On December 31 2011 04:55 rEiGN~ wrote: Got a bit frustrated today at gym trying to figure out the low bar squat bar position.
I have basically 3 spots, from top to bottom, where I can hold the bar comfortably:
1. On traps: Doesn't move and feels a bit soft because it's against muscles. This is how I've squatted for over a year. 2. Against some bone, I believe it's the scapular spine. There's hardly any tissue padding the bar. This is wrong, I think. 3. Below scapular spine. I believe this is how low bar squat should be done. But, it doesn't seem to be that easy for me.
It doesn't feel like a very sturdy place to hold the bar compared to traps. It's almost as if it could fall any moment, but maybe it really doesn't, just feels that way. Then as I got more sweaty the bar basically started rolling down my back slowly unless I kept it steady, but this puts a lot of pressure on my wrists.
Is low bar squat supposed to be this technical compared to high bar?
Maybe my rear deltoids are shit; maybe I'm not raising my elbows hard enough or putting hands close enough to my shoulders, I really don't know.
Any tips?
Finally got a video,
Pretty much the second time I'm trying to figure out low-bar squat. I was trying to place the bar immediately below scapular spine, and it felt like it was the lowest place it could stay without dropping. At least my left shoulder got a bit sore though, and a lot of pressure on wrists.
Feel free to comment the form in general, I should've also taken one where I do the high-bar style I'm used to.
Here's 80kg as well: I feel form was better on that one.
Your knees are coming together out of the bottom. One of the tips posted here was to think of spreading the ground with your feet to help keep your knees out over your feet the whole way. Other than that it looks ok to me.
Turned 29 today and got $170 for my bday. I went to play it again sports and got some used Olympic weights. Now I can use my dumb bells. I got 6 10lb plates and 2 2.5lb plates for $45.
On January 07 2012 15:00 TheResidentEvil wrote: Turned 29 today and got $170 for my bday. I went to play it again sports and got some used Olympic weights. Now I can use my dumb bells. I got 6 10lb plates and 2 2.5lb plates for $45.
you can probably find better deals on craigslist if you look hard enough (depending on where you live), imo anything above 50c/lb for used weights is pretty expensive.
On December 31 2011 04:55 rEiGN~ wrote: Got a bit frustrated today at gym trying to figure out the low bar squat bar position.
I have basically 3 spots, from top to bottom, where I can hold the bar comfortably:
1. On traps: Doesn't move and feels a bit soft because it's against muscles. This is how I've squatted for over a year. 2. Against some bone, I believe it's the scapular spine. There's hardly any tissue padding the bar. This is wrong, I think. 3. Below scapular spine. I believe this is how low bar squat should be done. But, it doesn't seem to be that easy for me.
It doesn't feel like a very sturdy place to hold the bar compared to traps. It's almost as if it could fall any moment, but maybe it really doesn't, just feels that way. Then as I got more sweaty the bar basically started rolling down my back slowly unless I kept it steady, but this puts a lot of pressure on my wrists.
Is low bar squat supposed to be this technical compared to high bar?
Maybe my rear deltoids are shit; maybe I'm not raising my elbows hard enough or putting hands close enough to my shoulders, I really don't know.
Pretty much the second time I'm trying to figure out low-bar squat. I was trying to place the bar immediately below scapular spine, and it felt like it was the lowest place it could stay without dropping. At least my left shoulder got a bit sore though, and a lot of pressure on wrists.
Feel free to comment the form in general, I should've also taken one where I do the high-bar style I'm used to.
Your knees are coming together out of the bottom. One of the tips posted here was to think of spreading the ground with your feet to help keep your knees out over your feet the whole way. Other than that it looks ok to me.
Yea. I'll make notes of keeping wider stance, keeping weight on heels, and pushing knees out while coming up.
What is it that people mean by keeping elbows down? Shouldn't they be as high as possible to get the 'shelf' there?
This guy's elbows are rather low, and he's doing something weird with them before each rep.
On January 05 2012 17:09 4thHatchery wrote: God damn today's newspaper had an article about nuts and said nothing about their omega3:omega6 ratios. It praised them for having "good" soft fats and said to avoid coconuts as "90% of their fat is hard saturated fat which is to be avoided." T_T
Eshlow's book arrived a while ago, and as a result all my previous training will be reset, and I'll switch to full rom concentrics. Also I'll have to pay more attention to form as I noticed my l-sit sucks because my hips go way too far back. Unfortunately I won't be able to start training fully any time soon, so in the mean time I'll work on mobility and do some testing/maintaining with tuck l-sit, pppushups, pistols etc. On the positive side: 1) I placed my order for vit d and fishoil, 2) My wrists are a LOT better than they were at the start of the summer, 3) I now know more about training and nutrition.
Thank you TL&HF, and eshlow especially, for 2011! Happy 2012!
And Necosarius, on what level are you with planche atm? I don't mean to underestimate you, but looking at your weight that goal seems pretty damn hard. I hope you'll make it though!
I'm able to do a tuck planche right now. Last time I tried a flat tuck I failed pretty hard It's pretty cool how much harder that small movement is lol. But I have a whole year to finish a planche and what's life without a challange?
On January 03 2012 15:03 Jupiter wrote: Jupiter Age: 21 || Height: 5'11 || Weight: 96kg Weight goals -- 8%-10% bodyfat Training goals -- Complete a cut while maintaining my current lifts Then assess my physique from there (most likely bulk in winter again and cut before summer) bringing up any lagging body parts - most likely going to be my chest and shoulders
Current PB Lifts - 210kg x 1 Squat - 115kg x 1 Bench - 185kg x 4 Deadlift - 77.5 x 3 OHP
Hey guys been a while since I posted. Happy New Year everyone!!
I've been doing a 4 day split since I finished madcows (and have a solid strength base). To even out my physique (very lower body dominant). Its been going well, gaining size in my upper body and maintaining my legs. Im definitely more adjusted to the volume and less rest between sets.
In about 2 weeks I'm going to begin a cut. It will most likely go for 3+ months. I've been doing a lot of research on it so far but still wondering if anyone has any advice or pointers? (Malinor I know you've been cutting recently and would love to hear what you have to say).
Im looking forward to taking some photos when I finish the cut as it would be just over 1 years progress by then. I've taken photos throughout the year - before any training, after SS, after madcows, after 4 day split etc
Well, I am basically cutting 1kg each week since half a year. So here is some of my experiences. I am getting around 160g of protein/day, and for me this amount simply does not seem to be enough. At least that's what my squat and deadlift numbers seem to tell me. That's why I am shooting for 200 this year. Of course I am much heavier than you are, but I advice you to get those 2g of protein for every kg of bodyweight in. If you care for your squat strength, just don't cut too hard and stay with like 1lb per week. The squat just seems to suffer the most from weight loss (RosaParksStoleMySeat is reporting the same all the time, Phyre112 said this too if I remember correctly). Also, I am now trying out 5/3/1 and while it is a long term programm and you cannot evaluate your numbers after 1-2 cycles, it became very clear to me after only 5-6 weeks that squatting once a week is not enough for me to at least maintain my strength. I would advice you to keep squatting at least two times a week. My upper body strength is relatively unaffected by my weight loss. My OHP has not going up since 6 months, but stayed relatively constant. But I pressed 90kg then and can still do 87,5kg everyday of the week, which is (if my memory serves me right) far more than what anyone on this board can do, so maintaining this level seems to be a good deal. I am still making slow and steady progress on my bench press. I assume since SS and Madcow are pretty lower body focussed, upper body should not be a concern to you anytime soon (your experience with the 4day-split seems to be the same so far). As far as asthetics are concerned, I cannot tell you much. When you are at my weight and are losing weight, you will just look better all the time, and my musclemass does not seem to be affected much by my relatively low protein intake. Beyond all those layers of fat, I am actually looking pretty firghtening when I flex my upper body (shameless brag).
Thanks for the advice Malinor. I really appreciate it.
Currently Im not to concerned with losing some strength in my squat over my cutting period. I plan or running another strength program later this year. I'll definitely be sure to keep my protein high over the next few months.
How far from your goal weight are you??
I'll be sure to let you know how I'm going and will probably need some advice throughout my cut. Hope your feeling better soon btw.
I found a good website that helps plan your diet out for anyone who is interested - http://swole.me/
Pretty much the second time I'm trying to figure out low-bar squat. I was trying to place the bar immediately below scapular spine, and it felt like it was the lowest place it could stay without dropping. At least my left shoulder got a bit sore though, and a lot of pressure on wrists.
Feel free to comment the form in general, I should've also taken one where I do the high-bar style I'm used to.
Hey man, Im going to try and find this video that I saw a while ago. It basically went through a good way to unrack the weight. It goes through foot position, back position, breathing etc As the lifts get really heavy all of those things become really important and I found it helped me a lot.
As Hurricane said make sure you keep your knees apart and stop them from caving in. Keep the weight in your heels too.
On January 03 2012 15:03 Jupiter wrote: Jupiter Age: 21 || Height: 5'11 || Weight: 96kg Weight goals -- 8%-10% bodyfat Training goals -- Complete a cut while maintaining my current lifts Then assess my physique from there (most likely bulk in winter again and cut before summer) bringing up any lagging body parts - most likely going to be my chest and shoulders
Current PB Lifts - 210kg x 1 Squat - 115kg x 1 Bench - 185kg x 4 Deadlift - 77.5 x 3 OHP
Hey guys been a while since I posted. Happy New Year everyone!!
I've been doing a 4 day split since I finished madcows (and have a solid strength base). To even out my physique (very lower body dominant). Its been going well, gaining size in my upper body and maintaining my legs. Im definitely more adjusted to the volume and less rest between sets.
In about 2 weeks I'm going to begin a cut. It will most likely go for 3+ months. I've been doing a lot of research on it so far but still wondering if anyone has any advice or pointers? (Malinor I know you've been cutting recently and would love to hear what you have to say).
Im looking forward to taking some photos when I finish the cut as it would be just over 1 years progress by then. I've taken photos throughout the year - before any training, after SS, after madcows, after 4 day split etc
Well, I am basically cutting 1kg each week since half a year. So here is some of my experiences. I am getting around 160g of protein/day, and for me this amount simply does not seem to be enough. At least that's what my squat and deadlift numbers seem to tell me. That's why I am shooting for 200 this year. Of course I am much heavier than you are, but I advice you to get those 2g of protein for every kg of bodyweight in. If you care for your squat strength, just don't cut too hard and stay with like 1lb per week. The squat just seems to suffer the most from weight loss (RosaParksStoleMySeat is reporting the same all the time, Phyre112 said this too if I remember correctly). Also, I am now trying out 5/3/1 and while it is a long term programm and you cannot evaluate your numbers after 1-2 cycles, it became very clear to me after only 5-6 weeks that squatting once a week is not enough for me to at least maintain my strength. I would advice you to keep squatting at least two times a week. My upper body strength is relatively unaffected by my weight loss. My OHP has not going up since 6 months, but stayed relatively constant. But I pressed 90kg then and can still do 87,5kg everyday of the week, which is (if my memory serves me right) far more than what anyone on this board can do, so maintaining this level seems to be a good deal. I am still making slow and steady progress on my bench press. I assume since SS and Madcow are pretty lower body focussed, upper body should not be a concern to you anytime soon (your experience with the 4day-split seems to be the same so far). As far as asthetics are concerned, I cannot tell you much. When you are at my weight and are losing weight, you will just look better all the time, and my musclemass does not seem to be affected much by my relatively low protein intake. Beyond all those layers of fat, I am actually looking pretty firghtening when I flex my upper body (shameless brag).
Thanks for the advice Malinor. I really appreciate it.
Currently Im not to concerned with losing some strength in my squat over my cutting period. I plan or running another strength program later this year. I'll definitely be sure to keep my protein high over the next few months.
How far from your goal weight are you??
I'll be sure to let you know how I'm going and will probably need some advice throughout my cut. Hope your feeling better soon btw.
32,3kg Since you are not around that long, I started with 170kg and a fasting blood sugar of 350 (normal is 70-110), which peaked above 600 after big meals (Don't even know what is normal here, but nothing above 180 for a very short period of time), and every meal back then was big. Or to put it in other words, I was pretty close to dying young. So strength is a very nice goal for me, but other things are more important.
And I just came back from a sprinting session, and it turns out the sprinting is responsible for whatever pain I have in my right hip/quad right now. It's not bad, just feels unstable. I guess I have to let it heal the next week. Cold is better, shoulder is just a bruise and the wrist is just annoying, probably cannot do pushing exercises the next couple of days. I will get through it
On January 03 2012 15:03 Jupiter wrote: Jupiter Age: 21 || Height: 5'11 || Weight: 96kg Weight goals -- 8%-10% bodyfat Training goals -- Complete a cut while maintaining my current lifts Then assess my physique from there (most likely bulk in winter again and cut before summer) bringing up any lagging body parts - most likely going to be my chest and shoulders
Current PB Lifts - 210kg x 1 Squat - 115kg x 1 Bench - 185kg x 4 Deadlift - 77.5 x 3 OHP
Hey guys been a while since I posted. Happy New Year everyone!!
I've been doing a 4 day split since I finished madcows (and have a solid strength base). To even out my physique (very lower body dominant). Its been going well, gaining size in my upper body and maintaining my legs. Im definitely more adjusted to the volume and less rest between sets.
In about 2 weeks I'm going to begin a cut. It will most likely go for 3+ months. I've been doing a lot of research on it so far but still wondering if anyone has any advice or pointers? (Malinor I know you've been cutting recently and would love to hear what you have to say).
Im looking forward to taking some photos when I finish the cut as it would be just over 1 years progress by then. I've taken photos throughout the year - before any training, after SS, after madcows, after 4 day split etc
Well, I am basically cutting 1kg each week since half a year. So here is some of my experiences. I am getting around 160g of protein/day, and for me this amount simply does not seem to be enough. At least that's what my squat and deadlift numbers seem to tell me. That's why I am shooting for 200 this year. Of course I am much heavier than you are, but I advice you to get those 2g of protein for every kg of bodyweight in. If you care for your squat strength, just don't cut too hard and stay with like 1lb per week. The squat just seems to suffer the most from weight loss (RosaParksStoleMySeat is reporting the same all the time, Phyre112 said this too if I remember correctly). Also, I am now trying out 5/3/1 and while it is a long term programm and you cannot evaluate your numbers after 1-2 cycles, it became very clear to me after only 5-6 weeks that squatting once a week is not enough for me to at least maintain my strength. I would advice you to keep squatting at least two times a week. My upper body strength is relatively unaffected by my weight loss. My OHP has not going up since 6 months, but stayed relatively constant. But I pressed 90kg then and can still do 87,5kg everyday of the week, which is (if my memory serves me right) far more than what anyone on this board can do, so maintaining this level seems to be a good deal. I am still making slow and steady progress on my bench press. I assume since SS and Madcow are pretty lower body focussed, upper body should not be a concern to you anytime soon (your experience with the 4day-split seems to be the same so far). As far as asthetics are concerned, I cannot tell you much. When you are at my weight and are losing weight, you will just look better all the time, and my musclemass does not seem to be affected much by my relatively low protein intake. Beyond all those layers of fat, I am actually looking pretty firghtening when I flex my upper body (shameless brag).
Thanks for the advice Malinor. I really appreciate it.
Currently Im not to concerned with losing some strength in my squat over my cutting period. I plan or running another strength program later this year. I'll definitely be sure to keep my protein high over the next few months.
How far from your goal weight are you??
I'll be sure to let you know how I'm going and will probably need some advice throughout my cut. Hope your feeling better soon btw.
32,3kg Since you are not around that long, I started with 170kg and a fasting blood sugar of 350 (normal is 70-110), which peaked above 600 after big meals (Don't even know what is normal here, but nothing above 180 for a very short period of time), and every meal back then was big. Or to put it in other words, I was pretty close to dying young. So strength is a very nice goal for me, but other things are more important.
And I just came back from a sprinting session, and it turns out the sprinting is responsible for whatever pain I have in my right hip/quad right now. It's not bad, just feels unstable. I guess I have to let it heal the next week. Cold is better, shoulder is just a bruise and the wrist is just annoying, probably cannot do pushing exercises the next couple of days. I will get through it
Hip/quad, most likely your IT band or hipflexor, do you stretch them every day?
On January 03 2012 15:03 Jupiter wrote: Jupiter Age: 21 || Height: 5'11 || Weight: 96kg Weight goals -- 8%-10% bodyfat Training goals -- Complete a cut while maintaining my current lifts Then assess my physique from there (most likely bulk in winter again and cut before summer) bringing up any lagging body parts - most likely going to be my chest and shoulders
Current PB Lifts - 210kg x 1 Squat - 115kg x 1 Bench - 185kg x 4 Deadlift - 77.5 x 3 OHP
Hey guys been a while since I posted. Happy New Year everyone!!
I've been doing a 4 day split since I finished madcows (and have a solid strength base). To even out my physique (very lower body dominant). Its been going well, gaining size in my upper body and maintaining my legs. Im definitely more adjusted to the volume and less rest between sets.
In about 2 weeks I'm going to begin a cut. It will most likely go for 3+ months. I've been doing a lot of research on it so far but still wondering if anyone has any advice or pointers? (Malinor I know you've been cutting recently and would love to hear what you have to say).
Im looking forward to taking some photos when I finish the cut as it would be just over 1 years progress by then. I've taken photos throughout the year - before any training, after SS, after madcows, after 4 day split etc
Well, I am basically cutting 1kg each week since half a year. So here is some of my experiences. I am getting around 160g of protein/day, and for me this amount simply does not seem to be enough. At least that's what my squat and deadlift numbers seem to tell me. That's why I am shooting for 200 this year. Of course I am much heavier than you are, but I advice you to get those 2g of protein for every kg of bodyweight in. If you care for your squat strength, just don't cut too hard and stay with like 1lb per week. The squat just seems to suffer the most from weight loss (RosaParksStoleMySeat is reporting the same all the time, Phyre112 said this too if I remember correctly). Also, I am now trying out 5/3/1 and while it is a long term programm and you cannot evaluate your numbers after 1-2 cycles, it became very clear to me after only 5-6 weeks that squatting once a week is not enough for me to at least maintain my strength. I would advice you to keep squatting at least two times a week. My upper body strength is relatively unaffected by my weight loss. My OHP has not going up since 6 months, but stayed relatively constant. But I pressed 90kg then and can still do 87,5kg everyday of the week, which is (if my memory serves me right) far more than what anyone on this board can do, so maintaining this level seems to be a good deal. I am still making slow and steady progress on my bench press. I assume since SS and Madcow are pretty lower body focussed, upper body should not be a concern to you anytime soon (your experience with the 4day-split seems to be the same so far). As far as asthetics are concerned, I cannot tell you much. When you are at my weight and are losing weight, you will just look better all the time, and my musclemass does not seem to be affected much by my relatively low protein intake. Beyond all those layers of fat, I am actually looking pretty firghtening when I flex my upper body (shameless brag).
Thanks for the advice Malinor. I really appreciate it.
Currently Im not to concerned with losing some strength in my squat over my cutting period. I plan or running another strength program later this year. I'll definitely be sure to keep my protein high over the next few months.
How far from your goal weight are you??
I'll be sure to let you know how I'm going and will probably need some advice throughout my cut. Hope your feeling better soon btw.
I found a good website that helps plan your diet out for anyone who is interested - http://swole.me/
Pretty much the second time I'm trying to figure out low-bar squat. I was trying to place the bar immediately below scapular spine, and it felt like it was the lowest place it could stay without dropping. At least my left shoulder got a bit sore though, and a lot of pressure on wrists.
Feel free to comment the form in general, I should've also taken one where I do the high-bar style I'm used to.
Hey man, Im going to try and find this video that I saw a while ago. It basically went through a good way to unrack the weight. It goes through foot position, back position, breathing etc As the lifts get really heavy all of those things become really important and I found it helped me a lot.
As Hurricane said make sure you keep your knees apart and stop them from caving in. Keep the weight in your heels too.
100kg x 5 is a good lift. Keep it up!
Thanks. My squat PR is 6x120kg from the summer. :|
Training goals -- Keep doing SS until I hit following goals, then might switch to full body weight strength training: Squat: 120kg -> 150kg Bench: 80kg -> 105kg ( Sadly I didn't try my max at the end of year so it might've been higher, I was doing 70kg 5x5, but my goal still stays the same.) Deadlift: 150kg -> 180kg OHP: 55kg -> 65kg ( Same as bench, didnt actually test my limits and trained with 50kg 5x5 )
Nutrition goals -- Try to follow pure paleo for 6 months at least ( just need to remove cream and milk ). Sleep goals -- No more allnighters and 7.5h+ of sleep every night.
Misc/stress goals: Much less slacking with gym so I can actually reach these goals. Spend more time with school studies so I don't need allnighters again.
Training goals -- Keep lifting weights until I hit 80kg bw, then switch to full body weight strength training: Squat: 120kg -> 100kg Bench: 80kg -> 80kg Deadlift: 150kg -> 120kg OHP: 55kg -> 50kg Pullups: 3-> 10 Chinups: 4-> 10
So I followed wise words that I have heard here: "Keep adding weights until you fail a rep". Today I knew that it was getting too hard for me but more than 10 people here have confirmed it that I was just being a pussy so on my 4th squat rep I felt really fucking sharp pain in lower back. Still managed to do this rep with willpower, then waited 20 sec and thought about 5th rep as I didn't actually still fail a rep but decieded to still rack the bar. Can't sit nor bow at all and back hurts like fuck. Anyway I just thought that my main goals since september have always being losing only weight so I changed my goals too for next 6 months.
I would seriously like to see how someone who suggested it actually failed a squat rep. They probably just threw weights off as soon as it took more than 1 sec to get up. Thing is that with willpower you'll always get it up unless you are trying something really far above your limits and then yeh you just stay in squat position.
Training goals -- Keep doing SS until I hit following goals, then might switch to full body weight strength training: Squat: 120kg -> 150kg Bench: 80kg -> 105kg ( Sadly I didn't try my max at the end of year so it might've been higher, I was doing 70kg 5x5, but my goal still stays the same.) Deadlift: 150kg -> 180kg OHP: 55kg -> 65kg ( Same as bench, didnt actually test my limits and trained with 50kg 5x5 )
Nutrition goals -- Try to follow pure paleo for 6 months at least ( just need to remove cream and milk ). Sleep goals -- No more allnighters and 7.5h+ of sleep every night.
Misc/stress goals: Much less slacking with gym so I can actually reach these goals. Spend more time with school studies so I don't need allnighters again.
Training goals -- Keep lifting weights until I hit 80kg bw, then switch to full body weight strength training: Squat: 120kg -> 100kg Bench: 80kg -> 80kg Deadlift: 150kg -> 120kg OHP: 55kg -> 50kg Pullups: 3-> 10 Chinups: 4-> 10
So I followed wise words that I have heard here: "Keep adding weights until you fail a rep". Today I knew that it was getting too hard for me but more than 10 people here have confirmed it that I was just being a pussy so on my 4th squat rep I felt really fucking sharp pain in lower back. Still managed to do this rep with willpower, then waited 20 sec and thought about 5th rep as I didn't actually still fail a rep but decieded to still rack the bar. Can't sit nor bow at all and back hurts like fuck. Anyway I just thought that my main goals since september have always being losing only weight so I changed my goals too for next 6 months.
I would seriously like to see how someone who suggested it actually failed a squat rep. They probably just threw weights off as soon as it took more than 1 sec to get up. Thing is that with willpower you'll always get it up unless you are trying something really far above your limits and then yeh you just stay in squat position.
so sorry about your injury :/ hope its nothing serious! yeah i've had squats where I held it at slightly above parallel (I believe its called the sticking point!) for several seconds before I threw the bar off because it wasnt moving. no videos though sorry!
On January 07 2012 06:33 Osmoses wrote: My biggest problem right now is the diet. Not because I have trouble eating anything, but because I'm not really sure I'm doing it right. Basically my plan is to go 100% Leangains this year (doing early morning fasted training with bcaa) and Martin doesn't really talk much about actual meals on his blog. His articles mostly have to do with what's under the microscope, like the intricacies of insulin, amino acids and adiponectin(?). I've been piecing stuff together from different articles he's written and right now this is the impression I got:
Every day is high on protein. Workout days: 4000kcal (bodyweight in lbs*20), carbs > fat. Don't know what kind of carb/fat ratio is intended, I'm just trying to eat as little fat as I can get away with. Basically I eat meat, potatoes and veggies. Rest days: fat > carbs. Haven't discerned a clear kcal ballpark, usually end up with < 2000kcal. Meat and veggies with sauces. Turns me into an idiot in the afternoons, can't think without carbs. Going to try upping protein intake during lunches.
In short, diet is causing me the most problems (I'm having a great time at the gym). I'm having trouble finding variation on workout days (fuck I miss pasta) and I have barely a clue about what to eat on rest days.
TL/DR: I have a plan and I'm sticking to it. Any advice from someone who's had success with leangains would be sweet.
I've been on leangains since september and used it mostly for cut/maintenance, but I'm now going to try it for bulking for a few months. 4000/2000 kcals seems a bit extreme. Martin advises +20%/-20% maintenance, so ~3500/2500 (assuming maintenance is 3k) is probably better so you don't starve on rest days. As an example for macro's I did roughly 30%p/25%f/45%c on training days and 40%p/40%f/20%c on rest days and this seemed to work pretty well. Food on rest days was something like meal 1: oatmeal and eggs with bacon/ham. Meal 2: different every tim,e but some kind of meat or fish with veggies, you can play around a lot with this to keep things interesting. Meal 3: quark with nuts and some tuna.
Thanks for the tips!
I used 4000/2000 because he said something about workout day kcal intake should be bodyweight in lbs (220) times 20 = 4000. It was hard to eat that much though. How do you figure out the maintenance? That based on bw as well?
On January 08 2012 05:25 Osmoses wrote: Thanks for the tips!
I used 4000/2000 because he said something about workout day kcal intake should be bodyweight in lbs (220) times 20 = 4000. It was hard to eat that much though. How do you figure out the maintenance? That based on bw as well?
Either way I'll give those ratios a try.
For maintenance just use a BMR calculator, they're all over the internet. That will get you within 300 or so cals of what you need so long as you're honest with yourself, and you can just play around with those numbers to get everything set. 4000 calories seems like a lot, but for some people (you, me, most of this thread) it's just necessary... Make sure you're taking advantage of liquid calories (whole milk) to make it easier on yourself, especially with the limited eating frame of lean gains.
Did some higher volume squatting today, and I seem to have run into what I'll call "bar burn" where the skin on my traps is all raw and sore. Anyone have suggestions for things that can get rid of this, and prevent it in the future? I have to squat again on monday.
On January 07 2012 06:33 Osmoses wrote: My biggest problem right now is the diet. Not because I have trouble eating anything, but because I'm not really sure I'm doing it right. Basically my plan is to go 100% Leangains this year (doing early morning fasted training with bcaa) and Martin doesn't really talk much about actual meals on his blog. His articles mostly have to do with what's under the microscope, like the intricacies of insulin, amino acids and adiponectin(?). I've been piecing stuff together from different articles he's written and right now this is the impression I got:
Every day is high on protein. Workout days: 4000kcal (bodyweight in lbs*20), carbs > fat. Don't know what kind of carb/fat ratio is intended, I'm just trying to eat as little fat as I can get away with. Basically I eat meat, potatoes and veggies. Rest days: fat > carbs. Haven't discerned a clear kcal ballpark, usually end up with < 2000kcal. Meat and veggies with sauces. Turns me into an idiot in the afternoons, can't think without carbs. Going to try upping protein intake during lunches.
In short, diet is causing me the most problems (I'm having a great time at the gym). I'm having trouble finding variation on workout days (fuck I miss pasta) and I have barely a clue about what to eat on rest days.
TL/DR: I have a plan and I'm sticking to it. Any advice from someone who's had success with leangains would be sweet.
I've been on leangains since september and used it mostly for cut/maintenance, but I'm now going to try it for bulking for a few months. 4000/2000 kcals seems a bit extreme. Martin advises +20%/-20% maintenance, so ~3500/2500 (assuming maintenance is 3k) is probably better so you don't starve on rest days. As an example for macro's I did roughly 30%p/25%f/45%c on training days and 40%p/40%f/20%c on rest days and this seemed to work pretty well. Food on rest days was something like meal 1: oatmeal and eggs with bacon/ham. Meal 2: different every tim,e but some kind of meat or fish with veggies, you can play around a lot with this to keep things interesting. Meal 3: quark with nuts and some tuna.
Thanks for the tips!
I used 4000/2000 because he said something about workout day kcal intake should be bodyweight in lbs (220) times 20 = 4000. It was hard to eat that much though. How do you figure out the maintenance? That based on bw as well?
EPT
It's pretty cool how much harder that small movement is lol. But I have a whole year to finish a planche and what's life without a challange? 
![[image loading]](http://runningtimes.com/rt/images/200405/IT%20Band%20stretch%202.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://southwestcommunitycenter.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/hip-flexor-stretch-main.jpg?w=398&h=285)
