Serious toned

[QfanatiQ]

Ok, looking to get seriously toned. Not wanting to cause cringe factor (and i knwo this will not be achived in full) but i am wanting a result similare to that of Brad Pitt (fight Club/Bruce Lee) please note i said similare!!

I have a gym where i live and free weights.

When i used to work out i would do light weights and many reps.

I would liek to know what kind of regualre time i need to put in and also keep up! Stages, change cycles, and even diet changes (in small degrees).

The gym on site offers Rowing, running and cycling machines as well as a pretty good multi gym with very good and clear instruction. There are also free weights and i have these at home.

At the same time i am looking to get my flexibility back. I have started working on this already myself.

Should i look at light weights and many reps, or heavy and few mixed with light? Is there any info online regarding what BPitt did to get into shape for that role (considering i have no trainer and free days)

I have pulled out a means health wall chart for weight routines covering all apects of the body including a smaller means health special covering other weight work outs and also more cardivasc work out things.

But all that aside, toning to be lean and well defined certainly not HUGE or even big.

Cheers.....Q

[Roach-Rampino]

If anyone had a minimal amount of body fat they would look "toned" as you call it. Everyone has muscles and those muscles have shape. Build the muscles their shape will be better and bigger, burn off fat you will expose them more.

[maverick_15]

To achieve this will take a long time to do so be prepared for that. For Fight Club apparently he focussed on one body part a day for 5 or 6 days then CV on the last one before starting again. He also only weighed about, I would guess, 165 which is very, very little (although he was only about 6-7% body fat). In addition, he didn't have any leg routines in it which is detrimental to a good physique. Granted, he looked cut but there's a nice in between with a bit more muscle and all-round build which is probbly more realistically achievable. Essentially, you need to be working out with a good routine (of which there are plenty listed around here) and dropping the body fat percentage (which will come through hard work, CV and diet).

[QfanatiQ]

Thanks, i have little body fat but not much muscle, or perhaps muscle shape.

As i cycle my legs (even if i do say so myslf) look good and i am happy.

Ok, I will look at the routines posted here and get something together. I think i might get the GF to take a pic (lol how vein) and work hard for month and do a comparision.

Clearly this one body part ever few days is nto for the long term so not suitable or desirable.

Fun (i mean hard) times ahead.

I currently weigh 62kg's (can never rememebr hieght, Tom Cruise is 1inch smaller than me (what a great thing to remember))

Looks like weights infront of the TV will be making a come back!

Cheers.....Q

[Nibb]

Well Tom Cruise is 5'7" so that makes you about 5'8" and at 62kg you have a BMI of 20.71 which is in the middle of the healthy range!

Just seems like vanity to me!

Now Im the same height as you and weigh 71kg......I think I know who should be following the above advice more!

[ffrr]

Here are the exercises that made up his workout for Fight Club. He performed 3 sets, taking approximately 60 seconds to rest between each set. Also, he used a weight that is challenging enough that to complete 15 reps (with the exception of pushups and pullups), but be fatigued on the last rep. Remember, proper form is a must!

Monday - Chest
3 - 75 push ups
3 - bench press 165,195,225
(25, 15, 8 reps)
3 - nautilus press 80,100,130
3 - incline press 80,100,130
3 - pec deck machine 60,70,80

Tuesday - Back
3 - 25 pull ups
3 - seated rows 75,80,85
3 - lat pull downs 135,150,165
3 - t bar rows 80,95,110

Wednesday - Shoulders
3 - arnold press 55,55,55
3 - laterals 30,30,30
3 - front raises 25,25,25

Thursday - Biceps & Triceps
3 - preacher curl machine 60,80,95
3 - ez curls cable 50,65,80
3 - hammer curls 30,45,55
3 - push downs 70,85,100

Friday
Treadmill 60 minutes 80-90% MHR

Saturday
Treadmill 60 minutes 80-90% MHR

Sunday
Rest Day

Reps Range From 15-25 reps on all exercises and weight is in lbs

--------------------------

and if you thought that was easy then this is what he did for Troy... not for the faint hearted! ..lol...

Chest:
Bench press - 5 sets, 6-10 reps
Incline bench press - 6 sets, 6-10 reps
Cable crossovers - 6 sets, 10-12 reps
Dips - 5 sets, to failure
Dumbbell pullovers - 5 sets, 10-12 reps

Back:
Front wide-grip chin-ups - 6 sets, to failure
T-bar rows - 5 sets, 6-10 reps
Seated pulley rows - 6 sets, 6-10 reps
Straight-leg deadlifts - 6 sets, 15 reps

Legs:
Squats - 6 sets, 8-12 reps
Leg presses - 6 sets, 8-12 reps
Leg extensions - 6 sets, 12-15 reps
Barbell lunges - 5 sets, 15 reps

Calves:
Standing calf raises -10 sets, 10 reps
Seated calf raises - 8 sets, 15 reps
One-legged calf raises (holding dumbbells) - 6 sets,12 reps

Forearms:
Wrist curls (forearms on knees) - 4 sets, 10 reps
Reverse barbell curls - 4 sets, 8 reps
Wright roller machine - to failure


Biceps:
Barbell curls - 6 sets, 6-10 reps
Seated dumbbell curls - 6 sets, 6-10 reps
Dumbbell concentration curls - 6 sets, 6-10 reps

Triceps:
Close-grip bench presses (for the all three heads) - 6 sets, 6-10 reps
Pushdowns (exterior head) - 6 sets, 6-10 reps
Barbell French presses (interior head) - 6 sets, 6-10 reps
One-arm dumbbell triceps extensions (exterior head) - 6 sets, 6-10 reps

Shoulders:
Seated barbell presses - 6 sets, 6-10 reps
Lateral raises (standing) - 6 sets, 6-10 reps
Rear-delt lateral raises - 5 sets, 6-10 reps
Cable lateral raises - 5 sets, 10-12 reps

Abs:
30 minutes straight until failure.

Brad used a low-carb, high-protein diet during the training for his role. Physically, Pitt prepared for the role with a year of intense training. "The first three months were daunting and not fun at all." His days included two to three hours in the gym, two additional hours of sword work and four high-protein, low-carb meals. As a result, he gained about 10 pounds of brawn.

....................

makes my 4 hours per week training look feeble...

[QfanatiQ]

Here are the exercises that made up his workout for Fight Club. He performed 3 sets, taking approximately 60 seconds to rest between each set. Also, he used a weight that is challenging enough that to complete 15 reps (with the exception of pushups and pullups), but be fatigued on the last rep. Remember, proper form is a must!......

OMG, thanks.. There is so much there i woudl not be abel to do already!

Vanity, not at all

Q

[super mike]

I would not reccomend any routine that looked remotely like that. He has the time to go to the gym every day, the money to not need to work so he can have naps and have some mexican bloke (possibly) make him all the food he needs. If I was doing all that work and looked as skinny as brad pit then I would be very dissapointed.

If you are going to train, then do it properly and train your legs. Train legs or don't train at all. And it will really make your physique look much better.

"toning to be lean and well defined certainly not HUGE or even big" - If it was that easy I would be massive. I reccomend 6-8 reps 3-4 sets with lots of big compound excersises. Then after weights do light cardio, low intensity for about 30 mins.

Oh, I am 5'8" also but weigh about 82kg.

[toto67]

I would not reccomend any routine that looked remotely like that. He has the time to go to the gym every day, the money to not need to work so he can have naps and have some mexican bloke (possibly) make him all the food he needs. If I was doing all that work and looked as skinny as brad pit then I would be very dissapointed.

If you are going to train, then do it properly and train your legs. Train legs or don't train at all. And it will really make your physique look much better.

"toning to be lean and well defined certainly not HUGE or even big" - If it was that easy I would be massive. I reccomend 6-8 reps 3-4 sets with lots of big compound excersises. Then after weights do light cardio, low intensity for about 30 mins.

Oh, I am 5'8" also but weigh about 82kg.

Amen to that Excellent post there SM and its all the "I wanna be toned but dont wanna do me legs bollocks" or "I want buld muscle but dont wanna get massif" That routine posted stinks of shit and waste of time IMO...People need to remember but these guys are getting trained with the best trainers money can buy and the said routine IS DEFO not the reason why he looked the way he did..Diet is of PARAMOUNT importance.It comes in 3's(Training,Diet,Rest)
You are shit at 1 of the above,then something will give,simple!
If you have any type of muscle underneath whatever BF you have then up your CV and tend to do it towards bedtime,first thing in the morning etc etc...
Good post their SM and about time some other fecker started shouting for em LEGS

[Roach-Rampino]

Experts say that if you train and eat properly for a year you will gain an average of 7lbs of lean muscle mass. Kind of gives you an indication of how hard it is to get big doesn't it?

I'm still impressed with ffrr for finding the routine.

[QfanatiQ]

I would not reccomend any routine that looked remotely like that. He has the time to go to the gym every day, the money to not need to work so he can have naps and have some mexican bloke (possibly) make him all the food he needs. If I was doing all that work and looked as skinny as brad pit then I would be very dissapointed.

If you are going to train, then do it properly and train your legs. Train legs or don't train at all. And it will really make your physique look much better.

"toning to be lean and well defined certainly not HUGE or even big" - If it was that easy I would be massive. I reccomend 6-8 reps 3-4 sets with lots of big compound excersises. Then after weights do light cardio, low intensity for about 30 mins.

Oh, I am 5'8" also but weigh about 82kg.

Thanks for the info about reps

Amen to that Excellent post there SM and its all the "I wanna be toned but dont wanna do me legs bollocks" or "I want buld muscle but dont wanna get massif" That routine posted stinks of shit and waste of time IMO...People need to remember but these guys are getting trained with the best trainers money can buy and the said routine IS DEFO not the reason why he looked the way he did..Diet is of PARAMOUNT importance.It comes in 3's(Training,Diet,Rest)
You are shit at 1 of the above,then something will give,simple!
If you have any type of muscle underneath whatever BF you have then up your CV and tend to do it towards bedtime,first thing in the morning etc etc...
Good post their SM and about time some other fecker started shouting for em LEGS

I do train my legs, as a cyclist my legs look stupidly out of proportion. I have a 30" waist and when i was cycling in Bath i could not walk properly due to my stupid top leg (yeah i knwo all the muscle names) being too big and causing great discomfort. I still have to buy 34" trousers so my legs can get into them.

Seen the French cartoon belle rendezvous (about a cyclist hwo gets kidnapped) I look like that, wispy on top and some kind of hulk on bottom!

Since being in london (two years now) my shape has changed for the better and to be honest i woudl still rather somehow get my leg size down a little more. I can still do 280kg leg pushes with ease and last time to destruction for a bet managed 114 straight (£1 per push nice earner (currently my reocrd, not looking to beat it))

Legs currently 26.5" (top) and 17.5" calf (largest bit)

I can hardly bench any weight at all, currently i struggle doing three reps of 10 with 20kg's on it! Curls are VERY poor etc etc.

I want to (need to) balance out.

I know i do not have enough time and money (and cook(lol)) but thought it woudl be a good startign point so i at least do not look like a freak when wearing shorts and teashirt.

To add further, i seem to be one of those people that can train and not seemingly build super size. Legs for example, lifting the same as some of the serious muscle builders at the gym, yet thier legs are MUCH bigger then mine. I am pleased abourt this. Whiel i do nto want to be abel to lift the same, bench/curl/back etc wise I want to maintian and use my ability to lift good seriosu heavey weight (is possible) and reamain small.

Cheers.....Q

[ffrr]

Experts say that if you train and eat properly for a year you will gain an average of 7lbs of lean muscle mass. Kind of gives you an indication of how hard it is to get big doesn't it? :dry:

I'm still impressed with ffrr for finding the routine.

I just googled it ;) ....

I'd tend to agree with the findings on gaining lean mass, I bulked from March to the second week of July this year, I went from 73kg/160lb to 78kg/171kg, keeping my body fat around 12-14% ... I was also on 60/25/15 c/f/p, I got some advice 3/4 of the way through and changed to 55/20/25 and the gains seemed to be quicker after that, or it was just a case of the emperors new clothes lol...I then got a nasty dose of gastroenteritis which lasted 4 days and I decided to cut 2 weeks early as eating was difficult. I have since changed to 50/20/30, and I'm currently around 76kg and 11% body fat.

[QfanatiQ]

Just goes to show any kind of routine is not going to be easy and needs to be continued and miantined for considerable time.

Thanks for the input, I need to look at this long term and perhaps change certain things on a 3/4 month basis to see if it seems better/more benificial to the overall routine.

It has been a long time since i went to the gym more than twice a week. Better start lading my MP3 and PSP films up!

Cheers....Q

[pheonixsingh]

mate with regards to benching, curling etc dont worry about the weight your doing, do a weight where you can do for example 10 reps, but the last two are a struggle, i recommend geting a small book and recording your training sessions, so therefore you can slowly increase weight when you feel comfortable to do so, always make sure your form is spot on. and definatley dont get intimdated by what others are doing, everyone isnt the same, and if you watch carefully 50% of ppl in the gym have bollock form anyway lol

[maverick_15]

and definatley dont get intimdated by what others are doing, everyone is the same, and if you watch carefully 50% of ppl in the gym have bollock form anyway lol

This is a very good point. There's always some clown in there who is curling what looks like an amount that Arnie would've struggled with in his T2 training days but then when you actually watch 99% of the time they will be putting their back into the motion, jerking it up with no control and back down. (Oh and then they'll go off and talk to thir mates- always in a three- about what they're doing that night or gobbing off on their mobile- who the fuck takes a mobile into a gym?!?- for 1/2 an hour in between sets). Apologies, bit of an off-topic rant there but the basic point of keeping good form, recording it and working to your best is absolutely spot on.

[QfanatiQ]

mate with regards to benching, curling etc dont worry about the weight your doing, do a weight where you can do for example 10 reps, but the last two are a struggle, i recommend geting a small book and recording your training sessions, so therefore you can slowly increase weight when you feel comfortable to do so, always make sure your form is spot on. and definatley dont get intimdated by what others are doing, everyone isnt the same, and if you watch carefully 50% of ppl in the gym have bollock form anyway lol

THanks, i have just got a small book to record weight, reps and order in which i am doing things and even time taken. I am careful to keep to form, i am lucky to have trained with someone (some time back) who used to be very good at making sure i was doing things properly and not lifting too much and dmaging myself by buckling.

This is a very good point. There's always some clown in there who is curling what looks like an amount that Arnie would've struggled with in his T2 training days but then when you actually watch 99% of the time they will be putting their back into the motion, jerking it up with no control and back down. (Oh and then they'll go off and talk to thir mates- always in a three- about what they're doing that night or gobbing off on their mobile- who the fuck takes a mobile into a gym?!?- for 1/2 an hour in between sets). Apologies, bit of an off-topic rant there but the basic point of keeping good form, recording it and working to your best is absolutely spot on.

Cheers. I started this weekend, trained over the two days, almost as a warm up, the weight i was doing was easy, not leaving my struggling even slightly. SUnday i stepped it up but only slightly. This week i will play around with weights and see what seems to suit and try going up and down over te next few weeks to see what feels best.

Q

[Roach-Rampino]

Cheers. I started this weekend, trained over the two days, almost as a warm up, the weight i was doing was easy, not leaving my struggling even slightly. SUnday i stepped it up but only slightly. This week i will play around with weights and see what seems to suit and try going up and down over te next few weeks to see what feels best.

Q

Don't train the same muscle group for at least 48 hours. When you train a muscle you tear it, it then needs time to re-build thus growing bigger. There's absolutely no reason that you should need to train a single group more than once in 48 hours.

[QfanatiQ]

Don't train the same muscle group for at least 48 hours. When you train a muscle you tear it, it then needs time to re-build thus growing bigger. There's absolutely no reason that you should need to train a single group more than once in 48 hours.

I know i shoudl rest a group, i am tryign to ease myself into this, but still recognise that i need to just get into a routine and GO. I used to rest a gorup of 3 days, is this suitable? When i was training seriously, it woudl be rested weekly.

I need to find soemthgin that suits me, i am not looking to do a serious build routing and rest for a week anymore. 48 hours might be good.

Many years back, i did a stint of work on site (construction) it almost killed me, but i did notice a massive change in my shape, this of course was no rest of any group! It is a shame there is not somthign like that, although is this more damaging?

Cheers.....Q

[super mike]

I've started working as a labourer and fuck me is it knackering! But it feels more like hard cardio to me than it does weights. I have no idea whether it is more damaging or not, i am just trying to eat more and have a rest from the gym (because i feel so shagged!)

I wouldn't worry to much about time taken, it will change from day to day and person to person. Have enough rest to make you feel comfortable, when you feel ready thats that.

Remember: Diet, Training and Rest are the magic 3.

[QfanatiQ]

I've started working as a labourer and fuck me is it knackering! But it feels more like hard cardio to me than it does weights. I have no idea whether it is more damaging or not, i am just trying to eat more and have a rest from the gym (because i feel so shagged!)

I wouldn't worry to much about time taken, it will change from day to day and person to person. Have enough rest to make you feel comfortable, when you feel ready thats that.

Remember: Diet, Training and Rest are the magic 3.

I was a lot younger when i did this, i know it would not have the same effect. I was like some twig being blwon around by a weak wind! After this i needed to dig a HUGE pond and moved a lot of rock. When you are not used to hard labour, movign bricks, mixing cements (by hand (or rather shovel of course)) OMG, i remember have to move a loaf of metal poles (not scaffold) around. It was all part of site cleaernce and information of ramps etc, before the days when these things were properyl secure.

I dont envy you doing this Job, in a way i woudl liek to go back for a long sting 18 months or so but thats not going to happen.

Cheers.....Q