Strength but not size.

[ScottyDog]

Hey gang, I'm running into a bit of a problem. I'm getting much stronger, but my size is the same. I'm working out 4 days a week, mon/tue and thurs/fri. Heavy weight, 3 sets, 10-12 reps. I've been using a bowflex, not the best I know, but I'm burned out on the gym(that's another story...)

When I started, I was benching maybe 160lbs on the chest press and now I'm up to 280. Although, I'm not sure how accurate the weight is on the bowflex, it seems like quite a gain to me. I've made similar progress with my legs, bi's and tri's. I was 170lb, 17% BF 4 months ago, now I'm 180lb, 16% BF but my body looks exactly the same to me. Does this make sense? Could this just be my body type? At 4 months, my CNS shouldn't be a factor.

Any ideas?

[helium3]

weel your figures show you have lost some body fat while gaining some muscle(weight)keep this up and youll notice a difference,it can take time to see it in the mirror if you are carrying some timber.

[ScottyDog]

I'm thinking I should go to a 5x5 system for a month to shock the muscles. Think that would work?

[ScottyDog]

I'm thinking I should go to a 5x5 system for a month to shock the muscles. Think that would work?

[lifterjaydawg]

What does your diet consist of ?

[Timm1704]

how tall are you bro? a shorter guy could add 10lbs of solid muscle and it would be a huge change, whilst a taller guy could gain 10lbs of solid muscle, and it would be hard to even tell

[Timm1704]

oh and the 5 x 5 thing, i say go for it. squats, deads, bench, military press, pullups, rows. i often incorporate this into my routine

[PeteyK]

whats "the 5x5 system"?
i cant tell if i know what ur talking about

[Lavinco]

I think I see the problem!

.... I've been using a bowflex...

Any ideas?

[Daniel32]

bf went down which is good so just keep it up. What is your diet like? Do you take measurements? Many of the members here that you see have been training hard for years to get their bodies the way they want them. Just make sure your diet is on key and you keep up the hard work and in the end you'll be happy.

In my opinion a bowflex is a waste unless it's your ONLY option. You will see results from it but if you can go back to the gym hit the weights.

[ScottyDog]

Lol, I knew I was gonna get crap for the bowflex. =)

I'm 6 feet even. I suppose being taller could be the reason. I'm definitely going for the 5x5 routine. I'm already benching 280, 3 sets, 12 reps. I should have no problem maxing out the bowflex at 310 for 5 reps.

My diet isn't the best. Coffee and a bowl of cheerios in the morning. Followed by 2 cups soymilk and a protein bar a few hours later. Muscle milk a few hours after than. PB&J plus soymilk for lunch. 2 cups soymilk and a protein bar a few hours later. Muscle Milk on my way home from work. Workout. Post workout protein shake w/ creatine. Then a sensible dinner!

[ScottyDog]

As for the Gym(24 hour), I simply got burned out on it. It took me 2 hours to get through a 1 hour workout. Overcrowded, too many people hogging the benches/machines, resting 5 minutes between sets, posing in front of the mirror, etc...

[Warrior]

Increase your rep ranges and focus on time under tension - keep the load moving. Further advanced techniques. like static holds in the contracted position, can lead to an increased fiber recruitment and damand growth from the muscle.

Don't lower your reps - increase them, and keep your time under tension at or above 40 seconds per set. That could be 10 reps with 3 seconds down, 0 seconds in the stretched position and then 1 second up and then reverse the direction.

[ScottyDog]

Cool, thx for the advice!

[DNoMac]

Like they said, switch up weight/rep scheme. Eat big to get big, AND focus on your big lifts such as squats/deads.

[resonator]

Increase your rep ranges and focus on time under tension - keep the load moving. Further advanced techniques. like static holds in the contracted position, can lead to an increased fiber recruitment and damand growth from the muscle.

Don't lower your reps - increase them, and keep your time under tension at or above 40 seconds per set. That could be 10 reps with 3 seconds down, 0 seconds in the stretched position and then 1 second up and then reverse the direction.

Great advice here. Increase your TUT. I'd recommend also to slow your reps down, you don't want to be accelerating in the lift. Think of it as lifting the weight, not accelerating it. Slowly lift the weight to eliminate momentum. Aim for 3 seconds concentric phase and 3 seconds eccentric phase. Also, get a better diet!

[ScottyDog]

Cool, I'll try to increase my TUT. As you can see from my pic, my frame is on the smaller side. Would I benefit from a weight gainer? Or, will that just pack on fat?

[perfectbeast2001]

I'd reccomend you include some decent clean food in your diet. you start the day with no protein for breakfast then wait a "few hours" and eat a supplement bar. The rest of your diet consists of junk food and shakes apart from the one meal you say is "sensible".

[resonator]

If it's more calories than you need, you'll put on fat. I'd stick with whole foods. Check out the diet forum and read some threads, there's some great info in there.

[ScottyDog]

Awesome, thx for the input!

[perfectbeast2001]

I thoroughly reccomend the stickies in the diet section. I have used both the cutting and bulking diets listed there and are both excellent.

[Timm1704]

i take it you are a vegetarian?

[ScottyDog]

Vegetarian? Not in the least. =) Just thought I would give soymilk a try. Been hooked on it since. I like the taste alot better plus less fat and sugar, but I don't like the higher price and less protein. Is regular milk a better choice than soy? I've read online how simple it is to even make you own soy milk. Seems like a inexpensive liquid form of protein if that's the case.

My biggest problem with sticking to diets is that I'm a very picky eater, which limits my variety. Eating the same stuff day after day does get old quickly. I'm currently scouring the diets forum to find enough recipies to keep me going for a while.

[URMaster]

Your problem lies not in your training routine or bowflex. Its your diet. Gains are not made in the gym. Look for Bulking Guides found in these forums follow it and you will start seeing size.