Hi People,

my Name is "JamesDean" I'm from Germany and that's my first question in this forum:

Is it possible to have success in Bodybuilding with having ADHD?

I tried it for more than 2 years but I failed. Another question i have is:

Is it bad to eat chocolat while having ADD?

Sorry for my bad english. I already know many things about ADD but i still search for some details. I also have a hypochondria and all this together really smells! I didn't think that my 19. Lifeyear would look like this...

Greatings
Robert alias James Dean

If you can train your focus on body building you may actually find you have an advantage in it.

Although I am by no means a body builder, I have friends with ADHD who are strong as bulls.

A good friend of mine is obsessed with body building. All he does is work out and spend half his pay check on diet and supplements. Although he was never diagnosed with ADHD I’m pretty sure he has some variation of it. We motivate each other because we are always competing, although when it comes to lifting heavy things, he has me beat for sure. :rolleyes:

Is it bad to eat chocolat while having ADD?

As one who just swallowed a Little Debbie cholocate square I would say "wontink wooo" or I don't think so. As long as the amount of chocolate you eat is reasonable.

The body building thing would depend on your interest and level of enjoyment. With some self applied accommodations and knowledge about how ADD effects you There is is no reason having ADD/ADHD should prevent any one from being any thing they want( with the exception of being some one with out ADD. having ADD would prevent that)

I'm not a body builder but I do weight train a few days a week. I have to use a personal trainer or I'd be lost. I can't focus on my form and count my reps at the same time. She keeps wanting me to watch myself in the mirror but I find that really hard because I can see what other people in the gym are doing and it throws me off. My balance is better when I don't look. My trainer keeps track of what body parts I did or need to do, how much weight,reps, etc. I could never remember all that or even know what to do period and that is what kept me from weight training before. I felt stupid and intimidated. My therapist is actually the one who convinced me to get a trainer and try it. I've been doing it for over a year now. It's changed my life in so many ways. I've learned how to eat right, what to eat, my body image has improved, and I actually have muscle now. I use to be all skin and bones. Oh! I eat chocolate all the time. I couldn't live without it. Now, if I was trying to lose weight I probably wouldn't eat so much but I'm not. What area are you having problems in body building in? I wouldn't see it as failing. To fail means you didn't even try to me. Maybe you weren't failing but just missing something. Try using a trainer. I see so many woman at the gym doing the wrong exercise for what they are trying to accomplish and some who are doing it right but don't change their lifestyle & diet so it makes all the workout pointless and they sit there wondering why they don't see any changes.

A few years ago, before I knew I had ADHD, I got into bodybuilding. It's something that has sparked my interest since childhood. I couldn't get any gains as a kid so I stopped trying. Anyway, a few years ago I got into it and hung out on Bodybuilding.com and really changed physically with the help of great supplements and a major dietary change (important). But it seemed like no matter how much better things seemed, there was always "something" catching up to me. That "something" represented failure. It was ADHD. Of course I stopped working out and went back to the seefood & couch exercise diet. I think it's like what was stated above. It depends on what your symptoms are. Don't label yourself. Consider what parts of your brain are underactive or overactive. Bodybuilding creates aggression. If you're already highly strung or hyperactive, and it's affecting your life in a negative way, then bodybuilding may not be a solution. But it's like dealing with everything else. If you go to the source of your problem and deal with it successfully then you can be on your way to doing anything you desire. I don't know how things are where you live but here in America people have very crummy lifestyles and fail to blame THAT for much of their problems. So doctors here come up with miracle pills instead of real solutions. If that's the way your country is I suggest you evaluate your own lifestyle and try and make THAT right before doing anything else. Life is complicated and unique for everyone. There is no standard.

I've been working out since I was about 16 and now I'm 21. I'm also diagnosed ADD with depression, although the depression surely followed after failure of being diagnoseed with ADD early enough. Regardless before U was medicated, which was when I was 20 I found weight training was a good way to get out my anger, and some excess energy. Since exercise elevates dopamine level in the brain, mainly though endorphin release, this has a calming effect on many ADDers. I still work out pretty regularly, and with medication I noticed that my workouts are more intense and I'm much more focused, thus achieving better results. its always been a great mood enhancer for me. Although I'm about 5'11", 195 pounds and about 11% bf, I bodybuild more so for the mental effects of it then the physical.

you wont fail if you eat enough

-i worked out in the gym 5 days a week for 3 years once and only put on 3 lbs lol... during that three years i was strong for my size...since then ive lost stength but my shape stills remains, that may be because of the ADHD or my fast metabolism

working out is the easiest thing for me to do. I got this book called The Underground Guide to Warrior Fitness by Russ Enamait. This guy really knows his stuff. I spent a couple evenings reading it and it taught me how to plan my own routine. The best part is that everything he teaches are bodyweight exercises that can be done pretty much anywhere except inside your car.

I took wrestling in high school and i didnt even know most of this stuff. I know how to do 6 different pushups. its crazy.

the thing is you have to do it every single day. if you are sore then do a bit less but do not break your routine.

now all i need is a routine for algebra and im all set:rolleyes:

I make a habbit of doing some squats followed by a plank. Then I mix up some pushups and some lunges. I roll out my neck with a bridge and then do some chinnies. To cool down I do some jogging and shadow boxing. If I am feeling brave I go down the list and pick something random from the list I have taped to my wall. the result is a full body workout without even leaving my bedroom. :D I do it every day before I take a shower. this will really help build confidence if you are feeling like a little guy sometimes like me.

Fabulous information!!:cool:

I too am a workout fan. I love it and need it, at least 5 days a week. I have recently found that by doing 60min. of intense cardio with actual body lifting exercises has done wonders for my muscle formation.

I am definately going to check out that book. I have recently started to add 50 full body push-ups into my daily routine. And for a "girl" I think that is pretty good.;) Like you, I will mix up the cardio and do some kickboxing moves with 4 lbs. weights, not sure if that is the same as "shadow boxing?"

Do you see an improvement with your focus and energy when you exercise? I sure do. I normally take the weekend off from working out and yesterday I was so tired, from basically doing nothing. We hung out at the motor cross track with my son, who races, I did do alot of walking...but nothing too strenuous and I was pooped last night.

Thanks for the book tip!!!

Kim:)

Most definitely. My joints ache if I dont stretch out at least. I tend to walk funny and my shoulders get very tense when I dont work out. So I do it every day just to feel a little more "normal", whatever that is.

Shadow Boxing (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shadowboxing)
"Shadowboxing is an exercise used in the training for combat sports (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Combat_sports), especially, as its name implies, in boxing (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boxing). It is used mainly to prepare the muscles before the person training engages in stronger physical activity. In shadowboxing, only one person is required to participate; the participant throws punches at no one in particular."


I wasn't always like this. I get a kick out of people that used to make fun of me when they see me today. They get a little scared. That really makes my day. It also may be the earrings. I like my earrings. White gold. :D

I've weightlifted off and on for a couple of years with great success. The key for me is keeping my workouts short but as brutally intense as possible. I'll generally knock out a full body workout in 45 minutes to an hour, 3 days a week. I do 1 set to concentric muscle failure per exercise, using a weight I can lift a minimum of 6 repetitions, but no more than 12. That way it keeps everything non-redundant, non-droning, and I get the satisfaction of knowing I've pushed myself to the limit. Rest periods of 1 to 2 minutes in between exercises. Important to sustain a high momentum all the way through, keep the adrenaline raging. Next time I go into the gym after taking a day off, I will always try to achieve a little more than I did the last time - by eeking out 1-2 more reps on as many exercises I can, and increasing poundage where necessary. Strength gains for me on this sort of routine are rapid and you never feel like you're wasting your time because you'll always know you're advancing in some way as you'll be able to do a little bit more than you did last time. I would imagine a lot of AD/HDers might benefit from a routine like this. It's fast, intense, keeps redundancy to a minimum, and can net nearly immediate results.

As far as diet goes.. get lots of calories, lots of protein, lots of water, and make sure you're getting at least 8+ hours of good, solid sleep - your muscles only grow and get stronger while you're asleep, so it's very important.

Hi People,

my Name is "JamesDean" I'm from Germany and that's my first question in this forum:

Is it possible to have success in Bodybuilding with having ADHD?

I tried it for more than 2 years but I failed. Another question i have is:

Is it bad to eat chocolat while having ADD?

Sorry for my bad english. I already know many things about ADD but i still search for some details. I also have a hypochondria and all this together really smells! I didn't think that my 19. Lifeyear would look like this...

Greatings
Robert alias James Dean

Hi robert,
I do believe that having ADHD can be a benefit for you as long you know when to rest and not to overtrain with working out.
I have been working out since i was around 18 and am 25 now, the biggest plus that people with ADHD have is their input and dedication in what they.
About the chocolate question i'm afraid i can't help you with that, maybe some women around on the forum can :)
hope i helped you out a bit,
greetings from netherlands

Niels

It has a lot to do with your diet. Before working out consult a nutritionist and explain your situation; if you don't eat well before training and if your regular daily diet isn't good enough you won't gain muscle, you'll lose.