mass building for a beginner

[>Good Luck<]

hey guys,

im 5'7" 160lbs (+-) 25 years old and low body fat - but havent had it checked. very low for sure. i recently started the 5x5 supposedly by reg park fro beginners. i liked the whole idea of the 5x5 with progressively adding 5lbs to the bar each visit, as long as i complete all sets and reps previously workout. my max bench was 225lbs when i started so i lowered my weights by about 30-40% so i could progressively add weight and train my body for strength so it said. also did the same for all excercises in the routine. i Also had to change the way i was squating (toes pointed a little outward and squat deep down past parallel) which dramatically reduced my squatting weight...it's only 3 days a week as well, but i decided to tweak it up a bit to EOD because i'm really love working out so even one day off sucks as$...and it's taking a lot of restraint not to slap on more weight every set... do you think this routine is built right? do you think i could add a little bit to it ----or should i leave it alone and follow the plan...

here's the routine

Routine A (using 60%-80%-100%x3 for any applicable excercise)
Squats 5x5
Pull-ups or Chin-ups 5x5 - usually alternate per visit
Bench-press or Dips 5x5 - usually bench only or both...never dips only
forearm or grip work 2x10
Calfs 2x15-20

Routine B
Squats 5x5
Barbell rows 5x5
Standing press 5x5
Deadlifts 3x5 (60 -80- 100)
Forearm or grip work 2x10
Calfs 2x15-20


and like i said - its supposed to be alternating A & B and 3 days a week, but i dont feel like im getting enough as it is...half the time i barely know i worked out at all.

[rockinred]

Joe... one of the key things to remember with training whether you are bulking or cutting is diet. So increase your calories and if you can do it as clean as possible than do it. Still try increasing your calories beyond what you normally do.

Also, I browsed through the routine and you are doing compound movements for the most part. That is good for a starter routine and compound movements are key to get your base going. I say do that for a couple of months max and then time to start turning it on a little more with some variations. As long as diet is increasing calories you will grow. Once you get that thickness going then you will probably want to start targeting things a little more. Not a full blown body builders routine but definitely more reps and different routine entirely.

That's my 2cents and good luck bro!

[>Good Luck<]

Joe... one of the key things to remember with training whether you are bulking or cutting is diet. So increase your calories and if you can do it as clean as possible than do it. Still try increasing your calories beyond what you normally do.

Also, I browsed through the routine and you are doing compound movements for the most part. That is good for a starter routine and compound movements are key to get your base going. I say do that for a couple of months max and then time to start turning it on a little more with some variations. As long as diet is increasing calories you will grow. Once you get that thickness going then you will probably want to start targeting things a little more. Not a full blown body builders routine but definitely more reps and different routine entirely.

That's my 2cents and good luck bro!

Thanks red, I'm gonna spend some time working on the diet. I need to gather more info from the nutrition section but is there any tricks for getting your appetite up? I eat until I'm stuffed and any more food will make me puke... And still, I'm nowhere near what I should be taking in... I just can get the food in, and if I do... I'm dying in pain for a few hours until it breaks down a bit

I know abomb and eq supposedly increase appetite but I don't think I'm ready for aas right now. Any advice helps!

Cheers

[rockinred]

Joe... you will get better advise on diet in the diet section. But to put on size you have to play the game. If your body wants to stay at a certain point, you will have to push it beyond that. That means force feeding at times. It sounds pretty vain, but those who have pushed the envelope do so. I'd suggest writing out a diet plan based on your total calories per body weight and increase it slowly by 500kcal. If you are serious about it, you will come up with at least 6-7 meals per day spaced out appropriately. If having problems consuming add in weight gainer shakes. Also, some are so lean they resort to dirty bulking. Once again head to the diet section and line out your foods and calorie count before resorting to those methods and see where you are at first.

The reason this has turned into a food discussion is because as a general rule you can do the same routine and either bulk or cut off it, all is really based on your diet. The key for your workout routine is to use free weights and keep consistent and stay on the compound movements to get your baseline and thickness starting. As I have echoed always... it takes time. Nothing happens over night so be patient and dedicated.

[>Good Luck<]

Joe... you will get better advise on diet in the diet section. But to put on size you have to play the game. If your body wants to stay at a certain point, you will have to push it beyond that. That means force feeding at times. It sounds pretty vain, but those who have pushed the envelope do so. I'd suggest writing out a diet plan based on your total calories per body weight and increase it slowly by 500kcal. If you are serious about it, you will come up with at least 6-7 meals per day spaced out appropriately. If having problems consuming add in weight gainer shakes. Also, some are so lean they resort to dirty bulking. Once again head to the diet section and line out your foods and calorie count before resorting to those methods and see where you are at first.

The reason this has turned into a food discussion is because as a general rule you can do the same routine and either bulk or cut off it, all is really based on your diet. The key for your workout routine is to use free weights and keep consistent and stay on the compound movements to get your baseline and thickness starting. As I have echoed always... it takes time. Nothing happens over night so be patient and dedicated.

Thanks again! Solid advice - I'll start on that NOW.