Mind over Macros

[Luigi]

hes also 123kg and corn thins are shit, whats your point ?

3 of his meals are shakes, hes trynna grow and hes getting plenty of protein. so more carbs.

[rose]

[startinfromscratch]

agree. hes getting shitloads of protein, diet is clean, what do you recommend sm? a heap of fats to bump his cals??

most people employ this with clean bulking. of course if he was 120kg @8% on a gram of gear a week, things would change. but hes not!

[emmzies]

Am - 12 egg whites, 2 yolks, 3 cups cooked oats, 2 cups skim milk, 1/2 cup yoggie, handful of almonds, pumpkin and sunflower seeds and a tbspn of LSA...washed that little lot down with a coffee.

:shock: FARKin hell! Thats one breakfast. :clap:

Nearing my whole weeks diet in one meal :pfft:

[Mike Zero]

hes also 123kg and corn thins are shit, whats your point ?

3 of his meals are shakes, hes trynna grow and hes getting plenty of protein. so more carbs.

I agree with this. Assuming steak's not putting on weight as he'd like. If he's happy with his rate of weight gain then all good, but I'm not sure what the current situation is.

One thing I see you should change about your diet, steak is those 3 shake only meals. I think if you're trying to put on weight you need to get a good source of carbs and/or fats in each meal. I consider a protein shake with water a missed meal, myself. It's not that much harder to just add some oats.

If you are putting weight on as you like I would still distribute the carbs you are eating more evenly over those three shake only meals. I believe this would make for more quality weight gain. This and taper carbs off towards the end of the day, but still carbs in every meal!

Protein is the building blocks but you need more than just that consistently through out the day to put on weight!

[steak]

Im probably gonna get flamed right here but its my journal so I should have a bit of flame retardent material on

From where I sit...

This is a lean bulk...I dropped my bodyfat down to start it and so far it has stayed much the same..well near enough. I dont want to put on fat un-necessarily just for the sake of "bulking" and then have to go and work real hard to get it off again. When "I" eat too many carbs (and obviously dont burn them off during the day) I tend to gather the them as fat round the midsection which is not part of the plan. If I was going for a pure "size/weight gain" then sure put on the fat, get the needle on the scales moving quicker and start busting out of t shirts while taking the belt out a few more notches. But Im not.

This brings me to my next point. Calories and macros

Im running the calories roughly (changes a little every day of course) at 500 over my maint calories. Used various methods to find the various numbers including long winded calcs with BMR + Activity etc etc. There were some varying results of course but in the end and after a bit of trial and error (there's references in my log...more for me than anyone else...so I could see where I was at) I found... and not without help from someone whose thoughts on the matter and physique I respect, the baseline for where I wanted to be going.

Just to refresh your memory...I would like to get to 130kg and stay around 15-16%BF or less, hold that weight for a few months and get my strength up more. I feel for my height and bone structure that this is both an achievable and realistic 12 month goal. So far Im not doing too bad and have just under 7kg to go.

Anyhooo...for me the extra carbs especially later in the day tend to go towards fat stores and in order to keep my cals up at approx 5000 a day I bump up the protien as the carbs decrease. The high thermic value of protein (30%) keeps too much adipose from being stored by the increae of protein. Macros usually end up at 40p, 45c and 15f.

For those using gear I would imagine the same would apply and as far as I understand the drug’s anabolic or “muscle-building” effects help the body retain protein, a necessary building block for the growth of muscles, bones, and skin while carbs are used for the fuel for any upcoming activites or for restocking depleted glycogen levels eg; post workout. The excess of which get stored as fat...please correct me if Im wrong :nod:

One thing I am guilty of though is that I seldom have a cheat meal but this could be easily fixed as I have seen Sarah Lee cheesecakes in the supermarket I know I should do it but its a headfuck for me :pfft:

[Luigi]

well said m-z

you need to be eating more carbs and spread them out like mz said carbs with EVERY meal and a shake is not a meal the body dosnt absorb much of a shake unless its post workout as well.

you should be gaining weigh easily atm even if you were just at "maintanence" cals so your calcs are obv a lil bit off. remember that as you get bigger and drop bodyfat you need more food to maintain that mass so adjust your diet. EAT MORE!

[Gym rat]

Am - 12 egg whites, 2 yolks, 3 cups cooked oats, 2 cups skim milk, 1/2 cup yoggie, handful of almonds, pumpkin and sunflower seeds and a tbspn of LSA...washed that little lot down with a coffee.

:shock: FARKin hell! Thats one breakfast. :clap:

Nearing my whole weeks diet in one meal :pfft:

Holly shit that puts my breakfast to shame :shock:

[steak]

Righto O then...moving right along...thanks for your comments/help there peeps..all info is good..can never have too much eh

Today was delts tris and traps

DB Shoulder Press

10x25kgDBs

10x27.5

7x30

5x32.5

5x32.5

5x32.5

Side lat raises

10x12.5kgDBs

10x15

10x15

and a sloppy 8x17.5

Seated Rear Delts

10x15kgDBs

11x15

10x15

Close Grip Bench Press-3D Smith Machine

12x50kg

10x60

8x70

5x75

5x75

5x75-dropset to 40kg

Wide Grip Pressdowns

15x150lb

15x150lb+5kg disc

10x150lb+10kg

10150lb+10kg

BB Shrugs-3D Smith Machine

20x80kg

15x120

12x160-straps

6x205 - straps

22x120 :twisted: toasted and they are aching :twisted:

Eats

50g shake

12 egg white, 2 yolks, 3 cups cooked oats, 1 cup yoggie, 1/2 cup nuts/seeds, 2 tbsp LSA mix, 2 cups skim milk

350g steak, 1.5 cups Quinoa

postworkout shake - 50g

200g steak, 1.5 cups quinoa, 2 slices w/meal bread, apple

250g chicken breast, 1.5 cups brown rice, LSA, PB and kiwifruit

300g steak, 1 cup brown rice, apple

1 more meal to go - prob a chook tit and sumfink

Rest/work 2moro :pfft:

[rose]

Yay for work I mean rest days :grin: Have a choice day at sea aye aye Sir :salute:

[Marcus]

Have you had a caliper test done Steak or are you estimating 15-16%?

[samoan_muscle]

hes also 123kg and corn thins are shit, whats your point ?

3 of his meals are shakes, hes trynna grow and hes getting plenty of protein. so more carbs.

Are corn thins the only thing he's eating Luigi you fucking noob?

He stated that he's eating oats, rice and kumara. There are nothing wrong with corn thins...I eat them from time to time.

What's your reasoning behind the fact that he needs more carbs? I take it that you've decided that he needs to eat more calories and since his protein intake is decent that the extra cals should come from carbs? Well thats all well and good but have you actually calculated how many calories he needs to maintain his current LBM and how much over that he should be eating? Let me take you back for a simple lesson here: carbohydrates should be viewed as source of energy to fuel animal workouts...protein is what rebuilds / repairs the muscle. Any unused excess carbohydrates (glycogen) not expended as energy will ultimately be stored as fat. Simple.

Here's my point - steak is making gains (questionable) of around 1.5kgs every fortnight. Now I'm sorry if that's not enough mass for you guys but even for someone on gear, 1.5kgs / fortnight would be considered absolutely exceptional, provided they were lean quality muscle gains. Steak hasnt stated and I will assume he isnt low on energy so why raise his carb intake or raise his calories at all when he's already gaining.

Steak: I dont know whether your on the gear or it but quite frankly it doesnt matter. I've stated that your gains are questionable because the rate at what your growing at is freak material. Im not challenging your honesty about your weight and progress, just about how much of that increase in weight is actually quality lean muscle rather than fat mass. Now 123kgs isnt small by any standards, and you are at the type of mass now that I would suggest that you focus on quality growth rather than just an increase in scale weight and being happy with that. From looking at your pics I would put your BF in the low 20's probably 22ish. Dont just take what you can get - we all want to get bigger and more muscley but it takes time...

[startinfromscratch]

very good reply s_m!!

the way you put that makes alot of sense.

[Luigi]

good reply sm apart from the corn thins because there still shit.

from my understanding steak is unhappy with the progress in his weight which is why i said eat more. although after reading all this may have changed his mind, steak ?

[steak]

Jeez... I go to work for just one day and get back to find out i've been critiqued

Firstly... thanks! I appreciate your time and comments. Seriously :nod:

Secondly - part 1 - body fat measurements have been by caliper (JacksonPollock method) the first 1 done by gym PT and then the following done by my partner at the same time of day and same places each time...but...this by no means means that they are right. I can see a clear visible BF drop in the mirror and only use the the calipers as a gauge too. BF is not a critical element really for me at the moment however I do not want to put on any more fat...which brings me to part 2

Calories and carbs. Here, rightly or wrongly and knowing that I eat 5000 clean cals a day I tend to agree with the science that excees carbs get stored as adipose tissue. I eat my carbs at breakfast, pre and post workout and tend to ease them off quite a bit later in the day as I wont be using them for fuel. By not doing as many carbs later in the day I also up the protein if required to get the 5000 cals in relying on the high thermic value of them to be used effeciently.

Again ....thanks for your help and as just about everyone will say "everyone is different and you have to find what works for you"

I'll keep researching this subject and seeing what effects various foods, cals, macros etc work best for me.

[samoan_muscle]

apart from the corn thins because there still shit.

Each to their own...

[Travel Express]

"everyone is different and you have to find what works for you"

:nod:

[Gym rat]

"everyone is different and you have to find what works for you"

:nod:

very true :nod:

[steak]

The wheels got a turn at it today...

Leg Ext

12x110kg

10x120

10x120

Front Squats - ATG

12x60kg

10x70

7x80

6x85

5x90

Back Squats - parallel

10x100kg

8x120

6x140

5x160

Seated Calf raise

20x8plates + Bar-Belle (she's 55kg dripping wet)

20x as above

20x as above

Leg press toe press

14x210kg

11x210

17x150

25x105

Eats

1. 50g shake with 1 cup raw oats inserted.

2. 12 egg whites, 2 yolks, 2 cups cooked oats, LSA, 2 cups skim milk and 1/2 cup wheat germ.

3. 2 chicken breasts (600gr) 2 cups brown rice.

4. 300g chicken breast, 1 cup brown rice, 1 litre low fat choc milk, apple.

5. postwork out shake - 50g protein

6. 300g chicken breast, 2 spuds, 1 cup brown rice, LSA, 1/2 cup cottage cheese.

to come...

7. 250 g chicken breast, 1 cup brown rice, beans broc and 1 healthy slice of cheesecake.

8. 50g shake and 1/2 cup wheatgerm.

That will be close to 6000cals if not a bit over

7 litres of water will be going through the tank today too

[Gym rat]

Nice leg train bro do you need a zimmer frame after that or a mobilty scooter?

[steak]

Nice leg train bro do you need a zimmer frame after that or a mobilty scooter?

the scooter after that one mate...they still pumped 2 hours later

[bar-belle]

Anymore plates on that stack and I'm gonna need a ladder to get on them :pfft:

[Gym rat]

or any more plates on that stack I will need a crane to stack them on

[rose]

Leg Machine :salute: Oooh and a cheat in there too I see, noice, was it passionfruit again? :pfft:

[steak]

Today was chest and biceps

Incline DB Press

10x22.5kgDBs

10x27.5

10x32.5

11x35

9x35

5x40

4x40 (have to make these up with DB handels and weights - PIA)

10x35

Flat DB Flyes

12x20kgDB

10x22.5

10x22.5

Flat Bench Stripset

90kg down to 40kg in 2.5kg and 5kg increments

Seated DB Curls

12x20kgDBs

7x25

7x25

6x27.5

9x22

12x20

1 of set 21s at 30kg

BB Wrist Curls

3x20reps at 30kg

2 sets of Hammer Curls repping out at 20 and 25kg

Eats

1. 50g shake mixed with 1/2 cup wheatgerm

2. 300g steak, 2 cups cooked oats, 2 cups skim milk, 1/2 cup yog, 2 Tbsp LSA Mix

3. 3 spuds and 270g tuna

4. 270g tuna, 1.5 cups brown rice, 25g shake mixed with 1/2 cup wheatgerm and a banana

5. post workout shake - 50g and 1/2 cup wheatgerm 70g dext

6 within an hour - 3 spuds, 250g chicken breast, 1/2 cup cottage cheese

7. 150g pork steak, 210g tin of salmon, 2 w/meal pita and an apple

8 and 9 to come 8)