There are a few who say much of what is contained in this article. If anything, it serves to reinforce the view on what many of us seek to do. I think many of you will enjoy it. For the most part, a really cool angle.
http://www.simplyshredded.com/time-to-grow-top-5-mass-gaining-mistakes-how-to-correct-them-written-by-ifpa-pro-alberto-nunez.html
Great read, Blast. I like how he frames that gaining 1 or 2 pounds of muscle can take months and months while losing 5 pounds of fat can happen in a couple weeks. It shows exactly how much emphasis needs to be placed where.
One thing I've learned this last year is just how difficult it is to create new, lean tissue. I now see all the wasted effort I have put into bulking. Gaining 20-40 pounds of weight on a cycle may have led to some muscle gains, but it was a lot like killing a mouse with a grenade. There was a better, more precise way of doing it that wouldn't cause me to have to do more work to deal with the damage I had done. Having learned this lesson, I will still maintain my long term goal of being in the 250s with a tight midsection, but I won't try to achieve it this year. This decade is a better approach.
Yeah, I see gaining lean tissue like welding. When using sticks, there's a ton of slag to be chipped off, and sometimes grinding, using wire feed there is no slag, but one might have to wire brush it to reveal a beautiful bead.
We've seen it time and again where we gain hella weight only to piss it all into the toilet, or left to deal with fat. At least the fat falls off fast more or less.
I like the perspective of the author, namely, to improve rather than bulk. i like this angle because allows one to focus on a part or parts. For example, "I need to improve the size or separation of my quadriceps." Will I need to go on a traditional bulk eating 5000 calories to do this? I don't believe so. Intuitively, lean tissue will be gained even at a caloric intake marginally higher than ones TDEE. A hunch. Then there is training style and technique, oh, and frequency at play. Compounds of choice are in my opinion far less important, at least that's my opinion as I haven't personally experienced each and every one, nor do I intend to.
As you put it so well in another post, it's a mental game more so than a mere physical game. Perspective is just as key as diet, and training.
Also, I was listening/watching a Danny Hester video awhile back, and when someone said that he should go for the bodybuilding division instead of sticking with physique division. He said it would take him roughly 15 years more to get to the size of those like Cutler, Heath, or Coleman. Also, quite sobering. This is definitely a marathon or two, no quick and easy... he chose not to go that route
My approach has always been to focus on one thing at a time. For me that is strength. You really hinder your own progress by trying to do to much at once.
If I were training for hypertrophy I would change my training approach but again focus completely on hypertrophy.
Eat everything. Train hard. Then cut. Rinse and repeat. This shit really isn't rocket science.
It's simple....but not easy. There's a difference.
One thing at a time, one step at a time. Dedication, determination and perseverance, oops almost forgot consistency. Gotta be consistent yet flexible.
Dedication, determination and perseverance