GHoosdum's Fitness Goals

[GHoosdum]

As I mentioned in the 30 pound challenge thread, my goal is not to lose weight, but to gain it. However, I'm trying to make my gain in muscle mass, which is easier said than done.

My original weight was right around 140 and my target is 150.

Since I began, I went through a few hard times (divorce and whatnot) and dropped ten pounds all the way down to 130. This turned out to be an advantage, because when I started working out again I pretty quickly gained that ten pounds back, and based upon the increases I was seeing in my weight routine, I'm fairly certain that ten pounds was mostly muscle.

At this point, however, I'm pretty much back to square one on my original weight goal.

Here's my routine:
Exercise 3-5 days per week split between the following exercises:
(all weight machines are hammer strength machines unless otherwise specified)
workout one:
5 sets 5 reps press on upright bench, increase weight each set to failure
5 sets 5 reps press on decline bench, increase weight each set to failure
3 sets pushups to failure
5 sets 5 reps deadlift squats with dumbbells
5 sets 5 reps lateral pulldown
3 sets 10 reps seated row
3 sets 10 reps chest butterfly on nautilus machine
workout two:
5 sets 8 reps leg extensions on keiser air machine
5 sets 8 reps leg curls on nautilus machine
3 sets 10 reps adductor on nautilus machine
3 sets 10 reps leg lifts on some kind of free-standing frame
5 sets 5 reps shoulder press, increasing weight to failure, on nautilus-style machine
3 sets 10 reps lateral raise with dumbbells
5 sets 10 reps shrugs with dumbbells
workout three:
5 sets 5 reps EZ-bar curl, increasing weight to failure
5 sets 5 reps hammer curl with dumbbell
3 sets 10 reps arm curl on hammer strength preacher bench
5 sets 10 reps tricep pulldowns on adjustable weight stack machine
5 sets 5 reps dips on free-standing frame
3 sets 10 reps reverse tricep pulldown
3 sets close pushups to failure
every Saturday:
Bike trail 8 - 16 miles

I just added a spinning class to the routines, had the first class yesterday. I enjoyed it. I felt that I worked myself pretty hard yesterday, but I either didn't work hard enough or stretched out well enough after that I'm not feeligng sore today. I might need to increase the resistances ("gears") on the bike next time. I plan to continue this at least through until spring, when I will be buying a decent road bike and training for the MS 150 next year.

I do the weight lifting with a friend of mine who has a similar body structure and similar problems gaining weight. The spinning and bike riding is with Zanthian, who also plans to ride the MS 150. I also recently made a vow to never turn anyone down when they invite me along to exercise, unless it conflicts with work or another workout.

My diet typically consists of about 2500-3000 calories per day with 100-150g of protein and as little as possible sugars and saturated fats.

Unfortunately, my body weight seems to have reached a plateau, even though the amount of weight I can lift is still increasing. It's all I can do to eat enough healthy calories to maintain 2500+ calories per day, and I think I'd probably throw up if I tried to add more. I also find that it is much easier to eat this much during the work week, by eating three meals at work and a protein shake before my workout and then a protein shake and a meal afterward. On the weekends, however, I'm just not bored enough to eat that much.

Do you guys have any healthy recommendations for how to continue to make the weight gains I'm trying to achieve?

[Nomad]

Do you guys have any healthy recommendations for how to continue to make the weight gains I'm trying to achieve?

Peanut butter (2 tablespoons), mix it in with your shakes.

Handful of almonds before you sleep (unsalted).

Cottage cheese.

Low-fat yogurt (try to get one without high fructose corn syrup).

Gaining weight is all about more calories, cutting things in your routine you may not need and getting more calorie dense food.

[GHoosdum]

Good recommendations, Nomad. I'll have to start adding peanut butter to the shakes, I totally did not think of that.

Costco has a great deal on unsalted raw almonds. It's a huge bag for twelve bucks. I'll pick one up.

I eat about a cup of cottage cheese each day, alternating between low fat and fat free (when I can find fat free that has as much protein per serving). I was eating more when I substituted it in for yogurt with breakfast, but then I had a bit of a regularity issue for the first time in my life, so I swapped the yogurt back in...

[Nomad]

Good recommendations, Nomad. I'll have to start adding peanut butter to the shakes, I totally did not think of that.

I eat about a cup of cottage cheese each day, alternating between low fat and fat free (when I can find fat free that has as much protein per serving). I was eating more when I substituted it in for yogurt with breakfast, but then I had a bit of a regularity issue for the first time in my life, so I swapped the yogurt back in...

Also, try drinking more milk (Skim to 2%), about three glasses including your shakes. If you don't already mix your shakes with milk do so. Easy way to get extra protein and calories.

For your shake there are other things you can do too. Add frozen fruit or a banana with the peanut butter to the blender and you'll get a nice smoothie. Some people add oats, but I don't really recommend it. They have a tendency to settle at the bottom of things.

[GHoosdum]

Mmmmm.... smoothie. Sounds good! It would be rather novel to actually enjoy the taste of my shake for a change. ;)

[Nomad]

Mmmmm.... smoothie. Sounds good! It would be rather novel to actually enjoy the taste of my shake for a change. ;)

If you don't like the taste of your shake, try changing brands or different flavors. Chocolate is my standby, and through all the shakes I've tried I like ON Whey a lot more than EAS (Costco brand) or anything else.

[GHoosdum]

Right now I've got a bag of the Vanilla EAS from Costco that I'm going through, and I don't like the flavor so much because it's too sweet. I blame the sucralose. I had some Pure Protein whey powder before that I liked better.

Where can I find the ON Whey?

[Nomad]

Right now I've got a bag of the Vanilla EAS from Costco that I'm going through, and I don't like the flavor so much because it's too sweet. I blame the sucralose. I had some Pure Protein whey powder before that I liked better.

Where can I find the ON Whey?

GNC, some Rite Aid pharmacies will carry GNC products too and will carry ON Whey at a lower price than the GNC store will. Kroger's nutrition section may have it too.

[GHoosdum]

Thanks for the help, Nomad!

[Nomad]

Thanks for the help, Nomad!

Good luck, just eat enough and train hard. You'll get there.

[MiracleManS]

I do know that eliminating the sugars will make it harder for you to gain weight. I lost 20lbs (went from ~190lbs to ~170lbs) in a little over a month but eliminating (almost entirely) refined and processed sugars from my diet.

That said, the increase in protein will help with lean muscle gain. I've personally stuck to drinking SAN meal replacements. They're expensive (roughly $100/mo or so), but certainly worth it when you have a hard time fitting in 6 smaller meals (recommended by many trainers and nutritionists).

[Nomad]

Sugar just holds more calories. Eat more of other things.

[MiracleManS]

It's not just simply that, sugar (glucose) is more readily absorbed by the body than most other types of complex carbs etc. I've found great success following the glycemic index (I think I spelled that right). Diabetics use it to great success to control insulin levels and general health when fighting their particular problems.

[LawnMM]

I don't know if you even want my advice based on our interactions in the other thread but I'll offer it anyway with a little more info available on you here.

I'll start with a question, how tall are you? Thats just to get a better picture of your frame and overall size right now. If I understand your post correctly you want to gain about another 10lbs of muscle right?

I hope you don't mind me making a few observations about your routine. Might give you some insight, or you could tell me to kiss off, you decide. You seem to be doing a LOT of sets overall. Your rep ranges are good so it leaves me wondering why so many exercises and so many sets overall?

I read somore and I see you do most of your exercises are being done on machines. Just curious as to why? Not knocking machines in the slightest, I use them myself. However, I think if you incorporated somore steel into your routine you might find it fatigues your muscles faster. Instead of leg extensions why not try squats or a leg press?

If you're wondering why I'm advocating this its because I gather from what you wrote here that you probably have the metabolism of a blast furnace based on what you said you're doing. You're tearing through calories like a rabbid hamster on a wheel. Thats a great thing. It means you're healthy and fit but it also makes it harder for you to put on weight because you need THAT much more in excess calories to be able to add some muscle.

Think of it this way, calorically you need enough calories to survive (heartbeat, breathing, walking, etc) and then you need another slew more to support all the lifting you're doing 3-5 days a week, and then you need even more for the biking and the spin classes you're doing. Thats just to maintain your weight. You'll need even more to add mass. So the reason I suggest trying to incorporate more dumbell and barbell exercises is because I think it will wear you out faster. Hopefully you can get the same sense of fatigue but with less exercises and less sets.

Now you would be starting to lessen the number of calories you're burning off through sheer exercise. Spin classes are great, but they're another calorie burner. A big one if you're really hitting it. You want to back off the cardio a bit if you want to add lean mass. If when you reach your mass and strength goals you feel as though you picked up some fat along the way (pretty likely) thats when good eating and spin classes will get you down to where you want and hopefully with a minimal loss of muscle.

Another observation is that you increase your weight with each set until failure. Suggestion to go along with the observation: Try warming up with a light set and then starting off HEAVY and reduce weight as your muscles fatigue. Obviously you'll be able to lift more weight when you're fresh so I think it makes sense to lift heavier at the start and reduce the weight as you fatigue than starting low and trying to work up.

I'm a big fan of the less is more approach. Its not really necessary to spend 2 hours in the gym in order to stimulate muscle growth. I did legs earlier this week. I did three exercises for a total of 10 sets. I warmed up light for my squats and did four sets. I did three sets of stiff-legged deadlifts and three sets of standing calf raises. Usually takes me between 30-45 mins tops depending how busy the gym is and my legs are DYING when I'm done. I squat 220 for reps, I can leg press 500+ for reps, and I max out the standing calf raise machine if the seated is busy.

I'm not trying to brag, quite frankly I don't think thats really that great but I'm still packin' on size so I'm not finished yet either. The point in throwing out numbers is to try and lend some credibility to what I'm saying. I probably do half the sets and exercises you do and its still more than adequate to stimulate growth. I'm not telling you to change anything. You know your body better than I do. I'm just suggesting you try a few different things and see if it works for you.

Are you incorporating creatine into your diet? If not I suggest you pick some up at GNC. Its pretty affordable and you can get it with a transport system already mixed in. Do a loading phase when you bring it home. 5g serving 5x a day for five days and then just go with a single 5g on days you aren't working out. Do one serving before and one serving after on days you are lifting. I'd be willing to bet just adding creatine if you aren't already on it will boost you another 10lbs in 4-6 weeks.

Or you could disregard all of this and if thats the case say so and I'll bow out.

[Nomad]

It's not just simply that, sugar (glucose) is more readily absorbed by the body than most other types of complex carbs etc. I've found great success following the glycemic index (I think I spelled that right). Diabetics use it to great success to control insulin levels and general health when fighting their particular problems.

Well, I think there's some difference, dextrose and glucose are both helpful in delivering protein to appropriate muscle groups after exercise (sugar also helps creatine if you're into that), but you shouldn't be having large amounts of it.

[MiracleManS]

Well, I think there's some difference, dextrose and glucose are both helpful in delivering protein to appropriate muscle groups after exercise (sugar also helps creatine if you're into that), but you shouldn't be having large amounts of it.

Agreed.

[GHoosdum]

I don't know if you even want my advice based on our interactions in the other thread but I'll offer it anyway with a little more info available on you here.

Yes, I still value your opinion and thanks for visiting this thread. Your last response in prime's veggie thread put things into perspective. I just read your prior responses with more bias than you put into them. My bad. ;)

I'll start with a question, how tall are you? Thats just to get a better picture of your frame and overall size right now. If I understand your post correctly you want to gain about another 10lbs of muscle right?

I'm 5'10" and 140 pounds currently, and you read the post correctly; I'm trying to gain another 10 pounds of muscle.

I hope you don't mind me making a few observations about your routine. Might give you some insight, or you could tell me to kiss off, you decide. You seem to be doing a LOT of sets overall. Your rep ranges are good so it leaves me wondering why so many exercises and so many sets overall?

I read somore and I see you do most of your exercises are being done on machines. Just curious as to why? Not knocking machines in the slightest, I use them myself. However, I think if you incorporated somore steel into your routine you might find it fatigues your muscles faster. Instead of leg extensions why not try squats or a leg press?

This workout was set by one of the former trainers at the gym. I think he started us on the machines as a way of breaking us in. We're ready to change up the routine here pretty soon, and since we almost always partner our workouts, adding some freeweights is potentially in the cards because we've got built-in spotting.

In the case of the leg extensions vs. squats, we're forgoing the squats because my workout partner was told not to do squats or leg presses by his doc and we have been trying to work the same routine for efficiency's sake.

If you're wondering why I'm advocating this its because I gather from what you wrote here that you probably have the metabolism of a blast furnace based on what you said you're doing. You're tearing through calories like a rabbid hamster on a wheel. Thats a great thing. It means you're healthy and fit but it also makes it harder for you to put on weight because you need THAT much more in excess calories to be able to add some muscle.

Think of it this way, calorically you need enough calories to survive (heartbeat, breathing, walking, etc) and then you need another slew more to support all the lifting you're doing 3-5 days a week, and then you need even more for the biking and the spin classes you're doing. Thats just to maintain your weight. You'll need even more to add mass. So the reason I suggest trying to incorporate more dumbell and barbell exercises is because I think it will wear you out faster. Hopefully you can get the same sense of fatigue but with less exercises and less sets.

That's a great idea, and you're right that fatiguing faster would probably get me to my goal sooner. Getting there by more eating alone has been difficult at best.

Now you would be starting to lessen the number of calories you're burning off through sheer exercise. Spin classes are great, but they're another calorie burner. A big one if you're really hitting it. You want to back off the cardio a bit if you want to add lean mass. If when you reach your mass and strength goals you feel as though you picked up some fat along the way (pretty likely) thats when good eating and spin classes will get you down to where you want and hopefully with a minimal loss of muscle.

I'm a little reluctant to stop the spinning for three reasons: it's basically the only aerobic exercise that I get, I still have some visceral fat that hasn't burned off through my other routine, and I'm training for the longer bike rides in the spring.

Another observation is that you increase your weight with each set until failure. Suggestion to go along with the observation: Try warming up with a light set and then starting off HEAVY and reduce weight as your muscles fatigue. Obviously you'll be able to lift more weight when you're fresh so I think it makes sense to lift heavier at the start and reduce the weight as you fatigue than starting low and trying to work up.

I'm a big fan of the less is more approach. Its not really necessary to spend 2 hours in the gym in order to stimulate muscle growth. I did legs earlier this week. I did three exercises for a total of 10 sets. I warmed up light for my squats and did four sets. I did three sets of stiff-legged deadlifts and three sets of standing calf raises. Usually takes me between 30-45 mins tops depending how busy the gym is and my legs are DYING when I'm done. I squat 220 for reps, I can leg press 500+ for reps, and I max out the standing calf raise machine if the seated is busy.

I'm not trying to brag, quite frankly I don't think thats really that great but I'm still packin' on size so I'm not finished yet either. The point in throwing out numbers is to try and lend some credibility to what I'm saying. I probably do half the sets and exercises you do and its still more than adequate to stimulate growth. I'm not telling you to change anything. You know your body better than I do. I'm just suggesting you try a few different things and see if it works for you.

I have found that warming up allows me to lift more afterward, so I can see the value in doing a warmup set and then starting heavy and working down to failure or exhaustion. I plan to give this a try.

Are you incorporating creatine into your diet? If not I suggest you pick some up at GNC. Its pretty affordable and you can get it with a transport system already mixed in. Do a loading phase when you bring it home. 5g serving 5x a day for five days and then just go with a single 5g on days you aren't working out. Do one serving before and one serving after on days you are lifting. I'd be willing to bet just adding creatine if you aren't already on it will boost you another 10lbs in 4-6 weeks.

I hadn't considered creatine yet, I thought the protein would be enough, but I'll definitely look into supplementing with it.

[LawnMM]

Yes, I still value your opinion and thanks for visiting this thread. Your last response in prime's veggie thread put things into perspective. I just read your prior responses with more bias than you put into them. My bad. ;)

No Worries.


In the case of the leg extensions vs. squats, we're forgoing the squats because my workout partner was told not to do squats or leg presses by his doc and we have been trying to work the same routine for efficiency's sake.

Understandable. Why is his doctor telling him not to do squats or leg presses? Some kind of knee problem?


I'm a little reluctant to stop the spinning for three reasons: it's basically the only aerobic exercise that I get, I still have some visceral fat that hasn't burned off through my other routine, and I'm training for the longer bike rides in the spring.

Understood, but keep in mind what I said about calorie expenditure. Adding muscle and losing fat are are diametrically opposed goals. The better shape you are in, the harder it is to do both at the same time. I'd recommend adding the mass first then going after the visceral fat as the added muscle will contribute to the calorie burn needed to go after the fat.


I hadn't considered creatine yet, I thought the protein would be enough, but I'll definitely look into supplementing with it.

Try not to look at is as whats enough. Its just another tool in the box. It'll help repair your muscles faster after a workout and it will boost your endurance while you're in the gym hitting the weights.

[GHoosdum]

Understandable. Why is his doctor telling him not to do squats or leg presses? Some kind of knee problem?

I think it has something to do with IBS actually - something about putting pressure on his body while it's all folded up like that. Yikes!

[Bud]

Eat more food. get to 3000-3500 cal. I know its hard at first but your body will adjust. You should also step up your protein amounts. I like the protein powder by gold standard. I hated the gnc crap. Also isopure is pretty good to but a little more money from not much more quality. Also see if you have a vitamin shoppe by your place or something comparable. GNC is crap they overcharge and sell only 2% of whats out there. Creatine is a good add-on too. I like cellmass by bsn great stuff. The biggest thing though is more healthy foods. Try and add more healty fats like almond butter, all natural peanut butter, fish especially too. Also if all else fails you could look at weight gainers to increase your calorie intake.

Also for your lifting I would do more isolation. Example:
Mon - shoulders, traps, abs
Tues - bi's & tri's
Wed - legs
Thurs - cardio, abs
Fri - Chest
Sat - Back
Sun - Off

Its all about hitting each group until failure and letting that muscle rest until you hit it again. Super sets are awesome too.

[GHoosdum]

The biggest thing though is more healthy foods.

;D If my diet were any healthier, I think I'd lose my appetite altogether.

[Bud]

I meant more quantities of food. Also do you keep a food log?

[GHoosdum]

I was keeping a log on FitDay for a while. I averaged 2500-2700 calories when I did. I think if I add another shake or small meal, I can hit 3000 calories in a day.

[Bud]

I would aim for 3500 if you are trying to gain I am on a semi cut at 3100 right now. Also depending on how hardcore you are you could look at haladrol & novadex xt. I just cycled off those 2 like a month ago and they are awesome. I gained about 12-15lbs lean muscle in a month and everytime I went to the gym I had to add weight. You will gain like 2-3 lbs a week but you will have to go to like 3800 cal while on it. Its awesome.

[GHoosdum]

Okay, side topic time. I have enlcosed this post in spoiler tags because it gets a little gross. In fact, I'm a little reluctant to share, but hey, this is the fitness clubhouse.

I have noticed after increasing my protein intake so much that shortly after any protein-laden meal, I get gas. Not the kind of gas that fiber causes either, so I'm not sure about the workability of something like beano. Often, it smells so utterly horrible it is as if I have a rotting carcass inside my intestines. However, my regularity is unaffected so it's not like I'm backed up.

Any suggestions for getting rid of this?

[primesuspect]

lol

[RADA]

Okay, side topic time. I have enlcosed this post in spoiler tags because it gets a little gross. In fact, I'm a little reluctant to share, but hey, this is the fitness clubhouse.



CENSORED!!




Any suggestions for getting rid of this?


Ghoos -

Yes, this is a very common occurance for such a diet..

Beano helps a lot..

Also, try to increase your fiber intake in the morning... This works well for me...



As for the odor, not much you can do... Protein is the worst when you sit down to catch up on your reading! ...This is great place for a Stick-Up!

BTW: Don't think of it as rotting, more like fermenting! EWWWW!! rofl!!

[GHoosdum]

Two new developments:

I tried the workout yesterday (chest workout day) with the warmup set followed by as much weight as possible concept. It seems to have worked. Today is the first day I've felt sore the day after a workout in a few months, and that's a good thing.

I also tried my post-workout protein shake with a banana and two tablespoons of peanut butter mixed in the blender. Not only did it mix more thoroughly than the shake by itself in milk, but it also tasted a lot better as well and had a couple hundred more calories.

Thanks for the suggestions guys!

[Bud]

Good to hear about the workout. Also for the smell welcome to hardcore working out. I was at the golf range a week ago hitting some balls and I let one go and we had to leave for about 10-15 minutes and we where outdoors. Oh the joys of protein. Wait til you wake yourself up at night lol. GL and keep going at it.

[RADA]

My Fave Shake Recipe:


Key Lime Pie Shake

Vanilla Flavored Protien powder

3 TableSpoons of Frozen Limeaid concentrate

4 Nilla Wafer Cookies

A few ice cubes

To your protien powder, add 2/3rds of the liquid (skim milk or water) you normally use, add a few ice cubes, and the Limeaid concentrate, and blend till smooth.

After the mixture is smooth, and well blended, add the 4 Nilla Wafer cookies, blend again, but use 3 or 4 - 1 second pulses, just to break up cookies, its better if the cookies are a little chunky...

Enjoy!

[RADA]

Another hint:

100 calorie snack packs are great ways to add some variety to the monotonous sameness that protien powders can become.

I use 1/2 of the Oreo snack (the whole thing makes the shake too thick) with the vanilla shake mix to make a really good cookies-n-cream shake....

[GHoosdum]

Ooh good choices.

Bud, your story has me laughing my arse off over here. ;)

[jared]

Today is the first day I've felt sore the day after a workout in a few months, and that's a good thing.

If you don't feel at least moderately sore the day following your workout (assuming you aren't taking glutamine or anything else to minimize recovery time and workout fatigue) then it is probably safe to say you didn't work yourself hard enough.

I'm not saying you have to kill yourself or go balls to the wall every workout session, but if you don't feel sore then you didn't do enough.

[GHoosdum]

I agree - I think that after getting into the routine I started to get used to things, and changing it up allowed me to break out of that a bit.

[LawnMM]

See, I told ya! Switch things up a little bit when it starts getting to be routine as your body adapts. Also, I know you go lifting with your buddy for a spotter but you may want to go once a week or so on your own so you can do some of the leg stuff we've discussed that he can't do for his medical reasons.

You're having trouble eating a bunch now...work your legs with some squats, deadlifts, leg presses, and the like and you'll be amazed how hungry you are for the rest of the day and even into the next. It kicks your metabolism in the ass, hard.

[Bud]

Its hard eating that much but after a while you get used to it and your body wants it. For me norm an hour or two after i eat I feel like I haven't eating in days.

Also you should be feeling sore thats a good sign. For me its the second day after the lift is when it really hurts. Guys at work always tease me when I hit my legs cause I walk like a old man who needs a cane the next two days.

[GHoosdum]

My progress update:

I've been working according to Lawn's suggestions for about a month now. Tuesday I broke a plateau and increased both my upright bench and decline bench (still on the Hammer Strength machines) by 5 and 10 pounds, respectively.

The rest of my workout has remained the same, including the spinning. My weight has not increased but my muscle mass has definitely. Unfortunately I have no "before" pictures to compare to, but everyone who's known me for long enough has noticed a difference, even when I weighed ten pounds more (of fat) I was still seen as thinner, in a bad way.

Yesterday was our health fair at work, which included cholesterol screenings. Since my las measurement, I have dropped 26 points in TCL, down to 236. It's still high by at least 36 points but this is my first progress on it in two years.

[LawnMM]

Good job, keep up the good work

[DogSoldier]

have you tried increasing intensity? I used to go slow and controlled using 25lb free-weights in order to build strength. Once I got serious about burning fat, I did some research and found that increasing the intensity can really burn up the calories, or if you are eating alot of the right things, it can build muscle faster. I've gone from 218lbs to 195 and am closing in on my goal of 180 (Evidently, my optimal weight) and have increased my muscle mass just by using intense free-weight exercises and a healthier diet. I don't have the space for a machine, nor do I have access to a gym. But using free-weights forces you to exercise more than just one muscle group. It also promotes neuromuscular development and balance. Balance meaning your physical capacity to balance, not body symmetry.

[GHoosdum]

How do you go about increasing the intensity with free weights? Faster reps? Less rest between sets?

[Thrax]

More weight. Most fitness professionals recommend 3*5 reps with 30 seconds between sets, and if you're not struggling like a mofo to get that last rep up (As long as your posture is still good), it's not heavy enough.

[GHoosdum]

So would you guys recommend dropping from 5x5 to 3x5 and upping the weight to fail on the 3rd set instead of the 5th? Lately I've been doing a light warmup set, then putting as much weight on as I can until I fail, then dropping until I finish out the 5th set at whatever I can still lift.

[DogSoldier]

Yep, just faster. As fast as your body will allow. Do that for a week - trust me, you'll hurt - and I guarantee (OR YOUR MONEY BACK!!!) you a noticeable increase in muscle mass.

[LawnMM]

How do you go about increasing the intensity with free weights? Faster reps? Less rest between sets?

You should lower the weight in a controlled fashion and then explode as you push the weight up as quickly as you can. You can try shortening up you rest periods between sets but be careful with that if you shorten it too much you'll be lifting less because you haven't recovered.

To each his own but I personally recommend 5-8 reps on exercises. If you can do 8 reps its time to add more weight. Less than 5 and its too heavy.

[Clutch]

I usually take about 90 seconds between sets. Don't wait to long, but then again don't go at it to quick.

[Nomad]

Intensity: See CrossFit.

[DogSoldier]

Well, it's been about a week... Any results Ghoosdum? Another question, how do you go about taming a fast metabolism (Think methamphetamine addicted squirrel)

[GHoosdum]

I was able to add another five and ten pounds to the upright and decline presses in the last week. We also switched order on some of our exercises so the intensity changed naturally - some of the stuff that we did at the beginning of the workout before we did at the end this week and it was higher effort than before, but I still increased. It's working and I love every minute, even when I'm sore as hell. (Okay, I still can't stand the protein gas...)

My buddy's metabolism truly is like a squirrel on meth. He has to eat 4000 calories a day to maintain 150 pounds. I don't think there's any way to truly tame it.

[Clutch]

I have a fast metabolism. Right now I take in about 3,400 to 3,700 calories a day while bulking. Once I get to 150lbs I'll see if I want to bulk anymore.

There is no way to tame it from what I can tell. You just have to eat like it is your hobby, lol. If you are always on the go, no time to actually sit down and eat whole foods during the day, look into some good protein powders.

Right now I drink a gainer shake everyday at 10:00 a.m. never miss a day. With some flax seeds, almonds, whole milk that is around 1,300 calories from just drinking that.

If it wasn't for the gainer shakes I would be at the grocery store twice a week spending every paycheck on food.

[Nomad]

I still eat roughly 3700-4200 a day at 160#, I don't use a gainer and I've gained just four pounds over the last three months or so. Some people's metabolisms are just like that.

[CB]

I still eat roughly 3700-4200 a day at 160#, I don't use a gainer and I've gained just four pounds over the last three months or so. Some people's metabolisms are just like that.

My metabolism was like that when I was 19.... :p

[GHoosdum]

As an update, I've recently gotten back to making some progress. I have been working out consistently, but recently broken some plateaus. I am, in general, following the pattern of a first warm-up set of each exercise, then loading as much as I feel I can do until failure and dropping as the sets progress and I continue to fail on the weight.

Current workout:

Workout 1:
triceps pushdowns 5x10
reverse grip triceps pushdowns 3x10
chin-ups 3xF
dips 5x5
preacher curls 3x10
EZ bar curl 5x5
db hammer curls 5x5

Workout 2:
Bench press 5x5 (my highest weight set is about 5 pounds shy of my body weight)
pull-ups 3xF
chest flyes 3x10
pushups 3xF
T-bar row 3x10
isolateral high row 5x5

Workout 3:
Squat 5x5 (currently squatting 10 pounds less than body weight)
various ab exercises 100 reps total
shoulder press 5x5
shoulder flyes 3x10
shoulder shrugs 5x10

I'm still consistently seeing strength gains but not weight gains. I'm not entirely sure that's a bad thing at this point because I'm getting plenty of lean protein but I feel that I'm bordering on gaining fat if I eat much more on a daily basis.

I currently weigh about 143-145. I still want to reach 150 this year but I want all of the gain to be muscle. It's a little bit of a puzzle to me how I can continue to gain strength with very little weight, since the scale keeps telling me my BF% goes up as my weight does. Haven't done a caliper test, though, so I don't know how accurate those little electronic pads are on the scale.

Spinning is still on my list about once a week, however, lately I've only gone about every two weeks. Since adding the squats to my routine my spinning has improved as well. I'm sure that will continue to improve as my squat goes up - right now I'm a little frustrated that I bench press higher than I squat but the squat is a relatively recent addition to the routine, replacing all of the crappy isolation leg exercises.

I recently purchased a new bike (Specialized Allez Sport Triple) for long Saturday rides as soon as the weather breaks. The MS 150 is in July this year and I know I'll be ready.

Overall, it has been about one full year since I began working out, as I made the commitment to the workout right around the time I found out I was going to be getting a divorce. What started out as a mental distraction from my miserable condition really took on a life of its own. My workout partner found a sheet from our beginning days and we were only pressing 70 pounds on the chest press machine. I'm doing double that on the real bench press now. My body has changed quite noticeably in the last year. I stopped wearing clothes that were too large (as I had a habit of doing this to hide my scrawny frame) and I'm a lot more confident in the gym and of my physical ability in general. So far it hasn't drawn any interest from the women. :( Luckily, it's something I'm doing entirely for myself. I truly believe I've never been healthier in my life.

[DogSoldier]

Excellent news Ghoosdum! I can relate.

[Nomad]

It's a little bit of a puzzle to me how I can continue to gain strength with very little weight.

Size and strength have no necessary relationship. Look up Halil Mutlu.

[GHoosdum]

Size and strength have no necessary relationship. Look up Halil Mutlu.

Wow that guy is incredible!