DoomUK
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So I started weight training back in March, after a lifetime of avoiding all fitness-related activities like a tropical disease (as a kid I skived off P.E. in school for a whole year, because I detested it that much). Motivated by a pay cheque, a few years ago I did fairly hard manual labour for a living, but that wasn't exactly the same as a structured and strict exercise regime; heavy things were lifted, but at irregular intervals and not in a dedicated pursuit of building muscle.
A mere eight months into my newfound love of lifting weights for 60-70 minutes a day, 3 days a week, and I've already seen a lot of improvement. My upper arms have passed the 16" circumference. Hardly massive, even on a 5'11" man, but considering they were a scrawny 14" when pumped before I started training I'd say the hard work has paid off. Chest, shoulders, back and legs have also developed nicely. It's nice to be able to look at a nearly naked DoomUK in the mirror and see something which I'm mildly happy with in the reflection.
My plan is to keep doing what I'm doing for another four months, and then start to integrate cardio into my workout regime. The muscle I've developed is still covered in a layer of unsightly fat, and while weight training improves your general fitness I'm sure I'd look a lot better (and feel even better) if I cut down my bodyfat percentage a little, even if I have no ambition to be a competing bodybuilder or anything.
TL;DR: Regularly lifted some cast iron and put it down again using the correct form, got bigger and stronger, felt good.- Show previous comments 3 more
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Phobus said:I was surprised how much a minor dietary change (eat a bit less, basically) made a huge difference in offsetting my sedentary jobs effect on my waistline, so you might want to consider something like that yourself if fat is an issue even after you've taken up some regular cardio.
The problem is that eating >2500 calories a day (depending) is vital in building muscle and getting as big as your genetics and other factors permit, if that's your goal.
I guess I'll have to be much stricter over exactly what I eat, while ingesting the same amount of calories and protein. I've cut out "junk food" a long time ago but I still eat things with sugar and excess fats and other substances not beneficial in the pursuit of fitness. Because it tastes nice. I'll admit, I'm not looking forward to it. So far things have been "fun". Thankfully there's a wealth of dieting guides out there, even if the advice from people who know more than I do is sometimes contradictory and must be cross-referenced constantly. -
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Phobus said:
I can't imagine it's difficult to eat more than 2500 calories per day with a standard diet, TBH
More difficult than you might think, when you're only an average-sized guy and your stomach has spent the best part of 30 years not being used to it. I never used to eat much when I was younger.
In hindsight I wish I had taken this stuff up when I was in my teens and my body was still growing, but I can't do crap about that.