another noob looking to gain some knoweledge

[one eyed willie]

Hi Al,

an introduction was requested and it seems rude to refuse.

Im 31 and come from a martial arts background not bodybuilding at all. But as im getting older and wiser?(i hope) im looking further and wider for means to maintain my strength speed agility and muscle mass.

Effectively i train in MMA style so some size is of benefit but some of my size is not as firm as it once was balancing work and time for my children has cut into my training time so in part im here in the hope ill trip over some discussions of people with similar situations.

im currently 95 kegs in a 5ft 12 frame i get described as solid. theres still definition in the top half of my abs the lower half not so much haha. i believe i have a good core and basic muscle frame im still fairly agile and fast but im noticing a negative trend in my body shape from training less hours than i used to but im carrying prob 10-15 kegs i dont need to if im brutally honest.

i have never used suppliments of any kind but im not against them at all. I dont know enough about steroids to really know how i feel about them.

i just want to get cut again. i was a lean 98kegs at my peak at about 24 and i would like to achieve that again i trained very hard to achieve that and i worked in a sawmill at the time which helped alot when combined with a healthy diet of meat and two minute noodles lol.

im not scared of training hard and id like to bulk back up im not competing so im pretty keen to put on some size and lean up but i need to fit doing so around a busy life.

if anyone reads this and can offer any advice or perhaps link me to some posts which are relevent to my personal situation id really apreciate it!

thanks in advance Willie

[Pseudonym]

Hey Willie, good to have you here. Man, yet another MMA-er?! We seem to have been attracting lots of them lately. That's a good thing though... we're shortly going to introduce a Boxing/MMA forum here, but it looks like we'd better hurry up! :grin:

[one eyed willie]

Hey pseudo,

thanks ive been trolling through posts on here and you seem to be the voice of reason in alot of cases so i apreciate you taking the time to say hi!

I love my training and i spent a about 7 years teaching karate. before starting to look into the ground work and mma side so ive got some good background for cardio and bodyweight work. I have found the more i taught the less of my own training ive done.

Now im really becoming curious about strength training. i have a good selection of free weights at home bench and dumbells etc. i think i understand using them pretty well and im a bit overweight so i really feel like im making a fresh start and i hoped ill find some good info on here to help make the most of my training.

My goal is not to get huuuuuuge but i want to be a presence(oxymoron i know). like i want every ounce of my weight to be productive functional muscle. like a league player build i guess prob like around my current weight of 95 but lean maybe even up to a lean 105. at this point in time as i said in my first post i dont know how i feel about juicing so im looking at making a start with suppliments. ill be training fairly regularly running weights at home club training where possible. I work 14 hour days 4 on 4 off and in my 4 off im a dad so i train when my dughters at school and before work as much as i can. excuse the life story but i guess i can get more help if people know what i hope to achieve and my situation to do it. im not a gym member at this stage and i think i can get what i want with the gear i have.

any advice or suggestions on legal over the counter products to maximise my results. im dubious about the big claims on the internet about products and would like unbiased advice. i was looking at over the counter testosterone boosters as well as L-carnitine and creatine. and i hear the preworkout stuff can be really helpful too. i bench alone so im only lifting around 80kg dont laugh ive seen what some guys are throwing on here and its crazy! i train to failure and i mix up my lifting style and change grips alot but im still feeling weak from the strength i had before and i miss it!

cheers Willie

[Pseudonym]

At this point, I'd forget about any supplements beyond protein powder. That will achieve 90% of the results, and at 10% of the cost. Honestly, there's so much you can do with protein powder and food, there's no need for you to look further afield yet.