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Please help me with natural gains!
So I thought I wanted to use juice but I said forget it, not ready for that yet. I know a lot of you guys worked out for years before you used juice so I figure I should try and maximize my gains naturally first. My diet and training is based on the research I’ve done on the web and books I’ve bought and read in the past year. I’m still new to it all.
Alright I’m 20 yrs old - 5’8 at 165 lbs - 40”Chest 16”Neck 16”Calves and 14”Arms I’m not exactly sure what other measurements to give, but if you ask for them I can get them. I’m told I’m a Medium/Big framed guy. People always tell me I look like I work out but I haven’t and honestly I think I’m pretty weak. I haven’t been serious about weight training till recently. Anyway I’m into week 3 of my training and I’m seeing some noticeable gains sloooowly… I want to know if there is anything I can do to speed this up, my progression is so slow it’s pissing me off. Every week I can barely complete an added set even if I drop the weight. It seems like guys smaller than me are lifting more, I don’t get it. Here is my workout; I start all of them with 20 minutes on the treadmill first. I try to add a new set or 5 lbs every week.
Day 1 – Chest/Core
Dumbbell Bench Press 4/12
Incline Dumbbell Bench Press 4/12
Incline Dumbbell Flye 4/12
Hanging Leg Raise 5/20
Crunches 4/50
Day 2 – Shoulders
Bent-Over Dumbbell Lateral Raise 4/10
Dumbbell Lateral Raise 4/10
Dumbbell Front Raise 4/10
Dumbbell Shoulder Press 4/10
Dumbbell Lateral Raise 4/10
Smith-Machine Back Shrug 4/10
Smith-Machine Front Shrug 4/10
Day 3 – Back/Core
Straight-Arm Pulldown 4/12
Bent-Over Barbell Row 4/12
One-Arm Dumbbell Row 4/12
Front Pulldown 4/12
Reverse-Grip Pulldown 4/12
Hanging Leg Raise 5/20
Crunches 4/50
Day 4 – Arms & Forearms
Skull-Crusher 4/10
Close-Grip Bench Press 4/10
Incline Curl 4/10
Barbell Curl 4/10
Barbell Reverse Wrist Curl 4/10
Barbell Wrist Curl 4/10
Day 5 – Cardio
Cross Trainer 25m
Treadmill 25m
Day 6-7 – Rest
I know, “Where is the leg workout?” Well, my family naturally has big legs and calves, and I ride bikes. BMX and the occasional MotoX day get the job done and I get a good burn on the treadmill so legs aren’t my focus right now. I was blessed with good legs, what I need is good upper body and core.
Here is my diet
I aim for 3000 calories, 280g Protein, and 120-140g Carbs. I’m avoiding carbs because I’m also trying to lose some body fat and a guy at the gym said I should consume more protein and get most of my carbs through my Creatine after my workout. He said only eat small portions of oatmeal and brown rice for carbs so that’s what I do, so far his advice is working great, but I wonder if it’s slowing down my muscle gains, is it?
Day 1-5
Daily Supplements – Ephedra / Flax Seed Oil / Multivitamins
Breakfast – Oatmeal & Protein Shake w/ flax 30mins later
Snack – Myoplex bar
Lunch – Chicken/Tuna w/ brown rice
Snack – Myoplex bar
Dinner – Chicken/Steak/Salmon w/ Vegies
Snack – Protein Shake w/ flax
On day 6-7 I cheat, but not very bad. I don’t smoke or drink alcohol and I still try to eat healthy, but I relax a little bit. I’ve lost about 10 lbs which I assume is body fat cause I look leaner, and I’m pretty sure I’ve gained some muscle because I feel stronger. I see more muscle now but I’m worried it’s just an illusion due to losing the body fat. I attached one of the only pics of I have of me right now. I apologize for how crappy it is I can take new ones. This pic is before I started, 3 weeks ago. Be nice :) I used to weigh 280 lbs and I had bad Asthma at age 16-17, doctor said exercise could kill me. Sure… I could probably beat that doctor in a track race now days and out bench press his ass afterwards, exercise CURED me :icon_piss .
That being said I understand dedication guys; help me out if you can!