How I Train, Eat, and Think About Stuff

Training
221

[quote]bushidobadboy wrote:
Christ you are a league (or three) above us mere mortals.

Your aesthetics and strength would be damned impressive for a steroid user - and you don’t even take steroids.

Shit the bed!

I am envious of the wallpaper in your supps cupboard too :wink:

BBB[/quote]

Thanks, man. I believe I was just blessed with very high natual testosterone levels among other genetic factors favourable for bodybuilding. However, when I look at myself, I still see the small arms, narrow shoulders and flat back mostly…

I have absolutely no beef with guys (or gals) using steroids. As I said many times before: it’s a very personal desicion. I follow pro bodybuilding, love to whatch the Olympia, and some of my fellow bodybuilders in my gym use steriods and still are my best friends.

When I started lifting weight (it was more powerlifting and Olympic lifting) I didn’t know anything about drugs! Man, I didn’t even drank coffee at that time because I felt it was kind of a drug.
I gained almost 100 pounds within 4 years, so I just never got tempted. For my fisr few years of lifting I was absolutely sure that my idols (Gaspari, Haney, Labrada, …) were all drug free.

I’m very happy with the natural way I took. I feel healthy, never had to battle any sort of side effects many of my friends seem to suffer from, and I accepted the fact that I will never become Mr. Olympia or have 20 inch arms.

Currently (even though I am preparing for a show), my main focus is strength again. I would love to hit a 2000 pounds total for the powerlifting moves. I am almost certain that I won’t manage - I have to be realistic. The 500 bench press is close. 5% or so missing. But I would have to add another 100 pounds to my squat an 50 or so to my deadlift. But as there are no goals and only the way you walk the way matters, I’ll just keep walking…

As usual, I digress…

I love the wallpaper, too! Reminds me of my grandmothers place I used to spend my summers when I was a child.

Cheers, PA

222

how big are your arms?

223

[quote]MAF14 wrote:
how big are your arms?[/quote]

I hardly ever measure them anymore. The biggest they ever were was 19.7 inches. I was much heavier then and in much worse shape than I am today.
I’d say that today the measure something inbetween 18.2 and 18.5 inches (telling from the mirror and my last measurments something like 4, 5 month ago).

224

that is the best cupboard, i have ever seen, i’d rather be in there than play 7 minutes in heaven with Natalie Portman. And i like Natalie Portman lol

225

[quote]Melkor1 wrote:
that is the best cupboard, i have ever seen, i’d rather be in there than play 7 minutes in heaven with Natalie Portman. And i like Natalie Portman lol[/quote]

Just watched “Black Swan” (for the first time), turned on my PC to check ou the forum and found your message. That’s cool.

Man, I’d cheerfully donate all my supps for those 7 minutes you mentioned :wink:

I’d buy some new ones the day after, though.

226

ParagonA, crazy strength and lifts! I hope to be as strong as you one day

I ask you this question because our training methods are the same(High frequency, avoiding grinders)

Since i started training this way, i’ve noticed there are some lifts that i just can’t do with a high frequency or i can’t train every day. For instance i can front squat and box squat everyday but can’t back squat and deadlift. I can overhead press and floor press but not bench press. i can do leaning lateral raises but not regular lateral raises. I can do hammer curls and incline curls but not regular curls

Training like you do, have you ever noticed that you can’t do certain lifts with a high frequency for an unknown reason? As this has limited my exercise choices to about 10?

227

Generally speaking, a high-volume, high-frequency approach has worked best for my entire body. However, with the exception of very short periods of time I wouldn’t practice a lift every day.
Even though most of my sets end way before failure, there still seems to be a limit of work I can tollerate.
I can push almost every day (flat bench, incline, push press, bradford press, dips, etc.), whereas I can’t do more than one heavy deadlift workout a week.
I even progress very well deadlifting only once every two weeks.

Using “only” 10 exercises is not a bad idea. Ot will increase your focus on progression. I feel that doing 100 diffrent exercises makes it very difficult to track progress properly. IMO, it’s better to do just a handful of big moves and really try to get a lot stronger.

A friend of mine has been lifting weights for 15 years. He looked like he had never touched a weight, though. He switched from one high-tech routine to the next every couple of weeks, did all sorts of exercises and training techniques, but forgot to focus on getting stronger. About a year ago he asked me to “coach” him.
I designed a workout for him that focussed on just 4 execises: squats, deadlifts, push presses and bench presses. Those lifts were all done 3 times a week (in a light, moderate, heavy scheme). When the energy was there, he was allowed to add 2 more exercises to the workouts. He had to choose from chins, bent-over barbell rows, dips and split squats.
On Saturdays he did a 4th weekly workout where he did some core work and some grip training only.
He gained over 40 pounds in a bit less than a year and looks damn good now!

So, I really wouldn’t bother about limited selection of exercises too much.

Still, I find it a bit strange you can overhead press often, but not bench press. Same with incline curls and regular curls. Are you sure you don’t grind out the reps on those exercises?
Which percentage of your max do you use on those lifts?
Maybe you don’t grind, but still work too heavy to recover.
Have you read Thib’s writings on the topic? Like “the perfect rep”?

Cheers, PA

[quote]deadliftgoal500 wrote:
ParagonA, crazy strength and lifts! I hope to be as strong as you one day

I ask you this question because our training methods are the same(High frequency, avoiding grinders)

Since i started training this way, i’ve noticed there are some lifts that i just can’t do with a high frequency or i can’t train every day. For instance i can front squat and box squat everyday but can’t back squat and deadlift. I can overhead press and floor press but not bench press. i can do leaning lateral raises but not regular lateral raises. I can do hammer curls and incline curls but not regular curls

Training like you do, have you ever noticed that you can’t do certain lifts with a high frequency for an unknown reason? As this has limited my exercise choices to about 10?

[/quote]

228

I don’t grind out any reps on any exercises

I use 70-85% on most exercises(except lateral raises and such where i go lighter)

I started training this way after reading the perfect rep and HP mass, so i know how to do the perfect rep/ramp

I don’t do a lift everyday(except power snatches), i was just giving an example

I don’t know what it is, some exercises just feel natural and some just feel awkward even if they are similar. Also, you’re right as limited exercise selection is probably a good thing especially at the intermediate-beginner level

229

Paragon, what do you do for a living if you don’t mind me asking?

230

I’m not the expert, but maybe it’s just due to individual biomechanics. I wouldn’t bother, though. You still have plenty of exercises to choose from and that feel natural to you.
Just like Thib always says: it an exercise doesn’t work for you, drop it!

Just focus on the few exercises (the big ones, of course), that work for you and spend some years getting really strong in them.
Let’s say you cannot do bench presses for any reason, but focus on floor presses and some dumbbell moves instead. If in a couple of years from now you’ll be able to floor press twice the weight you are using now, how do you think your chest will look then? Much bigger, obviously :wink:

Cheers, PA

[quote]deadliftgoal500 wrote:
I don’t grind out any reps on any exercises

I use 70-85% on most exercises(except lateral raises and such where i go lighter)

I started training this way after reading the perfect rep and HP mass, so i know how to do the perfect rep/ramp

I don’t do a lift everyday(except power snatches), i was just giving an example

I don’t know what it is, some exercises just feel natural and some just feel awkward even if they are similar. Also, you’re right as limited exercise selection is probably a good thing especially at the intermediate-beginner level [/quote]

231

[quote]hlss09 wrote:
Paragon, what do you do for a living if you don’t mind me asking?[/quote]

I’ve had many jobs in my life… During my college time and my time at University I worked as a fitness instructor, errand boy, bycicle courir, in bars, as a waiter, bouncer, etc. Since my parents were poor I had to finance my life on my own from very early on. Hard times.
After my PhD I worked as a post doc in a laboratory. After that I joined one of the bigger Swiss banks and worked in a quantitative area there.
I left the bank after 3 years or so and strated my own company (diagnostics). That didn’t really work out well and I went back to University. After another year I re-joined the Swiss bank and I have been working there ever since.

I consult pension funds who are - for whatever reason - in a financial crises, have structural problems or are in danher to even go bankrupt.
I don’t sell anything, I don’t trade anything, my job basically is to save people’s pensions.
I love the job because of it’s social component. My “end clents”, so to say, are people from all walks of life: builders, bakers, truckers, painters, or employees of any kind of Swiss firm, where the firm’s penion plan is unstructured, carelessly invested and pensions are in danger.
Can’t explain it any better, because you would have to know the Swiss pension system (one of the best in world, by the way).
In a nutshell, my job is to make sure that honest men and women get their well-deserved and hard-earned rents.

Cheers, PA

232

Nice! What’s your PhD in?

233

[quote]hlss09 wrote:
Nice! What’s your PhD in?[/quote]

Molecular biology

:slight_smile:

234

So you know what a nucleus is?

JK, but good stuff. Did you decide not to work in science field for any particular reason?

235

[quote]ParagonA wrote:

[quote]MAF14 wrote:
how big are your arms?[/quote]

I hardly ever measure them anymore. The biggest they ever were was 19.7 inches. I was much heavier then and in much worse shape than I am today.
I’d say that today the measure something inbetween 18.2 and 18.5 inches (telling from the mirror and my last measurments something like 4, 5 month ago).

[/quote]

really!? haha from that last pic you look sub 8% BF though. i’m pretty sure most of the natty guys claiming to have 20 inch arms also have at least 5% higher BF

do you think there would be any value (LBM wise) in bulking up for a while then coming back down and establishing a new set point?

236

[quote]ParagonA wrote:
I’m not the expert, but maybe it’s just due to individual biomechanics. I wouldn’t bother, though. You still have plenty of exercises to choose from and that feel natural to you.
Just like Thib always says: it an exercise doesn’t work for you, drop it!

Just focus on the few exercises (the big ones, of course), that work for you and spend some years getting really strong in them.
Let’s say you cannot do bench presses for any reason, but focus on floor presses and some dumbbell moves instead. If in a couple of years from now you’ll be able to floor press twice the weight you are using now, how do you think your chest will look then? Much bigger, obviously :wink:

Cheers, PA

[quote]deadliftgoal500 wrote:
I don’t grind out any reps on any exercises

I use 70-85% on most exercises(except lateral raises and such where i go lighter)

I started training this way after reading the perfect rep and HP mass, so i know how to do the perfect rep/ramp

I don’t do a lift everyday(except power snatches), i was just giving an example

I don’t know what it is, some exercises just feel natural and some just feel awkward even if they are similar. Also, you’re right as limited exercise selection is probably a good thing especially at the intermediate-beginner level [/quote]
[/quote]

Yeah, progression is my #1 goal. But with this type of training, when do you increase the weight on a lift, as on some days i can go a little heavier, and some a little lighter.

and for the back do you keep the weight on all sets the same or do you ramp up to one heavy set?

237

[quote]MAF14 wrote:

[quote]ParagonA wrote:

[quote]MAF14 wrote:
how big are your arms?[/quote]

I hardly ever measure them anymore. The biggest they ever were was 19.7 inches. I was much heavier then and in much worse shape than I am today.
I’d say that today the measure something inbetween 18.2 and 18.5 inches (telling from the mirror and my last measurments something like 4, 5 month ago).

[/quote]

do you think there would be any value (LBM wise) in bulking up for a while then coming back down and establishing a new set point?
[/quote]

I believe that for most beginners it would be a good idea to bulk up for a while and then diet down from there. I know, I know, some have a very different opinion on that. But honestly, I personally do not know a single big guy who did not invest some years of his training carreer in bulking. Adding only clean muscle is nearly impossible for most, imo.

Personally, I do not plan to ever bulk anymore, but that’s because I do not want to get a lot bigger. I still have some strength goals and I can easily go up to 240 or so with a very “clean bulk”. But I don’t plan to, say, bulk to 280 or so in the hope that after a diet I’d step on stage with 230 instead of 210-220.

238

[quote]deadliftgoal500 wrote:

[quote]ParagonA wrote:
I’m not the expert, but maybe it’s just due to individual biomechanics. I wouldn’t bother, though. You still have plenty of exercises to choose from and that feel natural to you.
Just like Thib always says: it an exercise doesn’t work for you, drop it!

Just focus on the few exercises (the big ones, of course), that work for you and spend some years getting really strong in them.
Let’s say you cannot do bench presses for any reason, but focus on floor presses and some dumbbell moves instead. If in a couple of years from now you’ll be able to floor press twice the weight you are using now, how do you think your chest will look then? Much bigger, obviously :wink:

Cheers, PA

[quote]deadliftgoal500 wrote:
I don’t grind out any reps on any exercises

I use 70-85% on most exercises(except lateral raises and such where i go lighter)

I started training this way after reading the perfect rep and HP mass, so i know how to do the perfect rep/ramp

I don’t do a lift everyday(except power snatches), i was just giving an example

I don’t know what it is, some exercises just feel natural and some just feel awkward even if they are similar. Also, you’re right as limited exercise selection is probably a good thing especially at the intermediate-beginner level [/quote]
[/quote]

and for the back do you keep the weight on all sets the same or do you ramp up to one heavy set?
[/quote]

For back - or any exercise where I do more than 8 reps - I don’t ramp up. I’ll still activate my nervous system, but it won’t be a ramp like in the heavy pressing movements.
Say, e.g., I plan to do bent over rows with 220 for 4 sets of 8 reps, I would do a warm up that looks like this:
empty bar x 12
130 x 5
155 x 3
175 x 1
200 x 1
And then do my work sets.

239

[quote]hlss09 wrote:
So you know what a nucleus is?

JK, but good stuff. Did you decide not to work in science field for any particular reason? [/quote]

I think I can remeber that :wink:

Well, in a nutshell: I had to find a job with a salary good enough to care for my family (my parents were in debt). I’m not looking back and like what I do, but I would have stayed in science if I didn’t had to make more money.

240

I just wanted to say this is the most inspiring thread I think I’ve ever read!

Ironically, with you being the most organised person I’ve ever read about, I only discovered this properly today and read from start to finish in one sitting. With all the time and priviledges you have clearly never had, I find it embarrasing I’m not more on top of the whole ‘life balance’ thing.

Still, I hope that your philosophies on life and lifting gradually filter through to me, as a just-20-year-old I need to really get everything together in my life if I want to succeed and be happy over the next few years. Reading this thread just might help. Thank you.