I legit think that I went from 98 pounds at 14, to 210-215 pounds by 18 years old because I found out really early what resonated with me, and it was based in very sound principles.
So when people ask me for my early routines I won’t give them. Not to be an outright dick, but it defeats the entire purpose. Because they will see a “routine”…and not principles.
My early back days, for years on end was …
Pullovers - 1-2 sets
Supinated Grip Pulldowns - 1-2 sets
Barbell or T-Bar Rows - 1-2 sets
If someone saw that on paper they wouldn’t understand how hard I worked on those limited sets trying to beat my reps each week. Then they read shit from high volume modalities and think “it’s not enough”.
98 to 210 in four years. It was enough.
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Ok, so if you don’t fall into that category then what use is there is following his advice? Even if you do compete or plan to compete there might be a more effective way that requires less volume and time in the gym.
I don’t understand what you are saying here.
I know, it’s pathetic. Too many weak people.
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The kid in the candy store is all grown up now
I think the issue these days is just the sheer amount of information that is out there. One coach might say full body is best, the other coach might say squat everyday, etc.
It took me 3 years of spinning my wheels before I realized that principles (whatever they are) guide you in lifting just like life and not some template or special program. Programs work for specific purposes and short periods of time, but principles will last you a lifetime.
I’ve accepted I really don’t want to try to get much stronger/bigger. It’s too much work lol. I’m strong enough and if I can keep my strength, size, and work capacity for a good chunk of my life, I’ll be happy!
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Yup! Similar routines worked for Mike Mentzer and Dorian Yates, even when they were advanced!
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Because I’m dumb, Paul. And because thinking about training is easier than… well… training.
And that’s why I’m currently in your 9-week hypertrophy group.
But really… Paralysis by analysis.
It’s a mindset thing that separates do’ers from the people who wait for the perfect circumstances and conditions. But the cold, hard truth for a mental masturbator is that ‘perfect’ is an illusion.
“I’m just trying to find out what’s optimal.”
No. You’re looking for ‘perfection’. Stop looking for it. Execute. Then course correct as you go, dammit! looking at all those wasted years…
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No, the alcoholic knows exactly what they are there for.
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Correct. Would be more like the just-21 person in the liquor store.
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Here’s the deal with ALL of this guys.
Everything works to some degree, but it only works for a while. Even double progression.
Each time you milk a training cycle dry, you take some time off or deload, then you come back to train and there has to be a novel stimulus to adapt to. Volume has consistently been shown to have an inverse U-curve associated with it, so it’s only important up to a point.
Try to create that adaption with more and more and more volume is a real piss poor and inefficient way to create said adaption.
You can change movements, change rep cadence, add in intensity techniques, etc. Something has to be new in order for the body to adapt to it. And again, time after time, volume only helps up to a point then you’re literally just wasting time in the gym. You’re training to get tired. That doesn’t seem productive.
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Good point! Hair of the dog…shoulda phrased it differently lol
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Paul, I’m convinced about training volume and frequency. I watched your podcast from last week about the natty vs enhanced debate. I accept that both people should train the same and the guy on the juice will get better results.
What about diet? I’ve never used PEDs, but it appears that users can get away with eating more without gaining fat or even eating dirty and still not gain fat.
Do drugs limit fat gain while maximizing muscle gain?
I can’t find the podcast. Do you have a direct link? Thanks.
It’s in podcasts under advices radio and on YouTube under the same name
well low test levels seem to be correlated with insulin resistance, or at least they don’t help to increase insulin sensitivity. So there’s something to be said for having better nutrient partitioning if you’re running a bit hotter than the average dude.
IF you’re “on” you can probably get a bit more out of protein intake than the average natty guy as well because MPS is going to stay elevate for longer periods at a time. There’s also the factor of androgens doing an amazing job of holding on to muscle as you get into severe hypocaloric states. That really being the biggest upside to using gear than staying natty (at least IMO).
The guys who use gear and get massive and don’t tend to put on a lot of fat during that time will tend to fall into the outliers range though. I know tons of guys on gear that are fat as shit. So it’s just not like that for everyone. Hell, I was fat when I was 290 and running legit cycles.
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I think this is the difficult thing to comprehend for us mere mortals. Humans tend to gravitate towards the things at which they are naturally good. It’s possible that all of the people we see on social media are genetically predisposed to the gym life, but we see so many of them (thanks to the internet) that it seems normal.
Your podcast had a lot of information in, so correct me if I mess this up. But didn’t you say that most people will see the majority of their growth in the first three years in the gym (or something close to that)?
I believe you were talking about genetic potential when you mentioned that.
YouTube has them on Advices Radio’s channel as Swoley Trinity Podcasts. Last week, the show aired on Advices Radio’s Facebook page on Wednesday. It was added to the YouTube channel yesterday (Monday).
The natty vs enhanced topic is the second half of the podcast with the title about transgendered people in sports.
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Probably 80% yes. That’s if you’re training hard and eating correctly. The next 3-4 you’ll eek out close to that next 20%. Naturally. I did have a big growing spurt in my late 20’s early 30’s which was well after that. But I trained beyond brutally hard in that time for two years. Possibly the hardest consistent training I’d ever done up to that point.
For the guys that have dreams of being mass monster, I’ll say it again, unless you’re one of the biggest dudes in the gym your first six months it probably isn’t going to happen. I’m talking pro level bodybuilding stuff here.
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