belief’s BodyBlog

I have been going to the gym a lot more regularly - 5 to 6 times a week, and noticed that I am putting on some more size a lot quicker than normal.

On Thursday, I received a compliment from a fellow trainer. This person stands out at the gym as he is over 70 but still uses the heavier weights when doing exercises. He’s doing really well and I hope when I reach his age, I can still lift heavy.

He came up to me and this was the first time he had said something to me. He said that he could notice my shoulders filling out a lot more. It’s good to receive encouragement like this, as you know that you are eating properly and doing the correct exercises to grow. Do you receive positive encouragement from people at your gym?

At the moment, I’m not on mega heavy weights as I concentrate on good form. I guess it makes a change from jealous people who assume that to get to a certain size, you must be on gear. I’m happy staying natural. I think you become more stronger mentally as well as you have to push your body to the limits to get bigger.

This is what happened today when I was doing legs. Before I do squats I warm up on the leg extension and leg curl machines. I hope no-one was watching me as I must have looked as if I was in excruciating pain. I always try to hold at the highest/lowest point for a few seconds to really feel the burn and make sure that the muscle grows deep into my quads and hams.

I am into my second day of taking the "wonder supplement" creatine. How many of you guys take it and have you experienced significant increases in your lifts and recovery time?

I have tried to educate myself on the eternal question of whether to load creatine or not. For those of you who don’t know what loading is, basically it is when you take 5g of creatine four times a day for five days. It’s more than you should do normally. You then go through a maintenance phase of taking 5g once a day for another 7 weeks, then have four weeks off.

There is a train of thought that says that the loading phase is not needed, and that you still have increased power if you just take it normally.

As an etcomorph who is a slow gainer, I have decided to go with the 50% of people who say that you should load and then go into the maintenance phase. So far, I have not felt bloated (which is one of the possible side effects). However, I do get a warm forehead which I guess could be a mild headache, but it is not causing me any discomfort.

I have also been taking the creatine in warm water. I also tend to take all my protein shakes with water. The taste is not brilliant most of the time, but at least I’m keeping my fat intake to a minimum.

It is obviously too early to see if creatine works for me. How have you got on with creatine and are there any other supplements that are "legally" better?

Well it finally happened. I managed to haul my ass into the gym after a very long time out of training, and it felt SO GOOD!!

There are many reasons why it took a while to go back. I wonder if you can relate to any of them? Firstly, I had a accident at home whereby I wanted to recuperate before I wanted to go back. You know what it’s like, the longer you leave it, the harder it is to go back.

During that time I was studying at university full time and the course was very challenging. I know most people find time to have a gym workout and study, but I think the pressure of doing well especially as most of the guys on my course were super-ambitious, means that you spend more time under books than under a bench press.

Since graduating, it has taken me almost a year to find a decent job with equivalent graduate pay. I have had non-stop interviews and assessment centres and I think that the priority was to find a decent job and start paying off my student loan.

Luckily, I managed to get a job with decent pay around 3 months ago, and this has meant that I can move my priorities towards getting into shape. My boss at work is into triathlons and she should take most of credit of getting my back at the gym through her "negative" motivation. She kept saying that I was full of rubbish because I used to say to her that this is the week that I go back to the gym. Finally, her words had the desired effect and I feel so much better.

Also, I went to my first bodybuilding show in Leeds at the weekend which was amazing. I’m glad that bodybuilding is not a major sport in the UK, as I felt part of an exclusive group/team being there. We all have the same goals and you don’t feel out of place there. I came away feeling inspired and I want to get to competition standard by this time next year.

I am unsure whether I want to get on stage, but at the very least I want to be ready so that I will have that option.

How are your diet and gym workouts going? I have just started a brand new job, so my general enthusiasm has increased which has caused me to look at my bodybuilding goals again. I don’t know about you, but my gym membership card is gathering cobwebs in my wallet. I really need to bit the bullet and get down to the gym and do a workout and break the negative cycle.

My diet on the other hand is going well. You can tell by my pics that I have lost weight and my abs are very very slowly starting to come through as I lose my body fat. I have noticed on my back and my biceps that the muscles are becoming slightly more harder, even though I have not been working out.

I have been trying to follow a high protein diet and tried to reduce carbs after 5pm. I know that we need carbs to get energy for that workout. I wish I could eliminate carbs completely.

So, how am I going to get over my gym procrastination? Luckily, my boss is into fitness and she wants to run a marathon soon, so she is giving me some motivation. Before you ask, even though she is younger than me she is married, and you have got to keep it professional in work

I am determined to get my six pack by next January and as I have seen the results from my dieting, I know that it is achievable. Keep training hard everyone!

It’s amazing that when you feel that motivating is lacking, suddenly an email out the blue or just a small chat with someone, becomes enough to boost your motivation. Yesterday, I received an email from a member from the website who I have just started chatting to, and I decided to check out her new pictures on her profile.

Her little message and seeing the incredible progress she is making, inspired me to keep training hard. The short email sent really lifted my spirits, so much so that I decided to take some pictures today of my current physique.

I have been training on and off for years, with lack of motivation and other things being the killer to my progress. However, when I was looking at my pictures, I realised that I’m not too far behind in getting to my goals of having a competitive physique and with a bit of continued effort, I could really start to bulk up. I continue to eat properly by eating as much protein as I can and limiting fat.

So, if you can motivate and offer some words of encouragement to someone, please do. You might not realise how strong your words are, and you could be changing someone life. I just want to say thank you Pookz, you really are a great friend and you deserve to be successful in your bodybuilding career.

I am going to be totally honest with you as I think that it’s the best policy, especially as we all are trying to improve ourselves. The fact of the matter is… I still haven’t hit the gym yet. I know, I’m a bit rubbish but at least last week I bought a new pair of trainers, so I was almost there. In fact I was going to go last Wednesday and my gym bag is still packed with my clothes and trainers believe it or not.

I think my reluctance to hit the gym stems from the fact that the rest of my life isn’t quite sorted out yet. I know what you going to say excuses excuses… you would be right, but I think that you need to get your life sorted out before you can concentrate on other parts. What I mean is that I graduated from university in July and even though I had a part-time job over the summer which brought in money, that job is now giving me sporadic hours so it has meant finding another job.

I don’t know about you but I detest not having money. I’m not money oriented at all but it does make the world go round. Anyway, I went for a job interview last week and got the job and I start next week. I guess this is a weight off my shoulders as I know that steady money is coming in so I can now concentrate on going to the gym.

I think that I haven’t really relaxed from the end of my finals. I was putting in some long days and when I go to bed at night, my mind is still active and I’m constantly thinking about ideas and things to do. Over the past few months, my mind has been spinning somewhat as I was uncertain whether to apply for graduate training posts or just get a full-time job. This new job is only part-time but at least it’s money. I think I might go for the graduate training schemes which would start in September next year as some of them are excellent for personal development. I was a bit unsure because of my age but I think I’m putting obstacles in my way by thinking like that so I’m going to work hard on my applications. As always, keep believing in yourself!!

Since I joined the website, I have been inspired to reach my fitness goals by reading the blogs and checking out the profile pics of the members. Thanks guys! Unfortunately, my own motivation has been lacking. I pleased to say that I have been eating clean and taking supplements. I walk at a brisk pace everywhere so I have been getting some exercise, but hitting my gym after so long just seems like a brick wall to overcome. Has anyone had this problem? I am determined to break down this barrier and I have set Wednesday as the day that I get back to the gym. I will write a blog on that day and I hope to tell you that I managed to get a workout in. I think my energies were taken up by a job interview I had last Wednesday which didn’t get me to second interview but I have another interview for another job next week. I guess that’s not an excuse to get to the gym and I do feel better writing this down but I feel ashamed that I haven’t made much progress. I guess this is what the site is for as a kind of self-analysis also :-0)

After working on my diet to try to eat clean all the time and buying supplements, this is THE week when I finally hit the gym after a long time out. The hard work begins now, and the first thing I have to do is get some new trainers for the gym as my current pair are sometimes too tight at the toe.

I’ve been reading loads of articles on what to buy and there seems to be a difference of opinion. Many bodybuilders believe that a pair of shoes with a flat sole like Converse is good for squatting. Some even do squats in bare feet!! I know that some guys have bought special weightlifting shoes that cost between £50-£80 (I guess that’s well over $100?) However, would these shoes be appropriate for doing cardio? I’ve been to various sports shops and they recommend that I buy a cross-trainer with a kind a bar that supports the middle of your foot. Then there’s the question of buying ones that fit snuggly or buying ones that are one size bigger?!

A friend of mine said to me that at the end of the day it’s all marketing and that the manufacturers want you to buy loads of different shoes. I’m going to buy some new shoes during the next few days and I think I might go with buying maybe a cheap pair of flat shoes, as I mainly use free weights and only really use machines to do some leg exercises. What do you think?

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