I got a message from a young dude the other night, who basically was asking me if it was time to do a cycle or some pro hormones. He felt he had "plateaued" and couldn't gain any more. That he had tried a bunch of programs and his squat and bench hadn't moved in forever.
I touched on this in my Darksidin' series but I'll give some bullet points here.
1. No one plateaus at 20. No one.
2. At that age, your body is flooded with natural test and GH. Take advantage of that time when you are young.
3. Your best friend in this time for serious gains, is FOOD. Yes you may gain some "chub". That's fine. You've got the rest of your life to get "shredded". Spend some of those early years really working on building a foundation of mass rather than trying to hold on to your "abs", while going nowhere.
4. One routine or program is generally about as good as the other, so long as it is based in sound training principles. It's not the program holding you back, it's generally the lack of food and rest.
5. With that said, base your training around the big compound movements. Not side laterals, curls, leg extensions, etc. Squats, rows, bench, incline, dips, chins, etc should make up your training "base".
6. Young guys struggle the most with this because they haven't developed the trait of being patient, and don't have a strong association with it. This is the time really grok that understanding. 6 months without a ton of progress, in the grand scheme of things, isn't a huge deal, and is a part of the learning process with getting better and learning what works for you.
could you give some recommendations on what to shoot for in terms of max weight (maybe based on height) to bulk to before one becomes a fatass? i think a lot of people get stuck in the "strength trap" of thinking they're gaining loads of muscle just because their lifts are going up and just end up obese. if you've been stuck for a long time with the same lifts, just up the calories?
ReplyDeleteAwesome post Paul. It has taken me 40 years to realise what you said. I have come back to lifting after three years and figured out quick I am not the same as three years ago. I badly damaged my back due to being inpatient and that put me back mentally for years. But, due to soaking up what you and some other top guys have said I am in a much better place. I have targets in my program, but if I don't hit that weight on that date, I dont sweat it any more. A few times I should have lifted, but didn't. The next day I rocked it. Although it pushed my plan back a few days, it doesn't matter. I am looking at this as marathon and to enjoy the journey.
ReplyDeleteThanks for this post, Paul. Feeling discouraged for getting started "late" has always been a problem for me. In this day and age, every bodybuilder/lifter/whatever seems to have the "well I started lifting when I was 13, with my big brother or my dad who was the football coach, blah blah" story. My parents didn't let me work out - they said it would stunt my growth (!!) - and I wasn't allowed to play sports, either. Fucked me up big time. I didn't start lifting until I was almost 19, and I didn't know what I was DOING until I was 21. I still get frustrated when it feels like I'm surrounded by dudes my age (mid-twenties) and younger who are jacked to shit while I still feel narrow.
ReplyDeleteBut, I'm trying to be patient, and to force feed...and hopefully this year I'll get my weight to start with a 2 instead of a 1. I'm glad I started when I did.
Thanks for this post, Paul. Feeling discouraged for getting started "late" has always been a problem for me. In this day and age, every bodybuilder/lifter/whatever seems to have the "well I started lifting when I was 13, with my big brother or my dad who was the football coach, blah blah" story. My parents didn't let me work out - they said it would stunt my growth (!!) - and I wasn't allowed to play sports, either. Fucked me up big time. I didn't start lifting until I was almost 19, and I didn't know what I was DOING until I was 21. I still get frustrated when it feels like I'm surrounded by dudes my age (mid-twenties) and younger who are jacked to shit while I still feel narrow.
ReplyDeleteBut, I'm trying to be patient, and to force feed...and hopefully this year I'll get my weight to start with a 2 instead of a 1. I'm glad I started when I did.
Dear Paul,
ReplyDeleteRegarding #3, do you think this is still applicable to someone at an unhealthy weight? I'm 18, 1 year of lifting (200/300/350) personally have been >20% bf my entire life. I think it would be advantegous to cut down to atleast 15% and never bulk over 20% again. This is due to not only hormonal advanatages but mainly my fear of being fat again.
I don't want to be fat throughout college and into my mid 20's. What do you think I should do?
I guess Paul doesn't respond to questions on the articles he wrote?
DeleteI do but sometimes it gets lost in how busy I am.
Deleteyes I think it would behoove you to lose the weight first and then eat to gain.
Thanks for the response!
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