building your body for a costume

[Tylerdurden389]

I'm actually gonna be the Ultimate Warrior for Halloween but i know I won't be built like that in 4 months lol. I'm hoping that a smaller, yet really cut and defined physique with lots of veins will compensate for lack of overall size. I'm not wearing a muscle suit like my friend did 2 years ago lol.

 

[STEALTH]

Probably something close to that, and I imagine a lot of it was water retention, because I actually shot up to about 170, two and a half months into it, I'm sitting pretty around 168. I know I should be doing recovery stuff, but that crap is expensive!

I am enjoying having a good home workout program... I hate going to the gym.

Yeah man. I hear ya. It can get pricey

Home workouts for me too. Hate the gym. I've gotten better results at home.

 

[BATIMAN]

Good question
Training just now for batman dead end suit for Halloween. Well I am weight training regardless but my dead end costume is a bit more motivation.
If you spend so much time putting a suit together then you might as well go the whole hog .

[/IMG]
Last comic suit

Cheers
Alex

 

[DarkPassenger]

You can't just pick a routine and expect it to work for you. You have to try a little bit of everything to see what works best for YOU. Everyone is different so pay attention to how you look and feel after a workout, don't just go through the motions. If an exercise is working (whether it's for chest, legs, back, whatever) keep it in your routine. If it doesn't work and you're getting poor results, get rid of it.

There is no magic legal supplement to take to get big. GNC and the like are full of money wasters. Only things worth the penny IMO are protein powder (whey and casien), BCAA, and a carb shake. Everything else is BS.

Give your body time to recover, it's very important. I know my body (maybe not yours) needs about 3 days of weight training a week. Any more then that, I feel tired and my strength goes down significantly.

You can't train like a horse and eat like a bird. If you seriously want to gain muscle you need about 3000+ calories a day of QUALITY food. No eating out use home cooked quality food sources.

 

[Lucien Kane]

Agreed DP, P90X allows one day of rest lol, but it's a three month "boot camp" style program. It's used for getting those fast three month results.

Some of the products "work" but they're dangerous. Hydroxycut was banned while I was in Iraq because of obvious reasons. When you're in 150 degree weather it's not wise to sap the water from your body. lol

 

[DarkPassenger]

Yes, Crossfit, P90X, the 300 workout are all good quick programs to drop body weight and gain muscle. In order to gain size though, I don't think there is anything better then weight training on a split. I work in this split. Just because the week is 7 days doesn't mean your training split has to be.

Monday- Back
Tuesday- Off
Wednesday- Chest & Biceps
Thursday- Off
Friday- Off
Saturday- Legs & Hams
Sunday- Off
Tuesday- Delts, Triceps, and Calves.
Repeat.

Gives me that extra recovery I need from the weight training. I do a High Intensity one set to beyond failure.



Another very important thing is to go to the gym to destroy yourself. Look at girls at the mall or on the beach. Stay focused on your goals and why you're there.

 

[CyberPaddy66]

I gotta get rid of my guy it's getting to be an embaressment not to mention it'll not fit into my Iron Man costume DOH! but having said that I can't exercise because my back is knackered and any strenious lifting bending or just getting out of the car badly leaves me in agony and virtually on crutches for a week.

I have a list of back strengthening exercises memorised from when I had Phisio several years ago but I'm beginning to think I need to go back to the old Charles Atlas book

 

[Badmonkey]

I am getting into to shape right now for various reasons, one of which is that I want to make the Stargate Anubis Guard costume and wear it to ComiCon next year.

I also recommend the P90X workout if you're on a time schedule. If you keep to it every day and follow the principles of the diet you'll get good results. Low fat - Low carbs - Enough protein, fruits and veg - but enough of everything so that you don't deprive your body of what it needs to build muscle and to keep your body working healthily.

You don't need to follow a commercial 'system' to get results, but they can make things easier when it's all planned out for you.

p.s. Little secret for anyone who's interested, if you don't want to fork out on buying the P90X recovery drink, here's a recipe I found that's supposed to be a very close match:
8oz Pure Apple Juice, 1 Scoop Protein and some Creatine.

 

[Mal Reynolds]

One thing to keep in mind whenever you are working out is to train your legs at least as hard as you do your upper body. The largest grouping of muscles you have is in your thighs, and by working these it will increase your body's natural testosterone which will in turn result in bigger gains all over.

 

[payton paison]

i agree with the leg workout, strong legs are a good foundation for your body. u often hear the cliche in sports that their " they have no legs left "

athletes get gassed for lots of reasons, being in good shape cardio wise along with good leg conditioning goes a long way
running stadium steps and bike riding are good options, jumping rope is still one of the most regarded training exercises

hit a speedbag if u have access in between sets when doing ur shoulder workout, its an all around great exercise for shoulders and even back muscles

 

[EyeofSauron]

I gotta get rid of my guy it's getting to be an embaressment not to mention it'll not fit into my Iron Man costume DOH! but having said that I can't exercise because my back is knackered and any strenious lifting bending or just getting out of the car badly leaves me in agony and virtually on crutches for a week.

I have a list of back strengthening exercises memorised from when I had Phisio several years ago but I'm beginning to think I need to go back to the old Charles Atlas book

Try doing pulll exercises: Pull ups, rowing, pull overs. Push exercises are bad if you have back problems, but as long as you dont overdo it, those should work fine, and build your back so your pain decreases

One thing to keep in mind whenever you are working out is to train your legs at least as hard as you do your upper body. The largest grouping of muscles you have is in your thighs, and by working these it will increase your body's natural testosterone which will in turn result in bigger gains all over.

you sir, win +1 internetz

i think youre one of the only guys that ive seen so far outside of Bodybuilding sites to reccomend that, and its really the truth. legs and back are the most important muscles, not training them will give you a lot of problems years later (i allways see those kids in the gym, training chest and biceps, i gave up advising them to do it right)

Also im not a fan of those 3 month programs. Those do work, because either you havent trained hard beforeor not right, and in the first 3 months you gain a lot of muscle anyway,
or you havent trained at all (same reason as above)
All those supps are not needed at all(for beginners). Good home made food, eating every three hours. Low fat low carb is just for losing weight, you wont gain muscles without carbs. i personally cook totally without fat on my meals, just because i dont need to, but i also sometimes eat fastfood and it doesnt do me any bad. If you train hard enough you need those calories, and a few off days on food wont kill you. just dont do it regularly.

at a certain point in your training, i will advise to supps, but only the basics: Whey, Maltodextrose,, and maybe creatine. BCAAs are an option but not really needed. Also, i take 1 fish oil capsule every day, but thats not sups.
Creatine will help you if you reach a step where you cant seem to get any further, but its not totally harmless. I drink 4 litres of water a day, so its not a problem, but if you dont drink enough, you will maybe get kidney damage.

so long story short:
Train hard, Eat quality food, dont overuse supps.

or even shorter:
Train, Eat, Sleep, Repeat

 

[elitediver]

I wear an Ironman Costume that weighs in at over 85 lbs. I often wear it for 3-4 hours at a time. I do a military Boot Camp PT program for 4 hours a day 3 days a week and then swim 1-2 miles on most of my off days from PT. I do a lot of different costumes and I find it is better to be in great shape and have a costume work around your natural fit body then to not be in shape and wear a costume that tries to make you look like you are. Fake muscles look fake and if you are a face character, your face and neck size tend to give away your true body size.

Rick

 

[gcngamer128]

IMO, if you have to alter your body to that extent to do a costume, you shouldn't do the costume.

 

[brulafu]

I went from 17st (238lbs) to 13st (182lbs) fairly quickly but cutting out all the crud I used to eat. I now want to reduce my body fat.

I've attached a few pics. One is of my TK pic before I lost the weight, you can see the thighs are too small (I initially thought it was the thighs that were the problem) but after I lost the 4st (56lbs), the suit fitted like a glove and has made me want to go with a spidey, which means toning up all over and bulking out slightly.

I started using this 12 week programme to slowly build up.

Bodybuilding.com - Stop Training Like An Idiot! The 12-Week Shortcut To Size

I've not been doing weights for 2 weeks as I've been on holiday but will be back at it this week.

And yes I looked like Peter Griffen back then....

The final picture is me at a wedding last week.....

So...with all that being said....Im planning on doing a Spidey first, then maybe depending on how much I build up...A Supes eventually !!

 

[Flasheart]

I'm a fitness instructor who works at a gym so I thought I'd chime in with my two cents...

First off, anyone who decides to get into better shape has my respect. No costume you can put on will look as good as you do if you're in good shape (and eventually, the costume comes off). As much as it's fun to dress up reality is even better

The most important thing is to think of being in shape as a long-term way of living, not a quick thing for some event coming up soon. Think of who you want to be a year from now (and for the rest of your life). Don't think you can lose 60 pounds in a month or gain 60 pounds of muscle in a month!

For losing weight, unless you're obese you don't want to lose more than a pound or two a week. More than that and you'll rebound and eventually gain even more weight back (and it will be more difficult to lose the next time). If there was only one thing I could tell people to do it would be to cut down on the fast food but especially soda. For an average sized North American man (5'8" and 170 lbs) one can of soda a day means you'll weigh roughly 15 pounds more. Counterintuitively you gain even more weight by drinking diet soda (I always say there's no such thing as diet soda).

For gaining muscle you have to work harder than you do now. If you just do what you can already comfortably do then you'll never get into better shape than you are now. You have to work to failure to build muscles, and work each muscle group twice a week (they need a day off between workouts to recover and grow). Skip the supplements - if you eat a balanced diet then you don't need them. If you don't eat a balanced diet then it's better to start rather than buying expensive supplements.

Low carb diets are nonsense. In addition to potentially damaging your kidneys the basic science is flawed. If carbs were dietary villians then Asian countries with their white rice-based diets would have the fattest people in the world - in fact, the opposite is true. Portion size is more important.

Good luck!

 

[APV]

Hmmm...

I don't particularly think getting healthy JUST for a costume is a good thing...

Anyway, I used to weigh 259, now I weigh about 230. I'm 6'5" though so it's hidden rather well by my height, and my legs are rather muscular. I'd say if I lost 15 more pounds I'd look awesome in my C.L.U. costume that I won't have finished for another 18 months. (I'm saving the actual costume-making for after the helmet and ID disc, as I'm making my own 10" disc, and both will take months.)

I don't have a routine, I just eat healthier than most and take my dog for runs every other day. Wait, so yeah. I have a routine. I do weights. I don't do body-building though, that's just not me. It's like the opposite of overweight yet get's the same results. Like difficulty getting into and out of small cars. Plus you look top-heavy. I would rather be balanced out nicely, like a Porsche. But I would never own one, they look like retarded ducks.

As for the rather large post above this by Flasheart, losing no more than 2 pounds a week is the best way. It allows your body to adjust. If you go ahead and lose 10 pounds a week, (it's possible,) your body won't know what to do, plus, you'll have a lot of extra skin. My mother lost almost 90 pounds over the course of a few months and she had to have surgery to relocate a whole bunch of organs dangling there because of the newfound empty space. It's better to take your time if you seriously have to lose weight, or, really if you have to lose weight at all.

 

[jyw003]

I just recently got a xbox kinect...its getting me to be quite...active. You guys should also look into beach body insanity. It doesn't require any weights or tools, but it does have a strict diet plan. (60 day program)

 

[Christopher]

I've been losing weight for my tron costume. I've gone from 85kg to 79kg in the last 2 months. The plus side is that I'm an actor, and looking good is part of the gig, so costuming is a good motivator to keep the weight down.

 

[XtcofPain]

P90x is brilliant. Im onto my 2nd 90 days of it now and it;s actually addictive i think. I got into the routine of doing it every day when i first started which was hard as your aching for a while but now i just keep pushing play. And Tony's a funny guy to listen too in the middle of the workout.

 

[isusuperman]

I agree with Flasheart. I too am a CPT at 24hr fitness, and what he said hits it right on.

If you want to lose I particularly have clients aim for a pound to a pound and a half a week. Outside of that it can be very unhealthy.

As far as gaining you do nead to lift more. I personally work the body at least 2times a week. I also do supersets to push my self further working 2 bodyparts per session. The body can not build 12 lbs of muscle that fast either. Not naturally. If that were the case then I would look like Ronnie Coleman. It would take a year to build 10 solid lbs and thats high. Most natural bodybuilders dont even put half that on per year. an example is that in one year I competed at 193lbs and 5%body fat the next I was 192 at 3% and looked bigger and had put on 4lbs of muscle.

Supplements help. Some are crap and you do need to read the labels. But places like GNC work off commissions. Protein BCAA, Glutamine, and creatine work well for me. At contest time i do a thermogenic. I personally do supplements due to my food intake in the off season. I am around 4-5k calories. But on the better end... I have a figure contestant as a client that doesnt do any supplements besides bcaa's. She eats all her nutrients. So if you have your diet right.... you dont really need them.

But in general you only get results if you work. break those muscle fibers down and go for it if you are gaining or losing.