Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with BodyBuilding

Are there any safe workout supplements?

ascetic — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 17:01:47 -0800

Are there any *safe* supplements I can take for added muscle gain/weight loss/etc? I'm only 20 years old... Perhaps I don't "need" supplements but I sure would like to get more out of my workouts without comprimising my health and wellbeing.

I eat clean 90% of the time - fresh fruits, veggies, home cooked meals, etc. I RARELY eat McDonalds or any other kinds of junk food. Currently I make a protein shake after working out... Two scoops protein powder, nonfat milk, and 1 tbps of flax seed oil... Sometimes some berries and banana.

Moving from Starting Strength to bodybuilding

ludwig_van — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 11:24:33 -0800

I think I'm about ready to move on from Starting Strength and I'm looking for bodybuilding routine. I started on the Stronglifts Beginner program in June. In September I switched to the similar Practical Programming Advanced Novice program. Both are based on Rippetoe's Starting Strength. By my estimation I've just about reached the intermediate level and it's time to change programs again.

My current stats: 23 year old male, 6', 160 lbs., ~12% bodyfat. My best lifts in pounds: Deadlift - 280 1x5, back squat - 245 3x5, front squat - 170 3x5, bench - 160 3x5, OH press - 115 3x5.

I've surpassed 1.5 bodyweight on the squat and I think I'll stall on it soon. My deadlift can probably stand a few more increases. Both my bench and OH press have recently stalled hard. I'm not interested in any kind of competitive lifting -- my goals are mainly aesthetic, so I'd like to start a bodybuilding routine.

I realize that an intermediate program must by definition be more complex than a beginner program, but I'd love to find something as simple, clear, effective, and easy to follow as the starting strength variations I've been doing. Can you recommend a program? I feel lost in a sea of options.

Muscle building for the lazy home body

zaebiz — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 06:11:58 -0800

What is the best way for a fairly unmotivated but still moderately fit guy with a lot of time on his hands to build upper body mass in the comfort of his own home?

The Hunt for the perfect 13 compound lifts ??

hboogz — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 12:50:19 -0800

I've read somewhere that a workout regime consisting of 13 compound lifts is really all you need. Does anyone know which 13 lifts they may be talking about ? or can point me to the article ? I'm curious to see what other folks think about doing predominantly compound lifting ?

I want to see more results with my workout and want to incorporate more compound exercises..

Will I lose my metabolism if I stick with this workout plan?

JamesJD — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 11:51:34 -0800

Will I lose my metabolism if I stick with this workout plan? I'm 20 years old (male) and I have always been pretty thin (around 120 lbs). I think this is because I have a super-fast metabolism. I can eat very calorie-heavy foods without gaining very much weight.

I've started lifting weights for the first time this summer and my trainer recommended a pretty ambitious diet (far more than I have ever eaten before in a single day) which I have posted below.

My fear is that if I follow this diet it might permanently slow down my metabolism. Is this a warranted concern? Also, I'll probably only be working out for 60-90 minutes per day, so I'm worried about becoming fat (even if I become slightly more muscular).

Is there anyone else who has been in my position who can comment? Thanks.

The diet:
1 gallon of water throughout the day

breakfast: 6 scrambled eggs, 3 slices of bread, one bowl of cereal, 6 slices of bacon, one apple

whey protein shake (with two servings of protein)

lunch: 12" subway sub, rice, chipotle burrito, 2 chicken breasts

whey protein shake (with two servings of protein)

dinner: (same as lunch)

whey protein shake (with two servings of protein)

post-dinner: 3 packs of oodles of noodles, peanut butter and jelly sandwich

Unbalanced six-packs?

Quadroonian — Sun, 30 Dec 2007 00:27:45 -0800

Why do some people's abdominal muscles appear to be asymmetrical? I've noticed (from the couch, comfortably resting my one-pack) that some of the extremely well-defined six-pack abdominal musculature one ecounters surfing the web appears to be asymmetrical - the individual cans of the six-pack are off-set. Examples: 1, 2, 3, 4.

It seems to me that the basic symmetry of the body should make this a rare pathology - like having one arm lower than the other, or something. So, is this an optical illusion? A side-effect of bad training? The result of injury? It doesn't seem obviously related to posture.

At the very least, I imagine that the people in these Before pictures actually look like the ones in the After pictures.

Weebot — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 22:50:43 -0800

I'm looking for user-uploaded before, after, and in-progress fitness photos. I'm hoping that AskMeFi would be able to point me to some galleries or sites. I've recently been looking around the internet for before and after photos for people trying to lose weight or build muscle. That, or a photo diary showing a person's bodily change in daily/weekly/monthly photos. I would have thought that there might have been a site devoted to this, but I've been unable to find anything thus far.

It seems like the Internet would be full of sites like this, but most Google searches that I've conducted only come up with web sites trying to hawk something. Flickr only brings up some intermittent results, and the folks on Traineo don't post enough to satisfy my curiosity. I'm looking for both ends of the scale—people with radical body changes and those with very mild ones.

So I'm asking AskMeFi to point me in the right direction. I would think that this would be easier to find, considering the proliferation of blogs, photos-sites, Youtube, and other Web 2.0 apps. But so far I've haven't been able to find anything substantial.

Best type of physician for medically-supervised weight training/fat loss?

shivohum — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 10:40:48 -0800

What kind of specialist physician would best be able to advise on a training regime - nutrition, exercise, the whole kit and kaboodle - for serious body sculpting and/or weight loss? Sports medicine? Any other medical specialties? Any recommendations for such a person in New York?

Weightlifting for size: One hour, or more?

Gordion Knott — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 03:52:47 -0800

Are pound-me-into-the-floor, leave-me-sore-for-days weight workouts superior to moderate sessions for building muscle? The other day, I was reading reminiscences from 1960s bodybuilders about their workouts. 50 set squats, 30 set preacher curls, frequent trips to the lav due to, er, gastrointestinal upset. You know the drill. (Invariably, these reports are caveated with "we supported our hard workouts with 'roids, but in doses far smaller than today's bodybuilders").

Skeptical as I am about these old-school workouts, I can't help thinking: is it ideal to go all-out in the weight room to maximize muscle growth? To a degree, this stands to reason. In many sports, exertion during training is the key to making performance gains.

On the other hand:
An ex-amateur powerbuilder I met recently said that anything beyond the one-hour point in the weight room is
pointless for further gains. Once the clock hits the one-hour point, according to him, you've maxed out your gain potential for the session.

Which of these viewpoints is more accurate? Or, perhaps I should say, more accurate for people like me, a once-a-week, full-body weightlifter whose strongest chemical enhancer is a daily multivitamin?

Great trainer/doctor in New York to tell me how to sculpt my body?

Malad — Sat, 22 Sep 2007 00:35:25 -0800

I am an overweight male. I want to look trim, have a 6-pack, and so on. I am willing to put in the necessary exercise and diet. I need a REAL expert in Manhattan with the knowledge and experience to tell me exactly what to eat and precisely how to exercise in light of my body, lifestyle, and history, and who could train with me on a regular basis. Where can I find such a wise person in New York (or persons? -- trainer + sports nutritionist?)?

Why would a bodybuilder use Tamoxifen?

beelover — Fri, 27 Jul 2007 10:53:47 -0800

Why would a bodybuilder take Tamoxifen? I have breast cancer and will start Tamoxifen soon. I was doing an internet search to read more about the drug and a bunch of results popped up on bodybuilder websites? Why would they use this?

If it helps, while Tamoxifen acts against the effects of estrogen in breast tissue, it acts like estrogen in other tissue.

I'm worried about getting a hernia from deadlifting

gttommy — Thu, 14 Jun 2007 12:42:46 -0800

I'm worried about getting a hernia from deadlifting. Are there any exercises to prevent or minimise a hernia? Are there any exercises to prevent or minimise a hernia? From my understanding lifting heavy strains weak, under-utilised muscles thus leading to a rupture, somehow.

So maybe there are some type of ab exercises that will strengthen these specific muscles to allow us to deadlift more?

Sudden long-term cessation of exercise

stammer — Mon, 04 Jun 2007 07:51:33 -0800

I have heard that if a high-level bodybuilder suddenly stops all exercise, they will experience major health problems (possibly fatal). Is this true? If so, why? I don't mean suddenly ending a workout, I mean changing their lifestyle overnight to become a couch potato.

Lets get Physical, physical, I wanna get Physical!!!

hadjiboy — Mon, 23 Apr 2007 18:40:46 -0800

Bodybuilding and Weight-losing filter: I’m planning to lose some weight around the hips, and at the same time work on my upperbody. The only catch is that I can’t afford to go to the gym right now, and was wondering if there are any exercises that I can do at home. Someone suggested that I try Push-ups, and skipping. Would that work? I’m interested to know what exactly I should be doing, and how much of it should I do.

Thanks a lot to anyone who can help!

These love handles are looking less beautiful

parmanparman — Sat, 26 Aug 2006 18:04:35 -0800

FatassFilter: Has anyone ever used one of the weight lifting plans that are in the backs of Mens Fitness or other magazines, or are they a load of crap? I went to the doctor on Friday and he all but ordered me to lose 40 pounds. I am 26, 5'11", and weigh 210 lbs. and I am in the process of quitting smoking. I work around 50 hours a week but have committed myself to four to five hours a week, four nights a week at the gym and have signed up for FitDay.

However, I cannot afford a trainer on my budget and my doctor is full of platitudes but can't refer me to someone to make a fitness plan. I picked up Men's Fitness magazine at the bookstore today and while sweating to get through it, I came across what seems like a good fitness plan for lean-body building.

BUT: Are these plans any good?

If yes, what's the best way to make them effective?

If not, what the hell do I do now?

Does NO2 really aid lifting?

benjh — Mon, 17 Apr 2006 14:12:20 -0800

Does NO2 actually do any help for muscle building? I am looking at some supplements to aid in building muscle, burning fat. I saw this, but not sure if NO2 really does what it promises.

Building muscle

Blue Buddha — Fri, 24 Jun 2005 10:28:42 -0800

How much should I increase my workout weight when lowering rep ranges? How much should I increase my workout weight when lowering rep ranges?

In this example, I lift 100lbs for 12 reps. If I want to decrease my rep range to 10 reps, how much weight should I add? Going from 10 reps to 8?

I've been adding roughly 20% of the weight, but have also read that to more effectively build muscle, you should multiply weight X reps X sets, and keep increasing that number each workout. All else being equal, adding 20% will keep that number the same when dropping from 12 to 10, and actually lower it if decreasing from 10 to 8 reps.

100 lbs X 12 reps X 3 sets = 3600 total lbs
Add 20%
120 lbs X 10 reps X 3 sets = 3600 total lbs
Add 20%
144 lbs X 8 reps X 3 sets = 3456 total lbs

I guess I could try adding 25% when dropping from 12 to 10, then 30% from 10 to 8, but I fear that may be too much to handle.

I'm banking more on the HST (Hypertrophy Specific Training) method that by increasing weight while dropping rep ranges, the body will grow due to the stress imposed by the additional weight.

So which school of thought do you fall under: increasing overall weight with each workout will lead to muscle growth, or increasing weight and dropping sets to stress the body into growing? Again, all else being equal (routine, consistency of workouts, diet, rest, supplementation, etc.).

Please note that I work out during lunch and may not have much time to increase sets to get the overall weight higher (scenario 1).

Beef and guns

saysthis — Sun, 20 Mar 2005 06:31:44 -0800

I am: vegan, mildy exercise-induced asthmatic, non-car owning & often-biking, slightly scoliotic (not visibly, but there's back pain here and there), have virtually no access to exercise equipment other than a set of ancient free weights, weight bench, and mat, without much money. I desire hulking guns and beefiness all over. It's high time I started exercising. I look sturdy, I'm not noticeably plush, and I've been told by various people that a larger upper body would complement me nicely (these are not understatements/I am not a pear/I am however vain). Since I don't eat meat, protein intake can be a problem. I tried a regimen recommended by the dude at the health club a few eyars ago and it made me lose muscle. Another issue is that with my back and lungs the way they are, I'm limited in how XTREEM I can make my exercise. Neither are a problem so long as I'm not moving especially fast for long periods of time or lifting three times my own body weight. I'm looking to accomplish mainly more toned legs, bigger shoulders & chest (without losing too much fat in that area), and a tighter jawline (I hear face exercise exists?). There's a Mr. Universe in all of us (with steroids, even the ladies). Help me make mine visible.

What are some sports I can do to improve my torso?

XiBe — Fri, 07 Jan 2005 05:32:41 -0800

I can't seem to find the time to do any kind of sport these ~~days~~ ~~months~~ years, but I'm still pretty fit. Even though, I'd like to build some muscles (à la Lester Burnham, you know, "I want to look good naked!").
I can't do push-ups anymore because of my back pains, so I'm looking for easy exercices, like "do this 100 times" or "do this for a minute" (or more), to pratice every day whe[r|n]ever I am (right before I take a shower is good) to improve mainly my torso, but why not other parts aswell.
I don't want to join a club/gym if I can help...

need good science on weight lifting

tirade — Tue, 20 Apr 2004 14:58:35 -0800

I'm interested in finding good, scientific, non-biased information on weight lifting. Almost everything I seem to find online and in print is either unsupported or linked somehow to supplement manufacturers. Where can I find real deal?

Creatine and weightlifting

Quartermass — Mon, 19 Jan 2004 22:48:13 -0800

I have started to lift weights recently, and I was thinking about taking creatine supplements. Has anyone here used creatine? How has it worked for you? Any recommended method or particular brand?