[quote]TShaw wrote:
DPH & doctor0,
Could you guys just take it outside? I think you’re past trying to advise gaeveric; now you’re just going at each other, and this isn’t the thread for that.
gaeveric,
When I read your numbers in your first post, I thought “OMG! This scrawny guy is talking about getting attention in the gym?” Your picture surprised me; the upper back development, and the deltoids and arms, show impressive size and definition for someone who weighs so little at that height. (I’m 5’8" and 180, BTW.)
But your lower back has nothing to it, and I’m guessing that your legs may have very little muscle; it LOOKS like all your effort goes into the upper upper [sic] body. (Without other picsm, I am only surmising; I apologize if I am shortchanging you by “theorizing ahead of my data.”)
Therefore, besides urging you to eat more (not JUST eat more, but eat more with a decent plan in place; read John Berardi’s articles), I’m going to say you need to broaden your lifts. I’m going to sugget that you probably need some serious leg work, and lower back work. The principle of homeostasis will prevent parts of your body from getting disproportionately too big. You need to pay attention to the whole body if you want to bust past this stage.
Yes, that means that squats and lunges (and eating appropriately) that will increase the muscle mass of your legs will actually enable you to increase the size of your upper body.
And remember that this is a long-term pursuit. A month of bulking followed by a month of cutting will probably not produce satisfactory results except under the most rigorous and lucky of conditions. You need to take time to plan your diet carefully, slowly add calories, be unafraid to lose a little definition (don’t let anyone tell you that you have to pig out; you can add 250-500 nutritious calories per day and see results), and do this for months.
You’re young; spending from now until, say, April on a bulking meal plan would still be considered a “short” bulking cycle by those who are serious about gaining mass. Some years ago, I saw a friend for the first time in several years, and he was HUGE, and not fat; he explained “I’m halfway through a two-year bulking cycle.” That kind of long-term thinking impressed the hell out of me, and I try to keep it in mind when contemplating my own goals.
I hope this thread has helped make you think seriously about what you really want, whether it’s realistic, and how you’re going to get there.[/quote]
thanks alot. you bring up very good points. while i know all of this, it is good to read it from someone else. i think my problem is that i have grown accustomed to eating and training to cut weight. and the notion of putting weight on seems antithetical to my current mindset. but reading posts like this give me motivation to “SHUT UP AND GAIN!”
thanks