New, Need Diet/Routine Critique

Hi, I started weightlifting about 4 months ago and in that time I’ve gone from 131 lbs to 147 lbs. I’m about 5’8.5", and would like to bulk up to 180 lbs and then lean out to around 170 or so.

My workout schedule hasn’t been too rigid, but it generally goes like this:

Day 1 - Chest, triceps
Day 2 - rest
Day 3 - Back, Biceps
Day 4 - rest
Day 5 - Shoulders
Day 6 - Legs
Day 7 - rest

I’ll sometimes mix it up, but i generally work 1 or 2 body parts a day, and do 5 excercises total. I’ve found that my arms and chest seem to be lagging compared to the rest of my body. Would I benefit from working those parts twice a week? Could anyone suggest a better schedule?

My Diet:

Meal 1 - Weight Gainer Shake with oats (2 scoops NLarge, 1 scoop oats)

Meal 2 - 2 Peanut Butter Sandwiches with 1 small can of V8

Meal 3 - small chicken breast with a baked potato

Meal 4 (pre workout) - one of those microwavable pasta dishes with a can of tuna mixed in

Meal 5 (post workout) - Weight Gainer Shake (3 scoops NLarge)

Meal 6 - large Chicken breast with rice and veggies.

This is what I plan to eat starting in the new year. Up to now, I’ve probably only been getting 5 meals a day, so adding an extra meal will likely help out quite a bit.

Anyway, any suggestions on how I could improve my diet or routine would be appreciated. I want to set myself up to gain about 3 lbs a month, and bulk up my arms/chest.

Thanks!

[quote]ddp3000 wrote:
Hi, I started weightlifting about 4 months ago and in that time I’ve gone from 131 lbs to 147 lbs. I’m about 5’8.5", and would like to bulk up to 180 lbs and then lean out to around 170 or so.
[/quote]

Great progress. I’m sure this is representative of the amount of work you’ve put it. Rewarding isn’t it?

A lot of people are going to get on here and suggest 3-4 full body workouts a week because it’s the cool thing to do. It’s not bad advice but I won’t pigeon-hole you like that.

Here’s what I DO recommend (since you asked)… your program has worked for a few months but your body will adapt with time and your gains will slow or even stop. This will be frustrating.

Drastically change your program: here’s a few I recommend: (you can find them in the archives with the search tool)

  1. Joe DeFranco’s “Westside for Skinny Bastards.”

  2. Waterbury’s “Total Body Training,” “Quattro Dynamo,” or “Waterbury Method.” All fantastic.

  3. Charles Staley’s “21 Day Itch” though it might be a little advanced for you right now.

Thinking long term, you might consider cycling through all of these, 4-8 weeks at a time, over the next year.

Yes definately. Look up Berardi’s “Massive Eating” in the archives for the basics… the rest is up to you… eat well, repeat. At this point your diet is fine, but continue to perfect it (add more protein and healthy fat). Read Berardi’s stuff. All of it.