*** The 2011 Gym Rats Thread ***

[Psycho Sonny]

I don't think it's an accurate comparison - get a strongman down to 6% bodyfat and I'd wager he'd look a lot like a bodybuilder

Although strongmen are (unsurprisingly) generally stronger than bodybuilders, put the guy in the top picture back to his off-season 10%+ bodyfat and just see how strong he is...

it is, apparently jay cutler only deadlifts like 1/3 of what ronnie coleman used to deadlift, etc.

sure there are exceptions to the rule, but bodybuilders get so big because their body grows no matter what, it is being forced to do so. in fact i think most of jay cutler's lifts are extremely weak, yet look at the size of him.

they are both similar yet completely different (bodybuilders and strongmen)

 

[Buffman]

......

He looks big and lean, but out of propotions for bodybuilding (all core-to be expected for a strongman).

Tbh most mass monsters these days lose tapered waists in the search of more mass anyway.

 

[Skull]

There's probably a difference is between what Jay is using to build his muscles and what he could actually lift if he wasn't worried about injuring himself. Ronnie wasn't worried about doing 800lb deadlifts, but if Jay or others find they can build muscle at much lower weight, why use a much riskier poundage?

 

[Buffman]

Indeed, Ronnie had suffered many different injuries. One lat is noticably different from the other if you look for, Im sure he's had some bicep injuries too.

 

[Skull]

Aye, and whilst injuries (if fairly mild) might not be a problem for a strongman, they can be very visible at contest bodyfat levels and so bodybuilders take care to avoid them.

 

[GarethSouthgate]

How do you guys manage to keep going all the time? By that I mean eating?

All I seem to be doing is cooking or eating every few hours, it can be quite time consuming! Think I am going to have to get smarter with my meals.

 

[tom_e]

How do you guys manage to keep going all the time? By that I mean eating?

All I seem to be doing is cooking or eating every few hours, it can be quite time consuming! Think I am going to have to get smarter with my meals.

Cut the amount of meals down and have bigger ones, I was the same when I cut from Jan to April I felt like I spent more time in and around the kitchen than anywhere else.
I now have 3 meals a day plus a quick grab snack or 2 and I'm having just as good if not better results.

 

[GarethSouthgate]

I thought the general consensus was to eat small(ish) meals but often? I'm having about 4 a day at the moment. I try to cook meals that can just be bunged in the oven but I still end up cooking a lot, I enjoy it but it's time consuming.

Might try to concentrate on making big dishes that last a couple of days. My other problem is finding things that my body likes, to snack on.

I'm actually peckish at the moment but there is nothing I can snack on. It's been a whilst since I had cottage cheese but if I remember correctly it caused problems.

 

[tom_e]

I thought the general consensus was to eat small(ish) meals but often? I'm having about 4 a day at the moment. I try to cook meals that can just be bunged in the oven but I still end up cooking a lot, I enjoy it but it's time consuming.

Might try to concentrate on making big dishes that last a couple of days. My other problem is finding things that my body likes, to snack on.

The consensus is slowly changing with things like the leangains website and IF diets but at the end of the day it's about making a sustainable lifestyle, it's all well and good having something beautifully crafted on paper but if you don't enjoy it in practise then you won't stick to it and it's less than useless.
I've very much taken my training and diet back to basics recently which makes it much easier and more enjoyable to stick to and I get the results it's a win win.
Just have a play around and see how you get on, this game is as much about learning more about yourself and the way your body works than anything else.

 

[Psycho Sonny]

you dont need to eat small regular meals, that is all bro science, you can get away with 2 big meals a day if you wanted to.

pasta is the best thing i find, make a huge pot of pasta, eat it as a main, or as a side dish or as a snack, etc. can be eaten hot or cold, re heated easily in microwave, etc. add as much protein as you want (tuna, chicken, etc) as well as much veg as you want, peppers, sweetcorn, mushrooms, chillies, garlic, etc.

so if i wanted a quick meal, bung pasta in microwave, cut up some salad and micro some veggies too.

or as a snack just a small bowl of pasta.

or micro some pasta and toast some potato waffles in toaster.

 

[GarethSouthgate]

Yeah I quite often do a tuna pasta dish which I love and there is some beef chilli in the freezer waiting to be eaten.

I'm staying off carbs after 6pm-ish at the mo as I'm doing that insulin control jobby for another 3 weeks. There is nothing cooked to snack on and I can't be bothered to cook, suppose that is not the attitude to have....

 

[tom_e]

My normal diet goes something like,
breakfast:
Scrambled egg on brown toast

Then I'll train with BCAAs throughout and a PWO shake

Lunch:
Brown rice with something I'll have cooked a massive pot of such as turkey mince, veg and sauce

Snack:
Protein blend shake and maybe some nuts

Dinner:
Same thing I had for lunch but swap the rice out for a few eggs boiled or scrambled

That diet keeps me in the kitchen for as little time as possible, apart from once every few days where I have to cook up another big batch of stuff.
IIRC you're bulking so would need to up your portions compared to mine but that's not really going to effect amount of time spent in the kitchen.

 

[Cristian]

There's probably a difference is between what Jay is using to build his muscles and what he could actually lift if he wasn't worried about injuring himself. Ronnie wasn't worried about doing 800lb deadlifts, but if Jay or others find they can build muscle at much lower weight, why use a much riskier poundage?

Pretty much this. Look at Ronnie Coleman, Johnnie Jackson and many others.
to say that the big bodybuilders are weak is a bit daft. Yes, many use light weights to keep themselves injury free and why not since they get the same results aesthetically in the end. But stick any serious bodybuilder on a proper powerlifting programe for half a year and you will have a pretty strong fella.

As for the "core muscles" on strongmen, a lot of them are just fat pigs that simply don't care about how they look. While I'm not advocating 6% bodyfat all year long, 30% is not all as "necessary" as some may think. Just look at the picture with Puzdianovsky above.

 

[tom_e]

Even strongmen seem to be changing their attitudes from the old pack on as much muscle as possible and don't worry about the massive fat gain, there's a fair few WSM competitors these days who don't look more than a 12week diet away from competing as BBs.

 

[Cristian]

yep, for example look at Dave Tate
http://fitfinity.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/hf.jpg

 

[Chris1712]

Dat core (no homo)

 

[LiE]

you dont need to eat small regular meals, that is all bro science, you can get away with 2 big meals a day if you wanted to.

It's not 'bro-science' because for a time plenty of studies supported this way of eating. It isn't until recently that it's been shown not to be as important to eat this way. I don't think the idea of eating small and frequent was started by some guy in the gym spouting crap

 

[tom_e]

Dat core (no homo)

That's where I want to end up, one day maybe

 

[Ultra_Extreme]

I think the reality is that the drugs and the training plans are both evolving. Many moons ago the strongman was just a big ball of hair, testosterone and pies. Nowadays this isnt necessary. Compounds like Trenbolone in its various guises, especially when blended can give better gains than straight test but also cause recomposition of bodyfat too. Couple this with some GH and you have a modern strongman body.

 

[Skillmister]

Interesting....