[quote]Thorney wrote:
Research a guy call John Christy. Find his HARDGAINER articles and you’ll be sorted for life[/quote]
Thanks for recommending his stuff. I had never heard of him before, but he has a great writing style and some really good ideas. Think this will help me a lot.
[quote]sjhutc wrote:
Hey man, I have walked this same road as you and I have to say that all of Anthony Mychals stuff has been of INSANE value to me. Give him a read either on here or his website. Tons of work done for “skinny-fats”. Good luck with it all brotha’.[/quote]
Thanks for the advice, i’ll have to take a look at his stuff. Glad to hear its helped you.
You asked for input and I don’t believe in hanholding, so first - you have NOT been training properly for 2.5 years. Pain doesn’t mean shit. I heve watched so many little guys blast through a dozen drop sets of curls, grunt through bench reps session after session and stay the same year after. Do less, get stronger and forget about the little shit for a while.
Pick a program, it doesn’t matter what it is except you should believe in it, it should come from a reputable coach (not some magazine article) and it should be in line with your goals. Attack it, to the letter.
Eat to support your training. It doesn’t matter if you run a small deficit or a small surplus right now, you have plenty of room to get stronger either way. Don’t worry about anybody else, pick a goal, eat well and get it done.
OP, definitely don’t chase numbers, like ever. Size and strength have absolutely nothing to do with each other. Focus instead on training “intelligently” and getting “quality muscle stimulation” every workout and get the “proper nutrition” to support your goals.
[quote]Depression Boy wrote:
Size and strength have absolutely nothing to do with each other. [/quote]
Absolutely nothing?
Nope, “quality muscle stimulation” and “not chasing numbers” along with “intelligent nutrition” are the key to obtaining a “quality physique”.
[quote]usmccds423 wrote:
[quote]Depression Boy wrote:
Size and strength have absolutely nothing to do with each other. [/quote]
Absolutely nothing?
[/quote]
[quote]Depression Boy wrote:
Nope, “quality muscle stimulation” and “not chasing numbers” along with “intelligent nutrition” are the key to obtaining a “quality physique”.
[quote]usmccds423 wrote:
[quote]Depression Boy wrote:
Size and strength have absolutely nothing to do with each other. [/quote]
Absolutely nothing?
[/quote]
[/quote]
Interesting.
[quote]usmccds423 wrote:
[quote]Depression Boy wrote:
Nope, “quality muscle stimulation” and “not chasing numbers” along with “intelligent nutrition” are the key to obtaining a “quality physique”.
[quote]usmccds423 wrote:
[quote]Depression Boy wrote:
Size and strength have absolutely nothing to do with each other. [/quote]
Absolutely nothing?
[/quote]
[/quote]
Interesting. [/quote]
[quote]Depression Boy wrote:
OP, definitely don’t chase numbers, like ever. Size and strength have absolutely nothing to do with each other. Focus instead on training “intelligently” and getting “quality muscle stimulation” every workout and get the “proper nutrition” to support your goals.[/quote]
So your saying he should stay at these numbers for the rest of his training career as long as he is still “stimulating the muscle”?
Bench press - 135lbs - 3x7
Squat - 155lbs - 3x8
Deadlift - 240lbs - 3x5
No dbol?
[quote]AzCats wrote:
[quote]Depression Boy wrote:
OP, definitely don’t chase numbers, like ever. Size and strength have absolutely nothing to do with each other. Focus instead on training “intelligently” and getting “quality muscle stimulation” every workout and get the “proper nutrition” to support your goals.[/quote]
So your saying he should stay at these numbers for the rest of his training career as long as he is still “stimulating the muscle”?
Bench press - 135lbs - 3x7
Squat - 155lbs - 3x8
Deadlift - 240lbs - 3x5 [/quote]
Strength has absolutely nothing to do with size, duh…
I’m in the same boat as you. I’m just shy of 5’9", and weighing 236 lbs, but don’t look it at all, or what my measurements would suggest. Just like a skinny bloke with a pot belly. I shall post pictures as soon as I can. Despite being a former Oly lifter, I don’t look like someone who has ever lifted weights. Whilst I’m not overly concerned with my appearance, I would at least like to look healthy and fit. The bodybuilder image isn’t for me, I’d rather a physique like Dwain Chambers - athletic and powerful.
Anyway, my biggest problem is belly fat. Any pointers from people more experienced than me? I don’t have gym avcess, just a park and adjustable dumbbells. My rough training is in my introduction post, although don’t stick to it religiously if I feel a bit off. Anything else I could do to speed things up?
I would recommend chin-ups to put some size on your arms and also help you get a good strength to bodyweight ratio. I’ve noticed that as I’ve gotten stronger at bodyweight excercises (Dips: 35+ bodyweight reps as a “burnout” at the end of a workout, 100 pushups in a row, etc) that I’ve been able to stay leaner without sacrificing strength. Plus doing dips and pullups with plates strapped to you makes you feel like a badass.
Also, farmers carries, sprinting, and using supersets or complexes for your… non-main lifts? I don’t really know what bodybuilders would call assistance work, but those will help your body burn or minimize fat without sacrificing muscle.
At this point strength will build size. I’ve never seen anyone squat 315 for reps with toothpick legs, or do dips with a 100lb plate for reps with tiny arms and chest, or deadlift 455 without looking at the very least strong and “built”. Yes some powerlifters and strongmen are fat, but anyone that believes that there is no correlation between strength and size are deluded by something or trolling.
[quote]usmccds423 wrote:
[quote]AzCats wrote:
[quote]Depression Boy wrote:
OP, definitely don’t chase numbers, like ever. Size and strength have absolutely nothing to do with each other. Focus instead on training “intelligently” and getting “quality muscle stimulation” every workout and get the “proper nutrition” to support your goals.[/quote]
So your saying he should stay at these numbers for the rest of his training career as long as he is still “stimulating the muscle”?
Bench press - 135lbs - 3x7
Squat - 155lbs - 3x8
Deadlift - 240lbs - 3x5 [/quote]
Strength has absolutely nothing to do with size, duh…[/quote]
Some people with seriously broken sarcasm-detectors in this thread…
Thank you to everyone who has contributed to this thread.
I am going to make a concerted effort to increase my poundages for rep sets. This isn’t going to be a shove food down my throat and get fat/stronger approach, but rather a good diet with a real focus on linear progression.
I don’t buy the idea that strength has little to do with size. Currently I can ‘feel’ all of the exercises hitting the target muscle and create soreness, but ultimately, a 135lb bench press isn’t going to build a huge chest. I know this, and I am addressing it.
I will check back in at a later date with some much improved numbers, along with a better physique to match.
[quote]Quick Ben wrote:
[quote]usmccds423 wrote:
[quote]AzCats wrote:
[quote]Depression Boy wrote:
OP, definitely don’t chase numbers, like ever. Size and strength have absolutely nothing to do with each other. Focus instead on training “intelligently” and getting “quality muscle stimulation” every workout and get the “proper nutrition” to support your goals.[/quote]
So your saying he should stay at these numbers for the rest of his training career as long as he is still “stimulating the muscle”?
Bench press - 135lbs - 3x7
Squat - 155lbs - 3x8
Deadlift - 240lbs - 3x5 [/quote]
Strength has absolutely nothing to do with size, duh…[/quote]
Some people with seriously broken sarcasm-detectors in this thread…[/quote]
Perhaps.
[quote]usmccds423 wrote:
[quote]Depression Boy wrote:
Nope, “quality muscle stimulation” and “not chasing numbers” along with “intelligent nutrition” are the key to obtaining a “quality physique”.
[quote]usmccds423 wrote:
[quote]Depression Boy wrote:
Size and strength have absolutely nothing to do with each other. [/quote]
Absolutely nothing?
[/quote]
[/quote]
Interesting. [/quote]
i have had great success lately with simplicity and frequency. i am reasonably lean and have a decent amount of muscle but also struggle putting on size. i have been doing pull/push split for the past 6 weeks and have been very impressed with my gains in strength and size. i think i look more solid than before and feel much stronger. here is my example:
pull day (mon, wed, fri) - deadlift, rows, weighted pull ups.
push day (tues, thurs, sat)
i also do carries at the end of the workouts and cant believe how much these help.
3 sets, 3 reps then drop weight by 20% and do 3 sets of 6 reps for each excercise. if you hit your numbers for that week add 5lbs next week. i have to thank Christian for this idea as he suggested it for an easy hardgainer i think. i was surprised that each week my numbers went up. im at a bit of a plateau at the moment so will change up my excercises possibly for the next 6 weeks or so.
for me, forgetting about isolations, drop sets etc has worked wonders and i love the challenge of seeing if i can increase my numbers each week.
focussing on getting stronger on the basics is something i wish i did years ago.
give it a try…
i forgot to say that technique should be perfect (or near to) and as explosive as possible. this has been invaluable to my progression. i also very rarely go to failure. read a few of christian’s articles/posts as they were very helpful to me.
[quote]Joe_L_B wrote:
As for my diet, this is what a current days eating would look like.
Meal 1: Protein shake (24g whey)
Meal 2: 3-4 egg omelette with ham, cheese, peppers
Meal 3: 2 Chicken Breasts with rice; maybe a couple eggs, too
Meal 4: 3 eggs, 2 slices wheat toast, water w/ creatine
TRAIN
Meal 5: Powerade (maybe 32oz.), 2 chicken breasts, small serving fruit. (On leg and back day may also have a bowl of cereal with skim milk)
I eat on campus at a dining hall so can’t count kcals, macros. However I believe that my protein requirements are at or above 1g per 1lb BW, and I try to keep carbs low prior to training, then after training eat lots of protein, simple carbs and zero fat.
This diet can vary on a day to day basis, but is pretty much what I would eat most days. Weekends can involve some junk meals.
I should add that this is the diet I have been implementing since I got my bodyfat results back in January, prior to this I would eat whatever I wanted in unlimited quantities. I have cut back on portion sizes at each meal and attempted to eat cleaner this past 3-4 months.[/quote]
My two cents, for what it’s worth. Opinions differ on whether you can eat too much protein, but just between those four chicken breasts, you’re getting about 240g of protein, which is more than you need at your size and LBM. Even if there’s no such thing as too much protein, if I were you, I’d eat a little more fat. Life is short and food is fun, no point in gagging down the breasts of generations of chickens if you don’t have to. And (channeling your mother), would it kill you to eat some more vegetables? Might not be a huge impact on your physique, but a single serving of peppers and a small serving of fruit is not going to give you all of the micronutrients needed for optimal health.
[quote]Joe_L_B wrote:
As for the weights used on my lifts (all recent workout numbers):
Bench press - 135lbs - 3x7
Squat - 155lbs - 3x8
Deadlift - 240lbs - 3x5
Dumbbell rows 100lb - 3x10
Seated dumbbell press - 40lbsx2 - 3x10
Barbell shrugs 225lbs - 3x15
I know that my poundages are poor, but just eating more to drive the numbers up has led to me gaining fat without really getting much stronger.
I should add that in the pics above, I am weighing 166.
[/quote]
Those DB row numbers are decent!
I agree with the people who’ve advised you to get stronger. You say you put in the effort and the numbers just won’t go up and I believe you because I’ve been there. The things is, are you going balls out every workout? If you are, it’s no wonder you’ve hit a wall. You need to cycle your intensity somehow, especially if you’re a hardgainer. Good, experienced lifters know how to do this on their own, good programs will do it for you.
The only other thing is that if you try a new program, I’d suggest one with a little more frequency. Blasting a body part 1x week doesn’t work for everyone, and with lifts like squats and bench presses, sometimes it’s just about getting more practice in.
I hope you update this thread at some point in the future and tell us what changes you made and what results you got.
Good luck!
