Training Frequency

[Scott Stevenson]

I hear what you are saying regarding the fact that it's unlikely I'm a hyper-responder to which I will ditch any idea of training like a hyper-responder.  "Bro-splits" obviously have their place for certain people but I guess that's not me so a higher frequency of training will be something I will have to do.  That puts an end to that debate.

A Bro split may indeed work for you - My speculation as to why it may not makes sense (to me at least), but isn't gospel.

I'm not sure what your training experience is actually, so if you've not tried a Bro/ Pro Split, I'd not rule it out. [Most have / do early  only so I presumed you had as well...(?)]

As for leaning out or starting to gain size, I have taken onboard your advice and decided to continue leaning out.  I understand it's better for the body to start trying to gain size with less body fat so really it's probably the best way for me to play it.  I must say that there may be a limit to how far I can take the dieting as I'm already down to 2100 calories and being 190lbs and around 6' 4" I don't think there is much wiggle room with continually dropping calories.

There is a notion that muscle gains will come easier (better P-ratio if you want to dig on this), when leaner, but this is unlikely to be true for in most cases.   Being leaner as a starting point just gives more running room, so to speak for gaining muscle with the accompanying fat, and staying within one's comfort zone.

That is a low caloric intake at that weight but the limits are mainly up to you (and I'm not suggesting anything in particular here).  Getting down to contest level BF% might mean going below that kcal intake (This is purely an FYI), but for what your'e after, you are right I think about wiggle room. 

I still feel I can get a bit more out of it and then even if I get to a point where I'm not 100% or even 90% to where I want to be, if enough is enough I can switch to FT and start raising calories.  I'm hoping to be able to gain size at steady rate and not pile on the pounds too quickly as ideally I'd like to have a good 12 months continuedly building muscle.  We will see how it goes.

You can read here on the boards - many find with FT they can eat more so you may have that to your advantage down the road.  

I'm not really at an optimal stage in life to be gaining size given my age and low testosterone levels but I'm hoping I can still achieve a decent physique by implementing FT and following the nutritional guide of the program and seeing what happens over the next 12-18 months. 

In a perfect world I would have a respected and knowledgeable coach like yourself taking me through and showing me what needs to be done.  On top of that I would be on HRT to optimise my levels and continue with that for my remaining years but it all costs money and unfortunately although it sounds cheap of me I just can't afford those things at the moment.  I have too many overheads to cover and luxuries like a coach and private health care like HRT are just not something I can stretch too at the moment.

Depending on how low your test levels are, this could be quite problematic for gaining muscle  mass, but it might improve (test levels) as you add calories. Worth keeping in mind.   

There are data suggesting the saturated fat levels can contribute to testosterone production (perhaps mechanistically simply via providing material for steroid (hormone) production.

FYI, I also have this other book - Be Your Own Bodybuilding Coach. (On my site or amazon) that is cheaper than most coaches (and is a year long guide). 

I'll attack it the way I've stated above and hopefully I will be able to get to where I want to be.  It's a big help for me and I would imagine everyone in the forum having your input Scott so thanks for that.  Taking time out to help us all with knowledge and advice is very much appreciated
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Absolutely!  This is why I have the forum. (You can see now why I prefer open posts of Questions, as I just wouldn't be able get back to everyone in this way in private messages.  THANK YOU for posting here to help others out!)

-Scott