I am a 22 year old college student. When I was in high school I trained pretty hard with a few guys and got decently big(for HS). Senior year struck and we had our wrestling coach train us on a “new” technique for squats. A month later I started to feel twinges going down my back…long story short I cant even do 100 lbs without my back shaking like a mutha and I drop like a bag of potatoes. (he was having us do squats completely wrong…lean forward, messed up back)Well I stopped lifting for around 4 years, and now I want to get back into it. I am lucky in that (unlike most on here who blame their genes on being small) I have good ones, (dad trained with Dreher…etc…but is very old school in techniques so hard to get advice from). I am trying to get back into it and even in the past few years so many things have changed and all the new techniques have come out(to me that is)…also I still can’t to anything that puts heavy stress on my back, IE Squats . I am around 190(not completely fat but not ripped) and would like to get up to 200 by end of summer. Found this site and wish I would of known of it when I was in HS. I was wondering if there is any advice/techniques you guys could give me. Any and all help will be apprecated!
-T.
P.S Any routines you guys have to build mass? Saw the German routine and the hypertrophy one…Either one work better than other?
That sucks. What a shitty coach. I hesitate to recommend anything given your limitations. I would recommend asking the experts during Prime Time or PMing them.
A couple of general thoughts:
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Do what you have to get your back fixed and in shape. Consult a specialist and get this taken care of while you are young and its easier to solve.
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once that is done, select some of the basic, compound movements that you can do safely and work the hell out of them-constantly refine and perfect your technique, short term work on increasing both your basic strength levels and whatever conditioning you need to do.-This will give you a solid foundation and then you can go on to more advanced stuff and focus on hypertrophy. I dont think that building strength is ALWAYS the best way to get bigger, but I think that is true for most younger, beginner types-
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Get your nutrition in order, plenty of advice on this site ( avoid my recent thread on garbage foodO
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Keep a detailed workout journal
Best of Luck, there is a team here that will help you, guide you and if you’re lucky…insult you thereby spurring you on to greater gains just to prove a point
I went to a chiropracter for about a year…dont know how it helped though. The weird thing is I can still do leg press, its the lack of support when I do squat(even with belt) that I think causes it. I have started eating right, basically increasing my caloric intake to around 4000, (made myself some baggies of peanuts, raisens, and cashews for when I need a snack, and keep them in my truck so I can make sure I am taking in food). I am lucky that i have most of my strength (I still remained active, just didnt lift) but lost alot of mass…
I just am damn near overwhelmed at the amount of information there is out there, I have been raised to do the old 4x8 basic routine where you adjust it as you go, the one that has been told everywhere. I have looked around and knowning the benifit of taking someones advice, because they probably know a hell of alot out there, does anyone know a good routine? I will start just getting my muscles back in shape, and will start posting logs. BTW How long should I go before starting a routine? Any advice will be taken and appreciated.
-Ty
P.S that coach got fired for “extracirricular” activities with a student. And thanks for all you guys who posted already.
Well went to doc, he gave the A-OK, just start off light. I tried some light squats (135) and was able to do them with just a twinge of the muscle. Aparently the muscles in your back that go across and support your back when you twist…(torsonal?) well they are all messed up but doc said if I work them out I will be able to rebuild them.
So now my question is this…know of any good lifts besides the reverse crunch for your back?
I seriously am planning on basically changing my lifestyle to get back what I had (muscle-wise) and then get more…this means no beer (being college student)=hard thing to do. But if there is any lifts I can do…maybe dead w/ lil weight 75 lbs? I would rather take advice than try and possibly mess my back up. the doc said I could do it on my own or pay a hell of alot for physical therapy…
Drop the belt during squats. It will prevent your back muscles from getting stronger. You don’t need to squat heavy for it to be effective. You are better off working with a load you can easily handle and working up from there.
I was thinking the exact thing, did them without the belt, glad to know I was onthe right track. Also as diet is concerned, here is what I am eating/plan on eating each day. Please if something is wrong or I could do something better let me know
Daily
1 pound of bacon
1 pound of beef (73%/27%)
2 cans of tuna
6 eggs
2 12 oz salads
3 protein shakes
3 oz of olive oil
6 fish oil tabs
3 turkey dogs (no buns, wrap the dog in bacon=good)
1 8oz of OJ
Is there anything else I should add/ should I be taking in more carbs?
Any and all advice will be apprecaited.
What about supplements? What are you taking for a multi? The food looks good, but you might want to add some Surge after a workout just to make sure you aren’t totally depleated on carbs.
I am taking a multivitamin, calcium, and vitamin A tab. Should I take Low-Carb Grow! or Classic Grow!?
(Thanks for the reply)
Kinda answered that one myself…
First day after doing pretty rough (for me) leg workout…god I forgot how it felt dreading having to go to the bathroom, because you can barely sit down or stand up without having to hunch over from the soreness…or looking at a single flight of stairs and thinking…wonder if they have an elevator?.