Transformation & Physique Goal Challenge 2018! Let's get it done!!!

hairygrandpa said:
Here my updated pics. Besides being more hairy than before, I gained a bit of size already.
Some bloat -and some fat gain too.

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Looking good HGP! Massive and thick. I have been noticing that you don't carry much sub-q fat at all. I can't remember but have you ever run Metformin? That stuff would probably lean you up pretty quickly when you are ready. It is great for visceral fat loss, IE the stuff in your muscle and gut which tends to pack on due to insulin sensitivity issues. Some people get stomach issues though but typically only during the first week.
hairygrandpa said:
Thank you! I figured its easier than getting leaner, lol.
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For some...
BloodManor said:
So much truth
Getting big is fun and easy
Getting super lean hurts and is hard
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It is funny you have us guys here who obviously want to cut and say how hard it is but really for a hard gainer they have it worse. Have you honestly ever had to force feed yourself? It's a miserable and uncomfortable feeling that they stay in 24/7 when trying to gain. It is far easier to refrain when hungry than shove food in your mouth when you are sure every bite is going to make you puke.

I have had guys tell me they just can't gain, and I ask are your force feeding when not hungry to get your surplus in? If the answer is no then you aren't trying hard enough. Getting the I stopped because i was full stuff from a hard gainer is the same as one of us saying I couldn't turn down that pizza...

I will take my plight over a hard gainer any day. Easy to gain, easy to lose with discipline. Of course the discipline is the hard part of that equation.
 
I don’t agree. Unless you need more than 6k calories per day to grow that is. Not hard to get down 4x 1,500 calorie shakes or Jack’s pizzas with ranch dressing/day.

Sure to eat clean it’s miserable (I remember gagging on boiled eggs and dry tuna with cold sweet potato at work when cutting my teeth). But the truth is guys who are hard gainers usually metabolize a lot of fat and sugar very well, and can get away eating their 6k calories very dirty typically. They just haven’t figured out the dietary tricks to manipulate calorie value of a meal without driving satiety up hard.

I can use no sugar added pasta sauce with whole grain pasta and 94% lean beef, or I can 3x the calories with bleach pasta, cheap sauce, 70/30 beef drenched in olive oil and cheese. You can have 2 scoops of isolate in water, or 2 cups whole milk, whey, honey and bananas with a scoop of sorbet or ice cream. Add dextrose with cinnamon to your white rice, grind your meat, etc.
 
Hyde said:
I don’t agree. Unless you need more than 6k calories per day to grow that is. Not hard to get down 4x 1,500 calorie shakes or Jack’s pizzas with ranch dressing/day.

Sure to eat clean it’s miserable (I remember gagging on boiled eggs and dry tuna with cold sweet potato at work when cutting my teeth). But the truth is guys who are hard gainers usually metabolize a lot of fat and sugar very well, and can get away eating their 6k calories very dirty typically. They just haven’t figured out the dietary tricks to manipulate calorie value of a meal without driving satiety up hard.

I can use no sugar added pasta sauce with whole grain pasta and 94% lean beef, or I can 3x the calories with bleach pasta, cheap sauce, 70/30 beef drenched in olive oil and cheese. You can have 2 scoops of isolate in water, or 2 cups whole milk, whey, honey and bananas with a scoop of sorbet or ice cream. Add dextrose with cinnamon to your white rice, grind your meat, etc.
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True, there are definitely methods of increasing calories like that and you are right that I was more referring to trying to do it with "cleaner" choices. I am actually a proponent of simply adding in fats by the spoon full...

I will still take my genetics of that of a hard gainer though. Not knocking anything but most of my buddy's who remain naturally lean lose size almost immediately when they relax a little or stop eating as much. That would get into my head. I enjoy being a bigger guy, for a shorter guy that is...
 
MrKleen73 said:
True, there are definitely methods of increasing calories like that and you are right that I was more referring to trying to do it with "cleaner" choices. I am actually a proponent of simply adding in fats by the spoon full...

I will still take my genetics of that of a hard gainer though. Not knocking anything but most of my buddy's who remain naturally lean lose size almost immediately when they relax a little or stop eating as much. That would get into my head. I enjoy being a bigger guy, for a shorter guy that is...
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I’m in two minds, I can gain weight pretty easy if I dirty up my diet, but I never want to go back to being fat so on that side part of me would like to be a hard gainer.

On the other hand cutting simply requires discipline, when I get into it I find it quite enjoyable (despite loving food), it doesn’t involve me feeling nauseous which must be horrible.

Tough call but I’d probably not change...
 
Whisky said:
I’m in two minds, I can gain weight pretty easy if I dirty up my diet, but I never want to go back to being fat so on that side part of me would like to be a hard gainer.

On the other hand cutting simply requires discipline, when I get into it I find it quite enjoyable (despite loving food), it doesn’t involve me feeling nauseous which must be horrible.

Tough call but I’d probably not change...
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In my opinion that is the best place to be. Sounds like you are happy and have accepted your genetics and have learned how to deal with them.
 
I don't believe one is any harder than the other, both sides are trying to do something that is unnatural and uncomfortable to them.
 
MrKleen73 said:
In my opinion that is the best place to be. Sounds like you are happy and have accepted your genetics and have learned how to deal with them.
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That’s true. Thing is we all have our pro’s and cons. My addictive personality has definitely caused me (and those I love) many issues in previous years BUT it’s also the reason I’ve had a massive drive to succeed in business over the years, that’s meant I’ve always earned well and I’m lucky to be able to provide a nice life for my family on the back of it. It’s also what drives me to push on in my quest for a healthier, fitter, sexier me....

Often the things we dislike about ourselves, or that we perceive as our weaknesses, are inextricably linked to the things we like most and our strengths.

Human nature means we down play the good stuff and focus on the negatives but sometimes taking a step back and trying to see the bigger picture makes life more enjoyable.

Taken me 36 years to really start to appreciate that........
 
Whisky said:
That’s true. Thing is we all have our pro’s and cons. My addictive personality has definitely caused me (and those I love) many issues in previous years BUT it’s also the reason I’ve had a massive drive to succeed in business over the years, that’s meant I’ve always earned well and I’m lucky to be able to provide a nice life for my family on the back of it. It’s also what drives me to push on in my quest for a healthier, fitter, sexier me....

Often the things we dislike about ourselves, or that we perceive as our weaknesses, are inextricably linked to the things we like most and our strengths.

Human nature means we down play the good stuff and focus on the negatives but sometimes taking a step back and trying to see the bigger picture makes life more enjoyable.

Taken me 36 years to really start to appreciate that........
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Well put!
 
Rocket3015 said:
I don't believe one is any harder than the other, both sides are trying to do something that is unnatural and uncomfortable to them.
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Good point Rocket3015!!! Especially when you are on the extreme of either side, but I think for me anyway that I am more of an endo-meso. So I wouldn't trade that for anything but a full on mesomorph body type. Oh to be a mesomorph!!! What a genetic gift!

I had a buddy in high school that had never touched a weight and looked like an Adonis. He was just naturally muscular with wide shoulders and a six pack... I was so jealous!
 
MrKleen73 said:
Looking good HGP! Massive and thick. I have been noticing that you don't carry much sub-q fat at all. I can't remember but have you ever run Metformin? That stuff would probably lean you up pretty quickly when you are ready. It is great for visceral fat loss, IE the stuff in your muscle and gut which tends to pack on due to insulin sensitivity issues. Some people get stomach issues though but typically only during the first week.
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Yes, its insulin sensitivity issues -but also my allergy to cardio.
I thought about Metformin in the past, will think about it again. I befriended the heavy bag, will spend more time with it before jumping on a medicine.
 
hairygrandpa said:
Yes, its insulin sensitivity issues -but also my allergy to cardio.
I thought about Metformin in the past, will think about it again. I befriended the heavy bag, will spend more time with it before jumping on a medicine.
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Although I mentioned the visceral fat, the overall vibe of my comment was meant to compliment you by the way.

How many rounds are you doing and are they full body rounds with shadow boxing, kicks and punches, or just working hand combos? I really want to get mine hung back up in my garage. I miss pounding the fug out of it! My leg kicks got so gnarley after a while I would kick down on the bottom of the back and it would make it bounce up on the chain from the rebound. I swear I could easily break legs! So much fun!

Oh I guess I might as well update on here also...

I did a HIIT lunch... 10 rounds 1 minute work and 3 minutes rest... first 20-ish seconds = hill sprints and at the top of the run I had my Slastix Battle ropes and I would finish the minute off with them. Then just walk around trying to breathe for the next 3 minutes making sure I was 2 ramps down i the garage for the start then I sprinted back up the ramps.

One hell of a workout!!!
 
MrKleen73 said:
Although I mentioned the visceral fat, the overall vibe of my comment was meant to compliment you by the way.

How many rounds are you doing and are they full body rounds with shadow boxing, kicks and punches, or just working hand combos? I really want to get mine hung back up in my garage. I miss pounding the fug out of it! My leg kicks got so gnarley after a while I would kick down on the bottom of the back and it would make it bounce up on the chain from the rebound. I swear I could easily break legs! So much fun!

Oh I guess I might as well update on here also...

I did a HIIT lunch... 10 rounds 1 minute work and 3 minutes rest... first 20-ish seconds = hill sprints and at the top of the run I had my Slastix Battle ropes and I would finish the minute off with them. Then just walk around trying to breathe for the next 3 minutes making sure I was 2 ramps down i the garage for the start then I sprinted back up the ramps.

One hell of a workout!!!
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Thank you on the compliment! Doing 3 rounds of 1 minute just boxing, mainly straight punches and combos, with some leg work -but no kicks. My stamina sucks azz. If I would implement kicks, every round will be over after 15 seconds, LOL -and it would look like a dog, pissing against a pole.

Looking at your HIIT, I would literally die trying.

Will keep using the bag, it will get better, I'm sure.
 
hairygrandpa said:
Thank you on the compliment! Doing 3 rounds of 1 minute just boxing, mainly straight punches and combos, with some leg work -but no kicks. My stamina sucks azz. If I would implement kicks, every round will be over after 15 seconds, LOL -and it would look like a dog, pissing against a pole.

Looking at your HIIT, I would literally die trying.

Will keep using the bag, it will get better, I'm sure.
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I think you would make it just as well as I did. There were at least 2 moments I was like hmmmm did I overdo it... Is my chest going to explode? Then I caught my breath by the end of the 3 minutes enough to force it. By the time I finished my sprints had slowed down dramatically.
 
Beat The Crap out of that bag!!
 
I hate cutting.

My job often requires simultaneous physical and mental output, which I find very difficult to achieve effectively when cutting.

Can't wait to start eating properly again.
 
I am definitely more on edge when in a calorie deficit !!!
 
jtmass said:
I find it hard to eat a lot. I can do deficit.
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PM me if you want tips, seriously. There are tons of ways to make the process easier, on any macro split and with any food choices, no matter how clean - low carb, low fat, vegan, keto, doesn’t matter. There’s a ton of tricks.
 
Where's the guy with tips on how to not be so hungry haha
 
booneman77 said:
Where's the guy with tips on how to not be so hungry haha
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Well, the tenants of easy bulking are this:

-Eat as often as possible and don’t wait til you’re hungry to start eating. Eat when you wake and eat before bed.
-Make food as easy to eat as possible (grind, blend, mash, flavor) and drink calories
-Choose foods easy to digest for you, avoid high fiber & spicy food
-Choose low satiety foods and add empty calories to every meal (olive/coconut oil, dressings, mayonnaise, heavy cream, cheese, bbq sauce, honey, butter)
-You are not going to be hungry

Basically reverse all of those principles for cutting, especially the last one lol
 
Hyde said:
Well, the tenants of easy bulking are this:

-Eat as often as possible and don’t wait til you’re hungry to start eating. Eat when you wake and eat before bed.
-Make food as easy to eat as possible (grind, blend, mash, flavor) and drink calories
-Choose foods easy to digest for you, avoid high fiber & spicy food
-Choose low satiety foods and add empty calories to every meal (olive/coconut oil, dressings, mayonnaise, heavy cream, cheese, bbq sauce, honey, butter)
-You are not going to be hungry

Basically reverse all of those principles for cutting, especially the last one lol
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I am following a few tips mentioned here already. What I am not doing well is point 2. Thanks for the tip. Time to move the scale up.
 
BennyMagoo79 said:
I hate cutting.

My job often requires simultaneous physical and mental output, which I find very difficult to achieve effectively when cutting.

Can't wait to start eating properly again.
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Maybe you are dieting a bit too intensely, or at the wrong macro levels for yourself. You really shouldn't be feeling that much of a drop in mental output unless you are suffering from slight malnutrition. Even the performance aspect shouldn't be that bad until you really start getting lean. You might be taking calories lower than you need to causing some of that. Some people do not do well mentally when they cut fats below a certain level.
booneman77 said:
Where's the guy with tips on how to not be so hungry haha
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He almost always recommends a fiber supplement and drinking extra water... ;)
 
Hyde said:
Well, the tenants of easy bulking are this:

-Eat as often as possible and don’t wait til you’re hungry to start eating. Eat when you wake and eat before bed.
-Make food as easy to eat as possible (grind, blend, mash, flavor) and drink calories
-Choose foods easy to digest for you, avoid high fiber & spicy food
-Choose low satiety foods and add empty calories to every meal (olive/coconut oil, dressings, mayonnaise, heavy cream, cheese, bbq sauce, honey, butter)
-You are not going to be hungry

Basically reverse all of those principles for cutting, especially the last one lol
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hahaha all of those do exactly the opposite of what I want... need a new guide ;)
 
Mowglisml said:
Follow Buddy’s routine

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??? you’re gonna need a lot of insulin for that

jtmass said:
I am following a few tips mentioned here already. What I am not doing well is point 2. Thanks for the tip. Time to move the scale up.
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That’s the most important one. I would never be hungry on waking, but I can blend & down a thousand calorie shake that’s sweet and triggers ghrelin release 2 hours later. And a steak, potatoes & broccoli is way slower to eat and digest than ground sirloin, steamed spinach and jasmine rice sprinkled in dextrose & cinnamon. Add a cup of veggie juice for more carbs instead of water, or add carb powder or isolate. Use cranberry juice instead of water to mix with your intra workout carb powder.
 
To help my bulk I'm drinking half a gallon of "fortified whole milk" for toddlers during the day. Total: 3000+ kcal, 120gr. protein.
Eating 4 meals a day, mainly eggs, meat, beans and some fruits.
Getting this way at least 260-350gr Protein and 4500-6000 kcal/d .
 
That is a lot of Protein!
 
I hit a nerve impingement on my lower back. Not been working out for the last 2days. Doctor has asked me to rest it out for a week. Just unfortunate that it had to happen when I was going to tighten things up a little. Anyway, will post my start and finish. Good luck y’ll
 
jtmass said:
I hit a nerve impingement on my lower back. Not been working out for the last 2days. Doctor has asked me to rest it out for a week. Just unfortunate that it had to happen when I was going to tighten things up a little. Anyway, will post my start and finish. Good luck y’ll
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A little rest can be a good thing! Get well soon!
 
I Hope Things Heal Fast For You !!
 
hairygrandpa said:
To help my bulk I'm drinking half a gallon of "fortified whole milk" for toddlers during the day. Total: 3000+ kcal, 120gr. protein.
Eating 4 meals a day, mainly eggs, meat, beans and some fruits.
Getting this way at least 260-350gr Protein and 4500-6000 kcal/d .
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My goodness! That's a lot of calories a day for someone who gains easily... curious to see how this works out over the course of the cycle!

jtmass said:
I hit a nerve impingement on my lower back. Not been working out for the last 2days. Doctor has asked me to rest it out for a week. Just unfortunate that it had to happen when I was going to tighten things up a little. Anyway, will post my start and finish. Good luck y’ll
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Hate to hear that, but you made a ton of progress so you are still in the running no matter what.
Rocket3015 said:
I Hope Things Heal Fast For You !!
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This!

Oh, and I gained .7lbs this week on 2000 calories a day and keto... Up to 209.9 now. I thought I had lost at least a pound from the progress I am seeing in the mirror right now. Still consistently tightening up, and getting vascular again as well.

Tonight is my first CarbNite and I am really looking forward to it. Going to crush some weights then pound carbs until I go to bed. Curious how I will look in the AM...
 
jtmass said:
I hit a nerve impingement on my lower back. Not been working out for the last 2days. Doctor has asked me to rest it out for a week. Just unfortunate that it had to happen when I was going to tighten things up a little. Anyway, will post my start and finish. Good luck y’ll
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Ouch bro! I've had a similar issue in my upper back, dry needling helped a lot.
 
I ate 500 grams of carbs last night for my refeed and still woke up kind of flat. I just burned right through it. I weighed myself when I woke up and STILL 209.9 after 500g of carbs... Next time 800!!!
 
MrKleen73 said:
I ate 500 grams of carbs last night for my refeed and still woke up kind of flat. I just burned right through it. I weighed myself when I woke up and STILL 209.9 after 500g of carbs... Next time 800!!!
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Lol, I also planned a massive carb hit last night. Stopped counting at 1,000 haha. I do it very very rarely but when I go deep into carbs I go balls deep
 
Whisky said:
Lol, I also planned a massive carb hit last night. Stopped counting at 1,000 haha. I do it very very rarely but when I go deep into carbs I go balls deep
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1 kilo carbs? That is like 2 birthday cakes -or something...
 
Dropped about 5 lbs this week. weighted in at 206 last night. Will take some final noodz tonight if I can get into the same room. was going to last night but my wife didn't want me taking my shirt off in front of the spin class! lol Plus that might be kind of rude she said. If you know me I didn't care!
 
Whisky said:
Lol, I also planned a massive carb hit last night. Stopped counting at 1,000 haha. I do it very very rarely but when I go deep into carbs I go balls deep
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If I eat no more of this frosting, I’ll come in at 915g by tonight loading for comp tomorrow...but I think I’m gonna have some more frosting
 
hairygrandpa said:
1 kilo carbs? That is like 2 birthday cakes -or something...
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Honestly HG my capacity for eating rubbish carbs is ridiculous, it’s similar to alcohol for me, I just don’t have an off switch hence why it’s so rare I’ll do it (like once every 6 months) - on this occasion I knew I needed a carb hit and my cycle finished today so wanted to do it while the partitioning effect was in full force.

It was
- large pizza
- nachos side (for 2)
- chicken strips and dips side (for 2)
- garlic pizza bread
- portion (chips - fries)
- 500ml tub ice cream plus syrup and some mini Easter eggs
- pb on toast
- 2 chocolate millionaires dessert things
- 2 chocolate milkshakes
- bowl muesli
- chocolate bar

To be fair today has just been back on it as normal (and I’ve just hit a 22lb pr on bench
 
Whisky said:
Honestly HG my capacity for eating rubbish carbs is ridiculous, it’s similar to alcohol for me, I just don’t have an off switch hence why it’s so rare I’ll do it (like once every 6 months) - on this occasion I knew I needed a carb hit and my cycle finished today so wanted to do it while the partitioning effect was in full force.

It was
- large pizza
- nachos side (for 2)
- chicken strips and dips side (for 2)
- garlic pizza bread
- portion (chips - fries)
- 500ml tub ice cream plus syrup and some mini Easter eggs
- pb on toast
- 2 chocolate millionaires dessert things
- 2 chocolate milkshakes
- bowl muesli
- chocolate bar

To be fair today has just been back on it as normal (and I’ve just hit a 22lb pr on bench
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OMG. That was a cheat day for all members here on AM, LMAO!
Believe it -or not, I don't like sweets but manage it to get fat anyway.
 
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