villamark

Yeah I guess it depends on perspective. I've got a power cage at home now but when I went to a commercial gym and I never saw anybody else squat with more than 120kg. And 50% of people in the weights bit were Mr. Chest only they weren't benching anything like 250kg. He had a massive chest, be used to wear the bottoms that a lot of power lifters wear really baggy so you could not tell what condition his legs were in, I really wanted to find out if he had chicken legs.

There was a guy who trained in there we named Mr Chest because all he did was chest, I watched him bench 250 kg on reps. Never saw him do anything on his legs.

I thought my head was going to explode, the gym I used to train in was full of power lifters and people training for strong man comps so 220 kg was not that heavy. I remember I was doing squats at 200 kg and a guy used it after me to warm up with.

I used to weight train a lot 8-10 years ago at WIS in Cardiff, I played semi pro rugby so did 3 sessions of weights a week with a lot of heavy weights in the off season. I was over 18 and a half stone but I am only 5 ft 9 inches tall, PR on bench was 150 kg, squat 220 kg, dead lift 190 kg. I have started back weight training (I have been doing a bit on and off), currently 17 stone, I seem to have hit a wall on dead lifts and squats, not sure if it is that I am much older or that I am lighter

140 kg is one rep max which I am happy with. Squats I am having problems with, it used to be my strongest exercise about 5 years ago but I am just not confident doing them anymore.

This is all am saying, if you ask most people what goals they have, they could be achieved by bodyweight exercises. If you want to bulk then lifting weights is the way to go. There are more than two levels of bodyweight exercises, for example push ups are not just two armed or one armed, you can do clap press ups than double clap press ups T press up etc. If you are starting out and never been to the gym then you might be better off doing some body weight exercises mixed with some cardio getting into some decent shape and then deciding what you want to achieve. I currently do a mix of both, I like doing weights but do find a benefit from doing bodyweight exercises and cardio. Currently Iam trying build my strengh up again, I am at 140 kg on bench but I cant get past 190 kg on squats, I just can't seem to go for it.

You can easily get bigger with bodyweight exercises. Diet has to be right, but resistance is resistance. You aren't going to win Mr. Olympia with bodyweight only, but your muscles will respond. If the exercises become easy just find a way to increase resistance. One arm/leg instead of two, greater range of motion, more advanced moves, etc.

your right to a degree, but how big do you want your chest to be, plus you don't just have to do the normal press ups, the different amount of press ups you can do is amazing.

Would you say that's the case for pull ups aswell? Take for example the wide armed pull up; If I weigh 12 stone, then that's the same as repping 76kg on the lateral pull down, which is a pretty meaty weight. It's fine to build enough muscle for you to be able to do so many pull ups. But once you get to like 10 or 12 reps, where do you go? You can add reps, but once you get past there you're really only adding endurance, you won't grow muscle. You have to add weights to your pullups to build muscle, at which point it's no longer a bodyweight exercise. or you could do one arm pull ups or muscle ups, archer pull ups etc

It is 80% diet when losing weight, a mix of weights and cardio will help to speed up the process. I know people who have put on some decent muscle and not done weights, you have to be pretty strong to do pull ups and pistol squats, it is like lifting weights which I would guess most people can't lift.

I would say to get into a good shape, build a reasonable amount of muscle and be ripped you do not have to lift weights, can all be achieved by doing bodyweight exercises and sorting your diet out which is by far the most important aspect. Take squats, ask most people who do squats in the gym to do 10 pistol squats on each leg and they can't. I am not saying don't lift weights, I do lift weights, squats, dead lifts bench and militery press etc, just saying that you can achive a lot without lifting weights in a gym.

I would go for press up burpee as the best body weight exercise that you can do. A lot of people get into doing weights when they can't even lift their own bodyweight. Pistol squats, pull ups and burpees are really hard, there so many bodyweight exercises that you can do, when the weather is good I would suggest going for a run and throw in some body weight exercises, few sprints much better than being in a gym in my opinion.

6 Music or Radio 4 mainly but sometimes tune into talksport and radio 5

I dont think any hooker on the tour has had a great game throwing in tbh. Phillips brings a much more physical approach and by looking at the direct runners Gatland has picked he is going for a physical game. Anyway as I have said I do not agree with some of the selection, but I dont think it is down to a Welsh bias, because Gatland has to coach them next year. He left Edwards at home who he has worked with for years. He is not afraid to make big calls and upset people. I don't think he should of been coach as he is a Kiwi to start with.

Youngs was part of a front row which struggled, he has brought hibbard in to beef up the scrum, youngs is no where near being one of the best hookers in the world. not sure I agree with Hibbard getting the nod over him but I imagine it is due to the scrum. Ben youngs did not have a good game last week but he did not have great ball to work with, but Phillips is still a very good player. Alun Wyn Jones was the natural choice to captain the side once BOD was dropped. I do not agree with some of gatlands picks but I very much doubt it was down to a Welsh bias.

I think the call of welsh bias is a bit of a red herring, 9 english started 12 years ago, there are plenty of welsh players who could of made the side, Ian Evans and Tiperic for a start which would of pushed it up to twelve, Wales happen to have a lot of good players at the moment nore than any other home nation. Lydiate is a class player and deserves to start at 6, I would of had Croft on the bench. The two players I have issue with is Hibbard, but he was brought in to get the scrum going forward. Phillips is lucky but he is a big game player and Youngs was poor in the last test, and Murrary improved things when he came on. I am gutted that BOD was dropped but you have to move on and support the team.

BOD has not been great in either test, but I would have dropped Davies and started manu. He could of picked Tiperic and Ian evans, Parling is lucky to be in the starting side he was poor last week.

Who will play 7 if Warbuton gets injured, at least O Brien has played 7

They have gone for Corbs as he is better in the scrum, they will bring on mako after 60 mins to ball carry. I would of gone for Zebo on the bench rather than Maitland. Started with Tipuric at openside witl Warbuton at blindside. If Kearney would have had more game time I would have started him at fullback and moved Halfpenny to the wing.

Did not see the game but it sounds like Best had a nightmare. I did think it was a little bit desperate to get Shane Williams to play at 36 after a year playing in Japan. how about Kearney to start with Halfpenny playing on the wing if North is not fit.

My problem with Barritt is that he is not even British, the only reason he is playing for England is that he was not good enough for the South African side. I know people will say NZ do it and other countries but I just don't agree with it. It would be different if he grow up here, like Manu. I would of took Hook or Maddigan both offer much more going forward.

Think North is out of the first test, which is a massive loss. Glad Wade is coming out as he has so much speed. Not a huge fan of Barritt, surprised he got the call.

Twelvetrees has had the call up!. good player how he is not first choice for England I do not know!

I will watch season 8 as I have invested too much time not too. GOT, enjoy it, but I have read the books so know what is going to happen which I think spoils it abit, I knew the red wedding was about to happen so the shock value was not there. I think they have done a good job in the main as there is just so much which goes on in the books which I never thught they could fit it in.

I was a bit disappointed in Dexter in the end, the more people who knew what he really was like.