Weight lifters, strength trainers, and body builders. Raise your hand.

[Wyst]

That's a nice setup you got going, Werewolfen

[Jen]

I'm getting back into it as well going three times a week to weight/muscle classes. I've been thinking about working with a personal trainer (again) but hate committing and having someone push me. I also do lots of cardio (spinning, arc trainer and elliptical).

As for the bulking up I'm sure you know that you would need to consume a lot of carbs and protein to bulk up. My mom is always telling me to be careful not to get too muscular and I always remind her that would be impossible unless I were to eat certain foods.

[Wyst]

Originally Posted by Jen

I'm getting back into it as well going three times a week to weight/muscle classes. I've been thinking about working with a personal trainer (again) but hate committing and having someone push me. I also do lots of cardio (spinning, arc trainer and elliptical).

I like girls that aren't afraid to lift weights. Girls that are afraid probably don't understand how nutrition and hypertrophy work.

As for the bulking up I'm sure you know that you would need to consume a lot of carbs and protein to bulk up. My mom is always telling me to be careful not to get too muscular and I always remind her that would be impossible unless I were to eat certain foods.

Lol. Yea. I was eating soooo much food when I was bulking. It's been a chore eating 6 times a day and I'm enjoying eating less carbs now that I'm cutting. Still eating about 200g of protein a day though.

[Angry Ayrab]

Well, I used to be 180 lbs (15% body fat) back in high school but then I injured my rotator cuff and lost all the muscle mass. After many years in college and then a surgery to repair my shoulder, I was down to 140 lbs (7% body fat). I am 5'10" and currently at 145 lbs (7% body fat), I started doing simple body weight routines every other day back in April and have gained five pounds.

Back in the day, it was very easy for me to bulk up but now it just seems impossible. This shoulder surgery has really destroyed my chest and thats what I have been mainly focusing on. When I first started rehabing it, I was able to only do 2 sets of 10 push ups and I would be screaming. Now I am at about 3 sets of 50 push ups with 2 minute rests in between a day. I don't do any leg routines but that is due to the fact that I bike everywhere (over 20 miles a day). I just make sure to keep my bike on the heaviest gears all the time, but now I am so used to it, I think I will need to start squats to see any difference. I don't do any other exercises except curls and that is just with free weight dumb bells. I am now at 40 lbs 3 sets of 20 (2 minute rest, I need longer than most to rest). Chinups I started at 3 after the surgery, now I am up to 3 sets of 25 (body weight).

I don't know much about weight lifting anymore, because the stuff that worked back in high school don't seem to be producing results, and personally I don't like going to the gym (too many meat heads there). I eat like shit, so that needs to change if I want to see a real body transformation, (2 or 3 meals a day, but really shitty nasty food like a king size number one at burger king with 2 crispy tacos).

Any advice, on how to get motivated or maybe clean up my method. Personally, even the timing of the work outs is sloppy, if I am too sore, I will skip a day or two, and then get back on it. Mainly I just want my chest back, thats really all.

EDIT: My surgery was aprroximately a year and a half ago.

[Sling]

Hmm. Most of the stuff I do is calisthenics or general body weight stuff. Im about 185 lbs and 8% bodyfat, 6'. I don't do the whole scheduling/dieting/rub myself down with oompa loompa paint thing. I just make it a point to do something different and invigorating about 5 times a week so I don't plateu out.

[Lateralus]

The only time I've had success lifting is when I've had a gym membership. When I tried to do it at home, I procrastinated too much. When I drive to a gym, I'm much more focused and feel like I wasted my time if I don't complete my workout (so I always complete it).

Unfortunately, I haven't lifted seriously in about a year (girlfriend, then moving, then broken arm broke my routine and I never got back on it). I'll be starting up again this fall because I'll have access to a gym for free.

[Wyst]

Originally Posted by Angry Ayrab

Well, I used to be 180 lbs (15% body fat) back in high school but then I injured my rotator cuff and lost all the muscle mass. After many years in college and then a surgery to repair my shoulder, I was down to 140 lbs (7% body fat). I am 5'10" and currently at 145 lbs (7% body fat), I started doing simple body weight routines every other day back in April and have gained five pounds.

Back in the day, it was very easy for me to bulk up but now it just seems impossible. This shoulder surgery has really destroyed my chest and thats what I have been mainly focusing on. When I first started rehabing it, I was able to only do 2 sets of 10 push ups and I would be screaming. Now I am at about 3 sets of 50 push ups with 2 minute rests in between a day. I don't do any leg routines but that is due to the fact that I bike everywhere (over 20 miles a day). I just make sure to keep my bike on the heaviest gears all the time, but now I am so used to it, I think I will need to start squats to see any difference. I don't do any other exercises except curls and that is just with free weight dumb bells. I am now at 40 lbs 3 sets of 20 (2 minute rest, I need longer than most to rest). Chinups I started at 3 after the surgery, now I am up to 3 sets of 25 (body weight).

I don't know much about weight lifting anymore, because the stuff that worked back in high school don't seem to be producing results, and personally I don't like going to the gym (too many meat heads there). I eat like shit, so that needs to change if I want to see a real body transformation, (2 or 3 meals a day, but really shitty nasty food like a king size number one at burger king with 2 crispy tacos).

Any advice, on how to get motivated or maybe clean up my method. Personally, even the timing of the work outs is sloppy, if I am too sore, I will skip a day or two, and then get back on it. Mainly I just want my chest back, thats really all.

EDIT: My surgery was aprroximately a year and a half ago.

I could give you a link to the body building forum I have a journal on. It's got my workout routine on it if you're interested.

[Angry Ayrab]

Originally Posted by Wyst

I could give you a link to the body building forum I have a journal on. It's got my workout routine on it if you're interested.

Hook it up.

I have a question for you about your shoulder, did you do the surgery also?

Also, has the injury affected your bench press and other pectoralis and shoulder involved workouts?

[Aimahn]

yup I Just started like a couple months ago taking it semi serious(consistently doing excercise at least twice a week usually 4). I got an account on bodybuilding.com and I found it was really informative and it actually in a round about sort of way got me interested in a lot of the sciences because of the nutrition and exercise aspect.

Im 5'8 moderately skinny not as skinny as you but still def trying to pack on the weight, which is a lot harder than it seems it really makes you appreciate the work that people who are in great shape put in. Like you said it adds a certain structure to your life and necessitates a decent work ethic if you want to make any sort of progress.

[Wyst]

Originally Posted by Angry Ayrab

Hook it up.

I have a question for you about your shoulder, did you do the surgery also?

Also, has the injury affected your bench press and other pectoralis and shoulder involved workouts?

You got it. I'll send you the link separately from the routine I do. If you have any questions, we can use that to talk over (less clicking through pages).

I got x-rays done on my left shoulder after I hurt it in September last year. There was no way I could afford an MRI and the docs said there was no muscular damage.

They concluded that I was suffering from 'rotator stress'. I went to two different rehab guys and they both had me do stuff with the big rubber bands. I was out of the gym for a solid 5 months.

When I went back into the gym, yeah, I had lost a lot of strength but I gained it back quickly. My back and my legs are my strongest muscles because, I too, am still weak in my pecs and delts. The only things I know to do are stretch before workouts, take my vitamins, and eat a lot of food so my muscles can perform the hypertrophy I'm demanding of them.

Sounds like you've already recovered a lot of your fundamental strength with those pushups and pullups.