Skinny Dude Training For Proportion- Progression Pics

[cacti]

23 yo somewhat bony hargainer.. I've been embarassed of my physique for a long time and have been lifting for a few years- most of which was wasted time not lifting heavy enough with the right equipment and wrong diet. I now know I need to be taking in at least 1.5 g protien to gain muscle and lift as heavy as possible with fewer reps. The lifting I was doing @ home had gotten me alot more defined, but I was seeing little gains. As I gathered info actually relevant to my body type I started getting better results- At '6 I was usually around 135 lbs since high school and I had gone up to 145 after a year. I joined a gym just 3 weeks ago and adjusted my diet and I'm already seeing very positive results- now @ 150 lbs.

I'm going to post my pics because I really do want your advice, BUT first I need to explain my goals. I don't want to get "huge." I want to stay very lean and after reading many of these posts, what many of you would call way too skinny. However, right now I'm way to thin so basically I'm just wanting to look alot more proportional which is going to involve packing on a lot of muscle. Particularly on my chest, shoulders, and arms. I'm much more interested in looking ripped/cut, and vascular than big.

Well.. let the freak show begin!



The first 2 pics are from a year ago when I was totally clueless.

The third pic is from 3 weeks ago just before I joined the gym.

The rest are from yesterday, after 3 weeks of hard training, fixed diet + creatine.


Even though I've always been very skinny, I'm starting to believe I actually have potential to get where I never would have though possible.

I know what I should be eating, I think the most helpful kinds of things would along the lines of training routines & supplements.

Thanks! Now rip away...

[cacti]

the rest

[stocky121]

you have come to the right place bro hit up the diet and training forum's there's a lot of work to do but there's plenty of time bro you'll get where you wan't to be with dedication. No to any cycle at this time bro good luck

[cacti]

Yea, I'm definitely not thinking about cycling yet(if ever even).

Thanks again.

[Big Poppa Pump]

nice progress. Good to see a newbie who wants to do things the right way. Whats your routine look like now? (sets, reps, which muscles you train together, and how often you train)

[jinos]

Keep it up bro. Eat up and keep us updated. Good luck!

[lucabratzi]

i would eat as much carbs as possible. lots of pasta. keep hittin the weights, and eat as much as u can.

[cacti]

I train 3 days a week, never 2 days in a row.

Day One: Biceps, back, legs, abs - conentration curl w/dumbells, dumbell rows, lat pull downs, squat, incline situp

Day Two: Chest, shoulders, triceps, abs - shoulder press, dumbell flys(inclined), cable flys(feels like it targest my chest more effectively than bench press), dips, leg raises

Day Three: Calves, abs, light cardio, if another muscle group feels recouperated from earlier that week, I throw it back in here


For almost everything I do 3 sets of 10 reps or until failure if possible.


Just stocked up on some more protien powder today with added glutamine, so I'm going to start stuffing myself some more as my routine starts to get solid.

[Ntpadude]

23 yo somewhat bony hargainer.. I've been embarassed of my physique for a long time and have been lifting for a few years- most of which was wasted time not lifting heavy enough with the right equipment and wrong diet. I now know I need to be taking in at least 1.5 g protien to gain muscle and lift as heavy as possible with fewer reps. The lifting I was doing @ home had gotten me alot more defined, but I was seeing little gains. As I gathered info actually relevant to my body type I started getting better results- At '6 I was usually around 135 lbs since high school and I had gone up to 145 after a year. I joined a gym just 3 weeks ago and adjusted my diet and I'm already seeing very positive results- now @ 150 lbs.

I'm going to post my pics because I really do want your advice, BUT first I need to explain my goals. I don't want to get "huge." I want to stay very lean and after reading many of these posts, what many of you would call way too skinny. However, right now I'm way to thin so basically I'm just wanting to look alot more proportional which is going to involve packing on a lot of muscle. Particularly on my chest, shoulders, and arms. I'm much more interested in looking ripped/cut, and vascular than big.

Well.. let the freak show begin!



The first 2 pics are from a year ago when I was totally clueless.

The third pic is from 3 weeks ago just before I joined the gym.

The rest are from yesterday, after 3 weeks of hard training, fixed diet + creatine.


Even though I've always been very skinny, I'm starting to believe I actually have potential to get where I never would have though possible.

I know what I should be eating, I think the most helpful kinds of things would along the lines of training routines & supplements.

Thanks! Now rip away...

You must like the pull down lat bars the best. Seems 99% of your weight gain has been in your back... very good start... the lats are just about the fastest growing muscle in the male body and very good place to start. We all been there and done that with the skinny kid syndrome... but you can certainly turn it all around and the sooner the better. We usually start by developing the fastest possible muscles to grow and then these will carry over the weight gain on the rest of the body. Fastest growing starter muscles: Thighs/hamstrings, the back, the pecs(upper chest). You need pec and back in order to carry over growth in your arms and shoulders, thighs will tug along the buttocks and calfs... so anyways good place to start and here is a good place to get advice.

BTW, expect the FASTEST growth and development of your life in the first 6 to 8 months of being at the gym. Eat generously to fuel this development and remember as you gain weight, you need to eat even more yet to continue this development. After 6 to 8 months you start to plateau but this is where you start going into more elaborate workout routines and start focusing more and more on smaller muscles in order to break down plateaus.

[Big Poppa Pump]

If your gonna lift 3 days a week, I'd do something like M-chest/tri's, W-shoulders/legs, F-back/bi's

Also, Bench press, and Barbell Curls are a must IMO, I'd consider adding them to your routine. Also, IMO, your doing too few sets for each muscle. My rule of thumb is 9-12 sets for smaller muscles like bi's and tri's and 12-15 sets for bigger muscles like chest and back.

Ask around and get other peoples advice, experiment, and do whatever works best for you. Good luck.

[MASTER]

Yeah mate, you want big triceps, chest and front delt tie in, u gotta do bench press. Also since your back appears to be your strongest area, add some barbell rows and deadlifts. IMO you should not train back and legs on the same day either, because the exercises that are going to get you the most results are squats and deads, and you won't be able to put everything into both on the same day, as well as your other exercises. You havent got much mass at the moment, so forget about isolation movements like concentration curls and just hit up all the compound exercises - bench press, squats, deadlifts, barbell rows, tricep extensions, barbell curls and military presses should be the base of your training. BPPs split would be much more beneficial to you as well, but personally I would leave longer between chest and shoulder days. If you do these compound movements and realli hit the eating, especially good quality carbs (brown rice, wholemeal bread, potatoes and pasta), proteins and healthy fats (fish oils, flax oil) then you should get some realli good results.

[S.P.G]

Year,, your in good hands hear m8 ,, be consistent never give up and you will achieve wonders, I can se a difference in your legs for sure…train hard bro,,

[slob]

get in the gym and pound those weights!
good work dude. you want to make a change and thats what counts.

[Ntpadude]

Yeah mate, you want big triceps, chest and front delt tie in, u gotta do bench press. Also since your back appears to be your strongest area, add some barbell rows and deadlifts. IMO you should not train back and legs on the same day either, because the exercises that are going to get you the most results are squats and deads, and you won't be able to put everything into both on the same day, as well as your other exercises. You havent got much mass at the moment, so forget about isolation movements like concentration curls and just hit up all the compound exercises - bench press, squats, deadlifts, barbell rows, tricep extensions, barbell curls and military presses should be the base of your training. BPPs split would be much more beneficial to you as well, but personally I would leave longer between chest and shoulder days. If you do these compound movements and realli hit the eating, especially good quality carbs (brown rice, wholemeal bread, potatoes and pasta), proteins and healthy fats (fish oils, flax oil) then you should get some realli good results.

Well back is strongest area, but often for skinny kids just starting out, it just works out that the upper back is always the first and fastest to develop. This means he is quite typical with no special problems with muscular development, he is in early development like most of us that had skinny kid syndrome started. It would be fully expected for the back alone to gain a full 20 lbs before the chest and legs and other areas start their own gains. Those early back gains will not stay on their fast track.. they will slow or plateau off while the other areas catch up and balance out. It also works out that pull down bars, etc are genuinely most beginner's most favorite exercise because they see early rapid strength increases faster on this exerscise then any others. On the other stuff... very good, he needs it all but also needs to understand, even fast and rapid weight gain, he might not be happy until at minimum 2 or 3 years pass. Typically 3rd or 4th year is where everyone starts approaching their early goals and start being real happy with their progress, but then you know how it goes, time to set higher more lofty goals.

[CrazyKC]

What you need to do is got to GNC and get weight gainer you are starting very light so you should have no problem gaining weight just up your carbs and your protein intake.

[kloter1]

you have alot of room for potential. keep at it!

[Logan13]

First of all, Congratulations. You have taken many of the first steps needed toward your goal, vast improvement in your chest. Do not give up, set short term goals, accomplish them, and then set new goals. You will get there, keep it up.

[Jase]

I would up my weekly work out rate if i were you, other wise you look as if you have made progress keep at it and good luck.

Godspeed

[*Narkissos*]

I train 3 days a week, never 2 days in a row.

Day One: Biceps, back, legs, abs - conentration curl w/dumbells, dumbell rows, lat pull downs, squat, incline situp

Day Two: Chest, shoulders, triceps, abs - shoulder press, dumbell flys(inclined), cable flys(feels like it targest my chest more effectively than bench press), dips, leg raises

Day Three: Calves, abs, light cardio, if another muscle group feels recouperated from earlier that week, I throw it back in here

separate leg and back training...drop the light cardio for now.

Eat... if you see bodyfat creeping on you can cut back..but personally i wouldn't

keep at it... all things are attainable if one's consistent

[Billyspt4]

I used to be pretty skinny like you as well. 5'8" and weighed around 115. I now weigh 150, I've basically started eating smart and eating often. If I cna't eat, there's an Meal Replacement Shake in my hands. I consume about 160 g of protein a day. My workouts will vary, but I try to do opposite muscles on the same days, back/chest together, bis/tris together and legs...I go 5-6 days a week so these vary as well, sometimes it may be shoulders/back or shoulder/tris or something like that. It's really what works best for your schedule. I have about 2-3 hours a day to burn at the gym. It's definitely added size for me, but keep it up and you'll be sure to see gains, it's all about dedication and it seems as though you have a lot

[Ntpadude]

I used to be pretty skinny like you as well. 5'8" and weighed around 115. I now weigh 150, I've basically started eating smart and eating often. If I cna't eat, there's an Meal Replacement Shake in my hands. I consume about 160 g of protein a day. My workouts will vary, but I try to do opposite muscles on the same days, back/chest together, bis/tris together and legs...I go 5-6 days a week so these vary as well, sometimes it may be shoulders/back or shoulder/tris or something like that. It's really what works best for your schedule. I have about 2-3 hours a day to burn at the gym. It's definitely added size for me, but keep it up and you'll be sure to see gains, it's all about dedication and it seems as though you have a lot

Pretty skinny here too but I did a lot of catabolic type work in my 20's... cement work tends to leave you really trim... but when I started my latest round of working out about 3 to 4 years ago, I started around 140 lbs... I put on 20 lbs mostly in the back in the first 6 months... that was the fastest it ever came... then I plateaued some and started doing weight gainer shakes and made my way up to 170 but pushing calaries doesnt necessarily mean its all going to be muscle gain. I went from 9% body fat at 160 to 20% body fat at 170.... I was also on a soloflex type garage machine so that was the problem... everyone plateaus rather quickly on these Sears all in one weider kits and soloflex/bowflex machines... they are maybe good for beginners but you outgrow them in about 1 year. I switched to the gym, got the body fat back down and now in the mid 180's with some weight fluctuations.

All in all this kid has a better idea by doing the gym from the start, there is no substitute for the gym by getting a soloflex/bowflex machine. The models they have using the machines could not have that build they had if they had to build and maintain their body on those machines. Frankly even gym machines, even though the weights are much higher then offered on the soloflex, even those plateau you and you have to get to the free weights to make the real gains.

[cacti]

I'm amazed by all the input I've gotten so far here, I really appreciated it! Separating my back and leg routines seems to make sense so I'm going to switch that up.

In response to getting protien powder from GNC.. well you read my mind, because this is precisely what I just did. I got the one step up from basic protien, the one that contains glutamine/BCAAs. Tried mixing it with milk.. big mistake! Water tastes alot better, at least with the berry flavor.

As long as I keep making quality gains I don't think I'm going to change the diet/cardio just yet. Remember I'm not looking to get huge- I'm more interested in high quality gains versus quantity. But I do realize that either way I need to be taking in a ton of calories and protien to make any gains.

Thanks for all the comments so far, I will continue to update you, and with more pictures eventually.


Oh, almost forgot, about the suggestion for dumping my concentration curls for barbell curls- if that's going to train the larger area of the bicep, that would be great for me. But I just assumed the "free-er" the weight(dumbell instead of barbell) would be better because it required more of the arm to stabalize. Is there some other benefit of the barbell in this situation?

[Ntpadude]

I'm amazed by all the input I've gotten so far here, I really appreciated it! Separating my back and leg routines seems to make sense so I'm going to switch that up.

In response to getting protien powder from GNC.. well you read my mind, because this is precisely what I just did. I got the one step up from basic protien, the one that contains glutamine/BCAAs. Tried mixing it with milk.. big mistake! Water tastes alot better, at least with the berry flavor.

As long as I keep making quality gains I don't think I'm going to change the diet/cardio just yet. Remember I'm not looking to get huge- I'm more interested in high quality gains versus quantity. But I do realize that either way I need to be taking in a ton of calories and protien to make any gains.

Thanks for all the comments so far, I will continue to update you, and with more pictures eventually.


Oh, almost forgot, about the suggestion for dumping my concentration curls for barbell curls- if that's going to train the larger area of the bicep, that would be great for me. But I just assumed the "free-er" the weight(dumbell instead of barbell) would be better because it required more of the arm to stabalize. Is there some other benefit of the barbell in this situation?

OK I can understand you dont want to get huge... but then again... no one can call you HUGE until you are 205 and above... you can be big and respectable in the 180's provided the waistline is trim. You can do lots and lots of gaining and not get HUGE. Myself I think I might be happy to stop somewhere between 195 and 205 lbs and thats my max goal, but I think at your height you really might not be happy until you are at least in the 175-185 range. Now watch some HUGE 285 pound guy is going chime in and laugh at these numbers and say with an arnold accent, " You puny girly men, dont know what real size and muscles are!"

[AandF6969]

It would be wise to post up your diet for critique... there may be flaws in it that we can fix and help you gain muscle faster.

[*Narkissos*]

It would be wise to post up your diet for critique... there may be flaws in it that we can fix and help you gain muscle faster.

Ditto

[LatinoPR]

Bro. exelent job, and yes,more food...! Good job.

[hardgainer1]

Great! Eat more! Keep training hard

[Big Poppa Pump]

Oh, almost forgot, about the suggestion for dumping my concentration curls for barbell curls- if that's going to train the larger area of the bicep, that would be great for me. But I just assumed the "free-er" the weight(dumbell instead of barbell) would be better because it required more of the arm to stabalize. Is there some other benefit of the barbell in this situation?

Concentration curls are supposed to be done relatively slow which allows you to "concentrate" on the bicept as your are doing them. Theyre are more of a shaping/fine tuning exercise. At your stage of the game, id be more focused on doing the basic heavy movements and barbell curls, IMO, are the most essential bicept exercise as far as mass goes. That doesn't mean you have to dump the dumbell excercies, just make sure your bicept workout includes the straight bar. i usually start out with the barbell so I can go as heavy as i possibly can, and then I'll usually do 2 more excercises. usually involving dumbells.

[cacti]

Update

Well I've taken the advice for heavier weights using barbell instead of dumbbells for my biceps, and I thank you because I can already tell a difference!

I don't have any new pics yet, but I will take some soon- since I first joined and posted this thread a few weeks ago I've gained 3-4 pounds of muscle(very little BF gains). So I really feel like I'm doing things right now. I think one of the biggest helpers was something I read in another thread here about how important it is to work on the legs with squat type exercizes for overall strength gains. I'm still sore after all my workouts- which is good right? I figure this is because I keep pushing myself further everytime, and I take it that means more repair which = growth.

[AandF6969]

Update
more repair which = growth.

right... don't forget your muscles grow from food while youre resting, not while working out though.

[cacti]

Update

Well I'm really happy to report I've just hit 160 lbs starting from 145 in June when I joined the gym and really started doing things right for my body type. I'm eating alot(especially protein) still but not too dirty because my body fat is not going up noticeably at all. I'm really starting to see parts of my body that I hated the most start to "fill in" - most noticable to me is my upper chest just underneath the collar bones. It was pure skin on bones there before. The other big area of improvement are the legs(!) They're so much thicker than before. And this I credit to those of you who reinforce the idea that training the legs hard encourages overall growth. What really started to do the trick though was the trap bar deadlift I started about a month ago. There are quite a few articles I had found afterwards that praise this excercise for hardgainers so I really feel good about going that route.

Sorry, I do not have pics quite yet, I will take some very soon, but I was so happy about hitting 160 I had to tell you guys. The funny thing is, I know one of you(BigPoppaPump I think) told me I wouldn't be happy until I hit at least 175lbs and I just sortof dismissed that thinking 160ish would probably do the trick for me. Well you were right! You could probably tell by my body type, I actually have somewhat of a large frame so it's going to take a bit more for me to really feel "filled out." But I never thought I would ever be able to gain this fast so I'm really gunning for that 175 now. Updates with pics soon

[bigJJ]

Calorieeeeeees!! Lots of them! Nutrient heavy; veggies, whole wheat bread, brown rice, chicken breasts (and tuna cans [in water] when you feel you can't eat any more).

Seriously... protein, calories, and EFA. Not to mention sleep! Your best friend!

[_Tiger_]

Cacti- Props to you bro, thats quite a leap, especially with someone as lean as you are..

anywho, I have a friend who had the basic same build as you, and he decided to dive into fitness/building head first, and he hasnt looked back, he's ripped apart and very muscley, whats nice about builds like yours is that you can probably be more leanient about fats/carbs, because your naturally so skinny...look forward to seeing some new pics man

[bigJJ]

Update

Well I'm really happy to report I've just hit 160 lbs starting from 145 in June when I joined the gym and really started doing things right for my body type. I'm eating alot(especially protein) still but not too dirty because my body fat is not going up noticeably at all. I'm really starting to see parts of my body that I hated the most start to "fill in" - most noticable to me is my upper chest just underneath the collar bones. It was pure skin on bones there before. The other big area of improvement are the legs(!) They're so much thicker than before. And this I credit to those of you who reinforce the idea that training the legs hard encourages overall growth. What really started to do the trick though was the trap bar deadlift I started about a month ago. There are quite a few articles I had found afterwards that praise this excercise for hardgainers so I really feel good about going that route.

Sorry, I do not have pics quite yet, I will take some very soon, but I was so happy about hitting 160 I had to tell you guys. The funny thing is, I know one of you(BigPoppaPump I think) told me I wouldn't be happy until I hit at least 175lbs and I just sortof dismissed that thinking 160ish would probably do the trick for me. Well you were right! You could probably tell by my body type, I actually have somewhat of a large frame so it's going to take a bit more for me to really feel "filled out." <b>But I never thought I would ever be able to gain this fast so I'm really gunning for that 175 now</b>. Updates with pics soon

Hellyeah!! Go for it! Yer a monster!!

[cacti]

Ok, here's the pics as promised:

Taken yesterday(off lifting day)

As you can see I'm still not really filled out but this just proves just *how* severe I was considering I've gained 15 lbs of muscle.

[collar]

work the legs mate...
i say
day 1 chest/shoulders/triceps
off
day 2 legs/hams/calves
off
day 3 back/biceps... include lower back too
that should be mroe effective...

[Wrestlingkompressor]

You got that Michael Phelps look...in a good way. Chicks dig it.

[cacti]

Believe me I'm maxing out everytime I do legs, I can hardly walk after I finish. I know they're still quite chicken-like but they've come a long way since I started(and I hate yet to plateau) so I think it's all working out well for me so far. I will probably change up my routine as soon as that happens.

Appreciate the responses

[cacti]

You got that Michael Phelps look...in a good way. Chicks dig it.

I'm not nearly that developed yet, but that kind of look, swimmers, is what I'm going for because I want to stay very lean and it is realistic for me.

[cacti]

(sorry for multi posts guys)

Any thoughts on parallel-grip trap bar dead lifts vs. regular old squats? Most articles and reviews I've been able to find are saying trap bar dead lifts are giving more of a hybrid type of excersice working same muscles as squat but adding some movements of dead lift as well, while at the same time less strain on the lower back(good for skinny guys like me). Like I said before it was also stated in multiples sources that this is a very good routine for hardgainers. All I can say is it's really working for me so I will be sticking with it for awhile, but I'm curious on your take on this since I don't really ever hear much about it(here or at the gym)