Lifting weights / No Results

[Master X]

Ok so I am 5.7 and weight 126 and am trying to get bigger by working out but with my ridiculously fast metabolism I have to consume my fridge until it is empty every week to compensate for my workouts.

I would drink protein shakes but it’s not for me and they are expensive as fool. Basically I do dumbbell bench press, curls, sit ups, calf raises, push ups, and biking.

Combine all of these and you get your workout but then comes the lightning bolt that zaps me and says give me food or I will dizzy you silly and I have to go eat a large amount of food LOL.

The thing is I am not seeing any major improvements and for how much food I have to eat its almost not worth it. What should I do besides just sitting on my azz?

[ChefSalad]

Stop all aerobics. You'll gain muscle immediately. Also, be sure to eat enough protein and calories in general, absolutely workout no more than four times per week. You'll gain and gain quickly.

[votoshka]

Maybe you are doing too much?? I have read books on training and muscle building which suggest that less is more. (But the intensity must be high!!).

For example, working out 3 times a week with weights, only about 30 minutes a workout. The idea is to train with high weights, low reps to fatigue and ensure that after working out you get plenty of rest.

[Beloved]

Yes I was told to gain bulk you need to workout less to loose size you need to work out more. One needs heavier weights and the other lighter - can't remember which.

[Minsc]

Originally Posted by Master X

I would drink protein shakes but it’s not for me and they are expensive as fool.

Try buying protein powder.. It would be healthier and cheaper than buying an actual shake at, say, a gym..
Here are two that I use:
Sports supplements at great prices, whey protein, creatine, brand names
Amazon.com: Nutribiotic - Rice Protein, 21 oz powder: Health & Personal Care
The first is whey protein, costing $2.16 per 100 grams of protein if you get the 5 pound bag and count shipping.
Second is rice protein, which is of a lesser quality than whey, at $3.56 per 100 grams of actual protein, including shipping...

You can just eat them with a spoon.. You could just order the whey. You'll need a (very) large container to put it in and some sort of scoop to make it easy to move around without spilling. The whey I posted comes in a bag(or mine did).

Basically I do dumbbell bench press, curls, sit ups, calf raises, push ups, and biking.

How many reps/sets and how often?
Recommendations: Exercise the front and side delts, lats, rhomboids, traps, upper/lower back, forearms(grip, front and reverse curls), glutes, hamstrings, quadricepts, traps, and obliques more since you don't now.
And drop the biking, maybe do some 100-meter sprints instead, or nothing at all.

Do 6-8 reps per set.. I usually just do one set or two sets spaced far apart.. Try to avoid cardio or only do a little since it will break down your muscles.

Combine all of these and you get your workout but then comes the lightning bolt that zaps me and says give me food or I will dizzy you silly and I have to go eat a large amount of food LOL.

Just wondering, how much fat/protein/carbs do you eat?

Try to eat lots of fat and protein and a little carbs, and have some simple sugars after a workout. Eat throughout the day.

[Master X]

Minsc why does cardio break down the muscles?

[VacMan]

Master X,

Cardio is not really going to break down muscle.

What it will do is burn calories.

If you burn too many calories, you won't gain weight.

You need to have a surplus of calories in order to gain weight.

Someone else posted this basic same question, they were 130 pounds and 5'8.

Here's a pretty good plan for gaining weight with your stats:

This is just a starting point, and it's the same plan as I posted for the other poster that weights 130 pounds. So this should also apply to you, or at least be really close.

Approx:

Calories: 2950
Protein: 180 grams
Carbs: 435 grams
Fat: 55 grams

I'd say you can eat what you want, as long as you hit those numbers pretty close or above.

I'm bulking right now (gaining weight) and following a similar nutritional plan, but taliored for my own stats:

Here's the first of one of my progres pics. (Taken on Monday 10/22)

Front:



Back:

[Minsc]

Originally Posted by Master X

Minsc why does cardio break down the muscles?

When you're doing cardio, your blood-sugar level is going to fall since your muscles are going to use it up.. To raise it back up again, since you're not going to eat, your body would have to break down muscle or fat.

Assuming you're doing something like running, fat isn't going to be efficient enough to break down, since your body can't derive much glucose from it and would mostly have ketones, and I'm not sure how well those work as fuel for a muscle.. If it breaks some muscle tissue down, it'd have protein and maybe glucose. Protein can be broken down into glucose in a pretty simple way but it's still a little inefficient..

There's some article on it: Gluconeogenesis - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"or intense exercise" (I'm assuming they meant intense cardio since you don't burn up much energy in strength training as far as I know)

[VacMan]

Minsc,

You are right in the fact that when you run your body does use energy. I think that you'll find that a lot of the energy you use is going to come from glucose which is in your muscles, in your blood stream, or it's actually going to come from fat which does break down and does get used for energy. (Usually in slow state cardio such as jogging.) Higher intensity does have the possibility of breaking down muscle, but not usually a significant amount.

If you are eating enough in the day moderate cardio should not be a problem in the least bit. Even when in a calorie deficit (Losing weight) people are still able to retain muscle mass even while doing lots of cardio. (Just look at bodybuilders, natural, or pro for proof.) They all have lots of muscle, and I am almost 100% positive they all do cardio to at least prepare for their competitions.

Personally I do 30 mins of running 3 times a week. I do it when I'm bulking or cutting. I think it's a healthy thing to do.

It's not necessary to do, but it can speed your results of losing weight up, or it can hinder your weight gain. But in the end this is primarily because cardio burns calories and calories are responsible for weight loss and gain.

If you want to get more complicated we can talk macronutrients to gain further efficiencies.

But these are the basics.

Bottom line:

If you eat enough and do moderate cardio, muscle loss should be non-existant and you should actually gain muscle instead of losing muscle.

Any muscle loss or breakdown will actually stimulate future muscle growth and your excess amount of calories will be the building blocks for that growth.

No building blocks = no growth.

[Amadeus]

Arnold Schwarzenegger wrote in one of his old books that a person can only gain about 4 pounds of muscle per year, which makes a lot of since to me. That is why you rarely see body builders in their 20s winning Mr. O. They just have not had enough time to gain muscle like say Ronnie Coleman at the age of 40+. Your young, so don't expect it to just bulk up that quickly, I don't care what anyone says. If you are not broad to begin with and if you are tall, it will take a long time to fill up.

[Master X]

[quote=Amadeus;123930 If you are not broad to begin with and if you are tall, it will take a long time to fill up.[/QUOTE] I don’t know about that being true all the time. My Psychology teacher in high school was a skinny shrimp and he claimed that he put on 20 pounds of muscle right after he got out of high school. He didn’t do anything for it like weight lifting it just developed.

[Uplift]

Gidday MasterX, that workout, with your situation, is doing next to nothing. Your body needs a reason to adapt, and you want it to be in the form of growth. Your body is like a meter, a monitor. What are the biggest strongest muscles in your body? The ones that if worked extremely hard, would send the strongest signal, or message, that this is serious, adapt. Glutes (bum), legs, and back. Look at your workout. You are working all the weakest muscles, and in a way that they can cope with, in fact in a way that it might even be better to be smaller, and use less muscle fuel, and more oxygen. So its no suprise.

Next, imagine working, legs, bum, and back all in one hit, or in combinations with some of those smaller muscles. Your body gets some major feedback...what the #### is this... grow!!! Now look, its happening again, even worse... grow!!! Then you need to think about, am giving enough time, and fuel, and material, and right material, to grow. Also you need to think if your body, this meter, monitor, gets readings, look no fuel, no materials, wrong ones...stop!!!! Gee I'm sick, really flat, I can't do anything for a while, or, I don't know, I just can't seem to grow.

Thats why exercises like deadlifts, squats, chinups and dips, hyperextensions, hanging leg raises work so well, especially for people who find it hard to grow.

Then when you start to look at the different builds, sprinters and marathon runners, you get more clues about the type of adaption. When your body wants to grow, hormones play a huge role, and the right combination of signals from exercise and fuel and material availability says, make hormones that make growth easy. So sprinters - rampant hormones, marathon runners, men and women less, and if its taken too far, shutdown.

So it becomes clear its also good to eat in a way that the meters are getting a constant reading, plenty of right nutrients, keep growing, keep making hormones.

If any of this resonates, learn really well how to do those major exercises properly, safely, and then have a go at planning your system. The 45 min workout thing is great, because it is around the maximum hormone output time. Have a slow digesting meal, with the building blocks (protein, fat) just before bed, and you get growth signals as you sleep.

Think of balance and variety. I've given identical, detailed workouts before, and so have others adressed this same issue So look back through some threads and theres tons of contrasting info to pick from. All the best.

[VacMan]

Uplift,

In addition to a good diet (which should always come first and foremost.)

I completely agree with you.

Personally I do a A/B split:

Monday, Wednesday, Friday

Monday = A, Wednesday = B, Friday = A, Next Monday = B, Next Wednesday = A, Next Friday = B. Repeat.

Workout "A":

ATG (A** To the Grass) Squats
Incline Bench Press
Pull-ups
Abs

Workout "B":
Deadlifts
Flat Bench Press
Military Press
Pendlay Rows


I could go into more detail with progression, sets and reps...

But the point is I like heavy compound lifts also, most bang for the buck.

I just got back from my workout "B"

[Uplift]

Originally Posted by VacMan

Uplift,

In addition to a good diet (which should always come first and foremost.)

I completely agree with you.

Personally I do a A/B split:

Monday, Wednesday, Friday

Monday = A, Wednesday = B, Friday = A, Next Monday = B, Next Wednesday = A, Next Friday = B. Repeat.

Workout "A":

ATG (A** To the Grass) Squats
Incline Bench Press
Pull-ups
Abs

Workout "B":
Deadlifts
Flat Bench Press
Military Press
Pendlay Rows


I could go into more detail with progression, sets and reps...

But the point is I like heavy compound lifts also, most bang for the buck.

I just got back from my workout "B"

Vacman, thats great. And great info you provide as to planning workouts. I'm not saying this to slap each other on the back, or to suck up, but, whether you agree with me or not, is irrelevent, your example speaks for itself. I'm impressed with your example. You obviously are stoked and achieving your dream, and look really strong, healthy and fit and sure. Well done, and again a great, inspirational example.

[Amadeus]

That makes no sense for your professor to state that he gained 20 pounds of muscle doing nothing. That goes against physics, sorry. Muscle grows do to continuing being damaged by lifting more than they are adapted to.

[Master X]

Originally Posted by Amadeus

That makes no sense for your professor to state that he gained 20 pounds of muscle doing nothing. That goes against physics, sorry. Muscle grows do to continuing being damaged by lifting more than they are adapted to.

But he developed it. That’s what he told the whole class that when he got out of high school he just put on 20 pounds of muscle because he hadn’t been doing anything and one day he looked in the mirror and hit the scale and 20 pounds of muscle lol. It’s not impossible if it’s natural.

[Truefire]

Originally Posted by Master X

But he developed it. That’s what he told the whole class that when he got out of high school he just put on 20 pounds of muscle because he hadn’t been doing anything and one day he looked in the mirror and hit the scale and 20 pounds of muscle lol. It’s not impossible if it’s natural.

It's called puberty. The same thing happened to me. After highschool, I grew three inches taller, gained 30lbs of muscle, and my shoulders widened out. Not overnight, but I didn't have to work out much either. It took about two years. No visualization, no effort, I just got the lucky genes. However, I wish I got that muscle when I was in highschool, I would've been way better with the chicks .

[VacMan]

Uplift,

I'm glad we agree!

And thanks for the kind words!