Willing To Help Anyone!

[ruskism]

Hey guys, I joined the forum this month and have acquired a vast amount of knowledge in a short period of time. I'd like to say thanks in general, and also give back to this community. I am a sponsored physique competitor, fitness model, and state record holding powerlifter. I began lifting when I went to college about 5 years ago (boxed competitively for 5 years before hand) and have been competing in various settings for 2. I have a powerlifting meet in September and a national qualifying physique show in October. I have helped COUNTLESS amounts of people in constructing diet plans, workout plans, etc. for free and am willing to give any of you the same opportunity. This is what I love to do and I would love to help any of you! Any and all questions are welcome. Let me help you reach your goals!

edit: Added some videos so you can see what I look like and how I compete! Hoping to inspire others!

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[viking88]

welcome! I love kettlebells and boxing personally, just ordered my new baby of 32kg )

 

[ruskism]

welcome! I love kettlebells and boxing personally, just ordered my new baby of 32kg )

Very nice! Kettle bells are an awesome tool. Boxing will always be my first love, I gave my heart to the sport. Can't wait to see Mayweather-Canelo in September! If you have any questions, let me know and I will be more than happy to help.

 

[Tom.V]

Very nice to see another powerlifter around. This time last year I was thinking of competing in the 148 or 165 class. At the time I had a 525 lb deadlift, with not so spectacular squats and bench. I probably could have beaten the state record for deads, but oh well. I should really get back into, as I haven't even been to the gym in months. :\

What are your big 3 and what were the record breaking numbers?

 

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[ruskism]

Very nice to see another powerlifter around. This time last year I was thinking of competing in the 148 or 165 class. At the time I had a 525 lb deadlift, with not so spectacular squats and bench. I probably could have beaten the state record for deads, but oh well. I should really get back into, as I haven't even been to the gym in months. :\

What are your big 3 and what were the record breaking numbers?

Awesome to find another PLer! That's a beastly deadlift brah, good stuff. You should forsure go for that record.. if anything, just a bucket list thing to mark off! Plus, you can show the trophy/certificate to your kids eventually. I took the 181 JR's raw total with a 402.5 squat, 330 bench, 496.5 deadlift.. not absolutely amazing, but enough to grab the title. I'm lucky enough to have been mentored from the beginning by one of the countries best natural PLer (Ben Rice) and America's strongest LW Zack McCarley (strongman). I'm currently in contest prep for my show in October so the meet in September is more for fun than anything.. I'm looking to compete in the 165lbs division though after a quick water dump. Hoping to put up some competitive numbers, mid 400lbs squat, 350-360lbs bench, 530ish dead. Get back into it brah!! Nothing like walking into the gym knowing that you're about to absolutely demolish yourself by the end of the session.

 

[theag]

[video=youtube;8tMxoSLWUfk]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8tMxoSLWUfk[/video]

 

[smarty]

This is what I love to do and I would love to help any of you! Any and all questions are welcome. Let me help you reach your goals!

What kind of exercises & diet would you advice to remove/get a flat belly? I mean I'm not fat but just have a little bit of belly enough to make me uncomfortable and willing to remove it. I'm currently doing push ups and some other belly exercises since a week or so but not sure if I should continue that way or run & sweat to remove it. Any advice from your experience?

 

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[ruskism]

[video=youtube;8tMxoSLWUfk]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8tMxoSLWUfk[/video]

Lol, I've seen a lot of these videos but never this one. Absolutely brutal!

What kind of exercises & diet would you advice to remove/get a flat belly? I mean I'm not fat but just have a little bit of belly enough to make me uncomfortable and willing to remove it. I'm currently doing push ups and some other belly exercises since a week or so but not sure if I should continue that way or run & sweat to remove it. Any advice from your experience?

One thing that many people trap themselves into is believing that you can spot reduce fat. You cannot lose weight from one particular spot on your body just because you workout that particular area - weight loss occurs over your entire body. What you should be aiming to do is lowering your bodyfat percentage through dieting (and obviously cardio, if you have time). The king is always going to be burn more calories than you consume.. this leads to weight loss. Basic dieting advice would be to slightly lower your portion sizes throughout the day. Fill your meals with fibrous vegetables as it will make you feel fuller for an extended period of time. Obviously try and limit your intake of junk foods, sodas, etc and do not binge on "healthy" snacks like nuts and/or fruit (ANYTHING is bad for you if you over indulge). Make gradual changes and not drastic ones - jumping into a radical diet change is a sure fire way to crash and burn in the end and absolutely hate it. Learning to diet is fun and can be life changing!

 

[Michael Raphael]

I am by all definitions possible an ectomorph. I was in a serious injury recently and lost almost everything I worked for. I now way ~135. I want to gain weight and have a proper diet and efficient routine at the gym. I mostly want bigger arms, I have a good routine for abs, cardio, and legs (ish). Please, please, please. Thank you!

Just realized I wrote way instead of weight --- sad moment.

 

[theag]

I now way ~135

Eat a lot and do squats, deadlifts, bench press, overhead press, power cleans with heavy weights. Read "starting strength". NO abs, NO cardio.

 

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[ruskism]

I am by all definitions possible an ectomorph. I was in a serious injury recently and lost almost everything I worked for. I now way ~135. I want to gain weight and have a proper diet and efficient routine at the gym. I mostly want bigger arms, I have a good routine for abs, cardio, and legs (ish). Please, please, please. Thank you!

Just realized I wrote way instead of weight --- sad moment.

Hi Michael, sorry to hear about the accident. I have had friends who have had similar incidents and I know how much of a struggle it can be mentally to get back into the swing of things. If you want specific advice on dieting, PM me and I can help you out with a more personalized outline. As for the workout, I would suggest worrying about working everything equally and not stressing the "bigger arms" idea. Your arms are worked either directly or indirectly in almost every movement you do inside the gym regardless. Their are plenty of routines, some are better for people just starting (or returning back to lifting) than others.. for example, theag mentioned Starting Strength. Starting Strength is a great routine for people new to lifting because it drills the fundamentals and builds base strength that you use later on in your lifting to obtain the mass that you are looking for. My very, very broad advice is to never neglect any part of your body - work everything equally and learn early how each exercise you are doing is effecting the way your body is being shaped. Don't just go through the motions.. think about why and how a lat pulldown is going to effect your lats. Trust me when I tell you that this will help you tremendously from the very beginning. PM me if you need something more specific or a routine in general.

 

[1step]

Just realized I wrote way instead of weight --- sad moment.

Double sad moment it should read "weigh"

 

[Michael Raphael]

Ruskism,

Well I have been working out everything, but for some reason my arms are not getting bigger. I think my problem with gaining mass is I play soccer Div II so its hard for me to retain weight. I worked my a$$ off last year to gain 10+ lbs, got in my incident, was out for 2+ months this summer and lost a lot of weight and muscle mass. I still play soccer and do cardio (obviosuly) so my core is tight, have leg muscle, just need upper body. Thus I was asking for any advice in regards to that, a regimen so to speak. When i get access to the gym again (next month ) I will return to doing squats bench deadlifts and then tri bi workout, but was wondering if there are specific exercises that do more than others.

Thanks a bunch I appreciate it.

 

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[ruskism]

Ruskism,

Well I have been working out everything, but for some reason my arms are not getting bigger. I think my problem with gaining mass is I play soccer Div II so its hard for me to retain weight. I worked my a$$ off last year to gain 10+ lbs, got in my incident, was out for 2+ months this summer and lost a lot of weight and muscle mass. I still play soccer and do cardio (obviosuly) so my core is tight, have leg muscle, just need upper body. Thus I was asking for any advice in regards to that, a regimen so to speak. When i get access to the gym again (next month ) I will return to doing squats bench deadlifts and then tri bi workout, but was wondering if there are specific exercises that do more than others.

Thanks a bunch I appreciate it.

Ahh, gotcha. I'll be honest with you, arms are somewhat of a genetic strong point for myself. I didn't do an isolation movement consistently for arms in almost 2 years and I still have very developed arms for my body. What I would suggest is higher reps and focusing on stretching that fascia + getting that blood pumped into the area. In my experience, my arms respond better to the 12-15 rep range. On the other hand, my coach had me start reducing the reps and focusing on slightly higher weights for a period of time before switching me back. Honestly, it all comes down to how your body responds to different stimuli. One plan is not going to work for everyone. You can bet your bank on the 8-12 rep range as it will both promote strength and hypertrophy simultaneously. Here's a sample arm workout of what I did this week:

DB Spider Curls (supinated) - 4 sets of 8-15 (start lighter, if you can hit 15 up the weight, etc)
Preacher Curl Machine (wide grip) - 28's (7 slow reps, 7 normal reps, 7 lower-half reps, 7 upper-half reps) for 3 sets
Single Arm Tricep Pulldown (with the rope) - 4 sets of 15-20
Weighted Dips - 4 sets of 12-20
EZ Bar Curl superset with Skull Crushers (slow and forced reps) - 2 sets of 15-20

Brief breaks in between sets of around 45 seconds to make sure I keep the blood in the area. Hope this helps! Let me know if you have any other questions! (Like I said, think about why each exercise is being performed and why something like DB Spider Curls are performed first and are supinated as opposed to the EZ Bar Curl)

 

[Nosferatu]

Can you recommend any weight lifting guides for a beginner? I'm a total gym idiot. Looking to really get in and build a routine, but i'm not really sure where to start. (or more importantly, how to start)

 

[Michael Raphael]

Rueskism, what is your opinion in regards to Insanity and/or P90X for people in my body class?

 

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[Mouse McCoy]

That's some impressive vascularity in the first vid. How tall are you?

Thanks for making this thread :eusa_clap:

 

[ruskism]

Can you recommend any weight lifting guides for a beginner? I'm a total gym idiot. Looking to really get in and build a routine, but i'm not really sure where to start. (or more importantly, how to start)

Sure, their are plenty of beginner routines that you can choose from: Starting Strength, Madcow 5x5, Texas 5x5, etc. All three of these routines focus on you learning the core compound lifts and gaining base strength. Look up these routines and let me know if you have any questions and I can explain further!

Rueskism, what is your opinion in regards to Insanity and/or P90X for people in my body class?

Michael, programs such as Insanity and P90X are good at what they are designed to do - higher intensity anaerobic workouts. You burn a lot of calories and many people enjoy the perfectly structured programs that Insanity and P90X bring to the table. If your goal is to lose weight, they work great. If you're looking to build muscle and/or gain strength, I'd suggest something differently.

That's some impressive vascularity in the first vid. How tall are you?

Thanks for making this thread :eusa_clap:

Thanks! I am 5'10. You're welcome, glad this thread has taken off the way it has.

 

[ruskism]

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Just competed, won my weight class and tied two state records. Still here to help! My physique show(s) are coming up in October!

 

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[JudoTom]

congrats! That last squat was very nice.

I need to attack the weights again. I have one of my students who needs to drop about 15lbs of fat for some competition and I am thinking about gaining 15lbs of muscle.. for fun. I might have to hit you up for some advice or motivation.