New To Peat: Weightlifting?

[Cirion]

Totally true. Every once in a while I have to "slap" myself and realize I tend to get too extreme about my nutrition and training, techniques, supplements and what not. When in the mean while you should realize what is your goals, do I want to be a top bodybuilder? No...then why do I obsess about training and nutrition as if that is my goal. You can still build a great physique using a minimalist approach. Then also you must ask yourself are you still having fun, are you actually enjoying other aspects of your life as well? For instance I love to do parkour, but I quit because what if it interferes with my muscle gains? Lol, way too extreme. Focus on enjoying every aspect of your life and don't obsess about things.
Maybe this has been said before, but I just wanted to say what I re-realized this couple of days.

Dude, so true about the parkour comment. Parkour sounds fun as f*** and something I've wanted to try. Life should be about having fun, not being so serious all the time. And guess what? In a peat environment, and healthy metabolism, I have no doubt you'll have some level of leaning out /muscle building from Parkour, playing soccer, basketball, swimming, whatever you find that you like to do...

I'm actually surprised how big my arms are feeling today. Let's hear it for sugar lol. I've downed 17 oranges today haha.

I have no delusions of grandeur of breaking world records in PL or bodybuilding... even though I'd like to compete in both one day. I want to do it for the fun of it, with maybe the chance of winning (though it's not the primary goal). I'd be happy with myself just to go on the BB stage and present my hard work / physique, even if I didn't win, I'd be so happy if I can get really lean and not starve myself to death to do so...

Right now honestly my top goals are: Get healthy, get lean. Maybe I have a chance to lean out by summer and get to show off haha. Just gotta be religious about my High carb, Very Low Fat way of eating until then...

 

[stevrd]

Great points here. For me, I care about aesthetics and strength. I believe both are important for long-term health and success. I think that it's undeniable in a business environment, that someone who is noticeably in shape gets more respect and tends to be more successful. I work in health care, so people literally won't take me seriously if I am not visibly in shape.

I do know that one can only go so far with strength. For example, what is the difference in leg mass between someone who can squat 400 vs 600? The answer is probably not that much and it depends on a lot of factors. I believe after a certain point, gaining more absolute strength is not necessary for aesthetic goals. As someone said above, absolute strength has to do with neural adaptations as well, not necessarily more muscle mass.

Also, strength seems to have diminishing returns over time. The stronger one gets, the more taxing the sets are. Like a 500lbs squat for 5 reps would require more recovery than a 315 x 5 squat. Therefore, your maximum recoverable volume would actually be lower over time if you solely focus on strength. Ultimately if strength and size are one's goals, then probably a hybrid training program, periodizing both goals is probably what one should do. This conversation has opened my mind up to the fact that I've been focusing on only strength for so long, that maybe working in a little bit more isolation work could bring my physique into balance more.

I'm still not so sure I like the word "intensity" to describe lifting with better form and mind-muscle connection. Intensity as I have learned has to do with balls-to-the wall sets, like arthur jones/mentzer style, which is anti-metabolic. The way you guys describe intensity could maybe be phrased to be "focus." By telling people you train with a lot of focus, I think that your point's will come across easier.

 

[Hans]

The way you guys describe intensity could maybe be phrased to be "focus."

No, by intensity I mean short rest. Try it and you'll feel what intense is.

 

[stevrd]

No, by intensity I mean short rest. Try it and you'll feel what intense is.

So if you do short rests and you can't lift the same weight twice, would you lower the weight in order to complete the desired sets/reps?

 

[stevrd]

I don't do set after set of the same exercise. I use something unique, but it's so good I don't want to give it away at this time.

So when are you releasing your program? I'd be interested in a copy....

For those interested in bodybuilding, this is a pretty good article explaining some reasons why bodybuilders may be more aesthetic than powerlifters. I always forget about this article: 10 Reasons Bodybuilders Are Bigger Than Powerlifters | T Nation

 

[mayweatherking]

Have any of you guys noticed anything with your hair from weight lifting? Better? Worse? Have your libido gotten better with it? Have any of you guys used thyroid? I know testosterone is increased via gym.

I have been getting fat and my blood pressure went up. I look like crap. I have not been working out at all. I just joined a gym today and did work. I'm doing nofap hard mode as well, around day 15 now. I've been losing hair like crazy before this, but my metabolism was dead. I was never hungry really, constipated, just felt like crap. Someone suggested I go to the gym, now I feel a little bit better, I feel hungry which is good, I really let myself go though. I can bounce back though if I lose the weight though I think. I'm around 190 right now, I want to be 150 to 160, I want very little water retention, I want my prolactin down, I want my estradiol near nothing, and I want my testosterone at least 700 or 800. My testosterone is 390 right now.

Any of you guys have any tips for me? I have been to the gym before, but I stopped for probably the last year and just progressively got worse and worse in health.

I think eventually after going to the gym, if I can restart my metabolism, thyroid can be utilized to really bring the water retention weight down very far once digestion is back working.

 

[stevrd]

Have any of you guys noticed anything with your hair from weight lifting? Better? Worse? Have your libido gotten better with it? Have any of you guys used thyroid? I know testosterone is increased via gym.

I have been getting fat and my blood pressure went up. I look like crap. I have not been working out at all. I just joined a gym today and did work. I'm doing nofap hard mode as well, around day 15 now. I've been losing hair like crazy before this, but my metabolism was dead. I was never hungry really, constipated, just felt like crap. Someone suggested I go to the gym, now I feel a little bit better, I feel hungry which is good, I really let myself go though. I can bounce back though if I lose the weight though I think. I'm around 190 right now, I want to be 150 to 160, I want very little water retention, I want my prolactin down, I want my estradiol near nothing, and I want my testosterone at least 700 or 800. My testosterone is 390 right now.

Any of you guys have any tips for me? I have been to the gym before, but I stopped for probably the last year and just progressively got worse and worse in health.

I think eventually after going to the gym, if I can restart my metabolism, thyroid can be utilized to really bring the water retention weight down very far once digestion is back working.

I have been lifting for 10 years and I still have all my hair, no issues whatsoever. Since hair loss doesn't run in my family it is not a problem. I feel that men with MPB should accept it and move on life. There are far more important things to worry about and a lot of men who have MPB are very neurotic because of it, which is foolish IMO. My personal opinion on exercise/working out is that sensible amounts of exercise is so beneficial for health purposes and longevity/looking and feeling good, etc, that even if it did cause hair loss, I would still exercise and not change a thing. Being bald is "in" now anyway. Women love it. There's a guy I work with who was balding so now he has a shaved head and all of the sudden the women in the office are all over him. I hear them making remarks as he walks by. Go figure. Some people pull it off better than others, but I digress.

Sunlight will lower prolactin. Prolactin is in many ways a hormone of darkness and low dopamine. Sunlight has the effect of increasing dopamine and lowering prolactin simultaneously. Vitamin D lowers prolactin, but getting sun will do the same thing. A common theme I notice that Peat mentions is that bright light/red light is pro-fertility. Another theme I notice is that a lot of Peat fans are also type-A personalities. Type A people tend to work a lot and do not get enough sunlight. I am guilty of this. Whenever I get more sun than usual, I am much hornier and feel more androgenic. Despite improving greatly following Peat's diet strategies, nothing compares to sunlight in the way it makes me feel.

I wouldn't count on working out necessarily raising testosterone. Working out transiently increases testosterone, but there are myths floating around that heavy squats, benches, and deadlifts will raise testosterone more than other forms of exercise. This is simply not true. It has to do with your muscles swelling up with fluid and vasoconstriction causing the concentration of hormones (both serum testosterone and estrogen) to increase. This is just a cool trick, but nothing magical. There are other studies showing that chopping wood and cycling does the same thing, so the effect is not isolated to strength training. Nothing magical about that either. I would do exercise that you can handle but that doesn't cause you to get out of breath, because hyperventilation is not good for your hormones. Doing exercise you can handle and then building work capacity and strength over time (without trying to rush things due to impatience, which will just result in injury) is your best bet and maybe then you'll be able to glean higher testosterone due to an improved body composition. But I hate to break it to you, there's not much evidence to show that people who lift have any higher baseline testosterone levels than your average couch potato. In fact, sometimes couch potatoes have even higher testosterone due to potentially lower cortisol levels from a lower stress lifestyle. Still doesn't outweigh the benefits of exercise.

More important than exercise for testosterone, is to focus on nourishing yourself, keeping blood sugar stable, and getting enough sleep.

Keep your cortisol levels in check by eating frequent meals and sipping on sugar while you workout. Hypoglycemia is the main driver of increased cortisol, so fasting is not recommended. Cortisol in many ways is the enemy of testosterone. You'll want to lose the weight slowly as losing weight too quickly results in too much muscle loss and adaptive thermogenesis, or slowed metabolism. Losing weight at a slower rate while weight training/calisthenics/soccer/sports, etc, results in improved body composition, which will improve metabolism over time.

 

[Hans]

So when are you releasing your program? I'd be interested in a copy....

I'm still in the process of refining and finalizing, but sure, I'll send one your way when it's done. I'll be giving it out free for the first 20 that's interested.

 

[Spartan300]

Hi Salmonamb, I'd also be interested to read your program.

I'm still working on revising my training as I believe what I've been doing for many years has contributed to my compromised metabolism.

Many thanks.

 

[stevensmith]

I'm still in the process of refining and finalizing, but sure, I'll send one your way when it's done. I'll be giving it out free for the first 20 that's interested.

I'm definitely interested. I would do a testimonial for you for marketing purposes as a form of payment. I can play with the lighting of before and after pics to give the illusion of success. Just kidding. I would give your program a legit try and write something up for you if I saw an improvement. Also, I am working on a blog and a pufa documentary. If you are serious about getting your name out there, as I develop my blog we could do a podcast and I could market your content.

 

[YourUniverse]

I'm still in the process of refining and finalizing, but sure, I'll send one your way when it's done. I'll be giving it out free for the first 20 that's interested.

Knew it

 

[Cirion]

I'm interested too, always like to keep an open mind and sounds like you have found something that works well!

 

[Hans]

Awesome guys. I'm really happy to hear about the interest. I will appreciate it if you all can please send me a message with your email addresses so that I can add you to a list, and then send the program to you as soon as it's finished.
The program will have you exercise three days a week, with focusing on adding strength with the three main lifts and then also really shaping, developing and refining your physique with secondary exercises. It's a rip program, as I think it's best to first get to your desired level of bodyfat, before lean bulking from there.
But don't think that you won't gain some strength and size while cutting, as even I myself gained strength and size while cutting according to my training.
But if you're really not interested in cutting, I can personalize the try-out program for you according to your personal goal if you rather wish to lean bulk (if you're already lean as you want to be).
I will be more than happy to receive your positive feedback/critique while on this program, as my goal is to better it for my clients.
I will also appreciate a before and after photo of each of you if you wouldn't mind sending that to me - no false lighting, but preferably good lighting for both. :)
Please also keep in mind that you are welcome to email me throughout this program for help and advise so that I can help you successfully achieve your goals.

@stevensmith Yeah man, I'd love to work with you.

 

[mayweatherking]

I have been lifting for 10 years and I still have all my hair, no issues whatsoever. Since hair loss doesn't run in my family it is not a problem. I feel that men with MPB should accept it and move on life. There are far more important things to worry about and a lot of men who have MPB are very neurotic because of it, which is foolish IMO. My personal opinion on exercise/working out is that sensible amounts of exercise is so beneficial for health purposes and longevity/looking and feeling good, etc, that even if it did cause hair loss, I would still exercise and not change a thing. Being bald is "in" now anyway. Women love it. There's a guy I work with who was balding so now he has a shaved head and all of the sudden the women in the office are all over him. I hear them making remarks as he walks by. Go figure. Some people pull it off better than others, but I digress.

Sunlight will lower prolactin. Prolactin is in many ways a hormone of darkness and low dopamine. Sunlight has the effect of increasing dopamine and lowering prolactin simultaneously. Vitamin D lowers prolactin, but getting sun will do the same thing. A common theme I notice that Peat mentions is that bright light/red light is pro-fertility. Another theme I notice is that a lot of Peat fans are also type-A personalities. Type A people tend to work a lot and do not get enough sunlight. I am guilty of this. Whenever I get more sun than usual, I am much hornier and feel more androgenic. Despite improving greatly following Peat's diet strategies, nothing compares to sunlight in the way it makes me feel.

I wouldn't count on working out necessarily raising testosterone. Working out transiently increases testosterone, but there are myths floating around that heavy squats, benches, and deadlifts will raise testosterone more than other forms of exercise. This is simply not true. It has to do with your muscles swelling up with fluid and vasoconstriction causing the concentration of hormones (both serum testosterone and estrogen) to increase. This is just a cool trick, but nothing magical. There are other studies showing that chopping wood and cycling does the same thing, so the effect is not isolated to strength training. Nothing magical about that either. I would do exercise that you can handle but that doesn't cause you to get out of breath, because hyperventilation is not good for your hormones. Doing exercise you can handle and then building work capacity and strength over time (without trying to rush things due to impatience, which will just result in injury) is your best bet and maybe then you'll be able to glean higher testosterone due to an improved body composition. But I hate to break it to you, there's not much evidence to show that people who lift have any higher baseline testosterone levels than your average couch potato. In fact, sometimes couch potatoes have even higher testosterone due to potentially lower cortisol levels from a lower stress lifestyle. Still doesn't outweigh the benefits of exercise.

More important than exercise for testosterone, is to focus on nourishing yourself, keeping blood sugar stable, and getting enough sleep.

Keep your cortisol levels in check by eating frequent meals and sipping on sugar while you workout. Hypoglycemia is the main driver of increased cortisol, so fasting is not recommended. Cortisol in many ways is the enemy of testosterone. You'll want to lose the weight slowly as losing weight too quickly results in too much muscle loss and adaptive thermogenesis, or slowed metabolism. Losing weight at a slower rate while weight training/calisthenics/soccer/sports, etc, results in improved body composition, which will improve metabolism over time.

yeah i used to say it doesnt matter either, until i started losing my hair lol. anyway, i dont think it is genetic. i have low testosterone, high estradiol, low vit D, low pregnenelone, above 7 prolactin, etc., it's pretty obvious that there are hormone issues there. i just can't digest dairy at all without getting bad constipation. i think right now it is from low steroid hormones not allowing me to digest it. i don't know. for some reason egg shell calcium doesn't really lower my prolactin, and witout calcium it increases my prolactin, it is really annoying, im on day 18 or 19 of nofap, so im hoping it keeps prolactin as low as possible.

i did your suggestion and was drinking fruit juice during my last workout. thanks for the tip. yeah the enough food thing is huge, i need to keep up with that.

 

[sladerunner69]

Thanks for the reply. That makes sense to me. I have been somewhat following that for a while. I do not ego lift at all. I often work with about 70% of my 1RM, which in powerlifting standards is light weight. But what people don't realize is one doesn't get stronger demonstrating strength, he gets stronger practicing it, and in order to practice it you need to be using a light enough weight. For chest, I had shitty development until I started pause benching, with a 1-2 sec pause at the bottom. These guys who bounce at the bottom are skipping out on their chest development. When I do chins, I do a dead hang at the bottom and angle my back so that I'm working more of my lats. So I do follow some of those principles, but I think that for some of my lagging areas I need to do more direct work to get those areas to grow.

Also, what do you think of partial reps? So many people are against them. The research indicates full range of motion is better. But there's something to be said about them.

Partial reps are very useful for muscle growth. After you have exhausted the muscle's capacity for full reps, do partials to increase stimulus. Very stressful and probably not recommendable, but effective at stimulating muscle growth. Also, full rep motion is not as important as you might think for stimulating growth, mainly it is the load and time under tension that comes into play.

 

[Sobieski]

yeah i used to say it doesnt matter either, until i started losing my hair lol. anyway, i dont think it is genetic. i have low testosterone, high estradiol, low vit D, low pregnenelone, above 7 prolactin, etc., it's pretty obvious that there are hormone issues there. i just can't digest dairy at all without getting bad constipation. i think right now it is from low steroid hormones not allowing me to digest it. i don't know. for some reason egg shell calcium doesn't really lower my prolactin, and witout calcium it increases my prolactin, it is really annoying, im on day 18 or 19 of nofap, so im hoping it keeps prolactin as low as possible.

i did your suggestion and was drinking fruit juice during my last workout. thanks for the tip. yeah the enough food thing is huge, i need to keep up with that.

What's your experience been Peating?

 

[stevrd]

yeah i used to say it doesnt matter either, until i started losing my hair lol. anyway, i dont think it is genetic. i have low testosterone, high estradiol, low vit D, low pregnenelone, above 7 prolactin, etc., it's pretty obvious that there are hormone issues there. i just can't digest dairy at all without getting bad constipation. i think right now it is from low steroid hormones not allowing me to digest it. i don't know. for some reason egg shell calcium doesn't really lower my prolactin, and witout calcium it increases my prolactin, it is really annoying, im on day 18 or 19 of nofap, so im hoping it keeps prolactin as low as possible.

i did your suggestion and was drinking fruit juice during my last workout. thanks for the tip. yeah the enough food thing is huge, i need to keep up with that.

Glad I could be of help. I wasn't downplaying MPB either, because if somebody could find a way to reverse it, then I'd be all for it. I'm just not sure it's worth spending a significant amount of time to reverse it. Certainly not worth harmful therapies, inhibiting DHT/allopregnanolone with finasteride, etc...

 

[mayweatherking]

Glad I could be of help. I wasn't downplaying MPB either, because if somebody could find a way to reverse it, then I'd be all for it. I'm just not sure it's worth spending a significant amount of time to reverse it. Certainly not worth harmful therapies, inhibiting DHT/allopregnanolone with finasteride, etc...

yeah man finasteride is a nightmare.. honestly, i'm killing two birds with one stone.. my testosterone is low, prolactin high, no libido, etc. etc... fixing hormones will fix hair imo.

 

[stevrd]

yeah man finasteride is a nightmare.. honestly, i'm killing two birds with one stone.. my testosterone is low, prolactin high, no libido, etc. etc... fixing hormones will fix hair imo.

How much experience do you have with Peating? I don't want to discourage you, but there have been a lot of guys seeking hair regrowth with disappointing results here. I'm friends with Danny Roddy and know him personally, but I agree with some of the critics who say he had a full head of hair throughout. I've never seen any photo evidence to show otherwise.

But yeah, first and foremost, just focus on getting your testosterone/hormones in balance. If it just so happens to help your hair, then great, but if it doesn't then don't be disappointed. You should worry about your vitality, and hair or no hair, it's how you feel that matters. Plus, a lot of women think bald men are sexy.

 

[mayweatherking]

How much experience do you have with Peating? I don't want to discourage you, but there have been a lot of guys seeking hair regrowth with disappointing results here. I'm friends with Danny Roddy and know him personally, but I agree with some of the critics who say he had a full head of hair throughout. I've never seen any photo evidence to show otherwise.

But yeah, first and foremost, just focus on getting your testosterone/hormones in balance. If it just so happens to help your hair, then great, but if it doesn't then don't be disappointed. You should worry about your vitality, and hair or no hair, it's how you feel that matters. Plus, a lot of women think bald men are sexy.

i have post finasteride syndrome, ive been peating for almost 3 years now trying to solve this problem. i don't care about anything except getting my libido back and fixing my body. i know how impossible it is. thanks.