Getting Out of a Rut

[TopHeavy]

I've been stuck at around 210-215lbs for a few years now and I'm SICK of it. I have a college reunion coming up next year and I want to start seriously bulking up before that. I want at least another 20lbs of muscle in the next 6 months.

I'm going to be focussing a lot more on squats and dead lifts and using protein shakes, which I have never really taken seriously before.

Of course, I'll be working my upper body too, but I really want to pile on some more pounds, so I need to do things a bit differently.

Any bulking up tips gratefully received (no steroids)

[GTlifter]

The biggest key for me is just eating every 2 hours it doesn't have to be full meals I was eating 9 meals a day but 3 were snacks like a can of tuna, some almond butter sandwiches,a piece of fruit just something.

[TopHeavy]

My last serious attempt at bulking up produced poor results. I think the problems were overtraining and undereating. I recently watched a Dorian Yates training video and I was surprised by how few sets he advocated. I was doing 5x2hr workouts a week, working the whole body each time. I got lean and strong but not really any bigger. I'm actually bigger now that I have reined back on the workouts a bit. I'm ready to attack my legs again now, and with your eating advice, GT, I think I can really add some bulk this time.

[lovemuscle76543]

I've been stuck at a rut too. I used to be 145 when I graduated high school, but now I can't seem to break 180! So frustrating.

[Lucas88]

Originally Posted by TopHeavy

My last serious attempt at bulking up produced poor results. I think the problems were overtraining and undereating. I recently watched a Dorian Yates training video and I was surprised by how few sets he advocated. I was doing 5x2hr workouts a week, working the whole body each time. I got lean and strong but not really any bigger. I'm actually bigger now that I have reined back on the workouts a bit. I'm ready to attack my legs again now, and with your eating advice, GT, I think I can really add some bulk this time.

Wow, you were definitely overtraining for bulking. The workout Richard mentions in his thread is very similar to one I did and I put on 15 pounds of muscle in about 8 months and I wasn't trying to bulk (i.e., not pounding down the food but eating well). I did something similar, working 2 bodyparts HEAVY every other day and the same body parts only once every 6 days or once a week...gave the muscles time to heal and repair and come back stronger and BIGGER.

The worst part about the bulking, when I did do it, was the eating/preparation time...the shakes really help there as those "in-between" meals.

Go for it, big man!!!

[TopHeavy]

I am now going for it. I bought some protein powder today and my legs are aching like mad from squatting on Tuesday. I was using pathetic weights (my legs are out of shape), but that is good news, in a sense, because I should be able to bulk up my legs relatively quickly. I think the 20lb goal is definitely reachable.

[inm]

Look into nutrition: read about Leucine & glutamine, have more carbs pre workout. I, too, and getting good results with training less, as I suspect experienced lifters get more out of each rep & set.

[TopHeavy]

I will look into those nutrients you mentioned. Hopefully I'll be looking like one of your amazing morphs by Xmas.

[TopHeavy]

It's going well. I monstered the benchpress yesterday. 140kg felt quite easy. I did 6 reps but I felt like I could have done 8. Still wary about my shoulder, but it feels better now. The split workouts give it time to recover from workouts. Squatted more weight this week. I need to invest in a new lifting belt. I had one years ago, but I outgrew it.

[inm]

Originally Posted by TopHeavy

I will look into those nutrients you mentioned. Hopefully I'll be looking like one of your amazing morphs by Xmas.

Here's to that! I thought I had nice pectoral development, yours out-muscle mine easy!

[TopHeavy]

Thanks! Hopefully in a few months I'll be out-muscling my current self easily.

[TopHeavy]

I'm meeting up with a personal trainer tomorrow, to help drive my progress for more and more bulk.

[TopHeavy]

The personal trainer guy seemed a bit surprised that, at this size, I wanted to go bigger, but he is designing a workout schedule for me. It's exciting to have someone helping to get really BIG!

[Ragetiger]

Good luck to you, Topheavy. Can't wait to see what you'll look like with those extra 20 pounds of muscles.

[TopHeavy]

Me neither. I'm so impatient for it. The feeling of carrying all that extra bulk around will be fantastic!

[TopHeavy]

Back and biceps today. What a tough workout! Working only 2 body parts at a time really lets you focus on them. Training like this, with all the extra eating I'm doing, I don't see how I can fail to bulk up.

[TopHeavy]

Legs and shoulders today. I bought myself a new lifting belt. Wow I'm tired now. If I keep this going (and why not, I'm loving it), I'll be the size of a house by Christmas.

[bbgonnabe]

Originally Posted by TopHeavy

I've been stuck at around 210-215lbs for a few years now and I'm SICK of it. I have a college reunion coming up next year and I want to start seriously bulking up before that. I want at least another 20lbs of muscle in the next 6 months.

I'm going to be focussing a lot more on squats and dead lifts and using protein shakes, which I have never really taken seriously before.

Of course, I'll be working my upper body too, but I really want to pile on some more pounds, so I need to do things a bit differently.

Any bulking up tips gratefully received (no steroids)

I"ve developed a routine based on the information in this article: http://www.menshealth.com/spotlight/...-of-muscle.php. The research is not pie in the sky theory but was applied to 24,000 workouts in a year in a CA gym. No BS. It defies conventioinal wisdom so one needs to have an open mind.

I've had incredible gains and have used it on a couple of guys. One was a 66 year old that had been lifting a year and a half using only high reps. Within 6 weeks he put on 20lb of muscle, not fat. Now, he had been tested beforehand and had very high testosterone levels for his age plus a more mesomorphic bodytype. he had been sedentary most of his life and never had a labor intensive job. I assisted a bodybuildier in Flordia via the web. He honestly started packing on muscle so quickly that he was accused of using 'roids. He had been training for several years and hit a plateau.

I can also refer you to sites for calculating macro nutrient intake for adding muscle with minimal fat else I can send you a questionarre and do the calculations for you to design a nutrition plan. I love helping other guys grow and don't charge. However, I am disabled and if you wanted to donate for my time and effort, it would be appreciated. No pressure, no guilt on that.

[TopHeavy]

That's a very interesting article. As I sit here and type, my legs are aching very nicely, and I seem to have gained about 3lb in a week (I'm not sure that can be right, though). I do feel that my current programme is working, at least for the moment. If my gains slow down too much then I will definitely be looking to change things around. This programme is meant for six weeks, so I will give it at least that long and then rethink.

Thanks for the kind offer. I may well yet take you up on it.

[bbgonnabe]

Originally Posted by TopHeavy

That's a very interesting article. As I sit here and type, my legs are aching very nicely, and I seem to have gained about 3lb in a week (I'm not sure that can be right, though). I do feel that my current programme is working, at least for the moment. If my gains slow down too much then I will definitely be looking to change things around. This programme is meant for six weeks, so I will give it at least that long and then rethink.

Thanks for the kind offer. I may well yet take you up on it.

3lb this week! Sweet!

[TopHeavy]

I weighed myself today on the more accurate scales at the gym. I have actually gained 2lb, but still sweet!

[TopHeavy]

Another epic workout today: back & biceps. After the bent-over rows, t-bar rows and stiff-legged dead lifts, my lower back was aching so much.

[TopHeavy]

Tomorrow is my favourite day of the week: chest and triceps. I can't wait. It's also the day when I weigh myself. Here's hoping for a bigger number than last week.

[TopHeavy]

Well I only gained another half pound this time. Still, every bit helps. My back a biceps are aching after an epic session yesterday, and I'm looking forward to legs and shoulders tomorrow with some trepidation, given my lower back aching.

[jtchef]

Keep going there buddy!!!! Every bit counts.

[Mdlftr]

Keep going, TopHeavy! You are an inspiration with your big pecs! Good to know that even you accomplished guys get stuck in ruts!

Keep lifting!

Mdlftr

[TopHeavy]

Yes, it can easily happen. I really feel that my back is growing at the moment, which I think I'm going to need, given the gargantuan chest I'm going to be sporting in a few months! ;-)

Legs and shoulders today. I used the same weights as last Friday, following the advice of the trainer to increase the weights only every 2-3 weeks. It felt easier than last week.

[TopHeavy]

Terrific back and biceps workout yesterday. I used a straight Olympic bar for the wide grip curls and I could feel it hitting my biceps really well.

I stepped on the scales at home after dinner and the reading zoomed up to 217.6lbs!!!!! Surely some mistake?! The scales a very inaccurate and I had just eaten, so maybe 215lb is nearer reality, but still, what a rush!

[TopHeavy]

Well, I weighed myself on the gym scales today at apparently I now weigh 219lbs. This surely cannot be correct. A 6lb gain in one week? What's going on?

[Lucas88]

Originally Posted by TopHeavy

Well, I weighed myself on the gym scales today at apparently I now weigh 219lbs. This surely cannot be correct. A 6lb gain in one week? What's going on?

Hey, big guy...depending on when I weigh and what I eat and drink during the day, I can have a 5# swing in one day. Now, I'm 6'5" so I have some height to spread that over but a 6# swing in a week, with when you weighed during the day as a variable, is not unreasonable for a man at all.
Lucas

[TopHeavy]

It's totally unheard of for me personally. I'm only 5'10", so an extra 6lb in a week is insane! I have weighed myself at different times and on different machines and it does seem to confirm my increase.

It goes without saying that I'm absolutely living this. I can't wait to gain more and more and more. Watch this space.

[TopHeavy]

Chest and triceps today. Another good one. Weight was measured at 214lbs though. Seems a bit more sensible than last week's slightly hysterical values.

Measured my arms at 19.2". That's with "cold" biceps, so maybe another 0.2" with a bicep pump. Edging closer to the magic 20" mark'

[TopHeavy]

I'm the same height and weight that Mike Tyson was when he competed. Except that I read that his arms were about 16". It's great to imagine that I look like him, but with much bigger arms.

Not saying I could take him in a fight, though.

[Mdlftr]

Originally Posted by TopHeavy

I'm the same height and weight that Mike Tyson was when he competed. Except that I read that his arms were about 16". It's great to imagine that I look like him, but with much bigger arms.

Not saying I could take him in a fight, though.

,,,,Maybe if you bit him in the ear?.....


I wouldn't recommend it, but, hey, it worked for him!


Pec flex and distract him!


Mdlftr

[TopHeavy]

Ha ha! Nice one.

[TopHeavy]

I had a really tough back and biceps workout yesterday. Following my plan, I had to increase the weights on all 3 of my biceps exercises from last week.

Still, no pain no gain, eh?

[TopHeavy]

Yesterday's back & biceps workout was really exhausting. It's a 90 minute workout, which is probably too long. I've just about reached the end of the 6-week programme, so I will redesign it a bit and make the workouts shorter.
I weighed in at 219 lbs today, so I'm still heading in the right direction.

[amauiguy]

Keep up the good work! As for length of your work out, one thing to consider is how much time are you resting between sets? I've read some people recommend a minimal amount of rest, other recommend a couple of minutes. I think it all depends upon how you're training--it might not be overtraining.

Thanks for posting your progress. Today is back/biceps day for me, so I'll be looking for a good pump!

[TopHeavy]

I rest about 90s - 2mins between sets. If you're upping the weights, you need a bit of a rest period, I find.
I have now reached the 220lb mark (100kg), which feels like a good achievent for me. I will carry on bulking. Hopefully I can reach 230lbs by Christmas.

[amauiguy]

Congratulations on hitting 220 lbs! Getting up to 230 shouldn't be too difficult for you. We're the same height, but you outweigh me by about 40 lbs! Keep up the good work, big guy!