Gym And Supplement Discussion

[markos]

Play with cripples, walk with a limp

Your choice

[No Crust Racing]

Haha!

That's me

Edited August 1, 2013 by ActionDan

[bozodos]

haha that's about right. At least I've been able to steer clear of the machines, curl variations and cables for the most part.

[-FIGJAM-]

since when does PTC do cardio?

[No Crust Racing]

Markos mentioned he has some circuits, iirc one of them cannot be done by a mere human.

[-FIGJAM-]

ahh thats right the KB circuit

[bozodos]

cardio using weights - he makes his hatred of treadmills and the like fairly clear

[jangles]

no I probably wouldn't - I've been training and cleaned up my diet for 6 months now, but after reading your newsletters, the thought occurred to me that I might be under eating instead of eating more to build muscle, and therefore increase my BMR.

Possibly even to the point of just eating more meat and having less protein shakes.

It's unfortunate that I can't find anyone in my friend group who is interested in trying the PTC style of training (3 x a week compounds, 2x of cardio with weights), everyone is still dogmatic about the bodypart split thing!

Who are you training for? Yourself or someone else? Do what you want to do and prove to them when you're far stronger your choice was the better one

[bozodos]

training for myself, and because recently i'd started to really wonder if trying to train like bodybuilders really suits normal people.

It is easier to train with other people than alone though.

Edited August 1, 2013 by bozodos

[No Crust Racing]

Bodybuilders are normal people, just like power lifters or race car drivers or firemen, they all just train to be good at something.

If you don't like the training style, trying something different.

There's a bazillion ways to train. It's pretty Power lift centric around here because we have Markos actively contributing, you could frequent another forum and see everyone advocating different training styles and in the end, you'll still look better and be stronger and fitter than you wold if you did nothing so just try things until you find what you enjoy most.

IF you enjoy it, you'll ave a better chance of sticking to it and conquering one of the most difficult aspects for some, the mental challenge of slugging it out again and again.

[jangles]

training for myself, and because recently i'd started to really wonder if trying to train like bodybuilders really suits normal people.

It is easier to train with other people than alone though.

I agree and disagree with your closIng statement. It annoys me to anger people that stuff around when they want to train 'with' me.

People that do the same as myself, yes, it is good to have a spotter when needed.

Edited August 1, 2013 by jangles

[bozodos]

Well I was initially interested in the more powerlifting side (because to be honest what's the point of being big and/or shredded without having the strength to back it up), however the relative unaesthetic look of most powerlifters I'd seen had put me off.

Markos' methods have me interested because his lifters get serious results (well in excess of anyone I have seen locally whether they be 70kg or 100kg+) yet most of them look pretty good to boot, which says to me that he might have a pretty good idea of what he's doing for what I want to achieve.

I already know that curling like a bro isn't the answer, nor is Crossfit. I've done the 5 day split type training for a while now, but feel like a lot of the machine work and cable stuff was just a waste of time.It could be flawed logic as well, but I figure that my compound lifts are going to get better, faster, if I'm doing them more than once a week.

The question mark I have about training alone is yes having a spotter or someone to check my form if I'm still doing it wrong (as I have a tendency to have one foot behind the other when squatting for example). Easier to train alone in that you get through it a lot faster, and only have to rest until you are capable of the next set or exercise.

Edited August 1, 2013 by bozodos

[-FIGJAM-]

how the bejebus do you squat with one foot behind the other?

I train alone these days, doing 5 x 5, benching more now by myself then I was with a spotter.

[No Crust Racing]

I think he means out of line with each other, not one foot actually behind the other toe to heel.

[Birds]

Well I was initially interested in the more powerlifting side (because to be honest what's the point of being big and/or shredded without having the strength to back it up), however the relative unaesthetic look of most powerlifters I'd seen had put me off.

This obviously comes down to your goals and why you're in the gym, i.e. whether you're doing it for yourself or others. But in a society obsessed with image, looks hold more value than strength. So I tend to ask, what the point of being strong is, if you look like shit. I like powerlifting, but outside of powerlifting circles, gym forums and the sport itself...no one in the general public really gives a f**k what you can lift. It's a sport for the self. You tell most girls how much you can bench press and check out the not-so-sincere look of awe on her face; see how many brownie points it earns you on a date. Even your grandma will say "that's nice dear", aka cool story bro.

Meanwhile, some guy who can't deadlift 120kg, but has built a body of lean muscle and a six pack to boot, has guys asking how often he works out and girls asking what he can bench press. You can despise it all you like, but that's what our society is like. It's the reason so many people don't give a shit what they lift, as long as they look good. Hence bro curls, hence a workout full of isolation movements.

Now there's no reason you can't have both - many do. Afterall, I do believe the most efficient way to get looking good from gym work is to strength your way to it - hence I promote powerlifting movements for people who want to build good looking, muscular bodies. There are more benefits to being both strong and good looking, than one or the other. And it's not as if a fat powerlifter can't change their diet and trim down, then look a million bucks. People often forget that, the goals may be different, but bodybuilders still use powerlifting movements to build their bases.

But...if I had to choose between looks or strength...I'd take looks any day of the week. Simply because, in our society, you have more power than someone who could lift 3 times what you can.

[Trozzle]

But if I had to choose between them...I'd take looks any day of the week...simply because, in our society, you have more power than someone who could lift 3 times what you can.

Pretty much this.

[bozodos]

Correct Dan, and that's precisely what I was getting at Birds,

It's vain, but I want to look strong as well as be strong, not interested in getting to single digit bodyfat or competing (at least at this point in my life). Markos' trainees and methods seem to work well for this from what I have seen, hence my interest in that particular method.

Given that I'm still obese (6ft /120kg /~28%bf) and relatively new to lifting still, I figured that getting strong and then having the aesthetic look as a side effect of eating correctly to be the best method for my goals rather than trying to do whatever celebrity workout or train like Ronnie Coleman.

[Birds]

Correct Dan, and that's precisely what I was getting at Birds,

It's vain, but I want to look strong as well as be strong, not interested in getting to single digit bodyfat or competing (at least at this point in my life). Markos' trainees and methods seem to work well for this from what I have seen, hence my interest in that particular method.

Given that I'm still obese (6ft /120kg /~28%bf) and relatively new to lifting still, I figured that getting strong and then having the aesthetic look as a side effect of eating correctly to be the best method for my goals rather than trying to do whatever celebrity workout or train like Ronnie Coleman.

That's certainly the way to go about it. Humans are mimickers, imitators...it's how we learn from a young age. But beyond a young age, this style of learning doesn't serve us very well. We often look at top level people and think that if we do what they do now, we will get what they got over years of training. It's like asking Lewis Hamiton how to drive a Formula 1 car...he could tell you, but it won't translate to good laptimes if you haven't had 10 years of cart racing experience under your belt.

[TM7GTR]

Meh, aesthetics trump performance...

Today's society, attractive girl goes for aesthetic guy, not champion powerlifting physique.

Performance in bed > performance in the gym

[SRS13]

Correct Dan, and that's precisely what I was getting at Birds,

It's vain, but I want to look strong as well as be strong, not interested in getting to single digit bodyfat or competing (at least at this point in my life). Markos' trainees and methods seem to work well for this from what I have seen, hence my interest in that particular method.

Given that I'm still obese (6ft /120kg /~28%bf) and relatively new to lifting still, I figured that getting strong and then having the aesthetic look as a side effect of eating correctly to be the best method for my goals rather than trying to do whatever celebrity workout or train like Ronnie Coleman.

"Diet is 70% of how we look and 30% how we train" I heard this once....

When I first started training 18months ago I was 86kg. I got down to 78kgs this February. I've gone back to 82-83kgs.

• Training frequency is the same ie average 4 days per week
• Training approach is slightly different; whole body workouts as opposed to body parts.
• Strength is similar if not stronger (than when I was 78kgs)

Only difference is how much I eat. I eat a lot more now (in winter) than what I did before and not all of it is good, hence the increase in weight.

When at 78kg I was told I looked really lean and now at 83kg everyone is saying I look much bigger and look good. I do feel bigger but I felt better at 78kg!

Challenge for me now is to lose the little bit of fat I put on not lose weight. I can lose weight easily, but I don't want to lose muscle size nor strength. That might be impossible when dropping almost 5kg but I want to minimise it. Only way I'm going to do that is the correct diet ie not diet to lose weight but eat correctly to lose fat and maintain muscle. How I train wont have that large an effect on it...