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[Holysmoke]

How do you know what works ? E.g. what is green tea supposed to do ? Isn't it a more long term thing good for your general health or something ?

Green tea works for me. It's supposed to increase your metabolism.

[Show_stopper]

@ Lurker and Akshay...what is the best way to use creatine? I mean i've only just begun using it for a month as a pre-workout supplement. It has given me fantastic results. However while my biceps/chest/legs/shoulder etc have given good results...i'm worried if my abs and lower back portions are getting out of control(i feel i'm not able to control the development of this part of the body after i started taking creatine as opposed when i was just using whey protein isolate). I mean will the water-bloat go away if i'm off creatine for sometime and also is this natural that your midriff bloats a bit while using creatine? I plan to take it for a month and the same period without it(cycle).

[Lurker]

@ Lurker and Akshay...what is the best way to use creatine? I mean i've only just begun using it for a month as a pre-workout supplement. It has given me fantastic results. However while my biceps/chest/legs/shoulder etc have given good results...i'm worried if my abs and lower back portions are getting out of control(i feel i'm not able to control the development of this part of the body after i started taking creatine as opposed when i was just using whey protein isolate). I mean will the water-bloat go away if i'm off creatine for sometime and also is this natural that your midriff bloats a bit while using creatine? I plan to take it for a month and the same period without it(cycle).

Yep creatine will get you bloated. The better Creatine, Creapure, will have lesser bloating but typically you will feel bloated. I suppose this is more to do with Creatine holding water. When you cycle it off, every 6 weeks, you should see the bloating go away. However the bloating is not as noticeable as you may be suggesting, specially lower back. You sure its not bodyfat? Abs I get, but lower back is a bit weird.

[Zelch]

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[mhr123]

luks, Need some suggestion .. workout is going on well.. and I find a significant change in strength and my Lift. Squats 180 Kgs (last year 110 kgs) Military Press 80 Kgs (last year 60 Kgs) Front Press (Machine) 95 Kgs (last year 40 Kgs) Cheat Curls 80 Kgs (last Year 50 Kgs) Dead Lift 140 Kgs ( Last Year 130Kgs) Bench Press 120 kgs (90 Kgs ) last mth attempted 130 Kgs successfully. U can see that Dead Lift have not changed much ...i lift more than my partners in most of the workout but his dead lift is more than mine 160 Kgs ( he can go upto 180kgs) but i struggle at 150 Kgs.. do you think that there is some problem with my form or my back not too strong ... What do u suggest.. Bench Press i do 120 Kgs 2 reps on my own but then i do need 40% help .. u c it has also not changed much ... i was watching a video of Johnnie Jackson he stated "to increase the Bench Press the u need to work more on triceps and forearms , as they are also the muscles which help in the lift" What do u think .. shud i do Triceps twice a week as of now i am doing it once a week .I have kept a day reserve only for arms plus i don't do forearms separately because i feel on my chest,arms,shoulders and back days its automatically getting worked out.

[Lurker]

luks, Need some suggestion .. workout is going on well.. and I find a significant change in strength and my Lift. Squats 180 Kgs (last year 110 kgs) Military Press 80 Kgs (last year 60 Kgs) Front Press (Machine) 95 Kgs (last year 40 Kgs) Cheat Curls 80 Kgs (last Year 50 Kgs) Dead Lift 140 Kgs ( Last Year 130Kgs) Bench Press 120 kgs (90 Kgs ) last mth attempted 130 Kgs successfully. U can see that Dead Lift have not changed much ...i lift more than my partners in most of the workout but his dead lift is more than mine 160 Kgs ( he can go upto 180kgs) but i struggle at 150 Kgs.. do you think that there is some problem with my form or my back not too strong ... What do u suggest.. Bench Press i do 120 Kgs 2 reps on my own but then i do need 40% help .. u c it has also not changed much ... i was watching a video of Johnnie Jackson he stated "to increase the Bench Press the u need to work more on triceps and forearms , as they are also the muscles which help in the lift" What do u think .. shud i do Triceps twice a week as of now i am doing it once a week .I have kept a day reserve only for arms plus i don't do forearms separately because i feel on my chest,arms,shoulders and back days its automatically getting worked out.

Great increase in weights there mh, specially squats. Keep it going, you will see good results. Even if the weights dont increase much anymore, the muscle quality will enhance based on already improved weights. Now with regards to deadlifts there can be a lot of variables. First up deadlifts and squats are two exercise that tax the entire body like no other. Hence to have a good deadlift and squats session you need to have had a good rest day prior with enough good food in you. Also between legs and back exercise days you need to have 3 days of rest in between so your lower back is fully recovered. If you are doing deads after a gruelling back or shoulder days that will get impacted. So make sure you have enough rest there. Secondly, where do you think your weakness lies in deadlifts? Does your grip give away? In that case your forearms and lower arms are a weakness. Do you lift off the ground and your lower back starts to hurt? well then lower back is the issue. Do you do partial and cant get it straight all the way up? In that case your upper back and traps are the problem. Lower the weight and try all these, from the ground, off a partial rack and see when do you get a complete range of motion and when you do not. That should give you some pointers on whats the issue. With regards to chest now if you are stuck in bench press dont worry much about it. Some exercises just dont come natural to everyone. For the longest time I couldnt go past 225 pounds for 6 reps, which was odd considering I was doing about 110 lb dumbbell for 8 easy...which if you do the maths come to the same thing. Frankly my chest routine is 75% dumbbell and 25% barbell...I get better range of motion and more feel and not worry about spotters as well. Try dumbbell instead of barbell and see if you see any difference. Also, like deads, chest uses same muscles as shoulders and triceps so make sure there are enough rest between those body parts. Good luck!

[Show_stopper]

Yep creatine will get you bloated. The better Creatine, Creapure, will have lesser bloating but typically you will feel bloated. I suppose this is more to do with Creatine holding water. When you cycle it off, every 6 weeks, you should see the bloating go away. However the bloating is not as noticeable as you may be suggesting, specially lower back. You sure its not bodyfat? Abs I get, but lower back is a bit weird.

Thanks for the reply man. Yeah the bloat seems to be reducing now that i'm in the OFF phase of the creatine cycle.

[mhr123]

Now with regards to deadlifts there can be a lot of variables. First up deadlifts and squats are two exercise that tax the entire body like no other. Hence to have a good deadlift and squats session you need to have had a good rest day prior with enough good food in you. Also between legs and back exercise days you need to have 3 days of rest in between so your lower back is fully recovered. If you are doing deads after a gruelling back or shoulder days that will get impacted. So make sure you have enough rest there. Secondly, where do you think your weakness lies in deadlifts? Does your grip give away? In that case your forearms and lower arms are a weakness. Do you lift off the ground and your lower back starts to hurt? well then lower back is the issue. Do you do partial and cant get it straight all the way up? In that case your upper back and traps are the problem. Lower the weight and try all these, from the ground, off a partial rack and see when do you get a complete range of motion and when you do not. That should give you some pointers on whats the issue.

Presently i can do 140-150 Kgs for 2-3 reps then my back gives away ... its not like i have a huge back ache but some how it taxes my body too much and my body tells me its enough. I tried 160 kgs... i could lift it from the ground but i couldn't make my back straight ... then i tried to lift it from the racks i could do 1 rep... therefore i feel my lower back needs more attention as when i am lifting from the ground i feel the first instance the glutes are working then lower back , then a combination of total upper body part. For the grips .. If i am lifting 130+ my grip gives away after 4th or 5th Rep .. i avoid using straps because i feel its like cheating myself ... and I feel using straps will not help in making the grips stronger in the long run. While doing my reverse grip Barbell Bent over rows above 90+ my grips gives away ... Normal grip Bent over rows is OK even if I do above 100 Kgs.

With regards to chest now if you are stuck in bench press dont worry much about it. Some exercises just dont come natural to everyone. For the longest time I couldnt go past 225 pounds for 6 reps, which was odd considering I was doing about 110 lb dumbbell for 8 easy...which if you do the maths come to the same thing. Frankly my chest routine is 75% dumbbell and 25% barbell...I get better range of motion and more feel and not worry about spotters as well. Try dumbbell instead of barbell and see if you see any difference. Also, like deads, chest uses same muscles as shoulders and triceps so make sure there are enough rest between those body parts. Good luck!

Well i was worried because i felt i had stagnated in Bench press... I thought my it had to do with the form . But even u confirmed that there are chances that I might get stuck for a certain period with certain weights . TBH, i love to do my chest workout using a Dumbbells for proper isolation but we don't have heavy ones . Btw, i don't have proper coach who can guide me if my form is wrong :(( ( but the present one is a very good spotter) .

[Lurker]

Presently i can do 140-150 Kgs for 2-3 reps then my back gives away ... its not like i have a huge back ache but some how it taxes my body too much and my body tells me its enough. I tried 160 kgs... i could lift it from the ground but i couldn't make my back straight ... then i tried to lift it from the racks i could do 1 rep... therefore i feel my lower back needs more attention as when i am lifting from the ground i feel the first instance the glutes are working then lower back , then a combination of total upper body part. For the grips .. If i am lifting 130+ my grip gives away after 4th or 5th Rep .. i avoid using straps because i feel its like cheating myself ... and I feel using straps will not help in making the grips stronger in the long run. While doing my reverse grip Barbell Bent over rows above 90+ my grips gives away ... Normal grip Bent over rows is OK even if I do above 100 Kgs.

Dude you are probably the first person whose reverse grip bent barbell row is less than the normal grip. What it tells me is that either your form is not optimum, or your biceps are weak. If you lessen the weight to the point where you can do 6-8 reps easy without breaking a sweat, do you think your form is alright? I mean are you bending almost parallel to the ground, maybe a bit less? Or are you more vertical?? With deads and bent barbell row you have to be careful with your lower back, specially if you are lifting off the ground. Maybe you can start with a bit more higher rep range? Instead of 2-3, go for 4-6 or 6-8 or even 8-10 and see if your form gets rock solid first? By the way the weights you are moving is pretty decent so lowering them a bit more would still tax your muscle enough.

Well i was worried because i felt i had stagnated in Bench press... I thought my it had to do with the form . But even u confirmed that there are chances that I might get stuck for a certain period with certain weights . TBH, i love to do my chest workout using a Dumbbells for proper isolation but we don't have heavy ones . Btw, i don't have proper coach who can guide me if my form is wrong :(( ( but the present one is a very good spotter) .

Barbell bench press can be very tricky. A lot depends on the bar thickness, your shoulder girdle, strength of grip, even the bench you are on. Dumbbells are easier and more result oriented, for me anyway. Only thing is getting them in place.

[Shehezaada]

ok guys, some help please! So I've been doing the strong lifts program for the past couple of months. This program is M, W, F with the exercises being -> Squat, Bench, Bent over Rows and Day 2 -> Squat, Overhead press, Deadlift. Each exercise is 5x5. I am definitely seeing results...my shoulders seems broader, but my butt is getting BIG (I'm going all the way down for squats) and somehow my waist has increased as well. At 14% body fat I'm struggling to fit into size 32 jeans (thighs and waist just do not fit). My concern is that by going and doing this program 3 days a week, I'm losing some of my athleticism. The point of this off season was to gain some strength, but I don't want to lose any speed or dynamism either! I haven't been able to test this theory however...haven't played basketball in ages. Questions: 1) Is squatting 5x5, 3 times a week too much? I have no idea what my 1RM is, but I do know that I can do 5x5 for 135 lb with reasonable form. 2) How can I structure my workouts to benefit my athleticism? By learning and adding olympic lifts? Can you give me a sample by any chance Thanks!

[Holysmoke]

:hatsoff:

[EnterTheVoid]

Outstanding results. You slimmed down a lot since the meet.

[akshayxyz]

:hatsoff:

outstanding, excellent, impressive...fill with all your favorite adjectives ... also, what was the timeline. You can even do a story for some gym/news-paper.

[Shane]

Holy Moly, you are no longer Roly Poly :D

[mhr123]

Very Impressive.. Holy..

[rahulrulezz]

Wowwww Holy!! Respect bro!! I am sure lotsa hard work and dedication went behind this.. Good job Holly!!

[cybervickey]

Damn dude.I wish i had your discipline .I don't mind working out but I just can;t keep my hands off of food.

[Lurker]

Mad props Holybaba. Very happy to hear, and see this. Maybe I should send you some Monginis your way. You know you can afford to eat it now :-)

[Holysmoke]

Thanks guys. Timeline was mostly 2/2.5 months. Started the gym on the last day of august, went religiously sept and oct, and then eased off. Just go once a week now. Gonna start again from march. But those two months were mad training. I would be running at full blast, then doing a rep, back to running etc. I had a trainer on my ass all the time. People in the gym would move when they saw me going to the treadmill or arc trainer etc. It was fantastic, I could see some people even looking at me and talking to their buddies about me etc. Also, I didnt break my diet.

Damn dude.I wish i had your discipline .I don't mind working out but I just can;t keep my hands off of food.

It's not that hard bro. Is running on the treadmill for 8 mins extra worth that coke? After you work out your normal routine, try running for 8 mins continuously. You will never touch that coke/candy.

[vvvslaxman]

I came down to 160 lbs from 195 lbs over a year. Nowadays i don't do elliptical for more than 15 minutes. But those 15 minutes are highly intense. I make sure i don't spend less than 200 calories. Because of that my metabolism has gotten better. I mostly focus on weights with 15 minute high intensity cardios. I had to throw away lot of my pants. My pant size has come down to 30.