13 Comments
May 5, 2022Liked by Francis Melia | CoachFHM

What body fat percentage do you aim for before switching from cutting to bulking?

Expand full comment
author

8-10% is a good range. The leaner you start from the longer you can slowly bulk for while maintaining a better body composition.

You'd like this post -

https://francismelia.substack.com/p/how-to-build-a-legit-natural-physique?s=w

Expand full comment
May 5, 2022Liked by Francis Melia | CoachFHM

How many grams protein can you absorb per feed before it become expensive piss?

Expand full comment
author

Your body will still utilise it.

It just needs a minimum of 30-40g in a meal which will contain 3-4g of leucine to stimulate protein synthesis.

Expand full comment
May 5, 2022Liked by Francis Melia | CoachFHM

Thoughts on using Bulgarian split squats instead of high bar as primary quad exercise for hypertrophy? High bar would transfer more to my low bar I think but I've never really felt as much burn or tension as I've gotten out of the split squats

Expand full comment
author

I like split squats as a movement to help with imbalances etc. But the instability from them can be an issue when trying to train close to failure.

For this reason, I don't like them as a main movement if hypertrophy is the main goal.

You'd be better off with a hack squat, leg press or belt squat IMO.

Expand full comment
May 5, 2022Liked by Francis Melia | CoachFHM

Do you ever mix in the sauna into your routine?

Expand full comment
author

Not something I personally need to do.

I have a sauna with the South American sun at the moment haha!

But if you like a sauna - go for it!

Expand full comment
May 5, 2022·edited May 5, 2022Liked by Francis Melia | CoachFHM

Trying to better understand intensity and volume trade offs.

There's so much information out there, but which of the following is better for muscle growth for someone intermediate?

4-6 sets per week per body part taken to failure (in the 8-15 rep range)

8-10 sets per week per body part at RIR 3 (in the 8-15 rep range)

Expand full comment
author

Both approaches can work and I ain't dogmatic towards either approach.

Training to failure works, but it brings about a lot of fatigue which I personally don't think is worth it. But if you're doing such low volume - that ain't an issue.

But is 4-6 sets per week enough to maximise your size as a natty? Research would suggest no and my own anecdotal experience would say no.

10-20 sets per week in the 0-3 RIR range is gonna be a good ballpark range for the majority of people.

Start off a block on 10 sets per week and see how you recover.

If you can do more over time - increase that to 14 sets per week until you reach a point where you can't recover.

But at the end of the day - this all comes down to trial and error and you need to see how your body responds.

You could respond better to higher volumes or lower volume/higher intensity.

Hopefully that helps you man.

Expand full comment

What are my best options for getting 200g of protein a day? I usually only eat one meal per day but try tosupplement protein shakes 2x per day.

Expand full comment
author

Honestly, eat another 1-2 meals instead of relying on 1 meal a day.

You may have to do a better job at meal prepping.

Convenient protein sources:

-Greek yoghurt

-Canned tuna/sardines

Relying on protein shakes for the majority of your protein isn't the play unless you absolutely have to and have no other option due to time constraints.

Expand full comment
May 5, 2022Liked by Francis Melia | CoachFHM

Appreciate you

Expand full comment