Bodybuilding Aspies?

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I'm wondering if there are any other AS bodybuilders out there?

I know AS has this stereotype of the geeky/nerdy/weedy guy or gal, but since bodybuilding can be a very solitary and deeply obsessional activity, I would have thought it would have actually appealed to quite a number of Aspies?

I've been at it since I was about 18 (27 now), and it's one of the most fulfilling (if sometimes frustrating) things I do; the complexity and interaction of physiological, biological and mechanical aspects of the sport can provide many hours of stimulating research.

Anyone else? Even if you don't do what you might strictly consider 'bodybuilding'?

Oh definately. I'm not so much a body-builder, but I work out religously and always strive to increase my stamina and other physical abilities.

I agree. The hard work & dedication needed for physical training are definate aspie traits. Judging from some of the previous topics on here, I think it's MORE common for aspies to be well physically conditioned than NTs.

I did it during some periods of my life, but never continuously over the years (Im 25 now). I do enjoy individual endurance-based activities like these, and I also did karate during 3 years... I could do over 50 push-ups back then. I bought myself some weights a few months ago, lift them from time to time, but I always end up not doing it for a long period as my material is quite limited and I dont want to suscribe to a gym. Now a few days ago I've heard of a french bodybuilding method known has the Lafay method : its not yet traduced in English (I speak French anyway), but it is actually based on doing bodybuilding at home without any material except for a few chairs or benchs and a suspended bar. I first thought it was some kind of popular trend that gives false hope to people, but I went to some bodybuilding French forums and many experienced bodybuilders said it gave real results, and some even progressed with it when they were not gaining any more muscles with standard weight lifting. It seems really interesting and I plan to buy the book as soon as possible, and start doing it on a daily basis.

I lift weights, but I don't consider myself a bodybuilder.

Tim

I used to work out very hard, and I'm beginning again soon. It wouldn't suprise me if a lot of bodybuilders were aspies, since many of them are very eccentric, and often got picked on in their childhood. Contrary to popular belief, many bodybuilders are also highly intelligent.

Indeed, plus some aspies have a high pain threshold, which can give them a serious advantage when lifting weights. I believe this is my case somehow.

I kind of body build. I'm not very serious about having a huge body, but I am interested in having a lot of strength and being very fit. I like the hard work and I like using my intelligence to create a real world affect on something where I can see the effects: my body. I work out a lot though. About four or five times a week. I lift hard and do all that protein and creatine supplement stuff. I lift consistently too. So I have a pretty good body and I'm definitely more fit than most of the people I know. I don't think of myself as a fanatic or a professional though. I'm just doing it for the benefits--not competition.

The same goes for me. I'm strongly appealed by body-building, mainly to be well fit and healthy. I have a hard time doing it constently thought, and I'm far from having a muscular body. What would you recommend as protein supplements? The powder that can be found in stores or a homemade recipe?

Before and after the workout, I recomend that you use whey protein powder. At breakfast and before you go to bed, it would be smart to use cassein protein powder. I you take vitamins, minerals and cod liver oil, you don't need any extra supplements besides proteins. I've tried both creatine and some stuff that were supposed to expand my veins, but neither worked. Nutrition and bodybuilding is one of my aspie obsessions.

Even though not everyone wants to look like Ronnie Coleman, a lot of people wants to look like Frank Zane.


Coleman


Zane

I would recommend ON (Optimum Nutrition). It's just a good brand name of whey protein and it comes at a reasonable price.
http://cgi.ebay.com/Optimum-Nutrition-1 ... dZViewItem

I usually make shakes after my workout routine. What I do is, I put about a cup or two of milk into a blender, add about a cup of steel cut oats, a tablespoon of peanut butter and put in a scoop of whey protein. The protein in the milk is about 16 grams, in the oats it's about 20 grams, in the peanut butter it's like 5 grams and in the whey powder, it's like 24 grams. So total is about 65 grams, which is a lot, which is good. But the other advantage is that it's also a lot of carbohydrates, which your body needs to use for fuel. If you give your body a ton of protein without the carbs, your body will begin to use the protein for energy, which you don't want. You want the protein to be utilized by the body to repair and build muscle. The other advantage is that the shakes I make are cheap. If you lift weights a lot, it makes you eat a lot and food gets expensive. With these shakes, it cuts down on the cost of food quite a bit and you can put them down the hatch quickly too.

Hope that helps a little.

The only thing I would avoid is the peanut butter (but only right after a workout), since it is high in fat (also ensure skimmed milk). Upon consumption of a high carb shake, your pancreas will produce a spike of insulin in order to partition the nutrients you just ate into the cells of your body. Unfortunately, insulin does not discriminate and will happily shunt nutrients into your fat cells as well as muscle cells. Consequently, the fat you consume will go directly to the fat cells, helping to make you fatter. Though excess carbs or protein will also be stored as fat, the process is less direct (and excess carbs are deemed beneficial in tenuating the insulin spike - which is highly anabolic).

For a period in High School and even in College I use to lift weights myself. I was never a bodybuilder or even developed a good muscle frame from it. I did get slightly stronger but that's about it. I even took Creatine for a while when I was lifting weights.

I'm not a body builder but I excercise every day, take walks, play in the snow... I just try to stay active.

I used to lift very regularly. Wouldn't say I was a body builder, but I did gain a lot of muscle mass (fat too though). I have mainly focused on kickboxing the last 1.5 yrs with only a little lifting, as it is a fitness goal in the opposite direction of bodybuilding. I might go back to lifting only though, just because they say women like a guy with big muscles over a skinnier guy who can beat the s**t out of the body builder. I don't know if I ever want to fight, and while I enjoy the training, I wonder if I might be better off spending my time getting huge.

I'm not sure the two are mutually exclusive assuming flexibility is maintained? There is a very experienced fight trainer at my gym (many techniques). He is a very muscular man indeed, even his legs. He can also do the splits!

Yeah it depends on the person too. I have only so much time to devote to fitness. Also, speed is extremely important in boxing/thai boxing, and it decreases substantially if you have too much extra muscle on. Though if you have big muscles and are a very fast puncher, you will be deadly.