Gym Rat from abroad.

Nerdwithglasses

Hi guys.

Just recently moved into Ireland to work on all the motorway projects. I'm and engineer. Although my profession has nothing to do with fitness or health back in Portugal I opened a small local gym (old school, hard core, hardly any cardio equipment, all free weights) and a small supplement store (all tried and true american brands (Universal, Ultimate Nutrition, MHP, BSN, Prolab, Muscletech, San)). My brother is running everything during my absence (He works for Universal Nutrition Europe). I usually give some kinda pseudo-professional advice on training and nutrition that i will try to start doing real soon on the boards. I Arrived about a month ago and I've been pretty disapointed with some things...It's not anyone's fault of course but I would be expecting more from a more developed country. I'm crossing from Navan to Cavan and I haven't seen any old school gyms yet . The supplements stores don't seem to have most product i usually use (I found animalpump at pronutrition.ie which is for me the best nitric oxide product but I haven't found my favourite weight gainer - Muscle Juice by Ultimate Nutrition, though serious mass by ON is similar). I'll just have to ask my brother to send some to me.

About me.

Height: 185m
Weight: 110 kg
Bodyfat: 9%

Bench Press: 180 kg
Squat: 240kg
Deadlift: 140 kg

Diet:

300g protein
600g carbs
( i don't count my fat)

Supplements (I usually take in Portugal)

Animal Pak - 1 x day
Animal Pump - 1 x on training days
Animal Nitro - 1 x day
Muscle Juice - 1 x Day
100% Whey by ON - 2 x a day
Glucosamine + Chondroitin


Leave your opinions and comments. I would like to know how addicted people concerning their own body ok? See ya.

daveirl

This post has been deleted.

Sangre

You've got to remember Navan and Cavan all in between are back-arse of nowhere. Well...I think they are.

HammerHeadGym

Only places I could recommend are in Dublin. Powerhouse Gym off Domonic st. north and, Nutrition Connection on Capel st. has all the products your looking for. I know it's out of your way, but that's the best I can do. And you could drive to Dublin from Navan/Cavan in under an hour. Far less if you have a motorbike.

Sweet poundages, by the way.

Nerdwithglasses

HammerHeadGym wrote:

Only places I could recommend are in Dublin. Powerhouse Gym off Domonic st. north and, Nutrition Connection on Capel st. has all the products your looking for. I know it's out of your way, but that's the best I can do. And you could drive to Dublin from Navan/Cavan in under an hour. Far less if you have a motorbike.

Sweet poundages, by the way.

Thanks folk. I'll see if I can visit Nutrition Connection next weekend. I'll be moving to Carlow or Kilkenny pretty soon so I hope I can find a pretty good gym around those areas. And in the meantime going to Dublin is pretty offhand cause I'm driving a company car (I haven't found time to look for a second hand car for myself).

Feel free to continue posting comments

HammerHeadGym

That's quite far. Nutrition Connection are very good and reliable when it comes to mail order , so be sure to take a few cards etc. As for gyms in that area, i'm afraid someone else will have to help you.

Dragan

I know a few people up around that area and will check and see if there are any lifting clubs around the place for you.

FOr supplements i suggest you check out a company called Nutrition X, you can find there stuff on the pronutrition.ie site. It's all quality stuff and you should be able to get what you need from it.

Finally, your bench and squat are savage, but the deadlift seems to be behind somewhat? Is that due to an injury of any kind?

Shrimp

Welcome, nice numbers.

t-ha

Alright nerd, 'tis a shame about the gym situation. How long are you going to be here for? You could always buy a few bits of kit and set up a home gym if you're here for a while?

Guvnor

Nerdwithglasses wrote:

Hi guys.
Just recently moved into Ireland to work on all the motorway projects. I'm and engineer.

You'll be here for decades then!

davyjose

Hey Nerdwithglasses, I only weigh in at around 90kilos (80-85 when in proper shape ) so pretty much any gym suits me. Can I ask, In what way would a standard, half weights/half Cardio Gym not suit? I've seen guys bench and squat pretty high numbers at my gym, or is it just that it wuld be full of little guys clogging up all the equipment?

Nerdwithglasses

Dragan wrote:

Finally, your bench and squat are savage, but the deadlift seems to be behind somewhat? Is that due to an injury of any kind?

Well, the squat and bench press are compound lifts I've been using since I started bodybuilding about 8 years ago, so my strengh in these have been rising slowly since then. I only incorporated the deadlift about 2 years ago and I tend to feel the most awful pain in my lumbar (And lose a bit of form) when I use really heavy weights. Even with a lower weight I can feel it working my whole back specially my lower lats. Better do the right thing with less weights then risk getting an injury.

Nerdwithglasses

davyjose wrote:

Hey Nerdwithglasses, I only weigh in at around 90kilos (80-85 when in proper shape ) so pretty much any gym suits me. Can I ask, In what way would a standard, half weights/half Cardio Gym not suit? I've seen guys bench and squat pretty high numbers at my gym, or is it just that it wuld be full of little guys clogging up all the equipment?

I guess it's all about habit. In Portugal there were only some old school local gyms and that is where I still enjoy my workout. Recently, they started opening dozens of Heath Clubs where you really can't take your training to anther level. For example, the gym I've been going to lately (here in Ireland) has a really small free weights area and it gets completely packed around after work time. It;s kinda bothersome. 2nd: They have no machine to train the calves and I had to improvise with the Leg Press machine, but i couldn't train my lower calves that requires a seated calf machine. 3rd: the music is too loud, I'm there to train, not to dance. 4th: No grunting. Most people that tries to lift some heavy weight grunt. It' normal.

Those are just some examples.

I Hope that answered your question.

davyjose

Nerdwithglasses wrote:

I guess it's all about habit. In Portugal there were only some old school local gyms and that is where I still enjoy my workout. Recently, they started opening dozens of Heath Clubs where you really can't take your training to anther level. For example, the gym I've been going to lately (here in Ireland) has a really small free weights area and it gets completely packed around after work time. It;s kinda bothersome. 2nd: They have no machine to train the calves and I had to improvise with the Leg Press machine, but i couldn't train my lower calves that requires a seated calf machine. 3rd: the music is too loud, I'm there to train, not to dance. 4th: No grunting. Most people that tries to lift some heavy weight grunt. It' normal.

Those are just some examples.

I Hope that answered your question.

Very true, as I thought, there seem to be a lot of people in gyms here there 'for the craic' - yesterday on the rowing machine, there were two lads sitting on rowers beside me as somewhere to sit down and have a chat (cardio, I know, but gives a good idea of the sort of people attending gyms these days). And I agree too, that there seems to be very little equipment for calves, certainly where I am.

Dragan

Nerdwithglasses wrote:

Better do the right thing with less weights then risk getting an injury.

Spot on mate! I kinda figured it would be an injury based on your other lifts and posting and just wanted to be sure for any future conversations about back training!

Jak

Where in Portugal out of interest?

Can't really help with gyms around Cavan/Navan, I'm sure there are a few, but a lot of areas in Ireland are content with a hotel leisure center type deal. If you move to other areas I'm sure you will get a few suggestions.

As someone in a very similar boat regarding deadlift, my advice would be don't bother pushing it. Just rep with a little less, it's a great compound lift, but there are plenty of options to balance development without going for 1rms on deadlift. My view is that if you have some lower back trouble it's simply too hard too cover yourself against an injury in deadlift - regardless of your spotter, knowledge or form. There are just thresholds where the weak point won't manage.

JAK.

Nerdwithglasses

Jak wrote:

Where in Portugal out of interest?

Can't really help with gyms around Cavan/Navan, I'm sure there are a few, but a lot of areas in Ireland are content with a hotel leisure center type deal. If you move to other areas I'm sure you will get a few suggestions.

As someone in a very similar boat regarding deadlift, my advice would be don't bother pushing it. Just rep with a little less, it's a great compound lift, but there are plenty of options to balance development without going for 1rms on deadlift. My view is that if you have some lower back trouble it's simply too hard too cover yourself against an injury in deadlift - regardless of your spotter, knowledge or form. There are just thresholds where the weak point won't manage.

JAK.

Well, I live in the suburbs of Lisbon, really close to the beach. I have about 6 or 7 gyms in my area so I figured it would be a great place to open a Supplement store there and things have been going ok.

About Cavan and Navan I'll be leaving soon heading to Carlow. I'll be staying there for about a year and people have been telling me that there are great gyms there. So I feel more relaxed about that...:D

About the deadlift: Figuring that I'm not training to become a pro or anything lifting lighter in the deadlift is perfectly fine for me. The rest of my back routine has been great and my back isn't lagging compared to the rest of my body. My legs though...could use a little more thickness...

PS: Everyone. Feel free to continue posting your comments, critiques, ideas, etc.

Nerdwithglasses

HammerHeadGym wrote:

Nutrition Connection on Capel st. has all the products your looking for.

Just been there. It's great. Has everything I need. Thx for the info!:D

Lucas Maximus

hey nerdwithglasses, just you were saying about lack of calf machines, well were i am (total fitness off the N3 roundabout) there are three calf machines (2 standing, 1 seated) and most of the time there is a fair bit of grunting aswell. Music isnt the best however but at least its not too loud. I was just wondering aswell why the internet prices on Nutrition Connection are so much cheaper then store prices at least for BSN Syntha-6 and also how do they post it to you if its a big tub...? aslo my main aim is too lose fat on my belly, I'm 15.3% fat and want to get that down to about 10 or 11 but I still want to be gaining muscle, any advice?

celestial

Lucas Maximus wrote: »

hey nerdwithglasses, just you were saying about lack of calf machines, well were i am (total fitness off the N3 roundabout) there are three calf machines (2 standing, 1 seated) and most of the time there is a fair bit of grunting aswell. Music isnt the best however but at least its not too loud. I was just wondering aswell why the internet prices on Nutrition Connection are so much cheaper then store prices at least for BSN Syntha-6 and also how do they post it to you if its a big tub...? aslo my main aim is too lose fat on my belly, I'm 15.3% fat and want to get that down to about 10 or 11 but I still want to be gaining muscle, any advice?

Mega thread-necromancy!!

Why do you think that guy is still here nearly a year and 9 months later?!

Prob best to start a new thread:) Getting down to 10 or 11 % bf will be all about diet btw.

daveywavey08

lol why would he ressurect this thread