I complete forgot about those… That’s another thing that could be in that particular shake: Enzymes.
Anyway, I too have trouble with milk beyond simple lactose intolerance I believe, but lactase is included in the digestive enzyme supps I take.
[quote]Professor X wrote:
[quote]forevernade wrote:
X, I haven’t read anything about your opinion on powerlifting.
I know you plan to compete as a bodybuilder, but you must have an opinion anyway, right?
Do you think many powerlifters would be better off training like you have and just getting as big as they could, before training for max strength? Or do you think powerlifters should just do what they are doing?
Also, what is your opinion on small guys drinking lots of soft drinks to get those carb calories in?[/quote]
An opinion on powerlifting? I have nothing against powerlifters. I used to train like one and lifted around quite a number of them (including that short huge Hawaiian guy who died years back whose name I keep forgetting when he came through Houston). First, there is no one way to train and short of doing max single lifts, there really wasn’t much of a difference in how we trained.
[/quote]
Just to clarify.
When you said that you used to train like a powerlifter, what exactly do you mean?
I take it that when you said that there really wasn’t much a difference between how you trained and how the powerlifters trained, that you both used a bodypart split using both compound and isolation exercises, focused on training muscles NOT movement patterns and made sure to train your entire body without neglecting anything. The only real difference is that they would work on hitting a 1 rep max and you didn’t.
[quote]ANIMAL M0THER wrote:
[quote]Cephalic_Carnage wrote:
They probably use a better filtering grade/method or whatever for their whey… Maybe it’s Ion-Exchange or what-have-you. You get different kinds of everything…
Different isolates, concentrates etc… If you’re very lactose intolerant, obviously you want it as clean as possible (also, added fiber helps in general with your digestion, many brands have none and if you drink plenty of shakes with no added fiber, you’ll likely end up with lots of gas, bloat, pain etc, non-related to lactose intolerance… Of course you can just buy that extra, and you get different kinds again…).
Usually, regular supp companies don’t specify if cross-filtration or ion-exchange and so on was used for their whey isolate (for example), and they certainly don’t say how much of the protein is isolate and how much is concentrate (again, example)… Kind of a bitch if they went all cheapo on you with 1%high grade isolate and 99% lower quality concentrate.
Which means trial and error.
[/quote]
I can’t drink milk. I can get by on one glass if I’m lucky. Other dairy is hit or miss. I’m trying to figure out what dairy I can and can’t eat. I think I’ve got it figured out now.
Would it be likely that the Lean Body brand products use a higher quality/better filtered whey/dairy than what you find in milk?
Like you said, I just need to try it out and see what happens.[/quote]
As C_C stated; you must try different products to get the best of both worlds from your protein powder.
Musclesmeds, makes a Beef Protein Powder ( Carnivor ), that should work for you.
It’s not whey, but it could save you alot of time and, bloating/gas/shits/zits/whatever.
I have known MANY lactose intolerant people in the athletic world.
It’s a common issue, no body HAS to drink milk, many do not.
Just don’t drink milk, unless it is your last resort for protein/calories. Period.
[quote]Antares wrote:
[quote]ANIMAL M0THER wrote:
[quote]Cephalic_Carnage wrote:
They probably use a better filtering grade/method or whatever for their whey… Maybe it’s Ion-Exchange or what-have-you. You get different kinds of everything…
Different isolates, concentrates etc… If you’re very lactose intolerant, obviously you want it as clean as possible (also, added fiber helps in general with your digestion, many brands have none and if you drink plenty of shakes with no added fiber, you’ll likely end up with lots of gas, bloat, pain etc, non-related to lactose intolerance… Of course you can just buy that extra, and you get different kinds again…).
Usually, regular supp companies don’t specify if cross-filtration or ion-exchange and so on was used for their whey isolate (for example), and they certainly don’t say how much of the protein is isolate and how much is concentrate (again, example)… Kind of a bitch if they went all cheapo on you with 1%high grade isolate and 99% lower quality concentrate.
Which means trial and error.
[/quote]
I can’t drink milk. I can get by on one glass if I’m lucky. Other dairy is hit or miss. I’m trying to figure out what dairy I can and can’t eat. I think I’ve got it figured out now.
Would it be likely that the Lean Body brand products use a higher quality/better filtered whey/dairy than what you find in milk?
Like you said, I just need to try it out and see what happens.[/quote]
As C_C stated; you must try different products to get the best of both worlds from your protein powder.
Musclesmeds, makes a Beef Protein Powder ( Carnivor ), that should work for you.
It’s not whey, but it could save you alot of time and, bloating/gas/shits/zits/whatever.
I have known MANY lactose intolerant people in the athletic world.
It’s a common issue, no body HAS to drink milk, many do not.
Just don’t drink milk, unless it is your last resort for protein/calories. Period.
[/quote]
I just bought the Lean Body RTD. I’ll see how I handle it.
Also, buying the 12pack RTDs over powder might be the best way for me to go at this point. RTDs are more practical for bringing to my job. I also can keep them in the trunk of my car for after the gym.
[quote]ANIMAL M0THER wrote:
[quote]Professor X wrote:
[quote]forevernade wrote:
X, I haven’t read anything about your opinion on powerlifting.
I know you plan to compete as a bodybuilder, but you must have an opinion anyway, right?
Do you think many powerlifters would be better off training like you have and just getting as big as they could, before training for max strength? Or do you think powerlifters should just do what they are doing?
Also, what is your opinion on small guys drinking lots of soft drinks to get those carb calories in?[/quote]
An opinion on powerlifting? I have nothing against powerlifters. I used to train like one and lifted around quite a number of them (including that short huge Hawaiian guy who died years back whose name I keep forgetting when he came through Houston). First, there is no one way to train and short of doing max single lifts, there really wasn’t much of a difference in how we trained.
[/quote]
Just to clarify.
When you said that you used to train like a powerlifter, what exactly do you mean?
I take it that when you said that there really wasn’t much a difference between how you trained and how the powerlifters trained, that you both used a bodypart split using both compound and isolation exercises, focused on training muscles NOT movement patterns and made sure to train your entire body without neglecting anything. The only real difference is that they would work on hitting a 1 rep max and you didn’t.
[/quote]
Right. There wasn’t much difference at all aside from them maybe not training arms as much or things like lat pull downs. Their mentality towards the weight they lifted is what we matched. I haven’t done a true “one rep max” since college…just so I could brag about what it was.
[quote]Antares wrote:
[quote]ANIMAL M0THER wrote:
[quote]Cephalic_Carnage wrote:
They probably use a better filtering grade/method or whatever for their whey… Maybe it’s Ion-Exchange or what-have-you. You get different kinds of everything…
Different isolates, concentrates etc… If you’re very lactose intolerant, obviously you want it as clean as possible (also, added fiber helps in general with your digestion, many brands have none and if you drink plenty of shakes with no added fiber, you’ll likely end up with lots of gas, bloat, pain etc, non-related to lactose intolerance… Of course you can just buy that extra, and you get different kinds again…).
Usually, regular supp companies don’t specify if cross-filtration or ion-exchange and so on was used for their whey isolate (for example), and they certainly don’t say how much of the protein is isolate and how much is concentrate (again, example)… Kind of a bitch if they went all cheapo on you with 1%high grade isolate and 99% lower quality concentrate.
Which means trial and error.
[/quote]
I can’t drink milk. I can get by on one glass if I’m lucky. Other dairy is hit or miss. I’m trying to figure out what dairy I can and can’t eat. I think I’ve got it figured out now.
Would it be likely that the Lean Body brand products use a higher quality/better filtered whey/dairy than what you find in milk?
Like you said, I just need to try it out and see what happens.[/quote]
As C_C stated; you must try different products to get the best of both worlds from your protein powder.
Musclesmeds, makes a Beef Protein Powder ( Carnivor ), that should work for you.
It’s not whey, but it could save you alot of time and, bloating/gas/shits/zits/whatever.
I have known MANY lactose intolerant people in the athletic world.
It’s a common issue, no body HAS to drink milk, many do not.
Just don’t drink milk, unless it is your last resort for protein/calories. Period.
[/quote]
This depends on your goals and your means. I drank milk despite being intolerant because the benefits outweighed the negatives AT THE TIME (I don’t drink milk much at all now because I have alternatives). It was cheap and filled with calories, both issues I needed addressed.
I took the lactaid pills as well as bought lactose free milk and that erased most of the issues. The lactose free milk is obviously the most reliable.
When drinking a LOT of milk, I’ll crush up a few pills and snort them. I mean, I’ll crush up a few pills and mix them up in the shake.
Then I’ll take 3 pills (1 serving), swallow two and chew the third with my first gulp.
Then I realized that I wasn’t THAT lactose intolerant, so I’ll just take 2-3 pills depending on how much milk is in my shake. I also drink 2% instead of full cream milk because it’s cheaper at my school as the full cream milk doesn’t come in gallons. The joys of being a college student.
I also just bought some one a time lactase pills at the drug store for like 20 bucks (for 125). Those should last me for 2 months.
[quote]Professor X wrote:
[quote]Antares wrote:
[quote]ANIMAL M0THER wrote:
[quote]Cephalic_Carnage wrote:
They probably use a better filtering grade/method or whatever for their whey… Maybe it’s Ion-Exchange or what-have-you. You get different kinds of everything…
Different isolates, concentrates etc… If you’re very lactose intolerant, obviously you want it as clean as possible (also, added fiber helps in general with your digestion, many brands have none and if you drink plenty of shakes with no added fiber, you’ll likely end up with lots of gas, bloat, pain etc, non-related to lactose intolerance… Of course you can just buy that extra, and you get different kinds again…).
Usually, regular supp companies don’t specify if cross-filtration or ion-exchange and so on was used for their whey isolate (for example), and they certainly don’t say how much of the protein is isolate and how much is concentrate (again, example)… Kind of a bitch if they went all cheapo on you with 1%high grade isolate and 99% lower quality concentrate.
Which means trial and error.
[/quote]
I can’t drink milk. I can get by on one glass if I’m lucky. Other dairy is hit or miss. I’m trying to figure out what dairy I can and can’t eat. I think I’ve got it figured out now.
Would it be likely that the Lean Body brand products use a higher quality/better filtered whey/dairy than what you find in milk?
Like you said, I just need to try it out and see what happens.[/quote]
As C_C stated; you must try different products to get the best of both worlds from your protein powder.
Musclesmeds, makes a Beef Protein Powder ( Carnivor ), that should work for you.
It’s not whey, but it could save you alot of time and, bloating/gas/shits/zits/whatever.
I have known MANY lactose intolerant people in the athletic world.
It’s a common issue, no body HAS to drink milk, many do not.
Just don’t drink milk, unless it is your last resort for protein/calories. Period.
[/quote]
This depends on your goals and your means. I drank milk despite being intolerant because the benefits outweighed the negatives AT THE TIME (I don’t drink milk much at all now because I have alternatives). It was cheap and filled with calories, both issues I needed addressed.
I took the lactaid pills as well as bought lactose free milk and that erased most of the issues. The lactose free milk is obviously the most reliable.[/quote]
I thought I had ‘it depends on your goals and means’ thing in the subtext…
I’ll bet I wasn’t that clear…I am known for being a shitty communicator…
I’ve seen people do what you have done, ( read about you doing this in earlier posts in this thread ), I would say you are most likely only mildly intolerant to lactose.
Still I don’t think milk is as all-mighty as people say.
That being said, I have zero problems with milk and have drunk as many as 3 gallons of whole milk on some days…
RAW milk is actually very good for you. This is kind of the stuff the old school lifters used to drink. The crap we get at the store…not so much.
Alan
Professor X or CC,
Need some advice. After reading this whole thread, I’ve decided to simplify my training and stick to the basic rules of lifting heavy shit and trying to beat my record, and eating.
I currently follow:
Day 1: Chest/Back
Day 2: Legs
Day 3: Shoulders/Arms
Day 4: Off
Repeat
Using bench as an example, I’m stuck at hitting 195 for 7 reps. My plan is to be able to get 8-10 reps, then increase the weight to 205 and work on hitting the same rep range. I’ve been stuck at the same weight for about 3 chest sessions in a row and was wondering if I could get some advice. I know the human body is constantly fluctuating and its unrealistic to expect to gain every time. Say you guys go into the gym and can’t beat the last workouts record, whether it be reps or weight, how would you go about training for that day?
My ramp is as follows:
Bar x 15
95x1
115x1
135x5
155x5
175x5
195xmax
Lastly, once I am able to get 195 for 8-10, how would I change my ramp so that 205 is my last working set?
Thanks,
MM
[quote]Mr.Martian wrote:
Professor X or CC,
Need some advice. After reading this whole thread, I’ve decided to simplify my training and stick to the basic rules of lifting heavy shit and trying to beat my record, and eating.
I currently follow:
Day 1: Chest/Back
Day 2: Legs
Day 3: Shoulders/Arms
Day 4: Off
Repeat
[/quote]
Nothing wrong there assuming you are making progress. This puts you in the gym about 6 days a week which means your food intake is going to have to be enough to support this.
In fact, it is even more important than your weight training.
[quote]
Using bench as an example, I’m stuck at hitting 195 for 7 reps. My plan is to be able to get 8-10 reps, then increase the weight to 205 and work on hitting the same rep range. I’ve been stuck at the same weight for about 3 chest sessions in a row and was wondering if I could get some advice. I know the human body is constantly fluctuating and its unrealistic to expect to gain every time. Say you guys go into the gym and can’t beat the last workouts record, whether it be reps or weight, how would you go about training for that day?[/quote]
Dude, I am currently just under 280lbs. I do not go into the gym expecting to break a record every session at this size. That would be unrealistic.
Adjust your food intake and keep at it. Your body has to be growing all over and no one on the planet sees a constant increase at every session. It is good that you are pushing for an increase constantly because that is what you should be doing…but losing sleep because you didn’t break a record for 2 weeks isn’t worth the trouble of worrying about. if you are still seeing the same after several weeks, then something is very wrong at your stage of training.
To put this into perspective, I can now do 540lbs for 6-8 reps on the plate load flat HS bench machine(or at least I could before I started dropping weight). It took me YEARS to get to that point after being able to hit 450lbs for just 2-3 reps about 3 years earlier.
Granted, I saw more progress in the last year or two because I was able to hold a heavier weight without needing to diet down randomly every few months because of my duties…but the point is that it didn’t happen over night. I had to keep pushing at that 450lbs for a very long time before I could move up to 6 plates a side on it.
The bigger and stronger you get, the longer it takes to make even more progress.
[quote]
My ramp is as follows:
Bar x 15
95x1
115x1
135x5
155x5
175x5
195xmax[/quote]
Your ramp is irrelevant.
yes. I mean that. I do it by feel. I do not map out exactly what weight I plan on using before I go up. I may do overhead presses and start the pin in the fourth slot as my first set just to get blood into the area. I may do the 6th slot the following week. the point is, this is to get me ready for my last set of much heavier weight. This is not a calculus equation and your body is not going to say "gee, you did exactlt 155lbs for 5 reps, let me start growing.
Further, why the hell would you only do 5 reps for a warm up set? Why do 95;lbs for only one rep? What is that doing? I am using the first sets to get my body into the groove so when I jack the weight up, I am fully prepared for it. I am not doing one rep sets just to say I moved the weight once. There is a reason I am doing those sets and that reason is to prepare myself.
Why do so many of you make this so specific and calculated? What does your body feel like after that one rep? It feels like it helped you?
[quote]
Lastly, once I am able to get 195 for 8-10, how would I change my ramp so that 205 is my last working set?
Thanks,
MM[/quote]
Read above. You should be telling us based on how you performed.
I shouldn’t be chiming in here so much, it’s not my thread 
Sorry X.
FWIW: The 1 rep set I’d do at 175 instead or not at all (It’s not like you’re pushing that much weight yet, you can probably stick to fewer total sets and fatigue yourself less before your top weight)…
I mean, why do 5 at 175, very close to your actual working weight?
Seems like a waste of energy to me.
You could likely break your 195lb record easily by either going from, say, 165 to 195 or just do an explosive single at 175 to get used to the heavier weight, then your working set.
Looking at your ramp, it seems that you’re doing something similar to CT’s stuff but then suddenly add a regular bodybuilding top set.
It’s a top set for a reason, you can’t just fatigue yourself before hitting your top weight! Those two methods don’t work well together. Make your choice instead. Either a proper CT ramp, or a regular BBing ramp.
Bar x 12
95 x 8
135 x 5 maybe (may be a few more of course, depends on how warm I feel)
165 x 3 or so (don’t want to fatigue myself here)
195 = working weight, hopefully x 8-9 this time around. Psych yourself up man, listen to music that gets you into killing mood (or fired up in some way), or whatever you prefer. Some are quietly intense, others have smoke coming out of their ears… Whatever works for you.
Is what I’d probably do though if I wanted to break my top set record, rep numbers can vary of course.
I posted a tricep session in my thread recently if you want to have a look at what I do nowadays.
Also, as X said, diet. Your gains will rise and fall with your diet for the most part…
Professor X,
Thanks for the speedy response. I should really be studying for my biochem final…haha
I never appreciated the importance of food until not too long ago. Lets just say I realized the errors of my way and now I’m pounding down whatever I can get my hands on until the point of puking. I’m in college so that would consist of cheeseburgers, oatmeal, eggs, rice, nuts, veggies and protein shakes.
I don’t disagree…it is unrealistic to expect an improvement every session. If that were the case, we’d have a lot more strong guys around. I have it in my mind that, if I didn’t do better from the last workout, I’m allowing my body to get used to a certain weight/stimulus. Using your example of the 450lb bench, I take it that you just came in every session, working your way up to that weight and just tried to kill it every time. Say you got the same/less reps as the last session, did you call it a day with that exercise?
As for my ramp, I use 5 reps because I feel like it warms me up without causing too much fatigue for later sets. I don’t really calculate it specifcally, I just add 10 pounds to each side every set.
Best,
MM
CC,
You are correct sir. Dumb move on my part because I didn’t realize that CT’s ramp style is to hit the top weight where you can still accelerate. The 175x5 is probably fatiguing me. I’ll try the 1 rep there just to get acclimated to the weight. Personally for me, I can’t make huge jumps like 165-195 without feeling like my body is ready for that heavy top set.
I won’t deny that a lot of us try to make this more complicated that it should. i’ll admit that I’ve fallen prey to the info thats been thrown out there Hell, a few years ago I was reading up on different periodization schemes and all that bullshit instead of putting work in at the gym. I felt like I had the edge because of all that info when in reality, it was those who were in the gym pushing themselves that were making true progress.
I’ll ask you the same I did as the professor. Lets say you hit a top weight where you can get 5-6 reps and your goal was to get 10 reps before moving up in weight. Assuming you came in every session and warmed up to that weight and went all out and got the same/less reps, would you call it a day for that exercise?
[quote]Professor X wrote:
Adjust your food intake and keep at it. Your body has to be growing all over and no one on the planet sees a constant increase at every session. It is good that you are pushing for an increase constantly because that is what you should be doing…but losing sleep because you didn’t break a record for 2 weeks isn’t worth the trouble of worrying about. if you are still seeing the same after several weeks, then something is very wrong at your stage of training.
[/quote]
Just out of curiosity, what are your “goals” when you go to the gym? Well, obviously you’ll be trying to lift as much/hard as you can, but what makes you think “that was a good workout” v “I need to change something around”
Unless I’m mistaken, I think I remember you stating that you will stick with a number of plates until you get up to around 10 reps or so and then you go to another plate per side. What is your reason for not doing the typical “add 5lb or so when the top of the rep range is hit” and just increase weight more frequently? I’ve never tried your way, and it’s obviously worked for you, but it seems like turning a 2RM into a 3RM and then a 4RM by just using the same weight each time would take longer.
Also, from the other thread you mentioned you recently got out of the military…how was dentistry involved in your life at that time, were you doing dental work in the military? Was that part of the set up going from your school or did you just choose to do that rather than going into a practice?
[quote]Mr.Martian wrote:
I have it in my mind that, if I didn’t do better from the last workout, I’m allowing my body to get used to a certain weight/stimulus.[/quote]
That is what you should be thinking. Even though I know in the back of my mind that I will not increase the weight every session, I train as if I will. Bodybuilding is more about believing you can do this FIRST. Your mentality is what is going to govern your progress. I was a skinny little kid who wore big glasses and looked like Urkle. Now, when leaner, I look more like Treach from Naughty By Nature only bigger. That doesn’t happen by accident. It doesn’t happen passively.
If I got less reps, I would assume something was wrong with my diet or my rest. That is usually the case. If I get the same reps as last time, that is not a failure…assuming I haven’t been using the same weight and same reps for several months or years.
impressive stuff in that new pic of you down about 15lbs, got some big ass canon balls goin on
[quote]pumped340 wrote:
Just out of curiosity, what are your “goals” when you go to the gym? Well, obviously you’ll be trying to lift as much/hard as you can, but what makes you think “that was a good workout” v “I need to change something around” [/quote]
My progress determines what I do next. Years back, if I hit a wall on overhead presses or bench press, obviously I needed to bring up the assisting muscle groups that help get the weight in the air…so I might avoid the bench press and move to dumbbells while working even harder on my triceps and shoulders moving them to twice a week. These are split second thoughts, however, and not something that needs graph paper.
I simply do not seem to think like most people on this site or in the gym…and I am thankful for that.
[quote]
Unless I’m mistaken, I think I remember you stating that you will stick with a number of plates until you get up to around 10 reps or so and then you go to another plate per side. What is your reason for not doing the typical “add 5lb or so when the top of the rep range is hit” and just increase weight more frequently? I’ve never tried your way, and it’s obviously worked for you, but it seems like turning a 2RM into a 3RM and then a 4RM by just using the same weight each time would take longer. [/quote]
It didn’t take longer. In fact, if you can show me two people on this whole board who can lift that much for reps who can video it for proof on that “machine” I would be greatly surprised…so how did it take longer if I already passed up most people?
If anything, doing it my way caused me to work even harder and FORCED me to mentally accept just the idea of lifting that many plates…and your mind is your greatest obstacle.
I had the understanding early on as a beginner that I benefited from simply SEEING the extra 45lbs plate on the machine. It helped me break the mental barriers that would initially have me doubt myself. You don’t bench press over 400lbs without first believing it can be done. Otherwise you can freak yourself out and fear will hold you back.
No, it can’t possibly take “longer” when most people will never be able to do the same.
Ever.
I graduated in May of 2003 from dental school. I attempted to join the military in April with an original start date of June of that year…a deadline I missed because they said I was over the weight limit. I went in August of that year. I already had my title and license to practice. I was a doctor in the military. I went in as a Captain in the Air Force. Yes, I chose to do it that way. I had no previous obligation.
I was simply not ready to live the rest of my life confined to one city or one place of career or business.
In general, I tend to do things that scare me…so that I can conquer it. The same goes for the military, my bike, or anything else. It was a challenge and a chance for me to prove my limits…so I took the opportunity.
Now I know exactly what I am capable of.
Professor X,
I’m just wondering why you don’t do deadlifts since so many people swear by them for adding mass everywhere.
Also did you ever do them during your “growing years”
[quote]Professor X wrote:
It didn’t take longer. In fact, if you can show me two people on this whole board who can lift that much for reps who can video it for proof on that “machine” I would be greatly surprised…so how did it take longer if I already passed up most people?
If anything, doing it my way caused me to work even harder and FORCED me to mentally accept just the idea of lifting that many plates…and your mind is your greatest obstacle.
[/quote]
Yea I mean it clearly worked for you, I guess I have seen some other pro’s do it that way. Not specifically, but in the sense that they just add up a certain number of 45’s so I can only assume it’s not a coincidence that they’re not adding smaller plates. I guess I just like working with a little more weight each time.
Oh ok, I guess it’s better since you got to start as a Captain. Not my style (the military in general) but respectable. Personally I want to get started with my practice as soon as possible.
2003…so I’m guessing your right around 29-30? I never pictured you as a 20-something year old guy.