Weight Lifting
Awhile ago, I lost about forty pounds through various means, mainly adjusting my diet and exercise. My workouts have since intensified in the summer, and especially since August where I've been able to actually go to a gym (There's only so much you can do with 10 and 20 pound free-weights at home). Ideally, I would like to weigh about 150-155. However, I am unable to achieve any healthy weight gain and wondered if anyone had any ideas.
Here is kind of a snap shot of what I do:
Five day split
Monday - Abs
Tuesday - Chest
Wednesday - Legs
Thursday - Biceps
Friday - Cardio and whatever I may have missed/needs to be worked out more
I eat three meals a day, although I think ideally I'd like to eat five, focused on protein with minimal fatty/fried foods (Which is difficult here because it's all that is served). Being at college really cockblocks your food intake when there are only specific times I may go. When I first came to college, I weighed 137 and now I weight around 140-142 depending on the day with a body fat of about 8%, but I simply can't gain anymore. Strangely, I've noticed large changes in strength. I could previously run a ten minute mile, now I can run a seven, my bench press was non-existent, now it's around 130, my squat is 370, my deadlift around 140, and curls are around 100.
I'm wondering if I am doing anything wrong, do I need to give it more time, or am I just not the type that's able to build muscle?
Here is kind of a snap shot of what I do:
Five day split
Monday - Abs
Tuesday - Chest
Wednesday - Legs
Thursday - Biceps
Friday - Cardio and whatever I may have missed/needs to be worked out more
I eat three meals a day, although I think ideally I'd like to eat five, focused on protein with minimal fatty/fried foods (Which is difficult here because it's all that is served). Being at college really cockblocks your food intake when there are only specific times I may go. When I first came to college, I weighed 137 and now I weight around 140-142 depending on the day with a body fat of about 8%, but I simply can't gain anymore. Strangely, I've noticed large changes in strength. I could previously run a ten minute mile, now I can run a seven, my bench press was non-existent, now it's around 130, my squat is 370, my deadlift around 140, and curls are around 100.
I'm wondering if I am doing anything wrong, do I need to give it more time, or am I just not the type that's able to build muscle?
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Comments
Some of your stats are impressive, so you must be doing something right, that or how you arrived at some of your numbers is off somehow. A 140lb guy squating with 370lbs on his shoulders is quite impressive.
Your split has me wondering if you're omitting your back, triceps, and shoulders from your workouts. A lot of exercises will work multiple groups but its good to shoot for two exercises per group at a minimum to ensure you train all your opposing muscle groups. For example, if you work your chest out and never do anything with your back, it will eventually lead to posture problems as your chest tightens up and starts pulling your shoulders forward.
I'm not sure how tall you are but you remind me of a buddy I've had since high school. Hes what everybody calls a "hard gainer." Tall and skinny. The kid never gets fat no matter what he eats, but because of the way his body is configured its hard for him to add a lot of size.
I'm gonna simplify this a bit because I have to get ready for work but in a nutshell you won't be able to add muscle without two things: a surplus of calories in your diet, both carbs and more importantly protein, and the second is you aren't going to to it without picking up some bodyfat along the way though from the sound of it this is going to be less of a problem for you.
You need to keep your protein intake high, 1g of protein per every pound of bodyweight you have at a MINIMUM. 1.5-2g per pound is even better and don't be afraid to throw a boatload of good complex carbohydrates at your body with each meal. 5-6 meals a day is optimum but its not possible for everybody. I work a ten hour shift in a busy district so 5-6 meals a day isn't going to happen for me when I'm working. I still make sure I hit those minimums though by adjusting the caloric and macronutrient content of the meals that I do manage to have.
So, long story short...keep working out...eat more...eat better...and buy a GNC gold card! Start taking some creatine. **Edit to add, if you think its hard getting to the gym in college wait till you get finished and you have a job.
You aren't doing anything wrong. The only thing I can think of is more calories and more protein over the day. 5 meals isn't a bad idea. We are about the same size and when I'm in shape and work out I do the same thing you do. No real weight gain, no real muscle definition change, but large changes in strength. Just keep at it I guess.
I've started exercising right now after my gf made a remark about my lack of muscles...pissed me off as well as shot some of my ego off the balancing beam. Anyway. I way around 165-170 and I'm pretty skinny all around except for my thighs,butt, and stomach is where I keep my weight. I was really skinny (125 pounds) until over the past year I have put weight on like none other, which was good for a while, but I've gone too far.
This may sound pathetic, but I can do about 4-5 sets of 10 sit-ups/crunches. 5 or so push ups, and I have no free weights. Anyway, no better motivation than the women right? Sorry about the thread jacking, but it sounds like you are doing pretty good. Unlike me, I want to get down to 150, at 170 I am in the 80th percentile on BMI and Height-Weight.
You talk about not building muscle, I hardly build any muscle. And I know that I'm getting plenty of protein. I did ass busting work all summer long constantly lifting 50+pound objects and it barely showed.
I just joined a gym a month ago. In that time, I've brought my bench up to about 100, and my max is around 180. I can leg press 310, but I haven't tried squats in about 12 years so I don't know where I stand there.... it sounds like you're making great progress. I also weigh around 140, and my body fat was at 12% last time I measured it (last week), and I also have a hard time putting on weight of any kind. This is really the first time in my life that I have had any kind of muscle mass whatsoever, previously all I could do is tone.
Don't sell yourself short. You're making good progress and working all the muscle groups... it's just a matter of giving things time, and I don't necessarily mean just time at the gym. I was literally unable to put on weight until I was well into my 20s - back in high school and college if I worked out all I would do is lose weight. I weighed 114 (at 5'10") back in high school weight training class and I weighed about 125 through college.
Are you saying that if you can bench your weight, your max should be twice that?
That's what my weight training instructor had told us back in high school. If he was wrong... well, I wouldn't be surprised.
but to help the OP, I'm not a big fan of the "5 day split" that you're using...
I see no back is the main thing concerning me.. and I don't like friday and the whole "cardio and what I forgot". You should train musscles in groups that best work togeather... listen to lawn, hes got it right
now that I got the help outta the way, I can whore my stats...
I have a nike SPARQ rating of 45. Reggie Bush is a 107, he is an amazing athlete
40 yrd dash 5.1 (outside on turf)
L shuttle 5.9 (inside)
standing vertical - 21"
bench - 315 lbs
squat - 475 lbs
deadlift - 279 KG *
legpress - 454.5 KG *
and since everyone likes to flaunt their bicepts, I curl 135
at the time of my sparq rating and those stats I was
weight 298.6 lbs
Height 6' 1"
chest 56"
bicepts 16.5"
waist 44"
calf 19.5"
thy - 27"
I have been lazy for a few weeks, so I have been putting weight on, but I am starting a very serious cutting cycle and I want to drop about 40 lbs...
* actaul competition weight, not at a compeition though. The deadlift is a national record for my age/weight class but it was not offical so my name isnt anywhere...
I see from your split, you didn't mention back or triceps.
Do you just not focus on them?
Uh yeah, he's an idiot. End of college I was maxing out around 250 and I was weighing in at about 195lbs...250 is beyond my own body weight but its a far cry from 390lbs
I just got back into the gym a few months ago, I want to get my max up to 300 this time around.
Monday I do abdominal workout and also a bit of cardio.
Tuesday:
I do chest, primarily bench, flys, alternating dumbbell presses, push ups, inclined bench.
Wednesday:
I do legs and back, but the reason I don't do back in conjunction with other muscle groups is I over exert myself or I am unable to spend the proper amount of time to really do what is required. Squats, deadlift, lunges, rows, lat-raises, inclined rows.
Thursday:
I primarily do biceps and triceps together, since a lot of exercises overlap.
Friday:
I do more cardio here and then shoulders. When I say 'anything else I missed' it's because there's really a limited amount I can do a day, I've found after about 45 minutes to an hour, you're really not doing any more benefit for yourself.
I tried another workout methodology, where it would work out multiple muscle groups at the same time, but I found by the end of the week, I was overworking key groups that get utilized in a lot of exercises. Since switching to a 'five-day split' after talking to a friend who has had a lot of success with it, I've noticed big increases in strength, and more changes physically than with the other program.
when you do squat, make sure to one week do front squat and the next parrarell the next.. I like to do them in the same week, but since you are only squatting once, just go from on to the other.. *NOTE* front squat is one of the best ways to shape your teardrop in your quads
if that sounded sarcastic, it wasnt, but I have no idea what that is or what it weighs
Heh, that's the routine I've been on recently. I'm still paying for my gym membership, but I'm down to about once a month :shakehead. Hard to get back into the habit.
Are those your max statistics? Ideally, you should not be working out with your max every time you go out. I can max bench my weight, but doing that (Only ten reps) doesn't constitute a good work out. Maybe lower your weight a bit, focus on more reps with good form. Also, whey protein is supposed to make up for lost protein, not substitute a meal. It should be taken with some sort of food, to allow it to better metabolize. You should eat more carbohydrates (rice, wheats) since more of your diet has been freed up.
Your biceps get bigger through a lot of different exercises, but your biceps often get enough work from just doing pull-ups (probably one of the most underrated but tedious workout exercises). What works best for a lot of people in terms of building strength with your biceps is a combination. I like to do dumb bells in both hands, but raising them at the same time. You'll notice a substantial increase in your overall dumb bell curl (Especially where you're curling one weight with both hands, I went from 40 pounds to a 100 pounds with this method in two months). Also, hammer curls, preacher curls, and inclined curls develop your forearm and bicep more quickly than simple curls.
Triceps do make you look bigger, but unbalanced arm workouts make you look really strange, because the underside (tricep) is huge, and the bicep isn't very defined. The tricep isn't often worked out, and it's easy to see growth in it fairly quickly, I suppose if you're going for looks that may be the route to take, but I wouldn't suggest it.
The 'behind the head' tricep exercise doesn't work so well for me either. I personally prefer 'the rope' on cables. However, since I'm guessing you don't have this ability, I'd suggest tricep kick-backs, close-grip bench press, and laying barbell extensions are great alternatives.