5'7 and Gaining

[mxer657]

I'm 5'7. I've been working out for about 4 weeks. I've kept good nutrition and am getting about 100 grams of protein a day ( I know I need more ).

I'd like some feedback. I know I want to get a lot bigger but I'm sure there are things you guys can pin point for me. All criticism/feedback will be appreciated.

As for supplements, I'm taking 2 1500mg caps of Creatine a day and then eating a pretty good diet. I've noticed some decent gains but like anyone else, I want more.

Shots are from today just flexing (no pre workout)

Goooooo

[mxer657]

2/21/10
now sitting at 136 lbs so all good so far

also onto a new creatine mix called Cell-Tech Pro by Muscletech and am loving it

[mxer657]

reserved

So I took a 3 Month break. Still ate healthy but didn't exercise at all. Been at it for a week and am in college so you know how that goes. Anyways here I am:









I was pleased with my previous routine but I’m going to alternate my rep/set scheme as well as my days. I’ll be super-setting so every four sets I’ll take a 40-60 second break. Monday will be 8 reps, Wednesday will be 10, Friday will be 6 but every workout I’ll add 5 pounds so I’ll keep a constant progression.

The major body parts I will be working on are (I’ll choose one of each):
legs - squats, hack squats, leg press, front squats
back - sumo deadlifts, suitcase deadlifts (deads with dumbells), romanian deadlifts
upper back (and biceps) - chins, reverse grip chins, pull ups, wide grip pull ups, bent over rows
chest - bench, incline bench, chest dips (head down, body forward, legs back)
triceps - close grip bench, dips (head up, body straight, legs straight), skullcrushers (while laying on a bench)
delts - military press, upright rows, clean and press, push press



Goal of this routine is to maximize natural release of GH in my body to get the most gains from my exercises. By keeping a good pace up with minimal amount of breaks on Wednesday, it will give me the highest GH release.

So my new schedule would look like:
Sun: Cardio
Mon: Full body (4x8)
Tue:Calves
Wed: Full body (4x10)
Thu:Cardio
Fri: Full body (4x6)
Sat: Shoulders

Diet is the same but I'll be adding Cell-Tech Hardcore Series (2 scoops a day during exercise)

Any suggestions or opinions on the backtracking 3 months does. Physically you can't see much but boy, under that bench you can tell lol. Went from 220 max to poop which explains the shrunken chest. I'll also need to cut a bit to get in shape for the beach

[abnxtwo]

Yeah bro you got a decent start there keep pushing.


Whats youre routine consist of?

What are you eating?

And where are the pics of the wheels man?(legs)


Build those legs to see some growth up top.

[suncloud]

solid foundation.

your rear delts seem to need a bit more developing to catch up (they're lagging behind a bit). keep up with mostly compound movements and you should be good to go. 100g of protein is probably not far behind from what you need : 140-150 grams is where i would say you should be at. with regards to supplements, i think you're good on the creatine, and invest the rest of your money in protein, carbs, and good old food. you shouldn't need more than that to get to 160 pounds.

[mxer657]

Yeah bro you got a decent start there keep pushing.


Whats youre routine consist of?

What are you eating?

And where are the pics of the wheels man?(legs)


Build those legs to see some growth up top.

Dietwise:

5-6 meals a day. Probably 3-4k calories
Protein: 100 grams but am increasing to get to 160+
Healthy fats, tons of vitamins, vegetables, a few healthy sugars, and a good probably 120-200 carbs a day

For example, it's 4:40 and I've had 128 grams of protein, 106 carbs, and around 2000 calories. And once I have some good whole wheat pasta, I will have reached my goal for the day :]

Routine:
I know I'll get slammed for this and I'm all for taking advice. I think I'll keep it this way till I hit a brick wall (stop gaining) and then move on to your advice to surprise my muscles..but here we go

Work out 5 times a week:
Monday: Bench (reg, inclined, declined), tricep workouts, shoulder presses, dumbell flys, dips with weight, and shrugs
Tuesday: Work out my back with machines, preacher curls, pull ups (wide and narrow grip), pull downs,
Wednesday: Quads, hamstrings, and calfs (mostly machines)
Thursday: Same as Monday
Friday: Off
Saturday: Same as Tuesday

The reason I don't do dead lifts, etc., etc. is because I've never been taught and I'd like to not hurt my back permanently so machines will do for now. I don't like working out my legs but I've started to incorporate them into Wednesdays. Will working out my legs more help me get bigger in general? Logic tells me that lifting heavy weights regardless of what major muscle group, will release testosterone (especially at my age) which would help muscle growth everywhere. Correct?

From previous experience of working out (I was pretty hardcore a few years ago), running inhibits me gaining any mass whatsoever. Now I haven't had much personal experience with HIIT so I'd like to hear everyone's opinion on it.

I'm also dying to get my traps, upper chest, and shoulders bigger. If you guys have any workouts, send them my way!!

Also keep up the comments and recommendations. I'll get pics of the "wheels" next week

[CrazyChemist]

reps bro - keep at it. Don't forget lower back and legs. I used to rarely lift legs and I plateaued pretty quick. Once I started hitting legs again my weight went up.

[mxer657]

solid foundation.

your rear delts seem to need a bit more developing to catch up (they're lagging behind a bit). keep up with mostly compound movements and you should be good to go. 100g of protein is probably not far behind from what you need : 140-150 grams is where i would say you should be at. with regards to supplements, i think you're good on the creatine, and invest the rest of your money in protein, carbs, and good old food. you shouldn't need more than that to get to 160 pounds.

Yupp I agree. My rear delts and traps need a lot of help. Any workouts you can recommend?

Yeah I've been told that if you want to weigh xxx amount of pounds, you need AT LEAST xxx amount of grams of protein. Guess that is true

[suncloud]

there's a few different workouts floating around that might agree with you, i'll link all 3

The Ectomorph Workout
http://www.defrancostraining.com/art...rds-part1.html
Growth Stimulus Training Unveiled

just read up and decide which one suits you best - there's nothing that works 100% for everybody, but there are obvious similarities in all ecto based workouts.

[mxer657]

there's a few different workouts floating around that might agree with you, i'll link all 3

just read up and decide which one suits you best - there's nothing that works 100% for everybody, but there are obvious similarities in all ecto based workouts.

Thanks for those. I had already read the first 2 but I'll bookmark the last one to read soon. I also read the DC training for beginners which I think I will switch to once I hit a brick wall with my current setup.

I'm also interested in the 5x5 workout I keep hearing about. Any good links for that?

[suncloud]

do anything other than DC. you need a good 2 years of foundation work and really knowing how to push yourself before trying DC. after a couple years of training though, DC is a solid platform to jump into.

if you google "riptoe's starting strength" or "bill starr 5x5" you should find quite a few links

[abnxtwo]

Just wanted to say mxer657 much props for not asking about how to use a PH to get to your'e goals

[mxer657]

do anything other than DC. you need a good 2 years of foundation work and really knowing how to push yourself before trying DC. after a couple years of training though, DC is a solid platform to jump into.

if you google "riptoe's starting strength" or "bill starr 5x5" you should find quite a few links

I will do. I'll have a lot of reading in the next few days

Just wanted to say mxer657 much props for not asking about how to use a PH to get to your'e goals

Thanks man. I really appreciate it. It's hard but I'm not going down that road at all.

[mxer657]

Just weighed in at 132 and max bench is up to 185. I'm trying to get to 220 by summer and 250 by end of summer.

I've put on muscle so that's good. Finally workin out... I did some HIIT for the first time in 2 years after doing a really hard work out and I almost died lol

I'm also looking to make my shoulders bigger. I understand how to make the front and side bigger, but how do I make the back of my shoulder bigger? (look at pic 2 and 3)

[kingk0ng]

solid foundation.

your rear delts seem to need a bit more developing to catch up (they're lagging behind a bit). keep up with mostly compound movements and you should be good to go. 100g of protein is probably not far behind from what you need : 140-150 grams is where i would say you should be at. with regards to supplements, i think you're good on the creatine, and invest the rest of your money in protein, carbs, and good old food. you shouldn't need more than that to get to 160 pounds.

I totally agree.

Focus a lot on your bent over rows, pullups, bench presses, squats, deadlifts, overhead presses and core work.

Develop your compounds and your three pulls (deadlift, row, pullup).

[mxer657]

I totally agree.

Focus a lot on your bent over rows, pullups, bench presses, squats, deadlifts, overhead presses and core work.

Develop your compounds and your three pulls (deadlift, row, pullup).

Thanks I'll do that. I'm kind f nervous doing deadlifts or rows because I don't know proper form so I don't ever touch it with the bar. Could anyone link me a good video or two?

[sanchezgreg18]

uve only lifted for 4 weeks u said in ur first post? neway looks like ur off to a good start but if u wanna get anywhere u really gotta incorporate the compound lifts. deadlifts and squats too not just benching. but good work so far bro keep it up

[mxer657]

uve only lifted for 4 weeks u said in ur first post? neway looks like ur off to a good start but if u wanna get anywhere u really gotta incorporate the compound lifts. deadlifts and squats too not just benching. but good work so far bro keep it up

Yeah I lifted when I was younger for national's (motocross) to be in top shape but now it is just to get bigger. I'd like to but I don't know proper form and you can't trust half of those videos out there on youtube..

Can anyone send me in the right direction for Dead lifts, Rows, and Squats?

[sanchezgreg18]

you tube rippetoe he haas all the instructional videos

[Lacradocious]

I agree with everyone. Since your new to lifting, focus on learning a routine that is comprehensive. It takes time to learn them all and you are going to feel awkward with some of them. Also, focus on eating right, and when to eat what type of foods.

Don't be one of the many gym dudes who like to sit around and bench, talk, bench some more, and then do bicep curls. Learn all of the lifts, they are all important. Plus you might find out that your genetics blessed you with great traps or quads or lats. You would never know it if you didn't learn how to work them.

Get some good whey protein. 2 scoops with some milk and water is about 50 grams. Drink one in the morning and one after your workout or before bed on non-workout days. That's 100 grams right there alone and you will get about 50-100 more if you are eating balanced meals.

Good luck.

Browse the Exercise Science, as well as the Training forum. There is a ton of under-utilized info in there.