Big Dave Smith: AMA Thread/Journal

[the.bandit]

Torn hamstring
Torn left triceps tendon
One or two discs in my neck
Left hip probably has arthritis and/or a labrum tear
Right knee cap dislocated with stretched MPFL.
Left pinky toe broken and dislocated
Torn left rotator cuff
Broken right ring finger
Torn left rotator cuff

All I could do was rehab them thoroughly and auto regulate training. I never do exercises that make injuries worse

Did you have surgery on any of your injuries?

 

[Big Dave Smith]

Did you have surgery on any of your injuries?

Only the torn triceps tendon.

 

[Veneficus_Rex]

Following.

 

[Big Dave Smith]

Update

Took a 5 week gear break. During the break, my PED’s were basically TRT.

First 2 weeks: no shots, no PED’s
Next 2 weeks: 40mg test cyp ED.
Last week: 50mg test Cyp ED, 2iu GH ED.

Just started back on about a week ago.

Test Cyp- 525/wk (75mg ED)
Primo Enan- 525/wk (75mg ED)
Mast Enan- 350/wk (50mg ED)
GH- titrated up to 6iu ED
Novolog- 10iu pre/post WO (4 days/wk)
Anadrol- 20mg 1 hour preWO (4days/wk)

Telmisartan- 80mg ED (split AM/PM)
Nebivolol- 5mg ED (split AM/PM)

Daily macros trending at
P- 320-350g
C- 400-600g
F- 20-50g
*will slowly (SLOWLY) increase in coming weeks

AM weight trending in the 266-270 range

I’ll post pics soon.

 

[thethinker48]

I remember you used to be on the lower end of carb consumption with higher fat intake and high protein

Is the recent change due to a focus more on bodybuilding?

 

[Zamun]

Telmisartan and nebivo both have fairly long half lives. Do you notice splitting the dosage makes a difference?

 

[Big Dave Smith]

I remember you used to be on the lower end of carb consumption with higher fat intake and high protein

Is the recent change due to a focus more on bodybuilding?

Yes and no. 50% seems to be that my metabolism and digestion has changed/shifted. I used to be able to digest endless amounts of fat, and it was a good way to regulate hunger. The more fat I ate, the less carbs I needed/ate. My hunger used to be out of control. This has changed for several reasons. First, when I got covid (the first version of it), I lost my sense of taste and smell for TWO YEARS. This was a blessing and a curse, as I just started to eat for function over pleasure. As my taste and smell returned (SLOWLY), I had also learned a ton about how to track nutrition and had become very obsessive (in good ways and bad) about my physical appearance. Growing up in the early days of bodybuilding, when I'd power shove food unnecessarily, I'd spend periods of the year looking less like a bodybuilder and more like just a "thick weight lifter guy". This really bothered me. I tried to stay on the leaner side for vanity reasons and because my mat performance we much better if I was leaner. I also used to struggle more with hypoglycemia in my 20's and early 30's. In my mid to late 30's (now 40), this has reduced by 90%.

I'm very big on quantifying things, so everything is measured and tracked. Once I started prepping this year, I was in a mental and physical state were it all just became very easy. I leaned towards things that were easily measurable and was psychologically averse to anything I associated with being fat. Overall, I feel better than I did previously, and perform better as well.

My daily routine consists of...

Training Days
1- 60g whey isolate + "647" bagels
2- 99% ground beef + jasmine rice (cooked) + normandy veggies
3- 99% ground beef + jasmine rice (cooked) + normandy veggies
4- 60g whey isolate + "647" bagels
5- 4-5 packs of low sugar oatmeal + 60g whey isolate OR chicken + rice (based on the day)
INTRA WO- HBCD + whey isolate or EAA's + creatine/glutamine/citrulline
6- 8oz chicken + jasmine rice

Non Training
1- 60g whey isolate + "647" bagels
2- 99% ground beef + jasmine rice (cooked) + normandy veggies
3- 99% ground beef + jasmine rice (cooked) + normandy veggies
4- 60g whey isolate + "647" bagels
5- Round steak + potato or rice + misc veggies
6- eggs + egg whites + "647" bagels

The beef is 93% beef that's boiled for 2 hours to remove as much fat as possible. When I want to add fat, I add EVOO, avocado oil, eggs, fish oil, etc.

I like the 647 bagels because they're lower carb than traditional bagels, digest fantastically well, and they're standardized in weight.

Sometimes I'll have postWO cereal with a shake if I'm in a rush. Usually it's plain rice Chex.

Carbs are mostly rice, potatoes, 647 bagels, and plain Chex.

I cook almost all my meats now in a Sous Vide. TOTAL GAME CHANGER. 10/10 awesome. I've made pork tenderloin, chicken breasts, round steak, NY strip steak, etc. So much easier than using the oven or any other method. Also, when you package the meat, it's vacuum sealed, so there's no need to spend additional time repackaging meats if you want to store them in the fridge for later. Vacuum sealing increases the fridge life tremendously.

For a dieting phase, I just reduce starchy carbs and increase veggies.

 

[Big Dave Smith]

Telmisartan and nebivo both have fairly long half lives. Do you notice splitting the dosage makes a difference?

Even if they do, I'd still rather take them every 12 hours to avoid any slight peaks and troughs. Nebivolol (if I remember correctly) has slow and fast metabolizers. As a precaution, I'd just rather cover my bases.

RHR is down to 66-67 on nebivolol with no performance downside. Telmisartan is so awesome. A few years ago I was on lisinopril, and it just didn't help the BP readings much. I was also getting random angioedema from it (lip would swell up). Since using Telmistartan, I've had no side effects AND my blood markers have been better.

 

[thethinker48]

Yes and no. 50% seems to be that my metabolism and digestion has changed/shifted. I used to be able to digest endless amounts of fat, and it was a good way to regulate hunger. The more fat I ate, the less carbs I needed/ate. My hunger used to be out of control. This has changed for several reasons. First, when I got covid (the first version of it), I lost my sense of taste and smell for TWO YEARS. This was a blessing and a curse, as I just started to eat for function over pleasure. As my taste and smell returned (SLOWLY), I had also learned a ton about how to track nutrition and had become very obsessive (in good ways and bad) about my physical appearance. Growing up in the early days of bodybuilding, when I'd power shove food unnecessarily, I'd spend periods of the year looking less like a bodybuilder and more like just a "thick weight lifter guy". This really bothered me. I tried to stay on the leaner side for vanity reasons and because my mat performance we much better if I was leaner. I also used to struggle more with hypoglycemia in my 20's and early 30's. In my mid to late 30's (now 40), this has reduced by 90%.

I'm very big on quantifying things, so everything is measured and tracked. Once I started prepping this year, I was in a mental and physical state were it all just became very easy. I leaned towards things that were easily measurable and was psychologically averse to anything I associated with being fat. Overall, I feel better than I did previously, and perform better as well.

My daily routine consists of...

Training Days
1- 60g whey isolate + "647" bagels
2- 99% ground beef + jasmine rice (cooked) + normandy veggies
3- 99% ground beef + jasmine rice (cooked) + normandy veggies
4- 60g whey isolate + "647" bagels
5- 4-5 packs of low sugar oatmeal + 60g whey isolate OR chicken + rice (based on the day)
INTRA WO- HBCD + whey isolate or EAA's + creatine/glutamine/citrulline
6- 8oz chicken + jasmine rice

Non Training
1- 60g whey isolate + "647" bagels
2- 99% ground beef + jasmine rice (cooked) + normandy veggies
3- 99% ground beef + jasmine rice (cooked) + normandy veggies
4- 60g whey isolate + "647" bagels
5- Round steak + potato or rice + misc veggies
6- eggs + egg whites + "647" bagels

The beef is 93% beef that's boiled for 2 hours to remove as much fat as possible. When I want to add fat, I add EVOO, avocado oil, eggs, fish oil, etc.

I like the 647 bagels because they're lower carb than traditional bagels, digest fantastically well, and they're standardized in weight.

Sometimes I'll have postWO cereal with a shake if I'm in a rush. Usually it's plain rice Chex.

Carbs are mostly rice, potatoes, 647 bagels, and plain Chex.

I cook almost all my meats now in a Sous Vide. TOTAL GAME CHANGER. 10/10 awesome. I've made pork tenderloin, chicken breasts, round steak, NY strip steak, etc. So much easier than using the oven or any other method. Also, when you package the meat, it's vacuum sealed, so there's no need to spend additional time repackaging meats if you want to store them in the fridge for later. Vacuum sealing increases the fridge life tremendously.

For a dieting phase, I just reduce starchy carbs and increase veggies.

Thank you for detailing all of this! These small hacks can make a world of difference when it comes to compliance.

I use a Traeger smoker regularly for a lot my meats, even smoked a turkey this past thanksgiving. Can make 4-5 days worth of meats smoked on there and pull out of the refrigerator for convenience, tastes better than most restaurants too.

 

[d4ve]

Even if they do, I'd still rather take them every 12 hours to avoid any slight peaks and troughs. Nebivolol (if I remember correctly) has slow and fast metabolizers. As a precaution, I'd just rather cover my bases.

RHR is down to 66-67 on nebivolol with no performance downside. Telmisartan is so awesome. A few years ago I was on lisinopril, and it just didn't help the BP readings much. I was also getting random angioedema from it (lip would swell up). Since using Telmistartan, I've had no side effects AND my blood markers have been better.

Have you found Nebivolol makes you drowsy at all? The first time I took it, I took all 5mg AM and got super tired - a no-go since I train in the morning. Switched to PM dosing, and if anything sleep is better and there's very little morning drowsiness.

 

[Big Dave Smith]

Thank you for detailing all of this! These small hacks can make a world of difference when it comes to compliance.

I use a Traeger smoker regularly for a lot my meats, even smoked a turkey this past thanksgiving. Can make 4-5 days worth of meats smoked on there and pull out of the refrigerator for convenience, tastes better than most restaurants too.

The time savers are a huge help for adherence.

The nice part about the sous vide is if I run out of food because of a time issue or a miscalculation, it takes less than 10 min to prepare 5-7lbs meat. I can walk away from the sous vide and forget it’s in there because it doesn’t overcook anything. You can’t do that with any other cooking situation. You’re married to the oven timer or grill till it’s done.

Also to note- I don’t digest fats as well now. Too much fat gives me stomach issues. Carbs, by nature are easier to digest.

A fatty ribeye would crush my hunger for a half day now. Too many whole eggs does it as well, even if the yolk is runny.

 

[Big Dave Smith]

Have you found Nebivolol makes you drowsy at all? The first time I took it, I took all 5mg AM and got super tired - a no-go since I train in the morning. Switched to PM dosing, and if anything sleep is better and there's very little morning drowsiness.

Not personally. I’ve even reduced my caffeine intake to nearly zero.

From October thru Feb/March, I try to limit caffeine. Maybe a few days a week I’ll take a caffeine tab or energy drink here or there…

But related to your point, I’m not throwing in stimulants that would mask the impact of nebivolol and drowsiness… so it’s an honest take.

 

[Gaintrain72]

How do you reduce the fat if your doing sous vide ground beef? May i ask how u prepare the ground beef? Will try this too

 

[Big Dave Smith]

How do you reduce the fat if your doing sous vide ground beef? May i ask how u prepare the ground beef? Will try this too

The ground beef is boiled in a pot.

Cuts of meat are cooked in the sous vide.

 

[Gaintrain72]

Do you think it’s also doable to get 99% with 80/20 ground beef?

 

[Big Dave Smith]

Do you think it’s also doable to get 99% with 80/20 ground beef?

With boiling enough time, I think it would wind up leaner than 95%. 1 hour for me seemed to short when I used 88%. You’ll know when you strain the beef, run hot water over it, and refrigerate it.

It’s done correctly when, if stored in a ziplock bag, no fat coagulates on the bad, and it remains transparent the next day. If any fat is visible on the bag, it didn’t boil long enough.

Theoretically, the fat should liquify and separate from the protein.

 

[Gaintrain72]

Thankyou! I will try this

 

[Big Dave Smith]

Thankyou! I will try this

Make sure the pot is big enough. The water level goes down a lot as it evaporates. I usually do 5-6lbs at a time.

 

[Gaintrain72]

Make sure the pot is big enough. The water level goes down a lot as it evaporates. I usually do 5-6lbs at a time.

I will try with instant pot 7.6 liter so think it’s big enough!

 

[bigzzz]

My apologies, I didn't see this.

Lately, I've been doing a PPL split... training M-Th-S-S.

Chest- 9-12 sets
Delts- 6-9 sets
Triceps- 8-10 sets
*My arms need work, and my left rotator cuff is likely torn... so I have to barely train delts and presses.

Lats- 9-12 sets
Upper Back- 8-10 sets
Biceps- 10-12 sets
*Same as above. My arms are hot garbage, so I've upped the volume a bit.

Quads- 10-15 sets
Adductors- 3 sets
Hams- "zero"
Glutes- 3-6 ses
*My left hamstring is torn, so I haven't done any leg curls in 4 years. I'll do light hip hinge movements, but I feel them more in my glutes. Hamstrings just stabilize. When I pose, my good leg is extended back, and my torn leg still has a good ham drop, so it's hard to see the difference on stage.

Most of my sets range from 2-3 RIR on days where I need more recovery, and 0-1 and beyond for days where I can hammer a little harder. I just focus on my log book and auto regulate based on the context of the day.

Most of my sessions take about 2 hours.

Hey @Big Dave Smith is this your total volume per week?