[quote]GluteusGigantis wrote:
Dare I suggest it’s time to sticky this thread?[/quote]
x 6,000,000
[quote]SuperFast wrote:
[quote]GluteusGigantis wrote:
Dare I suggest it’s time to sticky this thread?[/quote]
x 6,000,000[/quote]
x 2
=
12,000,000 I believe
I’ve been really interested in the PL routine CT has given you, as I’m also focused on strength right now. CT is giving everyone the “okay” to post their workouts, as long as they give feedback on the training sessions as to help others get a better insight to his methods. I would be really interested in yours. Do you think you will post them in your I3G log?
A phenomenal read with so many gems contained within. Your post on Happiness I pasted to my Evernote for future reference.
Your posts on your experiences with Indigo and your tailor made CT workout has me intrigued. I don’t know if you’re allowed to share the details, but I’d love to see some specifics regarding what you’re doing.
[quote]SuperFast wrote:
[quote]ParagonA wrote:
On one hand, it’s kind of a comeback
Cheers, PA[/quote]
don’t call it a COMEBACK!
[/quote]
I lol’d
I3G sounds insane, I don’t feel I’m advanced enough to ‘deserve’ it so to speak, but it’s potential to possibly eliminate any sort of bulk other then “leangain bulk” is just so intriguing. Sure your gonna rip it up PA!
[quote]Vejne wrote:
Paragon:
Few years ago a natty BB used to focus entirely on strength, without “sculpting” excersises, and he said it helped him a lot to retain as much muscle as possible. Sounds reasonable, as one would assume that compounds with heavy weight will take care of creating a demand for muscle retention, as well as burn a lot of energy on the way.
I have to admit, that as a former fucking fat ass, I always had a phobia towards isolation excersises, so I kept my training around clean and press, squats, deadlifts, pullups, dips and bench press mostly. I just felt, that clean and presses fried my shoulders, whereas they’re very demanding for the cardiovascular system, especialy if one starts every rep from the floor. Never felt the need to rely on isolation excersises, though I enjoy them after the compounds.
When you first prepared for a show, what was different training-wise? I know, that countless reps with light weight used to be (and still) a preferred method for contest preppers, how was your approach?
And I also dare to ask about the differences in supplementation and diet, as you have a nice history in preparing, and the industry-food choices undergone some dramatic chanes since you first started.
Please, keep hitting us with your posts whenever you have the time, cheers 
GluteusGigantis: I was wondering, why it wasn’t stickied so far.
[/quote]
When I first prepared for a show, my training wasn’t much different from what I am doing today. My routine I used in my first prep was more an Olympic lifter’s routine than a typical bodybuilder’s.
I didn’t know much about nutrition, though, so I ended up stepping on stage very heavy (for me) but not hard enough.
For subsequent preps I did more bodybuilding-like routines, but I never really bought into that higher-rep-thing. I always kept training heavy and whenever I tried to go with high reps / lower weights, I started to lose muscle mass very fast.
My body doesn’t hold lean mass easily and I really have to work heavy to keep my muscles.
I used to do common bodybuilding split routines. Like 3- or 4-way splits and a total of 5-6 workouts a week. That worked pretty well, but I prefer what I am doing today for several reasons:
First of all, training the way I do is the most fun and the most satisfying for me. Secondly, the many shorter sessions increase my energy flux drastically. I get much harder much faster that way. And, as mentioned above, I am able to keep much more lean mass that way.
I also used to do much more work to failure in the past. That never went well. It went well for some weeks, but I always burned out my nervous system and had to stop training altogether in more than one prep for some days or weeks since I suffered from sever burnout symptoms.
Make no mistake, my workouts are still very demanding, but I don’t grind out reps anymore. I let the volume do the job and my nervous system seems to tolerate this kind of training much better.
Nutrition and supplementation has changed a lot. In terms of nutrition, the biggest change was to start cycling macros (most of all carbs). I also eat much more fat now than I used to.
When I started to compete, I was heavily influenced by authors like Scott Conelly (the MetRx guy) and Keith Klein (the MM2K guy). They told people to avoid fat like the plague and advocated diets very high in carbs.
My first supplements were MetRx and some EAS creatine. Later CLA (also from EAS) and some Phosphagen HP for “peri-workout nutrition” (a dextrose / creatine supp).
And a multivitamin. That’s all I had and it worked well, but it just cannot compare to my current supplement program, of course.
Feel free to ask any further question…
Cheers, PA
[quote]Lonnie123 wrote:
Uh oh, time to change the name of the thread of “Paragon A - Crossfit Enthusiast”
[/quote]
lol - And I hope that will be the day the mody banish me from the forum
No, seriously, I have no beef with people doing CrossFit. I wouldn’t want to do it exclusivly, but as a way to increase G-Flux, why not?
[quote]SuperFast wrote:
[quote]ParagonA wrote:
On one hand, it’s kind of a comeback
Cheers, PA[/quote]
don’t call it a COMEBACK!
[/quote]
Love this song. A classic.
[quote]ashylarryku wrote:
I’ve been really interested in the PL routine CT has given you, as I’m also focused on strength right now. CT is giving everyone the “okay” to post their workouts, as long as they give feedback on the training sessions as to help others get a better insight to his methods. I would be really interested in yours. Do you think you will post them in your I3G log?[/quote]
Thib has me doing bench presses, overhead presses, deadlifts and squats in the beginning of every workout with the exception of my back/bicep days.
I start by doing 5 reps with a weight I could do 7-8 reps with and do 5. I really attack the weight aggressivly and try to accelerate as much as possible. I add 10 pounds and do 4, add another 10 pounds and do 3 reps.
This I do for all of the 4 lifts.
After that I do my regular strength work. I have one day dedicated to each of the 4 basic lifts. So, e.g. on my bench day, I do a ramp of regular bench presses first and then do as many singles with my max weight for 3 reps as I can with only 20 seconds rest in between.
Next up is a complex of close-grip bench presses, wide-grip bech presses and bench presses with the same weight for each exercise. I do 3-5 rounds of 6 reps CGBP and amrap for the other bp variations.
Next up some hypertrophy work: incline dumbbell presses for 4 sets of 6, 2 sets of 8 and 2 sets of 10.
The other days look similar, just built around another lift.
I think Thib mentioned that it’s ok to share the routines with other “team Indigo” members, isn’t it? So you can PM me and give me your private e-mail and I can sent it to you.
If that’s not “allowed”, someone let me know.
Cheers, PA
I’m just posting to keep the thread on top, as it hasn’t been stickied (what??) yet.
I hope everything is going well for you, Paragon. How have you been in the last few days?
[quote]Vejne wrote:
I’m just posting to keep the thread on top, as it hasn’t been stickied (what??) yet.
I hope everything is going well for you, Paragon. How have you been in the last few days?[/quote]
Heya!
Thank you very much. I’m doing well. Just have to work long hours every day and rarely have access to my computer. Posting from my iPhone right now. I will post an update this weekend - the first in a while I’ll spend at home.
Just a very short one: did 3 reps with 290kg on the deadlift this morning. Sumo-style that is. Man, that felt great.
Cheers, PA
[quote]ParagonA wrote:
Just a very short one: did 3 reps with 290kg on the deadlift this morning. Sumo-style that is. Man, that felt great.
Cheers, PA[/quote]
Damn, that is all!
Since I’m here how is the diet going?
Well, diet is going well so far.
But things aren’t easy right now (are they ever?). The last couple of weeks I drowned in work and on top of that had many familiy obligations. I spend a lot of time with my father, who is very alone, now that my mother is no longer. I also had to take care of all the financial as well as legal stuff.
Things are getting better.
My weight acctually increased over the last weeks. Weighted 223.7 today and my form is still very good. I would say that I could et into decent contest shape within less than 6 weeks. So I enjoy the fact that I gained weight and strength and don’t panic about it.
I believe I will come in heavier than planned.
I do feel that I am getting tiered, though. The total work load was just heavy. I am not talking about my training. Of course, I do a lot af volume, but the training alone is for sure not the problem. The emotional stress, the 60 hour work weeks and the many hours I had to (and wanted to) allocate for my father, helping him literally to stay alive, have burnt me out a bit.
This week I will try to catch up on sleep a bit, eat MORE than I usually would at this stage of the prep (I’ll have more carbs every day and 3-4 free meals this week), and the next weekend I will do nothing but sleep, train and relax. It’ll be an extended weekend due to our national holyday (August 1st).
I believe I will be pretty much back on track by the beginning of next week.
Strength went up nicely, by the way. The one movement I’m improving on most right now is the deadlift. I deadlift 4-5 times a week and sets around 640 for resp feel very easy.
Cheers, PA
FUN
Dear friends
I just came across this pic and it made me laugh out loud. Thought it would be fun to share it.
Cheers, PA
I don’t understand how someone has the budget for all those supps. You must have a very good job.
Deadlifting 4-5x a week? You beast!
Paragon, I’m rooting for you to make it out with the next batch of Indigo guys to the Training Lab. Hopefully you and Syn can get together and TEAR THINGS UP in there.
Hope all is going well with your father, you have our support brother.
[quote]Lonnie123 wrote:
Paragon, I’m rooting for you to make it out with the next batch of Indigo guys to the Training Lab. Hopefully you and Syn can get together and TEAR THINGS UP in there.
Hope all is going well with your father, you have our support brother.[/quote]
+1
As hard as I find it to imagine anything making what’s going on in the Lab right now even more awesome, I think this would be it.
B.
I think Biotest would need some more weights in the training lab if synergy and paragon were going to be training. i dont know if one building can contain that much raw power
Thank you so much, guys!
Making such an experience like the training lab is surely awesome for all of us iron addicts. I can honestly say that I would love to train with many of you T-Nationers. I don’t care how much weight someone can lift, it’s the attitude that counts.
Synergy is an inspiration, but not because of his unnatural strength, but because of his incredible work ethic and discipline. I have the highest respect for that.
But look at ashy in the lab. This guy is certainly not as strong or big as a Synergy (not yet) or as experienced (and mighty) as the great Stu, but he didn’t leave a quantum of energy left in his body and really gave all he’s got. That’s the kind of attitude I appreciate so much. That’s true inspiration.
Or look at the girls, they easily put the average male gym rat to shame. I don’t care if they can’t lift a tenth of the weights I use, they inspire me. In this forum I see T-men everywhere. So many true warriors. I feel honored to be part of the nation.
Hope to meet many of you in the future.
I’ll post some detailled updates this weekend.
Cheers, PA