Fitness Training for Cosplay

[wmmarcellino]

Anyone else out there training to make their bodies more of a match for the suit? I'm building a New 52 Batman suit, and I want to look more, well, Batmanesque. One of the reasons I like Batman is because he's a human in an almost exclusively metahuman group, but he's still a force. If I was going to cosplay Hal Jordan I would be less concerned with how my body looks. But I feel like Batman deserves a little respect in the way of training on my behalf, ya know?

I'd be interested in hearing if other folks try and train for their cosplay, and how you do it. Ordinarily I would lift for functional strength and mass, centered on big compound movement lifts (deadlifts and squats), e.g. a 3x5 protocol, eat a ton of whole foods, and then for the last three weeks try and cut by eating super-clean along with a lot of HIIT work/supersetting. Currently I have some serious back problems and am waiting on surgery in Oct., so I am doing something I kind of loathe: body-building. It's working, in that I've put on 6 pounds of lean muscle-mass in the last couple of months, but it's less functional beach-muscle kind of stuff.

Who else is training?

 

[Vox]

Hey man! There is an 120 page (and counting) thread in the Off-Topic session called the RPF Fit Club and it is where a lot of people share stories and techniques exactly like the ones you are describing. Plus, I bet you can post that you are looking for some exercises that are easy on the back and I'm sure people can help. Check it out!

 

[wmmarcellino]

Thanks Vox--didn't realize this was off topic. Will look at that thread.

 

[wmmarcellino]

Blargh--I can't see/access that forum

 

[MaarekSteele]

Neither can I,. Is it for premium members only? Or for people who've been members for longer?

I found this mega thread a few days ago
http://www.therpf.com/f78/tasm-fitn...physique-tips-exercise-nutrition-here-155661/

But the RPF Fit Club seems like an awesome idea. I wanna join

 

[teragon]

Off topic section should be accessible by all members, it probably has the same requirements as the Junkyard section then, the 90 days/50 posts deal.
You're not the only one motivated by costuming though, I started going to the gym and training seriously when I first bought my superman returns suit. It was what motivated to follow my program and not give up ! Now I go to the gym anyway, costume or not, but I have this hobby to thank for it.

 

[Htofstead]

To get into shape for my batman I have done TAPOUT XT and XT 2 and T25 and now P90x3. (http://www.beachbodycoach.com/htofstead1) I hate it when people use fake muscles to look the part. But I also understand not everyone has the times or the means either. But I would say take the time and workout to meet the expectations of the character you wish to represent.

 

[steyin]

I'm getting Maskedrider's MoS suit, so in preparation I'm doing P90X for my chest/back/arms/shoulders for 1.5 months, then using the 5-3-1 manual/method for 1 month, and wrapping it up with the 4X mass body workout for the last month before Halloween. As for diet I cut out soda and only drink water, milk and iced tea, with protein shakes after my workout sessions. I snack on peanut butter/apples/carrots/celery, eat mostly chicken/tuna for dinner meals with veggies, sandwiches for lunch, and cut out pasta/rice.

After Halloween I'll adjust to tone properly and bulk up more if necessary. I could do more, but I know how my body works and responds to things, plus I bulk up/get ripped pretty fast, so no worries for me.

 

[CapedCrushaver]

I'm getting Maskedrider's MoS suit, so in preparation I'm doing P90X for my chest/back/arms/shoulders for 1.5 months, then using the 5-3-1 manual/method for 1 month, and wrapping it up with the 4X mass body workout for the last month before Halloween. As for diet I cut out soda and only drink water, milk and iced tea, with protein shakes after my workout sessions. I snack on peanut butter/apples/carrots/celery, eat mostly chicken/tuna for dinner meals with veggies, sandwiches for lunch, and cut out pasta/rice.

After Halloween I'll adjust to tone properly and bulk up more if necessary. I could do more, but I know how my body works and responds to things, plus I bulk up/get ripped pretty fast, so no worries for me.

How has this been going for you so far? I have my diet down (very similar to yours) but my workouts seem to be lacking.

Matt

 

[steyin]

How has this been going for you so far? I have my diet down (very similar to yours) but my workouts seem to be lacking.

Matt

I actually started a few days ago, so I won't see any changes/results for another week or so. The workouts really depend on what you want to target and what you can handle or feel good with. When things aren't working, then you need to either increase weights or vary it up. I never do the same routine/exercises for more than 2 weeks in a row. I like to change it up, a la the whole muscle confusion method.

I did do P90X a couple of years ago and had success as my upper body got bigger, especially my arms. I'm naturally broad and find its easier to get ripped faster in my chest/back/shoulders. The last real workout regimen I had was a cross between P90X and 10 minute trainer last year. When I diet properly and do the right stuff I lose weight and tone up relatively well. With that routine (for 3-4 months) I went down about 2 waist sizes. I believe I had lost 12 lbs in about 3 weeks. It was more so to trim my waist than to bulk up though.

If you're looking for a better workout, I'd suggest targeting two groups for one workout day (arms/shoulders, chest/back, legs/back, etc). I usually workout for at least an hour 3-4 times a week, and usually in "bootcamp" fashion with minimal breaks between sets. If you need more exercises, I always suggest this as a resource:

http://www.exrx.net/Lists/Directory.html

They go over a lot and its easy to put a routine together from there as long as you have a goal in mind and available resources for exercising.

 

[Vox]

Kudos to all of you taking your cosplay to the next level of realism. My gym membership is on hold until (unless) my expenses settle down, so I've been confined to floor and body weight exercises. Great for maintaining muscle tone, not much for muscle building.

Thankfully, Red Hood (this year's cosplay of choice) does not need to have a ton of musculature due to the jacket.

 

[DSangwell]

I've been following the 4 Hour Body book's methods, in the last month I've lost 1% body fat (which is a nice start) but now I'm taking it a bit more seriously. There's a section in there on adding 36b of lean muscle in 30 days, which sounds outrageous and fake but the guys who've followed it on their forums all seem to have good results (20-25lbs typically). The meal plan is easy to follow (slow carb style with a once a week cheat day) so overall I'm really happy with it. Getting ready for Deathstroke in November so that's the target!

 

[Il Princerino]

There's a section in there on adding 36b of lean muscle in 30 days, which sounds outrageous and fake

.


that is a really impossible goal, even if you were on steroids you couldn't gain more than a pound of muscle a day. Realistically you can expect a gain of 1 to 2 pounds of lean muscle mass a week naturally, and that's eating 4000-5000 calories a day, any more than that and you're more likely to get fat instead of buff.

 

[Dungeonstone]

Doing the same thing myself for our Halloween party this year

 

[wmmarcellino]

Ordinarily I would do barbell training in two phases:
1. Heavy lifting/easting for functional strength and hypertrophy for a 3 month mesocycle. The protocol would be very high, near maximal intensity (2-3 reps per set), and relatively low volume. Some of you may have heard of 5x5 Stronglifts, or MadCow's 5x5--this would be 3x5's. Lifts would be compound lifts, focused on deadlift, squat, and including functional exercises, e.g. overhead presses, weighted pull-ups, etc. During this period I would eat for calories.
2. HIIT work w/ Higher Volume lifts in super/giant/circuit sets for a 1-2 month mesocycle. So this would be 3 or 4 sets, 12 reps, at 50-70% 1RM, and then across micro-cycles I would cycle through super sets, giant sets, or a circuit set. I would also have HIIT days once a week, e.g. sprinting, skip rope, at very intense 30 second intervals/4.5 minute rests, for 5-6 intervals. During this period I would eat clean...or as clean as I get Like no booze, icecream, chips, fries, etc., with a saturday cheat day.

But I have spinal stenosis, and until I have surgery in October, I really can't do a lot of functional lifting, and certainly can't do deadlifts and squats. So I'm using machines, so I can keep my back stable, 12x5 at 65-75% 1RM, adding in assistance lifts as I go along. It's going ok, but it's the nature of the beast that much of the growth is sarcoplasmic hyptertrophy, and not functional muscle.

 

[Wildcard28]

Well I myself am not very big but I am in football so I have a hour in the weight room 4 days a week with a planned workout since doing this I've noticed changes in muscle mass I subscribed to see if this goes anywhere interesting

 

[DarthStevenus]

Been trying to build up some muscle for my Batman costume for Halloween this year. All I've got to work with right now are some dumbbells, 10 and 20 lbs. Can't really afford to buy a bench pressing set or anything, and I don't have anyone to spot me for it anyway. And I certainly can't afford a gym membership. I'm trying to build up my arms, chest, shoulders, and neck, while hopefully losing some fat along the way.

Anyone got any good exercises or methods I can try out?

 

[steyin]

Been trying to build up some muscle for my Batman costume for Halloween this year. All I've got to work with right now are some dumbbells, 10 and 20 lbs. Can't really afford to buy a bench pressing set or anything, and I don't have anyone to spot me for it anyway. And I certainly can't afford a gym membership. I'm trying to build up my arms, chest, shoulders, and neck, while hopefully losing some fat along the way.

Anyone got any good exercises or methods I can try out?

I'd say to do more body resistance training if you don't have the available resources. Good ol' pushups and chinups/pullups (you can get one of the door frame bars for like 20 bucks) will do. You can always improvise weights if you don't have anything above 20lbs (for example, gallon milk/water jugs).

Even without a bench you can still do shrugs, rows, overhead/shoulder presses, flys, dips, etc. Check out the link I posted above, the site illustrates various exercises that can be done in several methods aside from using a bench. Of course, also maintain your diet and get your protein in!

 

[wmmarcellino]

Hi Darth,

Two thoughts for you:

1. 10 & 20lbs dumbells won't work. Go out and get a resistance band set (the "tube" kind). A set like that is cheap, versatile, and combined with your little dumbbells and bodyweight, you could put together a training plan meets your needs.

2. Ideally you would have access to barbells, and could lift heavy to get strong, and end up looking the way you want, while also having functional strength (i.e. muscular hypertrophy). Short version, but there's two kinds of hypertrophy myofibril (or muscular) hypertrophy, where you get very strong and somewhat bigger, and sarcoplasmic hypertrophy, where you get very big, and somewhat stronger. You'll have to go for the second kind. You'll have to do multiple sets of 12-15 reps at lower intensity (maybe 70% your 1 RepMax), and build up the sarcoplasm in your muscles (an a non-functional, non-contractile kind of muscle protein). I would spend August and September building up muscle, and then in October eat really clean, and do even lower weights in supersets (back to back exercises), then trisets (three exercises back to back), and finally giant sets, e.g for giant sets overhead dumbell presses, lunges, lat raises, and bent over rows, all back to back with no rest. That kind of supersetting functions as a kind of High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) and will induce EPOC effects: you'll burn fat for hours afterwards. The downside is that it is very painful--it only works if you are gasping and trembling at the end of the sets, because you have emptied your top two energy systems.

 

[xEVANSx]

I hate to rain on your parade... but there are no shortcuts to looking like a superhero. Ideally... you could get into shape in 1-2 years with a proper diet and some heavy lifting.