Building muscle and strength over a timeframe

I have originally sent this as a message to Joshua and I have to agree on what he said about other people finding the useful answers because as a beginner I am seeing other people with similar questions on here.

I have decided to take Blairbob's word on just focusing on building strength. As he said, in the long term I would gain the muscle I want. However a few things are kind of haunting me here.



I am planning on giving myself a time frame of 4-7 years to build the aesthetic body that I want (Something like this: http://cdn03.cdn.justjared.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/mens-gym/usa-mens-gymnastics-team-leads-at-london-olympics-03.jpg). Is that time frame enough or is it literally impossible to build that look without sacrificing strength? I don't want to sacrifice strength or flexibility at all.



Secondly, I have a lot of free time on my hand so I am thinking of doing the foundation series twice a day. It usually takes me an hour for the foundation series. I was thinking of doing PE3 in the morning and PE4 afterwards in the afternoon. I am doing the 5 day cycle. I am also adding leg plyometrics on Tuesdays and Thursdays and Sundays (I feel very rusty if I take 2 days off of exercising). I don't want to gain leg muscle, just explosive leg power and strength because I desire to jump even higher in the floor exercises. I was thinking of adding an hour a day of cardio (Mainly punching bag work just to build stamina). What do you think? It might seem like I am over working but over the years I have tested my body and it has been adapting to different sports rather quickly. I am also going to take Gymnastics VERY seriously once I'm off to university. I'm probably going to represent them.



I want to turn my diet into a lacto-ovo vegan because I am not the type of person that wants to indulge in meat more than once or twice a month. (Something I have experimented with and found that my body works well without meat). But here's the most important question, if I am thinking of getting the muscle over that time frame, should I have a caloric surplus of some sort or just eat to my maintenance?



I am also wondering if by any chance that I can gain the aesthetic look and strength in 3 year (If not, completely ignore this last sentence haha because I certainly do believe that the key here is waiting and building it gradually).



I appreciate if you can reply to me as soon as possible. Thank you very much.

I also wish to add an extra note that I don't just partake in Gymnastics but I do some other martial arts and so I am not sure what's the best way to balance leg power with strength so that I don't add extra weight. I would need a high vertical leap in either cases as well as speed.

And I honestly have to say this to everyone wanting to start: give it time. I understood this after a short while. Everything takes time and we should definitely not rush.

Congratulations on your choise! I made a similiar one last christmas, and it was totally worth the leap of faith. I have basically had a workout split of Handstand / Press day - Pulling / Front lever day - Foundation and mobility day.

Concentrating on handstands and presses have resulted in unexpected growth in my shoulders, triceps and upper back. Faster recovery and ability to add more skill and flexibility work has also been a really welcome bonus.

I am planning on giving myself a time frame of 4-7 years to build the aesthetic body that I want (Something like this: http://cdn03.cdn.justjared.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/mens-gym/usa-mens-gymnastics-team-leads-at-london-olympics-03.jpg). Is that time frame enough or is it literally impossible to build that look without sacrificing strength? I don't want to sacrifice strength or flexibility at all.

Given that his body was built from training focusing on strength rather than aesthetics, yes, of course it's possible to build that look through strength training. For a mature adolescent/young adult who's in reasonable shape, building that sort of body in 4-7 years is a reasonable goal, provided that it's 4-7 years of persistent hard work, with good nutrition. Note however, that the athlete pictured is an Olympic-level athlete, so you might not get to quite his level of definition or size, but you could get very close. Also if your fitness is poor, it will take you additional time.

Secondly, I have a lot of free time on my hand so I am thinking of doing the foundation series twice a day. It usually takes me an hour for the foundation series. I was thinking of doing PE3 in the morning and PE4 afterwards in the afternoon. I am doing the 5 day cycle. I am also adding leg plyometrics on Tuesdays and Thursdays and Sundays (I feel very rusty if I take 2 days off of exercising). I don't want to gain leg muscle, just explosive leg power and strength because I desire to jump even higher in the floor exercises. I was thinking of adding an hour a day of cardio (Mainly punching bag work just to build stamina). What do you think? It might seem like I am over working but over the years I have tested my body and it has been adapting to different sports rather quickly. I am also going to take Gymnastics VERY seriously once I'm off to university. I'm probably going to represent them.

It may seem counterintuitive, but doing Foundation twice a day is likely to make you progress slower, not faster. Building strength is a two-step process: you exert your muscles, breaking them down; in response they build themselves back up, stronger than before. The second step is the where you actually become stronger. Workout volume needs to be balanced with recovery time. If you work out again before your muscles have had a chance to build back, you are breaking down your muscles while they're still growing, erasing the gains you could have made by giving your muscles more time to recover. 

Note that there is a difference between having the stamina to do Foundation work twice a day, and having the recovery rate to benefit from doing Foundation twice a day. 

I want to turn my diet into a lacto-ovo vegan because I am not the type of person that wants to indulge in meat more than once or twice a month. (Something I have experimented with and found that my body works well without meat). But here's the most important question, if I am thinking of getting the muscle over that time frame, should I have a caloric surplus of some sort or just eat to my maintenance?

Chances are that you will not be able to get an accurate measurement of how many calories you need, and chances are even slimmer that you're going to be able to consistently put in the time and effort to meticulously measure your intake every day. The very first thing you need to do, before you start worrying about calories, is to get your nutrition in order. Eat craptons of vegetables, get loads of protein, and avoid foods that are heavily processed. When you're hungry, eat a small meal. Ideally you would be eating 5-6 of these small meals each day. Unless you're eating right, you're just going to be spinning your wheels, and fretting about getting the right amount of calories won't help. 

I am also wondering if by any chance that I can gain the aesthetic look and strength in 3 year (If not, completely ignore this last sentence haha because I certainly do believe that the key here is waiting and building it gradually).

Be patient. Don't worry about how long it's going to take. If you can't do it in 3, you're going to do it anyways, right? Also it's not as if you're going to stay the way you are and suddenly one morning after 6 years of training, your biceps will burst through your sleeves. You'll be seeing consistent growth all along your strength journey. You'll look awesome in three years time if you put in the work. 

Spectacular post.

Joshua Slocum said:

Note that there is a difference between having the stamina to do Foundation work twice a day, and having the recovery rate to benefit from doing Foundation twice a day. 

This is another one I need to keep in mind. This stuff adds up fast, and I'm wondering whether I was doing better on 3xF7 than the same volume spread across the week, because it gave me 3x H1 days which were basically comparatively easy recovery/mobility. Still, won't know until I get some more time into it, and I am after all still progressing week to week...

Great post Joshua

Joshua Slocum said:

(...) there is a difference between having the stamina to do Foundation work twice a day, and having the recovery rate to benefit from doing Foundation twice a day.  (...)

It is very hard to (1) understand that, and to (2) be able to make the difference between the "I can do that" and the "I should do it"

Thank you Joshua! Such a great post!  

Also, what do you advise that we do for flexibility? Should it be every other day or should it be everyday? I heard that everyday would be counter productive.

Systemic said:

Thank you Joshua! Such a great post!

 

Also, what do you advise that we do for flexibility? Should it be every other day or should it be everyday? I heard that everyday would be counter productive.

Depends what school of thought you subscribe too. I made reasonable gains in flexibility by doing 3 minutes of deep stretching in each pose a day; on the other hand, using PNF stretching (which I'm trying now) you only do heavy stretching a few times a week and just do some light stretching, or 'limbering' on the other days.

First off,  I am Vegan. If you are going to change your eating lifestyle to be a lacto-ovo(dairy and eggs) vegetarian you aren't going to be vegan(No animal products, eggs or dairy and for some no honey).

At the moment, I tend to eat at least three or four bananas followed by two servings of oatmeal and four or five medjool dates for breakfast. Lunch is an extra large(five or six cups) fruit smoothie. Post workout is a protein shake two mangoes. Dinner is usually a vegetable smoothie handful of baby spinach with 16 oz of v-8 juice and the juice of 5-6 carrots. Snacks tend to be more fruit like two fuji apples.

The most important thing is to satisfy your hunger in real time, and to do so with quality food products. Meat vs non-meat is a minor issue, just get 10-20% more protein in meals that are mostly plant-based protein. That makes up for the difference in EAA content, which are what your body preferentially absorbs in the intestines.

Muscle mass on your program will probably come in 5-10lb per year chunks. You will get what you want, and you will appreciate it because it took consistent time and effort.