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There are two problems I come across from guys that have a hard time reaching their goals. 1, Small guys in reasonable shape that are afraid of getting fat, so they never eat enough to really make gains and 2, Over weight guys that are stop dieting too soon because they are afraid they are losing muscle.
1, If you are an ecto and have a hard time making gains, there is a simple answer, you are not eating enough. I talk to guys that say "I eat a ton". Define a ton, please. Usually, it is still 2000 cals under what they need. I'm not saying that someone should "bulk up" and loose all shape, but you have to understand, if you want to grow, you need to eat more than maintenance. This may mean putting on a little fat and it will certainly mean going through a period of holding some water, especially if you are running gear like deca or dbol. If you are naturally skinny, you'll be able to lose this added chub in no time. So do yourself a favor and give yourself a solid 12 wk cycle and dont be afraid. Use pics and the scale to judge progress and try to push to a new level of development. Then after you have recovered, begin to lower the cals SLOWLY and begin to carve back up. You';ll be shocked at how fast the water and fat comes off.
2. For over weight guys, It is really harder to lose muscle than you think. If you are eating a high protein diet and taking gear, you're not going to easily lose muscle. If you are 12% or 15% body fat, you are not going to lose muscle while eating high protein, especially on gear. You may start to go flat and feel small but this is all part of the process of dieting. If you are under 6%, which means you can probably see lines in your hamstrings. There are areas of your body where you can't pinch the skin. You have veins running through your abs. You have no love handles, and the only way to get rid of more fat is to add cardio to an already long cardio session while limiting fats/protein, then you might need to worry about muscle loss. But if you are really a true low single digit body fat, and you want to push that much harder, any muscle you lose will come back when you add more food in later. It will come right back to life within a short time. But really, if you see yourself shrinking the first month of a GOOD diet, you aren't losing muscle, you are losing water and fat. It wasn't really muscle to begin with. I would suggest to make sure the diet is good to protect your body and embrace the process.
And thats the key. Embrace the goal you have and give your all to it. If you have tried to get into shape, or tried to get big and it hasn't worked, try something new and don't quit when you are afraid. Educate yourself and know what you're doing, or hire someone like me or any other good coach (I'm not writing this as self promotion). Someone else that know what they are doing and has seen how to get results can make the calls for you, if you aren't sure. If you don't hire someone, thats cool too. Have someone in your corner that you trust, as a second set of eyes. Someone that understands your body type and is willing to look at you and give you a little direction. Whatever you do, trust the process. Let go of the ego, whether it be that your ego is wrapped up in always having abs, or your ego is wrapped up in being the biggest guy in the gym. The guy that is cut 365 is rarely going to make great progress unless he has great genetics and the guy that always has to be the biggest and strongest is rarely the leanest.
Bodybuilding is about being better than we were before. Challenge yourself and shoot for real improvements. Shoot for being BETTER than last year
1, If you are an ecto and have a hard time making gains, there is a simple answer, you are not eating enough. I talk to guys that say "I eat a ton". Define a ton, please. Usually, it is still 2000 cals under what they need. I'm not saying that someone should "bulk up" and loose all shape, but you have to understand, if you want to grow, you need to eat more than maintenance. This may mean putting on a little fat and it will certainly mean going through a period of holding some water, especially if you are running gear like deca or dbol. If you are naturally skinny, you'll be able to lose this added chub in no time. So do yourself a favor and give yourself a solid 12 wk cycle and dont be afraid. Use pics and the scale to judge progress and try to push to a new level of development. Then after you have recovered, begin to lower the cals SLOWLY and begin to carve back up. You';ll be shocked at how fast the water and fat comes off.
2. For over weight guys, It is really harder to lose muscle than you think. If you are eating a high protein diet and taking gear, you're not going to easily lose muscle. If you are 12% or 15% body fat, you are not going to lose muscle while eating high protein, especially on gear. You may start to go flat and feel small but this is all part of the process of dieting. If you are under 6%, which means you can probably see lines in your hamstrings. There are areas of your body where you can't pinch the skin. You have veins running through your abs. You have no love handles, and the only way to get rid of more fat is to add cardio to an already long cardio session while limiting fats/protein, then you might need to worry about muscle loss. But if you are really a true low single digit body fat, and you want to push that much harder, any muscle you lose will come back when you add more food in later. It will come right back to life within a short time. But really, if you see yourself shrinking the first month of a GOOD diet, you aren't losing muscle, you are losing water and fat. It wasn't really muscle to begin with. I would suggest to make sure the diet is good to protect your body and embrace the process.
And thats the key. Embrace the goal you have and give your all to it. If you have tried to get into shape, or tried to get big and it hasn't worked, try something new and don't quit when you are afraid. Educate yourself and know what you're doing, or hire someone like me or any other good coach (I'm not writing this as self promotion). Someone else that know what they are doing and has seen how to get results can make the calls for you, if you aren't sure. If you don't hire someone, thats cool too. Have someone in your corner that you trust, as a second set of eyes. Someone that understands your body type and is willing to look at you and give you a little direction. Whatever you do, trust the process. Let go of the ego, whether it be that your ego is wrapped up in always having abs, or your ego is wrapped up in being the biggest guy in the gym. The guy that is cut 365 is rarely going to make great progress unless he has great genetics and the guy that always has to be the biggest and strongest is rarely the leanest.
Bodybuilding is about being better than we were before. Challenge yourself and shoot for real improvements. Shoot for being BETTER than last year
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