This is so wrong. As someone else mentioned before, lifting heavy weights of low reps (usually in the 3-6 rep range, 5 is a solid rep goal for "heavy" weight, heavy usually meaning 70-80% of your 1RM) generates the growth of new cells within the muscle(s) being worked. Nobody that can legitimately squat 315 to parallel or lower is going to be small. However, it is true that doing high reps of low weight is what builds the most size and aesthetics, if that is what you're after. Lifting heavy ain't gonna keep you small either, though. I personally think that most people should start out by strength training and develop a solid strength basis first, even if you want to go on and do bodybuilding in the long run. All successful/intelligent bodybuilders did it and it just makes sense to me. What's the point in being big if you're weak as shit? Too many big pussies with big arms that can't deadlift 405. Besides, real bodybuilders train like powerlifters anyways. They just do a shitload more accessory work. But any "bodybuilder" that doesn't do the big lifts are usually just curl bro wiggers or people who just don't know how to train.

But seriously, powerlifting is just more fun imo. The training is more fun, the diet is more fun, and the competitions are more fun. At a bodybuilding competition (usually high school auditoriums and shit like that) nobody is screaming your name to get under the bench and put up a fuckload of weight. It's more modeling than an actual sport lol. You also get to eat like a horse (mandatory in bodybuilding too) but you don't have to lose sleep over eating at a coney or fast food joint 2 times a week for fear that your BF% will go up and your abs might become less visible lol. I'd rather just lift heavy, eat big, and not care (and still have abs). I also think the training is more fun because you're putting up bigger numbers and more often than you would training as a bodybuilder, where the main goal of training is to just get a pump in one or two muscle groups for the day.

I do think that if you want bigger arms you should try different things. If you want to emphasize bicep strength, then do chin-ups. Lots of chin-ups. Do em' weighted if you can. If you want to emphasize bicep size then do curls. But I wouldn't do them heavy like that and try to progress them like you would a main lift. I would drop the weight to 35-40's and do sets of 10-15, you'll get much better results in the aesthetics department, I promise.

I've been going to the gym at least three times a week over the last three months. I feel great again. My diet isn't spectacular but I've been on some shred protein and it's doing what it states it does. Abs are my are my main focus at the moment.. 5 x sets/40 reps 35lbs ab crunches.. I'm getting there.

Ab exercises are my least favorite goddamn thing in the world. Crunches, jack knives, planks. Blah. The only fun ab exercise is a pushup-to-knee tuck on a stability ball. Which I don't have.

Agreed. Abs for me are killers. I usually stick with assisted weight crunches on the ab machine. Occasionally I do planks too.

Honestly squatting and deadlifting will get you shredded abs if you engage your core properly (ala squeeze the shit out of them). Leg raises and the wheel of pain (appropriately named...ow) are killer too! Those wheels are pretty inexpensive aswell, you can get em' just about anywhere like Meijer if you live in the US and for usually less than $10. Pretty worthwhile investment if you want thick, shredded abs.

Don't underestimate the usefulness of running/jogging as well in relation to the rest of the suggestions.

I used to use the wheel of pain but it's terrible for your back. There's a variant of that exercise with a piece of equipment less stressful on the back but I've only even seen it sold in bulk and I don't want/need ten of them.


I've taken up running recently but I also recently moved and there aren't any gravel paths or grassy areas to run on. My legs kill me within 10 minutes of running on concrete. Might start using the treadmill instead.

I've never tried an ab wheel.. But I might give it a go to shred my abs more. I don't do much deadlifts but plenty of leg raises and occasionally do squats. I always engage my core, it feels great! I live in Australia, so I'll see what I can find here in regards to an Ab Wheel of Pain.

Yeah, I suppose I should do more chin-ups. Usually do 5 or whatever at the end of my routine (on upper body days) but I guess that isn't going to cut it. Not sure I'm ready to do weighted yet.

Has anyone else noticed weird discrepancies where certain lifts are unusually weak compared to your other lifts? For example, I can deadlift 315, but can just barely squat 225 (ass to the grass, can do at least 300 to parallel). When my friend was at the point of deadlifting 3 plates, his squat was at 265. My dumbell shoulder presses are also unusually weak compared to my other dumbell exercises. I can bicep curl 50s and dumbell bench 70s for 8 reps, but can barely shoulder press 45s for five reps before basically dying. Im not that surprised about the shoulder press because I've always been bad with shoulders, but I'm pretty confused why my squat is so weak in comparison to my deadlift.

Bottom line is you aren't going to have visible abs if you aren't lean enough. It is a core muscle group, it doesn't necessarily need to be stressed too much in isolation if you are squatting, etc.

Regarding powerlifters: Cool deal and all, but far too many guys use it as an excuse to eat like shit and look like a pig. To me, "Fitness" encompasses the whole shebang. It is about having control over your body, not just in gaining muscle, but being able to get lean as fvck, which is in many ways, even more difficult for many people.

dystopia4: everybody is built differently I guess, and some muscle groups invariably lag behind. Yeah, I can chest press 70-80 pound dumbbells for 8-10 no problem, but I couldn't actually barbell bench much higher, at least not consistently. Iono...taller guys have longer joints, typically. Means a lot more leverage to deal with.

Haha, this is so true. One of my good friends can deadlift 475, squat 415 and Bench 265. You'd never be able to tell it, though. He's 40-50lbs overweight and I think the mentality is that losing weight would mess up his gains and make him weaker. A lot of the guys I see pulling big deadlifts are fat as fuck. Definitely seems like an excuse to eat whatever you want. I know a lean guy with a six pack who can pull well over 500lbs, so it's not like you have to be a lard ass to be a good powerlifter.


Man, I'm horrible at my dumbbell bench compared to barbell. Back when my 1RM was 200 (no idea what it is now, don't have a spotter at the moment), I could only do 55s with dumbbells. My main problem is being able to push it up into position. I'm sure I could handle 80s right now without too much difficulty, but there's no way in hell I'd be able to get into starting position without help. Also, if anyone else has had huge discrepancies between squat and deadlift (I squat 1 plate lighter), I'd really like to know what you did to start closing the gap (although I know deadlift will usually always be a bit higher).

On a completely different note, does anyone here box? I've taken a few lessons when I was younger, but never really committed. I'd love to do it next summer if finances allow.

Truth. No matter how much you work your abs, they won't be visible until you're somewhere between 10-12% body fat, depending on genetics and where your body stores fat. You won't look shredded until like 8-9% anyway.



Some of us like to follow a powerlifting program but keep our diets clean . I hate the fact that gains come easier with a shitty diet that makes me fat, but it is what it is.



Yeah, it's all genetics again. Deadlifts are easier for people with long arms... squats are easier for people with short legs. Bench press is easier for people with short arms. Standing shoulder press seems to be hard to make gains on no matter what your body is like though . That's still the best test of strength in my opinion... if you can hit a military press for body weight, you've hit that threshold where you are "fucking strong."

Eh, it's not terrible for your back, it's just that your back is a shitload stronger than your abdominal muscles are (and it should be), so to compensate for the lack of strength in your abs your back tries to make up for it (inevitably giving you that shitty feeling in your lower back). It's not bad for it though, but if it hurts you that much there are definitely other options. Shit, even running like you suggested is great for making your abs pop out. Think I'm even going to do some hill sprints this fall for that reason. Sprinting is fun as shit anyways and will probably have a good carryover to my squat (I hate long distance running because it's the antithesis of big/strong legs and I'm trying to gain weight).

Also, the whole myth that powerlifters are almost exclusively fat is such horseshit. That is archaic thinking when people just thought you had to be as big as possible to lift as big as possible. Mariusz Pudzianowski won world's strongest man FIVE times (more than anybody ever has even come close to) and he's jacked as all fuck.

http://media-cache-ec0.pinimg.com/236x/ ... 30648d.jpg
http://www.itrening.pl/wp-content/uploa ... dzian.jpeg

He's also only like 260 lbs which is honestly pretty light for a strongman (most strongman are 300+ easily). The fact that he's that shredded AND a strongman is impressive honestly, because strongman are the big fat guys (usually) that lift the heaviest weights, not powerlifters. Although ALL strongman train the powerlifts (squat, bench, deadlift) because that's what makes you strong. They also do shit like farmer walks which is harder than god damn fuck. Imagine carrying 300 lbs in each hand and running as fast as you can. Shit is intense.

And for some anecdotal evidence regarding that powerlifters aren't fat, here's a video of my friend who got my into powerlifting. He's only 165 lbs and stronger than fuck. Pound for pound, he's probably the strongest person in that entire gym and he has never touched juice. He just knows how to train powerlifting. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2JAzX1t36m4

As far as I'm concerned, if you eat like shit and you don't do much physically, you're going to get fat. If you eat like shit, lift heavy weights, and run, the chances of you getting fat are slimmed down dramatically (ha ha). And it's true that powerlifters don't like to cut weight because cutting weight usually does mean that you get weaker. So just don't get fat in the first place, or incorporate lots of cardio into your training if you want to be strong and lean.

Glad that you're deciding to do chin-ups! They're the best body-weight exercise for building strength and muscle. Period. Pull-ups too. I wouldn't start doing em' weighted until you can get at least a set of 15 deadhang (go down all the way and explode back up, half-ups are for highschoolers in gym class that want to act strong). You don't have to emphasize form ridiculously but just make sure you go low enough because it's easy to cheat on exercises that are legitimately hard as shit for everyone. When you can get 15-20@BW, try throwing a 25 lb plate on a belt and see how it goes for a few sets. You should be able to get at least 5 at that point! Strange, chin-ups are seemingly comparatively easier for most people than pull-ups are. I can do weighted chin-ups with a 25 lb plate for a set of 10, 8, 7, and so forth, but I can only do body weight pull-ups for sets of 12, 10, 8, etc. My weighted-dip strength far surpasses both of those too. I can do sets of 12 and 10 with a 45 lb plate on the belt as of recent, but I also bench alot and tricep strength is really important to me and in the bench.

Anyone noticed how ridiculously hard it is to get your lower arm to grow? Anyone got any idea how to even do that?

You talking about your forearms? If you want to work on your forearms, I would suggest rock climbing, because it is both a great workout and a lot of fun. You can also do wrist curls.

Yeah sorry English isn't my first languague. I'll look into wrist curls, thanks.

grip strength exercises also depend a lot on the forearm.
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/get-a-g ... ength.html

I second the suggestion of developing grip strength for forearm growth. I started using Captains of Crush grippers a while back and achieved a fair amount of growth quickly. I was also doing pull-ups and other typical gym stuff though. Since I started deadlifting a couple months ago, I've had numerous occasions where my forearms had DOMS even though I wasn't consciously working them. Deadlifts are an awesome exercise anyway, so working on that is a good idea, and should pay off in the way you want.

That should do the trick.

Re: lower arm strength.

I'm a professional martial artist. The sword style we use is based on "low extension", gripping with the little finger with a curved flex through the lower arm (which actually technically starts at the hip or "centre"). At lot of people who've trained in the same art are actually physically noticable what I dub "pop-eye arms", and interesting calcification (hair) around their wrists. The latter is because the jujutsu component is "sword-stopping", ie; if you hold their wrist (hard) they can't cut you. This stimulates the ulna nerve, and calcifies not just the hair but the bone, thus the Japanese term tegatana or sword-hand.

It sucks to have a smaller frame like me if you're trying to build any muscle mass. Especially trying to build mountaintop ttraps

Shit's impossible lol

Well Batista is also jooced to fuck in that pic, which sorta helps...

Can't do much about genetics, but everyone has at least one genetic 'gift' of sorts, so try to look at it from a more positive perspective.

what's that mean? (google image search was remarkably unhelpful)

He means "traps", as in "trapeziuses".

He beez in the trap.

yea of course, but I don't really understand what he means by mountaintops.

Haha, uh, big, mountainous -- like in the picture.

I guess that's kinda the opposite of how I think of a mountain.
like, normal traps slope up to the head like mountain sides, with the head as the mountaintop, but the wrestler guy pictured is, like, cliff-like, box-shaped, more like Ayers Rock or a low-rise building.

Yeah, I see what you mean now. Also, yeah, Batista is definitely on a decent amount of gear. When he came off he didn't even look the same anymore lol, plus having to drop weight for MMA

why is it those WWE guys get so big? what's the advantage in it?

It looks more "manly." Remember that WWE/WCW are models first, professional athletes a distant second.

I've no real idea now that I really think about it. darkeningday could be right. All I know is I personally like the larger-than-life look. Kind of sucks, though, because a lot of women don't dig that look. Which means in some ways I'm up shit creek without a paddle...which means I'm paddling through the shit with my hands lolol

Because watching 250 pound folks beating each other up is more entertaining than watching 150 pound folks beating each other up! The fighting itself isn't the draw of pro-wrestling... it's the alpha-ness of the combatants. Hulk Hogan would probably get his ass kicked by Royce Gracie in an actual fight, but Hulk looks and sounds infinitely more intimidating in real life than some skinny dude in a gi.

I took like eight months off, but now I'm back into running every day (not just jogging, but like real running), my time has gone to shit (went from doing a 5k in 20-22 minutes to a 5k in like 30...ugh) but it's still definitely better than most. Been doing a ton of lowish weight/high rep shit just to get the old ticker back into it though.

Running is the one thing I keep telling myself I'm gonna start doing and then just never do. I'm not sure how to really get "started" on it, I hate the idea of just running around the neighborhood or local park and having people stare at me like "look at that jackass running in a misery index shirt and cargo shorts. What a chode" which I realize is highly unlikely, but it still messes with my conscience.

I dunno, legit martial arts are very entertaining to watch. Even moreso when you realize that it's 100% real and unscripted. I'd much rather watch the likes of Benny the Jet as opposed to John Cena.

Tell me about it, bruh. I started running in the park - most people there are running or dog walking and don't give a hoot who else is there, plus you can go "off road" where the trail is natural, so that was great. The neighborhood was a bit trickier, because I live in DC and literally EVERY FUCKING PERSON jogs everywhere, it was hella intimidating. But, I just got out one day, ran around 6:30-7, when the sun just starts drooping, and haven't stopped since.

Just get out there dude, you'll find a pace - to motivate yourself, go out and buy a nice comfy pair of running shoes, you'll feel like you have to use them once you spent 60-80 bucks on some shoes. Worked for me!