Lifting weights / growing muscle
 

Do you find training hard or diet puts on more muscle. Or is it (for you) a combination of both, and to what percentage of each?

For me it’s 55% training hard
45% diet (40 g protein a meal x6)
I can’t grow from training alone, and diet alone either.

What works for you? I’d like to know

Anatoly :thumbsup

as a super juiced up 5k/10k racer muscle growth has never been my goal only to be more lightweight and flexible so no weighlifting only running, pullups, swimming, and hiit cardio. however lots of body builder types of people and youtubers will claim you need 1g of protein for every lb of body weight if youre active working out everyday. 240g protein daily means youre 240lbs? how much calories do you intake and burn most days? again probably wrong guy to ask a bout buiding muscle unless youre talking about legs back or core only using body weight here. dont forget the vitamins and bcca powder

Test + Peptides that increase your HGH.

Of course start with your blood labs and monitor them closely.

Ya!! He rocks. I love that guy

200 lbs. i find if I dont crush the protein I don’r grow.
I wouldn’t say I’m overtly active. Shit posting, and working on my cars. I walk an hour a day, and lift an hour, 1.2 hours. I don’t know how many calories ai burn, but I watch my carbs and alcohol, and maybe take in 250 cals a meal. For example, 6 eggs, 2 slices of Ezekiel bread with irish butter, and black coffee.

Ya man, I’ve noticed more returns on effort since adding bcaa’s. Good advice ^^^ Shimmy. Thanks my friend
Ds

Getting fit is probably 90% diet

I suggest going to tdeecalculator.net to find out your base calories (The calories you need to eat to maintain the same weight). It will also give you your macros you should aim for to build muscle. Generally it's 1gram of protein per lb /day

Find out your base metabolic rate. These would be the amount of calories you need to eat every day to stay the same weight.

The general rule of thumb is to eat 500calories above that to put on healthy weight, and 500calories below that to lose 1lb a week.

1 lb of fat is 3500/calories. So a 500 calorie deficit you'd need to have to lose 1 lb of fat a week.


A lot of people don't realize how many calories are in things, and that's why it's so easy to put on weight and struggle with losing it.

An average male probably has a base metabolic rate of 2500 calories. A starbucks latte can be 600 calories. A mcdonalds meal 1500+

That meal would be closer to 700 calories ^

If you want to track calories I suggest an app like myfitnesspal or similar

Can’t to wrong with the nectar of the gods. I wish more soylents took test. The retard room would get along better haha

If you aim to grow muscle, a good weekly full body routine + a good proteic diet + good sleep (essential) + bcca + creatine (there are some mixes too), would do it
I assume motivation is something you already have, of course

Yes. My bad. Good catch. Thanks SoS
I will have a can of tuna 2 hours later
Cottage cheese and greek yogurt and 1 granny smith apple next meal
Protein shake
Post workout shake + bcaa
Chicken breast
1.5 hamburgers and 1/2 bag of brocollo

I should prob eat more fiber but the apple and broccoli seem to be working.

I have a cheat meal every 10 days. Having a steak on thurs and some fries and 2-4 beers and a glass of vino and a cigar

Been going back to the gym but just so hard for me to progress and don't think ill be going the roid route..

Also don't have the appetite to eat enough protein it seems.. even with 50g shake after the gym.


Before trying this cut I did go from 150 to 170 at 6 foot.. hovering around 167 right now

Trying to lose skinny fat gut by cutting out junk but feels like no progress.. along with trying to tamp down this new issue of acid reflux.. even feel it some times now at the gym.

Progressive overload not working when ya hit that wall and can't seem to add more weight.. then add another set at a lower weight I guess?

Fun stuff

Don't get discouraged. The gut is generally the last place you will lose weight.

Think of your body as a pool. When it's draining, it comes from the shallow areas first (face/neck/arms) and the last place to go is the water by the drain (your gut)

I'm sure you've noticed a more defined face etc. Just keep at it you got it :thumbsup

Hell yeah. That shit is liquid gold.

Go to a men's clinic and get your T checked. They can prescribe you pharma-grade test. Just small doses can drastically change your body and overall well-being especially if you're in your 40s or 50s.

I'm a walker not a fighter . . .

Go as light as you need and crank out reps. When i was lifting heavy I could bench 405 for 2, but i wasn’t growing. Now I do like 15-25 reps. Seems the better your pump the bigger you’ll grow. Plus, less chance of injury.

Buy grass fed organs. I order fresh bison heart and overnight it via FedEx Ex from Northstar Bison in Wisconsin. Eat it raw with avocado and olive oil. Be a fucking champion. Eat half a heart a week at least. I woke up with another boner this morning. also if you live in a large metropolitan area with an Ethiopian community find out where they butcher cattle because they will butcher a cow and sell it all to people in the same day.

I work with a super skinny guy who is like 130 lbs or so, but he's been moving shit for 28 years.

This dude is so strong it would amaze you, I've seen this guy pick up 100 lbs toolboxes like they were filled with feathers. I'm 6'3 and 260 lbs, and have like a foot in height and 100+ pounds on this guy, but his strength level is equal or greater than mine, and I'm just above average strong. In my prime I could curl 60 lbs weights x 10 x 4 sets to failure.

A lot of people don't actually get that huge, they just get strong, and while they don't look like powerhouses, they are capable of incredible burst strength. Doing moving so much for the last couple months, I've watched this dude toss around 100+ lbs objects like a child tosses a toy around, and he's just a super skinny, shorter old guy who smokes native cigarettes like a chimney. Fucking incredibly strong.

I bet the moving guy I work as a helper to is stronger than you and his diet is Tim Horton's and cigarettes

Ya man, the isometrics that weights provide aren’t suitable for real life applications. Lugging bags of cement and cinderblocks is.

I love watching the old strongman competitions with that Magnussen guy. I probably spelled his name wrong. I vaguely remember watching a compilation of the craziest moments of strongman competitions. The amount of weight some of these dudes move is fucking insane!

Ya man, the isometrics that weights provide aren’t suitable for real life applications. Lugging bags of cement and cinderblocks is.

I believe the ideal range for hypertrophy is 8-12 reps

15-25 is endurance range I believe


Who knows though. "experts" change this information regularely.

The most important thing over anything else is for people to find a routine they enjoy and can stick to. Consistency > Optimization

I think if you want to get truly big, you pretty much have to do steroids.

Yeah, it's best to hit both ranges and mix it up.

The only fitness thing I would ever pay for again is a 90 minute hot yoga class

Those were amazing... followed by thai food with the fucking cashews

Damn

TRT is great, but for people above 60. Its crazy when young people do it, because they can never ever get off it. Once they start taking it, the body stops producing it...and once they stop taking it, the body still doesn't start producing it, so why even risk this? For people, who produce very little on their own, mainly due to age, its very beneficial to take it, as they need to take it for the rest of their lives, anyway.

I thought I will start taking it in my 40s, when my natural levels are low...but I am in my mid 40s and just hit my PRs last year...after 20+ years of training...so I see no reason to even think about it and looks like even in my 50s it will be too soon. In my 60s, I might take it, to increase overall life quality.

But for now, keto, IF, 3 day fasts are all I need to keep my levels high.

I remember you from another webmaster forum (must be 10 years ago) but I remember you being really skinny, if you still struggle to put on weight/muscle your best bet is to drink that protein in shakes with every meal.

I swear by a ketogenic diet, it's a difficult diet to stick to because you're cutting out the carbs but the benefit is you're not eating any of the junk food and your blood sugar levels aren't spiking up and down like a yo yo from constantly eating

Benefits for me are

1) Better quality sleep (I need around 2 hours less per night on average)
2) Never get tired, always have energy because the body is tapping into your stored fat cells for energy when not eating
3) Helps tremendously with mood, I'd describe being in ketosis like a natural anti depressant with no side effects. It's sorta like you've got a stoic resolve just to deal with whatever problem in life you're faced with
4) Rarely get hungry, which feels like a super power. Usually end up intermittent fasting for 23 hours a day, only need one meal a day

Interesting... Most things I've read/watched concerning fasting (are you talking strict water fasts?) lower testosterone levels

The great thing about keto is losing that hunger, feels like a super power.

I managed to do a 10 day water fast after 2 weeks in ketosis, I just waited until the day I didn't feel hungry for 24 hours and 10 days later I hadn't eaten any food.

I wouldn't recommend doing a 10 day water fast though (it's too long, unless doing so to treat an illness) I check blood ketones every day though so I make sure my ketones aren't going dangerously high.

There is a lot of studies and research that link water fasting which induces autophagy and the incredible health benefits

Same goes with intermittent fasting to a lessor degree

For anyone interested in longevity etc basically once your body goes into a fasted state (24/48 hours without food) your body starts producing ketones which is basically your body starting to use it's own body fat for energy

After 48 hours your body starts to go into autophagy, this is when your body starts taking the junk/crap out of your mitochondria cells for energy and literally gets rid of all the crap in your cells.

This is a very simplistic explanation but it's very interesting stuff!

There are 1000s of people who have successfully treated their cancer through water fasting/autophagy

Anyone interested should check out YouTube and search for Yoshinori Ohsumi, he won the Nobel Prize for his work on autophagy in 2016

Have you heard of Bryan Johnson?

Here is his YouTube channel - https://www.youtube.com/@BryanJohnson

He's 46/47 years old and he's invested/investing millions of $ into slowing his ageing process. Eats one meal a day, doesn't drink alcohol, is obsessed about the quality of his sleep and works out like a professional athlete

Atm he's experimenting with gene therapy and stem cell treatment

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bax8to_s07Q - This is the video on his stem cell treatment, his treatment is supposed to help increase muscle mass along with other benefits. I'm eager to see if he has beneficial results over the next 12 months

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MsVIT_54rMU - The stem cell treatment looks interesting, he's got age related pains in his joints. He went to the Bahamas to have stem cell injections (I think from an 18 year old) into all his joints, the company claims that once it takes effect his age related joint pain should be gone and he'll have much younger joints that won't be full of inflammation

Have you looked into gene therapy and stem cell treatments? Tbh i'm just following this guy on YouTube atm but I do believe that these areas have significant potential for almost every single area of health

i'd also recommend watching what Dana White is going via YouTube, he's become obsessed with his health. Red light therapy, ice baths, saunas etc you name it, he's doing it atm :thumbsup

Isn't he non-binary now?

I think he's hinted that he's going to transition on social media...

Longer fasting, meaning days, lowers testosterone during that fast...but when the fast ends, testosterone levels go way higher than they were before, for weeks. Army was doing testing on soldiers...they were starving them for 1-2 weeks, making them exercise for hours each day and their testosterone levels dropped by 50% or more...but then they switched their diet, they were getting more calories and protein, less exercise, and their testosterone levels spike to 2-4x what they were before. Then they were gaining crazy muscle for 2-4 weeks until it slowed down again.

I tested it and it works like a charm...2-3 weeks after I finished a 3 day fast, I hit my PRs in almost every exercise.

My son is doing his own training and pretty much keeps to that balance. He has weights in his room that he's learned to use properly - bikes and is heavily into protein shakes and bars knowing exactly how much he has to intake per day to help him.

I do most of the cooking around the house and although I enjoy the help - listening to him breaking each food down to basics with pro's and con's - I'd say first I admire him for dedication but can be a tad overwhelming when you're cooking for the whole family and you have this going on in your ear LOL.

I am proud and of him and within 1/2 year you can see definition and growth as he does it naturally. So happy since that was something I should have done when younger and he's already picked it up on his own.

I’m going to bang some stem cell replacement if it’s reasonable

That’s awesome!!

Whatever gives me the best pump is ideal for growth. Makes sense too. I never get pumped doing low reps.

Pump has nothing to do with growth, like literally nothing. I can pump muscles with an empty barbell and that will grow zero muscles. Its surely better than doing nothing...but not for muscle growth.

More blood into the muscle, more nutrients. The fascia tissue gets stretched, and stresses the muscle fiber more which is required for hypertrophy.

What nutrients would go into the muscle during the workout? Even the "right after workout" meal is a myth...it doesn't matter when we get the nutrients, only the amount...it takes a long time to convert protein from meals into body muscle.

But I know it feels good to be pumped up. :winkwink:

It can be done using heavy weights for few reps, too...and that actually builds muscle.

I did not know that, very interesting! :thumbsup

I'm about to start water fasting again, so I'll have to try this for myself

Glycogen.
.
.

Glycogen is energy for the workout, sugar stored in the body for when the body needs it.

But since I have been on keto many times, with glycogen levels completely depleted, I realized body doesn't even need it, it can survive even better on fats as energy source.

Look up how many grams of water is attached to glyogen. During bulking, i add a medium carb shake 45 mins before and high carb after. Then a big ass lean cut of meat from the grill

You eont get as full on keto. Keto isnt realistic

Have you tried doing keto?

If not, give it a try for a few weeks. You'll be able to workout for longer after a few weeks in ketosis, you'll have a lot more energy

Am I missing something by your comment?



Research shows that a single set of 12 to 15 repetitions with the proper weight can build muscle efficiently in most people and can be as effective as three sets of the same exercise.

As long as you take the muscle you are working to fatigue — meaning you can't lift another repetition — you are doing the work necessary to make the muscle stronger. And fatiguing at a higher number of repetitions means you likely are using a lighter weight, which will make it easier for you to control and maintain correct form.

https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/fitness/in-depth/strength-training/art-20046670#:~:text=Research%20shows%20that%20a%20sin gle,sets%20of%20the%20same%20exercise.


Weight training for 20 to 30 minutes, 2 to 3 times a week is enough to see results. You should try to target all your major muscle groups at least twice throughout your weekly workouts. While you may not see results right away, even a single strength training session can help promote muscle growth.

https://www.healthline.com/health/how-long-does-it-take-to-build-muscle#:~:text=Weight%20training%20for%2020%20to,c an%20help%20promote%20muscle%20growth.

I gain muscle during keto...and strength, too. During keto, testosteron and growth hormone are much higher than during regular diet...and the rest is all about calories...I don't use keto to lose weight anymore, so I don't eat less calories, might even eat more during keto. So the gains are much better and leaner than during regular carb diets.

Research is mostly useless for this stuff...they mostly pick people who never trained before or people who train a little and have no idea what they are doing...so they can easily gain some small amount of muscle doing whatever...even 15 reps. But if someone works out for over a year, those things become useless and muscles will need much more stimulus than that.

Bodybuilders are doing videos how they do 12 or more reps and people think thats the way to go, but they don't show the amount of drugs they take along with that. For most normal people, doing regular diets, who train 3-6 times per week, small amount of reps is the best. Old school pyramid was working 50 years ago and is still working now...increase weight with each set, until only 1-2 reps are possible. Easy and effective.