Ask a Fitness Model - Page 6

@JB: agree and disagree. I kind of agree because your core should be worked religiously when doing these lifts, though the lifts themselves. If you hit a sticking point, however, it could easily be because you lack the core strength necessary to move forward. I rarely do either any more because my chiro asked me not to in order to avoid the risk of reinjury (he's an ex powerlifter and works with the D1 college in my hometown), so I feel I should begin supplementing it again. I still do them occasionally but I go very light, and not for any particular reason - I just don't want to be that bitch that never does legs so I'll hit them once every two or three weeks. I have to be careful because they are definitely my strong point and become disproportionally large in a hurry. Deadlifts I like a ton (easily my favorite exercise), but it's virtually impossible to go quite heavy and keep perfect form (i.e. no rounded back). c'est la vie I suppose... edit note: working core a lot doesn't necessarily bring you better abs when you take your shirt off at the beach. I feel it's a performance / health issue to keep a strong one, but for vanity it's kind of a wash for me. I look no better with or without the exercises, but I feel "safer" so to speak having done them so I don't have to go through another 8 months of not being able to stand up straight to walk.

^ I agree. Though I did go through rehab myself. I remember when I first started working out hard and had trouble squatting over 225 or deadlifting over 265. When I figured out it was easier to keep the core tight (I don't mind the word, but I don't like when people think I'm referring to f***ing crunches when I say it) the numbers exploded up. I do feel that direct work does have the benefit of mind/muscle connection, however, and being able to control the muscle/breathing/flexion is important for heavy lifts. My totals at my strongest and heaviest were only 1165. I'm better at looking pretty than lifting heavy shit

eat more! I outlined in an earlier post a diet style that lets you gain without putting on too much excess fat. 2 times a day supplemented with shakes is alright, but obviously not ideal. Both are important and tbh eating properly consistently is imo harder than 5 hrs in the gym and $50. But yes, eating is crucial. Eating a lot is even more crucial when you're having trouble gaining weight. I've been there. I was 122 as a freshman in college and I ate 3-4 times/day in the cafeteria (unlimited meal plan) and downed usually 3 shakes a day. I dreaded eating because I knew I would stuff in so much food it was going to make me feel terrible. But I didn't care and was tired of being so skinny. I tallied it up for a few days and I was between 4500-6000, mostly averaging around the 5k mark. Now it's easier to eat the necessary food because (1) I have more tissue to feed so I can eat more, and (2) I don't eat but around 3200 calories any more. Still a lot but not impossible clean. Shakes are a huge life and time saver. You're also a bastard because you have a more photogenic (read: better looking in general) face than I do. I'm sad to say that's my limiting factor in taking it further. shoot me a PM if you're serious about putting something on your frame and I'll detail what I did to start. I don't necessarily want to put it here because it's atypical. For anyone who wants to lean up (which is what the majority of PMs I've gotten are about), I don't think you should eat 5k+/day :-P And if you need to, you have enough muscle that I would take advice from you. I was already in pretty good shape but just had little muscle mass or weight training experience, but a fiendish metabolism. I'm not a fan tbh. I've taken them before and my workouts might be marginally better, but not enough to merit the price. I'd rather spend the money on food or a night out. Man it's like this. Everyone is busy. I'm going through recruiting, a full courseload at a demanding school (i don't want to be specific but it's an ivy), I work as a consultant for a nutrition store, work with a few clients back home on diets and routines for shoots/competitions, and I'm on the board of directors for a precious metal/natural resource mining corporation. That's without getting into my personal life which has turned into one gigantic clusterfuck. If it's something you want you'll find the time to do it. It sucks but there really is no easy way to get it done. I doubt anyone will sleight you for having a shake while you're at your desk. Otherwise most places have 5-15m breaks and you can down something then. Invest in a blender. Magic bullets are like $50 (about the same as your no.xplode). Mix a shake up, put it in a cup with a lid and drink it when necessary. I still hate noxplode. I crashed exactly 30 minutes after taking it and it raped my stomach. If I was going to take a pre workout drink, Arnge crush is pretty good. It tastes a lot like kool-aid and was a lot easier on my stomach (which is admittedly very weak). serving per serving it's about the same cost-wise (i.e. more expensive but you don't need double or triple scoops like you do for NO. I doubled up once when I was stimulant tolerant [popping diet and energy pills like candy. I think I had some ephedra as well] and I thought I was going to die. Shit's stout.) For straight energy I'm still a redline junkie.