Frustrated!

[Vice]

Hey guys, I've been training serious for about 2 years now, I'm by far the most dedicated, discipline, determined to this iron game then anyone I know personally, I take it seriously, and I just won't grow.
I'm getting so frustrated. I've tried various regimens, supplements, bulked, cut you name it, and i'm not seeing the muscle i crave...grrr, anyone else feel the same way I do?

[yellows2k]

How's your diet?

[Vice]

spot on, I've been bulking at around 3500 cals a day, yet the scale isn't budging, strength is increasing but the lbs aren't coming.....
then i have my buddy mention something about myostatin gene, and that i can't grow muscle.....if this is true, I'd be very sad!!

[yellows2k]

What are your current stats right now?

[Vice]

Sorry forgot to mention
5"11, 175 lbs
not sure what my bf is, abs still visible.

[yellows2k]

What's your split like as far as workouts ?
And your diet, do you get enough EFAs?

[Vice]

I've tried every split known to man.
I'm currently doing:
Mon=legs/abs
tues=chest/forearms
wed=back/traps/abs
thurs=shoulders/tris
fri=bi's/abs

going heavy 4-6 reps.

take a few tblspns a day of flax, and cold pressed virgin olive oil.

[yellows2k]

I like your reps, I go heavy 4-6 reps also. How come you have a whole day for just bis?

[Vice]

just something new, I came across an article on a site and this was a recommended split, gonna give it a shot..besides my bi's lack, I'd like to him em hard.

[yellows2k]

Here's my split, I'm all natural by the way.

Day 1 Chest/Bis/Calves/Neck
Day 2 Legs/Abs(no calves)
Day 3 Off
Day 4 Shoulders/Tris/Calves/Neck
Day 5 Back/Abs/Rear Delts/Traps
Day 6 Off
Day 7 Off or repeat

These are the number of sets I do

Back- 9-10
Chest- 7-9
Shoulders- 5-6
Tris 5-6
Bis 5-6
Calves 3-4 sets per workout
Abs same as calves
Rear delts 2-3
Traps 3-4
Neck 2-3 sets per workout

[Vice]

i could follow your routine, and still not grow, something's wrong :/

[Jack87]

Bro this one is real simple if everything you say is true... If you're busting your ass in the gym and are not overtraining then the only reason you're not gaining is NOT ENOUGH CALORIES

You need to eat more bro... 3,500 isn't really all that much... Personally I can maintain around 3,000 to 3,500 but really need 4,500 to 5,000 calories to pack on new muscle size...

You need to eat to sustain your current muscle mass and also eat more to build the new muscle tissue during recovery after your workouts are finished...

Also try adding some EFA's like Flaxseed oil to your diet... Start with 3 tablespoons a day and adjust it as needed... You need more calories to grow and EFA's are dense calories...

Also what's your protein intake look like?
How many grams per day?

[yellows2k]

Yeah I think if you aren't gaining anything at all and I were you, I'd rather gain mass along with some extra body fat then cut down later.

[SwoleDiesel662]

Yes, eat. Eat 7 times a day & have 7 snacks between each meal, then set your alarm so you wake up in the middle of the night & eat again. Of course bI'm exxagerating, but grub out.

One thing to consider is that people with a very fast metabolism sometimes need to consume excessive carbs because thier bodies use them up extremely fast & then begins to break down protein for energy. You may need to eat more carbs to avoid that.

Another thing is determine what kind of muscle fiber you have so you know what rep range to work in.

[Vice]

how do I determine what kinda muscle fiber i have?

[Decoder]

going heavy 4-6 reps. <-- there is your fucking problem , what the hell does 4 rep's do ? NOTHING. I doubt lactic acid even builds up, your are barely breaking up muscle fibers, Try doing 8-10 reps keeping the same weight, and continue how your eating, i GAUARNTE something will happen. SERIOUSLY TAKE MY ADVICE. Also try spending 20 sets or more on each muscle from now on. I advice you to buy the BIBLE TO BODY BUIDLING BY arnold so you understand how to shock your mucles with different sets/reps and learn about muscle recovery time, you just need to educate your self more about muscle fibers and how they work.

[SwoleDiesel662]

I suggest doing some research on the matter of muscle fiber types. Heres a link for a good start...


http://www.isokinetics.net/advanced/...fibertypes.htm



some people benefit from such low rep ranges, my guess is that you will not; however, It's worth a try & can't hurt. I personally make good gains in that rep range, but I know that when I train someone they most likely will not.

[Vice]

I learned that shit in highschool, pointless information for building muscle...

Decoder if you read my post's thoroughly you'd see that i've tried many set/rep ranges, and i'm now just trying this heavy heavy 6 rep set routine.

[SwoleDiesel662]

You say it's pointless info on building muscle & you are the one who cannot figure out how to gain muscle: that sums it all up right there. But if you learned it all in high school, why did you ask how to find it out -- you need to do some research.

[Vice]

Your not making sense, I didn't state it's useless info, it's useless for building muscle unless you can prove me wrong and quote something off of that page then i'll shut up, listen im not hear to argue, just looking for some advice to slap on some pounds. I research daily and i know my shit, just hit a roadblock and looking for advice

[Hard Rock]

I think your spending to much time in the gym . I"m my experience I use 3 on 4 off . Mon ,legs ,Wens,chest,shoulders,tri's,Fri,back and bi's.Cardio and Ab work on off days.Keep with the basics,and you need to incorperate all fibers, fast and slow, try a pyramiding principle,they work, split your weeks up,go heavy on one movement per week,and I mean heavy, from 15 reps to 4.Then make sure you have some lighter weight days but stilll make sure the intensities there. Sounds like your calories are there but your burning them all up working a full schedule.Hit it brief and intense,then rest. I grew like a weed on this prog.If your not sauced up why train like you are. You only cripple your progress.

[Vice]

thanks hard rock

[BIG TEXAN]

Basic thing.....up your calories. If your workouts are good, and they sound good, and your supps are good then thta's all that's left.....calories. EAT!

[Big_Dan]

I know yellows what the hell are you thinking, 4 reps??
4 reps is strength training, and its exactly his problem!! Did you think about that!
Up your reps, and leave your cals as is to experiment. Stay on that course for a good 3 weeks and if nothing happens move on to more cals. But up the reps, that is exactly why your strength but not your weight has gone up. GOod luck bro

[yellows2k]

Originally posted by Big_Dan
I know yellows what the hell are you thinking, 4 reps??
4 reps is strength training, and its exactly his problem!! Did you think about that!
Up your reps, and leave your cals as is to experiment. Stay on that course for a good 3 weeks and if nothing happens move on to more cals. But up the reps, that is exactly why your strength but not your weight has gone up. GOod luck bro

Why is this directed towards me? Did I TELL him to do 4 reps? I just commented on his scheme and reflected it towards mine. For someone who hasn't progressed anywhere much except for his gut, you got a bad attitude. Just another chance to disagree with me again huh?

[yellows2k]

Honestly, people are too modest here. Am I the only one that sees the flaws in Big Dan's diet, physique which isn't too impressive from his prior state to bulking, and attitude, and advice he gives?

[Decoder]

Well i guess i'm wrong then have fun being small and not listening.

[yellows2k]

Originally posted by Decoder
Well i guess i'm wrong then have fun being small and not listening.

You aren't wrong. This is what works for me, and my 2 previous post was in no way intended to put down your advice or anything of that nature. So you think I too should ditch 4-6 reps and go to 8-10? Or should this be my call to make since I have experimented and know what my body best responds to?

[BIG TEXAN]

Well for one thing, the diets and questions BIG_DAN's been asking, why is he criticizing someone? As for another we should all be able to give our opinions without being flamed for them. Yes someone may not agree with yellow or anyone else, but he's just stating what worked for him. You might have been trained one way or taught another, but nobodies opinion is more right than anothers. That's why they're called opinions! I for one am getting tired of everyone's BITCHING and jumping on each other for stating their ideas and thoughts! Yes some of us have more experience on these matters than others but that's still no reason to start name calling or talking trash!!!!! You want advice, ask. You want to give advice, give it. You ideas conflict with someone else's....too bad state your opinoin and move on.

[Vice]

you guy's must not be reading my posts, I'm "just" starting this 6 rep scheme, as it was recommended and i have never tried low reps, I've done all others, 8, 10, 12, 15, 20.....I'll just up my cals, hopefully it does something.

[BIG TEXAN]

vice- post what your diet looks like, like times you eat, what each meal consist of, and I can go from there. I'll bet you money that you aren't eating as many calories as you think. It'll be Monday before I can post back.....don't have a computer at home so....I'll get back to ya.

[Vice]

I eat like a champ believe me
I eat every 2 hours, atleast 40-60 grams of protein and 100-150g of carbs and some fats.

[SwoleDiesel662]

Ever notice how certain rep ranges work for some people & don't work for others? There is a reason for that. If everone responded to the same training, we would have figured it out 30 years ago & everyone would be on the same regimen. As far as fast or slow twitch fibers go, most of us are in the middle of the spectrum, and therefore make the best gains with 8-10 reps. Some people have mostly white fibers & benefit from less reps, while others have more red fibers & therefore benefit from higher reps. Calf muscles, abs, forearms are examples of muscles that are always predominantly red fiber. They recover fast & need to be worked in higher reps because of their composition. Are you a sprinter or a long distance runner? Can you jump high? These are a couple questions to ask yourself to help determine what kind of fibers you have. There is a way to accurately find out, but we don't really want to discuss that.


Also, do you squat & deadlift?

[Decoder]

Originally posted by yellows2k


You aren't wrong. This is what works for me, and my 2 previous post was in no way intended to put down your advice or anything of that nature. So you think I too should ditch 4-6 reps and go to 8-10? Or should this be my call to make since I have experimented and know what my body best responds to?

i wasn't refering to you , i was refering to the guy who made the thread.

[saboudian]

Hey, if u really want some critique, then u could always try puttin down your entire workouts and diet schedule, maybe someone will look at it and see something.

As far as being "stuck" or reaching a plateau, variety is the key. Mess around with amount of reps, switching order of exercises, change up exercises, amount of sets, rest intervals, do slow reps(3-4s on +, 4-6s on -), periodization, GVT, the list goes on and on, there are so many factors u can change, force your muscles to continuously adapt to different factors.

[SneakerSeven]

In my experience, I dunno if it's either high/low rep schemes that work better, or just the VARIETY that works better. I think mixing it up gives the best of both worlds. I was doing 8-10 reps for a long time, and totally stalled. I decided to try upping the weight and shoot for 6, and lo and behold I'm taking off again. After this I'll try incorporating some 1RM work in there on the advice of some gym cohorts. And then most likely go back to some higer rep work... on the risk of getting flamed to high heaven, I'll say that I think it's variety that does the trick

[SneakerSeven]

Hehe, sab, we posted the same thing at the same time

[majorpecs]

Well after reading this thread, I've come to a conclusion:

That isn't you in your avatar is it?

ehehehe..sorry, I couldn't help it bro!! Seriously, in my opinion, it sounds like you've done everything you can except up your calories until you make your body grow. Even when you aren't hungry force something down. Keep upping your carbs and calories until you start to notice results.

[Za_S|ick]

Sorry if I am off topic, but can you guys post more links about muscle fibre types and how can you determine in what category do you belong?
Thank you very much.