Any other bodybuilders out there?

[achokshi99]

Were you able to play tennis or any sport while in contest prep mode? Would think it would wreak havoc on your body, cortisol levels, etc? I am on a low carb diet, posted earlier in this thread, mod intensity cardio at 45-60 min 5x a week + lifting. Is that 700 calorie deficit from the 1 hour cardio + lifting + diet? Did you do any sort of carb cycling or cheat meals or just lock in for 3 months or whatever the prep time was?

Thanks man. One of the hardest things I have ever done (bulking). My body is ecto-meso (in between) so getting lean isn't too tricky. Right now I sit at 168lbs / ~10-11% BF. That is where my body likes to "set" if you will. Takes quite a bit of coaxing to move from there. Honestly I was not at 175 lbs. Probably closer to 170 once the pre contest water was all out. Didn't take the contest itself too seriously (just fun with friends) but I wanted to see how lean I could get.

For cardio, classic style. Just low intensity 1 hour cardio 5/7 days. I dropped down to about 6-7% with just a ~700 calorie deficit + my exercise. To lose the last bit I used hydroxycut and it definitely worked to my surprise.

In terms of lifting I started getting very fatigued as contest time approached (3-4 weeks out). I couldn't lift heavy effectively anymore so I did a lot more dropsets / lighter weight. My goal was to just get the best pump I could.

 

[coyfish]

Were you able to play tennis or any sport while in contest prep mode? Would think it would wreak havoc on your body, cortisol levels, etc? I am on a low carb diet, posted earlier in this thread, mod intensity cardio at 45-60 min 5x a week + lifting. Is that 700 calorie deficit from the 1 hour cardio + lifting + diet? Did you do any sort of carb cycling or cheat meals or just lock in for 3 months or whatever the prep time was?

At first I did a 500 calorie deficit and then upped it to 700 about 4-5 weeks out. I ate more on days I lifted so a deficit of 700 means 700 below my maintenance requirement that day. In terms of carbs I basically cut out all carbs for the last 1-2 weeks except for greens. Then I carbed up before the show.

In terms of sports I don't really know. I guess you might be able to get away with it early on but as I have mentioned before, you can't do everything. There is a point where, to surpass, you must apply yourself 100%. Right now I have a good balance between lifting, eating, and sports but that is different for everyone. But come 5 weeks out or closer ... the lack of energy really starts getting to you. And losing the water was horrible. Ill never do that again.

I never realized how important losing water was. In terms of my abs I didn't really notice any change between 8% and 5%. But once the water was gone... huge change. I don't think the cut itself is that "unhealthy" but the dehydration definitely is and your body lets you know.


For normal cutting I don't do any cardio aside from tennis. It is all about diet. You can argue about HIIT but cardio is just a way to reduce calories. That can all be done through diet. And people forget how many calories you work while you lift (which is much more important for fat loss than cardio imo).

Maintaining your muscle means you burn calories all day. Low intensity is fine as you don't stress yourself but anything more risks breaking down muscle which can hurt you in the long run.

 

[sixftlion]

OK Now I know your full of sh1t! I am sorry but swinging an iron weight between your legs is not going to make anyone look 26 years younger.

Well, of course if you look at the face, there are the wrinkles, but her movement and athleticism is like being in her 40s. She is lean and fit. That's what I am saying. Of course it's not just the kettlebells, but eating healthy, sleeping well and all that (blah blah blah). But the kettlebells were an excellent addition to her fitness program and made a HUGE difference. She's been training with me for 3 months, at least 3 times per week. Not full of sh1t, but hard work

 

[sixftlion]

OH and all this....ITS FUN.....stuff. Yeah right. Just like going running and working out are fun. You guys have some weird ideas of what fun is. Where I come from fun a bottle of vodka and two sleezy........oh nevermind.

Next time I go to a party I am going to yell out.......LETS HAVE SOME FUN AND SWING THIS WEIGHT BETWEEN OUR LEGS!!!

Ha! What else can be more fun than hard black balls between your legs? heee heee... nevermind... ;-)

 

[sixftlion]

This aint Cocktail. I drink the Vod....oh wait, your talking juggleing kettlebells.

That juggleing looks a little to risky for me. I am not a fraidy cat but I have had enough stupid and uneccesary injuries that I am cautious about stuff like juggleing weights.

Let me ask you something. Is it common that people hurt their backs when starting Kettlebells?

What type of rep count do you do? I figure I would just start with the basic swing and go from there. Maybe go for a couple weeks and then evaluate from there. Can you do these swing routines daily?

I cant wait! This is gonna be so much "FUN"!!!!!

Juggling is not risky at all, but you have to be smart about it. It's a learning process. I never had anybody hurt his/her back doing kettlebells and juggling. Number one rule: good technique, number two: never rescue a bad toss, let the bell drop and move your feet quickly away. You will drop the bell hundreds of times. When I was learning the double flip (720 degrees), it took me several months, and tons of drops. I just couldn't see the handle in the air, it was rotating so fast. Then one day I caught it, and dropped it, because I was surprised. Since then, I do doubleflips like it's normal flip. My eyes and coordination adjusted.

I would start with basic swing. Two hands, one hands etc. You can use 35-pounder only and just increase the number of swings... do interval training: 1 minute swinging, 30 seconds rest... 10 times (i.e. 15 mins total). You wouldn't believe how intense. When I do intervals, I do both hands swings at first, then one hand, then add flips over- and underspin, side spine, etc.

You could do the routines daily, but soon discover that you hands, forearms and hips are tired, so you will need a break. You will just feel when you have to rest. Depends how much and intense you train. I do the kettlebells for one hour 2-3 times a week. Sometimes just one time and instead do some plyometrics and agility etc. Just mixing up things all the time.

 

[snoopy]

Speaking as a former competitive power lifter, whatever benefit you may get, or think you get, from "heavy" lifting, is FAR outweighed by the consequences for your joints, tendons and back that you will live with, for better or worse, for the rest of your life.

JMO! YMMV!

What do you consider heavy lifting? How does weightlifting fit into what you would consider to be healthy exercise?

Obviously a person can't lift at the extremes of their ability forever and the negatives will overshadow the benefits if they try and do so.

Personally, my knees, shoulders, and back all feel better since I started squatting, benching, and deadlifting. But I'm not a competitive power lifter. I'm shooting for the same numbers r2473 listed, 500/400/300. Once I reach those (or come pretty close, haha) I will back off. Yet, I don't see myself ever giving up those big 3 movements.

I think this whole thing about being injured if you run was largely promoted by shoe manufacturers..

I disagree. I think some people just aren't built for long distance running. Running over 3 miles really bothers my knees, both when I was light and now that I'm heavier. Yet, tennis and shorter runs/sprints don't bother my knees at all. I would probably have to get a coach and learn proper technique if I wanted to run longer distances.

 

[coyfish]

I agree snoopy. The reason why Kenyan's and mexican indians are such good runners is because of evolution. They have remained relatively isolated and gene's prone to proper biomechanics are very prevalent. Thus their bodies are built to run. If you take an average american that have gone through so many generations where running is on longer necessary ... many changes occur. Excessive pronations, supinations, pelvic imbalances, etc.

While running 5 miles a day may not provoke an injury ... when you really start running long distance, problems arise. Ask most distance runners about their biggest struggle and it usually is avoiding injury.

I think evolution is directly responsible for many running injuries. The debate about whether running promotes arthritis or joint degradation is another question entirely.

 

[SuperDuy]

http://www.weightrainer.net/potential.html

http://www.weightrainer.net/maximum_potential.html

http://www.weightrainer.net/rate_of_gain.html

Thanks for the links, will get a good read off those!

Looking at that, was Reg Park before the time of steroids and HGH? Looking at the site says that guy was massive.

 

[Limpinhitter]

What do you consider heavy lifting? How does weightlifting fit into what you would consider to be healthy exercise?

Obviously a person can't lift at the extremes of their ability forever and the negatives will overshadow the benefits if they try and do so.

Personally, my knees, shoulders, and back all feel better since I started squatting, benching, and deadlifting. But I'm not a competitive power lifter. I'm shooting for the same numbers r2473 listed, 500/400/300. Once I reach those (or come pretty close, haha) I will back off. Yet, I don't see myself ever giving up those big 3 movements.

I previously wrote that I thought any weight that you couldn't perform 10+ reps with good form was too heavy. The weight your talking about is a lot of weight. In my experience, everyone and their mother can bench press 300+ lbs., until you get them in the gym. IMO, you can't lift the kind of weight your talking about without causing long term joint damage. How your joints feel now is largely irrelevant. You may or may not know your doing damage when you do it. But, you'll discover it eventually.

I disagree. I think some people just aren't built for long distance running. Running over 3 miles really bothers my knees, both when I was light and now that I'm heavier. Yet, tennis and shorter runs/sprints don't bother my knees at all. I would probably have to get a coach and learn proper technique if I wanted to run longer distances.

Actually, a year or so ago, I read an article in National Geographic (if I remember correctly) that explained that humans were the supreme long distance runners in the animal kingdom. For example, according to this article, a horse cannot compete with a human in a marathon. I thought that was fascinating. On the other hand, humans are relatively slow sprinters.

 

[r2473]

Thanks for the links, will get a good read off those!

Looking at that, was Reg Park before the time of steroids and HGH? Looking at the site says that guy was massive.

You can google the history of steroids and read up on it.

My basic answer is Park won his titles and was at his largest size before steroids were available.

HGH came about much later.

Limphitter must be experiencing some bad stuff as a result of his lifting. But I'm not sure if that makes it valid for him to make such broad generalizations. Perhaps you'd like to share with us specifically what degenerative injuries you are suffering from and specifically why. That would be helpful. Just simply saying "If you lift "heavy" weight you will suffer degenerative injuries no matter what" is not really that interesting IMO.

I'm wondering if he experienced anything positive from his lifting experience.

 

[charliefedererer]

Actually, a year or so ago, I read an article in National Geographic (if I remember correctly) that explained that humans were the supreme long distance runners in the animal kingdom. For example, according to this article, a horse cannot compete with a human in a marathon. I thought that was fascinating. On the other hand, humans are relatively slow sprinters.

You better get moving if you plan to enter the annual Man vs. Horse Marathon
When: 12th June 2011
Where: Llanwrtyd Wells, Wales.
http://www.journeymart.com/holidays-ideas/festivals/man-horse-marathon.aspx

It is worth your while - the winner gets 25,000 pounds Sterling (about $41,000) - IF - it is a human.

But alas, human runners have only won twice [2004, 2008] since the race began in 1980.

However, your odds improve if you are a two legged creature if it is a hot day.

And in case anyone is wondering - yes, the race did start as a result of a pub bet.

 

[r2473]

Humans even get a 15 minute headstart.

I wish the article listed winning times.

 

[charliefedererer]

Humans even get a 15 minute headstart.

I wish the article listed winning times.

I know Wikipedia can contain errors. But the winning times for the fastest horse and runner are listed since 1986: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Man_versus_Horse_Marathon

 

[r2473]

The horses sure have gotten slower over the years. They started out running 1:18 marathons. Now it takes them almost an hour longer.

Likewise humans. The first two racers ran sub 2-hour marathons.......which is pretty imprssive considering the current world-record is 2:03:59 by Gabrselassie. And he did that on the roads of Berlin, not the fields of Ireland.

Something seems a little fishy about those posted times.........

Of course, I'm forgetting about the 15 minute headstart the human competitors enjoy. I'm not sure if that means the horses were actually running marathons in just over an hour or if humans were running 1:45 marathons.

I see, it is 22 miles instead of 26.2 miles. Still, those are some pretty fast times considering it is a cross-country and not a road race.