My transformation starts on monday!

[niko777]

Hi guys!

I've decided to transform my body and to live a real-life muscle growth experience. My goal (for now) is to gain 30 pounds. Here are my stats:

- 6 feet tall
- 180 pounds
- 32.5" waist
- 15.5" biceps
- 41" chest
- 15.5" neck
- 15" calves

So basically, in the next 2 months, I'll eat like there is no tomorrow and train like a madman. Here are the stats I would like to have at the end of my bulk:

- 6 feet tall
- 210 pounds
- 34" waist (max)
- 16.5"-17" biceps
- 44" chest
- 16.5" neck
- 16" calves

Here are the supplements I'll use:
- Glutamine
- Creatine
- Weight gainer (I don't remember the brand...)
- Multivitamins

I'll use this thread as a way to monitor my progress. Wish me good luck!

[Ragetiger]

It's all I can really say, but don't be disapointed if you don't reach your goals. It took me four months just to lose 30 lbs, then again my body type and job stress played a role into that.

Seems that you havea good idea on what you need to grow. Just remember to push hard and push often. I still train 5-6 days a week an hour a day - unless I don't have to work, then it's 3-4 hours.

There is the "watch me grow" section, my might want to see about moving the thread down there. Or keep it here cause it does fall under the right category.

To beat arpeejay, pixs, dammit, pixs.

An excellent modivator are the before and after pictures. Not sure how much change you can see from month to month, but over time you can't imagine being a "before"

Anyways good luck

[CelticMuscle]

Originally Posted by niko777

- 180 pounds
- 32.5" waist
- 15.5" biceps
- 41" chest
- 15.5" neck
- 15" calves

- 210 pounds (+16%)
- 34" waist (max) (+5%)
- 16.5"-17" biceps (+10%)
- 44" chest (+7%)
- 16.5" neck (+6%)
- 16" calves (+7%)

All sounds prefectly reasonable I think.

[niko777]

Thanks for the feedback, guys! I will do all I can to achieve those goals. I think my objective is, as CelticMuscle wrote, reasonable, but I know I'll have to work hard. I already work out 5-6 days a week about an hour a day or more, if I have time, but my training was more cardio/toning oriented lately, so I'll have to go in hypertrophy mode.

The toughest for me is eating, sincerely. I have trouble eating more than 4000 calories a day without feeling like vomiting all day, lol. Do you have some tips on how to incorporate more (good) calories into your diet without eating crap and feeling bad all day long? 4000 calories may look like a lot (or not, I don't really know...), but if I just eat 3000 calories, I don't gain any weight...

Well, thanks in advance for your tips!

[niko777]

Oh, and I do want to keep that thread in that section of the site, since I want to do a "Live" real life muscle growth storie, lol.

[niko777]

Ok, so I just came back from my first "transformation workout" and I have to say it has been the best workout since a long time. Today was arms day. Unpumped, my biceps are 15.5", but when I measured them after the workout, they were 16 1/8"! (In fact, they still are while I'm writing this.) It feels like my skin is about to burst!

I started the day with a glass of apple juice + 5 gr. of glutamine. Then, 30 minutes later, I've had a big breakfast (about 700 calories). In a few minutes, I'll have a protein shake with 10 gr. of creatine + 5 gr. of glutamine. Finally, before going to work, I'll have dinner.

Do some of you have tips on how to incorporate more calories into your diet without eating crap or feeling like vomiting all day long?

Thanks in advance.

[niko777]

Hi guys!

I just woke up this morning feeling tight, so I decided to measure mi biceps and BAM! My arms are 15.75 inches! I mean, yesterday, they were 15.5! That must be because au creatine.

Anyways, I'm so excited right now so I guess I'll go put that energy in the gym.

[niko777]

Hi guys!

I'm very excited because this morning, there were veins on my arms! I mean, they were there before but they weren't as big. It's so awesome to touch them and feel them bounce back!

Yesterday was a leg day and it was awesome, and I trained really hard. However, I have to walk about 7 hours a day for my summer job, so I can tell you that after the gym and the job, my legs were KILLING me! Lol. This morning, I feel a bit better, but I'll take the day off and concentrate on eating and eating and... eating.

Take care!

[Jim USA]

Where are the "before" pictures? Plus we expect "during" and "after" pictures of course.

[niko777]

Hi guys!

I don't feel comfortable enough to post pics yet... I'll probably do so once my transformation is over.

I decided to update my progress every sunday. Here we are!

Weight: 182 pounds (gain: 2 pounds)
Biceps: Just under 16 inches (gain: about 3/8 of an inch)
Chest: 42 inches (gain: 1 inch)
Neck: 16 inches (gain: 1/2 inch)
Calves: 15.5 inches (gain: 1/2 inch)
Waist: about the same (32.5)
Quads (I had never measured them): 24 inches

So that's it, I'll keep updating so you can see how my real life transformation is doing! Take care,

Niko777

[niko777]

Ok, here's what's happening.

I'm a bit pissed right now because I actually LOST 1 pound this week! I eat twice as much as I usually do and BAM!, I lose weight. I gained muscle, so I know I lost fat, and that makes me happy, but my wish is to get to 210 pounds THEN cut down the fat...

Here's a small update:

Weight: 181 pounds (lost 1 pound)
Biceps: Just under 16 inches (the same)
Chest: 42 inches (the same)
Neck: 16.5 inches (Gain: 1/2 inch. I work really hard on my neck, and it shows! I've attained my neck objective, now I'll try to go past it!)
Calves: 16 inches (Gains; 1/2 inch. I work really hard on my calves and they are growing! I also attained my calves objective and will go past it!)
Waist: about the same (32.5 inches)
Quads: 24.5 inches (Gain: 1/2 inch)

So, that's it for now, I'll certainly have to eat a lot more even if I hate it. Take care, guys!

[1bigwoof]

Congrats on your progress so far. Try not to fret over momentary lapses in your growth. As long as the long-term trend is up, you will be happy with the results. If you start plateauing, switch your workout routine. Keep shoveling the food down and the growth should continue nicely. Good luck!

[niko777]

Thanks! I guess I'll keep shoveling the food down, as you say!

[niko777]

I lost another pound damnit!!! Back to 180 pounds. But my biceps are 16 inches and my chest is 42.5! My body is way tooo strange right now, lol.

Ya know what? I think I'll focus on getting stronger and bigger for now and stop focusing on my weight, it's gonna make me crazy! I mean, if I lose fat and gain muscle, I can be, I don't know, a ripped 180 pounds guy, right? That would be awesome, I think.

Anyways, all my lifts went up, so I won't give up!

Take care,

Niko777

[niko777]

Hi guys,

This morning my biceps are 16 1/8 inches unpumped! They're growing fast and i love it. I must say i'm real hard with them, lol! And because of that, I live a funny experience I had to share with you guys.

When I started my "transformation", I used 30 pounds dumbbells for hammer curls because that was pretty much the heaviest I could lift for reps (3 x 10 reps). Well, yesterday morning, which was arms day, I used 45 pounds dumbbells for reps and it almost felt easy! So, basically, there I was, lifting weights and these two dudes came by and started hammer curling too, since it was probably their arms day too. The first one is a big roided bodybuilder type (I've see him inject himself in the lockeroom, so it's no free judgment from me, don't worry!) and, basically, he was lifting the same amount I was lifting and he was having a hard time! The second one is about 2 years older than me, has more muscle mass than me and is more ripped than I am. Well, he was having a hard time too, but with 40 pounds dumbbells! Imagine: there I was, standing in the middle on two muscle guys, the three of us looking at the same time in the mirrored wall, lifting weights and being pumped, and me being the strongest of the three! I was so excited about being strong that I had to control a raging hard-on, I swear! But you should have seen the guy about 2 years older than me looking at me doing reps and reps with a weight that was too hevy for him... That was priceless.

Take care,

Niko777

[cuervomuscle]

I know the feeling of just showing off to the bigger guys that are definite roid heads. Wait until you start curling 60 lbs dumbbells for hammer curls like I do, then you'll get a hard on.

[niko777]

Lol, I can't wait to hammer curl 60 lbs dumbbells! I would train biceps and triceps everyday if I could, but muscles have to rest to grow... so waiting is better at the end. I'm not only craving for growth, I'm craving for strength too, now!

[niko777]

This morning, I'm a bit sad and very excited. I feel bigger than ever and it feels great. However, when I tried to put on a beautiful dress shirt I bought last summer (and that fit me about 2 months ago), it didn't fit at all! I looked like a wrapped piece of meat in it, especially around the chest and shoulder area. The waist was fine, but the rest wasn't, so I can't possibly put that shirt on anymore, I would look ridiculous. I mean, I'm wearing the same pants I used to wear when I was 30 pounds lighter, so I guess it really is because I gained muscle that it doesn't fit anymore. And no, I won't try to hulk-out of it, it's a really expensive and great quality shirt, lol!

Anyways, I'll need to go shopping soon!

Take care,

Niko777

[1bigwoof]

Originally Posted by niko777

This morning, I'm a bit sad and very excited. I feel bigger than ever and it feels great. However, when I tried to put on a beautiful dress shirt I bought last summer (and that fit me about 2 months ago), it didn't fit at all! I looked like a wrapped piece of meat in it, especially around the chest and shoulder area. The waist was fine, but the rest wasn't, so I can't possibly put that shirt on anymore, I would look ridiculous. I mean, I'm wearing the same pants I used to wear when I was 30 pounds lighter, so I guess it really is because I gained muscle that it doesn't fit anymore. And no, I won't try to hulk-out of it, it's a really expensive and great quality shirt, lol!

Anyways, I'll need to go shopping soon!

Take care,

Niko777

OK, don't hulk out of it but at least take a picture of the meat wrapped in it!!!

[niko777]

Lol, I won't post pics until I feel comfortable to do so...
Today was arms and shoulders day and it went really well. I curled 190 lbs on the preacher curl machine, used the 50 lbs dumbbells for hammer curls and for concentration curls. It may not look like a lot for some of you guys, but to me, it's a huge progress.

Anyways, I'm proud of myself right now and more excited than ever!

[niko777]

Today was awesome! I met this friend of mine I hadn't seen for about 6 months and when she saw me she said: "Dude, you work out, do you? Cuz you're buff!" And then she felt my biceps and her eyes opened wide! I really felt like I was in a muscle growth story! I had to share this!

Take care,

Niko777

[1bigwoof]

Originally Posted by niko777

Today was awesome! I met this friend of mine I hadn't seen for about 6 months and when she saw me she said: "Dude, you work out, do you? Cuz you're buff!" And then she felt my biceps and her eyes opened wide! I really felt like I was in a muscle growth story! I had to share this!

Take care,

Niko777

Congratulations, Niko...evidently you're making progress whether YOU see it or not. Thanks for sharing and keep it up!!

[niko777]

Gosh, today was not a good day... I realized I have been overtraining for the past few weeks and that it may be why I didn't make bigger progress... Lol. When I decided to do strength training, I started lifting heavier weights and doing fewer reps, but I forgot to adjust the times I actually workout, to let my muscles rest and, at the same time, grow. Can you believe I would actually train biceps 3 times a week or more? So, today, I was training arms and they started hurting really bad, not because I was lifting weights that were too heavy for me, but because my arms were f***ing tired. I think I'll train each bodypart twice a week starting next week until I'm as strong as I want to be. We all learn from our mistakes and I'm no exception...

What do you think about it? Can overtraining actually make you lose gains?

[1bigwoof]

Overtraining and lack of sleep are two of the biggest reasons guys don't grow like they want. If you're going to train the same bodypart twice in a week, I would suggest limiting your sets to 6 or 7 per part. Try it for a couple of weeks and see how it goes.

[niko777]

Thanks for the advice, 1bigwoof. I intend to work my bodyparts twice a week and do something like that:

Monday: Arms + shoulders
Tuesday: Legs +pecs+back
Wednesday: Off
Thursday:Arms + shoulders
Friday: Legs + pecs + back
Weekend: Off

What do you think about it? It is a simplified workout I wrote here, I didn't include abs, forearms and neck, for example, but I will train them for sure.

Thanks,

Niko777

[1bigwoof]

Honestly, I'm not thrilled with the routine you've suggested. If four is the maximum times you plan to lift in a week, I'd suggest something like the following:

Mon: Chest & Triceps
Tues: Legs & Shoulders
Wed: Off
Thurs: Back & Biceps
Fri: Chest & Triceps

The next Mon would be Legs & Shoulders and so forth. Doing this routine, I would suggest 10 sets per small body part and 12-14 for large ones (e.g. Legs, Chest, & Back). You would hit two body parts twice a week (but different ones each week). This will help keep your body "confused"--leading to more growth. Also, I don't ever like to train Shoulders the day before Chest--this routine would avoid that. Good luck.

[niko777]

Thanks, 1bigwoof. This routine looks really great, but training biceps and legs only once a week each would be like impossible for me, since they're the bodyparts I like the most to train, lol. I understand the "no training of the shoulders before chest", I would have never thought about it by myself.

About the biceps, I like to work them in supersets with triceps, so I tend to train them the same day... even though it would be also logical to train them with the chest. I'M SO CONFUSED!!!

Oh well, I think I'll do something like this:

Mon: Arms + chest
Tues: Legs + back + shoulders
Wed: Off
Thurs: Arms + chest
Friday: Legs + back + shoulders

That way, there are alway at least 48 hours or more between workouts of the same boddyparts. Plus, I like going to the gym almost everyday, but if there are no exercises I like in one workout, it'll be tough for me to do my best and to actually finish my workout. It's bad, but I know myself very well so I know I have to be "entertained" while training and, luckily, working on my biceps and legs entertains me, lol.

Oh, and I simply adore your idea of rotating workouts to keep the body confused! I will five it a shot, that's for sure.

Anyways, it's been 2 days since I've trained my arms and, miracle, they are 16.25 this morning! I really just needed to rest my arms, that's all, which really means I was overtraining.

Thanks again, 1bigwoof, your advices are really precious to me.

Take care,

Niko777

[niko777]

Hi everybody,

It's been 3 weeks since I started my real-life transformation. During those 3 weeks, I have made a lot of efforts to reach my goals (which can be found at the beginning of the thread) and I have made a few mistakes, from which I learned. Here is the progress I made in 3 weeks:

Stats:

Waist --> 32.5" to 32.5" (No change there)
Biceps --> 15.5" to 16.25" (3/4 of an inch!)
Chest --> 41" to a bit above 42" (more than an inch)
Neck --> 15.5" to 16.5" (an inch)
Calves --> 15" calves to 16 1/8" (More than an inch)
Quads --> 24" to 25" (an inch)
Weight --> 180 lbs to 184 lbs (4 pounds)

Strength (generally 4 series of 7-10 reps)

Preacher curl machine --> 140 lbs to 195 lbs
Dips --> 2 or 3 reps to 3 series of 15 reps
Hammer curl --> 30 lbs dumbbells to 55 lbs dumbbells
Concentration curl --> 25 lbs to 50 lbs dummbell
Skull crushers --> 30 lbs barbell to 60 lbs barbell
Inverted biceps curl --> 50 lbs barbell to 90 lbs barbell
Leg extension --> 100 lbs to 200 lbs
Leg curl --> 90 lbs to 135 lbs
Leg adduction --> 205 lbs to 295 lbs
Leg abduction --> 205 lbs to 295 lbs
Calves press --> 140 lbs to 360 lbs
Leg press --> 180 lbs to 360 lbs
Flies machine --> 130 lbs to 220 lbs

I won't write down all the exercises I do and the progress I made, it would be too long, lol. But that gives you a good idea of the strength and stats progress I made. I'm happy with the progress I made so far and I can't wait to grow bigger and stronger!

Take care,
Niko777

Been keeping track of your progress dude and I have to say you're doing pretty well! KEEP IT UP! Just wait till you're a huge muscle freak, you'll feel amazing. Feel the addiction, the mass and thinking of yourself will give you hard-ons! YEAH BRO DO IT!

[niko777]

Thanks, infinite_muscle! Comments like yours keep me inspired and leave me wanting to be bigger and stronger! You can be sure I'll keep it up!

[niko777]

Hi guys,

Today was arms and chest day and it was great! I actually performed, for the first time of my life, 3 sets of 7-10 reps of inward hammer curls with 60 lbs dumbbells! And with perfect form, that is, since it's very important to me. I was so excited! But the most exciting part was that two "macho-type" guys I went to highschool with were watching me doing every single rep with their eyes wide opened! They were constantly looking at each other like they were thinking "Dude, that guy is so strong! He's about our age and is lifting almost twice what we're lifting right now!"

Lucky me, I had baggy shorts... lol. It always gives me a hard on when I see that I'm getting stronger and that I'm stronger than guys I used to envy.

Take care,

Niko777

[1bigwoof]

Originally Posted by niko777

Hi guys,

Today was arms and chest day and it was great! I actually performed, for the first time of my life, 3 sets of 7-10 reps of inward hammer curls with 60 lbs dumbbells! And with perfect form, that is, since it's very important to me. I was so excited! But the most exciting part was that two "macho-type" guys I went to highschool with were watching me doing every single rep with their eyes wide opened! They were constantly looking at each other like they were thinking "Dude, that guy is so strong! He's about our age and is lifting almost twice what we're lifting right now!"

Lucky me, I had baggy shorts... lol. It always gives me a hard on when I see that I'm getting stronger and that I'm stronger than guys I used to envy.

Take care,

Niko777

What a great post...congrats, Niko! It is awesome when you leave "big guys" in your dust. Good thing about the baggy shorts--hope you have lots of 'em

[niko777]

Thanks, 1bigwoof! Yes I do have a lot of baggy shorts, lol. Yesterday was definitely an ego-boosting day. Those two guys at the gym who were admiring my strength boosted my ego, yes, but after the gym 3 persons in 3 different situations made me compliments about my muscles! Can you believe it?

First, I saw this friend of mine I hadn't seen in months and she asked me: "Hey, dude, did you get taller?" When I asked her why she was asking me that, she answered: "Well, you look... bigger. Everywhere." OMG! (Oh, and I didn't get taller, by the way, lol!)

After that, at work, a co-worker asked me if I was working out. When I said yes, he said:"I knew it!", which means he had been looking at me for some time already!

Finally, when I came home, my brother looked at me, slightly poked my pec and said: "Looks like your hitting your chest pretty hard... and your arms too... cool."

So, yesterday was a good day.

Take care,

Niko777

[niko777]

Hi guys!

Today is my day off, so I have some time to write down my plans for the weeks to come. At the end of the week, it's going to be 1 month since I started strength training and I'm a lot stronger than I was a month ago. (For example, I could only leg press 180 lbs for a few reps before and yesterday, I leg pressed 400 lbs pretty easily...) So, basically, I'll start my hypertrophy training next week and try to cut some fat at the same time. I pretty much know what kind of workouts I'm going to do, but if you want you can give me some advice, since I don't know everything and there are a lot of knoledgeable people on this forum.

Thanks in advance,

Niko777

[niko777]

Hi guys!

Today was my last arms strength workout for a while and it was amazing! I did 4 sets of 7 reps of hammer curl with 65 lbs dumbbells! Can you believe it? I more than doubled the amount of weight I was able to hammer curl in about a month! I was so proud of myself.

Anyways, if some of you guys have tips to give me about hypertrophy workouts, I would really appreciate it!

Thanks in advance,

Niko777

[niko777]

Hi guys!

Basically, I decided I would train in hypertrophy, yes, but also train in strength at the same time, just to make my muscles confused. Let's hope it will give great results! I now weight 185-186 pounds and most of my stats are the same as last week. My chest is slightly bigger (It's 42.5" now!) and so are my calves (16.25"). I really like to see some definition coming on my legs along with size. On tuesday, I'll try to leg press 500 pounds, since 470 was really easy. Can you imagine that I'll use a weight that's a little less than 3 times what I could press in the beginning?

Anyways, today is arms day and I'll use lighter weight and do longer sets for some exercises, but I'll keep trying to hammer curl heavy weights (I'm shooting for 70 lbs dumbbells today!).

I'll give some update soon if there is a need for that!

Take care,

Niko777

[niko777]

Just came back of my arms workout and it rocked! I did 3 series of inward hammer curls with 70 lbs dumbbells and gosh did I get a pump! I realized I was extremely pumped when I tried to scratch my left shoulder with my left hand and couldn't touch it! OMG! Anyways, my arms, pumped, are 16 5/8" right now! I'm so excited.

Take care,

Niko777

[1bigwoof]

Originally Posted by niko777

Just came back of my arms workout and it rocked! I did 3 series of inward hammer curls with 70 lbs dumbbells and gosh did I get a pump! I realized I was extremely pumped when I tried to scratch my left shoulder with my left hand and couldn't touch it! OMG! Anyways, my arms, pumped, are 16 5/8" right now! I'm so excited.

Take care,

Niko777

Excellent work, Niko....maintain your good form and up the weights and vary the sets and you'll keep growing like a maniac.

[niko777]

Thank you, 1bigwoof! It is my intention to keep growing "like a maniac", as you wrote so well. I think one of the things I like the most in growing bigger is waking up in the morning and feeling bigger than the day before! I mean, I don't flex my arms right now and they are really hard! At the end of the week I'll get some measurements done.

Take care,

Niko777

[growingbigger]

Sounds awesome, niko, keep it up!