155lbs been there for about 2yrs. HELP

[EctoBuff]

ive been skinny all my life, ecto as hell.about 2yrs ago i started working out and went fron 130lbs to 155lbs but then i just ****ing STOPED growing.
any advice would be a huge help.

[OCCFan023]

Man thats a very, very broad question/potential answer.

First off (which Im sure everyone will say)
1) Whats your diet like (I dont mean just that its healthy, how much are you eating, when your gains slowed did you bump up cals (and consistently do so until you saw more growth or gains? You could be eating 3500 cals and not see gains and feel suicidal but FOOD IS KEY BUMP THAT **** UP to 4500 or how ever much if need be, its hard but doable {only saying if you happen to not be eating enough })
2) What type of training styles have you used? Your body will inevitably adapt to training protocols if they remain the same. Variation is key.
3) Have you tried supplements and if so what types?
4) When you gains slowed were you getting enough rest/limiting harsh factors that would limit your gains?
5) How do you have 13 posts and over 800,000 rep points? Sorry I had too.

There are alot of factors here man and we need info, but be assured there is something you can do that will help you break past your plateau.

[EctoBuff]

Man thats a very, very broad question/potential answer.

First off (which Im sure everyone will say)
1) Whats your diet like (I dont mean just that its healthy, how much are you eating, when your gains slowed did you bump up cals (and consistently do so until you saw more growth or gains? You could be eating 3500 cals and not see gains and feel suicidal but FOOD IS KEY BUMP THAT **** UP to 4500 or how ever much if need be, its hard but doable {only saying if you happen to not be eating enough })
2) What type of training styles have you used? Your body will inevitably adapt to training protocols if they remain the same. Variation is key.
3) Have you tried supplements and if so what types?
4) When you gains slowed were you getting enough rest/limiting harsh factors that would limit your gains?
5) How do you have 13 posts and over 800,000 rep points? Sorry I had too.

There are alot of factors here man and we need info, but be assured there is something you can do that will help you break past your plateau.

1)my diet consists of about 3500cals
2)ive tryed everything from GVT to 5x5 to DC to 12-7-3 and others.
3)xfactor, massfx, junglewarfare stacked with badassmass, cytogainer, calorie drink, creatine monohydrate and lots of other stuff that i cant think of at the moment.
4)i get aprox. 10hrs of sleep pernight
5)guess im insitefull

[TheDrive]

Man thats a very, very broad question/potential answer.

First off (which Im sure everyone will say)
1) Whats your diet like (I dont mean just that its healthy, how much are you eating, when your gains slowed did you bump up cals (and consistently do so until you saw more growth or gains? You could be eating 3500 cals and not see gains and feel suicidal but FOOD IS KEY BUMP THAT **** UP to 4500 or how ever much if need be, its hard but doable {only saying if you happen to not be eating enough })
2) What type of training styles have you used? Your body will inevitably adapt to training protocols if they remain the same. Variation is key.
3) Have you tried supplements and if so what types?
4) When you gains slowed were you getting enough rest/limiting harsh factors that would limit your gains?
5) How do you have 13 posts and over 800,000 rep points? Sorry I had too.

There are alot of factors here man and we need info, but be assured there is something you can do that will help you break past your plateau.

OCC knows his sh!t... I just have to throw in my $0.02 as well.

This is a GREAT reply with all the right questions!!! I know everyone's body is different, but I for one plateau VERY easily if I do the same workout for more than 4 weeks at a time, even if I consistenly lift heavier weight... Variation really IS key...

When he mentioned eating, my thoughts went straight to "recovery". If you are lifting heavy weight with extreme intensity in the gym and you are not eating enough, you are leaving yourself WIDE OPEN FOR CATABOLISM to occur! If you cause enough hyperplasia and hypertrophy...either one actually, and you don't eat enough, your body will catabolize those precious gains. Look into getting a natural test booster as well...like NxLabs Nitro T3. That's what I used for a while. It didn't really 'feel' like it was working, but as soon as I ran out I noticed a huge difference. The increased test levels might actually help protect your muscles from catabolism.

Smoking and drinking will also kill your gains. I LOVE booze...but I have to limit myself. I still dip tobacco, but since I quit smoking, I have noticed much faster gains. Putting carbon monoxide in your blood stream every hour of so is just sufficating the muscle cells that are starving for oxygen and every other nutrient after a tough workout. Alcohol slows protein synthesis... That's pretty self explanatory...

GOOD LUCK TO YOU! If you need any help, feel free to PM me.

[EctoBuff]

OCC knows his sh!t... I just have to throw in my $0.02 as well.

This is a GREAT reply with all the right questions!!! I know everyone's body is different, but I for one plateau VERY easily if I do the same workout for more than 4 weeks at a time, even if I consistenly lift heavier weight... Variation really IS key...

When he mentioned eating, my thoughts went straight to "recovery". If you are lifting heavy weight with extreme intensity in the gym and you are not eating enough, you are leaving yourself WIDE OPEN FOR CATABOLISM to occur! If you cause enough hyperplasia and hypertrophy...either one actually, and you don't eat enough, your body will catabolize those precious gains. Look into getting a natural test booster as well...like NxLabs Nitro T3. That's what I used for a while. It didn't really 'feel' like it was working, but as soon as I ran out I noticed a huge difference. The increased test levels might actually help protect your muscles from catabolism.

Smoking and drinking will also kill your gains. I LOVE booze...but I have to limit myself. I still dip tobacco, but since I quit smoking, I have noticed much faster gains. Putting carbon monoxide in your blood stream every hour of so is just sufficating the muscle cells that are starving for oxygen and every other nutrient after a tough workout. Alcohol slows protein synthesis... That's pretty self explanatory...

GOOD LUCK TO YOU! If you need any help, feel free to PM me.

I do try and keep variation in my workouts whether its by changing reprange or changing method altogether but i do try to change it up.
and i also get great avice during workouts by the anabolic mastermind himself, blackjack. lol

also, i dont booze(much) or consume any tobacco products whatsoever

[TeamSavage]

ive been skinny all my life, ecto as hell.about 2yrs ago i started working out and went fron 130lbs to 155lbs but then i just ****ing STOPED growing.
any advice would be a huge help.

Eat more. It is that simple.

If you couldn't gain muscle (but were gaining weight, i.e. fat) then it might be more complicated.

But if you're not gaining weight period then you're simply not eating enough. 3500 calories is now your maintenance intake. Eat more to gain.

[MEH89]

Its kinda old school but 20 reps squats three times a week, and a gallon of whole milk a day. My coach makes everyone do it, after a few months of lifting. Though it works like a charm. If you want more information PM me. Mark

[RenegadeRows]

Take a week off, it's like hitting a reset button. Then train like an animal and eat like a pig in cycles. 8 weeks of madness, then a week off, repeat.

[TheCrownedOne]

Eat more. It is that simple.

If you couldn't gain muscle (but were gaining weight, i.e. fat) then it might be more complicated.

But if you're not gaining weight period then you're simply not eating enough. 3500 calories is now your maintenance intake. Eat more to gain.

This is exactly right. Let go of any misconception you may have about 3500 calories being a lot. It isn't a lot to your body - if it were, you'd be gaining weight. It's that simple.

[BigTender]

Sometimes it's hassle to have to eat enough to grow. Never being hungry, and just shoving the food down. But it works.

[rysigpi]

Sometimes it's hassle to have to eat enough to grow. Never being hungry, and just shoving the food down. But it works.

I second that. Up the calories. No way around it.

Here is my newest pimpin recipe:

100g natural peanut butter 25/18/50
ounce of slivered pecans 5/4/20
two scoops chocolate protein powder 50/2/0
4 pastuerized eggs whites (or egg beaters) 16/0/0
cup cheerios 2/23/1
splenda to taste
-mix all together with a big arse spoon and then refridgerate. I guess you could roll them into bite sized nuggets if you wanted to....

1,223 calories
99g protein
47g carbos
71g fat


It tastes delicious! Every time you pass the fridge take a monster spoonful of it and you should start to see some weight gain soon enough.

[EctoPower]

Take a week off, it's like hitting a reset button. Then train like an animal and eat like a pig in cycles. 8 weeks of madness, then a week off, repeat.

I always go in 8 week cycles. I lift heavy as sh*t for 8 weeks and by that point my body is begging for a rest. One week off and I'm back at it. Each 8 week cycle I'm gaining in strength and if I'm eating right, as others have described, I gain weight too. For example, I've gained 6 pounds since 7/9/07 and dropped from about 16% bf to 12.5%.

Somebody else touched on a good point too. You may have bumped up to 3500 cals, but it's likely your body has adjusted and 3500 is really maintenance at this point. Keep pushing it up.

[Pioneer]

you get 10 hours of sleep a night?

tell me your secret to life.

[EctoBuff]

you get 10 hours of sleep a night?

tell me your secret to life.

stockmarket?

[theJmad]

getting 3,500 cals is pretty decent, but being an ecto myself I have found that 3,500 cals. is right at the level of maintaining my weight. I weigh 165lbs (I used to be 180 til i tore my rotator cuff...Argg)You can find some online calculators around to find out how many cals you need to put on some weight. This is what works for me: EAT MORE and try stopping all cardio while bulking and see what happens. Supps help, but at the end of the day if you're expending more cals. than you're taking in you're not going to gain weight.

[CaponeCEO]

Its kinda old school but 20 reps squats three times a week, and a gallon of whole milk a day. My coach makes everyone do it, after a few months of lifting. Though it works like a charm. If you want more information PM me. Mark

Does drinking a gallon of whole milk daily count for your hydration intake as well? I love drinking whole milk, but I also want to drink enough water to keep hydrated. Does milk in essence help with hydration? or does your body use it strictly for its nutrients?

[motive]

looks like its all been said... but i wanted to say! stop repping newbies so darn much! thats alot of reps for such few posts

[TeamSavage]

Does drinking a gallon of whole milk daily count for your hydration intake as well? I love drinking whole milk, but I also want to drink enough water to keep hydrated. Does milk in essence help with hydration? or does your body use it strictly for its nutrients?

No it will only hydrate you if it is in pure water form. The water in milk (it's mostly water, like all beverages) simply vanishes in your stomach once the proteins, sugars and fats have all been digested.

[bLacKjAck.]

looks like its all been said... but i wanted to say! stop repping newbies so darn much! thats alot of reps for such few posts

EctoBuff is my brother...shhh moti

[PumpingIron]

Sounds like your training and diet aren't where they should be.

How tall are you, out of curiousity?

As an ecto, you obviously know that it's going to be harder for you to gain....you are going to need 6 or more meals a day, somwhere around 600-800 cals per meal. I think a macro breakdown of 35P/45C/20F would work well for you.

Mind posting a specific diet and training regimine? It'll make giving suggestions much easier for everyone.