Need to pump up fast

[The_Flying_Tomato]

have you ever used steroids. just wondering, mr. bonds.

[air gordon]

How to go with the warm-up sets? Low reps and low intensity?

VanK prefers only 1 set of warmups, but I prefer to do at least 2 (low weights/high reps), especially if you're going with heavy weights.

A nice little 10 or 5 minute light jog will get the heart pumping but it doesn't sufficiently warm up the muscle(s) you're going to train IMO (unless it's legs). When I do 2 warmup sets, I feel my body is comfortable with the motion of the excercise and ready to take on the heavy weights. Cy thinks you'll fatigue yourself out doing it but once your body gets in the routine/conditioned, it's smooth sailing. And i prefer to jump to the heaviest weight of the sets after the first one- you have most of your energy at the beginning workout so why not make use of it immediately

Vank had some good tips

i'd like to add also:

try and get your fill of protein within an hour of when your workout ended

and if you want to be hardcore about monitoring your calorie intake- start counting calories of the food you eat- look on the labels. or you can go on the diet plans that the muscle mags have. they conveniently map out 7 day diets along with calories, protein, fat counts.

and if you want to go even more hardcore Dweaver style- consider buying a heart rate monitor watch to count how many calories you are burning during your workouts. the one i have is the Nike TriaxC6- it cost around $109. BUT- if you sign up for the Chase Bank Amazon Credit card, you will get $30 off your first purchase off of Amazon.com. (i think amazon has the price listed at $94.00) so i was able to get mine for ~$64.00

good luck

[shadowgrin]

Cy thinks you'll fatigue yourself out doing it but once your body gets in the routine/conditioned, it's smooth sailing

I was worried about that happening. I guess it will take some getting used to, I'll try it out and see what happens.

i prefer to jump to the heaviest weight of the sets after the first one- you have most of your energy at the beginning workout

That's what I always do, except without the warm-up sets.

if you want to be hardcore
...even more hardcore

Nah, I'll pass going hardcore. As VanK said:

It has to improve quality of your life, but it shouldn't become one.

Just read some articles regarding Bale's bulk-up. The general consensus among fitness experts and professionals, especially those who train actors, is that Bale might had some "chemical help" considering the drastic change in size of his body in such a short time. Most of the articles always highlight the word "might" in the statement, trying to avoid a lawsuit.

[Nick]

protien shakes

A little off-topic, but the other day at work somebody asked me if i'd had my daily protien shake. I'd never heard of the term and thought he was asking if i'd jacked off yet. That conversation wasn't as awkward as it should've been.

[cyanide]

Where have I been?

For Christian Bale, I believe a huge part of it has to do with genetics, he's the ideal mesomorph... then again, substances may play a part. There's no way to gain such a huge amount of muscle while keeping ripped in 2-3 months as he did, but you can still manage a decent amount of size in that span provided:

1. You're on a strict and consistent diet
2. You're working out in high intensity

You gotta be careful not to burn yourself out and you need to plan your meals in advance to get the most out of it. Simple guide:

- 6 "smaller" meals a day that are low in saturated & trans fats but still contain fats (polyunsaturated and monounsaturated) with lots of protien and complex carbs. They MUST exceed more calories that you consume than you burn, so that way, you are gaining. Go on a clean bulk, as you'll minimize fat and maximize muscle gains. You'll gain fat on a bulk, no matter what, but it's easily removed once you go on a cut. Brown rice and potatoes are complex carbs, and same with whole wheat breads, oatmeal, etc, try to go for those kind of foods and avoid the processed stuff. Lean meat, fish, yogurt, eggs, etc.. Don't overdo protien, though! Try to go for a 40% carbs, 35% protien, and 25% fat ratio, or a 33-33-33.

- Sleep 8 hours a night. It's hard to do, but try to go for it.

- Work out 3 or 4 times a week, hitting all your body parts, including your legs. Break them up into different days and ensure that you work a muscle group only once a week. Avoid machines and use free weights, and for the best gains, definitely do compound exercises such as squats, deadlifts, and bench press.

- Try to aim for a range of 6-10 reps for 2 or 3 sets per exercise. Make sure that you pick a weight that is heavy enough until failure (which means you can't do any more). Rest for appx. 60 seconds or earlier in between exercises, but no later than 2 minutes.

- Drink lots of water. I mean gallons.

- Drink a protien shake right after your workout. You'll be sorry if you don't.

- Mix up your workout routine after 3-4 weeks, otherwise your body will get used to it and stop growing. So changing up exercises is recommended.

Hope this answers some of your questions. Jackal, you may now proceed to hump my leg!

Edit: 3-4 times a week, not 3-4 times a day!!

[Jackal]

Jebus, 6 smaller meals a day, I hardly get in two normal meals...

8 hours of sleep? I'm lucky if I get 5.

I work out like 2 times a day, but that can be upped.

Water drinking is already there. Protein shakes have to be arranged.

8 hours of sleep...jebus.

[Fenix]

Bale certainly isn't t a mesomorph. Have you seen him before all the training he did? He was skinny, somewhere in the 175lbs range (@6'2).

And you definitely mean he should work out 3-4 times per week, not day. Body needs its time to regenerate. And yes, eating often, sleeping enough and drinking shitload of water is important. You can't make it without that.

CB in Metroland: http://www.christianbale.net/galleries/metro/images/metro_366.jpg

CB in American Psycho:
http://www.christianbale.net/galleries/psycho/images/ap_391.jpg

There's a huge difference.

[Jackal]

I've got a shitload of respect for that man.

[Fenix]

He gets millions of bucks for doing that. Isn't that a decent motivation?

[cyanide]

If he has the ability to decrease his muscle weight and pack muscles on like that, then he's a mesomorph, otherwise the guy's on something. If he was an ectomorph, there's no way he'd look like what he did in Batman Begins, and if he's an Endomorph, it'd be impossible for him to do the Machinist.

[Fenix]

Brad Pitt looks huge in Troy and you can't deny that he's a pure ectomorph. Granted, Bale has a lot of mesomorphic qualities, but he's still more of an ecto. He has a decent frame, but his muscles didn't come naturally - as seen in pics I posted before - and therefore you can't call him 'the ideal mesomorph'. I'm probably an inch taller than him, people call my constitution 'athletic' and my adult weight (@circa 25 years of age) will probably be around 190 pounds, but I'm not by any means an mesomorph. Bale was probably around that weight in AP (I know a 6'2 guy who weights 205 pounds, has low BF, but still looks much bigger than Bale, especially legs-wise), which isn't exactly heavy. A 'pure mesomorph' is a guy who always sits on the couch, but can still bench press 250 pounds. Lebron comes to mind. And a guy I see in the gym - he's 19 years old, looks like he's 28, never seriously worked out, but lifted 440lbs (200kg) on leg press machine and benched 220 (100kg) in his second week of going to the gym. Guy looks like he's been breastfed with stereoids.

[cyanide]

Ah well, I guess I should see Bale when he was in his younger days rather than judge him by previous movies. It's always amazing to see ectomorphs actually bulk up to a big size.

[shadowgrin]

Don't overdo protien

Why? Protein builds muscles. I know an excess of protein can do something bad to the kidneys, but lots of water intake can neutralize that effect.

3-4 times a day

Hardcore baby!

I'm already doing the tips you posted cyanide except that I have trouble with drinkning of water and eating the number of meals required.
It's hard to find a steady supply of drinking water whilst away from home. Same deal with the number of meals, and eating the same food gets tiring pretty quickly. I want variety in my meals.

Thanks for the tips, Vank, air gordon, and cyanide.

[Fenix]

I always wear a backpack with 1-2 litres of water, a couple of protein bars and I add bananas, low fat yoghurts, müsli bars, hard boiled eggs, kefir and similar stuff into the mix, just anything to provide me with that meal or two I don't eat at home or at restaurant. And you can always visit Subway and order a delicious sandwich with a lot of chicken or turkey breasts.

I eat circa 1 - 1,5 grams of protein per pound of body weight, but I heard that even 2 grams isn't dangerous to your health.

[DatYellowGuy]

I saw on TV that he had a diet of ONLY eggs for Batman Begins.

[Axel]

- Drink lots of water. I mean gallons.

I wouldn't reccomend that. Too much water in too short a time span will flush out all your electrolytes. = death.

[[Q]]

I found a list of healthy high-calorie foods for people like me who are looknig to gain weight (not necessarily muscle, but just weight in general). It works for those who aren't taking in more calories than they are burning
http://www.cancercenter.com/after-care-services/high-calorie-foods.cfm
I felt strange looking for info on a cancer treatment site, but got over it after a few minutes.
here's the list:

Fruits:
Bananas, Cherries, Canner Fruit in Juice, Currants and Raisins, Dates and Figs, Fruit Juices, Fruit Juice Bars, Mangoes, Pineapple, Plantains, Dried Fruits

Breads/Cereals:
All-Bran, Bran-Buds, Breads (heavy, dense), Fruitful-Bran, Fruit Squares, Low-Fat Granola, Pasta, Rice and Barley, Wheat Germ (mix in food), Cooked Cereals (i.e. Bulgar, Grits, Oatmeal, etc.)

Vegetables:
Corn, Lima Beans, Parsnips, Peas, Potatoes, Succotash, Sweet Potatoes, Winter Squash (i.e. Acorn, Butternut)

Dairy:
Nonfat Cheese, Nonfat Dry Milk (mix into food), Nonfat Frozen Desserts, Soy Milk, Nonfat Frozen Yogurt

Meats and Meat Substitutes:
Beans (Garbanzo, Kidney, Navy, Pinto, etc.)
Fish (Bluefish, Butterfish, Chubb, Herring, Mackerel, Pompano, Salmon, Sardines, Swordfish, Tuna)
Textured Vegetable Protein
Tofu

Other:
Gainers Fuel/Gainers Fuel 1000 (high-calorie, high protein, nutrient-dense, dry mixes to add to water, juice, milk, frozen yogurt, etc.)

[Cable]

Let's just make this another Fitness thread, shall we?

I'm not exactly sure what I want to do specifically, but I want to get stronger by the time b-ball rolls around again, maybe bulk up, maybe tone my muscles. What could/should I do? My dad's got an exercise bike, free weights and a bench that I can use. I already eat pretty healthy - oatmeal almost every morning, lots of yogurt and meats - but I'm guessing there's better things to be eating. I also have the water covered, and the sleep. I don't remember what those 'morphs are, but I'm about 6'0 155 lbs. and I don't seem to gain weight very easily. I'm not looking to go real hardcore, but I'm pretty serious about this. Oh, yeah, and I turned 16 in January. Any suggestions?

EDIT: Stuff I eat regularly:
- cheese
- lunch meat (ham, summer sausage)
- 1% milk
- fruit juices (apple, orange)
- whole wheat breads
- apples/applesauce
- vegetables (corn, carrots, green beans, peas, peppers)
- white rice

Anything bad there?

[Jackal]

I saw on TV that he had a diet of ONLY eggs for Batman Begins.

In a movie magazine we get at our rental store, he (Bale) says he was on Tuna & Apples for a long time. That's it.

That's how he lost all the weight he needed to lose for The Machinist. I can scan the article, don't think you'd understand shit though.

[cyanide]

Great list, Qballer!

Why? Protein builds muscles. I know an excess of protein can do something bad to the kidneys, but lots of water intake can neutralize that effect.

It does, but as VanK said, 1 to 1.5 grams of protien per pound of body weight is all you need. It's not that it's dangerous, but it's a very poor energy source, which is why you need carbs as an energy source to ensure that you're getting a proper and intense workout.

I saw on TV that he had a diet of ONLY eggs for Batman Begins.

Bullshit. He'd not only have health issues on that diet, but he'd be weak as hell.

- cheese
- lunch meat (ham, summer sausage)
- 1% milk
- fruit juices (apple, orange)
- whole wheat breads
- apples/applesauce
- vegetables (corn, carrots, green beans, peas, peppers)
- white rice

Qballer's diet tips are great, as for yours, make sure that you go easy on the cheese, get rid of the summer sausage, replace 1% with skim (non-fat) milk, don't go overboard on fruit juices, and if you can, use real fruit, the veggies and whole wheat breads sound great, and as for white rice, I eat them, but brown rice is definitely better.

[shadowgrin]

Let's just make this another Fitness thread, shall we?

Uhm, no.

I wouldn't reccomend that. Too much water in too short a time span will flush out all your electrolytes. = death.

I think you mean too much water loss in a short time results in death? That's what usually happens when a person has diarrhea.
You're right though to an extent but drinking gallons of water when you're body is going through some sort of heavy activity everyday such as a workout helps the body dispel the potential build-up of waste products in the body. The consumption of 5-7 meals a day helps keep the renewal of electrolytes that has been flushed out as a result of too much water intake.

It's not that it's dangerous, but it's a very poor energy source, which is why you need carbs as an energy source to ensure that you're getting a proper and intense workout.

I see. I am enlightened.

I heard about that apple diet. Enjoyable if one enjoys shite loads of apples.

[cyanide]

I wouldn't reccomend that. Too much water in too short a time span will flush out all your electrolytes. = death.

I think you mean too much water loss in a short time results in death? That's what usually happens when a person has diarrhea.
You're right though to an extent but drinking gallons of water when you're body is going through some sort of heavy activity everyday such as a workout helps the body dispel the potential build-up of waste products in the body. The consumption of 5-7 meals a day helps keep the renewal of electrolytes that has been flushed out as a result of too much water intake.

Whoops, I forgot to talk about the water part.

A couple gallons of water, not in a short amount of time, but during the whole day, is very good for the body. There's a lot of research and articles regarding water, and it's absolutely essential to the growth of muscles.

Here's a simple list of the benefits of water and bodybuilding: http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/animalpak21.htm

[shadowgrin]

Water is especially important when following a "high protein" diet, as it helps remove excess nitrogen, urea (a toxic substance), and ketones.

That's what I meant with too much protein intake being bad for one's health.

Informative, I should say. Didn't know too much about #'s 3,4, and 7 before reading that article.

[J@3]

Lol did VanK advertise those wannabebig forums? They should change the name to wannabegay. I checked it out one time before when he posted a link, and found a thread where some guy had posted a pic of himself... then some other guy requested he post a pic of his ass, so he did, and the other guys posted page after page of compliments on it

Not to mention the chubby 17 year olds with a tiny bit of muscle definition posting pics of them posing shirtless like there's no tomorrow, it's good for some unintentional comedy.

[Fenix]

That is bound to happen on all bodybuilding forums at some point. Wannabebig forums aren't exactly an exception, but there are still some good tips for training routines and nutrition.