AMA - Personal Trainer

[AustinS28]

Thanks for the thread, Austin. My questions are around expectation setting.

I started lifting weights and working with a personal trainer a few weeks ago. I'm hoping it will strengthen or balance me such that chronic low level back pain and intermittent knee pain go away. There is nothing structurally wrong - chiro and fascia release both help some. Have you seen back and knee pain go away with weight lifting, particularly in older clients; and if so, roughly how many weeks should I give it to look for improvements?

Along those lines, I was looking at some mobility videos the other day, and he stated that inflexible adductors (?-inner thigh) is a common cause of back pain. Have you seen that in your clients? I'm casting about for anything specific to try.

Also, around expectations again, how long should I give it before looking for a change on the scale or with measurements? I trained earlier this year, and was 100% compliant with all the workouts and diet, but experienced zero change in weight or measurements after 30 days. (I quit, but not because of that - he put me on the elliptical, which I'd never done, and my knees hurt so much that I had to rest them for a couple of months.) I'm still fighting the discouragement and fear that "nothing will work" wrt weight loss. I'm in it for the long haul this time, just looking for some ways to stay motivated when I can't detect any apparent changes.

Thanks for any insight you may have.

Hey, thanks for the question.

I often see lower back pain associated with a weak core and being overweight. Overweight is such a general term. Being overweight the way I use the term means being at a bodyweight where your musculature isn't strong enough to properly support your posture. Other muscles (specifically the lower back), become overworked and fatigued leading to chronic pain. Weight training can significantly reduce this. The other thing I often see is tight hamstrings, the adductors can be involved, but tight hamstrings don't allow for proper mobility when you bend into a squat or deadlift. They inhibit your range of motion and can be a cause of pain.

Typically a person will see changes in strength before body composition. This is due to neural adaptions. Within the first month my clients become accustomed to the movements we do, are able to recruit more motor units and have the ability to generate more force (strength). Strength is very important in the quest for pain relief because as said before, weak muscles leave others muscle overcompensating and fatigue sets in — then pain.

Your routine should include a lot of leg and core work specifically —planks with isometric holds (your trainer should know what this means). Basically you plank, and actively brace your core and glutes. If you are planking correctly and someone touched you, every muscle should be tense. You should also include flexibility drills for the glutes, hamstrings and adductors.

Any trainer putting a client on the elliptical outside of a 5 minute warm-up routine shouldn't be training anyone. You'd be wasting your time and money. You should be learning the fundamental movement patterns which include, proper squatting and deadlifitng, pulling and pressing.

If your diet is in check and your exercise routine is in place, you should be able to see weight loss results in 30 days. However if you are untrained, I would focus more on your waist measurement rather a scale weight. You will be adding lean body mass to your frame and that can jade you into thinking you’re gaining weight, or not losing weight, but in reality you're adding lean body mass which you want and holding more glycogen in your muscles as they become more efficient with the workouts. A scale weight can be deceiving and should be taken first thing in the morning on an empty stomach to improve accuracy.

To answer your question, everybody is different. For a complete transformation, 6 months to a year is reasonable to see vast improvements. Many people workout for years to achieve their “dream body.” In 30 days you should be comfortable with the fundamental movements, stronger, slightly more flexible and losing fat. This is granted you're practicing those movements 2-3x per week and doing cardio on top of that. It also means you're being honest with your diet.

Hope that helps.

If you want further help, you can share your routine and we can go over it. I'd also like you to know that just because the gym has personal trainers, doesn't mean they're qualified to train. You can get a certificate online today answering a few questions. Personal training has such a low bar of entry that you’ll have top trainers working alongside trainers that are new to exercise. Gym's care more about the bottom line than the results of clients and will hire a good salesman over a good exercise specialist. This is in most cases I've witnessed and I once worked for a "luxury gym" charging upwards of $150 an hour and considered half of that a scam depending on who you were working with.

 

[AustinS28]

I've been a lot more active on the boards recently and truly didn't realize what a wealth of information and people we have over here. I am also in a transitional phase where I am doing a lot of remodeling of my current business. I am 24 and will be 25 on the 28th of this month. I have 1 year of experience as a self-employed personal trainer with a growing business and over 10 years of gym experience, 4 years actually making money from it.

I don't see too many self-employed trainers on the site and thought I could help people grow their business. I'd also be open to answer general fitness questions, but routine creation is definitely something that can be discussed on a different platform since it's very detailed and in-depth.

This is me. I power lift and I am not as lean currently as I am in the below transformations, but I am quite a bit stronger.

My current website - http://www.trainwitha.com
Website under construction - http://manhattantrainer.com

 

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[StompingAcorns]

Thanks so much for a thorough and helpful response! I am feeling very bloated, so your words are encouraging. I thought maybe it was fluids surrounding the tissue it's repairing, so it's good to know that the muscles actually store more glycogen. And yes, I'm measuring weekly in addition to weighing. I'm determined to stick with weight training this time for the long haul. MJ's Millionaire Fastlane , Hardy's Compound Effect, and some other reading have made me realize I treat everything as a sprint instead of a marathon; so I'm working on changing that. I'm looking forward to seeing that 6 month change in my body!

The first trainer I hired was a solo trainer. I'm now with a private gym and this trainer is putting me through great lifting routines 2xweek and I'm alternating with interval training. That's very kind of you to offer to review my routine. She varies it each time, and it always includes some combination of core work, leg presses or squats, and presses and pulls for back, chest, and arms; and her degree is in sports fitness so I'm comfortable with it for now. And yes, planks are included. I'll add the stretches for glutes and adductors. I'm already doing forward fold and pigeon yoga poses for IT band and hamstrings. I will keep focused on strength building, per your recommendation.

Thanks for the note about personal trainers. I'll be moving soon, so you've made me realize I'll have to be careful who I choose in the new city. BTW, that would be a great opt in freebie idea - one page guide to choosing a personal trainer, what questions to ask them. (For example, I had no idea you could get a certificate without any actual coursework!)

Thanks again for your reply, and please let me know if there is anything I can do to support your business in return.

Transferring rep.

Oops, I don't have enough to transfer. When I get 10, it's yours!

 

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[AustinS28]

Hey how's it going Austin, thanks for the offer. I was bed ridden for about a year after an accident a while back, and I still need additional surgery on a knee and a hand. 6'0 currently 260. Got up to 280. My ideal weight is 220 as my shoulders are about as wide as a fridge and I hold a lot of muscle. What I really need to do is find a way to bump my metabolism back into burning instead of storing, and I need to do this around my injuries.

If you have any advice for a diet regimen to help get the metabolism going, that would be great. Lifting at this point is limited.

Side note - last year I was back in the gym 6 days a week switching every other day between aerobic and anaerobic. This went for 15 weeks strait but then I was re-injured by of all things, a doctor. Intensity I can handle, but it has to work around my situation.

You may not like this answer as it is very general, but will work. Consistency is key for results.

If I were you, I'd weigh myself two times per week, once on Sunday's and once on Wednesday's. Record current activity level throughout the week.

For two weeks I'd log all food eaten on fitday.com and see what caloric intake is sustaining your current weight. From those starting numbers I'd reduce calories the following weeks by 500 recording weight and activity levels again and would keep making gradual reductions throughout this process mentoring and tracking.

Intermittent fasting is a great technique to easily restrict calories. For example, doing IF you would only eat 8 hours throughout the the 24 hour day. I usually fast in the morning while dieting as I crave food at night.

Do you exercise at all with the current knee issue?

 

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[AustinS28]

Which do you think is more effective?
Short intense workouts or longer workouts with medium effort?

Also, any tips that you could give to a skinny guy trying to build more muscle.

If you want to be great at anything, medium effort usually leads to medium or mediocre results. I've had my best results with high intensity workouts, low volume, training each muscle group 2-3x a week on a minimum. So keeping workouts to the basics, 2-3 exercises that work per body part, example would be picking squats instead of leg extensions, so doing those money maker exercises for a few heavy sets a few times a week. I usually rotate lifts, so for legs day 1, the primary exercise may be squats, day 2, front squats, day 3 paused squats for high reps....It is always different but it always is at a high intensity.

Food is your friend, bump your calories, you can't grow without a surplus of calories. Don't eat like a pig, but going 500 over maintenance levels everyday, you will put on size, its how the body works. Don't rush it. If you think you eat a lot now, you probably don't. I always notice that small guys say "oh, but I eat so much," well, maybe for you, but you're not eating enough to grow because you're not growing, and there is no way you could eat as much as me 230lbs and not be getting bigger unless you had some genetic disorder.

 

[AustinS28]

Hey Austin!

Question on workouts. I've been working out obsessively since feb. Originally my goal was to cut from 25% BF down to around 12%. I achieved that and am now looking to put on around 20lbs of lean muscle over the next year. I was working out 6 times per week hitting each muscle group around 2x. However this last month I've moved down to 5x per week hitting each group once but lifting as heavy as I can for 4 sets of 5.
I've been reading different things about the best routine for gaining size and mass with some saying hitting each group twice per week and others saying once. From your experience which is most efficient? I find that if I'm hitting twice I have 0 DOMs. But going heavy I'm usually soar the next day. Is that a sign of more efficient training? Or is my body still adapting to the new routine?

Thanks for the thread

Hey dude, I just want to clarify a few things.

First, I would not advise chasing scale weight. Except for rank beginners, putting on slabs of solid muscle in a short period of time is reserved for people using anabolics and people who are not tend to put on a lot of fat when that is their concern. I've been lifting for 10 years now, this should be treated as a marathon.

Also, a big trap I and many people fall into upon beginning a workout routine is not realizing the importance of recovery. You grow outside of the gym. Working out too much is detrimental to your goals and just as bad as not working out enough. You need to find a happy medium. If you are hitting each body part twice per week you should be using less volume during each training session than on a routine where you are hitting each body part once a week.

At your stage I would focus on getting your lifts as big as possible (squat, bench, deadlift, rows, curls, dips, chins, overhead presses), eat a surplus of calories, but only enough so that you don't put on an excessive amount of fat (you will have to experiment) and give it time.

If your not sore after workouts it can mean 1. You are not training hard enough, or 2. Your body is adapting and recovering very efficiently. I rarely get sore. If you are growing, and the weights are going up, and you're not sore, I wouldn't worry about it. It also means you are eating and sleeping enough for your workload.

I always did better lifting each body part twice a week.

My current routine is,

Day 1 Squats, Deficit Deadlifts, Glute Ham Raise, Lunges
Day 2 Bench Press, Floor Press, Underhand Row, Chins, Lateral Raises, Bicep Curls, Tricep Extensions
Off
Off
Day 5 Deadlift, Front Squats Paused, Split Squats, Hamstring Curls
Day 6 Close Grip Incline Bench, Paused Pin Press, Chest Supported Row, Face Pulls, Rear Delt Flys, Spider Curls, Paused Skull Crushers

I know that is a bare bones routine. I usually work up to a heavy set of 5, the week after do two sets of 5 and with that weight. If I get it without problems I add 5-10lbs the week after.

That said I am in maintenance mode right now. This is much more simple than my powerlifting program that lasted 2-2.5 hours in the gym. However, it's been effective and I am in and out of the gym in 6ish minutes which is perfect 4x a week for a busy guy like me.

 

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[AustinS28]

Hi Austin,

Thanks for the great information you provide here.

I'm working out for 6+ years right now. Currently bulking, but I focus on strength with the well known 5/3/1 program. For some reason I'm strong, but I don't look that way. For example, my max:

bench: 120 kg
squat: 180 kg
deadlift: 250 kg (going for 280 kg this season)

I'm 92 kg right now (like last year). I was 83 kg in summer, and that's my problem. When I'm cutting, a huge part of my muscles disappear. I know this is normal, but meanwhile my bodyfat stays. On the photo, I was around 11% BF and my abs were barely visible. I worked out 5-6 times a week.

Is it my bodytype or am I doing something wrong here?

It frustrates me in a way that I almost give up on looking lean and want to bulk heavy until I'm 160 kg and F*ck up my joints while deadlifting 400+ kg during strongman contests.

Hey Longinus

I'm familiar with Wendler's 5/3/1 program. What accessory lifts are you adding to the compound exercises?

Strength and muscle size are two separate beasts although the stronger you get, typically the larger your muscles will become.

There is a reason why bodybuilders and power lifters train differently. Both can be strong and muscular, but both train for different purposes. Bodybuilders train the muscle, power lifters train the movement. What that means is bodybuilders are usually more concerned with mind muscle connection, time under tension, slow controlled movements that create the most micro trauma to muscle fibers leading to the most muscular growth when all things repair. On the flip side, power lifters are all about explosive movements and efficiency. Bodybuilders don't lift efficiently when we are talking about lifting for maximum strength. This does not mean bodybuilders aren't concerned with strength and power lifters aren't concerned with size. This is typically why most people do a combination of both styles of lifting except put priority on one and add the other in the form of accessory lifts.

Strength is largely built as your nervous system becomes more efficient. This is when my point about strength and muscle size being two desperate beasts really becomes important. Your central nervous system is the foundation for explosive and heavy lifts. Yes adding mass will improve leverages and make someone stronger and yes powerlifting will lead to muscle growth, but it's again typically not leading to the same type of muscle growth you'd see in someone solely focused on hypertrophy. At least not in all the same areas.

This leads to the next point. You need nutrients to grow. If you're eating X amount of Macros to sustain your current lean body mass, keeping your intake the same is only going to provide the same result. You probably need to eat more during this next bulking cycle. I'm not saying binge but an extra 250-500 calories a day can make a solid difference.

As far as your cut.

I wouldn't say a huge amount of muscle disappeared. Dropping calories specifically from carbohydrates will make you appear flat. You also drop a lot of water during this process. Less carbs and water in your muscles will also make them appear smaller and flat.

I also notice a lot of people don't realize how much weight they need to cut to appear ripped. You stopped your cut at a point that I feel everyone goes through. You start big and full, start dropping weight and begin to become more defined. Then this phase hits, you're still not quite ripped, yet all your t-shirts fit baggy, you dropped 15-20 pounds and feel small. If you can mentally push through this point and drop another 5-10 pounds you'll wind up chiseled and looking bigger. If you learn how you handle carbs and can plan accordingly as well, you can get that full veiny muscular look with some planning before an outing (say the beach). It's how a lot of bodybuilders plan around a show and carb up for the event so they can gain their fullness back.

Hope this helps.

*I also want to reference I'm giving info based on training without assistance. Assisted lifters are going to gain a lot more muscle no matter how they train.

 

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[AustinS28]

really nice & awesome BP. I have a few questions for you :

• What was and currently is your biggest challenge when it comes to the personal training business ? And how you overcome them ?
• If you had only one reference to give per subject ( 1. Training , 2. Nutrition, 3. Supplements ) what would it be ( websites,books..)?
• Is your ultimate goal to become an online trainer only ... like Marc Fitt, Tavi Castro and some other fitness models ( I know fitness is not your style but I just had those guys in my head ) or you want to do the one-on-one thing with your clients ?

I'm training a lot myself but since I eat like sh*t and don't push hard enough my results are almost not there...
My city is pretty small with a few ''good'' gyms and packed with personal trainers etc.. but they only think locally and still struggle to break even.

Thank you !

Hey man thanks and I'd be happy to answer.

-My biggest challenge is finding the right clients. The right clients are people who train consistently with you for years on end. They need to fit a certain criteria, (enough disposable income to spend $600+ per month), busy lifestyle that usually entails a high paying job (these people don't want to waste time thinking about working out, they realize the benefits and would rather pay a professional), and someone that clicks with your personality (most important). All of my longterm clients become a lot more than clients, but friends. The results and my professionalism attracts them, but what keeps them long term is our discussions and relationship beyond the gym. With any business building a book takes time. My long term clients have lead me to other long term clients and opportunities and they stay loyal. Currently I am trying to build something with a reputation that can garner these clients without referrals (my new website once completed). So far I pick someone like this up every 3 or so months, but have a lot of other people who stay for only a package or two. I won't complain about that, but I like regularity in my pay.

-The PT industry is filled with a lot of different skill levels since it has a low barrier of entry. Books and websites cannot teach someone how to diet or train. If you want to teach someone how to squat you better know how to squat yourself. The biggest piece of advice I can give is to practice what you preach. I can get some more info on diet advice later. However, my skill set has been learned through my obsession with diet and exercise and becoming advanced with technique through my own training, mishaps and successes. I never make a client do anything I've never done. It's also useful to work at a box gym for some time. You'll pick a lot up from more experienced trainers and get the low down on the business.

-My ultimate goal is to run a business that provides in-home trainers to my clients. I do not want to train anymore. Manhattan is a great place to train people. With a population of 8 million and people willing to spend over $100 an hour for coaching, you don't need a huge percentage of people to make great money. I want a gym that only specializes in PT. I also want to make passive income at some point either through ebooks on total body transformations or a blog I am about to begin regarding longevity and eventually sell a supplement line to promote this. I'm also thinking of a subscription based service for online stuff, but am too early into this to go in-depth. In short, I am still figuring out how to passively make money in the industry as I'd love to live a life where I have the time to do anything I want to do.

 

[AustinS28]

The extent of my exercise is walking right now. I can do about a mile or two. Tried riding a bike but when I get up around 5-6 miles the pain kicks in.

What does the Doctor say about resistance training and what are your exact injuries? I am not a doctor or physical therapists, but know a lot and have helped people with rehabilitation so I may be able to give some more specific advice or can lead you on the right path.

That said I always recommend some form of resistance training if possible. It's a common misconception that bed rest is appropriate for certain injuries. A great example is low back pain (I know it is different than what you're suffering from), but people with low back pain tend to rest too much and in return it makes things worse as muscles get weaker and pain becomes chronic. In reality they should be heavily focusing on core, glute and abdominal training to strengthen the areas associated with this pain thus alleviating pain caused from weak and inactive musculature.

 

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[healthstatus]

You said "anything"..... What is the best lead generation website/app/platform on the Internet for personal trainers? Do you pay for leads? If so how much? What is your average stick rate with a client? How many prospects only come to one appointment never to return?

 

[AustinS28]

Do you have a degree/certs or are you all self-taught. If not, do you plan on getting it in the future? Do you train men and women the same? What's your max squat/bench/deadlift? Have you done a powerlifting meet? If yes, what's your total?

Thank you for doing this!

I have a NASM certification and worked at equinox for a year taking their training classes which were pretty thorough, although it didn't teach me much about programming since my training level was more advanced than the instructor, and was a lot of redundant stuff. They hire people without Certs or experience if they're good at sales. One reason I left that company, I didn't want to be grouped with a lot of jabronies who weren't passionate, but trying to make a quick buck making us all look foolish with poor training practices. That said it was good for the anatomy lessons. I also went to several years of college mainly studying biology, but did not complete.

I train men and women the same if they were to have the same goal, say powerlifting. But generally each client of mine is on a different program. I don't do cookie cutter routines and make each program unique to individual goals and needs.

Max bench is 455, squat 545, deadlift 635. Big lifts in the gym but mediocre in the powerlifting community. Unfortunately I haven't had the same interests in powerlifting recently as I used to and have really been maintaining my lifts while focusing on business, Muay thai and some other athletic endeavors. I do plan to venture back into it and get a 500 bench before I retire from powerlifting.

I did a meet last year and lifted 535/400/615 for a 1550 total. The vids should be on the account I posted the 455 bench from. I weighed 227 so had to bump into 242 weight class but won it.

 

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[AustinS28]

As far as exercise, walking is it right now. My situation is unique to normal sport related acl meniscus surgery. My injury was caused from a 4" steel mesh hose that broke apart and was under extreme pressure to fill over 40,000 lbs of liquid CO2 into a tanker. Pressure kept coming after the malfunction and the hose beat the absolute hell outta me.

After my first surgery and physical therapy, my dr. ordered workout was 6 days a week. Aerobic anaerobic pattern.

For Legs:

Leg press - Warm up with 4 45s 12-15 reps, add 2 more/10-12 reps, add 2/ 8-10 reps, add 2/6-8 reps. Rest for only 1 minute between sets (I'd time it) 10 45s. before injury I was doing 14. Couldn't get back to that again after 15 weeks of consistent lifting

Leg curl - (Had to push through pain here) Can't remember the weight selection but Id put the pin in a higher weight and repped until pain, Dropped one plate and repped higher if possible, dropped one plate again and repped higher if possible continuing for 5 sets

Calf raises - 1 warm up w/1 45 then 4-5 sets with 2. No change in weight

Prior to injury I did lunges


Aerobic day would be stationary bike. HIIT. 1 minute warmup. 1 minute everything I had in me. 1 minute just keeping the pedals turning while catching my breath. 1 minute everything I had. Repeat for 20-25 minutes.

Not sure if the tear was in the donor acl yet at this point, but it was loose - then I went to see another doctor to see exactly why my knee was loose and that doctor really messed me up with his examination. That's where I'm at now.
------------------------------------------------

After the re-injury, I can't even climb a step now without bringing some kind of momentum/compensation around the quads. So now for exercise, I walk. Tried getting back in the gym again but had a lot of pain.

My situation is more complicated than this, but just wanted to give an idea of where I was and where I am. To give an example of a complication, I had another doctor order an mri and more physical therapy and the physical therapist could feel the movements of my joints/popping while doing wall squats w/stability ball. Physical therapy was discontinued. Doctor ordered surgery. I'm not ready for another surgery just yet.

so, what I'm hoping to do is get my fat a$$ back in shape!! (get back to 220 range if possible) But I don't have the knowledge to do it around what I'm dealing with and Google is useless because there's too many "me too's" out there to weed through.

Damn sorry to hear all of this, it really sounds like you have been faced with some unfortunate circumstances.

At this point, losing some weight is your priority and I can't reiterate enough that it is going to have to come through diet. What I advised earlier with fitday, will work. You can't out train a bad diet, and you don't need to train at all to lose weight.

That said, I'd still maintain upper body lifts at this point even if it is with machines. Higher lean body mass also equals a faster metabolism so there is no downside to growing or maintaining your upper body.

 

[AustinS28]

When I bench I feel like my front delts get more work than pecs, what am I doing wrong form-wise? I have long arms @ 6ft tall, if that helps.

Do you have any video benching?

Bench press isn't the best exercise depending on mechanics for certain people with regard to pec growth.

Dumbbell bench allows for a more natural range of motion since your hands aren't in a fixed position. If you can't activate your pecs I'd switch to db. If your goal is to have a big bench press and isn't overall pec development that is a different story.

You should always have a tuck in your elbows just for general shoulder health, but flaring elbows out too wide can hit that front felt pretty hard on barbell flat. On the contrary close grip with super tucked elbows takes the pec out of the equation a lot too. Medium wide grip with tucked elbows, bar touching chest is where I feel my pecs the most. If you aren't touching the bar to your chest like many guys, even if you stop and inch or two off you're doing yourself a big disservice in the activation you could be getting out of your pecs.

You actually may even get more out of bench press if you are doing it for bodybuilding purposes by hitting flies beforehand or a pec isolation move. You'll be able to focus and feel the target muscle a lot more when it comes to a compound movement.

 

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[Guest3722A]

Damn sorry to hear all of this, it really sounds like you have been faced with some unfortunate circumstances.

At this point, losing some weight is your priority and I can't reiterate enough that it is going to have to come through diet. What I advised earlier with fitday, will work. You can't out train a bad diet, and you don't need to train at all to lose weight.

That said, I'd still maintain upper body lifts at this point even if it is with machines. Higher lean body mass also equals a faster metabolism so there is no downside to growing or maintaining your upper body.

Thank you very much for your time and advice. I appreciate it. Rep transferred and I'll be starting up exactly what you described this week. I'll report back when I have some results. Thanks again

 

[IrishSpring600]

When I bench I feel like my front delts get more work than pecs, what am I doing wrong form-wise? I have long arms @ 6ft tall, if that helps.

A video would go a long way. Tuck in your elbows as Austin mentioned. Maybe you are protracting your shoulders - don't do that

 

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[StompingAcorns]

Thanks for the thread, Austin. My questions are around expectation setting.

I started lifting weights and working with a personal trainer a few weeks ago. I'm hoping it will strengthen or balance me such that chronic low level back pain and intermittent knee pain go away. There is nothing structurally wrong - chiro and fascia release both help some. Have you seen back and knee pain go away with weight lifting, particularly in older clients; and if so, roughly how many weeks should I give it to look for improvements?

Along those lines, I was looking at some mobility videos the other day, and he stated that inflexible adductors (?-inner thigh) is a common cause of back pain. Have you seen that in your clients? I'm casting about for anything specific to try.

Also, around expectations again, how long should I give it before looking for a change on the scale or with measurements? I trained earlier this year, and was 100% compliant with all the workouts and diet, but experienced zero change in weight or measurements after 30 days. (I quit, but not because of that - he put me on the elliptical, which I'd never done, and my knees hurt so much that I had to rest them for a couple of months.) I'm still fighting the discouragement and fear that "nothing will work" wrt weight loss. I'm in it for the long haul this time, just looking for some ways to stay motivated when I can't detect any apparent changes.

Thanks for any insight you may have.

 

[Guest3722A]

My pleasure, and thank you. Please let me know how this goes.

Aaaaand, I'm back with an update. So, what happened was I signed up with that recommended website and saw that my caloric intake was way lower than what it was telling me I should be taking in to maintain the body weight. This frustrated me because I was thinking something else was possibly going on and that maybe my system just completely adapted to my intake and stubbornly maintained the body weight. 2 weeks ago I ran across Tim Ferriss's modified version of a low GI diet which he calls the Slow Carb Diet, and since, I'm down 13 lbs.. Cautious about the rapid loss but glad I found something.

 

[Longinus]

Hey Longinus

I'm familiar with Wendler's 5/3/1 program. What accessory lifts are you adding to the compound exercises?

Strength and muscle size are two separate beasts although the stronger you get, typically the larger your muscles will become.

There is a reason why bodybuilders and power lifters train differently. Both can be strong and muscular, but both train for different purposes. Bodybuilders train the muscle, power lifters train the movement. What that means is bodybuilders are usually more concerned with mind muscle connection, time under tension, slow controlled movements that create the most micro trauma to muscle fibers leading to the most muscular growth when all things repair. On the flip side, power lifters are all about explosive movements and efficiency. Bodybuilders don't lift efficiently when we are talking about lifting for maximum strength. This does not mean bodybuilders aren't concerned with strength and power lifters aren't concerned with size. This is typically why most people do a combination of both styles of lifting except put priority on one and add the other in the form of accessory lifts.

Strength is largely built as your nervous system becomes more efficient. This is when my point about strength and muscle size being two desperate beasts really becomes important. Your central nervous system is the foundation for explosive and heavy lifts. Yes adding mass will improve leverages and make someone stronger and yes powerlifting will lead to muscle growth, but it's again typically not leading to the same type of muscle growth you'd see in someone solely focused on hypertrophy. At least not in all the same areas.

This leads to the next point. You need nutrients to grow. If you're eating X amount of Macros to sustain your current lean body mass, keeping your intake the same is only going to provide the same result. You probably need to eat more during this next bulking cycle. I'm not saying binge but an extra 250-500 calories a day can make a solid difference.

As far as your cut.

I wouldn't say a huge amount of muscle disappeared. Dropping calories specifically from carbohydrates will make you appear flat. You also drop a lot of water during this process. Less carbs and water in your muscles will also make them appear smaller and flat.

I also notice a lot of people don't realize how much weight they need to cut to appear ripped. You stopped your cut at a point that I feel everyone goes through. You start big and full, start dropping weight and begin to become more defined. Then this phase hits, you're still not quite ripped, yet all your t-shirts fit baggy, you dropped 15-20 pounds and feel small. If you can mentally push through this point and drop another 5-10 pounds you'll wind up chiseled and looking bigger. If you learn how you handle carbs and can plan accordingly as well, you can get that full veiny muscular look with some planning before an outing (say the beach). It's how a lot of bodybuilders plan around a show and carb up for the event so they can gain their fullness back.

Hope this helps.

*I also want to reference I'm giving info based on training without assistance. Assisted lifters are going to gain a lot more muscle no matter how they train.

Awesome post!

I add assistance exercises for example:

Military: db incline bench, db shoulder fly, cable row, some triceps
Deadlift: bulgarian split, front squat, kickback, some biceps
Bench: wide grip pull up, shoulder press, pec dec, some triceps
Squat: leg press, good morning, some abs, some curls, some calves

I change the exercises every month. But I was also wondering if it really matters if you change some exercises? I can understand some different angles can make a difference. But would it really if you change curls with another biceps exercise like hammer curls?

When cutting, I don't use 5/3/1, but another split schedule.

Anyhow, I understand. I already eat a lot more when bulking. I think I'm gonna focus on my carbs intake this summer and cut a little longer this time.

 

[AustinS28]

Aaaaand, I'm back with an update. So, what happened was I signed up with that recommended website and saw that my caloric intake was way lower than what it was telling me I should be taking in to maintain the body weight. This frustrated me because I was thinking something else was possibly going on and that maybe my system just completely adapted to my intake and stubbornly maintained the body weight. 2 weeks ago I ran across Tim Ferriss's modified version of a low GI diet which he calls the Slow Carb Diet, and since, I'm down 13 lbs.. Cautious about the rapid loss but glad I found something.

Glad you found something.

Just curious, when you signed up for the site and tracked your food, did you use a food scale to weigh everything for accuracy?

Second, I'm unfamiliar with the slow carb diet, but if your drastically reduced your carb intake the majority of those 13lbs is water. However, that isn't a bad thing, happens when most people start a fat loss diet. Keep plugging along and you'll get there.

 

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[AustinS28]

Awesome post!

I add assistance exercises for example:

Military: db incline bench, db shoulder fly, cable row, some triceps
Deadlift: bulgarian split, front squat, kickback, some biceps
Bench: wide grip pull up, shoulder press, pec dec, some triceps
Squat: leg press, good morning, some abs, some curls, some calves

I change the exercises every month. But I was also wondering if it really matters if you change some exercises? I can understand some different angles can make a difference. But would it really if you change curls with another biceps exercise like hammer curls?

When cutting, I don't use 5/3/1, but another split schedule.

Anyhow, I understand. I already eat a lot more when bulking. I think I'm gonna focus on my carbs intake this summer and cut a little longer this time.

Exercise selection if you are talking about switching barbell curls to preacher curls, or bench press to incline db press doesn't matter much. The importance is just doing them and getting the most out of each movement.

I'd also suggest not switching your lifting routine when it comes time to cut. That's another place people screw up. If you spent the past year getting strong, and then begin lifting "light" on a cut, your body doesn't have as much reason to hang onto all the added muscle mass you acquired the previous year.

Your body wants homeostasis and is very efficient. If there isn't a reason for it to hang onto extra muscle mass, it will get rid of it and that happens easily on restricted calories.

 

[AustinS28]

Hi Austin,
I wanted to send you an update. I've been lifting about 5 weeks now, and I've already seen a significant improvement in my back soreness. I'm amazed to see significant progress in a relatively short period of time. My knees are a little cranky now and then, but no sharp pain and I'm feeling more confident that they will come along, too. So thanks again for your encouragement!

The biggest obstacle I've had with the lifting is significant fatigue. At first, I was doing lifting 2xweek (6-15 rep range, multiple sets, to fatigue, and she always varies the exercises as well as whether we're reverse pyramiding or alternating or whatever) and doing interval training between (30 min walk/run) with 1 day off. The weight exercises are always major movements, e.g., we never do curls or tricep extensions or leg extensions, but we will do dips, chins, squats in addition to the more typical sled, bench press, etc. I continued the 2xweek lifting but stopped doing the interval training and started brisk walking for 30 min on my non-lifting days and allowing myself more than 1 day off a week. The fatigue is some better, but the morning after weights I still can't get out of bed and am pretty tired all day. I will keep slogging through it and hope it gets better in the next few weeks.

One question I am curious about, just because I like to "know how things work" - from my reading, it seems reasonable to expect a beginning female weight lifter can easily gain 10-12 lb of muscle the first year. Do you agree? And do you know, does that tend to be mostly linear or more exponential, or is there an adjustment period, after which the gaining starts? I.e., can I expect roughly a 1 lb gain per month? And how much muscle does a typical body carry, anyway, so would 10 lbs be (roughly) 10% or 5% or 1% of total body muscle mass?

Hey, glad things seems to be going well!

Your fatigue will improve. Lifting can be very taxing even cardiovascularly. Keep doing cardio and keep hammering away at the resistance exercises and you'll only get better.

Your question really has no concrete answer. I think most people in their first year of training can add 10-12 lbs of lean body mass. Strength and muscle gains are never linear. I would say the first few months to year of training and you'll see your biggest increases in strength and muscle gain...after that it slowly tapers off. 10 year of lifting down the line, if I could put on 10-20 pounds on my bench press I'd be ecstatic. I put over 100 pounds on my bench press the first year I began lifting.

 

[biophase]

When I bench I feel like my front delts get more work than pecs, what am I doing wrong form-wise? I have long arms @ 6ft tall, if that helps.

I had this issue with my bench for 20+ years. I found out my problem was that I wasn't keeping my shoulder back during my press. And the top of my press my shoulders would come up and off the bench. So now I concentrate on keeping my shoulders back and I squeeze my shoulder blades together before I lay on the bench.

 

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[Guest3722A]

Sorry for my absence. I've been super busy with work and projects and didn't want to begin replying to things if it were to only leave a half assed reply. Anyways, I'm snowed in and taking a break from creating blog content.

You need a food scale.

Let me explain.

Fitday.com can't weigh and measure your food, it only can tell you how many calories are in weighed and measured foods. If I add one piece of chicken to my foodlog and one piece is defaulted to 6 oz on fitday, and in reality my piece was 12, I just ate double the calories I thought I was eating. The same goes for every piece of food entering my mouth.

We are so calculated and accurate on everything we find important, business, finances etc. That leads to the best results. The same goes for food. Its tax season, you wouldn't just guess how many dollars you can write-off for your business. You want to find every penny possible so you can save the most money.

That said, you can definitely lose weight without counting calories and macros. It may not be the best way, but it may be the most sustainable for long term results.

I'm interested to see how the Tim Ferris thing works. I do not like a lot of his fitness information. He grossly exaggerates results on his Facebook page.

Hey Austin, what's happening -
Well, this was week 5 and I'm stoked to say I'm down 19 lbs! Unreal to say the least. Yesterday was cheat day and everything tastes like crap now plus I noticed multiple food allergy symptoms after eating all that junk. I'm liking the program as it is working for me and my specific situation.

 

[AustinS28]

Hey Austin,

Started with a personal trainer last week as I am finally committed to getting into shape and losing the moobs and beer belly lol

I have been consistently going to the gym for the past year and have lost about 23 pounds in that time.

I am male, currently 16.2 stone/275 pounds and 6"0 tall (182cm) and have always been broad shouldered

Having realised my mistake by mostly doing cardio based excerise in that time I am now doing more weight/resistance based activities hence the personal trainer for a couple of month just for that extra motivation and also to learn the machines/free weights and the proper form etc.

I have reached a bit of a plateau regarding weight loss and whilst I am confident that progress will be made on muscle gain etc, I only lost 1 pound last week and I was good regarding diet etc.

Can you offer any advice on food intake as I consume approx 1300 calories per day and having read into it etc I believe I should be eating more-so my body doesnt try and keep hold of the fat as it probably thinks its in starvation mode. I do however struggle to eat anymore.

Would taking a good whey protein isolate shake twice a day be a good subsitute for feeding my body so it doesnt store the fat?

Anyone else been in this situation and successfully overcame it? What was your process?

I've been cranking some crazy hours lately with a ton of growth in my business and I just returned from a weekend in California at my girlfriends. Sorry for the delayed response.

Congratulations on the weight loss. 23 pounds is no joke. Good on you taking a step further and hiring someone to give you the extra knowledge necessary to achieve the remainder of your goals.

A few things -

- How do you know you're only eating 1300 calories/day? Do you weigh and measure every ounce of food you eat? What does the food consist of?

- Gaining weight or seeing a plateau in weight loss when you start resistance training could be a) an increase in lean body mass which I wouldn't expect in a short period of time, hypertrophy is a very long process b) an increase in glycogen and water being held in the muscles stimulated through the weight training. (My guess).

- obsessing over scale weight is the perfect recipe for an eating disorder. I've seen it first hand, there's literature on it. But turning the goal to become healthy into an obsession becomes a vicious cycle when progress isn't linear which it never is. There will be ups and downs and often when someone is too obsessed those ups and downs cause unhealthy extremes (in both directions) in habits. It's ok to be OCD with your habits, but distinguishing the impact the consequences of your habits have is what's important. Realizing being on 80% and off 20% for two years is going to build a healthy body. On meaning 80% of your habits are physically healthy, and the other 20% are filled with activities that may not be the pinnacle of good health (dinners out, a few drinks with friends), but they keep you mentally healthy. This help you perfect performing the 80% and leads to a healthier body but also a better quality of life since you're mentally healthy as well. I hope this makes sense but it's very important in long term weight loss learning the psychology to sustained gains.

- Shakes are a great way to get in your required amount of protein. Pounds of chicken breasts lose their appeal pretty quickly. Shakes however are no different than real food consisting of the same macros. In fact I'd opt for whole food the majority of the time.

On a side note it took my several years to drop 60 pounds the right way. So you need to prepare to be in this long term. It's the best way, the most sustainable way, and the healthiest way from a mental and physical standpoint.

 

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[AustinS28]

Hello Austin!
I'm 17 years old and I've been working out for like 2 years now (only gym). I started at 60kg and 180cm and right now I'm at 80kg and 184cm with about 14-15% body fat. Never in my life I thought I'll need to lose weight, so I only know how to gain one. I'm more of a torso type of guy, that means my back / chest are huge compared to my arms and shoulders, my legs are fine. I'm afraid that if I'll start losing weight, my arms will get smaller and you have no idea how hard it for me to make them not look so small. I tried out almost every technique that I found on the internet - heavy weights, light weights, long rests, short rests, drop sets, doing them 2x a week, changing excercises and many many more, but they still won't grow (fast enough).

My training schedule:
Day 1: Biceps / Triceps
Day 2: Legs
Day 3: Rest day
Day 4: Back
Day 5: Chest / Shoulders
Day 6: Rest day
Day 7: Rest day

Question 1:
How would you improve it so I have better results? Arms and shoulders are the high priority ones. I can hit the gym max 4 times a week.

Question 2:
How to lose weight without losing gains (or the lowest amount possible)? Somewhere I heard losing 0.5kg per week is okay. My goal is to cut to like 10-12% BF. And how long would the process take?

Question 3:
Besides gym I'm really into street workout, but I never knew how to combine both. Is it a good idea to do it like: Week 1 - gym, week 2 - street workout (repeat)?

I know this is a lot to ask and I will understand if you won't answer them. Thank you for your time reading this

Question 1:
How would you improve it so I have better results? Arms and shoulders are the high priority ones. I can hit the gym max 4 times a week.

-The split is fine if you can only make it to the gym 4x per week. It's what you're doing in those workouts that's important. Are you striving to improve volume (weight/reps/sets) as often as possible? Are you focusing on time under tension (important for hypertrophy). You need to be ok with the fact that building muscle is a slow process that only time and consistency on your routine will fix. I would add an extra arm day, maybe throw some biceps after back and triceps after chest and shoulders if they're a weak point. Could also throw some lateral raises at the end of leg day.

I'd actually, considering your experience level, probably program you like this.

Day 1: Push (Chest/Shoulders/Arms)
Day 2: Posterior Focused Legs (Deadlifts, Hams, Glutes)
Day 3: Rest
Day 4: Pull (Back/Arms/Posterior Delts)
Day 5: Anterior Legs (Squats Variations, Quads, Glutes and Hams again but lighter)
Day 6: Off
Day 7: Off

Question 2:
How to lose weight without losing gains (or the lowest amount possible)? Somewhere I heard losing 0.5kg per week is okay. My goal is to cut to like 10-12% BF. And how long would the process take?

Slow and steady wins the race when cutting naturally. Trick is to not rapidly bulk and cut. That's a mistake. Getting fat may help make you strong as an ox, but honestly I don't see why you can't gain while remaining lean and then when it's time to lean up, you're not crash dieting to reveal your progress. Treat lifting as a marathon.

Question 3:
Besides gym I'm really into street workout, but I never knew how to combine both. Is it a good idea to do it like: Week 1 - gym, week 2 - street workout (repeat)?

Nah I would not do that. If you like street exercises which I incorporate a lot of plyometrics into my powerlifting routine you can program the appropriate exercises on the appropriate day. I'm guessing you're talking about muscle ups and body weight exercises done of bars almost like gymnastics stuff. I regularly incorporate lots of jumping and upper body plyo onto appropriate days. Days reserved for explosive training, I lighten the load on my compounds and vice versa. I wouldn't fully stop lifting for a week and do body weight and rotate every other week like that. Instead it's fine to block out your training so certain weeks you focus on one thing over the others, but don't give up the others completely.

I know this is a lot to ask and I will understand if you won't answer them. Thank you for your time reading this

No worries. Hope that helped.

 

[Guest3722A]

Hey how's it going Austin, thanks for the offer. I was bed ridden for about a year after an accident a while back, and I still need additional surgery on a knee and a hand. 6'0 currently 260. Got up to 280. My ideal weight is 220 as my shoulders are about as wide as a fridge and I hold a lot of muscle. What I really need to do is find a way to bump my metabolism back into burning instead of storing, and I need to do this around my injuries.

If you have any advice for a diet regimen to help get the metabolism going, that would be great. Lifting at this point is limited.

Side note - last year I was back in the gym 6 days a week switching every other day between aerobic and anaerobic. This went for 15 weeks strait but then I was re-injured by of all things, a doctor. Intensity I can handle, but it has to work around my situation.

 

[SenGracic]

really nice & awesome BP. I have a few questions for you :

• What was and currently is your biggest challenge when it comes to the personal training business ? And how you overcome them ?
• If you had only one reference to give per subject ( 1. Training , 2. Nutrition, 3. Supplements ) what would it be ( websites,books..)?
• Is your ultimate goal to become an online trainer only ... like Marc Fitt, Tavi Castro and some other fitness models ( I know fitness is not your style but I just had those guys in my head ) or you want to do the one-on-one thing with your clients ?

I'm training a lot myself but since I eat like sh*t and don't push hard enough my results are almost not there...
My city is pretty small with a few ''good'' gyms and packed with personal trainers etc.. but they only think locally and still struggle to break even.

Thank you !

 

[Guest3722A]

You may not like this answer as it is very general, but will work. Consistency is key for results.

If I were you, I'd weigh myself two times per week, once on Sunday's and once on Wednesday's. Record current activity level throughout the week.

For two weeks I'd log all food eaten on fitday.com and see what caloric intake is sustaining your current weight. From those starting numbers I'd reduce calories the following weeks by 500 recording weight and activity levels again and would keep making gradual reductions throughout this process mentoring and tracking.

Intermittent fasting is a great technique to easily restrict calories. For example, doing IF you would only eat 8 hours throughout the the 24 hour day. I usually fast in the morning while dieting as I crave food at night.

Do you exercise at all with the current knee issue?

The extent of my exercise is walking right now. I can do about a mile or two. Tried riding a bike but when I get up around 5-6 miles the pain kicks in.

 

[SenGracic]

Thank you for your answer, it's nice to see someone who thinks beyond only owning a conventional gym ! I really appreciate.
I might have more questions for you later on but I know what to do now to at least get started !

Hey man thanks and I'd be happy to answer.

-My biggest challenge is finding the right clients. The right clients are people who train consistently with you for years on end. They need to fit a certain criteria, (enough disposable income to spend $600+ per month), busy lifestyle that usually entails a high paying job (these people don't want to waste time thinking about working out, they realize the benefits and would rather pay a professional), and someone that clicks with your personality (most important). All of my longterm clients become a lot more than clients, but friends. The results and my professionalism attracts them, but what keeps them long term is our discussions and relationship beyond the gym. With any business building a book takes time. My long term clients have lead me to other long term clients and opportunities and they stay loyal. Currently I am trying to build something with a reputation that can garner these clients without referrals (my new website once completed). So far I pick someone like this up every 3 or so months, but have a lot of other people who stay for only a package or two. I won't complain about that, but I like regularity in my pay.

-The PT industry is filled with a lot of different skill levels since it has a low barrier of entry. Books and websites cannot teach someone how to diet or train. If you want to teach someone how to squat you better know how to squat yourself. The biggest piece of advice I can give is to practice what you preach. I can get some more info on diet advice later. However, my skill set has been learned through my obsession with diet and exercise and becoming advanced with technique through my own training, mishaps and successes. I never make a client do anything I've never done. It's also useful to work at a box gym for some time. You'll pick a lot up from more experienced trainers and get the low down on the business.

-My ultimate goal is to run a business that provides in-home trainers to my clients. I do not want to train anymore. Manhattan is a great place to train people. With a population of 8 million and people willing to spend over $100 an hour for coaching, you don't need a huge percentage of people to make great money. I want a gym that only specializes in PT. I also want to make passive income at some point either through ebooks on total body transformations or a blog I am about to begin regarding longevity and eventually sell a supplement line to promote this. I'm also thinking of a subscription based service for online stuff, but am too early into this to go in-depth. In short, I am still figuring out how to passively make money in the industry as I'd love to live a life where I have the time to do anything I want to do.

 

[Guest3722A]

What does the Doctor say about resistance training and what are your exact injuries? I am not a doctor or physical therapists, but know a lot and have helped people with rehabilitation so I may be able to give some more specific advice or can lead you on the right path.

That said I always recommend some form of resistance training if possible. It's a common misconception that bed rest is appropriate for certain injuries. A great example is low back pain (I know it is different than what you're suffering from), but people with low back pain tend to rest too much and in return it makes things worse as muscles get weaker and pain becomes chronic. In reality they should be heavily focusing on core, glute and abdominal training to strengthen the areas associated with this pain thus alleviating pain caused from weak and inactive musculature.

Acl is loose and has tear and meniscus re-torn. Dr. would like me to strengthen the muscles to support the instability but it hits that sharp pain point pretty quick.