Adarq.org

Well Andrew refers to 3-3.5 half squat or higher than parallel, jump specific squat, not a full squat.

But yeah, I agree that you need/can train neurally a lot. The question is - are you going to improve as much and as quick, in terms of relative strength, as a guy who also gains a little muscle?

You could also go and build a little muscle and increase your squat quickly and then cut down on the calories and start losing weight, maybe fat maybe muscle, but now you're going to have a weight that you can use in your squat (a newly established, higher squat 1RM and 5RM) that you can use while cutting down on weight.

So you can be:

180 lbs with a squat of 250

GO TO

190 lbs with a squat of 300

then cut down back to 180 while using the same work reps and trying to maintain that 300 squat and end up being

180 lbs again with a squat of 300

I think that can make your CNS adapt quicker to the load, muscles as well etc, but it's going to take a good planning in terms of training and nutrition to make that happen I suppose. Your body will probably be more inclined to accept that weight as "managable" and will happen quicker than if you were just to stay at 180 and try to improve to 300 on your squat just by neural adaptations alone.

i don't recall seeing people successfully do that on forums etc.. most people gain weight then have major issues taking it off while maintaining strength.. as easy as that sounds, it's actually harder for people to gain weight + gain strength then cut that excess fat while maintaining, most everyone seems to have major issues doing so.

i could gain 6+ lb in one day if i carb'd up, so, gaining weight indicates much more than just 10 lb to me, most of us could put on 6 lb in one day just carbing up with glycogen/water retention, that's nothing special..

to me it's easier to stay around your goal weight and work from there.. if you have no goal weight then fine, but if you do, like myself, no point ballooning up as it just becomes too hard to cut back down while maintaining strength due to the intensity/stress of my training.

i'd rather stay at 150 and improve from here, eating too much actually hinders my strength gains as i become even more lethargic, fat, and ogre-like.

My squat depends on the amount i eat. If i eat a lot (like when i did Smolov and the time after that) i am much stronger on squats than if i eat "maintenance" (like atm where only my squat sucks).

I don't think it's bad to gain weight if you get much stronger doing so.

My body fat is around 10% at the moment. Adarq, if you are 6'1 and want to weight 145, then why do you think at 5'5 I can weight 145 or so and still fly? Is it because I am shorter?

Thanks.

Quote from: Raptor on March 16, 2011, 08:08:06 am

I wonder why does vag think 15% is "natural" for him at his age, build etc? Who said you need to be at 15%? You could probably improve on that.

Yes , by natural bodyfat i meant how i am built, like giving an estimation of where my body wants to be under 'normal circumstances'.
Some people are naturally lean&ripped , some others are not. I belong in the latter.
I don't need to be at 15% , i need to be as low as i can maintaining strength.
But imo it is important to have a realistic view on your body/abilities. A guy like me freaking out and orienting his training to get to 8% would make a big mistake.
Anyway , were getting way off topic...

Yeah but - are you doing everything exercise and nutritional-wise to keep it low, and you end up with 15% as being the lowest while maintaining/gaining strength? That's my point - if you could manipulate training/nutrition in such a way that you could get the BF a bit lower while at the same time gaining muscle (muscle that will need more calories and that, in return, will help prevent fat build-up).

Quote from: adarqui on March 16, 2011, 04:58:57 am

i don't recall seeing people successfully do that on forums etc.. most people gain weight then have major issues taking it off while maintaining strength.. as easy as that sounds, it's actually harder for people to gain weight + gain strength then cut that excess fat while maintaining, most everyone seems to have major issues doing so.

Plus if they aren't using any anabolic assistance it's basically pointless to try.

well it'd be alot easier with anabolic assistance that's for sure lol.

Quote from: Raptor on March 16, 2011, 08:08:06 am

I wonder why does vag think 15% is "natural" for him at his age, build etc? Who said you need to be at 15%? You could probably improve on that.

Yes , by natural bodyfat i meant how i am built, like giving an estimation of where my body wants to be under 'normal circumstances'.
Some people are naturally lean&ripped , some others are not. I belong in the latter.
I don't need to be at 15% , i need to be as low as i can maintaining strength.
But imo it is important to have a realistic view on your body/abilities. A guy like me freaking out and orienting his training to get to 8% would make a big mistake.
Anyway , were getting way off topic...

same, i'm more of a natural 12+% or so, at 145 lb.. that would be with just eating ok and not lifting.. i definitely don't have "lean genetics" that's for sure.

pc