Training Again

I had not done a single full gym session since Covid. Three years ago. As a student I was a low-key meathead, participating in multiple disciplines at a time and training on my own for more than 12h a week, doing the same movements again and again. (Why does that sound familiar?). What made me stop? Saying Covid had a small part to play in it would be a euphemism, but it is not the whole picture. Covid restrictions have been gone for a little while now and I've only started going back this month (June 2023). Between Covid and now I have moved twice and gone were the days of being within walking distance of a decent gym. Car-centric city planning struck again. It didn't matter that I moved to Toronto which is supposed to be one of the most walkable cities in Canada, decent gyms were out of reach. It was only when I moved to the (obviously superior) city of Mississauga that luck would start to come. A gym was going to open at a nearby plaza next to my house; just had to walk for 5min to an overpass, walk above the highway, walk two more minutes and I was there. Just had to wait a couple of months for the gym to open its doors. During those months, the overpass was destroyed to be upgraded; it will only be built back up in August (edit: we're in November now and the pillars are not even up lol). So I got a bike, and despite needing to go around the highway, it was still only a 15min bike ride to the gym. The gym opened and my wife took a look at it; a bike and treadmill farm. It goes without saying that I was not going to bike to the gym to bike on stationary bikes after that. But the bike opened up new gym possibilities, so we looked for anything within a 10-15min bike ride distance from our house and we finally found something. Shit's a bit expensive (read very) but it is an investment I am willing to make. The price is sorta justified though (i'm coping), there are a couple of floors with two in particular that are dedicated to machines and free weights, including squat racks. There is also a very full schedule of classes, each being accessible to us with our membership (edit: actually no :/). From those only boxing might be of interest to me. In any case, I started training again.

Training

Training is an undeniably important part of gaining strength or muscles. I had not kept up with the advancements in training philosophy since I stopped, but I assumed the gist of it was the same. So I took a former plan I used to have and was gonna make changes along the way. But I had kind of an existential crisis; were my goals the same? Do I want to do the same thing I wanted to do then? Using this plan, which I then crafted for past specific goals, to achieve my new goals made no sense. So I sat down with myself and considered what I did in the past and what I wanted to do now. That previous plan was made at a time when two things mattered to me; powerlifting and armwrestling. I was competing in armwrestling and was planning to compete in powerlifting once I met the requirements for my weight class. I was also partially interested in strongman. Looking at my situation now, armwrestling is out of the picture, and so is competing in powerlifting. I also do not have that strong of an interest in strongman anymore. I am still very interested in getting strong but not so much in competing, and not just in the three powerlifting movements. So what do I want? The more I mature, and the more I identify with greek philosophers, I want a cultured and astute mind in an aesthetic and powerful body. I cannot have the former so I will get the latter. It looks like I want bodybuilding.

Bodybuilding

Bodybuilding has gotten a pretty bad rep in the last two-ish decades, and is now mostly associated with steroid abuse, 1000 different necessary supplements (trust me bro), influencers, fake natties (overlap with the aforementioned), being loud and obnoxious... The old heads are keeping superstitious stereotypes alive and generally giving bad info to noobies. On the other side, the newcomers, if not subjugated by the oldheads, use a “science-based” approach (spoiler it's not really science based); you need to do this exercise with super high volume and those 300 accessory lifts and those 15-step compound lifts and don't forget this 50min warmup. The fitness influencer market is saturated to the gills and the only way to carve your space in the landscape is to trow out the wildest claims and make clickbait. It is very hard to find good information out there, and you will get drowned under the 5 000 cookie cutter programs sold here and there by such and such, and the “EXERCISE EVERYONE SHOULD DO” coupled with the “[BLANK] IS KILLING YOUR GAINS !!!1!1111!“. Ironically there is usually an overlap in the exercise from those videos. The couple of curated youtube channels I used to watch either do not capture my interest anymore (armwrestling channels and such) or have devolved in purely entertainment. All? Well, not entirely... Some small channels of indomitable lifters hold out against the influencerisation. I took a look at those for portions of my new training plan. A big one was Alan Thrall from the eponymous youtube channel Alan Thrall. Coincidentally, he too decided to switch from his former discipline, strongman, to bodybuilding almost at the same time as I was going back to the gym. He was always more of an old-head follower but has wisened up a lot as of late and has lost a bit of his edginess, which is a pleasure to see. He usually combats misinformation, myths and gives some pretty solid advice, explained rationally or talks about his experience. He also has a very small ego and is always genuine and honest. I've used his channel more for the overall structure of my plan and workouts and also for some exercise selection. The second one would be Zac Telander, he mildly falls into the “mostly entertainment” category, but he has some interesting rants, and he also probably is kinda sorta maybe going insane, there is a sort of unhinged “I understand myself and I don't care if anyone can, or if I'm even intelligible” qualities from some of his rants which is appreciable. I am using his advice about the squats and it honestly has made a big difference. The last channel I looked at for my training would be Colin Murray, he does sub-10-minute videos that are very to-the-point about things that worked for him. That's pretty much it. He'll also give some exercise recommendation. I've used him for more of work area (on my body) selection as well as some exercise selection. I've also very briefly looked at Renaissance Periodization, the dude is very calm, has a PhD in exercise science and gives reasons why such and such is not optimal for hypertrophy, while this and that might yield better results. (I'm in the middle of a deep dive now — I have to talk more about it in an update article). One resource I did not have access to while I was training before covid, because I had not succumbed, was tiktok (i know, i know). There is a plethora of fitness-focused content creators on the platform/re-upload of short clips of longer youtube videos. Among those JPG and TNF are part of the science-based group (actually science-based this time) and I take in some of their advice for exercise selection and also execution. Another one out of the left field is Sam Sulek, I really enjoy his no-nonsense approach, and as a very young lifter (21 years old) he makes oldheads seethe because he is not training/bulking/cutting optimally in their opinion, but is thriving nonetheless. He has a very humble and laid-back vibe to him and is sort of a walking meme. He also has an interesting mindset about training.

What the plans came out to be

Mixing all of this I settled on the plan below:

Training Session Exercise Sets x Reps Weight (lb) Rest Notes
Chest + Legs #2 Bench Press 5x5 115 2:30 widen grip?
1 Leg Curls 5x8 90 1:30 Seated, lean forward
1 Incline Dumbbell Press 5x7 30 1:30
1 Front Squat 5x5 135 2:30 ATG Paused add more reps —>7-8
1 Machine Incline Press 5x8 180 1:30
1 Lunges with Dumbbells 5x walking to the trash can and back 40->35 2:00 8-9 reps x2
Back #1 + Triceps Deadlift 5x5 235 2:30 Use straps on last set
2 Close grip Bench Press 5x5 105 2:30 widen grip to be able to touch chest
2 Lat pulldown 5x8 160 1:30
2 Dips 5x8 -40 1:30
2 Unilateral Seated Machine row 5x7 ? 1:30 Extra set on left arm
2 Cable Triceps Extension 5x7 225 1:30 Straight bar and last set dropset
Legs #1 + Biceps Squats 5x5 155 2:30 ATG Paused
3 Ez bar preacher curl 5x5 bar+40 2:30
3 Hip Thrusts 5x12 90+Machine 1:30 Replace with RDL?
3 Hammer Curl 5x6 30 1:30
3 Farmer's Walk 4xWalk to the wall and back 70 1:30 Straps
3 Cable Curl 5x8 180 1:30 Rope, dropset at the end
Back #2 + Shoulders Barbell Row 5x5 115 2:30
4 Military Press 5x5 80 2:30 Switch to push press after failure
4 Pullups 5x5 -30 1:30
4 Lateral Raises 5x10 40 1:30
4 Unilateral Lat Cable Pulldown 5x8 ? 1:30 JPG style
Extra set on left arm
Focus on stretch
4 Face Pulls 5x10 160 1:30 Focus on eccentric part

All the above is not accurate anymore, but the vibe kinda matches still — see conclusion

I chose to divide my plan into four sessions, as it and its structure came to me in a dream. Back is really an area I want to improve on, as even at my peak in university, I looked a bit two-dimensional. I really don't need to improve on legs — it's actually one of the strong points of my physique — but I really enjoy working them so here we are. I nevertheless tried to get exercises that would also work other areas besides the legs in the leg portion (farmer's walk, hip thrusts...). Another area I need to work on to get more of a 3D body is the chest, so on top of the chest day, I have a couple of exercises that also hit the chest in my triceps workout (close grip bench, dips...). I have no “core” workout as I hate working it, and I hope it will just come by osmosis with the rest of my body. I am not used to working in high rep ranges, but this is something I will change, as higher rep ranges are more favourable for hypertrophy. I will most likely will do high rep for isolation movements and accessory lifts. Overall I have lots to learn still, but I have to time to figure shit out and experiment. I keep my rest times consistent (yes I carry a timer to the gym), that way I can adjust the weight more precisely each session. Once one weight feels too easy (i.e. I do not reach failure on the last rep or so), I'll increase the weight or number of reps for the subsequent sessions — progressive overload baby. I have a little notebook that I fill in every time I come back from the gym, with my thoughts about each exercise; did it feel too easy/hard, anything else to report... That is one side of my tracking my progress, the other one is checking myself in the mirror at the gym before a session, during a session, after a session at work in the washroom out of the washroom at home before a shower after a shower when I wake up when I have to dress when I have to undress when I'm just hanging around when I'm busy when I'm bored when I'm hyper when I'm tired when I feel like it to flex on my cat to flex on my wife to flex at my frog to flex at myself to flex at god

Eat like a big boi to become the big boi

It goes without saying that to become big, you need to eat big. This is unfortunately one of the things I've had the most trouble with over the years. There is very little help out there when it comes to gaining weight as the main weight change associated with fitness is usually loss. From advice to recipes, there is a plethora of weight loss tips, but us little boiz we are not eating good. Even resources dedicated to gaining weight, like the gainit subreddit, are an absolute joke. If someone ask for tips on how to eat more, usually the answer is “tHeRE iS no SEcrEt; YoU jUsT nEEd TO EaT mORE”. Then they also give horrendous advice, like to do GOMAD (Gallon Of Milk A Day), or circlejerk on obviously fake stories about the biggest guy in the gym bringing the noobie to the alley behind the gym and telling him to order a pizza with everything on it and dunk a litre of olive oil on it, eat all of it and do that everyday and that would prove he's serious about gaining, otherwise he's just a little whining bitch. “People having trouble gaining weight are whiny and making excuses instead of eating” is also a reoccurring theme on there.

With the ranting now over, let's begin with the basics; to gain weight you do need to eat more, i.e. increase the calories you consume. “How to gain weight?” is never the question that beginners ask, they almost always mean: “How to eat more?” Without further a-do here are Edouard's Tried and Approved Tips:

This is it for the tips, I usually apply most of them, although it can be a bit tough with a 9-5 (mine is actually an 8-4) but at least it keeps my schedule consistent. I usually eat my breakfast (~9am), which is comprised of a tiny costco chocky milk and the holy grail: Big Daddy Chocolate Chip Cookie. They're easy to carry and eat, tasty. Carbs, fat, sugar and surprisingly protein, they have everything I need to start the day without mentioning they are a solid 420cals, which brings my breakfast to around 560cals. For lunch (~12-13h) I either eat what I prepared, most often Korean beef bowl (credits to Spenny), leftover whatever or some focaccia/bread that I made. I try to get at least 1000-1200cals with my lunch. If I haven't prepared anything, it's usually two Wendy's Daves' single, no onion (~1150cals). After that, I'll have some snacks if needed to survive until 4 (nuts, yogurt, Halloween candy...). When I come home at 5, I usually have one cup of uncooked rice (cooked), with a shit ton of butter and whatever seasoning I fancy, which comes about to probably close to 900-1000cals. I might have a protein shake around 9, comprised of 90g of peanut butter, 2 scoops of protein powder and about 400ml of 3.25% milk and of course 5g of creatine. That clocks in at about 1000cals. Or I might eat whatever else, if I have some leftovers, if we order food... In that latter case, before bed, I will drink the costco fairlife chocolate protein shake to which I add 5g of creatine. This brings my day to a total of 3100-3400cals, and roughly enough protein. I do not keep close track of my macros, even protein, because I can't be bothered. How to know if it's working? Well, I'm gaining weight at a satisfying pace, getting stronger and not putting on too much fat. Is it optimal? No, but it's easy.

Rest grows the muscle

Another thing that lifters often underestimate for muscle growth is rest. Muscle is not built in the gym, nor in the kitchen, but in the bedroom. Consistently getting a good night's sleep is essential to become a big boi. This is not something I struggle with; I take sleeping very seriously and always cut out at least 8h for sleep, often more. I am also able to fall asleep blazingly fast, sparking jealousy from Tetyana (my wife). I also don't really struggle with overworking my muscles. I try to go to the gym 3-4 times a week maximum (not exceeding that, i.e. not going to the gym, is really not hard) to give myself and my muscles enough rest days to recuperate. In the same optic, I try to stay at the gym for shorter amounts of time, typically 1h30. This is a big cut down from 2h30-3h in university per session, and I also went to the gym around 5 times a week in uni. But I was young, full of energy and had loads of time — not even mentioning the gym was a short 8min walk from my house — so it was never a hassle to train. Also, Tetyana would not put up with anything past 1h30 nowadays.

Motivation to go to the gym

I'm like everyone else, and after my 9-5 I sometimes have very little will to go to the gym. Maybe I had a long day, maybe I had a short night, maybe there was a shit ton of wind on the bike ride back from the station and my legs are shot. If I go to the gym, I'll have 2 fewer hours of free time at night, and I already have too little... Those are all things I used to say, but I've tried to have a mind shift on working out that boosted my motivation: Ok, I'm tired, my legs are shot or whatever, but having a sub-optimal workout is better than no workout at all. I'm not getting 2 fewer hours of free time by going to the gym, I'm just using my free time to do something I enjoy. That change in mindset has allowed me to be generally happier with my gym-going habits, and to push myself harder. Another way I keep myself motivated is just seeing the progress every day; I can lift more, I can do so while being less tired and with better technique. I also look bigger and all my jeans are getting tight. Seeing and experiencing that progress really encourages me to keep going at it. The last big motivator for me is my gym crush that I see 90% of the times I go to the gym (90% of the times I go to the gym with Tetyana).

Conclusion

This article was originally drafted in June, then abandoned, then reworked back in September, then abandoned again and finally picked back up now. A bunch of things have changed, especially for my actual training plan, but things change all the time, and if it had to be 100% accurate, this article would never see the light of day. I have learned to let go and therefore decided to release it, I'll make another article once all the changes have been consolidated.

Update article coming when I'm big (with picture — password protected and only Spenny will get the password)

Thank you for reading my logorrhea, Eddie