Joe, please do not eat anywhere near 3000 Kcals as normal eating, I know jbird is trying to be helpful, but 3000 kcals is overeating.
Most coaches do recommend 2 weeks of normal eating, 2200 - 2400 kcals before moving on to the next diet and program.
SS is a great move, I could always tell that you were a bit more inclined towards it when I mentioned it a few weeks ago. It will be good to see what Strength gains we both make on our fist official programs.
LR
I just messed around with CT’s Carb Cycling Codex and got the following numbers for total kcals:
Fat-loss:
2100 kcals on off days (“light activity”)
2400 kcals on training days (“moderate activity”)
Maintenance:
2600 kcals on off days (“light activity”)
3000 kcals on training days (“moderate activity”)
The P/C/F numbers were a bit out of whack. For someone trying to lose fat, CT recommended protein intake of 1.5x BW and carb intake of 1.25x BW. That puts me at 270g protein and 225g carbs. Is it just me, or does that seem like a shit ton of carbs?
Rather than worrying too much about his macro breakdowns, I think I’m just gonna keep it simple by following the carb cycling protocol I mentioned above (morning carbs, post-workout drink, evening carbs) and spread the rest of the kcals between my protein and fat (but still shooting for 1.25-1.75x BW grams of protein).
As for total kcal intake, since I’m coming off the V-Diet, I’m gonna play it safe and start at 2100-2400 kcals for the first two weeks. After that, I may bump it up to 2600-3000 kcals, but only if I feel like my training/GPP intensity is being compromised.
Yes that does seem like a shitload of carbs to me. A few things to bare in mind though;
1/ How do you react to carbs, have carbs been your friend or foe over the last 20 years?
2/ Problem number 3 in the article below, I think Thibs article was meant for the masses here at T-Nation and may not be the best for FFBs.
http://www.T-Nation.com/free_online_article//the_quality_mass_diet
Another point to take into account, because we’re both FFBs, we can’t really follow the broad guidelines for what maintenance calories are for the general population, I think you should tweak your diet till you find out your own maintenance kcals, and then add 200-400 from there.
I know personally I can maintain at 1900 Kcals, and add muscle at 2300 kcals, and that was before the V-Diet. I may just be a freak of nature.
Have you read this?
http://www.T-Nation.com/free_online_article//the_truth_about_bulking
Some interesting points in there.
LR
Question about CT’s Codex article.
I think someone once pointed out that the calculations you arrive at - “for non-activity” or “for lifting” days - are actually MAINTENANCE calories, so you’d still have to tweak the numbers depending on your goal of burning fat or gaining muscle.
True?
[quote]PonceDeLeon wrote:
Question about CT’s Codex article.
I think someone once pointed out that the calculations you arrive at - “for non-activity” or “for lifting” days - are actually MAINTENANCE calories, so you’d still have to tweak the numbers depending on your goal of burning fat or gaining muscle.
True?[/quote]
I stand corrected, you are right, they’re maintenance calories, and if you want to loose fat, you cut them by 20%, if you want to add muscle, you up them by 20%.
If your an Endomorph though, you only up the cals by 10% to build muscle instead of 20%.
I don’t know, these numbers still seem a bit high to me. I’m gonna work the numbers on the recent EliteFts article on carb cycling and see what the difference is between the two.
LR
My maintenance numbers were calculated using CT’s formula. The calories consumed on off days used the 1.4x multiplier (called “light activity”), and the calories consumed on training days used the 1.6x multiplier (called “moderate activity”).
The fat-loss calories are just as LR stated: 20% lower than maintenance calories for endomorphs (like me).
First, I decided to change the name of my thread. If you’ve watched the NBA playoffs, you probably have seen the Heineken commercials that my thread is named after. Basically, my goal is to become a better person in as many ways as possible – health, knowledge, power, strength, wit, etc. I think how one takes care of his/her body is very reflective of how that person is in other areas.
Generally, those who are in great shape are seen as being well-disciplined. Fat people, on the other hand, generally come off as being weak-minded. By getting myself in better shape, I think the skills I obtain (discipline, time management, work ethic) will translate into the different areas of my life. That, my friends, is my ultimate goal.
I was a bit humbled by today’s workout. I didn’t realize that I was a mile away from even reaching my beginner goals. As a reminder, here are my beginner goals (1RM, in lbs):
Standing Press - 135
Bench Press - 205
Back Squat - 275
Deadlift - 315
Power Clean- 195
Now, here was today’s workout (work sets only):
3x5 Back squat - 205
3x5 Bench press - 155
1x5 Deadlift - 275
3xAMRAP* wide-grip dips - bodyweight (9/9/9 reps)
3x10 ab roller
30 minutes warm-up on the bike
30 minutes cool-down on the bike
I realize that I’m comparing two different things here (1RM vs. 3x5 weight), but I still have a long way to go. I guess that’s why I’m following this program in the first place 
Good to see that it’s all started man.
LR
Just to clarify, “Workout 1-B” means it’s my 2nd Starting Strength workout, and I did workout B (squat, press, power clean). Saturday will be 3-A, followed by 4-B, 5-A, 6-B, etc.
Workout stats:
3x5 back squat - 215 (up 10)
3x5f* press - 105
5x3** power clean - 155
*Couldn’t finish my last set. Reps were 5/5/4/2. (f = fail)
**I’m pausing for about 5 seconds between reps because once I put the weight back on the ground, it starts turning (the plates have have edges) and I have to stabilize it each time before going up for my next rep. Kinda blows.
Got about 20 minutes on the treadmill as a warm-up (inclined walking), and did a few ab exercises after the 3 lifts. Didn’t get to do as much cardio as I had wanted because I have a lot to study tonight. Hopefully I can make up for it tomorrow.
Regarding my diet, for the next two weeks or so, I’m just eating without worrying about caloric intake or macros. As long as I get 3-4 solid meals and 1-2 shakes in, I think I’ll be fine. Once those two weeks are up, I’ll be watching my diet more carefully (and also logging all my meals).
[quote]jo3 wrote:
**I’m pausing for about 5 seconds between reps because once I put the weight back on the ground, it starts turning (the plates have have edges) and I have to stabilize it each time before going up for my next rep. Kinda blows.
[/quote]
Do you mean the bar rolls away from you when you put it down? If so, you can put two smaller plates underneath the weights on each side of the bar, it will stop them from rolling.
If that’s not what you mean, then disregard this.
What are you going to do for your next B workout? Are you going to drop 5lbs on the press?
I’m reading Starting Strength at the moment, borrowed it off a friend, but it’s the first edition, it isn’t really well laid out. And I can’t find anything about the dips, so I’m guessing that this was added in the 2nd addition of the book.
LR
[quote]London Runner wrote:
jo3 wrote:
**I’m pausing for about 5 seconds between reps because once I put the weight back on the ground, it starts turning (the plates have have edges) and I have to stabilize it each time before going up for my next rep. Kinda blows.
Do you mean the bar rolls away from you when you put it down? If so, you can put two smaller plates underneath the weights on each side of the bar, it will stop them from rolling.
If that’s not what you mean, then disregard this.
What are you going to do for your next B workout? Are you going to drop 5lbs on the press?
I’m reading Starting Strength at the moment, borrowed it off a friend, but it’s the first edition, it isn’t really well laid out. And I can’t find anything about the dips, so I’m guessing that this was added in the 2nd addition of the book.
LR[/quote]
The plates are 12-sided, which prevents the barbell from rolling away but doesn’t prevent it from swiveling if I don’t set the bar down with the edges parallel to the ground. As a result, I have an unstable barbell, so I take a few seconds to stabilize it before throwing the weight up again. Perhaps it’s just a mental thing and I can still pull it up with it shaking around. I’ll ignore it next time and see where it gets me.
I don’t plan on ever dropping weight until I fail with the same weight for two workouts. With the press, I was so close to finishing, so I’ll keep the weight the same on Tuesday.
The “official” Starting Strength lifts are:
Workout A
3x5 low-bar squat
3x5 bench
1x5 deadlift
Workout B
3x5 low-bar squat
3x5 press
5x3 power clean
There was also an image in the 2nd edition of a whiteboard with the workout written out. On it, it looks like deadlifts are alternated with power cleans on Workout A, and Workout B consists of chin-ups/pull-ups alternated with back extensions, then dips.
I threw the dips in at the end because I wasn’t feeling very fatigued.
I also don’t do low-bar squats. I tried practicing with them, but it just doesn’t feel right. I also don’t understand the reasoning behind doing low-bar squats over high-bar squats. The only thing I can think of is positioning/stability, but if stability isn’t an issue when doing high-bar squats, what’s the point?
I’ll be looking up on this today to see if I can find an answer.
Things got busy last night, so here’s my workout from yesterday:
I was in a rush, so I only got to do 20 minutes of warming up on the treadmill @ an incline.
3x5 Back squat - 225*
3x5f Bench press - 160**
1x5 Deadlift - 285***
*I’ve been doing my squats high-bar instead of Rippetoe’s recommended low-bar approach. I mentioned this in my previous post, but the low-bar positioning just doesn’t feel right. I don’t feel like the bar is firmly placed on my back (it feels like it might roll off), and it hurts my arms (but that’s probably more due to inflexibility). I realize that one of Rip’s main reasons for advocating the low-bar squat is so that you’re not compressing your spine when you squat, but is this a beginner tip? Should I force myself to switch to low-bar squats?
**Started at 165 lbs, but I realized that was too heavy after 2 reps. I re-racked the bar and took off 10 lbs. My rep progression looked like 4/5/4/3. I think I failed my 1st set because I was afraid of failing. The 2nd set, things were getting tough again at rep #4, but I decided to just go for rep #5 and got it. My 3rd set, I really did struggle with at the end. I’ll probably keep the weight the same next time.
***I used straps here (only for the work set; all the warm-up sets were without them). I think I’m going to stick with this weight next time. One issue I have is even though I can pull this weight up, my form is greatly compromised. My back rounds big time. Right now, it might not be a big issue, but it could lead to some serious consequences as I add more weight. With that in mind, I’m gonna focus on getting my form down perfectly before moving up the weight.
One thing about the book, It does have tons of great information, but it has to be one of the most poorly laid out books I’ve ever come across. Usually I can get through a book that size in a few hours, but I still haven’t gotten through this.
Good job on the workouts man.
LR
[quote]London Runner wrote:
One thing about the book, It does have tons of great information, but it has to be one of the most poorly laid out books I’ve ever come across. Usually I can get through a book that size in a few hours, but I still haven’t gotten through this.
Good job on the workouts man.
LR [/quote]
The book is quite poorly laid out. I really didn’t read much of it (other than getting the gist of some techniques I wasn’t too sure about like the low-bar squat and power clean).
Thanks a lot for checking up on me, LR. Have you been updating your thread? I can’t seem to find it!
It’s finals week, so I’ll be sacrificing sleep and NEPAs. This might result in stagnating fat loss (maybe even fat gain) + poor workouts (due to low energy), but I’ll do what I can.
3x5f Squat - 235* (up 10)
3x5f Press - 115** (up 10)
5x3 Clean - 155*** (same)
*Wimped out on the last set. I probably could have finished it, but for some reason I just racked the bar. Reps looked like: 5/5/3/3. I think I’m gonna move up 5 lbs next time (instead of my usual 10 lbs) and see how things go.
**Didn’t realize that I put 10 lbs more from the last B workout! I would have only added 5 lbs. As a result, my reps were terrible: 5/4/3/2/1. Definitely keeping the weight next time.
***Got a bit too cocky and added 10 lbs extra. Got 2 reps in, but couldn’t do any more, so I took 5 lbs off. I still couldn’t pull out another rep, so I went back to last week’s weight (155). Even with 155, I was pretty fatigued, and the work sets as a whole were pretty sloppy. I’ll be keeping the weight as is and will focus on technique/power.
I also did some pull-ups, but my stats are a bit too embarrassing to put up (4/4/4… and I don’t even know if I can call them pull-ups since I didn’t go up to my chest). I ended with 4 slow negatives and a really really short ab workout.
I’m not too sure if I’ll get my workout in on Thursday. There’s a good chance that I’ll be freaking out about my finals (I have one Thursday evening and another Friday evening). If all else fails, I’ll push my workouts back one day and will get back on track next week (I usually have Sunday and Monday off).
[quote]jo3 wrote:
The book is quite poorly laid out. I really didn’t read much of it (other than getting the gist of some techniques I wasn’t too sure about like the low-bar squat and power clean).
Thanks a lot for checking up on me, LR. Have you been updating your thread? I can’t seem to find it!
[/quote]
I haven’t posted anything in there recently, I’ve just been eating at maintenance and training TBT 3 times a week, and playing squash on Saturdays.
Chris Colucci did drop by recently to give me some advice, and as a result I did change the plan a little. But I don’t start my Keto Cycle till the 25th which is the Monday after I go to see BBB, I don’t really have anything to post till then.
Have you been taking anything to help with your workouts? Strength wise? Like Creatine, Beta-7, or Power Drive. Those supps could really give you a little extra push in strength to move up the weights, especially good old creatine, and it’s dirt cheap.
Good job on the workouts though, are you still playing BBall and stuff?
LR
[quote]London Runner wrote:
jo3 wrote:
The book is quite poorly laid out. I really didn’t read much of it (other than getting the gist of some techniques I wasn’t too sure about like the low-bar squat and power clean).
Thanks a lot for checking up on me, LR. Have you been updating your thread? I can’t seem to find it!
I haven’t posted anything in there recently, I’ve just been eating at maintenance and training TBT 3 times a week, and playing squash on Saturdays.
Chris Colucci did drop by recently to give me some advice, and as a result I did change the plan a little. But I don’t start my Keto Cycle till the 25th which is the Monday after I go to see BBB, I don’t really have anything to post till then.
Have you been taking anything to help with your workouts? Strength wise? Like Creatine, Beta-7, or Power Drive. Those supps could really give you a little extra push in strength to move up the weights, especially good old creatine, and it’s dirt cheap.
Good job on the workouts though, are you still playing BBall and stuff?
LR[/quote]
I read Colucci’s advice (as well as everyone else’s, like ShaolinPunk’s) on your thread, and it reaffirms my belief on losing as much BF as possible before going on a strict mass phase.
With that said, I may still stick with Starting Strength to the end. Despite eating solid meals ever 3-4 hours, not doing as much NEPA, and taking creatine, my weight really hasn’t gone up (maybe 1-2 lbs). We’ll see how things look when I measure myself on Monday. (If my waist measurement/weight goes up too much, I’m gonna move to CT’s Get Jacked Fast program.)
I haven’t played basketball recently, due to time constraints (internship search/prep, quizzes/final exams, etc.), but I’ve been playing sand volleyball 1-2 times a week, and I plan on playing 2-3 times a week during the summer. Even though it destroys my hamstrings, it’s too fun.
I think the creatine has helped slightly, seeing that my lifts continue to increase (or it’s just a bunch of beginner gains). Either way, I’m sure things will get better once I’m done with finals and can get a solid 7-8 hours of sleep a day (as opposed to the 3-5 I’ve been getting recently).
Joe
Will be postponing today’s workout to tomorrow night (after my evening final) or, if I’m too tired, Saturday morning/early afternoon. The following workout will be moved accordingly to Sunday or Monday.
Must study!
[quote]jo3 wrote:
I read Colucci’s advice (as well as everyone else’s, like ShaolinPunk’s) on your thread, and it reaffirms my belief on losing as much BF as possible before going on a strict mass phase.
With that said, I may still stick with Starting Strength to the end. Despite eating solid meals ever 3-4 hours, not doing as much NEPA, and taking creatine, my weight really hasn’t gone up (maybe 1-2 lbs). We’ll see how things look when I measure myself on Monday. (If my waist measurement/weight goes up too much, I’m gonna move to CT’s Get Jacked Fast program.)
Joe[/quote]
Yeah, I really do want to see how Ripped I can get this Summer before embarking on my long road of muscle. I thought it was about time that I post pictures of my goals, I think it’ll be a good visual reference of what I’m aiming for.
I’m also glad that I’ve decided to put Starting Strength before all of my muscle building programs, this way I’ll be a lot stronger, so I’ll be able to lift bigger weights and build bigger muscle! Sound good?
BTW How long are you doing SS for?
LR
[quote]London Runner wrote:
I’m also glad that I’ve decided to put Starting Strength before all of my muscle building programs, this way I’ll be a lot stronger, so I’ll be able to lift bigger weights and build bigger muscle! Sound good?
BTW How long are you doing SS for?[/quote]
Sounds great. That’s the exact same path I’m taking:
Fat loss => Strength gain => Hypertrophy with heavy weights => Hyoogeness
I plan on doing SS until either:
Surprisingly, even though I’m pretty much only eating whole meals and taking 5-10g of creatine a day, my waist somehow continues to get smaller (I’m also dropping weight). Maybe I don’t even need to go on a specific fat-loss diet. Maybe Starting Strength + eating clean will get me there.
Note to self: ME lifts and sleep deprivation/stress don’t go hand-in-hand. I’ve gotten about 12 hours of sleep in the past three days (had a final yesterday night and another one tonight), and it definitely took its toll. I’m actually pretty embarrassed about my “workout” today, but in the interest of full disclosure, I have included it below:
3x5f Squat - 225
3x5f Bench - 155
1x5f Deadlift - 245
Those weights are what I ended up with. I had planned on doing doing 245/165/285, but I knew things weren’t gonna be too pretty when I had to re-rack the 245 on my squat… on rep #2. Basically, none of my sets went according to plan. It was more of a jumbled mess. For example, my squats looked like:
2x245
4x235
3x235
3x235
4x225
Bench looked like:
5x165
5x155
5x155
5x155
5x155
My deadlift work set just sucked.
Fortunately, the school year has come to an end, so I won’t have to worry about destroying my sleep schedule. I’ll be working about 40-60 hours/week this summer, but that’s my only time commitment. There’s no excuse to not getting 7-8 hours of sleep a night.
Time to pass the f*ck out!