Skinny Guy Seeks Support

Bigger Stronger Leaner Competitive Bodybuilding
1

I have been lurking here at T-Nation for about seven years now. During this period of time I went from 160 lbs. at 6’2" to 205 lbs., and then back down to an Auschwitz-like 150 and am now hovering around 165. At this point I am looking to bulk up again and looking for help.

Back when I did pack the meat on, I was weight training about 5-6 times a week using high volume, and eating more or less on John Berardi’s suggestions here. I ate every two to three hours, went to school, had 20-hour-a-week (i did full-time during the summers) job where the microwave was right by the warehouse desk, and could spend an hour in the gym easily.

Now things are a little different: I work about 60 (sometimes more) hours a week, there’s one quarter-sized refrigerator on the whole floor, I’ve got an issue with bulging discs in the lumbar and c-spines. On the other hand I do have access to a 24-hour-gym.

So, in my estimation, here are my issues:

  1. Time. I don’t have time to spend 10 hours a week exercising twice a day–I do have 24 hour gyms within about three blocks from home, though. I don’t want to hear the “you have to make time” crap, because I “make time” as much as possible with my current job situation, otherwise I’d be a loony tune by now. The only way to make more time is a meth addiction. So that leads to problem two:

  2. An effective and consistent training program. I’ve looked at and used the “Busy Schedule Big Muscles” but don’t like it–I would rather stick to core exercises. The problem being that it’s really hard to get all the core exercises done with adequate volume for the week in one or two sessions–I’ve been struggling with that for about a year now and haven’t found a balance.

Should I go for a high-volume upper-body day, and a high-volume lower-body day? HIT? Should I go for a lot of shorter sessions? What works in these circumstances? Right now I am getting in once or twice a week to to some lactic-acid style training just to keep my health up.

  1. “Falling Off the Wagon.” It really just takes two back-to-back intense weeks at work and I’m back to square one it feels like.

On the other hand, these aren’t issues:

  1. Diet. I’ve got a plan. I eat clean but can still sneak in a couple “better bad” meals a week, but getting consistent high calories can be rough. My current thinking is to shoot for three or four solid meals and a lot of nuts/trail mix, with two or three high-quality prepackaged MRPs a day. I was doing this for a while but fell off the wagon.

  2. Injuries. Having thoroughly de-trained almost all my tendonitis has disappeared, and by keeping a clean diet, and having learned to respect my spine and joints, and getting regular massage and accupuncture, I’ve been helped tremendously. The only real issue I have is that I front squat rather than back squat b/c of my neck.

Anyway, anyone with any help or encouragement is greatly appreciated!

2

Since there are no responses to this thread, I’ll take the liberty of adding one.

After 7 years of reading you should have enough tips and clues to get moving. Sounds like you just need a kick in the ass.

You don’t need this site to gain weight. You need a swift kick in the ass, maybe.

My advice on training, think hard now. I get real detailed.

… lift to get stronger, eat to get bigger.

That’s it. That’s all you need to know. The rest is all up to you how you choose to do that. It doesn’t really matter how, just when.

merlin

3

How did you lose that much weight?

Sheeeeit.

4

Sorry it doesnt seem clear, exactly how much time do you have free to train? Is this going to continue indefinately?

Ive been training only a couple of days a week at the moment, just trying to get stronger in 4 lifts. Deads, squats, Chins and bench. Somewhere between ME attempts and 5x5 depending on how i feel. Not really planned. This might help make me larger when i do get the time to return to normal training.

5

I agree.

Your first priority should be getting your eating and sleeping in order for getting stronger. Once that’s OK, introduce lifting. Squats, deadlifts, chins/rows, bench/dips for 4-8 reps & 1-3 sets each, once every 7-10 days would work. Increase your strength by 50% on each lift and you’ll be a happy man.

6

[quote]Sxio wrote:
How did you lose that much weight?

Sheeeeit. [/quote]

Yeah, please fill us in.

7

How to lose that much weight: Resolve firmly to pay off five figures of debt by every means necessary, including living out of a bag of rice and beans until it’s all gone and not spending anything on gym membership or so much as having enough space in a cramped apartment to do push-ups.

The kick in the ass works, but it’s hard to stay consistent. I don’t need a nitro pack to cross the finish line so much as some diesel fuel for the long haul, and it’s not for lack of trying…

Anyway, my sleeping is in order, I’ll refine my question:

For a dude with very little free time (i worked from 9 to 9 every day this week)–what is a viable way to see some progress? (the idea to do heavy sets sounds good) and what is a decent diet fix (besides trail mix, which my vendors provide me in ample quantity) for a guy with little access to a fridge or kitchen during the day?

8

[quote]Nate365 wrote:
How to lose that much weight: Resolve firmly to pay off five figures of debt by every means necessary, including living out of a bag of rice and beans until it’s all gone and not spending anything on gym membership or so much as having enough space in a cramped apartment to do push-ups.

The kick in the ass works, but it’s hard to stay consistent. I don’t need a nitro pack to cross the finish line so much as some diesel fuel for the long haul, and it’s not for lack of trying…

Anyway, my sleeping is in order, I’ll refine my question:

For a dude with very little free time (i worked from 9 to 9 every day this week)–what is a viable way to see some progress? (the idea to do heavy sets sounds good) and what is a decent diet fix (besides trail mix, which my vendors provide me in ample quantity) for a guy with little access to a fridge or kitchen during the day?[/quote]

If you want specifics:

Squats & Milk will work fine. Add some single & double sets in there on off days for volume. Don’t seem like much but those extra sets make a big difference, maube a 20 rep squat with a 12-15 RM.

For upperbody quick bulk, try the dips and chins 5 reps each for fifteen minutes straight program(I forget the details but just do about 15 sets of each one). Short rests. After you can’t do 5 reps just drop down to 4, then 3, then 2 etc etc.

That is plenty to get you started.

Do those Squats 2-4 times a week. Different rep schemes & loads. Heavy and light days.

Do the dips & chins as often as possible, as long as you’re not too sore …bust em’ out.

You don’t need the “end all be all” program. Anything will work. I like the basics and do them hard and often. Effort is results. Lift to get stronger, eat to get bigger. Eat several times on squat days, I seem to eat about 8 times on those days.

merlin

9

The problems:

  1. You have a fast metabolism.
  2. In order to grow you need a calorie surplus.
  3. You don’t have access to a good fridge at work.
  4. You don’t have much time to work out.

The solutions:

  1. Focus on foods that have a high calorie density, and drink liquids with calories.
  2. Bring a small cooler to work with you.
  3. Stick to big compound movements for your workouts: Squat, Deadlift, Chins, Military Press, Bench, and Row.
10

for food - hard boiled eggs and nuts are calorie and nutrient dense and dont need a fridge (eggs - not if you eat them that day)

for exercise - two or three 30 min sessions with only deadlift, dips, overhead, bench, chins and squats for 2-3 working sets each, a minute or two between each set. Split up to fit into short sessions however you like.

it ought to start coming back, you were 205 once after all. Good luck