Korean Job Discussion Forums

[decolyon]

[Hokie21]

I wasn't hating on you, it was a joke. A quote from the movie Zoolander when his father see's a commercial on TV of his son dressed up as a mermaid/merman.

I'm all about getting healthy and exercising, not to the extent that you are obviously, I arrive in Korea tomorrow and one of my main concerns is being able to keep up my cardio regime. I prefer cycling, even a stationary bike over distance running, running anything over 5 miles a day on a constant routine and my shin splits act right up. Also gonna have to figure out which Korean foods are "healthy" and ones which are full of calories.

[minos]

SAP: Speed and power in Konkuk


It's pretty hardcore and has kettle balls. I suppose a more hardcore gym exists, but I haven't seen it.

It's 100% what your looking for.


Also climbing places like the K-2 all in konkuk also attract some jacked dudes. I'm pretty sure they do that stuff.

Alot of casual gyms are owned by former competitors, so I'd ask them...expect some god awful meat head level of english though.

[marsavalanche]

thread made me chuckle. thank you OP

[tukmax]

To Decolyn, or anyone else reading this that is strong/athletic in Korea;

What do you guys eat in Korea? What are you favorite Korean dishes for recovery?

I find it challenging with Korea's rice based diet to get the protein I need. I sometimes eat Bi bim bap with several extra eggs on it. They charge an extra 500 won for each egg so its no big deal. I like Korean bbq too. Someone recommended me yuk gae jang, but I found that to be pretty weak. Just a little meat in it.


Also, Decolyn, what is your routine like? You said you want to be a body builder and you do distance running, but it takes a lot more than distance running to get ripped. I'm not doubting you I'm just wondering what you do when you went to the gym four times a week. Was it compound lifts, or more isolation type movements?

[travel zen]

[decolyon]

tukmax food is not that difficult once you get in a routine with it. I do a lot of shopping at the store and cook at home. I can see how if you just ate Korean dishes it would be difficult to get enough protein and leafy greens. But at any major store in your area (Emart, Homeplus, etc) they will have a large selection of meats and greens. So on a typical weekend I'll pick up a pack of 80/20 ground beef (80%protein 20% fat) or a better ratio if they have it. Maybe one or two steaks, chicken breasts, chicken thighs for a little fat. Some carry ground turkey from time to time. I'm not good at cooking pork so I usually save that for when I go out to eat. Also fish I can't cook well so I save that for eating out as well.

And somewhere in your town will be some kind of veggie stand. Load up on spinach, broc, and any other dark green you see. Find recipes you like and just practice until you get them right. If I'm in a hurry (or lazy) I'll cook up a big pot of brown rice. Throw in some mixed veg while its cooking. Throw in some beans and let it cook. When it's finished I just put it in a large plastic bowl and throw it in the fridge. When I'm hungry I'll heat up a portion and dump a can of tuna on top of it.

But if you're going on just food, I don't think youll get enough protein. So you have to supplement with a good protein powder. The powder shouldn't be your main source of protein. It's called a supplement for a reason. Also look into protein bars or learning how to make your own.

When I go out to eat with friends, if we get galbi or samgyupsal, I just try to load up on as much as possible. I have eaten an entire order of galbi to myself before. Skip the white rice if it's after 5pm.

If it's to lose fat or bulk, you can't ignore food. Training too hard and not eating enough will cause your body to panic and hang on to fat. Don't kill your carbs, just limit them to good carbs and eat them sensibly.

Lifting:

I mix it up. Usually I do a routine for 6 weeks at a time and try something else. For example I may do 6 weeks of pure isolation with medium heavy weight. Next time it will be combination movements with heavy heavy weight. Then the next round will be power routines (snatches, cleans, twists, etc.) My favorite are circuit routines though. Look some up online and I promise they will kick your butt with the tiniest amount of weight. Cardio you have to keep mixing up. Get on a run plan, then change out for the bike, then the elyptical machine. The thing is, your body gets used to workout after a while. You have to shock it into growth or improvement. Mixing up your routines ever month-6weeks keeps you muscles guessing. Mixing up too often however wont allow time for growth. My 6 week method works for me, but you'll have to modify it for yourself.

Also, it's good to have a cheat meal once a week. Once or twice a week (hopefully in the same day) eat whatever you want. Make yourself sick off junk food. There's a thing called a "calorie spike" that's too long to go into detail here, but it works. Also, you need rest. Don't discount what 2 or 3 days off a week can do for you. Your body doesnt grow in the gym, the work gets done while you're in your bed asleep. So don't skip your sleep and remember that over training is just as bad as under training.

[downstack]

Muscle Mania is coming to Seoul in September for a (supposedly) natural bodybuilding competition.

[highstreet]

[decolyon]

Okay. I've never used photobucket before so I just threw this together fast. I don't have any pictures from the very start (3 years ago) but the first picture is from about 2 years ago. Before that just imagine fatter and a lot less muscle. At first I was all about weights and got into running and cardio later. In the picture I'm about 25% body fat. Maybe year one I was near 35% or more.

The second picture is from a March. Here I'm hovering above 10%. Maybe 11%, but certainly not more. I actually bounce around 10%-11%, it's really hard to break this slump.

So that's about a 2 year span. It could have gone faster, but I didn't really focus on my nutrition and cardio enough. Food makes all the difference in the world. I swear it's 85% of the whole thing. The time in the gym is only 10% and supplements are maybe 5% when used correctly. Get your nutrition in check and everything just falls into place. It took me a year and a half at least to learn that.

http://s1109.photobucket.com/albums/h438/decolyon/

[highstreet]

shredded bro

looks like u had a good bit of muscle in the first pic just covered with fat

[CousinNZ]

Hey Decolyon,
Looks like you have worked really hard, nice job.
In April I competed in the Korean Muscle Mania contest and placed 2nd.
Was my first time competing, I really enjoyed it and will be looking at competing again next spring.
I am a personal trainer here in Seoul and own small gym near Itaewon.
Let me know if you would like to drop in for a chat as I would be happy to help you out.

You can reach me at [email protected]

Keep up the good work,

[jlee83]

Nice, it's good to see that hard work does pay off!

Can you tell us your height and weight?

[decolyon]