Interested in starting ss but need advice

[Sib]

To a degree. I’m not suggesting that you eat yourself to the size of a whale, only that you will need to maintain a SMALL calorie surplus IMO. The more accurately that you track your macros and stick consistently to it, then the closer you will come to optimising the balance between strength/aesthetics. The problem is that you will be compromising ultimate strength gains because the fatigue created by the later stages of NLP progression will effectively curtail it far earlier than otherwise.

Lifting goals are an entirely personal choice and they can change. You aren’t at the extremes of body weight. You are much like most of us are when we began to lift weights, just kind of in the middle. If you cut your weight now, then your strength gains will be proportionally slower, but you get to look like a ‘modern’ man for longer. Until you actually begin lifting, it’s really a waste of time trying to help, because you are just going to go and do whatever you are going to do and then perhaps realise that it was not the best decision in the middle of NLP, then go nuts in the opposite direction and think that you must do GOMAD with chocolate milk or something. Then get fluffy and decide that it’s now just too much and start wanting to cut. This kind of yo-yoing often seems to happen-one day you want to just get strong, the next you just want a nice physique, half the time you get to bulking like a maniac and then your cutting like an anorexic.

My advice FWIW, is to wait until you begin lifting before deciding anything. Then learn to become a consistent, focused lifter, doing the program diligently, filling in the log book, doing it day after day no matter what gets in the way. Don’t get faddy, or an over enthusiastic evangelist. Turn up, load the bar, do the programmed sets like it was just another day at the office. As time goes by, it will become ingrained, habitual, hard and often boring. The rewards for lifting are only partially in the pure physical realm and mostly in the mind, in how you begin to think about life in general. If you lift for a few years then the changes go well beyond dietary considerations and body image. It’s like changing from the inside out, rather than how you think of it at the moment. Lifting is something that you consciously accept that you do to yourself, rather than something that has to be done to you. Lifting is not the activity of victims, but of winners and that takes years to realise.

Lifting is not the activity of victims

There has got to be a t shirt in that

[ssyanivss]

To a degree. I’m not suggesting that you eat yourself to the size of a whale, only that you will need to maintain a SMALL calorie surplus IMO. The more accurately that you track your macros and stick consistently to it, then the closer you will come to optimising the balance between strength/aesthetics. The problem is that you will be compromising ultimate strength gains because the fatigue created by the later stages of NLP progression will effectively curtail it far earlier than otherwise.

Lifting goals are an entirely personal choice and they can change. You aren’t at the extremes of body weight. You are much like most of us are when we began to lift weights, just kind of in the middle. If you cut your weight now, then your strength gains will be proportionally slower, but you get to look like a ‘modern’ man for longer. Until you actually begin lifting, it’s really a waste of time trying to help, because you are just going to go and do whatever you are going to do and then perhaps realise that it was not the best decision in the middle of NLP, then go nuts in the opposite direction and think that you must do GOMAD with chocolate milk or something. Then get fluffy and decide that it’s now just too much and start wanting to cut. This kind of yo-yoing often seems to happen-one day you want to just get strong, the next you just want a nice physique, half the time you get to bulking like a maniac and then your cutting like an anorexic.

My advice FWIW, is to wait until you begin lifting before deciding anything. Then learn to become a consistent, focused lifter, doing the program diligently, filling in the log book, doing it day after day no matter what gets in the way. Don’t get faddy, or an over enthusiastic evangelist. Turn up, load the bar, do the programmed sets like it was just another day at the office. As time goes by, it will become ingrained, habitual, hard and often boring. The rewards for lifting are only partially in the pure physical realm and mostly in the mind, in how you begin to think about life in general. If you lift for a few years then the changes go well beyond dietary considerations and body image. It’s like changing from the inside out, rather than how you think of it at the moment. Lifting is something that you consciously accept that you do to yourself, rather than something that has to be done to you. Lifting is not the activity of victims, but of winners and that takes years to realise.

I have to thank you for this answer, gave me a lot to think about.

[CommanderFun]

My advice FWIW, is to wait until you begin lifting before deciding anything. Then learn to become a consistent, focused lifter, doing the program diligently, filling in the log book, doing it day after day no matter what gets in the way. Don’t get faddy, or an over enthusiastic evangelist. Turn up, load the bar, do the programmed sets like it was just another day at the office. As time goes by, it will become ingrained, habitual, hard and often boring. The rewards for lifting are only partially in the pure physical realm and mostly in the mind, in how you begin to think about life in general. If you lift for a few years then the changes go well beyond dietary considerations and body image. It’s like changing from the inside out, rather than how you think of it at the moment. Lifting is something that you consciously accept that you do to yourself, rather than something that has to be done to you. Lifting is not the activity of victims, but of winners and that takes years to realise.

Dead on. Since taking this stuff up I have developed far more of a capacity for long-term planning and goal setting than I ever had, as well as thinking on my feet when plans don't work out like I'd expected (which is often). I find myself laying out plans for whole years at a time now.

[newguyray]

At your height and weight, I would not recommend losing any weight even if you can't start the program right away. In my experience, you'll make better strength progress at 85kg than cutting down to 75kg or even 80kg. If you can't do anything gym wise, spend the time to get good at cooking and make sure your sleep is optimized. There's no point in you losing weight right now.

Any good theories out there as to why there are seemingly so many young men seeking to build the physique of a female fashion model?

[Mark Rippetoe]

They've been taught that masculinity is toxic.

[AndrewLewis]

Any good theories out there as to why there are seemingly so many young men seeking to build the physique of a female fashion model?

I'd have to guess it's a lack of understanding and perspective. They see Fight Club and He-man and think that's what women like. They fail to realize that girls care less about how they look than how they act, and that muscles feel better than abs look - especially in the dark. I had to explain this to someone at jiujitsu the other day, because he wanted to maintain his abs while lifting - if you've gotten to the point where she's seeing you without a shirt on, she already likes you.

I don't mean to plagiarize from Rip, but he's just right: "No one can see your abs when you have a shirt on, but if you have a 500 deadlift, they can see your lats and traps through a sweatshirt."

[CommanderFun]

Any good theories out there as to why there are seemingly so many young men seeking to build the physique of a female fashion model?

I think it all goes back to the bodybuilding image. They are obsessed with the muscle definition and don't understand that bodybuilders generally build muscles first, then define them later.

[Roobo]

I'd have to guess it's a lack of understanding and perspective. They see Fight Club and He-man and think that's what women like. They fail to realize that girls care less about how they look than how they act, and that muscles feel better than abs look - especially in the dark. I had to explain this to someone at jiujitsu the other day, because he wanted to maintain his abs while lifting - if you've gotten to the point where she's seeing you without a shirt on, she already likes you.

I don't mean to plagiarize from Rip, but he's just right: "No one can see your abs when you have a shirt on, but if you have a 500 deadlift, they can see your lats and traps through a sweatshirt."

You think Dolph Lundgren has the physique of a female?

[AndrewLewis]

You think Dolph Lundgren has the physique of a female?

No. Where did I imply that in my response?

[Mark Rippetoe]

I was wondering the same thing.