True Life: Im on steroids

[pullups]

Yeah you right because i was the skinny guy doing 10-12 reps because a big ripped guy told me thats what he do, but when i do low reps i dont gain either because the heavy weight after a while would make me strain myself and get injured, so now ive been tryin a new technique some one told me about 3-6 reps but with a weight that i can do the reps slow pulse at the top and hold for 3 seconds without straining to were i lose my form.

I didn't mean to offend, bro my bad. But yea 3-6 reps of controlled lifting is best. MWF is hard as hell, but very good. I was just saying Fat kids wonder why they aren't cut, and skinny kids wonder why they arent big...i was just saying their is truth between high rep verus low rep different type of muscle fibers are formed and differnet muscle spindles are activated. Man I gotta find my Human physiology notes...

 

[dee3186]

No i wasnt offended i was just saying thats were i was for a while.

 

[prince Albert]

I was only talking about the workout part not the cardio or diet part which are most important. To think if you do 225 for 10 reps is gonna get you bigger then if you do 280 for 3 reps is just crazy...you dont train to run a marathon by doing sprints. Listen man If you want to get big keep the reps low and the weights high...best bet for range of 3-6 possibly singles and doubles once you have gotten more comfortable with it and time comes to cycle your workou

When i first started training 13 years ago i followed the abbreviated super squats routine for two years solid,3x12 bench 3x15 bentover row and 1x20 rep rest pause squat,3x a week dropping to 2x a week once pondages became hard,used to follow this routine for up to 18 weeks when poundages dried up,then onto the same exerciseS for 5x5,alternating between the two routines when poundages plateaued,went from 9stone 7 up to 13 stone 12,best squat for 20 reps was just over 330lb,for 5x5 i managed 375lb,of the two the 20 reps produced the most growth and was also much harder than the lower reps.

Try reading up on tom platz training style,he used to do mainly low rep powerlifting style workouts,he switched over to high rep squatting 30-50 reps in the hope it would add cuts to his legs,instead it caused his legs to balloon up in size.

Low reps work and so do high reps,ive tried very low and very high over the years and got results from both.

You mention skinny lads doing high reps but there are just as many skinny lads doing low reps,if someone is sticking to the big basic movements for whatever rep range and not gaining weight then it is more than likely down to diet.

You say you are a big guy,what are your stats and how much have you gained since you started lifting?

I'm not that big only 15stone 8 at 5'8 but i have managed to add 6 stone since i started training,so i believe i have a good idea of what produces gains.

 

[TomdW]

I don't agree that high reps are worse than low reps for building up muscle. High reps are great for bulking.

I've just watched three BB video's, 2 by Ron Coleman and 1 by Dorian Yates. In those they are both training for bulk and are both doing high reps. Apart from occasionally doing lower reps in their warm up sets.

What I generally do now is:

1 low rep (6) set with low weight as a warm up.

1 medium weight set for about 8 reps not quite to failure.

1 heavy set for 8 reps or beyond if possible to absolute failure

1 mega heavy set for 3 or so reps to 'Oh, shit I'm going to die!' failure.

I apply this formula to pretty much every exercise I do and I try to do at least 2 exercises per body part.

As far as I can see bulking is pretty simple. Train to absolute failure and beyond of every body part once per week using more than one exercise and eat a shit load of food.

 

[pullups]

When i first started training 13 years ago i followed the abbreviated super squats routine for two years solid,3x12 bench 3x15 bentover row and 1x20 rep rest pause squat,3x a week dropping to 2x a week once pondages became hard,used to follow this routine for up to 18 weeks when poundages dried up,then onto the same exerciseS for 5x5,alternating between the two routines when poundages plateaued,went from 9stone 7 up to 13 stone 12,best squat for 20 reps was just over 330lb,for 5x5 i managed 375lb,of the two the 20 reps produced the most growth and was also much harder than the lower reps.

Try reading up on tom platz training style,he used to do mainly low rep powerlifting style workouts,he switched over to high rep squatting 30-50 reps in the hope it would add cuts to his legs,instead it caused his legs to balloon up in size.

Low reps work and so do high reps,ive tried very low and very high over the years and got results from both.

You mention skinny lads doing high reps but there are just as many skinny lads doing low reps,if someone is sticking to the big basic movements for whatever rep range and not gaining weight then it is more than likely down to diet.

You say you are a big guy,what are your stats and how much have you gained since you started lifting?

I'm not that big only 15stone 8 at 5'8 but i have managed to add 6 stone since i started training,so i believe i have a good idea of what produces gains.

i got no idea what 15 stone 8 means but here it goes. Im 19 yrs old started lifting at 14. As of Nov 23 I was 6'4 329. At that time I maxed bench at 425, I deadlifted 500lb (i really think i coulda got more if my grip wasnt so bad), and squatted 550 3 times. And the best part is i have never taken any supplements ever (not even whey) until i was 18. my whole point is that steroids are not needed just a sound diet and hard work ethic.

 

[pullups]

I don't agree that high reps are worse than low reps for building up muscle. High reps are great for bulking.

I've just watched three BB video's, 2 by Ron Coleman and 1 by Dorian Yates. In those they are both training for bulk and are both doing high reps. Apart from occasionally doing lower reps in their warm up sets.

What I generally do now is:

1 low rep (6) set with low weight as a warm up.

1 medium weight set for about 8 reps not quite to failure.

1 heavy set for 8 reps or beyond if possible to absolute failure

1 mega heavy set for 3 or so reps to 'Oh, shit I'm going to die!' failure.

I apply this formula to pretty much every exercise I do and I try to do at least 2 exercises per body part.

As far as I can see bulking is pretty simple. Train to absolute failure and beyond of every body part once per week using more than one exercise and eat a shit load of food.

yates and colemen are juiced to the gills and are probablly on clen. I highly doubt they are bulking...especially colemen. Even though the sport has changed from astehtically (sp.) looking to mass, they usually cut.

 

[TomdW]

yates and colemen are juiced to the gills and are probablly on clen. I highly doubt they are bulking...especially colemen. Even though the sport has changed from astehtically (sp.) looking to mass, they usually cut.

I have to say that I agree with Prince Albert that cutting is to do with diet not how many reps you do. I know that they were putting on some mass in the off season and were not yet into the cutting phase, hence the fact that Coleman was eating so damn much in 'The Cost Of Redemption'.

 

[TomdW]

Oh and yeah, true they are both juiced up to the eyeballs. LOLrofl

 

[prince Albert]

i got no idea what 15 stone 8 means but here it goes. Im 19 yrs old started lifting at 14. As of Nov 23 I was 6'4 329. At that time I maxed bench at 425, I deadlifted 500lb (i really think i coulda got more if my grip wasnt so bad), and squatted 550 3 times. And the best part is i have never taken any supplements ever (not even whey) until i was 18. my whole point is that steroids are not needed just a sound diet and hard work ethic.

14lbs to a stone,218lbs,136lbs when i started lifting.

No offence but i would guess you were already a big lad before you started lifting,how much did you weigh when you first started?

Its easy to sit back and say steroids arn't needed when your already big built,the vast amount of trainees arn't blessed with such good genetics.

Your lifts are pretty good,i can match your deadlift,advantage of being shortarserofl

 

[goldmember]

I don't see the argument anymore, who even asked the question to begin with? lol

Here is what we've gotten out of this discussion:
-We can't agree whether high reps (10+) or low reps (1-5) affect cutting/bullking and which is best.
-We can't agree whether steroids are needed to get to where we want to be.

OK, let's reason. The choice to use steroids is COMPLETELY on an individual basis, but my opinion is that they should only be used when an honest plateau has been reached (or as a method of HRT).

im2manly, I think your training regiment is directed at functional strength (which is awesome, so is mine) but the question was asked for the best bulking and cutting techniques. So yes, things like physiology and experts ARE valid because BODYBUILDING is very much different than training for strength. Strength athletes should focus on eating a high-calorie high protein diet and lift heavy. Very simple in comparison to a bodybuilder who doesn't necessarily care about how strong they are, they just want to be big and ripped. Dorian Yates tore a pec bench pressing 150 pounds (probably a drop set, etc but you get the point). Most bodybuilders in the competitive circuit train with 6-12 reps for most exercises, and high-rep squats are also very common. These guys are huge and cut. A high-rep squat routine is also good for mental conditioning, cardiovascular conditioning, and yes strength.

Personally, I believe in a lot of bottom-position lifts, low rep 5x5 systems, heavy singles, lots of grip work, and compound movements. I also love high-rep squats. These all build phenomenal functional strength and will over time make you big and strong. BUT, the concern is entirely aesthetic from my understanding, and there are FASTER ways to get the purely aesthetic look this person is after then would training for strengh.

What I outlined in my post on the previous page is what got ME 30 pounds in less than a year, and all I did was cut down on calories/carbs and added cardio to the existing regiment to drop 25 pounds of fat (of the 50 pounds I gained from bulking). So this is testiment to Prince Albert's assertion that getting ripped comes entirely from diet and cardio. I said high reps burn more calories and raise IGF-1 levels. I DID NOT raise reps when I lost weight, but I simply said that scientific research supports it, and it is a viable option, but weight can be lost without doing so.

I think it would be most beneficial to all if the person who originally asked the question would chime in before any further comments are made.

 

[pullups]

14lbs to a stone,218lbs,136lbs when i started lifting.

No offence but i would guess you were already a big lad before you started lifting,how much did you weigh when you first started?

Its easy to sit back and say steroids arn't needed when your already big built,the vast amount of trainees arn't blessed with such good genetics.

Your lifts are pretty good,i can match your deadlift,advantage of being shortarserofl

Yea fresHydromaxen year i was pretty big around 230-240 of fat tho. Being fat does not, i repeat, does not help and neither does being tall. If anything fat prevents the release of testosterone. teh differnece with the kids my age back then was that they wanted to get ripped so they would do 21's and high reps. I played football, so i did low reps heavy ass weight. I was benching 110 when i was 14...very similiar if not less then kids my age, but unlike them I was in there 4 days a week for 2-3 hours. anyway, well agree to disagree you did what you did and it worked good for you, just like i did...but can we atleast agree if you are gonna bulk its better to do low reps to increase strenght?

 

[pullups]

I don't see the argument anymore, who even asked the question to begin with? lol

Here is what we've gotten out of this discussion:
-We can't agree whether high reps (10+) or low reps (1-5) affect cutting/bullking and which is best.
-We can't agree whether steroids are needed to get to where we want to be.

OK, let's reason. The choice to use steroids is COMPLETELY on an individual basis, but my opinion is that they should only be used when an honest plateau has been reached (or as a method of HRT).

im2manly, I think your training regiment is directed at functional strength (which is awesome, so is mine) but the question was asked for the best bulking and cutting techniques. So yes, things like physiology and experts ARE valid because BODYBUILDING is very much different than training for strength. Strength athletes should focus on eating a high-calorie high protein diet and lift heavy. Very simple in comparison to a bodybuilder who doesn't necessarily care about how strong they are, they just want to be big and ripped. Dorian Yates tore a pec bench pressing 150 pounds (probably a drop set, etc but you get the point). Most bodybuilders in the competitive circuit train with 6-12 reps for most exercises, and high-rep squats are also very common. These guys are huge and cut. A high-rep squat routine is also good for mental conditioning, cardiovascular conditioning, and yes strength.

Personally, I believe in a lot of bottom-position lifts, low rep 5x5 systems, heavy singles, lots of grip work, and compound movements. I also love high-rep squats. These all build phenomenal functional strength and will over time make you big and strong. BUT, the concern is entirely aesthetic from my understanding, and there are FASTER ways to get the purely aesthetic look this person is after then would training for strengh.

What I outlined in my post on the previous page is what got ME 30 pounds in less than a year, and all I did was cut down on calories/carbs and added cardio to the existing regiment to drop 25 pounds of fat (of the 50 pounds I gained from bulking). So this is testiment to Prince Albert's assertion that getting ripped comes entirely from diet and cardio. I said high reps burn more calories and raise IGF-1 levels. I DID NOT raise reps when I lost weight, but I simply said that scientific research supports it, and it is a viable option, but weight can be lost without doing so.

I think it would be most beneficial to all if the person who originally asked the question would chime in before any further comments are made.

1.) Best bulking techniques flat and incline barbell bench, squats, deads, and barbell rows at heavy weight with rep range between 2-6. Best for cutting decline dumbbell bench, flyes, pullovers, 21s, hammercurls, tri cable extenstions,etc at lower weight higher reps less rest.

2.) you are right he prolly tore his pec on a drop set, repping out the previous weight and the current weight to ultimatley trap blood in his delts, tris, and pecs

3.) w/ the exception of colemen you'd be suprised at how much stronger BB look then they really are.

4.) I agree that diet and cardio are more important, but when i was merely addressing his workout apporach. HE wants to bulk, not cut lower reps tend to engorge your muscle quintessentially trapping blood in them sucles and puffing them out.

now a quick questions, goldmemeber, you seem like a man somewhat educated in human physiology. Are you aware of the types of muscle fibers? the ones for short burst of enery (strength) and for endurance? would you train for the 40 yard dash by jogging 4 miles a day? and viceaversa.

 

[goldmember]

Yea fresHydromaxen year i was pretty big around 230-240 of fat tho. Being fat does not, i repeat, does not help and neither does being tall. If anything fat prevents the release of testosterone.

well, I would have to disagree. I believe fat has a lot to do with strength gains. I hit a wall early on in my weight lifting career (despite high calories) when I was too lean. I gained some weight (probably 20 pounds of which were pure fat) and suddenly my lifts all went up big time, with very little change in routine. I don't know how to explain it physiologically, but I would guess that the increased level of fatness (and the coinciding increase in aromatase and alpha-5-reductase enzymes) causes more DHT and possibly estrogen to circulate.

teh differnece with the kids my age back then was that they wanted to get ripped so they would do 21's and high reps. I played football, so i did low reps heavy ass weight. I was benching 110 when i was 14...very similiar if not less then kids my age, but unlike them I was in there 4 days a week for 2-3 hours. anyway, well agree to disagree you did what you did and it worked good for you, just like i did...but can we atleast agree if you are gonna bulk its better to do low reps to increase strenght?

I agree that low reps will yield more strength in most cases, but this guy wants SIZE. Size and strength are not one in the same. A guy the size of Ronnie Coleman should be able to deadlift over 1000 pounds, bench over 500 pounds and squat around 800. I don't know his stats, but would venture to say he cannot, but he's the biggest ripped guy on this planet. I doubt he does much in the 1-5 rep range, with exception of negatives etc.

 

[pullups]

a study have already been done that shows obese kids, who didnt get fat but have been fat (aka me fresHydromaxen year) have lower levels of test produduction.

 

[TomdW]

On Ronnie Coleman's videos he does some big lifting so I can answer a couple of these.

Deadlifts 850lbs x 2

Squat 800lbs

Bench presses 400lbs x 12 (they were dum bells)

Leg Presses 2500lbs

He can lift heavy. No question.

 

[goldmember]

1.) Best bulking techniques flat and incline barbell bench, squats, deads, and barbell rows at heavy weight with rep range between 2-6. Best for cutting decline dumbbell bench, flyes, pullovers, 21s, hammercurls, tri cable extenstions,etc at lower weight higher reps less rest.

I can agree with this.

2.) you are right he prolly tore his pec on a drop set, repping out the previous weight and the current weight to ultimatley trap blood in his delts, tris, and pecs

3.) w/ the exception of colemen you'd be suprised at how much stronger BB look then they really are.

yep. well aware of this.

4.) I agree that diet and cardio are more important, but when i was merely addressing his workout apporach. HE wants to bulk, not cut lower reps tend to engorge your muscle quintessentially trapping blood in them sucles and puffing them out.

I always got the biggest pump from 8-12 reps. I have never gotten much of a pump from low reps unless the rest was short and the sets were high (6+). The former somewhat defeats the purpose of low rep training.

now a quick questions, goldmemeber, you seem like a man somewhat educated in human physiology. Are you aware of the types of muscle fibers? the ones for short burst of enery (strength) and for endurance? would you train for the 40 yard dash by jogging 4 miles a day? and viceaversa.

You are still confusing strength and size a bit here. There are slow twitch fibers (Type I) that perform slow movements and those that fuel long-distance activities.
Type II fibers (fast-twitch) perform fast movements and those that require short bursts (heavy lifting). These are the fibers that respond most to weight training (hypertrophy). However, Type II fibers can be divided into Type IIa and Type IIb. Type IIa are more susceptible to growth, while TypeIIb respond better than Type I, but not as much as Type IIa. Type IIa fibers all called into action best during weight lifting bouts consisting of 6-12 reps, studies show. Type IIb fibers are called into action best during activities that require much strength. Train the fibers that grow most, in order to grow the most!
Also, don't forget that fast-twitch fibers come into play from more than just heavy lifting. Remember the sprinter you mentioned? Notice how sprinters are bigger than marathoners? You obviously know this, but I don't think it is from the notion that most believe, in that sprinting works the Type II fibers...no. Sprinting is not a strength activity, but the buildup of lactic acid (yes, this is anaerobic which usually is from activation of Type II fibers) and the lactic acid buildup causes an increase in IGF-1, according to Rea.

This can be translated to the high-rep squat routine. Not only is there an increase in IGF-1 from the high rep squats, but since squats work such a big muscle group, the testosterone increase is amplified. More IGF-1 and more Test mean a strong anabolic and anti-catabolic response.

As far as training for the 40-yd dash by running marathons, I agree that's assinine. However, the analogy cannot be related to the SIZE issue still, because SIZE does not equal strength. You have to tease these two apart. SIZE IS NOT STRENGTH, AND STRENGTH IS NOT SIZE (atleast not in the world of bodybuilding).

 

[prince Albert]

Yea fresHydromaxen year i was pretty big around 230-240 of fat tho. Being fat does not, i repeat, does not help and neither does being tall. If anything fat prevents the release of testosterone. teh differnece with the kids my age back then was that they wanted to get ripped so they would do 21's and high reps. I played football, so i did low reps heavy ass weight. I was benching 110 when i was 14...very similiar if not less then kids my age, but unlike them I was in there 4 days a week for 2-3 hours. anyway, well agree to disagree you did what you did and it worked good for you, just like i did...but can we atleast agree if you are gonna bulk its better to do low reps to increase strenght?

Bodyfat level has alot to do with strength,anyone who has cut to a low bodyfat level will tell you how much strength you loose,look at the majority of strongmen out there,most have fairly high b.f.

Any chance of posting a pic up,if you have gone from a fat 230+lbs to a leaner 329lbs you must be a genuine natural freak.

 

[pullups]

Bodyfat level has alot to do with strength,anyone who has cut to a low bodyfat level will tell you how much strength you loose,look at the majority of strongmen out there,most have fairly high b.f.

Any chance of posting a pic up,if you have gone from a fat 230+lbs to a leaner 329lbs you must be a genuine natural freak.

Is it really that amazing? the guys at elitefitness.com said the same thing, and they are a steroid board. lol shit maybe i should just drop out and start lifting for the rest of my life. I wish i did have a pic, but ima poor college student who right now is living off his parents. When you cut, aka drop body fat, of course the odds are you are going to drop muscle...infact its practially definite. Not all of them have a high Body fat maruiz pudiznowski (sp)d and janne vertanine (sp?) are pretty lean. But a bigger reason why they loose muscle is cuz they are cutting, getting less protein and fats and doing higher reps and lower weight (most of the time).

 

[TomdW]

I was just about to mention Maruiz Pudiznowski. He has a really amazing body. I reckon he could be a body builder if he put his mind to it.

 

[Provider]

I was just about to mention Maruiz Pudiznowski. He has a really amazing body. I reckon he could be a body builder if he put his mind to it.

Strong man looks more fun than bodybuilding.