eat more or workout less

[mkretz]

I really enjoy working out and do so probably around 1.5-2 hours 5 days a week with usually 30 min cardio on off days but i just am not putting on weight.

I really enjoy working out and dont really want to cut down too much.

What do you think woudl help my gains more just simply trying to eat more and more or cut my workouts.

I know people always say "I eat alot" and they really don't but i really think i do eat alot lol.

What woudl u recommend?

 

[JoHNnyNuTZ]

Whats going on broa. How long have you been working out for, whats your regmine look like and what are you eating daily....you will notice that these are the questions and basic answers needed to help you out the most.

 

[killamac27]

If you want to gain weight you have to have a calorie surplus. If you think you are eating a lot right now and arn't gaining weight you are probably eating the wrong types of foods. Eating makes you bigger. The gym makes you stronger.

 

[mkretz]

breakfast is usually 3 eggs, 2 yolks
-1/2 cup egg beaters
-1oz diced ham/canadian bacon
heaping 1/5 cup (prolly mroe like 3/4 cup) oatmeal
mixed with 2% milk
sum berries thrown in

lunch - 5 oz sandwich meat
- slice of cheese
- lettuce tomatoe mayo
- 2 slices ww bread
1/2 cup greek yogurt mixed with sum berries and flax seeds

pre workout - shock therapy

post workout - 1 scoop nectar whey isolate
-a little less than half scoop casein
-35-40 grams fast carbs from sugary candy/cereal

post workout meal about 1-1.5 hours later

6 oz of fish turkey beef chicken
either sweet potatoe or rice usually usually around 3.5 oz of potatoe or .75 cup rice
big salad w/ light blue cheese dressing and lots of veggies

before bed - either casein shake mixed witha lmond milk and 2 tsp flax oil or 1 cup CC with either PB almond butter or nuts

 

[mkretz]

split is

-Monday-arms
Tues - back
Wed - cardio
Thurs - chest
Fri - shoulders
either sat or sun is legs the other is jsut cardio

 

[bigsexy74]

maybe combine a couple days into one workout and take at least 1 off, your body needs time to recover.

 

[Enjineer]

I'd say your falling victim to overtraining... and maybe cut the cardio out for awhile? i mean cardio is good for you but it also breaks you down and increases cortisol levels... not to mention burnts calories and revs up metabolism... Try HIIT possibly? also weight gainer and liquid meals allow you to get more food in... = more growth

 

[mkretz]

when are good tiems to supplement with weight gainers and stuff cuz its almost like i dont have time to its liek always meal time so i eat a meal ya know what im sayin

 

[mkretz]

also.... i try to drink extend when i do cardio so woudlnt that blunt the cortisol

 

[gamer2be08]

Well at your weight you shouldn't need too much food to grow (2600-3200 could be your bulk diet), but you should keep your lifts under 1.5 hours to avoid overtraining... Work on squats and deads and you will grow everywhere..

 

[permanabol]

I'm with gamer on squats on deads they'll make you thick as hell

 

[mkretz]

when are good times to take gainers and such becuase it seeems like im always jsut cooking meals......

 

[bezoe]

when are good times to take gainers and such becuase it seeems like im always jsut cooking meals......

drink one while you cook lol... also Enjinner is right.. try cutting workouts down to 45 min and take it easy on the cardio

 

[Tomahawk88]

Ya cut down the workouts and do plenty of compound lifts. Depending on how long u have been lifting maybe try DC. Dont have to lift that often and u will grow.

 

[BoyFromAus]

1.5 to 2 hours training a day is far too much. If you're going anything longer than 70 - 80 mins, u're most likely doing too low of an intensity... i feel nauseous and just screwed after doing a 65 min workout whether it's high volume or high intensity.

 

[mkretz]

can u give me a little insight into DC training what exactly is it.....thanks

 

[RedneckDB]

1.5 to 2 hours training a day is far too much. If you're going anything longer than 70 - 80 mins, u're most likely doing too low of an intensity... i feel nauseous and just screwed after doing a 65 min workout whether it's high volume or high intensity.

when I was around 120lbs I used to think that the length of time in the gym would be good for me and regularly spending 2hours 4-6days a week there - training chest/arms/upper body - no legs. Results? **** All.

Moral of the story -

Train for 45mins-1 Hour and up the intensity/cut resting times

Make sure your doing Squats/Deads etc and eating every 2-3 hours, I was around 165lbs-170 about 3months back but decided to cut back as there was a bit of fat I didn't care for - definitely not massive yet but its all progress you know. I've been finding the book 'macrobolic nutrition' useful lately - you can find a pdf of that if you google it.

.Eat.Squat.Eat.Deadlift etc etc

 

[mkretz]

i do lift heavy and also eat quite often..... so i guess i should jsut cut down...... but i guess my real question is, can i compensate for all thsi working out by simply eating more...cuz i love food, and i love working out lol any other tips for weight gain (not fat gain) and getting more foods in even if im eating constantly lol

 

[bezoe]

i do lift heavy and also eat quite often..... so i guess i should jsut cut down...... but i guess my real question is, can i compensate for all thsi working out by simply eating more...cuz i love food, and i love working out lol any other tips for weight gain (not fat gain) and getting more foods in even if im eating constantly lol

you can do steroids.. lol no really, ive heard of guys waking up in the middle of the night just to eat a meal.. but that might impede on your sleep which is crucial

 

[Tomahawk88]

Well if u r still not gaining wait u can force feed or eat higher calorie dense food. Sounds like u have a really fast metabolism so just add more calories and check ur weight and body fat regularly to see if u need to lower how much u r taking in.

 

[gainsvillian]

post workout - 1 scoop nectar whey isolate
-a little less than half scoop casein
-35-40 grams fast carbs from sugary candy/cereal

Cut out the casein post workout. Casein protien mixed with any other protien, ie: whey, will act like casein protien and absorb slowly. Post workout you want quick absorption, so just go with Whey.

 

[mkretz]

h=thats what i used to do but i keep reading in M&F that a little casein helps build more muscle

 

[gainsvillian]

h=thats what i used to do but i keep reading in M&F that a little casein helps build more muscle

It does, but there's a time and a place for it and it's not post-workout. Since it's slow absorbing, casein is good for times when you won't be getting another protien source for a long period of time like when you sleep or if you have a gap in meals of like 6+ hours.

 

[mkretz]

alright..... any other inputs on this?

 

[TheU]

German Volume training and eat like a mad man. If you order a 6 inch order a footlong. If you eat 2 chicken breast eat 4. i double everything i eat in my bulking phase.

 

[TheU]

3-4 times a week should be your workout around 1 hr 15 min. rest is when your muscle building

like i said before check out German Volume Training works great for me during bulking!!!

 

[mkretz]

what about like cardio and do u eat the same amount of carbs on days u dont workout, and what about just cardio days?

 

[weeniman]

At your size and fitness level, I'd dump the cardio completely. Lift hard and heavy-short term intensity is key. After some warm-up sets, go 5x5's. Better yet, get a spotter and go "old school" with some neg. reps, or burns, or super-sets. With a well devised routine, you will be absolutely spent in an hour, and your heart rate will easily stay in training zone the whole time, so no need for cardio. Don't work too many body parts per work-out.

Compound movements are great, but isolation exercises are necessary too. Mix-up your routine and constantly adjust it so each muscle gets at least 2 days rest. This takes some discipline to keep recovery times optimized, but rewards you with max growth.

I lift everyday for 1 hour

Take a mass gainer and get adequate cals.

 

[mkretz]

alright.... thanks alot, how do u do eatign on ur rest days? lower carbs? and inincrease protein and fat to keep the cals up?

 

[TheU]

You wanna eat more on your off days in my opinion that is when your muscle is craving nutrients to rebuild itself after you have just torn it apart in the gym!!!

Do a search for German Volume Training its made for putting on mass. the good thing about it is its a 3-4 day per week program with supersets you will be out of the gym in an hour and wont worry about burning to many cals or carbs.

right now you dont need any cardio if you are trying to bulk and given your size. IF you want ride the bike for 10 min before you lift to get your blood flowing but i wouldnt go above this in terms of cardio.

If i can give you one solid advice from personal experience you can buy every suplement in the world but if you arent eating you wont gain **** and if you are thinking you are eating alot you arnt... eat some more!!

I carry a animal snak bar around with me everywere i go if i get past an hour without eating i smash one down. plan on eating 6 times a day i make two of those liquid meals.

 

[TheU]

I know what i am telling you sounds so basic and not very fun but if you ask anyone on this board (well most) they will tell you they got the way they are by forcing food down there throat.

Also a good way to know what is going into your body is to log it. I have an app on my phone that does this but i used to carry a mini notebook around with me and write down everything that went into my mouth.

 

[mkretz]

i eat at least 6 meals a day usually htats the thing lol i dunno guess i gotta have bigger "in between" meals

 

[weeniman]

split is

-Monday-arms
Tues - back
Wed - cardio
Thurs - chest
Fri - shoulders
either sat or sun is legs the other is jsut cardio

Unless you're using all isolations exercises, it appears arms are over-trained and consequently back and shoulders are under-trained. Net result is less gain in all areas.

Monday you kill your arms. 23 hours later, you're doing back, which is using the biceps you killed yesterday. Your biceps are not recovered, so you can't kill on all back exercises. So your biceps are over-trained, and your back is under-trained.

Thurs you kill chest, probably triceps and front deltoids too. 23 hours later, you're doing shoulders which is using the triceps and front deltoids you killed the day before. They're not recovered yet, so you can't sufficiently work your shoulders. So then triceps and front delts are over-trained and shoulders are under-trained.

I see a lot of guys with routines similar to this who are "hard gainers." Refine your workout/schedule to ensure at least 2 days rest of EACH muscle.

 

[mkretz]

how would it look if i did....

mon - chest
tues - back
wed - off
thurs - arms
fri - legs
sat - shoulders
sun - off

but if i had to switch it and work shoulders on sun and take sat off, on monday id do back monday and then chest tuesday that way my shoulders and tris arent spent for chest

 

[Link24]

BOTH. . . . . I personally think these 2 things are the biggest mistakes people make. They work way too much with way to much volume and the duration is too long. On top of that they dont eat enough damn food. That why you see all these people who are 170-185lbs who say they can grow, who take many cycles but, somehow they are still 185 lol......Go figure? In my personal opinion 3 times a week is where its at mon, wed, fri. And try to keep your workout less than 1 hour. WHile Eating 4k + calories. . . I guarantee you will grow

 

[R1balla]

sorry i got to your thread late bro no offense, but that diet looks good enough for my golden retriever. you need to add in more quality snacks. im gonna give you an example. times are from wake up to lunch. after you see this, you can do the rest of the day on your own or PM me
Wake Up: IMMEDIATELY HAVE A SHAKE. my shakes consist of ice cream, real fruits(not frozen) evoo, 2 eggs, 1 banana, oatmeal oats, 24g of whey, flaxseed and plain vanilla yogurt with a few ice cubes. this gives u nutrients u missed from sleeping. now wait about 30 min THEN make your breakfast.
Breakfast: 6 egg whites, 2 whole eggs with oatmeal and/or a few slices of turkey meat
Snack: Plain raw almonds with a fruit like blueberries or cranberries and an oatmeal to go bar
Lunch: Chicken breast with veggies (i like broccoli and fresh green beans with peas and a mix of other stuff) and pasta.

make sure u are drinking about a gallon of water a day. if you want to take a supplement, take creatine mono. but always be eating. i almost always have a snack in my hand. whether it is almonds or a small sandwich, i am always eating.

 

[R1balla]

as far as training...for me, this is what i do for my best results. every week i do not do the exact same rep or workout, but i follow this basic routine
MON - chest
DB bench - 10 8 6 then super set 10 reps
DB incline - 10 8 6 then super set 10 reps
Decline on hammer strength - 10 8 15
flys (either cable or DB) 3 sets with a drop set of 12 reps

TUES - back
Lat pulldown, v bar low row, DB row or t bar row (what ronnie does), and straight leg deads, shrugs

WED - OFF

THURS - 5x5 with legs - this hits all your compound lifts five sets of 5 reps
bench, squat, deadlifts, leg press super set into 2 sets of front squat, shoulder press

FRI - OFF

Sat - ARMS - i always do random stuff for arms. if u wanna know specifics PM me or post on here

Sun - OFF

 

[mkretz]

wow, thanks alot guys........... i am still curious as to more meals and what not cuz i feel i get a good amt. like lately ive been wakin up and havin a whey shake with like a piece of fruit as soon as i get up then like 45 min later ill have sum eggs and oats

 

[R1balla]

well from what ur first diet post was, those were 3 good main course meals, but u need to add one more main meal and add in snacks in between meals along with another shake in the morning, or post workout along with at night. if ur 125 and u cant get past that weight, u simply arent eating enough bro. if u were less and u have gained and now ur at ur all time high 125 then keep on going till you peak, then come ask for help. but i do agree with others, u are over training aloooot. thats worse than not training at all. it damages your muscles. besides my 5x5 day, i have a hard time staying in the gym for one hour. usually about 45 min give or take 10. also, to help with water intake, bring a gallon jug to the gym. you will find urself drinking more water while u train. i know when i dont have my jug, i dont drink hardly any water. when i do have it, i drink about a half a gallon. are u taking a mulit vitamin? ppl under estimate the value here....how can ur muscles grow without the proper amount of vitamins and minerals essential for growth

 

[weeniman]

Make it REAL EASY and use a mass gainer.

Your revised routine is better. Just for sumthin to look at, here's a simplified version of my 5 day rotation:

Day 1. Legs
Day 2. Pull
Day 3. Push
Day 4. Core: abs, deads, cardio and stretching.
Day 5. Misc isolation, shoulders, forearms, neck,

No days off. I lift for 1 hour a day. Start with 5 min cardio, do 3-5 different compound exercises, then 1-3 different isolation exercises, finish with 5 min cardio. Heart rate is mantained in training zone throughout routine. I try to kill 5-6 exercises each w/o.

No need for an "arm" day because pulling day ends with bicep isolation, and pushing day ends with tricep isolation.

Next 5 day rotation could be all different different exercises, but schedule never changes.

Every muscle rests at least 2 days.

 

[mkretz]

i like that...... its jsut hard for me to not go to the gym lol so i like that there arnt really any days off.....what heavy excersies do u do on ur misc day though

 

[R1balla]

if ur just looking for mass, sure u dont need an arm day. but once i added an arm day in my routine, my arms exploded very quickly. i never liked push/pull routines cause i felt like i didnt get a good workout vs a body split.

 

[R1balla]

as long as u are getting rest and doing compound lifts, your workout is not going to really matter. your diet makes u grow

 

[weeniman]

i like that...... its jsut hard for me to not go to the gym lol so i like that there arnt really any days off.....what heavy excersies do u do on ur misc day though

I'll go heavy on shrugs-my heavy sets are at 405#. I do front and/or lateral raises too, but rotator cuff issues limit weight.

Some people "need" an arm day. I suppose this would be the day to do it, but after some shoulder isolation exercises, forearms, neck and a total of 10 min cardio, my hour is up! (I usually go a little over).

They way I keep my heart-rate up (but not insane) is to alternate a high-effort exercise (heavy shrug) to a lower effort one (wrist curl). I pay alot of attention to heart-rate, and rest very little during a w/o.

 

[Type O Hero]

drink one while you cook lol... also Enjinner is right.. try cutting workouts down to 45 min and take it easy on the cardio

Agreed.

Check out the link in my signature

 

[mkretz]

ha i just read an article sayin that simple carbs before bed are good for u and will help u sleep......they recommend like rasperry french toast before bed wow what u think bout that?

 

[weeniman]

if ur just looking for mass, sure u dont need an arm day. but once i added an arm day in my routine, my arms exploded very quickly. i never liked push/pull routines cause i felt like i didnt get a good workout vs a body split.

I liked my arm day too, (and miss it) but the tape measure showed no better gains. Essentially, arm day was a wasted day--In my case.

I finish pulling day with bicep isolation (until failure++), and finish pushing day with tricep isolation (until failure++). Tape measure says it's as effective as an arm day.

For me, the short-comings that you're pointing out are overcome by "no days off" on my "5 day rotation."

Not suggesting the way I do things is best, but it works surprisingly well for me-simple, quick, effective. Everyone's best routine is unique.

 

[weeniman]

ha i just read an article sayin that simple carbs before bed are good for u and will help u sleep......they recommend like rasperry french toast before bed wow what u think bout that?

Perfect time for some of that mass gainer. (with milk!)

 

[Tomahawk88]

I would be worried about ur CNS with no rest days.

 

[mkretz]

wouldnt a mass gainer be bad before bed with all those carbs.............. hwo woudl i know if my CNS was shot?