Ask a Fitness Model

@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 ***** 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...

Originally Posted by why

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And really any excess ab work is usually pointless.
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.

Originally Posted by Noir.

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@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.

That's a great way to sell people in the industry, but it's really not that important for people outside of rehab. There's no real core exercises when the weights in some of the most taxing core workouts are at a certain level (say 250+) because there's not enough tension. The 'core' (I actually hate that term) is almost entirely the transverse and deeper abdominals which assist in spine stabilization. Trying to strengthen these muscles beyond a certain point with hip flexion, abdominal flexion, or one of the many other movements is near impossible because the actual prime moving muscles are a bottleneck in the exercises. The hip extensors and spinal erectors are needed after a certain point of strength has been reached.

^ 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 ****

****, I am definitely not eating enough to build muscle. Well, certainly not on weekends when I sleep until 12, wake up, eat spaghetti and meatballs, go lift at 7:30, then have two shakes afterwards and some granola. Somehow I gotta get another meal in there.

hey noir, i appreciate you making this thread. i believe this is what forums should be about. Helping each other out with knowledge that others do not have. Anyways, I am 6'0 about 175-180 and looking at gaining about 20 LB of muscle while still keeping my 6 pack.Is this even possible?

Little background: i am a full time college student, working, and I work out about 4-5 times a week. One of my problems is that i only eat 1-2 times a day. I take N O xplode and I am going to start taking Monster Milk.

Any input will be much appreciated.

Start making and taking shakes, because unless you can down 3k Kcal + in one sitting, 1/2 times a day wont cut it. And remember to cycle your NOxplode.

Originally Posted by cpmac7

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hey noir, i appreciate you making this thread. i believe this is what forums should be about. Helping each other out with knowledge that others do not have. Anyways, I am 6'0 about 175-180 and looking at gaining about 20 LB of muscle while still keeping my 6 pack.Is this even possible?

Little background: i am a full time college student, working, and I work out about 4-5 times a week. One of my problems is that i only eat 1-2 times a day. I take N O xplode and I am going to start taking Monster Milk.

Any input will be much appreciated.

if you can put the effort into working out 4-5 times a week, and are apparently willing to spend $ on supplements etc, why not spend the comparatively minimal effort and eat properly?

It may not be the same way for you guys but I find it extremely hard to eat enough to gain weight. I just don't feel that hungry and usually end up taking in sub-2200 calories in a day. I'll do things like buy a can of mixed nuts and try to down some even when I'm already full but I've never been able to put more than 5 lbs on my frame and if I do it always drops back down to 140 if I slack at all on the caloric intake.

I don't take supplements, but comparitively speaking, eating a lot takes a lot of effort for me.

NO products are bullshit.

Originally Posted by mkerr

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if you can put the effort into working out 4-5 times a week, and are apparently willing to spend $ on supplements etc, why not spend the comparatively minimal effort and eat properly?

Like I stated before. I gotta work and go to school full time. You guys are right tho. I think the only way to do this is if i eat properly.

Originally Posted by James Bond

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NO products are bullshit.

Not when you get 5-6 hours of sleep a night, work 10 hour shifts, and the only time you can work out is right after work. NOXplode saves ******* lives.

Originally Posted by Eason

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Not when you get 5-6 hours of sleep a night, work 10 hour shifts, and the only time you can work out is right after work. NOXplode saves ******* lives.

It's a great mixer with Everclear too.

Originally Posted by cpmac7

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hey noir, i appreciate you making this thread. i believe this is what forums should be about. Helping each other out with knowledge that others do not have. Anyways, I am 6'0 about 175-180 and looking at gaining about 20 LB of muscle while still keeping my 6 pack.Is this even possible? Little background: i am a full time college student, working, and I work out about 4-5 times a week. One of my problems is that i only eat 1-2 times a day. I take N O xplode and I am going to start taking Monster Milk. Any input will be much appreciated.
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.

Originally Posted by mkerr

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if you can put the effort into working out 4-5 times a week, and are apparently willing to spend $ on supplements etc, why not spend the comparatively minimal effort and eat properly?
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.

Originally Posted by Brian SD

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It may not be the same way for you guys but I find it extremely hard to eat enough to gain weight. I just don't feel that hungry and usually end up taking in sub-2200 calories in a day. I'll do things like buy a can of mixed nuts and try to down some even when I'm already full but I've never been able to put more than 5 lbs on my frame and if I do it always drops back down to 140 if I slack at all on the caloric intake. I don't take supplements, but comparitively speaking, eating a lot takes a lot of effort for me.
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 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.

Originally Posted by James Bond

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NO products are bullshit.
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.

Originally Posted by cpmac7

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Like I stated before. I gotta work and go to school full time. You guys are right tho. I think the only way to do this is if i eat properly.
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.

Originally Posted by Eason

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Not when you get 5-6 hours of sleep a night, work 10 hour shifts, and the only time you can work out is right after work. NOXplode saves ******* lives.
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. ****'s stout.) For straight energy I'm still a redline junkie.

Noir - would you post a daily diet plan that would consist of 3200+ calories.

This is the area that I am deficient in and I feel that it slows down my growth dramatically.

Thanks in advance.

Noir thanks for the compliment (photoshop can do a lot for a person's face).

I'm sure others could benefit from the same information, it would probably be best just to post it here instead of restricting it to PM.