[quote]Flight1 wrote:
Now I’ve already gained the fat, what do i do? Just leave it? It isn’t loads of fat at all, just a tad chubby. [/quote]
You’re not a tad chubby. You’re fine. Don’t sweat it. (If you want this pic taken down, just let me know, no prob.)
That’s what, like two slices of pizza and a soda, or a quarter pounder with cheese? I wouldn’t say that’s a lot of junk at all. If “dirty” foods are about 20% of your total calorie intake, and you’re in your current condition, simply shifting the macro content to a little less carbs or a little less fat in these meals should be fine.
I might’ve missed it, but what does your current training look like (the days, exercises, sets, and reps)? I’m 90% sure you’ll be fine keeping things as-is and just shaving down the dirty calories a little bit.
Sure thing. Looks like last time we saw the weights you were using is the end of May. It’s always good to compare bodyweight gains to strength gains.
Also, I just wanted to give another shout out to how awesome it is that you’ve been plugging along all this time, still putting the work in, actually listening to advice with an open mind, and still grinding and seeing some progress. Very great to see.
[quote]Chris Colucci wrote:
You’re not a tad chubby. You’re fine. Don’t sweat it. (If you want this pic taken down, just let me know, no prob.)
[/quote]
Ah okay, I won’t. Didn’t think it was a massive thing just wanted to get advice in case it may have developed in to that. No the pic is actually helpful, thanks for that!
[quote]
If “dirty” foods are about 20% of your total calorie intake, and you’re in your current condition, simply shifting the macro content to a little less carbs or a little less fat in these meals should be fine. [/quote]
Will do, so just more milk/cheese then? I’ve been having about .7 litres a day at the moment.
[quote]Should I continue with the program or change things up?
I might’ve missed it, but what does your current training look like (the days, exercises, sets, and reps)?[/quote]
Here’s the lifts and routine, I won’t lie I didn’t thoroughly do it. Would often skip some exercises or do ones more than others
Monday -
Goblet Squat - 2x8 aim for 3x8 34:
Superset: 3x9
Romanian Deadlift - 20 ES
Straight lying leg raise
Standing calf raise - 3x15
Pallof Press hold - 4x10s - 20 ES: 10,10,10,10
Wednesday -
Barbell row - 4x8 - 18.25 ES: 6,6,4.5,4
Standing dumbbell press - aim for 4x12- 14 ES do 12 next: 12,10,4,0
Pushout chest machine aim for 3x12 - 45: 10,9,7
Superset: aim for 3x8
Pressdown - 25: 10,8
Alternate dumbbell curl - 14: 8,8
Hammer curl - 14: 5,0
[quote]Chris Colucci wrote:
If “dirty” foods are about 20% of your total calorie intake, and you’re in your current condition, simply shifting the macro content to a little less carbs or a little less fat in these meals should be fine. [/quote]
Will do, so just more milk/cheese then? I’ve been having about .7 litres a day at the moment.[/quote]
For gaining size, “more milk” has been the answer for lots of guys. I just wouldn’t do “more milk” and a whole bunch of junk food.
As far as the strength numbers, let’s compare your May 29 number to your current lifts. 10 weeks progress (I’m presuming "ES: means each side):
Goblet Squat then: 3x8 - 38 Now: 3x8 34 … -4kg
Romanian Deadlift then: 3x9 - 40Kg plus bar Now: 3x9 20 ES … SAME
Pallof Press hold then: 3x9 (10 secs) - 15Kg Now: 20 ES: 10,10,10,10 … +5kg, more sets and reps
Deadlift then: (not listed) Now: 31.25 ES: 4,4,5,5
Leg press then: 3x8 - 120 Now: 100: 10,10, … -20kg, less sets/reps
Leg curl then: 2x9 - 50 Now: 2x9 - 50 … SAME
Leg extension then: (not listed) Now: 25: 9,9
Front pulldown then: 4x8 - 50 Now: 45: 7,7,7, … -5kg, less sets/reps
Cable row then: (not listed) Now: 40: 10,9,7
DB bench press then: (not listed) Now: 22: 10,3,0,0
Lateral raise then: 3x6 - 8 Now: 6: 12,12,10,8 … -2kg, more reps/sets
Alternating arm curl then: 2x9 - 25 Now: 30: 12,4,0 + 5kg, less reps/sets
Arm extension then: 2x9 - 55 Now: 65: 9,9 +10kg
All in all, I think you’re suffering from the opposite of what happens to most guys. They struggle to eat enough but their training is on point. You’ve improved a little on some lifts, but you’ve either gone backwards or stayed the same on so many that I think it’s definitely time to get on a better program.
Don’t be scared to go heavy and push the weight (intelligently). You should be able to increase the weight or reps in pretty much every lift every week. I lost track of what’s what. Are you able to back squat (with a barbell, not a Smith machine)?
If so, I’d seriously consider this basic routine:
If not, then you need to figure out some way to focus on putting more focus and effort into less exercises. I get that you’re doing soccer, but it’s simply unacceptable for every single leg exercise we can track to have gotten weaker or not improved in almost 2 and a half months. Gaining bodyweight without gaining adequate strength is how guys end up getting chubby.
[quote]Chris Colucci wrote:
For gaining size, “more milk” has been the answer for lots of guys. I just wouldn’t do “more milk” and a whole bunch of junk food.
[/quote]
Sure, will do this.
These two were very often neglected. Instead of Goblet Squat I did Leg Press. It appears that I didn’t progress in Leg Press but that’s because I increased the ROM, my Leg press with the larger ROM started at 60. I dont think I did RDL once, opting for Deadlift which I shouldn’t have done.
I didn’t massively neglect Barbell Row but didn’t do it every time, I’m disappointed with how little back work I did and I’ll rectify that. Standing Dumbbell Press I did very often so I was disappointed I couldn’t improve as much, wasn’t sure why either.
I won’t lie I struggled doing this superset, maybe fatigue from the others I don’t know, so I often went for the arm curl/extension machines instead.
Don’t like these machines, feel they sort of hurt too, so tried to stay away.
I neglected the pulldown due to finding it really hard (stupid I know) but when I went back I put the wait down 10kg, and focused on proper/slower form instead of rushing it. Cable Row was done instead of Barbell row for a few weeks towards the end.
I started at 10 I think so that’s a 12kg improvement, stagnated towards week 8 though.
Really struggled with lateral raise, are there any alternatives for that muscle?
There are no Squat racks, there is one Smith Machine, there is one Barbell and one EZ bar which you can use the weights from the Smith Machine for.
[quote] If so, I’d seriously consider this basic routine:
[/quote]
I’ll do this, think it’s time to change things up a bit.
That’s why I came for advice, just in case it was heading that way.
[quote]Chris Colucci wrote:
I lost track of what’s what. Are you able to back squat (with a barbell, not a Smith machine)?
[/quote]
[quote] If so, I’d seriously consider this basic routine: 10 Secrets to Building Mass [/quote]
I’ll do this, think it’s time to change things up a bit.[/quote]
The next best thing would be to stick to the plan, just subbing in 6-8 reps of front squats instead of 10 reps of back squats. (You should be able to clean whatever weight you’ll be front squatting. One clean, take a breath, and then all the squats.) Stick to whatever sets are suggested for each workout.
Other than that, I’d go for it. Increase the weight and/or reps whenever you can (or whenever it says). Play it by feel but, as has been said, you’ve got to push yourself to make sure each workout is more than the last in some way.
The next best thing would be to stick to the plan, just subbing in 6-8 reps of front squats instead of 10 reps of back squats. (You should be able to clean whatever weight you’ll be front squatting. One clean, take a breath, and then all the squats.) Stick to whatever sets are suggested for each workout.
Other than that, I’d go for it. Increase the weight and/or reps whenever you can (or whenever it says). Play it by feel but, as has been said, you’ve got to push yourself to make sure each workout is more than the last in some way.[/quote]
Sounds good, thanks for your help once again. See you on the other side.
YOU NEED TO GET STRONGER OR YOU WILL JUST GET FAT.
If in doubt, look for a thread with an ex-member named Artem.
Note:
This does not mean you have to embark on a pure “strength training” program. It means you need to increase weight or reps on whatever exercises you are currently doing. Being a beginner, you should be able to do so every week if you put in enough effort.
YOU NEED TO GET STRONGER OR YOU WILL JUST GET FAT.
If in doubt, look for a thread with an ex-member named Artem.
Note:
This does not mean you have to embark on a pure “strength training” program. It means you need to increase weight or reps on whatever exercises you are currently doing. Being a beginner, you should be able to do so every week if you put in enough effort.[/quote]
Definitely, that’s why I dropped by. Eating lots without improving certainly isn’t what I want.
Could of things: Should I work out of I still feel really sore 2 days after my last workout?
Also, how do I tell the difference between injury and DOMS? I’m not sure which it is
DB Clean and Press - 3x5 - 14 ES: 5,5,4
Front Squat - 3x7- 10 ES: 7,7,4
Straight leg deadlift - 1x20- 10 ES: 13
Machine Back Row - 5x5-:
Pull-up - 25 reps as many sets as needed: (cumulative) 6,10,14,17,
Bench press - 3x5-20 ES: 5,4,4
Curl - 3x5-:
Farmer’s Walk - 1x1 weights to staff only sign and back - 32 ES
Posting lifts for comparison later. Not massively happy wit them but I hadn’t been to the gym for two weeks or done most of those exercises for ages (or even done them at all). Didn’t do curl and machine back row as y biceps were hurting (I had left those two last)
[quote]Flight1 wrote:
Could of things: Should I work out of I still feel really sore 2 days after my last workout?
Also, how do I tell the difference between injury and DOMS? I’m not sure which it is[/quote]
You will feel less sore if you work the muscle/lift more consistently at the same amount of intensity.
Basic rule of the thumb I go by-
Injury=sharp pain, aggravated/caused when I attempt to use the muscle/body part.
DOMS= Dull, consistent pain. It’ll feel like something is just bothering you all across the muscle-part. Possible stiffness in the muscle that goes away if you do something with it. Making it difficult to sleep because the ache just bothers you a lot.
When I asked the question, my pain was just DOMS but now it feels like an injury. My shoulder hurts when I do the majority of the movements. Curls, and straight leg deadlifts are the only unaffected. My question is, which substitute exercises should I do while the shoulder recovers? I did leg press as a sub for front squats but didn’t know what I do for the others.
[quote]Flight1 wrote:
When I asked the question, my pain was just DOMS but now it feels like an injury. My shoulder hurts when I do the majority of the movements. Curls, and straight leg deadlifts are the only unaffected. My question is, which substitute exercises should I do while the shoulder recovers? I did leg press as a sub for front squats but didn’t know what I do for the others.[/quote]
Bummer, man, sorry to hear.
Shoulders are tricky because they’re used to some extent in pretty much any lift where your hands are on the bar. They’re also the kind that, if the problem isn’t sorted out 100% and correctly, the problem can pop up again later down the road.
Any way to get a more specific diagnosis? Like, what might’ve caused it, what makes it feel the worst, etc.? The general rule of thumb is to do nothing that causes pain, but still try to do whatever you can that doesn’t involve the injured site. That might mean leg presses, one-arm rows, and one-arm presses for a while. Tough to say exactly, but being healthy is ultimately more important than being big. Especially for a younger dude, injuries aren’t something you want to screw around with or rush through.
[quote]Chris Colucci wrote:
Any way to get a more specific diagnosis? Like, what might’ve caused it, what makes it feel the worst, etc.? [/quote]
Hurts the most when I let go of the dumbbells after doing farmer’s walks, hurts with Bench Press, stops me from cleaning the bar for Front Squats. Hurts when I do cable rows.I can’t think of anything specific that would’ve caused it unfortunately.
Surely if I was doing one-arm rows it would aggravate the hurt shoulder?
[quote]Flight1 wrote:
Hurts the most when I let go of the dumbbells after doing farmer’s walks, hurts with Bench Press, stops me from cleaning the bar for Front Squats. Hurts when I do cable rows.I can’t think of anything specific that would’ve caused it unfortunately.[/quote]
Ha, okay I was hoping for something straight-forward like “doc said it’s a sprained rotator.” I’m not that good at injury stuff, let alone diagnosing online, so I don’t even want to guess. It could be a dozen different things, the simplest being a little strain that’ll go away with rest, heat, and fish oil (a good natural anti-inflammatory). Since it’s not like you were mid-rep and felt a sudden sharp pain, I’d say that’s a good thing and a sign that it’s nothing dramatically major, so don’t stress.
If you’re able, I’d think about getting it checked out by a doctor to be on the safe side. If that’s not a possibility, maybe start a thread in the Injury/Rehab forum, lay out as much and as specific info as possible, and see who chimes in. Some good guys dishing out info there.
Surely if I was doing one-arm rows it would aggravate the hurt shoulder?[/quote]
I meant training just the good arm. It’s kind of “advanced” injury training, but the idea of “keep training whatever you can” is usually better than stopping all training.
But without a more specific diagnosis, I’d actually probably lay off the back and shoulder work to make sure you don’t have some cross-tightening effect (dysfunction on one side of the body pulling across and worsening the other side).
Haven’t gone to the gym too much, 2 times a week mostly and I know I need to change that. Good news though, now I’m 17 I’m able to sign up for a “proper” gym that’s fairly near me. It has squat racks, places to bench etc so it’s much better. Means I won’t be limited in the exercises I do.
I haven’t been eating loads or counting calories, I was scared of overeating and becoming too fat so that’s probably why. Really going to take more care of my diet again.
Weigh pretty much the same, if not slightly less. My lifts have improved though (little to no improvement on certain shoulder/back stuff due to injury, this injury also prevented further improvement on other lifts):
DB Clean and Press before: 3x5 - 14 ES: 5,5,4
DB Clean and Press now: 3x5 - 16 ES: 4,3,6 (last one on 14)
4kg improvement, but barely any improvement really considering it’s been 4 weeks.
Front Squat before: 3x7 - 10 ES: 7,7,4
Front Squat now: 2x7 - 15 ES: 7,5 (last one on 16.25 ES)
10Kg improvement so this was ok, definitely would’ve been able to increase more had my shoulder not stopped me from doing it often.
Straight-leg Deadlift before: 1x20 - 10 ES: 13
Straight-leg Deadlift before: 1x20 - 15 ES: 20
Another 10kg, was able to do this one often.
Machine Back Row: This one didn’t improve at all, simply because it always caused a lot of pain so it was neglected.
Pull-up before: 25 reps as many sets as needed: (cumulative) 6,10,14,17
Pull-up after: 25 reps as many sets as needed: (cumulative) 8,12,16,20
Really annoyed I never reached the 25 reps, I neglected this at the start but improved in the last 1-2 weeks.
Bench Press before: 3x5: 20 ES - 5,4,4
Bench Press after: 3x5: 23.75 ES - 3,3,3
7kg improvement, this one caused pain but not massively so I did it at least 55% of the time.
Curl: 3x5 - 6.25 ES: 7,6,3
Improved quite a lot on this one so I’m relatively happy here.
Farmer’s Walk before: 1x1 weights to staff only sign and back - 32 ES
Farmer’s Walk before: 1x1 weights to staff only sign and back - 36 ES
8kg improvement, my shoulders massively hurt whenever I let go but this pain lessened over time.
Should I continue with this program in the new gym? Or would you suggest something else?
[quote]Flight1 wrote:
I haven’t been eating loads or counting calories, I was scared of overeating and becoming too fat so that’s probably why. Really going to take more care of my diet again.[/quote]
You aren’t getting fat. You aren’t close to getting fat. Stop worrying about it. If you train hard and force your body to adapt, your body will want and need plenty of food. (And again, if you want the pic down, no prob, just let me know).
Agreed, change that. Injuries suck, but slacking in the gym sucks more.
Very good to hear. Dive into that place and get set up with a good plan
Any news on the shoulder? Is it getting better, getting treatment, anything?
That Dan John plan is meant to be a 6-week focus, so even though it wasn’t run 100% to plan, finding something new that capitalizes on the well-equipped gym should be fine. However, I think the next program should be something you plan on sticking with for several uninterrupted months. Whatever it is, you really, really need to buckle down and make some dramatic progress.
Give your shoulder whatever care it needs, but especially with the new full gym, there’s pretty much zero reason to not see some big gains over the next few months.
