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DocNorton
DocNorton Posts: 43
in Fitness and Exercise
Hi there,

After months and months of a balanced diet and regular excersise I've given up on weightloss as I've been a steady 224lbs now for about 12 weeks.

I'm at 30% BF at the moment which I wanted to get to 20% so I've decided to concentrate more on the weightlifting and bodybuilding side of things. I've got a good routine that I'm sticking to but my muscle doesn't seem to be increasing much.

My protien intake is about 150g a day in accordance to my LBM this is via lean meat (normally chicken) and a protien suppliment such as whey protien post workout...

Is there any other MFPers out there that are taking bodybuilding seriously? I'm trying to shift excess fat around my chest area at the moment so concentrating on shoulders and chest at the moment.

Any tips out there in terms of programmes or methods to help increase my muscle?

At the moment I'm increasing my reps by 2 every week until I've reached 14 reps then I up my weight and reset to 8 reps then repeat the process to 14 reps.

This is my workout I do every other day (4days a week)

I would add 20 mins of various cardio each time aswell

15Jun10
situp
Set 1, 20 reps
Set 2, 20 reps
Set 3, 20 reps
overhead triceps extension
Set 1, 12.5 kg for 12 reps
Set 2, 10 kg for 12 reps
Set 3, 10 kg for 12 reps
decline closegrip
bench press
Set 1, 20 kg for 12 reps
Set 2, 20 kg for 12 reps
Set 3, 20 kg for 12 reps
bar military press
Set 1, 20 lb for 12 reps
Set 2, 20 lb for 12 reps
Set 3, 20 lb for 12 reps
dumbbell biceps curl
Set 1, 15 kg for 15 reps
Set 2, 15 kg for 15 reps
Set 3, 12.5 kg for 15 reps
dumbbell flye
Set 1, 12.5 kg for 12 reps
Set 2, 12.5 kg for 12 reps
cable seated low row
Set 1, 40 kg for 12 reps
Set 2, 40 kg for 12 reps
Set 3, 35 kg for 12 reps
lat pulldown
Set 1, 50 kg for 12 reps
Set 2, 50 kg for 12 reps
Set 3, 40 kg for 12 reps


Hope someone can give me some good advice/tips...

Replies

  • doug_corbett
    doug_corbett Posts: 2
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    Going with the same routing every week, your body loses its ability to change / grow.

    Check this article out, one that I have been trying and have success. Good Luck!!

    http://dwyatt64.wordpress.com/2009/04/02/muscle-confusion/
  • Dash486
    Dash486 Posts: 1
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    You want to vary your routine every 2-3 weeks, it tricks your muscles out of a plateau state and gets them growing again. Also for a guy your size you might consider adding more weight to your workouts if you want to see any real difference, 20kg bench press is just not enough weight. You may also want to consider doing more core workouts since the core and legs are where most of your strength come from, with increased core strength it will be much easier to lift more weight. More weight is what really pumps up your muscles, more reps is more geared towards endurance and lean muscle building. A good idea is also to take a casein protein shake whenever you will not be eating for a long period of time. Casein protein is a slow-releasing protein which feeds your muscles over about a 7-8 hour period as apposed to whey which is usually over a 4 hour period. Whey is great for pre and post-workout. The casein protein also helps speed up muscle recovery. Good Luck!!!
  • oats4breakfast
    oats4breakfast Posts: 225
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    stop eating hot chips
  • DocNorton
    DocNorton Posts: 43
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    Thanks everyone - I'm going to go read the article posted now. As for adding more weight unfortunatly 20lbs is all I can manage comfortably at the moment due to back injury. I will be upping this eventually once I can bang out 14 reps without effort.
    stop eating hot chips

    Well aren't we the expert ! I'm sure you meant well when you posted this but that's a bit of a NSS statement. If you have been reading my diary have you also been reading the notes and entries that go with it? Yes I know chips are bad but we are allowed a cheat day aren't we? I
  • lotusfromthemud
    lotusfromthemud Posts: 5,335 Member
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    I agree that you should mix up your routine. The internet is full of good, varied ones, and I would advise you to seek out more exercises that use your whole body, which, IMHO gives you more bang for your buck. (why not work your core at the same time as your shoulders, right?) Here are a few links to some of my faves: (warning the "endorphin mainline" is a killer!). According to most research, you can still have simple carbs as a recovery food after a heavy lifting session. (so just eat the occassional hot chips there:wink: ) Also, I would advise heavier weight and less reps. If you want to build muscle, you should work to failure. Which was described by one of my trainers as "if a crazy man comes in and tells you he'll give you a million dollars for one more rep, you couldn't do it."

    http://www.stumptuous.com/the-less-thinking-more-doing-starter-program

    http://www.stumptuous.com/the-less-thinking-more-doing-program-the-sequel-slightly-more-thinking-slightly-more-doing

    http://www.marksdailyapple.com/bodyweight-workout/

    HTH.
  • thumper44
    thumper44 Posts: 1,464 Member
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    IMO, I think your routine sounds ok.
    You should feel your muscles getting stronger, as you lift more reps and increase the weight.

    I looked at your diary, and IMO, you should have a column for sugar.

    Your eating way too many fruits, and not enough vegetables.
    Yes cheat days are not bad every now and then, but your food intake could be alot better.
  • david1956
    david1956 Posts: 190 Member
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    I don't want to complicate it, but I'd consider (given you have been at it for months) experimenting with what I'd call more advanced techniques. These are specifics from my own program which I can't be bothered getting into in depth, but it essentially begins to feel like being continually close to failure throughout your entire workout. Examples, but can be applied to almost any exercise...

    1. Drop sets. So if we were talking dumbell shoulder presses, line up three or four sets of dumbells descending by say 2 or 4 kg. Do 12 reps with heaviest pair, immediately drop them pick up the next (lighter) and 12 reps, immediately drop them and 12 reps next (a bit lighter still) ... till you have worked through them all. No breaks inbetween each dumbell pair, reasonably slow and controlled reps. Ideally it begins to feel like one non-stop failure but the descending weights let you keep going.

    2. Thirds. So for say bench press, lower bar to near chest and do 8 short reps (about 3 inches of movement). Push it up to midpoint and do 8 short reps in that position, then up to near fully pressed out and do 8 short reps. Lower it back near chest and repeat all that (during this second sequence the direct thump on your pecs becomes really pronounced - it is beginning to feel almost like one continual isometric hold). Then finally do 5 full reps (by now these are really taxing). Again, not too fast, controlled movements and with good bench-press technique.

    3. Fourths (sometimes people use some other name for these which escapes me at the moment). So say for seated rows, do 10 normal reps then pull handles in 1/4 of the way hold for a few seconds, in to halfway and hold, in to 3/4 point and hold, in to chest ... work your way back out with similar holds... repeat that gradual in and out sequence a second time, then finally five full reps.

    These may or may not be your thing, but I personally find them to be examples of many interesting and good techniques that exist. A well-designed program (it sometimes requires finding a good trainer) incorporating a lot of almost non-stop sets using various concepts such as these can really suit some people. There are two types of pain in a gym. The bad type is banging away with bad technique and more weight than we can really handle and risking injury. But the other type is where you are taxed non-stop (not just at the end fo each set), muscles are screaming, lactic acid is bubbling, and in one sense it definitely isn't really fun. That latter realm is where, my honest opinion, real results lie and you come to love it. The results in terms of lowering fat percent and building denser muscle can be pretty good. When it starts to feel "comfortable" it is time to change your routine.

    Depends, good luck and trust yourself to find what works for you. But maybe I have given some ideas worth trying. We're all a work in progress and with specific goals, there isn't really one "way". I'm just a guy in his fifties on some journey from being an unfit slob a year ago, no expert. But I think we know when we're onto something right for us.

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