End of training rope

Hi guys…this is a little bit of a rant /question for all fellow members , so bear with me please. I have been training for four-five years now. I started when was about 15.I started because of football and I became hooked. I was on cookie cutter BFS program …then moved to the Husker Power program. I started at 225 pounds at roughly 30 % bodyfat and 5’7. I eventually worked to 5’9 175 at 9%, being as low as 164 at 7 %(all wth ashitlad of loose skin). My progress stalled on these programs eventually. So i tried HIT. Did well for a bit…but stayed on it too long. So i started to read, Poloquin, King, Kubik,Mcrobert,Tate,T-Mag,Serrano. I planned out routines,strict strict diet, recovery All in an effort to grow, impove and learn about myself and through all different varitions I haven’t learned much because I haven’t made a whole hell of a lot of progress,I mean what the fuck. I see friends around me do shit half assesd and just keep improving(and yes i understand genetics…but thats not everyone’s excuse). What i have learned is I can’t keep calories realativey low consistently because My workouts go to shit.ok thats basic.

If I add calories over maintinance I get fat.This is with a slight increase over like 200-300. I use massive eating combos too, the formula is way too high for me, thats fat gain wise(I figure thts because of all these leftover fat cells). I might need close to that for muscle but I can’t get that high because of huge fat gain.I stick to low GI ,low II carbs…actaully oatmal is it,except for Surge post workout. Training wise I learned I need to go back to maximal weights every 4-8 weeks so i don’t lose my triples-doubles-max numbers . I have been training for max strength lately trying to regain strength after too long on HIT high reps and such,hoping that I would still make gains since a high influx of kcals isn’t needed ,but thats been stalling also. I also learned that higher reps(10-12)are best used for fat loss periods for me. Now this is personal info that i understand about myself, cannot gain much progress yet though. I am wondering whats next? Have any of you guys reached a point like this in your training careers. I am sorry if this is one big bitch session,i just feel like shit right now looking at my training log. I want to use Mag 10 since i feel that might hlp my easy fat gain problems but is that a good idea. Sometimes I wonder if I’m really advanced naturally for myself or just spinning my wheels.Just like to hear your thoughts guys.Sorry this post is s long.I might regret this post later but oh well. Thanks, Mike

I was in cutting phase for 4.5 months, very strictly and shed off 33 lbs of blubber. In the past 5 weeks I have been eating according to Massive Eating principles, 7-8 meals per day, all low GI carbs like oats, muesli and veggies, pf and pc separated, good fats, training 4x/week, 4x30 min cardio, supplementing only with A, C vitamins and a multivitamin, adequate postworkout nutrition, 75 g highGI carbs and 40 g whey protein. I started at 184 lbs and gained cca 9-10 lbs, most of which is, I believe, fat. I eat very “conservative” Massive Eating calories, 3900, I used the lowest activity corective factors and I am very strict, no cheating or other food is included in my dieting regimen. When analyzing the lack of satisfying progress, I found out it could be one or some of the following: low thyroid output, for sure, my body temperature is very low in the morning, low testosterone production, this might be the case, last year I lost 123 lbs sheep-dieting and my sex drive has not restored ever since, insuline sensitivity, I do not think this is the case, lack of sleep and rest, this is the main factor forlack of my success, I sleep 3 to 4 hours because of everyday responsibilities and for things to be worse, I work in all three shifts changing the sleeping pattern every 5 days 8 hours ahead, when I go from the night to the 1st shift I lose an entire day of sleep in the process, so my cortisol must be sky high. Finally, food allergies, My workouts are suffering because of this, sometimes I feel like a zombie when workint out, even now when I am eating adequate amounts of food. I had pretty severe allergies (not food but pollen relate d)when I was a kid and I doubt my immune system is exactly at its peak right now. Anyway, I do not know what is the solution for this situation because just like you I gain a lot of fat, not satisfying amount of muscle, I lose fat easily, but I do not get “lean” unfortunately. Another thing, to be honest, Massive Eating is just a hassle for me, I see no real benefit to nutrient separation compared to the same food eaten without nutrient separation. All the same thing unfortunately. The worst thing is that up to certain point, approx 3100 kCal I maintain my bodyweight and do not bulk at all and when I start gaining, I gain all blubber. I had to gain 65 pounds and lose more than 50 in the last year to have net gain of 15 lbm pounds. A real horror.

Your food allergies and food intolerances can be making you fat as well as contributing to lowered thyroid function and lowered adrenal function (the lowered adrenal usually causes the lowered thyroid which you obviously have). The lowered adrenal/thyroid a negative effect on insulin sensitivity as well. For people like this it’s rather complex and not just a matter of “eating more food” to bring up the metabolic rate. As well as this any food allergy or food intolerance will contribute to a condition known as leaky gut syndrome where food particles are absorbed from the intestines into the bloodstream and can cause a range of health problems many of them metabolically related but the main symptom is fatigue of one sort or another. To fix your metabolism you’ll first need to get rid of your food intolerances. Here is a good example how to do that http://homepages.paradise.net.nz/ rwgully/theories/mcferran7.htm
you’ll have to explore around on the sitemap and read through the book Chapters as a lot of that info is useful.

aa , I feel for you man, you seem like you have it even worse off than me. I kno what it feels like to get really lean but not appear super lean. I 'll always have this skin hanging over my abs. That is until I can afford surgery. Metabolically…I just get really pissed off . I think I might jut bulk on androgen from now on and maintain /cut while off. Its really difficult for people like us…it just gets so fuckin hard sometimesWell best of luck and keep working hard…Mike

you tried HIT and it worked, so it was a good idea to change?

I also gained a lot of fat on massive eating. I lost 87 pounds about a year ago but the wrong way. I was eating 6 meals a day but probably 1700 calories. I started with the body for life diet, not the training program and they don’t explain a lot of things like good fats, adequate protein, and stuff like that. I was eating 3300 calories on massive eating and gained about 10 pounds in 4 weeks but a lot of fat.I am also cold when I get up in the morning.Does this mean I have a thyroid problem. Another thing I noticed is that since I lost a lot of fat is that I am a lot colder than I used to be. I used to always be hot. was that from the excessive blubber insulating my body or something else?I too have problems putting on lean muscle. Good luck is all I can say because I haven’t figured it out yet.

Dunhill, I tried HIT, and it worked briefly…but I stayed on too long, started losing strength and screwed up my endurance and max strength levels, thats what caused the change…Mike

Thank you, Mike and Kelly. (btw. Kelly, you’re a guy? - Kelly can be both male and female first name, right). I will check out the site you gave me. Hoewever, Mikey is right on the spot when he mentioned androgens. Chemical assistance might be of great importance for the unfortunate ones like myself - if you lack in something, supplement! I studied everything vigorously and that is exactly what I am going to do after this bulking I am doing right now and 3 weeks of dieting before the New Year. My theory is that by increasing lbm I will hopefully reverse some metabolic processes and raise RMR. Yes, I am talking about AAS and joining the dark side. Wish me luck!

I think part of the problem you have that I gleen from your letter is a terrible amount of stress. Stress can block your progress like nothing else I know.

It may be important for you to take a week to two weeks off from weights (Sounds frightening right) to start. After that every three months schedule a week off. During that time do light cardio and stretch stretch stretch.

Stretching (yoga is the high form of this) calms you down and improves your concentration. I stretch before and after every workout and my focus is amazing. It's positively impossible to make a mind/muscle connection when a person is a stressed as you obviously are.

Your lack of gains may be due to this lack of mind body connection that is resulting in poor technique. Bodybuilding is an art. A true artist will take whatever necessary measure he or she needs to improve.

Take time off cuz and after that schedule your time off in the future. I’m telling you the change you’ll feel in yourself will be shocking. Good luck.

Joe T…Thanks for the help. Truth be told though, I do already plan rest weeks. every 4 weeks usually…at least 4 days…usually a week. I was stretching regularly for 30 minutes on trianing ays and 15 on off days, i think I jumped in too quick and had great muscle soreness. i realy do want get flexible though, so I’m looking for a reputablepilates instructor in my area. Sasa I wish you the best of luck in your training keep me posted. I can’t wait to get mag ten and put on some mass. I also think I’m gonna get a salivary hormone profile taken prior to using Mag Ten. Thanks guys…Mike