I really didn't have a routine before, it was just kinda go and lift a little for an hour or so per day. Somehow last summer that seemed to work for me since I actually gained a bit of weight. Now, we do specific workout per day for our muscle groups, such as bi's and tri's day, back day, chest day, legs, etc. We would normally do 5-8 sets of 10-12 reps of about 8 different exercises each day with 2-3 build ups and 4-5 work sets. Today I did a mix of our back workouts since I had to go to the gym by myself, my workout was as follows: rowing for 1000m as a warmup with some wide grip pullups, seated pulldowns 5 x 10-12 reps w/ 3 work sets, deadlifts 6 x 10-12 reps w/ 4 work sets, bent over rows 4 x 12 reps w/3 work sets, and shrugs 4 x 10 reps w/ 3 work sets (hands started to hurt so I had to cut this one short), then some ab work. My goals are pretty much what you said, put on a little weight and be able to sustain it, fill out my frame, and still be able to pull a 20 pullup, 100 situp, 18 min 3 mile = 300 PFT. If i can be modest, I look pretty fucking cut for my light weight, I just want to look bigger and not scrawny.
I'm finally getting back into working out after a 3-4 year hiatus. Since I've been out, I know the supplement market has changed significantly, and unfortunately, the guy at GNC didn't seem to have a clue. Is it true you don't need to load most creatine products anymore? I bought my old standby Nitro-tech and a non-loading creatine. Along with my multi-vitamin, are there any other supplements out there in the past few years that are worth two cents? I'm not interested in HGH or anything along those lines.
Hopefully you still have the receipt for your nitro stuff and creatine. You'll get more benefit from them by returning. On the whole, the supplement industry hasn't changed since you've been away. They are all still crap. For the money you would waste on a creatine or something, you could get more nutritional benefit by buying steak. Steak also doesn't load your body full of shitty lab-manufactured chemicals. As far as vitamins go, 300mg B6 and 2500 mcg of B12 daily will naturally increase your body's blood oxygen level, giving you sustained energy throughout the day without the afternoon crash. 3000-4000 mg daily of fish oil is essential.
Ive been having some issues with my squat. I switched to the 5x5 workout which incrementally increases the weight of your lifts 5bls each work out, it also has you doing squats 3 days a week, so 15 pounds increased a week. When I was on MBP my squat max was around 185x3. It was pretty weak but I really didn't want to push it to far with the back issues I have. In the weeks since Ive started I went from 135x5x5 to 205x5x5 this past week. But starting about a week ago I started having knee problems. At the very last moment in the upwards part of the lift I'd get a shooting pain on the outside of my knee cap. Though it mildly hurt for a little while that day, it would feel tip top by the next. I assume my form is off and I might be using my knees too much in the lifting phase of the lift. Anyone got any ideas on what to do? I might lay off the lift this week since for the first time it was sore for a couple of days and start back up at a lower weight to prefect form...
Try adjusting the width of your stance. Try it little by little until you find what feels good. Also try turning your toes a little more outward. Again, try little adjustments until you find what feels good. A wider stance and turning your toes out puts the lift more on your hips than on your knees. A lot of times, a pain like that is indicative of knee or hip alignment issues rather than soft tissue damage. An appt with a reputable chiropractor would be a great step toward permanently fixing the problem. They can also be caused by lateral muscle imbalances. You can do one or two single-leg exercises like bulgarian squats, directional lunges, and step ups every workout to help correct any imbalances you may have. A combination of all 3 things (stance adjustment, chiropractic, and single leg work) will probably be a good way to correcting nagging knee issues before they become chronic and debilitating.
So quick background, im just over 5'10, 158-160 lbs, been lifting for about 4 years. The problem is the first 2 years were largely aimless and wasted with ineffective lifts cause I had no clue what I was doing and took advice from a guy who lifted horribly and made alot of his gains from ridiculous creatine usage. Anyways, I've made solid progress in the last year or so, getting up from 148-150 to where I am now. I ideally want to be in the 165-170 range. My main question is this. My body fat is around 12-13% right now. I imagine its a bit higher than I'd like due to me cutting back on cardio when I was doing MBP and trying to eat more. However, my main issue is mostly vain and aesthetic. I seem to get soft in my midsection and lower back area. My arms are tight (ish) same with the rest of my upper body, but I've got some extra specifically around my obliques and then stretching to my lower back. Its not like I have love handles, but it also looks like I've never done ab work in my life. Any suggestions for good core exercises to help in this area moving forward? I feel like some of my ab exercises right now are ineffectual and/or being negated by other factors. Or is this just how my body carries extra weight as I'm trying to gain weight and I have to deal with it? I'm not asking for a 6 pack to pop out, cause if it was easy, everyone would have one. I would just like to have a more solid core/midsection. Thanks.
We've all wasted years doing aimless, ineffective shit. Some people do it their entire lives. It's called learning. Now that you know what is purposeful, you're only going to progress. As you gain muscle, your fat/muscle ratio will even out and you'll start to see some definition. You're probably not as low of bodyfat as you think. This is a picture of my back and I'm 12 or 13% bf (I'm the one on the right). If you'e got some extra stuff, you're probably a bit higher than that. I got my abs/back from deadlifting. What you have to realize is that for me, it was 10+ years in the making. It just takes time. And yes, it's just where your body is programmed to carry the fat. Adding muscle will help burn more calories, but it's not going to make your abs pop or your back look like a topo map without cutting the fat. That is done through diet. You can diet now or you can diet when you reach your ideal weight. Personally, I'd get your diet in order now and maintain that as your gaining muscle. It will come, but it won't come over night.
When I do a workout it's usually about 45 minutes long; I do 3 sets of everything. If I did 4 of 5 sets and worked out for a little over an hour, would I get substantially more gains or should I try to do different exercises to make my workout longer?
You should never stick with one set/rep scheme for too long. Once your body adapts, it will become complacent and stop progressing. Mix up your set rep schemes. Here are some set/rep schemes that I like to do. Sets x Reps x Intensity 3 x 5 x Moderate 5 x 5 x Moderate-light 5 x 3 x Moderate-Heavy 8 x 3 x Moderate-Heavy 3 x 12-15 x Light 3 x 1-2 x Near Max Effort Higher reps = more muscle (hypertrophy). Higher intensity = more strength.
Guy - I do chest/triceps one day, then shoulders/biceps/back another day. Sometimes I'll do legs but I'm usually playing sports twice a week so that takes care of my cardio. I was 160lbs in the fall and now I'm 175 due to lifting and eating more (I'm 6'1). Chest/triceps are usually hit through incline dumbell press, flat bench, flys, and an incline press machine. Dips, then the rope thing for triceps. Shoulders/biceps/back = shoulder presses, seated row, inverse flys, pull ups, curls, bent over row, shrugs. Legs = squat, leg press, deadlifts. Prop - Is there any reason my chest and shoulders have gotten noticeably bigger but my arms are still really skinny? I've gotten much stronger, but my arms really haven't grown in diameter much at all. Do I just have to put on more weight? I want to gain 10 more pounds so I'm 185.
Haha. You should see how puny my arms *seem* in comparison to the rest of my upper body. It's because your shoulders and chest are doing a majority of the work, which is the way it should be. You're probably actually pretty proportionate. The bicep/tricep actually doesn't do a whole lot of work in the grand scheme of things. It's predominanly pecs and delts. Most gym monkeys sit and do curls and tricep extensions until the cows come home, but the rest of them is grossly out of proportion. To show small my arms seem, my arms measure no more than 16" or 17" around (I'll check when I get home and report back tomorrow). It might seem big, but it's pretty proportional to my chest, which is 52". (I only know this because I just got measured for my tux and the rental store called me back in to get remeasured because they thought they made a mistake. 52" chest, 32" waist.) So there you have it, a 52" chest is proportionate to 16" or 17" arms.
Quick question pertaining to me, it is possible to be genetically skinny and not be able to add size? I'm 5'11" and for the past maybe 4 years I've been between 140-155 without looking very much different on the outside. I've worked out in 3-5 month spurts with maybe twice a week for a few weeks between these spurts for the entirety of the 4 years (It's hard to get any good routine with my job). My Dad isn't a small guy at 5'10", maybe 165-175, but I take after my Mom for most of my physical attributes. She's 5'5' and 115ish, so small and skinny with a ridiculous metabolism, like me. Also, could me having been a runner for a good 10 years in my youth taught my muscles to just stay toned and not get bigger?
To expand on what Prop said earlier, mixing up the sets-reps-weight is important as well as the exercises you're doing. If you've been combining chest/triceps for a few weeks switch it up and make it back/triceps for a while. Also you might benefit from rotating exercises in and out of your routine. For example for biceps I'll start out with 6 muscle specific exercises: 1. Preacher curl 2. Concentration curl 3. 21's w/ barbell 4. Incline dumbbell curl 5. Hammer curls w/ rope 6. Standing dumbbell curl Every 2-3 weeks I swap out two exercises and replace them with two new ones. Keeps things fresh. I also alternate the order in which I do these too as I work through my sets. 1-6, then 2-4-6-1-3-5, etc. The other thing I definitely recommend is having a "play day" every so often. Sundays are my play day where I do a full body workout and try out a bunch of different crazy exercises I've read about or seen online. Or I'll go workout with a friend who has a vastly different routine. One week I went to workout with a buddy who is a hardcore rock climber and gears his workout to it. After an hour of chasing him around the gym I was exhausted, sore, and had a new twist to a few exercises.
Genetics are a huge part of your ability to build muscle in different ways. You could eat a ton of calories and protein, power lift like a fiend and put on a bunch of muscle but it'll take more work than someone who was born with the frame for that type of build.
So Im living in Shanghai for the next few months and have access to a little gym that is included in my brothers apartment deal. It's tiny with only a few cable machines, adjustable dumb bells, and some cardio machines. Since I dont have access to normal olympic barbells and squat racks/bench presses, I am wondering if anyone knows of any good programs I could do with my limited resources. In all honestly since my diet over here is much smaller and seemingly healthier (aside from the college level drinking Ive gotten back too since every just parties). Id just like to keep a good level of fitness, maybe some sort of cross training program with running/biking and lifting. As for major goals I really really want to shed my gut, 20-25 pounds Id say. If anyone knows of any good structured programs, as easy to get into say as MBP or the 5x5 program, let me know. Ive used both of those and really like how well laid out and structured they are keeps them easier to stick too. List of stuff: Adjustable dumbbells- might get up to 40-50 pounds on each pull down machine bench press style machine ab machine leg curl machine various bikes, tread mills, and ellipticals. also I think there is a pool I can do laps in. Thanks for any advice.
Sorta. No matter how good your genetics are, if you start consuming 25,000 calories a day in a diet of deep fried power bars and olive oil or something - you'll put on some mass. It's hard to find people bitching about not being able to put on weight when so many people bitch about trying to lose it - but some people are just hard gainers. No. The shape of your muscles is determined by genetics. Drugs and diet can make gaining or losing mass easier or harder - but a history of being a runner isn't enough. Most youth runners end up fat a year after the first serious injury that stops them from running for any significant period. Hit intervals on the bike or in the pool and watch your diet more than anything else with that short term goal. But you can do most of Mike's beginner's program with that kit and a few small changes. Seated rows are hard unless the pull down bar has a lower attachment point? If not, just do bent over rows twice or something. Monday: Bench - dumbell or machine Dips - bodyweight off the bench or something - <a class="postlink" href="http://www.exrx.net/WeightExercises/Triceps/WtBenchDip.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.exrx.net/WeightExercises/Tri ... chDip.html</a> Standing shoulder press barbell or pulldowns Tuesday: Lunges - Weighted single leg variations or something. EXRX has a ton of shit Deads - One arm if you need the weight up Wednesday: pulldowns to warm up Chinups off something - there must be some kind of bar that can hold your weight or a ledge you can pull up to. A treebranch outside even. Bent over rows with Dumbells - one arm if you need the weight up. Thursday Dumbell incline press Bench Dips DB seated shoulder press Friday: DB stiff legged deads - one arm if you need the weight Reverse Hyper Extensions or Single Leg Dumbell Squats Seated rows or Bent over Rows if you have the option.
A couple of things. The max amount of weight on each machine, which might be in kilos, isn't very much. Ive used their max weights and it is well within my strength. MBP and the 5x5 seemed to be focused more on heavy weight strength goals. But Im sure you could tweak them to work out with less. The other thing is, is that in the 2 or 3 years that Ive been actually getting off my ass to work out Id either have done MBP or the 5x5. Im a little burned out on going through the movements of each and would like to switch it up to stay fresh... Id really like to switch to something, like circuit training, to force myself into doing more cardio. Which is something Ive almost totally ignored doing two basically lifting only work outs regiments. Ive tried the interval thing a couple of times while on the MBP but since it wasn't integrated well into the program I got bored with the mind numbing act of running or trying to do it on the cardio machines and would just end up skipping it after a work out.
What do you guys do for protein / post workout drinks? I bought some Pure Protein 35g cans and they taste ok, but I've heard good things about the Myoplex 42g protein drinks.
Eat your protein, don't drink it. Most of those shakes are full of sugar and who knows what else and they're expensive as hell. Take your food in natural form. It's a lot cheaper and it's a lot better for you.