half human/half machine - downloading training data...

[Progress]

Hey Android, do you mind me asking what age you were when you started training? I'm aware of the fact that I've left getting started till my late 20s, which I'm a bit gutted about, but better late than never I spose.

[Android]

Hey Android, do you mind me asking what age you were when you started training? I'm aware of the fact that I've left getting started till my late 20s, which I'm a bit gutted about, but better late than never I spose.

I was 28 mate.

Until then I was a 68kg skinny bow-legged 6 foot dope-smoking beer-drinking dude just floating around Perth for 4 years doing crazy stuff. I did 7 years in the Army before that and got up to a whopping 75kg.

At 28 I decided to go a gym and take muscle-gain seriously as a way of life and never looked back. Am 38 now 8)

[Progress]

Ah cool, theres hope for me yet lol \:D/ I started at 27. I was kind of under the impression that virtually all of the mass guys around had started around 18-20. Cheers man.

Of course theres also the encouragement from all the years and years of comments from people around me that I'd never get musclular, and I'd be skinny as for life. I guess that was my mindset then too, just reinforced by peoples views of me. I'll show them! :nod: I'm off to eat a chicken and set a PB or ten. :grin:

[Big_J]

I was kind of under the impression that virtually all of the mass guys around had started around 18-20. Cheers man.

Yea i started with 18-20 shots a week works well :pfft:

[samoan_muscle]

I did 7 years in the Army before that and got up to a whopping 75kg.

NZ Army or Aus?

I did three years in the NZ army...2 Log Bn

[Android]

I did 7 years in the Army before that and got up to a whopping 75kg.

NZ Army or Aus?

I did three years in the NZ army...2 Log Bn

oh yeah?

I was NZ Army 88-94, 5 BLR

[Android]

Back from the Oz Pro Show and motivated.!

Will take it easy this week food intake was abnormally low and substandard.

I took a tub of BSN Lean Dessert Banana Cream Pudding with me and wow what a tasty shake that makes. Lasted me 4 days with double scoops so not economical but very convenient for the trip.

I got hold of a tub of LG Sciences "Anadraulic State" which I've heard may or may not be good so I'm keen to find out for myself.

The Oz Pro Show was good in so many ways and a real eye-opener in terms of the motivation and energy that I received and have taken that home with me, $$$ well spent.

Trip cost me over $5,000 when you take out $$$ for the flights, accommodation and food, taxis, missed earnings for 3 days, and tickets.

Life lessons learnt on this trip, invaluable :-)

[Android]

Ahh first workout in a week and how did it feel...? Awesome!!!! with a capital 'A'!

I weighed in at just over 107kg so was stoked as I reached 109 for a day or two before the trip and was holding some water. So I'm 107 after a week off workouts and crap meals :-) double-stoked to still be a fat bugger!

Today was 'wheels' and my mind was swimming with all sorts of words from the Silvio, Freeman, Kai Greene workshop just 2 days ago in Melbourne. Pity they aren't here to spot me, *sigh* back to reality.

I warmed up with 42 squats of the bar (was aiming for 50 but not accustomed to this rep range). Slapped a 10 and then a 20 on each side and did 4 sets of 15 controlled reps, squeezing so hard each time that one set I only got 10 out, they hurt!

Smith machine squats next with feet placed behind the bar and super wide stance, started with 20 each side, then 40, then 60 each side and using a weight belt. THe light weight strict controlled form helped the heavier set my Legs pumped up at this stage really nicely.

Lastly super-setted standing hammy curls with leg extensions and plenty of rest between sets so it wasn't an intense superset. Kind of a super slow super set if such a thing ever existed.

That was it! Less is more, minimalist, and all that stuff.

I have taken stock of the pending Nationals, whose date is fixed in stone and tomorrow is a day closer. I have 3 months left of bulking before 3 months of cutting. This means a change is happening with my new business Sportstrition. I've already had to employ a great Uni student to do the orders in the morning, lunchtime, and afternoon as it's too much for me to do now, and will look at selling it soon.

The workshop with the Pros really had a great impact on me and I'm going to put more into my eating and resting and family life between now and the October Nats. My goal is to do well at the Nats, enjoy the experience leading up to it, pose well, and learn as much as I can about my body and how it responds to growth.

Change is in the air, you heard it first here :-)

[Gym rat]

How was the workshop that you went to Melbourne?

[boostinggtir]

Sounds like it was an awesome trip.

[Android]

How was the workshop that you went to Melbourne?

It was amazing GymRat!

To see massive guys not talk about weights and exercises but about how they view what they do as Art rather than a Sport and how they express themselves on stage and sculpting....it opened my eyes beyond what I hear and see here in NZ tbh. There was one question about training and that was short-lived, it was more about positive thoughts and how powerful thoughts can be etc from Kai Greene.

Workshop was a real curve-ball and all the better for it :clap:

[Gym rat]

Sounded wicked Android please tell us about the stuff that leared from guys like Toney Freeman,Slivo,Kai Green? I would be very keen to hear what they had to say.

[Android]

Sounded wicked Android please tell us about the stuff that leared from guys like Toney Freeman,Slivo,Kai Green? I would be very keen to hear what they had to say.

There were only two questions about 'body building' during the workshop, it became quite apparent early on that the Pros didn't see any point in talking about weight training.

The impression Freeman and Greene gave was that it was so 'personal and unique' to each person what was the point in talking about it. Freeman spoke at length about how pointless it woul dbe to tell us what he trained and when give advice since he has 20 years of workouts that have produced what he goes on stage with today.

Someone asked the difference between good form and heavy weights and they all agreed that the weight was pointless and form a little less so as well.

They really pushed home that they were artists, and their expression is what we see on stage. So good form might mean anything to someone who has already built up the part of the muscle that 'good form' we know about helps, so there's valid shit-form exercises they do, and that the amount of weight means nothing to them.

Heavy or light they only care that they grow in the places they are trying to increase aesthetically.

Kai Greene spoke alot, alot...alot!

He spoke about the power of thought, positive thoughts, using other people's thoughts etc. These guys shake your hand and say "It's a pleasure to meet you Sir" - wtf!

I can just see that they're getting off on your good thoughts and sucking the life out of people with every handshake they give, a very different way of thinking indeed.

We really were privilidged to hear insights into their mindset on this workshop.

They covered alot more than just that but you had to be there to hear and appreciate the mood of the workshop.

Someone said they were aiming for a Pro card, and what can he expect...

The Pros said expect nothing, nothing changes, you get a card in the mail you have to pay for and that's it.

Status as a Pro means little to these guys especially those who were Pros for a long time before they 'made it'.

Then they stressed the point to make your own 'something' as a Pro, it's whatever you want it to be, or it's nothing at all.

Just so cool to see what drives people who reach this level of (I was going to say Sport, but they don't acknowledge they are in a Sport, they said it's Art to them).

Anyway, after I'd hung on every word and 1icked the tar off their boots I left inspired and ready to make changes.

[Gym rat]

Thanks for that Android that was very cool to read about what the pros had to say.

[teamfatboy]

Great write-up Android, thanks very much.

Can't underestimate the power of positive thinking, eh!

[Android]

You're always welcome :nod:

Tonight was my Back, been 8 days since the last one and was keen to get my Lats worked.

Pre-wokout was LG Science Anadraulic, and x2 Syntax Cerebro pills. This combination is unreal for its effect. Best pump, strength and concentration I've experienced for a loooong time!

Start of the workout was wide-grip Lat pulldowns, this was interrupted with business but I got a few warmup sets in first.

Seated cable rows next, no big weights and 20+ reps per set. I held the squeeze and was really concentrating on feeling the back more than I ever tried before.

Lying barbell rows were up next, I did the top-half of the exercise for 3/4 of the set and the last reps were full range of motion. I did this because I can really see the back in the mirror working and it's the top squeeze I want for this exercise, the full range is quite useless to me I did seated rows for that and the last exercise which was seated row machine also uses full range of motion.

Last exercise was seated row machine, I used a really wide-grip and pulled right back, held and squeezed until it hurt and my Back/Lats were pumped.

That was Back.

My Legs are starting to ache right in deep today, tomorrow I fear I'll be walking funny. I have still to do calves, so I can see myself doing lower back and calves in the weekend.

Weighed in today at 109 (108.9 - 109) so from 107 yesterday I'm carbing up again from the holiday. Last night I ate baked beans before bedtime and I ate oats when I came home from work which is extra food. Also took more chicken today to work. Am stoked I've not lost any weight and may continue to climb up to 110 in the next month...who knows!

I'm now taking ZMA at night and Tribulus during the day. This combination was introduced to me by a friend a few years ago and just works well for me.

[Gym rat]

It might be a good idea to hire walking stick or zimmer frame just be on the safe of thinghs Android when you do start to walk funny.

[AgentOrange]

It might be a good idea to hire walking stick or zimmer frame just be on the safe of thinghs Android when you do start to walk funny.

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

[gazza]

:ditto: :banging:

[Android]

Ahh yes Zimmer frames.... :-|

Cooked up some chicken and rice. I have been doing this every morning for like...ever. If it's not chicken it's beef but white rice is my staple diet.

I use a rice cooker. I used to use a pot but never again. This is conveniece at it's best you just add water and close the lid and get on with your life or whatever you do and forget about it for 10 mins. Totally recommended!

[biggurl27]

Haha thats the same as what you do with a pot though as well. You know my friend doesn't know how to cook rice as a lot of people don't as they have only ever used those rice cookers. Never used one myself.

So what lower trap excercise did you decide on?

[boostinggtir]

Nice.... Is that white rice your cooking?

[Android]

Haha thats the same as what you do with a pot though as well. You know my friend doesn't know how to cook rice as a lot of people don't as they have only ever used those rice cookers. Never used one myself.

So what lower trap excercise did you decide on?

I thought that as well but it's way easier I promise. Just set and forget :-)

Tip for cooking in a pot, lowest heat possible with lid on or slightly ajar...try and make it cook slowly. Awesome fluffy white ric. I used to boil the crap out of rice and then simmer but do slow from the start and big difference in texture and easy to clean pot.

Yes I have had one shown to me :-)

It's supposed to be done with no weight first until I can get a mind-muscle connection and then use weight.

Apparantly once I connect with the muscle then it will fire on subsequent weighted exercises for me which sounds kinda cool and hippy'sh.

Have to use cables, get two that are close together not at opposite ends (make sense?)

Bend over a bench facing the cables and with the wide grip that the separated cables give me I'm to go from low down out stretched position and upwards as I squeeze the traps in the middle of my back.

To do this the elbows have to be hellish high, higher than shoulders as the arms come up and towards the body.

I did it without weight and the traps started filling up with blood so this movement seems to work, I'm to do it about twice a week without weights for a few weeks until the traps fire away and then add the weights.

Am exceited about this as I've built up a lower back and widened my back with bigger rear delts which then makes the middle of my back look small.

Weird thing is this, the guy noticed blue spots on my traps, which told him that my traps were working and blood was flowing into them.

It's supposed to be common to see blue spots on bodybuilders skin as they workout....I'd never heard of this before and thought I would have noticed blue spots, but when i looked in the mirror closely they were there.

[Android]

Nice.... Is that white rice your cooking?

Yeah white-as rice 8)

[teamfatboy]

That trap exercise sounds "interesting". Would you get the same results with crossed-over cables on a wide two-pulley station? (so left hand on right cable, and vice versa) ?