Francis Melia

New pinned post. Pics from towards the end of the last diet. Just started working with a coach…big off season push up for 2025 and we prep for stage debut 2026. Leaving this here as a reminder. Much work to be done. Jobs not finished.

@aus877 Yeah steps and HR are about the max I’d go 😆

@CoachFHM I dig my garmin watch for lots of stuff like tracking steps, hr, etc. It tries to tell me when to rest but not once have I given a shit about that. It never really occurred to me anyone would.

Sorry mate but I don’t need a fucking wearable telling me if I’m ready to train or not. What a load of bollocks.

@wolfstrength The power split

Lots of people waste time arguing about the best split: total body, upper/lower, PPL, bro split Real ones know, the true elite split was right in front of them the whole time

@BenjaminYeezus WHEELS

Leg day. Let’s goooooo.

@BowTiedPhys Looking forward to breakfast the night before

Subtle signs the cut is going well: > “You look…different” > Bell pepper & some salsa tastes like a Michelin star meal > Face ID declining access > American Spirit cravings hit ATH > Shin veins on display > Just a touch more irritable

@DeanTTraining It's never been simpler!!

@CoachFHM SIMPLE, Coach

Quality protein sources on a cut? Keep things as LEAN as possible works wonders. Few examples: -Shrimps -Chicken breast -Lean cuts of steak (fillet, fat trimmed sirloin) -Whey protein Can’t go wrong.

@LawrenceElliots The only wearable we need is some FHM lifting pants Anabolic

Your whoop device is actually a gender-transition device Man was built for bouts of all-encompassing exertion Congratulations - By chasing the perfect sleep score, HRV, step count, seminal vesicle volume or whatever fuck else these things track, you have successfully neutered yourself. At what point did we figure it would be a better idea to outsource our own natural instinctual regulatory mechanisms to a bunch of tech VC’s in SF? summary: The little band on your wrist is a reliable signal that 1. You pose no threat as a man and 2. Your wife is cheating on you

@ChrisW826374297 Very true mate. Very true

@CoachFHM “Everything you’ve ever wanted is on the other side of fear” - George Addair

It’s ok to feel the fear, doubt or anxiety that creeps in at big moments in life. You know those butterflies in your stomach? Good sign you’re doing what you should be. The key is to do it anyway. Major keys to success IMO.

@DiBrander @BenjaminYeezus Thank you Diane!

I’m starting with Train. Eat. Think. @BenjaminYeezus and @CoachFHM are both online nutrition/bodybuilding coaches and started with Spaces on X before moving onto podcasts. Every episode has been a banger so far. You can listen on Apple or Spotify and/or subscribe to the YouTube channel.

I’m trying to be more purposeful with what I watch. It’s too easy to just stick on Netflix and watch crap. I want to make better use of YouTube. Would be good to learn a thing or two and help support other channels. I’m starting a thread, which I will add to regularly 🧵

Creating a new YouTube video. Talking about the mechanisms of muscle growth. Nice visual for people to understand what we need in a set to “stimulate growth” Past the novel phase of lifting…we’re gonna need to push our sets close to failure to stimulate the adaptive response we want. Leaving move than 1/2 reps in the tank “can work” if you accumulate your volume via more sets (not my preferred method) but it still works. So many are leaving gains on the table by leaving 5/6/7 reps in the tank on their sets as soon as it gets uncomfortable. You won’t grow any meaningful muscle tissue this way.

How many sets for a muscle in a session? You’ve gotta look at what your set training frequency is first. Then how can you drive max stimulus in a session and come back a few days later again? I’ll give you some of my own personal threshold set numbers in a session (if hitting a muscle group 2x a week) Assuming we’re pushing every set all the way here…leaving no good reps in the tank. Once I start going over these I just notice a significant drop off in stimulus akin to beating a dead horse within a session. Quads @ 3-6 sets Hamstrings @ 3-6 sets Glutes @ 4-6 sets Calfs @ 4-6 sets Abs @ 4-6 sets Chest @ 4-6 sets (4 presses and 2 fly as a max) Delts @ 6-8 sets (crossover of presses and iso work) Upper back @ 4-6 sets (you will get some crossover with upper back/lat) Lats @ 4-6 sets Biceps @ 4-8 sets Triceps 3-6 sets (crossover of close grip presses and iso work) In general lower sessions = 12-15 total work sets In general upper sessions = 16-20 total work sets Decent guidelines to go off. Allocate where you need.

One of the BEST bicep exercises. Single and dumbbell preacher curls. Glue that tricep into the arm support/pad…big focus on driving fist towards bicep. Hit failure in that 10-15 range. Job done 🫡

@TimbersFPL @bud_wise40594 80kg? I wish 😆

@bud_wise40594 @CoachFHM The weight will mostly likely be in lbs based on where he lives

Big fan of dumbbell presses with a pause. Remove all that momentum in the bottom and nail the pecs. Will humble you fast. Top tier exercise.

Bodyweight movements on your “gaining phases” 🫡

Your training split is just a way for you to distribute quality training volume across the week depending on what YOUR PHYSIQUE needs. It’s like scaffolding for the best quality stimulus you can get. Will be variances from person to person. Another reason why following random splits make no sense.

Another happy client smashing his fat loss phase. Now we’re ready to grow ⬇️

@bud_wise40594 You can’t really mate Nordics are the closest option

@CoachFHM How can you replicate that with a basic home gym?

Seated leg curls vs lying leg curls (lying ham video) To be honest I do both on different days/rotations. Seated will bias the lengthened range. Lying will bias the shortened range. Both can offer specific benefits depending on “feel” and the actual model/machine you have available. Leg day A = Seated leg curls Leg day B = Lying leg curls Leg day C = Single leg seated leg curls Trial them out for yourself. Take what fits…leave what doesn’t. Welcome to bodybuilding training.