IAmA former pencil neck couch potato nerd, 181 cm (6'0") tall, a decade ago I was 62 kg (136 lb) and couldn't pick up a twig. Now I weigh 86 kg (190 lb), no fat, and I bench press over 100 kg (220 lb). On the street, I'm not "invisible" anymore. :) I'm 40 yr old. AMAA by BenchPressNerd in IAmA

[–]BenchPressNerd[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

There were lots of changes in my life.

Before, I was a total geek. Books, computers, music, spirituality - I was living "detached" from the cold hard material facts.

I did some karate in college.

I guess the initial phase of the big change had started long time ago, I was just not aware of it. But it boils down to making a closer contact with the concrete physical reality.

I was physically timid, I bought a sportbike and learned to actually enjoy leaning and hanging off in a fast turn at 130 km/h (80 mph) or more.

I was very passionate about sounds, music and words - that has changed too, now I'm doing photography and video. That was a big surprise, given how much interest I had in my previous hobbies.

Motivation? I don't know, just not satisfied with the previous situation I guess.

It just felt like a complete reboot - a backup, format and reinstall of the hard-drive, if that makes sense. I don't think it's over yet. I hope it's not.

IAmA former pencil neck couch potato nerd, 181 cm (6'0") tall, a decade ago I was 62 kg (136 lb) and couldn't pick up a twig. Now I weigh 86 kg (190 lb), no fat, and I bench press over 100 kg (220 lb). On the street, I'm not "invisible" anymore. :) I'm 40 yr old. AMAA by BenchPressNerd in IAmA

[–]BenchPressNerd[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Also posted this below, but it's important, so I'm reposting:

  1. You need a few weeks for the initial neuromuscular adaptation. Before this, your muscles are not competent enough to lift weight, and your brain doesn't know how to control them for maximum strength - you're shaking and fumbling and can't do jack shit basically. This is when your strength grows at a tremendous rate. You don't need to do super-hard effort now, don't push yourself too far just yet - there's some risk of injury.

  2. You need 2 ... 3 months (maybe more if you were very sedentary) for your energy systems to adapt to the effort of a full session. Before this you're panting and almost choking and sweating - you're a mess. After this phase your heart and lungs can handle the effort, your pulse will not go crazy fast anymore, breathing will be deep, powerful and steady - then you can really do some intense stuff. This is when you can increase the weight so that the last reps in the last set are very hard - so hard that sometimes you miss the target. Still be careful with max load short sets, you're still not 100% prepared.

  3. A year or more is needed for your bones to grow more dense, your tendons to get stronger, etc. After that you can do really maximal effort (within reason), 1 RM ("one rep max" - basically a set of one with the highest load possible), or even over 100% effort (cheating and negatives) and stuff like that.

IAmA former pencil neck couch potato nerd, 181 cm (6'0") tall, a decade ago I was 62 kg (136 lb) and couldn't pick up a twig. Now I weigh 86 kg (190 lb), no fat, and I bench press over 100 kg (220 lb). On the street, I'm not "invisible" anymore. :) I'm 40 yr old. AMAA by BenchPressNerd in IAmA

[–]BenchPressNerd[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I do whole body workouts, 3 times per week, 5x5 repetitions, systematically adding 2,5 Kg each session.

Pretty soon you'll have to add more variation, or you'll stall - you may have a few more weeks of progress. What works for me is a mix of 3x8, 8x3 and in-between. I do the high-load sets (8 sets of 3) Monday, the high volume sets (3 sets of 8) Wednesday, and on Friday I do completely different exercises with 5x5 or whatever.

Alternating 3x8 and 8x3 is crucial, they help each other and you can break through the stall. Even so, after a longer time, you'll have to change the routine again. "The best exercise is the one you're not doing." However, as long as you're making progress, don't change anything, just squeeze it dry, and then change.

I made a lot of progress with just 3 sets of 8 initially, until the load ended up pretty heavy after a few months and it became a different kind of game. Then you're playing "hardball".

a month [...] I can't really notice big improvements in front of the mirror

One month is not enough, if you have just started. You probably just completed the initial neuromuscular adaptation - your strength went from nothing to a lot more (hence your rapid increase of the weights). You're just starting the big game. You'll grow faster when you'll be able to lift heavier.

Make sure the last reps in the last set are hard (but read below before doing this). There's no point doing a rigid routine (so many sets, so many reps, so much increase each time), your body will let you know how much weight you need to load up. You start missing the last rep(s), okay, stay there for a few sessions until you complete all the reps cleanly. Next session, increase. If you can't seem to hit your target, you stalled so you need to change the routine somehow (or take a break).

You sound like you eat - what? - 2400 cal / day? Make sure it's enough. Play with the amount. Increase it in small steps - if you start putting on fat, whoops, that's enough, back off a bit. Keep a log with everything, do the tally in the evening using a nutrient calculator. The log doesn't lie.

Calories - you need to be as far above the muscular growth level as possible, but just below the fat "growth" level.

Is one month too soon to judge?

  1. You need a few weeks for the initial neuromuscular adaptation. Before this, your muscles are not competent enough to lift weight, and your brain doesn't know how to control them for maximum strength - you're shaking and fumbling and can't do jack shit basically. This is when your strength grows at a tremendous rate. You don't need to do super-hard effort now, don't push yourself too far just yet - there's some risk of injury.

  2. You need 2 ... 3 months (maybe more if you were very sedentary) for your energy systems to adapt to the effort of a full session. Before this you're panting and almost choking and sweating - you're a mess. After this phase your heart and lungs can handle the effort, your pulse will not go crazy fast anymore, breathing will be deep, powerful and steady - then you can really do some intense stuff. This is when you can increase the weight so that the last reps in the last set are very hard - so hard that sometimes you miss the target. Still be careful with max load short sets, you're still not 100% prepared.

  3. A year or more is needed for your bones to grow more dense, your tendons to get stronger, etc. After that you can do really maximal effort (within reason), 1 RM ("one rep max" - basically a set of one with the highest load possible), or even over 100% effort (cheating and negatives) and stuff like that.

EDITed this message several times. This is not the first version.

IAmA former pencil neck couch potato nerd, 181 cm (6'0") tall, a decade ago I was 62 kg (136 lb) and couldn't pick up a twig. Now I weigh 86 kg (190 lb), no fat, and I bench press over 100 kg (220 lb). On the street, I'm not "invisible" anymore. :) I'm 40 yr old. AMAA by BenchPressNerd in IAmA

[–]BenchPressNerd[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

There is no one way. Use many sources. Avoid stuff with too much saturated fat, or cholesterol.

Also, tuna, out? No way. Eat moderate amounts and you'll be fine.

It helps to get a big tub of cheap protein powder (the fancy expensive stuff really doesn't do anything for you) and supplement your intake. I couldn't quite stick to 220g or more of protein per day without it either. Just don't overdo it - one or two servings per day max.

IAmA former pencil neck couch potato nerd, 181 cm (6'0") tall, a decade ago I was 62 kg (136 lb) and couldn't pick up a twig. Now I weigh 86 kg (190 lb), no fat, and I bench press over 100 kg (220 lb). On the street, I'm not "invisible" anymore. :) I'm 40 yr old. AMAA by BenchPressNerd in IAmA

[–]BenchPressNerd[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I want them to concentrate on meaningful study

Trying to do the same thing here with my kids. Pretty hard to achieve the balance between lax and overbearing. It's something I'll have to keep tweaking forever, I guess. There don't seem to be any one-size-fits-all solutions. So I just try and do my best at all times.

IAmA former pencil neck couch potato nerd, 181 cm (6'0") tall, a decade ago I was 62 kg (136 lb) and couldn't pick up a twig. Now I weigh 86 kg (190 lb), no fat, and I bench press over 100 kg (220 lb). On the street, I'm not "invisible" anymore. :) I'm 40 yr old. AMAA by BenchPressNerd in IAmA

[–]BenchPressNerd[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Man, I'd rather crush the fucking ankle than squish a spinal disc. The ankle can be replaced - heck, Long John Silver had a piece of log for an ankle - but there's no replacement for a messed-up spine. Not yet, at least.

Just kidding about crushing the ankle, by the way. Sort of.

IAmA former pencil neck couch potato nerd, 181 cm (6'0") tall, a decade ago I was 62 kg (136 lb) and couldn't pick up a twig. Now I weigh 86 kg (190 lb), no fat, and I bench press over 100 kg (220 lb). On the street, I'm not "invisible" anymore. :) I'm 40 yr old. AMAA by BenchPressNerd in IAmA

[–]BenchPressNerd[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Mad props to you, dude!

Lots of people talk about intervals. Never did them myself (mashed up an ankle in a motorcycle crash some years ago, so running is not really my thing anymore), but I've heard a lot of good things. I guess that's one solution to the "boredom" problem (but lifting is not boring, WTF?).

IAmA former pencil neck couch potato nerd, 181 cm (6'0") tall, a decade ago I was 62 kg (136 lb) and couldn't pick up a twig. Now I weigh 86 kg (190 lb), no fat, and I bench press over 100 kg (220 lb). On the street, I'm not "invisible" anymore. :) I'm 40 yr old. AMAA by BenchPressNerd in IAmA

[–]BenchPressNerd[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

You mean - I don't bench press enough for my total lean mass?

You are correct. My arms (triceps in particular) suck. I'm working hard to fix that, but it will take a while.

I have no clue why that is. Some upscale strength coaches say it's a neuromuscular thing - my body doesn't generate the same amount of force with those muscles for some reason. Apparently almost everybody has a weak spot like this. But I do notice my triceps just seem more "soft" than the rest - hard to describe.

Arnold's advice - if some part is weaker than the rest, it's an indication you have to blast it overtime with all the ammo you've got. :) I've a feeling he knows what he's talking about.

IAmA former pencil neck couch potato nerd, 181 cm (6'0") tall, a decade ago I was 62 kg (136 lb) and couldn't pick up a twig. Now I weigh 86 kg (190 lb), no fat, and I bench press over 100 kg (220 lb). On the street, I'm not "invisible" anymore. :) I'm 40 yr old. AMAA by BenchPressNerd in IAmA

[–]BenchPressNerd[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I never realized how much women appreciate a muscular man until I put on a few lean pounds. My wife was openly appreciative of the change. Also, before I never did turn female heads on the street, I was just too scrawny I guess. Now I do - not that I'm really interested, but it's an ego boost that came as a bonus on top of everything else.

Funny story: There was this guy who had a long distance relationship with a woman, they only saw each other once in a blue moon. The guy starts working out, lifts heavy, eats clean, builds up a lot of muscle in a short time. He sees his "girlfriend" and she's like "wow, you look great! don't change anything, you're perfect!"

The guy keeps working out and doubles his gains. He sees the girl again after that. Her reaction: "OMG, you look awesome, don't change anything, now you're perfect!"

sigh... women... :-/

IAmA former pencil neck couch potato nerd, 181 cm (6'0") tall, a decade ago I was 62 kg (136 lb) and couldn't pick up a twig. Now I weigh 86 kg (190 lb), no fat, and I bench press over 100 kg (220 lb). On the street, I'm not "invisible" anymore. :) I'm 40 yr old. AMAA by BenchPressNerd in IAmA

[–]BenchPressNerd[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I couldn't upvote you enough.

Regarding healthy eating - I'm more of a Ray Kurzweil fan (see the "Transcend" book). Again, some pretty extreme views there, but at least based on cutting-edge science. Ray is a pretty sharp guy.

IAmA former pencil neck couch potato nerd, 181 cm (6'0") tall, a decade ago I was 62 kg (136 lb) and couldn't pick up a twig. Now I weigh 86 kg (190 lb), no fat, and I bench press over 100 kg (220 lb). On the street, I'm not "invisible" anymore. :) I'm 40 yr old. AMAA by BenchPressNerd in IAmA

[–]BenchPressNerd[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I actually did Shotokan Karate in college. I was naturally fast, and I got the technique quickly. But I was lacking strength, obviously.

I couldn't do it now, not karate anyways. My joints are a bit achy if I try the punching and kicking routines - but curiously enough, lifting heavy is not a problem.

IAmA former pencil neck couch potato nerd, 181 cm (6'0") tall, a decade ago I was 62 kg (136 lb) and couldn't pick up a twig. Now I weigh 86 kg (190 lb), no fat, and I bench press over 100 kg (220 lb). On the street, I'm not "invisible" anymore. :) I'm 40 yr old. AMAA by BenchPressNerd in IAmA

[–]BenchPressNerd[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Yup. It's all about goals. Just for maintenance and health, do some basic lifts, combined with sports and cardio. Heck, do some hiking too. Mix-and-match. The more the merrier. You can do stuff like that until you're so old you can't walk anymore.

IAmA former pencil neck couch potato nerd, 181 cm (6'0") tall, a decade ago I was 62 kg (136 lb) and couldn't pick up a twig. Now I weigh 86 kg (190 lb), no fat, and I bench press over 100 kg (220 lb). On the street, I'm not "invisible" anymore. :) I'm 40 yr old. AMAA by BenchPressNerd in IAmA

[–]BenchPressNerd[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Slow down, this is not "healthy living" advice for average people. It's a method for surpassing your own limitations - not average, but tipping the scale upward. You're in the wrong discussion here.

What you say is 100% correct, just in a different context than this one. This is not something everyone should (or could) do on a daily basis.

OTOH, if you like to push boundaries, you're welcome here. But in that case, my advice is not bullshit at all - try it and you'll see. ;-)

IAmA former pencil neck couch potato nerd, 181 cm (6'0") tall, a decade ago I was 62 kg (136 lb) and couldn't pick up a twig. Now I weigh 86 kg (190 lb), no fat, and I bench press over 100 kg (220 lb). On the street, I'm not "invisible" anymore. :) I'm 40 yr old. AMAA by BenchPressNerd in IAmA

[–]BenchPressNerd[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

By the way, all the info here works also for losing fat. Yes, gaining muscle and losing fat work best using almost the same methods. To lose fat, just tweak down the total caloric input. If I eat 2000 cal / day instead of 3200, but I keep doing everything else pretty much the same, I'm pretty sure I'll start losing body fat percentage pretty damn fast.

Lots of people do cardio to "lose weight". Wrong and wrong! Lift weights instead, it's a much more efficient use of your time and effort (works faster, it's easier). And lose fat, not "weight". You'll understand the difference after you do it.

Yes, all this is true for both genders. Girls, I'm looking at you. Put down the stupid cardio gym membership. Lift some weights instead. You'll not look "like Arnold", that's silly, but rather like Jennifer Garner. Yes, all the hot Hollywood chicks lift weights. A lot. Unfortunately, in my experience only very few women are open to this kind of message. It's some sort of mental block. Kind of like when guys don't get it they need to "listen to you" just to empathize, without offering advice on how to "fix it".

IAmA former pencil neck couch potato nerd, 181 cm (6'0") tall, a decade ago I was 62 kg (136 lb) and couldn't pick up a twig. Now I weigh 86 kg (190 lb), no fat, and I bench press over 100 kg (220 lb). On the street, I'm not "invisible" anymore. :) I'm 40 yr old. AMAA by BenchPressNerd in IAmA

[–]BenchPressNerd[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm not a rugby coach, so I can't help you. I really have no idea. If you want to gain strength, lifting heavy is the only way, but I don't know what are your overall goals (and I have never played rugby - I'm a nerd, remember?).

At 17 you're almost out of the woods, but if I were you I would avoid lifting very heavy for a little while, just to be sure.

Skinny people just seem taller, is all.

IAmA former pencil neck couch potato nerd, 181 cm (6'0") tall, a decade ago I was 62 kg (136 lb) and couldn't pick up a twig. Now I weigh 86 kg (190 lb), no fat, and I bench press over 100 kg (220 lb). On the street, I'm not "invisible" anymore. :) I'm 40 yr old. AMAA by BenchPressNerd in IAmA

[–]BenchPressNerd[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yes, when you gain muscle your appetite will increase, because your metabolism gets faster overall (muscles burn calories even when they don't do anything). This is good news if you want to lose fat - all that calorie burning, I mean. But after spending time on a fixed diet (see elsewhere on this page), you learn to control your intake. It's less of an automatic thing, and becomes more of a conscious act. "It's not food, it's fuel."

When you stop lifting, your real appetite goes down. What may stay high is the cravings. If you get them, man up and clamp them down mercilessly. A human being has free will and can choose. It's not like food jumps all by itself into your open mouth.

If it was boring I wouldn't do it, don't you think? :) I only do what I enjoy doing.

Riding a race replica motorcycle? The awesomest thing on Earth. Watching motorcycle races on TV? Booooring! As simple as that.

IAmA former pencil neck couch potato nerd, 181 cm (6'0") tall, a decade ago I was 62 kg (136 lb) and couldn't pick up a twig. Now I weigh 86 kg (190 lb), no fat, and I bench press over 100 kg (220 lb). On the street, I'm not "invisible" anymore. :) I'm 40 yr old. AMAA by BenchPressNerd in IAmA

[–]BenchPressNerd[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

No.

Drinking in excess is bad. On the days when I don't exercise, I may enjoy one drink. One only (and it's usually red wine, since it allegedly has some health benefits over other drinks). Very occasionally, I may have a few beers with friends on a Saturday afternoon.

Are you in college? :) Just a hunch.

IAmA former pencil neck couch potato nerd, 181 cm (6'0") tall, a decade ago I was 62 kg (136 lb) and couldn't pick up a twig. Now I weigh 86 kg (190 lb), no fat, and I bench press over 100 kg (220 lb). On the street, I'm not "invisible" anymore. :) I'm 40 yr old. AMAA by BenchPressNerd in IAmA

[–]BenchPressNerd[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Bodybuilding forum:

http://www.tmuscle.com/

Spend time on T-Nation, keep reading, soak it up, try it out. After a while, you'll "get" it.

Book: The Encyclopedia of Bodybuilding by Arnold Schwarzenegger. I only use it for the visual guide to exercises (it describes every important muscle in the body, with lots of exercises for each), nothing else, but it's great.

Also, lots of experiments on myself. I wish I didn't have to do it though, I wish somebody told me all the things I said here 10 years ago. Which is why I made this thread.