Pinned Tweet
Comprehensive guide for guys over 40 (really could be younger also, but some of this info may not apply) to achieve the real ideal Dad BOD, Jacked and Tan. There is no magic secret here, but sometimes it helps just to have it all laid out.
(Thread)
(Thread)
46
47
689
282,603
You have to earn the right to take it to the next level. If you are not executing currently with what you have programmed, increasing anything will only create a negative response. More Steps, Less Food, More Food, Higher Volume, Higher AAS......all of these things come with a ability to adequately recover and actually build new tissue.
Your body doesn’t care how “bad you want it” or how fast you want to move. It only knows......are you giving me the proper environment in which it is safe/necessary to build more tissue? Creating that environment is what a proper training program consist of.
You can build a pretty solid physique bulldozing your way through. At some point you will hit a wall, and progress will stop. This is the point it’s time to evaluate things. If this is you, give @ironethosx a shout. Let us help you take it to the next level. When you put all the pieces together it truly is amazing what is possible, and it’s usually very simple adjustments. Let’s get a jump start on making your 2027 body the one you have envisioned.
Your body doesn’t care how “bad you want it” or how fast you want to move. It only knows......are you giving me the proper environment in which it is safe/necessary to build more tissue? Creating that environment is what a proper training program consist of.
You can build a pretty solid physique bulldozing your way through. At some point you will hit a wall, and progress will stop. This is the point it’s time to evaluate things. If this is you, give @ironethosx a shout. Let us help you take it to the next level. When you put all the pieces together it truly is amazing what is possible, and it’s usually very simple adjustments. Let’s get a jump start on making your 2027 body the one you have envisioned.
4
7
128
2,399
đź”— Ian đź”— retweeted
Client win
You probably recognize him so I'll let him tell the story
You probably recognize him so I'll let him tell the story
0
1
5
708
đź”— Ian đź”— retweeted
🚨🚨HALLOWEEN GIVEAWAY!!🚨🚨
The night is getting darker… and so is the chance to walk away with Barbarian gear!
This Halloween, the Shape isn’t the only thing lurking. Two gift cards are waiting in the shadows!
Courtesy of @DoNotComply23 & @barbarianfitco
Prizes
1st Place: $200d Place: $100 Barbarian gift card
How to Enter
• Follow @donotcomply23 and @barbarianfitco
• Like, Repost, and Comment on this post
One entry per account.
Winners drawn at random from eligible participants on 10/28
Don’t look behind you! Just enter!
The night is getting darker… and so is the chance to walk away with Barbarian gear!
This Halloween, the Shape isn’t the only thing lurking. Two gift cards are waiting in the shadows!
Courtesy of @DoNotComply23 & @barbarianfitco
Prizes
1st Place: $200d Place: $100 Barbarian gift card
How to Enter
• Follow @donotcomply23 and @barbarianfitco
• Like, Repost, and Comment on this post
One entry per account.
Winners drawn at random from eligible participants on 10/28
Don’t look behind you! Just enter!
64
67
80
4,461
đź”— Ian đź”— retweeted
Seen downtown in wellness center display window on our morning walk. Don’t spend your life waiting. Take your health in your hands.
0
1
5
177
đź”— Ian đź”— retweeted
Sex Hormone Binding Globulin (SHBG)
The average person gets their bloods, looks at total testosterone and thinks they have all they need to know.
SHBG decides how total testosterone should be read. So what is it?
SHBG is the protein made in your liver that binds testosterone carries them round the body in your blood.
Testosterone bound to SHBG is held in reserve. It isn’t acting on anything.
Just under half of your testosterone is held tightly by SHBG.
Just over half is held loosely by albumin. This is the most common protein in the bloodstream, and testosterone bound to albuman can unbind and be used.
Only about 2% is completely free.
A high SHBG can give you a normal total T and very low free T.
Low SHBG can give you the opposite.
The free testosterone on your report is usually calculated from the total, SHBG and albumin using an equation.
Any change in SHBG moves free T, even if your production hasn’t changed at all.
The free androgen index (FAI) is simpler still. It’s just total testosterone divided by SHBG, with no albumin.
FAI overestimates more and more the lower SHBG goes (it’s usually used in women).
Low SHBG goes hand in hand with obesity/insulin resistance, and TRT pushes it down too.
So what moves SHBG?
The liver has a control switch that sets how much SHBG it makes.
What sets that switch is how much new fat your liver is making, and high insulin drives that. More fat being made means less SHBG.
That’s why fatty liver, obesity and insulin resistance all push it down.
Androgens binding to androgen receptors on liver cells telling them to stop making SHBG.
T3 can push it up but most people taking T3 won’t see a noticeable change (more on this in a future post).Â
Oestrogen and older age can also push it up (the age thing is more nuanced though).
Liver disease can go either way. Cirrhosis raises it, but fatty liver, which is far more common, lowers it.
Obesity and insulin resistance cause low SHBG. What we don’t know is whether SHBG itself does anything, or if it’s just the warning signal for the liver.
The warning light has a good argument. TRT pushes SHBG down but in trials liver fat went down or stayed put rather than going up. If a low SHBG drove fatty liver that wouldn’t happen.
And nobody has ever run a trial raising SHBG on purpose to see if anything improves (likely because it would be very difficult to raise SHBG without other variables since you can’t just give some more SHBG).
A higher SHBG within reason isn’t a bad thing either.
Thyroid hormone pushes it up, and that’s your body moving hormones to where they need to go. And we know that T3 signals abundance to the rest of the body (within reason).Â
Lose a lot of weight and SHBG goes up as liver fat reduces and insulin resistance improves. Total T increases too but with SHBG also increasing overall you might not see a change at all.
Another underrated but important factor is that biotin supplementation can give a false low SHBG reading which will affect your Free T.
Everything else on SHBG, free testosterone and FAI is in our Biomarker Guide on n1health.co.uk/pages/biomarke…
The average person gets their bloods, looks at total testosterone and thinks they have all they need to know.
SHBG decides how total testosterone should be read. So what is it?
SHBG is the protein made in your liver that binds testosterone carries them round the body in your blood.
Testosterone bound to SHBG is held in reserve. It isn’t acting on anything.
Just under half of your testosterone is held tightly by SHBG.
Just over half is held loosely by albumin. This is the most common protein in the bloodstream, and testosterone bound to albuman can unbind and be used.
Only about 2% is completely free.
A high SHBG can give you a normal total T and very low free T.
Low SHBG can give you the opposite.
The free testosterone on your report is usually calculated from the total, SHBG and albumin using an equation.
Any change in SHBG moves free T, even if your production hasn’t changed at all.
The free androgen index (FAI) is simpler still. It’s just total testosterone divided by SHBG, with no albumin.
FAI overestimates more and more the lower SHBG goes (it’s usually used in women).
Low SHBG goes hand in hand with obesity/insulin resistance, and TRT pushes it down too.
So what moves SHBG?
The liver has a control switch that sets how much SHBG it makes.
What sets that switch is how much new fat your liver is making, and high insulin drives that. More fat being made means less SHBG.
That’s why fatty liver, obesity and insulin resistance all push it down.
Androgens binding to androgen receptors on liver cells telling them to stop making SHBG.
T3 can push it up but most people taking T3 won’t see a noticeable change (more on this in a future post).Â
Oestrogen and older age can also push it up (the age thing is more nuanced though).
Liver disease can go either way. Cirrhosis raises it, but fatty liver, which is far more common, lowers it.
Obesity and insulin resistance cause low SHBG. What we don’t know is whether SHBG itself does anything, or if it’s just the warning signal for the liver.
The warning light has a good argument. TRT pushes SHBG down but in trials liver fat went down or stayed put rather than going up. If a low SHBG drove fatty liver that wouldn’t happen.
And nobody has ever run a trial raising SHBG on purpose to see if anything improves (likely because it would be very difficult to raise SHBG without other variables since you can’t just give some more SHBG).
A higher SHBG within reason isn’t a bad thing either.
Thyroid hormone pushes it up, and that’s your body moving hormones to where they need to go. And we know that T3 signals abundance to the rest of the body (within reason).Â
Lose a lot of weight and SHBG goes up as liver fat reduces and insulin resistance improves. Total T increases too but with SHBG also increasing overall you might not see a change at all.
Another underrated but important factor is that biotin supplementation can give a false low SHBG reading which will affect your Free T.
Everything else on SHBG, free testosterone and FAI is in our Biomarker Guide on n1health.co.uk/pages/biomarke…
1
3
12
3,534
đź”— Ian đź”— retweeted
I can attest to the reality when Ian says the "whole team will get busy" once you decide to join Iron Ethos. From the comprehensive intake process and follow-up questions to the detailed program, any appropriate modifications, weekly assessments, and fast responses to any issues/questions you raise, you get the expertise and benefit of the entire coaching team weighing in and helping. Here's an example. Last weekend, I sent over the last few blood tests we'd been waiting for. While I'm sure the team had many things they had planned for a Saturday, they went right to work, exchanged questions/answers with me and modified several of my protocols. That allowed me to make the changes right away and I already saw results this week.
I would rather you be honest, than lie about being perfect. This is how we work together.
Are you ready to start? We cant help while you are "thinking about it" but as soon as you decide we will get busy....the whole team.
1
1
6
283
I would rather you be honest, than lie about being perfect. This is how we work together.
Are you ready to start? We cant help while you are "thinking about it" but as soon as you decide we will get busy....the whole team.
Are you ready to start? We cant help while you are "thinking about it" but as soon as you decide we will get busy....the whole team.
It’s check-in day & you were not fully adherent. You’re confronted with direct questions about deviation, what do you do?
The place you most struggle with adherence is the place you need the most support.
Don’t pay a coach to tell you good job.
0
3
14
1,008
đź”— Ian đź”— retweeted
Yesterday, after I submitted my weekly check-in to @IronEthosX, I was pleased that my assessment came back quickly with good news.
In part, it states: “You are really making great progress in a ton of areas. Weight down, muscle up, food up, cardio up. And even with anabolics up, your BP looks great. Let’s keep this momentum… let’s keep digging for a bit.”
After some questions about how my recovery from current workouts is going, @Ironhands57 gave me a potential green light to add more exercises and volume to at least one of my workouts—something I’m eager to do to see if I can get more growth from my traps.
In a series of additional text messages, @lipstickhippiee noted I am down 23 lbs since I started with Iron Ethos Wellness 6 weeks ago, and on track to reach my goal of dropping 5% of my body fat during my first 12 weeks.
All in all, a good report. With each assessment, and the many other communications I receive, it becomes clearer and clearer that (a) I’m improving, and (b) I made a good decision reaching out to see if @IronEthosX would accept me as a client.
In part, it states: “You are really making great progress in a ton of areas. Weight down, muscle up, food up, cardio up. And even with anabolics up, your BP looks great. Let’s keep this momentum… let’s keep digging for a bit.”
After some questions about how my recovery from current workouts is going, @Ironhands57 gave me a potential green light to add more exercises and volume to at least one of my workouts—something I’m eager to do to see if I can get more growth from my traps.
In a series of additional text messages, @lipstickhippiee noted I am down 23 lbs since I started with Iron Ethos Wellness 6 weeks ago, and on track to reach my goal of dropping 5% of my body fat during my first 12 weeks.
All in all, a good report. With each assessment, and the many other communications I receive, it becomes clearer and clearer that (a) I’m improving, and (b) I made a good decision reaching out to see if @IronEthosX would accept me as a client.
1
1
8
445
đź”— Ian đź”— retweeted
Six months ago today, I stepped back into a gym after a 15-year hiatus. Coincidentally, the next day I started TRT. Arguably, those two decisions, combined with the use of a GLP-1 that began six months earlier, have completely changed my life for the better. I’m still in the phase where almost every week I can move more tonnage during my workouts. With the guidance of my coaches at @IronEthosX, the goal is to see how far we can extend and maximize that “newbie” muscle growth period. Still, I’ll be perfectly happy to work hard for as long as I’m physically able, no matter whether the gains are fast or slow.
5
2
23
2,678
đź”— Ian đź”— retweeted
Some men my age can't lift their arms over their head without pain.
Train it. Keep it.
Train it. Keep it.
13
5
134
2,666
Who ever did this is a whole new level of sorry. Definition of just cant finish. So close, but just cant hit the hole? Somebody get this man cialis.
9
0
35
1,411
Why posing matters. Same Back, one shot yesterday with poor execution and one shot today better. There is only one small adjustment. I was over rotating the shoulders and bringing the elbows to close to center line, which narrowed up my back.
Building the physique is a tition, but if you cant present it you can be beat by someone with a worse physique. Dont neglect your posing.
Building the physique is a tition, but if you cant present it you can be beat by someone with a worse physique. Dont neglect your posing.
4
1
66
1,882
Todays Hot Take:
For my enhanced lifters.
Ya'll need to start acting like you are on drugs. The entire point of PEDs is they change the game and skew things in your favor to "Enhance" your training.
You should be able to push harder, lift heavier, recover quicker, and eat more. If your training doesn't reflect that advantage.....what are you doing? Your training on cycle should be absolutely savage. If you are knowingly taking the risks at least reap the rewards.
Doing anything less is accepting unnecessary damage for suboptimal results.
For my enhanced lifters.
Ya'll need to start acting like you are on drugs. The entire point of PEDs is they change the game and skew things in your favor to "Enhance" your training.
You should be able to push harder, lift heavier, recover quicker, and eat more. If your training doesn't reflect that advantage.....what are you doing? Your training on cycle should be absolutely savage. If you are knowingly taking the risks at least reap the rewards.
Doing anything less is accepting unnecessary damage for suboptimal results.
9
9
87
8,910
I don't know if yall heard or not. But if you lift weights regularly, progressively increase your lifts, and properly supply your body with nutrients......your muscles get bigger.....pass it on, this shit is awesome.
27
17
317
5,040
Seeing some folks talk about this one again. Several folks wrapping up the season. So figured I would bring this one back to life.
Set yourself up for success after a hard diet. Dont blow the window.
Set yourself up for success after a hard diet. Dont blow the window.
The Reverse Diet!
As a lot of folks are coming off of a cutting phase and preparing to move into the bulk phase, this topic seems to be coming up a good bit, so let me take a stab at laying out how I would approach this phase.
This phase is even more crucial to get right ou have done the cut right, is primed for gains. Problem is that could be Muscle or Fat, honestly it will be a bit of both if done right, but the goal of this diet is to limit fat gain while getting steady muscle gain.
This is a bit different than a Recovery diet, which I will do a little write up on also at some point.
So if you have done the cut right, and very deep. Say 10% or less BF% (if you are a man, for women it would be about 10% higher). It is likely that you are currently eating lower Calories, Lower Carbs, and Lower Fat with protein remaining high. I am also going to assume your cardio is up a good bit as you finished up the cut. If this is true then its likely you are fairly depleted. So the way I would approach the reverse is try to limit the amount of variables.
My suggestion is for the first week of your reverse diet you actually do not increase calories. I would suggest the first adjustment is to reduce the cardio to an amount you can sustain for the duration of the bulk. Something like 30min LISS 3 days a week. Maybe one HITT session if that is something you do. Training will remain the same and water intake. What you're looking for is an increase in weight based on lower calorie expenditure. The first week you may experience rapid gain as your muscles begin to hold more water and Glycogen. That's normal. You can maintain this part of the diet until weight gain stabilizes for a few days or a week.
Now that the other variables are set, you can begin to up the food. My suggestion is to up the calories about 300 calories at a time, but no more than 500 calories. It really depends on how long you plan to bulk. The slower the bulk the longer you can run it and limit fat gain. You should be training with progressive overload, and should start seeing the lifts move up regularly as you regain the strength you may have lost in the deep cut. You can maintain this calorie range until you stop seeing scale weight move up. The ideal weight per week increase will be around .5lbs a week, maybe slightly higher at the beginning, but it should average out over time.
Basically, the next several months should be rinse and repeat. As weight gain and log book stall, add food. Maintain cardio consistent throughout. Keep Macros the same as a percentage with Protein being the focus, Fats remaining low, and Carbs making up the Rest. Carbs at some point may overtake Protein as you target 1.5g of Protein per lb of body weight, that's fine, you want the benefit of the carbs right now. The goal is increased energy to fuel the workouts, and enough protein to build the new muscle tissue.
That's it. Basically it's the same method you would use to lose weight just in reverse, and the increase in Calories is done in lower increments than the rate at which you reduce them in a cut.
Now all you diet experts out there can tell me where I am wrong!
0
0
4
331
So at my company we have a thing called "Core Values Call Outs", basically when you see someone representing one of the companies core values, you make sure to recognize them publicly. So often we are pointing out the areas that need improvement, but its just not as common to recognize the areas that people do well on a regular basis. It can even come from a good place of wanting them to improve the areas of weakness, but it still seems to be a focus on the negative.
I think its important to also recognize the positives. I am gonna try to be more diligent about doing exactly that on a more regulated basis.
Starting now.
Want to shout out @DeanTTraining
He catches a lot of shit, and just keeps on rolling. His message is consistent and he is unwavering in its delivery. Might not always agree with him about everything, but he certainly gets results for his clients. Respect.
I think its important to also recognize the positives. I am gonna try to be more diligent about doing exactly that on a more regulated basis.
Starting now.
Want to shout out @DeanTTraining
He catches a lot of shit, and just keeps on rolling. His message is consistent and he is unwavering in its delivery. Might not always agree with him about everything, but he certainly gets results for his clients. Respect.
Open twitter this AM:
Grown men showing just how insecure and miserable they really are. Tale as old as time. Tear someone down to make yourself feel better.
Close app: ✌🏽
3
1
34
2,084
Nailed it. When you decide to become a bodybuilder and step on stage, or even just publicly post your physique, you are literally asking for critique. That is the entire sport. Now some people can deliver that in a constructive manner with respect and the intention to help you get better. Other folks just want to criticize and tear folks down. Regardless......you asked for it when you step on that stage. So you better learn to take the good with the bad and dont get in your feels to much.
This man may or may not realize it, but he is responsible for the insatiable drive I have had since getting off the stage two years ago determined that the next time I competed, I would not show up in anything less than contest shape.
Ty made a comment about my lackluster condition without tagging me in a post. I imagine he didn’t want to pile on but I knew he was talking about me and he was 100% correct.
I knew I wasn’t in shape and I had people telling me “oh yea, you look great bro” blah blah blah. I don’t like being gassed up when I know it’s not truthful.
I was raised by a father who was hard on me and expected my very best. I wrestled in high school and my coach expected the best of us and wasn’t shy about telling us when we weren’t up to the task.
This is how I respond to criticism, I want to be told the truth. If I suck, I want to be told so. If I’m not putting forth my best, I want to be told so. I don’t care if I’m paying you to be my coach. That’s what I’m paying you for, to give me an honest assessment of what I need to work on. I don’t want/need to be babied.
I get that people want to be encouraging and positive and that’s great but not when it comes at the expense of creating delusion in the person you are trying to encourage.
So, I genuinely want to thank @tywoosley23 for lighting a fire under my ass, whether he knows it or not because that’s what I needed to hear.
1
3
29
1,375