[quote]Professor X wrote:
Zap Branigan wrote:
Professor X wrote:
Tiribulus wrote:
You only live once, actually about a half a time if you count best years for this. I ain’t wasting any more of em.
That was on my mind from the first day I got interested in bodybuilding. Your best years for growth are probably between the ages of 18-30 (obviously this is based on my own observation). If you haven’t built a very solid base by then (or are extremely genetically gifted), the chances of you actually reaching your true potential will be greatly reduced. You have guys who truly believe they have forever to make progress. They claim they will “gain slowly” because they are more worried about staying at a certain body fat percentage than actually gaining any muscle. I really don’t think it is understood how little time there actually is.
This is true. I don’t have a get huge mentality anymore but I did.
I went to college under 150 pounds. I lifted throughout but I couldn’t afford food.
I have only gone on a couple serious force fed hardcore bulks and I am glad I did. It was the only way to put on muscle.
Moderation doesn’t really work when you are trying to make significant changes.
This hasn’t sunk in yet for a lot of people. It won’t be until they are no longer in that optimal age range that they figure it out.[/quote]
If I could do it all over again I would do a few more “get huge” bulks in my twenties and thirties.
Now I am just trying to stay fit and work around my various injuries.
My advice to the young guys is work to get huge until you are big enough.
If you are 150 and want to be 180 train and eat like you want to be 240. Don’t slow down as you get near the finish line.
[quote]Professor X wrote:
This hasn’t sunk in yet for a lot of people. It won’t be until they are no longer in that optimal age range that they figure it out.[/quote]
Unfortunately I am one of those. The light bulb went off for me at about 27ish and I went from 170 to 240 in the following 3 years.
Would have made life much easier if I figured that out at 21, or LISTENED to someone that was telling me at that age.
I thought I was the only one. My daughter is 9 months, boys are 5 and 2. When the age arrives, they will be working out with me to deter any unworthy suitors. I plan on using the old, “I’ve been to prison. I’m not afraid to go back.” line.[/quote]
I like that line alot.
My big problem with getting big is that I started too late, I’m 36, started serious about a year ago, so I have to work my ass off at the gym.
People are always staring at me at the gym wondering what the hell I am grunting so hard about…but F**K em right. They can keep lifting to stay soft and round, I will stick with the heavy weights and feeling like I am popping a blood vessel when lifting.
I notice alot of guys were skinny at one point then got tired of it and wanted to be bigger.
I’m coming from the opposite end I’m an obvious fat ass (looking about 30% body fat at 345lbs according to the last time I had it checked) and I don’t care if I get even bigger. Yea I’m dropping fat so my BF% will drop and if it didn’t I wouldn’t care as long as I was getting stronger.
yeah fuck these twiggy metro pussies… and wanting to stay at 130 pounds… that where i started but im trying to get as big as i can now… 170lbs at 6% bf… 200 is freakish though… i wanna be huge… just not look like some addicted steroid abuser
200 lbs at your height? I don’t think “freak” would be on anyones mind that trains seriously. To me the barrier of very large comes at about 3.5 lbs per inch and in shape which at your height would be approximately 240 and lean. 200 lbs at 5’9 on a bodybuilding stage(3% bodyfat, totally dehydrated) would be an impressive physique, but that guy probably normally walks around at about the 235-250 range…
[quote]HotCarl28 wrote:
yeah fuck these twiggy metro pussies… and wanting to stay at 130 pounds… that where i started but im trying to get as big as i can now… 170lbs at 6% bf… 200 is freakish though… i wanna be huge… just not look like some addicted steroid abuser[/quote]
Please show me a picture of a 200 pound freakish steroid abuser.
[quote]rainjack wrote:
HotCarl28 wrote:
yeah fuck these twiggy metro pussies… and wanting to stay at 130 pounds… that where i started but im trying to get as big as i can now… 170lbs at 6% bf… 200 is freakish though… i wanna be huge… just not look like some addicted steroid abuser
Please show me a picture of a 200 pound freakish steroid abuser. [/quote]
LOL. I thought I was just starting when I hit 200lbs. Now it’s “freakish”. Who knew.
You have yet to see the day you could do one of my workouts. You’re huge so no I can’t come close to you, but I’m a cry baby and you’re the huge guy that couldn’t do my chest and back workout on your best day. Over thirty lifters “need for speed” and I’m fifty plus. If you’re a real man you’ll give it a try.
[/quote]
Didnt you say in another thread that you are a big fan of that P90X thing that they sell on tv? Doesnt that involve a lot of pilates and yoga?
I always enjoyed this little blurb from Kevin Levrone about how he trained and ate to get big.
KEVIN LEVRONE
1994 AND 1996 ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER CLASSIC WINNER
"You get as big as possible from becoming as strong as possible. Size doesn’t beget strength; it’s vice versa. When I started lifting, I went into the gym with that ‘How much can I bench, curl, squat and deadlift?’ attitude. That’s when I discovered how fast my strength could increase, and it made me crazy-intense to get even stronger. It was so motivating that I forgot all about building muscles, but that’s what enabled my huge spurt of muscle mass to sneak up on me. Before I knew it, I was a mass monster, and it all came from the following principles.
You have to lift free weights, and each time, it has to be more than you’re ever been able to lift.
Always do the basics: bench presses, squats, deadlifts, bent rows, standing military presses, barbell curls and close-grip benches.
Make sure it’s so heavy that it makes you sweat, grunt and scream. That means you’re forced beyond your limit.
Never do more than eight reps–and that’s to failure. For your heaviest sets, you should struggle for three or four.
Don’t count sets; just keep 'em going, increasing the weight each time. If your intensity is fired to its max, you’ll be surprised at how you get stronger with each set.
People don’t want to train until they get sore anymore.
They train till it hurts, then stop. To get strong, train until it stops hurting.
Think ‘overload’ for both poundage and protein. My biggest strength gains came from consuming 6,500 calories a day, mostly protein."
[quote]austin_bicep wrote:
I always enjoyed this little blurb from Kevin Levrone about how he trained and ate to get big.
KEVIN LEVRONE
1994 AND 1996 ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER CLASSIC WINNER
"You get as big as possible from becoming as strong as possible. Size doesn’t beget strength; it’s vice versa. When I started lifting, I went into the gym with that ‘How much can I bench, curl, squat and deadlift?’ attitude. That’s when I discovered how fast my strength could increase, and it made me crazy-intense to get even stronger. It was so motivating that I forgot all about building muscles, but that’s what enabled my huge spurt of muscle mass to sneak up on me. Before I knew it, I was a mass monster, and it all came from the following principles.
You have to lift free weights, and each time, it has to be more than you’re ever been able to lift.
Always do the basics: bench presses, squats, deadlifts, bent rows, standing military presses, barbell curls and close-grip benches.
Make sure it’s so heavy that it makes you sweat, grunt and scream. That means you’re forced beyond your limit.
Never do more than eight reps–and that’s to failure. For your heaviest sets, you should struggle for three or four.
Don’t count sets; just keep 'em going, increasing the weight each time. If your intensity is fired to its max, you’ll be surprised at how you get stronger with each set.
People don’t want to train until they get sore anymore.
They train till it hurts, then stop. To get strong, train until it stops hurting.
Think ‘overload’ for both poundage and protein. My biggest strength gains came from consuming 6,500 calories a day, mostly protein."
[/quote]
this is the best post i have read yet on this site, perfect!
[quote]austin_bicep wrote:
I always enjoyed this little blurb from Kevin Levrone about how he trained and ate to get big.
KEVIN LEVRONE
1994 AND 1996 ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER CLASSIC WINNER
"You get as big as possible from becoming as strong as possible. Size doesn’t beget strength; it’s vice versa. When I started lifting, I went into the gym with that ‘How much can I bench, curl, squat and deadlift?’ attitude. That’s when I discovered how fast my strength could increase, and it made me crazy-intense to get even stronger. It was so motivating that I forgot all about building muscles, but that’s what enabled my huge spurt of muscle mass to sneak up on me. Before I knew it, I was a mass monster, and it all came from the following principles.
You have to lift free weights, and each time, it has to be more than you’re ever been able to lift.
Always do the basics: bench presses, squats, deadlifts, bent rows, standing military presses, barbell curls and close-grip benches.
Make sure it’s so heavy that it makes you sweat, grunt and scream. That means you’re forced beyond your limit.
Never do more than eight reps–and that’s to failure. For your heaviest sets, you should struggle for three or four.
Don’t count sets; just keep 'em going, increasing the weight each time. If your intensity is fired to its max, you’ll be surprised at how you get stronger with each set.
People don’t want to train until they get sore anymore.
They train till it hurts, then stop. To get strong, train until it stops hurting.
Think ‘overload’ for both poundage and protein. My biggest strength gains came from consuming 6,500 calories a day, mostly protein."
[/quote]
Thanks a lot for that austin. Thats added fuel to the fire for legs tomorrow.
[quote]austin_bicep wrote:
I always enjoyed this little blurb from Kevin Levrone about how he trained and ate to get big.
KEVIN LEVRONE
1994 AND 1996 ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER CLASSIC WINNER
"You get as big as possible from becoming as strong as possible. Size doesn’t beget strength; it’s vice versa. When I started lifting, I went into the gym with that ‘How much can I bench, curl, squat and deadlift?’ attitude. That’s when I discovered how fast my strength could increase, and it made me crazy-intense to get even stronger. It was so motivating that I forgot all about building muscles, but that’s what enabled my huge spurt of muscle mass to sneak up on me. Before I knew it, I was a mass monster, and it all came from the following principles.
You have to lift free weights, and each time, it has to be more than you’re ever been able to lift.
Always do the basics: bench presses, squats, deadlifts, bent rows, standing military presses, barbell curls and close-grip benches.
Make sure it’s so heavy that it makes you sweat, grunt and scream. That means you’re forced beyond your limit.
Never do more than eight reps–and that’s to failure. For your heaviest sets, you should struggle for three or four.
Don’t count sets; just keep 'em going, increasing the weight each time. If your intensity is fired to its max, you’ll be surprised at how you get stronger with each set.
People don’t want to train until they get sore anymore.
They train till it hurts, then stop. To get strong, train until it stops hurting.
Think ‘overload’ for both poundage and protein. My biggest strength gains came from consuming 6,500 calories a day, mostly protein."
[/quote]
You know I like you and we’ve gotten along well here, but if there ever was a guy who’s training methods were unlikely to apply to the “the rest of us” it’s Levrone. Few freaks in the history of genetic freakhood could hope to match this guy. Don’t get me wrong, he is very inspirational, but almost nobody could do it the way he does. He gains more muscle in 15 minutes than most pros do in a year.
You know I like you and we’ve gotten along well here, but if there ever was a guy who’s training methods were unlikely to apply to the “the rest of us” it’s Levrone. Few freaks in the history of genetic freakhood could hope to match this guy. Don’t get me wrong, he is very inspirational, but almost nobody could do it the way he does. He gains more muscle in 15 minutes than most pros do in a year.[/quote]
Totally agree, Levrone was a freak. He stated that he would stop training for about 6 months after a contest to write music and would than train for the olympia or w/e else during the other six. His points for building mass are solid though and that’s what I wanted to show to reinstate the points brought up by others.
If anyone is interested, check out this article, findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0KFY/is_3_24/ai_n16125568, it has kevin’s, Ronnie’s, Ed Robinson’s, Chris Cormier’s, Franco’s, and Johnnie Jackson’s, methods to get big. Main concept, Lift heavy, and hard, eat big, rest, repeat.
after being 6’3" 180 lbs during swimming, i want to get big. i’ve already gained 25 lbs in the past 6 months, but i want much, much more. i want to be able to be able to scare the living hell out of whoever my sister is dating, so much that they don’t even think about crossing me.
[quote]Scott M wrote:
200 lbs at your height? I don’t think “freak” would be on anyones mind that trains seriously. To me the barrier of very large comes at about 3.5 lbs per inch and in shape which at your height would be approximately 240 and lean. 200 lbs at 5’9 on a bodybuilding stage(3% bodyfat, totally dehydrated) would be an impressive physique, but that guy probably normally walks around at about the 235-250 range…
[/quote]
my post was actually a joke… i believe im either not funny or bad at conveying sarcasm over the internet
Something like a would have clued us in to your sarcasm haha. I think everyone is a little on edge in this thread from the arguing and such that sarcasm didn’t cross any of the guys minds who responded to that.
And for Tiribulus,
The way I look at Levrone is this-
In principle he still did all the things that the veterans(and some young guys like myself who listen and are applying) tried to echo in the what it takes to be big thread, he was a big time eating heavy weight pushing machine. The fact that his body somehow was a food processing factory and seemed to convert every single gram of protein to replacing lost muscle is irrelevant to me, it’s the overall message that stuck.
He didn’t gain back all that muscle eating 2500 calories and doing 40 pump sets, he pounded down food and was working up to huge weights for his top 1-2 sets. So in that sense I see him still as a relevant person to look up to for clues on getting big.
The same could be said for Big Ron Coleman in the fact that he can train all out to failure on multiple exercises with insane heavy weights twice a week while most can only handle once a week like that, or drastically reduced volume if they want the frequency. Most people that would try to follow his schedule would get freaking buried very fast.
The point I get from him is A) heavier and heavier weights on big exercises B) train as frequently as you can(which in his case is VERY often) and C) eat like a monster if you want to be one.
All stuff you know of course, I’m just hoping people will look at the common factors amongst the big guys and not the differences.
would have clued us in to your sarcasm haha. I think everyone is a little on edge in this thread from the arguing and such that sarcasm didn’t cross any of the guys minds who responded to that.