~#The OFFICIAL Training and Exercise Thread#~

[bob]

You see in all the movies these guys in tv shows, oc, veronica mars, never back down from california and the men in 300 (for good examples) how do they get such big pacs. In pretty much every american movie they have HUGE pecs.

Now I can bench press 80kg no problem but my pec's just aren't like that. I mean what is it? Do I need to increase me lifting to 150kg or what? I thought I would have been noticing some decent bulk by now I mean I started as most of us probably did in early high school just lifting the olympic bench bar (which weighed 20kg) and I had worked my way up to 90kg before stopping weight lifting due to school commitments and moving (leaving my weights equipment behind as it's too heavy to move)

Now are there guys here or does anyone know guys with huge pecs and how much they bench or the particulars of how they get the bulk?

At the moment I do dumbell flies with roughly 20kg on each dumbell I do bench press 80kg and decline dumbell flies.

This is as I am trying to develop the lower portion or bottom 'edge' of the pec.

I sometimes use protein powder but not usually because I eat eggs, meat and beans instead for my protein, before during and after workouts.

any help?

cheers, bob

[MC.]

If you want to have huge pecs, you need to do inclined bench as well. Normal/decline benchpress' don't work your entire pec, doing inclined press' work the upper pecs. My pecs are decently sized. But they are still increasing.

Here's what I do for a chest workout:

5 Sets Incline Bench (80-110lbs)
5 Sets High Rep Bench 25-30 reps (70-90lbs)
5 Sets Flies (35-40lbs)
4-5 Sets Decline Pushups w/ Perfect Pushup 25 Reps (Put your feet on a chair)

-(I don't do "high weight" (strength building) sets on my regular bench anymore as i'm working more towards endurance rather then strength. Plus incline bench and flies are enough to increase my pectoral strength)

You can do that with less sets/reps and you should still see a noticible increase in size and definition rather quickly.

-Also if you can find some, (it's tough to find around here) try taking Leucine with your protein powder. Leucine allows your muscles to better absorb protein. You could also try taking Creatine, that works rather well.

[jrly]

Depends on the person, your body just might not be built for large defined pecs. Or it could be something from when you were growing that made it that way.

[numerator]

wait. are you going for pure size or definition?

[AESCHYLUS]

if you want lean pecks try good old fasion push-ups, but spread your arms out alot, about 2-3 ft

[Bosco Jones]

Originally Posted by AESCHYLUS

if you want lean pecks try good old fasion push-ups, but spread your arms out alot, about 2-3 ft

Looks like it worked for you! Push-ups are great, different types exercise different parts of your body like you're talking about. I even pop my back sometimes by doing one-handed push-ups, but I don't know if that would work for everybody.

[Charlemagne]

Keep in mind that you tend to lose muscle after not exercising for a several day period. I find that about an hour and a half workout every other day is about right for me. I have seen extremely positive results in strength and stamina when I began to work out more frequently. Several short workouts are better than just a few long ones a week.

[justforshits]

Day 1
Back/traps
-back
- Pull Ups 50 R/p + 1 D/s Lat Pulldown
- Iso Back Rows 3 + 40 R/p Seated Cable Rows
- Traps
- B/b Upright Rows 3 + 40 R/p Seated Cable Rows
Day 2
Chest/biceps/abs
-chest
- Incline D/b Press 3 + 40 R/p
- 1 Arm Pec Dec Fly 3 + 40 R/p Both Arms
- Biceps
- B/b Curls 3 + 1 D/s Preacher Curls
- Abs
- Cable Crunches 75-100 R/p
Day 3
Delts/triceps
- Delts
-1 Arm D/b Laterals 3 + 40 R/p Both Arms
- Shoulder Press 3 + 1 D/s
- Triceps
- Skullcrasher 3 + 1 D/s Cable Ext’n
Day 4
Legs/abs
- Legs
- Swissball Squat 3 + 40 R/p Leg Ext’n
- Leg Curls 3 + 1 D/s
- Seated Calf Raise 4
- Abs
- Cable Twist
Day 5
Back/traps
-back
- Pull Ups 50 R/p + 1 D/s Lat Pulldown V-handle
- B/b Rows 3 + 40 R/p T-bar Row
- Traps
- Machine Shrugs 3 + 40 R/p Trap Pull
Day 6
Chest/biceps/abs
-chest
- Dips 50 R/p + 1 D/s Cable Crossover
- Iso Chest Press 3 + 1 D/s Chest Press
- Biceps
- D/b Hammer 3 + 1 D/s
- Abs
- Weight Plate Crunches 75-100 R/p
Day 7
Delts/triceps
- Delts
-overhead D/b Press 3 + 1 D/s
- 1 Arm D’b Bent Over Laterals 3 + 40 R/p Reverse Pec Dec
- Triceps
- Pushdown 3 + 1 D/s
Day 8
Legs/abs
- Legs
- Leg Press 3 + 40 R/p Leg Ext’n
- D/b Lunges 3 + 40 R/p Leg Curls
- Standing Calf Raise (smith Machine) 4
- Abs
- Cable Side Crunches

[justforshits]

Above R/p means rest pause. Do 40 reps in a row, and if your tired after 12, rest for 10 seconds and go again, and continue until you hit the desired amount of reps. D/s means drop set. If you do your last set with 40 pound dumbells, then use 25 20 15 10 and 5 pound dumbells and do 5 sets of 10 right in a row. Same with pull ups. If you weigh 160, then do 90 80 70 60 50 right in a row, no rest at all. Any other explanations just ask me in a pm. I also do spinning(machine bike) everyday, swimming also everyday, and muay thai twice a week. This plan is 8 days, so 4 days a week for two weeks. Eat lots of protein and no chips treats soft drinks or any other useless foods.

[justforshits]

I forgot to mention that with the weight plate crunches I don't put the weight on my chest but hold it behind my head. Don't actually let it touch the back of your head, and do this on a declined bench that holds your legs. You will find no better ab exercise in any gym, I promise.

[AESCHYLUS]

working out is only half of getting fit, diet has alot to do with it to.
anyone know some good diets?

[pyrion]

you have to keep in mind that all muscles depend on the heart to run properly so without a strong heart all of this is useless. the best cardio workout i know of is running stairs. run them hard for 30 minutes a couple times a week and not only will you lose fat but you will gain a hell of alot of catdio strenght which can only help in bulcking up

[King Simple]

I was wondering if there was a way of training hand eye coordination quickly, like throwing and catching. I've been throwing stuff and catching it but is there any faster way?

[Demo Spec]

you can juggle, or you can fight, throwing and deflecting punches

[consern]

I did the old fashion push-ups like someone here said and everything 's just goin good but i got stretch marks amid my chest and my arm so i stopped. what can i use to get rid of it? anyone with a lasting solution to stretch marks. i read it caused by insufficient vitamins E or so...

[Ventanator]

Yeah, I got those when I started working out too.

As far as building muscle / losing weight, I'll take this from the soccor coach at school. He doesn't let his players touch any kind of carbonated drink (so you shouldn't either), and the requires them to run everyday. That's the first step towards losing weight and increasing stamina. It also helps with your leg muscles.

The next step is--he does it twice a week, this can probably be modified because they do lots of running and some light lifting a practice so they wouldn't need it as often--to work out. If you're going for big, reps are probably the way to go (I don't know, I've always went for strength). If you're looking for functional strengh, find a friend to spot you or a machine (i.e. Bowflex) that will let you lift heavy weights and do so until you just can't do it. Then do another set just like that one. Then, if you're man (or woman) enough, do it again. I don't know if that's medically, or even bodybuilding correct, but I know it has worked wonders for me.

About creatine, I've never tried it, but I think I may as soon as I get back from summer college.

Oh yeah, while I'm typing, don't buy a Bowflex just for your arms. They don't have enough weight! They do let you do lots of different kinds of workouts, but that's almost all they're good for. As far as pecs go, a bench that can be changed to work with incline would probably be better.

[Husky]

I don't feel like reading all these post so i'll just say that you don't want to get "bulky" because then you are carrying more weight around with you and its harder to run fast. Speed is something you'll need say if your shoplifting and get caught or need to get away from the cops. You should probably go for a leanish builtish figure. This is what i do:

2 mile run (5 days a week)

60 Bicep curls (every other day)

90 push ups (on knuckles)

150 "Elbow-to-knees" A.K.A. Bicycle manevuer

45 Chin ups

30 Pull ups

150 One legged squats


Thats just some of what I do, see if it helps at all. I also do free running so that helps.

[quarantine climax]

Here's some basic information on bulking up for skinny guys

nutrition

- 1-2g of protien per pound of body wieght
- 2g of carbs per pound of body weight
- Do not forget about healthy fats, nut butters are great for those
- Take your body weight x 15, that's roughly the amount of calories your body needs to stay at the same weight, it varies from person to person.
Adding calories will cause you to gain weight(u should know that already)
If your stuck at the same weight you probaly need to up your calories.
An extra 500 will be plenty to give you a boost. It's recommended that you do this slowly over the course of a week like 100 a day till you reach 500.
- Eat 5-6 meals a day every 2-3 hours is good
- post workout nutrition, after working out have a whey protein shake and a banana, your body will need protein and whey absorbs very fast, a banana or another simple carb I do not remember why i'm guessing replenish energy but not a complex carb because after working out your body will store store carbs as fat.
- Drink weight gainer shakes a good one for before bed is
1 cup oatmeal
1 cup milk
1 scoop whey
1 tbsp peanut butter
blend them together
that's around 500 calories 45g of protein

That's all I know about nutrition off the top of my head. basically if your skinny EAT EAT EAT!!!

Workout

To get bigger and stronger weight training is the way to go, I'm not saying
push ups are useless but your not going to build massive pecs doing them.
Try to find a gym nearby, it'll be cheaper then buying your own weights
since there a buck a pound for plates and dumbbells and you'll need a bench, unless you can find all that stuff used or your willing to spend the money for new.

-Most people use splits, thats when you work separate body parts over the span of several days instead of working there entire body
example -
day1 - chest tris
day2 - back bis
day3 - off
day4 - shoulders/traps
day5 - legs
day6 off
repeat
-Rep ranges
low reps 4-6 = strength
middle reps 8-12 = mass
high reps 15+ = endurance
NOTE: these are just a rule of thumb you can gain mass doing low and even high reps, some muscles grow better with high reps like calves, forearms, legs sometimes to. It depends on your muscle fibers slow/fast twitch I'm not going to get into that though.
- Stick with your main compound exercises ex. squats, rows, bench etc.
compound means the they work more then one muscle opposed to isolation where you work only one muscle.
- squat and deadlift, those two exercise are the kings of all exercise why?
because you'll work the biggest muscles with the heaviest weight, that will cause your body to release more growth hormone then any other lift.
- work your legs, you'll look like an idiot if you've got horseshoe triceps, baseball biceps and flamingo legs. Also the body likes to grow all together so working your legs will help your entire body and they have the potential to be the biggest and strongest muscle.
-rest between sets from 90-120 sec if you wait longer you will loose your pump. although some say up to 3 minutes is okay especially if your target is strength.

Here is a basic workout, i did a similar one over the summer

day1 - chest & back
bench press 3x8
incline bench press 2x8
dumbbell flyes 3x10
bent over rows 3x8
t-bar rows 3x8
dumbbell rows 3x10

NOTE: pull ups are a great back exercise, I've never been able to use them in a routine because i don't have a bar, but basically try for 3x15 once u can do that put a dumbbell between your feet to add resistance. Also bent over rows can be hard to feel working, do them nice and slow and bring the bar up by squeezing your shoulder blades together not by pulling with your arms.

Day2 - Legs
leg extensions 3x10
squats 3x8
dead lift 3x8
leg curl 3x8
calf raises 3x15

Day3 - off

Day4 - Arms
close grip bench press 3x8
lying tricep extensions 3x10
barbell arm curl 3x8
hammer curls 3x8
behind the back barbell wrist curls 3x15

Day5 - shoulders & traps
barbell shoulder press 3x8
upright row 3x8
lateral raise 3x10
bent over lateral raise 3x10
barbell shrugs 3x8

Day6 - off

Day7 repeat or off if you need the rest

For good information go to bodybuilding.com or t nation
to learn how to perform exercises exrx.net is a great place

[Bahr]

Ok to start off. Im 145 pounds 5,8-5,9 somethin like that. I eat red meat atleast once a day, steak, hamburgers I love it. I eat eggs about every mornin. I can out eat most people on here probly. My job requires that I swing a sledge hammer or pickax all day every day. I do no work outs with barbells or any kind of weights. And I have perfect six pack abs, nice arms and forarms. But im not huge no big muscles im just really shaped and toned. Having a hard job is better than the best personal trainer.

[Mike the Mighty]

Intro
I'll add the program i use atm., in case anyone needs inspiration. If you want to comment on it, go ahead. If you've got questions, feel free to ask and i'll do my best to answer them. I am not, however, interested in any kind of theoretical flamewar.
If i've broken any forum rules in this post, please let me know. I'm new here :>

Goal
The goal is solely to build mass. No cardio as i'm having problems keeping up with kcals as it is. Also, my job requires a lot of physical activity and i am, by nature, very active :>
For me, this program has worked really great.

Nutrition
My nutrition supplements are creatine (daily), prot shakes (post workout and in convenient situations, like if i can't get access to decent prots) and maltodextrine (pre, during and post-workout). Also fish oil and multivitamins, but everyone should take that imo..
I use whey protein for post workout shakes, caseine proteine for any other shake.
As for diet, i'll provide some links in the bottom. You might find them helpful.

Rotation
Day 1 - Upper Body A
Day 2 - Lower Body A
Day 3 - Rest day
Day 4 - Upper Body B
Day 5 - Lower Body B
Day 6 - Rest day
Rinse and repeat.

Instructions
I try to beat my record from last time on the first set. This means attempting to either do more reps or add 2½kg on the bar and do same or more reps. The next two sets, i go for as much as i can.
I rarely push for failure, only if i know i will have to skip some training sessions.

Every exercise is ideally between 6-8 reps, 3 sets - some exercises have more reps, in this case the numbers are in brackets after the exercise name.
On the speed thing, i basically go as fast as i can. With a reprange of 6-8, i push enough weight that i can't do it faster than i should. However, on vertical exercises (benchpress, squat, deadlift) i let the bar rest in lowest position (eg. at chest, on the floor) for ½ sec so as to avoid muscle bounce.
Oh yeah, and i use a dipping belt to add weight discs for dips and chins.


Upper Body A
Low Incline Barbell Benchpress
Yates Row
Dips
Chins (pullups)
French Press (8-12 reps)
Cable Laterals [Deltoid] (10+ reps)

Upper Body B:
Low Incline DB Benchpress
Dumbell Row
Close Grip Benchpress
Chins
Tricep Cable Pushdown (8-12 reps)
Cable Laterals [Deltoid] (10+ reps)

Lower Body A:
Front Squat
Romanian Deadlift
Calf Raises
Barbell Curl
Knees to Elbows

Lower Body B:
Deadlift
Lunges
Calf Raise Machine
Preacher Curl
Knees to Elbows


Links:
TMUSCLE.com | Nutrition for Newbies, Part 1
TMUSCLE.com | Nutrition for Newbies, Part 2
In general, Tmuscle.com has a lot of great articles. As with any training article, though, remember to be critical.
I noticed quarantine has put some very nice info a few posts above mine. I really like the nutrition section.

Edit 1: Put links in bold, added rest day on day 6 for clarification.
Edit 2: Swept for pleonasm. Added comment on Quarantine's post.

[Mike the Mighty]

Originally Posted by quarantine climax

- post workout nutrition, after working out have a whey protein shake and a banana, your body will need protein and whey absorbs very fast, a banana or another simple carb I do not remember why i'm guessing replenish energy but not a complex carb because after working out your body will store store carbs as fat.

Nice post. I'll do my best to clarify for those who may be confused.

Any carbohydrate serves as a source of energy.
Simple carbs replenish energy FAST and help with the absorption of proteins. Complex carbs are broken down slowly and will last for several hours, while simple carbs are broken down fast.
This is why simple carbs are good JUST before workout, during workout and JUST after workout, as they will give you a quick, powerful but short-term energy boost. I use maltodextrine (maltose - see glycemic index link) for work-out purposes.

Complex carbs will contribute best to your workout 1-2 hours before you hit the irons. Also, complex carbs are preferable in most situations; by this, i mean any situation which does not require intense physical activity.
If i've been unclear in any way, please let me know and i'll do my best to elaborate.

Useful links:
Wiki entry on the glycemic index (simple and complex carbs):
Glycemic index - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Glycemic index site:
Glycemic Index
Note: I just googled this one, you might be able to find something easier to look at.

[needzhelp]

these are the workouts i do......marine style:
Marine Corps Fitness Center - Military.com

cant do much pull-ups...here's what got me doing my 20:
Pull-up Push Workout - Military Fitness - Military.com
look on the lower right of the web page posted above to see more workouts and fitness articles. they include spec ops workouts, running tips and much, much more.

if you just want to see most popular military work outs here's they are:
Top Military Workouts - Military.com Military Fitness Center

also here is an interesting article on getting military fit: Who Needs a Gym? - Military Fitness - Military.com