[hvanantwerp]

Greetings from the newbie, I would like to take this opportunity to introduce and share a bit of myself.

In short I have been doing the training gig for about 2 years now after about 8 years of dormancy, a lot of boozing and clubbing, suddenly I was twice the man I was before :)

I had to make a change but progress has been slow, I have not been able to understand what was the cause. I have been a constant 95Kg for the two years with a fair tire round the middle. I couldn’t understand why I was able to shift more weight at the gym but not show a reduction in my physical appearance, sure there is a bit of firming up everywhere but it just doesn’t look like I am getting anywhere. That's when I started looking for help on the web, found The Dungeon and was able to get some more information from here, after reading two threads, 'So you think you're a hardgainer?' by Beefcake and '39 and in the best shape of my life' by 1morerep it became clear to me that the problem was not with the routine, not with the rest breaks, not with the protein shakes I was taking etc but with my diet, something is lacking and as such keeping me back from shaking off the body fat I want to get rid of.

I saw that 1morerep had referred to John Berardi's Precision Nutrition System and wanted to find out more, of course being in South Africa and with the exchange rate, things are a lot more expensive when doing the "buy from America" thing, I have found something similar here where the guys do blood tests to find out what your system is lacking and as such put together a scientifically formulated diet specifically for what you want to achieve. I should be seeing them in the next week or so and will then be able to say that I am on a better road than I have been thus far.

I would like to say thanx to the people here on The Dungeon, without your contributions this site probably would have died a long time ago and I would then not have been able to get the information to direct me in the right direction. Thanx to Heat Miser for putting the time in to make it a worthwhile site. But most of all to the two chaps that have shed some light on the situation, Beefcake and 1morerep, Thanx for your input and sharing rep to you and keep up the good work.

Everyone obviously wants to share some info so here it is:
Height : 5'10"
Weight : 211lb

Bench : 180lb
Squat : 286lb

Chest : 44 inch
Thigh : 23 inch
Calf : 15 inch
Bicep : 15 inch
Stomach : 42 inch
(all taken in a relaxed state)

I have been following the 52 WEEK TRAINING SERIES, A 10-part total-body strength and conditioning series By Joseph A. Arangio, M.S., C.S.C.S.EAS, it is a full workout pretty much covering every muscle of the body, I do the program, weight training Mon, Wed and Fri, then an hour cardio on Tues and Thurs.

Well I suppose that's it for now, any more info you guys want give me a shout and I will pass it along, also after I have reached the 15 posts mark I will put some pics up, I have some now and would be interested to see what I will look like after following the new diet for a bit.

Again thanx for a super site and looking forward to the times spent sharing and gathering information on this community,

Helgard

[redfirebirdowner]

Welcome,Good intro man probably one of the best i have seen. again welcome to the dungeon and i hope this place never dies.Where would i stay at

[poison ivy]

Originally Posted by hvanantwerp

Greetings from the newbie, I would like to take this opportunity to introduce and share a bit of myself.

In short I have been doing the training gig for about 2 years now after about 8 years of dormancy, a lot of boozing and clubbing, suddenly I was twice the man I was before :)

I had to make a change but progress has been slow, I have not been able to understand what was the cause. I have been a constant 95Kg for the two years with a fair tire round the middle. I couldn’t understand why I was able to shift more weight at the gym but not show a reduction in my physical appearance, sure there is a bit of firming up everywhere but it just doesn’t look like I am getting anywhere. That's when I started looking for help on the web, found The Dungeon and was able to get some more information from here, after reading two threads, 'So you think you're a hardgainer?' by Beefcake and '39 and in the best shape of my life' by 1morerep it became clear to me that the problem was not with the routine, not with the rest breaks, not with the protein shakes I was taking etc but with my diet, something is lacking and as such keeping me back from shaking off the body fat I want to get rid of.

I saw that 1morerep had referred to John Berardi's Precision Nutrition System and wanted to find out more, of course being in South Africa and with the exchange rate, things are a lot more expensive when doing the "buy from America" thing, I have found something similar here where the guys do blood tests to find out what your system is lacking and as such put together a scientifically formulated diet specifically for what you want to achieve. I should be seeing them in the next week or so and will then be able to say that I am on a better road than I have been thus far.

I would like to say thanx to the people here on The Dungeon, without your contributions this site probably would have died a long time ago and I would then not have been able to get the information to direct me in the right direction. Thanx to Heat Miser for putting the time in to make it a worthwhile site. But most of all to the two chaps that have shed some light on the situation, Beefcake and 1morerep, Thanx for your input and sharing rep to you and keep up the good work.

Everyone obviously wants to share some info so here it is:
Height : 5'10"
Weight : 211lb

Bench : 180lb
Squat : 286lb

Chest : 44 inch
Thigh : 23 inch
Calf : 15 inch
Bicep : 15 inch
Stomach : 42 inch
(all taken in a relaxed state)

I have been following the 52 WEEK TRAINING SERIES, A 10-part total-body strength and conditioning series By Joseph A. Arangio, M.S., C.S.C.S.EAS, it is a full workout pretty much covering every muscle of the body, I do the program, weight training Mon, Wed and Fri, then an hour cardio on Tues and Thurs.

Well I suppose that's it for now, any more info you guys want give me a shout and I will pass it along, also after I have reached the 15 posts mark I will put some pics up, I have some now and would be interested to see what I will look like after following the new diet for a bit.

Again thanx for a super site and looking forward to the times spent sharing and gathering information on this community,

Helgard

Hey agree'd with the above ... a very good intro ! ... Sounds to me though you need to focus more on losing weight and toning up more than needing the protein shakes ! your going to need to burn the calories before looking to put on quality muscle mass !

Anyway good luck.

[hvanantwerp]

Thanx for the welcome

[hvanantwerp]

I must say that my initial thought was that I would be able to build a bit of lean muscle whilst cutting off the unwanted fat.

Obviously as I have found out this is not realy the best way of doing it, especially if the diet aint flowing the way it should.

Thus I will continue with the toning, get the diet in order and then try and see where to go from here, and trust me there is enough calories waiting to be burnt off here. :)


Thanx for the feedback I appreciate you guys taking the time.

[chrispghmuscle]

Welcome to the dungeon, nice to have you aboard,, I would be very interested in knowing your diet that your following to loose the extra weight and how much cardo your adding to your daily routine.

Beef is no more, but 1morerep will love the idea that you read his specific thread.. He's a guy that enjoys helping dungeon member's..

Chris

[hvanantwerp]

Originally Posted by chrispghmuscle

Welcome to the dungeon, nice to have you aboard,, I would be very interested in knowing your diet that your following to loose the extra weight and how much cardo your adding to your daily routine.

Beef is no more, but 1morerep will love the idea that you read his specific thread.. He's a guy that enjoys helping dungeon member's..

Chris

I will definately add the diet plan they provide me with, when I get it ofcourse, thinkig it might be worthwhile to add a Saturday cardio as well for the extra burn.

Sorry to hear Beef has left, seemed he was quite into his BB and had some bril additions to add to the community, sure he is and will be missed.

1morerep is definately an inspiration to me, sure we will be chatting more in the not too distant future.

[chrispghmuscle]

Good for you..

[poison ivy]

Originally Posted by hvanantwerp

I must say that my initial thought was that I would be able to build a bit of lean muscle whilst cutting off the unwanted fat.

Obviously as I have found out this is not realy the best way of doing it, especially if the diet aint flowing the way it should.

Thus I will continue with the toning, get the diet in order and then try and see where to go from here, and trust me there is enough calories waiting to be burnt off here. :)


Thanx for the feedback I appreciate you guys taking the time.

Nah in my experience people want to do everything and generally all at once lol ! I wouldnt give yourself goals that you cant reach at this stage ! Tone up .. which wont take long if your diet and exercise is good ! Then once you have a good toned physique THEN pile on the muscle building foods such as protein ... healthy carbs etc !! Its then when you want to build quality muscle you will need to eat 1 gram per pound of bodybuild anyway of protein so as mentioned above .. get yourself a good foundation before you start bulking up.

I like your attitude though m8 you will go a long way !

[hvanantwerp]

Sorry for the delayed response but yeah I have to agree. Trying to do everything at once doesnt work that well.

I must say though, the other day I looked at some old photo's and was surprised to see the difference between then and now, suppose its not so much a case of not getting anywhere but a case of not fast enough but that has always been a problem for me, too impatient.

I will hopefully have a diet plan in place shortly and will look to then start a full thread with more detailed reporting on the progress with pics etc...

Thanx for the support, great to have.

[Hardcore Superstar]

Welcome hvanantwerp.

I can relate to the boozing and going out. That was and still is my weekness. Especially because most of my friends don't lift or watch what the eat, so I am the only one changing. But I have strong support from a few my family, and myself, so I guess that is all that matters.

SO far, even just a week on this site has helped me keep motivated and learn a lot.

[hvanantwerp]

Originally Posted by Hardcore Superstar

Welcome hvanantwerp.

I can relate to the boozing and going out. That was and still is my weekness. Especially because most of my friends don't lift or watch what the eat, so I am the only one changing. But I have strong support from a few my family, and myself, so I guess that is all that matters.

SO far, even just a week on this site has helped me keep motivated and learn a lot.

Yeah it is hard specially when the friends dont follow the same path you do. Fortunately lifting has become like a drug to me, a healthy drug, it has gotten to the point where if I do not go to the gym for some reason I become very moody. The feeling of moving that iron around just cannot be beaten.

The time to me as well is what I enjoy, its my time with myself, some personal growth time, get to know myself better and doing something special for myself. Everyone needs that I think, your health is number one and once the whole lifting thing ets a hold of you..... well thats the end of it