Thread: Progress pic

Any tips/advice

Eat Big, Get big.

Food is what will keep your progress ongoing.

Best of luck

yeah ive been..slow bulking.. i try to eat really clean but its hard to get massive.

ya food and bust your ass in the gym...dont just go there to talk to your friends!

Like brad said, train hard at the gym talk to you friends after you finish your workout.

whats your training look like?

And your goals? Age?

eat good train hard you will see good progress brother.

Amino, glutamine and creatine are a good help along.

Originally Posted by rezkon

yeah ive been..slow bulking.. i try to eat really clean but its hard to get massive.

Don't worry about "slow bulking" mate. Just eat everything in sight. Guys like you don't need to worry about clean bulking. You can cut the fat later, once you've filled out some.

A word of advice though. You won't get massive in a year of training. Not even with gear. Don't get over-zealous and disappointed if your gains aren't coming as fast as you'd like. When I first started training I failed to realize this so I wasted gobs of money on useless supplements. Remember to keep it simple. As long as your diet is on point, you get plenty of rest, and you change up your training routines every 6-8 weeks you'll be good.

Originally Posted by GreatWhiteTruth

Don't worry about "slow bulking" mate. Just eat everything in sight. Guys like you don't need to worry about clean bulking. You can cut the fat later, once you've filled out some.

A word of advice though. You won't get massive in a year of training. Not even with gear. Don't get over-zealous and disappointed if your gains aren't coming as fast as you'd like. When I first started training I failed to realize this so I wasted gobs of money on useless supplements. Remember to keep it simple. As long as your diet is on point, you get plenty of rest, and you change up your training routines every 6-8 weeks you'll be good.

my mate is a strong echomorph he dropped weight pretty well ive noticed if i miss or fk up on one day i lost really fuckin quick im not expecting to be any rob riches, josef Etc in a year.. its a marathon not a sprint i do get kinda pissed sometimes im currently on a muscle juice 2600 and some fish oil pills but..otherwise its just brown rice and chicken

you have more of an advantage when you're young, you can bypass alot of food. Not saying you should eat junk, but LDL shouldnt be too much of a concern at you're age.

Originally Posted by DLEATO

you have more of an advantage when you're young, you can bypass alot of food. Not saying you should eat junk, but LDL shouldnt be too much of a concern at you're age.

agreed

Make sure you are lifting more weight every time you go to the gym, or more reps at the same weight. Progress every time.

Do the starting strength program. I know you're doing splits, so stop that and do Starting Strength. Then eat like a goddamn pig. You'll be huge in less than a year I guarantee.

Originally Posted by squigader

Do the starting strength program. I know you're doing splits, so stop that and do Starting Strength. Then eat like a goddamn pig. You'll be huge in less than a year I guarantee.

^^^THIS THIS THIS (repped)

Rippetoe's was my first real training program as well and I grew like a weed with it. It may seem simple but it's proven to work, and I can personally vouch for it. Everybody's advice so far is pretty much spot on. Another tip: save the stimulating supplements and pre-workout matrixes for your plateau that you WILL hit. You will be glad you did!

Thank you all for the advice so far its all taken into great appreciation.
ive upped everything ive been eating not 4 whole eggs
3 whole eggs 6 egg whites
Brown rice before gym
Etc my fridge is stuffed with pizza and that junk my family eats,
Im on a 5 day split ill take a look at starting strength
my chest has made good gains.
my arms have
my legs havent really
i use to have abs then i kinda...stopped worrying about them when im bulking

oh and my back hasnt really done anything. -.-

Originally Posted by rezkon

Thank you all for the advice so far its all taken into great appreciation.
ive upped everything ive been eating not 4 whole eggs
3 whole eggs 6 egg whites
Brown rice before gym
Etc my fridge is stuffed with pizza and that junk my family eats,
Im on a 5 day split ill take a look at starting strength
my chest has made good gains.
my arms have
my legs havent really
i use to have abs then i kinda...stopped worrying about them when im bulking

Eat the yolks with the whites. Testosterone is made from cholesterol, and blood cholesterol is not significantly effected by dietary cholesterol. Don't waste the yolks. Make sure you cook or boil the eggs - cooked eggs have greater biological availability of proteins.

Get your own food separate from your family - don't be eating the same pizza and ice cream with them. It's difficult, but you have to ask yourself: do you want your abs back (but along with mass and that v-shape?) Of course you goddamn do. Get yourself raw meat (chicken breasts, thighs, at least 90% lean ground beef), healthy carbs (brown rice is a great start, get some oatmeal for breakfast too) and some veggies, along with some olive oil (for good fats). Look up what people here are cooking, and get some ideas.

Again, the 5-day split is really ineffective for putting on mass for anyone with less than 3 years experience. A workout plan based around compounds is the way to go. AKA starting strength or stronglifts.

Originally Posted by rezkon

oh and my back hasnt really done anything. -.-

Go get that book. You wanted advice from guys who know their shit, here it is.

Originally Posted by squigader

Eat the yolks with the whites. Testosterone is made from cholesterol, and blood cholesterol is not significantly effected by dietary cholesterol. Don't waste the yolks. Make sure you cook or boil the eggs - cooked eggs have greater biological availability of proteins.

More golden advice. This is a little known fact surprisingly.

If you are serious I suggest supporting the board and grabbing an elite membership. The ebooks alone are worth the price. In particular is Lyle Mcdonald's Ultimate Diet 2.0. Some of it is arbitrary but it's a great introduction to cyclical dieting and the proven science behind it. That book alone has helped me tremendously. It can help you lean bulk (like you mentioned) or cut while maintaining about 95% muscle mass.

I've noticed I felt pumped with yokes :/ idk why I don't eat my families food I mainly eat...chicken breast and brown rice / sweet potato BORING AS FCK but it works.. I've noticed I was stuck at 75 I had a massive meal of a restaurants chicken parma and gained to 77.5 (probs fat) then dropped to 76.5 and look leaner..:/ (more of a nutrition topic)
I've been training say my chest like (weights are in kgs)
3x 15 - 20 22 dumbbell press
3x 10 15 17.5 decline press - dumbbell
3x 7.5 10 15 incline dumbbell (Lower chest is lacking)
Cable crossovers 4x

(I prefer dumbell but it made my chest uneven) :/

I got a trainer at my gym to look at my body he said my shoulders and chest are lacking
My back apparently is good ( will upload photos eventfully)

Also thankyou all so much for all the advice I take in everyones word
Without you all I would still be the 68kg twig I use to be all this hard work and training will be
Worth it once I cut I can see it now..

Well, eat Chicken, and hamburger meat.
Its great for putting on size. I think. Its done wonders for me.

Eat all day, never let yourself get hungry, carry protein bars with you, peanut butter packs or whatever...If you get hungry you have waited too long...Eat and eat big, but I like to say watch what you eat to an extent...Lift big, eat big, get big!!!

Keep with it. Dedication is the best supplement. You'll get there!

dumbells won't make you uneven just do the same reps and range of motion on both sides, it will even out eventually.

so once a week you do chest, and dumbbell press like this?:

3 reps of 15kg
3 reps of 20kg
3 reps of 22kg

3 reps of 10kg
3 reps of 15kg
3 reps of 17.5kg

3 reps of 7.5kg
3 reps of 10kg
3 reps of 15kg

4 reps (or sets?) of cable crossovers?

In my opinion, I would cut out extra reps at lower weight, and always try to break a personal record each time. For me that means, one warm up set, and then 7-8 reps at maximum weight until failure. Then 2 more sets. That's it for chest.

Main point is, don't pyramid up the weight. Get your big set in while you have the energy, then pyramid down. Also, a week might be too long between workouts for chest, if chest feels fine, scale it all back to once every 4 days.

Mark in your log how easy it was, so next time, you know whether to go for an extra 2.5kg.

Good luck buddy

Originally Posted by CrazyDutton

dumbells won't make you uneven just do the same reps and range of motion on both sides, it will even out eventually.

so once a week you do chest, and dumbbell press like this?:

3 reps of 15kg
3 reps of 20kg
3 reps of 22kg

3 reps of 10kg
3 reps of 15kg
3 reps of 17.5kg

3 reps of 7.5kg
3 reps of 10kg
3 reps of 15kg

4 reps (or sets?) of cable crossovers?

In my opinion, I would cut out extra reps at lower weight, and always try to break a personal record each time. For me that means, one warm up set, and then 7-8 reps at maximum weight until failure. Then 2 more sets. That's it for chest.

Main point is, don't pyramid up the weight. Get your big set in while you have the energy, then pyramid down. Also, a week might be too long between workouts for chest, if chest feels fine, scale it all back to once every 4 days.

Mark in your log how easy it was, so next time, you know whether to go for an extra 2.5kg.

Good luck buddy

Na man with the weight its one set of 10-12 and the others are weights building up would you say do more or no

And my uneven chest i think its because im focusing on my left the most and not really worrying about my right for some werid reason.. so ill try to correct that

Originally Posted by rezkon

And my uneven chest i think its because im focusing on my left the most and not really worrying about my right for some werid reason.. so ill try to correct that

Most likely a form issue. I fought form issues for the first year before I got it right.

If you are doing a lot of building up, by the time you get to actually tearing muscle fibers (in a good way) on your heaviest set, you'll be tired.

This article is what I mean Bodybuilding.com - Reverse Pyramid Training! (ignore the fat loss rep range wtf). Like he says, I agree beginners should do a full body workout 3 times per week. That's what I'm doing because I've been out of the gym a long time. I think a week between body parts is way too long for beginners, your body is ready after 2-3 days.

So, one warm up set, then maybe 8 reps, 10 reps, 12 reps. Do the first 8 reps at the maximum weight you can do 8 reps with - this is the one you need to track progress with, you should be adding weight or a rep each week.

Originally Posted by squigader

Do the starting strength program. I know you're doing splits, so stop that and do Starting Strength. Then eat like a goddamn pig. You'll be huge in less than a year I guarantee.

Guide to Novice Barbell Training, aka the Official RIPPETOE-STARTING STRENGTH FAQ - Bodybuilding.com Forums

I agree with the posts above.

I think what they are saying, and I agree, is to just do enough warm up sets to be warmed up. Like 1 set with 50% of the max weight and 1 set with 70%. Don't spend energy on these sets as they do not make you bigger. Then once you are warmed up, go right to your goal weight, and do 2-3 sets.

Lets say you are benching 150 for your work sets. I would do:

Warm Up
Olympic Bar x 20 (I always use the bar for a BS warmup)
75lbs. x 8-12
100lbs. x 8-12

You should be warmed up, and you shouldnt be tired or fatigued. If you are, cut the weight on warm ups.

Work Sets
150lbs. x 6-8
150lbs. x 6-8
150lbs. x 6-8

You can do however many work sets you feel is good, I like 2-4 depending on the exercise. Make sure you are adding more weight to the work sets as often as possible. And you shouldn't be able to do as many reps on the third set as the first, or the weight is too light. It would realistically be more like 8 reps, 8 reps, 6 reps. If you get 8,8,8 then add weight.

And I used 6-8 for the work sets, you can use 8-10, 10-12 whatever you choose the theory is the same for beginning bodybuilding.

Originally Posted by Curt James

Guide to Novice Barbell Training, aka the Official RIPPETOE-STARTING STRENGTH FAQ - Bodybuilding.com Forums

Nice link CJ.

Eat more... especially protein