[quote]jesseissorude wrote:
[quote]countingbeans wrote:
Alright good.
I still feel like you are going to drive yourself nuts with analytics, but hey, some people like it that way.[/quote]
Hey, I’m a scientist… I have to take data CONSTANTLY. It works out for me though, because I have so many metrics to show where I’m progressing.[/quote]
That’s all good so long as it helps you move forwards in the general direction, not forwards by two paces, then backwards by two, then to the right and left LOL…speaking from personal experience there. In other words, don’t let the details become more important than the elementary things.
Monitoring things too closely, like CB said, can drive you crazy/create stress at the end of the day, and you tend to change things too often when they didn’t need to be changed and only serve to create a smokescreen which hides the fact that you aren’t progressing (program hopping, diet changing, rep scheme changing etc).
People who take a more ‘laid back’ approach (and listen to generally what most big guys say) aren’t being simple minded, they are doing whatever it takes to succeed, which ironically, is more intelligent than thinking you are being clever about things (i.e. being smart in one’s own eyes). Not saying that’s you btw, just an observation I’ve noticed.
[quote]jesseissorude wrote:
For example, when I used to lift a couple years ago there would be months where the scale didn’t move, but I had added 30 lbs to my squat that month so I could at least tell in what ways my body had changed.[/quote]
If you aren’t gaining weight you aren’t eating enough. HOW you train and eat will determine if you are putting on fat or muscle.
OP. There is a good guideline that seems to work well for most people. It’s actually off stronglifts and and it states that you should weigh 1kg for every cm above 1 meter. At your height you should come in at 180lbs, minimum. I suggest that you just eat what you can. until you get to that I don’t think that you should worry about being fat, because you will not be.
Also, the BMI is useless, it’s meant for kids under age 9. Unless you are in a bod pod or dunk tank its silly to follow bf%. Calipers are ok, but not accurate at all.
One more thing I would mention, 2-3lbs each month is pretty conservative at your weight. My sophomore year in college I decided to gain some mass. In 6 months I went from 150 to 195 at 5’9". I didn’t get fat, though I was not super lean. I also got stronger, faster and my conditioning increased and without the extra mass I would still be weak and small. My point is, you can gain a hell of a lot from where you’re at now and you shouldn’'t waste it. very few people get much stronger at a low weight like that.
Good luck.
[quote]fr0IVIan wrote:
other more experienced posters have said that a linear 1-2 or 3 lb gain doesn’t always happen every month, sometimes you gain more, sometimes you don’t gain. I’ve seen it happen with my own measurements. but as mentioned above, as long as you are beating your previous efforts and setting new PR’s along with increasing weight and measures, you’re heading in the right direction.[/quote]
More or less, go by this, OP. Don’t obsess about EXACTLY what your bf supposedly is as compared to 2 months and 5 lbs ago, or how much weight you gained last week compared to the week before that, or little shit like that. Concern yourself with steady, consistent progress, and getting better at basic lifts that are good tests of strength on each body part.
[quote]jesseissorude wrote:
Hey, I’m a scientist… I have to take data CONSTANTLY. It works out for me though, because I have so many metrics to show where I’m progressing.
[/quote]
Yea, and it also explains why you’re grossly underweight…
I’m a grad student in theoretical physics, btw, and if I had a fuckin’ nickel for every time I heard the few grad students who lift tell me exactly what carb cycling routine they are following, down to the exact macros, yet…look like your typical physicist…small, weak, terrible posture…
I am training with a friend tomorrow who went skinny to ripped and he had some gems for me.
He said (almost verbatim) “Dude, at first all I had to do was make sure I wasn’t missing the major meals and adding a shake or two. You know what foods are healthy and what aren’t, just make sure you are EATING! When you plateau for the first time, THEN we can talk about details. Never miss a workout, never miss a meal. It’s as simple as that.”