DYELB: The Gainz Train

Health, fitness, and nutrition freaks, lets see those gainz.
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SAWCE
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Big Brain Bradley wrote: Wed Sep 19, 2018 8:55 am :sawce:

Broken ankle. No squats or DL's for a month ( :( )

1. is there a focused upper body program you can recommend to get my bench and OHP up faster than i was trying with Starting strength?

2. anything suggestion i can do in the home gym in the boot to help me not loose leg strength? or at work. keeping in mid that i cant work out in the boot, because i sweat so much it would be a stinky mess.
I really liked 531 for strength, and you could just do the bench and OHP days.

How long is the boot on for? You can usually go 2-3 weeks without working out a muscle group and not lose any strength. I can do aground for something you can do for you legs to help them. Off the top of my head, just isometric contractions. Flex your quads as hard as ou can for 30 seconds, take 30 seconds off, repeat for a few rounds. Then do the same for hamstrings.
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SAWCE wrote: Wed Sep 19, 2018 9:00 am
Big Brain Bradley wrote: Wed Sep 19, 2018 8:55 am :sawce:

Broken ankle. No squats or DL's for a month ( :( )

1. is there a focused upper body program you can recommend to get my bench and OHP up faster than i was trying with Starting strength?

2. anything suggestion i can do in the home gym in the boot to help me not loose leg strength? or at work. keeping in mid that i cant work out in the boot, because i sweat so much it would be a stinky mess.
I really liked 531 for strength, and you could just do the bench and OHP days.

How long is the boot on for? You can usually go 2-3 weeks without working out a muscle group and not lose any strength. I can do aground for something you can do for you legs to help them. Off the top of my head, just isometric contractions. Flex your quads as hard as ou can for 30 seconds, take 30 seconds off, repeat for a few rounds. Then do the same for hamstrings.
:notbad:

boot is on for 4 weeks, then maybe a week or two of PT
brain go brrrrrr
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Big Brain Bradley wrote: Wed Sep 19, 2018 9:23 am
SAWCE wrote: Wed Sep 19, 2018 9:00 am

I really liked 531 for strength, and you could just do the bench and OHP days.

How long is the boot on for? You can usually go 2-3 weeks without working out a muscle group and not lose any strength. I can do aground for something you can do for you legs to help them. Off the top of my head, just isometric contractions. Flex your quads as hard as ou can for 30 seconds, take 30 seconds off, repeat for a few rounds. Then do the same for hamstrings.
:notbad:

boot is on for 4 weeks, then maybe a week or two of PT
Yeah just do those isometrics if you can’t do any actual leg extensions/curls and can’t really put weight on it doing body weight squats.

I’ll email you he 531 Program and spreadsheet I have that calculates out all of your weights that you need to get each session.
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SAWCE wrote: Wed Sep 19, 2018 9:35 am
Big Brain Bradley wrote: Wed Sep 19, 2018 9:23 am

:notbad:

boot is on for 4 weeks, then maybe a week or two of PT
Yeah just do those isometrics if you can’t do any actual leg extensions/curls and can’t really put weight on it doing body weight squats.

I’ll email you he 531 Program and spreadsheet I have that calculates out all of your weights that you need to get each session.
Thanks. I think i will take this opportunity to work on my bench/ohp numbers and try to bang out some cardio to loose some fat. By next week I should be able to figure something out for cardio.
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Big Brain Bradley wrote: Wed Sep 19, 2018 9:40 am
SAWCE wrote: Wed Sep 19, 2018 9:35 am

Yeah just do those isometrics if you can’t do any actual leg extensions/curls and can’t really put weight on it doing body weight squats.

I’ll email you he 531 Program and spreadsheet I have that calculates out all of your weights that you need to get each session.
Thanks. I think i will take this opportunity to work on my bench/ohp numbers and try to bang out some cardio to loose some fat. By next week I should be able to figure something out for cardio.
I’d hit the bench day on Mondays, OHP on Wednesday.. do cardio every day, but take Tuesday and Thursday off from lifting, then Friday hit a really hard arm day where you’re focusing on triceps. Building them up will
Help your bench and OHP tremendously. Do close grip bench, skull crushers, french presses, dips if you have a way to set up for them...
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Lifting hasn't been all that great recently. I've still been doing 531 BBB but I'm just not fully into it and strength has been stagnant. I think the triathlon took a toll on strength, but I'm glad to have that experience/accomplishment. I think I'll do it again next summer but now that fall is here, I'm hoping to try to get back into lifting more successfully.

I think I'll stick with 531 but may check out other assistance programs. I'll also have a much more consistent schedule going forward so that should help with workouts and diet.

I feel like one reason my gains are lacking is just my eating, I'll have 1,800 calories some days, 4,500 others, all over the map. I also likely don't always get enough protein on the road as so much of what's available is all carbs.
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D Griff wrote: Mon Sep 24, 2018 11:27 am Lifting hasn't been all that great recently. I've still been doing 531 BBB but I'm just not fully into it and strength has been stagnant. I think the triathlon took a toll on strength, but I'm glad to have that experience/accomplishment. I think I'll do it again next summer but now that fall is here, I'm hoping to try to get back into lifting more successfully.

I think I'll stick with 531 but may check out other assistance programs. I'll also have a much more consistent schedule going forward so that should help with workouts and diet.

I feel like one reason my gains are lacking is just my eating, I'll have 1,800 calories some days, 4,500 others, all over the map. I also likely don't always get enough protein on the road as so much of what's available is all carbs.
Yeah I'm sure the triathalong and any training for it zapped some strength, but most of your stagnation is probably eating realated like you mentioned. Get on a solid meal prep schedule now that you're working close to home, and you should see your numbers start to move again.
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All right AnimalSawce. I've run up against a barrier. In a 315 IRM calculation the DL, I can't pull 300 lbs on the 1 of 531. I make all the other progressions. 3 pulls of 285 the week before. I have tried 300 three times and its no dice every time. Cut the 1RM by 30, borrow some of your "vitamins" or what?
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Desertbreh wrote: Mon Sep 24, 2018 12:31 pm All right AnimalSawce. I've run up against a barrier. In a 315 IRM calculation the DL, I can't pull 300 lbs on the 1 of 531. I make all the other progressions. 3 pulls of 285 the week before. I have tried 300 three times and its no dice every time. Cut the 1RM by 30, borrow some of your "vitamins" or what?
I think that every adult male should take my "vitamins", but I don't think you're serious about that, so my first thought is to film a few sets of your lighter weights so we can see if there are any immediate form tweaks we can make that'll keep you progressing. Aside from that, I'd redo this whole cycle of 531 for the deadlifts, make a conscious effort to increase protein and total calorie intake for that month, and when you get to the 1+ day with 300lbs, just talk yourself into it knowing that you're stronger than the last time you tried it. Numbers like that tend to me more mental for me than anything, so you may be running into that.

Real quick too, does your 531 calculator have you lifting up to 95% of 90% of your calculated 1RM? That's the way it's supposed to be.. You calculate the 1RM, then take 90% of that, and then each week is based off of that 90%. So week 1 your 5+ set is 85% of 90% of your calculated 1RM, week 2 your 3+ is 90% of 90% of your 1RM, and week 3 is 95% of 90% of your 1RM...

So if your calculated 1RM is 315, you'd take 285 as your working max, and then your 1+ set on week 3 would only get up to 270...
Last edited by SAWCE on Mon Sep 24, 2018 12:45 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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I sent :fax: a big 531 spreadsheet where it calculates out all your lifts for 13 months. I can send it to you if you'd like. You plug in your known 1RM, or your a weight for like a 5RM and it'll calculate the 1RM for you, take 90% of that, and then build everything out for you. Then each week on the + set, you plug in your actual reps, and it sets a new goal for you on the next week based on that number you hit. So if you're on 5+ and you get 9 reps, it'll tell you to go for 6 reps the next week on your 3+ set.
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SAWCE wrote: Mon Sep 24, 2018 12:43 pm
Desertbreh wrote: Mon Sep 24, 2018 12:31 pm All right AnimalSawce. I've run up against a barrier. In a 315 IRM calculation the DL, I can't pull 300 lbs on the 1 of 531. I make all the other progressions. 3 pulls of 285 the week before. I have tried 300 three times and its no dice every time. Cut the 1RM by 30, borrow some of your "vitamins" or what?
I think that every adult male should take my "vitamins", but I don't think you're serious about that, so my first thought is to film a few sets of your lighter weights so we can see if there are any immediate form tweaks we can make that'll keep you progressing. Aside from that, I'd redo this whole cycle of 531 for the deadlifts, make a conscious effort to increase protein and total calorie intake for that month, and when you get to the 1+ day with 300lbs, just talk yourself into it knowing that you're stronger than the last time you tried it. Numbers like that tend to me more mental for me than anything, so you may be running into that.

Real quick too, does your 531 calculator have you lifting up to 95% of 90% of your calculated 1RM? That's the way it's supposed to be.. You calculate the 1RM, then take 90% of that, and then each week is based off of that 90%. So week 1 your 5+ set is 85% of 90% of your calculated 1RM, week 2 your 3+ is 90% of 90% of your 1RM, and week 3 is 95% of 90% of your 1RM...

So if your calculated 1RM is 315, you'd take 285 as your working max, and then your 1+ set on week 3 would only get up to 270...
However you want to work the numbers, I've progressed to 300 being my 1+. Basic advice is "try it again, eat brotein, don't be a pussy."
Detroit wrote:Buy 911s instead of diamonds.
Johnny_P wrote: Thu Feb 09, 2023 3:21 pm Earn it and burn it, Val.
max225 wrote: Mon May 01, 2023 5:35 pm Yes it's a cool car. But prepare the lube/sawdust.
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Desertbreh wrote: Mon Sep 24, 2018 12:49 pm
SAWCE wrote: Mon Sep 24, 2018 12:43 pm

I think that every adult male should take my "vitamins", but I don't think you're serious about that, so my first thought is to film a few sets of your lighter weights so we can see if there are any immediate form tweaks we can make that'll keep you progressing. Aside from that, I'd redo this whole cycle of 531 for the deadlifts, make a conscious effort to increase protein and total calorie intake for that month, and when you get to the 1+ day with 300lbs, just talk yourself into it knowing that you're stronger than the last time you tried it. Numbers like that tend to me more mental for me than anything, so you may be running into that.

Real quick too, does your 531 calculator have you lifting up to 95% of 90% of your calculated 1RM? That's the way it's supposed to be.. You calculate the 1RM, then take 90% of that, and then each week is based off of that 90%. So week 1 your 5+ set is 85% of 90% of your calculated 1RM, week 2 your 3+ is 90% of 90% of your 1RM, and week 3 is 95% of 90% of your 1RM...

So if your calculated 1RM is 315, you'd take 285 as your working max, and then your 1+ set on week 3 would only get up to 270...
However you want to work the numbers, I've progressed to 300 being my 1+. Basic advice is "try it again, eat brotein, don't be a pussy."
:word: you can knock some weight off your 1RM and spend a few months building back up to that 300lbs, but really if you pulled 285 for 3, you should be able to get the 300 for 1 clean rep. So I'd just repeat this last month with the increased brotein.
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SAWCE wrote: Mon Sep 24, 2018 12:45 pm I sent :fax: a big 531 spreadsheet where it calculates out all your lifts for 13 months. I can send it to you if you'd like. You plug in your known 1RM, or your a weight for like a 5RM and it'll calculate the 1RM for you, take 90% of that, and then build everything out for you. Then each week on the + set, you plug in your actual reps, and it sets a new goal for you on the next week based on that number you hit. So if you're on 5+ and you get 9 reps, it'll tell you to go for 6 reps the next week on your 3+ set.
Thanks but the numbers are in my head already. On + set I just tell myself that I'm going to bang out 10, which doesn't happen of course but that's the mindset. As noted in other posts I've really hit a point in a number of lifts where I'm going to progress only if I start paying more attention to diet. There is the 300 lb. DL barrier, I'm never getting any more than 2 reps of 135 on OHP, bench is starting to plateau finally, and Squats I've cut back on weight and am focusing on form.
Detroit wrote:Buy 911s instead of diamonds.
Johnny_P wrote: Thu Feb 09, 2023 3:21 pm Earn it and burn it, Val.
max225 wrote: Mon May 01, 2023 5:35 pm Yes it's a cool car. But prepare the lube/sawdust.
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Desertbreh wrote: Mon Sep 24, 2018 1:14 pm
SAWCE wrote: Mon Sep 24, 2018 12:45 pm I sent :fax: a big 531 spreadsheet where it calculates out all your lifts for 13 months. I can send it to you if you'd like. You plug in your known 1RM, or your a weight for like a 5RM and it'll calculate the 1RM for you, take 90% of that, and then build everything out for you. Then each week on the + set, you plug in your actual reps, and it sets a new goal for you on the next week based on that number you hit. So if you're on 5+ and you get 9 reps, it'll tell you to go for 6 reps the next week on your 3+ set.
Thanks but the numbers are in my head already. On + set I just tell myself that I'm going to bang out 10, which doesn't happen of course but that's the mindset. As noted in other posts I've really hit a point in a number of lifts where I'm going to progress only if I start paying more attention to diet. There is the 300 lb. DL barrier, I'm never getting any more than 2 reps of 135 on OHP, bench is starting to plateau finally, and Squats I've cut back on weight and am focusing on form.
Yeah, diet and sleep are going to be your best friends in order to keep progressing. I've helped a few people on here with diet stuff, and if you want help with it, just shoot me a PM and we can look at what you're eating and make some tweaks. Either way, you're moving some serious weight, and the gainzzz are always gonna slow down as you get up there.
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SAWCE wrote: Mon Sep 24, 2018 1:23 pm
Desertbreh wrote: Mon Sep 24, 2018 1:14 pm

Thanks but the numbers are in my head already. On + set I just tell myself that I'm going to bang out 10, which doesn't happen of course but that's the mindset. As noted in other posts I've really hit a point in a number of lifts where I'm going to progress only if I start paying more attention to diet. There is the 300 lb. DL barrier, I'm never getting any more than 2 reps of 135 on OHP, bench is starting to plateau finally, and Squats I've cut back on weight and am focusing on form.
Yeah, diet and sleep are going to be your best friends in order to keep progressing. I've helped a few people on here with diet stuff, and if you want help with it, just shoot me a PM and we can look at what you're eating and make some tweaks. Either way, you're moving some serious weight, and the gainzzz are always gonna slow down as you get up there.
I appreciate that. Right now I'm cutting weight to make my Dr. happy, which may also be a factor in the stick points on the lifts. Hitting the brotein pretty hard though. I have to go to the midwest this weekend and my body feels like it could use a few days off. I'm going to try and eat clean while I'm gone though, and man that's a bitch.....when I travel I just want the cheeseburger and O-rings, not greek yogurt and blueberries.
Detroit wrote:Buy 911s instead of diamonds.
Johnny_P wrote: Thu Feb 09, 2023 3:21 pm Earn it and burn it, Val.
max225 wrote: Mon May 01, 2023 5:35 pm Yes it's a cool car. But prepare the lube/sawdust.
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Desertbreh wrote: Mon Sep 24, 2018 1:28 pm
SAWCE wrote: Mon Sep 24, 2018 1:23 pm

Yeah, diet and sleep are going to be your best friends in order to keep progressing. I've helped a few people on here with diet stuff, and if you want help with it, just shoot me a PM and we can look at what you're eating and make some tweaks. Either way, you're moving some serious weight, and the gainzzz are always gonna slow down as you get up there.
I appreciate that. Right now I'm cutting weight to make my Dr. happy, which may also be a factor in the stick points on the lifts. Hitting the brotein pretty hard though. I have to go to the midwest this weekend and my body feels like it could use a few days off. I'm going to try and eat clean while I'm gone though, and man that's a bitch.....when I travel I just want the cheeseburger and O-rings, not greek yogurt and blueberries.
Yeah man, travelling throws a wrench in dieting every time. Since you're trying to cut some weight and eating at a deficit to do that, you'll definitely notice slower progress, or even some setbacks on the lifting front. After 6 weeks of dieting, I had to drop some weight off my squats yesterday, and even the lighter weight still felt brutal.
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Back feels good enough to get back in there tomorrow methinks.

I won’t be doing deads or anything else that might cause an issue, but man this has been a long break. It’ll feel good to get back to it.


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SAWCE wrote:
D Griff wrote: Mon Sep 24, 2018 11:27 am Lifting hasn't been all that great recently. I've still been doing 531 BBB but I'm just not fully into it and strength has been stagnant. I think the triathlon took a toll on strength, but I'm glad to have that experience/accomplishment. I think I'll do it again next summer but now that fall is here, I'm hoping to try to get back into lifting more successfully.

I think I'll stick with 531 but may check out other assistance programs. I'll also have a much more consistent schedule going forward so that should help with workouts and diet.

I feel like one reason my gains are lacking is just my eating, I'll have 1,800 calories some days, 4,500 others, all over the map. I also likely don't always get enough protein on the road as so much of what's available is all carbs.
Yeah I'm sure the triathalong and any training for it zapped some strength, but most of your stagnation is probably eating realated like you mentioned. Get on a solid meal prep schedule now that you're working close to home, and you should see your numbers start to move again.
Any calorie/macro suggestions? I'm not going to go full on diet mode but it'll be way easier to stick to something relatively consistent.

Currently 195 pounds, wouldn't mind getting up a few but am hoping to build more strength without getting a ton bigger.
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Started my leg work as usual with a superset of extensions and laying curls. 3 sets, 15 reps each. Added some weight from what I did last week.

Tried to do my normal 315 for squats.. hit 5 on my first set. I'm supposed to get 6-10 reps, so I dropped the weight. Went to 275 and hit three sets of 6 with that. I really should have been able to get more reps, but it was just feeling heavy. I wanted to make up for it so I went back up to 315 and hit a single and then 365 where I tried for a single but failed.

Hack squats after that felt suprisingly better. Two plates and a 25 on each side and I got a few more reps than last week total. 10, 10, 8.

Leg press next. 5 plates each side, plus 2 10s. Did my first two sets, then an older dude who used to compete and always talks to me asked if I wanted to do a drop set and he'd help me out, so I said yes, seeing it as an opportunity to make up for the shitty squats. 5 plates and a 25 on each side. We had the 25 set in after the third plate so the fourth and fifth plates could be stripped off. Hit 10 reps with that with my feet close together and low on the sled. Him and another dude each stripped a plate off each side and I moved my feet a little wider and higher and knocked out 10 more.. first few weren't terrible, but 5 and up were a real struggle. They each stripped another plate and I moved my feet higher and wider to drive through my hamstrings a bit more. Fuck it was tough. Barely got all 10 reps. Was pretty cool of them to help me out with that.

Seated curls after that for more hammy work. Added a little bit of weight over last week and got all my reps/sets.

Standing single leg curls after that, same thing.

Finished the workout with walking lunges, and that's when I really felt the leg press dropset. I just had a 17lb dumbbell in each hand, was going for 20 steps with each leg, failed at like 14 on both sets.

Things are hurting today. Need to shake that squat failure off so it doesn't get in my head when I squat again this weekend.
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D Griff wrote: Mon Sep 24, 2018 1:43 pm
SAWCE wrote:
Yeah I'm sure the triathalong and any training for it zapped some strength, but most of your stagnation is probably eating realated like you mentioned. Get on a solid meal prep schedule now that you're working close to home, and you should see your numbers start to move again.
Any calorie/macro suggestions? I'm not going to go full on diet mode but it'll be way easier to stick to something relatively consistent.

Currently 195 pounds, wouldn't mind getting up a few but am hoping to build more strength without getting a ton bigger.
A real basic bulk guideline that I like is take your bodyweight and multiply it by 15. That's your starting calories. Eat your body weight in grams of protein, have 20% of your calories come from fat, and then fill the gap with carbs. So for you it'd look like:

2925 calories
195g protein 780 calories
65g fat 585 calories
390g carbs 1560 calories.

Do that for a week, then weigh yourself again. That week, multiply your new weight by 16. The week after that by 17.. etc up until you hit 20.

If you gain more than 3lbs in a week, I'd stay at the same multiplication factor, and just use your new weight. So say at the end of week 1 you're up to 199lbs, take that and multiply by 15 again instead of going up to 16. Keeping it to 3lbs a week or less will minimize fat gains.

Edit: just reread that you're not trying to gain a bunch of weight.. so in that case, start with the 15, and see what your weight does over the course of the week. If you gain, pull the calories back a bit, if you lose weight, increase to 16x. Hit the macros I laid out to start, but then slowly increase the protein and lower carbs/fat each week until you're hitting 1.5x body weight in grams of protein. You should get some pretty good strength gains from that as long as you're training smart/hard and sleeping enough.
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SAWCE wrote: Mon Sep 24, 2018 1:55 pm
D Griff wrote: Mon Sep 24, 2018 1:43 pm

Any calorie/macro suggestions? I'm not going to go full on diet mode but it'll be way easier to stick to something relatively consistent.

Currently 195 pounds, wouldn't mind getting up a few but am hoping to build more strength without getting a ton bigger.
A real basic bulk guideline that I like is take your bodyweight and multiply it by 15. That's your starting calories. Eat your body weight in grams of protein, have 20% of your calories come from fat, and then fill the gap with carbs. So for you it'd look like:

2925 calories
195g protein 780 calories
65g fat 585 calories
390g carbs 1560 calories.

Do that for a week, then weigh yourself again. That week, multiply your new weight by 16. The week after that by 17.. etc up until you hit 20.

If you gain more than 3lbs in a week, I'd stay at the same multiplication factor, and just use your new weight. So say at the end of week 1 you're up to 199lbs, take that and multiply by 15 again instead of going up to 16. Keeping it to 3lbs a week or less will minimize fat gains.

Edit: just reread that you're not trying to gain a bunch of weight.. so in that case, start with the 15, and see what your weight does over the course of the week. If you gain, pull the calories back a bit, if you lose weight, increase to 16x. Hit the macros I laid out to start, but then slowly increase the protein and lower carbs/fat each week until you're hitting 1.5x body weight in grams of protein. You should get some pretty good strength gains from that as long as you're training smart/hard and sleeping enough.
Also, slap 15 minutes of cardio (walk at an incline or moderate pace on a stationary bike) after you lift each day to help minimize fat gain if you do end up choosing to eat a surplus and wanting to gain some weight.
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SAWCE wrote: Mon Sep 24, 2018 2:13 pm
SAWCE wrote: Mon Sep 24, 2018 1:55 pm

A real basic bulk guideline that I like is take your bodyweight and multiply it by 15. That's your starting calories. Eat your body weight in grams of protein, have 20% of your calories come from fat, and then fill the gap with carbs. So for you it'd look like:

2925 calories
195g protein 780 calories
65g fat 585 calories
390g carbs 1560 calories.

Do that for a week, then weigh yourself again. That week, multiply your new weight by 16. The week after that by 17.. etc up until you hit 20.

If you gain more than 3lbs in a week, I'd stay at the same multiplication factor, and just use your new weight. So say at the end of week 1 you're up to 199lbs, take that and multiply by 15 again instead of going up to 16. Keeping it to 3lbs a week or less will minimize fat gains.

Edit: just reread that you're not trying to gain a bunch of weight.. so in that case, start with the 15, and see what your weight does over the course of the week. If you gain, pull the calories back a bit, if you lose weight, increase to 16x. Hit the macros I laid out to start, but then slowly increase the protein and lower carbs/fat each week until you're hitting 1.5x body weight in grams of protein. You should get some pretty good strength gains from that as long as you're training smart/hard and sleeping enough.
Also, slap 15 minutes of cardio (walk at an incline or moderate pace on a stationary bike) after you lift each day to help minimize fat gain if you do end up choosing to eat a surplus and wanting to gain some weight.
Thanks dood.

Also... do you consider when you do all of this in the day highly important? Like is it fine to just have two big meals, better to spread it out?

Is it imperative to do the light cardio right after lifting or how about in the evening after work or during lunch? I'll be lifting in the morning. I will also get cardio on weekends as I wind up going mountain biking, hiking, and other stuff like that almost always.
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D Griff wrote: Tue Sep 25, 2018 9:43 am
SAWCE wrote: Mon Sep 24, 2018 2:13 pm

Also, slap 15 minutes of cardio (walk at an incline or moderate pace on a stationary bike) after you lift each day to help minimize fat gain if you do end up choosing to eat a surplus and wanting to gain some weight.
Thanks dood.

Also... do you consider when you do all of this in the day highly important? Like is it fine to just have two big meals, better to spread it out?

Is it imperative to do the light cardio right after lifting or how about in the evening after work or during lunch? I'll be lifting in the morning. I will also get cardio on weekends as I wind up going mountain biking, hiking, and other stuff like that almost always.
There's been a few studies that show that most people are stronger and lift more in the afternoon vs in the morning. If you just prefer lifting in the morning, that's fine. Whatever you're going to stick to the longest is going to give you personally the best results.

For meal timing, there does seem to be a maximum threshold for how much protein you can use to rebuild muscle at one time, and that seems to be around the 50g mark for most people, so I'd split your meals into 4 with just about 50g of protein at each one. You can divide the carbs and fats evenly too, or you can do a higher fat breakfast in the morning and then more carb heavy meals later in the day.

For actual nutrient timing, try to get 50% of your carbs in your pre and post workout meals. A cup of rice with 7ish oz of chicken an hour or so before you lift is perfect, maybe throw an oz of almonds in with that meal for some fats to slow down the digestion so that the glucose and amino acids are actually hitting your bloodstream as you workout. Post workout more rice with a banana and then two scoops of whey is a great post workout meal. You can use cream of rice and pour it in your blender with the banana and whey and slug it all down at once, but the CoR will be kinda gritty.

Cardio can be done at any time, but doing it in a fasted state will be what causes you to actually tap into stored fat for energy. So fasted would be first thing in the morning before you eat, or after you lift since you've just depleted most, if not all, of your stored glycogen. Doing it mid-day will still burn calories, but it'll burn off sugars and fats that are floating around in your blood stream that haven't been stored yet, and then any stored glycogen you have. It's still an effective tool this way to avoid storing additional fat as you're trying to build muscle/strength.
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If you lift in the morning, and you're going to do cardio with it, definitely do the cardio after lifting and not before.

Quick meal before lifting in the morning can be that cup of white rice again (it digests really quickly for most people, so as long as you can wake up and eat that like half an hour before you go, you shouldn't notice any discomfort from it), then I'd swap the chicken breast for a few hard boiled eggs. You won't get as much protein this way, but it'll be much lighter and quicker to digest, so should give you energy for the gym without weighing you down.
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:word:

Thanks bro.

I think my new schedule will be something like 10-7 so afternoon workouts ain't happening. I'm also just a morning person and don't really want to fuck with it after work.
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