4 Years In and Frustrated

Training Bodybuilding
61

[quote]Cephalic_Carnage wrote:

[quote]Moses29 wrote:

[quote]Cephalic_Carnage wrote:
For 38 weeks of 5/3/1, those numbers are very, very low…
[/quote]

I don’t think so. It’s all relevant to the weights you started with. When I started 5/3/1 I weighed 177lbs, my squat was 170 for 7, bench was 160 for 10, deadlift was 235 for 11 and OHP was 105 for 15.

Now (like stated in OP) my weight is 197lbs, Squat: 260x5 Deadlift: 315x7 Bench: 215x6 Over Head Press: 140x8

I consider that a good improvement. Now granted, My starting numbers shouldn’t of been that low with 4 years of training… but they were.[/quote]

I stand by my opinion…

Don’t get me wrong, your progress is certainly not bad, but especially due to you starting out so weak and skinny a larger increase would definitely have been possible if everything were in place (diet, assistance template, setup and technique…).

Good that you are making progress though… Just keep the points in my previous post in mind. [/quote]

I’m a bit confused here. Could you clarify this for me?

If 5/3/1 has a formulaic progression (10 pounds to the training max for lower body lifts per cycle, for example), then how could his progress have been better in the squat (for example)?

He started at 170 lbs for his top set and ended at 260 lbs, a net increase of 90 lbs, which is consistent with a 10-pound increase per cycle for nine cycles (36 weeks, he said he’s been on the program for 38 weeks–close enough).

Unless you’re just saying that he should have more reps at that weight, what am I missing?

62

[quote]OsakaNate wrote:

[quote]Cephalic_Carnage wrote:

[quote]Moses29 wrote:

[quote]Cephalic_Carnage wrote:
For 38 weeks of 5/3/1, those numbers are very, very low…
[/quote]

I don’t think so. It’s all relevant to the weights you started with. When I started 5/3/1 I weighed 177lbs, my squat was 170 for 7, bench was 160 for 10, deadlift was 235 for 11 and OHP was 105 for 15.

Now (like stated in OP) my weight is 197lbs, Squat: 260x5 Deadlift: 315x7 Bench: 215x6 Over Head Press: 140x8

I consider that a good improvement. Now granted, My starting numbers shouldn’t of been that low with 4 years of training… but they were.[/quote]

I stand by my opinion…

Don’t get me wrong, your progress is certainly not bad, but especially due to you starting out so weak and skinny a larger increase would definitely have been possible if everything were in place (diet, assistance template, setup and technique…).

Good that you are making progress though… Just keep the points in my previous post in mind. [/quote]

I’m a bit confused here. Could you clarify this for me?

If 5/3/1 has a formulaic progression (10 pounds to the training max for lower body lifts per cycle, for example), then how could his progress have been better in the squat (for example)?

He started at 170 lbs for his top set and ended at 260 lbs, a net increase of 90 lbs, which is consistent with a 10-pound increase per cycle for nine cycles (36 weeks, he said he’s been on the program for 38 weeks–close enough).

Unless you’re just saying that he should have more reps at that weight, what am I missing?
[/quote]

Either more reps (though those should end up really high if all things went right), or by adding more weight than recommended… He actually lost reps on every lift… On the bench, that is particularly noticeable.

Normally this would not cause me to comment, but he started out as a beginner and these are pretty much his beginner gain times, despite his previous years of training.

To give you another example of how this sort of things works with periodized routines…
Take the Russian 9 week, 3 lift program (which is the 6 week squat program applied to all three powerlifts at the same time).

The deadlift in this program is to be trained once a week (other lifts twice, they get a heavy and a light/speed day):
setsxrepsxweight
6x3 x 80%
6x4 x 80%
6x5 x 80%
6x6 x 80%
5x5 x 85%
4x4 x 90%
3x3 x 95%
2x2 x 100%
1x1 x 105%

Now, you would use a 1RM which you can actually realiably hit for the calculations. So probably not your absolute best…

All things considered, a 5% increase over 9 weeks sounds mightily unimpressive for a beginner who were to do this, (especially considering that this is a dedicated strength routine) and this kind of cycle isn’t something you run for years on end either.

What actually happens is that at the end of the cycle, once you have done your 105%x1x1, you can test your actual max and that will likely be much, much higher now. As in, 105x1x1 should be an absolute cake-walk.

It’s not entirely uncommon for people to go from deadlifting 315 to 405 or so in a cycle of this, and while progress will slow down drastically as you keep repeating the training cycle, that is pretty much 90 lbs to your actual max in your first 9 weeks, something like a 25% increase rather than the 5% you would think you’d get simply from seeing the cycle written down.

The weight progression in 5/3/1 is suggested, but that’s all it is… A suggestion… Beginners are a different story from more advanced trainees, applying the same rules to both makes no sense.

You technically only need to do your top weight during wave 3 for 1 rep, but it’s already just 95% of an already reduced max (90%x0.95), so if you only were to get it for the prescribed reps you’d have lost quite a bit of strength. Usually, people end up with 5-9 reps during wave 3. If you do 15 or whatever, and you don’t neglect your deloads and eat right and all that, you may as well add a little more weight than usual. You do after all reduce the weight or at least stick with the same weight if you hit very low reps during wave 3, say 1-3 or so…
The opposite of what you do if you lose a lot of reps from one cycle to the next (+5 lbs and -2-5 reps isn’t something I’d accept, it’s not even an actual increase)

63

And don’t get lost in those numbers folks… Progression does not happen at some fixed rate for many reasons.

64

[quote]Cephalic_Carnage wrote:
I stand by my opinion…

Don’t get me wrong, your progress is certainly not bad, but especially due to you starting out so weak and skinny a larger increase would definitely have been possible if everything were in place (diet, assistance template, setup and technique…).

Good that you are making progress though… Just keep the points in my previous post in mind. [/quote]

Will do.

I should also note that this is as strong as I’ve ever been.

[quote]jb99 wrote:
To the OP, you are not fat…now that doesn’t mean you should eat at a buffet everyday but you also don’t need to neglect cheat meals. I am from a different school of thought from some of the posters here but that doesn’t make me right or wrong, just personal preference and what I believe. First off, I don’t love the 5/3/1 program and I don’t believe it will get you to where you want to be.

I also think that you should post your daily food intake so we can take a look at it. You can gain weight and keep fat at bay as long as you are determined and have the will to succeed.

How do you handle carbs? Are you someone who can eat them all day and not gain a ton of weight or feel sluggish? I think a carb cycling approach may benefit you. High, Med, Low days all scheduled around what you are doing that day. This should help you add weight and not a ton of fat at the same time. For these carbs I mean rice, white or brown, yams, baked potatos, oatmeal, vegetables etc. lean soruces of protein, healthy fats, I’m sure you know whats good and what isn’t.

Also, don’t be afraid to throw a cheat meal in there. Everyone responds to food and training differently, maybe you are someone who can handle a cheat MEAL not day, every third day, maybe u can handle one a week, this is something you will have to gage. I’d start with one a week and see how it goes. Also what are you supps looking like? Fish oil? ala? cla? aminos? [/quote]

I don’t think I’m necessarily carb sensitive, but I’ve noticed more fat gain when I eat alot of them… If that makes any sence.

As far as 5/3/1 goes, I’m going to continue it till it stops working.

Current General Day Meals:
Breakfast:
5 eggs with a handfull of cheese and a dab of ketchup for breakfast.
Go to the gym

Post workout shake:
2 cups of milk, 1 egg, 2 scoups of True Protein Whey, a spoon of creatine (5g), and a banana(Sometimes I put a shot of canola oil in there)

Snack:
2 tbs of Peanut Butter
1 Cliff Bar

Meal: 1/2 lbs of Turkey Sausage with rice

Meal: Can of Turkey Chillie w/ beans

[quote]Sarev0k wrote:

I’m 6 foot 2 and 230 lbs.

I bench 300 for 2 reps max
I can squat 405 for 2 sets of 2
Deadlifted 500lbs before
i do weighted pull ups with 45 lbs attached to me. and MANY PEOPLE ON HERE OUTLIFT ME.

  1. respectable depends on how you’re built. I am med/large frame @ 6 foot 2, so 230-240 is a good off season weight for ME

2/3)Never Immediately Cut weight. You may need to bulk up for a year and then hold onto your weight for a month or 2 BEFORE DIETING. Use a BMR calculator

4)Max OT dieting has worked great for me in the past, but a lot of Thibs articles on here are great too. Check out Beast Building also. I got down to 6% bodyfat while in prep for a BB show on Max OT. Also, if you can, watch the documentary “I want to look like that guy” for a good 3rd person view on contest prep.

5)Don’t be in a rush. Once you get to a certain point, gaining 5-10 lbs of muscle PER YEAR is lucky. A good Physique takes YEARS to build. You’re on the right track.

  1. Get in most of your calories and daily carbs(50%) Immediately before, during and after workouts. Double your bodyweight, and tats how many grams of protein you should get in per day on AVG.

[/quote]

Thanks for the advice. I never thought about maintaining for a month before dropping any weight.

65

[quote]Moses29 wrote:

[quote]Cephalic_Carnage wrote:
I stand by my opinion…

Don’t get me wrong, your progress is certainly not bad, but especially due to you starting out so weak and skinny a larger increase would definitely have been possible if everything were in place (diet, assistance template, setup and technique…).

Good that you are making progress though… Just keep the points in my previous post in mind. [/quote]

Will do.

I should also note that this is as strong as I’ve ever been.
[/quote] You will soon be significantly stronger, keep at it man, and good luck. [quote]

[quote]jb99 wrote:
To the OP, you are not fat…now that doesn’t mean you should eat at a buffet everyday but you also don’t need to neglect cheat meals. I am from a different school of thought from some of the posters here but that doesn’t make me right or wrong, just personal preference and what I believe. First off, I don’t love the 5/3/1 program and I don’t believe it will get you to where you want to be.

I also think that you should post your daily food intake so we can take a look at it. You can gain weight and keep fat at bay as long as you are determined and have the will to succeed.

How do you handle carbs? Are you someone who can eat them all day and not gain a ton of weight or feel sluggish? I think a carb cycling approach may benefit you. High, Med, Low days all scheduled around what you are doing that day. This should help you add weight and not a ton of fat at the same time. For these carbs I mean rice, white or brown, yams, baked potatos, oatmeal, vegetables etc. lean soruces of protein, healthy fats, I’m sure you know whats good and what isn’t.

Also, don’t be afraid to throw a cheat meal in there. Everyone responds to food and training differently, maybe you are someone who can handle a cheat MEAL not day, every third day, maybe u can handle one a week, this is something you will have to gage. I’d start with one a week and see how it goes. Also what are you supps looking like? Fish oil? ala? cla? aminos? [/quote]

I don’t think I’m necessarily carb sensitive, but I’ve noticed more fat gain when I eat alot of them… If that makes any sence.

As far as 5/3/1 goes, I’m going to continue it till it stops working.

Current General Day Meals:
Breakfast:
5 eggs with a handfull of cheese and a dab of ketchup for breakfast.
Go to the gym

Post workout shake:
2 cups of milk, 1 egg, 2 scoups of True Protein Whey, a spoon of creatine (5g), and a banana(Sometimes I put a shot of canola oil in there)

Snack:
2 tbs of Peanut Butter
1 Cliff Bar

Meal: 1/2 lbs of Turkey Sausage with rice

Meal: Can of Turkey Chillie w/ beans

[quote]Sarev0k wrote:

I’m 6 foot 2 and 230 lbs.

I bench 300 for 2 reps max
I can squat 405 for 2 sets of 2
Deadlifted 500lbs before
i do weighted pull ups with 45 lbs attached to me. and MANY PEOPLE ON HERE OUTLIFT ME.

  1. respectable depends on how you’re built. I am med/large frame @ 6 foot 2, so 230-240 is a good off season weight for ME

2/3)Never Immediately Cut weight. You may need to bulk up for a year and then hold onto your weight for a month or 2 BEFORE DIETING. Use a BMR calculator

4)Max OT dieting has worked great for me in the past, but a lot of Thibs articles on here are great too. Check out Beast Building also. I got down to 6% bodyfat while in prep for a BB show on Max OT. Also, if you can, watch the documentary “I want to look like that guy” for a good 3rd person view on contest prep.

5)Don’t be in a rush. Once you get to a certain point, gaining 5-10 lbs of muscle PER YEAR is lucky. A good Physique takes YEARS to build. You’re on the right track.

  1. Get in most of your calories and daily carbs(50%) Immediately before, during and after workouts. Double your bodyweight, and tats how many grams of protein you should get in per day on AVG.

[/quote]

Thanks for the advice. I never thought about maintaining for a month before dropping any weight. [/quote]

If you go from seriously gaining right down to dieting, you will likely end up losing a lot of what you gained (provided you really did make plenty of gains, not always the case with people here who “bulked” and immediately cut after… Many seem to just think in terms of bodyweight rather than bodyweight gain AND poundage gains).

You can read up on this sort of thing (set point theory) in the t-cell I believe…

66

[quote]Cephalic_Carnage wrote:

[quote]OsakaNate wrote:
I’m a bit confused here. Could you clarify this for me?

If 5/3/1 has a formulaic progression (10 pounds to the training max for lower body lifts per cycle, for example), then how could his progress have been better in the squat (for example)?

He started at 170 lbs for his top set and ended at 260 lbs, a net increase of 90 lbs, which is consistent with a 10-pound increase per cycle for nine cycles (36 weeks, he said he’s been on the program for 38 weeks–close enough).

Unless you’re just saying that he should have more reps at that weight, what am I missing?
[/quote]

Either more reps (though those should end up really high if all things went right), or by adding more weight than recommended… He actually lost reps on every lift… On the bench, that is particularly noticeable.

Normally this would not cause me to comment, but he started out as a beginner and these are pretty much his beginner gain times, despite his previous years of training.

To give you another example of how this sort of things works with periodized routines…
Take the Russian 9 week, 3 lift program (which is the 6 week squat program applied to all three powerlifts at the same time).

The deadlift in this program is to be trained once a week (other lifts twice, they get a heavy and a light/speed day):
setsxrepsxweight
6x3 x 80%
6x4 x 80%
6x5 x 80%
6x6 x 80%
5x5 x 85%
4x4 x 90%
3x3 x 95%
2x2 x 100%
1x1 x 105%

Now, you would use a 1RM which you can actually realiably hit for the calculations. So probably not your absolute best…

All things considered, a 5% increase over 9 weeks sounds mightily unimpressive for a beginner who were to do this, (especially considering that this is a dedicated strength routine) and this kind of cycle isn’t something you run for years on end either.

What actually happens is that at the end of the cycle, once you have done your 105%x1x1, you can test your actual max and that will likely be much, much higher now. As in, 105x1x1 should be an absolute cake-walk.

It’s not entirely uncommon for people to go from deadlifting 315 to 405 or so in a cycle of this, and while progress will slow down drastically as you keep repeating the training cycle, that is pretty much 90 lbs to your actual max in your first 9 weeks, something like a 25% increase rather than the 5% you would think you’d get simply from seeing the cycle written down.

The weight progression in 5/3/1 is suggested, but that’s all it is… A suggestion… Beginners are a different story from more advanced trainees, applying the same rules to both makes no sense.

You technically only need to do your top weight during wave 3 for 1 rep, but it’s already just 95% of an already reduced max (90%x0.95), so if you only were to get it for the prescribed reps you’d have lost quite a bit of strength. Usually, people end up with 5-9 reps during wave 3. If you do 15 or whatever, and you don’t neglect your deloads and eat right and all that, you may as well add a little more weight than usual. You do after all reduce the weight or at least stick with the same weight if you hit very low reps during wave 3, say 1-3 or so…
The opposite of what you do if you lose a lot of reps from one cycle to the next (+5 lbs and -2-5 reps isn’t something I’d accept, it’s not even an actual increase)

[/quote]

Thanks for clarifying that C_C. And on Christmas, too. What a guy!

I see what you’re saying now, that higher reps on the last wave could lead to more than just the recommended 5-to-10-pound increase on the training max. I assume that this program was written for a more intermediate lifter in mind.

I use 5/3/1 myself and there are times that I feel that I could add more weight, but, as they say, ‘follow the program…’

Should probably learn better self-judgement on that.

Thanks for the reply. Merry Christmas.

67

[quote]Moses29 wrote:

[quote]Cephalic_Carnage wrote:
I stand by my opinion…

Don’t get me wrong, your progress is certainly not bad, but especially due to you starting out so weak and skinny a larger increase would definitely have been possible if everything were in place (diet, assistance template, setup and technique…).

Good that you are making progress though… Just keep the points in my previous post in mind. [/quote]

Will do.

I should also note that this is as strong as I’ve ever been.

[quote]jb99 wrote:
To the OP, you are not fat…now that doesn’t mean you should eat at a buffet everyday but you also don’t need to neglect cheat meals. I am from a different school of thought from some of the posters here but that doesn’t make me right or wrong, just personal preference and what I believe. First off, I don’t love the 5/3/1 program and I don’t believe it will get you to where you want to be.

I also think that you should post your daily food intake so we can take a look at it. You can gain weight and keep fat at bay as long as you are determined and have the will to succeed.

How do you handle carbs? Are you someone who can eat them all day and not gain a ton of weight or feel sluggish? I think a carb cycling approach may benefit you. High, Med, Low days all scheduled around what you are doing that day. This should help you add weight and not a ton of fat at the same time. For these carbs I mean rice, white or brown, yams, baked potatos, oatmeal, vegetables etc. lean soruces of protein, healthy fats, I’m sure you know whats good and what isn’t.

Also, don’t be afraid to throw a cheat meal in there. Everyone responds to food and training differently, maybe you are someone who can handle a cheat MEAL not day, every third day, maybe u can handle one a week, this is something you will have to gage. I’d start with one a week and see how it goes. Also what are you supps looking like? Fish oil? ala? cla? aminos? [/quote]

I don’t think I’m necessarily carb sensitive, but I’ve noticed more fat gain when I eat alot of them… If that makes any sence.

As far as 5/3/1 goes, I’m going to continue it till it stops working.

Current General Day Meals:
Breakfast:
5 eggs with a handfull of cheese and a dab of ketchup for breakfast.
Go to the gym

Post workout shake:
2 cups of milk, 1 egg, 2 scoups of True Protein Whey, a spoon of creatine (5g), and a banana(Sometimes I put a shot of canola oil in there)

Snack:
2 tbs of Peanut Butter
1 Cliff Bar

Meal: 1/2 lbs of Turkey Sausage with rice

Meal: Can of Turkey Chillie w/ beans

[quote]Sarev0k wrote:

I’m 6 foot 2 and 230 lbs.

I bench 300 for 2 reps max
I can squat 405 for 2 sets of 2
Deadlifted 500lbs before
i do weighted pull ups with 45 lbs attached to me. and MANY PEOPLE ON HERE OUTLIFT ME.

  1. respectable depends on how you’re built. I am med/large frame @ 6 foot 2, so 230-240 is a good off season weight for ME

2/3)Never Immediately Cut weight. You may need to bulk up for a year and then hold onto your weight for a month or 2 BEFORE DIETING. Use a BMR calculator

4)Max OT dieting has worked great for me in the past, but a lot of Thibs articles on here are great too. Check out Beast Building also. I got down to 6% bodyfat while in prep for a BB show on Max OT. Also, if you can, watch the documentary “I want to look like that guy” for a good 3rd person view on contest prep.

5)Don’t be in a rush. Once you get to a certain point, gaining 5-10 lbs of muscle PER YEAR is lucky. A good Physique takes YEARS to build. You’re on the right track.

  1. Get in most of your calories and daily carbs(50%) Immediately before, during and after workouts. Double your bodyweight, and tats how many grams of protein you should get in per day on AVG.

[/quote]

Thanks for the advice. I never thought about maintaining for a month before dropping any weight. [/quote]

You really need to sort that pre and post training nutrition out. Add some carbs at breakfast and more carbs post workout. These are two vital times that you need to have carbs. Personally I’d ditch the cliff bar and turkey chili. Add some chicken, beef, tilapia in those meals with vegetables, and complex carbs.

68

I agree with the sentiment; but keep in mind the guy is a college student. OP, do you have a minifridge? If not, canned tuna would be a good choice for snack–salsa or mustard helps it not taste aweful. Add a couple tbs of PB and there you have it.

I also agree you need more damn carbs! Get a big tub of quick oats add 1-1.5cups to your PWO shake. Also, buck the canola oil man, either stick with peanut butter or get EVOO. Also, make sure you’re not getting any hydrogenated oils in your PB.

69

If I could add a couple more suggestions.

Firstly, I’d make sure that your exercise form is good. I’ve seen a lot of lifters who’re pushing over 100 kg (220 lbs) in a bench press, but have an over-enthusiastic spotter pulling the bar up, are bouncing it off their chest, or stop the movement just above the sticking point. Similarly with squats and people not going that deep.

So go and find yourself a decent coach or powerlifting club.

Secondly, assuming you’re a drug free trainer, there are studies that suggest your potential weight (at 6’3") would be around 220 lbs at 10% bodyfat, or at around 200 lbs at 4 - 5% bodyfat in a competition ready state. I’ve stumbled across flame wars on T-Nation in the past, but I think that it’s probably a good working hypothesis.

In terms of weight gain, adding 5 to 10 lbs of muscle a year is possible.

70

[quote]Graemsay wrote:
there are studies that suggest your potential weight (at 6’3") would be around 220 lbs at 10% bodyfat, or at around 200 lbs at 4 - 5% bodyfat in a competition ready state. In terms of weight gain, adding 5 to 10 lbs of muscle a year is possible.[/quote]

Eh? Am i missing something here? Your whole comment is pretty irrelevant to the poster. What is with this thread and people preaching from a book???

As a skinny newb, if he only adds 5 - 10 lbs of muscle over the course of a year he’s not made for this.

71

[quote]Cephalic_Carnage wrote:
You will soon be significantly stronger, keep at it man, and good luck.

If you go from seriously gaining right down to dieting, you will likely end up losing a lot of what you gained (provided you really did make plenty of gains, not always the case with people here who “bulked” and immediately cut after… Many seem to just think in terms of bodyweight rather than bodyweight gain AND poundage gains).

You can read up on this sort of thing (set point theory) in the t-cell I believe…
[/quote]

Thanks man. I think if I keep on track with 5/3/1 I’ll be significantly stronger within the next year. I really don’t care if it’s a slow process as long as it’s progress.

[quote]jb99 wrote:

You really need to sort that pre and post training nutrition out. Add some carbs at breakfast and more carbs post workout. These are two vital times that you need to have carbs. Personally I’d ditch the cliff bar and turkey chili. Add some chicken, beef, tilapia in those meals with vegetables, and complex carbs. [/quote]

Thanks for the tips on pre post w/o carbs. I used to eat more oats, and I think I’ll get back to that. The reason I was doing the turkey chili and cliff bars was out of convenience. With my curriculum I don’t always have time to prepare meals. I plan on using my crock pot for roast more next semester though.

[quote]Chi-Towns-Finest wrote:
I agree with the sentiment; but keep in mind the guy is a college student. OP, do you have a minifridge? If not, canned tuna would be a good choice for snack–salsa or mustard helps it not taste aweful. Add a couple tbs of PB and there you have it.

I also agree you need more damn carbs! Get a big tub of quick oats add 1-1.5cups to your PWO shake. Also, buck the canola oil man, either stick with peanut butter or get EVOO. Also, make sure you’re not getting any hydrogenated oils in your PB.[/quote]

I do have a full size fridge and kitchen. Sadly I despise tuna… but I’ll be sure to add some crabs to the diet either by means of quick oats or cinnamon oats. I normally pick up Jiff Natural creamy PB.

[quote]Graemsay wrote:
If I could add a couple more suggestions.

Firstly, I’d make sure that your exercise form is good. I’ve seen a lot of lifters who’re pushing over 100 kg (220 lbs) in a bench press, but have an over-enthusiastic spotter pulling the bar up, are bouncing it off their chest, or stop the movement just above the sticking point. Similarly with squats and people not going that deep.

So go and find yourself a decent coach or powerlifting club.

Secondly, assuming you’re a drug free trainer, there are studies that suggest your potential weight (at 6’3") would be around 220 lbs at 10% bodyfat, or at around 200 lbs at 4 - 5% bodyfat in a competition ready state. I’ve stumbled across flame wars on T-Nation in the past, but I think that it’s probably a good working hypothesis.

In terms of weight gain, adding 5 to 10 lbs of muscle a year is possible.[/quote]

I know you guys will take this with a grain of salt (b/c everyone claims this). But my form is decent. I have a buddy on the power lifting team help me out with my lifts. I also follow the EFS articles on bench/deadlift/squats.

When I do get a spot (normally on my all out set of 5/3/1), I tell them not to help me unless I’m about to die. I squat with a touch and go on a 12in box to make sure I’m getting depth. I pull with a sumo stance, which I’ve found to work more favorable with my height.

I am a drug-free trainee. And I’d love to be 220 at 10%…

Thanks for the info man.

72

looks like you might have just lost the ‘fun’ in it.
I think part of the enjoyment for me is experimenting, not only what works best for me, but also how i wanna look.

I’ve gained 20lbs on my frame rather quickly, jacked, bigger than my friends… and noticed i lost a lot of my flexibility. i was bloated and even my breathing was harder. sucks when you’re a boxer. i leaned out, and increased my strength. and guess what, the sex is even better. hah.
im just saying, you have a legit question, but make sure you’re enjoying it and what you wanna do is right for you. stop looking for acceptance… unless u got daddy issues.

73

[quote]Shontayne wrote:
Eh? Am i missing something here? Your whole comment is pretty irrelevant to the poster. What is with this thread and people preaching from a book???

As a skinny newb, if he only adds 5 - 10 lbs of muscle over the course of a year he’s not made for this.
[/quote]
Moses29 asked “What is a respectable looking weight at 6’3’'?”, and I misread this to mean he was looking for a target weight.

Still, he found it useful, so it’s not entirely irrelevant. :slight_smile:

I do have a question: What sort of gains do you think that he should be making per year?

74

Hello Casey, we were beginning to miss you…

75

[quote]Cephalic_Carnage wrote:
Hello Casey, we were beginning to miss you…
[/quote]

Lolz.

76

[quote]Graemsay wrote:

[quote]Shontayne wrote:
Eh? Am i missing something here? Your whole comment is pretty irrelevant to the poster. What is with this thread and people preaching from a book???

As a skinny newb, if he only adds 5 - 10 lbs of muscle over the course of a year he’s not made for this.
[/quote]
Moses29 asked “What is a respectable looking weight at 6’3’'?”, and I misread this to mean he was looking for a target weight.

Still, he found it useful, so it’s not entirely irrelevant. :slight_smile:

I do have a question: What sort of gains do you think that he should be making per year?[/quote]

Don’t be stupid. If he’s a newb this will only limit his gains. When you post you should have a bit of responsibility, try to think the effect that your words can cause. If you don’t give a fuck, and you just said what you said because you wanted don’t post, this is not really desired/scarce.

77

[quote]Graemsay wrote:

I do have a question: What sort of gains do you think that he should be making per year?[/quote]

you cant really make that prediction - sure you can guess but… too many things can affect that

78

[quote]Graemsay wrote:
If I could add a couple more suggestions.

Firstly, I’d make sure that your exercise form is good. I’ve seen a lot of lifters who’re pushing over 100 kg (220 lbs) in a bench press, but have an over-enthusiastic spotter pulling the bar up, are bouncing it off their chest, or stop the movement just above the sticking point. Similarly with squats and people not going that deep.

So go and find yourself a decent coach or powerlifting club.

Secondly, assuming you’re a drug free trainer, there are studies that suggest your potential weight (at 6’3") would be around 220 lbs at 10% bodyfat, or at around 200 lbs at 4 - 5% bodyfat in a competition ready state. I’ve stumbled across flame wars on T-Nation in the past, but I think that it’s probably a good working hypothesis.

In terms of weight gain, adding 5 to 10 lbs of muscle a year is possible.[/quote]

I guess since I’m pushing 250 at 6 foot 3 I should either stop now and begin to cut or start taking drugs to keep going? Please give me your insight on this so I know what to do.

Also, can you help with my bench. Currently I’m working up to a working set of 365 or 380 but I’m only getting 6-8 reps before I need a spotter. Should I stop using the spot. Also, I don’t touch my chest nor do I lockout. Am I doing it wrong?

79

[quote]Loudog75 wrote:

[quote]Graemsay wrote:
If I could add a couple more suggestions.

Firstly, I’d make sure that your exercise form is good. I’ve seen a lot of lifters who’re pushing over 100 kg (220 lbs) in a bench press, but have an over-enthusiastic spotter pulling the bar up, are bouncing it off their chest, or stop the movement just above the sticking point. Similarly with squats and people not going that deep.

So go and find yourself a decent coach or powerlifting club.

Secondly, assuming you’re a drug free trainer, there are studies that suggest your potential weight (at 6’3") would be around 220 lbs at 10% bodyfat, or at around 200 lbs at 4 - 5% bodyfat in a competition ready state. I’ve stumbled across flame wars on T-Nation in the past, but I think that it’s probably a good working hypothesis.

In terms of weight gain, adding 5 to 10 lbs of muscle a year is possible.[/quote]

I guess since I’m pushing 250 at 6 foot 3 I should either stop now and begin to cut or start taking drugs to keep going? Please give me your insight on this so I know what to do.

Also, can you help with my bench. Currently I’m working up to a working set of 365 or 380 but I’m only getting 6-8 reps before I need a spotter. Should I stop using the spot. Also, I don’t touch my chest nor do I lockout. Am I doing it wrong?[/quote]

IMPOSSIBLE!!! You have passed up the absolute limit for all gains without drugs in all people.

Some of these jackasses just LOVE holding themselves back.

Either way, good job on hitting that weight. You are one of those who could really do some damage if you went all out.

The average person with genetics that suck simply love making it seem like everyone is as hard up as they are.