PH 2014 Goals, Progress & Transformations Thread

[smiffy180]

Hoofy said:

I guess it can be. Your determination to lose weight makes you start to think "the less I eat, the quicker I'll lose". But it will mess with your health and muscle.

I'm trying to avoid eating so much!
I think I'm just having a off day or two. It doesn't help that I've been getting up later recently

[Hoofy]

You've got your calorie goals. Just stick to them or you'll end up as skinny as me.

[smiffy180]

Hoofy said:

You've got your calorie goals. Just stick to them or you'll end up as skinny as me.

that'll be some going

I have a bet on with a friend that I can hit 120-130kg at 10-15% bf. According to calculators online I'd be 91kg @10% bf and that I'm 47% now!?

We'll see

[Hoofy]

Fatty.

[smiffy180]

Hoofy said:

Fatty.

takes one to know one

[deadmau5]

smiffy180 said:

Hoofy said:

You've got your calorie goals. Just stick to them or you'll end up as skinny as me.

that'll be some going

I have a bet on with a friend that I can hit 120-130kg at 10-15% bf. According to calculators online I'd be 91kg @10% bf and that I'm 47% now!?

We'll see

It will be a long hard slog to 10%, especially if you're hoping to maintain almost all of your strength. It will be worth it in the long run though as you'll have a much much better base from which to work from.

I'm going in the opposite direction, up to 15st at the moment and still have decent ab definition. I've stopped doing strength stuff and so far I've got less injuries.

[smiffy180]

deadmau5 said:

It will be a long hard slog to 10%, especially if you're hoping to maintain almost all of your strength. It will be worth it in the long run though as you'll have a much much better base from which to work from.

I'm going in the opposite direction, up to 15st at the moment and still have decent ab definition. I've stopped doing strength stuff and so far I've got less injuries.

I read 10-15% is optimum for strength building so that's my goal anyway, hopefully I will have gotten rid of my fatty liver by that point.

I'm already losing stength, except my accessories? They're on par/stronger in some cases :confuses:

Want to transfer my fat over to you? If only

[deadmau5]

Haha I don't want weight at all costs, it has to be quality mass!

You can notice visual gains a lot better when you're leaner as well. All in all, it's much better and you'll be thankful you did it.

What's your timescale?

[smiffy180]

deadmau5 said:

Haha I don't want weight at all costs, it has to be quality mass!

You can notice visual gains a lot better when you're leaner as well. All in all, it's much better and you'll be thankful you did it.

What's your timescale?

No timescale really, although I wanted to do Britain's naturals next year which may have to be put on hold until the year after. That was my main goal for next year :/

[goldblum]

smiffy180 said:

I'm already losing stength, except my accessories? They're on par/stronger in some cases :confuses:

Absolutely no physiological reason why you should lose strength, and this is born out by the fact your 'accessories' are normal/stronger.

Have a look at your mental approach - are you just as highly focused as when you were competing? If not why not?

[smiffy180]

goldblum said:

Absolutely no physiological reason why you should lose strength, and this is born out by the fact your 'accessories' are normal/stronger.

Have a look at your mental approach - are you just as highly focused as when you were competing? If not why not?

I'm not sure what it is, I'm training exactly the same, everything just feels harder. I have to take longer rest breaks (from 1 min to 2) which my program allows.
Recently tried a max rep to gauge my estimated 1RM for a comp which failed miserably.

Maybe it's just my body adjusting to the new diet and it'll return in a couple weeks?

[goldblum]

smiffy180 said:

Maybe it's just my body adjusting to the new diet and it'll return in a couple weeks?

Adjusting to the new diet is an unlikely reason for your perceived slump in form. Do you have to go for 1RMs? Stay off the short reps and go lighter for sets of 8-10-12. Whilst trying to grow more muscle you'll also burn more calories.

I honestly think you're just a bit distracted by this fat liver malarkey and the desire to lose weight - try not to think about strength for a few weeks and don't feel you have to check up on yourself by going for 1RMs, next thing you know you'll get injured. By Spring you'll be slimmer and stronger as long as you train wisely.

[smiffy180]

goldblum said:

Adjusting to the new diet is an unlikely reason for your perceived slump in form. Do you have to go for 1RMs? Stay off the short reps and go lighter for sets of 8-10-12. Whilst trying to grow more muscle you'll also burn more calories.

I honestly think you're just a bit distracted by this fat liver malarkey and the desire to lose weight - try not to think about strength for a few weeks and don't feel you have to check up on yourself by going for 1RMs, next thing you know you'll get injured. By Spring you'll be slimmer and stronger as long as you train wisely.

I don't do 1RM until end of a program - 3-4x a year or a comps.

I'm following a 10x3 program with 3x10 on accessories which has returned great results on a normal diet.

Also I read from a few sources the main reason for losing strength on a cut is because people seem to drop the weight and increase reps/sets which the body can't get stronger because of this.

Also I lost 15lbs in 13 days on 3.5k cals following my strength program. I'm more concerned about strength than losing weight, I had comps lined up for next year which I'll more than likely have to cancel.

[Adz The Rat]

Do any of you follow Dana Linn Bailey on Facebook or YouTube?

She has been posting a new video up almost everyday recently, Im finding them great inspiration and a great insight into how DLB trains.

[Art0ir]

Adz The Rat said:

Do any of you follow Dana Linn Bailey on Facebook or YouTube?

She has been posting a new video up almost everyday recently, Im finding them great inspiration and a great insight into how DLB trains.

Strong girl!

Personally, if I'm lacking motivation before heading to the gym a CT Fletcher video does it for me. Nothing like a 55 year old with 22" arms and a voice like an angry preacher to get you off your ass.

[Adz The Rat]

This is a very good one too! Killing the overtraining myth....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zxiMPRHt9wQ

[goldblum]

smiffy180 said:

I don't do 1RM until end of a program - 3-4x a year or a comps.

Why are you even thinking about 1RM after a hypertrophy phase? 1RMs are tested at the end of a power phase.

smiffy180 said:

I'm following a 10x3 program with 3x10 on accessories which has returned great results on a normal diet.

Uh huh. I thought you said this about your diet:

smiffy180 said:

Maybe it's just my body adjusting to the new diet and it'll return in a couple weeks?

So are you on a new diet or not?

smiffy180 said:

Also I read from a few sources the main reason for losing strength on a cut is because people seem to drop the weight and increase reps/sets which the body can't get stronger because of this.

High reps/sets - which is what you are doing - will result in size gains, not power. You don't have to do this on a cut, and even if you are there is no reason why your 1RM would drop until at least 2/3 weeks had elapsed. If that's not what you want then why are you following the program you're doing?

smiffy180 said:

Also I lost 15lbs in 13 days on 3.5k cals following my strength program.
I'm more concerned about strength than losing weight,

To be honest Smiffy, and please don't take offence, but I'm not sure you have your different phases of training clear in your head. Has anyone properly explained periodisation and diet to you so you end up with an empirically tested training cycle used by professionals?

smiffy180 said:

I had comps lined up for next year which I'll more than likely have to cancel.

Now then, it's quite straightforward to cut/gain muscle mass or cut/get stronger or cut/gain power but again - why are you then testing your strength and being disappointed when your 1RM drops a bit during a hypertrophy phase? That is what is supposed to happen! Why don't you test it in eight weeks after a power phase?

[smiffy180]

Goldblum I don't think you're following me at all......
Not quoting everything you put as I'm on phone so I'll try address each point.

I don't train hypertrophy? (I beleive I don't anyway) I do 10 sets of 3 on compounds followed by 3 sets of 10 on accessories (after going up to a heavy 3-5 rep set).
This website explains what I do in regards to how the 10x3 works: http://www.muscleandstrength.com/workouts/beef-up-...

I said it returned great results on a normal diet - this means the past no?
I am now on a cut, previously on a bulk/maintainance.

Again I'm on low reps, high sets - volume training which has been working great for me and did in the past before I changed program.

I'm not testing 1RM, as I've done the 10x3 previously I know how well I did at certain weights, this time round it is much harder.
The only strength test I did was 300kg 18" deadlift for reps, I should've hit 5+ but only hit 2. I only did this to see where I stood for a comp in January. It was a one off event to estimate my 1RM as you cannot get any more than 300kg on the bar.

Edited by smiffy180 on Tuesday 2nd December 15:48

[goldblum]

smiffy180 said:

Goldblum I don't think you're following me at all......
Not quoting everything you put as I'm on phone so I'll try address each point.

I don't train hypertrophy? I do 10 sets of 3 on compounds followed by 3 sets of 10 on accessories (after going up to a heavy 3-5 rep set).
This website explains what I do in regards to how the 10x3 works

Ah got you. A mixture of power and hypertrophy then. 3 sets by 10 reps isn't standard training for power. Also strictly speaking in a power phase there would be no 'accessory' lifting. As the link you have provided states, it is a 'specialized' routine. I'd suggest its specialness has worn off - this is quite common with these type of routines...but as you've commented sometimes they do reap rewards.

[smiffy180]

goldblum said:

Ah got you. A mixture of power and hypertrophy then. 3 sets by 10 reps isn't standard training for power. Also strictly speaking in a power phase there would be no 'accessory' lifting. As the link you have provided states, it is a 'specialized' routine. I'd suggest its specialness has worn off - this is quite common with these type of routines...but as you've commented sometimes they do reap rewards.

Yeh the accessories I don't train for power, I'll go up to a heavy 3-5 as I said then do roughly 60% for 3x10.

I don't follow that exactly, just the way the 10x3 works.
The volume training before my cut did help a lot, I went from a 110kg log to a 125kg in comp within 2 months (although part of it was due to a bad clean). My previous best was 115kg so a 10kg increase is a lot for me