Please help me with natural gains!

[-Jaybird-]

So I thought I wanted to use juice but I said forget it, not ready for that yet. I know a lot of you guys worked out for years before you used juice so I figure I should try and maximize my gains naturally first. My diet and training is based on the research I’ve done on the web and books I’ve bought and read in the past year. I’m still new to it all.

Alright I’m 20 yrs old - 5’8 at 165 lbs - 40”Chest 16”Neck 16”Calves and 14”Arms I’m not exactly sure what other measurements to give, but if you ask for them I can get them. I’m told I’m a Medium/Big framed guy. People always tell me I look like I work out but I haven’t and honestly I think I’m pretty weak. I haven’t been serious about weight training till recently. Anyway I’m into week 3 of my training and I’m seeing some noticeable gains sloooowly… I want to know if there is anything I can do to speed this up, my progression is so slow it’s pissing me off. Every week I can barely complete an added set even if I drop the weight. It seems like guys smaller than me are lifting more, I don’t get it. Here is my workout; I start all of them with 20 minutes on the treadmill first. I try to add a new set or 5 lbs every week.

Day 1 – Chest/Core
Dumbbell Bench Press 4/12
Incline Dumbbell Bench Press 4/12
Incline Dumbbell Flye 4/12
Hanging Leg Raise 5/20
Crunches 4/50

Day 2 – Shoulders
Bent-Over Dumbbell Lateral Raise 4/10
Dumbbell Lateral Raise 4/10
Dumbbell Front Raise 4/10
Dumbbell Shoulder Press 4/10
Dumbbell Lateral Raise 4/10
Smith-Machine Back Shrug 4/10
Smith-Machine Front Shrug 4/10

Day 3 – Back/Core
Straight-Arm Pulldown 4/12
Bent-Over Barbell Row 4/12
One-Arm Dumbbell Row 4/12
Front Pulldown 4/12
Reverse-Grip Pulldown 4/12
Hanging Leg Raise 5/20
Crunches 4/50

Day 4 – Arms & Forearms
Skull-Crusher 4/10
Close-Grip Bench Press 4/10
Incline Curl 4/10
Barbell Curl 4/10
Barbell Reverse Wrist Curl 4/10
Barbell Wrist Curl 4/10

Day 5 – Cardio
Cross Trainer 25m
Treadmill 25m

Day 6-7 – Rest

I know, “Where is the leg workout?” Well, my family naturally has big legs and calves, and I ride bikes. BMX and the occasional MotoX day get the job done and I get a good burn on the treadmill so legs aren’t my focus right now. I was blessed with good legs, what I need is good upper body and core.

Here is my diet

I aim for 3000 calories, 280g Protein, and 120-140g Carbs. I’m avoiding carbs because I’m also trying to lose some body fat and a guy at the gym said I should consume more protein and get most of my carbs through my Creatine after my workout. He said only eat small portions of oatmeal and brown rice for carbs so that’s what I do, so far his advice is working great, but I wonder if it’s slowing down my muscle gains, is it?

Day 1-5
Daily Supplements – Ephedra / Flax Seed Oil / Multivitamins
Breakfast – Oatmeal & Protein Shake w/ flax 30mins later
Snack – Myoplex bar
Lunch – Chicken/Tuna w/ brown rice
Snack – Myoplex bar
Dinner – Chicken/Steak/Salmon w/ Vegies
Snack – Protein Shake w/ flax

On day 6-7 I cheat, but not very bad. I don’t smoke or drink alcohol and I still try to eat healthy, but I relax a little bit. I’ve lost about 10 lbs which I assume is body fat cause I look leaner, and I’m pretty sure I’ve gained some muscle because I feel stronger. I see more muscle now but I’m worried it’s just an illusion due to losing the body fat. I attached one of the only pics of I have of me right now. I apologize for how crappy it is I can take new ones. This pic is before I started, 3 weeks ago. Be nice I used to weigh 280 lbs and I had bad Asthma at age 16-17, doctor said exercise could kill me. Sure… I could probably beat that doctor in a track race now days and out bench press his ass afterwards, exercise CURED me .

That being said I understand dedication guys; help me out if you can!

[Juddman]

Great choice to hold off on the steroids ..you are nowhere near that point yet, but its always good to have an open mind and learn.

Your measurements are pretty good for someone just starting out for sure, good base. You will see guys smaller than you lifting more because it just takes time to get into it bro, its a tough game to get into and you have to be very patient to see good results..its a long term thing.
If I can offer any advice with the training, i would recommend you cut down the volume. Less is more with weights to a point. For example, your chest day looks good, but I would cut down the sets to 3 sets of 8, and as you get more experienced and learn the form of the exercise, cut it down even more to 6-8 reps. Make sure you make it so you cant do anymore than that number though, as in youre aiming for 6-8 and cant do any more reps with that weight.

Shoulders, same thing...lower the sets and shorten the workout. Too many exersices too in my opinion. I would pick four a workout and alternate them every few weeks to keep your body guessing.

Back workout is good, although i would start it with the barbell rows. But again, I would shorten it and pic 4 exercises and alternate them.

I dont do arms on their own, and as a beginner you dont really need to either...i split them up and do tris with shoulders, and bis with chest...2 exercises each.

Also, I would not do 5 days of weights in a row while being a beginner. I would do 2 on, 1 off, 2 on, etc maximum. You would still be getting 5 workouts in 7 days with weights, with cardio in the middle.

Even if you family has good genetics with legs, I would still do some leg work as quads are the biggest muscle in the body and do wonders for growth all over your body...ie testosterone release from squats and other compound movements...also, as you see gains in the upper body, your legs will start to lag behind.

Your diet isnt bad at all, good protein amount and calories. You dont need high carbs if you have had weight problems and are cutting BF, but make sure to get some complex carbs with your breakfast and your meal after your workout. You will gain more muscle the more fuel you give your body, but only to a certain extent if youre trying to keep your fat low.

I'm not a big fan of the bars in place of real meals, but its good if youre trying to cut a bit and dont have time to have a real meal.

I hope this helps bro.

[-Jaybird-]

Awesome

I'm changing my workout plan around your what you said. Thanks man, I'm looking forward to trying it out. I guess I'll add in leg workouts into my Back day, it won't kill me... I agree about the bars, I don't even like them but they're simple. I'd much rather make them a "last resort" type of thing, but I dont know what to eat instead... Anyone know of a low carb snack containing protein I could eat, or better; where I can find recipes and ideas? I really suck at cooking and prepairing food in general, but I'm trying to learn.

[Juddman]

check out the diet forum bro, tons of good info there...look at the stickies at the top for bulking/cutting diet plans...you dont have to cover them exactly, but use them as guideline if you want..very helpful.
http://forums.steroid.com/diet-nutrition/

for legs, even just adding some basic exercises that cover all the angles...like squats, leg curls (for hamstrings), and calve raises will do you well to start.