Do you even lift?

Jonathan_Leack

Former Executive Editor
I've been working out all my life, but after a recent wrist fracture I've found myself at the gym about five days a week. At this point I'm addicted to training hard.

Are any of you into exercise?
 
At this point I'm addicted to training hard.

Are any of you into exercise?

Good on you, man! Awesome to hear. I reckon recovering from injuries can be a huge motivator to get healthier and stronger, I know it might sound super cheesy but "whatever doesn't kill you, makes you stronger", right? Welcome to the Gain Train, Jonathan. ;) Enjoy your stay.

I know Green_Lantern here lifts (because if I remember right - he's really strong) and so does intoTheRain.

I tore my ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) in my right knee almost six years ago from an accident at judo, and after doing a lot of physiotherapy for six months, I started getting weight lifting. It's only been the last two years that I've taken strength training seriously and gotten decent results, though.

Nowadays, I go to the gym to lift four days a week and then I train in judo twice a week. I've been doing judo for over eight years.

Next week I'm doing a new strength test. Attempting one rep max's of a 200 kg (440 Ibs) dead lift, 175 (385 Ibs) squat and a 125 kg (275 Ibs) bench press. I'm confident I can get the bench, so I wanna try 130 kg (286 Ibs). As for the squat, I want 180 kg (396 Ibs) but I'm not too confident I'll get it, so I might just stick with attempting 175 kg.

I've told this story here before, but a little over eight years ago, I used to be very inactive. When I turned twenty one, I was weighing over 130 kg (286 Ibs).

FatCraigthenCraignow_zpsae1708ad.jpg


Left is me in 2008/2009, right is me in 2013.

I went to a mate's birthday one night, got assaulted by two big, drunk dudes, and after feeling scared, humiliated and helpless, I took up judo to learn self-defence. Nine months later, I lost over 30 kg (66 Ibs) and ended up weighing like, 96 kg (211 Ibs). I'm kinda heavy nowadays, about 115 kg (253 Ibs) but I have thankfully put on muscle mass instead of body fat.
 
I aim to go what they call "yogging" once a week at the gym...

...I haven't been for a month now, should get back into it. Although my excuse is I've had a bad stomach for a while!

Not addicted or love it or anything like that. Just dont want to jiggle when the shirt is off in the summer
 
Yea, its hard to do but once its done - you feel infinitely better. I try to maintain (in a 7 day week) over 50% exercise rate
 
Yea, its hard to do but once its done - you feel infinitely better. I try to maintain (in a 7 day week) over 50% exercise rate

At the end of the day, you've got a life, and life can get in the way of exercise and stuff. The important thing is to set aside time to do exercise, like a schedule, the more you do it, the easier it becomes. Unless you're like... a professionally dedicated athlete, then you should go to your friend's birthday party instead of the gym, for example.

It's also important to do exercise that you actually enjoy doing, like team sports and stuff (which I know you do, which is awesome).

People who go to the gym and complain about it, e.g. acting like they're being punished or tortured, they're unfortunately doing it wrong.
 
I undertook my strength testing yesterday. Very happy with the results, for the most part.

Squat: 175 kg / 385 Ibs (previous best was 165 kg / 363 Ibs)
Dead lift: 200 kg / 440 Ibs (previous best was 190 kg / 418 Ibs)

Unfortunately, my bench press still remains the same at 120 kg / 264 Ibs. I attempted 125 kg / 275 Ibs, but the bar only moved a few inches before sinking right down. :(
 
How much you weighing now? Still around 115kg?

I weighed myself the other day and i'm now back up to the heaviest i've ever been at a bit over 130kg, which is very bad because the last time i was up around this weight was when i was going to the gym for 45-60m every other day maxing out the fly and leg press machine, when i stopped i dropped all the way down to ~110kg at one point and it was pretty much all muscle loss.

Need to fix this, got myself a couple weight sets, looking for a bench and heavy bag right now
 
Last edited:
How much you weighing now? Still around 115kg?

I weighed myself the other day and i'm now back up to the heaviest i've ever been at a bit over 130kg, which is very bad because the last time i was up around this weight was when i was going to the gym for 45-60m every other day maxing out the fly and leg press machine, when i stopped i dropped all the way down to ~110kg at one point and it was pretty much all muscle loss.

Need to fix this, got myself a couple weight sets, looking for a bench and heavy bag right now

Yeah, I'm still around 115kg. Starting today, I am attempting to clean up my diet. My coach has recommended an 80/20 compliancy (80% diet, 20% cheat/flexibility).

Sorry to hear that your weight has gone up, but at the very least you've recognized this and have responded by taking action by getting yourself some equipment, nice.

I can't exercise at home. If I try to do so, I'm tempted by all things of laziness, e.g. my bed, computer, TV, PS4 etc. I personally prefer to leave the house because it insures that I will get some exercise done.

Have you thought about getting a gym membership? I know it's more expensive in the long run than buying your own gear, but at the very least, a gym can offer you heaps of equipment that would otherwise be too expensive for home, personal use.
 
Hey Madster,

I think what you'll want to do is run. Your weight will flux with your muscle mass as long as you keep lifting heavy, but it sounds like you want to do what I did and lose weight, but keep muscle. The way to do this is to run... no way around it, and you can keep your muscle by lifting on the days you don't run - but lift a lot of reps, not for max. Lifting should get your hard going as much as the tread mill if done right, but thats lifting one day a week vs. 3 or 4. The key is to keeping your daily protein up since you'll be burning a lot.

17596580_222508241563381_7693052851165069312_n.jpg


I know it sucks but start by run/walking 2 miles on the treadmill. Maybe you walk the 2 miles to start, then you jog until you cant any more, then you run & jog some workouts to get to 2 miles until you Work up to running non-stop for 2 miles. Then work on getting your 2 mile time down by running 2 miles faster. This should take you about a month if your knees and joints can take it. Don't force it - it may take longer, but in those days off you can lift.

No matter what, it still comes down to watching what you shovel into your mouth... which is why I'm stuck currently at 250lbs :(... Its going to take me doing meal preps like Craig (which I dont want to do *wahhh*), but its inevitable if I want to lose more.

Hope this helps
 
That's still a really awesome effort, Urban. Great job, man. :)

Really sorry, a disclaimer: I'm really into this kinda stuff so uh, my next post is certainly going to be "TL;DR".

Unfortunately, when it comes to losing body fat (not necessarily "weight" but you know), nutrition is the key. I don't know where people get these numbers from, but it's often claimed that successful weight (body fat) loss is apparently "80% diet, 20% exercise". I believe this to be true. Ever since I got my nutrition sorted, or at the very least started eating better, I've had much better results in terms of fat loss and strength gain.

With diet, you do not have to behave 100%. I've been told to follow an 80/20 rule, so 80% good healthy food, and a maximum of 20% unhealthy food. Obviously, the less unhealthy foods we eat, the better, but at the end of the day we all have a life and we have our own indulgences. I've been told that if you're gonna scrap anything unhealthy - alcohol should be the first to go.

I don't want to disagree with you Urban but to be honest, you do not have to do cardiovascular exercise to lose body fat. You can lose body fat by weight training alone, but the weight training must be smart (e.g. three to four days a week of heavy, compound lifting e.g. squat, bench press, dead lift etc. basically lifts that utilize multiple muscles at once) and of course, nutrition is the absolute key. In saying that, yes, cardiovascular exercise can help people lose body fat, absolutely, no denying that.

Don't get me wrong. I believe cardio is still an important aspect of physical exercise, due to the physical conditioning it can provide us, e.g. increasing our overall cardiovascular fitness, oxygen intake etc. but I'm just pointing out that in regards to fat loss, it's not actually necessary.

Regarding weight training, I'm being coached to train to failure. So every single exercise I do, regardless of its weight, I just need to attempt as many reps as safely possible. For example, here's yesterday with squats, my first exercise:
  • Set 1: 122.5 kg (270 Ibs) to fail = 8 reps (no belt), rest 3 - 5 minutes after, could have probably got more reps if I wore my belt
  • Set 2: 130 kg (286 Ibs) to fail = 7 reps (belt), rest 3 - 5 minutes after
  • Set 3: 140 kg (308 Ibs) to fail = 4 reps (belt)
In my opinion (based off my own experiences and guided training), lifting weights should probably be done anywhere three to five times a week and should be done in a matter where it's always going up. So every week, you're going to be lifting heavier weight, which will result in fewer reps. I'd suggest to train in cycles as well, whether it's four weeks, six weeks, eight weeks or even ten (personally I do four). I'll show you what I mean below, using my dead lift as an example:

Month 1 (May):

Previous 1 rep max dead lift:
170 kg (374 Ibs)
  • Week 1: 132.5 kg (292 Ibs) 8 - 12 reps
  • Week 2: 142.5 kg (314 Ibs) 5 - 8 reps
  • Week 3: 152.5 kg (336 Ibs) 3 - 5 reps
  • Week 4: 162.5 kg (358 Ibs) 1 - 3 reps
  • Week 4 End: 190 kg (418 Ibs) kg new 1 rep max
Month 2 (June):

Previous 1 rep max dead lift:
190 kg (418 Ibs)
  • Week 1: 152.5 kg (336 Ibs) 8 - 12 reps
  • Week 2: 162.5 kg (358 Ibs) 5 - 8 reps
  • Week 3: 170 kg (374 Ibs) 3 - 5 reps
  • Week 4: 182.5 kg (402 Ibs) 1 - 3 reps
  • Week 4 End: 200 kg (440 Ibs) 1 rep max
So as you can see, in Week 1 of May, the dead lift is quite light, with many reps. As we go further into the month, the weight increases, the reps decrease. Once the first month is over and we move into the first week of the second month (technically week 5) we drop back down to a lighter weight with many reps, but the starting weight is greater than the first month's starting weight. So when you think about it, it's like a stair case, with the aim of always trying to go further up.

Anyway. Hooray for exercise. Having a healthy balance of weight lifting and cardio is a good idea. I'd probably suggest more weights, less cardio, e.g. three to four days of weight lifting, two to three days of high intensity cardio, with at least one rest day so you can chill out and relax. Aside from nutrition, other factors that can contribute to weight loss/gain is how much sleep you get per night as well as how much water you drink per day.

Regarding food, I'll post some quick and healthy recipes a little later. Maybe in the Cooking For n00bs thread?

Madster, if you're interested, since you're in 'Straya, I can point you to the services I use to do my weight/diet program.
 
Last edited:
Speaking of food and lifting...

I saw a video today on Facebook by BuzzFeed, where two staff members from BuzzFeed attempted a challenge to eat like Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson for twenty four hours. For those who don't know, generally when The Rock physically prepares for films, he undergoes a strict diet regime (and intense training program) that has him eating about 5,200 calories a day, spread across seven meals. It's A LOT of food.

I think what's really dumb about this challenge (which is what the BuzzFeed hosts fail to acknowledge, probably either because of ignorance or deliberately withholding information) is that yeah, The Rock eats a crap load of food, but it would be prescribed to him accurately by a qualified professional, which would be calculated against his lean muscle mass, body fat percentage, how much/often he trains etc. On top of that, his training program would most likely be prescribed to him by the same professional, to go hand in hand with his diet. All of it would be goal orientated and outcome driven, a method to the madness for the desired results.

Being really thin, or being of average size (e.g. these two hosts) and then trying to eat his diet to give it a go is just... kinda silly. I know it's more or less a "just for fun" kinda challenge, but when the guy complains at the end saying that the diet is impossible to maintain due to all the meal prepping involved, eating etc... it kinda isn't. Sure, it would be very challenging at first, but it would be completely about time management, priorities and just slowly building it all into a sustainable habit. I imagine those who would find it the most challenging (or perhaps "impossible") would be those who care for children, or care for people with special needs.
 
^ I saw a similar thing a while back. Not by the same people, but some guy who looked no bigger than 70kg tried this Rock diet. And I thought just like you did, just...well yeah, of course you cant eat it - you're not the Rock.

It was more curiosity to see the food itself and the prep etc rather than whether the fuckhead could eat it or not! It is an extraordinary amount.
 
^ I saw a similar thing a while back. Not by the same people, but some guy who looked no bigger than 70kg tried this Rock diet. And I thought just like you did, just...well yeah, of course you cant eat it - you're not the Rock.

It was more curiosity to see the food itself and the prep etc rather than whether the fuckhead could eat it or not! It is an extraordinary amount.

Pretty much. Anyone could eat The Rock's diet, but the thing is... depending on one's overall weight and more specifically, their body fat to lean muscle mass ratio, the macro-nutrients (essentially, the weight of each meal) would be drastically different. The Rock eats over five thousand calories due to how much muscle he carries and how he trains, so if someone much smaller, or someone with a higher body fat ratio took to The Rock's diet, it would need to be adjusted and could be anywhere from two to three thousand calories, maybe more or less. Basically, you can eat the same kind of food as The Rock, but how much of it you would eat would be different, depending on your physical size and exercise regime.

Trying to replicate it one for one, while it's an interesting exercise, is incredibly inaccurate and makes the idea of meal prepping harder than it really is, and that's what bothers me, because it could be putting people off of the idea. These hosts complain "Meal prepping is so hard, how can anyone maintain this, how can anyone eat this" etc. but honestly, if it's personally to you and your needs, it is so much easier to make it into weekly habit and routine.
 
I've been working out all my life, but after a recent wrist fracture I've found myself at the gym about five days a week. At this point I'm addicted to training hard.

Are any of you into exercise?

Yessir! I took up weightlifting a few months after my separation back in 2012. I used to hit up the gym all the time before I met my ex wife (I was about 240 lbs when I was 18, got to 195 lbs by 20) but lost it after having a few kids and well, letting myself go. At one point I was 297 lbs and on two occasions so far I've managed to get myself down to a waking weight of 180 lbs. Currently sitting at 190 lbs, should be getting an umbilical hernia fixed up in the next 2-3 months and then I plan on doing at least one amateur bodybuilding show.

Needless to say, I meal prep every 6 days and keep track of my macros when I'm looking to build myself back up. I love me some good ol bodybuilding and I've been very fortunate to find a "Gym Family" that aren't narcissistic Instagram twats. Haha.
 
Not sure if I'm posting this right, but the pics of me being heavier are from 2011-2012 and the other one is this past March. I've bulked up a bit more and not as lean currently (what can I say, I went on a 2 week freebee binge outside of my macro counts .. haha) but I'm looking forward to grinding it out back to it all over again. This time, a bit bigger.

before2011.jpg 5yearsprogress.jpg
 
I get an error when I try to view them...but if I squint real hard I can make out the difference!

Nice work Daddio!
 
@Master_Craig and @Daddio : I'm really impressed with your results! Great job.

I used to be the guy that thought to myself, "If only I wasn't born so skinny". I trained for years at a consistent level, doing push ups, pull ups, dumbbell curls, tricep extensions, and more every three days or so. Despite this investment, I didn't see many results.

Then, I came to learn about half a year ago that you can't gain muscle without a caloric surplus. I have no idea why it took so long for me to learn this, but that was the case.

With that, I've been hitting the gym consistently five days a week, workout for about 70 to 90 minutes each time. I'm also hitting a very healthy 300 to 500 calorie surplus each day, consisting of fruits, vegetables, meat, protein powder, nuts, yogurt, and more.

It's only been three months at this point (would have been three months earlier but I fractured my wrist playing basketball), but I feel better than ever. I feel like I'm finally pushing toward becoming the best version of myself I can be, and it's had an incredibly positive effect on me.

I'm addicted at this point, with no intention of ever slowing down. In a few months I'll post some progress photos and weight numbers. For now, it's a work in progress. :)
 
Last edited:
Thanks everyone! Appreciate the love.

@Jonathan_Leack Yes! A caloric surplus for adding size is a must. Depending on where you are body wise, it could be as little as 250 calories or as much as 500, sometimes even 700 or so. It really all depends on what you're looking to do, although I don't pretend to know everything. Haha. I just know what works for me because as you mentioned, it's addicting and I kind of like to tinker with my body to see what I can do.

Here's a link to my diet plan that I'm currently on. I've been on it for a few months and it's done wonders. While I'm aware it doesn't have fruit, it was for a reason. I tried cutting out as much sugary carbs as I could, which included my beloved Greek Yogurts and milk. Haha.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Td_mj6ePcH4rVoevbbko-C_WsrMG6UXe8aH6rX6k1Gc/edit?usp=sharing
 

Members online

No members online now.

Forum statistics

Threads
16,685
Messages
270,770
Members
97,722
Latest member
Playnft
Top