Hey guys- im 21, and in need of a review of what to do to put on mass. I have been lifting for a few years now, started off with an ED (was 139 at 6’3), now im up to 185. I want to get up to 200 by summertime. I was looking through the bulking thread and was thinking about doing the Superhero Program— http://www.T-Nation.com/portal_includes/articles/2006/06-021B-training.html
I figure at my height/weight I need ~3k-3.5k calories…too little, too much? Right now I have been focusing on the big lifts (deads–185 3x10, squats–205 3x10, dips, bench–105 3x10, chins…) However the Superhero program seems like it will give me a little more structure and help me get my goals. My lifts have actually gone up alot, I started at ~90 on my squat, ~70 on my deads and could barely do the bar on my bench…so its taken time.
Thanks for reading all that…but any tips/hints on what you did would help me. I want to build strength and get big. Sick of being puny and looking like I dont work out, when I bust my ass on a day in and day out basis in the gym.
Also- I have been doing about a half hour of HIIT daily, should I cut this down? I have been gaining weight in spite of it, figured it would keep fat down…used to be a FFB, then manorexic, now I just want to be big. Thanks again, look forward to the tips.
Pretty much any program you find here will be good. My only problem with the Superman program is that… I believe it’s supposed to be used to bring up the shoulders, instead of add muscle across the body. I could be wrong there, though.
If you’re gonna do the Superhero program, do the Superhero program. If it calls for HIIT, do HIIT as prescribed. Otherwise, don’t. If you’re gaining weight too fast, or your weight gain isn’t justified by your strength gains, eat less.
200 lbs by summertime is definitely possible. Good luck.
Thanks brother. is there another program which you would recommend on the site? I see all of them, just trying to find one which is great. (I know of Starting Strength and the likes…looking for something a little more). Thanks man! Happy Holidays
[quote]theenforcer1 wrote:
I know of Starting Strength and the likes…looking for something a little more[/quote]
Why? Or rather, what’s wrong with Starting Strength?
There are plenty of other excellent programs. Superhero training is a good one, I just remember it being a specialization program, and you’re not at a position to need that. Alternatives that come to mind are:
Starting strength is waaaaay low on the volume for me personally. That’s the one shortcoming I see with it. I’ve been thinking about it for some time, and I’m on the fence, but it sometimes seems to me that getting into Starting Strength as a 1st program makes a lot of people scared to overtrain. I mean, the volume is so low they get used to doing that and then freak when a high volume program makes them hurt real bad.
On the other hand, when I started I did a high volume bodybuilding style program. It sucked a lot, was on machines, and was terribly organized, but it got me used to having muscles that ached or were immobile for 5 days or a week. I still made gains b/c I stuffed my face w/ as much food as the college cafeteria would give me.
Just a personal observation. I still like the program, just have a reservation or two about it. Bears warning newbs.
Personal notes from experience-- I started at 160, am now 240, couldn’t bench 95 lbs even once, can now bench 365. Things I found to help…
cram food down your mouth, even if it’s not clean. Gangly skinny guys like us need to cram food down at all costs, except getting too little protein. Get a crap load of protein in all meals.
eat 6-7 times a day. Start at 5 times if you absolutely have to, but ramp up to 6-7.
Alternate solid and liquid meals. This will help to keep eating when you feel full all the time.
eat on a schedule, not when you feel full or empty. It will take time to get your stomach used to eating so much, and you’ll feel full all the time, but you should accept this.
don’t get fixated on a specific number of calories. If you’re not gaining on 3000, eat 3500. If you’re not gaining on 4000, eat 4500. And on and on. It doesn’t matter how many calories you’re eating if you’re not gaining weight.
Take a LONG TERM view. It took me 7 years to go from where I started to where I am. It ain’t going to happen in 6 months, a year, or even 2-3. This game is about consistency over the long haul, not a few weeks or months of extreme training.
Don’t become a fatass. You’ll have to put off the 6 pack, but that’s not license to be a lardass. not that you and I have as much to worry about as more huskily built guys, but it bears saying. It’ll be harder for us to get to that point, but it can happen after long periods of time if you’re careless.
See thats the thing. I seem to put on weight easy, and im hungry ALL THE TIME. So I do fear overeating. I bust ass in the gym with lifting and cardio. I started as a FFB, then manorexic, now im average. Time to get big. I bust ass with deads and squats and bench…bench went from 75 barely, now im at 105…over a month or so…so im pleased. Squat went from 105 to now im up to 210…and deads went from 95 to 205. I am making progress. So I should just continue to pound it in? What is a weight goal i should set?
What would be a good goal weight to set. How much cardio should I be doing?
Also- what do you guys do about your hunger? I am ALWAYS hungry, I tried attacking it with more meat, fruit, veg, rice, potatoes, almonds almond butter…nothing satisifies it. Do I just roll with it and take it that my body is trying to grow?
This site brought me from 138 to 180, now its gotta push me to 200.
“How much cardio should I be doing?”
3lbs a week, is a good fatloss rate, that way if your diet is correct and cardio is low intensity you won’t lose much muscle at all.
“Hunger?”
Yes they are pain to keep eating but VEGGIES, hungry eat 2 cups of veggies, still hungry? eat another. Also you need to make sure what ever diet your following has enough fats in it like olive oil or natural peanut butter - but don’t put these with any high carb meals. Christians has some good ‘nutrition’ articles on here about the amount of fats carbs and protien you should be having to keep you full. And if all else fails VEGGIES
And yes if you ‘dieting’ down you might feel hungry every once in a while, but they should mainly be cravings. If you feel hungry a lot then the nutrition is off.
And when gaining the 3lb rule doesn’t work (only for cutting), your gains should be much less than 3lbs per week or else you are gaining fat (unless you are just introducing carbs in your diet, then its just water).
But eat when hungry, you don’t have to worry about veggies and cardio so much.
