Ask The Bad Man

[Jeru]

Do you appreciate me letting you win @ pool?

[King Callabah]

whilst i read that

how you personally deal wit anger?

[Big Bad Man]

Do you appreciate me letting you win @ pool?

Hahaha, course man, brotherly love eh?

whilst i read that

how you personally deal wit anger?

I confront it head on man. If you try forget about shit that upsets you and that you feel better for a wee while, but you end up facing that issuae again later, so I confront it and kick its ass. While Im waiting to confront an issue I let my anger out on the weights and bags in the gym, through sex and sometimes my PS2 controllers should my brur sneak a victory over me, doesnae happen much but when it does I go nuts, so I hit the joypad instead of him

[Chief 'Broom]

What up BBM? I don't get to post here a lot anymore but i'm feeling the thread and i could use a little advice from someone of your intelligence. Let me explain my scenario in detail.

I'm about 6 foot, 182 pounds. I drink heavily on the weekends and don't worry about my diet for the most part, accept i don't eat a lot of fast food, etc. I eat to live. I've been trying to get in shape since about late August last year. I've worked out before in life but took some time off in college. Before college i worked out with a big mother fucker, bigger than you, but not in shape like you and couldn't fight like you. Nevertheless, a good dude who taught me how to work out all my muscle groups in three days per week - about four different excersizes a day, three set per excersize, as many reps as possible - no worries about numbers. Basically he was lifting to tone his muscles and i was lifting the same amount of weight he was but it was power lifting for me. In any event, i got back into it this past August and have worked out consistantly since then. I've been getting a lot stronger but it seems to be real gradual. Here's what i do..

Before every workout i used to do a boxing routine on my heavy bag to get warmed up. I've been hitting that mother fucker since i was in about 7th grade and i'm 23 now. I'm pretty nice with the boxing. However, i never had any type of training. Recently i found out i had carpel tunnel and hitting the punching bag all those years with no tape on my wrists made me more vulnerable. My wrists started hurting and i wasn't able to do curls anymore so i stopped with the boxing recently since i don't know how to tape my wrists properly. Fuck it. So i stretch before every workout real nice, then i just move a bit to get my blood flowing, and punch the air a bit (wtf). On Mondays i work out chest and bicepts. I do 2 sets inclined bench press, 2 sets regular bench press and 2 sets declined bench press. Then i curl with a curling bar. I do two sets with my hands closer together, 2 sets with them further apart. Then i do something where i'll do about five half curls from my nuts to the bottom of my chest, 5 half curls from the bottom of my chest to my chin then i do 5 full curls - consecutively. It burns nicely. I do two sets of that. Then i end my workout with two sets of pushups on pushup bars. That's probably my most satisfying workout during the week. I like working out my chest and bicepts cuz those are the muscles i want to improve the most. I try to be real smooth with my movements while working those muscles. However, i don't use a spotter anymore, i prefer to workout alone.

On Wednesday's i do tricepts and shoulders. I forget the name of some of these lifts so i'll have to describe them the best i can. I do 3 sets of skull crushers. I do 3 sets of reverse curls. I sit on my bench and get the weight bar to my chest, then i lift the bar straight up over my head and bring it back down to my chest. I do three sets of those (can't believe i can't remember the goddam term for those). The fourth excersize i do is a standing one. I stand with my arms at my sides, holding the bar. Then i lift my arms straight up so i'm standing there like Frakenstein or Superman, with a bar. And i lower the bar back down to my nuts. I do three sets of those. You know what i'm talking about. Last, i have two bars attached to this machine that are sticking out towards me and if i walked into them they would poke me in the bicepts. Well i do that excersize where you lift your body up with those two bars. So you're holding your whole body straight up with your two arms and you cross your feet in the air so they are not touching the ground. You bend your elbows and lower yourself, as low as possible, then you lift yourself up with your arms till your arms are straight, down at your sides. I do two sets of those. (Shit, if i knew a website i would look up the names of these excersizes but i couldn't find one).

On Fridays i guess i workout my back and my legs. I do calf raises on my basement steps. I do ten per step and try to make it to the top. But the shit burns and it makes me have to shit. I do three sets of those. Then i do three sets of squats. I do three sets of this one excersize for my back where i just hold a 45 pound weight across my chest - it's just a circular weight that you throw on the bar. But i'll hold the weight at my chest with my arms crossed over it and i'll bend down at the waste and then straighten myself out slowly. I do three sets of those. One with a 25 pound weight, one with a 35 pound weight and one with a 45 pounder. Finally i am supposed to do this excersize where i hold the bar out in front of me, not quite touching my thighs and i'm bent a little at the knees. I am supposed to bring the weight up to my chest, elbows going back & up and then i would straighten my arms so the weight is back in front of me. That movement works your muscle on your side, below your armpit (don't remember the name of that big muscle, perhaps the lats?). Thing is, i never could get that excersize straight so i stopped doing it. Didn't feel right. Instead i just do the power kleen. I like that one cuz i could throw some weight up. And that's that, brotherman. I'm serious about it. In between those three days i try to run on the treadmill or do crunches each day off. And Sundays i rest and kick my hangover and get ready for a work week. I miss a bit of sleep and am sometimes almost too tired to workout after work but i still do it. I was told that instead of taking your time and doing an hour long workout, workout for a half hour. Only take a minute at the most between reps. So that's what i do. I work out intensely for half hour. And i sip some water while i work out. So here's my problem / question.

I still got a bit of a gut. I don't mind that, long as my chest and my arms are deisel. But i'm still not as chiseled as i'd like to be as you could tell by my weight. I don't wanna change my drinking pattern. I smoke too. Trying to kick that. I would like to eat a little better but kind of eat on the go right now and don't have a lot of time to get that shit straight at this point in my life. But my question is, what can i do better with my workouts? What am i doing wrong? Should i do some different excersizes? Am i doing enough excersizes? Am i doing the right excersizes? I'm pretty strong but i wants to be stronger. If you come up with something for me, you could use the technical terms for the excersizes. I'll know what you're talking about. I just can't remember the names off my head right now, only the movements.

Sorry such a long winded question but i wanted to be honest with you and really try to explain to get some help as you are quite knowledgable, clearly. Help me get my swoll on when you get a second. I look forward to your response. Good looks. Peace mayne. I got your back like your chiropractor.

[num2son]

Who is the MAN?

[Big Bad Man]

Who is the MAN?

Me!

[Chief 'Broom]

Basically i need to know if any of my logic is flawed, know what i mean coach?

[Big Bad Man]

Good post chef I remember you well man, I prefer these type of posts dont worry man. The fact you just wanna gain size is slightly affected by alcohol though, because you may think well alcohol is all emptry cals so how does that affect me puttin on size? Well weight management is all about diet, about 80% both bulking and cutting. Your water intake is important to prevent dehydration, which prevents muscles eating themselves (catabolism) to provide the body with energy should it be lacking water, protein, carbs or fat. So Id at least cut the drinkin down to once a week only coz when your drunk your basically just dehydrated fae head to toe but 1 day a week wont matter really, if you make up for it wi max intensity during week anyhow.

Sorry to hear about yer wrists man, I had to stop hittin shit completely for 3 years coz I caught reactive arthritis and it stopped me moving to Thailand and shit to fight for Fairtex. Handwraps, get yourself some cotton herringbone wraps fae a boxing / fitness store, to wrap them properly you start by puttin the loop over yer thumb, so the wrap starts going inside your hand, go round and up over the knuckles for 4/5 layers dependin on length, keep fingers shut together doing this and hand slightly bent, on the last wrap over knuckles put it tighter than the others to pull it together, back inside palm, only this time come over the top of hand and under the thumb, round thumb once only real loose, back round hand and over wrist, then make sure you wrap the wrist up tight as hell (thats what handwraps for after all - our knuckles dont need much padding) and eventually after say 2/3 wraps the velcro will be there to meet the patch Hope this helps but Ill try find you some diagrams, failing that ill take pics tomorrow of me doing it and send you the segments on here.

Your warm up is spot on though, punchin the air (shadowboxin) is a great way to warm up, all you after before you lift weights is to get blood pumping and be slightly outta breath and no more. If yer pishin of sweat you done too much and there goes yer max strength on weights. Stick wi the same warmout. Make sure you warm 1st though, then stretch.

Yer mate seemed to know what he wasd oing in terms of sets and training to failure but theres no such hing as toning, you build muscle and lose fat, when you achieve both muscles are more "toned", I hink you know this anyhow.

--------------------------

Lemme analyse workout...

Monday - Chest and Biceps

bench press x 2
inc press x 2
decline press x 2
barbell curls x 4
bi 15s x 2
bar push ups x 2

Right couple things you can do to improve. you can get away wi 3 sets of each bench press and its good to see your no neglecting the declines! Part fae that its bang on. Some pointers for max growth since you asked. Make sure when benching your grip is slightly wider than shoulder width to eliminate anterior delts (front shoulders) and focus on chest only. Also keep a slight arch in yer back, your shoulders should be pinned to the bench but your lower should be up as if theres a towel under yer lower spine. This makes sure the chest is put in the right position to squeeze with the back and arms outta it. Also less stressful on the back. Breathing inhale on way down, hold breath when you touch yer chest wi the bar, then keep holding it till you push it past the chest and exhale at the top hard, repeat. If thats no enough never completely lock at the top, same wi any pressin movement, if your arms go straight on at the top the weights on yer joints and arms, keep it VERY CLOSE to locked wi a slight bend and its on the muscle. This takes time to perfect coz you learn it wi feeling.

Your curls, the barbell wont help yer wrists at all, you prolly notice this no when curling, but when you put the bar on the deck, if you feeling something burn inside yer forearm switch to ez shaped curl bar. Your grip does matter though. A close grip and any type of curl where thumbs are slightly higher than pinky stresses the outer bicep. A wider and straighter wrist the inner. What I would do is 2 sets of ez bars, for the outside, and 2 sets of incline dumbell curls for inside, this way you get a better overall pump to both muscles of the bicep.

As for the 15s, most people do 21s, 7 fae baws to belly, 7 fae belly to chin, 7 full. Ronnie coleman wrote an article saying how this exercise stunts yer bi growth before in flex. When you do any kind of half rep the muscle adapts to the ROM (range of motion) and therefore half repping causes the muscle to shorten! Its proven most people who use some kind of 15s, 21s, or 30s have good bi peaks, but very small arms in bulk. So stay clear of them. Id add in concentration curls instead using dumbells. Though if you really feel this is building you its your call, just means theres a chance you puttin a barrier on yer bicep growth.

The push ups at the end are ticaallllllll, will really pump yer chest just when it thought it was done

Wednesday - Triceps and Shoulders

skullcrushers x 3
reverse curls x 3
military press x 3
barbell shurgs x 3

lol at frankenstein, I make constipation faces doin these dont worry...

dips x 2

A good website for video instructionals is http://www.exrx.net/Lists/Directory.html

Right for tris skullcrushers are hittin the underneath of yer tris, dips hit all 3 heads, but you need 1 for the side which is the trophy muscle of the triceps when people look at yer arms. Id also do 3 sets of dips over 2. For the side of the tricep v-bar pushdowns will hit it bang on, also dumbell kick-backs, whichever you prefer do 3 sets of 1 of those. That be 9 sets of tris, perfect.

Shoulders you only got military presses where you sitting and pressing bar straight up as you said like the ultimate warrior. These and all other shoulder press hit the front of yer shoulders. Whether you put bar in front or behind head. But what about the back and sides? Sides you gonna have to add in some side dumbell lateral raises. Where you start with dumbells at the side, arms slightly bent, come up both side just above shoulders and hold it for a 2 count, slowly back down. You prolly know these. For back of the delts (shoulders) no many people train them but it adds a lot of thickness when viewed fae the side so I would do like I said for sides, only you bent over at 35 degrees. Keep yer back straight and ass out, and you will feel the emphasis in behind your shoulders.

The shrugs hit the traps, the 1s you make mad faces, the trapezius although looking like a big triangle fae the front on top of yer shoulders, is actually a part of yer back and neck. Though its cool to train these with shoulders, most do anyhow. Add these after yer shoulders.

As far as reverse curls, these work yer outer forearms and brachi (a muscle between the forearm and bicep) and helps build bicep peak, I wouldnt do these at all on tri and shoulder day buddy. Take them right out.

Friday - Back and Legs

calf raises x 3
squats x 3
3 x your very own version of good mornings lol
cleans x 3 (over barbell rows)

I like the fact you aint shy of squats training alone, most people dont attempt them without a spotter, but if thats all you gonna do for quads and hams Id use 5 sets. Yip, 5. Calf raises you doing will hit the gastrocnemius (top of calf) but you should try increasing reps every week, the burning is just lactic acid and although its no advised to train through cramp coz of muscle tears, with calves you need to. After all thats how muscles grow, they tear and grow back bigger n stronger providing they have the time (rest) and nutrients fae diet to recruit more fibres than before. Its call hypertrophy. So break that pain barrier for calves and once you do that, add a rep every 2 weeks.

U could also add seated calf raises with a barbell over yer thighs and just squeeze up and hold for the lower part of yer calves (soleus) which is where the main bulk of yer calves are anyhow. Sort of like the triceps in the arm. But bear in mind the calves are used every day, so because of this they have more slow twitch muscle fibres and need higher reps to be burned out, as in 15-20

The good mornings are wicked for yer lower back but be careful you keep a good straight back and technique is bang on coz these shits crippled Bruce Lee and many other trainees. I personally wouldnt do them but if you like them stick wi it.

The cleans are a pure compund strength exercise and that be why you love them, much like deadlifts and squats. But they hit more yer shoulders even though they attack the whole body. Put them in shouder day and put the real 2 big exercises in yer back workout. Deadlifts! and Pull Ups!

Deadlifts are the raw basic exercise of every champion bodybuilder / powerlifter / athlete. They build the middle and lower back, while working the grip and legs at same time. They also add thickness to the muscles outside the spine. Pull ups work the lats which give you wings so u need them also.

Aye the movement you described were barbell rows which are kinda advanced to be honest, and you were also right they too work the lats, but Id stick wi pull-ups themself till u master them.

A chin up is when your palms face you, they also work biceps and aint as tuff.

A pull is palms out which is purely on yer lats and are much tougher. I can only do 3 x 8 at my current bodyweight and big ronnie coleman who is mr olympia cant do any. So accept this challenge and if you can beat it yer lats are guaranteed to grow.

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So to sum up I never changed much in yer routine, coz you have the basics locked down anyhow. Just a few small details here and there. So Ill show you how Id do it to modify yer own as I said above...

Monday - Chest and Biceps

bench press x 3
decline press x 3
incline press x 3
ez curls x 2
incline db curls x 2
concentration curls x 2

Wednesday - Shoulders and Triceps

Shoulders 1st coz you should work larger muscles before smaller

military press x 2
side lateral raises x 2
bent lateral raises x 2
power cleans x 3
shrugs x 3
dips x 3
skullcrushers x 3
v-bar pushdowns x 3

Friday - Back and Legs

pull-ups x 2 (wide as possible overhand grip)
chin-ups x 2 (shoulder width underhand grip ie palms facing inside)
deadlifts x 3 (low reps, like 4-6 for power since u love it hehe)
good mornings x 3 (should you choose to do them)
squats x 5
standing calf raises on step x 3
seated calf raises x 3

right...

----------------

After warm up, you should work out an hour, no more. This is just coz if you natural (minus T) your testosterone levels will drop here. All forms of exercise burn carbs for the 1st 25 mins. Then fats upto 50 mins. + 60 you risk burning muscle coz the water, nutrients (carbs n fats) and T has been burned out so all thats left running your bodies fuel is protein (muscle).

In terms of reps you should count them, especially if you seek to get bigger and stronger every week, if you lift the same weight for the same reps in 2 consecutive weeks the muscle adapts to that work adn will take some time to gorw outta it. If I was you since you seem to get good strength gains fast Id train 6-10 reps in everything but calves. Lower calves tend to be slow twitch and are usually hit best in the 15-20 rep zone, some people even go 20-30.

Just remember if you use 6-10 etc; if that week you get your 6 reps you on 7 next week wi same weight. Continue till you get 10 and next week back to 6 and increase the weight SLIGHTLY. Lot of people increase it too much find themselves takin months to get that 10kg bump. If only they had went up 5kg they woulda had 5 weeks till the muscle adapted slowly to the new weight, and then again, and again and they woulda been up that 10kg in just 10 weeks Just a wee tip.

Try get yer sleep, alright telling people to sleep 8 hours, I sleep about 5 hours every day, I never been a sleeper but I make up for it in my training and diet. Diet is the key, gaining muscle / losing fat is 80% diet, 10% training and 10% resting and mental recovery.

Water will keep u hydrated if you gonna stick wi drinkin at weekends, just hammer the water down to flush out the shit the very 1st hour on the monday, and try drinkin 3 litres every day.

Shit I donno wit else, dont wanna give you too much know? If you need any help just get back to me be it diet or exercise descriptions or whatever, peace!

[Oztradamus]

Ayo is doing cardio 7 days outta the week, good or bad for you? 50 Minutes each session..

[cracka]

What would you do if someone changed your name?

[Big Bad Man]

Ayo is doing cardio 7 days outta the week, good or bad for you? 50 Minutes each session..

For aerobic fitness its alright, for fat burnin its lethal, but if you wanna put on size its prolly too much man.

What would you do if someone changed your name?

You canny. N if you could Id get ma man 36 or prolifical to change it back. Shit ma uncle Big Bens even a mod too now, nah you canny

[Big Bad Man]

Fact Ima call big ben ma uncle aw the time, Hes the spittin image of my uncle and hes cooler than him anyhow, ma uncles a bit of a fanny these days. Hes been demoted to cousin haha.

[Oztradamus]

^Good lookin' out...

[Oztradamus]

I used to have my own work-out regimen a year ago.. Do DDR (Cardio) 50 Minutes each day, 300 Push-ups a day, and walk 5 miles a day, to and from work 2.5 miles each way, lost 101 Pounds.. But now gained almost half of it back.. What do you recommend I should do new?

I'm 6'1" 240..

Lowest weight 192 June 2004
Highest weight 293 June 2002

[Big Bad Man]

I used to have my own work-out regimen a year ago.. Do DDR (Cardio) 50 Minutes each day, 300 Push-ups a day, and walk 5 miles a day, to and from work 2.5 miles each way, lost 101 Pounds.. But now gained almost half of it back.. What do you recommend I should do new?

I'm 6'1" 240..

Lowest weight 192 June 2004
Highest weight 293 June 2002

Damn talkin of that I mind now when you posted pics way back when you were bigger shit. To keep it simple Id hit the cardio twice a day for 45 mines each time, 5 days a week. The walking wont do shit really man, you need to find the pace to burn fat, cardio should have u slightly sweaty and outta breath but no more, once you get this pace, you keep this up as best as you can. No too hard but no easy.

In terms of diet Id watch you aint eating too many latin basied foods like pastas n nachos n aw that, coz its high carbs and therefore high calories, you should try eating more salad, tuna, fish, white meats, shit you can eat all day without gaining anything at all basically. Drink a lot of water. How is your diet though? It may be good already.