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Thread: Gaining fat

  1. #1
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    Default Gaining fat

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    I understand that its normal to gain some fat while increasing strength but i seem to be gaining too much lately.


    im only 5 ft 8 and i now weigh 14 stone (89 kgs). i am quite muscular but i have put on a bit of extra fat on my stomach lately which i do not like at all. i always had a small amount there but it wasnt this noticeable.

    the following is what i eat most days:

    breakfast-Scrambled egg (normally 2 eggs), one slice of brown bread, porridge and about 150g of cottage cheese. approx 26-30grammes protein
    morning snack-Protein shake-23g and half a tub of protein yoghurt 11g 34g protein total.
    lunch-usually brown rice, brown pasta or brown bread depending on whether im working out in the evening and a chicken fillet with a glass of milk. An Apple also. approx 33g protein.
    Afternoon snack-second half of tub of protein yoghurt and half a carton of low far protein milk 36 g protein total.
    Dinner-Normally mashed potatoes and veg with either red meat, chicken or fish and a glass of milk. approx 30 g protein.
    Late evening-Chicken fillet with milk or a protein shake. with a tub of blueberries 23 to 33g of protein
    Before bed-half a tub of cottage cheese and half protein milk . 32g

    thats typically 220-230g of protein per day.

    would welcome any feedback on my diet . i rarely eat any junk like fast food cakes or sweets.

    i had stopped doing any cardio about 2 months ago to focus on strength training only. i always ran once or twice a week up to this. mainly HIIt and a 5km run but stopped as i worried it was hindering my gains although im not so sure now. is there any advice regarding cardio while strengthening. Does it have benefits towards keepings the body loosened out for squats for example? my legs feel a lot tighter lately.

  2. #2
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    How strong are you?

  3. #3
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    Quote Originally Posted by Robert Santana View Post
    How strong are you?
    my squat went up to about 140kg for 3 reps. it was just 70kg a year ago.

    deadlift is not great as i struggle with grip. my 1 rep max is 130kg.

    bench press is about 110kg one rep max.

  4. #4
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    Are you using chalk 100% of the time and hook gripping or alternate gripping your deadlifts? What is your press?

  5. #5
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    Quote Originally Posted by Robert Santana View Post
    Are you using chalk 100% of the time and hook gripping or alternate gripping your deadlifts? What is your press?
    yea i use liquid chalk but i stopped using alternate grip a while back. i bought two of those captain of strength grip crushers. i got the 1 first thinking id be able to close it but i couldnt so i go the trainer one. i can close that easily and can close the number 1 for one rep now. was also doing barbell holds and hangs from the deadlift bar but havent done these in a while.

    tbh i struggle to get into position on the deadlift as well. i thought i had my set up nailed down based on videos i watched online but im not sure the traditional set up suits my build. my arms are short and i struggle to reach the bar. i recorded myself last week for the first time and i noticed i find it difficult to keep my upper back flat. i try dropping my hips more but then its sort of squatting the deadlift which i read is wrong. i struggle when i lower my hips also due to pain in my lower quads.

    my shoulder press is about 50kg

  6. #6
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    Post video from the side and from the front. Let's see if we can help you out with this. Also, your press needs work, that's not a very good press:bench press ratio. Did you just start training it?

  7. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by Robert Santana View Post
    Post video from the side and from the front. Let's see if we can help you out with this. Also, your press needs work, that's not a very good press:bench press ratio. Did you just start training it?

    ok will post some videos.

    i just seemed to have hit a wall with my press. i was always doing 3 sets of 8 reps and I'm not sure this was the optimum rep range for shoulder press. i recently reduced to 5 reps with heavier weight and it seems to be improving gradually. my form wasnt correct up until recently either. i was bringing the bar down too far and not pushing out as opposed to straight up in a straight line. what weight should my press be at?

    thanks for your help.

  8. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by Robert Santana View Post
    Post video from the side and from the front. Let's see if we can help you out with this. Also, your press needs work, that's not a very good press:bench press ratio. Did you just start training it?












    thats pretty much my deadlift this evening. first 2 sets are 5 x 115kg, 3rd set is 5 x 120kg and the final set is 130kg x 2. i also included a video of how i set up.


    ignore my fan club in the background

  9. #9
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    130 kg is NOT your 1RM that looks like a 2 rep warm up AND you are pulling it from the toes. Tips:

    1) Feet closer (2" apart), toes out 30 degrees
    2) Widen your hands out 1-2 fingers, not much
    3) Knees out so that they are touching, but not unlocking, your elbows
    4) *******HIPS HIGHER***********This is where you are messing it up the most. You are trying to squat it and therefore pushing the bar forward. Your shoulders should be over the bar and your ass should be high. Think "ass up/shins more vertical." It will feel like a SLDL to you and that's fine.

    As for your press, 5s will work better. Not sure why you would be doing 8s at this stage but I'm glad you moved to 5s.

  10. #10
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    starting strength coach development program
    Quote Originally Posted by Robert Santana View Post
    130 kg is NOT your 1RM that looks like a 2 rep warm up AND you are pulling it from the toes. Tips:

    1) Feet closer (2" apart), toes out 30 degrees
    2) Widen your hands out 1-2 fingers, not much
    3) Knees out so that they are touching, but not unlocking, your elbows
    4) *******HIPS HIGHER***********This is where you are messing it up the most. You are trying to squat it and therefore pushing the bar forward. Your shoulders should be over the bar and your ass should be high. Think "ass up/shins more vertical." It will feel like a SLDL to you and that's fine.

    As for your press, 5s will work better. Not sure why you would be doing 8s at this stage but I'm glad you moved to 5s.

    thanks for the feedback.

    just to clarify, 2" is what unit? " is an inch here

    also when you say im pulling the weight from my toes, do you mean how i have the bar positioned? i have it over mid foot now but up until a few months ago i was positioning the bar an inch from my shin as i thought this was where it was supposed to be. 1 inch from my shin isnt mid foot for me though as my lower shins are quite skinny.

    i was deadlifting with my hips higher all along for that exact reason. i.e. if i drop low its as if im squatting the weight and i knew this shouldnt be the case. However, my issue is that i find it hard to keep my upper back flat when i keep my hips higher. im not sure if this down to my build as i struggled to reach down to the bar and keep my lats back and chest up when i do this. In the second 115kg video i posted you might see this as my hips are bit higher than the 130kg one. its my upper back mainly. you can that its slightly curved. im not sure if this is ok and never realized it until i recorded myself last week.


    my grip gives on the 130 but i guess part of that is down to it tiring out from the previous 3 sets. should i lower reps or should i stay with 3 x 5?

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