Bro, you seem a little aggressive here. I’m disagreeing with a source you cited, I didn’t insult your mom.
Lol or it’s because I’m a natural, how heavy do you expect a 5’4" dude to be? I think I carry it well. I have a prep log on here, these are just some photos from pre-show. I’m not sure you have the experience to know what height/weight ratio to expect for a natural at 5’4", or 5’6". 140lbs in these photos.
Sorry if I sound like an asshole, I have some other people giving me a headache right now. Mike Israetel says he is natural too, he has just been training for a long time. He hasn’t gained a huge amount of muscle in the last two years or so since I have been following him either.
It’s all good man. I don’t know the guy, and again I’m not doubting his knowledge, experience or credibility. At 5’6" and 230lbs, I am most definitely doubting he’s natural.
Anyway, even if you don’t believe in maintenance phases, isn’t it a good idea to take a break from high reps and volume and focus on strength if you are a powerlifter or aspiring powerlifter?
I’m 3 inches taller and the same height, but not quite stage ready. Probably around 15-18%bf, but I’m not interested in bodybuilding anyway. I figured he was on juice at first but he says he’s not, who am I to judge? His friend Jared Feather has a natural pro card and is more jacked than him, although probably lighter too.
I never said I don’t believe in maintenenace phases. I’m fact I’m on one right now. I posted to OP regarding bulking because that’s the topic of the thread. And yes of course it’s good to change up training methodologies and programs, regardless of bodybuilding, powerlifting or whatever, I never said it wasn’t.
Ok then. So how would you set up a training cycle for someone looking to gain size and strength? Without becoming a fatass of course.
Let’s not forget, Israetel’s PHD is from East Tennessee State University.
The “Without becoming a fatass” part will be completely dependent upon nutrition. So:
To gain size and strength, you obviously need to be in a caloric surplus. Not a huge one, but if you’re trying to gain size, you can’t expect to make any kind of noticeable progress on maintenance calories. It doesn’t take a big caloric surplus to gain size properly, it’s largely dependent on the individual, their training, genetics, metabolism and numerous other factors, which is why it’s important to take advice from someone who’s been there, done that, and has the personal experience to pull from, rather than let’s say, a potential keyboard warrior who does not have said experience and thinks a guy who walks around at 5’6" and 230 is a natural.
If you want to gain size, it’s not just about nutrition, you need to train largely in the “hypertrophy” zone to gain muscle mass, which means more time under tension. Compound and isolation movements should be utilized. I’d highly recommend you give this article a read which talks about the difference in training methodologies between bodybuilders and powerlifters, and why bodybuilders look to have more muscle.
To gain strength, some lower rep and strength based work is needed. Maybe starting out the workouts with 5x5, or something similar, with of course squats, dead lift variations and compound movements incorporated.
I’d recommend a standard bodybuilding template, like this one:
With the first exercises being more in the strength focus. So if you’re starting chest day, maybe do heavy incline barbell or dumbbell presses for 5x5, then move on to 8-10 and 10-12 rep ranges for the rest of the workout. Gaining size isn’t just about rep ranges, it’s about knowing HOW to train, establishing a great MMC (mind muscle connection) with slow controlled negatives, initiating every movement with the working muscle and keeping tension on the working muscle throughout the entire concentric and eccentric phase of every rep.
To ensure one doesn’t become a fatass, I’ll repeat the same thing I posted earlier. Find your TDEE/maintenance. If you’re not sure what it is, use a TDEE calculator, plug in the info, and eat at maintenance for a couple weeks to make sure it actually is your maintenance. Once you know, bump to 10-15% surplus. Protein should be ~1g per pound, fats 25-30% of total cals, and fill the rest with carbs. Depending on one’s metabolism and body type, some people can get away with more fast digesting carbs than others. Personally, I stick with slow digesting carbs, except for post workout, because I do not have a naturally fast metabolism. Eat consistently, keep an eye on the scale and mirror, and if the scale goes up and conditioning stays tight/acceptable, you’re good to keep going. If you start gaining more fat than you’d like, scale back slightly on cals/carbs, maybe add some low intensity cardio, lose a few pounds, and then go back to gaining.
These are just my opinions based on my experience, that I’ve found success with and so do my clients. I’m not saying there aren’t other ways to make progress.
I’ve made significant improvements over the years following these methods and they’ve helped me earn some overall wins and a pro card. But hey, I’m no doctor.
Sorry, I just made this account less than a week ago… I am still figuring out how to use it lol. I tried bodybuilding.com but it didn’t seem to help me in the forums. I currently follow Wendler’s 531 program right now. So I thought T Nation would be a bit better…
honestly, if you’re considering taking his advice, shouldn’t you be judging? lol. I certainly would be.
I think you’re drinking the kool aid, brother. and that’s fine, you can believe whatever you want. Mike Isratael certainly is a name brand in the industry, but there are plenty of guys out there who would disagree with his opinions and are at least as highly regarded as he is in the strength community. I’ve seen you talk about him before, and it sounds to me like you’re not really seeking out information from a variety of trainers. It’s really easy to fall into the dogma of one guy, but it’s more useful to read a lot of opinions, and try to learn something from everyone.
you didn’t answer either of my questions though… age and sex?
I am male, and 16 years old. 150 lbs and 5’4"… My bad dude
Volume seems to be the a more important factor in muscle hypertrophy than certain rep ranges:
Strength gains (1RM) on the other hand seem to correlate clearly with intensity (load used). “Hypertrophy range” could be good from time to time to prevent stagnation and lessen the risk of injury. Not trying to sound rude but someone with personal experience can of course give his advice on the matter with confidence, however that should be taken just as it is: personal experience on what someone FEELS works for himself. The reason we have doctors and experiments and such is to figure out the objective truth on the matter (although results often may be hazy, which is why facts can’t be stated from a single research report).
So for future reference, it’s a great idea to mention your age when you start a topic on this forum, given that you’re so young. It will greatly affect the advice you get.
It also affects how I interpret your 320 lbs max deadlift. This would not be a good number if you were 26. It is a fine number at 16. Also, your bodyweight is not so bad for your age.
So if you look at my profile picture, you might notice that I am not fat. I’ve totaled elite in the 181 class, and could easily do it in the 198 class now if I wanted to (I don’t care about powerlifting anymore so I won’t be competing. But I used to). Getting fat is a poor way to approach powerlifting. Every pound counts, particularly in the lower weight classes. Look at all the best lifters in the world up through at least the 242 class, and even the 275’s. They are almost universally lean. You will never find a fat powerlifter under 200 lbs who is particularly successful. Fat people seem to be drawn to the sport, but that doesn’t mean they are good at it.
Bottom line: don’t get fat.
Chris- I was tryna figure out how calling me small and skinny was relevant. Dude you gotta chill… I’m just a kid looking for advice. And yeah, my numbers aren’t quite impressive but sufficient in my weight class.
Right, I got you… So should I keep doing low carb? Because I’ve made some solid cuts and I finally am starting to look like I lift. Should I just go slightly above maintenance and eat “clean” to not get fat?
that’s mostly what I would suggest 
as far as low carb goes… my personal opinion on carbs is that if you lift for performance, carbs are good. They have a lot to do with how strong you are in any given training session. You DEFINITELY want to consume carbs in the window before, during and after workout. How much you eat carbs outside of that will depend on how easily they make you fat. I basically suggest keeping carbs as high as you can without increasing fat mass. That’s a different amount for everyone.
Okay I see. How would I find my maintenance calories? The bodybuilding.com calculator seems off to me.
You basically just need to pick a number and see what happens at that number, honestly. It’s not an exact science, but you can approximate, and alter your diet based on results you see over a period of a month or so. So a number you could potentially use would be 2200 calories to start. Try to eat right around that for a month straight, keeping fairly strictly to it, but of course with some variation on training versus non training days. Then you look at your weight gain/loss over that period of time and assess whether you’re eating at maintenance, or if it should be higher or lower.
You also have to factor in your age, though. You’re growing. That’s going to make a difference versus an adult. What is maintenance for you right now may not be maintenance in 6 months, when you’ve, say, grown an inch, lol. Your hormones are also going to fluctuate quite a bit at your age. Thyroid is developing, sex hormones are changing, etc.
I suggest just eating as clean as possible for now, and eating more or less depending on what you see in the mirror. Don’t get caught up in counting calories just yet. I think it will be more frustrating than anything else…
What I WOULD do is track protein intake. Try to get at least 130 grams of protein every day. That will at least ensure that you’re getting enough of that macro to sufficiently repair and grow muscle tissue.
