questions about the workout

[schrode]

i have been working out for a year and a half and i just started body for life. is there a more advanced workout with more sets per muscle group or will this be enough to really make me grow if i follow it? im used to doing more sets but really havent had the results i want which is to get bigger and lose the remaining stubborn belly fat i have which is what led me to body for life. just need a little advice.

[statona]

you are used to doing more "sets" or different exercises for each body part. Most weight training involves 2-3 exercises of 3 sets for each body part.

In this case, you are doing 5 sets of exercises of the same and then switching. What more are you doing?

[schrode]

more total sets and exercises. before bfl i was doing 4 sets of 3 different exercises for large muscle groups & 4 sets of 2 exercises on the smaller muscle groups. dont know if i was doing too much, not taking enough supplements or not getting enough rest. i really like the bfl routine but i dont know if it is the one i need. thanks for the reply.

[statona]

If you are EXPERIENCED at lifting weights... and Gnash and others will have different opinions - you might take a closer look at some of the modifications that people have made to BFL. I noticed significant gains using this method - but also noticed that in the last few weeks - I have made huge gains by doing just one muscle group each week - rather than doubling up as BFL calls for. ... and I'm hitting it super heavy - it says failure, I make sure the last 3 sets are as heavy as possible - while trying to get at least 5 reps... and its really showing.

I'm coming into the stretch - and will post pictures at the end of the month.

Andy

[schrode]

statona, thanks for your input. sometimes i just need a little direction. i really do appreciate it. good luck. oh yeah im taking myoplex original & muscle milk for protein & hmb. any advice in the supplement area?

[schrode]

statona, thanks for your input. sometimes i just need a little direction. i really do appreciate it. good luck. oh yeah im taking myoplex original & muscle milk for protein & hmb. any advice in the supplement area?

[gnash]

Statona is making gains because he has the nutrition and the training right on target..

If you have been training for over a year and not gaining muscle, I would say that the nutrition side is lacking right now..you gain muscle by eating more high quality foods and training smart...that is called clean bulking...It is a slow by wise process because you lose fat and gain muscle..6# of quality lean tissue per year is a good rule of thumb...some people can gain 12#...

Read the food and nutrition forums and work on the diet for a month or two..and keep training..

The best way to tell if you are clean bulking is the scale will waffle around within about 3# for some time and then it will stick at the higher weight..You should not be gaining any fat in the middle when it sticks..that fat has to come from visceral (inside ) to be right...

And read the forums for ideas and suggestions...

gnash

[schrode]

more good info. ive been taking in high quality food but i dont think ive been taking in enough. ive been trying to lose this last layer of fat off of my abs to no avail. dont get me wrong though, i have gained muscle in my 1 1/2 years of lifting but maybe im impatient. i see other guys at the gym getting bigger but i dont know what they are taking, you know. i want to lose this last bit of fat off my abs without sacrificing the muscle ive gained. will bfl get me there? any suggestions? thanks for the help!

[gnash]

Originally Posted by schrode

more good info. ive been taking in high quality food but i dont think ive been taking in enough. ive been trying to lose this last layer of fat off of my abs to no avail. dont get me wrong though, i have gained muscle in my 1 1/2 years of lifting but maybe im impatient. i see other guys at the gym getting bigger but i dont know what they are taking, you know. i want to lose this last bit of fat off my abs without sacrificing the muscle ive gained. will bfl get me there? any suggestions? thanks for the help!

A male's ideal size is based on bone structure..go to this website and click on fitness calculators, then Male Girth ...enter the size of your wrist..It will give you your ideal measurements based on your genetic blueprint...instead of the other guys in the gym... We should just let them do their thang...

ExRx (Exercise Prescription) on the Net

gnash

[Chris]

Over training is one of the most common mistakes people make when lifting. This doesn't mean over training in the sense that you get injured... I mean doing more sets than necessary, skipping rest, too many exercises, etc. When you do this it is counter productive. The real "magic" happens when you aren't at the gym. The basic idea is to do some exercises that stimulate your muscles just enough to encourage them to grow, but then stop. When you're recovering they'll start to grow.

The BFL workout is designed to target that "just enough" mentality. Since it sounds like you know your way around the gym, I'd pick 2-3 exercises for each muscle group (depending on sets) and then only do 6 to 9 total sets for each muscle group... and don't stay in the gym for longer than 1 hr. If it takes longer than this, you're doing too much.

Ok now nutrition... If you're like me, in order for muscles to grow you MUST EAT!!!! The only way I can get bigger is to pack in the calories. I'm in that phase now. I want to get bigger guns so I need to eat more.

Good luck!

[Chris]

oh... I just reread your original post... It sounds like the problem I'm having... I also want to get bigger and remove stubborn belly fat. The problem with this is it is difficult to do both at the same time. The problem lies in the need to eat more to grow, but this also puts on a bit of body fat. My advice for you is what I follow... pick one for now and do that. If you want to cut for summer goo for calorie deficit... but if you want to bulk, then you need to EAT!

I hope this helps.

[schrode]

Originally Posted by Chris

oh... I just reread your original post... It sounds like the problem I'm having... I also want to get bigger and remove stubborn belly fat. The problem with this is it is difficult to do both at the same time. The problem lies in the need to eat more to grow, but this also puts on a bit of body fat. My advice for you is what I follow... pick one for now and do that. If you want to cut for summer goo for calorie deficit... but if you want to bulk, then you need to EAT!

I hope this helps.

thanks for the reply chris. i was heading toward the conclusion that this was my problem after some more research. the bfl workout is working great so far. im eating even more quality foods but havent added any belly fat yet thanks to the bfl cardio workout, its tough if you do it right! thanks again chris.

[bluexj]

Schrode,

I did a program a few years back called The Ultimate Muscle Mass. It has dite called the anabolic diet which is similar to BFL in that youi eat 6 well balanced meals per day but you vary your diet from week to week in caloric intake and in carb/protien/fat ratios. Week one you eat a maintenace diet, week two you cut your calories significantly and in weeks 3 and 4 you lift like a madman and eat 1.5 times your maintenance calories . Cycling the diet is supposed to really set your body up for wanting to gain lean muscle mass and I can say that while I was on the program I made significant gains. It was all clean food just like BFL.

I like you turned to BFL to help me rid myself of the bodyfat I have. I am seeing results after only 12 days. However, when my 1 weeks are up and I am a lean mean fighting machine I will either do BFL again with more carbs this time around or try the ultimate again.

BTW. these workouts if done with all out intensity seem to be able to sufficiently get the job done. I think the main keys are the 1 minute rest time in between sets and especially the superset at the end.

Good luck in your quest....

[retleftolcs]

Warning- the below info does not stick to BFL and is simply my opinion.

You may want to go to more of a HIT(high intensity training) routine. I did this because I wanted to put on more muscle. I usually wait about 2 minutes between sets. I have switched to this and am seeing good results. As previously mentioned, diet is huge whether you want to cut weight or gain.

Exercise

Squats - 2 warm-up sets & 1 to failure (heavy)
Bench Press - 2 warm-up sets & 1 to failure (heavy)
Military Press - 2 warm-up sets & 1 to failure (heavy)
Triceps Pushdowns - 2 warm-up sets and 1 to failure (heavy)
Biceps Curls - 2 warm-up sets & 1 to failure (heavy)
Crunches - 1 set to failure (add weight if needed)

I also throw in some calf work- Why? I like calf exercises!!!

I do this twice a week and will add dead lifts once a weak. I generally warm up with 50% then 60% of my 1 set to failure weight.


ret

[Minotaur]

Another option, which I know is not BFL canon, is a 3-4 day legs/push/pull split. This is probably my favorite routine. I find myself gravitating towards legs on 1 day; chest, shoulders, tris on the 2nd day; back, bis on the 3rd day; cardio on the off-lifting days.

My usual routine when I do that split is 3-4 exercises per bodypart, 3 sets of 8-10 reps. It's not as much as it sounds. For example, for chest it could be 9-12 total sets. That's not really much. Each workout can be done in 45-60 mins.

[yakubu]

id say try body for life out for 12 weeks and see for yourself. im certain the sets etc... are perfect for muscle growth cos of the high point technique.

as for nutrition the problem i made was i wasnt consuming enough protein, make sure ur getting at least 1 g of protein per pound of body weight.

if you are consuming enough protein, increasing the wieght every week and getting enough rest then theres no reason you wont gain muscle

[Chris]

I saw better results, personally, when I switched to a similar training split. The BFL workout is great for a while, but after 16 weeks or so it gets a little stale IMO.

[ctownwhat]

1g of protein per pound? for real? I think I have to amp it up a bit then.

Chris