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In other gym related news, MegaFit has just been put up for sale ‘Lock, Stock, & Barrell’ for a cool 80,000,000 RMB. Yes, you did read that right, but the price is for the entire 5th floor of Top City. I’ve been told that the gym will remain intact under contract of sale until March 2014, at which time the purchaser will be free from obligation to the business. Far enough away for me not to be worried, but I will definitely miss the place if it goes. It’s been a great gym, and I’ve made many friends there since being in Chengdu.
I may consider starting something up myself nearer the time if it’s in any way feasible.
Just came accross this post from 1 year ago on page 2
Quote:Any 2012 fitness related goals?Mine are the same as they always have been:
-eat more
-train harder
-drink less
Maybe this year I will actually pursue them, but I’m not getting my hopes up.
So weird to read. 2012 changed my life. I became exactly who I’ve always wanted to be. Can count the times I’ve gotten drunk in the past half year on 1 hand. Made a lot of gains. Quit smoking in April. Also a shitload more productive, determined, motivated, goal oriented,…….. I took control!!!
80 mill rmb? Serious? Who is retarded to sell it for that price.. No one is going to buy it for that much, talk about dumb ass realtors! 80 fucken million… That right there is the reason why businesses (esp small businesses) are being fucked over in China…
But yea i can dead lift 90 lbs!
Ah, I’ve been summoned.
Returning to Amerika has been great for training, and as of last month I’m finally employed. Actually I’m writing this from the desk of a math teacher at a local high school. Who would have thought I’d be allowed to substitute teach, hahahahahahahahahhahahahah. Pay is decent though, first $ paycheck since 2008 😉
I’ve been doing Wendler’s 5/3/1 and getting great gains, but want to switch to a program better for toning and muscle definition.
Also heavy squats suck, my legs are sore for 3-4 days which prevents me from cross training since I’m into off road running. These are my current 1 RM’s for the program
Squats ~325 1RM
DL 350 I haven’t done heavy DLs for a while, sore elbows, so I’m going for lower weight higher reps.
Bench ~225 Doesn’t seem like 1RM yet
OverHeadPress~150
Each exercise is it’s own “day” which I do 3-4 assistance lifts and a body weight group (Dips, Planks, Inverted Rows, Chins, weighted situps)
Brendan have any ideas for cutting programs? I’m getting squarish but still have remnants of a Tsingtao and Noodle gut.
Snort fat lines of protein bros,
E
Quote:I’ve been doing Wendler’s 5/3/1 and getting great gains, but want to switch to a program better for toning and muscle definition.Plenty of room to mess around with the assistance work. Just include some BB oriented exercises. Maybe check out Wendler’s 5/3/1+BB routine.
Quote:These are my current 1 RM’s for the programImpressive numbers given what you posted around a year ago. Those calculated 531 1RM numbers can be pretty far off your actual 1RM though. Just sayin. Nice work!
Quote:Brendan have any ideas for cutting programs?Brendan would say: get off the carbs, don’t eat sugar, don’t eat wheat, ban alcohol from life, and down a lot of healthy fats, brotein and stir fried veggies.
That, and making sure you’re in a calorie deficit.
Quote:Brendan would say: get off the carbs, don’t eat sugar, don’t eat wheat, ban alcohol from life, and down a lot of healthy fats, brotein and stir fried veggies.Spoken like a true disciple!!
😉
Brendan you need to start a gym over there, with you at the helm it’s bound to be lucrative and sensibly constructed. Plus mandarin speaking laowai personal trainers would be a perk for customers with disposable income, or on the flip side English lessons while you train.
“Banning alcohol from life” The statement sounds appealing to my hangoever and mental fog, however far too tall an order for me to actually carry out. I’m trying to stick it hard liquor; bourbon on the rocks, gin & diet tonic, sixteen year old women and aged Cuban cigars. Simple pleasures of life.
Vince, I’m gonna try the boring but big routine, seems like good for extra reps, especially on my overhead press and bench which I’m not really maxxing out yet. I have decent variety with my assistance work it’s really the diet that needs to get squared out.
Do little things like replacing cooking oil with that pseudo carcinogenic “Spray Oil” make a difference? Vegetable oil has a lot of fat per Tbsp. Or going for egg whites instead of whole eggs? (Though I hate to be wasteful) Sometimes I get hungry even with a whole plate of eggs and have like half a whole grain english muffin, or bacon, or turkey sausage, or all three. Obviously bacon has too much fat..
Nearly every night of the week I have stirfry which consists of: chicken breast, broccoli, squash, diced garlic + ginger and seasoned with siracha, low sodium soy sauce and turmeric powder. My carb will be brown rice or quinoa. For dessert I either have greek yogurt or cottage cheese, or a brotein shake with milk.
Meanwhile on the frontier, we are boiling maple sap for syrup, for all of those fine fructose and carb intensive banned breakfast foods.
Yeah, banning alcohol is only for the elite. It took me about 8 years of half assed work and 30 days of mindful backpacking to realize it was time to stop fucking around with the average rabble, and to finally start pursuing my dream of becoming a superhuman like Brendan. Dedication, being persistent and knowing what you really want are the key ingredients.
IMO, if you’re serious about lowering your bodyfat, I’d say get a closer look of what your weekly caloric intake really looks like right now, and simply trim that down a bit. Or it might even be that you’re simply not eating enough at all and that your body is in a state of gluoneogenesis. If you’re not consuming enough protein, your body uses its amino acids from muscle tissue for energy, while holding on to its fat reserves. (Brendan, please don’t shoot me if this is not spot on). It takes quite some effort to eat 150-200gr protein each day if you’re not used to it. Do you have any idea of how many calories/protein you’re eating right now?
I wouldn’t start dodging calories by using stuff like nonstick cooking spray. There’s no nutritional value in there at all. Also keep eating the yolks. I know Brendan would advise you to use grapeseed oil, coconut oil, or another healthy oil with a high smoke point.
If you’re still hungry after meals, maybe you’re simply not eating enough? Don’t try to fix this with a high carb snack. Carbs affect your insulin level which causes fat storage under the skin and they actually make you hungrier more often.
I’d say just get a grip of what you eat, keep eating the fat and protein, but keep track of your calories for a while until you have a better idea of how your metabolism works.
Quote:Ah, I’ve been summoned.Squats-a-lot! Welcome back.
Quote:Obviously bacon has too much fat..I eat tons of bacon and my body fat fluctuates between 9-11%. I do not have any sort of obsessive diet at all, I drink alcohol and eat pizza at least once a week.
Quote:It takes quite some effort to eat 150-200gr protein each day if you’re not used to it.It’s pretty easy if you’re supplementing protein. Just eat protein rich meals when you can and supplement what you don’t get with whey protein.
Quote:IMO, if you’re serious about lowering your bodyfat, I’d say get a closer look of what your weekly caloric intake really looks like right now, and simply trim that down a bit.Thinking in “calories in, calories out” is a flawed and incomplete way to look at it because different kinds of calories have different hormonal effects, which is the important part, not the actual number of calories. After reading Tim Ferriss’ experiments into this where he ate 7 times his resting metabolic rate and lost weight, I tried something similar and didn’t gain weight either. Digestion is an important factor too since it’s what hits your bloodstream that counts, not what goes in your mouth. There are a lot of ways to burn calories aside from exercising.
I roughly calculate protein but don’t bother counting calories. Then again, I’m pretty comfortable at 205 lbs with 10% body fat, spending a total of 60 minutes in the gym per week.
I agree that there are more factors involved than simple caloric balance when striving to an impressive physique. Your post however makes it sounds as if calories don’t matter at all. I wouldn’t use Ferriss as a source for gaining knowledge on nutrition. Sure he’s a smart guy, but good luck on trying to lose weight if you consistently eat 14000 calories a day. Even if they have positive effects on hormones. I’m not an expert, but that sounds ridiculous. At the end of the day, most of it still comes down to calories. Though I agree not all calories are equal.
Quote:Your post however makes it sounds as if calories don’t matter at all.What I meant, and what I said, is that looking body fat reduction in simple terms of calories is an incomplete way to look at it.
I find Ferriss’ studies on nutrition, working and consulting with the world’s top minds in the field of medicine and physiology, to be scientifically sound. I’m doubtful that someone who’s read his book would say that it’s of no scientific merit, with hundreds of pages of footnotes, but I can see how it would be dismissed by someone who hasn’t read it because it conflicts with conventional knowledge on the subject.
Of course Tim Ferriss is just an example and is not my only source on the subject. I had long conversations about this and other topics related to health (that is how I think of this – not as sculpting an impressive physique) with my father who’s an M.D. and nutritionist. He’s subscribed to the paleo diet for about 10 years although I’ve had a difficult time sticking with that. Just my two cents.
This is what has worked for me, reaping as many benefits as I can from the smallest changes which have the most dramatic effects, rather than spending 10 hours a week in the gym. Aka the “minimum effective dose”.
I love how this thread gets consistently bumped, always verging on conflict, always drawing curiosities.
I just realised again today that I’ve probably advised literally hundreds of people over the years, and if there’s one thing I always reiterate to anyone, it’s ‘learn it for yourself’. I really believe the internet has done as much to hurt this as it has help it, especially when it comes to forum activity. Of course we all have different goals, and even mine have changed over the years. I can attest to having broken the 300lb bodyweight barrier, just as I can attest to having ripped myself down to shreds, but it took time and effort and study, along with error and injury and all the other good stuff that comes from learning it for yourself. It took being utterly immersed in the pursuit of my own personal goals for a number of years, and I was always learning something new. I’ve recently decided to ramp it up again and see how far I can push myself now I’ve passed 40. My lifestyle choices have been healthy ones for a long time now, but for me personally turning 40 was a cue to try and push in the opposite direction of what most average folk perceive as inevitable. And that’s essentially where my head has always been at when it comes to training and nutrition, and being the healthiest strongest individual I can be. If I have just this one time around in the body I have been given, I want to wear it well.
That said, once any of you reading know your goals you should attempt to be as faithful to them as you possibly can. I totally get that my mindset is above what most people (even close friends) consider normal, but I’m more than comfortable with that. If you are not, that’s all good, but it doesn’t excuse you from learning what you ‘know’, or practicing what you preach. The only person determining your fate is you. I just watched an awesome interview with Dorian Yates today, who was recalling his time spent as a pro, and the utter dedication and consistency required to fulfill that goal 24/7 for several years. He spoke of the outside influences that would distract him, and how he would see the resolve to beat those distractions as his motivation. I dig.
Points above seem like a regurgitation of what’s already been said in this thread, but my 2 cents (or penny’s worth) is this…
Alcohol is something we are so used to being exposed to, it’s taken as given that it’s okay to use it. Which it is, your choices are your own, but from a bodybuilding perspective (a truthful one), it doesn’t fit. You don’t consume something that taps your liver and switches off your hormonal output if your physical pursuit relies on that output being optimal. And personally when anyone asks me ‘isn’t that boring’ in reference to not drinking, I have to refrain myself hard from laughing hysterically at the sheep like rhetoric. Plus thankfully alcohol isn’t the last word in altered states of consciousness! 😉
Calories, fat intake, oh questions questions. Calories in must equate to calories out, period, but that’s not black and white. Your metabolism is the ‘out’, affected by running, jumping, sitting on your arse, meal frequency/portion size/content, and even sleeping. Vincent is right in saying you should feel out what works over time in terms of intake, but you can improve on that by knowing what is in those calories in the first place. They are not all equal, just as the fats you consume may vary wildly in quality from one another. A great example of this is the Atkins diet, which I always had real contention with when it came to food choices. Sure you can get away with eating fried eggs, sausages and bacon all day every day if your carbs are low, but what’s that doing from a health perspective inside the body (at cellular level). Do you know? Do you care? Would this information be useful to you? Maybe. Hows your acid /alkaline balance doing on those foods? How’s your electrolyte balance holding up? Why should you care about that either? Doesn’t milk have calcium!!? Are you in positive nitrogen balance right now? Is your diet replenishing your livers glycogen stores? What’s your liver do!? Where’s your pancreas? What’s it doing there!? Why is there fluoride in my tap water!!??
I’m off to Subway to buy some food of champions.
:DD
Good stuff Brendan. To achieve one’s goal isnt a mere hobby, but a lifestyle choice and dedication.
300 lbs? Damn.. The most i ever been was 225 now walking around 205 (winter fat). Then once season changes, back to 195-200. My main goal is 185.
Quote:300 lbs? Damn301, and that ’01’ was like the holy grail for me at the time. I was eating every 90 minutes, pretty much just eating all of the time around the clock. At one point I was setting my alarm for 4am so I could cook myself a meal, then go back to sleep until breakfast. That I was afforded the opportunity to be a bodybuilder full time in the past is something I’m really thankful for, the focus of that though sometimes obsessive was infinitely rewarding in many ways.
Reporting in after 3 workout sessions with BBB. Have to say the burn is pretty awesome, those 5×10 sets at 60& really wear you out. After 5/3/1 ing my way up to a 320 lb squat 5×10 at 165 was borderline pain cave. I go lighter on the assistance work, picking a body weight exercise and something with dumb bells or cables for good measure.
As for diet, great tips from Brandon as usual. Since I’m writing from a high school desk, I was tempted to write something on the lines of “Different Strokes For Different Folks” but we all should realize that people’s organ function and metabolisms vary greatly. When I first was “cut” in high school, well skinny, I was a vegetarian mt. biker subsisting on marijuana, soy and Annie’s Mac and Cheese. I toked up after school, did some intense biking and just didn’t allow myself to snack until dinner. It worked. Nowadays I gawk when ppl complain about losing weight seeing that I had done it in a THC haze… all it takes is willpower.
The thing about power lifting and weight loss is that your body is trying to do things at once. Therefore, diet has to be planned and compromises need to be made (i.e. no weekday drinking) Sure when I was starting 5×5 lifts in 2011 I was all about eating a ton, (and drank a small sea of Snow beer) and now that my shoulders and thighs are so big that I’m tearing dress shirts and needing to buy new jeans, I’ve decided to address the next step. Cut cut cut.
@Vince the leangains has some great insight, guy is damned dedicated.
Any numbers updates from the rest of the lifters?
Quote:Any numbers updates from the rest of the lifters?Not to get too brotastic up in here, but I did just manage a partial deadlift of 585lbs for 2 reps in the last week. Pretty pleased with that.
😀
I haven’t trained DLs in a over a month, gonna be fun tmrw! Specially with the 5×10 afterwards my lowerback is gonna be tight as hell for a few days
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