View Full Version : natural monster state?
i love the feeling i after being 100% warmed up, but i usually dont go into my own natural 'monster state' until maybe 1/2 hour into my workout, or after about 2-3 exercises. i usually warm up, do my 2 exercises but light, hit the 3rd one hard, and then go back into my first 3 exercises, but balls to the wall. i then just turn into a monster and fight and push myself to the brink of puking when im actually done lifting. then its cardio time, and i walk at a brisk pace for about a 1/2 hour.
does that sound normal or awkward or odd? mind you the only thing ive eaten before my workout was cuts right as i wake, morning protein shake 1/2 later, and a handful of almonds right before hitting the gym. im doing contest prep/cutting like maddness so im not trying to take in too much before lifting.
here is an example as in what happened today.
walked at a brisk pace for 15 min
hit dumbbell curls (standard, hammer, reverse)
hit incline dumbbell superset (butterfly, and chest press)
hit barbell curls
then just turned into a beast after warming up, and added about 50% more weight than i was doing before and struggling. I did the last 3 exercises over again. i was struggling with the light weight before this monster effect, but then just started mashing after it kicked in. this monster effect then just takes over my entire workout. always feels as if i freak out the person that is watching me workout when i go for heavier weight and hit it harder as if the heavier weight was easier, and lighter was harder. and if i feel that im not being pushed enough, i increase the weight, until i burn out basically.
what im currently taking : animal cuts, animal pak, animal flex, animal nitro. adding PM today and giving it a whirl. also im only 21.
comments?
Aggression
10-28-10, 4:07 pm
I'll be honest, brother .. that seems rather odd. Let me get this straight ... You do into the gym and basically do a normal bicep routine and then go back and do it all over again, only with more weight and with a 'monster' attitude? That seems like you're overdoing it. Why not just hit the 'monster' attitude earlier? For me, I head into the gym for biceps, do 2 real light warmup sets on my first exercise and then its 3 sets of 3 exercises (9 sets total). They're all balls to the wall and hard. Get in, get out. Personally, I think what you're doing is either a waste of time, detrimental to your gains, or both.
pushin weight
10-28-10, 5:03 pm
Never heard tell of a routine structured this way, but i guess if your getting the results you want then whos to say?Truth is you could just use your animal mentality after your initial warm up and get the same if not better results.The more i train and learn the more i realize that ultimately something that works for me wont work for you and vice versa,good luck.
Howitzer
10-28-10, 5:45 pm
I dunno about the monster mentality part, but I've had the same experience where it's taken me a long time to warm up. I hit my first weights as hard as possible and save the big lifting for a few exercises in. That way, when it's time to dig deep, I'm already warmed up and I can put forth my maximum effort. I feel ya. The only part of my attitude that changes at all is that I feel the very moment when I'm totally warmed up and I know it's time to amp up the intensity further. It's more a realization that what I'm doing is no longer adequate to really stimulate growth.
Howitzer
I'll be honest, brother .. that seems rather odd. Let me get this straight ... You do into the gym and basically do a normal bicep routine and then go back and do it all over again, only with more weight and with a 'monster' attitude? That seems like you're overdoing it. Why not just hit the 'monster' attitude earlier? For me, I head into the gym for biceps, do 2 real light warmup sets on my first exercise and then its 3 sets of 3 exercises (9 sets total). They're all balls to the wall and hard. Get in, get out. Personally, I think what you're doing is either a waste of time, detrimental to your gains, or both.
why not hit it with that intensity right away? i dont know how to explain it, but its not "there" so to speak. unless im drenched in sweat, or start feeling something feel 'worked' or the immediate need to be pushed, it just doesnt happen. i dont really know how to explain it really. doesnt just apply to arms though. its EVERYDAY, every workout. every body part. go figure right?
heres what happened yesterday. so i get ready to do some leg presses. im fresh off the bike/treadmill and briefly stretched. i put a plate on each side, and do a couple warm up sets to make sure everything feels good before i start actually doing my planned workout. work my way up to 4 plates on each side, and am struggling to finish my last set. i then dismantle the press, and go do seated calf raises. warm up with 2 plates, work my way up to 5, do my sets and done. move onto leg extentions, and after the quick check, i finish my first set. 'monster' finally kicks in, and i end up doing all the weight on the machine, 4 sets of 12, and feel like i still need more weight. head to the leg curl, and the same thing happens. work my way up to all the weight on the machine, and still feel as if i need more weight again. i start to feel as if my last 2 exercises were inefficient. go hit the seated calf raises again, start out with 3 plates, and end up doing 4 more sets with 6 plates. i felt as if i should have added a 7th plate, but didnt want to go that far. i briefly stretch my hams and quads, and hit the seated leg press again. worked up to 6 plates on each side, 4 sets, and making it a superset by after finishing one set, take a plate off, and quickly do 10 squats holding the plate outward like you would with a weighted medicine ball doing wood chops. mind you, im dripping in sweat, my shirt is 100% drenched, while im doing my sets im panting and breathing very hard, but still felt as if i didnt work hard enough. i have hit weight i never thought i would see happen, and decide to go hit cardio.
wake up this morning with no doms, no soreness, and it feels as if i never worked out, unless i get really deep in a standing squat stretch. otherwise i dont feel like i did anything.
Never heard tell of a routine structured this way, but i guess if your getting the results you want then whos to say?Truth is you could just use your animal mentality after your initial warm up and get the same if not better results.The more i train and learn the more i realize that ultimately something that works for me wont work for you and vice versa,good luck.
its possibly related to that. then again, it takes me awhile to get into the monster mentality. then i feel like the past exercises i did before i got 'into my animal state' feel insufficient, and i hit them again, and begin using weight ive never thought i could hit/rep do before. every week is like a new PR. it makes no sense, but it seems to be working. im not really gonna go against it, but from a psychological point of view it seems rather odd. that was the whole reason why i asked. im about as stumped as you are, but then again, im making a lot of progress every week.
I dunno about the monster mentality part, but I've had the same experience where it's taken me a long time to warm up. I hit my first weights as hard as possible and save the big lifting for a few exercises in. That way, when it's time to dig deep, I'm already warmed up and I can put forth my maximum effort. I feel ya. The only part of my attitude that changes at all is that I feel the very moment when I'm totally warmed up and I know it's time to amp up the intensity further. It's more a realization that what I'm doing is no longer adequate to really stimulate growth.
Howitzer
it might be that it takes me that LONG to warm up. im used to having at least a 1/2 hr of cardio in before i lift, so by that time im motivated, hearts pumping, and im ready to rock/have to push myself to lift. then again, it seems to be taking about a good 40 minutes to warm up, and get into that mindset it seems. i was moving slowly today, but still doing my workout as planned. kept trying to find a song that would get me going. i took a little bit longer than 40 seconds to hit my next set, and the guy next to me gave me the signal to keep it moving: your wasting time between sets. that ultimately is what set me on fire today, and right now i feel as if i could do the workout again. no soreness, no nothing.
BryanSmash!
10-29-10, 7:12 am
Why not try less of a warm up and start hitting the heavy stuff earlier? If you need to get your heart rate up just do a couple of light sets of power cleans or jump rope for a few minutes then dive into it.
Aggression
10-29-10, 9:29 am
Sounds like its more of a mental thing. You expect the 'monster mentality' to not hit you until a certain time, so you just cruise through in a haze until you 'think' it hits you. And then you 'begin'. If warmup is an issue, like others have said, do a quick run or jump rope to get a sweat going and then head into your first exercise and hit it hard right then and there.
Question: When do you eat your preWO meal compared to when you start training?
Sounds like its more of a mental thing. You expect the 'monster mentality' to not hit you until a certain time, so you just cruise through in a haze until you 'think' it hits you. And then you 'begin'. If warmup is an issue, like others have said, do a quick run or jump rope to get a sweat going and then head into your first exercise and hit it hard right then and there.
Question: When do you eat your preWO meal compared to when you start training?
most likely a mental thing. im used to running at least a 5k before i start lifting, so i dont know what im actually capable of. when i worked for ups, all the packages came slow at first, and then it just poured. so i think its that i need to warm up/still have that mental thing going. so everyday this week has been a new adventure so to speak. but i switched my cardio to after i lift, to switch things up. PWO meal? realistically it looks like this:
630 cuts
700 whey + pak
830 handful of almonds/tbspn peanut butter
1000 workout. starts
havent been eating much PWO, as im contest prepping to meet a personal goal. but make up for it later in the day, and before i sleep.
Aggression
10-29-10, 10:01 am
630 cuts
700 whey + pak
830 handful of almonds/tbspn peanut butter
1000 workout. starts
havent been eating much PWO, as im contest prepping to meet a personal goal. but make up for it later in the day, and before i sleep.
What is your logic behind eating this way for a contest prep? It seems really off to me. I think it may have something to do with your energy levels in the gym. Why not just take the Whey, Pak, and almonds all at 7 and train at 8? Seems like you're leaving way too much of a gap between eating and training. I know you're contest prepping, but is it for a show? Or just a personal goal? Either way, I think your diet needs a bit of tweaking and it may help in the gym. Ive done a contest prep and personally know many several others who have done shows. We've all had legit whole food meals 60-90min preWO. I've never heard of a contest prep that has you eating 3hrs and then 90min preWO (both with very minimal calories). Just trying to help bro ...
oh i appreciate all the help I can get. so its a good thing. reason for the odd split, well is i have morning class. 8-915. eat something in the middle of it to hold me over, then head from school, over to the gym. been trying the whole as soon as you wake up do cardio without anything in your stomach. feels as if i can just go ball to the wall without anything in my stomach, but if i have something in it, i get the sense that it wants to come back out mid-late workout.
pushin weight
10-29-10, 11:03 am
oh i appreciate all the help I can get. so its a good thing. reason for the odd split, well is i have morning class. 8-915. eat something in the middle of it to hold me over, then head from school, over to the gym. been trying the whole as soon as you wake up do cardio without anything in your stomach. feels as if i can just go ball to the wall without anything in my stomach, but if i have something in it, i get the sense that it wants to come back out mid-late workout.
I agree that you can have plenty of energy on an empty stomach.The problem is when you train intensely with weights on an empty or near empty stomach your body will go from an anobolic to a catobolic state which is highly undesirable for those looking to effeciently build muscle....guys correct me here if im wrong on this.....
Aggression
10-29-10, 11:13 am
oh i appreciate all the help I can get. so its a good thing. reason for the odd split, well is i have morning class. 8-915. eat something in the middle of it to hold me over, then head from school, over to the gym. been trying the whole as soon as you wake up do cardio without anything in your stomach. feels as if i can just go ball to the wall without anything in my stomach, but if i have something in it, i get the sense that it wants to come back out mid-late workout.
I agree that you can have plenty of energy on an empty stomach.The problem is when you train intensely with weights on an empty or near empty stomach your body will go from an anobolic to a catobolic state which is highly undesirable for those looking to effeciently build muscle....guys correct me here if im wrong on this.....
Agreed, pushin' weight. Sure, you can have energy on an empty stomach. Taking Cuts will definitely help in that area, but its detrimental to train on an empty stomach. Cardio on empty? Absolutely. Training on empty? Absolutely NOT. Your body needs outside fuel to power through the workouts. If no outside fuel is provided, it will turn to your own muscle to rip up as energy. In doing so, its pointless to even workout.
quinto, here is what I would do. and I believe it will help tremendously, both with your physique and your training.
wake up, pop cuts, do cardio. Come home, slam a shake (with some carbs/fats depending on your diet) and then head to class. After class (915), eat a legit whole food meal. 60-90min later, train.
intoodeep25
10-29-10, 11:37 am
ill be honest, you need to get your mentality fixed...fast. i walk into the gym ANGRY. you need to be hungry from the get go and give every set everything youve got, not just a couple or whatever your doing. heres what i do. the night before, right before going to bed, i sit down and map out my entire lifting session. i make sure it is going to help me take another step toward my goal, and be effective. after i do that, i put my lifting journal down and lay in bed and watch myself in my mind do the session. next day, 20 mins before i even start warming up, i sit down and prepare my mind for whats about to go down. you need to go in mentally ready and mentally strong WITH A PLAN, or you wont be being as effective as you can be. make every session count bro. go in fired up making sure every lifting session gets you one step closer to your destination
Agreed, pushin' weight. Sure, you can have energy on an empty stomach. Taking Cuts will definitely help in that area, but its detrimental to train on an empty stomach. Cardio on empty? Absolutely. Training on empty? Absolutely NOT. Your body needs outside fuel to power through the workouts. If no outside fuel is provided, it will turn to your own muscle to rip up as energy. In doing so, its pointless to even workout.
quinto, here is what I would do. and I believe it will help tremendously, both with your physique and your training.
wake up, pop cuts, do cardio. Come home, slam a shake (with some carbs/fats depending on your diet) and then head to class. After class (915), eat a legit whole food meal. 60-90min later, train.
understandable. will give it a shot. i only got time to burn. dont want to drop the mass ive put on, and fought so hard to get.
ill be honest, you need to get your mentality fixed...fast. i walk into the gym ANGRY. you need to be hungry from the get go and give every set everything youve got, not just a couple or whatever your doing. heres what i do. the night before, right before going to bed, i sit down and map out my entire lifting session. i make sure it is going to help me take another step toward my goal, and be effective. after i do that, i put my lifting journal down and lay in bed and watch myself in my mind do the session. next day, 20 mins before i even start warming up, i sit down and prepare my mind for whats about to go down. you need to go in mentally ready and mentally strong WITH A PLAN, or you wont be being as effective as you can be. make every session count bro. go in fired up making sure every lifting session gets you one step closer to your destination
you got a point. thats actually what i did today. decided that i had to make a statement. no more of this slowly waming up crap. got in, did 2 warm up sets, and went straight for the weight. it worked, but took me 2 sets of struggle to break sweat, and the increased the weight again.
Want that monster attitude early? Ok before you go to the gym, get motivated....watching zhani bodybuilding videos on youtube will help a BUNCH. Once your motivated, listnen to your favorite songs, vision your war, your fight in your head, warm up for a good 10 mins, get everything warm, very important. If you dont feel like training like a monster then I dont know what to say.
Aggression
10-29-10, 2:47 pm
you got a point. thats actually what i did today. decided that i had to make a statement. no more of this slowly waming up crap. got in, did 2 warm up sets, and went straight for the weight. it worked, but took me 2 sets of struggle to break sweat, and the increased the weight again.
Just go in and find that psycho switch. Maybe its a certain song, a video, a thought, whatever it may be. Just bring it to the forefront of your dome piece and get lit. That's all there is to it. For some, its easier to bring out than it is for others, but we all have it.
Don't attribute 'sweating' with an intense workout. I sweat walking into the gym (no, I'm not overweight). Shit, I sweat when I shave. That doesn't mean I'm gonna get pumped up and go back and re-shave. Just go in there and get work done. I've worked out at times and never broke a sweat, but it doesn't mean the workout wasn't successful.