Concerned about arm size
- Thread starter Safeboy43
- Start date
you do that........
I am limited to 10 links (I believe) so I have to multiple post:cool3:
The admins/mods need to grant you MORE POWER!!!! :action11:
Wow, thank you Chillen. That is a **** load of articles! lol. A lot of this is stuff I know about, but these articles go into much more detail. I'll start diggin'!
To address your first post. You mentioned that fat gains overpowered muscle gains. I'm not sure what my BF% is, but do you recommend a cutting diet at this point?
Thanks again!
To address your first post. You mentioned that fat gains overpowered muscle gains. I'm not sure what my BF% is, but do you recommend a cutting diet at this point?
Thanks again!
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Hey Chillen,
Nice to hear from you. I always value your input
Thank you for your kind words, Safeboy43. I remember you.
I took some time to refresh my memory on your history, and I admit, I had forgot how severe your starting point was.
The starting weight of 117 pounds should have set off some bells and whistles in my first post, but I admit, it slid right off my balding old head.
For a moment...that is.
Some persons tend to forget, that we just can not throw "this and that" within diet and fitness at individuals without taking some "personal particulars" into account, and this BS of arguing/discussing about dips (reference being bad for shoulders, BS, can be saved for another thread).
I saw this thread you made back in June 2008, and was really taken back at your starting point:
after-11-months-bulking
You have really "improved" your situation, Safeboy43.
Much respect and admiration back at you, young man. You have in deed come a long way.
I did not know you had a anorexia problem (which I assume the others on the forum do not know (or remember) as well):
anyone-here-ever-had-anorexia
You have worked hard and have made tremendous progress up to this point, IMO. You have much to be proud of. You have overcome a lot.
When you used the word "harder", do you mean in the context of just being slower at 250 calorie surplus? Or what? How long did you stay in a 250 calorie surplus?
You can always vary your MT-Line according to your activity level variations, and keep the same surplus ratio.
Varying the MT-Line according to your activity has the benefit of attempting to control fat accumulation (from the stand point of MT-Variations), while still allowing your surpluses.
Likewise, you could vary your MT-Line according to your activity level....and....adjust calorie surpluses.
The drawback for some is that this can take a bit more work, then most people, in general, would want to do. Personally, I do not like the "blanket" calculations calorie approximators give anyway, and varying your calorie intake according to activity levels...is wise, and can work with the right person.
Weight: 186ish
Gender: Male
Height: 5FT 9IN
Age: 18-25 (do not remember your age, but this range will be close enough): Using 22 as the age perimeter. As falling within this range the calorie differences are nearly irrelevant.
•If you are sedentary : BMR x 1.2
2341.17
•If you are lightly active: BMR x 1.3
2536.26
•If you are moderately active (You exercise most days a week.): BMR x 1.5
2926.46
•If you are very active (You exercise daily.): BMR x 1.7
3316.65
•If you are extra active (You do hard labor or are in athletic training.): BMR x 1.9
3706.85
For example: Its a training day (off day at work), and I assume its at least an hour of resistance training (250-500 approx). We can call this moderately active (as an example).
If you add 500c surplus to this to this MT-Line figure, you get 3426 calories. Where are you getting 4,000 calories from? It is rare persons reach the 1.7 to 1.9 range (there is, of course, but not average anyway).
What type of work do you do?
Best wishes,
Chillen
Thank you for your kind words, Safeboy43. I remember you.
I took some time to refresh my memory on your history, and I admit, I had forgot how severe your starting point was.
The starting weight of 117 pounds should have set off some bells and whistles in my first post, but I admit, it slid right off my balding old head.
For a moment...that is.
Some persons tend to forget, that we just can not throw "this and that" within diet and fitness at individuals without taking some "personal particulars" into account, and this BS of arguing/discussing about dips (reference being bad for shoulders, BS, can be saved for another thread).
I saw this thread you made back in June 2008, and was really taken back at your starting point:
after-11-months-bulking
You have really "improved" your situation, Safeboy43.
Much respect and admiration back at you, young man. You have in deed come a long way.
I did not know you had a anorexia problem (which I assume the others on the forum do not know (or remember) as well):
anyone-here-ever-had-anorexia
You have worked hard and have made tremendous progress up to this point, IMO. You have much to be proud of. You have overcome a lot.
When you used the word "harder", do you mean in the context of just being slower at 250 calorie surplus? Or what? How long did you stay in a 250 calorie surplus?
You can always vary your MT-Line according to your activity level variations, and keep the same surplus ratio.
Varying the MT-Line according to your activity has the benefit of attempting to control fat accumulation (from the stand point of MT-Variations), while still allowing your surpluses.
Likewise, you could vary your MT-Line according to your activity level....and....adjust calorie surpluses.
The drawback for some is that this can take a bit more work, then most people, in general, would want to do. Personally, I do not like the "blanket" calculations calorie approximators give anyway, and varying your calorie intake according to activity levels...is wise, and can work with the right person.
Weight: 186ish
Gender: Male
Height: 5FT 9IN
Age: 18-25 (do not remember your age, but this range will be close enough): Using 22 as the age perimeter. As falling within this range the calorie differences are nearly irrelevant.
•If you are sedentary : BMR x 1.2
2341.17
•If you are lightly active: BMR x 1.3
2536.26
•If you are moderately active (You exercise most days a week.): BMR x 1.5
2926.46
•If you are very active (You exercise daily.): BMR x 1.7
3316.65
•If you are extra active (You do hard labor or are in athletic training.): BMR x 1.9
3706.85
For example: Its a training day (off day at work), and I assume its at least an hour of resistance training (250-500 approx). We can call this moderately active (as an example).
If you add 500c surplus to this to this MT-Line figure, you get 3426 calories. Where are you getting 4,000 calories from? It is rare persons reach the 1.7 to 1.9 range (there is, of course, but not average anyway).
What type of work do you do?
Best wishes,
Chillen
Thanks you very much for the encouragement. I know I have come a long way but I am happy to know that the journey never ends. I am always striving to be better
Now, for diet I stayed with the 250c surplus, actually recommended by you in some of the first posts I read on here. Being at such a low weight and then upping cals, I saw huge water weight fluctuations and for a good month, I was never really sure how much I weighed.
I started work as an electricians apprentice and the work varied so much that I had a tough time adjusting the caloric formula. Some days I would do nothing but sit on my arse in a truck for most of the day and other days I would be hauling wire, ladders and other equipment for 12 hours straight. I also did HIIT, which creates an "after burn" effect and some months I actually came out to a negative balance in weight. After 6 months of it, I got tired of not making progress, used 3500c and that gave me 1lb per week.
In September of this year, I switched to the Anabolic Diet to control fat gain, reduce mood swings associated with carbs and improve my heart health (no that's not a typo). The book (written by Dr. Mauro Di Pasquale) actually states that you will need an increase in calories. I am actually supposed to be eating more than I am right now! He recommends 2lbs per week because of the reduced fat gain.
This is the eBook if anybody is interested:
The Anabolic Diet
Thanks again for your encouraging words
That was the purpose of the articles. There is a lot of good info pertaining to your question (s) from a very good source.For most average persons bulking....naturally, the body's ability to produce fat tissue exceeds its potential to produce muscle. Due to the biological nature of the beast inside us, gaining "some" fat tissue on a bulk is quite normal. You provide a degree of control through diet (macro nutrients) and training scheme/protocol.
I'm not sure what my BF% is, but do you recommend a cutting diet at this point?
Thanks again!
What does your "gut" tell YOU to do? What is it YOU want out of your efforts in the gym and efforts in dieting? Based on your answers, then we can continue and take a look see, and work on that. You are going to increase the odds of success by doing something you want to do (that is reasonable) than trying to appease someone's opinion on what you should do.
Best wishes,
Chillen
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Yes, unfortunaely that's usually how the game is played.
Well, honestly I was just looking for an outside opinion. As you might know, an opinion from someone else can help moderate your own views.
Personally I would like to add a bit of size to my arms before I start cuttingAnyhow, to the original topic, I will start doing these "extra" exercises again and try and get to the gym earlier so I can finish on time. And I will do some dips (likely only once per week) and work on chin ups and some other isolations.
Okay, this is my short honest opinion, based on your pic and other information in this thread, and other threads you have made:
1. You are a beginner in weight training. You need to be steadfast in basics, form execution, and fundamentals.
2. You do not have the development "overall" to even think about addressing perceived weaknesses (in your case the arms and "speaking in terms of growth"), and should focus on total body development, reeling in the diet (to a more basic and fundamental approach, and if necessary tweak aspects of calories and macro nutrients).
In my opinion, at the present, your arms are in line with the development composite of your upper body. Improve upper body "development" arms will follow. Include Arm exercises such as: Decline French Press (etc), but make total body development the focus point.
I can address things more in detail if you wish, but this is my opinion short and sweet. And, most importantly, an honest one.
Also, I want to see in detail your 5X5 program (Basically how you have this set up--specifically: frequency in the week, rest days, etc, etc. TAKE THE TIME TO WRITE IT)---and in detail how you modify this in the different phases in the anabolic diet (yes I am familiar with it).
Best wishes
Chillen
1. You are a beginner in weight training. You need to be steadfast in basics, form execution, and fundamentals.
2. You do not have the development "overall" to even think about addressing perceived weaknesses (in your case the arms and "speaking in terms of growth"), and should focus on total body development, reeling in the diet (to a more basic and fundamental approach, and if necessary tweak aspects of calories and macro nutrients).
In my opinion, at the present, your arms are in line with the development composite of your upper body. Improve upper body "development" arms will follow. Include Arm exercises such as: Decline French Press (etc), but make total body development the focus point.
I can address things more in detail if you wish, but this is my opinion short and sweet. And, most importantly, an honest one.
Also, I want to see in detail your 5X5 program (Basically how you have this set up--specifically: frequency in the week, rest days, etc, etc. TAKE THE TIME TO WRITE IT)---and in detail how you modify this in the different phases in the anabolic diet (yes I am familiar with it).
Best wishes
Chillen
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I appreciate the honest opinion, Chillen. Thanks
I am focusing on upper body development but my upper body seems to be out of porportion with the lower. That was the main reason that I started this thread (because of arms). I know people who are my weight and height and have 15-16 inch arms. I felt that I was not doing something right.
I had a basic approach to diet for the first year but was not happy with it. Now I am very pleased with the way my diet is working.
So here are the details:
The isolation exercises at the bottom of each workout I have just started doing again.
Monday:
(all reps must be excecuted with proper form for 5x5 before more weight is added)
Squat 5x5
Bench Press 5x5
Power Clean 5x5
Chin Ups 3x5
Tuesday
20 Min HIIT
Abdominal Planks 3 sets
Weighted Leg Raises 3 sets
Wednesday
Squat 3x3
Overhead Press3x3
Deadlift 3x3
Dips 3x3
Thursday
20 Min HIIT
Abdominal Planks 3 sets
Weighted Leg Raises 3 sets
Friday
Over 8 weeks, increase the reps from 1-3.
Squat 1x1
Bench Press 1x1
Power Clean 3x1
You probably notice that the volume of workouts decreases as the week progresses. This is because of glycogen stores being depleted. I do deadlifts on Wednesday because I do a 1000c "carb spike" in the AM that gives me an extra boost of energy.
Saturday + Sunday (Carb Up)
Eating Carbs 3000x3000
I am focusing on upper body development but my upper body seems to be out of porportion with the lower. That was the main reason that I started this thread (because of arms). I know people who are my weight and height and have 15-16 inch arms. I felt that I was not doing something right.
I had a basic approach to diet for the first year but was not happy with it. Now I am very pleased with the way my diet is working.
So here are the details:
The isolation exercises at the bottom of each workout I have just started doing again.
Monday:
(all reps must be excecuted with proper form for 5x5 before more weight is added)
Squat 5x5
Bench Press 5x5
Power Clean 5x5
Chin Ups 3x5
Tuesday
20 Min HIIT
Abdominal Planks 3 sets
Weighted Leg Raises 3 sets
Wednesday
Squat 3x3
Overhead Press3x3
Deadlift 3x3
Dips 3x3
Thursday
20 Min HIIT
Abdominal Planks 3 sets
Weighted Leg Raises 3 sets
Friday
Over 8 weeks, increase the reps from 1-3.
Squat 1x1
Bench Press 1x1
Power Clean 3x1
You probably notice that the volume of workouts decreases as the week progresses. This is because of glycogen stores being depleted. I do deadlifts on Wednesday because I do a 1000c "carb spike" in the AM that gives me an extra boost of energy.
Saturday + Sunday (Carb Up)
Eating Carbs 3000x3000
you do that........
I am limited to 10-12 links (I believe) so I have to multiple post
hmm.. that's kinda weird..