I've gone from 123 lbs at the start of my SS journey to 240 lbs currently on intermediate programming. No idea how to load photos on here though!
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I totally didn't recognize the "before" pic of the skinny little guy who just stepped out of the latest vegan conference. I just thought it was some pic.
When I saw the "after" and recognized it was Tom I was shocked...like shocked. Tom was my snatch coach at the SS seminar in WF.
Damn he looked like an insect in that first photo. He is even bigger now.
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I've gone from 123 lbs at the start of my SS journey to 240 lbs currently on intermediate programming. No idea how to load photos on here though!
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Thanks, Rip and Tom, that means a lot coming from you guys.
Here’s some advice for the younger guys who are going/thinking about going through the process themselves:
1. Listen to those who have done this before you. Go to a seminar, really listen to Rip and stef and the rest of the staff, and communicate with the coaches and lifters that you already look up to. Pull aside Jordan, Tom, Matt, or whoever—ask them about the particulars of your situation and take heed of their advice.
2. Just go ahead and decide that, this time, you will put your head down, get the work done, and work through the process. Make it a priority to never miss a session or meal, regardless of circumstance. Skipping your deadlifts, cleans, chin-ups, and pull-ups when things get hard means you are doing partial workouts, which will net you partial results. (Ask me how I know.) We know that you are a programming/coaching genius, but please, for now, leave your genius aside and follow the program precisely as written.
3. You are not a special snowflake. The aches, pains, and overall discomfort of the process are highly unlikely to be unique to you. Gaining lots of strength is hard, and if you're a 150-pound guy looking to become big and seriously strong, eating to become that way is also "hard". Use perfect technique, read and re-read the book, and try to be methodical about the entire process. Eat quality food and have the discipline to rest when you need to. (Being lean, conditioned, or taking “no days off” when your squat is 275 pounds means absolutely nothing.)
4. When you get stuck, immediately seek quality coaching and get around some strong local lifters. In the novice and early intermediate stage, I’d highly recommend an SSC for your coaching. (Someone who has been through the process is more likely to give you the correct advice at this stage in the game.) After the early intermediate stage, you should have enough experience to determine if an SSC (or some other local or online powerlifting/weightlifting/S&C coach) would be a better fit for you. Do not be stubborn about the coaching part—this can save you a lot of time. You should always be coachable, and actively learning regardless of your training advancement.
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I don't understand all these people afraid to gain weight. I had so much fun gaining weight! I'd gain it all over again. Now that I'm trying to recomp, I hate it. Give me a gallon of milk and steak and potatoes with sour cream and butter for days, you can keep your turkey this and skim milk that. I was 160 at 6' when I started drinking a gallon of milk a day for SS. Now I'm about 230. I was 243 at my heaviest.
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It's the guy version of the girl who is afraid she'll "get bulky" - the guy is afraid he really won't add muscle.Originally Posted by tfranc
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I don't have photos of myself, but I got from 145 to 192 (still gaining) and I don't see a difference in the mirror. What I do see, is other people looking smaller. Which is kind of weird.
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I think it's more of a "definition" thing, isn't it? Impressionable youngsters on all sorts of forums prefer to be 175 and "ripped" than 235 and strong. Guys at 20% BF don't just get called "overweight" or "fat", but "fat fuck" by these people. But I guess if you're this delusional, "definition" and "muscle" are synonymous.
✓ Member
I agree with this. At first?, I wasn't so sure. I had just come down from 225 to 182, fat fat to skinny fat. I did not want to get fat again. I did get there somewhat, but I've never been close to as strong as I am now. And I am still really weak relative to where I should be. I can't even imagine how weak I was before SS.
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I remember Rip scoffing at my 165 lb weight (5'9.5) a couple years back or so. At the time, I was convinced that 165 was a good weight, having built myself up from 118 lb. Plus, I like being spry. Recently added a lot of yoghurt to my diet to boost calories, and am now about 187 lb. Apart from the aesthetic benefits, it's nicer being stronger, and I look forward to testing my spryness in spring.
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I'm going through this now. In my circumstance I was 265 and weak. 6'2", 43 yo. Worst of both. Weak AND Fat. I started the program and re-comped down down to 184. Yes. I know, I went too far. I realize this now. On the other hand like Rip often states even "doing it wrong" I made great progress. For instance I went from barely being able to deadlift 185 to 405 double overhand.
I'm now 197 and steadily adding muscle.
The problem is the psychology. For someone in my circumstance this is very important to understand and its not something the book touches on. When a fat guy puts in ALL the effort required for a linear programming run, and he recomps down, there is a mental issue with eating once its over. Think of it this way. He remembers all the pain and effort it took (in a caloric deficit, its brutally hard!) and doesn't want to go through it again. I was literally AFRAID of the pain and sacrifice it would take if I ballooned out again and had to repeat it. I know now this way of thinking is faulty. Once the recomp is over its actually harder than you think to add weight. And even when you do all the muscle you have makes it easy to take it off if you go about it in the correct way.
How I'm getting past it is this. I'm now gaining weight in a slow bulk (no gallon of milk, just lots of chicken, steak, eggs, potatoes, veggies, ice cream in moderation, ect) until I get a little fluffy. My definition of fluffy is probably different than yours. I give a crap about abs, I just don't want skin hanging anywhere... which it does if I get a little fluffy because I have loose-ish skin after losing so much weight. When it gets a little saggy I take a de-load week and diet that week, (lots of protein, cut the carbs and fat down) then start it all over again.
Is it optimal, no. Am I a pansy and should I just eat till I hit 250? Rip would say yes. However for my own mental health, this is the solution that works.
I guess the point of my post is this. This is 90% a mental issue. Not tracking your calories, not eating correctly, and not sleeping is all mental. This is the hardest part of the program. Getting into the gym once on a routine happens without thinking about it. Eating correctly is a daily struggle that takes time, preparation, and correct planning.
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