That’s how every attempt at discourse has ever gone with that toolbag.
They were measuring wrists and ankles, not a precise measurement of gravity.
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You’re a very angry little man. You might want to address that.
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Yeah, I figure it’s because he wrote it for them, and they owned anything he put out during his time there.
lol, Paul got riled enough at the mention of my achievements (no matter how much I only did so to support my opinions) without further pointing out that other authors have referenced me solely because of them. Let him make his name as a social media name/author if that’s his goal. Its not mine. If he doesn’t want anyone potentially knowledgeable possibly disagreeing with him, he can stick to his articles where people can’t ask questions or comment. Besides, I’ll always be able to look over his contest pics on the NPC site anytime I need a chuckle.
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Wait, are we casually overlooking that @dagill2 successfully tagged @BlueCollarTr8n and brought him back to the forum after more than a year and a half away?!
Glad to have you back, man. Hope you can stick around again. And, yep, the spirit is being kept alive. I had posted your stats pic earlier in the thread. Still an interesting resource. Thanks for putting it together.
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I’ve watched his Swoley Trinity podcast with Alan Aragon and apparently their relationship started via an online disagreement. They had a cordial back and forth on some other forum, and now they’re friends. Paul says he has no problem debating or discussing things. I’d like to think he got caught up in internet personalities and labeled you as a troll instead of a worthy adversary. I understand how it’s not worth your time or effort to prove to him otherwise.
The information provided in this thread alone makes it tough to believe a guy could get to 195 at 10% naturally without being close to 6 foot tall.
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Yep. You look at this data laid out here, and it really blows a hole is a lot of the BS claims you see online.
Heck, even taking into account the stats of some of the top IFBB pros in the world (ie. remember, Arash is HUGE offseason at about 5’10 and 235) and
contrast them to some of the conflicting (obviously BS) claims you see online, some from authors
^ same person… so was he fat at 290 (Dorian Yates off season weight), or was he lean at 280? (Ronnie Coleman’s approximate stage weight)…
People who haven’t been inside the sport as I have (competitor, judge, coach) May call me angry or jaded,… but I prefer realistic. Without photos I don’t believe any outlandish claims, especially from anyone pushing articles or books -lol
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I was pretty amazed by this as well. Let’s hope we can persuade him to stick around.
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I probably come off as one of those people who cry steroids whenever I see someone bigger and stronger than me, but I legitimately want to know for my own sanity’s sake.
I’m really just over here thinking “Is that really attainable? Am I really just a slacker and a failure?” That’s a pretty crap mindset to have, so knowing if a person is getting assistance can help me to stop beating myself up. And oddly enough, when I did a little, I find that the answer is the same each time - PEDs.
And I’m perfectly okay with that; I just need to know so I can adjust my expectations accordingly.
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That’s kind of a silly way to go about this though, right? I mean, you know how much work you put in. You know that you outwork most average people, but also that plenty of people are outworking you. You know that you’ve made solid progress, but that you could always eat a little better, train a little better, sleep better, manage stress better, etc. None of this makes you a slacker or a failure, it makes you a guy who’s investing the appropriate time and effort to bodybuilding for your own lifestyle. At the end of the day, you put in what you can/will, and the results will simply be what they will be, and they won’t be the same for everyone.
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I never claimed that it was a good way!!! I think most will agree that our own mind is the biggest adversary.
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@Frank_C -This is the way I look at it man!
If you could train for 4 hours a day and get awesome recovery your body would reflect that. But we are not professionals, so we get the best body we can we whatever we can put into it based on our limitations, whether it’s time, money, interest, genetics, etc. You’re ripped and you got a big deadlift and power clean. There’s not much to complain about lol. You’ll overcome your injuries that’s just part of the game.
Don’t worry about what you want to look like. Just get the best body you can for you and that’s all that matters.
Remember to be REALLY big and strong you have to commit a lot of time, especially in the eating department. That’s why I know I won’t ever get to 200lb. Not because I don’t want to, but I just can’t commit to the amount of eating I need to do to get to that goal. My skinny jacked ass is happy at 185 lol.
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If you’re relatively uninformed about the ins and outs of PED usage, it’s very easy to assume it’s the missing piece to the puzzle. Of course it’s just as truthful to not ignore that if can indeed be a very powerful piece to that puzzle.
My thinking, was always that I didn’t have gains come easy, so I had to make sure I controlled everything that was within my ability to have control over. That meant, diet, sleep, consistency, and a seriously anal approach to observing what the really successful trainers did so that I could find the common aspects.
It’s only in hindsight that I realize how long you need to commit to such a regimen. I mention Arash a lot because I assume most people know him, and because he’s a very close friend. He’s been trying to be a bodybuilder since he was 13. Think about that… 13… When I was 13, I was collecting Transformers and G.I. Joe comics and couldn’t care less about looking like Arnold.
The guys who are the best, AND use PEDs, would be the best if PEDs didn’t exist. They raise the bar, but if the bar is raised for everyone, then it’s a level field in that regard.
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i got you boo 
I’m not sure what my biggest adversary is… my stomach is pretty high up there. And my knees. But my mind is definitely top 5, lol.
I dunno man. I think overtime you’ll likely surprise yourself. Mostly because it becomes an easier thing to do as you acclimate to higher bodyweights. For me, going from 150 - 170 was just as difficult eating-wise as 180 - 200 was. And it’s FAR easier for me to currently maintain 195 - 200 than either of those were.
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I hate both of you. I had absolutely no problem going from 217 to 250 last year. The problem is that now I’ve shed all of that and I don’t think I accomplished much. If I added muscle, then it was a very small amount and I did not need to gain 30+ pounds to get it. I learned once and for all that big bulks are useless - and I averaged a gain of three pounds a month. I thought that was reasonable.
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In discussing people’s delusions of how much muscle can be built in a given timeframe, Dorian said that the best genetics, best program, best diet, best “supplements”, and if you’re lucky you can put in a lb or two of actual muscle every few months. Think about that the next time you’re reading some Hyped program article online.
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I really thought I’d sifted through the BS before that bulk. I was skeptical but people convinced me I could do it.
Alan Aragon Model
Muscle Gains Per Month
Training Level Expected Monthly Gains
Beginner 1-1.5% total body weight per month
Intermediate 0.5-1% total body weight per month
Advanced 0.25-0.5% total body weight per month
I was about 220 when I started my journey. I didn’t follow Alan’s model but I’d found one that said I could expect to gain 0.5 to 1.0 lbs of muscle per month. This model actually matches that at my weight (0.55-1.10 at 220 lbs). I used that and then found this:
1 pound of dry muscle holds about 0.4 pounds of glycogen and as 1g of glycogen binds 2.7gs of water the total will become about 2.4 pounds of weight for 1lbs of muscle (1lbs muscle, .4lbs glycogen, a tad over 1lbs of water)
At best I could gain 2.4 lbs per month of “lean mass”. I went for it, and fell flat on my face. 
Oh, well. Now I have experience pushing my body’s weight limits as well as experience cutting a good chunk of flab.
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I had no idea this thread would take off when I posted it.
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Yeah I had the same feeling with big bulks. And I gained more with a slower approach in the end, but maybe that’s also because I ate less crap
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It took me 5 years to add a true 20lbs to my entire frame (165-185). Now I know why all the REALLY big strong guys have been lifting for 15-20 years consistently. I had no idea muscle takes LOTS of YEARS to build unless you have the muscle grow on tree genes.
All those magazines and articles have you believe you can gain 50lbs of muscle in one year haha! @Frank_C thats why as a non body builder I just focus on numbers in the gym and how I look in the mirror. If my abs are popping and my I’m adding poundage/reps to my lift I know I grew some muscle lol.
I’m more “dense” than I am “mass”. It’s amazing to me how those guys like Coleman, Dorian, etc built such mass. I can’t even fathom having BIG muscles like that lol.
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