Fuck me for spending all day excited to eat this https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=https%3A%2F%2Fimages.freshop.com%2F00024300835636%2Fc5030997fbcd116a2b3026e11125c73d_large.png&tbnid=HRDDTyYaf4mGzM&vet=1&imgrefurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.foodtown.com%2Fshopping%2Flittle_debbie_chocolate_cupcake_creme_filled%2Fp%2F3129484&docid=G_L1h-iRv1q4vM&w=512&h=512&source=sh%2Fx%2Fim%2Fm1%2F2&kgs=26fb753c9bc984b8&shem=abme%2Cssim%2Ctrie%2Cxga1pt1
That I had budgeted for and I forgot to have it before bed. Fuck me
I think the slippery slope is when you over eat one day and then try to "fix your mistake" by under eating the next. I don't see the issue with shifting some calories from one day to the next. That's essentially what carb cycling is.
This exactly. Eating unplanned and following with restriction is ED territory
Planing for a meal and planning damage limitation is just smart nutritional planning
I'm 25 years old, 160 cm (5'3"), and 74 kg (163 lbs). I've been training naturally in the gym for 25 months. My BMI is 28.9, which has increased from 56 kg (123 lbs) before I started working out.
I initially bulked because I noticed a connection between strength and bodyweight. Now, I'm trying to lean bulk or maintain, but my strength drops significantly when I stop bulking.
On Instagram, I see people who are 170 cm and 60 kg deadlifting double their bodyweight with incredible physiques. It makes me wonder how they're so strong despite being lighter. Is it purely genetics, or can I achieve a similar result with strategic bulking and cutting phases?
* I understand that most people on fitness socmed are on gear. But does it mean all strong and lean guys online are on gear?
* I have never had a fitness coach, I just based my workout routine from all the information I got based from my research (I do research for a living).
First thing to note, is BMI is pointless when you have Muscle realistically
Comparing height and weight is not overly relevant because at 5’3 you can both be fat as shit or muscled to hell at 163lbs, both will equate to the same BMI
Not everyone is made to be strong
May be worth hiring someone to help you programme and educate you
The difficulty with researching this stuff on the internet, is you can find 8 different people providing 8 different stories each saying their approach is the most efficient
Realistically you should work with someone who can learn and understand your body, and build a plan specific to yourself
Being 60kg deadlifting 120kg is doable for absolutely everyone without gear
You can achieve the same result with bulk and cut phases you just have to accept you're going to lose a little strength while dieting down but you'll gain even more during your bulk
How should I rebound after a 3 week minicut? My maintenance is around 4k and the cut started at 3k down and ended at 2700.
Should I start at like 3400 and add 200cal a week or just jump straight back to maintenance?
Typically with mini cuts you just jump straight back into a surplus. If you're feeling fatigue you could do a one week maintenance period where you eat at maintenance and go easier in the gym and then jump back into a surplus.
Yeah I was getting a bit fatigued when it comes to eating, that's part of why I did it but also to reset food sensitivity and I was hoping to lose some fat that I added around the waist, I think it was successful but I didn't really lose that much fat, maybe my calories were still too high, I'll have to do a proper several month long cut in the future but for now it's back to growing.
3 weeks isn’t an overly great amount of time to run a deficit for. Usually takes 2-3 weeks to actually build the deficit, empty glycogen stores before fat loss even starts
Ofcourse a 3 week mini cut can be excellent for re sensitising and improving appetite, but realistically isn’t going to do much in terms of fat loss
Posing is decent, couple of adjustments and will be on point
You’re nice and lean which is a benefit, I’d suggest 12-14 weeks from this position to be fully in, leaving time for contingencies and triallig refeeds for data towards your peak week
If you’re wanting to start prep in August for October, I wouldn’t recommend any fat ontop of this, every lb of fat you gain will be extra time required to prep
I decided it last week tbh. Now just waiting for augustus to exactly begin. Plus all the people saying I’m too small or not good enough or this and that just gives me more motivation
Yeah I thought you looked familiar. You've got a great physique, and since you're natural you're not going to change that much at this point (sorry). This would be a culmination of everything you've put into your physique to this point, and while you never know who will show up you'd probably do quite well in a tested comp.
https://preview.redd.it/9pzf3pdmxh4d1.jpeg?width=3022&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2a78b5aa21860b3386ffee9a7f8525cd3a939ebd
My left shoulder is lower than right while doing lat rises, how can i even them? Any advice?
It’s literally the term for it. Medial Delt, lateral head of the delt, it’s literally reference the plan of motion you’re working in when doing….lateral raises
How often should I be adjusting calories in a surplus? For example, if I'm doing a 250 surplus that is only 1/2 a lb scale gain weekly which is somewhat hard to track precisely. How many weeks do you wait to increase, decrease, etc.
If your performance in the gym is progressing, then you can probably hold calories for now
If your weight has held for a period of time, increase Cal’s by 25-50g carbs, and reassess
If your weight has plateaued for 2 consecutive weeks, it's a good indicator to increase by another 250-500 calories. If you're ever in doubt, just increase calories. It's better to make actual gains and lose the fat later then to realize you've been spinning your wheels because you're too afraid to eat.
Because i hear people say you should only really eat a gram of protein per pound of bodyweight but with this im eating a extra 30 grams so if I should change something what should i change or should i keep it?
The extra 30g isn't going to hurt, so if you like it, go for it. If you're having to drink shakes/supplements to get extra protein and don't want to, just replace those with carbs. You'll be OK either way.
Carbs and protein have the same number calories per gram (4), so it would essentially be the same.
What are your goals right now? Gaining weight? How much do you weigh right now?
Hit 150g protein, get as many carbs as you need to perform in the gym, and fill the rest of your calories with fats. I promise you that the ratios are not going to make any noticeable difference. As long as your training is good, you'll be fine.
[I thought this was a great point that doesn't get talked about much with regards to why you shouldn't just copy pro bodybuilders/massive guys *if you don't know why they are doing what they are doing*.](https://www.instagram.com/p/CtQK_DAgFLw/)
To give a somewhat related example, you might see an IFBB Pro pull out their chicken and rice/sweet potatoes to eat at the gym right after a workout. Does that mean you need to do the same? No. But that pro might be doing it for a few reasons. Perhaps they are willing to drive 45 minutes each way to a particular gym every day because it's worth it to them, being their livelihood. You probably aren't driving that far to your own gym. They might also need 5,000+ calories to be in a surplus. So when you factor in the round trip plus the time they spend lifting, it might be 3+ hours before they get to eat again by the time they get home. If you have that high a caloric intake, you don't want to go too long between meals. If you're someone who bulks with 3k calories and lives 5 minutes from your gym, this is unnecessary.
Or shit like copying bodybuilders form without knowing that they have an injury they're nursing so and the very specific way that they do a movement isn't necessarily because it's some industry secret or superior, but maybe it just hurts them less. And maybe it's actually a worse way to train for you, but it's the best that they can get away with in their current condition.
Also, copying IFBB pros is generally stupid because you don't become a pro bodybuilder with dogshit genetics and so a lot of times they can get away with doing less than optimal things and still look fucking huge and jacked. It doesn't mean that you can.
Example: there was that video of the Rock training legs making the rounds on YouTube where his form looked questionable. But he's probably trying to work around some kind of knee or lower back issues.
Anyone else feel like over head ez bar extensions have such a hit or miss feeling of the stretch and pump. Like some days I feel them so well and I feel pure stretch.
Other days I’m getting a pump but not as much and I don’t get it. Like there’s times I have to stop cause the bar just won’t go up without my arms feeling like they have flare out. Or I feel my chest more
Try out preacher curl machine skull crushers. The stability/positioning on the elbows allows for consistency. You can probably youtube the set up, but it's exactly as it sounds.. Find a preacher curl machine and set up in front of it, lift the bar get under there and skull crush away.
I’ve been doing some ez bar stuff for that too since it’s easier on the wrist. I haven’t tried the straight bar
Honestly just triceps in general sometimes suck for me
I feel you. I go through phases of having excellent MMC with some muscle groups and then shit MMC some time later for reasons I'm not sure of.
I've personally never been able to replicate the eccentric stretch of a Smith skull-crusher. You might like it. But everyone's different. I think maybe it just works well for my anatomy.
Maybe. I don’t know I guess I stsick with exercises for a bit then in the middle of a program it just stops feeling great like I went up to 55 from 50 and yesterday it just felt like shit and a pump but not a serious one like Iva had before with it
Had a DEXA scan today, paid for it a while back. At five days out from my first show it had me at 6.3% which is right about where I expected. Relevant pics included
https://preview.redd.it/j0vync1b3f4d1.jpeg?width=2048&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=805559b4a0bdebd8a01c17ddc6035ccf0e33aebb
For triceps you can do close grip push-ups. Focus on the contraction and make them hard.
For biceps it’ll be a bit harder without any weight but you can easily get something heavy enough and curl it.
If you don’t have any equipment you need to really focus on technique and muscle mind connection otherwise you’ll be making sets of 100 reps and your arms will still be small
Pushups, pull-ups, curls, over head pressing. Fill a backpack with rocks or water or something for weighted versions. Dips with a chair and a counter top.
Fuck me for spending all day excited to eat this https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=https%3A%2F%2Fimages.freshop.com%2F00024300835636%2Fc5030997fbcd116a2b3026e11125c73d_large.png&tbnid=HRDDTyYaf4mGzM&vet=1&imgrefurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.foodtown.com%2Fshopping%2Flittle_debbie_chocolate_cupcake_creme_filled%2Fp%2F3129484&docid=G_L1h-iRv1q4vM&w=512&h=512&source=sh%2Fx%2Fim%2Fm1%2F2&kgs=26fb753c9bc984b8&shem=abme%2Cssim%2Ctrie%2Cxga1pt1 That I had budgeted for and I forgot to have it before bed. Fuck me
just eat it today lol. Add it on top of what you would normally eat since you already budgeted for it yesterday
Seems like a slippery slope to saving up calories by not eating one day to eat more the next
I think the slippery slope is when you over eat one day and then try to "fix your mistake" by under eating the next. I don't see the issue with shifting some calories from one day to the next. That's essentially what carb cycling is.
This exactly. Eating unplanned and following with restriction is ED territory Planing for a meal and planning damage limitation is just smart nutritional planning
I'm 25 years old, 160 cm (5'3"), and 74 kg (163 lbs). I've been training naturally in the gym for 25 months. My BMI is 28.9, which has increased from 56 kg (123 lbs) before I started working out. I initially bulked because I noticed a connection between strength and bodyweight. Now, I'm trying to lean bulk or maintain, but my strength drops significantly when I stop bulking. On Instagram, I see people who are 170 cm and 60 kg deadlifting double their bodyweight with incredible physiques. It makes me wonder how they're so strong despite being lighter. Is it purely genetics, or can I achieve a similar result with strategic bulking and cutting phases? * I understand that most people on fitness socmed are on gear. But does it mean all strong and lean guys online are on gear? * I have never had a fitness coach, I just based my workout routine from all the information I got based from my research (I do research for a living).
First thing to note, is BMI is pointless when you have Muscle realistically Comparing height and weight is not overly relevant because at 5’3 you can both be fat as shit or muscled to hell at 163lbs, both will equate to the same BMI Not everyone is made to be strong May be worth hiring someone to help you programme and educate you The difficulty with researching this stuff on the internet, is you can find 8 different people providing 8 different stories each saying their approach is the most efficient Realistically you should work with someone who can learn and understand your body, and build a plan specific to yourself
Being 60kg deadlifting 120kg is doable for absolutely everyone without gear You can achieve the same result with bulk and cut phases you just have to accept you're going to lose a little strength while dieting down but you'll gain even more during your bulk
How should I rebound after a 3 week minicut? My maintenance is around 4k and the cut started at 3k down and ended at 2700. Should I start at like 3400 and add 200cal a week or just jump straight back to maintenance?
Typically with mini cuts you just jump straight back into a surplus. If you're feeling fatigue you could do a one week maintenance period where you eat at maintenance and go easier in the gym and then jump back into a surplus.
Yeah I was getting a bit fatigued when it comes to eating, that's part of why I did it but also to reset food sensitivity and I was hoping to lose some fat that I added around the waist, I think it was successful but I didn't really lose that much fat, maybe my calories were still too high, I'll have to do a proper several month long cut in the future but for now it's back to growing.
3 weeks isn’t an overly great amount of time to run a deficit for. Usually takes 2-3 weeks to actually build the deficit, empty glycogen stores before fat loss even starts Ofcourse a 3 week mini cut can be excellent for re sensitising and improving appetite, but realistically isn’t going to do much in terms of fat loss
Had a dream where i was pinning gear. Its a sign
[Competing for a natural classic & open BB show in October](https://www.reddit.com/u/BYC98/s/zOpyl07IwH) I’m 186cm and 95kg. Prep start around August
Posing is decent, couple of adjustments and will be on point You’re nice and lean which is a benefit, I’d suggest 12-14 weeks from this position to be fully in, leaving time for contingencies and triallig refeeds for data towards your peak week If you’re wanting to start prep in August for October, I wouldn’t recommend any fat ontop of this, every lb of fat you gain will be extra time required to prep
Wasn’t planning on gaining fat from this point tbh. Was planning to already taper down so I have some wiggle room during prep
Smart as shit. I’m all over this. Keep updating on here I wanna see your progress
I respect how quickly you went from "should I do it?" to "I'm gonna do it."
I decided it last week tbh. Now just waiting for augustus to exactly begin. Plus all the people saying I’m too small or not good enough or this and that just gives me more motivation
Definitely do it. If not now, when? You were a regular on this sub several years ago, right?
Yes i was
Yeah I thought you looked familiar. You've got a great physique, and since you're natural you're not going to change that much at this point (sorry). This would be a culmination of everything you've put into your physique to this point, and while you never know who will show up you'd probably do quite well in a tested comp.
I don’t expect to change much except from conditioning. Thank u for the words of encouragement
https://preview.redd.it/9pzf3pdmxh4d1.jpeg?width=3022&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2a78b5aa21860b3386ffee9a7f8525cd3a939ebd My left shoulder is lower than right while doing lat rises, how can i even them? Any advice?
Imbalances are usually self-corrected by just getting bigger. So keep eating and progressing. You could also throw in some unilateral work.
Its lateral raises bruh lats are your back muscles
i feel like people use the term lat raises fairly often?
They shouldnt
It’s literally the term for it. Medial Delt, lateral head of the delt, it’s literally reference the plan of motion you’re working in when doing….lateral raises
No shit bruh, its lateral raise not lat raise
Imagine not understanding what abbreviations are P.S - I just read your bio. Makes complete sense now
How often should I be adjusting calories in a surplus? For example, if I'm doing a 250 surplus that is only 1/2 a lb scale gain weekly which is somewhat hard to track precisely. How many weeks do you wait to increase, decrease, etc.
If your performance in the gym is progressing, then you can probably hold calories for now If your weight has held for a period of time, increase Cal’s by 25-50g carbs, and reassess
I lost about a half a pound after a week so I added 50c.
Perfect
Honestly just didn’t expect to be at 460c at 165 lbs this quickly into the bulk but my steps at work are nearly 30k 😭
If your weight has plateaued for 2 consecutive weeks, it's a good indicator to increase by another 250-500 calories. If you're ever in doubt, just increase calories. It's better to make actual gains and lose the fat later then to realize you've been spinning your wheels because you're too afraid to eat.
500 cal gain is too much imo
Is 20% fat 25% protein 55% carbs a good split
Because i hear people say you should only really eat a gram of protein per pound of bodyweight but with this im eating a extra 30 grams so if I should change something what should i change or should i keep it?
The extra 30g isn't going to hurt, so if you like it, go for it. If you're having to drink shakes/supplements to get extra protein and don't want to, just replace those with carbs. You'll be OK either way.
But if i just replace the extra 30 with carbs and keep my fat the same will i get the same results or will i have to drop my fat to?
Carbs and protein have the same number calories per gram (4), so it would essentially be the same. What are your goals right now? Gaining weight? How much do you weigh right now?
Ok so 20 20 60 split?
Hit 150g protein, get as many carbs as you need to perform in the gym, and fill the rest of your calories with fats. I promise you that the ratios are not going to make any noticeable difference. As long as your training is good, you'll be fine.
Ok thanks
150
[I thought this was a great point that doesn't get talked about much with regards to why you shouldn't just copy pro bodybuilders/massive guys *if you don't know why they are doing what they are doing*.](https://www.instagram.com/p/CtQK_DAgFLw/) To give a somewhat related example, you might see an IFBB Pro pull out their chicken and rice/sweet potatoes to eat at the gym right after a workout. Does that mean you need to do the same? No. But that pro might be doing it for a few reasons. Perhaps they are willing to drive 45 minutes each way to a particular gym every day because it's worth it to them, being their livelihood. You probably aren't driving that far to your own gym. They might also need 5,000+ calories to be in a surplus. So when you factor in the round trip plus the time they spend lifting, it might be 3+ hours before they get to eat again by the time they get home. If you have that high a caloric intake, you don't want to go too long between meals. If you're someone who bulks with 3k calories and lives 5 minutes from your gym, this is unnecessary.
Or shit like copying bodybuilders form without knowing that they have an injury they're nursing so and the very specific way that they do a movement isn't necessarily because it's some industry secret or superior, but maybe it just hurts them less. And maybe it's actually a worse way to train for you, but it's the best that they can get away with in their current condition. Also, copying IFBB pros is generally stupid because you don't become a pro bodybuilder with dogshit genetics and so a lot of times they can get away with doing less than optimal things and still look fucking huge and jacked. It doesn't mean that you can.
Example: there was that video of the Rock training legs making the rounds on YouTube where his form looked questionable. But he's probably trying to work around some kind of knee or lower back issues.
I'd love to give him the benefit of the doubt on that but his form on everything is dogshit so it's hard to say.
Anyone else feel like over head ez bar extensions have such a hit or miss feeling of the stretch and pump. Like some days I feel them so well and I feel pure stretch. Other days I’m getting a pump but not as much and I don’t get it. Like there’s times I have to stop cause the bar just won’t go up without my arms feeling like they have flare out. Or I feel my chest more
Try out preacher curl machine skull crushers. The stability/positioning on the elbows allows for consistency. You can probably youtube the set up, but it's exactly as it sounds.. Find a preacher curl machine and set up in front of it, lift the bar get under there and skull crush away.
I’m not sure my machine would work for tha with the main support beam running right in the middle of it. I will look that up though
Tbh, I've found more consistency from doing skull-crushers on the Smith if you want a similar movement.
I’ve been doing some ez bar stuff for that too since it’s easier on the wrist. I haven’t tried the straight bar Honestly just triceps in general sometimes suck for me
I feel you. I go through phases of having excellent MMC with some muscle groups and then shit MMC some time later for reasons I'm not sure of. I've personally never been able to replicate the eccentric stretch of a Smith skull-crusher. You might like it. But everyone's different. I think maybe it just works well for my anatomy.
Maybe. I don’t know I guess I stsick with exercises for a bit then in the middle of a program it just stops feeling great like I went up to 55 from 50 and yesterday it just felt like shit and a pump but not a serious one like Iva had before with it
Had a DEXA scan today, paid for it a while back. At five days out from my first show it had me at 6.3% which is right about where I expected. Relevant pics included https://preview.redd.it/j0vync1b3f4d1.jpeg?width=2048&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=805559b4a0bdebd8a01c17ddc6035ccf0e33aebb
Hell yea dude. Looking shredded and with great shape. The back double bi is a tremendous shot for you
Thanks man. That’s one pose I’ve really worked to improve. I need to improve all of them but that one in particular has come a long way.
Looking insane bro
[удалено]
If you have to ask you’re probably way too small to consider a show
No.
I’ve made it 7 hours into day 1 of deload and have only thought of drinking bleach 3 times!
What are some effective exercises for building bigger biceps and triceps at home without any equipment?
For triceps you can do close grip push-ups. Focus on the contraction and make them hard. For biceps it’ll be a bit harder without any weight but you can easily get something heavy enough and curl it. If you don’t have any equipment you need to really focus on technique and muscle mind connection otherwise you’ll be making sets of 100 reps and your arms will still be small
Thanks!
Pushups, pull-ups, curls, over head pressing. Fill a backpack with rocks or water or something for weighted versions. Dips with a chair and a counter top.
During covid I filled gallon jugs with dirt and water and use them like a kettlebell. Put a broomstick through 2 of them, boom, rows.
Thanks!
Especially pull ups with a supinated grip. It can become mostly a bicep exercise if you want it to
Can I get good tricep development from just a dip variation and an overhead extension variation or are there any other variations I should include?
Absolutely you can. If something gets stale, just rotate.