need help with chest routine

[SkinnyKid]

hey i've been lifting for about 4 weeks now, and havent really noticed any physical difference. i gained 3 lbs, went from 130 to 133 (yes i'm very skinny, 5'9). i'm mainly working to increase my pecs, so on chest day i do:

3 sets of flat bench, increasing weight by 10 each set. then 3 sets of decline bench and incline bench, increasing the weight by 10 each time. then, i do 3 sets of dumbell flys, increasing the weight by 5 each time. for reps, i go 10-8-whatever i can do, usually 4 to 6.
to end it i do the seated Hammer strength decline bench press, anyone know what i'm talking about? i do 2 sets of 10 reps with that.

so anyways, i havent really noticed any strength increase. i'm slightly sore afterwards for like a day. i eat 6 meals a day, 2 of those being a snack + protein shake. i get plenty of calories and protein, with the 1850 weight gainer stuff i got from GNC, plus my appetite has increased TREMENDOUSLY.

any suggestions? i'm 17 yrs old, 5'9 133. max bench is 115 (no laughing).

 

[tryintogetbig]

work out the rest of your body, especially your legs, lots of squats. Working out the legs are suppose to naturaly release/create more testosterone, which will help the rest of you grow.

 

[tryintogetbig]

also don't do any cardio if you are trying to put on mass

 

[tryintogetbig]

you can alsoo try taking creatine, if u have never used it before you should get some great results.

 

[tryintogetbig]

you sound a lot like i use tobe, i was severly underweight from drug use. i was a bout 135 and 6'2, that was about 2 years ago and now im up to about 180,

 

[tryintogetbig]

oh yeah as far as ur chest routine, you can try this

week 1

Incline- 3 set 6-8 rep
Flat - 3 sets 6-8 reps
Decline - 3 sets 6-8 reps

Week 2

Flat - 3 x 6-8
Decline - 3 x 6-8
Incline - 3 x 6-8

Weeks 3

Decline - 3 x 6-8
Incline - 3 x 6-8
Flat - 3 x 6-8

and do one set with dumbell bench, 2nd exercise w/ bar bench, and then the 3rd exercise flys, then you you feel like you can do a little more add in a couple more sets on a machine like the hammer machine.

also make sure u are maxing out every set make sure you can do at least 6 reps if not use less weight, and if you can do more than 8 reps use more weight.

Hope this helps

 

[Jezziah]

Originally posted by tryintogetbig
also make sure u are maxing out every set make sure you can do at least 6 reps if not use less weight, and if you can do more than 8 reps use more weight.

Hope this helps

What he said ^^^

Also be patient, stay focused, remember to pay attention to form and your ROM and the strength gains will come.

 

[SkinnyKid]

is it a good idea to increase the weight by 10 pounds each set?

 

[Jezziah]

That depends...how many reps are you getting out of the first set? By the third are you under or over your target reps?

 

[squanto]

you could be overtraining, 12 sets for your chest seems like a bit much. also, if you only gained 3 pounds in 4 weeks, youre not eating enough. Those 3 pounds couldve been a meal or two if you weighed yourself at a different time in the day. if i were you, id try to replace the protein shakes with real food, protein shakes are not great unless its right after a workout.

when i got serious about lifting about a year ago, i was 130 5'10". now i weigh 180, my bench has gone up 80 pounds. i lifted for years before this without any results because i wasnt eating enough!! and protein shakes did NOTHING for me until i got my meals down on a regular basis. i would recommend cutting out the shakes completely until you see results from regular food... maybe just take a shake right after your workout, but thats it.

also, make sure you work out your whole body and do compound lifts like military press, bench press, squats and deadlifts. just training chest is not gonna do you too well, plus youll look silly with big titties and no arms or legs to back them up. change up your routine as often as possible too. if youre eating right and training reasonably, you WILL get stronger in a month, especially if youre just starting out. its all about shocking your body. also, dont be afraid to gain a little fat, it will happen, but since youre naturally skinny itll probly be easier to lose the fat later

 

[SkinnyKid]

yeah, i dont only train chest, thats just on chest day. i changed my routine a little. dont laugh, i'm very weak, but this is what my routine looked like today:

Flat Bench:
10 reps 85 lbs warmup
8 reps 95 lbs warmup
6 reps 105
5 reps 105

Decline Bench:
10 reps 95 lbs warmup
7 reps 105
5 reps 105

Incline Bench:
10 reps 75 lbs
6 reps 85
4 reps 85

Thats what i did today, and my chest is pretty sore. I got home and drank a 400 calorie/17g protein shake and had 2 chicken legs, and took a nap, got up, had a big steak for dinner and a 23g protein shake.
today was chest day, tomarrow is leg day and i'll do squats and calf raises.

fyi: i maxed out each set, not the warmups but the others, i always did one forced rep with my friend helping me keep the bar moving.

 

[JLB001]

Kid your just starting out, don't worry about what other people will think about the weight you lift. Ya gotta start somewhere! Just nail your form and eat the right kind of foods and be patient. It comes with time!

I would add some flat or incline flyes into the workout and maybe the pec dec as well. Change what you do weekly, don't do the same workout each time you train chest. Your body will get use to it.

AND that steak is making me jealous!!!

 

[SkinnyKid]

pec dec? what is that?

 

[JLB001]

http://www.exrx.net/WeightExercises/PectoralSternal/LVPecDeckFly.html


Just be sure to hold when you pull together for a few sec and let back out.

 

[CowPimp]

Originally posted by squanto
you could be overtraining, 12 sets for your chest seems like a bit much. also, if you only gained 3 pounds in 4 weeks, youre not eating enough. Those 3 pounds couldve been a meal or two if you weighed yourself at a different time in the day. if i were you, id try to replace the protein shakes with real food, protein shakes are not great unless its right after a workout.

when i got serious about lifting about a year ago, i was 130 5'10". now i weigh 180, my bench has gone up 80 pounds. i lifted for years before this without any results because i wasnt eating enough!! and protein shakes did NOTHING for me until i got my meals down on a regular basis. i would recommend cutting out the shakes completely until you see results from regular food... maybe just take a shake right after your workout, but thats it.

also, make sure you work out your whole body and do compound lifts like military press, bench press, squats and deadlifts. just training chest is not gonna do you too well, plus youll look silly with big titties and no arms or legs to back them up. change up your routine as often as possible too. if youre eating right and training reasonably, you WILL get stronger in a month, especially if youre just starting out. its all about shocking your body. also, dont be afraid to gain a little fat, it will happen, but since youre naturally skinny itll probly be easier to lose the fat later

I agree with what he has to say. Eat a lot of food. Eat beyond the point of satiety. Also, 14 sets for your chest is a lot. 8-10 sets is more like it.

Try starting out with a fully body workout with lots of compound lifts since you are just starting. Do benchpress, military press, squats, straight legged deadlifts, and deadlifts. Chinups, close grip benchpress, various ab exercises, and maybe even barbell bicep curls are pretty good too.

I used to do a full body workout 3 times a week at a low volume for each body part and saw excellent results. Squanto did the same thing to gain that massive amount of weight that he put on.

Here is the routine that I would suggest:

Benchpress 3 x 5-8
Military Press 3 x 5-8

Deadlifts 3 x 5-8
Chinups 3 x 5-8 (If you can't do 5, that's okay, you'll get there)

Squats 3 x 5-8
Straight Legged Deadlifts 3 x 5-8

Do that routine Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for a month or two, maybe more if you continue to see results beyond that time period. Either do an ab workout at the end of each lifting day, or work in ab exercises on your off days. You could also try something like this:

Monday & Thursday:

Benchpress 3 x 5-8
Military Press 3 x 5-8

CG Benchpress 3 x 5-8
BB Bicep Curl 3 x 5-8

Bicycle Crunches 3 x Failure
Reverse Crunches 3 x Failure

Wednesday & Friday:

Deadlifts 3 x 5-8
Chinups 3 x 5-8

Squats 3 x 5-8
Straight Legged Deadlifts 3 x 5-8

Vertical Leg Crunch 3 x Failure
Long Arm Crunch 3 x Failure