who cares about body fat percentages? Use the mirror test. Eat a surplus until you get strong as shit. Once you feel/look like you are getting too fat and think the strength gains aren't worth it anymore, dial down the calories and so some hill sprints. Once you cut and maintain for a while, start eating at a surplus again. Rinse and repeat.
It's fairly simple.
Yes, if you want to do the dialing. Sheaffer can help with this. But I'm primarily concerned with novices and intermediates, and the simple way works fine for them.
Taikor Liao,
Perhaps I should make some clarifications at my end.
My post was in relation to someone who wants to do Mr. Rip's Novice Program ("Mr Novice") (I've had my fair share of the Hardgainer's one workout a week with HIT and BB splits thank you).
This forum, the Aasgard books and DVD, Mr. Rip's CF vids (collectively referred to as the " Novice Program Resources") are available for Mr. Novice to make some appreciable gains (I know I had after 10 months of SS which ended late last year. My 2010 goal on the TM is a humble 5-rep 2.25x BW on Squats and DL (at BW of 98 kg) and so far I appear to be on track).
I'm not trying to be some macho bad-ass with my earlier post, but what I meant was:
Mr Novice who wanted to do the Novice Program should know where he is, where he wants to be, apply knowledge gained from the Resources (and some common sense so that when you've started to become a fat ef, you know you're going too ape with the calories) and then get under the bar without over-analysing stuff.
On a side note, the said article was a reiteration/ summary (though not verbatim) of the Resources and its KIND of sad that Mr. Rip had to address this specific group or Mr. Novice of what is/is not the Novice Program, despite the availability of the Resources( not to mention the potential BB.com-type questions).
And I never said details were bad (refer to SS: BBT). Detailing what is/ is not the Novice Program MAY be.
Kind regards.
P/s: Like I said, I've been lurking (and LEARNING) from this forum, ever since it was housed under strengthmill forum and this had only been my second post.
Only now do I appreciate that the internet is a tough place to express yourself, especially since English is not my first language. Perhaps I should type less and just get under the bar.
Thanks Ripp.
This article is basically a roadmap of what im going to be doing for the next 5-8 months.
Thanks Mark, there are a lot of concise details outlined here. Very useful as a quick reference document.
After 3 months of not doing the program, I thought that 30 kg increase in squat is good progress until I read this article and started to really drink the milk.
This article was gold for me as I am the fat guy wanting to do SS after such a long absence from the iron it is sad. So thanks for clearing it up for me. I finish the gym in the garage Saturday and then I am back under the bar. Thanks.
This program has worked well for me and is working well for me. Before last summer I was on the program just two of those months and saw 100lb increase in my squat and dead each and 50lb in my bench. Only 30 or so in the press. This however was just on my hearsay about the program, looking at some random videos and what not. Then course started in the summer and because of all the cardio and the hectic schedule I lost those gains. Now after getting the book over a month ago, I am near back to where my previous gains were and am again squatting my body weight and am almost at 1.5X bodyweight for deads. This is an awesome program and I can't wait to see where it takes me.
Reading the book really helped me out in areas I actually had no idea about.
I have to do cardio though while on the program so it may slow my progress, but it's the army life.
I can't wait once I improve to start teaching it to my troops so they have an alternative to do in the gym besides 10 different kinds of bicep curls or half squats.
Last edited by Elgar; 04-06-2011 at 05:13 AM.