Just wondering what the before and after stats were with the Asian guy in the pic (height, weight, lifts, etc.). Kinda reminds me of where I'm starting from
Body image artifact. What a great term. At 5'10" my waist is 42" at 205 lbs. But it was also 42" when I was 'sloppy fat' at 265 lbs back in my untrained youth days (25 years ago). To this day a 42" waist makes me panic because that is what it was when I was 'fat'. I am certainly carrying more around the middle than I like, but objectively it's hard to look at myself and use the term fat. Clearly all waist measurements don't mean the same thing. As it is, I'm not sure I will EVER see a waist size less than 38". During a low I was 185 lbs, visibly 'not fat' and had a 38" waist.
So clearly trying to convince myself own 42" isn't terrible, is there any reasonable waist metric for that minimum standard 200 lb 20-25% BF male of Rip's or is it just a shitty metric?
Just wondering what the before and after stats were with the Asian guy in the pic (height, weight, lifts, etc.). Kinda reminds me of where I'm starting from
I struggle with this. I'm 5'7 and 170. I want to get to 160. I also want to get stronger. Unfortunately, I have a sinking feeling those two goals contradict.
Do I have to gain weight to get stronger? Does that really have to be a part of the goal?
Why do you want to lose weight? Do you mean you want to lose body fat? There is a difference.
Yes, to get stronger, you must gain weight. This is true for everyone, because muscle, like all matter, has mass, and we are on earth, which has gravity, which causes mass to have weight.
You will gain fat mass while gaining muscle mass. The body can not differentiate which you are trying to accumulate. But, by giving it a reason to add lean mass instead of fat mass (I.e., by training for strength with barbells) you will put on substantially more muscle mass than fat mass.
I'm 42, and 6'1" and have never been strong. I've been doing SS for about 3 months (2 months under the online coaching tutelage of Bill Hannon) and have gone from 225 lbs to 235lbs. Not massive weight gain considering I was already pretty fat. Meanwhile my deadlift has gone from 135x1x5 to 275x1x5, but my waist (measured around navel) has lost about an inch, from 41" down to 40". I don't do any other exercise except occasionally walking my dog or a game of golf. I try to eat 300g carbs, 200g protein and 3125 cals daily but do not always succeed. I've missed 4 workouts in the last 3 months.
I bring this up because I think I look a hell of a lot better now at 235 than I did at 225. I still have a gut to lose, but if I keep getting stronger and my guy stays about the same I'll still look at lot better! Aesthetics aside there are many more important reasons to get strong, and I'm looking forward to lifting, hopefully for the rest of my life.
Age?
Along with getting stronger your goals, lifestyle, hobbies, maybe I should just say life changes. I am a little stronger and a little heavier. I expect to add weight to the bar and weight to my frame. If my SSC reads this he will probably spew coffee out his nose! I am 5'7" and 170 lbs. When I started I sure didn't want to weigh that much. The great experiment is you...N=1!