In this inaugural Q&A video, Rob Lipsett answers fan-submitted questions covering his personal fitness background, training philosophies, nutrition strategies, and future goals. He explains how his time playing rugby at Clongowes sparked his interest in strength training, discusses the feasibility of building size while cutting body fat (emphasizing that beginners can see simultaneous gains but seasoned lifters usually need separate phases), and recommends pause bench presses to improve chest development and explosive power. Rob shares his enthusiasm for powerlifting, outlines plateau‑busting tactics like micro‑loading and adding reps, and mentions his intent to compete later in the year. Nutrition advice includes macro estimation methods (using MyFitnessPal, visual portion cues), a balanced view on whole‑grain versus refined carbs, and a promise of a detailed upcoming video on macro calculation. Light‑hearted personal tidbits—beard grooming, toothpaste brand, and avoiding post‑workout BBQs—round out the conversation. He concludes by acknowledging unfinished questions and promising future Q&As.
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All right, so I posted on my Facebook page that I want to have a Q&A, and thank you all so much for the questions. So here we go, gonna start off with question 1. Rob, do you even lift? Next question: Did being in Clongowes influence you to do fitness and weights, or was it something else? Um, yeah, that's actually where it all began. I played rugby there and we had a really good training and strength conditioning regime, and I loved every moment of it. And I've actually made a big post about this on my Facebook page that I will link below. Did you like Clongowes? I loved it. Some of the funniest memories I have were down there. And living with the same guys for 6 years, you know, you make friends for life. And we're still all so close. Are you able to grow a beard? No hate, just curious. Yeah, I have to shave every day. It just doesn't suit me. I like the whole clean cut, one back and sides, how you doing? Can someone make decent strength and size gains and cut body fat at the same time, or should they be divided into separate phases? This is going to depend on a number of factors such as training age, genetics, how strong they already are. So let's look at both ends of the spectrum. For a beginner who's new to weights training with a high body fat percentage, it's actually quite likely that they are going to build size and strength while dropping body fat. But for someone who's been training 5+ years, it's highly unlikely that they are going to build size and strength and drop body fat without the use of drugs. On top of that, you said decent size and strength gains. You're always, always going to build more size and strength when you're in a calorie surplus or bulking, whatever you wanna call it. And when people try to do both, oftentimes they end up spinning their wheels. So in that case, yes, it should be divided into phases. What brand of toothpaste do you use? Colgate Max White. How do you avoid stopping in Aussie BBQ after every workout? I just pretend it's not even there. Any tips on how to get a bigger chest? Try replacing touch-and-go benching with paused bench press. To actually move, get the weight moving, you have to recruit, you have to have more muscle fiber recruitment. On top of that, you will hold it in the stretch position for longer, and it also will sort out a lot of people's form, especially those half-reppers. Pause work is also great for any athletes who play a high-impact sport like rugby or MMA. So pause bench, pause squats, pendley rows, they're all great for improving explosive power. So I really highly recommend them. I love pause work. Any interest in powerlifting at all? Big interest. Um, my main goal is to gain size, but people think to get more muscular you have to follow a bodybuilding routine, but muscle hypertrophy, hypertrophy is a physiological adaptation of progressive overload. So if you're getting stronger, you are going to get bigger too. So yeah, I have been thinking about starting a powerlifting routine for a while now, and I definitely will in the future. Powerlifting is badass. Have you ever reached a plateau strength-wise? If so, how did you break it? Microloading is great. This is basically where you add a small weight, like a kg or so, to the bar, and you'll hardly even notice it, but you know, week after week, those small increases all add up. Another thing you can do is add reps instead of weight. Oftentimes, adding a rep or two is easier than an increasing the weight. Are you ever going to compete? Yes, that's something I want to do this year. It's just tough finding the right competition. And I only just found out the other day that the Oryx BBF have a men's physique, uh, competition category in like 2 weeks. But, uh, yeah, so I kind of missed that boat. So now I'm kind of looking at, um, a few in the UK towards April and May. How do you determine your macros, calorie consumption, etc.? I'm actually not going to answer that as I want to do a full video on that The amount of protein, carbs, and fat is more or less the basis of your diet. So I really don't want to give a brief answer. I want to go into some detail there. So expect a video on that coming soon. If you could attribute your success to one thing, what would it be? I haven't achieved any success of yet. I have a lot more in plan. I have much more things that I want to achieve. I've made a plan of how I am going to get there, but right now I'm only at the beginning. Stay tuned. Do you have a policy on only eating brown rice, brown pasta, and brown bread, etc., or do you eat more refined white carbs as well? I've actually written a small article on this. For example, 30 grams of carbs from white rice is gonna have the same effect on body composition as 30 grams of carbs from brown rice. But I will always go for the more wholemeal option, as generally it will contain more fiber and micronutrients. I also find that it tastes better and it'll keep you fuller for longer. When you're tracking macros and eating things that don't come with a label—broccoli, avocado, etc.—how do you know the macros? Are you just estimating from experience? How do you estimate when eating out? I'll just search for them on MyFitnessPal. An avocado from Aldi is not going to differ much from an avocado from Tesco. As for eating out, it's gone to the stage where I can look at a meal and guess pretty accurately what the macros are. For example, you know, a fist-sized portion of meat is going to be roughly 30 grams of protein. So if you're eating out, just try your best to make a good estimate and enjoy your meal. Okay, I wanted to keep this video short, so I'm sorry I didn't get to answer a few questions, but I will be doing some more Q&As in the future. So until then, thanks for watching. Keep it real.
