Goals and Competition

So I’ve come to a bit of a junction in my training and figured I’d air it to the masses to see if it sparks any interest.

At the start of the year I weighed 400lbs (180kg) (I’m 6’4, 25) and realised I needed to do something about my weight especially so as I was a month out from going on a fortnight long offroad motorcycle safari.

Putting my mind to it I dropped 20lbs in two weeks and put on some nice definition in my quads and shoulders and had a ball on the safari.

Now I’m struggling for goals or competition to keep me burning, I’m now at 379lbs and progress is very slow. Trainers are good but they don’t help you set goals and they don’t seem to be interested in maximum results.

I need some major goals or some (non-business) friends to compare or compete with to make some rapid/huge progress. Is anyone interested in comparing notes and progress? Or out of interest what goals have you set yourselves to hit?

My major (secret) goal is to compete in an amateur BB event. But I haven’t the foggiest about the time frames such an undertaking would involve.

400lbs at 6’4" is pretty big, 379 is still pretty big

Great job on droppin some weight and beginning to change your lifestyle!

The key is to set some small attainable goals that you can quantify… so don’t say I want to loose 100 lbs in 3 years, because you will become easily frustrated and it is hard to stay focused on a goal for such a long time

For your size and experience, you will loss weight fast, and all beginners gain muscle, strength, and loss weight fast because there bodies are not used to

I would suggest you set a goal of 1-2lbs loss a week (so say 10lbs a month or 25 lbs in 3 months) shoot for that goal or any goal you wish, just make sure it is REALISTIC and don’t expect and goal or result to come fast or easily, no matter how small.

I would recommend against a “weightloss” competition in general, esp for a beginner at training, because it can be dangerous to loss lots of weight at once

Try to find friend to train with or find family and friends to support you outside your train, esp with diet, because this will be the most difficult to get used to

You are takin the right steps for a better, healthier, and happier life. Keep reading about proper diet and training, set realistic goals, try to keep motivated, and the forums are a great place to come to for motivation, even from just reading others success stories!

What do you want to do in life?
What do you want FROM life?

To loose weight?
Get stonger?
Do powerlifting, oly. lifting, bodybuilding?
Martial Arts?
Take potery classes? Yoga?
Overall health?

Toss out some thoughts on what you personally want.

If your looking for some fast changes; at your weight I’d suggest thoroughly reading through the velocity diet article and then some of the v-diet logs that people have done.

Welcome.

~b

[quote]tg2hbk4488 wrote:
I would recommend against a “weightloss” competition in general, esp for a beginner at training, because it can be dangerous to loss lots of weight at once
[/quote]

So I should make it clear here I’m not a beginner per sei, and know my way around the gym and the diet very well. Playing reserve grade rugby league for a few years in my late teens and going through crazy creatine and then carb loading cycles kinda screwed me over a few years back. Atleast it gave me knowledge, now I just need to fix it and I’m thinking I do that with BB as I always enjoyed weight work.

I don’t know BB enough and My key problem is I’m a massive action plan kinda guy.

give us some idea of your Lean Body Mass. How much can you lift? Have you had a body composition test done? Height and weight are only parts of the picture.

[quote]B rocK wrote:
What do you want to do in life?
What do you want FROM life?
[/quote]
When you say life I’m assuming you mean life as its related to body, health and the goals surrounding these. Like I said a key goal of mine is to compete at an amateur level in bodybuilding.

Maybe to explain more I don’t do small. If I’m going to do something at all I find out whats an ‘achievement’ in that area, then I find out the process to get there and I go do it. (So in this case the area of health and weight management —> BBers are ideal in this area → so what BBer is considered ‘good’ —> a competing amateur BBer is ‘good’… Now that I found a measure I have found my goal)

Its probably an odd mindset but its served me well in professional sport and also in creating businesses so its quite successfull for me.

Its very empowering to think like this for me for instance I know I’m a big guy, I’m past that. My weight is just an obstacle, f**ed if I’m going to ‘understand it’ or ‘manage it’ or ‘plan to address it’. My simple way of doing things is to go about doing whatever it is that must be done to get to the measure, if I must run 4 miles cause thats what wheeler does when he works out I just do it and keep trying until I can, if I must front squat 585lbs as ruhl does then I will aswell.

My problem is more that without a target I’ve got nothing to shoot for, nothing to aim at… I don’t even know if the thing in my hand is a gun.

Maybe I framed it best earlier.
What is an ‘achievement’ in bodybuilding?
What are the steps of achievement in bodybuilding? (Could I assume — regional amateur crown, national amat crown, international amat crown, regional pro crown etc etc)
How long does it take own to traverse these steps? (probably the most subjective question)

[quote]JayPierce wrote:
give us some idea of your Lean Body Mass. How much can you lift? Have you had a body composition test done? Height and weight are only parts of the picture.
[/quote]

I’m due for a body comp done this week, lol thanks for reminding me.

The Big 4.
Squat 95kg (209lbs) (12x4)
Bench 80kg (176lbs) (13x3)
Dead 60kg (132lbs) (8x3)
Leg Press 260 (573lbs) (12x6)

Apologies for not providing earlier, didn’t know if it was going to be usefull.

[quote]Psydone wrote:

The Big 4.
Squat 95kg (209lbs) (12x4)
Bench 80kg (176lbs) (13x3)
Dead 60kg (132lbs) (8x3)
Leg Press 260 (573lbs) (12x6)

[/quote]

is that SetsxReps or RepsxSets?

[quote]JayPierce wrote:
is that SetsxReps or RepsxSets?[/quote]

RepsXSets

psydone my situation is similiar to yours pm me if you want to compare notes

Not bad. You may want to work on your deads, though. That number looks really low compared to your other lifts. Probably just technique though. You seem to be strong otherwise.

I’ll venture a guess around 195lbs LBM. I’m coming from the other end of the spectrum, so comparing notes with me would be useless to you.

Best of luck. Be sure to let me know just how far off I am.

[quote]JayPierce wrote:
Not bad. You may want to work on your deads, though. That number looks really low compared to your other lifts. Probably just technique though. You seem to be strong otherwise.

I’ll venture a guess around 195lbs LBM. I’m coming from the other end of the spectrum, so comparing notes with me would be useless to you.

Best of luck. Be sure to let me know just how far off I am.[/quote]

My deads are embarassing, I think its because I have a finger problem (Severed tendon in lh ring finger). Just bought some lifting claws, trying them out today, I’ll let you know if it makes much difference.

Sweet just got back from a solid workout, my deads with the claws are now 85kg same reps and sets… FINALLY I can keep hold of the bar!!!

i think that you might wanna stay away from the leg press…all that does is put compressive loading at a weird angle on your lower back.

i’ve seen about 5 people (inc. myself) seriously injur themself on this; even with low weight.

good luck in your goals man! train hard and keep reading/posting here.

[quote]B rocK wrote:
i think that you might wanna stay away from the leg press…all that does is put compressive loading at a weird angle on your lower back.

i’ve seen about 5 people (inc. myself) seriously injur themself on this; even with low weight.

good luck in your goals man! train hard and keep reading/posting here.[/quote]

Thanks for the wishes.

I tweaked my back doing squats and moved onto the press to give it a rest.

squats: find a good part on your back, elbows forward the whole time, a deep breath at the top and hold all the way through, good footing position (about shoulder width), make sure not to lift your ass first at the bottom…that can put excess stress on your back.

but good move to stop if you tweak something.