Here's what transformed me in 2009

brianblaze

Parsley wrote: »

Consistency and routine go a very, very long way. Get this down and everything else becomes much easier. This goes for technique, diet, pushing yourself out of your comfort zone, the whole lot. We are what we repeatedly do, excellence is a habit.

:edit: also, ABBA makes great training music.

Sweatband Central!!!

Inspector Coptoor

I learned that putting on weight is relatively easy.
You just gotta eat and drink milk, and then eat some more and drink some more milk.

I learned that while it's an ass kicker of a programme, that smolov junior can be done for 2 lifts at the same time.

I learned the importance of how easy it is to forget upper back muscles when you think you're too heavy to do multiple chin ups/pull ups and that using a resistance band to do assisted chins/pull as well as negatives is a great way to be able to go from being able to do zero pull ups and 2 chin ups at 17 stone to being able to do 3 pull ups and 6 chins at 18 1/2 stone BW.

I also learned the importance of direct glute and hamstring work as well as learning the benefits of foam rolling.

I also learned that staying away from alcohol for long periods of time really helps with training

metamorphosis

Having been overweight and obese for many years and finally been in the shape i desired i still had a skewed perception of what i could and couldn't do. I looked on at others doing what i wanted and i said if i don't try ill hate myself.

I trained really hard, pushed my body and when it came to the cruch i did better than what i could have thought possible and lookin back on 2009 with some reflection i realised that this year i have only reached a minute amount of athletic potential that is there and that i have many years of improvements left in me.

Train hard, then train harder than that and then train harder than you thought you could and you WILL get what you want.

Shoota

9. Guys - you are not leaner and more defined because your diet is not tight enough and you will not work on your poor conditioning (get your heart rate up every session please). You are not bigger and stronger because you are still following a program with a chest day, back day etc and refuse to do deadlifts, squats, lunges etc really hard or you simply are not just working hard period. Oh and i know what you are all about by the first thing you do in the gym and if its bench press (where is your shoulder pre-hab work first) or biceps curls (are you ****t1ing me - you are STARTING a session with biceps curls and you wonder why your arms are not bigger/more defined) you really need a reality check.

Ah ****....

Right, well I'm proud of the work I've done this year, I've done a Reidy and lost 11kg the last 12 months, and slimmed down a hell of alot, but I'm still not really toned, the reasons, have just been bitch-slapped across my face in Transforms 10 point post!

Jimmy Bottlehead

2009 showed me that switching to 5x5, but at 5 days a week will increase strength and size. Also, throwing in short intense cardio sessions will lead to more definition, as will eating smarter. Hence, I'm finally over my glass ceiling of 13st 7lbs with a 85kg bench... now up over 14st with a 90kg bench.

mcguiver

The secret is...there is no secret!!
Hard work = results.
Something is better than nothing.
Excuses are easy, we can all do them.

JUST DO IT!!

JonnyF

www.crossfitfootball.com and taking a ZMA supplement. Total game changers, everyone playing sport should look at crossfit, it's awesome and it's fun too.

sfag

amazingemmet wrote: »

Some stuff I learnt

1: Dips on rings done heavy 3-5reps will give you freaky triceps

2: I read a study a while back on the calories produced during exercise are actually a lot higher then they thought 2-3 times higher no exact figure was concluded in the study, ~ 1200 per hr with this in mind I started eating a lot more around exercise, mainly drinking shakes and its made a huge difference in every regard recovery, rest, training effect.

3: you can out train a bad diet and get ripped you just have to be willing to put in a lot of hours

4: The SAID principle is the guiding light of training. For those who don't know means Specfic Adaptation to Imposed Demands, it means that the body will adapt to the demands imposed on it. Also my interpretation of it also considers the higher the stress the greater the adaptation, for example I've started training hand to hand with a new flyer who is 25kg heavier then the last person I worked with I do all the basing at the beginning of working together it was a real struggle for me to push press the new flyer overhead but after three classes each involving about 50 over head lifts i am now able to press not pish press him over head with ease. It took one week to gain 25kgs in a lift just because it was trained all out for three sessions and some smaller sessions with minimal training in other areas, this leads to my next point

5: you only have so much energy to recover and adapt/grow to your training so my thoughts on training now involve heavy specilisation in one area at a time and devoting all my energy to that.

6: For fat loss dieting on low cals makes you feel like sh!t and generally my newer thoughts are keep my food intake the same mess with the macros a bit but just up my activity a lot more. This can be in the form of active recovery ie using an eliptical machine for intervals after leg day will aid receovery and boost metabolism, I normally use bands for my stuff.

7:Normal people are scared of kids with abs

8: Working in my industry has given me a messed up view of what people should be able to do.

This is the most important thing I feel
9: The human body is an amazing machine which can do amazing feats which may seem impossible but they are not you just need the will power to tell your body what it can do. All your strength is contained in the mind you just need to educate the body on how to do it.

Phew - I've read that twice now and still cant understand it. What language are you speaking?

Jumpy

Jimmy Bottlehead wrote: »

2009 showed me that switching to 5x5, but at 5 days a week will increase strength and size. Also, throwing in short intense cardio sessions will lead to more definition, as will eating smarter. Hence, I'm finally over my glass ceiling of 13st 7lbs with a 85kg bench... now up over 14st with a 90kg bench.

5reps x 5sets 5 days a week? Is that what you mean?

I always thought you had to leave a rest day. I hate rest days. If I dont need them it would make me happy.

Jimmy Bottlehead

Jumpy wrote: »

5reps x 5sets 5 days a week? Is that what you mean?

I always thought you had to leave a rest day. I hate rest days. If I dont need them it would make me happy.

It all depends how I feel - theoretically I try to do Mon-Fri without rest and leave the weekend to pig out and chill out; but if I'm not recovered enough, I'll just take the day off to rest up. Used to plan my workouts by the week but I've eventually figured my body doesn't know the difference between starting on a Monday or starting on a Thursday

Hanley

Suppose I might as well play along

1) Losing weight is incredibly simple:
-bodyweight in lbs x 12 = total kcals
-split it 40% protein, 25% carbs and 35% fats
-kcals evenly spread over 6-8 meals, most carbs before lunch
-add in 2-3 cardio sessions per week
-stick at it for 8 weeks and if you don't lose weight then you're a liar.

2) The only reason dieting's "hard" is because it takes will power. If you have that, you're sorted

3) Gaining weight is ridiculously easy (see-food diet - it may not be good weight, but mass moves mass)

4) Force feeding yourself up to 110kg with a 41 inch waist to lift serious weight isn't worth it if you want to have a life outside of PL

5) Hill running is an AMAZING way of getting your conditioning levels up quickly if you're a fat b*stard. It's relatively low impact and can be scaled and progressed easily. It's absolutely sh!t forr your mental health during the runs tho. You will grow to detest yourself and what you're putting yourself thru, until you try an all out Fran.

6) You can get leaner, stronger and fitter while sleeping only 4-6 hours per night, dieting heavily, lifting 4-5x a week and conditioning 3x (provided you don't make excuses) You can also drink, provided you do it in moderation some of the time and lash back as much water as possible before bed to alleviate the hangover.

7) Crossfit workouts are a great addition to a well rounded training program.

8) Strength is the great equaliser. You can get very good at Crossfit very quickly if you're already in good shape. I'm sure Transform will agree.

9) I've effectively spent 6 months of the year gaining weight, and 6 months losing weight. The latter has been A LOT more productive in every area of my life, including lifting!! I've more energy, moving more towards fats and protein has eliminated post feeding crash that normally happens, feel better and look better. WIN.

10) None of those rules apply to you, because I'm a 97kg powerlifter and even tho I can probably beat you on a CF workout, and hold my own withcha across a 1-2km run, my genetic make up is completely different to yours, so disregard everything I say, said, and will say in the future because it's useless.

And the special bonus one....

11) A balls out Fran hurts more than I could ever describe and is probably the worst experience in my entire training career

ragg

Lothaar wrote: »

Good point. I lost 1.5 stone a couple of years ago, whilst drinking practically every night. It's definitely possible.

I wasn't eating enough real food, though, so a good bit of that loss was muscle. I ended up skinny.

I cut back dramatically on drink this year (I love wine), ate well, and the fat fell off me. Much better overall. If you can do it - more power to you! My own personal lesson was that less drink allows me to get better results.

It was relatively tongue in cheek - I don't drink anything like every night of the week anymore - maybe once a week - twice if im lucky :pac:

Transform

Shoota wrote: »

9. Guys - you are not leaner and more defined because your diet is not tight enough and you will not work on your poor conditioning (get your heart rate up every session please). You are not bigger and stronger because you are still following a program with a chest day, back day etc and refuse to do deadlifts, squats, lunges etc really hard or you simply are not just working hard period. Oh and i know what you are all about by the first thing you do in the gym and if its bench press (where is your shoulder pre-hab work first) or biceps curls (are you ****t1ing me - you are STARTING a session with biceps curls and you wonder why your arms are not bigger/more defined) you really need a reality check.

Ah ****....

Right, well I'm proud of the work I've done this year, I've done a Reidy and lost 11kg the last 12 months, and slimmed down a hell of alot, but I'm still not really toned, the reasons, have just been bitch-slapped across my face in Transforms 10 point post!

well that was kind of the whole point so that does not happen in 2010 - kind of the reason boards is so good at giving a collective voice on what really works.

Transform

Hanley wrote: »

Suppose I might as well play along

1) Losing weight is incredibly simple:
-bodyweight in lbs x 12 = total kcals
-split it 40% protein, 25% carbs and 35% fats
-kcals evenly spread over 6-8 meals, most carbs before lunch
-add in 2-3 cardio sessions per week
-stick at it for 8 weeks and if you don't lose weight then you're a liar.

2) The only reason dieting's "hard" is because it takes will power. If you have that, you're sorted

3) Gaining weight is ridiculously easy (see-food diet - it may not be good weight, but mass moves mass)

4) Force feeding yourself up to 110kg with a 41 inch waist to lift serious weight isn't worth it if you want to have a life outside of PL

5) Hill running is an AMAZING way of getting your conditioning levels up quickly if you're a fat b*stard. It's relatively low impact and can be scaled and progressed easily. It's absolutely sh!t forr your mental health during the runs tho. You will grow to detest yourself and what you're putting yourself thru, until you try an all out Fran.

6) You can get leaner, stronger and fitter while sleeping only 4-6 hours per night, dieting heavily, lifting 4-5x a week and conditioning 3x (provided you don't make excuses) You can also drink, provided you do it in moderation some of the time and lash back as much water as possible before bed to alleviate the hangover.

7) Crossfit workouts are a great addition to a well rounded training program.

8) Strength is the great equaliser. You can get very good at Crossfit very quickly if you're already in good shape. I'm sure Transform will agree.

9) I've effectively spent 6 months of the year gaining weight, and 6 months losing weight. The latter has been A LOT more productive in every area of my life, including lifting!! I've more energy, moving more towards fats and protein has eliminated post feeding crash that normally happens, feel better and look better. WIN.

10) None of those rules apply to you, because I'm a 97kg powerlifter and even tho I can probably beat you on a CF workout, and hold my own withcha across a 1-2km run, my genetic make up is completely different to yours, so disregard everything I say, said, and will say in the future because it's useless.

And the special bonus one....

11) A balls out Fran hurts more than I could ever describe and is probably the worst experience in my entire training career

about feckin' time - keeping your secrets were you?

The crossfit thing is correct but i find its way more mental than anything else oh and realizing you are at the back of the bus when it comes to many new lifts or exercises.

and yes hanley you do look much better leaner and so would 99% of the guys who go to gyms and just do weights with feck all cardio or nothing that gets their heart rate up.

You are possibly still having nightmares about that Fran though!!!

d-gal

BobbyOLeary wrote: »

Sorry to be OT but, a dislocated clavicle? How did you manage that?!

Surprisingly I did it while doing incline bench, heard a loud pop around my 5th rep of 8, finished the set, went to do another but could not. Went to my therapist and he said it had popped, horrible experience him putting it back in!

cardio,shoot me

Transform wrote: »

exactly and more bloody comments on what you have learned from 2009 please - Gem, Hanley, Trevor, G86, Patto, cardio, cymk, kev and you other posters as there are plenty of people out there that need 2010 to be a bit more productive

guess ill weigh in, im not paticularly strong but anyway.

1: people on this forum, people on here have helped me so much over the last 6-7 months, transform, kev ,hanley,podge, khannie, L, everyone, even just the encouragement or the curiosity as to what i was doing. thanks alot guys.

2: getting my head out of my arse and realising that im not amazing, i cant believe how cocky i was back in february, if you cant accept that what your doing is wrong then how are you gonna do it right

3: excuses dont help towards goals. Accept what happens and better yourself because of it. "failure breeds success" is probably one of my favorite phrases of late.

4: keeping things fun and interesting, i enjoy training, if i didnt, i wouldnt, some days ill do something just to mix it up a bit.

5: set your goals high, gaining 3 kilos in a year isnt a goal, its an expectation.

well theres my 0.02c thanks for reading :P

Frank Bullitt

1. Diet is king.

That is all

Hanley

Transform wrote: »

about feckin' time - keeping your secrets were you?

Ha... yah I was so secretive about what I actually do that I fabricated every single training session since May 2007 and posted it in my fake log. Can't believe you people fell for it for so long

The crossfit thing is correct but i find its way more mental than anything else oh and realizing you are at the back of the bus when it comes to many new lifts or exercises.

Yah well that's a factor.. I don't like losing and my performance at the first fitness invitational was shameful.

and yes hanley you do look much better leaner and so would 99% of the guys who go to gyms and just do weights with feck all cardio or nothing that gets their heart rate up.

Hahahahaha know it all :D

You are possibly still having nightmares about that Fran though!!!

Yup... very much so. Been concentrating on strength more than anything recently while doing maybe 2 metcon type workouts a week and very little LIT, but I still seem to be hitting PR's. Like I did a 12 round Cindy in 10 mins and a 1/2 murph in <22 minutes in the last couple of weeks. Might have a look thru my log and see what else I've done recently that I can take a shot at. It'll have to be something like Freddy's revenge or a pullup/push press combo cos my legs will be good for shag all else with what I'm putting my body thru for the next 3 weeks.

token

If I was to pick just one

Food = Strenght & Size

I've been skinny all my life and weak like kitten. I didn't think it was possible for me to get very strong and I got frustrated looking at other peoples numbers. Once I applied will power though and put the fork in my mouth and drank the milk my strength & size started to shoot up.

I must make sure to eat enough now when I start to lean out from Janurary and not revert to my old self.

Most important rule I've learned when it comes to fitness and exercise not neccessarily in 09 but since I started getting into fitness and weights when I was 21 in college.

1) Only listen to people who know what they are talking about, not the salesmen type who can talk a good game, people who are genuinely knowledgable.

2) Make sure you enjoy what you do, hate running ? Skip instead. Hate skipping ? Then do jumping jacks - try get into interval training as quick as you can.

3) Eat well. Know what you're eating and learn about nutrition (what is protein, what are carbs, low gi and high gi, calories, how to read labels etc etc) and then watch how people (whether they be fat or not) think you're a nutcase or on a "diet". I know the basics of nutrition (wouldn't know as much as Transform or others on here) but I know the basics which is more than 90% of people would know and in my experience people get intimidated by the fact that you know things like nutrition and can't understand it or think you take things too seriously etc. Ignore these people and know what you're eating.

4) Social life is important but if your friends don't understand that your hobbies and activities are more important to you then drinking, then be prepared to move on without them and/or get new friends who do understand. This is not a personal experience or anything but we live in a country where people consider drinking an event or a hobby, yes it's good fun on occassions but too much and it's a complete waste of money and does nothing for you, do you want to keep doing that for the rest of your life, week after week ? I know I don't. I've had to make adjustments and tweak things in this respect along the way.

5) You're body is smarter than you think, if you go the gym and trick yourself into thinking you're working hard when you're not, your body knows this, change your program every 6 weeks or variations of it etc.

6) Find things that are good for you and that you enjoy eating, it will make things easier. I still struggle on this stage. Need a bloody good flapjack recipe !!!

7) Learn new hobbies, there are things out there for everyone. I'd be screwed without hobbies ! Literally screwed !

InTheTrees

2009 was a hell of a year.

I quit smoking on Jan1st.

I've worked out most of my adult life except the last five years so I started again in march.

In august I had a medical and my cholesterol was in the Danger zone (good was low, bad was very high), so i went all out to fix it, complete change of diet, extra vitamins, at least 30mins of streneous sweaty workout a day, I've been a maniac.

Last month I had another blood test and the good cholesterol is still low but the bad has plummetted down to excellent levels. Ekg was excellent and I feel great.

Lilym

In September I decided I needed help... I was doing a load of cardio and very little weights ..yes very little weights and obvious not getting the results so I contacted transform and he has been helping me alot with diet and exercise and I haven't look back.

There is no such think as can't - which i'm still learning about:o but I'm getting there . I will say if you don't put the work you won't get the results.

I look forward to 2010 getting fitter and stronger. Just go for it, a new year start as you mean to go on.

Thanks L

celestial

1. Deadlift

2. Set big goals. Find a picture of someone who represents what you want to achieve. Go look up gsp on Google images. Look at someone who has worked balls to the wall to be able to do what they need to be able to do.

3. Eat clean 90% of the time. If you think this seems difficult then remember that you can 'cheat' 10% of the time. Passing the box of sweets in the kitchen in work will be a hell of a lot easier when you remember that you can have some maybe later that week. What does 90% of the time mean in reality? It means that for every 10 meals that you have, at least 9 of them should be exclusively good, clean, nutritious food. Before long you will realise just how closely related your mood and your food really are.

4. In a world of 'if it feels good, do it', discipline is something to be proud of. Be proud that you're nailing your diet. Be proud that your sweat is on the gym floor (clean up afterwards). Rejoice in self-restraint - it is its own reward.

5. Have fun. Training SHOULD be fun. It doesn't matter that you're suffering busting out those last few push-ups - you know the satisfaction and feeling of elation, of a job bloody well done is just around the corner.

6. Soak up knowledge like a sponge. I know I do, and if you want to continue to improve, to be better than you were yesterday, be thirsty for knowledge. Learn from the best.

7. Get your heart rate UP!! Doesn't that feel good? Fúck yeah that feels good!!!

celestial

celestial wrote: »

Go look up gsp on Google images. Look at someone who has worked balls to the wall to be able to do what they need to be able to do.

100%.

Everybody go look up GSP and then go watch him use his body on youtube. Machine. Just to give you an idea of his mental and physical strength, he won a very tough fight @ UFC 100 even though he tore his right adductor MID FIGHT.

Part 1: http://www.mma-core.com/videos/_Georges_St_Pierre_vs_Thiago_Alves_UFC_100_Part_1?vid=10005556

Part 2: http://www.mma-core.com/videos/_Georges_St_Pierre_vs_Thiago_Alves_UFC_100_Part_2?vid=10005557&tid=100

narwog81

1. If you are injured, stop training. there's only so long before "playing through the pain" becomes doing damage.

2. if the physio/surgeon gives you a timeframe for rehab,stick to it! i went back earlier than advised from a partial ACL tear and managed to play 2 matches before i fully tore it. surgery is not cool.

3.the importance of a good SPORTS physio/surgeon cannot be overstated. a guy that is used to doing geriatrics knee problems is not the guy that will get a fit young person back to sport. dont be afraid to quiz them on their experience and qualifications, if they are good they wont mind answering...

4. flexibilty, stretching and foam rolling. this is the good ****.

5. weightloss is easier than i thought. i was 93kg at surgery in august, im now 88kg, just cut down on the alcohol, carbs and general crap and do cardio along with lifting and it'll fall off in time.

6. health is wealth. being injured for nearly 18months now has affected my sport,hobbies,work,weight. nearly everything in life is better (and comes easier) when im fitter.

rccaulfield

why would you not begin with a bench press-point9!-Cheers!

Shoota

Transform wrote: »

well that was kind of the whole point so that does not happen in 2010 - kind of the reason boards is so good at giving a collective voice on what really works.

Absolutely, I spent 2007 in and out of the doctors, going for tests, I was in terrible shape, just felt awful every week, bit of this bit of that they'd say, they could have been honest and said "Your 22, 5'8 and fourteen stone, you fat little b*****d." That would have helped a lot more. 2008, I started in the gym , didnt make any gains, because I didnt ask anyone what to do.... but it was a start, a poor start!

At the start of January 2009 I made a decision to get a proper program done by someone who actually works at my gym, on the advice of reading the boards threads, and any time I'm feeling a bit sorry for myself I go back to the threads and usually start getting ready to hit the gym fairly sharpish!

Cant overemphasize how big a help boards in starting, and keeping me in the gym! I'm hoping to start designing my own program with some of the other exercises like Dead Lifts and Squats that I haven't done before to get my self even fitter for 2010 with the help, as always, of the fine people of this forum

InTheTrees

A common stumbling block to working out is "oh it takes so much time...".

But really it doesnt, it actually gives you more. I bet on average someone who works out 45 minutes a day is getting an extra two hours of productive energy.

Just a thought.

kumate_champ07

I stopped buying biscuits and cake, started eating stir fry veg every night with chicken, I now eat 200g of mixed nuts a day, some days up to 400g. 20g of udos oil and 5g of fish oil a day. a mixture of 4 diff healthy breakfast cereals(and seeds) every morning, quality meat from my local butchers, smoothies etc

basically I cleaned up my diet/made a big effort and lost 22kg in about 2-3 months. lost alot of strength but Im not too bothered, I look and feel better and can fit my legs into some of my jeans again! thighs were 31inches, crazy size. Ive got alot more endurance but I feel so weak doing bench press these days, throwing up 30kg less, which is strange as my deadlift dropped only 20-30kg

I just eat healthy and go to the gym and do whatever I feel like, no set plan, I enjoy the training and Im starting to gain a little strength back and Im still getting leaner and staying at the same body weight.
Ive bein doing exercises I havent done in years just because they feel good

Transform

Shoota wrote: »

Absolutely, I spent 2007 in and out of the doctors, going for tests, I was in terrible shape, just felt awful every week, bit of this bit of that they'd say, they could have been honest and said "Your 22, 5'8 and fourteen stone, you fat little b*****d." That would have helped a lot more. 2008, I started in the gym , didnt make any gains, because I didnt ask anyone what to do.... but it was a start, a poor start!

At the start of January 2009 I made a decision to get a proper program done by someone who actually works at my gym, on the advice of reading the boards threads, and any time I'm feeling a bit sorry for myself I go back to the threads and usually start getting ready to hit the gym fairly sharpish!

Cant overemphasize how big a help boards in starting, and keeping me in the gym! I'm hoping to start designing my own program with some of the other exercises like Dead Lifts and Squats that I haven't done before to get my self even fitter for 2010 with the help, as always, of the fine people of this forum

you see this actually works!