Don’t know about anyone else but i would like to more about your training history, stats, diet etc.
You don’t have a training log here but i noticed the thread the where you are training someone else.
From your posts you seem quite knowledgeable on training and nutrition methods and also you seem tohave a good knowledge base of AAS.
So… RDS who the hell are you?
Where’s a thread where he’s training someone else?
I like the guy, he’s funny, keeps things lighthearted, and the contributions he makes are spot on. I picked up Gray Cook’s book on RDS’s recommendation and it’s served me well.
Yes! I agree.
Seems like a knowledgeable chap with regards to training nutrition and ass and an all around top bloke.
I’ve often wondered some of the same questions above so please RDS, remove those hypnotic shades and reveal thyself 
[quote]lemony2j wrote:
with regards to training nutrition and ass
[/quote]
Was going to edit on account of the above, but I’m pretty sure this is also accurate 
[quote]Dr. Pangloss wrote:
Where’s a thread where he’s training someone else?
I like the guy, he’s funny, keeps things lighthearted, and the contributions he makes are spot on. I picked up Gray Cook’s book on RDS’s recommendation and it’s served me well.[/quote]
[quote]Marzouk wrote:
[quote]Dr. Pangloss wrote:
Where’s a thread where he’s training someone else?
I like the guy, he’s funny, keeps things lighthearted, and the contributions he makes are spot on. I picked up Gray Cook’s book on RDS’s recommendation and it’s served me well.[/quote]
Anyone Willing to Coach Me? - Bigger Stronger Leaner - Forums - T Nation [/quote]
Awesome, thanks. I never looked at this thread.
It’s an awesome thread!
I’m in on this. RDS is perhaps my favorite poster on this site because of his chipper attitude and quality contributions.
holy shitsauce! I got the fright of my life when I logged on and saw this.
I’ll type out a proper answer in a bit, got a few things to do first, but I just wanted to say THANK YOU so much to you guys for the encouragement. I didn’t realise my advice was so well received and it really has made my day to see the comments in here.
[quote]rds63799 wrote:
holy shitsauce! I got the fright of my life when I logged on and saw this.
I’ll type out a proper answer in a bit, got a few things to do first, but I just wanted to say THANK YOU so much to you guys for the encouragement. I didn’t realise my advice was so well received and it really has made my day to see the comments in here.
[/quote]
I was really guna put the scare on you buy titling the thread ‘RDS who the hell do you think you are?’
But i didn’t wana hurt your feelings 
right, you asked for it so here goes. I’ll aim for brevity but make no promises
STATS
-27 years old
-5’ 11"
-198lbs (range from 196 - 200, but usually stay on the lower end of that range)
-lean enough for abs, serratus, intercostals definition; no real idea of %. I have a 32 inch waist.
CURRENT SPLIT
Monday - Legs
Tuesday - Chest/Lateral Delts
Wednesday - Back/Rear Delts
Thursday - Legs
Friday - Arms/Rear Delts (and a bit more upper back. Shoulder health stuff)
pretty much the same routine I gave Stinger in his thread, except I don’t do any kind of deadlift or low rep work of any kind really.
TRAINING HISTORY
I was a little over 9 stone, about 130lbs, when I was 19. At that age I was kind of training, but not really. Push ups and crunches in my bedroom, combined with a once weekly session in the gym which consisted of going through all the weights machines (except the leg machines, lol) and a 15 minute go on the rowing machine. It makes me laugh looking back because I thought I had the sickest physique in history!
I dicked around and gradually got my shit together. Once I got serious into lifting my effort in the weights room was good but my diet was letting me down badly. By the time I was 22 I had managed to get to 10 stone, or 140lbs. I remember how proud I was and told one of my mates who said “Wow, did you weigh yourself on big boy scales?”
So I decided to really throw myself into eating. I’d heard about the whole 1g of protein per lb of your bodyweight rule but had always just dismissed it as meathead lore. I gave it a shot, and was surprised that I was actually gaining some muscle. I went from being the annoying guy who whines about being a hardgainer to gaining at the same speed as everyone else. I’ve been training seriously and eating properly for about 5 years now.
Made most of my gains on an upper/lower split, and was addicted to low reps. I had the best gains of my life doing 5/3/1, and I think that all trainees should spend 6 months to a year doing 5/3/1 to get their big lifts up. I got strong (sort of) but wasn’t getting the physique I wanted. I’ve learnt now that if I want to grow there’s no point in my doing less than 8 reps on anything. Embarrassingly, I bought into the idea that compounds are enough for your arms, so they lag massively behind my torso. So it goes. I don’t think they’ll ever catch up but honestly I don’t obsess over my arms the way some lifters do. I’d much rather train shoulders.
CURRENT TRAINING
Mountaindog baby! It’s the best thing ever. Gains come so fast, and my joints feel amazing. Nothing more to say other than if I ever meet John Meadows I’m going to kiss him right on the lips.
SIGNIFICANT INJURIES
I have had chronic back problems since I was 15. I’ve had it looked at a million times and had a different diagnosis every time. Basically, it’s just a bit fucked, and I made it way worse deadlifting with shitty technique and squatting too low. Now after TONS of rehab, but most significantly dropping deadlifts and back squats and using a box to keep my front squat depth butt-wink free (I still get a good bit below parallel so it’s not so bad), my back is better now than it has been since I was 14. I sometimes think about trying to deadlift again as I always really enjoyed it, but it’s just not worth the risk.
My shoulders have given me problems too, and I have had a number of strains and partial tears on the infraspinatus on both shoulders. It does cause trouble, but it can be managed. I dedicate a little bit at the end of every upper body session to shoulder health exercises like external rotations, cuban rolls and prone internal rotations. I spend a good bit of time warming my shoulders up before every session and I also take a week off pressing every 6 weeks or so which really helps.
It was actually my injuries and posture deficits that led me to T-Nation in the first place. I made a real effort to fix my posture and found the Eric Cressey and Mike Robertson articles “Hips Don’t Lie - Fixing Your Force Couples” and “Heal That Hunchback.” Those two articles should be recommended reading for every lifter. I’ve learned a whole hell of a lot about posture and how it relates to injury cause and prevention during my periods of rehabbing injuries, so I try and pay it forward in the Injuries and Rehab subforum.
NUTRITION
Honestly, I think people way overthink nutrition. If you eat good, unprocessed nutritious foods then you will stay lean and build muscle. I know that if you eat more calories than you need to gain then you will store it as fat regardless of whether it’s from clean food or not, but really I am yet to see someone who has gotten significantly overweight eating unprocessed meat and vegetables. I don’t believe in workout nutrition either, as I think if you are eating right then you should have all the nutrients you need for your workout. I am unconvinced of the existence of some sort of magic window around your workout where you need to load up on whatever type of protein and carbs is fashionable at the moment. I reckon if people invested half as much time and money into their diets as they did their supps, the world would be a better place. Relying on supps appeals to peoples’ desire for a quick fix.
I have never counted calories, but I do track grams of protein. I generally get 180 - 200 grams a day.
I usually stick to a sort of IF variation, where if I’m training in the morning I’ll do it on an empty stomach with BCAAs, or if I train later in the day I won’t have any carbs until afterwards. I was skeptical about the need for BCAAs during the fast but I’ve seen too much evidence in their favour to dismiss them. I’m not hungry when I wake up or immediately after a workout so it doesn’t make sense to me to eat anything at either time. I generally keep carbs to the later part of the day, partly because I think keeping carbs to a smaller window in your day helps you stay a bit leaner, but mostly it’s so my fiancee and I can have a proper dinner together. Things like carb backloading or whatever do work in my opinion, but they’re not magic and while the difference is significant it’s not a game changer. Plenty of people have gotten ripped eating carbs with every meal.
REGARDING AAS
I have done two low dose steroid cycles. They were fun, and they definitely worked but I am not in any rush to use them again. I had a hard time getting my hormones back to normal after my second cycle (entirely my fault, got lazy with my ancillaries) which sort of put me off them. I have no doubt I’ll use again at some point, but for now I am happy enough the size I am. I’m too poor to buy a whole new set of clothes just now anyway!
REGARDING MY “CHIPPER” ATTITUDE
I have to say I got a good laugh at all you guys saying I was lighthearted, chipper etc. I always thought I was kind of a snarky douche! I do think though that you shouldn’t say anything to someone online you wouldn’t say in person. If you do, you’re just a pussy hiding behind a keyboard.
REGARDING THE STINGER TRAINING THREAD
Really, I just got the kid to do the same shit I do. It helped that his goals were so easily quantifiable (get bigger, look good etc). If he’d been a powerlifter wanting to increase his deadlift 1RM or somebody wanting to add 10lbs to their snatch then I’d have bowed out gracefully. I only ever pitch in on the threads where I know what I’m talking about, so you’ll never hear me chiming in on threads about getting ripped (my genetic have always made that easy for me so I don’t really consider myself in a position to help someone get really shredded), cardio (I don’t do it) or contest prep (I’ve never done it).
I’ve trained my mates in the past and taught people to play the guitar so I am confident in my ability to teach.
TL;DR
I’m not a huge guy or a particularly knowledgeable guy, but I love to learn and share knowledge so I help out the best I can around here.
If anyone has any questions, I’ll be happy to answer.
[quote]rds63799 wrote:
right, you asked for it so here goes. I’ll aim for brevity but make no promises
STATS
-27 years old
-5’ 11"
-198lbs (range from 196 - 200, but usually stay on the lower end of that range)
-lean enough for abs, serratus, intercostals definition; no real idea of %. I have a 32 inch waist.
CURRENT SPLIT
Monday - Legs
Tuesday - Chest/Lateral Delts
Wednesday - Back/Rear Delts
Thursday - Legs
Friday - Arms/Rear Delts (and a bit more upper back. Shoulder health stuff)
pretty much the same routine I gave Stinger in his thread, except I don’t do any kind of deadlift or low rep work of any kind really.
TRAINING HISTORY
I was a little over 9 stone, about 130lbs, when I was 19. At that age I was kind of training, but not really. Push ups and crunches in my bedroom, combined with a once weekly session in the gym which consisted of going through all the weights machines (except the leg machines, lol) and a 15 minute go on the rowing machine. It makes me laugh looking back because I thought I had the sickest physique in history!
I dicked around and gradually got my shit together. Once I got serious into lifting my effort in the weights room was good but my diet was letting me down badly. By the time I was 22 I had managed to get to 10 stone, or 140lbs. I remember how proud I was and told one of my mates who said “Wow, did you weigh yourself on big boy scales?”
So I decided to really throw myself into eating. I’d heard about the whole 1g of protein per lb of your bodyweight rule but had always just dismissed it as meathead lore. I gave it a shot, and was surprised that I was actually gaining some muscle. I went from being the annoying guy who whines about being a hardgainer to gaining at the same speed as everyone else. I’ve been training seriously and eating properly for about 5 years now.
Made most of my gains on an upper/lower split, and was addicted to low reps. I had the best gains of my life doing 5/3/1, and I think that all trainees should spend 6 months to a year doing 5/3/1 to get their big lifts up. I got strong (sort of) but wasn’t getting the physique I wanted. I’ve learnt now that if I want to grow there’s no point in my doing less than 8 reps on anything. Embarrassingly, I bought into the idea that compounds are enough for your arms, so they lag massively behind my torso. So it goes. I don’t think they’ll ever catch up but honestly I don’t obsess over my arms the way some lifters do. I’d much rather train shoulders.
CURRENT TRAINING
Mountaindog baby! It’s the best thing ever. Gains come so fast, and my joints feel amazing. Nothing more to say other than if I ever meet John Meadows I’m going to kiss him right on the lips.
SIGNIFICANT INJURIES
I have had chronic back problems since I was 15. I’ve had it looked at a million times and had a different diagnosis every time. Basically, it’s just a bit fucked, and I made it way worse deadlifting with shitty technique and squatting too low. Now after TONS of rehab, but most significantly dropping deadlifts and back squats and using a box to keep my front squat depth butt-wink free (I still get a good bit below parallel so it’s not so bad), my back is better now than it has been since I was 14. I sometimes think about trying to deadlift again as I always really enjoyed it, but it’s just not worth the risk.
My shoulders have given me problems too, and I have had a number of strains and partial tears on the infraspinatus on both shoulders. It does cause trouble, but it can be managed. I dedicate a little bit at the end of every upper body session to shoulder health exercises like external rotations, cuban rolls and prone internal rotations. I spend a good bit of time warming my shoulders up before every session and I also take a week off pressing every 6 weeks or so which really helps.
It was actually my injuries and posture deficits that led me to T-Nation in the first place. I made a real effort to fix my posture and found the Eric Cressey and Mike Robertson articles “Hips Don’t Lie - Fixing Your Force Couples” and “Heal That Hunchback.” Those two articles should be recommended reading for every lifter. I’ve learned a whole hell of a lot about posture and how it relates to injury cause and prevention during my periods of rehabbing injuries, so I try and pay it forward in the Injuries and Rehab subforum.
NUTRITION
Honestly, I think people way overthink nutrition. If you eat good, unprocessed nutritious foods then you will stay lean and build muscle. I know that if you eat more calories than you need to gain then you will store it as fat regardless of whether it’s from clean food or not, but really I am yet to see someone who has gotten significantly overweight eating unprocessed meat and vegetables. I don’t believe in workout nutrition either, as I think if you are eating right then you should have all the nutrients you need for your workout. I am unconvinced of the existence of some sort of magic window around your workout where you need to load up on whatever type of protein and carbs is fashionable at the moment. I reckon if people invested half as much time and money into their diets as they did their supps, the world would be a better place. Relying on supps appeals to peoples’ desire for a quick fix.
I have never counted calories, but I do track grams of protein. I generally get 180 - 200 grams a day.
I usually stick to a sort of IF variation, where if I’m training in the morning I’ll do it on an empty stomach with BCAAs, or if I train later in the day I won’t have any carbs until afterwards. I was skeptical about the need for BCAAs during the fast but I’ve seen too much evidence in their favour to dismiss them. I’m not hungry when I wake up or immediately after a workout so it doesn’t make sense to me to eat anything at either time. I generally keep carbs to the later part of the day, partly because I think keeping carbs to a smaller window in your day helps you stay a bit leaner, but mostly it’s so my fiancee and I can have a proper dinner together. Things like carb backloading or whatever do work in my opinion, but they’re not magic and while the difference is significant it’s not a game changer. Plenty of people have gotten ripped eating carbs with every meal.
REGARDING AAS
I have done two low dose steroid cycles. They were fun, and they definitely worked but I am not in any rush to use them again. I had a hard time getting my hormones back to normal after my second cycle (entirely my fault, got lazy with my ancillaries) which sort of put me off them. I have no doubt I’ll use again at some point, but for now I am happy enough the size I am. I’m too poor to buy a whole new set of clothes just now anyway!
REGARDING MY “CHIPPER” ATTITUDE
I have to say I got a good laugh at all you guys saying I was lighthearted, chipper etc. I always thought I was kind of a snarky douche! I do think though that you shouldn’t say anything to someone online you wouldn’t say in person. If you do, you’re just a pussy hiding behind a keyboard.
REGARDING THE STINGER TRAINING THREAD
Really, I just got the kid to do the same shit I do. It helped that his goals were so easily quantifiable (get bigger, look good etc). If he’d been a powerlifter wanting to increase his deadlift 1RM or somebody wanting to add 10lbs to their snatch then I’d have bowed out gracefully. I only ever pitch in on the threads where I know what I’m talking about, so you’ll never hear me chiming in on threads about getting ripped (my genetic have always made that easy for me so I don’t really consider myself in a position to help someone get really shredded), cardio (I don’t do it) or contest prep (I’ve never done it).
I’ve trained my mates in the past and taught people to play the guitar so I am confident in my ability to teach.
TL;DR
I’m not a huge guy or a particularly knowledgeable guy, but I love to learn and share knowledge so I help out the best I can around here.
If anyone has any questions, I’ll be happy to answer.[/quote]
Definitely some good info in here mate! Thanks for sharing! 198 with abs is definitely not small!
Glad we know more about you now
So what are your ‘goals’?
just to look better? Compete maybe?
Ohh, and what do you do IRL, like career wise.
Maybe give us an example of an average day of eating as well, if ya don’t mind
[quote]Marzouk wrote:
Definitely some good info in here mate! Thanks for sharing! 198 with abs is definitely not small!
Glad we know more about you now :)[/quote]
thanks mate, it’s weird I know that 198 with abs isn’t small, but in my head I still feel like I’m 130lbs.
I guess most lifters probably feel like that.
[quote]rds63799 wrote:
Made most of my gains on an upper/lower split, and was addicted to low reps. I had the best gains of my life doing 5/3/1, and I think that all trainees should spend 6 months to a year doing 5/3/1 to get their big lifts up. I got strong (sort of) but wasn’t getting the physique I wanted. I’ve learnt now that if I want to grow there’s no point in my doing less than 8 reps on anything. Embarrassingly, I bought into the idea that compounds are enough for your arms, so they lag massively behind my torso. So it goes. I don’t think they’ll ever catch up but honestly I don’t obsess over my arms the way some lifters do. I’d much rather train shoulders. [/quote]
How long did you run 5/3/1? What were your lifts at the beginning and end?
[quote]
Nothing more to say other than if I ever meet John Meadows I’m going to kiss him right on the lips. [/quote]
LOL
If only…
[quote]Spidey22 wrote:
So what are your ‘goals’?
just to look better? Compete maybe?
Ohh, and what do you do IRL, like career wise.
Maybe give us an example of an average day of eating as well, if ya don’t mind[/quote]
No real goals as such, I see lifting as a compliment to my life; a way of enhancing it. It’ll never be the main focus.
I’ve toyed with the idea of competing in physique. I think genetically I have some good qualities like small joints and ok muscle bellies, but I have a very small frame with narrow clavicles and quite high lat insertions so it’s hard to get a good X shape. I would choose physique over bodybuilding as I have no real desire to ever be a mass monster, and at 5’ 11" I’d have to gain a lot more size than I really want to to be competitive.
I also have a pretty gnarly scar from an appendectomy that has ruined the symmetry in my abs and obliques. It’s like five times the size an appendectomy scar usually is, no idea why. Chicks dig scars, but I’m not so sure about physique contest judges.
Really though I still think I might, just to see if I have the discipline.
I’m just finishing my degree in psychology (I dropped out of uni first time around and went back to finish what I started), and I intend to get qualified as a counsellor and a personal trainer after working for a while to pay off some of my debts.
A typical day of eating on a training day looks like:
-breakfast - black coffee
-training - 20g BCAA, 20g Glutamine
-meal 1 - usually eggs, either a ton of scrambled eggs or cooked in an omelette with sausage or something (about 50g protein)
-meal 2 - meat, veg and carbs (40 - 60g of protein); carbs is rice 90% of the time but occasionally pasta. Meat and veg can be anything.
-meal 3 - meat and veg (no carbs usually, 40 - 60g of protein)
I also snack on fruits, nuts and berries after dinner, and if my protein is a little light for the day I’ll eat a protein bar or increase the amount of protein in my final meal. It gets a little rough sometimes if I’ve been really slack and end up having to get like 100g of protein in one go! I never really get less than 170g of protein in a day.
On a non-training day there’d be an extra solid meal in there, and I break my fast slightly earlier on those days but still keep carbs til my last meal or two.
I thought it would be hard to get my protein all from solid food but it’s really not that bad as long as you’re a good cook. It’s not even all that much more expensive if you’re savvy with your shopping.
[quote]lumbahjack wrote:
How long did you run 5/3/1? What were your lifts at the beginning and end?
[/quote]
I don’t honestly remember mate, it was a couple of years ago now and I tweaked it slightly for my needs. I think my bench went from about 90k to 120k. I had to stop a little earlier than I would’ve liked because the deadlift and overhead press were killing my back (poor upper back posture made me hyperextend on the OHP).
I wasn’t squatting properly either at the time, again because of my back. Most of my leg work was done with a trap bar. I did one 5/3/1 trap bar day and one volume. On both leg days I did bulgarian split squats to spare my back. There was a LONG time when I was stronger on one leg than on two, lol.
my trap bar dead went from 160k to 200k, but it pretty much destroyed me in the process.
RDS- who is that chick in your avatar??
To me it looks like Gaga.
tweet
dunno who the chick is, it’s the front cover of Effet Hypnotique by Al Ferox.
insane European techno from the Dancefloor Killers record label. Not for the faint hearted.
We have very similar backgrounds and experiences. Except I started later in life than you. I’m 37 now. I see that your dietary staples are protein, rice, and potatoes. Is there a reason that you don’t include beans or legumes?