legs. Still cant grow calves. Hopefully the heavy compounds will change this up.
I’ll post back here with some updated picks in March. Usually like to evaluate myself every 3 months. So we’ll see where I’m at at that time.
I recommend everyone to purchase the E-book version of the Elite FTS basic training manual. It is absolutely amazing. Also check out a book called “Starting Strength” by Mark Rippetoe. I learned good form on lifts from this book.
[quote]ragingbassist wrote:
I’ll post back here with some updated picks in March. Usually like to evaluate myself every 3 months. So we’ll see where I’m at at that time.
I recommend everyone to purchase the E-book version of the Elite FTS basic training manual. It is absolutely amazing. Also check out a book called “Starting Strength” by Mark Rippetoe. I learned good form on lifts from this book. [/quote]
Rippletoe is awesome! Went to a seminar of his…great.
Rippetoe is the man. Keep up the good work bass man.
yea, Rippetoe is the shit, but compared to Dave Tate, I dunno. Tate is a BEAST!!!
Also, Tate is a perfect example of proving people that think powerlifters are just fat and out of shape wrong. If you look at pics of him now that he is at a lower body weight since retiring, his physique is very impressive.
Keep it up man, you’ve improved! Wheels are looking thick as hell.
Doesn’t CT state that lots of stored fat on upper/lowerback is a sign of poor carb tolerance? Just something that slipped into my head while reading one of your post.
Ugh I got lots of work before I reach 200+. I got some catching up to do.
You cycling in any heavy rack deadlifts? (looks like you could start doing them more) I just started doing them more and more and I love them. Face pulls are awesome to for shoulder scapulae health and they’ve added some size to my upperback.
Beast it up and keep the gains coming!
Thanks Carlito. It’s been a productive year and I’m happy so far, but I have a ways to go.
I am indeed doing heavy rack deadlifts. I rotate them in with a few other deadlift variations. thanks for the suggestion though!! Facepulls I did regularly a while ago, but haven’t been doing them in a while. Definitely will incorporate them more frequently.
I’ll look into anything CT wrote in regards to carb tolerance. Don’t recall ever coming across something like that in my reading throughout the years, but i’ll look tonight. If anybody knows anything about this, that’d be really helpful. I’m not too concerned with the stored bodyfat right now. If I start to cut calories and do more light cardio, i’ll drop weight fast. My metabolism is ridiculous, so cutting weight is not a problem for me.
Your back looks sick though man! Keep up the good work too! I appreciate your post man. Thanks!
Thanks ! (I just neeeed alot more size!)
Honestly you look like a good candidate for carb cycling. As for me I have to literally eat a huge amount of carbs everyday all day to gain any size. Just realizing that more and more lol.
Back and wheels could use some work… besides the fact that your on the skinnier side id say your composition isnt that bad… Eat right (as you said youd been doing) and LIFTTTT… get some thickness in your upper back develop that taper and SQUATDEAD and your set…
I’ll contemplate carb cycling in the future. For the time being, I’m gonna keep going with my diet because it has been working.
The only change Im making is cutting out a Natural Peanut butter and Jelly sandwich on 3 slices of Arnold’s Oat Nut bread with a glass of whole milk right before bed. I’m replacing it with a 1/4 cup of Almonds, 1/4 cup of Cashews, and 1/2 a block of Colby cheese. This is roughly between 800-900 calories and good protein and fats with less carbs from dropping out the 3 slices of bread and Jelly. We’ll see how this goes.
Swurve, I am doing even heavier Deads and Squats. SO the Back and wheels should be increasing throughout the next months.
I’m really, really digging the EliteFTS program. Been on it 2 months now and my lifts have significantly increased. I suggest anyone that hasn’t read it, to read it. I’ve made more gains on that program in the last 2 months than the last 6 months of lifting.
ill def check out the elite fts program… I just started heavy deadding and squatting like four months ago damn man did i see the light… i wasted nine months of dedicated heavy training my gains would have been disgustingly amazing had i been deadding and squatting!
This is the start of year 2 in my journey of a physique transformation. Last year, my goal was to add mass and attempt to look like a cut up body builder.
FUCK THAT!!
I am more interested in the world of strength and power training now. With that being said, I’m in no way, shape, or form interested in transforming into a fat bastard that can move a ton of weight. Rather my physique is to be one similar to that of the following one day.
kevin nee-
or Travis Ortmeyer
My training the last 2 months has been a powerlifting one, where I utilize Dynamic, Maximum, and repetition efforts throughout the week. I never was a genetically gifted as a very strong person, and it has taken me a while to get my lifts up to where they are at this point.
They currently are:
Chest- 1 RM @ 275lbs. (PATHETIC!!!)
Squat- 1 RM @ 310lbs
Dead- 1 RM @ 405lbs
Military
Press-1 RM @ 140lbs.
Power Clean- Had to cut the weight in order to learn correct form. Thought I was doing them correctly, but thankfully a fellow lifter intervened and showed me the path to enlightenment. Its like a whole new world, but with a lot less weight…humbling 
I’d love to get my lifts up at least another 25-30lbs in everything across the board by May of this year.
I plan on using this routine to get my overall strength up through to May. Hopefully by then, I will have all the equipment needed to begin some homemade strongman events with some friends. Examples are: Powersled, Farmers Walk, a Harness for pulling vehicles, and some form of an awkward shield carry.
I’ve done a few things in the past, and I’m hungry to do more. This type of training is just so much goddamn torture and fun! It makes the training in the gym all worth it when you can get outside and pull, run, drag, and strain yourself to the point of passing out in your own vomit. I wanna do more!
I will post pics as my physique changes and adapts to this still relatively new form of training.
I noticed there’s a lot of great cut up bodybuilding’sh types of physiques on here, but I think it’d be cool to see and rate some other fellow T-Nationers physiques that can lift, throw, carry, and move HEAVY ass shit. Maybe some vids of their strongman events too?!
I’ve been to the strength training forum, and always found there to be many posts and topics on suits, shirts, and whatever else. I wanna see some people tear shit up in an event or something! Show us what you’ve worked up to and accomplished!
thought I’d update since I’ve reached my goal of 225lbs
here’s a front upper body shot.
Lats still weak, but finally starting to pop out more. I’m rowing and pulling like a motherfucker for them. Actually just got my deadlift up to a new max of 4 plates on each side! that’s 405lbs!! Freaking happy as shit with that progress!!
back shot. Still coming. My back is just lagging behind so much more than I expected. Doing plenty of Pin Pulls to bring em up.
…
Legs still coming.
got my max squat up to 310 now.
another leg shot
chest, still coming, but rarely do max effort bar presses due to my shoulder bothering me. I rotate a max bar bench every 4 weeks. other than that, I rotate flat dumbells, incline dumbells, and decline dumbells whenever I have a good spotter to drop them in my hands. It’s hard as hell to swing up dumbells while laying down.
Benching is still a struggle physically for me. Overhead military pressing or clean and snatch doesn’t bother my shoulder at all.
Still doing plenty of rotator cuff work to fix this
I’m going down to between 3700 and 4000 calories now. Was eating in the upwards of 6,000 to get where I’m at now. Looking to maintain bodyweight while still getting stronger physically of course.
cutting down carbs and upping the protein/fats
also dropping all carbs after 830 pm. This is different because the past 7 months, when 9:00pm came i was downing another cup of whole wheat pasta. Going to see how this works for me. I’d like to stay between 220-225 for a long time. I think this is a good weight for me to get stronger. We’ll see how it goes.
Still following a westside routine and am loving the routine and its results so far. Took me a while to get into it but I feel I got it.
Also, I’ve been using a stopwatch to maximize rest intervals. I’ve noticed a huge difference since doing this. I would always guesstimate how much time would pass. Now i’m exact.