When is started a year ago, i was the barely eat enough and pray i grow crowd 
Now im the eat alot and if im not growing eat more crowd!
Started at 180-183 now im at 212.3 !!!
Some fat but mostly muscle 
If your gonna do something DO IT RIGHT or take up yoga
Thanks for bumping this and good job on your progress thus far.
Lifting for goals (size, strength, etc) is directly analogous to running sports.
With running, it’s you against the clock. How fast can you possibly make your body go. With lifting (ie bodybuilding), it’s how far can you push your body’s genetic capability, or in powerlifting, how much weight can your body lift.
Although you can train either with others, they are not team sports. You against you.
I have a family to protect-- I want to be strong. I have my own mind’s eye ideal physique-- I want to be muscular. Both of these goals are battles I wage in my head and against my body.
Some fat is a small price to pay-- I can write that check. I’ve come to realize that fretting over .8 calories here and 4 calories there is “Penny wise Pound Foolish” in the long term.
Great read as usual from Dante. There are a lot reasons that people have for a lot of different goals. Most dudes who are obsessed with their six-packs are worried only about chicks. What they fail to realize is that the right one won’t give a shit.
Mine stuck by me when I turned into a tub of goo. I’m sure she won’t be leaving me because I worked myself up to a mack-truck.
What I don’t get is that I think alot of people, when they read that you have to gain some fat to gain muscle, think that means you have to go get fat first, then gain muscle. And I don’t think anybody is suggesting that (are you? I hope not.).
But you aren’t going to make any significant gains if you aren’t willing to put back the calories to do it.
Futurepharm what I think get’s lost in translation is that of course you can make some progress while staying lean. But don’t think for one freakin second the guy(especially beginners) who refuse to lose any definition will make as MUCH progress as those who are willing to accept some fat gain along the way.
Looking at elite genetic pro bodybuilders it’s safe to assume everyone is on AAS and has access to the same stuff, and everyone is something special in terms of bodybuilding genetics. Now since those feilds are relatively level we have to look at who’s making better progress(not who has the better physique) when most everything else is even playing field.
Who made everyone gasp when he stepped on the pro stage this year? Kai Greene. What did he do? Overate to ensure every last drop of muscle got onto his body and walked around for months at 300+ lbs.
Dieted down and was a good 20+ lbs heavier than he was last year in stage weight with equal conditioning. Did any of the guys who guest pose 40 weekends a year and never get above 7% bodyfat make even close to those gains?
We could use someone like Silvio Samuel as an example of that, always near contest shape and doesn’t change much year to year. Great physique but the biggest knock on him? Can’t stand with the big boys size wise.
I don’t want to hear anything about drugs and “Well maybe Kai is an abuser and Silvio plays it smart”, anyone see where Kai was living this past year? In the freaking ghetto, I’m thinking he wasn’t dropping 1000s of dollars on GH and IGF-1 on par if at all compared to other competing pros.
Why in the world would someone with poor-average genetics think that the stay year round beach shape lean way would be fastest to being 230-250 and lean, they aren’t even CLOSE to being as good bodybuilding wise as Silvio and the like.
The guy’s who bulk up and get to 280 and maybe a little soft in 6 years of training are 99/100 times going to get their faster than the guys who refuse to lose site of abs along the way.
Who’s going to gain muscle faster? The one who overeats and might get a little softer, FACT.
Who’s going to stay leaner year round? The one who eats just above maintenance and does cardio/eats low carb. FACT.
Somewhere in between those two factions there is a niche for each person so that they are gaining as fast as possible and staying as lean as they like and they need to find it. That’s it lol.
I just want people to figure it out and be honest with themselves. If they won’t lose site of their abs they will be passed up gains wise long term by the guy who isn’t concerned with that. They will stay leaner along their way but accept muscle mass at a slower pace.
If they want to eat 6000 calories and do no cardio they are not going to be as trim as the guy who cuts carbs in certain times and does cardio regularly. They will get to greater lean body mass limits faster but have to diet down when they get there.
Did I clear up my thoughts on this? lol
I just watched that flash video, and it got me pumped! I can’t wait to go back to the gym tomorrow after work!