edickson76 Member

Sticky post at the top “Most Helpful Posts” includes a guide for bulking. Read that. Also 4000 calories? Are you a pedicab driver? That seems very high for a 140 lb. person.

Plateau is normal in a beginner program. First option is deload for a week. Then come back the next week with a lighter weight and build again.

Jeff Nippard myth bust Monday series addresses this one. Give YouTube a search.

Calories in has remained the same but due to your increased activity calories out has increased. That means you have a larger deficit, which is why you are hungry. 2 options. Increase calories in or keep calories the same but change the diet to eat more satiating foods. Lot of protein shakes in that diet not a lot of…

MFP calculates your calorie requirements without including exercise. If you determine your own total daily energy expenditure, you can just ignore the change that MFP gives with exercise. If you want to stick with the caloric changes that MFP gives, then ignore the change to protein. 1g/lb. is plenty.

Mike Israetel has a very recent YouTube video on rep ranges. I recommend watching it.

Maybe. Depends on what your goals are and where you’re starting from.

The article is a bit dated, 13 years old. Evidence-based practitioners today recommend rates for bulking or cutting by % of body weight (or lean body weight) and the rates vary based on training age. The basic approach recommended in the article is still solid; dirty bulks are inefficient. Good luck on your cut.

I’m a fan. I definitely feel it in my rear delts. Jeff Nippard has a variation where he lies on the floor to get more stability and heavier weight that you could try. But there’s nothing magic about the exercise so if your anatomy just isn’t right for it then do the other exercises you mentioned.

Cardio can interfere with hypertrophy, depending on the intensity and duration of the cardio. It will not cancel out but results will be less than optimal. No rule requires optimality so do what you prefer. As you are vegan, a consultation with a nutritionist or dietician may be helpful. Most plant sources have incomplete…

Quads: leg extensions Hamstrings: leg curls Back: chest-supported rows Comment on your general approach to training: current research strongly suggests that taking sets to failure or even near failure is suboptimal. A better approach is leaving reps in the tank (up to about 4). This is why @Chieflrg was telling you to use…

Many possible issues can cause a degradation in performance. Might simply be time for a deload. If you haven't done one in several months, I would start there. Other possibilities (as @Maxxitt already said): not eating enough, not recovering enough (and/or doing too much), not sleeping enough.

Jeff Nippard has a fairly recent YouTube video on squat technique. I highly recommend checking it out.

That is a massive cut. Great job! Having lost that large a percentage of your body weight, though, I would recommend hanging out at your new weight and just maintaining for at least a couple months. It takes time for the body to adjust to a new settling point and have your metabolism get back up after a long period of…

If you’ve been weighing in every day for two weeks and not changing then add 250 or so calories. If you weigh in once a week you don’t have enough data points to know.

Her last name is Buttermore.

Thanks. I've been following Bret for a bit, and even started doing hip thrusts. He recently did a pod interview with Jeff Nippard; don't know if you've seen/heard that yet, but they talk about his experiments. He's apparently had no injuries with any of his clients for the past year due to not pushing squats and deadlifts.

Training time depends on the program you are running. Most beginner programs should have you done in an hour or less.

Thank you! Waistline definitely increased, lol. Measuring just below belly-button, waist increased from 33 to 34.5 inches.

Thanks for the link. I should probably just not worry about fat and carbs unless I notice dips in gym results. And thanks! I'm maintaining for 4 or 5 weeks, and then back to another macrocycle of gaining, which should take me into May.

Nice, long bulk; well done. PHAT was on my list of programs to do, but it does follow the traditional overload through intensity approach. I enjoy listening to interviews with John and watching his vids. He has so much experience, and he talks a lot about injury prevention, which is very useful to me and my aging body.…

I thought I remembered Helms saying the range was .3g/lb. up to .6g/lb. Low end being if you eat mostly saturated fats and the high end being if you eat mostly unsaturated. But, I just watched the nutritional pyramid video and he goes by % of total calories. That said, his % recommendations at the low end are well under…

Yes, but don't be squeamish about fat gain. Although, I just listened to the most recent Revive Stonger interview with Mike Israetel and Eric Helms, and appears I was too aggressive with my caloric surplus. Eric advises 1% weight gain per month. Mike advises .25% to .5% per week, though that .5% requires a reason for rapid…

Pics. Failed at making a side-by-side comparison photo, but I'll post a front relaxed from July and one from today below it.

1. No injuries 2. More muscle 3. Less fat

What do you want more? More visible muscle or more muscle. You could cut for a bit or you could just start bulking. Basically I don’t think you are in a position to make the wrong decision.

I don’t think it will matter too much which path you take. But I’d recommend following a solid beginner program like starting strength and eating in a surplus to build muscle.

You didn’t over bulk. Excellent progress. I’d recommend a mini cut. Go to the Revive Stronger website and look it up. They have a very thorough explanation.

You don’t need to regulate calories to that high a degree of specificity. Just aim for the same number of calories every day regardless of activity. Up a little one day down the next is fine. Of far greater importance is consistently maintaining a caloric surplus and following a well-designed training program.

Yes, although I recommend maintaining for two weeks before starting a bulk cycle.