Gary Gibson – Part 2

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I didn’t have time to write tonight, so this is Gary Gibson’s update on his situation. Also, it is PR Friday, so talk about any PR’s you had this week in the comments: weight gained, lifted, or consumed. Giddyup.

Justin and A.C. are on Iron Radio today today at 2 pm eastern time. Listen here

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Did Nature Mean to Make Us So Skinny And Useless?

This week I am officially a big step closer to manhood. I’ve been weighing in consistently between 183 and 188 lbs. That’s about a 25-lb increase in the past 30 days. Squat and Milk. Granted I hit a high of 176 a month prior to the start of this latest cycle, so half of that weight is reclaimed ground, not new territory. Still, the way my weight and my lifts are going, I’m going to get to 200 lbs (and a triple bodyweight squat i hope) a lot sooner than I would have believed just a few months ago.

An adult male of average height should weigh at least 200 lbs…at least he should if he wants to be strong. If all he wants to do is run away from danger or difficult situations at low speeds, then he’s much better off jogging a lot and “watching what he eats” so he stays at 150.

But those 200 lbs of useful man assume both a reasonable bodyfat percentage and strength level. Reasonably fat is under 20%, but not the “about 10%” that gets tossed about so casually. Reasonably strong is a 1.5x bodyweight squat. (Athletes in strength and power sports may want to shoot for over double bodyweight and those in the barbell sports should aim for triple.)

Those guidelines are all well and good. But I got to wondering just why it is that so many adult males of average height are about 150 lbs with the low strength levels to match. And an awful lot of the adult males who are over 200 don’t train properly and are “skinny-fat weak” and wish they were just plain skinny weak 150-pounders. What gives? How did this happen? We didn’t evolve with barbells, and there’s no way in hell I could get to 200 without using a barbell for heavy back squatting. No amount of physical activity I would have been likely to do in the ancestral environment would have gotten me close.

Ultimately I don’t care all that much what nature had in store for my body sans barbell training. I’m happier, healthier and a hell of a lot stronger and less painful to look at thanks to my journey to over 200 lbs. Moreover the speed at which this metamorphosis is taking place tells me that it was meant to be.

121 thoughts on “Gary Gibson – Part 2”

  2. squat 15lbs PR
    bench 10lbs PR
    power clean 5lbs PR
    bodyweight gain of 2 pounds, gay, i know.

    my lower back seems REALLY wierd after the squats so i had to miss the deadlifts today.

  3. Bout an hour ago hit 260X5 on Close-Grip Bench.

    None of this nonsense where “Close-Grip” is having your fingers inside the rings on a Power Bar. Close-Grip is Index on the Smooth Part of the bar.

  6. Well I”m going to catch a lot of crap, but I”m about 172 to 175 @ 5”9″, same as high school, now 29. My favorite exercises are weighted pull-ups, chins and dips, so I like extra weight to be hanging off a belt.

    One-armed standing dumbbell press
    120x1x2 (both arms)

    Weighted chin-up
    +180×1
    +160×2

    Weighted dip
    +205×1

  9. I like how a couple of days ago you said don”t comment on this site if you weigh below 200lbs and today you let some write an article who is only 180 pounds… hypocrite maybe?

  11. Gary, would you mind explaining how bodyfat is so fundamentally useful to the squat? I really enjoyed your article and I agree with most of what you say, but convince me that having some extra fat makes it easier to hip drive out of a squat. Strongest men? Would Derek Poundstone be one of those..yep. He”s one lean bastard for such a big guy. Like I said I”m not a hater, I”m here to get big and strong and eat entire pizzas with a quart of milk for lunch(today) but getting big and getting fat are two different things.

  12. collin-

    I think he meant don”t send him emails about programming and stuff like that, or obvious questions (many times the answers to these questions are ”eat more”) I don”t think he meant just regular comments on the site..

  14. -Gustavo
    Yeah but this isn”t a regular comment this is an entire article written by a twiggy under 200lbs man. At least stay consistent with your criticism.

  15. I did 1rms today because I was told to.

    BS – 150kg
    Dead – 182kg
    Press – 70kg
    Bench – 105kg

    Pretty happy with most the lifts considering I hadn”t picked up a barbell ever this time last year.

  19. Squat 325x3x5
    Press 142x3x5
    Bench 230x3x5
    P.Clean 245x5x3
    P.Snatch 170x5x3
    Deadlift 420x2x1 failed on 3rd rep. Will be redoing this one next week.
    Ancient man may not have had barbells, but I bet he carried large kills home, ate copious amounts of meat and fat when available, moved large rocks, and logs, and on occasion fought for his life. Didn”t have a barbell, but I bet he was strong.

  20. Jackass PR this week:
    Didn”t listen to Gant”s advice,
    Bowed to peer pressure,
    Overtrained (CF, 5/3/1, & CF football… idiot)
    Ganked an ankle at a goofy competition
    Developed tendonitis in my elbow
    TaDah:
    Lost ground on EVERY lift and across the board.
    5 weeks from Sectionals all I”m trying to figure out now is now to not be an injured fool.
    Lesson learned: Gant is always right ;)

  21. Weight PR 181 pounds.

    Did the Crossfit Football Total this evening with PRs across the board.

    Power Clean- 195
    Back Squat- 365 (really close to 385)
    Bench Press- 255
    Deadlift- 415

  22. PR for hernias this week. Blew out my right inguinal. Going to keep training unless it causes significant pain (until I get the surgery I”m waiting for), unless someone recommends differently.

    Also PR for bodyweight, at 192.

  26. PB”s for the week:
    C&J 120kg
    Clean 125kg
    BW 88.5kg
    8 pork chops in a day. Obviously not much to brag about after reading about 21 in 2 days but I thought it was good.

    Interestingly enough my times for 400m repeats don”t seem to have changed despite weighing 6kg more than last month

  29. Crossed into the 200”s this week. 202 this morning. This was week five. Started at 173 lbs.

    Lower back went out on me Tuesday while I was in bed. I started to feel better, so I went into the gym Friday for a deload type workout. As I was setting up for a light deadlift, I felt a pop or roll in my upper right ab at the bottom of the rib cage. I have no idea what I did, but it hurt and still does. Wah.

  30. Only pr was 1 rep squat 370.

    Deadlift is losing ground – about a month and a half ago pulled 435, 2 weeks ago struggled to get 395 and today failed at 295. :( Sux.

    Grumble – had a small hernia last March, let it go until it became a much larger one, and started to be uncomfortable/downright painful at times. Surgery is in 3 weeks…doc said I could keep lifting – “won”t get much worse” as long as I could tolerate the discomfort. YMMV.

  35. Oh Collin,
    He didnt tell anyone off. He”s just trying to limit the amount of emails asking dumb questions about programming from guys who weigh 150 pounds. Questions he is answering for FREE by the way, on his FREE website that everyone who is trying to get strong, regardless of ability, is welcome to participate in.

  39. “If all he wants to do is run away from danger or difficult situations at low speeds, then he’s much better off jogging a lot and “watching what he eats” so he stays at 150″.

    Hate to play devils advocate here, but I know alot of my Navy Seal comrades who weigh 150-180…they do not run away and could out perform you in any endeavor…more than likely.

    Being strong is just a small part of the equation.

    Before you start calling skinny guys cowards and pussies…look in the mirror 1st. Ask your self if you could disarm an IED in 130 degree weather…or go house to house kicking in doors…I”ve seen guys who weigh 160 do this…

    sheesh….good intentions w/ gettig strong and big…but w/ anything…once it gets a cult following…the radicals come out..lol!

  42. Cooper You make a valid argument, but I don”t think the objective of the article was to call people who are 150-180 lbs “pussies”.
    The aim of 70”s big is to support those who want to get strong. I have been small, and relatively weak my whole life. I can run 7 miles pretty fast(not right now, mhm milk and beef), but I can”t squat for shit. If you are strong at 175 pounds, more power to you. Growing and getting stronger is a matter of training hard, and recovering to gain. Eating is recovering for guys like me. I could literally run myself ragged, do “burpees”, and “cardio” till the cows come home, and I have done this, but I was never strong. Strength is undoubtedly pivotal in many physical endeavors. And if I have to put on some fat at the cost of gaining strength then so be it. Strength is hard to gain but losing some fat isn”t as difficult.

    Secondly, I have the utmost respect for all those people who serve in the military. As someone who has contemplated serving throughout my young life I grant that those who come to serve display bravery and sacrifice in its truest form. I don”t think anyone here is questioning the mettle of Navy SEALs or EOD”s, those guys are brave as hell and tough. I am not a Navy SEAL, I don”t know what its like to go through BUD/s, but the factors involved with those endeavors seem to be aligned with strength of Will. The will to get strong is not the same but somewhat synonymous. I am sacrificing short term “benefits” to achieve long term gains. I could spend the next couple years at this weight(formerly 160) and maybe get to the weights I could be doing in 4-6 months by growing, and then getting my conditioning back to were it needs to be.

    Finally, read some of Rips stuff, and you”ll see he”s not advocating a world full of obese men who can only pick up a weight off the floor, his stuff is useful in any area of athletic performance.

  43. Guys, lets please remember why were all here. its not about arguing or seein who”s better at what. always keep in mind that were all just tryin to get stronger, bigger, better. its all about self-improvemnt. we cant let differences tear apart the community, we gotta focus on what we all have in common, which is the relentless persuit of bettering oursleves, whether that means a bigger squat to one guy, or gaining some bodyweight, or just not being the same person you were 2 days ago. arguing gets everyone absolutely no where. so lets take all the energy spent typing on a keyboard and put it towards drinking some milk, eating some prey, and movin heavy shit around. because the majority of people dont do all that, and thats what separates all of us from the rest of the world. we cant forget were all in the same boat.

  46. @ Scott, yes 200lb people ask dumb questions too. But I don”t think Justin is trying to diss little guys. I think he”s just limiting the amount of emails he gets that the only answer to is “eat more”. Let”s not be so sensitive. I don”t see how Gary”s post makes anyone a hypocrite. He”s a fellow traveller in the quest for 70s Big.

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