Morphine's "Spartan Body" Build - WIP

[Gumption 117]

Hi 405'ers,

Being an Infantryman, I can't post a thread in the Noob forum, so I'm having to post here.

Currently I'm just about to start my undersuit build for my H4 Master Chief, but this thread isn't anything about that build, it's about my body ... build.

Instead of putting in foam muscle cutouts to resemble what a Spartan's body looks like after augmentation and manipulation, I thought why not do it the real way and grow real muscles! Stupid idea for those not looking at wanting to do hard work (because it definitely is!) and stick to it to the end, but I came up with the conclusion that I'm going to give it a red hot crack because I'm crazy like that! :cool

In reality, in 6 months I'm not going to turn into the next Arnie or Stallone - I've admitted that to myself, nor that I want to get that big. However in that time with the right attitude, routine, diet and exercise / weight schedule, I might be able to develop a physique to be proud of and look somewhat "Spartan" like.

My Background:
I'm typically what is called a "string bean", someone with a usually fast metabolism that can almost eat everything and remain thin. I'm 6 foot (184cms) and currently 76kgs. Two year ago I did some weights work that got me to 83kgs, but last year I stopped and took up cycling instead, which toned up my legs fantastically, but by stopping the gym work my upper body suffered and lost the mass I previously built.

This year I hope to achieve a balance of weights training but also keep my cardio work up to reduce body fat whilst I increase my protein and carb intake. Some say you can't put muscle mass on and reduce body fat at the same time, but I say it's possible, it's just going to take longer that mass gaining

My Diet:
I've got some of the dieting already started (in January I lost around an inch or so around my waistline) and looking to build on top of what I've started. Here's what a typical week day looks like:
Breakfast: Healthy (with fibre) cereal with low fat milk with multi vitamin and 4000mg fish oil
After Breakfast: Cup of coffee with low fat milk
Morning Tea: Can of Tuna with a Banana
Lunch: Wrap with chicken/lamb, spinach leaves, carrot, bean sprouts, little low fat grated cheese
Afternoon Tea: Tub of yogurt with an apple
Dinner: Lean Chicken / Steak with at least 3 serves of veges

I'm currently weight training 3 days a week (mon, wed, fri) after work, so in between Afternoon Tea and Dinner I'll have a post workout protein recovery (with carbs) shake and after Dinner before bed I'll have another separate protein (without carbs) shake. I'll be slowly refining the diet once I speak with a personal trainer and/or nutritionist but I think it's a great start and the waistline result proves the healthy eating is working with reducing body fat.

Weights Routine:
I have an on-site gym in my housing estate, which I use instead of using a commercial gym. This has pros and cons and has "introduction" equipment I'd like to call, such as a Sit-up Bench, Bench Press, Leg Press and Lat Pulldown and Seated Row gym. It doesn't have any free weights, so the range of motion can be a little limiting. I don't have to pay gym fees as I'm already paying a body corporate, so it's "free" for now.

My workout at the moment consists of 4 exercises: 3 sets of 10 reps and am currently isolating muscles or muscle groups with I rotate each day. For example, Mondays I might do Shoulders, Wednesday Abs and Friday Chest. I mix up the different workout types to make sure my muscles don't plateau and "keep them guessing." The weight for each exercise I sit at around 80% of my total weight I'm able to lift, so by the time I've reached the 10th rep in the 3rd set, my muscles are surely burning and struggling to finish the rep. Unfortunately I don't have the actual weight measures for each exercise, as the machines have a simple 1 to 21 numbering system instead of actual kgs (the maximum I believe that number 21 totals is 95kgs however).

Eventually, I want to get a Personal Trainer to start looking and extending my routine and also include the free weights, so I'll have to look at joining and actual gym (or buy the weights instead). This is something I'm still working on but I'll be organising this very soon!

Pictures:
Yes, I know, this thread is useless without pics! When I get home, I hope to post up some of what I used to look like and what I do know. I must warn you, if you may need to put on sunglasses before looking at a tall pasty guy standing in his boxer shorts :cool

In Closing:
In creating this thread, I hope to continue posting my progress and answer questions and am open to critiques and feedback. Most of all, I hope to inspire those to follow the same path I am, but for themselves: there is a Spartan in all of us!

EDIT: Corrected title because my username is Gump24601 on other forums :cool

 

[vargatom]

Sounds good, but in my experience free weights are always better than any machine. What you really need to do is squat, press, bench press and deadlift with a barbell; and do some pullups and dips as well. The idea is that the larger weights you use, the stronger the body's response is going to be; and because you are working with free weights all your muscles will develop in harmony. The deadlift and the squat are in particular some great exercises.

Ideally you'd have three sessions per week, for example like this:
Monday
3x5 squat
3x5 bench press / military press (alternate between subsequent sessions)
3x5 of pullups, if it's too easy then add weights

Wednesday
3x5 squat
3x5 bench press / military press (alternate between subsequent sessions)
1x5 deadlift

Friday
3x5 squat
3x5 bench press / military press (alternate between subsequent sessions)
3x5 of pullups, if it's too easy then add weights

I also don't trust the regular personal trainers in average fitness saloons, they aren't keeping up with the latest developments and are only interested in you buying a pass.


Another, pretty good alternate is kettlebells; the weights cost quite a lot at first sight, but you won't need to many of them. They require very little space and they're pretty versatile tools, but you really need to learn from a qualified instructor (preferably an RKC) because bad form will lead to injuries.

 

[DagothDraal]

Subbing, this is pretty cool.

 

[Gumption 117]

Sounds good, but in my experience free weights are always better than any machine.

Thanks for providing so much information, much appreciated

You've probably heard of "Starting Strength" by Mark Riptoe, which pretty much covers the exercises you've provided. Now, I haven't read it per se (as it concentrates heavily on getting technique right, for obvious reasons), but have watched some of his videos. The dude is a machine and one of the best strength / muscle building guys out there. Very soon I want to organise the PT to pretty much run through these exercises in a real gym (instead of my pulley system gym at my home), get used to working with free weights again (used to have my own bench, etc but had to downsize due to a new house) and getting more compound workouts into me.

I think you're right about signing up with a PT already in a gym. They would be working with company policy, have a "set routine" and possibly pushing company branded supplements and the like. That is something I want to avoid. I've registered my details with a PT outside of a gym, so I'll be in contact with him soon to see what routines we can work on and go somewhere local to facilitate it.

It's also still up for debate the whole set versus reps versus how much weight. I've read from a few trainers online that say building mass is bigger weight, less reps whereas others say lesser weight, more reps. I think I'm going to have to just test the waters on both approaches to see what has the best results with my metabolism and physical strength and report back.

I'm really interested in kettlebells and have seen some of the exercises muscles you've never thought you've had! Unfortunately, I'm a little low on money right now and pushing anything through the "Minister of Finance, Entertainment and Wellbeing" would put a stop to any substantial purchase. I may get away with a small dumbell set, we'll see!

Thanks again and I'll keep you posted!

Subbing, this is pretty cool.

Thanks, it's something a little different to other builds on the 405th. I just hope to steer the course and hopefully provide results to inspire others that it can be done if they've thought about doing the same.

I have photos from a few weeks back and have continued my training since then (although they're on my fiance's laptop right now) - this Sunday I hope to get more photos to compare the progress and share them. Might need to do some photoshopping of pants on though, as I've taken them in my undies to show as much progress as possible (and still keep some dignity! :cool).

 

[spartan IV]

Ha this is great. I would have never thought some one would take this rout to look like an authentic spartan, but it sounds good. Best of luck and I am looking forward to see what you look like dressed in armor after all is said and done.

 

[RedJak]

[QUOTE vargatom
I also don't trust the regular personal trainers in average fitness saloons, they aren't keeping up with the latest developments and are only interested in you buying a pass.


That is way I quite being a trainer, the powers that be kept telling me to push,push,push clients for that membership
anyway you can do it,sounds like you have a pretty good head on your shoulder,keep the faith,good luck and GOD bless.

 

[Xtremenoob]

Hey,
This thread is different to most and I'm going to keep my eye on this. Just wondering what is your BF%. Can't wait to see progress pics, good luck

 

[Afr0Blu3]

Both myself and the missus want to get into better shape. We're going to try following along with you.

 

[Tigersgrace]

just found this thread...this is a great idea. just one tip for you, if you want to gain muscle mass, put your cardio on hold for about 2 weeks and lift every day. my routine is this:
mon-chest
tues-back
wed-arms
thurs-shoulders
fri-core
sat-legs
sun-rest
I did this plan for a year while deployed to Iraq and gained amazing strength and mass. was 5'11" 135lbs at the start and when i came home i weighed in at 175lbs of pure muscle. Just dont forget that the cardio only gets put on hold long enough for the weight gain to start; for me was 2 weeks. then cardio for 45min to an hour every day; either before or after the workout.

 

[Gumption 117]

Ha this is great. I would have never thought some one would take this rout to look like an authentic spartan, but it sounds good. Best of luck and I am looking forward to see what you look like dressed in armor after all is said and done.

Thanks, although I doubt I'll get to be as big as the spartan 4s you see running around in Halo 4, I'm going to do my best to get as close as possible!

[QUOTE vargatom
I also don't trust the regular personal trainers in average fitness saloons, they aren't keeping up with the latest developments and are only interested in you buying a pass.


That is way I quite being a trainer, the powers that be kept telling me to push,push,push clients for that membership
anyway you can do it,sounds like you have a pretty good head on your shoulder,keep the faith,good luck and GOD bless.

Although I haven't approached a PT within a gym before, I thought as much. I don't want someone pushing a workout, membership and supplements that aren't going to benefit me or isn't personalised to what I want to achieve. That's a clear sign of a bad PT that should be using their own head!

Thanks for the kind words, it's a pretty big step up for me to be so committed to what is very hard work (especially getting motivation up after a big day at work). I just have a goal to get as big as possible and each day is a step closer to that

Hey,
This thread is different to most and I'm going to keep my eye on this. Just wondering what is your BF%. Can't wait to see progress pics, good luck

I'm surprised there hasn't been one before to be honest! My BF% I don't really have a clue because the scales I have I can't reprogram from a few years back (don't know how i did it in the first place without the manual!). Doing some quick online calculations, I'm probably between 13 and 15% BF. I'm 6 foot (184cms), 33.5 inch waist and currently 76.6 kgs (168 lbs). I don't have alot of fat on me although it's mainly sitting on my hips and lower abdominals currently. I need to get a proper reading of BF that the PT should be able to provide with calipers.

Both myself and the missus want to get into better shape. We're going to try following along with you.

Hopefully I can provide that inspiration for you both. But if I don't, my fiancee will. She's lost almost 30kgs (66 lbs) in around 10 months through better nutrition and has taken up cycling. The transformation is amazing - she almost looks half herself! I won't post photos of her as I want to remain breathing

just found this thread...this is a great idea. just one tip for you, if you want to gain muscle mass, put your cardio on hold for about 2 weeks and lift every day. my routine is this:
mon-chest
tues-back
wed-arms
thurs-shoulders
fri-core
sat-legs
sun-rest
I did this plan for a year while deployed to Iraq and gained amazing strength and mass. was 5'11" 135lbs at the start and when i came home i weighed in at 175lbs of pure muscle. Just dont forget that the cardio only gets put on hold long enough for the weight gain to start; for me was 2 weeks. then cardio for 45min to an hour every day; either before or after the workout.

Cardio is what caused me to loose mass in the first place (although I stopped gym altogether which didn't help). It's something that I'm very cautious about, because it strips muscles that you don't use during cardio. For example: last year I started cycling and although my legs are now lean and toned, my upper body went back to it's former size.

The amount of weight training days is currently a real balance for me - I'm trying to fit enough of it in a day as it is and will attempt to fit in more. 6 days at the moment is a bit much but that may change!

40 pounds of muscle! Wow, that's certainly impressive! What was your diet like during that time, high intake of calories and protein?


Pictures hopefully available by the end of the day. Missus has the camera currently and I need to download them to the PC and then put shorts on me

 

[Gumption 117]

Ok, so I did say pictures by the end of the day ... hopefully I'll have them ready today but I'm currently working on the undersuit tracing and design.

Quick update on the "build": I have continued my weights routine as well as my diet but have now enlisted with a PT that has a gym shared by other private PTs.
He seems genuine enough because as discussed previously there can be some shonky operators out there.

I'll basically be upping the number of routines from 3 to 5 a week (Mon-Fri), 3 with the PT. For cardio, I'll still go with a group of cycling friends for a 50+km ride on the weekends.
In addition to this, I'll be having a food plan drawn up which is going to basically increase my calories and carbs intake.

I'm a little nervous because my first session with the PT is Monday, followed by another Tuesday and Thursday (Wednesday and Friday will be home gym days).
I'm 99.99% sure I'm going to get absolutely smashed after explaining what I'm trying to achieve in the few months I have until PAX in July. No rest for the wicked as they say!

Pic update tonight! (fingers crossed)

 

[Gumption 117]

Alright, so here goes - pic updates!

Only four to share right now. Unfortunately I don't have any pre-build pics to show the full progression.
Pics can only do so much justice and the camera is giving us some grief, but I'll post them anyway!

Before anybody asks, yes, in the photos that have black boxes around my waist I do have underpants on. People don't like looking at guys in budgie smugglers at the best of times, so I thought I'd be modest and cover up.
For future updates (including the latest build photo), I'll be wearing boxers so I a little more, shall we say, decent :cool

Build 22-01-13:

Build 10-02-13:

Build 17-02-13: (now with pants!)

Bonus Pic Profile 17-02-13:

I thought because of my pasty white skin I thought I'd start doing a "profile" pic, much like War Games in H4, to show of the definition a bit more. Yes, it's a real tan on the arms and legs from cycling, but that's about it




If you haven't been scared off yet by the blinding light of a ranga's skin, thanks for staying. As I said, a big work in progress still and early doesn't don't always show much process, so hopefully in the coming weeks and months that the hard work in weights and diet start paying off more.

I'll hopefully be able to post how my PT sessions go, starting tomorrow, if I'm still alive that is, hahaha

 

[Gumption 117]

So I had my very first PT session today and really wasn't sure what to expect (apart from being busted by the end of it).

It went ok I thought, it was basically a feeler session to see what my strength and weaknesses were. My form for all exercises was great, even though I hadn't done squats or deadlifts before.
We did benchpress, lat pulldown, squats and deadlifts, mostly muscle-grouped exerises to see how I go.
Still, I came out sore - I've found that my shoulders, quads and hamys feel like I haven't used them before, hahaha

Second session is tomorrow and apparently will be the one we start "getting into it." I fear for my muscles and what they're about to endure, but it's all going to be worth it in the end!

 

[Gumption 117]

As expected, I got destroyed last week (and today) which is a good thing, because the PT is pushing as hard as my body will go!

Another pic update finally put together showing some slight definition increase since the previous week and slight bulk:

Build 24-02-13:

Profile 24-02-13:

Diet has remained the same but the 3 PT sessions from last week were definitely killer. Bench, Squats, Presses, Bicep Pulls in all varying sets and reps made my muscles burn like nothing I've experienced before. It felt like they were literally on fire at times, and still had more reps to go!

As the saying goes, and now I truly believe it: "no pain, no gain!"

I've received my diet plan today and it's massive. During the day alone, I've been tasked to take at least 300gs of lean meat alone, as well as oats, more fruit, brown rice and veges. There's only going to be so much my stomach (and budget) will be able to take, but I'll still look at incorporating the different foods and more of it into my diet. I'll probably start rolling it towards the end of the week and see what meals I need to prep for next week.

I'm now off to get much needed sleep. Thanks for dropping in. Don't be shy in shooting questions, critiques or pats on the back my way

 

[Tigersgrace]

Cardio is what caused me to loose mass in the first place (although I stopped gym altogether which didn't help). It's something that I'm very cautious about, because it strips muscles that you don't use during cardio. For example: last year I started cycling and although my legs are now lean and toned, my upper body went back to it's former size.

The amount of weight training days is currently a real balance for me - I'm trying to fit enough of it in a day as it is and will attempt to fit in more. 6 days at the moment is a bit much but that may change!

40 pounds of muscle! Wow, that's certainly impressive! What was your diet like during that time, high intake of calories and protein?

Sorry that its taken a while for me to answer this question. I forgot to sub to your thread.... The answer is yes i was on a 3500+ cal diet and drinking about 50g of protein per day. I was also taking a suppliment called Animal Stak. I highly recommend their series of suppliments. Also, looking at your pics, i can give you one more piece of advice. You can work abs every day. The abdominal muscles are one of the faster recovering muscles in the human body next to the jaw, and the tongue. I would recommend doing Flutter Kicks and Frog kicks. The flutter kicks will focus on your hip flexors and your lower abs while the frog kicks will focus on the hip flexors and the entire abdominal set. Overall great job keeping up with your routine; best of luck and I hope i have been of some help to you.

 

[harican89]

i dont see the reason why you post your fitness plans and diet progress on a halo based armor creation forum ... i dont think that this thread is on the right forum although this progress is for your "undersuit".

 

[Tigersgrace]

i dont see the reason why you post your fitness plans and diet progress on a halo based armor creation forum ... i dont think that this thread is on the right forum although this progress is for your "undersuit".

Granted it maybe would have been better suited for the general discussion, but this IS the work that he is putting in to be more like MC and the other spartans. IMO, building the body as the "undersuit" is the most important part of this build...and the spartan persona.

 

[GuitarMaster157]

Well this is... interesting...

 

[vargatom]

It will take a few weeks for your muscles to adapt to regular exercise - they're going to start to contain more water in order to be able to store more nutrients, which means they'll get a little bigger relatively quickly. Also, don't bother checking your weight at this point, or the body fat ratio.

As for ab exercises, I personally don't really believe in them... The main purpose of the lower torso's musculature is to stabilize the lower back when trying to exert any kind of force with the upper body. This means that if you're working with free weights, it will get exercised as much as it has to. Squats, front squats, standing presses, deadlifts, basically any kind of free weight exercises will all use it, doing extra sit-ups and crunches is not necessary. I've never really done such focused exercises and still my torso muscles developed a lot; although ab wheels are an interesting piece of equipment that we did use during circuit training.

Oh, and this topic shouldn't be frowned upon here, IMHO. Spartans are strong and healthy and everyone will look better in their armor if they aim for a good physique, too. Wouldn't like to offend anyone, but both underweight and overweight Spartans look a bit wrong... and this is something everyone can change, for the better.

 

[Gumption 117]

Sorry that its taken a while for me to answer this question. I forgot to sub to your thread.... The answer is yes i was on a 3500+ cal diet and drinking about 50g of protein per day. I was also taking a suppliment called Animal Stak. I highly recommend their series of suppliments. Also, looking at your pics, i can give you one more piece of advice. You can work abs every day. The abdominal muscles are one of the faster recovering muscles in the human body next to the jaw, and the tongue. I would recommend doing Flutter Kicks and Frog kicks. The flutter kicks will focus on your hip flexors and your lower abs while the frog kicks will focus on the hip flexors and the entire abdominal set. Overall great job keeping up with your routine; best of luck and I hope i have been of some help to you.

Thanks for the continued support!

For the diet, I've basically been given a target of consuming 160gs of protein a day. Looking at the food plan that's been given to me it's probably about that amount, but the sheer volume of food I need to eat I need another stomach or two! Of course, your stomach stretches over time so I just need to get used to increasing the volume to allow my body to take in so much nutrients that will hopefully increase bulk and recovery time.

From the ab exercises I did yesterday, I can definitely feel them today, especially the lats. Exercises included the inclined sit up with reps of resistance (PT pushing me back down to the bench as I resisted), as well as leg raises whilst lying down with the last reps having me push my legs down to the ground while the PT was holding my feet up.

The ab exercises you've posted look interesting and I'll probably give them a go during my recovery days, amongst others.

i dont see the reason why you post your fitness plans and diet progress on a halo based armor creation forum ... i dont think that this thread is on the right forum although this progress is for your "undersuit".

We're non-discriminatory here on the 405th and I've seen plenty of other builds for characters outside of the Halo universe.

As far as I see it, my body is part of the undersuit and I need to work on it to get the physique and shape that looks like the chief / spartan. You don't see the MC running around with a beer gut, do ya? (although I've never had one) It will also be "easier" to have the real muscles under the suit instead of having to craft fake ones. Therefore, this body build is part of a grander plan - once I start the physical on my undersuit (which will be soon) I'll be creating a new thread for that as that's the next stage of the process.

As for fitness / diet plans, this is to show to others that it can be done. I may not look big now but a few months ago I looked ALOT smaller. This thread is simply to provide inspiration to others that might think "nah, I can't achieve that" and prove them incorrect. Yes, it's a hell of a lot of hard work but it can (and will) be done!

Well this is... interesting...

Glad it's piqued your interest!

It will take a few weeks for your muscles to adapt to regular exercise - they're going to start to contain more water in order to be able to store more nutrients, which means they'll get a little bigger relatively quickly. Also, don't bother checking your weight at this point, or the body fat ratio.

As for ab exercises, I personally don't really believe in them... The main purpose of the lower torso's musculature is to stabilize the lower back when trying to exert any kind of force with the upper body. This means that if you're working with free weights, it will get exercised as much as it has to. Squats, front squats, standing presses, deadlifts, basically any kind of free weight exercises will all use it, doing extra sit-ups and crunches is not necessary. I've never really done such focused exercises and still my torso muscles developed a lot; although ab wheels are an interesting piece of equipment that we did use during circuit training.

Oh, and this topic shouldn't be frowned upon here, IMHO. Spartans are strong and healthy and everyone will look better in their armor if they aim for a good physique, too. Wouldn't like to offend anyone, but both underweight and overweight Spartans look a bit wrong... and this is something everyone can change, for the better.

Thanks for the support vargatom. As I've said previously, this is not only to provide progress in my own body's change but also to show others they can do the same!

Although it's not really showing presently, I feel that my core is probably the strongest muscle group I have. I do think it needs more work, especially as you say with free weights you need the stability (and form) to lift bigger. As I'm not as experienced with the free weight bench, squats and deadlifts, the more support I have when I continue doing them the better!

Also, the point you make about having a good physique is an important one. Not that I'm familiar with "rules of cosplaying" because I'm quite green, but I thought the whole "look as real as possible" is what people try to achieve when making costumes and props. Obviously there will be some impractical and impossible things (eg: Chief is 7 feet tall, I'm only 6 - No, I'm not getting leg bone grafts ), but getting as close to the real thing includes turning my body into something that resembles a spartan, not just wearing the armour. If I can inspire others to do the same, not just for cosplaying either but for general health and wellbeing, then all the more better!