Hi Folks,
(I’m resending this post b/c the server told me the last one didn’t go through…)
A bit of background first…
I’m 39 yrs old, 5’4", 151 lbs .
Gained 25 lbs since I started as a totally untrained novice 10 months ago.
My goal is to gain overall strength for health and longevity.
If I can gradually move towards my strength potential, that’s cool too,
but I’m not interested in competing.
Started with SSLP then found BBM (your work and products are awesome, BTW. I’m very grateful for you all).
Have done the Bridge v1, followed by the Legacy Hypertrophy, and now doing the Hypertrophy 1.
I’ve been doing the hypertrophy templates because I understand that gaining more muscle mass first
(e.g. getting jacked) is helpful for then increasing strength.
I eat about 2500 calories a day, 120 - 140g protein, a plant-based diet, (+eggs and some dairy)
and as I understand that’s enough to build muscle and have a bit of surplus–for someone my size.
When I ate around 3000 per day, my gut and waist grew more than anything else,
so I cut it back a bit.
So I’ve been following Hypertrophy 1 for the past couple of months, and it seems my weight has stayed at 151 and hasn’t moved–apart from minor -/+.
The weights/load is going up slowly and I’m able to do either heavier weight or more sets each week.
However, sometimes, it’s really a grind to finish the sets.
I actually prefer the feel of lighter weights and higher reps, so I have better form and control.
But I want to stick to the prescription, as I know y’all designed it that way for a reason.
My question is: would it be better for me, a skinnier fellow with less body mass (fat and muscle), to do higher rep schemes than prescribed,
(e.g. sets of 12 or even 15 instead of 8) to further recruit muscle units and be able to do more sets/volume with better form?
Or should I stick religiously to the schemes on the templates and 1. adjust the diet, 2. add more sets each week before adding weight, 3. something else?
Your advice is truly appreciated