Something exciting ahead...

[niko777]

Hi guys,

I decided to start another thread that won't be about my own progress. You see, I'm currently working with a friend I went to highschool with. He is about 5'10, I'd say, and probably 125 pounds. With his clothes on. I swear, he's scrawny.

Last week, another of my friends asked me to build her a workout/diet plan, which I did. My guy friend learned about it and came to me today to ask me if I could make him a workout plan. At first, I didn't think I would do it, because I know him well and I thought he wouldn't stick to it. But all of a sudden, he said the four magic words:

"I WANT TO GROW"

So, I asked to myself: "Am I gonna let this occasion of being part of a real muscle growth story go?"

Don't get me wrong. Of course, I'm excited to see some changes occur in my friend's body, like totally excited. However, I'm not taking him as a guinea pig. I want him to be happier and feel better about himself. His waist is so thin that he has trouble finding pants his size. A small size shirt looks big on him. He's so frail that he looks like he could be beaten by a teenage girl. And knowing him, if he asked me for help, it's because he trusts me, yes, but aslo because he's a bit desperate.

This is gonna be a challenge, guys. He refuses to go in a gym, and I kinda understand him, because EVERYBODY would judge him and find him F***ING weak, because, well, he is... So basically, I'll have to build him a HOME workout plan. He pretty much just has dumbbells, a thin mattress, MAYBE a bench and a stationary bicycle.

So, I was wondering if some of you had ideas for a home workout, because I want to see him happier, I want to see him grow, and I want to be able to be there for him.

Anyways, thanks for reading my novel (lol), and I hope you will be a lot to give me ideas, tips and advice. After all, would you let this occasion to participate to a real life muscle growth pass in front of you without doing anything to help?

Take care,

Niko777

[helliot]

A nice set of adjustable dumbbells (I like powerblocks, personally) go a long way. A good pullup bar is essential. Craigslist is your friend. Fitness is a temporary pursuit for so many people, so equipment is always passing hands cheaply.

Also, please take before pics and regular progress pics. It would be awesome if you could share them with us, but even if you can't, he'll appreciate them eventually.

[niko777]

Yeah, he has adjstable dumbbells, so his case is not that desperate. I think he also has a barbell, but I'm not sure. As for the pullup bar, I don't think he's there yet. I mean, I don't think he can make one pullup... :S We'll have to build up basic body strength before that for sure.

For the pics, I don't think it will be possible. You can't imagine how shy he is with his body. Like seriously, if I ask him to take before and after pics, he might just give up... he's a strange fellow, but he's my friend, lol. And taking pics would definitely be crossing a line, sadly. Like, I think I have 1 pic of his face and it's partially covered by his hand, lol. So sorry, no pics. However, I will write about his progress, that's for sure.

It would be so much easier if he accepted to go train in a gym! :S

I'll also have to "educate" him food wise. I mean, he asked me why he was so skinny, I asked him what a typical eating day was for him, and he said "2 or 3 meals a day, often just fruits for breakfast". IT MEANS THAT SOMETIMES HE JUST EATS FRUITS AND A BALONEY SANDWICH IN A WHOLE DAY!!! I was like "Are you serious, man?"

Anyways, thanks for your comment, i'll be sure to check on craigslist to see if I can find cheap equipment.

Take care,

Niko777

[helliot]

Originally Posted by niko777

As for the pullup bar, I don't think he's there yet. I mean, I don't think he can make one pullup...

I'm a big fan of cheater pullups (jumping up then slowing the negative) for those who can't do real ones yet.

[Ragetiger]

Originally Posted by helliot

I'm a big fan of cheater pullups (jumping up then slowing the negative) for those who can't do real ones yet.

Love the negatives and even slow reps. makes all those muscles work even harder, forcing them to grow bigger.

[niko777]

Great ideas, guys, I' ll tell him about it!

[GTlifter]

Great job niko777 I have a friend trying to lose weight and I'm helpign him out in the fall, he eats very little during the day and wonders why he wasn't losing weight but I told him about the storage and how it's easier to store calories as fat.

[niko777]

Thanks, GTlifter. I'm always surprised to see how people don't seem to understand that how you eat influences a lot your body. My friend really believed that the way he eats was going to make him gain weight, and your friend thought that eating very little makes you lose weight... If you starve yourself, your body is in panic state and stores calories as fat as emergency reserves. You have to show your body that your are not in danger, lol. And yet, how many people do I see starving themselves? A LOT.

I think it's nice that people like us are here to help them.

Take care, man,

Niko777

[GTlifter]

Exactly, well it's feels good to help people out and I remember when we were starting out and my knowledge was limited.

[debate1]

Any updated on your friend?

[niko777]

Sadly, he let me down. I was pissed. I did him a meal plan, a workout plan, and he just ABANDONED BEFORE EVEN TRYING. Boohoo. Oh well, it's his loss, right? Seriously, it's gonna take some time before I talk to him again, lol.

[ilimzn]

Originally Posted by niko777

Sadly, he let me down. I was pissed. I did him a meal plan, a workout plan, and he just ABANDONED BEFORE EVEN TRYING. Boohoo. Oh well, it's his loss, right? Seriously, it's gonna take some time before I talk to him again, lol.

Sadly, you better get used to that sort of thing. Most people think you get big by 'going to the gym and lifting some weights' which in their heads translates to about 10-15minutes of attention span + work. Getting big and strong is work, and most don't like work, period. Of course, they will gladly spend a bundle on some sort of 'miracle pill' because downing those is not work. For the same reason they will point a 'steroid finger' at anyone who actually gets big, in their minds it's just an illegal injectible version of said pill that they could not or dared not afford.
I have found it much more productive to xplain in about 10 minutes or so what 'getting bigger' involves, time, food, money-wise, and I use myself as an example - my genetics is very unfavorable and I've been doing this for about 16 years. The point is, people usually have this notion that they could get to where I am in oh, some 3 months or so, so then, since they don't want to get that far, they ought to be able to do it in 2-3 weeks. They also don't see what you do on a daily basis because they are not there the whole day - in some cases they only see the 4-5 hours in the gym a week. Laying it all down puts them back on planet earth and saves a whole lot of futile effort, mostly on my part. It filters out the 99 wannabes out of the 100, and the 1 remaining is really worth the effort.

[niko777]

But I did explain everything I did, and he said he was thrilled and that he wanted to do this. I told him that he would have to change completely his eating habits, his sleeping habits (he sleeps about 5 hours a night...), etc. If he didn't seem enthusiastic about it, I would NEVER have made a plan for him. I mean, it's not as if I forced him to accept, right? He was the one who came to me and wanted to progress.

Oh well, you are right, life if full of those wannabes...

[Mdlftr]

Great thread! It's very true that people cannot benefit from all the good meal planning and workout routine advice in the world until they are actually ready to do it! Takes years in some cases. Ahem....like mine! Then, once you really get in to it--LOOK OUT!


Mdlftr