Samul's Training and Nutrition Log

@Voxel linked the article about control days, it has everything you need to know

Wouldn’t do it myself

You’re fine, no need to stress

My girlfriend is the same way. She literally looks more impressive than most of the girls (and guys her age) that train at the gym but she’s still complaining about being small and fat. Go figure.

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@samul As long as you have abs then you are gold. Keep the outline, always.

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No, the study was about carb vs. fat overfeed. There was no protein group in there.

I was referring to this:

Well, obviously their protein intake was too low for them. But I’ve seen it a couple of times with people that I train who are (at least supposed to) eat good amounts of protein

That could be the case with some of them, yes.

One possibility is also that if someone had a tendency to eat pizza and candy and whatnot the extra food and protein’s satiation effect made them stop, resulting in a better diet overall.

I’ve read a lot of them lately, and he addressed this simply by saying that natural guys report progressing well with his stuff.

Honestly, that doesn’t say anything.

But if we look at what he generally recommends:

  • Big basics
  • High intensity
  • Rather high volume (but never going over an hour of training)
  • Training a muscle group once every five days (generally)
  • Attention to form and structural balance

It really comes down to what an individual can handle, as with all things. Surely a lot of people can’t handle high intensity work with semi-high volume and frequency, but those who can, can.

In my opinion there are not a whole lot of ways that a natural trainee couldn’t use successfully as long as the program isn’t dumb as hell.

I don’t know who the other type 1 you’re referring to is, if you’re talking about Poliquin, yes, he’s a 1A.

But as said, that recommendation was for type 1s, so it doesn’t apply to all people

Don’t have a counter argument for that, but, as I can’t just let you have it:

Eating a high fat breakfast increases metabolic flexibility, as does exercise and not having both fat and carbs in the same meal. So if you’re being smart with your diet you can at least counteract some of that effect. Not saying that your metabolic flexibility wouldn’t be better when doing those things in addition to a lower protein intake though.

This is the number one rule when it comes to “am I too fat”

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Yeah @samul you still look awesome dude! Nothing to worry about

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The way I interpreted it he was probably referring to me.
@Voxel I am a type 2b

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I was indeed

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So I read the article on control days that you guys mentioned and I’ll be implementing it as soon as I go back to training by myself. My plan is starting to come together. So I’ll be doing 5/3/1 for a year, eating for gains and implementing one to two control days a week, following thibarmy type 2b template, which I’ll purchase on Christmas day as a gift to myself.

@danteism when I finish with Paul, do you think it’d be a good idea to do a mini cut and start again or am I lean enough to keep going? Probably it’s best to assess in three weeks from now and Paul will also likely give me some advice. But probably cutting again isn’t too bright an idea since that’d make for a 1:1 gain to cut ratio since I’ve cut for eight weeks and gained got eight weeks and I should probably want to spend more time gaining than cutting IMO.

One question for @T3hPwnisher
So last week we talked about how good 5/3/1 BBB is, but I’ve read some posts here and on wndler’s websites and he seems to be against doing BBB as a 5/3/1 beginner.

Would I be better off doing another template for the first months?
I am undecided between regular 5/3/1 FSL 5x5, and 5’s pro + FSL 5x5. Is the latter as effective? I would like to do the original program (and always doing five reps each weeks probably wouldn’t feel like that to me, I just learned a few weeks ago how standard 5/3/1 programming works) but if it’s just as effective…

Also as far as assistance? He seems to believe in limiting exercise selection to as few exercises as possible. For what’s worth, here are the exercises I’d really want to include and I’m looking for tips on how to make that work: dips, incline and flat dumbbell presses, chins, dumbbell rows, curls, delt raises/face pulls (he never mentions lateral raises but if they aren’t a no no I’d still do them).

This

I’ll just quote Wendler,

I’m 100% for everyone finding their own way and developing their own training; if you think something needs to be tweaked for your own benefit or goals, make that decision for yourself and go for it. So don’t ask me if you can start tweaking shit.

(Beyond 5/3/1 Program - Bigger Stronger Leaner - COMMUNITY - T NATION)

I think it was @Lonnie123 that said,

Any hard training is going to “work” so don’t worry so much if it 100% optimal and just do what you want and switch it up as you see fit.

You aren’t going to want to do the same assistance exercises indefinitely anyway. Just, start with those, go at your main lifts the hardest, get your assistance in, (re-)evaluate your progress continuously and make changes you feel that you need to do every now and again and just keep progressing. It doesn’t have to be that you are progressing “faster” necessarily, you just need to keep progressing. If you do, then you can’t fail.

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In my opinion you’re lean enough atm, but do reassess when you’re done with Paul. You could try going on for, say 8 weeks or so while implementing a control day or two each week

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Nah man you hugee.

Jim’s aversion to beginners doing BBB is that beginners are unable to do 5x10 without their form falling apart. Jim is about perfect practice. You’ve been training long enough that I’d hope you can do 5x10 without your form falling apart.

Typically, if you do 5s pro w/FSL 5x5, you’re going to be using joker sets, as that’s basically an anchor program. With a goal of getting bigger, it’s not how I would program it.

For assistance, pretty much do whatever you want. Jim establishes minimums, and says you can go above them if you need to. With those movements you picked, just rotate them around as you need. You don’t need to do each one every day to get the benefits of them.

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Got it. I saw his recommendations about 50-100 reps per category, so to begin a 5x10 should be good. I also assume that if I want to do say, 5x10 rows and then 3x10 curls that’d still fall within the recommendations?

Well hopefully so haha.

Here’s a set of 12 on the squats, you can judge by yourself if you want to.

It was my third consecutive set. Got pretty grueling by the end but I’m assuming I used more weight than I would with 5/3/1 BBB, at least initially.

I legit know nothing about high bar squatting to know what good form looks like. Regarding assistance, honestly, it’s not worth overthinking. You can pretty much do whatever you want and you’ll be good. It’s the mainwork and supplemental work that drive progress.

Find out what’s fucking with you and eliminate it. Nothing else will work

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My dad gave me similar advice when it came to dealing with bullies.

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Chest, back, delts

Flat db press 32 kg x 11, 9
Cable fly 15 kg x 17, 13
Lat pulldown 60 kg x 20, 14
Rack pulls 142 kg x 6, 7
Db ohp 24 kg x 8, 8
Rear raises 3 sets + partials

Very solid workout except for pulls. I don’t know why but the straps totally didn’t feel like they were giving me any help with grip. The first set was utter shit. The plates kept hitting the clips on the safeties which resulted in a super unstable bar, and after the sixth rep my right strap gave in and the bar slipped out of my hands.

Luckily, or maybe not, the set was filmed. Have a good laugh

On the second set I used hooks but man do they hurt so fucking bad. I feel a sharp pain in my fingers when I wrap them tightly around the hook. So ultimately my sets are being limited by my weak as fuck grip and shitty equipment. I never had this issue with the straps though. Advice?

Why are you straightening out your hand between reps instead of just keeping it wrapped around the bar? Every time you let go of the bar the straps are going to unravel a bit.

Actually I don’t know. It’s something I do instinctively because it helps me reset for the next rep. I should try to eliminate that and see what happens maybe.

Obviously the point of straps is to prevent grip being a limiting factor, but don’t expect them to hold the weight for you. I am positive that continuing to maintain a firm grip on your straps will solve the problem of the weight slipping out of them mid-set, but if I’m being honest; you’re not holding enough weight to be using straps yet. Straps are useful for sure, but if you’re losing your grip while using them, you’re sprinting before you can walk.
Don’t remedy this by going crazy on grip training - just go by this rule until further notice: if you can’t hold it, you can’t lift if. This applies to any pulling exercise.

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I do realize my grip is weak.

That being said, without straps I could probably hold it for one rep, whereas the other muscles can lift it for 6-7 reps. That would leave all of my back under trained if I were to allow my grip to be a limiting factor, wouldn’t it?

I know I’m basically using them as a crutch, but I plan on addressing the problem when I finish this program most definitely.