Heb, I shot you an email earlier today regarding the keto…tell me what you think…that picture is a side shot, so it really doesn’t do me justice size* wise…I know my arms look puny there…but shit, i was just coming off keto and didn’t have any supercomp. Yeah i hear you on cutting your losses, but fuck is it hard…Some guys i see in the gym (like an earlier post) just seem so ripped and big and I know as fuck they are not as disciplined as me…shit i find myself chasing after their physique, constantly comparing myself and fuck if that aint a piece of shit thing dude. BTW, do you mind if i ask your age hebber (you can send it in the email)…f*** great posts man, this shit is great, even if i am in a constant state of indecision about what to do!
Peheace
Vain, thanks for the email. Been out of town and just printed it now. Looks like lots of good info. I’ll go over it and let ya know later. I’m 45 yo. I lifted off and on during my teens and early 20’s but didn’t know anything about nutrition and training and wasn’t very dedicated - would lift for a month than lose interest for a few months, etc, and only had mediocre results. During my 30’s, I graduated to a desk job, lost all interest in exercise and became an “arm chair athlete” which resulted in a 50+ lb fat gain during the decade of my 30’s. Got divorced at 41 and weighed 198 lbs at 32% BF at 5’9". Decided to get back in shape and went on a diet and exercise program not knowing what I was doing. Started to read everything I could get my hands on regarding diet, nutrition and training. Developed my diet into keto after reading “Bodyopus” and then Lyle’s book which really helped me. Lost 55 lbs over about 5 months and ended up 143 lbs at 6% BF (same weight I graduated high school) but was a “stick”. Started seriously weight training 3.5 years ago and have been lifting consistently since then except for my injury last winter. In 4 years, I’ve gone from 198 lbs at 32%BF to 143 lbs at 6% to currently at 177 lbs at <8% at 5’9". I was at 183 at about 9% last Dec when I ripped my biceps tendon. I’m going to continue Mag-10 cycles through the summer with a goal of 190 lbs at 8% and think it’s possible. Something I couldn’t achieve 20 years ago and should be even more difficult at my age but knowing proper nutrition, smart training, and smart supplementation has made all the difference. Later, Heb.
Well, I took a look at your pic on Geocities, and you look pretty good. The real question, I guess, is what is your physique goal? I haven’t seen you post one yet. Once you decide that, then the rest should become obvious.
Personally, I agree that you could use some more bulk. But like I said, that’s just MY opinion, and it’s YOUR opinion that counts here. If you just want to be cut, I’d say stop obsessing and go enjoy the beach - you’re there already! But if you want to look more ripped, then I think you’re going to need some more muscle under that thin thin skin of yours. Best of luck!
Vain: Sorry it took so long to get back with you! It’s been another one of those crazy weeks! But on to your questions:
Periodization
When one looks at a periodized training program, one really has to consider 1) whom these are often written for and 2) the goals that are inherent to the given program. You will find that they are usually geared toward the elite (or at least regularly competitive) athlete, and are geared toward gaining that last “millimeter” of an edge. One needs to look no further than the Olympics or Olympic trails, tri-athelons, or any competitive event to realize that often the difference between first and last may be seconds, inches, or a few pounds.
So…with these programs tending to have a slant toward the more competitive athlete, and that push to gain that last inch, or last milli-second or last cubic-inch of anaerobic lung capacity, a lot of people (myself included) became confused and frustrated by all the numbers and graphs, and measurements etc. While I understood these programs, they often had me “missing the forest for the trees”. In other words, it was sort of like these guys taking a billion pills and supplements wanting to get “huge” or “ripped” with a diet that was crap and one in which they can’t even tell how much protein or total calories they are consuming!
So… here I was trying to follow a program that was going to give me that added few pounds in measurable strength when I wasn’t that strong to begin with or that additional cubic inch of lung capacity when I could barely run a ½ mile!
Does periodizing ones program have validity for the average “Joe and Jane?” You bet it does! But just not these very structured programs geared more toward elite athletes. One needs measurable goals in these guys. For us “slobs”, we simply need to “mix it up” to provide different training and/or nutrition stimuli to our bodies.
Keep It Simple!
1)Define your goals (i.e. hypertrophy, fat loss, strength gains, some combination, etc.)
2)Define which is the most important or fundamental of those goals.
3)Set the number of weeks you will devote to each of those goals.
4)Put it all within the context of a complete cycle (typically 12-16 weeks). However, many people will devise “mini-cycles”.
5)Do it!
Like many on this site, my cycles are geared toward hypertrophy and fat loss, with overall hypertrophy being my fundamental goal. My “basic micro-cycle" is : 4 weeks hypertrophy/2 weeks fat loss depending on how my body is responding! Don’t for get to ALWAYS evaluate how your body is responding!
Weekly
My trainer and mentor currently has me doing a 3-day/week-workout schedule (for reasons I’ll post later) but my basic schedule is: Mon./Tue (Wen. Off) Thur/Fri (Sat./Sun. Off). I have found this to give me the best combination of rest, recuperation, and mental rest, while also providing adequate stimulation for overall growth.
Rest
Vain: I know you know it! But I also know that for many of us MuscleHeads (myself included!) who love that “feel” you have after a great workout, it’s a concept that’s hard to accept: you grow while you rest and recuperate, and not in the gym!(Since you ain’t a newbie, I won’t say more…but I just want you to know that I DEFINITELY know how you feel, Bro!).
I way I’ve attempted to overcome the desire to “live” in the gym is “mentally” visualize myself tearing down muscle in the gym. Then, when I’m showered, relaxed and provided some clean muscle building nourishment (can you guys almost “feel” “Surge” or a good post workout shake going to the muscle? Well… if you can’t, at least “visualize” it), I visualize it going to the muscles…the muscles “sucking it all up”…then them “exploding” with growth…. Hey…like Pat…it sounds a little “New Age” or “Zen”, but it’s really helped me stop looking at the gym as the place where I grow. I DESTROY in the gym…I GROW relaxed on the couch listening to “Earth, Wind and Fire” or Sammy, Sinatra or Chet Baker…your choice!
Well…as always…thanks for askin’, Bro! And as always…I hope this helps!
Char, thanks for the assessment. The reason I put that picture on there is that it is the one I like the most (in terms of rip) but it is pretty void of serious mass. I do have some but its harder for me since I use pretty much nothing aside from regular food and protein supplments. I <<italics “am”>> usually regarded as having decent mass (by the students of the gym i attend), but most likely nothing compared to most of the posters on this site (hence, I love talking with the big boys). The reason i tend to push “cut” is because I think in black and white (i.e., either some subcutaneous fat or not) and as such, there is some thin shit is a few target areas (but then again, reducing all of that shit right now…maybe not the right move).
Mufusa:
as usual, the post was brilliant. I have designed a new workout programme for my summer season (i am starting a new job outside of syracuse NY) and it incorporates two solid rest days where I don’t even approach the gym. Cardio can be done anywhere, its just the amount of it that I will watch. I have realized that without prohormone use, I am going to make small baby steps in terms of mass gain. For example, last July 13 i was 2% body fat at 165 and now I am proabably 5% body fat at 176…So you can see the time it takes to add muscle mass for me. Also, I have learned (as you suggested) that I really have to watch carbs or fat is gained. There seems to be a magical number (and of course the right carb) whereby either excess carb goes into muscle or it esterfies into fat. I am seriously considering something like mag-10, but I would love to discuss its usage with some of the posters on this site whole were not necessarily skeptical but possibly rather “questioning” themselves before using it-maybe you weren’t but i respect your opinion highly and others nonetheless.
—No doubt the amount of NON rest days was killing me in terms of mass gain.
Its time to rest
Thanks again guys
Vain