Bulking newb in need of help

[the kid]

Hello board bros, I'm the typical ectomorph that is trying to bulk up and increase size without losing speed and agility. My story: I started off at 165lbs at the age of 19 when I finished my vertical growth just over 6'4" and started to lift on and off for two years and built up to 190lbs. In the last year I have taken weightlifting seriously and have since bulked up to 226lbs@13%bf (pretty high for me) I recently injured my back (erector spinae) and took a month off of weightlifting, and am getting ready to hit the gym again with more of a purpose. My wants/needs/questions: I want to gain more mass through better supplementation as I have only taken creatine and protein as well as NO Xplode on a few occasions (one month on, one month off) and I want to take some supplements to get me to the next level because I still feel skinny and still have skinny arms and legs. My diet is pretty well under control but I don't know what is best as far as saturated fats to take in each day. What would you guys say have been the best supps (besides protein and creatine) that have been PROVEN to work for bulking without causing much harm to the user. I don't want to be a lab rat, I want to maintain my health and grow without many adverse effects. My workouts are pretty well under control as I have found what is best for me and don't need much help in that department. I am aware of the fact that I am a newb and have asked some newb questions but I want to take this seriously and that is why I have decided to ask even the dumbest questions so please don't razz me too much I just want some help. Any help/advice/suggestions would be great. Thanks in advance.

 

[suncloud]

hopefully this points you in the right direction :

http://anabolicminds.com/forum/training-forum/99607-gaining-mass-nutshell.html

 

[MMAMONSTER19]

Hey man, from one ecto to another the only supp you need really is FOOD!! you need to eat everything in site, and train hard and rest hard with good amounts of recovery time and sleep. you need to figure out your macro with your calorie intake along with protein/carbs/fats, and then you will be on your way, the supps you have been taken are the only ones i know of that you should continue to take to remain with your natural hormones dude, hope this helps good luck and you will see results along with getting a good workout routine i personally like the 5x5 take care

 

[the kid]

hopefully this points you in the right direction :


Thanks, I appreciate the help. Also, I am 22. I don't know if I mentioned that in my original post. Any supp recommendations?

 

[the kid]

Hey man, from one ecto to another the only supp you need really is FOOD!! you need to eat everything in site, and train hard and rest hard with good amounts of recovery time and sleep. you need to figure out your macro with your calorie intake along with protein/carbs/fats, and then you will be on your way, the supps you have been taken are the only ones i know of that you should continue to take to remain with your natural hormones dude, hope this helps good luck and you will see results along with getting a good workout routine i personally like the 5x5 take care

Thanks man, I appreciate it.

I take in over 4,000 calories a day right now. I still don't understand what I need to do as far as fat intake (saturated fats in particular) I train for max hypertrophy and get an ideal amount of rest. I'm obvuiously not looking to change over night, I just want some help so I can get a better understanding of the big picture and to ensure myself that I'm getting everything I can out of my workouts.

 

[suncloud]

proven mass builders? waxy maize starch and protein. creatine mono. that's pretty much it. remember to start off your routine with complex moves. if you're not gaining with the basics, you need to look at calorie consumption.

as far as saturated fat goes, i wouldn't try going too high. saturated fat is found in milk, meat, and cheese, so if you're already eating those every day, you're probably eating enough of saturated fats.

mono fats is better for you, and probably what you're lacking. those are nuts, peanut butter, avacado, etc.

i would stick with the basic three supplements for a year before i tried to add any other ones. it makes sense to fully reap the benefits of the first ones before adding others.

again, hopefully i've answered your questions.

 

[the kid]

proven mass builders? waxy maize starch and protein. creatine mono. that's pretty much it. remember to start off your routine with complex moves. if you're not gaining with the basics, you need to look at calorie consumption.

as far as saturated fat goes, i wouldn't try going too high. saturated fat is found in milk, meat, and cheese, so if you're already eating those every day, you're probably eating enough of saturated fats.

mono fats is better for you, and probably what you're lacking. those are nuts, peanut butter, avacado, etc.

i would stick with the basic three supplements for a year before i tried to add any other ones. it makes sense to fully reap the benefits of the first ones before adding others.

again, hopefully i've answered your questions.

You have deifintely helped answer my questions. When should I consume the mono fats? I do take a waxy maize along with my protein and some creatine ethyl-ester along with monohydrate. I appreciate the help.

 

[Schecterx]

BCAA's!

 

[suncloud]

You have deifintely helped answer my questions. When should I consume the mono fats? I do take a waxy maize along with my protein and some creatine ethyl-ester along with monohydrate. I appreciate the help.

consume the mono fats throughout the day. it really doesn't matter. mono fats, especially peanut butter is best at night though.
reason 1 - fats are slower digesting
reason 2 - carbs blunt growth hormone response, so there's little else you can take, except meat.

creatine ethyl ester if it works for you, then more power to you. creatine mono is a more solid product in my opinion, though not everyone responds.

the following advice, is ecto advice only. waxy maize starch 50g + 25g protein pre workout, then 75g waxy maize starch + 30-35g protein post workout. its important to fuel your muscles before working out, which is very important to the ecto. furthermore, the carbs will be immediately used as energy. its called ecto power. you could also eat a slice of wheat bread with your pre workout shake for better utilization of your energy. consume your pre workout shake within 30 minutes of hitting the gym.

 

[the kid]

consume the mono fats throughout the day. it really doesn't matter. mono fats, especially peanut butter is best at night though.
reason 1 - fats are slower digesting
reason 2 - carbs blunt growth hormone response, so there's little else you can take, except meat.

creatine ethyl ester if it works for you, then more power to you. creatine mono is a more solid product in my opinion, though not everyone responds.

the following advice, is ecto advice only. waxy maize starch 50g + 25g protein pre workout, then 75g waxy maize starch + 30-35g protein post workout. its important to fuel your muscles before working out, which is very important to the ecto. furthermore, the carbs will be immediately used as energy. its called ecto power. you could also eat a slice of wheat bread with your pre workout shake for better utilization of your energy. consume your pre workout shake within 30 minutes of hitting the gym.

Dang man, that is a HUGE help. I haven't consumed that much waxy maize pre/post workout so I'm eager to get on that. I have the waxy maize from the Nutra Planet store and it didn't come with a scoop, do you know what would be a good measuring tool for 25g of the waxy maize? Also, is peanut butter on bread a good way to start the day? I usually consume a protein shake in water to start the day and I know it's not cutting it as far as cal/carbs to start the day so should I go with some bread and peanut butter instead? I have an irratible stomach in the morning which is why I can't drink milk first thing when I wake up and I don't respond well to eggs or most cooked foods in the morning but I have had peanut butter sandwiches in the morning and it didn't tear up my stomach, so should I go with that and then a protein shake an hour later or visa versa? Also, I have heard about fatty acids aiding in absorption of supps, is this the case with the creatine or should I take that on an empty stomach?

 

[suncloud]

i would definitely go with more food for breakfast. a protein shake is good, if your stomach can't handle much else, but bread and peanut butter would be a great addition.

creatine is best absorbed by itself, but with a protein/fast carb shake is fine, since all three of them are very quick absorbing.

if i had to guess on your quick carb dosing, i would say 1/5 cup = 25g. taking more than that won't really hurt you, especially if your body is starving for energy. so just under 1/2 cup pre workout of WMS, and a heaping 1/2 cup serving post workout. you could adjust up or down from there if your stomach gets upset, but that should point you in the right direction.

 

[the kid]

i would definitely go with more food for breakfast. a protein shake is good, if your stomach can't handle much else, but bread and peanut butter would be a great addition.

creatine is best absorbed by itself, but with a protein/fast carb shake is fine, since all three of them are very quick absorbing.

if i had to guess on your quick carb dosing, i would say 1/5 cup = 25g. taking more than that won't really hurt you, especially if your body is starving for energy. so just under 1/2 cup pre workout of WMS, and a heaping 1/2 cup serving post workout. you could adjust up or down from there if your stomach gets upset, but that should point you in the right direction.

Thanks a lot man. My stomach functions well after I have been awake for a couple hours, it is just the first couple hours of the day that it is easily upset so I should be able to handle the waxy maize no problem. I'm definitely going to take in the amount of waxy maize you recommended pre and post workout, I was just curious what the measurement for 25g would be becaus then I could figure out what I need to do to get the 50g and 75g you recommended but you figured that out for me as well. I'm really eager to start the additional waxy maize in my diet to pack on some extra size and have additional energy pre and post-workout. I'm also curious about my arms, I have a workout that produces great results for me and the goals I want to reach but I feel and have noticed as I have progressed that my arms lag in development. I don't know if I don't hit them hard enough or often enough. If you could give me an idea of what to do to get them up in growth and to catch up with the rest of my body's development I would greatly appreciate it. I'm not an ego lifter and I don't care about the size of my biceps but in proportion to the rest of my body they severly lack the development that the rest of my body has gone through as far as growth and strength. Plain and simple, I hate working out my arms, I look forward to training my calves and legs more than anything but I need to develop my arms more as I have neglected them. I would appreciate any input and I'm a realist, I am not looking for 20 inch arms, or an overnight fix. I just want something that I KNOW will stimulate an adequate amount of growth similar to what the rest of my body recieves and to be able to get my arms proportionate as far as development and strength.

 

[suncloud]

this is the five exercises that makes my arm day :

chin ups (just under shoulder width)
close grip bench - hands 8-10 inches apart
cheating barbell curls, slightly rocking your back
weighted dips, keeping my head up, legs straight below me, chest out
reverse grip tricep pushdown on the "W" shaped bar - outside, underhand grip.

those are the staples of my arm workout. you could do additional work, but those are the best mass builders for them.

many people would argue the reverse grip tricep pushdown, but there's no other exercise that targets that muscle - other than reverse grip skullcrushers, which are fairly uncomfortable to do with 80+ pounds - the fear of dropping it on your head can be unpleasant. if you are someone who would argue that point, you don't have a horseshoe shaped tricep.

try it once, and see what kind of pump that gives you

 

[the kid]

this is the five exercises that makes my arm day :

chin ups (just under shoulder width)
close grip bench - hands 8-10 inches apart
cheating barbell curls, slightly rocking your back
weighted dips, keeping my head up, legs straight below me, chest out
reverse grip tricep pushdown on the "W" shaped bar - outside, underhand grip.

those are the staples of my arm workout. you could do additional work, but those are the best mass builders for them.

many people would argue the reverse grip tricep pushdown, but there's no other exercise that targets that muscle - other than reverse grip skullcrushers, which are fairly uncomfortable to do with 80+ pounds - the fear of dropping it on your head can be unpleasant. if you are someone who would argue that point, you don't have a horseshoe shaped tricep.

try it once, and see what kind of pump that gives you

Thanks man, I haven't used the chin-ups much in my workout before so I hope I can see some results when I start doing those. My biceps are my least favorite thing to work out so if I can find some stuff that I see more results from I might start to like working out my biceps more.

 

[suncloud]

when i got my chins to body weight + 30 lbs, the pumps became unreal. such an insane pump, its hard to do any bicep exercise after it.

dips and chins are two exercises everyone forgets to add weight to. one of the things that works for me, is to work your way up to 10 reps of a given exercise. once i hit 10 reps, i add some weight, usually 5 lbs, but for chins/dips usually 2.5 pounds and start over at 6 reps. then i slowly work my way up to 10 reps again. its a fairly basic concept, but by constantly progressing, and knowing when to progress, you "force" yourself to make that progress.

anyways, give the arm workout a shot, and let me know how it treats you.

 

[the kid]

when i got my chins to body weight + 30 lbs, the pumps became unreal. such an insane pump, its hard to do any bicep exercise after it.

dips and chins are two exercises everyone forgets to add weight to. one of the things that works for me, is to work your way up to 10 reps of a given exercise. once i hit 10 reps, i add some weight, usually 5 lbs, but for chins/dips usually 2.5 pounds and start over at 6 reps. then i slowly work my way up to 10 reps again. its a fairly basic concept, but by constantly progressing, and knowing when to progress, you "force" yourself to make that progress.

anyways, give the arm workout a shot, and let me know how it treats you.

I will definitely check it out tomorrow and I know it is going to take some work to get me to pull my body weight on chin-ups but I will get there and I look forward to achieving ten reps at my body weight sometime down the road. I have also noticed that I have short biceps in comparison to most people, as far as in length from the delts to the inner elbow. If you have any pointers on how I may increase the length of my biceps I would greatly appreciate it.

 

[suncloud]

that's primarily genetics, to my understanding. your branchili (spelling) muscle would be the one to target for that, which you could target from either reverse grip preacher curls, or from pinwheel curls.

with this regard, i will plead cluelessness though, in hopes one of the other respected members has a better idea of this

 

[the kid]

that's primarily genetics, to my understanding. your branchili (spelling) muscle would be the one to target for that, which you could target from either reverse grip preacher curls, or from pinwheel curls.

with this regard, i will plead cluelessness though, in hopes one of the other respected members has a better idea of this

Oh ok, what are pinwheel curls? I have never heard of them

 

[suncloud]

pinwheel curls. taking a dumbell, and curling your right arm to your left pectoral. youtube has a video of it, lemme see if i can find it.

here we go. a little body english, not quite making it to his opposing pec, but not bad - especially considering the weights. this guy is a beast. pay special attention to hand position.


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[the kid]

pinwheel curls. taking a dumbell, and curling your right arm to your left pectoral. youtube has a video of it, lemme see if i can find it.

here we go. a little body english, not quite making it to his opposing pec, but not bad - especially considering the weights. this guy is a beast. pay special attention to hand position.




Oh ok man, thanks a lot. I appreciate the help, I have seen those and done them a few times I just never knew what they were called