Well, it seems like there is a bit of attention being payed to this now!!! Good, I hope that some more people pipe up and decide to start "getting into shape".
![Grin ;D](http://www.fishingwithrod.com/yabbse/Smileys/default/grin.gif)
So, I don't know where to start, so why don't I get right to it!!I little background on myself. When I was 16, being real thin, and not having much power to back up my punches and kicks, I decided to start training to simply add strength. I weighed in at a meager 120 lbs at 5' 9"!!!! My mom was really into nutrition, and I had studied many different ways of training before I actually did any. SO I had a decent idea of what to do, and form, not weigh was my focus. What do you know, I guess that I had my Dad's genetics(he was huge without ever lifting a weight), after 6 solid months, I was up to 150lbs and feeling good, still at about 6% body fat!! Then my goals started to change, I suddenly wanted to get bigger. Changed the workout, and another 6 months had gone by I was 165lbs, now in a year I had gained 45lbs and grew a bit over an inch as well!!
Again, goals changed, I wanted to be a bodybuilder now, and fighting had sort of taken a back seat!!! So, I changed my diet to 10000 calories a day, and didn't really worry about putting on a little fat. After another year, WITH NO STERIODS, as I was between 17-18, I was up to around 245 lbs, benching over 450 for sets and Military pressing over 400lbs for sets!! started to become freakish to my family, but they were impressed by my intensity and dedication. Over the next year, off eating, sleeping and training, also working, but not that much, as I still lived at home, at one point I made it to the heaviest I had ever been, 282lbs. Had a bit of a gut though, and there was a tourney coming up in Nova Scotia that I wanted to enter. SO I started dieting and made it down to 245lbs at 5-7 % bodyfat. I thought that I looked pretty good, and finished 2nd in prejudging. You'll never guess what happened that night, I got hit by a car on my motorcycle and was in the hospital for what seemed like forever and was off my feet for around a year. That finished my ambitions. Dropped to 160lbs, and could never really get it going again. I did for a year here and a year there, but never put anything consistant together.
But it seems different this time, since I found out my dad was dying, it gave me a much better focus. For 7 weeks now, my mindset has been strong and getting stronger with each workout. I started training about 6 weeks ago, after getting the diet in check. When I started I was 228lbs with a decent, but not huge gut. I had been down to 201lbs upon arriving back from Winnipeg after my dads passing, but over the last two weeks, now that I am sleeping and eating properly again, was difficult for a bit there, I have put on a bit of weight and am back up to 207lbs. The abs are coming along fairly well, and I am happy.
I have not been using anything (supplements) as of yet, just eating right and sleeping. The recovery after a workout has been rather surprising, but we'll see if that continues now that I have again turned up the pressure. Any tips on what I might need to start using, as I have a feeling that I will plateau sooner or later would be greatly appreciated.
Rick, I will be in touch regarding this issue, as well Brian, if you have any other input that would be great. Also Rick and Brian, along with anyone else, feel free to post some pics. I might as well, I wish that I had some from back when, but I have moved all the way across the country and don't know where they made it to over the last 12 years!!!
I'm sure that there will be some good critiques on what each of us need to improve on, which could come in handy because sometimes we don't see what others do.
Also, my biceps have been notorious hard gainers over the years, so any tips on what else I could do, or if I might be doing to much. This is what I am doing for them right now.
The first 2 rotate monthly. Alternate dumbell curls and Ez bar barbell curls. 4 sets after a light warm up. Keeping reps between 10-12 on all sets. Next, and one of my favorites, cable preachers with either curl bar or straight bar. 4 sets, all sets between 10-12 reps, with no neg reps on last set.
I finish with Concentration curls. 4 sets 10-12 reps. This is the bi workout I finally came up with that actually works for me, but any other input is always welcome.
This seems to be long enough, so I will end it there for now. If you can get all the way through it then great, if not then I'm sorry!!!
![Grin ;D](http://www.fishingwithrod.com/yabbse/Smileys/default/grin.gif)