Taureau
Administrator
A few nights ago I was training at my gym and I was hitting my delts and biceps- I had a pretty good pump going so I pulled off my shirt to my tank top.
A younger fellow about 6'4 maybe 200 lbs in decent shape came up and introduced himself to me- Im a bit anti-social but I introduced myself to him as well. He said "Dude you are my goal and slapped me on the delt." Now Im not big on being touched by another man- but I laughed- not about the slap- but about what he had said. He thinks he wants this but if I could sit down with him for an hour and explain to him the realities of getting bigger- he may have second thoughts.
Adding size to ones frame is a easily attained goal for most- but getting above your genetic potential is a different ball game and takes quite of bit of forcing it on your body.
Lets outline some of the finer points of getting big, and don't get me wrong- there are much larger men out there than me, but genetically some have a much easier time reaching above average largeness on bodybuilding scale.
I am a smaller boned individual and my clavicles have decent width- I tend to have a thicker core and larger hips and legs.
I am 5'11 and currently sitting at 282 with no clothes on.
Now let's start with some basics-
FOOD:
Holy shit- the amount of food that has to be consumed is unreal- just to gain a pound or 2 is about $2-300 in groceries a week- not too mention supplements like gainers and protein powders- add those in your looking at about $400 a week.
Not too mention consuming it- some days you just get plain sick of eating- and trying to consume clean sources of food that still have enough calories to support muscle growth is a very daunting task- its a high volume of food- digestive aids are just about essential- a colon cleanse is a daily used product to keep the pipes cleaned and help absorb all the food, that combined with a multi enzyme formula and especially some extra bromelain for the protein.
And then the water consumption- pounding all that food down is one thing but then trying to drink enough water to allow your body to remain properly hydrated is another thing- can you say BLOATED.
Visceral distention is something you better get accustomed too if you wanna dog it down properly.
Oh and you think you can get away with eating junk food to catch up on the calories??
WRONG- high fat foods like fried foods and pizza just act like a road block- they end up making it more difficult to keep consuming ALL your meals and many times will cause you to be lazy and bloated and probably miss the last few meals of the day from being so satiated.
Next is the kitchen- my kitchen is a hazmat war zone- the cooking and preparation of foods is a constant revolving door of cooking, cleaning and throwing out trash- every trash day I look at our garbage can and its busting out and my neighbors cans look tame compared to ours- recycling bin is full of empty protein containers- its a mess and a perpetual cleaning job which I am admittedly slack about - thank god for my wife who keeps my ass in check on it.
Your eating schedule will be dictated by work, errands, and training schedules- get used to it- being literally chained to the fridge and going out to clubs and such is a thing of the past- just not practical if you wanna rest and eat to grow.
Supplements will become a big part of your life- obviously eating that much whole food is a daunting task- protein powders and gainers are a must if you value not popping like a cork.
Joint supplements, multi vitamins, fish oils, digestive aids, fat burners, creatines, NO products, and a myriad of training and recuperative aids will become a pill popping adventure- beware the supplement trap- keep it simple and use only whats necessary.
Oh yes and speaking of joint pains.
TRAINING:
Many guys think that off season means insane high volume workouts and a lot of them- well I beg to differ.
If you plan on getting bigger and stronger you will be lifting weights that are above and beyond your previous strength levels- this means a lot of wear and tear on joints and tendons- not too mention that if you are already a sizable guy that your body will take longer to recuperate the fibers you destroy more and more of with each subsequent workout. You will adopt a training methodology that will allow proper recuperation between lifting.
Currently I'm training EOD- thats right every 48 hours or so- that's how much longer its taking me to get over the damage I'm doing each workout now- if you are lifting heavy and using any modicum of intensity you will quickly see that your body will break down faster and faster- be smart and listen to it- once the aches and pains become a cumulative grouping it will be hard to do every day tasks- even with recuperation the stress of heavy training will leave you hurting on a daily basis- pain will become your bedfellow- deal with it- its what it takes to drive on.
Injuries will occur- best bet is to try not to get hurt doing things stupidly- and avoiding the big blow out injury that can sideline you for the entire off season.
A younger fellow about 6'4 maybe 200 lbs in decent shape came up and introduced himself to me- Im a bit anti-social but I introduced myself to him as well. He said "Dude you are my goal and slapped me on the delt." Now Im not big on being touched by another man- but I laughed- not about the slap- but about what he had said. He thinks he wants this but if I could sit down with him for an hour and explain to him the realities of getting bigger- he may have second thoughts.
Adding size to ones frame is a easily attained goal for most- but getting above your genetic potential is a different ball game and takes quite of bit of forcing it on your body.
Lets outline some of the finer points of getting big, and don't get me wrong- there are much larger men out there than me, but genetically some have a much easier time reaching above average largeness on bodybuilding scale.
I am a smaller boned individual and my clavicles have decent width- I tend to have a thicker core and larger hips and legs.
I am 5'11 and currently sitting at 282 with no clothes on.
Now let's start with some basics-
FOOD:
Holy shit- the amount of food that has to be consumed is unreal- just to gain a pound or 2 is about $2-300 in groceries a week- not too mention supplements like gainers and protein powders- add those in your looking at about $400 a week.
Not too mention consuming it- some days you just get plain sick of eating- and trying to consume clean sources of food that still have enough calories to support muscle growth is a very daunting task- its a high volume of food- digestive aids are just about essential- a colon cleanse is a daily used product to keep the pipes cleaned and help absorb all the food, that combined with a multi enzyme formula and especially some extra bromelain for the protein.
And then the water consumption- pounding all that food down is one thing but then trying to drink enough water to allow your body to remain properly hydrated is another thing- can you say BLOATED.
Visceral distention is something you better get accustomed too if you wanna dog it down properly.
Oh and you think you can get away with eating junk food to catch up on the calories??
WRONG- high fat foods like fried foods and pizza just act like a road block- they end up making it more difficult to keep consuming ALL your meals and many times will cause you to be lazy and bloated and probably miss the last few meals of the day from being so satiated.
Next is the kitchen- my kitchen is a hazmat war zone- the cooking and preparation of foods is a constant revolving door of cooking, cleaning and throwing out trash- every trash day I look at our garbage can and its busting out and my neighbors cans look tame compared to ours- recycling bin is full of empty protein containers- its a mess and a perpetual cleaning job which I am admittedly slack about - thank god for my wife who keeps my ass in check on it.
Your eating schedule will be dictated by work, errands, and training schedules- get used to it- being literally chained to the fridge and going out to clubs and such is a thing of the past- just not practical if you wanna rest and eat to grow.
Supplements will become a big part of your life- obviously eating that much whole food is a daunting task- protein powders and gainers are a must if you value not popping like a cork.
Joint supplements, multi vitamins, fish oils, digestive aids, fat burners, creatines, NO products, and a myriad of training and recuperative aids will become a pill popping adventure- beware the supplement trap- keep it simple and use only whats necessary.
Oh yes and speaking of joint pains.
TRAINING:
Many guys think that off season means insane high volume workouts and a lot of them- well I beg to differ.
If you plan on getting bigger and stronger you will be lifting weights that are above and beyond your previous strength levels- this means a lot of wear and tear on joints and tendons- not too mention that if you are already a sizable guy that your body will take longer to recuperate the fibers you destroy more and more of with each subsequent workout. You will adopt a training methodology that will allow proper recuperation between lifting.
Currently I'm training EOD- thats right every 48 hours or so- that's how much longer its taking me to get over the damage I'm doing each workout now- if you are lifting heavy and using any modicum of intensity you will quickly see that your body will break down faster and faster- be smart and listen to it- once the aches and pains become a cumulative grouping it will be hard to do every day tasks- even with recuperation the stress of heavy training will leave you hurting on a daily basis- pain will become your bedfellow- deal with it- its what it takes to drive on.
Injuries will occur- best bet is to try not to get hurt doing things stupidly- and avoiding the big blow out injury that can sideline you for the entire off season.
