QTDDTOT:

That's why you use periodisation and have heavy & volume days.

Whether you want to see changes in body composition or athletic capacity, the PURPOSE of training is keep subjecting the body to a stimulus that causes adaptation. In order to succesfully keep doing this, the stimulus must be stronger and stronger over time. This is what's called progressive overload. If this isn't happening, you are literally getting nowhere.

So how much should you train? Enough to create a sufficiently strong stimulus, but not so much that you cannot recover and improve from this stimulus.
So how do you know if you've got it right? Simple. Your performance improves. If your strength, speed or whatever you're training for doesn't increase over time, your training IS NOT WORKING. You either need to do more (or sometimes less) of it, or you need to change it so it's more specific to your goal.

This is the entire point of being in the gym: to facilitate continued progress in performance. Yes, even if all you care about is muscle growth.

Most people don't understand this. So many people get caught up in endless debates of whether it's better to hit a muscle two times or three times per week, whether it's better to do 3 sets or 4 sets etc.
You can't look at it like that. What matters is: Are you getting better? If not, you must either increase or decrease the stimulus.

So you CANNOT sit down with a piece of paper and theorize as to what would be the optimal program for you. At the end of the day you have to pick a starting point and adjust from there according to how your body reacts.

Cheers.

lately i am doing 2 days split
day A (lower and shoulders) monday+thursday
5 sets squat
3 sets lunges
3 sets over head press
3 sets lateral raises

Day B (back, chest and arms) wensday+saturday
5 sets heavy chest dips
5 sets weighted pull ups/ rows
3 biceps curl
3 sets close grip push ups

so that you have 72 hours of rest for every muscle group and you hit them 2 times per week

How?
Push1 : heavy bench
Pull 1 : heavy deads
Legs 1: heavy squats
Push 2: heavy OHP
Pull 2: heavy weighted chins
Legs 2: RDL and stuff

Pls respond

Why does my calculated 1rm seem to be so far from my actual 1RM? It says I can diddle 475 but idk if I can even do 455. Probably more like 435-445. Is it bad form? Just not trying hard enough? Or are 1rm calculators bogus?

You mean pullups/dip belt? Anything works. Try kinobelt

>PPL
You are never gonna make it
>there is only One Whey
>full body, three or four times a week

Following your template
Heavy bench/ volume ohp
Heavy deads/ volume rows/chins
Heavy squats/ volume rdl
Heavy ohp/ volume bench
Heavy chins/ volume deads
Heavy rdl/ Volume squats

Volume stuff doesn't have to be heavy, could be 5x10 @ 60% or something. You could always do an alternative lift so you do front squats or dumbell stuff on volume days.

Calcs become more and more inaccurate as the number of reps increase, ie using your 5RM normally will give you a higher predicted max than your 3RM.
Also you could just be shit at maxing. Shifting heavy weights is a skill in itself so you might have to practice maxing more or use static holds (basically just unracking then reracking) supermaximal loads to get used to really heavy shit.

Hair is thinning a lot, what can I do to have it cone back thicker or should I just shave it off?

Is protein bioavailability the same as absorption rate?

I just do PPLPPRR
I've missed my last two leg days though and my neck is killing me.

Hello.

I've been doing powerlifting routines last 2 years or so. I'm 5'9'', and when I started I was 160 lbs and fit easily into a medium shirt. Now I'm 183 lbs and comfortably fill out a large, but I'm not particularly chubby at all. The entirety of my body has put on significant muscle when I check my measurements from when I first started lifting, especially my quads which are almost 26 inches around at peak, and my chest which is 44 inches, when I have a 32 inch waist. I've gotten to the point where I can DL 435 for 5x5, squat 370 for 5x5, and bench 280 5x5.

Despite all this, I don't have much notable muscle definition unless I have a pump, and I'm considering switching up my routine for a while and getting a bit leaner. I really only know powerlifting routines, so I was curious to see what you anons suggest for someone like me?

minoxidil works

so does finasteride, but it will kill you and turn you into a woman

How long does it usually take to see *any* results?

Sounds like you've packed on some a nice chunk muscle, but your bf% is still to high for it to show through. It is now time for you to create a caloric deficit, do cardio, and do a traditional high rep program. Any of them should work, just find one that you can tailor to your schedule. Also those are some great lifts for your size, nice shit.

how long without training until i start to lose gain/strengh?

a few weeks

Anyway to do that without becoming a girl?

My legs are a problem area and I'm planning on working on them more as in three days devoted to legs instead of the regular two. The third day will be on my rest day as I'm doing a PPL. Will this fuck up my recovery?

Any drawbacks to having sweet potato everyday? I know it's loaded with vitamin a

I can deadlift 3 plates, but no more because my grip gives out. I'm adding farmers walks to my routines now. What are some exercises I can do to improve grip strength?
>inb4 masturbation

Is 15% body fat an acceptable body fat range for a clean bulk?
I've been cutting for 3 months, I barely have any muscle and my lifts at the gym are starting to stall too.

Other than deadlifts what should I be doing to work my hamstrings?

No, as long as it is in your macros it is a clean source of carbs
Straight leg deadlifts and good mornings are good for hamstrings. Leg curl machines also do the trick, but not everyone has access to those. You can also hang from a pull up bar and curl a dumbbell up by gripping it with crossed legs.

good mornings
hamstring curls machine
glute ham raise
dl variants like straightleg aka jefferson curl, romanian, stiffleg, single-leg dl, etc
olympic lifts

kind of depends on what you want. if you want to just add extra isolation on the hams, use the machine curls or ghr. if you want isolation but only have barbells or dbs, then straightleg or single-leg or good mornings. if you're wanting another compound full-body lift that emhasizes but doesn't isolate the hammies, then add a dl variant that uses more weight or do some olympics like cleans etc.

iifym
cico

bf% is a meme
so is "clean eating" see response above
cut to whatever lean appearance you personally like (abs 4pck 6pc whatev) then bulk until you don't like it anymore, but never get too sloppy
cut 1-2lbs a week, bulk

Just do

PPLPPLR

For noobs it's the best. I'm cutting and this routine kills me. Still progressing.

Also do Pull Push Legs because lower back work

Does strength=size for a natty lifter? Guys like Alex and kinobody(maybe wasn't natty before) are big and strong af

What, if anything, do you guys make of this meta study? It shows that all you need daily is 0.75g of prots per lbs of body mass.
I'm curious as to if you guys still think that 200+g of prots per dey is beneficial in muscle building...

Here's the study : bjsm.bmj.com/content/early/2018/01/18/bjsports-2017-097608

Are 0.8 lbs per week gained too much as a beginner?

General rule of thumb is if you're gaining a pound or less a week natty then you're doing well

Two questions:

>how do I determine what bf% I am at acurrately? The chart I have is telling me I need to reach 110lbs to reach 15%bf, which to me seems like I’ll be dead skelly mode.

>If I do it properly and follow a good program how quickly can I put on muscle? This is under the stipulation I have essentially unlimited gym time to do it in (3-4 hours a day 7 days a week if necessary)

I drink water, is it normal to have to pee 30 minutes later? Is it supposed to be that fast?

I'm switching from a powerlifting routine to a body building one after three years of straight powerlifting. I'm going to train four days a week, but my only concern is cardio. When and how often should I do cardio, and in what form? I like to row, and do HIIT, but I don't know how often I should do it and when.

Pre workout, post workout, on a totally separate day?

doing some high intensity stuff might inhibit the amount of weight you can move during a session, which is why i prefer to do my cardio post-workout.

Personally, i prefer interval based workouts as they give you the benefits of doing cardio without needing much time dedicated to them. Rowing intervals are pretty fun, doing something like 30s max effort/30 s min effort wrecks me. do 5 of those, take a 3 minute break, do another 5, another break. and a final set. takes around 20 minutes and you're proper wrecked

Yeah, I might try that. I've been doing 50 meter sprints max effort, and 100 meter relaxed repeating until about 2500 meters. I'm fucking blown out by the end of that typically. I'd probably be more fucked your method as well.

I'll continue to keep my cardio post workout then. Only day I won't be doing it is shoulders & back. Thank you.

Never pre workout. Either after, or on separate days. It also depends on what for of cardio you do, and why. For calorie burning, do some HIIT after your workout. For "real" cardiovascular training, do some LISS for 30 to 60 minutes.

you can also do 15/15 or any other interval ratio. Just try to keep it 1:1 or 1:2 work/rest

interval training is real cardio training though. LISS is not necessary

I have very low blood pressure but pretty good heart health (good 10k time, general good health if a little tubby). How do I fix my low blood pressure. Now that I’m doing a hard cut it got to the point I got up to answer the door from laying on the couch and got dizzy enough I momentary blacked out and collapsed.

Normally it is not this bad but during cutting I’m worried about collapsing in a more serious situation. I don’t want to die from cutting.

I hate people but am worried about doing free weights alone, how do I lift safely alone?

get familiar with when to keep a rep in the tank and when you can safely push that limit.

I'm 15% bf and 135 lbs, what's a good bulking goal?

Sort of.

Strength doesn't exactly equal size. Many factors influence how heavy weights an individual can handle in certain exercises e.g. neurological efficiency, skill/technique, experience, genetics, anatomy, muscle insertions etc.

But with that said, there is a VERY strong (no pun intended) correlation between strength and size.
And the fact of the matter is that the best way to get bigger is to work on increasing your performance i.e. strength on the big basic exercises. I'm not necessarily talking about your 1RM, but increase your 8RM by 25 kg and I pretty much guarantee you'll be significantly bigger. Conversely, if you train for a prolonged period of time without succesfully increasing your strength, it's very likely that you will have gained zero size.

I've recently started reducing my calories to 300 below my maintenance. It's quite a low-carb, high-protein diet. I'm under my target by 200 calories day after day but not that hungry. Is this a problem, should I be hungry?

>should I be hungry?
Not really, no.
Basically if you're feeling hungry or weak or tired, you're cutting way too fucking hard. It's not supposed to be like that. Cutting is easy as shit, all you need to do is literally eat a little bit less than usual. Job done.

That cutting is supposed to feel miserable is a myth perpetuated by people who're impatient little fucks and insist on only using absolutely extreme measures.
That and bodybuilders who diet for 16 weeks dipping into some seriously low bodyfat territory. This is obviously different from regular people who just want to lean out.

Carry on, user.

Why is my power clean so weak? I've recorded my form and it seems fine but it's weaker in terms of my other lifts. This is based off of different sites that tell what beginner/novice/intermediate etc lifts are, but should it be higher or are those site bullshit?

Current lifts are

High bar atg squat 225x3x5
Bench 155x3x5
Ohp 105x5x3
Deadlift 235x1x5

My power clean is currently 115x3x5 and I struggle the hardest during them

How long do you guys think sprained wrist take to heal? I think it's really reminder because I still have full range of motion.

How many lbs of muscle can I expect a week if I'm lifting for mass/strength leaning mass?

I was thinking like .5lbs or less? But honestly I don't know.

What app you lads use to track your workouts.
>inb4 pen and paper

To my fellow skellingtons:

How long did it take you to reach 2 pl8s on death-lifts, squats and bench? I intend to do an SS variant as my beginner routine. According to the program, I should be able to reach 2 pl8s in under 2 months for the major lifts if I increase them by 2.5 kgs on every occasion. That seems unreasonable considering I am struggling on my current lifts:

BP: 50 kg x 5
SQ: 50 kg x 5
DL: 60 kg x 5

I could probably lift a bit more on the latter two. Still, going from 50 kg to 100 kg in 2 months seems a bit much.

Any advice/personal experience?

Skinny guy here.

How quickly can I gain reps on my chinups?

I have made an improvement, going from 3 sets of 3 to 3 sets of 4. Is this a feasable plan:

monday
4,4,4
wednesday
5,4,4
friday
5,5,4
monday
5,5,5

and carry on increasing in this pattern until I can do 8x3?

will front squats instead of back squats cause any issues in SS? I don't have a rack

Means youre hydrated it's normal Is it still light yellow or clear? Clear is ok occasionally but not for every urination if it is clear always drink more sugar/electrolytes

Doing Madcow 5x5:

i'm used to working out 5 days a week, how would I fill in the "off" days with workouts without messing up my main lifts on MWF?

I started SL 5x5 at 72kg (192cm) 2 years ago around

BP: 50kg x 5
SQ: 40kg x 5
DL: 60kg x 5

Now I am at 95kg same height at
BP: 85kg x 5
SQ: 130kg x 5
DL: 170kg x 5

I couldn't gain weight easily so since last year I started drinking 2-3L milk every day along with my regular meals which helped to get weight + gains fast.

forgot from but I reached 2pl8 squat after prob 4 months, deadlift was easier (around 3 months) but after gaining more weight it was a lot easier to progress even further

Hello what is my bf%?

Can someone tell me a beginner running plan im 20lb overweight

18%

Is it possible to hit 3pl8 if I only squat once a week? I'm plateaued hard at 2.5 but between work and school I can't fit in another leg day.

thanks

> find a 400m track, treadmills are the worst.
> 1st lap: walk, stretch out your muscles
> 2nd lap: slow jog, regulate breathe, stretch
> 3rd lap: pick a 100m straightway to run fast, not a sprint, use remaining 300 meters for recovery.
>keep slow jog 300m fast run 100m split.
> Start with only 4 laps.
> Add one lap per week

Pen and paper is the goat

I just have each workout saved in a Notepad doc on my iPod. Extremely convenient.

how do i escape skinny fat

my tdee is 3k cals
should i eat at a deficit to cut fat or at a slight surplus and lean bulk
or stick to maintenance

everything i read online or video i watch contradicts eachother

what your personal experience?

I was told I got an inflamed rotor cuff. What stretches or exercises should I do? Also anything I should be aware of with my injury?

am i cheating myself by using a slightly wide grip in ohp? I tried narrow grip today and I could barely do 5 with less weight than last week.

It's fine to lift if my only symptoms is pleghm in throat? I don't even cough at this point and I would lift at home so it's not like I am contaminating anyone else.

I need to cut a lot as quickly as I can.

How much protein do I need to keep my body running if I only consume protein, multivitamins and water?

probably, it's worse for your joints as well iirc. Depends on your current numbers though

Is liver a good source of protein? Here in the UK it's extremely cheap, even organic grassfed etc etc

Can I eat it every day?

noob tier 85 lbs. I think my grip is actually ok I was just flaring my elbows, gonna work on that.

What's a cheap but good olympic bar to buy for a home gym?

The reason you get less reps with less weight doing the proper grip form is most likely due to you not being used to it. I always had a wider grip, but I switched, and it felt lighter and easier to perform the OHP. I have been doing OHP for longer, as my 5rm is 155lbs, and I do CGBP, so it was probably easier for me to transfer that neurological pathway to the narrower grip OHP. Try it for longer and see how it goes.

Looking for a preworkout supplement that has HMB and creatine, but no caffeine (I tend to work out late at night, just before I go to bed)

Also, a I'd like to give a quick shout out to the chad Veeky Forumsizen who gave me encouragement when I was feeling shit about life and myself. You're a true bro, and I hope great gains come your way.

not sure what they have now but i got a decent one at Dick's if you're avoiding craigslist.

>train hard
>eat well
>sleep well
>shit gains

wat do? I'm afraid to get my t levels tested desu, the number will probably come back negative. Extrapolating my rate of progress it will take me more than 2 years of lifting to hit 1/2/3/4...

I personally bought the main ingredients for pre-workout and mixed it myself. It's hella cheaper, and you can customize it to your personal preferences, and you know it won't be underdosed.

Probably not training as hard as you think you are, every set should be challenging to some degree. What do you weigh hitting 1234?

...

Is a 1000 calories deficit safe?

1) I'm around 170lbs and I just benched 175x3, is that any good?
2) How do I quit caffeine cold turkey without suffering tons of fatigue lifting?

Depends on how much you weigh. The more fat you have the more you can lose. Use the calculator here: strongerbyscience.com/realistic-training-goals/

>it will take me more than 2 years of lifting to hit 1/2/3/4

I don't think I could handle that

Either man up or find alternative thing to crave (ex. gum)

If I eat before I workout should I take pre-workout?

I'm fighting a fucking annoying ass cold (all upperbody) and I'm literally dragging myself to the gym and could use the boost.

Any medanons here? How long will it take for me to leave snap city?
Doctor report on the injury:
>Was squatting 70kg
>Upper back suddenly arched forward
>Felt a pop from lower back
>Still able to mobilise
>Sharp, localised to lower back, 7/10 -> 3/10 with analgesia
>nil numbness, weakness, sciatica, urinary retention and bowel incontinence

Diagnosis:
>Paraspinal muscle spasm on lumbar region
>Nil deformity, swelling, erythema
>Neurological exam was normal

Don't go to the gym, it'll suck and you won't get much out of it aside from prolonging your cold. Just do some light cardio at most.