thread of getting sw0le

Sticking with Starting Strength, just not adding more to my lifts unless I feel like I can rather than working toward pushing them up every week. It's worked ok for me but I've put on a not inconsiderable amount of weight with it and I'd like to work off some of the excess fat before Labor Day if I can.

I hate to counter internet folk wisdom with more internet folk wisdom, but I was under the impression that "bulking and cutting" were measures that only really make sense for bodybuilders and don't really work with a program like starting strength. But I'll try to find a source later.

I hate the terminology, but it seems like it would hold up from a basic calories in/calories out standpoint.

I think the concern is losing muscle along with fat if you have too much of a calorie deficit. But tbh it's hard to find a source in either direction that looks remotely reliable.

In my case I've basically maintained the same calorie level and the same weight while making slow but steady lifting gains (which I would assume means I must be losing at least a little bit of fat and gaining at least a little bit of muscle in the process). You may also not need that kind of caloric surplus to begin with if you're not fully doing the starting strength thing of constantly increasing weight.

But I'm not shredded or anything, if that's what you're going for.

SHRED BIG OR GO HOME

I'M BOSS OF THIS GYNM

GYM

I'M BOSS OF THIS GYNM

― illegal economic migration (Tracer Hand), Friday, July 8, 2016 10:49 AM (1 minute ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

lol @ this typo

Basically I started out chunkier than I'd like, made OK progress on SS (mostly held back by not eating enough for the first couple of months) but and six months or so managed to put on about 10 pounds, which is hopefully not all fat. And while I'm sticking with SS lifts because they're basic and it's literally impossible to just get a straightforward program recommendation on the internet, for what I want to do (concentrate on losing fat while maintaining strength) everything I've read recommends eating a moderate caloric deficit while lifting as heavy as I can. Maybe I'll fuck up and lose another year of work, but who knows?

yeah sounds reasonable

losing fat isn't just maintaining a caloric deficit, it's training your metabolism to burn fat instead of sugar/glycogen/protein ---not just when you're working out, but when you're just existing

the best way to do this is through low-and-slow aerobic exercise. like, really slow, almost doesn't feel like exercise slow. and for a really long time. you might hate running or cycling or swimming or rowing, but you probably can tolerate at least one of them. do a couple few hours of that in addition to weight lifting, and you will probably shed fat even on a calorie neutral diet

the endurance sports literature is pretty much unanimous on this --- "base miles" are needed for endurance and for weight loss.

I already walk at least 2-3 miles a day and finally replaced my stolen bike (thanks, philly) with the goal in mind of never taking another can"b or Uber again.

hmm, interesting. I've noticed that I tend to lose weight really fast when we go on vacations where we hike.

easy-going hiking is a great example --- your HR is elevated, but not too much. your body is encouraged to make use of the many dozens of thousands of calories available in fat form, instead of plowing into your glycogen reserves, or worse, protein

"conversational pace" is what gets bandied about the most, and, in the case of hiking with friends or family, the most likely to be maintained just out of social decorum. when you're out alone it's tempting to go faster, because you're out for exercise, right? and isn't the point to work hard? but virtually all professional endurance athletes (eg cyclists) spend the bulk of their time just puttering about.

some google terms -- MAF heart rate 80/20 LHR

my own experience has been that I lost more weight after a couple months of long, easy runs (1-2hrs) that didn't feel that hard than I did after a similar period of doing shorter (30-45min), considerably more intense runs that left me gassed

i climbed a lotta outdoor staircases on my last weeklong trip to LA and lost 7 or 8 lbs.

cardio definitely

if you lift a few times a week running even 30 mins a week or every couple of weeks or hiking will do wonders

only thing is if you are avoiding high impact exercises i would go for cycling as it does wonders for your calves and legs

swimming is good if you still have quite a big of energy to expend

bit

hovering around 185 past coupla weeks after being stuck at 165 since last summer. ^_^

the endurance sports literature is pretty much unanimous on this --- "base miles" are needed for endurance and for weight loss.

well, yeah...

but consider the source, man! then Lift Weights Faster pfft

i'm into 8-10 ish 100m sprints 3x / week. noticing better lung capacity, mobility, feeling lighter while hitting the same lifting numbers, more of a fat burn than i had with longer runs. also, yoga will rip you up and shape you by using your sw0le mass against you. fuck endurance sports man, lyfe is an endurance sport.

the exercise i crave is all about cycles into and out of intensity

hit 275# C&J after some time off! was really surprised by that.

jesus

i'm doing a pretty awesome job lately

not hueg numbers but being able to do things i didn't used to be able to

shoulders have gone from concave to convex, i feel like this is a milestone

Added just 100 calories back into my diet (so 2500) and reset my squat from 195 (where I was struggling even before I cut calories) down to 180 and now I'm comfortably completing all three sets and able to progress 2.5lb per workout consistently. Everything else is also slowly increasing slowly; I'm just left with two issues I'm still banging my head into a brick wall on:

1. I can't figure out how to front squat without feeling like I'm going to snap my hands off at the wrist- I had intended front squats to be a temporary measure to get comfortable with the rack position so I could move to power cleans, which I've been ignoring for six months, but I still can't do it. I've tried getting a form check from some of the trainers, but the best I can get is "try adjusting your grip a little." No shit, really?
2. I'm trying to work my way up to body weight chin-ups (or whichever it is that's done underhanded) and I'm not sure how to progress when starting from assisted chin-ups. I've been able to move from 3 sets of 8 at +60 lbs (with a brief pause in the middle, so not perfect sets) to the same performance at +55, but I don't know if I should continue like this or try something closer to the advice in the Starting Strength book to see if I can get just one chin-up out with full range of motion starting from a hanging position (last I checked: no, I cannot).

I'm down about a pound, so that seems to be going OK too. The best discovery I've made diet-wise is that I can not only stand but legitimately enjoy a giant pile of lean ground turkey if I cook it with some MSG-laden Goya taco seasoning and mix it with a bowl of vegetables.

Have you tried bar on delts, hands crossed over for front squats?

Start with free chins as much as you can do, even if it's only half of one, then move on to assisted chins imo.

Rack is all about your elbows up, bar resting on front delts as if they are pillows, your hands are just stabilizing things, sounds like they're doing too much to me? In any case try hands xed over, no wrist flexion with it, key is still elbows up though.

It is pretty hard to keep the rack up while you're squatting and keeping your back straight which is what makes it such a good exercise I think. I've started doing split squats with my back foot elevated on one of those bosu balls, because god my toes aren't made of rubber, and fuck they are hard, barely any weight too. they hit my ass and quads like no other. neway

i perversely enjoy doing 3 sets of pull ups then two assisted pull up drop sets, literally all the blood in my body goes to my lats. then straight arm press downs on the cable har dee har harrr *extreme video fx* for real though i love being able to articulate my back and use it most fully in a back exercise instead of flopping around too much and i think volume really helps w being able to do that. so like do six sets of chins if you have the time, three half reps, three assisted sets of 8, you will be doing multiple free chins in no time i bet.

also you will be kissing ur guns in the mirror.

you know what else? rows. they're great. i am so much better at them than i used to be. ok i'm done serial shitposting. for now.

i only just discovered i can front rack now. i could not for a long time, not for more than one rep. stretch still hurts my wrists but not bad. the problem is likely your shoulder and back mobility. i felt like my arms were too long to reach. like i literally could not get my hands there. then it just went away. sorry not sure what i did to fix it because i've been doing all kinds of stuff lately.

i'm going to front squat today though

i felt like my arms were too long to reach. like i literally could not get my hands there.

This is exactly it! Glad to hear you were able to push past it, though- I've had occasional good days myself but it never really lasts. I definitely have mobility concerns (my right shoulder is semi-permanently twisted forward a little bit thanks to wearing a fully loaded backpack with one strap when I was a stupid, stupid kid), and finding a good set of stretches and exercises for it is already my project for this weekend.

I've tried the cross-hand grip, and while it's easier on the wrists, it weirdly seems to make the actual balance part of a front squat harder. I'm still not working with much weight- practicing at 75 to try and just get the movement down- so it's got to be something about my stance with arms crossed throwing my balance off. And much as I wish I could, I can't really use the cross hand grip for power cleans either :(

Was able to bench 185 x 3 today. My squat I'm not trying to increase atm, really just continuing to focus on form and not going above 135, but the closer I get to what seems like proper form, the more I really feel that 135. One thing that has helped me is wider legs.

hang on you bench more than you squat? are these kilos?? so confused

Had a squat breakthrough today- just getting my elbows higher in the low bar position made it much more stable. I didn't realize how much of my issues with what is still my least favorite lift were due to balance problems. Was able to get through a full set of 3x5 at 185 lbs today, which isn't anything to write home about but it's a slight improvement on a caloric deficit that left me feeling like I could easily add another 2.5 on Thursday, so I'm pretty happy about it.

yeah the more you can squinch up your shoulders behind you the more stable the "platform" for the bar is

I do bench more than I squat, but it's really a flexibility/form issue for me with the squat rather than leg strength. I think I could get down and back up with 185 lbs but my back would be rounding like crazy. (yes lbs, not kilos).

I have short calf muscles, tight hips and a shoulder problem that makes it hard for me to squeeze my lats/get my shoulders back. I actually think the shoulder issue might be the biggest setback in my squat because it makes it hard to keep my chest up.

Overheard press up again, put up a plate (135) x 3. Tried to do a second set and couldn't even do one rep, but it still felt pretty good to hit the plate milestone. Deadlift was down today though, could only do 275, and that only for 3 reps.

Dude that is a heavy overhead press! Amazing stuff.

Thanks! Again, this is pounds, not kilos, just to be clear.

Feeling like my basic lifts are shaping up enough that I might try some Olympic lifts at low weights after I hit the one-year mark (September).

I really enjoy olympic lifting and I think there are a lot of benefits to it. I would just advise that you take it slow and if there is any way for you to get some instruction from someone that knows what they are doing I recommend it. They are explosive movements with a lot of technical aspects and moving parts.

you'll also really need to work on flexibility

Yeah I mean maybe I would just start doing progression stuff toward it, not gonna jump into the lifts.

lifted for the first time in a while d/t injury -- feels good, man