unsatisfactory after 1.5 year of training, pics

[OLD42]

I am new here but have been training now for over 25 years,buy looking at your pics and scanning over your diet 2 things come too me right of the bat.
#1 your getting about 100 grams of fat a day
#2 your eating carbs AND fat to late in the day if your trying to lose your gut.

In ref to the BBQ sauce no matter what kind it is its fatting and come to think of it I have never heard of ANYTHING WITH THE WORD SAUCE IN IT THAT WASENT FATTING.

Good luck

[_Wolf_]

Originally Posted by OLD42

I am new here but have been training now for over 25 years,buy looking at your pics and scanning over your diet 2 things come too me right of the bat.
#1 your getting about 100 grams of fat a day
#2 your eating carbs AND fat to late in the day if your trying to lose your gut.

In ref to the BBQ sauce no matter what kind it is its fatting and come to think of it I have never heard of ANYTHING WITH THE WORD SAUCE IN IT THAT WASENT FATTING.

Good luck

welcome to the board. I look forward to reading useful information from you, sir.

[Ross86]

Originally Posted by OLD42

I am new here but have been training now for over 25 years,buy looking at your pics and scanning over your diet 2 things come too me right of the bat.
#1 your getting about 100 grams of fat a day
#2 your eating carbs AND fat to late in the day if your trying to lose your gut.

In ref to the BBQ sauce no matter what kind it is its fatting and come to think of it I have never heard of ANYTHING WITH THE WORD SAUCE IN IT THAT WASENT FATTING.

Good luck

I like to keep the carbs earlier in the day and right around my workout also. But I don't think it's a big problem to take in fats at night. Fats don't have a big impact on insulin levels. They slow the digestion of food also. I try to keep most of my fat later in the day OR spread out evenly throughout the day. Just try to make sure the fats are healthy fats.

The BBQ sauce might or might not be okay. The nutrition label will decide that. It becomes necessary to do something to maintain your sanity when your diet has been pretty strict...that's the case with most people anyway. You just have to keep those little novelties in check.

[widdoes2504]

Originally Posted by Ross86

Strength = mass, especially when you're starting out. If you are getting stronger, then you are getting bigger. SS will be a good program for you. Ask again in a few years and you might get a different answer.

Absolutely

[Darkvision]

Originally Posted by Ross86

Strength = mass, especially when you're starting out. If you are getting stronger, then you are getting bigger. SS will be a good program for you. Ask again in a few years and you might get a different answer.

Ok man I totally believe you, you have way more experience than me and are bigger, but, I'm a little hesitant because before I was squatting, deadlifting, rowing, benching 5x5, and eating OK... and I wasn't getting ANY gains on my arms or muscle-wise. (the post about working out for a year no gains etc)

so either something was wrong seriously with my diet? I was overtraining? or maybe I wasn't working hard enough? can I do a 4x12 or 5x8 instead of 5x5?

.. I have reason to believe my body responds better to more reps, maybe I'm crazy, but, when I was putting the weight down after 5 reps I felt like "wow I want to push myself a little more"

[Ross86]

Originally Posted by Darkvision

.. I have reason to believe my body responds better to more reps, maybe I'm crazy, but, when I was putting the weight down after 5 reps I felt like "wow I want to push myself a little more"

Haha if you were thinking that, then you probably weren't going heavy enough. DFT 5X5 KICKED MY ASS every day that I stepped into the gym. After each set, I was thinking "That was almost my 5RM. How am I going to finish this workout? It is going to fucking suckkkkk! "

Yeah, go for some higher rep stuff. It won't hurt. I think that learning to push yourself HARD while maintaining good form is what will start giving you gains though. The fact that you felt like you weren't doing enough in your routine (unless it's the very beginning of a mesocycle...I think mesocycle is the right word?) means that you probably weren't putting enough effort into it. 5X5 routines are supposed to be really, really hard IMO.

[Eric3237]

You want to look like an athlete but not train like one. Good luck on that.

You want to be "challenged" and feel pushed but you don't want to get stronger. There is no such thing as pure mass. Your body doesn't like to grow extra muscle. What you do in one workout will not convince your body to do that. You need consistent stimulus and overload. But you are looking for instantaneus esthetics rather than setting goals and trying to reach them.

I don't think this will get anywhere. I would suggest just picking a program you like the looks of and doing that. And then keep doing that for about 5 years and see what you learn from it.

Rippetoes is a strength/mass program simply for the reasons Wids stated.

[altus580]

as far as mind and muscle connections when i lift, i think of the muscles im working, and nothing else, just focus on "feeling" that muscle. for instance, if u dont feel it on squats go lower, dont feel it on rows tighten up ur back more, then think of nothing else at all. mind to muscle, a thing arnold swore upon. i did the DFT 5xt5 for 4 months (with a one week break) and ate ate ate, i gained 8 pounds. Not tons but not bad for 4 months either.

that fat is kind of the nature of the beast, u can worry about it later, get big and strong right now, this stuff takes a while. I've been lifting for over 2 years, people are just now starting to acknowledge me as a "big" guy. i didn't read ur other post, but do deads squats rows and bench...that should be the majority of ur workout. So many people ask for advice from me, i tell them what i do, they dont listen, they believe so much in isolation exercises, and doing 10 different exersices on "back day" and the same for "chest day" throw that crap out the window.---i tried that for over a year, never could bench more than 225 for a 1 rep Max....after 8 weeks on the 5x5 i was using 235 on the bench, for the ENTIRE 5x5.....EAT EAT EAT....

[altus580]

oh yeah, Ross mentioned 5x5 are supposed to be really hard. THEY ARE....i leave they gym feeling like i got my a$s kicked every time i finish up, every rep is a fight when i lift...

[Darkvision]

"i didn't read ur other post, but do deads squats rows and bench...that should be the majority of ur workout. "

every workout?! how do you split exactly man?




that's it. I don't give a shit about belly fat, weird muscles growing.. whatever. f*** aesthetics. my core attitude has changed, thank you all. I'm eating like it's the last day on earth and getting back on 5x5 rippetoes. I'm going to keep a journal up on here, please feel free to look and comment on it. each workout I will post updates.


I love you guys, sorry if some of my questions seemed like I was being a bitch before, I missed the real point of this sport...

TO GET STRONGER ON THE BASIC LIFTS ON A WEEK-BY-WEEK BASIS.