[Stephen Williams]

There’s quite a large room for human error when taking calliper measurements, however the Harpenden skinfold calliper is quite good if you know how to use them for the best estimate. What’s the reason for wanting to use them though?

If it’s simply to keep an eye on body composition; I prefer the mirror, the scale and how I feel to tell me what I need to know.

Having data is fantastic, but sometimes we can overcomplicate things unnecessarily.

I used the Harpenden calipers when I took ISAK course during undergrad. They are a bit too pricey to justify unfortunately. We were never really told why cheaper calipers were not as good. Unsure whether it is due to inaccuracy or inconsistency? I am happy to have calipers that aren’t 100% accurate provided they are consistent. Would a cheaper caliper enable this or can their measurements be more inconsistent?

I am currently studying a Masters in AI and am building up a portfolio of data science projects alongside. So am using my hobby (bodybuilding) as another project for this. Will be fun to plot caloric intake, body mass, skinfolds and supplement phases into a dataset and visualization.

[Stephen Williams]

does anyone have any opinions/views/thoughts about the olympia?

for me….i favoured Brandon to win with Hadi second, Ramy third – just personal preference i guess .

Personally I preferred Brandon and Hadi to Ramy. I also like Nick Walkers physique as I think his abdominals look very impressive and should be the centrepiece of any physique. They do not seem to hold much importance in bodybuilding scoring which baffles me.

Personal preferences aside, I thought Ramy had won the show comfortably right from the start. I was (pleasantly) surprised to discover than him and Brandon were scored so closely at pre judging!

[Stephen Williams]

From what I’ve read, it seems that your dealer is not advising you particularly well.

I would strongly advise you not to buy the blend.

Test, tren and mast is a horrible combination for side effects and is typically used in final weeks of a bodybuilding comp prep.

Obviously it is your decision but I would strongly urge you to not use it.

[Stephen Williams]

Do you have anyone you can speak to about how you feel?

Like mentioned above write things down.

Writing a journal is a very good idea as it can almost declutter your mind and help you see things in perspective.

Practicing gratitude, be it through meditation or writing is very effective.

Your general health can have a huge impact here too.

Personally, I was able to escape my cycles of depression through developing a faith, listening and reading to lots of different sources on the topic and evaluating my values and perspective on life.

Perhaps I should not mention this here, however certain psychedelics really helped me escape a dark place. One in particular gave me such a surreal experience that it permanently altered what I consider to be “reality”. Am not recommending these as they are typically illegal and potentially dangerous.

Providing service to others is incredible too. You will be amazed at what happens to your state of wellbeing if you do things to help other people with no expectation or anything in return.

[Stephen Williams]

I intermittently include organ meats in my diet. Diced beef heart from morrisons is almost identical to Diced beef macronutriently, 1/3 of the price and tastes better! Liver is probably the most nutrient dense food in the entire supermarket. Consuming this once in a while makes a lot of sense.

I get that organ meats aren’t for everyone but they are cheap, a straight substitute for meat and nutrient dense.

Would not recommend consuming liver too often due to high levels of vitamins such as vitamin a. One pack of lamb liver from tesco has about 30 days the rda of vitamin a!

[Stephen Williams]

Thought the video would
label itself. Scott Stevenson and a client he helped reestablish fertility talk through what they did.

[Stephen Williams]

https://youtu.be/0GNntykg8kw

[Stephen Williams]

Definitely would not add more sets to the session if that extends training to 2.5-3 hours.

Switching to a massing phase should see you begin to progress lifts again.

If it does not then you could swap out exercises you are not progressing on.

If the two variables above do not equate to progress, then perhaps you would benefit from moving to an upper/lower split.

[Stephen Williams]

Marco, if I did 11 reps set 1 and 6 reps set 2 , what do you think I did ? Increase lower or keep the same ?

In fairness to Marcus, that 11 rep set may have been so hard that you could only hit 6 on the 2nd!

[Stephen Williams]

I agree with Jimmy – overthinking this to the max and seeking a supplement intervention.

The more you worry about your sleep quality the more it is affected in my experience.

It would be good to hear your sleep schedule.

From a personal standpoint when I train in the evening (I’m about to head down to the gym now actually) I have no caffeine and I also have a cold shower or a dip in the cold tank before bed to bring my temperature down and aid me getting into a parasympathetic dominant state.

Thanks for the reply everyone.

I have no caffeine past 2 pm, my meal here is cut off point.

I have last meal just after 8:30pm. Am in bed for 9 and read until 10 before turning lights off and sleeping. Usually begin dozing off before 10 so turn lights off when that starts happening (blessed to have a light switch by my bed)!

Last night I woke up feeling amped up and listened to a Yoga Nidra tape and fell back asleep sleeping all the way through.

Like the idea of a cold shower pre-bed.

Thanks again for feedback.

[Stephen Williams]

Hey man,

I am concerned that you say 2900 calories is high for you. If it is and you are sat at ~22% body-fat, then you have not got much room to bring calories down to get lean.

Are you sure that 2900 calories are high for you?

[Stephen Williams]

Thank you everyone

[Stephen Williams]

If you feel up to it then go for it. Nothing strenuous though. Personally, I find cardio does wonders for me once I past the worst of an illness.

[Stephen Williams]

Drop the broccoli
Drop the Mt2

See if things improve.

You may simply be ill however.

As this does not at all sound training related for less than a week

Things have improved today. Added some cacao to my diet yesterday, which allowed me to poo properly again.

Weirdly have woken up 4.3lbs heavier but visible water retention has completely gone. Does not make sense to me how I can have ~2 litres more water in my body but look drier, but I am not complaining lol.

Maybe I had a slight infection or something. Did not feel run down or anything though.

Thanks for you response

[Stephen Williams]

Emporium is one of the best known for bodybuilding.

Coliseum is Aston is rated too, never been myself though.

Ultimate Fitness has a central location, and looks decent too.

Dinos gym in Solihull is a great atmosphere and always a good session.

Thank you!