3-4 months progress + need advice

[controlit]

I dunno if i should be disappointed with my results but all i know it's not even close to my goals.

I gained 20-25 pounds. was 125 when i started

4k / 5k cals a day

my routine was whatever i felt like for the first week or so then i found 5x5 starting strength and stuck with that. to be honest i don't know where the weight went cause I didn't get fatter or anything.. My confidence is shot.. I knew i shouldn't have looked at older pictures just yet.

Supps :
muscle juice 2600
pro isl
opti men ( recently )

before :
http://img689.imageshack.us/i/14075963.jpg/
http://img69.imageshack.us/i/img00126v.jpg/

after :
http://img38.imageshack.us/i/picture10cf.jpg/
http://img689.imageshack.us/i/picture8c.jpg/
http://img13.imageshack.us/i/picture5uj.jpg/
http://img31.imageshack.us/i/afrer4legs.jpg/

I don't know if i should stay on 5x5 or move on..It uses lots of compound workouts and those are good for building mass so who knows..

EDIT: I'm now 160-165 pounds I've moved on from the 5x5 and found a much more suitable routine with much more volume and intensity, my diet is also in check thanks to the videos posted in the diet section.

[shortybrolick]

Why is your confidence shot?? You def. Made some improvements man. Looking much better. By all means you should be proud of your self, Gotta keep working tho, its not over. Hard work Dedication ..

Me personallyi train like a hybrid, "Powerbuilder"
Alot of times for example on Back day, i may train the deadlift for low-moderate reps [strength-hypertrophy] Then the rest of my excercises [bent over rows, 1 arm rows, Chins, lat pulldown ect.] I'll train at a higher rep range 8-10, or 10-12 .. more Hypertrophy specific.. That works for me...

[gettingthere]

Alright mate, i checked your pics out!! the first pics are kind of hard to get a grasp of what your upper body actualy looked like!! you have put some weight on i can see that!!

Personally i dont think u should stick to the same routine for 3-4 months, your body gets too used to it and takes it as the norm!! you should post your diet in the diet section and see have you got that in check, to be honest i cant see you having 4-5,000 calories a day!!

Post up your diet and your stats and youl get all the help you need

Il let the vets help you more than me but this is my 2cents worth

[terraj]

If you are doing 5x5...(great method BTW) it is a method that is "progressive overload"....so you can keep the same method and not need to change as long as like weights are increasing. You are keeping a journal right?


You have put on some good muscle....we are always our hardest critic.

[j4ever41]

hey man you made good progress,you should be more confident not less!have you posted your diet in the diet forum?keep working hard and imagine what you will look like when you get another 20-25# on you,how tall are you? how old are you?lol,what terraj said is true,we are always our hardest critics,we can all nick pick ourselves apart thats for sure.

[controlit]

Hi thanks lots for all your comments i will try and look for a new routine and see how the works.. I guess it was just hard to notice my improvements my self it honestly only seemed like i got stronger.

I'm 6'0 20 years old... Ill post my diet tomorrow


thanks again everyone.

[controlit]

And i know i probably should have made a journal ill get on it asap, i'm buying some creatine tomorrow like 1000g for $20 so ill see how that goes. One thing i need to defiantly work on is my water intake.

[Exilus]

Dude 25 lbs in 4 months naturally is a huge progress, and the difference on your pictures is very noticeable. I dont know what you're complaining about!!

[shortybrolick]

Its good that you've gained strength with that 5x5 so now you can move bigger weight for more hypertrophy ^_^
Everything is going perfect..

[controlit]

thanks, and yeah after doing some reading i guess my progress is decent i guess i just hit a rough patch today, I'm honestly tired of being skinny or skinny remarks... But i am so i guess i cant blame people. Nothing great then people i know closley saying " wow you're getting bigger ".

I'm excited to find a new routine and incorporate some more exercises... There's so much information and from so many different sources though but i'll find something that works.

thnx again for all the comments. I'm excited to see what another 20 pounds will bring. also, i'm just wondering will i need to be like 180 pounds to start looking filled out? I have a pretty wide frame i think so i dunno.

[anabolic1979]

yea i can see u look more muscular, but i dont think u were eating as much as u say i just dont believe it. I think if u really put the time into ur diet and the commitment into eating tons of food u will be able to put on weight.

[gbrice75]

You should be proud, you definitely made progress! Arms are thicker, shoulders and abs are much more visible. Even your wheels look much more muscular! You were EXTREMELY skinny to start with; 3-4 months is not going to get you looking like a bodybuilder, that takes years.

I personally would change up the 5x5 routine for the next 2-3 months. It's mental more than anything; I find that I start losing interest when my routine is the same day after day, for months on end. You can stick with a mass building program - compound movements, 4-7 rep range.

Finally, I agree with the above posts - i'm willing to bet you're not eating as much as you think. I'm also willing to bet you're relying on shakes as a big part of your food. The absolute best thing you can do for yourself right now is to post up your diet in the diet section and wait for some critique.

Make sure you post it in the proper format - time of day for each meal, and all macro nutrient info for each (protein/carbs/fat/calories). The more info you give, the better we can help.

[controlit]

thnx lots for the comments again and yeah I heard that its going to take awhile longer for me to put on that much weight because of how skinny i was at the start.

And yeah actually i was looking at a bunch of compound movements on the bb site and it helped me greatly with trying to decide what i want to chose.

And yes very true, shakes were 80% of my diet 1600 cal shakes ... one in the morning and one before bed and a pre workout that was 600 cals.

And i know my diet is a complete failure right now cause all i have been trying to do was make it over 4k and over 160g of protein..

I've been logging everything this morning so i'll post it later on in the day..

thnx again people, also is there a site where it has a format to create a journal ??

[vishus]

you need to cut out the shakes, maybe one or two at most daily. you will grow a helluva lot faster with real solid food, trust me. i was in ur position when i was a freshman in high school. weighed about 140lbs, and i graduated 4 yrs later at 230lbs. you need to stick with it!!!! you will have days when u want to give up and stop eatin clean or lifting, but u gotta push through it bro! you will hit the 200lb mark i know it! eat big and train hard, dont focus so much on the future, focus on your current diet and training

[slimy]

I want to parrot everybody else when I say that your progress is great. The improvements you made are very noticeable. That being said, you will see a lot of comments about getting your diet sorted out. Diet is one thing that is so crucial that most guys your age don't want to hear about.

In the diet section, there is a thread at the top called, " so you wanna learn how to diet". It's a video, about an hour long, but broken down in parts. Watch a few today, few tommorrow, take a week and finish the whole thing. It is the single most important thread on this entire website. This thing will blow your mind.

With the work that you've already put, I can tell you are dedicated. After you get the concepts in this video, I want to see more pics from you.

Good luck. Now go watch that video.

[controlit]

Wow that video was awesome, learned lots even took some notes.

I also bought some superpump the other day and honestly does this stuff actually work? Like i felt unstoppable and i felt bigger after my workout. Or does it have something in it that tricks my brain lol?

[controlit]

you need to cut out the shakes, maybe one or two at most daily. you will grow a helluva lot faster with real solid food, trust me. i was in ur position when i was a freshman in high school. weighed about 140lbs, and i graduated 4 yrs later at 230lbs. you need to stick with it!!!! you will have days when u want to give up and stop eatin clean or lifting, but u gotta push through it bro! you will hit the 200lb mark i know it! eat big and train hard, dont focus so much on the future, focus on your current diet and training

awesome advice, thanks a ton man. also grats on your transformation defiantly motivation

[NOVA718]

Controlit you have made some great progress my man, keep up the good work! And certainly dont get discouraged you should be proud of what you have done so far remember progress is progress. And you have one of the best tools at your hands, one that's greater than any diet or training...and that my friend is an open mind. Its takes some guts to put it all out there to a forum, asking questions and posting pics but you are in the company of alot of really knowledgeable and good guys on this forum that are willing to help. Just keep your focus on a solid diet and dont forget to incorporate some grilled chicken breast into that bad boy!...lol And let your diet be the base of your training and allow the supplements to do exactly what they are meant to do and thats supplement what you have already built. Best of luck my friend....but when it comes to exercise its no luck just...simple science.

[Implement]

Keep it up. It will take time. Your commitment needs to equate to consistency.
Chill with the supplements. All that you really need are: a protein (which, ought to be limited to 2x/day, as Vishus suggested), creatine, glutamine, and a multi-vitamin.
Switch up your lifting routine, every 6-8 weeks, and keep most of your sets in the 4-8 repetition range. I hope that you have found yourself a reliable workout partner, as your sets should all be to total failure. In fact, you will be profitable from regularly performing forced-reps.
Keep watching those diet videos. Be sure to consume about 40 grams of a fast-acting protein supplement, along with about 30 grams of a simple sugar, within 15 minutes of finishing your workout.
Keep it up, dude. This is science. You put in your part, and nature will do what it do.

[taylormays22]

you have made nice gains your def more ripped.

[controlit]

Thnx for the comments,

And yeah i watched the vid. Definitely spoon fed me for a legit diet.

My biggest obstacle will be summer time now, I live in canada and our winters are cold... So once this warm weathers comes around we all get a little crazy, but hopefully i still can make some decent gains while consuming some alcohol. By then when winter comes around it will be 100% dedication.

[controlit]

hey guys, just a lil update i'm 160..

I changed up my routine... I want to be 200pounds by next june... I know it's possible if i keep this consistency up and keep my diet in check..

I won a $350 gift certificate to popeyes, im stoked..

[bjpennnn]

hey guys, just a lil update i'm 160..

I changed up my routine... I want to be 200pounds by next june... I know it's possible if i keep this consistency up and keep my diet in check..

I won a $350 gift certificate to popeyes, im stoked..

hahaha.

Dude honestly you have made some huge progress. I hope you stat dedicated and dont get discouraged as time goes on the gains may come slower but trust me with proper diet and training they will come.

Check out this link

Diet
http://forums.steroid.com/showthread.php?t=323516

if you have never watched those videos you for sure should. Good luck on your journey! keep us updated!

[controlit]

thanks a ton man, yeah i watched those videos was very very helpful.

My roommates think I've gone obsessive with this whole eating right and bulking up thing which is ridiculous.... The amount of hate you get from people for wanting to eat right and getting healthy is crazy. But it's mostly from the people who are lazy fcuks and don't appreciate sht all.... But for every person hating you have double that giving you a pat on the back so i guess it over rules it.


EDIT: also is there a decent blog site? I've searched google but there's so many to chose from..

[terraj]

Are still running 5x5?

You have done well!

[controlit]

No not anymore, after snooping around i found a workout from BB.com leaning towards gaining mass. It has been working good and I've been seeing/feeling improvements. But I'm still looking for something else. Personally i don't like 3 day a week workouts i feel my body recovers really quick and i could hit the gym on a rest day and it drives me nuts.

Also thanks a ton!!

[Panzerfaust]

A classic case of an Ectomorph man..you simply have no choice but to eat, eat, eat and then eat some more.

You made progress and you should be stoked, you cannot expect to put on 40lbs of muscle overnight, sometimes things happen in stages and it all boils down to you putting your head the grind stone and putting the work in. The absolute #1 and most important thing for you is getting the kCals in, you are going to have to eat when the thought of food makes you ill.

I wish I was like that but we are all wired differently. Once again, I say congrats on the progress and keep it up...get that diet going and shovel that food down your throat, lets go.

[bigslick7878]

you need to cut out the shakes, maybe one or two at most daily. you will grow a helluva lot faster with real solid food, trust me. i was in ur position when i was a freshman in high school. weighed about 140lbs, and i graduated 4 yrs later at 230lbs. you need to stick with it!!!! you will have days when u want to give up and stop eatin clean or lifting, but u gotta push through it bro! you will hit the 200lb mark i know it! eat big and train hard, dont focus so much on the future, focus on your current diet and training

Basically what I was going to say, I was 5'10 155 at 21 and now am 215 at 31.

The weight will come, believe me.

Might now come to that extent without a little bit of assistance but you should be able to get up to 175 within a couple years no problem.

Stick with it.

[controlit]

Hey guys, thanks again for the comments and advice.

I'm 160ish now and would like to know if 30-40 pounds by next March is very unreasonable? I was approached by a trainer and he commented on my progress he told me he's been watching me and has seen big improvements it was such a confidence boost. He asked me for my goals and I told him I'd like to reach 190-200 pounds by next March. He told me that with the progress I have made i would defiantly be able to reach my goal as long as I'm consistent and carefully adjusting my intake.

Personally I believe I can but is it physically possible?

[gbrice75]

30-40lbs of lean mass isn't going to happen by March. Sure you could reach 190-200lbs, but alot of that will be fat. Keep adding lean mass slowly and you will be much better off in the long run. Take it from me, trying to cut bodyfat is NO fun.

[mperk]

30-40lbs of lean mass isn't going to happen by March. Sure you could reach 190-200lbs, but alot of that will be fat. Keep adding lean mass slowly and you will be much better off in the long run. Take it from me, trying to cut bodyfat is NO fun.

Hey dude;
First off nice work. Second - sell the Popeye's gift cert to someone who wants to pack on fat not muscle. Third - i agree with GBrice -look at the mirror not the scale. If you gain 30-40 lbs and it is 50% fat you'll be bummed and it will be hard to get back to a lean state. Go for good healthy nutrition - buy your protein (tilapia, tuna, chicken boobs) in bulk so it's not so expensive, but really concentrate on eating every 2-3 hours and avoid excess (note I said excess) fats and carbs. i respectfully disagree w/ Vishus - nutrients are nutrients - your body can't tell the difference between a whey shake and a chicken boob. But definately dont rely on the shakes for most of your meals. You need a well balanced diet including good fats, carbs and protein. At your age you are a metabolic machine so make the most of that!

Great job & good luck, broski.