How do i get big?

dieselbyte

mndamon wrote: »

The basic premise of gearhead's post was right though, eat big and lift big. Heavier weight, fewer reps works for me when bulking. Keep quality calories higher than you're burning, high protein intake and try to add more weight to your workouts. Don't feel obligated to stick to a timeframe adding weight though, you don't have to add some every week but when you feel like you're knocking out 6-8 reps with some ease it's time to increase the weight.

Agree with not feeling obligated to a set time frame, but OP should track and have a reasonable expectation of increased lifts on a progressive overload program. If missing lifts consistently or not progressing, OP needs to adjust. Also, when bulking (depending on the amount of calories/calorie surplus), eating only "quality" calories may make it hard to hit overall caloric intake goals, since nutrient dense foods increase the feeling of satiation. Protein intake doesn't need to be as high either.

OP, as others have stated, follow a progressive overload program, and be aware that with any bulk you will also gain fat. You can limit fat gain by focusing on a lean vs dirty bulk. I'd recommend lowering protein to .8g/lbs as well. 1.5g/lbs in a bulk isn't necessary. As for cardio, I wouldn't listen to advice NOT to do it. Cardio will obviously increase calories out, but cardiovascular health is important, no matter in a bulk or cut. Factor cardio into your caloric intake - doesn't feel good to be out of breath climbing a flight of stairs.

Gallowmere1984

dieselbyte wrote: »

mndamon wrote: »

The basic premise of gearhead's post was right though, eat big and lift big. Heavier weight, fewer reps works for me when bulking. Keep quality calories higher than you're burning, high protein intake and try to add more weight to your workouts. Don't feel obligated to stick to a timeframe adding weight though, you don't have to add some every week but when you feel like you're knocking out 6-8 reps with some ease it's time to increase the weight.

Agree with not feeling obligated to a set time frame, but OP should track and have a reasonable expectation of increased lifts on a progressive overload program. If missing lifts consistently or not progressing, OP needs to adjust. Also, when bulking (depending on the amount of calories/calorie surplus), eating only "quality" calories may make it hard to hit overall caloric intake goals, since nutrient dense foods increase the feeling of satiation. Protein intake doesn't need to be as high either.

OP, as others have stated, follow a progressive overload program, and be aware that with any bulk you will also gain fat. You can limit fat gain by focusing on a lean vs dirty bulk. I'd recommend lowering protein to .8g/lbs as well. 1.5g/lbs in a bulk isn't necessary. As for cardio, I wouldn't listen to advice NOT to do it. Cardio will obviously increase calories out, but cardiovascular health is important, no matter in a bulk or cut. Factor cardio into your caloric intake - doesn't feel good to be out of breath climbing a flight of stairs.

Doesn't feel good to be limited on your lifting capacity by *kitten* lungs either. Trust me.

ecjim

That is a lot of volume in the Viking program - on Day 1&3 in the Full Body I would just do the 1st 3 By the time you complete all the sets/reps in the Squat, Bench & Row IF you are using a heavy enough weight you should be crawling of of the gym. If you get the 3X8 or 4X8 add weight untill you can't finish the last 1 or 2 sets. stay at that weight until you can. add some curls & triceps if you want - on day 2 I would add weight to the DL and cut the reps - maybe do a 5x2 5x3 or a bunch of singles - the some overhead press - pull ups & some tris & bis if you want.
I personally like full body programs - that is how most of the greats did it before steroids - Hit the whole body 3X per week - great stimulus for growth. Stick to the basic compound exercises - hit them heavy for reps - squat- - eat & sleep - Eastcoast Jim

Chieflrg

AnvilHead wrote: »

sewbank2934 wrote: »

just to add to this, go out and read "TOTAL RECALL" by arnie, bloody good read and gives you an idea of the kind of work he was putting in and what protein he was taking. He based his on for every pound of weight he was it was equal to 1g of protein, hence he was on 250g a day.

Does he also detail his anabolic steroid stack/cycles? Because any discussion of how he got that big is hugely lacking without that aspect factored in.

Every bit of this. The roids greatly impacted the recovery needed to put in that work load with success.

Rusty740

99JT wrote: »

Does it matter if I hit any specific numbers for my macros besides protein? I have been getting 1.5g protein per pound.

Ah ha!! Need less protein, more carbs. That extra protein isn't going to muscle beyond about 0.8 g/lb, and carbs are a must for bulk.

Try 0.8 g/lb body weight (min), 2g/lb carbs (min) & some good fats 0.45 g/lb (min)

VeronicaA76

Previous posters said everything... So:

Nice lats!!!

scottver2

Op, how far along are you with lifting? Consistently? Muscle protein synthesis (mps) plays a huge role in size gains and determining where you are in stages (novice, intermediate, advanced) helps determine the rate of mps. Most people have a 72-96 hour mps time frame, which means that hitting each muscle group twice a week, and not to complete exhaustion, illicits more hypertrophy then following a 5 day split where you obliterate each muscle. Also, are you familiar with periodization? It is essential

99JT

scottver2 wrote: »

Op, how far along are you with lifting? Consistently? Muscle protein synthesis (mps) plays a huge role in size gains and determining where you are in stages (novice, intermediate, advanced) helps determine the rate of mps. Most people have a 72-96 hour mps time frame, which means that hitting each muscle group twice a week, and not to complete exhaustion, illicits more hypertrophy then following a 5 day split where you obliterate each muscle. Also, are you familiar with periodization? It is essential

I have been lifting for 2 years now. My current routine is broken down into upper, lower, pull, push, and legs so basically everything gets hit twice a week.

timsla

Eat big, lift big , leave a big coffin.