Well, I've been working out solidly now for about 6-8 weeks over the summer, with periods of a couple of weeks in between here and there. I am really starting to feel the results. I've kept a log of my progress, and I really wanted to share it with you guys:

As of 22nd of May, when I started, I had/could do:
11"/12" arms unflexed/flexed
Could bench maybe 90-100 lbs.
Could barely do 20 pushups
little or no muscle on my chest/arms/abs/shoulders


My Goals for September 1st:
14" arms
Bench 140 lbs
Do 100 pushups
Put on a lot more overall muscle


As of today (August 26th):
12"/13.5" arms unflexed/flexed
I can Bench 6 reps of 180 lbs (on a bowflex, so I don't know what it would be with free weights, maybe 140, maybe not)
Bicep Curl (6 reps of 60 lbs)
~ 20 Diamond Pushups
~ 8 chinups (I don't have a chin-up bar yet though)

Anyway, I look a lot different. My shoulders have broadened, my abs have noticable definition, my chest is larger, and my arms are also significantly improved. Several people have commented to me that they can see a difference. For a formerly 6'2" beanpole, I'm really starting to get larger. I still have a long way to go, but I'm showing great progress. All of this was done with a Bowflex and bodyweight exercises. I'll post some pictures if you like, I just really wanted to let everyone who helped me know that I'm making great progress for only about three months and am very motivated to keep going.

You have a bowflex?

Congratulations on your progress

I used to work out and got some fairly good results, but then I got lazy and stopped, and could never get myself back into it. Mostly because I didn't have the facilities available to really push myself. I'm planning on using the gym at Liverpool University regularly when I get there, since I'm currently the 6'2" beanpole you used to be

[QUOTE=Vincent Valentine]You have a bowflex?[/QUOTE]
Would you like to flex my bow, Vinny?

No serious, I was curious if you liked it enough to recommend it.

I'd like to have that Bowflex SelectTech system.

I would recommend it, depending on what you want.

I personally love it for a number of reasons:
1) You get results fast (although protein supplements really help)
2) You don't need a spotter, so you can do it by yourself without risk of injury.
3) You can easily adjust the weight between exercises
4) You can do it all from the comfort of your own home whenever you want
5) Because of the nature of the power rods and the design, you can do an exercise for almost every aspect of your body, which is great. My whole upper body, including my back which is always a hard one with free weights, has becoming noticably more muscular. There are also exercises which you can do that are not in the book, but be careful to make sure these are safe.

There are problems though
1) It's expensive. My Bowflex Sport cost $700, and that was on special offer.
2) It takes up a lot of space, a good 6'x6'x8'
3) The rods only go up to 210 lbs on mine, but these are not the equivalent to free weights. I haven't been able to find out yet what the ratio is between power rods and free weights. Let's just say I seriously doubt I could bench 180n in free weights, even though it's no problem for me on a Bowflex.
4) It tones very well, and is adding bulk, but I'm not sure if you can keep developing. I seemed to have hovered around my current level of progression for over a couple of weeks now, and it's a little irritating. I also am not sure if it develops strength as well as free weights, but aesthetically, it gets the job done.

Overall, I would recommend it. It has a wonderful selection of workouts. Tell me if you want any more info, or what your goals are.

Good job! I, unfortunately, do not have any exercise machines or access to a gym (too expensive) however, I do lots of pushups/situps/random stuff to keep in shape, and have recently put on a lot more muscle.
My friend has bowflex, and hes very vigilant about staying in shape. In one week he put on 5 lbs of muscle mass with just a bowflex...
Keep up the good work. It feels good doesn't it?

EDIT: oh and if you're stuck, my friend had the same problem. Up the weight. You might not be able to do very much if its more weight, but less with more weight puts on more muscle. Then you can try going back down to where you were and see how much you can do, if you want.

Thanks, I'll try that. In fact, I was doing about the same weight for a while, and today I realized, "Hey, this has become too easy." So I upped the weight substantially, and could still do a fair number of reps but with more burn. I think I also need to get more protein in my system, it's so hard for me to get enough, especially without all the other crap in food. My protein powder only has 20 grams per serving as well, but supposedly someone of my body weight (180 lbs), needs to be consuming at least 100 grams a day, if not more.

Oh, and the quote in your sig is said by Michael Caine in "The Italian Job"!

Contrary to popular beliefe, more weight does not automatically mean more mass. Additional weight or reps will add mass, which one is proper for you depends on your ratio of 'white meat' to 'dark meat'. Unfortunatly, that's mostly genetic and not something you can change. White meat is large, endurant muscle. It's best grown by lots of reps; it will take a long time to stress this muscle. Dark meat tends to be denser, and stronger, and is better for short, powerful bursts. It is best grown by lots of weight, and will stress very quickly. The only way to tell what you got is by experimentation. But, just like birds, the white meat tends to be in the locomotion muscles. That's your chest and thighs.

If you seem to 'get stuck', switch from high weight/low rep to high rep/low weight or vice versa, or switch to excersizes that use the same muscles but with different motions, or concentrate your workout onto a different muscle group. In my own experience, neglecting a complementary muscle group will have detrimental effects on both. I wasn't able to really start growing my chest and arms until my back had started to develop too.

I've been looking at a bowflex, but I already have a traditional bench and access to a gym, so it doesn't seem to be worth the investment. You should be able to lift more weight on any machine than with free weights. With a good enough spotter (One who actually guides, rather than just standing their with their hands under it as if they could actually stop it from smashing your skull in) you can break even. But don't neglect the free weights! There are all sorts of little muscles that your body only uses for 'steadying' while the big muscles do the work. On a machine, they aren't getting worked!

Thanks Isuwen, I'll consider what you said. I have to admit I've never read anything before about high rep/low weight building mass moreso for some people than low rep/high weight. The closest thing I've heard to what you've said is about different bodytypes, i.e. endomorph, mesomorph, and ectomorph. According to my research, I'm somewhere between the skinny one and the middle-of-the-road one, which is apparently a good place to be if you want to add muscle without worrying as much about fat.

Here are some pics of me, sorry if they're a bit blurry.

Your left nipple is oblong...

PHOTOSHOp

do a before and after hahah

i should probably work out but I always stop doing it after like the first ... day. Blah. I keep telling myself my dancing will make up for it, but it doesn't really seem to haha.

I just want to be hot, I don't care about strenth.

Maybe I'll think about getting a bowflex... then I wouldn't have to go to a gym.

You could get a total gym, thats what Chuck Norris uses.

I also have had some results, although I've had to use gyms and I wasn't keeping a log. I've bulked up a bit and some of my musculos are a bit more defined, but what really impressed me was that when I came home from working out every day in California, the freeweights in my basement that used to be a challenge were now mere trinkets!

Unfortunately, my left and right arm are unbalanced, a situation that fencing did not help. I can lift 35 with my right arm and 32 or so with my left, but I don't know how I'll go about fixing this.

Good work, Daft! I'm glad to see we're becoming macho men!

35 vrs 32? Don't worry about it. At such low weights, who cares? When you can curl 80 with one and only 60 with the other, then worry. That's where I'm at now, only I'm right handed but my left arm is stronger. (I do spend all day holding heavy things in my left hand at work though)

I refuse to believe that he starred in those ads and uses this machine to build his strength. Chuck would not sell himself to cheap ads.

It must be a doppelganger.

I found this site for people that don't really go to gyms...
http://www.frixo.com/sites/fitness/exercises.html

Daft, have you changed your diet during this period?

That's because he's fit, doughboy.

Yay Grismath! I remember back o nthat thread where you said college was killing your health and how you had gained a number of pounds. Originally we were going to keep tabs on each other for "accountability" but it looks like we've both made good prgoress on our own. Feel free to PM me sometime if you have any tips or routines or would lke some in return!


A little bit. It was easier for me during the summer, but school makes it so damn hard. I'm in my senior year of highschool now, and I'm finally trying to be more conscious of my body. Anyway, I am trying to get more protein, but it's hard. If you look at most "food" that isn't cooked it has a crapload of fat and almost no protein. And then all these stupid people who are trying to remove carbs from things, never mind that bloody Atkins has gone bankrupt!

Cereal is next to useless for protein, eggs are good but I don't have time for them (and they have a lot of cholesterol), and most meat has way too much sodium in it. Lately I'm trying to eat as much turkey and chicken as possible, but it's hard to get little fat/sodium and a lot of protein. I have been taking 1 20g protein powder mixed with 8 oz of reduced fat organic milk after each workout every othere day. I'm considering taking it after a workout every day, since I hear that the new deal in lifting/building is to divide up the body into sections like Monday: Triceps/Chest, Tuesday: Back/Biceps, etc.

Yeah, so, if you have any suggestions, I'd be much obliged!

Do you like bananas? You could eat a lot of those...

They're tasty, and pretty good for you. They've got protein in them.

Oh and a delicious recipe for bananas... easy to make. Skin a banana (of course), then cut it into half inch sections. Fill up a bowl with these. Now, buy toasted cocanut meat in little shreds, or just buy regular little shreds and toast them yourself in the oven until they are golden brown. Sprinkle some cocanut on the bananas in the bowl. Mix it all up. The cocanut should cover the banana pieces because they are dry and will stick to the moist bananas. Enjoy :). Simple, quick, and delicious for snacks or a side dish in a meal.