enzyme deficient foods in general
are causing the problems not the fruits."

I could tell that Bob was getting more interested so I went on.

Most bodybuilders eat massive amounts of protein that has been
cooked, chemically laden, or worse, dead proteins that were
processed at a plant and hawked as a nutritional breakthrough. The
bloated bellies floating around in bodybuilding stages today are
indicative of massive amounts of undigested protein sitting in the
bellies of amateurs and pros alike.

Not only does it look bad, this undigested protein is feed for bad
bacteria that create all kinds of toxins that leak into the blood
stream

Over time these toxins pollute the liver, the kidneys, and the
hearts of even the hardest working athletes because the body has to
use it's own enzyme reserves to digest the food. When that happens
the body has to compromise the growth, repair of use of the various
systems and related organs in the body. Now at first you may not
notice it because the body has enough enzyme reserves to "write
metabolic checks" however over time the body begins to drain it's
enzyme resources and an enzyme debt begins to happen.

The body then starts to break down muscle tissue and skin in order
to make enough enzymes to cover the cost. Repair of tissues,
recovery, and energy levels start to drop. Sex drive, memory
function, and elimination slow down and a person starts to become
slower, and gains fat easier.

Enzyme Depletion And The Aging Athlete

Dr. Howell pointed out that by age 27 most of the protease
functioning in the body has pretty much shut down as the body
recognizes it cannot keep up to the metabolic pace set by even the
most dedicated athlete. Interestingly, if you examine the careers
of most superstar athletes they tend to peak around 26-28 and then
start to decline.

Injuries, fatigue and a loss of speed or quickness creeps in and
the athlete's career begin to decline. Interestingly enough Arnold
retired at the age of 28 because he felt it was getting to tough to
stay ahead of the competition. Of course he did make a comeback 5
years later where he fought off severe injuries. He also was about
20 pounds lighter than his best weight, and from all accounts he
did not deserve to win the show.

Arnold being Arnold of course found a way as he was probably the
smartest and craftiest competitors all of all-time. Even though
his body could deliver what it could earlier, Arnold found a way.

Arnold's will and drive, which was his greatest strength pushed him
through the competition but it may be a contributing factor as to
why he is experiencing health challenges today.

[Suleiman]

You see Arnold's lifestyle, diet, and energy expenditure required
huge amounts of enzymes to be spent in order to keep pace. Since
Arnold would not accept anything less but greatness from himself he
managed to always will himself past pain. He even comments about
this in his writing as to how he brings himself past the pain
barrier, he disregards the body's pain signals, and just gets the
job done.

Almost every great athlete in the world applies the same principle
to there training and to life and almost all do extreme damage to
themselves from the years of athletic pursuit because the body
needs enzymes to repair the damage from training, injuries, and
lifestyle yet very few athletes consider how enzymes could be the
missing link to extending ones' career or achieving a greater
physical potential.

Are Enzymes The Answer to Treat Genetic Diseases and other Modern
Day Killers?

A crowd of Bob's employees had gathered around me by this time.
One of them asked, "Do you think that enzyme deficiency is causing
the health problems in today's bodybuilders and left unchecked
could contribute to disease like heart problems, diabetes and
cancer?"

To be continued...

[TufffGuY]

waht about randy couture, hes 43 Heavy Weight Champion of UFC, he completely dominated a fight against a 30 year old, and what about Brett Favre, hes like 50

[Everyonedoes]

this article is really interesting....

[SDR]

If your doing 40 sets for legs, you aint training with enough intensity...especially at the age of 16.

[king1]

It takes me like 3 days to recover. 2 atleast and i know im getting more than enough calories cuz im slowly gaining fat. IVe been sore for about a week before though. At 17 yearls old, on supps, and eating atleast 3500 calories........

[FFmaple16]

i just did a killer leg workout myself yesterday..i quit doing the machines and decided to add in an extra few sets of deads and squats to the routine instead...along with 3 different calf excersizes. today was brutal trying to walk around..but i usually take about 2-3 days to recovor.

[musclealchemist]

good find man, keep it coming, i cant wait for the next part !

[NFLD JimBo]

yeah legs i find are always the longest body part to recover for me, 2-3 days max, but ide say they take their time because of walking around and whatnot, could be wrong

[gsb239]

Last week when I did legs, they stayed sore for a whole week. Friday (leg day) came again and they were still sorta sore, but good enough to train. So I trained them and this time they were only sore for like 2 days.

[ChrisG]

I just started lifting but my leg workout has about 25 sets in it and takes me around 2-3 days to fully recover.

[Suleiman]

before you read this i hope youve read part1 & 2 i recommend you all read this share this with fellow animals o hope 1 of the watchmen can get a hold of this...and if you have any ? just pm me
this a link to part1 & 2
http://forum.animalpak.com/showthread.php?t=4037

Are Enzymes The Answer to Treat Genetic Diseases and other Modern
Day Killers?

A crowd of Bob's employees had gathered around me by this time.
One of them asked, "Do you think that enzyme deficiency is causing
the health problems in today's bodybuilders and left unchecked
could contribute to disease like heart problems, diabetes and
cancer?"

Well I said I am not a medical professional, but professionals such
as Dr. Michael O'Brien, Dr. Pottenger, Dr. Wong, and Dr. Howell all
seem to think so. I certainly believe that every person in the
world an most definitely every athlete would benefit from reading
Dr. Howell's book Enzyme Nutrition and look at the mountain of
evidence suggesting enzyme deficient diets are a potential
contributing factor.

Bob then asked "where I got my research and who these doctors were.
I gave him my sources and he then quickly excused himself and
disappeared into his office. I was bombarded by questions by the
inquisitive staff and spent the next couple of hours explaining the
deeper aspects of nutrient deficient diets, their effects and how
one might combat them.

I eventually left the MuscleMag offices reflecting on the current
state of bodybuilding, with the overblown bodybuilders due to drug
abuse and the recent rash of sociological, psychological, and
physiological problems facing the bodybuilder industry. I
remembered how Dr. Pottenger pointed out in his numerous animal
studies that every species fed an enzyme deficient diet developed
all of the same symptoms that plague society today.

Bodybuilders being on the Extreme end of pushing the limits and
requirements for enzymes seem to be the hardest hit although the
mainstream population isn't far behind. Considering the widespread
rise of genetic diseases, and conditions such as Diabetes, Heart
Disease, and Cancer could these conditions be reversed if someone
took massive dosages of digestive enzymes?

Dr. Howell, and Dr. O'Brien have both used massive dosages of
Enzymes to successfully treat a host of genetic conditions as well
almost hopeless cases of advanced illness. Dr. O'Brien's most
famous patient was none other than Dr. Bernard Jensen who after
being written off with an incurable state of Prostate cancer made a
complete recovery in just 8 weeks and 1 day after being subjected
to a massive dosage of enzyme protocol under the supervision of Dr.
O'Brien.

During this time Dr. Jensen went from a weight of 78 pounds to a
bodyweight of 145 in just 8 weeks and made a full and miraculous
recovery. The documented and story is illustrated in Bernard
Jensen's book "Come Alive". In chapter 13 of the book, Dr. Jensen
recounts the story with full pictures of his remarkable recovery.

If a full recovery can be made from and advanced state of disease
by one person using enzymes it would seem that there may be a case
for enzyme deficiency being a contributing factor in the prevention
of disease.

Enzymes And High Performance Athletes

The next question is Can High Performance Athletes benefit from
Mega Dosages of digestive enzymes to enhance metabolism, nutrient
absorption, recovery, muscle mass and most of all improved
performance?

I believe that Athletes can benefit from high dosages and there is
reason to believe that Enzymes just might be the next wave of
performance enhancers. Considering the rash of injuries in
professional sports, the increasing demands of training, as well as
the tighter regulations around drug testing it seems that Enzymes
just might be the answer the pro sports current challenges.

Recently my partner and I worked with a team of scientists from
the top enzyme manufacturing company in the world to develop and
enzyme product that would address the needs of athletes who required
increases in muscle mass, strength, power, and speed.

We focused on developing an enzyme that emphasized the various
proteases too improve protein digestion and absorption since the
primary focus of hard training athletes is to recover, repair, and
grow new muscle and that requires protein. Most injuries are the
body's way of telling the athlete that they are over trained due to
lack of recovery. Protein absorption is of prime concern for
power, strength, and even endurance athletes.

The second part of the equation was the proper metabolism of
carbohydrates, which required a solid portion of amylase then
enzyme required for digesting carbohydrates.

The third part required lipase and enzyme that enables a person to
digest and absorb essential fatty acids, which are required for
the production of various hormones and for the optimum functioning
of the nervous system.

These enzymes were then combined with the precise amount of enzyme
precursors, stabilizers, and other critical enzymes to maximize the
effectiveness and potency of the formulation. The result was the
first every high performance enzyme product called Masszymes.

Although only a tiny batch was produced and given to a small group
of elite athletes including myself, the results were shocking to
say the least. Individuals reported not only gains in lean body
mass, but incredibly fast recovery rates, improved endurance, loss
of excess lard in all the right places, and a greater ability to
stick with calorie-reduced diets.

What's even more remarkable is the test athletes also reported an
improved sense of wellbeing, lack of sugar cravings, improved skin
conditions, and even improved cognitive abilities.

While the research is still ongoing, more athletes will be required
to take part in testing the product until full-blown clinical
trials can be commissioned. The early results are demonstrating
that a high quality enzyme formulation such as MassZymes can
improve athletic performance.

The Final Conclusion

It's been six months since I had the conversation with Bob Kennedy
and I was walking through the magazine section in my local Chapters
bookstore. I glanced over the magazine section and had a look at
the latest MuscleMag. As I flipped through the pages of
advertisements, training articles, and pictures of huge and ripped
physiques gracing the pages of the April edition, I stumbled upon
an interesting article on Page 184.

[Suleiman]

Yep you guessed it... The article was on Enzymes.

While I don't know if Bob relayed the information to Frank Zane or
to Arnold about the importance of supplementing ones diet with
enzymes I can say it seems that he thought it important enough to
include and article on Enzymes in his magazine.

One thing for sure Bob Kennedy knows a trend when he sees one and I
think he believes that Enzymes are indeed the next big trend in
bodybuilding and in sport itself.

[hjayss]

I do 20 sets for on extensions alone and my wheels love it only 3 days to recover though at the most when I first did them this way it was like 5 days.
I would not suggest doing this every week though one week I do like 40-50 or more then the nest week I do 15-25.

[WoMp]

the longest recovery time I have had was 1.5 wks in legs. I was training with a friend of mine that competes in Local Strongman Comps. did 10 sets leg press, 10 sets squats, 10 sets lunges, 10 sets leg ext, 10 sets leg curs. was the first time I puked in the gym I loved every bit of it tho

[brandona]

couple of days and then i dont care....if i am not hurt then it dont matter how sore i am...push on....but you have to listen to YOUR body...i know when i am sore and when it's much worse.....

-B


P.S. this post #200 hope they have'nt all been bullshit......:)

[Suleiman]

sup guyz i was just wondering if this happens to you....u see time to time ppl see me and they always touch like girls touch the chest like its a balloon and am going to pop or whatever.....now this is where i get pissed thats when i have guys touching me **** like shit i tell get fuck of me...infact today someone called me a pretty boy and i was like no men i bust my balls and am a pretty boy just being bcuz am big and my clothes match men fuck off...men i dont how to deal with this....how many of you deal with this on a day to day basis

[Kiwi129]

I wish bro. Maybe someday... heh.

[GRUNT]

Hey man I think I would just stay clear of the guys that are touching your chest. Now for all the shit they are talking because your can match your clothes, is it really a big deal in the grand scheme of life? Do they make a difference in your life by saying that or can you look past the haters and channel that anger in the gym and make for a great workout. Remember be the better man and just shrug them off, they are jealous..

LESSON LEARNED TODAY: BE THE BIGGER MAN....

[G Diesel]

"Lighten up, Francis." Peace, G

[k1usa]

even though Im not huge like machine