The Fitness Guide

Cloudy, you can buy a bench and some free weights (I recommend Powerblocks or equivalent) and do quite a bit with just those at home. Check out the first page of this thread to have your questions answered.

The abs workout I promised to scan.

I think it's pretty self explainatory, but if a translation is really needed, I'll provide one.

Sweet, now I can finally do Vijf Oefeningen Voor Een Treetje

You mocketh the Dutch.

No more scanned in oefeningen for you guys.

Holy shit, Dutch must be pretty hard to learn. I felt like good before checking those scans of yours because I'm fluent in three languages (and I do understand Portuguese if spoken correctly) but then I saw the scans and felt like shit. I mean, people who are fluent in Dutch are freaking geniuses in my book, that's some difficult shit.

On topic, anyone know any efficient tricep exercises besides from dips?

Now think of speaking 6 languages.

Do you know how confusing it can become inside this head of mine?

For triceps I use the rope on the pulley machine a lot.

On topic, anyone know any efficient tricep exercises besides from dips?

Without weights, the only other thing I can think of is narrow width push-ups.

With weights: triceps extensions/triceps press on a bench (either with dumbbells or a barbell), standing triceps extensions/triceps press (either with dumbbells or a barbell), lying cross-over dumbbell extensions, and dumbbell kickbacks. That's all I can think of for now.

Yesterday I successfully completed a consistent four-weeks of my program, and I'm going to start a new exercise program for the next four weeks. After a month, there's already noticeable changes, especially after looking at my beach photos from Thailand, so I'm pretty happy. Generally, I look more pumped everywhere, more proportioned, wider across the shoulders, and my abs are more visible. Today, I started my creatine monohydrate supplement intake, so I'll be loading for 5 days, then maintaining for several weeks after that before cycling again. This also means I have to stop drinking coffee for 5 days if I want to maximize the results

For anyone that hasn't ever been a gym member, I suggest you atleast give it a shot.

Working out at home is great, I suppose you could do everything you do in a gym with the right equipment and all...but I also see the gym as a get away from everything "regular".

I seriously would be (a lot more) frustrated without the gym. If I've had a crappy day I can just go there and blow off some steam, it's also so damn relaxing. Train hard for one and a half hour or two and then take a swim and a 20 minute steam bath or head to the sauna. Seriously, it's blissful and more stress relieving than gaming (which usually gives me more stress...a foul? You fucking e-ref, you call that a FOUL?!)...

Back to the point...everyone that is thinking about joining a gym...do it. It's great fun and worth the money. Just make sure it's not more than 20-30 minutes away from your house, if it is...the thought only of going will make you too lazy to go. If it's close, you'll be a lot more inclined to head there.

Just a "in-between/off-topic" post regarding the gym.

^ I agree that the gym is the best way to maximize workouts, unless if a home gym can offer everything a regular gym could. The reason why I work out at home are the "cons" of going to a gym: people are using the machine/weights I need, I don't have to pay money, I don't have to drive to the gym, and I can work out alone (have the whole gym to myself).

Of course, some people are more intrigued with the benefits of going to the gym. Personally, if I work out at the gym, I'd pay extra to get a good personal trainer. The exception is if you have the motivation and intensity of Jackal, then you're gold.

That's simple.

Step 01: Get your heart broken by the one you thought you'd marry.

Step 02: Have them say it can't be done.

There you go.

Gym rocks. I don't have much time or the equipment in the dorm room, and the university weight rooms are always filled with athletes or always overcrowed, and plus the equipment there are like 40 years old. I usually go at like 5 or 6 in the morning, when Gold's isn't too crowed, but it's also pretty spacious and they usually have the newest equipment and people are mad friendly.

How much are you guys paying for your memberships? I pay like about 30 bucks a month for Golds Gym.

Last edited by Jing on Mon Jul 07, 2008 9:10 am, edited 1 time in total.

I don't go to a gym because I don't have a personal income but if I did I wouldn't go anyway. It's freaking expensive down here, like €1500-a-year-expensive.

Okay, this is my first post here. I'm 15, turning 16 in september, 6 feet tall and I weigh about 135 lbs. Yeah I'm rather thin and I want to get bigger and gain some weight, muscles, between 10 and 20 lbs, maybe more.
I'm askin' you guys what would be the best way to do so, except for eating. I have all the time I need, I know those things don't happen over night.
So some hints for exercises would be nice.

Read the thread through, enough hints and tips to be honest.

gym memberships are pretty expensive everywhere. look to pay 30+ a mo if you don't have a referral.

i might be able to get around 22 a month if i add onto my mom's account at 24 hr fitness but you gotta pay for a full 3 years up front.

I have this thing where if I go before prime hours (after like 2 PM), its $29.99 a month. So I usually go before work (around 5 or 6 AM) or during lunch around 12.

It's a big investment if you pay 3 years up front, what if you move away or whatever? or there is a better gym in town or something. Seems too much to put so much money in advance.

So I ended up getting myself "Arnold Schwarzenegger's The New Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding" and I can honestly say I'm enjoying it so far. It's very easy to read and interesting.

Anyone else have it or read it?

So I ended up getting myself "Arnold Schwarzenegger's The New Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding" and I can honestly say I'm enjoying it so far. It's very easy to read and interesting.

Anyone else have it or read it?

I've had it for years now It's a great densely-packed book with lots of good exercises, and I refer to it every now and then. A must-have book I'd say.

i got this one , its ok


http://www.amazon.com/Hardcore-Ronnie-C ... 381&sr=8-1

Not sure if many of you know this website www.t-nation.com
but it is a great bodybuilding and weight training site. It has plenty of forums for different weight training discussions and it provides plenty of tips and advices.
Really worth the look.

I know about T-Nation, it's basically a free version of the P90X program. (Which I also recently "obtained".)

I'm at page 64 of Arnold's Bible and this shit is seriously awesome. It's not that I didn't know this stuff, but the simplicity with which he's explaining a lot of the stuff just makes me want to hit the gym. Great read, honestly.

Money well spent, I was a bit sceptical at first...now though, totally sold.

paying 3 years up front saves money over paying like 35 a month. plus you can access any 24 hr fitness gym so i can go wherever i want. it totaled out to $18 a month on the prepaid and after 3 yrs it's $99 a year. that's a whopping $8 a month. can't beat that.

i signed up the other night and shit came with 4 personal training sessions with a personal trainer. my goal is to put on a solid 5 pounds before I go to Vegas in a month. ill keep you guys posted. but im not an attention whore like Jao so i wont make a new thread about it

So I've been doing the Arnold basic program and son of a bitch it hurts. I mean I usually did 2-3 sets per muscle group, this guy has me doing five and shit.

No doubt I'm growing at a rate I've never grown at before, but at the moment I'm still sore like a motherfucker.

That is all. I hate waking up at 4 to work, messes up my whole workout routine.

The five sets could overwork you, but I think doing that once every month is a good way to shock the muscles for greater growth. Is that your plan?

His plan is to kill the Batman?

Whaaa? Batman is my God. No wait, that's Tyler Durden. None the less, he's up there. Bale ftw.

Uhm, no that's not my plan Cy, this is what I've been doing so far:

Workout 1: Chest/Back 5 sets of everything in the beginning program.
Workout 2: Arms 5 sets of everything.
Workout 3: Legs 5 sets of everything.

5 x 25 crunches/reverse crunches alternated.

This I do as a three day split. Sunday is my off day. This way each muscle group has sufficient time to rest. (Although it still is pretty sore given it's being pushed to the max.) I also usually add an hour of cardio and half an hour leisure swim/sauna use to take the tension off the muscles. With Arnie's program I've been spending a good 4-5 hours in the gym.

Not that I'm complaining, seriously, I've done it for a week and I feel on a whole new level, not only definition-wise but also just being less tired at work etc.

The only thing I guess I could complain about is being a bit sore after the initial week. But I think that needs getting used to, I didnt train this hard before.

Anyways, I'm the type that tends to listen to my body, so if I get too sore, I just take an off day.

So we'll see, I plan on getting a measuring tape real soon so that I can really track my progress. Hopefully if I can do it properly, there will be a post that covers the start to finish with measurments and pictures. I'll keep my fingers crossed.

Sorry so long, just got home from working 6-14, without a night's sleep. Mind is all over the place.