wish me luck... i m going to try out for our university's team

[THX_1138]

Good luck Tux.

thanks man... except that i am THX, not TUX from PP.

[THX_1138]

Hey THX! First up good luck towards the trying out. I am sure you would ace it away. Just be brutally aggressive and have fun out there! Lets take a look at your shoulder issue now. The exercises you mentioned are all great, more so because they are all free-weights. From what I could make out you are indirectly working your shoulder muscles. The best shoulder exercises, specially ones that work for me, are in the following order: 1) Overhead Military press(you can use a barbell or a dumbell). Essentially you sit on a bench(would help if you had a Smith's machine at your gym), or you could do it standing up too. Then lift the weight from your eye-brow level to the very top. Dont come further than your nose or else you wil bring in your triceps to work. This is the meat-potatoes of all shoulder exercises. Start slow. The shoulders get worked whenever you work back, chest or biceps so if you dont lift heavy no problems, just make sure you maintain a good form. 2) Shoulder lateral raise: This would give the canon-ball look to your shoulders. Just start with dumbbells on your side and go straight up the side. Form is the key as most people swing their body to ensure heavy lift. Start with 10-15 pounds and go for 12-15 reps, of course if you can go further so much the better. 3) Shrugs: Simple but very effective exercise for the trapezius muslces(one right behind yoir neck and it ties in your back and shoulders). Use an overhand grip to grip a barbell at shoulder width and using the form shown below hoist it upwards. You can also use dumbbells. All these exercises should work your front, medial and overall shoulders. There are more variations of course but start from this and I can help you with more hardcore down the line. Nutrition: Since you dont take meat you will have to be careful with your nutrition. For starters you have to eat 6 meals a day. Maybe you already do. But if you dont up it. You mentioned Whey Proteins, they are great. Look around and see if you can find Casein Proteins..they are slow digesting and will help you stop losing muscles when you are between meals. Here is what I would do: 1) 3 solid meals. Since you dont eat eggs/meat go heavy on cottage cheese, yogurt, Fat Free milk, soy product(specially tofu) that are rich in protein. Also I am not sure whats your bodyweight(and height). Let me know if you can(or PM me) so I can watch you not eat too much fat. 2) Have 3 whey shakes a day. Dont just have whey protein shake. Mix a spoonful of Peanut Butter(Almond or Macademia Butter are the best but they are costly and am not sure if you can even find them there..but if you can then go for them). Whey with peanut butter(or almond) shall ensure your body gets slow releasing protein. 3) Casein Protein shake. Take one before you hit the bed. This shall give you nutrients while you sleep. I personally recommend BCAA's, they can easily make the difference. But again if you want to avoid supplements then go strictly with diet and exercise as I mentioned. Also I did not mention Creatine as it is derived from Animals and so maybe you wouldnt want it. Let me know if you need further info mate! xxx

1. whats the grip for the overhead military press? 2. shoulder lateral raise: how many sets? should i go for more sets and less reps with more weight or fewer sets with more reps and moderate weight? keep in mind i need flexibility just as much. 3. the meals is a serious grey area... i get only 2 or at times 1 decent meal a day. i leave for school around 7 and dont return till about 10. i try to get a big breakfast in the middle and a decent dinner. during the day i snack on protein bars, almonds and yougurt. i am about 5'9" and 186lbs and the BMI (which i know is not a very accurate measure) of about 24. 4. I tried that today: whey protein with milk and a spoonful of almond butter (your right its seriously expensive) and it tasted rotten! what about drinking whey with milk and munching down a handful of almonds? or whey and milk with a bread and peanut butter? 5. my last meal is about two hours before i go to bed, should i still take one more hit of caesin before going to sleep? 6. i did not know that about creatine but i do take about two spoonfuls a day. the tasteless monohydrate stuff mixed with about 64oz cold water that i keep drinking all day. p.s. all that protein gives me a seriously bad case of err... flatulence. any remedies?

[Lurker]

1. whats the grip for the overhead military press?

Regular overhand grip(just the opposite grip to Bicep curl exercise which is underhand). The hands should be held about a feet outside of your shoulder width.

2. shoulder lateral raise: how many sets? should i go for more sets and less reps with more weight or fewer sets with more reps and moderate weight? keep in mind i need flexibility just as much.

Start with 1 warm up set with 3 regular sets of 12-15 reps. You even want to do 2 warm up sets and 3 regular sets if you have not done this exercise before. 3 sets for 12-15 shall be just fine to give you strong delts without making you overly bulky.

3. the meals is a serious grey area... i get only 2 or at times 1 decent meal a day. i leave for school around 7 and dont return till about 10. i try to get a big breakfast in the middle and a decent dinner. during the day i snack on protein bars, almonds and yougurt. i am about 5'9" and 186lbs and the BMI (which i know is not a very accurate measure) of about 24.

5ft 9 and 186 is good I would say. Good to see that you are snacking on protein bars and almonds. Which protein bars do you use? Let me know so I can check the sugar content on it. Also if you can then switch from protein bars to protein shakes. Yes almond instead of almond butter is the same. Whatever works for you really. You will have to find a way to have another meal. Try to squeeze in a wheat bread sandwitch with fat-free cheese in between. This should give you good carbs and protein.

4. I tried that today: whey protein with milk and a spoonful of almond butter (your right its seriously expensive) and it tasted rotten! what about drinking whey with milk and munching down a handful of almonds? or whey and milk with a bread and peanut butter?

It would be actually better. For two reasons: 1) Whey with milk will give you both whey and casein protein, in other words slow and fast digesting proteins. 2) Almonds will give you healthy fats as also the fibre(shells) that will detox your body. I would recommend you have the bread with a dash of honey on the day before, and day of the game. This will give you extra carbs and glycogens. Else you can cut down on bread.

5. my last meal is about two hours before i go to bed, should i still take one more hit of caesin before going to sleep?

I would say yes. My reason has more to do with the fact that you may have skipped a meal or two a day. Assuming you go to bed at 11 pm, have a good meal at 9 or so and then have a casein protein shake around 10:30(just about a scoop or 30 gms should be more than enough).

6. i did not know that about creatine but i do take about two spoonfuls a day. the tasteless monohydrate stuff mixed with about 64oz cold water that i keep drinking all day.

Dont drink it every day THX. Creatine, as every other supplements(or medicine), is to be recycled else the body gets used to it. There are no side-effects just that you wont get the same benefits as you did when you started. Creatine Monohydrate is simple and best stuff. One word of advice. Mix it with cold water and some grape juice. Grape juice will spike your insuline and Creatine will reach right where it needs to - your musclles. Another thing - CM loses its potency after 30 minutes or so(the acidic and alkaline nature of water interacts with the molecular structure). If you are using your CM with water after say 1 hour of mixing it, you would get little benefits. A good thumbrule is to buy a pack of CM, use it, then take a month off and then get back on. Its great stuff so long as you use it correctly.

p.s. all that protein gives me a seriously bad case of err... flatulence. any remedies?

Hahaha..Yes welcome to world of lifting. Been there, felt that THX. The issue is because of all those WHEY protein you are chugging in. Whey causes bloating. I would recommend few things: 1) Never take whey on its own. Mix it with simple sugars before and after exercise or with some healthy fats at other times of the day. Or chug whey and munch on almonds/cashews/peanuts etc. 2) If you can bear the taste of Cottage cheese go heavy on that. It will give you quality CAsein protein. Also fat-free cheese are good. 3) Be careful on amount of daals, rajma, soy and other legumes you eat. They would almost always create extra flatulence. 4) Have your veggies, specially fibres. That shall keep your system regular. Let me know if you have questions. xxx

[THX_1138]

forgot to ask you another thing... this whey protein i am using has enormous amonts of cholestrol. should i be concerned? and i think you are right about the creatine thing since i had a bottle full of cold water and creatine in the refridgerator last night and i did not feel any particular benefit today when i drunk it 8 hours after preparation.

[Lurker]

forgot to ask you another thing... this whey protein i am using has enormous amonts of cholestrol. should i be concerned? and i think you are right about the creatine thing since i had a bottle full of cold water and creatine in the refridgerator last night and i did not feel any particular benefit today when i drunk it 8 hours after preparation.

Yes you should be. Extra cholestrol wont do you any good, specially from whey. If you get cholestrol from eggs/meat that help in harmone generation(read testosterone boost naturally) but whey cholestrol is not good for health. Look for a low cholestrol whey powder, there are many out there. xxx

[ludhianvi]

hey thx, check out in bwtorrents for body building dvd. Its very good

[THX_1138]

hey thx' date=' check out in bwtorrents for body building dvd. Its very good[/quote'] i will ludianvi but i am not attempting to engage in body building. i am shooting for greater strength to boost my speed, so the objective is more strength training rather than body building.

[Holysmoke]

It all depends.. I mean... if eggy can come and bowl at 145 kmph.. and then symonds can only bowl at 130... sometimes the fast bowlers are the lean ones...

[ludhianvi]

It all depends.. I mean... if eggy can come and bowl at 145 kmph.. and then symonds can only bowl at 130... sometimes the fast bowlers are the lean ones...

True, It depends a lot on you arm speed and the delivery slide. I reckon I could touch at 78-80 mph at the age of 17/18 with a weight of only 117 pounds. But now I have grown a little taller and I simply feel the arm rotating like a ferris wheel. My body has grown taller and I feel it when I bowl. The extra weight/strength helps in when one has bowled ten overs and is going to bowl another five. The leaner/skinny bowlers would have burnt out most/all of their fuel, whereas a more built person would still have something in reserve

[Lurker]

i will ludianvi but i am not attempting to engage in body building. i am shooting for greater strength to boost my speed' date=' so the objective is more strength training rather than body building.[/quote'] THX, If you are looking to add speed to your armour then ensure than you have strong legs, specially hamstring and glutes. As gay as it may sound but the best fast bowlers also happen to have decent butt. And so if you want to boost speed dont forget those two muscle group. More often than not a fast bowler sits out due to injuries to hamstring than any other muscle. xxx

[THX_1138]

THX, If you are looking to add speed to your armour then ensure than you have strong legs, specially hamstring and glutes. As gay as it may sound but the best fast bowlers also happen to have decent butt. And so if you want to boost speed dont forget those two muscle group. More often than not a fast bowler sits out due to injuries to hamstring than any other muscle. xxx

true... for the past two weeks i have found this trail close to my home that is rather hilly and i run the length (well not the entire length, i cant run 2 miles on that terrain without a pause or a brief respite by walking), and i do leg presses as well. anyways, the tryouts are saturday after next... cant transform my body in that period but even a yard or two of extra pace can matter.

[THX_1138]

ok lurker boss something is wrong. i dont feel anything from the military overhead press. i started with 40lbs and then built upto 60lbs which i could do 5 sets of 10 reps easily but with 80lbs the next increment available, i could not do any much without losing form. am i getting any benefit from this exercise? and yeah, i did leg press with about 300, 5 sets, 10 reps; and i can feel it all day. moreover, you still owe me a decent exercise for my back.

[Lurker]

ok lurker boss something is wrong. i dont feel anything from the military overhead press. i started with 40lbs and then built upto 60lbs which i could do 5 sets of 10 reps easily but with 80lbs the next increment available, i could not do any much without losing form. am i getting any benefit from this exercise?

Yes you are. You are getting stuck at what lifters called "plateau". But before I give you further info I would want to know if the weights you mentioned are from a barbell? And when you say 40 lbs(or 60lbs) do you mean just the weight? Or are you using a machine for this? Or Dumbbells?

and yeah, i did leg press with about 300, 5 sets, 10 reps; and i can feel it all day.

Good stuff. I dont want to rush you right now, specially since your trials are only days away. But once trials have passed I want you to chug leg press and go squatting. You would have to start with lot less weight but trust me it shall bump up your quads, hams and glutes like no other execise. Plus squats helps release Growth Harmone naturally which is vital. And if you get extra horny thats probably whats causing it hehehe.

moreover, you still owe me a decent exercise for my back.

I thought you'd never ask!! Backs are my favorites. Again keeping in sync with your ambition(cricket) I suggest you pay heed to two specific muscles on back: Lower back muscles: They will come in handy when you land on your feet after the jump and twist your body. Upper lat muscles: Will help you to propel that extra yard of pace at last minute. The exercise for lower back muscles are Hyperextension. Look at the picture I am sure you will have a machine like this in gym where you lock in your leg and then reach for the floor and then up. Start with bodyweight and do 3 sets of 8-12. Once you get used to it increase reps to 15. Upper lat muslces: One arm dumbbell rows. It will increase your width and strengthen those lat muslces. Go for heavy reps(12-15) and maximum stretch at the bottom. Go light if you have to but remember stretch is the key here not how much weight you move. xxx

[THX_1138]

all right people... 30 minutes away. the preliminary trial. wish me luck. giddy with excitement and anxiety. i have never competed at an intramural event where i had to "qualify for the team first", usually the coach or captain would do the selection for us.

[Guest BossBhai]

-- Removed on request of the user --

[Ram]

Good luck ! :two_thumbs_up:

[THX_1138]

fracking rained out... lol but a blessing in disguise. we were just practicing indoors and i bowled horribly... 6 - 1 - 18 - 1 (might sound decent but that single wicket was a afridi type batsmen).