More Muscle, Less Food and Less Training

Hanley

Here's a weird on for ya all...

When I got back from Holidays in late June I was just over 92kg and had a skin fold reading of 10mm on my calipers.

2 days after I got back I started working my first ever 9-5(.30) in a bank as part of internship before I go back to college in September so I've found it very hard to eat regularly. I'm literally eating 4 times a day on non training days at 7.30am, about 12.45pm, 6.30pm and maybe 10pm, I'd have a shake pwo on training days.

Since the workload is so demanding I'm only able to train 3x a week. And it's like this;
Tuesday: Legs
Friday: Deadlifts and back
Sunday: Bench, shoulders and lockout

Today I'm just over 95kg (and my weight has been consistent thru out the day for the past few) and 11mm on my calipers.

I've put on 3kg in 3 weeks even tho I've only been eating 4x a day, sleeping <6 hours AND only training 3 days. It would appear I'm doing everything wrong but still making progress.

Makes you wonder whether all the people who attempt to overanalyze everything and give reasons for why they can't make gains are just kidding themselves eh?

The FitnessDock

It sounds to me like your body is benefiting from the extra rest you've been getting in between workouts. Plus, you're lifting very heavy weights and therefore putting your body under much more stress than when you were lifting lighter weights.

Finally, you might be getting better quality sleep now, as a result of having fixed 9-5 hours. If this is the case, this would greatly assist muscle growth.

Thoughts?

PAUL

Hanley

The FitnessDock wrote:

It sounds to me like your body is benefiting from the extra rest you've been getting in between workouts. Plus, you're lifting very heavy weights and therefore putting your body under much more stress than when you were lifting lighter weights.

Finally, you might be getting better quality sleep now, as a result of having fixed 9-5 hours. If this is the case, this would greatly assist muscle growth.

Thoughts?

PAUL

I think you're on to something to be honest.

My thoughts are something along these lines..

I'm getting more muscular because of the extra recovery time. Where as more frequent training was actually keeping that at bay (which tbh is what I wanted, and still want. I'm not happy being 95kg!) BUT I was eating far more kcals when I was training more frequently so that's weird. I'm lucky to get >200g protein per day right now, I'm eating 300+g of carbs (and that's a conservative estimate). It's VERY weird.

I'm not sure about the quality of sleep tho because I'm quite tired all the time.

It should also be noted than I'm walking about 40 mins more every day than I used to as well

Frank Bullitt

Good genetics ya prick:rolleyes:
But really it probably is down to the rest times between work outs, as well with the eating, your probably hitting a sweet spot with your intake so 95kgs is probably your ideal weight for your height and for your training.

Hanley

Gintonious wrote:

95kgs is probably your ideal weight for your height and for your training.

Yeah I've always known I'd need to lift at heavier than 90kg cos of my height. I just didn't think it would be so soon tho.

I suppose I could not worry about dieting to and take a run at the world drug free 100kg junior bench record this year...

Laslo

It's no great surprise. You'll always make good gains with an extended resting period - particularly if you look after yourself during that period!

Vegeta

Oh poor Hanley "I cant figure it out no matter what I do i put on muscle and look great"

Only messing with ya.

Could be the intensity you train with has slightly improved also due to you thinking subconsciously that you are only getting 3 days in so you need to work harder.

The body is a weird and wonderful thing

Degsy

I reckon its more rest+more carbs=more strength+ more muscle.There's nothing like taking it(relatively easy) in a desk job the day aftre heavy training,it allows your body to recover more quickly.There may be a slight issue of fat deposition but i dont think it'll be very noticible at age 20 or so,its only when you become an elderly git like me that you have to count every calorie to keep from looking like jockey wilson.;)

jester77

I would also add that the holiday would have helped as well. I assume you were doing no training while on hols so this gave your body some good time to fully recover from all those tough training sessions!

BrianD3

Yeah I've always known I'd need to lift at heavier than 90kg cos of my height

Interesting - what height ranges do you reckon are suitable for competing in the various weight divisions? A BMI for powerlifters if you will! Eg 75 kg, 5'6"-5'7"or whatever.

tribulus

Off the top of my head.

Ed Coan was only 5'8 roughly and at his heaviest was a 242.
Mark Bell (aka Jakass on eilte) is a 275/308 at 6'1/6'2
Wade Hooper is 5'3 and a 165

I don't think it's what's suitable really, more that sometimes moving up classes is a necessity, especially at a younger age, I think fighting your weight *too* much is bad.

Hanley

Alot of people are talking alot of sense in this thread!

nesf

Hanley wrote:

Makes you wonder whether all the people who attempt to overanalyze everything and give reasons for why they can't make gains are just kidding themselves eh?

Good genetics (:p) combined with the fact that you'd gotten the hard part down when you had loads of time on your hands as a student (ie got training hard and kept it up long enough for it to be enough of a routine for you to find it odd not to be training more than 3 times a week rather than finding training unusual or having to "put aside time"). Approaching it from the opposite end (having the 40 hour a week job and trying to make time to train) is probably more difficult willpower wise tbh. You're going in there with an excellent mental attitude already in place training wise and automatically approach the 40 hour week routine as "how am I going to fit my training in?".

Transform

Agree with most of above.

I am currently aiming to train as much as possible - some days two sessions a day, in anticipation of a 2 week holiday in Italy.

I will need the break and will come back bursting to hit the weights again.

Schedule light weeks - one in every 5-6weeks works for me.