Eating bigger to fill a weight class

[Theseahawk]

Mark,

I am 35 yeras old and 5 foot 11 inches and 220 pounds. I am going to compete in December at the Royal Navy powerlifting champs (British Drug Free Powerlifting Association). There probably isn't time to bulk into the 242 lb class now so I will try and nip under 220 for the weigh in.

However, after reading how you regret having not moved from 220 to 242 in powerlifting at a height of 5 foot 8, I think that I am best to try and move up for future meets, but I struggle to eat so much. Last year at sea, I did manage to get to 235 pounds, but it took a real effort- I took 500 tins of full fat evaporated milk for the 5 month deployment and stocked up with various cured meat products and protein powder every time the ship came alongside. It was a great deal of effort to be eating so much. Then at the start of this year, I couldn't face eating so much and dropped to 220. Thing is, being back at 220, I haven't lost any of the strength I had at 235.

Over what time scale should I be looking at gaining weight to ensure it doesn't run away past potential strength gains, or should I just go all out agian? As I've been shorebased since Easter this year I tried a a spell of 4400 calories a day and 300+ grams of protein per day all through the summer and got to 224 lbs but again just couldn't sustain the effort of eating that amount.

My Dad is shorter than me at 5 foot 9 and when he was competing in command field gun at age 35, he weighed 260 lbs. He tells me he ate double rations at breakfast, lunch and dinner, then on an evening had a bucket of fried chicken. When he was in his mid 40s, when I was 21, we ended up based at the same navy training base and would sit together at meal times. He would tell me to get calories form anywhere as I'd watch him visit the desert counter 3 times. He didn't take any supplements or track protein. He just ate loads and always did his squats. Am I being too scared of eating excess table sugar by not filling up on cake like he did and making the job of eating big too hard? He's 60 now, and still quite muscular, but he's also sporting a huge belly now. So I don't know if its done him any long term favours.

Where do you think the balance lies?

[Mark Rippetoe]

You have not mentioned your lifts or your training. Your diet cannot be examined in the absence of your training.

[Theseahawk]

You have not mentioned your lifts or your training. Your diet cannot be examined in the absence of your training.

After a summer of volume based training which finished with 8x8 high bar squats at 145kg, 8x8 30 degree incline press at 100kg and 8x8 stiff legged deadlift at 150kg and a load of other body building shit, I got in the spirit of 5s on the parent variant of the lifts again after squat and deadlift camp by Diego and Emiliy S.

I knew the best way to regain strength after a lay-off was with LP and I’m just about at the end of it now. (Actually PR’d the lifts rather than just regain previous bests- maybe the 8x8 hypertrophy spell wasn’t as daft as I suspect you will say it is.)

Current lifts:
Squat 195kg x5x3
Bench 130kg x5x3
Deadlift 210kg x5

I’m open to suggestions as to the next programme. I’ve used Texas method and HLM in the past, but I don’t know if there’s any more to be had off those.

Thanks

[Mark Rippetoe]

You are not even squatting double bodyweight for 5s at 220, yet your 8 sets of 8 high-bar squat -- a total of 64 reps at 320 -- gets the credit for PRs? How much did you hypertrophy? Do you have 30-inch thighs? You are still a late novice, and you have successfully delayed your progress by lifting light weights for high reps. Just do the program.

A Clarification | Mark Rippetoe

[Theseahawk]

But LP had previously ran its course after about 9 months. I had followed the reset advice and eeked out what I could. Then spent the next 2 years on Texas and HLM, with various breaks as life got in the way, always retiring to LP to recover to where I’d left off.

Those sequence of programmes got me to:
Squat: 160kgx5x5 volume, 210kg max single bodyweight about 220 lb
Leg circumference tensed 28 inches

Then further Texas/HLM got me to:
Squat: 180kgx5x5, 215kg maxsingle
Bodyweight 235 lb
leg circumference tensed 29 inches

The hypertrophy I did this year had my leg at 28.5 inches, which is where it is now, but I could physically see the quad sticking out unlike before, so I was hopeful this would help my squat. So went back on LP and this time I had exceeded previous bests.
My quad no longer sticks out by the way, so I doubt the hypertrophy was helpful. Maybe the break from 5s reduced fatigue and I displayed my strength better when returning.

How could I have gone through LP, reached the landmarks, gone through quite a bit of intermediate programming and now be a novice again? I definitely could not have got any more out of LP the first time.

I appreciate that I’m not doing double bodyweight for sets of 5, but I thought the weight on the bar was not an indicator of advancement level for programming, but ability to recover inter work was. I swear I didn’t end my initial LP early, I tried everything I could to keep it going. Especially eating! Which I’d still appreciate your advice on.

Thanks.

[Ivan Stepic]

I knew the best way to regain strength after a lay-off was with LP and I’m just about at the end of it now. (Actually PR’d the lifts rather than just regain previous bests- maybe the 8x8 hypertrophy spell wasn’t as daft as I suspect you will say it is.)

Current lifts:
Squat 195kg x5x3
Bench 130kg x5x3
Deadlift 210kg x5

Just curious, what were your previous bests on LP?

[Mark Rippetoe]

How could I have gone through LP, reached the landmarks, gone through quite a bit of intermediate programming and now be a novice again? I definitely could not have got any more out of LP the first time.

I appreciate that I’m not doing double bodyweight for sets of 5, but I thought the weight on the bar was not an indicator of advancement level for programming, but ability to recover inter work was. I swear I didn’t end my initial LP early, I tried everything I could to keep it going. Especially eating! Which I’d still appreciate your advice on.

Did you read the article? THAT'S how.

[Theseahawk]

I’m not sure as I don’t have the old LP log to hand. I’ve got an early run of Texas me this here which is dated 21 jun 2016. And I start that with:
Volume day
squat 140kg 5x5
Bench 100kg 5x5
Powercleans 75kgx3x5

Intensity day
Squat 155x5
Bench 110x5
Deadlift 185x5

The nearest bodyweight measurement from then is august 2016 at 101kg.

I’m guessing I would have took a 10% reset to allow for the extra two sets of volume. So maybe LP first time round ended sq 155x5x3 bp 110x5x3

Yes. I’ve read the article before. I’ve read everything I can find with your name on it.

I’m still drinking a gallon of milk a day 3+ years into the programme and not gaining the weight I want.

[Mark Rippetoe]

Then read this one again: A Clarification | Mark Rippetoe

[Theseahawk]

Sorry for the delay, I took leave and plastered out my house. I'll read the article today, thoroughly. Incidentally, I can't attend the December meet as I've been put on a course for work in a different part of the country, so all I need to concentrate on is whatever it is I need to be getting from your article.