Bodybuilding and other Q's

Travis_GM

Hey all! First off let me say this post has several questions. I'd appreciate it if you could answer all of them.

Me: lifting for 5+ years, using MFP since forever, 5'7" 138lbs eating 3,100cal. Probably around 10% BF. I say probably because I got my body fat tested via DEXA a few weeks back at around 130lbs, then got my body fat measured via calipers and measurements.

Goal: put on as much muscle as possible.

Current workout: 3-day cycle; Monday: chest/shoulders (bench press, dumbbell press, military press, etc). Tuesday: back + bi's (weighted pull ups, rear delt flys, etc). Wednesday: legs and core. Thursday: rest. Repeat. I do like 3-5 exercises per body part and 3-4 sets per exercise, starting with more heavy (8-12 reps) sets, then approach more isolation exercises towards the end, hitting 12-15 reps.

Questions:
1. Is my current workout good? If not, PLEASE tell me why.
2. What would be a more ideal workout for me? PLEASE include reps and sets.
3. I've got some minor low back pain. Any idea what I can do for it? It's not genetic or anything. Most likely a pulled back or something

Thanks

usmcmp

1. It's terrible. No variety, no volume. The lifts are severely lacking and likely to result in imbalance. Go find a program, you're not to a point where you can build your own.
2. One that was built by a professional.
3. See a doctor or a physical therapist, possibly both.

sgt1372

1. Depends on your current goals and past history.

Have you been doing the same thing for the last 5 years? If so, are you happy or not w/the results?

What are your 1RM PRs for DL, BP, SQT & OHP? How do they compare w/other men of your age & size?

Do you want to get stronger and/or build more muscle or are you happy w/where you're at?

At 5'7", 138# and 10% BF, you sound like all skin & bone 2 me.

Are you maintaining at 138# on 3100 cals/day? If so, that's pretty amazing. Are you sure you are logging accurately?

By comparison, I'm 5'8", 158# and 10% and
I'm maintaining at 158# on 2000 cals/day but I'm older and probably more sedentary than you.

Sounds like you have a lot of room to gain weight and bulk up but you'd have to eat more and lift heavier w/lower reps.

2. The program you choose depends on the answers to the above.

3. Consult an orthopedist who specializes in back injuries and refrain from heavy listing that may aggravate the problem. If the condition is chronic, xrays and an MRI recommended. Been there, done that.

Good luck!

TavistockToad

You put on 8lbs in a few weeks? How long exactly?

Travis_GM

I appreciate all the responses.
@usmcmp duly noted. Thanks

@sgt1372 Well, I know I'm logging accurately but I also ride to a from work on a bike (30min one way). I think I've got pretty high TDEE. I have not been doing the same thing for the last 5 years but I do feel like I should've gained more muscle by now than I actually have. My BP is good, weighted pull-ups is O.K., squat sucks, DL sucks. I want to gain a lot more muscle, and. I'm not exactly skin and bone haha but I'm not as muscular as I'd wish.

@TavistockToad I guess it's been more than a few weeks, more like a few months. I also started taking creatine. While dieting I was doing ~10-20g of carbs a day so once I started eating carbs again my weight increased as did it when I started creatine again.

Rammer123

You weren't all that specific about the types of exercises you're doing for your workouts.... You gave a couple examples and then said how much volume you do, which doesn't look bad, but the types of exercises you're doing is important to figure out what your workouts are looking like.

You said legs and core. There's a massive difference between doing 4x8 squats, 4x10 RDL's and 4x12 walking lunges compared to a workout where you do 3x10 leg extensions, 3x10 leg curls, and 3x10 seated calf raises. Both fit into the information you gave to explain your workouts.

If you can be more specific we can help.

Travis_GM

RAD_Fitness wrote: »

You weren't all that specific about the types of exercises you're doing for your workouts.... You gave a couple examples and then said how much volume you do, which doesn't look bad, but the types of exercises you're doing is important to figure out what your workouts are looking like.

You said legs and core. There's a massive difference between doing 4x8 squats, 4x10 RDL's and 4x12 walking lunges compared to a workout where you do 3x10 leg extensions, 3x10 leg curls, and 3x10 seated calf raises. Both fit into the information you gave to explain your workouts.

If you can be more specific we can help.

You're right. I guess what I'm more looking for is a good place to get a generic, beginners bulking workout plan. I assume things like squat, deadlifts and the like are important as well as the reps (8-12).

middlehaitch

Have a read of this thread it covers a lot of good programmes.

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10332083/which-lifting-program-is-the-best-for-you/p1

By the description (above) of what you are looking for the AllPro programme may suit your needs.

Cheers, h.

HamsterManV2

You are underweight. That's good, we can get you on a beginner's lifting program for rapid strength, size, and weight increase.

First off, don't make your own program. Just don't. Find someone who has trained 1000s of trainees and knows what works and what doesn't. They will have everything built into the program (muscle balance, weight progression, rest days, etc.). It's the difference from not being efficient and spinning your wheels, to effective gains for the next couple of months.

You need to eat. TDEE + 500 calories = +1lbs per week. Depending on how active you are in your day job, 3100 calories may or may not be a good amount to start.

Program, I suggest Starting Strength (not strong lifts), the Practical Programming Variant:

Monday
3x5 Squat
3x5 Bench press / Press (Alternating)
Chin-ups: 3 sets to failure or add weight if completing more than 15 reps

Wednesday
3x5 Squat
3x5 Press / Bench Press (Alternating)
1x5 Deadlift

Friday
3x5 Squat
3x5 Bench Press / Press (Alternating)
Pull-ups: 3 sets to failure or add weight if completing more than 15 reps

IMPORTANT: READ THIS

I know it looks like it's not enough, but lets take a closer look. The key for Starting Strength is you start with a weight that you feel is quite light. But every time you do the same lift, you increase it by +5lbs. So you squat 3x a week = +15lbs per week, or +60lbs per month, or +180lbs in 3 months. Show me another (well designed)program that will increase your weights lifted by that amount in such a short period of time.

For the first few weeks, you can double the weight increases as you should start when it feels "too light" - i.e. your movement of the barbell does not slow down. This is important as you NEED to get good technique before the weight gets heavy. Ego leads to injury. So for the first 1-2 weeks, you can increase your squat, bench, and overhead by +10lbs per session, and your deadlift by +30 to +40lbs per session. After that, you slow down the increases to +5lbs for squat, bench, OHP, and +15 to +20lbs for the deadlift per session.

After 2-3 weeks, you may add supplemental arm and abs work. NOT TOO MUCH HOWEVER - More is NOT better, better is better. Too many ingredients spoil the soup. Visualize your body having100 units of recovery... If you add too much too fast, you will dilute your recovery and blunt your progress (i.e. your main lifts will not be recovered in time for next session, leading you to stall early, leading to missed gainz and frustation). You have to find the sweet spot, so trust me on this.

I like to add the following after 3 weeks:

Monday:
2-3 sets of abs (planks or hanging L-sets or kneeling abs wheel rollout), and 2-3 sets of back extension (12 reps, increase weight once you hit 12 reps). No Curls as chin ups work biceps and upper back. Notice how abs are all static exercises (trunk does not move, you holding your core rigid). This helps your squats and deadlifts be tighter and safer.

Wednesday:
3 sets of curls. Can do abs early on, but deadlift gets very taxing later on, so abs are optional.

Friday:
2-3 sets of curls, then back extension OR abs.

During this time, you should be gaining weight to drive the growth (+1 to +2lbs per week at the start, then slow it down to 1lbs per week). Listen, you have one chance to build size and muscle at an insane rate. Do not mess it up by being afraid to gain a little fat - you are creating the perfect environment for strength and size growth. You can go on a cut after to reveal your abs after your bulk. Get up to 165lbs before you even think of cutting weight.
Tracking your calories/macros will be a full time job until you get used to it, but if you don't you waste potential progress.

If you do it right, you will gain muscle and size in the next ~6 months, +or- 3months. Progress with this program until you cannot increase the weight anymore. Congratulations, you have just reached intermediate level and now must switch to an intermediate program with WEEKLY gains instead of daily!

PS. Food for thought: What is the difference between exercise and training? Exercise = sweaty. That's it. Training = clear concise plan for you to reach certain goals (lift x amount of weight, gain y amount of muscle and weight, etc.). Don't go exercise. Go train and accomplish your goals. That might mean you feel the workout is too easy sometimes (usually near the beginning). Trust the program. It will get very hard before you know it. I smile thinking how I used to think it was too easy, then struggled to squat 200+ lbs. Good times.

dalerst

HamsterManV2 wrote: »

You are underweight. That's good, we can get you on a beginner's lifting program for rapid strength, size, and weight increase.

First off, don't make your own program. Just don't. Find someone who has trained 1000s of trainees and knows what works and what doesn't. They will have everything built into the program (muscle balance, weight progression, rest days, etc.). It's the difference from not being efficient and spinning your wheels, to effective gains for the next couple of months.

You need to eat. TDEE + 500 calories = +1lbs per week. Depending on how active you are in your day job, 3100 calories may or may not be a good amount to start.

Program, I suggest Starting Strength (not strong lifts), the Practical Programming Variant:

Monday
3x5 Squat
3x5 Bench press / Press (Alternating)
Chin-ups: 3 sets to failure or add weight if completing more than 15 reps

Wednesday
3x5 Squat
3x5 Press / Bench Press (Alternating)
1x5 Deadlift

Friday
3x5 Squat
3x5 Bench Press / Press (Alternating)
Pull-ups: 3 sets to failure or add weight if completing more than 15 reps

IMPORTANT: READ THIS

I know it looks like it's not enough, but lets take a closer look. The key for Starting Strength is you start with a weight that you feel is quite light. But every time you do the same lift, you increase it by +5lbs. So you squat 3x a week = +15lbs per week, or +60lbs per month, or +180lbs in 3 months. Show me another (well designed)program that will increase your weights lifted by that amount in such a short period of time.

For the first few weeks, you can double the weight increases as you should start when it feels "too light" - i.e. your movement of the barbell does not slow down. This is important as you NEED to get good technique before the weight gets heavy. Ego leads to injury. So for the first 1-2 weeks, you can increase your squat, bench, and overhead by +10lbs per session, and your deadlift by +30 to +40lbs per session. After that, you slow down the increases to +5lbs for squat, bench, OHP, and +15 to +20lbs for the deadlift per session.

After 2-3 weeks, you may add supplemental arm and abs work. NOT TOO MUCH HOWEVER - More is NOT better, better is better. Too many ingredients spoil the soup. Visualize your body having100 units of recovery... If you add too much too fast, you will dilute your recovery and blunt your progress (i.e. your main lifts will not be recovered in time for next session, leading you to stall early, leading to missed gainz and frustation). You have to find the sweet spot, so trust me on this.

I like to add the following after 3 weeks:

Monday:
2-3 sets of abs (planks or hanging L-sets or kneeling abs wheel rollout), and 2-3 sets of back extension (12 reps, increase weight once you hit 12 reps). No Curls as chin ups work biceps and upper back. Notice how abs are all static exercises (trunk does not move, you holding your core rigid). This helps your squats and deadlifts be tighter and safer.

Wednesday:
3 sets of curls. Can do abs early on, but deadlift gets very taxing later on, so abs are optional.

Friday:
2-3 sets of curls, then back extension OR abs.

During this time, you should be gaining weight to drive the growth (+1 to +2lbs per week at the start, then slow it down to 1lbs per week). Listen, you have one chance to build size and muscle at an insane rate. Do not mess it up by being afraid to gain a little fat - you are creating the perfect environment for strength and size growth. You can go on a cut after to reveal your abs after your bulk. Get up to 165lbs before you even think of cutting weight.
Tracking your calories/macros will be a full time job until you get used to it, but if you don't you waste potential progress.

If you do it right, you will gain muscle and size in the next ~6 months, +or- 3months. Progress with this program until you cannot increase the weight anymore. Congratulations, you have just reached intermediate level and now must switch to an intermediate program with WEEKLY gains instead of daily!

PS. Food for thought: What is the difference between exercise and training? Exercise = sweaty. That's it. Training = clear concise plan for you to reach certain goals (lift x amount of weight, gain y amount of muscle and weight, etc.). Don't go exercise. Go train and accomplish your goals. That might mean you feel the workout is too easy sometimes (usually near the beginning). Trust the program. It will get very hard before you know it. I smile thinking how I used to think it was too easy, then struggled to squat 200+ lbs. Good times.

Very well written and all the information anyone will need.

I'm on my second week of the stronglift 5x5 which is a very similar programme but you do 5 reps of each. Last week I started very light and increased my weights as mentioned 5kg at a time. This week it's already getting harder so game on .

I have been lifting for about 6 months but not following any programme so I'm looking forward to the next 3 months.

Je2RiT

1. "etc" doesn't cut it for describing what workout you're doing. Seems you're on a typical "push, pull, legs" routine. Which isn't bad, quite common and can be effective! We just need to be more specific on what exercises you're doing. That could also help us identify what's going on with #3..... So is resting from Thursday through Sunday? Or do you jump into the routine after the single rest day?

2. I would recommend finding out the source of #3 before getting into programing your workout. Either you are utilizing incorrect/inefficient form for certain exercises, or there may be some compensating going on to cause the tightness..