Strength / Weight Training

I’d eat insects no problem

Theoretically fine with it, assuming it's a quality product in terms of flavour/texture/mixability/macros.

I've been doing a new program recently which has me benching 3 days a week (out of 4 lifting days), and I've been really surprised with how much my bench has increased both in weight and quality. Increased frequency helped me dial in technique, and I added in wrist wraps - but damn. I've heard that frequency is really important for bench but this really hit it home.

My bench is still shit but it's decidedly less shit.

I should do this. My chest game is weak.

I do calf raises everyday. I’m 6’3 but I have the skinniest legs. So that’s something I work on multiple times a week.

My current schedule is
Monday - international chest day
Tuesday - legs
Wednesday - arms
Thursday - back
Friday - shoulders

I’ve no idea if this is the best way to do it

No one best way for anything really. Most things work in some way or another as long as there's consistency over time and progressive overload. Diet obvs a very big part esp for building size.

Lift moar

My wife has a pt at the moment. Her goal is to tone up. So I’m basically doing her plan but with more food and weight.

So it’s 4 sets 12 reps on a not easy weight. Nothing stupid heavy but heavy enough to fail on the 4th set.

Diet is basically quorn chicken breast and occasionally fish with rice and veg.

There’s lots of pineapple but not sure what that’s for.

Delicious semen

Lift moar

Eat moar

the 2 tenets really.

Theoretically fine with it, assuming it's a quality product in terms of flavour/texture/mixability/macros.

If you farm crickets or cockroaches, sterilise them, dry them and powder them to flour you get about 0.75g of protein for every 1g of insect. If you make protein from whey, you get about 0.008g per 1g of whey. Give or take, averaged out from a few different figures I found.

The only reason why protein powders are higher than 75% protein is the complicated refining process they go through.

I do wonder how easily insect production can be scaled at the moment though. Given that its far better for the environment than the dairy/veal farming that produces whey powder and that its much more concentrated source requiring less processing,I can only think of two reasons why it hasn't been done on a large scale:

• Its too expensive (for now)
  
• The ick factor.
  

It’s basically space and time isn’t it. How many crickets occupy the space of a cow?

I wonder how it compares to vegan protein in terms of farming cost/sustainability. The blend I use is pea protein, brown rice protein, pumpkin protein, flaxseed powder and quinoa flour. It's about 23g protein per 35g and around 135kcal per serving I think, so it's not like I'm used to whey/soy isolate which are more like 90% protein.

It’s basically space and time isn’t it. How many crickets occupy the space of a cow?

Pretty sure you're right.

These guys claim to be doing it at a lower unit price than some whey protein producers.

https://nutribug.com/product/cricket-powder-76-protein-250g/

I'm just mulling this over because one of my clients (who are invested in agritech) is looking for ideas for something innovative to do with a large empty warehouse that they have in Sidcup. They've been looking at various indoor growing ideas for a while but haven't quite landed on an idea they want to go with. I think one of the local breweries was going to take it before the pandemic.

The product I am after is ground insect as an additive for soups.

I had roasted scorpion in Beijing and it was fucking delicious. Like the crispy skin of a roast chicken. In my dream scenario I will heat up whatever vegan friendly soup is on offer, but then add a scoop or two of bug powder to add the meaty savoury richness you struggle to get from veg alone. In my imagination the bug powder is fairly gelatinous so dissolves after a bit of stirring. In addition to the flavour enhancement, I would be getting a decent amount of animal protein without having to glug down a shake.

My concern with cricket farming is mostly food safety. How do I know the bugs live clean and healthy lives inside your client's warehouse? Much easier to tell with established methods of farming.

Cannabis?

They're already doing that in Norfolk funnily enough. Hemp anyway.

Maybe the link I posted upthread is what you're looking for? Worth a try...

As for cleanliness I have no idea but I have a feeling (total guess) that the bugs are irradiated to ensure safety, much like lots of other foods.

Hemps a funny one although not illegal as a product you need so many licenses to grow it.

Surely less red tape with crickets

Surely less red tape with crickets

It's rigid and demanding but I'm not sure that it's more onerous than producing products for human or pet consumption. Fees aren't as bad as they could be.

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/controlled-drugs-industrial-hemp

Anyway, will pipe down before the usual suspects have another dig at me for pretending to be am expert on something.

Insect protein for supplementation is very interesting though. One of my wife's friends is an entymologist...might see if he has any knowledge around industrial insect farming.

my wife's friends is an entymologist.

She might just swat you away if you bug her with annoying questions though.

I rounded the PHUL programme in the Boostcamp app and decided to have a go at the GZCLP next.

Talk to me about T3 exercises. It's not immediately clear to me what I want to do here, and how to create a nicely rounded distribution of them out across the week.

You probably want some kind of pull every day, like barbell row, chest supported row, lat pull down, pull ups (assisted if needed for reps), face pulls, since none of the T1s or T2s are pulling motions.

Then I'd add at least one complimentary exercise for the T1 of the day. Something like hack squat or leg press on t1 squat, close grip bench, dB bench, Tri extension, chest fly on both the pressing days, maybe something ab based (hanging leg raises are pretty great) on DL day. Then maybe a third isolation exercise if you want to.

YMMV but this is how I'd program it.

My exercise routine is just shift as much weight as I can for as long as I can.

International chest day today. Going to ache like a mother tomorrow

How reasonable does this sound for a weekly one hour session (as I'm getting to the gym about once a week at the moment, for about 1 hour at the most).

With such small amount of lifting, any progression seems pointless, as do expectations of growth / strength increase. This is all about keeping things moving & not turning into a complete pudding.

Looking at compound lifts, as there's no time for accessory or vanity lifts, and doing 3x8 / 4x6 / 5x5 (anything around mid 20s lifts)

1. Squats
   
2. Bench
   
3. (Hanging) power cleans
   
4. OHP (at the end, as I can always do jerk / press / snatch after / instead of cleans).
   
   

This feels like most things are covered. What am I missing / doing completely wrong?

I'd say the most basic program wants a squat, a hinge, a pull and a press. The power clean kind of covers the hinge but I'd be inclined to replace it with DLs/RDLs, and I'd swap bench or ohp (I'd be inclined to replace bench) in favour of a row or a pull up.

Otherwise seems fine for a one day a week thing. You will probs still be able to progress even with the overall low volume, should you choose to.