Growth Stimulus Training (GST)

[p0fell0w]

Damn...the suspense is killer man!!!!!!!! I was just thinking. I wonder how many people are sitting in front of their computer and counting down hahaha.

what are we waiting for?

[CampbellSoup]

Lately I have been hearing that eating small meals throughout the day keeps your body anbolic? Is this true? I jus thought it kept your metabolism up so youll be a fat burning machine. Ryan? Anybody?

Yeah it keeps your metabolism up, which keeps your body anabolic. I usually eat 6-10x a day depending on the time I am awake. I eat about every 2-4 hours, but I shoot for 3. I think it would be wise, regardless of cutting or bulking.

[2020Wellness]

Lately I have been hearing that eating small meals throughout the day keeps your body anbolic? Is this true? I jus thought it kept your metabolism up so youll be a fat burning machine. Ryan? Anybody?

At your stage, you have one thing to worry about in terms of food......being in a caloric surplus.

Yes, food is anabolic. Without food, you'll break down.

[pezking7p]

Lately I have been hearing that eating small meals throughout the day keeps your body anbolic? Is this true? I jus thought it kept your metabolism up so youll be a fat burning machine. Ryan? Anybody?

When you workout, you provide a stimulus for your body to repair muscles. your body can simply repair those muscles, or it can decide that it needs to adapt to be able to take more punishment in the future and increase the muscle size as it repairs. In order to make the muscles larger your body needs an ample supply of nutrients. If you keep the level of nutrients high throughout the day (by eating several small meals) then your body constantly has the building blocks for more muscle. If you eat only 2-3 meals each day, then your body can only build muscle for a few hours after each meal, then it has to wait until you eat again (and in this case it will simply repair the muscles as best it can, rather than make them larger).

I don't think our bodies have any way to store protein (other than muscles/organs), so this is especially true for protein (someone correct me here if I'm wrong?).

[K-Krakrz]

This is a direct result of lunges, which are doing the majority of the contribution to your calf growth.

To everyone, if you're not going to be including lunges, then you'll want to add in some direct calf work. If you are hitting lunges on a regular basis, then direct calf work can be put to less of a priority.

I recommend the stationary lunges on squat day and the reverse lunges on lift day. This combo of lunging twice per micro will do so much for leg growth and strength, its hard not to include them!

By stationary do you mean keeping your feet in a fixed position so that you work one leg then the other or stationary in that your are in one spot and not walking around the gym w/ a BB on your back?

edit: just checked out the gst website and it looks like you mean the latter, switching off legs just not walking around the gym. also, looks like the links are working in firefox now, nice!

Is there any difference between DB and BB lunges?

[FastCatChamp]

Ryan - you wanted me to do GHRs, but I dont have the equipment. Should I do hypers in place or would you have another idea that is better.

FYI - completed Pull day earlier today. Good thing that I didnt have to use my lower body to much.

[2020Wellness]

Ryan - you wanted me to do GHRs, but I dont have the equipment. Should I do hypers in place or would you have another idea that is better.

FYI - completed Pull day earlier today. Good thing that I didnt have to use my lower body to much.

Literally JUST emailed you!

[2020Wellness]

Is there any difference between DB and BB lunges?

Yes, BB lunges are alot more badass looking and they allow you to subject your body to more load.

As an example, 100lb DB lunges are a pain in the a$$ for me. However, I can hit reps with 245lbs on my back if I go BB style. The BB reps are much more controlled and I feel much more stable as well. I will only DB lunge if a BB isn't available.

I think both get the job done, but my personal preference is BB. One advantage to BB is that you aren't allowed to lean forward as you can with DBs. DBs pull you forward and down and take the stress of your legs and put it on your back. Its so much easier to stay upright with a BB on your back.

[2020Wellness]

what are we waiting for?

The 3000th post, and who that poster will be, and what they will receive as a result of their being the 3000th poster.

BTW, who rated this thread below 5 stars to bring it back down to 4?

[dabul2003]

how i do the multi quote thing so i can thank the above ppl. thanx tho guys. oh yea ryan I think I am too fat for a surplus right now remember i told you I am about 20-25% body fat. I am eating at a deficit of about 2500-2800 cals a day

[dabul2003]

I wish I coould do some lunges but I have bad joints and when i perform them my right knee feels like its gnna explode

[2020Wellness]

how i do the multi quote thing so i can thank the above ppl. thanx tho guys. oh yea ryan I think I am too fat for a surplus right now remember i told you I am about 20-25% body fat. I am eating at a deficit of about 2500-2800 cals a day

Hmmmm, I think I got your confused with someone else. Sorry about that.

Yes, at that BF, you should be cutting, which you are. If the scale is moving down at around 1-2 pounds per week, you're good. If you're seeing 2 or more pounds per week, you're probably losing some lean mass as well.

I'll revise my statement: You just need to make sure you're in a deficit that has you losing weight at the rate I just stated above.

Don't be expecting to gain any noticeable lean mass during your cut. The best you can do is maintain it if you're in a deficit.

[dabul2003]

Hmmmm, I think I got your confused with someone else. Sorry about that.

Yes, at that BF, you should be cutting, which you are. If the scale is moving down at around 1-2 pounds per week, you're good. If you're seeing 2 or more pounds per week, you're probably losing some lean mass as well.

I'll revise my statement: You just need to make sure you're in a deficit that has you losing weight at the rate I just stated above.

Don't be expecting to gain any noticeable lean mass during your cut. The best you can do is maintain it if you're in a deficit.

The majority of ppl say you cant but some ppl say you can lose and build at the same time. We'll see but it wont be incredibly noticeable changes. thanx tho

[kilgoreklink]

The 3000th post, and who that poster will be, and what they will receive as a result of their being the 3000th poster.

BTW, who rated this thread below 5 stars to bring it back down to 4?

I noticed that yesterday. This is the second time it was 5 star and went down back to 4

Do I get anything for being the two thousandth nine hundredth and fifty fourth poster?

[8thangel]

Hit the gym for lift day today and the completion of my first macro cycle! Pretty stoked with my results from the first cycle which I'll post in a second post shortly....

Here are my numbers for lift day today....

4th micro 90%of 1RM=230
BB Deadlift
95x 15
115x 10
135x 10
165x 5
205x 3
230x 10, 3, 5

BB GM
115x 20, 20, 20

Cable Pull Through
90x 20, 20, 20

[K-Krakrz]

Yes, BB lunges are alot more badass looking and they allow you to subject your body to more load.

As an example, 100lb DB lunges are a pain in the a$$ for me. However, I can hit reps with 245lbs on my back if I go BB style. The BB reps are much more controlled and I feel much more stable as well. I will only DB lunge if a BB isn't available.

I think both get the job done, but my personal preference is BB. One advantage to BB is that you aren't allowed to lean forward as you can with DBs. DBs pull you forward and down and take the stress of your legs and put it on your back. Its so much easier to stay upright with a BB on your back.

Ive been doing DB lunges the whole time... and my legs still get fried after them lol. Imagine how much pain BB lunges would bring! Thanks for the tip, im going to test out BB lunges on friday, after I work out my squat 1RM.

The majority of ppl say you cant but some ppl say you can lose and build at the same time. We'll see but it wont be incredibly noticeable changes. thanx tho

I think thats called a recomp, and its where you eat at maintainence and lift just as hard as normal. I think it only works if your a complete beginner though.


BTW, is it alright to have different intensity cycles in you macro? e.g. I want to do 65, 75, 85, 95 for my deadlift, row and ( deloaded ) bench, but can I stick to 60 70 80 90 for squat? Reason being I dont want to push myself too hard with a new exercise, in case of a injury.

[8thangel]

Well guys like the title says today I completed my first maco-cycle and wanted to post the progress for my 1st completed macro-cycle. Before I do that I'd like to once again thank Ryan for sharing this great program with all of us!

So... like I was saying here's my progress report then:

Starting 1RM for BB Squat was 210lbs and after completion of 1st macro new 1RM is 260lbs!

Starting 1RM for Bent BB Rows was 185lbs and after completion of 1st macro new 1RM is 215lbs!

Starting 1RM for BB Dead Lift was 252lbs and after completion of 1st macro new 1RM is 307lbs!

Starting 1RM for BB Bench Press was 160lbs and after completion of 1st macro new 1RM is 185lbs!

I feel really proud of myself for having made such great improvements in just a month's time. I realize that from here out I don't know that I'll make such big increases but feel confident that progress will be made none the less just at a more moderate rate perhaps? Maybe not though... Either way I'm anxious to see what my 2nd Marco has in store for me!~

[dabul2003]

ey something is wrong with my metabolism. i could eat 6 meals a day but today it seems like its digesting very slowly. Could it be that i only ate three meals yesterday or I thnk my rice is undercooked. How can i make brown rice softer. whenever i cook it, it's not that soft

[sl73]

I am starting my second micro (1st macro) today. I decided to check my weight and body fat after each micro (every 8 day, so it is almost weekly). Currently I am trying to bulk, so I eat clean and consume about 500 calories above my maintenance. Since I never trained for bulking before I have no idea what to expect. What is the average rate of weight gain per week or per month? Should my body fat % increase, decrease, stay about the same or raise to certain level and stay there? Are there any good online articles to read about bulking?
I am not sure that my questions are GST related, and not just generic, but I thought I would ask here and get the answers from the people who are on the same training program.

[kilgoreklink]

Well guys like the title says today I completed my first maco-cycle and wanted to post the progress for my 1st completed macro-cycle. Before I do that I'd like to once again thank Ryan for sharing this great program with all of us!

So... like I was saying here's my progress report then:

Starting 1RM for BB Squat was 210lbs and after completion of 1st macro new 1RM is 260lbs!

Starting 1RM for Bent BB Rows was 185lbs and after completion of 1st macro new 1RM is 215lbs!

Starting 1RM for BB Dead Lift was 252lbs and after completion of 1st macro new 1RM is 307lbs!

Starting 1RM for BB Bench Press was 160lbs and after completion of 1st macro new 1RM is 185lbs!

I feel really proud of myself for having made such great improvements in just a month's time. I realize that from here out I don't know that I'll make such big increases but feel confident that progress will be made none the less just at a more moderate rate perhaps? Maybe not though... Either way I'm anxious to see what my 2nd Marco has in store for me!~

Kick @ss gains Angel. You are right about the gains becoming more moderate as GST brings you closer to your true numbers. I didnt make that huge a gain in my first Macro but it was very substantial. I am still making great gains each Macro, it has come down to about 10 to 15 lbs a Macro on the two big lifts and 5 to 10 lbs a Macro on bench and row. Aint this program great? Keeps your fired up and keeps your growing.

[TripleTrouble]

Hello 2020Wellness, i like your program, thanks for posting it! Im going to give it a try. Im a beginner, ive only been on starting strength (a 3 day workout routine, 3x5) for about 5 months. I gained alot of strength and overall size, but now im looking for something that is also designed for hypertrophy gains. My goal is to gain some size and definition in the smaller muscle groups such as the pecs, delts and biceps, but mostly pecs as i feel i am lacking in size there.

I have a few questions, so far ive contructed this workout plan, any ideas on changes based on my goals?

Lift:
BB Deadlift
lying leg curls

Press:
Incline BB Press
Dips
DB Press (flat)

Squat:
Back Squat
DB Lunge
Single Leg Press

Pull:
Multi Grip Pullup
Flat Bench DB Row
Close Grip Seated Cable Row

Im planning to do this on a Mon, Wed and Fri split.

If i want to fit in ab exercises, do i put them on the lift day? What about hanging leg raises?

[braden101]

Hello 2020Wellness, i like your program, thanks for posting it! Im going to give it a try. Im a beginner, ive only been on starting strength (a 3 day workout routine, 3x5) for about 5 months. I gained alot of strength and overall size, but now im looking for something that is also designed for hypertrophy gains. My goal is to gain some size and definition in the smaller muscle groups such as the pecs, delts and biceps, but mostly pecs as i feel i am lacking in size there.

I have a few questions, so far ive contructed this workout plan, any ideas on changes based on my goals?



Im planning to do this on a Mon, Wed and Fri split.

If i want to fit in ab exercises, do i put them on the lift day? What about hanging leg raises?

You can have 2-3 ab excersizes. Put each one on seperate day or do them all on one day. Its up to you.

Buy the e-book, its really worth it. There has been alot added to the program that is only in the e-book. You wont be disappointed.

And is there any reason you only have 1 supplement lift on lift day?

[TripleTrouble]

You can have 2-3 ab excersizes. Put each one on seperate day or do them all on one day. Its up to you.

Buy the e-book, its really worth it. There has been alot added to the program that is only in the e-book. You wont be disappointed.

And is there any reason you only have 1 supplement lift on lift day?

I wasnt sure what to put there, is roman chair basically the sit up? im not sure on some exercises as ive never actually been to the gym, ive only ever worked out at home! ok here is what it looks like now...

Lift:
BB Deadlift
lying leg curls
roman chair
hanging leg raises

Press:
Incline BB Press
Dips
DB Press (flat)
russian twists/sit up variation

Squat:
Back Squat
DB Lunge
Single Leg Press

Pull:
Multi Grip Pullup
Flat Bench DB Row
Close Grip Seated Cable Row

and what is the multi grip pullup? is it a different variation per set??

[kilgoreklink]

I wasnt sure what to put there, is roman chair basically the sit up? im not sure on some exercises as ive never actually been to the gym, ive only ever worked out at home! ok here is what it looks like now...



and what is the multi grip pullup? is it a different variation per set??

Dont know what the Roman Chair is. You couldnt go wrong with Barbell Good Morning or Romanian Deadlift for a Lift Day Supplement.

[braden101]

Your formula is correct, yes.

You can throw some calf work in as well. I suggest rotating standing and seated calf raises through 5x5 and 4x25 rep schemes.

How often would you reccomend i throw it in?

Twice every micro maybe? On squat and lift day?

[braden101]

I wasnt sure what to put there, is roman chair basically the sit up? im not sure on some exercises as ive never actually been to the gym, ive only ever worked out at home! ok here is what it looks like now...



and what is the multi grip pullup? is it a different variation per set??

Roman chairs are used for hyper extensions, GHR's etc,which can be used as a supp for lift day.

I prefer romanian deadlifts.

If your unsure of any lifts, ryans made an awsome library of videos, of every core and supp lift he reccomends.Check it out.

http://www.2020-wellness.com/gst/gallery.php

[BYD]

Yes, BB lunges are alot more badass looking and they allow you to subject your body to more load.

As an example, 100lb DB lunges are a pain in the a$$ for me. However, I can hit reps with 245lbs on my back if I go BB style. The BB reps are much more controlled and I feel much more stable as well. I will only DB lunge if a BB isn't available.

I think both get the job done, but my personal preference is BB. One advantage to BB is that you aren't allowed to lean forward as you can with DBs. DBs pull you forward and down and take the stress of your legs and put it on your back. Its so much easier to stay upright with a BB on your back.

ryan glad i caught you talking about lunges. Ive been doing them with DBs but never thought about trying it with the BB. i definitely know what your talking about on the leaning, i dont feel nearly as stable. ill have to give BB lunges a go next week. one dumb question about the though. how do YOU count them. similar to single leg press? which ultimately doubles the work load, or each step as a rep? kinda curious bc that changes the volume a whole lot. speaking of....

BB back squats
8@285
4@285
4@285

DB lunges
10@100
10@100
10@100

single leg press
10@135
10@135
10@135
10@135

standing calve raises
10@275
10@275
10@275
10@275

thats what GST looks like!

[braden101]

Hit the gym today, and did my core lifts to find my 1rm.

Was a terrible day,havnt had a day like this in a long time, air con was not working, havnt had a too great diet for the past few days but i gave it a shot. Gave up before i did my pull ups, was just one of those days (you all know what im talking about lol)

Am planning on having a bit of a deload til next week and messing around with my supps too get familiar with them (front squats especially) Will get stuck into those pull ups i never got around to aswell.

In my defense i havnt really been lifting heavy for a while as i have been doing hst and work has been pretty physically demanding lately (which is one reason why im going to chuck in the high freqency fullbodys)

So my 1rm estimates are probably alot lower than they really are, but lower the better right? i figure theyre going to go up anyway so starting at weights a little lighter then i can truly lift won't do any harm.

Really physced to start this program, took a while to get my head aorund but once you get it all sussed its actually alot of fun.

Well thats my rant for the day haha feels good to share.

[thjones3]

Is it ok if I do all the ab exercises in one day rather than some each day (3 of the 4 days)? I'm finding that I'm still sore from the previous day's ab exercises, which holds me back on my weight/reps. What do you think?

[kilgoreklink]

Journal
http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showth...#post518488583

Felt great squatting barefoot. Made the movement seem even more natural than before. Seems like I can concentrate more and more on the driving power than stabilization.
Mikey Likey