Weight lifting / body building

=adrian=

Any people here interested in increasing the body size and strength and not just weight loss?

I'm back at working out regularly now after a very very long break. Eating a lot, lifting weights a lot. No alcohol, no junk food. I started off on 99kg body weight, now up to 104 after 7 weeks. Slowly building that muscle mass again.

Only now I feel how much I missed giving my body a kick in the nuts on a regular basis. I feel better mentally and physically. Less grumpy, better mood, more energy, stronger. Kicking myself for not going back to it much sooner, but better late than never.

KyleS1

I’d love to get back in the gym but time never allows really. I’m trying running again for fitness but I’d like to lift again.

=adrian=

Believe me Kyle when I say I don't have a time for it too. I've been working 2 jobs for the last 2 years. 7 days per week. However, because I have been very active most of my life (weight lifting, muay thai, MTBing), my body wasn't happy with being lazy. I got grumpy, mood swings and wasn't really enjoying myself much. Since I started training again, I feel much better physically and mentally. It is great to see my body growing again. And it grows very quickly, which I'm quite surprised about.

I had to do a few changes in my lifestyle to fit it in, but it seems to work so far and I have not missed a single workout yet. I had to change days a couple of times, but still managed 3 days per week. Besides you don't have to be there for hours. My workout usually is around 75 - 90min 3 times per week. Now that I am getting stronger I am actually thinking about intensifying it even more and going down to 60-75 min.

There is always something in the way, I have been delaying that moment of starting training again for a veeery long time, but eventually decided enough is enough. If I don't start thinking about myself and my body, nobody else will. Yes, bodybuilding / weightlifting is quite a selfish sport, but my body needs a good kick on regular basis and I see a positive change already. More energy, better mood, etc.

Cardio on its own won't really give you the same IMO. Better to go to gym instead IMO.

KyleS1

I agree totally, there is always something in the way. My kids are still young, so the amount of time I dedicate to them eats most of my spare time, but once they are in bed I'm too lazy to do anything as knackered.
I started swimming a couple of years back and the feeling after swimming for 1km or 1 mile was amazing. Really built up shoulders, back, chest and legs too. But alas, time and putting too much on my wife in the mornings with getting the kids ready meant it went out the window. I'm running now just to stop getting fat.
I've got some pull up bars at home which I've started using and that helps to an extent. The kids are getting older so able to do more for themselves, which should give me some more free time. It's all planned in, eventually...

=adrian=

I am crossing my fingers for you Kyle. You will feel amazing once you start giving your body a kick on regular basis. Human beings are not designed to be sitting all the time, our bodies need regular exercises.

It is actually quite amazing, on some days I can feel not in a mood for training (I train straight after first job finishes and before I start the second), down or tired, but I am not giving myself the option of not going. The minute I step into the gym, I have tonnes of energy. And I feel great after the workout too. I really enjoy it. And my family benefits from that too. I have more energy at home, I'm in better mood. It just shows that often, the "I have no energy" excuse is purely psychological. The minute I show up at the gym, my body wakes up and I completely forget that 15 min ago I felt tired.

KyleS1

Yeah you are right. It's that initial push needed to get out for a run, or get to the gym that is the hard bit.

=adrian=

Still going up

                                                                                                                                               

I'm really surprised by the speed of the transformation. I know about newbie gains, but this is something else (at least it feels to me). Weight up by 7 kg in 8 weeks, 1.5 inches off my waist, about an inch up on arms and legs, 1.5" up on collar, 2" more in chest. Time to intensify the training to shock the body even more.

reiteration

yeah, I've been skinny all my life (10 stones @ 30 years old) - was always active, but not enough calories...

now 49 years old and over 15 stone... train 3-5 times a week doing various stuff (3 times in the gym) doing a push, pull, and legs routine...

do it for fitness and still bulking up...will typically finish a push session with 100 strict burpees in sets, and did this with 17.5kg strapped to me (before last weeks holiday), and aiming to do it with 20kg added this week..

=adrian=

Funny thing is that I have done no cardio whatsoever, only heavy lifting, and still lost a good chunk of my belly

reiteration

I tend to do a mixture of allsorts - did kettlebell classes for some years too (still use them now), and bootcamp stuff - while not strictly cardio, I have gained various benefits from them - and one is motivation and discipline... as it's easy to give up when the going gets tough (cliché I know..), and also a load of explosive power