Mass Programs/Results

Bigger Stronger Leaner Competitive Bodybuilding
1

For a while now, I’ve been curious about personal experiences with different training programs, and I figured this would be a good place to have everyone post what program they used and what results they got within a specific time frame. I think it can be a decent reference to use when someone is between programs and looking to try something new for a few weeks/months.

For example: My senior year in high school, I did Waterbury’s 8-week ‘Bodybuilding’s Next Frontier’ program, and gained 13 lbs of muscle and improved my physique a LOT. After a layoff, I came back and did Waterbury’s ‘30 Day Mass Plan’ and also had great results; not a lot of bodyweight increase, but definitely got bigger very quickly.

What are some programs you’ve had success with? CT’s Beast Building? DeFranco’s WS4SB? Post your results!

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No

3

…The program where I focused on bringing up the poundage of 2-3 exercises per muscle group :wink:

4

…The program where I ate a ton and lifted weights

5

Mike Mentzer-ish training.

6

The “D-Bag Frat Boy 4-week Blast” was my personal favorite. Some highlights of this program include…

You have to lay the foundation first, right? Perfect the attire you wear to the gym. This gives you the mental edge needed to blast those gunz. Requirements include nipple rings, overuse of underarmour gear and bright colored shorts.

Utilize a shoe for a more accurate bodyfat estimate. How will you know you are on your way to hawt abz if you do not know where you started?

Workout four days a week, bench pressing every single workout. Balance and symmetry is overrated. Wing the rest of the exercises.

Do not train legs. You have to stay “fast”. Too much muscle mass will just slow you down and make you unfunctional.

Grunt loudly, even when using warm-up weight. This helps to ramp up the nervous system.

NOt only did I get huge from this program, but I am pretty sure my penis grew as well!

7

I’ll wait a few days and see if anyone wants to intelligently add to the content of this thread. Gotta love those guys whose sole purpose for signing on is to mock others.

8

Every single program I’ve attempted or created worked. Why? Because my day revolves around eating. Eating a lot.

Protip: that’s the secret.

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[quote]pete3940 wrote:
I’ll wait a few days and see if anyone wants to intelligently add to the content of this thread. Gotta love those guys whose sole purpose for signing on is to mock others.[/quote]

But you see, we know what you’re up to…well, at least I do.

You’re gonna take the most common "successful"routine and use it yourself.

Which is silly and not what you’re supposed to do.

I know because I did that once…until I learned it was stupid :S

And don’t tell us “no no no, Im not doing that, I just wanted some opinions…”

No

Why else would you ask?

Oh and btw, after a few days this thread is going to be at the back of the line…wayy back.

10

Actually, no, I already know I’m starting WS4SB3 next week and thus I don’t need this thread to tell me what program to do. The original point of the post was to get an idea of what splits/intensities/etc. work best for a lot of people, so that when I design my own program and/or tweak the WS4SB3 parameters, I can use others’ successful results on which to base the changes.

And I really don’t care if this thread is “going to be at the back of the line.” If no one answers it seriously, then fine, I won’t be broken-hearted over it. I’m just sick of seeing the same guys in tons of these threads who reply just to try to act better than everyone else and make people feel stupid for their questions. If you think the question for this thread is pointless, then don’t post anything and move on to something that suits your vastly superior standards.

11

Your problem isn’t that everyone is being mean and unhelpful to you. Your problem is that you go through your life with the premise that those that disagree with you are doing so just to get under your skin. I’ve learned much from people who displayed less tact than a lonely old man.

Maybe the reason why everyone’s responding the way they are is because you asked a question that is not important. Programs aren’t important. Scratch that, THE program isn’t important in and of itself. The qualities displayed by people when they make great improvements in their physique and strength are the only things that can be important to other people. Tenacity, not consistency, but persistency. And a willingness to fucking go farther than you feel comfortable.

Now gtfo.

12

I understand that people disagree with me and I’m fine with that if they are respectful about it. And I do know that the program isn’t the most important element of training, and I know trial and error is the only way to figure out what works best for an individual. I never said that I need this thread to tell me what to do, nor that I have it in my mind that what works for others will work equally well for me. The ONLY purpose of this thread was to gather results of different training philosophies/programs in one place as a quick reference. Like I said before, I already know how I’m going to approach the next few months of my training, so I’m not here asking people for a cure-all program to make me huge.

And you’re right, persistence is obviously a key, I never disagreed. And, like yourself, I’ve learned quite a bit going through these threads and reading what people have to say, even if they have no tact whatsoever. What I think is unnecessary are the guys who get on here, make sarcastic comments because they have a different approach to their own training, and offer zero helpful insight. I don’t mind if people disagree with me, as long as they do it with integrity.

And as a side note, I’ve done different “programs” with the same work ethic, diet habits, etc. and I got different results. So the training parameters do have an effect on results, even though it isn’t the MOST important thing. I posted this thread not because I thought the program is the main key to training, but because it is one element of it.

13

Just in case more people are going to criticize my “unimportant” question: there are many different ways to approach training. Personally, I’m coming up on the first time in my life that I can train consistently for at least the next year without layoffs. I’ve decided that, for me, it will be best to try a few different programs laid out by coaches much more knowledgeable that I am, and see what works best for my own body. Then when I know my body better I’ll be able to start designing my own programs until my goals change. That’s my approach.

If you have a different one, i.e. you think following a program is stupid and you’d rather just work hard in the gym with less structure laid out, then great. I’m not here to say you’re wrong for doing it that way, even though that isn’t the way I’m doing it. There are guys who got as big as Arnold who didn’t train the same way he did. And I don’t want this thread to turn into a big war of words, because that is pointless and we’re all above that, so if you don’t think program design has any effect on training results, that’s your opinion and I respect it. As such, it’s probably best not to post it, because I’ve heard it and I acknowledge that philosophy.

And yeah, food is most important. I know.

14

I think training parameters matter a ton. More so than diet. Diet is simple, you are either eating enough or you aren’t. There are a bunch of other things that can have an effect, but nothing remotely as importan as calorie intake.

So nutrition is a given. Any good training aimed at building a ton of muscle will just mean eating just about as much as possible.

Training on the other hand is much more individual and much more complicated. The results you are after are the same fore everyone. Get stronger, lift more weight, etc. But you cant simply say lift more weight, or do high volume, or DC etc. You have to experiment and find what you can handle the best.

Having said that, its best to find a good BASIC routine that produces results for MOST people. Even something as simple as 5x5, or WS4SB. Start with a good TEMPLATE, and adapt it as necessary to make consisten progress.

Its much better to have a program that will consistently allow you to add 5lbs to the bar for a long time, than the one that will put 20lbs on your bench in a month, and then nothing after that.

And the most important thing to understand, is that there are no secrets, no magic pills or anything like that. Authors/coaches write about these things, because they are different and nobody wants to read 10 million articles about heavy progressive basic lifting.

15

Almost any decent program can work for a little while. And changing parameters in your workout periodically is important. And training can be highly individualized.

So your question is too general, and maybe too simplified.

16

[quote]pete3940 wrote:
not a lot of bodyweight increase, but definitely got bigger very quickly.
[/quote]
This…,

17

While I agree with much of the above that one’s experience has limited instructional value, I do think this is an interesting question.

Years ago, I went from 138 to 205 lifting 5 days a week, doing both compound and isolation movements, going to failure on pretty much every set, and eating 5,000 pretty dirty cals a day. Naturally, I gained a lot of fat, and when I finally cut down to ~8% body fat, I was at 185. So that sucked, but still, I gained nearly 50 lbs of lean muscle, and had a lot of fun in the process (nothing like sitting down for Sunday Night Football with two boxes of mac 'n cheese).

The last two months, I have focused on 5/3/1 and eating about 500 cals above what I burn every day. So far, I’ve gained 10 lbs, I’m up 60 lbs in my dead lift, and I have gained very little fat (my waist measurement has stayed the same). I’m not a bodybuilder, but this basic program (increasing strength + moderately increasing intake) works well for packing on lean muscle and improving power. Plus, I would rather be slowly bulking (if I stay lean) forever than to bulk fast and have to cut. I hate cutting, and I especially hate lifting while cutting. But again, I’m not a bodybuilder.

18

[quote]Cgunz wrote:
While I agree with much of the above that one’s experience has limited instructional value, I do think this is an interesting question.

Years ago, I went from 138 to 205 lifting 5 days a week, doing both compound and isolation movements, going to failure on pretty much every set, and eating 5,000 pretty dirty cals a day. Naturally, I gained a lot of fat, and when I finally cut down to ~8% body fat, I was at 185. So that sucked, but still, I gained nearly 50 lbs of lean muscle, and had a lot of fun in the process (nothing like sitting down for Sunday Night Football with two boxes of mac 'n cheese).

The last two months, I have focused on 5/3/1 and eating about 500 cals above what I burn every day. So far, I’ve gained 10 lbs, I’m up 60 lbs in my dead lift, and I have gained very little fat (my waist measurement has stayed the same). I’m not a bodybuilder, but this basic program (increasing strength + moderately increasing intake) works well for packing on lean muscle and improving power. Plus, I would rather be slowly bulking (if I stay lean) forever than to bulk fast and have to cut. I hate cutting, and I especially hate lifting while cutting. But again, I’m not a bodybuilder.[/quote]

This is true, but if you would have used your current methods when you were 138lbs, you’d still probably be small and weak. Some might disagree, but I highly doubt that most people will be able to consistently gain a lot of weight with the slow and steady method. All those dirty calories during that bulk have signaled to your body that its ok to build muscle, and that there will be enough intake to maintain it. Although the “law” of thermodynamics states that +500 kcals a day should lead to +52lbs a year, it never works out this way. Your body isn’t a lab and just doesn’t recognize +500kcals a day as enough to justify laying down more muscle; in most situations.

I wonder where this “slow bulk” +500 kcals thing came from. Im guessing back in the day they just ate a ton and lifted and adjusted as they got too fat.

19

[quote]dankid wrote:

[quote]Cgunz wrote:
While I agree with much of the above that one’s experience has limited instructional value, I do think this is an interesting question.

Years ago, I went from 138 to 205 lifting 5 days a week, doing both compound and isolation movements, going to failure on pretty much every set, and eating 5,000 pretty dirty cals a day. Naturally, I gained a lot of fat, and when I finally cut down to ~8% body fat, I was at 185. So that sucked, but still, I gained nearly 50 lbs of lean muscle, and had a lot of fun in the process (nothing like sitting down for Sunday Night Football with two boxes of mac 'n cheese).

The last two months, I have focused on 5/3/1 and eating about 500 cals above what I burn every day. So far, I’ve gained 10 lbs, I’m up 60 lbs in my dead lift, and I have gained very little fat (my waist measurement has stayed the same). I’m not a bodybuilder, but this basic program (increasing strength + moderately increasing intake) works well for packing on lean muscle and improving power. Plus, I would rather be slowly bulking (if I stay lean) forever than to bulk fast and have to cut. I hate cutting, and I especially hate lifting while cutting. But again, I’m not a bodybuilder.[/quote]

This is true, but if you would have used your current methods when you were 138lbs, you’d still probably be small and weak. Some might disagree, but I highly doubt that most people will be able to consistently gain a lot of weight with the slow and steady method. All those dirty calories during that bulk have signaled to your body that its ok to build muscle, and that there will be enough intake to maintain it. Although the “law” of thermodynamics states that +500 kcals a day should lead to +52lbs a year, it never works out this way. Your body isn’t a lab and just doesn’t recognize +500kcals a day as enough to justify laying down more muscle; in most situations.

I wonder where this “slow bulk” +500 kcals thing came from. Im guessing back in the day they just ate a ton and lifted and adjusted as they got too fat.[/quote]

You have a very good point about dirty bulking. I remember back then that if I couldn’t reach 4,500 calories, I might as well as eaten 2,500. There was a 4,500 calorie threshold that if I didn’t break, nothing seemed to improve–even though this was at least 2,000 calories above what I was burning. I probably could have exceeded what I burned by 1,500 and never changed.

Having established I needed that many calories, an interesting question is whether I would have gained less fat had I consumed the same number of calories in a clean bulk (despite how difficult it would be to consume 5,000 calories of lean meet and vegetables). I suspect that for my metabolism back then, a calorie was a calorie.

We’ll see about the slow and steady bulk. As long as my strength keeps increasing, I’ll keep doing it. If I stop getting bigger, but keep getting stronger, I’ll just rock my weight class at the next meet.

20

Please refer to the sacred, holy guidelines I provided in the “Bodybuilding Bible” thread.