Gaining Mass

[daeinwolf]

I looked on the first page and could not find anything on this subject so here it goes.

 

Up until recently I have not really worried about my weight. But in my dojo, I have noticed that the bigger guys have a lot easier of a time with some of the grappling and throws than I do even though my technique is on the money.

 

Currently, I am 6'0 and weigh 145lbs. My speed and flexibility are awsome, and my strength is pretty good as well. It is just that I do not have a great deal of mass.

 

I have tried soy/whey protien and creatine supplements in my weightlifting routine and I have not had any results. I was wondering if anyone had any advice.

 

Thanks in advance---Joshua

[Tombstone]

4-6 meals a day and go easy on the cardio (if you're doing any)

[daeinwolf]

I have tried that. My calorie count per day is about 3000-3500. And I do no cardio.

 

Sastimos---Joshua

[Tombstone]

How long have you been taking supplements? And how long have you been eating 3000-3500 calories a day?

 

Food isn't my "specialty" but I do know a little bit about it. Sounds like you have high metabolism also. (someone correct me if I messed that up, i can never remember if its high or low)

 

A brief explanation of your workout might help a little too.

 

Sorry about the questions, especially if I still can't help

[daeinwolf]

I have been on the 3000 calorie diet and taking supplements for about a year now.

 

I train my upper body(incline bench, decline bench, curls, flys, pushups, and weighted pull ups) every other day.

 

On the in between days, I do lower body(leg curls, squats, weighted calf raises, crunches).

 

On weights, I do heavy, slow, low-reps.

 

Any advice would be great. At least you are trying.

[Tombstone]

It could have alot to do with your workout. Seems like your over-training.

 

Training the same muscles every other day doesn't give them time to heal (usually). If they don't heal then they don't grow. Instead of focussing on your complete upper body, section it off.

 

Here's an example of something thats worked for me:

 

Monday - Chest and Triceps (3-4 different excercises each)

 

Wednesday - Legs and Shoulders (3-4 different excercises each)

 

Friday - Back and Biceps (3-4 different excercises each)

 

I'm not saying that you have to do that, but it gives you an idea of what I'm talking about.

 

If you work out in a public gym than I'm sure they can give you advice and set out a plan for you. If not, I think GoldsGym.com has online plans and so do many other places more than likely.

 

Just my opinion and advice

[daeinwolf]

I do not know. I heal rather quickly. I mean, the soreness and everything is gone. But I will look it up and see if I can find a better workout plan. Thanks again.

 

Sastimos---Joshua

[Tombstone]

No problem, I was throwing every bit of advice out that I could think of Hope it helps, and maybe someone else can give you some more and even better advice.

[Tibby]

Lets take a look at the most probable situation, you could be a Hardgainer. I'm 5'5" and your lighter then me! You must be come beanpole! There is a damn good chance you are a nature hardgainer. That isn't an excuse, it is a reason to train harder! How much are you in the weight room? Get in there!

 

Next is your diet, you eat 3000+ cals a day, what does it consist of? 3000 cals of healthy protein and carbs, or 3000 cals of coke? What do you eat, bro?

 

Good luck, bro.

[Thuggish]

ah, the skinny guy wanting to get big... that used to be me. it still kinda is. okay then, here we go. gaining muscle weight (the only kind youd wanna gain i think) means working out with weights. lemme dispense with this now- eat a lot of protein. in order to get big, which for us skinny guys takes time, you need to constantly push yourself with big weights. however, during the beginning stages of your weight training (the stage im going to talk about) you dont want to do weight that gives you less than 8-10 reps or so. in fact id keep it around ten or more because your body needs to be ready to lift and build heavily. (eventually you might get down to 6 or 4, but not at first- youll pick that up as you go anyway.) you need to work your entire body, so ill break it down into sections. at this early a stage multiple exercises for one body part arent all that necessary, but here are the basics anyone desiring to build or keep mass should do.

 

legs:

 

leg presses. i dont recommend squats, hard on knees. just do some good weight for 10 reps, 4 or 5 sets, thats the standard there, pushing with your heels with your legs about even with your shoulders.

 

leg curls. for you hamstrings, be careful with these especially. you might consider starting with more than 10 reps to be on the safe side.

 

calf raises. standing, sitting, whatever. do 15 reps for five sets- the calves are stubborn to grow because they are a denser muscle fiber. you can do these every day if youre not sore.

 

arms:

 

two handed curl. the basic mass builder for the biceps, be sure to let your arm become completely straight between reps, letting blood flow through the muscle. flex it at the top of the rep.

 

triceps. french press or pull down or whatever, depends on you- just make it a two handed exercise for the mass. dont stop half way like so many people do, do a complete extension then bring your hands back up as far as they go to work the entire thing.

 

shoulder flyes. hard to describe even in person, so find some internet pics and follow. one thing though, you should not extend your arm fully out, be nice to your tendons. also, at the highest point your arms are, your pinkies should be pointing up.

 

military press. important front shoulder (anterior deltoids), get a barbell, start at your collar bone and lift it straight up. make sure your back is perfectly straight and do not drop it behind your neck, is dangerous. dumbells can be substituted, youll see.

 

wrist curl. like the calves, stubborn to grow, 15 reps for 5 sets here. two handed, of course. you can do these every day if youre not sore.

 

chest:

 

bench press. get a good spotter, make sure your hands, or fists, are angled straight, just like you were punching, dont let them bend back for risk of damaging your wrist. elbows back, drop the weight to above your nipple line, but only drop it so that your arms are parallel with the ground, any further takes tension away from the chest and puts it all on the front shoulders, a tinier muscle youre not even trying to work.

 

chest flyes. machinesare what id recommend, just go through the motions. if using dumbells, do the same motions but do not touch them, keep them a few inches apart to keep tension in the chest.

 

thats about it, incline benches maybe later but you dont need that in the very beginning.

 

back:

 

rows. avoid hurt, do dumbell rows. right hand and knee on a flat bench, pull a dumbell straight into your left armpit from a STRETCHEd position. make sure make sure make sure your lower back isnt doing any work.

 

lats. go to a lat machine with that trapezoid like bar, holding it at the very ends, and just pull straight down, concentrating on your lats doing the work. do not bend backwards at all, sit straight up. let the bar pull up enough to stretch you out before the next rep.

 

i would not recommend lower back exercises at this stage. oh, and never do deadlifts. ever.

 

other than that, hundreds of sit ups and leg raises a day- some twists if you like, ought to work your abdomen find.

 

well thats about it, if i forgot anyhting ill post later, i dont think i did. just remember a few things: form is most important, weight coming second. aways do a warm-up set. dont cheat on any exercises, it helps nothing and increases risk of injury. never work muscles two days in a row, or if theyre sore (except the calves, abs, and forarms.) form is still most important. it will take a long while to get really big, but some results will come pretty soon. form still most important. if anything suddenly hurts, stop exercise immediately. push yourself always, but dont over do it at all in the beginning stages. less is safer than too much. dont ever do deadlifts. dont neglect any one part of your body either. legs arent always fun, but theyre important. many people hate working theyre back and dont care since they cant see it- but its important too. a lot of weight comes from those dramatically huge muscles, as does a good look, it should not be neglected. the only reason not to work a certain area of the body when trying to get bigger is because its hurt. oh, and good form is really important by the way. lemme know what you think.