Quick Note to Tom C about Weight Gain Article

[Tom Campitelli]

Da.

[Aaron Montgomery]

Question for you Tom. Back in 2014 I attempted to run SS again (previous attempts were ended by surgery, injury, etc). I went from 165 to 185 in a few months (1/2 GOMAD), but my gut went from 33" to 37". Did your gut grow like crazy on your journey to 225-240? 2 inches of gut growth for every 10lbs gained seems excessive. I don't care about not seeing abs, but it's rather discouraging to have a gut that is bigger than your pregnant wife's, and get comments from your little kids and relatives that your belly is fat.

I just started SS again last week, and am seeking to put on a minimum of 1 lb a week (mostly following Jordan's macros for bulking).

[Tom Campitelli]

I don't have any measurements to quantify this, but I don't think my waist size expanded all that much from 225 to 240. If you put on 20 pounds and your waist put on four inches, that is not desirable. You would probably be a candidate to go after this in a more gentle fashion. Don't be obsessed with the weight on the scale. Trying to put on a minimum of 1 lb a week may be too aggressive for you. Worry about the weight on the bar. Eat to support your training.

I obviously carry more body fat than I did when I was at 172 pounds, but I generally like how I look and feel. I am frequently puzzled by people that put on twenty to thirty pounds just to take it off a short time later in the name of "bulking" and "cutting." While it is true that you will sometimes put on some body fat which will later be removed, there is almost no benefit to starting out at 180, getting up to 220, and then coming back down to 180. If you want to get bigger, do so. Be smart about it. If you start getting fatter than you want, put the brakes on the weight gain and keep training.

[Aaron Montgomery]

Thanks Tom. I have hernia's repaired, time, food, adequate sleep, and proper T levels (finally got prescribed injections) to actually run SS for real this time around, so I think I'll aim for ~1lb a week for the next 2-3 months, and then slow down the weight gains depending on how my gut is growing. Hopefully 2lbs/month of weight gain is reasonable for an intermediate program down the road.

In regards to bulking and cutting cycles, a fellow that Rip has been interviewed by a couple times advocates bulking till you're just above 20% bf, and then cutting down to ~12%. This generally works out to cutting off 1/2 the weight you gained. So if you go from 180 to 220, he would advocate cutting to 200, and would say that most of the weight you lost was fat if you kept your protein intake up and kept lifting heavy. I would love to hit 230lbs eventually, just not sure about the best way to get there without looking like I'm pregnant.

[Tom Campitelli]

In regards to bulking and cutting cycles, a fellow that Rip has been interviewed by a couple times advocates bulking till you're just above 20% bf, and then cutting down to ~12%.

How many people get to 12% body fat after they are 30 for any prolonged period? There are some, but I would doubt that most manage that.

This generally works out to cutting off 1/2 the weight you gained. So if you go from 180 to 220, he would advocate cutting to 200, and would say that most of the weight you lost was fat if you kept your protein intake up and kept lifting heavy. I would love to hit 230lbs eventually, just not sure about the best way to get there without looking like I'm pregnant.

This is a different approach from going to 180 to 220 and back down to 180 and is slightly more sensible. However, this could also potentially be accomplished through more moderate swings in body weight. I have no idea how tall you are, but, once again, I would be more concerned with how training is going than I would how quickly the number on the scale is increasing.

[wmilas]

Thanks Tom. I have hernia's repaired, time, food, adequate sleep, and proper T levels (finally got prescribed injections) to actually run SS for real this time around, so I think I'll aim for ~1lb a week for the next 2-3 months, and then slow down the weight gains depending on how my gut is growing. Hopefully 2lbs/month of weight gain is reasonable for an intermediate program down the road.

In regards to bulking and cutting cycles, a fellow that Rip has been interviewed by a couple times advocates bulking till you're just above 20% bf, and then cutting down to ~12%. This generally works out to cutting off 1/2 the weight you gained. So if you go from 180 to 220, he would advocate cutting to 200, and would say that most of the weight you lost was fat if you kept your protein intake up and kept lifting heavy. I would love to hit 230lbs eventually, just not sure about the best way to get there without looking like I'm pregnant.

You are talking about Mike Mathews. He advocates bouncing between 12 and 18. You have to remember though hes not training for strength, he's training for physique. I just posted in Rip's thread about my experiences. I actually cut to 10% (I'm 43 yo) from 265 to 184. I don't recommend this. Its was a mistake. Well, it looked fing great on the beach, but I lost strength once I fell below about 12%. I'm now up to 197 at about 12%. I gain till I hit 15% then cut back down to 12 ish. Each cycle adds another couple pounds of muscle, and a little more strength.

Would I be better served just eating to 20%? Hell Yes. the problem, as I posted in Rip's thread is that the mental aspect won't let me. I remember being fat and I can't get over it. I can only handle so much belly fluff (I have lose skin now that taking time to tighten and fluff makes it look terrible) before I can't take it.

So, does it work? Yes. It's not optimal for this application. From personal experience best strength gains are between 15 and 20%. I see no reason to be above 20%.

[Aaron Montgomery]

I'm 6'1", 175lbs, and 30. I was 130lbs until late 2011 when I decided I was tired of being uber skinny. I'll take your advice and focus more on eating enough to recover from training, as opposed to just picking a number to see on the scale next week/month. When training/weight gain starts to stall I'll adjust my macros according to "To Be a Beast". Thanks Tom!

[marcf]

Tom, what motivated you to go from being a runner to doing CrossFit and ultimately barbell training? I have runner friends now who wouldn't dream of doing any strength training at all.

[Tom Campitelli]

Tom, what motivated you to go from being a runner to doing CrossFit and ultimately barbell training? I have runner friends now who wouldn't dream of doing any strength training at all.

A couple of things. My knees were starting to hurt from running. I went to physical therapy, which started my now lifelong suspicion of the profession, but that is another story. The PT was completely ineffective at helping my knees, but they did notice I had small quads and suggested I make my "VMO" stronger. After PT failed to make my quads bigger or stronger, I went searching for books on lifting at Amazon and found the first edition of Starting Strength. I also came to realize that not being able to bench my body weight was a serious shortcoming. For all my "working out," I was still really weak. So, I wasn't able to run as much as I used to and I was weak. I needed to try something else. Fast forward to my CrossFit days and I had gotten stronger, but my strength had plateaued at a very low level for many months. People were asking me if I was ill because I was so skinny.

[Brodie Butland]

I'm 6'1", 175lbs, and 30. I was 130lbs until late 2011 when I decided I was tired of being uber skinny. I'll take your advice and focus more on eating enough to recover from training, as opposed to just picking a number to see on the scale next week/month. When training/weight gain starts to stall I'll adjust my macros according to "To Be a Beast". Thanks Tom!

I feel your pain. I was 130 lbs when I started law school. I'm around 230 lbs now. And I can't eat really large meals (acid reflux/gas issues).

If I can do it, so can you!