ᕙ(⇀‸↼‶)ᕗ ||| The 2023/2024 Gym Rats Thread ||| ᕙ(⇀‸↼‶)ᕗ

Somnambulist

Somnambulist

Somnambulist

Soldato
Joined
17 Jun 2010
Posts
12,482
Location
London
I guess it’s up to me to do it again. Some traditions are worth preserving though.

Another year, another thread.

---------------------------------------------------

2022 thread
*** Big Fat Weight Loss Thread ***
Official Home Gym Building Thread
Any other useful threads go placeholder
---------------------------------------------------
Hierarchy of importance for Nutrition
Hierarchy of importance for Training
How to squat
How to bench
How to conventional deadlift
How to sumo deadlift
Addressing weaknesses in the above ^^^
Exercise demonstrations (scroll down for individual playlists for each muscle/muscle groups)
Food macro cheat sheet
 
Keep gaining weight and hopefully muscle whilst remaining semi-zen about the fat gain (nobody else cares). Only when I’m bursting out of my work trousers will I diet down again. Being around 10% bf is easy to maintain but my training goes nowhere. Need to get chonky.
 
The basic rule is you need around 20-25g minimum per meal (assuming from decent source which will have enough leucine) to maximise the muscle protein synthesis response. More protein than that per meal isn’t wasted, it just means potentially less opportunity to maximally spike it again later in the day if you‘ve sticking to cals/macros. Most studies show while 1-2 feedings is probably sub-optimal if the goal is maximising muscle growth, 3-6 spread out over the day seems the ideal, and whether you’re on the high or low end of that it just boils down to preference and how many calories you‘re actually consuming since larger intakes are likely easier to consume when split up a bit more.
 
Last session tomorrow then off to ski for a week. I’ve promised myself not to be all mental disordery and train in the hotel gym and timed this as a deload/full week off. Not done it since just before lockdown v1 so hoping I don’t end up with my knees or shoulders ejecting from my body on the side of a mountain.
 
Dieting slowly hoping to eke out hypothetical gains means you end up spending a lot of time not in the most conducive state for hypertrophy to occur. Maybe an option if you have a lot of fat to lose, but I’d rather spend as few months as possible over a 2-3 year period getting from high teens to high single digits and as many as possible being sufficiently fuelled for training/recovery since fat loss can be accomplished orders of magnitude faster than meaningful muscle gain.
 
Depending on how much weight you’re losing it can be a bit much to expect lifts to stay exactly the same. If it’s a decent amount of weight look at experienced strength sports athletes who drop down weight classes - their totals go down. If you’re just tidying things up you might expect only minor losses/maintenance and can then get back to where you were/build once you’re no longer dieting, but it’s easy to overlook how if you’ve lost 8cm off your chest circumference that’s 8cm extra the bar has to travel in bench, if there’s less of you round the middle then you’ve got less trunk to brace in a squat etc etc.
 
I’m so old I had Strong when it was like £5 for the Pro version before they went to a subscription model - thankfully they left all the early adopters with full access forever. Can’t imagine using anything else although I’m vaguely interested in getting semi-coached by the RP Hypertrophy AI app.
 
I never get sick but my 3 year old niece gave me her projectile vomiting bug and it‘s rekt me bros. Spend last Thursday throwing up for 12 hours, unable to keep even water down until I was hollow inside and had ab cramps. Fast forward a week and my strength is still in the bin! RIP.
 
I remember getting 5kg of protein for less than what I have to pay for 2.5kg now even with 45% off - just lol @ the non-sale price of a dairy byproduct now. I don’t want to eat powdered bugs and soy. :(
 
Research shows you can still keep making progress in your 50’s if you keep training, although obviously the risk-reward ratio for doing heavy low rep stuff goes up and your power starts to go down before your strength and LBM, (hence typical pro athlete age range vs people who just bodybuild or train for fun).

‘Middle-aged now? RIP!’ only applies if you’re like most people and go increasingly potato mode with age. Basically no reason not to lift until you drop.
 
Belt - something off Strength Shop or Modifit or if you‘re feeling fancy then the SBD belt or Pioneer adjustable lever belts are the GOAT belts on the market (although only the former is powerlifting federation friendly if you were ever going to compete, I think). You only want a 4” 10mm belt. Lever is quicker to get on and off but you can’t adjust it without a screwdriver, prong is harder to get on and off but you can adjust instantly if you’re bloated etc. The fancy belts have the best of both but cost a lot more and are probably OTT unless you’re regularly doing heavy squats/deadlifts etc.

Shoes - if you want an all-rounder specifically for lifting where they’re very stable underfoot and have some slight heel elevation which benefits any squat pattern movements it’s really between a Reebox Nano (any year, any regular model) and the Nike Metcon (ditto). You can go the ‘barefoot’ route as well from brands like Vivobarefoot, the New Balance Minimus line, Merrell etc although expect to pay more money for less shoe.
 
opethdisciple said:
Would you say something like this would be adequate lifting shoes?

I am looking for my first ever pair. So don't need to spend big. Adequate is good enough.
Click to expand...

I don’t have any direct experience with their general training shoes but nobody seems to like their (Olympic) weightlifting shoes these days compared to legacy models from them you can’t buy any more, so take what you will from that. If you’re looking to avoid spending £90+ maybe look at the UnderArmour Tribase Reigns as those are also a ‘suitable for leg days’ trainer and they’re in the Jan sales ATM.
 
Last edited:
danewesley said:
What about Converse for lifting? just jumped back into the gym and stuck mine on and feel good.
Click to expand...

They’re okay but you miss out on a small but useful heel lift (useful for 95% for squatting movements if you‘re aiming for full ROM), greater lateral stability and a harder base under the foot which starts making a difference when you’re dealing with relatively heavy weights. Also some people dislike the aesthetic… including me.
 
MP seem to have gotten rid of the Milk Protein which is a crime against humanity as I much preferred that to whey for how I use (i.e. I never make shakes). Think I’ll have to mix whey and casein bought sep. in a big tub. :o
 
Yup just start taking 5g a day 4eva of monohydrate and be done with it. Loading gets you to max saturation quicker but no evidence that confers any advantage over a slow steady build up, plus a minority experience stomach issues loading so it’s not got anything going for it really.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom