Shut-Up About Your Abs!

Training Bodybuilding
41

[quote]JamFly wrote:
You have got to ask yourself if this type of approach is applicable to the T-Nation demographic - I think it used to be but probably (sadly) not really any more as the emphasis on this site has gravitated towards “look good naked” not build a massive and strong physique. This is apparent particularly on the forums.

Here’s hoping this thread can be the start of a muscle mass revolution.[/quote]

The problem is that people with the right mindset give up on these forums too easily, so the skinny “hawt abz” set wins. I can understand why. I mean, if you already know how to put on muscle, you’d get tired of arguing with sub-200lb weaklings all the time on the fastest (actually, the only) way to get big. You’d rather be out making progress. However, having the big guys stick around helps the open-minded n00bs. It helped me, at least.

42

[quote]Professor X wrote:

It is HARD to eat like you are forcing gains for 10 years, gain 80+lbs of body weight and lift 5 days a week without fail.

[/quote]

Wow! Over 1/2 lb body weight gain a month.

How were you able stuff down a whole Big Mac Combo meal every month? Were you able to maintain you abs?

8 lbs body weight gain a year… hard to believe.

43

[quote]98V wrote:
Professor X wrote:

It is HARD to eat like you are forcing gains for 10 years, gain 80+lbs of body weight and lift 5 days a week without fail.

Wow! Over 1/2 lb body weight gain a month.

How were you able stuff down a whole Big Mac Combo meal every month? Were you able to maintain you abs?

8 lbs body weight gain a year… hard to believe.[/quote]

I’m sorry, but what are you talking about?

44

[quote]98V wrote:
Professor X wrote:

It is HARD to eat like you are forcing gains for 10 years, gain 80+lbs of body weight and lift 5 days a week without fail.

Wow! Over 1/2 lb body weight gain a month.

How were you able stuff down a whole Big Mac Combo meal every month? Were you able to maintain you abs?

8 lbs body weight gain a year… hard to believe.[/quote]

Is this sarcasm?

45

It’s funny when I hear from my friends that gaining weight is easy, something like ‘I could gain 20 pounds in 2 months if I wanted’. Yeah, I could too if I wanted to be a lard ass. But try and do it the right way and work out on top of that and than we’ll talk.

And I think going from 150 to 180 is much easier than from 250 to 280, even though percentage wise seems otherwise (20% vs 12%). What do you think?

46

[quote]catone wrote:
It’s funny when I hear from my friends that gaining weight is easy, something like ‘I could gain 20 pounds in 2 months if I wanted’. Yeah, I could too if I wanted to be a lard ass. But try and do it the right way and work out on top of that and than we’ll talk.

And I think going from 150 to 180 is much easier than from 250 to 280, even though percentage wise seems otherwise (20% vs 12%). What do you think?[/quote]

Going from 150 to 200 is always easier than building up to 200 and taking that even further to 250. That is what people like “98V” (who I assume was being poorly sarcastic) fail to understand. He is in his 40’s and weighs under 200lbs going by his past posts at 6 feet tall. Someone like that has never experienced pushing their body upwards by yet another 50lbs. They are more worried with staying extremely lean which is not exactly the state your body wants to be in as it adds another 3/4 of your body weight in muscle.

Your body is adaptive and has the main interest of keeping you alive.

The ONLY way it is going to allow an extreme level of muscle gain is if ALL other needs are met beforehand.

Unless the genetics of the individual are phenomenal, you will be hard pressed to experience massive muscle gain to that degree without any added or “extra” body fat seeing as the human body will likely work against this if food is overly restrictive.

47

[quote]catone wrote:
It’s funny when I hear from my friends that gaining weight is easy, something like ‘I could gain 20 pounds in 2 months if I wanted’. Yeah, I could too if I wanted to be a lard ass. But try and do it the right way and work out on top of that and than we’ll talk.[/quote]

The truly skinny can’t even ‘easily’ gain 20 pounds of fat. That, specifically, is what is hard to explain to the people you’re talking about. Lots of really thin guys can’t even gain fat unless they forcefeed themselves.

48

whatever, 10 pounds of lean mass a year is nothing to scoff at especially if youre already over 200.

49

Skinny fools who try to keep their abs yet say their goal is to be massive are full of shit.

But so are the guys who’ve been “bulking” for 8 years and are basically just fat.

Hey, to me it all depends on your goals. If you want to beat your personal bests in powerlifing, strongman and all that, fine. ut if you really plan to cut down 10 years from now to see abs one day I doubt it for most guys.

It takes displine to eat big and train hard, it takes a lot too to get shredded. Some use mass gains as an excuse while some use as part of a true overall strategy.

50

[quote]SwD wrote:
Skinny fools who try to keep their abs yet say their goal is to be massive are full of shit.

But so are the guys who’ve been “bulking” for 8 years and are basically just fat.

Hey, to me it all depends on your goals. If you want to beat your personal bests in powerlifing, strongman and all that, fine. ut if you really plan to cut down 10 years from now to see abs one day I doubt it for most guys.

It takes displine to eat big and train hard, it takes a lot too to get shredded. Some use mass gains as an excuse while some use as part of a true overall strategy.[/quote]

Hopefully it is clear that we are not talking about those who just become fat as hell, shapeless and stay that way. I am not obese even though I am currently carrying more fat than ideal.

I do agree with you though, some people do use that as an excuse, but you can probably tell that in two seconds just by looking at them. There is a large difference between someone who looks like a powerlifter (as the focus on gaining muscle) but has huge musculature all over and some guy who has AVERAGE muscle mass and just holds way too much body fat.

51

I don’t understand what most peoples concern is with getting so fat while bulking. While bulking i can still stay relatively lean and still look good (12-14% BF).

If your goal is to stay small and lean than more power to you. But if you truely want to become big, strong, muscular and powerful some fat gain is inevitable and needed! I think some people take it to far and become complete lard asses, albeit big and strong though.

To become truely imposing, you need to pay your dues! Eat like an animal, train like and animal, and if possible sleep like an animal…

52

[quote]Professor X wrote:
I don’t think most here really get how important and how mentally draining it can be to actually eat enough to grow on a consistent basis for years on end. Most people can’t do it. That is why most of these guy are still small.

It is EASY to go into the gym and then disregard how much you need to be eating or complain about how you feel bloated so you quit.

It is HARD to eat like you are forcing gains for 10 years, gain 80+lbs of body weight and lift 5 days a week without fail.

There is a reason these little personal trainers feel the need to degrade guys 100lbs bigger than them simply because they aren’t ripped. They tried. They failed. Acting like everyone who didn’t give up has something wrong with them makes them feel better.[/quote]

ProfX,

I’m experiencing all of this myself. It’s a freakin chore to eat enough to grow consistently. I’m currently stuck at about 237 lbs and I’m finding it’s getting harder, not easier, to gain even more weight. I know what the solution is, I just need to dig deeper to execute on the solution.

This is freakin hard work. And when I mean hard work, it’s the whole ball of wax. Lifting hard and consistently, eating tons of food consistently, getting plenty of rest, etc. It takes a lot of discipline. And anyone who thinks they’re going to keep their abs in the process is absolutely deluding themselves. That’s why you have so many people “justify” why they really do look good under 200 lbs.

53

Eating big is definitely the harder part, especially if you adhere to at least some ruleset for gains(like not eating “complete shit,” I think I’ve seen X talk about that one before a few times).

So far from my (limited) experience at this it seems like after I make a spurt of gains my body takes time to set itself at a new weight plateau for a bit before my appetite allows for another wave of consistent gains. I choke food down, sit there at the table with a drink to force down amounts of food I just can’t swallow otherwise, and still don’t gain sometimes. It was like that at the 200ish range for a bit, now I’m finally starting to grow again on my way to hopefully 225+

I could easily just “eat when I’m hungry” and lose weight at a decent pace with my appetite right now, it’s so much more difficult to fight your appetite the other way around than battling hunger urges while “dieting” IMO. But I’m definitely not a FFB so I can’t speak from that perspective.

54

[quote]98V wrote:
Professor X wrote:

It is HARD to eat like you are forcing gains for 10 years, gain 80+lbs of body weight and lift 5 days a week without fail.

Wow! Over 1/2 lb body weight gain a month.

How were you able stuff down a whole Big Mac Combo meal every month? Were you able to maintain you abs?

8 lbs body weight gain a year… hard to believe.[/quote]

Here’s a hint to someone who reports [quote]“6.1% via 7-site skinfold”[/quote].

Listen closely… gaining that last 20 pounds will be 100 times harder than the first 50 and 1000 times harder than the first 20. You’d know that if you ever pushed yourself beyond the calipers.

55

[quote]Professor X wrote:
98V wrote:
Professor X wrote:

It is HARD to eat like you are forcing gains for 10 years, gain 80+lbs of body weight and lift 5 days a week without fail.

Wow! Over 1/2 lb body weight gain a month.

How were you able stuff down a whole Big Mac Combo meal every month? Were you able to maintain you abs?

8 lbs body weight gain a year… hard to believe.

I’m sorry, but what are you talking about? [/quote]

It takes many years(decade) to put on significant mass, as your post demonstrates. I just wish you’d take your rhetoric down a notch once in a while. People in this thread and others, bragging about putting on 35+ lbs in a matter of a few months, proclaiming “long live the true bulk” and “don’t worry about the fat”, all in your name.

I don’t know your specifics(assume early years gains exceeded later years), but an average of 5 to 10 lbs of weight gain each and every year is respectable and approximates what I experienced. Also, gaining at this rate does not result in a bulk belly.

It would appear that you don’t follow much of your advice, and barely follow Thib’s advice in his “Truth About Bulking” article - “gradually increase your nutritional intake until you reach a point where you’re gaining 1.5 to 2 pounds per month. This will allow you to gain muscle at your optimal rate…”

http://www.T-Nation.com/article/bodybuilding/the_truth_about_bulking&cr=

[quote]
That is what people like “98V” (who I assume was being poorly sarcastic) fail to understand. He is in his 40’s and weighs under 200lbs going by his past posts at 6 feet tall. Someone like that has never experienced pushing their body upwards by yet another 50lbs. They are more worried with staying extremely lean[/quote]

btw, I’m 47 and currently 204 at ~8% bf (my profile from July '07 - 196 @ 6.1%, like the way you said it though)

Would put me back up around 230lbs if I were let my self go to ~14% bf again… been there(check my posts again), I prefer 200 and lean.

Also, congratulations on exceeding my max weight by ~20 lbs, you are a monster, even if you are carrying more body fat than ideal.

56

[quote]98V wrote:
Professor X wrote:
98V wrote:
Professor X wrote:

It is HARD to eat like you are forcing gains for 10 years, gain 80+lbs of body weight and lift 5 days a week without fail.

Wow! Over 1/2 lb body weight gain a month.

How were you able stuff down a whole Big Mac Combo meal every month? Were you able to maintain you abs?

8 lbs body weight gain a year… hard to believe.

I’m sorry, but what are you talking about?

It takes many years(decade) to put on significant mass, as your post demonstrates. I just wish you’d take your rhetoric down a notch once in a while. People in this thread and others, bragging about putting on 35+ lbs in a matter of a few months, proclaiming “long live the true bulk” and “don’t worry about the fat”, all in your name.

I don’t know your specifics(assume early years gains exceeded later years), but an average of 5 to 10 lbs of weight gain each and every year is respectable and approximates what I experienced. Also, gaining at this rate does not result in a bulk belly.

It would appear that you don’t follow much of your advice, and barely follow Thib’s advice in his “Truth About Bulking” article - “gradually increase your nutritional intake until you reach a point where you’re gaining 1.5 to 2 pounds per month. This will allow you to gain muscle at your optimal rate…”

http://www.T-Nation.com/article/bodybuilding/the_truth_about_bulking&cr=

That is what people like “98V” (who I assume was being poorly sarcastic) fail to understand. He is in his 40’s and weighs under 200lbs going by his past posts at 6 feet tall. Someone like that has never experienced pushing their body upwards by yet another 50lbs. They are more worried with staying extremely lean

btw, I’m 47 and currently 204 at ~8% bf (my profile from July '07 - 196 @ 6.1%, like the way you said it though)

Would put me back up around 230lbs if I were let my self go to ~14% bf again… been there(check my posts again), I prefer 200 and lean.

Also, congratulations on exceeding my max weight by ~20 lbs, you are a monster, even if you are carrying more body fat than ideal. [/quote]

You think I’ve only exceeded you max weight by 20lbs?

Dude, you are clueless. I don’t even think it is necessary to go through and point out to you how much.

57

Well were right on schedule. We get one of these guys about twice a year.

58

[quote]Tiribulus wrote:
Well were right on schedule. We get one of these guys about twice a year.[/quote]

They obviously don’t pay attention to this site much either yet think they have everyone here figured out.

59

[quote]btw, I’m 47 and currently 204 at ~8% bf (my profile from July '07 - 196 @ 6.1%, like the way you said it though)

Would put me back up around 230lbs if I were let my self go to ~14% bf again… been there(check my posts again), I prefer 200 and lean.[/quote]

I think your math may be in error.

230 lbs - 230*.06 = 216.2, which is where dieting down from 230 at 14% to 8% would leave you in terms of bodyweight. You seem to be about 12 lbs of muscle shy of that.

60

[quote]Professor X wrote:

You think I’ve only exceeded you max weight by 20lbs?

[/quote]

Yes, unless you greatly exceeded your avg gains these past months.

250lbs(255?) is 20lbs more than 230lbs… do you need a calculator or do you want to actally state what you now weigh?

From your profile - varies but usually above 250lbs

From a recent post in T-Cell… Professor X wrote: "I won’t be posting any new pics until Spring at least. The one OG posted is from spring 2007. I weighed about 255lbs there.

You’ve also stated that your High School weight was 145lbs and during your first year in college your initial goal was to hit 185lbs like your cousin… did that 80 lb gain over the last 10 years not include this first goal, or are you at 265 now?