Best for strictly strength gear/supplement?

[tapnyaout]

**I remember a supp that I took in high school that I'd heard was banned but apparently not, DHEA. I've read mixed reviews but now that I remembered taking DHEA/Creatine Mono, I also remember a near 100lb gain on the bench, 105-205lb (which is very VERY WEAK) so maybe it worked for me, after all that's a 100% strength gain**
So now I'm wondering what are your suggestions? I've not trained for a long time; mind you I've read all the natural tips and advice with diets and routines so next to that: What supplements/gear would increase my natural progression strength wise?

[BJJ]

Stats?

[Nooomoto]

Protein and food work pretty well.

[tapnyaout]

thanks for the tip.

Stats as in height weight?
5'10 270 or + some days.
My diet isn't on point but I'm not trying to bodybuild. I just want to gain strength and muscle mass. I do supplement in protein.

Bench Press 1RM at this time. I'd say 170-190 (i actually had started out with the smith machine and I decided to change bc it doesn't use any muscular stabilization to perform)
In other areas I'm as strong as the 300lb benchers. My bench just lacks.

Squat is an exercise I can't perform now due to a blown out right knee, however I supplement the leg press. All the weight available is 500lbs and I'd could easily do it 30+ reps
Dead lift is also an exercise I don't perform but I do lower back extensions with all the weight available 200lbsx10x3sets...

My friend uses test E and he's thick right now but he's around 220 and 5'10 and I'm not sure what his true bench 1rm is but he was probably 3-4 board pressing 320 for 2 reps (not using boards but I'm just guessing how far he came to his chest with the weight) I was just impressed with that so I figured I'd ask a community of people what would be the best way to gain strength while keeping in mind I'm newly back to lifting and I'm not sure how fast or how much my strength should increase in a certain length of time and if I could get stronger using some supplements until I plateau and then switch to gear for 2-3 cycles.

[BJJ]

You forgot to write the most important thing about your stats: your AGE?

[Nooomoto]

There's something wrong with what you and your friend are doing. Your friend is 220 on test and he can only throw up 320 on bench? You're 5'10" 270 and you can only bench 190?

Either you're not telling us something, or something is very wrong with what you're doing.

[tapnyaout]

I'm 27. I just started back working out a little more than 2 weeks ago. As for my friend I'm not sure how long he's been lifting this time because he was the first friend I worked out with in high school and I moved away from our hometown but not too far away a few years ago. I'm not sure how long he's been cycling test E this is the first time I've saw him in years he just popped up at the gym that I have joined being that it's the only fully equipped gym near him or I. He seemed to be knowledgeable about the subject but I'm not sure, as I'm not really well versed with that type of material.
As for anything I'm not telling you, I'm not sure what you could mean. If you mean my workout? Tonight I did, bench 135lbs 5x5 got every rep which makes 4 times in 2 weeks I've added 5lbs onto the bar. I use 55lbs dumbells on the flat, 45 incline, and I don't do the decline there's not one at the gym. I did pull down lats 140lbs 5x5 which is 30lbs heavier than when i started but half the reps as I was doing 110x10. I did tricep extensions with the V attachment 5x5@ 150lbs. I also did tricep pull overs 50lb dumbell on flat bench, and did flies 70lbs each side 5x5. I took it easy tonight the bench actually took alot out of me although it wasn't any weight.
Anyways, like I said I just started out after highschool I lifted one more time in my life which was like 3 years ago but I wasn't very serious and I did 235lbs but not all the way to my chest, which seems to be how everyone benches due to being able to lift more weight but i won't do that anymore. If I cant take it to my chest I won't bench it plain and simple I cheated myself before by doing that but not again. Whatever I max will be to my chest and not a 2-3-4 board bench pres max.

[Big]

body fat%?

[tapnyaout]

I dunno the % but my stats are posted.
weight and height
270 / 5'10-11
I'm a lard ass that's for sure but if you can imagine a wide/athletic build with those stats it'd apply to me. I'm not disproportionate such as fat in only my stomach or something, I sure could afford to drop 60-70lbs but I'm active and have great blood pressure, cholesterol and overall health. I have better than average endurance and I do cardio 4-5 times a week x 30 mins, at light to medium intensity. My arms are pretty tight and my legs are fairly defined especially in the calf area. Probably from calf raises and the leaper I did alot back in the day. I was 230lbs when I graduated and could dunk a basketball I was also place kicker for my HW football team. It seems that lower body genetics run in my family bc my sister was a 140lb cheerleader and could out leg press most of the guys in school @ 700lbs, and my brother is a gifted jumper being 6'1 and could pretty much dunk a basketball anyway he wanted...yet he's really weak in the bench area too, but he was never into lifting I just had him max with me when i had a bench and he did 145lbs but I'd imagine with good form he'd did a little more..

[Big]

Height and weight doesn't mean much without bf, there are many sups and gear that you shouldn't use with high bf.

[Nooomoto]

Well if you're only 2 weeks into working out, stick to food and protein for the time being.

[tapnyaout]

Oh yeh, I'm only 2 weeks back into strength training I guess maybe 4-5 weeks just lifting period. I would just go to the gym put a little weight on the smith machine and pull a bench under it and do it for 10 reps or so.

I wasn't doing it the way it should be done in order to get stronger. Like i said now, I'm actually 2 weeks into it with the right kind of exercises and using a bench that's open instead of a smith machine. However, it's preferred by me for military press and if I want to do incline with a bar I have to use it as well.

The two things I'd like most to be there aren't: decline and incline but other than that it's fully equipped. You can pull a bench and adjust it for incline or pull the sit up bench under the smith machine to do decline but I've not yet done that. So I've been without a true incline or decline bar press but the use of dumbells should be almost as good I guess.

[Nooomoto]

Oh yeh, I'm only 2 weeks back into strength training I guess maybe 4-5 weeks just lifting period. I would just go to the gym put a little weight on the smith machine and pull a bench under it and do it for 10 reps or so.

I wasn't doing it the way it should be done in order to get stronger. Like i said now, I'm actually 2 weeks into it with the right kind of exercises and using a bench that's open instead of a smith machine. However, it's preferred by me for military press and if I want to do incline with a bar I have to use it as well.

The two things I'd like most to be there aren't: decline and incline but other than that it's fully equipped. You can pull a bench and adjust it for incline or pull the sit up bench under the smith machine to do decline but I've not yet done that. So I've been without a true incline or decline bar press but the use of dumbells should be almost as good I guess.

Don't worry to much about decline, it's a useless exercise. If you look in Arnold's book he makes no mention of it. Theres a reason for that.