T Nation

Hi Folks, Just an Intro

Beginners
#1

About me: I am 6’9.5" wingspan 6’8", 223 pounds 25 years old with a smallish frame. I am very new to body building. I just started 6 months ago and was surprised at how out of shape I was. To be honest I am a bit of a nerd at heart. I used to have all nerdy friends, you know… the kind that fuck around on computers all day. I never really took Bodybuilding seriously and to be honest thought it was a bit of a joke! (probably jealous nerd feelings?)

I started off knowing little to nothing so I made little improvement. I lost about 10 pounds after working out for the first 3 weeks and immediately stopped doing cardio. I was making very small improvement for a while just lifting weights so I started reading everything I could find to see what I was doing wrong. Turned out, I was eating about 2500 calories a day and was exhausted all the time. I boosted this to around 4200 calories a day and I improved very quickly for a couple weeks.

I am improving still and to be honest I am getting a bit addicted to the results week to week. All I know is that the shape of my body appears more muscular even though I have barely changed weight.

Almost everything I have read has stated that it is impossible to gain muscle without eating more calories than your body needs. One thing I noticed… my legs are shrinking! Is it possible that my body is eating my legs to fuel my workouts? that is my only guess. I used to have big legs. I don’t do much for leg workouts because I have a bad knee on one leg and a bad ankle on the other. I try to do a bit but it is nothing compared to how hard I work my upper body.

Anyway, I guess I just wanted to introduce myself since I plan on spending some time here. I have been reading what you have had to offer for weeks/months on both the articles and the forums and have found that this is one of the best resources on the internet.

ramble ramble /end post

#2

Simple solution, work the legs!!! Doing heavy squats and deadlifts not only helps your legs grow, but they help your entire body grow. Your thighs have a huge potential for muscle growth i.e. body mass. In an article a while back I remember reading that for each 15 pounds of body mass you have, your upper arms will be that many inches: (body mass)/15=(approx. upper size in inches.)

This might not be totally accurate, but it is another one of the great reasons to train legs.

On a more personal note, I really enjoy squatting and deadlifting. All the other people in my gym look at me funny, especially when I deadlift.

#3

Squats can help with knee problems. Post what is wrong with your knee and I’m sure someone here can give you advice on it.

Last winter i had3 pins in my foot and have lost all movement in 3 toes, and am currently incapable of doing full calf raises. But guess what none of that has stopped my squatting.

Post your injury, and start light. Empty bar and work your way up like 10 lbs a week.

#4

Well, I hurt my knee playing basketball about 2 months ago. Didn’t think was serious but it still hurts. I simply landed on it too hard and the patellar tendon that connects the kneecap feels bruised or something. It isn’t a terrible pain but it is enough to make me wary of putting any strain on it. Anyone know how long this can take to heal?

My ankle… it is just a complete mess. I have rolled it too many times. Stretching it doesn’t seem to do much at all. Sometimes I am just walking down the street and it almost gives way on me.

I will start working on simple squats and calf raises to start and see how that goes. I tend to favor the leg in which the exercise hurts the least.

By the way chrillionare, that formula seems pretty accurate, I have 15" arms and weigh between 220-225… interesting.