You don’t know how to train like a bodybuilder and neither do many people who will just link you to a Mountain Dog program when you say your main goal is aesthetics. This is because guys like you who get all their information reading articles on the internet do not know what MIND MUSCLE CONNECTION is. If you lack it, the only way you can effectively quantify progress is to train closer to a strongman or powerlifter(note: internet definitions) while you build your mmc over the years. Just don’t do Starting Strength please…
Lol, cracks me up. Is it just Rippetoe you object to? Perhaps all of the sycophants that rush to deify him? Maybe I should start another thread so as not to hijack this one, but, enquiring minds…
No, not at all lol. Jumping from one extreme(internet definitions of “bodybuilding”) to another(fullbody 5x5) usually only serves to instill a lot of dogmatic beliefs, especially in someone who has admitted to have “drank a lot of koolaid” from self-professed “gurus” before.
lol, you realise Brian’s arm is like twice as long as Phil’s? And can you not see the size of his upper back in that photo?
I get that there’s a huge height difference but if you can’t look at Brian Shaw and see that he absolutely carries a pro-bodybuilder amount of muscle I don’t know what to tell you. I get that Phil is relatively bigger but Brian Shaw definitely carries a comparable amount of muscle. All the top WSM guys do.
And let’s not forget good ole Mariusz up there too. He could have easily done some damage on a bodybuilding stage in his prime.
I stated my reasons above. I certainly wouldn’t object to a pure beginner getting his feet wet by starting out with SS.
I would suggest that you do 5/3/1 for the following reasons:
A proper progression model for the main lifts.
Freedom to select assistance exercises where you can experiment and develop your mmc as long as you follow the volume guidelines. Don’t be afraid to use isolation exercises.
Oh absolutely. I’m natty at the moment too and the first thing I did was cut out all single-joint exercises. Lateral raises just don’t work for natural lifters.
Don’t forget to drink so much milk you feel like you want to shit your pants constantly. And make sure you are super smug whenever you see a big guy lifting weights that don’t impress you.
But everything should increase linearly, right?! lol
ironic to see someone use math as requisite for aesthetics/actual appearance. Forget the maths, Shaw dwarfs Heath in that photo. Could you imagine an ~ 6’8" 375lb monster on stage, next to someone a foot shorter?
Shaw is an unbelievably impressive human being. Being tall’s a disadvantage in bodybuilding as it’s harder to fill out your frame, but Shaw seems to have managed it just fine!
I love that photo of him next to Phil. Really puts it into perspective just how huge these strongman dudes get.
It would be great if we had a picture of like a “normal” 170lb, average height guy standing with them
Zero chance of this happening. In all seriousness, the writings of John Meadows fixed some major digestion issues for me (gerd, ppi misuse, resulting crippling intestinal infections)… so from a nutrition standpoint, I’m sold on following Mountain Dog Diet principles. Read: know that shit works (all puns intended).
Again, I’ve been cutting since I started, so I haven’t expected much increase in strength, but my basic compound lifts are laughable (i.e. today, I barely squatted 3x5 @ 135 with perfect form, yet 2 weeks ago I was hitting full ROM legpress @ 480/the stack 3x12 and still had enough in the tank for some killer drops). Which tells me neglecting the basics (which I’ve no doubt been guilty of), is holding me back.
No doubt… those guys are enormous. That said, there is absolutely nothing I can do (short of strapping on stilts) that’ll take me from 5’11" to 6’8"… but I might be able to take my (chubby) 17" arms to a lean 19 or 20.
That was a joke based on Starting Strength and GOMAD(google it).
It’s great you found what works for you nutritionally. However, I feel the need to bring up certain things he has written about not going above 10% bodyfat, insulin sensitivity etc. And do note I have nothing against Meadows as I have shelled out money for 2 of his programs to force myself to stop going heavy all the time to save my joints.
Most of the conditions described in his article are a result of being obese and/or drastic weight cuts. I do not think you need to worry about them unless you are nearing obesity or going into extreme caloric deficits for extended periods of time. At the end, he merely states that it is his opinion that one should not exceed 10% bodyfat.
He trains a lot of assisted lifters. Being assisted occasionally and having trained with assisted competitive bodybuilders, I can tell you that some of them will go into extreme bulking and cutting phases, also because of the use of certain thyroid drugs and prescription fat burners. I believe his opinion may be based too much on guys like these.
