Gyroscopic Investing

So summing it all up and what research has found, is by doing each muscle group with a rep range of 5-8 (load of 60% to 85% of 1RM) over 8 sets(which works out to be 40-64 repetitions in a session)with 2 to 3 minutes rest between sets and training each muscle two times per week will be optimum for stimulating muscular hypertrophy and ensure continual progression.

http://thebodyevolutionreport.blogspot. ... d-how.html

All that, just to recommend the routine that pretty much every bro in the gym follows?  Not a bad article, of course, it looks like he's been reading up on HST, Kelly Bagget, etc etc.

At this point in my exercise regimen I'm more interested in the fewest number of reps to prevent muscle atrophy.

Being involved in powerlifting back in early college days and hanging around at the gym alot (even to this day....although im quickly turning into a total wimp plagued by shoulder injuries) I am aware of the hold that bodybuilding culture has taken on many teenagers. Although, strength was always an admired trait for males, it seems that popular culture has been pushing a body image on young males that is not only genetically impossible for any human to naturally achieve, but has many young men engaged in a desperately futile (and at time unhealthy) pursuit of a manufactured and unnatural body image often using steroids and other supplements to try to achieve ridiculous size gains. Here is a really interesting journal paper on how toy manufacturers have been continuously increasing the muscularity of their toy figures. Im certain that this has an effect on how males view their bodies later in life http://www.lhup.edu/tmitchel/wmst/pope.pdf

On the subject of bodybuilding, have any of you heard of the The Metabolic Diet or its earlier incarnation The Anabolic Diet? It was developed by Canadian physician and champion powerlifter Mauro Di Pasquale.

I skimmed one of Di Pasquale's books recently, and the basic idea of the Metabolic Diet is to simulate some of the effects of anabolic steroids using only your diet. In a nutshell, you go low-carb during the week and then high-carb on the weekends. I don't remember all the biochemical details, but Di Pasquale's claim is that the weekly low-carb/high-carb cycles set up a metabolic environment in your body that stimulates fat loss (due to the low-carb phase) while also stimulating muscle growth (due to the high-carb phase).

I'm not sure if The Metabolic Diet is legit, but it sounded interesting and maybe worth a closer look.

Tortoise wrote: On the subject of bodybuilding, have any of you heard of the The Metabolic Diet or its earlier incarnation The Anabolic Diet? It was developed by Canadian physician and champion powerlifter Mauro Di Pasquale.

I skimmed one of Di Pasquale's books recently, and the basic idea of the Metabolic Diet is to simulate some of the effects of anabolic steroids using only your diet. In a nutshell, you go low-carb during the week and then high-carb on the weekends. I don't remember all the biochemical details, but Di Pasquale's claim is that the weekly low-carb/high-carb cycles set up a metabolic environment in your body that stimulates fat loss (due to the low-carb phase) while also stimulating muscle growth (due to the high-carb phase).

I'm not sure if The Metabolic Diet is legit, but it sounded interesting and maybe worth a closer look.

Yea. From what I've read it's kind of a lax cyclical ketogenic diet.  It's definitely worth a closer look, CKDs are money for getting shredded.  I'd suggest reading Lyle McDonald's books (The Ketogenic Diet and the UD2.0).  The Ketogenic Diet is kind of the bible for those type of diets.  He also did about 20 weeks of weekly logs when he did Bodyopus (Duchaine), which is usually cited along with the Anabolic Diet as one of the original CKD books. These kinds of diets have been around for a long time, because they work.

Tortoise wrote: I skimmed one of Di Pasquale's books recently, and the basic idea of the Metabolic Diet is to simulate some of the effects of anabolic steroids using only your diet. In a nutshell, you go low-carb during the week and then high-carb on the weekends. I don't remember all the biochemical details, but Di Pasquale's claim is that the weekly low-carb/high-carb cycles set up a metabolic environment in your body that stimulates fat loss (due to the low-carb phase) while also stimulating muscle growth (due to the high-carb phase).

Like many such authors who write ex-post facto after they have no real clue how they turned into meatheads, Pasquale's various ideas are likely to be outdated bro-cum-pro-science all by themselves.  Indeed, I do go low-carb during the week and high-carb on the weekends when I work out and its hardly anabolic.  There's nothing new about insulin spiking, insulin is anabolic.  But the implication is that spiking insulin (non-injectable) will turn you into Pasquale is what these authors are trying to infer when it was steroids that actually did the job.

I think the reality is there is no single variable approach that will work, but quite a bit of cross-variables to tweak as highlighted in the OP.  However, my thinking has evolved over time that any regime will simply not make much of a real difference when competing against age-onset hormonal decline.  Just because the hucksters haven't found a way to make a buck off it yet, doesn't mean its not true.

Kriegsspiel wrote: All that, just to recommend the routine that pretty much every bro in the gym follows?  Not a bad article, of course, it looks like he's been reading up on HST, Kelly Bagget, etc etc.

Not that I care or observe what bro-meatbags in the gym do, but if they're as disciplined as the science in the OP nowadays, I'd be the first to be surprised.  So who is right, the hucksters that say the bros all full of shit with no real plan or discipline, or you with your elite gym?

I LOL'd at the thought of me going to an elite gym

But anyways, I wasn't referring to the transient gym-goers with no idea what to do once they get there.  I was mostly referring to the assorted serious gym rats, frat boys, and wanna-be bodybuilders.  They're the people that, if you ask them what they're working that day, would say 'legs' or 'chest and tris' or 'back and bis'.  Also, I don't know if it's changed that much, but just do a cursory search through the logs at bodybuilding.com and you'll see what I mean.  Years ago, before Starting Strength became all the rage, the 3-way split was... well it was the only routine I saw.  N=1.

Of course, this is all useless wanking. The 3 way split has been getting people muscular and strong since before I was born, so wtfe.

Maximum Muscular Bodyweight and Measurements Calculator

http://www.weightrainer.net/bodypred.html

Individuals who engage in resistance weight training, whether as competitive weightlifters or to promote optimal physical outcomes, would benefit by knowing the ideal nutritional intake protocol needed to maximize muscle hypertrophy and strength. The type, timing (pre/post workout) or amount of protein intake required to meet strength-training goals may not be clear to weightlifters or their trainers. The purpose of this review was to determine whether past research provides conclusive evidence about the effects of type and timing of ingesting specific protein sources by those engaged in resistance weight training. The review targets the effects of intake and timing of the following protein sources on physical outcomes: whey, casein, milk, soy and essential amino acids.

http://www.jissn.com/content/9/1/54

Not that I haven’t wasted time at the gym like everybody else, sweating dutifully three times a week, “working my core,”? throwing in the odd after-work jog. A few years ago, newly neck-deep in what Anthony Quinn describes in Zorba the Greek as “Wife, children, house…the full catastrophe,”? I signed a 10-page membership contract at a corporate-franchise gym, hired my first personal trainer, and became yet another sucker for all the half-baked, largely spurious non-advice cobbled together from doctors, newspapers, magazines, infomercials, websites, government health agencies, and, especially, from the organs of our wonderful $19 billion fitness industry, whose real knack lies in helping us to lose weight around the middle of our wallets. Not that all of these people are lying, but here’s what I’ve learned: Their goals are only marginally related to real fitness — goals like reducing the statistical incidence of heart disease across the entire American population, or keeping you moving through the gym so you won’t crowd the gear, or limiting the likelihood that you’ll get hurt and sue.

http://archive.mensjournal.com/everythi ... -is-a-lie/

EDIT: From the article...

MachineGhost wrote: Not that I haven’t wasted time at the gym like everybody else, sweating dutifully three times a week, “working my core,”? throwing in the odd after-work jog. A few years ago, newly neck-deep in what Anthony Quinn describes in Zorba the Greek as “Wife, children, house…the full catastrophe,”? I signed a 10-page membership contract at a corporate-franchise gym, hired my first personal trainer, and became yet another sucker for all the half-baked, largely spurious non-advice cobbled together from doctors, newspapers, magazines, infomercials, websites, government health agencies, and, especially, from the organs of our wonderful $19 billion fitness industry, whose real knack lies in helping us to lose weight around the middle of our wallets. Not that all of these people are lying, but here’s what I’ve learned: Their goals are only marginally related to real fitness — goals like reducing the statistical incidence of heart disease across the entire American population, or keeping you moving through the gym so you won’t crowd the gear, or limiting the likelihood that you’ll get hurt and sue.

http://archive.mensjournal.com/everythi ... -is-a-lie/

This is a great article.  I've had it bookmarked for a while now.  Question for a gym noob - is it possible to do any of those compound exercises without a spotter?  The biggest hurdle I have to strength training is that it's difficult if not impossible in this busy time to find someone who is willing to go to the gym on the same schedule as me.  Everyone knows free weights are the best way to work out, but to do it safely you need a spotter for many of the exercises.

Perhaps a gym robot will soon be able to spot us?

Storm wrote: - is it possible to do any of those compound exercises without a spotter? 

If you work at low enough weight (just user higher reps) you can do almost any exercise without a spotter.  May not be optimalfor powerlifting contests, but good enough for the real world most people.

You can do any freeweight exercise without a spotter, with the probable exception of the bench press.  Deadlift; drop it.  Press; drop it to the pins in the power rack, or to the floor if you don't have a power rack.  Squat same thing.

For benching, you should never use collars.  If you do fail out, you can tilt the weights off (this is not recommended unless you have no other choice.  I used to be able to bench in a power rack, so you could just let the bar drop to the pins, which are above throat level but below where you touch the bar to yourself at the bottom of a rep. 

I've had a few close calls, but only with bench presses.  Back when I was a complete novice as a teen and hadn't learned to tense up properly, I virtually dropped a weighted barbell all the way down to my chest, had to be rescued by a spotter and was sore for a week or two (it hurt to breathe in).  Nowadays I lift by myself without a spotter, so the risk is a failure during a set in not being able to get the barbell back up on the rack.  I have a pretty good idea when I am one rep away from that so I avoid pressing my luck.  At least once I've had to let the weights slide off on on side to recover.  It can be a bit alarming but I think a lack of a spotter is really nothing to worry about until you start pressing near your body weight (I'm not even remotely close).

Oh yeah, I did sprain my groin (testicle tunnel) once from the deadlight or clean and jerk (can't remember).  Not fun, but it recovered with rest.  I don't do those exercises anymore, but it looks like I need to add in the deadlift to my routine.  Exactly which muscle group is that supposed to target?

As to free weights, if that article is correct (I don't go to gyms), then they sound like the PP of the exercise world!

MachineGhost wrote: As to free weights, if that article is correct (I don't go to gyms), then they sound like the PP of the exercise world!

Definitely!  I've been seeing a physical therapist for my shoulder issues and I asked her about the 4 exercise in the article that are designed to prevent injury.  She said they are all good.  In fact, she has me doing the shoulder exercise to strengthen my rotator cuff, which was damaged in an old furniture moving accident.

Hi all,

can you post a video lesson or some training plans you are practicing?

Google "Wendler 531."

Storm wrote: Definitely!  I've been seeing a physical therapist for my shoulder issues and I asked her about the 4 exercise in the article that are designed to prevent injury.  She said they are all good.  In fact, she has me doing the shoulder exercise to strengthen my rotator cuff, which was damaged in an old furniture moving accident.

How often should we do these exercises? I assume on the days off?  How many sets and reps?  Is progression necessary or use a fixed weight?

I know that powerlifters generally do them on off days, or after the main lift for injury prevention.  You will eventually get stronger, but I think most use very light weights and fairly high volume.

Storm wrote: This is a great article.  I've had it bookmarked for a while now.  Question for a gym noob - is it possible to do any of those compound exercises without a spotter?  The biggest hurdle I have to strength training is that it's difficult if not impossible in this busy time to find someone who is willing to go to the gym on the same schedule as me.  Everyone knows free weights are the best way to work out, but to do it safely you need a spotter for many of the exercises.

My gym robot is in the shop, so I also have to train without a spotter.    If you have access to a power rack, you have everything you need.  Getting your own power rack and a good set of Olympic plates w/ barbell is an excellent option for those with a little space, particularly in a basement.  No gym membership, and it's possible to literally run downstairs for a workout without having to drive to a gym, change clothes, park, etc.  What a time saver!

So if you have access to a power rack in your gym, you are good.  Just set the safety pins high enough that you will be completely protected on exercises like squats and benches.

If you do not have access to a power rack, I would not perform squats.  They are an amazing exercise but without proper safety equipment, there are just too many opportunities to screw yourself over with a heavy squat!  Bench press could be replaced with weighted dips.  Bench press never agrees with my shoulder, so my wife bought me a dipping belt that lets me lash on Olympic plates.  Fantastic upper body exercise, and safe to perform without a spotter.

Kriegsspiel wrote: Google "Wendler 531."

Dude.  This is an excellent choice.  I would have never guessed anyone else on here was familiar with 5/3/1!

Hah, yup!  I've been in the iron game for a long time, so I'm pretty familiar with everything that's out there.  I'm going to see if I have the stick-withitude to stay on the 531 for one year and see how much progress I can make.  I'm in cycle II now.

Kriegsspiel wrote: Hah, yup!  I've been in the iron game for a long time, so I'm pretty familiar with everything that's out there.  I'm going to see if I have the stick-withitude to stay on the 531 for one year and see how much progress I can make.  I'm in cycle II now.

It sounds well thought out but the emphasis is on strength, not hypertrophy.  I'm a skinny-fat bastard and strength is merely an afterthought for me.

Nobody gains muscle mass without getting stronger.  Nobody.  This is a fact.  Making getting stronger on the main lifts a priority is the key, especially if you aren't already a barbarian.