Because you loved them - Some more motivational quotes!

"One man has enthusiasm for 30 minutes, another for 30 days, but it is the man who has it for 30 years who makes a success of his life."
- Edward B. Butler

"A great pleasure in life is doing what people say you cannot do."
- Walter Gagehot

"Success rests not only on ability, but upon commitment, loyalty, and pride."
- Vince Lombardi

"Always act as though it were impossible to fail."
- Anonymous

"Everybody wanna be a bodybuilder, but dont no body wanna lift no heavy ass weight." 

- Ronnie Coleman 

  

But the best one - by far - this, you will love it, bros:

"The Iron never lies to you. You can walk outside and listen to all kinds of talk, get told that you're a god or a total bastard. The Iron will always kick you the real deal. The Iron is the great reference point, the all-knowing perspective giver. Always there like a beacon in the pitch black. I have found the Iron to be my greatest friend. It never freaks out on me, never runs. Friends may come and go. But two hundred pounds is always two hundred pounds." 

 

The old and new Mr. O - Jay Cutler

Jay did it again. What do you guys think?
I think Phil looked better.

But nevertheless, Jay did so much for the sports and he represents the whole scene like noone else can.

(Pic by MuscularDevelopment)

My Story - Part 3

One of the positive things of being fat is, that you're quite strong. Like nobody can beat you in armwrestling and stuff. And that was always the only thing I liked about it. I liked being strong.

After my big diet I realized, that I have lost all of my power. Before the diet, nobody beat me in armwrestling. I always won against my friends. But one night, when my frienlds and me were out in a pub, we decided to do some armwrestling. I didn't do it for a few months, but I thought that I would be the best as usual. And then a friend of mine beat me. He never did before, and I was shocked. It's not a big thing, but for me, it was like a kick in the balls. I never did armwrestling again from that day on. But I decided to gain back my strenght - so I started working out and lifting heavy weights. I didn't want to be just the boy that made a diet, that lost his pounds and then the progress is over. I wanted to kick all those asses, all the people who laughed at me should see, that I can laugh at them afterwards. As time went by, I heard very often how I've changed. Most old friends didn't recognize me. It was a good feeling. The feeling of accomplishment. As my arms and my back started getting bigger, i gained a lot of respect. Not just because I was strong, but because of the discipline I had.

When I saw some guys from back then, I just stared at them, said nothing. They knew that they talked shit about me and that they made fun of me, so their reactions were always quite funny.
To be honest, some of them seemed to be really afraid. I didn't want to have physical revenge or something like that. Just the look on their eyes was enough for me. Realizing, that the guy, they made fun of, could now easily beat them up...

I learned a lot in that time. I learned, that you should be careful in judging people too early. I realized, that a person can manage to achieve anything, if he just wants! And I realized, that the most important power is the mindpower. Without that, I would have never been able to change in that way.

Maybe I'll remember some good interesting stories from that time, I will post them if I do so.

Feel free to ask me anything you want to know.

My Story - Part 2

So I decided to put an end to all this. I didn't want to take the mockings anymore. I wanted to have a girlfriend. I wanted to kick the asses of those who laughed about me.

I started drinking 10l of water a day. I completely stopped drinking alcohol (this lasted for the next 4 years, not even one drop). I eat a lot of vegetables and never got over 1000 calories...what, in fact, was not healthy. But I'll tell you more about that later.

In the summer holidays, which were 6 weeks, I dropped about 15 kg. You could see it a bit, but not too much. The people in my class however recognized it. I kept going. I was motivated!
Within 3-4 months, I lost about 40 kg.

I looked like a new person. But now, I was weak... My hair started falling out, I had no energy, was depressed...that was the price to pay. Just 1000 calories a day is stupid, it destroys you, it sucks out your life energy. BUT - I wouldn't do it differently! You must keep the motivation high, and when you lose weight so easily, your motivation will stay high. If you make a diet like I would suggest you, with high protein, a not so big calorie deficit, your succes would be good, but it wouldn't be so fast.

I had given up all diets after the first kilos, because I didn't see the effort. With this radical diet, I saw it and I was happy.

My metabolism was destroyed. It took a long time to be able to eat normal ammounts of food without gaining fat again.

There I was...skinny, destroyed metabolism, but somehow I reached my goal...but there was one thing, that sucked....


TO BE CONTINUED!

My story - Part 1

So, at the beginning I told you guys, that I was fat when I started training. So I want to go a bit more in detail.

I was always a little bit on the chubby side. I wasn't that fat, but as a kid , I was always "stronger" and "bigger".
Everything was alright till I hit puberty. That's when things went out of control. Also, with the start of drinking alcohol, I was getting fatter and fatter.

I spent my time sitting on the computer or playing videogames - I never stopped doing this till today - but I ate a shitload of chips and stuff, drank coke and icetea with much sugar.

I was in a circle I couldn't get out of. I was depressed and sad, I never had a chance with the girls, I never showed myself, always wore very big hoodies and tried to make them not notice that I wasn't fat. But that wasn't too easy with 120kg at 180cm. Also my bodylanguage was very bad. I always walked bent over, so they couldn't see my belly and moobs.

But some day, as somebody was mocking me again, I decided to man the fuck up and change something.
I thought it must be a hard time...You're fat, and if you really want to do that, you don't even have the food to cheer you up in bad times....

TO BE CONTINUED!

Injuries and sores

Did you ever have an injury from training?

Ever had bigger problems with something, like the lower back?

The only things I had were little things, like pain in the biceps, pain in palm of the hand etc..

Thanks god I've never had something serious, like a torn muscle.

What did you have?

My back routine

I consider the back as one of the most important muscles. Not only because of the V-Shape and the looks, but also you learn to use your back more efficient in real life, when holding something etc..

My back routine always changes. I do a lot of rowing, and it is important for me, that I vary the grip - close, wide, parallel,...

A typical back-day would be as following:

Bent forward rows:
3*6-8 reps
1*12 reps

Chin-Ups/Lat Pulldown machine (Gym 80, shoulderwide grip)
2*6-8 reps
2*10-12 reps

Seated rowing, close grip:
3*6-12 reps

Pulldowns, wide grip, easy weight
3*12-20 reps

And then, for the pump Pulldowns with straight arms (no clue what it's called in english)
3*12-20

You see, I do very much for my back, but that's just what's working for me. If you don't need a big volume like that, then stick to the basic exercises. But after a time, I discovered, that my back needs a lot of sets.

Fight-music!

What are your favorite songs to listen to when you're training, or right before you go?

I like post-hardcore/screamo stuff before I go to train.

Something like Alexisonfire, A static lullaby or so!

Some good songs therefore are

Alexisonfire - rough hands

From autumn to ashes - Deth Kult social club

A static lullaby - Hang em high

Chiodos - No hardcore dancing in the living room


What are your favorite songs?

The right split for you

When you're beyond the beginner level, you should consider to split your plan effectifely and towards your goals, always considering your strenghts/weaknesses.


There are many different splits, but many people make the mistakes, that they train the "fun-parts" more often than the "not-so-fun-parts", e.g. I know a lot of guys who train chest twice a week and legs nearly never.

That will not give you a massive chest. It will mainly cause overtraining.

Another point you should keep in mind is, that the bigger the muscle, the less you should do afterwards (I mean if you train legs, you shouldn't do a second big muscle at that day).

My personal routine is as following:

Shoulder/triceps

Back

Chest/Biceps

Legs/Abdomen

I am very content with this plan, I never get exhausted, I improved a lot.

What are your favorite splits?

The ideal Post-Workout meal

After a hard and intense training, your body requires a big ammount of nutritions, mainly protein and complex carbohydrates.
Before you eat that meal,I'd suggest to drin a Post-Workout-Shake, with 40-60gr. of dextrose, 40gr. of Whey protein and 5 gr. of creatine.
Just mix it with water and you'll be fine.

One hour after that, you should eat a good, warm meal. I would eat chicken or a meat without too much fat. You can also eat beef, it's just more expensive. As your carbohydrate source, I would suggest rice, pasta, or potatoes. Whatever you like the most.
The ammount varies from person to person, I usually eat about 300-500gr. Chicken and about 80gr. of carbs or so.
What do you eat after a hard train?
Whats your ideal post-workout meal?

Synthol....

Synthol is a kind of oil, that you inject into your muscles. This has NOTHING to do with training. Those aren't muscles! It just looks like unusable flesh and brings a bad reputation to all serious bodybuilders and powerlifters etc...
It doesn't have to do anything with steroids. Steroids can help to build muscles, but that doesn't do anything good, they just inject something in ther arms, or chest, and hope that'll look somewhat like muscles.

I think this is just plain ridiculous:

What do you think?

The great debate - Rice VS Pasta!

In the bodybuilding/powerlifting/whatever - scene, there is always the battle of those two basic carbohydrates. Some say rice has better effects on your body, improves a "dryer" look, where others say that's just a rumour.

I, personally think that both are a good and quite clean source of carbohydrates. I love eating pasta, but I make sure that they are whole grain noodles. I often eat rice, because it's easy to do and it fits good to the other things I eat.
I'd say that you shouldn't have to decide between, but just eat what you're hungry for - pasta or rice - doesn't matter.

What do you like better? Do you feel the positive effect of those carbs on your training when you eat them an hour before? How do you eat it, do you have any favorite recipes?

My favorite BB-Pics

Here are some of my favorite pics of Bodybuilders. Though I'll probably never be as strong as them, I just take them to motivate myself.

There are many ways...

...to get shredded!

In one of my previous posts I explained, that I do intuitive eating, i.e. eating without a strict plan.

But in my life, I tried about 10 different diets. Atkins, Metabolic Diet, No Fat diet, ...

Whats your favorite diet? Whit what did you cut the biggest ammount of fat?

When I do a little cutting, I just lower the carbs. Again, there's no strict plan. I just remove some of the carbs and try to eat more protein.

Anyone tried a really freaky diet like the warrior diet (1 big meal a day)?

Tell me your experiences!

Your favorite exercise?

What's your favorite exercise? What do you like the most? And what do you like about it? The pain? The pump? That you can use much weight? That you're good in it?

I personally love and hate squats at the same time. They wreck you. They kill you. But I love the pain. I love , that you can't walk straight afterwards. I'm not that huge, and I can not squat that much, no powerlifter.
My personal best was 180kg*5, but that was over a year ago and I'm on a good way to beat that, 160*6-8 at the moment.

Tell me about your favorite exercise.

The Mr.O 2010!

Although this blog is about staying fit, building muscle and not about the bodybuilding scene, I find it interesting to see what happens in Vegas each year.

There seems to be a big competition this year. What do you think? Who will make it? Cutler again, or Greene, maybe Martinez or Winklaar? What about the big bad Wolf, that couldn't show his potential last year?

What's your opinion?

Just post it as a comment!

Strict eating plan VS. intuitive eating

Beginners are likely to make themselves an eating plan, where they have to eat each gram that's on the plan. They have to stick to the calorie number that's given. That's a good idea - for beginners. In my eyes, it doesn't make much sense to have a strict plan that tells you what you should eat, gram per gram. If you did work with a plan, you'll soon get an impression of what you need and when you need it. So it's important to LEARN, that's why a beginner should always use a strict routine.

When you learned a lot about the effects of protein and carbohydrates and fats, you should listen to your body more. It's not easy at the beginning, but doing it like that you will have more success because you don't have to change your plan all the time. Of course it is important to eat the right things at the right time. But you should weigh each gram, it doesn't make sense, our metabolism changes everyday. And in those plans you take some calorie calculator from the internet and then you get a number - wow. And now? Do you think some calculator can analyze your body like you can? Never.
Those are just very very vague numbers.

Stick to the rules you've learned and listen to your body. You will know exactly when you need protein or carbs. You will know when to drink.

If you do it like this, you will gain more strength and more muscle mass.
Always keep in mind, that you should listen to your body - your body WON'T tell you I need a bag of cheetos!

A good start in the day!

Your breakfast is probably the most important meal in the whole day. After several hours of sleep, your body needs nutrients. You will need a big ammount of carbohydrates to restore your glycogen puffer. Also, a decent ammount of protein is important. You should avoid fats in the morning, there is no need for them, you better eat them towards night.

A typical breakfast of me is like the following:
300 ml eggwhite
100-150 gr Oatmeal
100 ml milk
Sweetener
And microwave that for 4-5 minutes!
You can add sugarfree jelly if you want, tastes awesome and gives you power for the day and your workout!

Here is some motivation:

Some good quotations I found:

"Pain is temporary, pride is forever" - Unknown


"Suffer the pain of discipline or suffer the pain of regret!" - Unknown


"I hated every minute of training, but I said, don't quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life a champion." - Muhammad Ali, Boxer


"Fall down seven times, get up eight" -Chinese proverb


"The mind is the limit. As long as the mind can envision the fact that you can do something. You can do it, as long as you really believe 100 percent." -Arnold Schwarzenegger


Now get your ass up and go to the gym!

How do u motivate yourself?

 I watch videos of great bodybuilders or strongmen to get me motivated for the training. Check this out ;)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7_5ZFQh2qok

Nutrition, Training, Regeneration....

To be able to get the best results in dieting and building muscles, you shouldn't break some elementary rules.
A big part of your success will be the right nutrition. Some people don't think it's that important, but they will be stuck after a while and won't make any further improvement if they don't change their diet. The balance between Protein, Carbs and Fats must fit your bodytype and you will learn to listen to your body, so you can intentionally give him what he needs.
The right training is also important. You should be careful not to do too much and exhaust your body, but you also shouldn't train like a grandma. Push yourself to the limits, but give your body the rest that he needs. Always use basic exercises at first and make a good split that fits your goals.
If once you found a system that fits, everything should be cool. But don't overdo it - your body needs regeneration! Don't force yourself to go to the train if you have pain or feel very tired - it will be contraproductive.

Before - After

B...and after

Before...

A bit about me...

When I was 17, I weighed 120 kgs, and I knew it was time to start changing that.
So I read about nutrition and training daily, modified my eating schedule and startet working out. In 4 months, I lost about 40 kg. After the diet, I was exhausted and powerless. So I started eating a proper ammount of protein, got a good training program and started lifting weights.
Meanwhile a few years have passed and I gained about 20 kgs of muscle without using steroids or hormones.

The point is: Everyone can do it. You just gotta believe that you CAN do it!

The next time I'll give you a short glance about my eating schedule.

Hi Guys

I created this blog to help everyone, who wants to lose fat and gain muscle. 

With my own experience I would like to give you useful tipps and share what I've learnt.

I will write I short summary about me and my story soon ;) 

Be excited!