Three Macrocycles In

[adpowah]

@adpowah

I've never understood why it is adviced to beginners to stick to just a few basics while so much more can be done when doing things correctly and optimal from the get go. I don't know why beginners should settle for sub-optimal.

It is advised that beginners stick with just a few basics because they need to find what will work for them. While I don't agree with Rippetoe either it cannot be argued that Starting Strength has helped a large portion of the fitness world to gain strength and typically it is very functional at getting a beginner strong. Further I have tried trigger point therapy myself and personally have had very little success however there are many that find it revolutionary for their fitness goals. So we begin to see the spectrum of optimal becomes very personalized but there are a few key factors that are present in everyone that succeeds in fitness such as; progressive overload, appropriate calories, adequate sleep, proper form and consistency (maybe I am missing a few, but you get the point). Once these critical pieces are in place further refining can be applied to chase after "optimal".

I simply feel that with our current understanding of training that meal timing and the arbitrary numbering of meals is more at the refining stage rather than the critical stage.

 

[charr]

That is true what you said Mick.

It was much more beneficial to me to be able to eat myself full. Especially during my last meal. I can't sleep on an empty stomach.

Try reading leangains.com. If you take away one thing it's that you don't need to eat 6 meals a day to have success. One of my biggest developments when it comes to bodybuilding is that I no longer rule my life by when I'm going to eat my next meal. It was a pretty big breakthrough for me.

 

[Totentanz]

@adpowah

I've never understood why it is adviced to beginners to stick to just a few basics while so much more can be done when doing things correctly and optimal from the get go. I don't know why beginners should settle for sub-optimal.

if I would have known from the beginning what I know now, I wouldn't have had two missed bulks and big waist time of a cut to get back to normal.

You just answered your own question. When you were a beginner, you didn't know what to do. Most don't. They need to learn the basics before they can do all kinds of advanced stuff. They also need to learn how to actually lift, i.e. form, etc and how to actually push themselves. The only way they can do more than that right from the get go is to work with someone such as a coach or trainer. Sure, you will make mistakes in the beginning but that's part of the process. I definitely think you should do as much research as possible first, but also keep in mind that when you are a beginner, it is really difficult to tell the gems apart from the turds when you are looking for knowledge in this particular field. There is a lot of bull crap out there.

Also, I have to concur with mick about the meal timing. How many meals you eat per day doesn't matter in the end and is dependent on the person. Plenty of studies have already shown that the number of meals per day is basically irrelevant when calories are equal, although meal timing for sure has an impact during a diet. As he pointed out, dividing your calories up into six tiny snacks instead of one or two large meals is going to do nothing to keep hunger at bay. I prefer to fast through most of the day during work and just eat one large meal after training and before bed. After all, why eat before lifting when you are trying to lose fat? And why not basically feast for a small part of each day while still being at or under your calorie goal? It sure makes dieting easier when you know that you just need to go another four hours until feast time.