Powermoloch
Lifer
- Jul 5, 2005
- 10,085
- 4
- 76
I've been gradually upping my squats, 5 lbs per workout session. So far I have reached 195 lbs, 2 months ago i can't barely do a proper 90 lbs. And I can see my thighs taking shape O_O !
I've been gradually upping my squats, 5 lbs per workout session. So far I have reached 195 lbs, 2 months ago i can't barely do a proper 90 lbs. And I can see my thighs taking shape O_O !
Great job, man. Rock those gains as long as you can. Besides the improvements in fitness and aesthetics, how's the weight loss going?
New Question : Does a person with a high body fat (20%+) need to be on a calorie surplus to be able to add muscle? Or at the other end, can an overweight individual be on caloric deficit and still add muscle? If so, till what body fat levels do you think he can continue to do so?
Thanks
But doesn't a high body fat indicate that a person is already eating more than is required or is it that continued weight gain is the only indication of someone being in a calorie surplus irrespective of how fat he is?
I recently moved on to an intermediate strength routine (bill starrs 5x5) but I have become really fat from my previous routine and am not looking forward to bulk up any more. Would you recommend going on a cut before coming back to the 5x5 routine again?
Thanks
Now some people start with a pretty big margin of bodyfat (approaching 20% or more), these people already have significant caloric excess built into their base diet. Most of them find that they can hold their calories constant and for a while they will add muscle and the maintenance of that muscle will use up the excess calories that are currently going toward maintaining their excess fat. This won't last forever but it will likely get them down to the mid to low teens without any issues. Everybody with lower bodyfat needs to add excess to their base diet as this body recomposition lowers bodyfat by nature and it gets harder and harder to pull off. And really even holding bodyfat constant and gaining muscle requires a proportion of the gain to be fat just to maintain the ratio.
Thanks SC.
Would it be right to say then that this guy is completely off the mark:
Got this from madcow's diet page:
http://stronglifts.com/madcow/Topics/Diet.htm
I've decided to add some cardio into my mix, and I'm a bit curious as to how that'll affect me. My goal right now is weight loss, but I want to improve my cardiovascular endurance as well.
I'm doing Starting Strength, three times a week. I understand that it's best to separate cardio and weight lifting, but what's best for me right now is to keep my workouts to three times a week. With that in mind, I've started rowing 2000 meters after lifting. I figured during weekdays I'll work on speed (staying at 2000 meters), and increase distance on weekends till I hit 5000 meters.
Back to the main question, will this really affect me since I'm trying to lose weight anyways? I believe you've (SC, that is) said cardio immediately following lifting inhibits hypertrophy. However, isn't that irrelevant when in a calorie deficit? From what I understand I wont be gaining muscle, only (ideally) losing fat.
I'm pretty sure the cardio is worth it (burn more calories and better endurance), I'm just wondering if the usual downsides apply to me.
Thanks. One more question about rowing. When I used to row I'd just crack the resistance up to 10. I know I've heard that somewhere in the 3-4 range best simulates the resistance of water, but is there an ideal resistance for cardio? Not that I think it would make a significant difference, just curious.
On a maintainable level, everyone looking to gain muscle mass must be in a caloric surplus. Fat doesn't magically convert to protein - it's an impossible reaction in the human body (requires too much energy). There does seem to be some research supporting beginner muscle gains, where someone gains muscle and loses fat without changing their diet. There isn't really a good explanation of how or why, but it doesn't last for very long (maybe 4-8 weeks). Depending on an individual's size, he/she may gain 2-4lbs of muscle and lose similar amounts of fat.
Like I said, there isn't a body fat % cut-off. There's an experience cut-off. However, to make consistent gains in muscle mass, everyone must be in a caloric surplus.
Couple questions about food that I did not see in the OP here so I thought I'd ask.
How "good" are whole wheat breads to eat when trying to go on a cutting cycle? I'm thinking of having tuna sandwiches on wheat bread or chicken salad sandwiches, however I will be eating 2 of these a day and don't want to over do the carbs if wheat bread is not that good for you. Also how is adding a piece of swiss cheese to this?
And I'm also wondering how good Hummus is for you in this same situation. I know in general Hummus is pretty decent for you, but with Whole Wheat Pita being on the list of things to eat, I can see having wheat pita + hummus for a fairly healthy snack.
Thanks!
Eh, while cutting, a lot of grains aren't really gonna help you lean out. Assuming each slice of bread has around 20g of carbs (which is average), you'd be adding 80g of extra carbs, which is 320cal. Honestly, I wouldn't do it. I'd find something else to eat it with. For me, that was tuna + cucumber slices (used like crackers). It helps you cut calories and leave carbs on the low side. Calories from wheat are also pretty inflammatory so if you cut them out, you'd be improving your overall health as well.
Hummus should be fine, but again, I wouldn't really eat it with grains. I'd rather eat it with fresh veggies - carrots, bell peppers, cucumbers, etc.
Thanks for the reply.
The problem I have is that if I don't eat some sort of carbs I won't really get full. I am just not sure what to eat with the food for lunches while at work.
Last week I ate chicken salad sandwiches (on whole wheat) and tuna salad sandwiches (on whole wheat again). i'd have 1 slice of swiss cheese on it as well and would have 1 sandwich around 11:30am and another around 2:30 or 3pm. If I try to cut out more carbs at that time, then I am not sure what to eat in replacement of it. I mean I definitely could just eat chicken salad out of the tub with a fork, but I'd probably feel hungry again in a little bit. and I'm using very little light mayo in my chicken/tuna salad as I'm not a big mayo fan.
i also don't like cucumbers in general, so I can't really try that. they give me indigestion.
i'm just trying to figure out something that I can eat for lunch that will help me when I try to cut up. dinner isn't a problem, I've been eating a cut of meat about 12oz and some veggies (carrots or asparagus). i also am still lifting and am not sure if i want to lose to many carbs in my diet because i don't want to feel lifeless at the gym heh.
My girl has started hitting the gym with me. She is doing Rippetoe's routine. She is worried about getting "really big".
She is 5' 2" and around 130 lbs. Do you all think she'll get bulky from this workout or will she just look tighter and more toned? Of course she has changed her diet as well by cutting a lot of sugars and just generally eating "cleaner" food (lean meats, veggies, lower fat foods)
Thanks SC...I knew she would be fine. I think this is the same reason that girl's think running on the treadmill for two hours will help you lose weight.For some reason, women are crazy. They think that as soon as they pick up a weight, they'll get big. It takes a lot of time, hard work, and a caloric surplus to get bulky. She'll be fine on Rippetoe's program.