Hi, I am working out from the past 5 years consistently. I lift heavy weights (as per my potential) but I am not seeing any physical results. Following are my diet and workout details:
Food type: Vegetarian and eggs
Macro: P-164g, C-282g, F-90g (2600 calories)
Testosterone Total: 516
Testosterone free: 63
Height: 5 feet 9 inch
Weight: 170lb
Workout 3 times a week-1 hour
Bench: 175 lb
Squats: 205 lb
Deadlift: 250lb
Workout and body images in attachment
I am very disappointed with my body. I never smoked, I donât drink, no drugs of any kind ever. I am now considering going on a SARM cycle (Rad140). I am a total new-be for sarms. Please suggest.
If you are only going to lift weights 3 times a week, do something fully body so that you can get more stimulus to promote muscular growth.
Some awesome 3x a week programs for getting bigger and stronger include Super Squats, 5/3/1 Building the Monolith, and DoggCrapp. I would save DoggCrapp for a little bit later, and run Super Squats and BtM before that.
Iâm no doctor, but out of curiosity what is the ref range units for FT? Is it ng/dl or pg/ml. A FT of 63pg/ml is on the low(er) side.
As to your body, you clearly have muscle mass underneath excess body fat. Everyone responds differently to different varieties of training stimulus.
Are the lifts posted up 1RM?
Why? These drugs have virtually no clinical data associated with them. Anecdotal reports and what little literature that exists would suggest they fuck up lipids royally, akin to the harshest of anabolic steroids.
Are SARMS still even legal? I know this is why some turn to SARMS (due to purported legality, wherein they arenât even âlegalâ for human consumption, rather they can/could be sold as âresearch chemicalsâ)
How old are you? Perhaps a comprehensive check up through the means of a medical practitioner may be in order. Or perhaps thereâs absolutely nothing wrong with you, rather you need to make the correct tweaks/adjustments to your training regime.
Like Pwn said, you need to change your programming. You are nowhere near ready for a cycle of any kind, and SARMS are mostly unresearched on humans. Especially at the doses people on the internet are taking. If youâre going to take anything, take testosterone, which has been researched to death and has known short and long-term side effects.
His program recommendations are great. Iâm also a fan of the programs in 5/3/1 Forever. Buy it and run the Beginner Prep School program if you donât like the looks of BtM or Super Squats.
I have no idea. I havenât maxed since 2012. Iâve never lifted 800-900lbs on the deadlift. My best was a 650lb pull.
I donât. In 2015, I ruptured my ACL, tore my meniscus and fractured my patella on a yoke event in a competition and required surgical reconstruction. The reason I took up strongman was because I was too injured from combat sports, after having dislocated my right shoulder 6 times and tearing the labrum in it (also requiring surgical reconstruction).
And I pick up injuries that donât require surgery as well. I tore my hamstring pretty good around April, which resulted in me tearing something in my groin/abductor a few weeks later as a result of compensating. And then I tore something in my shoulder/bicep around Sept getting dumbbells in place for incline pressing.
Hey, itâs very good that you are consistent thatâs very important, as youâre gonna learn what works and what doesnât. But if youâve been consistent for 5 years and these are your results than I can relate. In my first 5 years of training I got nothing in regards to looks out of it. I eventually learned the hard way what to do and what not.
I got some questions for you that may fix your problems:
In These 5 years how often did you cut and how often and long bulk?
How many calories do you eat during gaining muscle phases and losing fat phases?
How much weight did you gain on the big lifts?
You are in a difficult position as you are skinny fat. The question always is: to bulk or to cut first?
The answer in my opinion is cut and then lean bulk (minor calorie surplus).
Iâd suggest going to 2200-2300 calories and stay there for 12 weeks, then see where youâre at. If youâre lean then up the cals to 3000 and do a program like starting strength or 5/3/1 (5/3/1 is in my opinion better for more experienced guys as the progress is slower than necessary).
Another way would be to stay slightly below maintenance and recomp but that takes a lot of time. The classic cut bulk is a sure way to reach your goals.
I hear this frequently and I wonder how people are running the programs to progress so slow. Everyone I know that has run 5/3/1 has progressed as fast as possible on the programs, and Jim Wendler reports similar stories with young athletes.
You are only squatting heavy once a week (comparison with SS: 3 times per week, other lifts two times)
You are only increasing the weight once a month (SS: every workout.)
For point 2 the argument can be made that the last set is an AMRAP set and so it is heavy enough. Fair. But Iâm not a fan of doing an AMRAP on Squats, deadlifts or bench except for when the weight is really really light which here it isnât.
I guess it also comes down to goals. In my opinion a weak person should become strong first. Thatâs why Iâm recommending SS. With 5/3/1 and the 5x5 template (forgot how itâs called) you are doing a lot of volume but itâs not heavy and therefore not optimal for the goals I think are best for a newbie.
If one is already decently strong (over the newbie gains), I think 5/3/1 is very good.
On some 5/3/1 programs, yeah. On others, 2 or 3x a week.
You should be increasing the weight between sessions. You increase the TM once a month, yeah, but between week 1 and 2 there is a noted increase in most programs.
And even then, the rate that the TM progresses shouldnât impact the rate that the TRAINEE progresses. Hell, Iâve progressed while LOWERING my TM.
You increase the weight and decrease the reps. Then week 3 you set a new RM off which you base the following month. So you increase the weight or the max once a month. With starting strength you increase your 1 RM every workout. This is possible for a newbie and therefore more efficient.
The question is how you judge that. My objective for newbies is solely strength and correct technique.
Not often. Especially if youâre using 5s progression. If not, youâre going for PR sets, which means youâll do as many as you can. Iâve had training cycles where I moved more on the 3s week than I did on the 5s.
This is not the case for any program created by Jim Wendler. Your TMs go up by a static amount at most, or stay the same, or are reduced. You donât let performance on the final week dictate progress on the next cycle.
By chance, are you meaning to discuss the NSuns 5/3/1 program that has gained popularity on the internet?ââ
That is on you, but there are TONS of ways to measure progress. Hell, âstrengthâ in and of itself leads much room. Strength at what rep range? 1rm? 5? 8? 20? To say nothing of evaluating muscular growth, improved muscular endurance, improved bar speed, improved conditioned via shorter time between sets, etc etc.
Itâs the issue I see with the remark that â5/3/1 progresses slowerâ: it only does so if you limit the definition of âprogressâ to fit neatly into the niche Mark Rippetoe carved out to sell Starting Strength.
Oh youâre right. You increase by 5 %. Doesnât change the math though.
I already gave my opinion on this.
See, it would be easy if you just did 5 every workout and then increase the weight so you donât need to do that. Is that better for a beginner? I think definitely. I agree with Rippetoe on beginners. You can make it more complicated than it needs to be, yes. But Rips Programm is simple and has the results guaranteed. You can do what you want. OP can do what he wants. That SS is the most simple and efficient Programm for beginners is just my opinion on the matter. I donât dislike wendlers Programms either. Iâd just start with SS for 6 months and then move to 5/3/1. That is in my estimation more effective.
The only reason I thought of sarms because my body is pretty much the same from the past 5 years. There is no definition, no composition. I tried intermittent fasting, low carb diet, higher protein diet. I worked out 6 days, 5 days, 4 days and now 3 days. Its like mai body refuses to acknowledge anything, it is stuck in a shell. The least I want is my belly gone. I even did swimming and cardio on my off days but still nothing.
You need a consistent diet. You need a consistent training program. And your body is stuck in a shell because what youâre stimulating it with isnât stimulating it.
You need LISS at least three days a week. You need to eat a lot less. And you need to do serious PPL. Three days a week is what personal trainers wish they could get their rich, unsatisfied clients on, because itâs the absolute bare minimum. PPL six days a week. No excuses. And it needs to be an actual intense workout every single time. You may believe that youâve been trying hard, but your pictures tell another story. Thatâs fine. Donât be discouraged. You get to change things if you want to.
