hard gainer NEEDs help

[jerseymeathead]

i've been training for the past 6 years now (since my fresh year in HS) and I've put on some meat. I weigh in about 190 right now. Relativly lean muscle (6 pack is there). However, i'm trying to bulk up to 210. That's my goal. I'm 5'11 so any more wieght than 210 would look bad on me anyway. Anyways getting to the point- for any hardgainer NON steriod users reading this what is the most effective thing you've done to gain lean muscle mass??? Right now i take Sythvol2 creatine (good shit, nice results), and 4 servers (2 scoops for 2 shakes daily) of optimum nutrition (as well as 10gram of EAS gluatime and a multi vitamin). I train 5 days a week, a diff part each day. I go heavy till failure for every excersie i do and I stick almost exclusivly to free wieghts. Is there anything else i could do? Anybody try high/low wieght periodization?) Also do you think it's stupid to ALWAYS have flatbench as my first excercise on chest day? I always feel the most off of it and I have this mental thing about doing the most weight on I can possibly do at a time on it (right now i rep 4 times at 260lbs). Also on a bit of a side note ( i know this belongs in the other forum but) how do you guys cycle your creatine (do any of you have any PERSONAL negative experiences with long term usage?) Also how many calories a day should i eat worth of protien n' carbs. (on training day and Off days) Right now I *try* to eat as much as i humanly can. Any advice would be good. Final note: for people who are experiencing hair loss who are reading this, have any of you had any truly effective experiences in combating hairloss (not theories, experience). I'm using rogaine 5% and have had some results (but i NEED better results) so i've started using nizarol shampoo (1%- is that too weak to be effective) anyone have any suggestions.?? Thanks

[popa]

change up your routine every 5-6 weeks, ie:do flat bench for 5 then change it up to bumbells for 5 weeks then start with incline before you hit flat after the dumbells. keep your muscles guessing and hit them from all angles, so they will keep growing. As for eating eat like theres no tommorrow, this is what I do, I take 1 shake(meal replacement ) in the morning then breakfast,creatine at the gym after the session, 1/2 hour after protien shake, supper, eat every 2 1/2 hours till I go to bed, then 1 more shake(mealreplacement) before I sleep and have 1 premade shake(mealreplacement) in the middle of the night
thats what I do and it works great. oh ya vitamins and E.F.A at supper with glutimine in my creatine

[popa]

I had no negitive effects with creatine and I never come off it

[BigMike J]

Take 2 or 3 wks off man. Then come back full force.

[Warrior]

Braddah - if you have that many questions in one post, try and use the return key... personally I would not know how to answer you. What is you want to know the most about?

Not flaming you but you should use the search button and try and make seperate threads... it is too much for one thread.

[jerseymeathead]

i was trying to make life simple lol. Besides in my personal opinion i figure it's much easier to paint the whole picture when your trying to tell someone your problem.

[jerseymeathead]

as for weeks off, i haven't taken a single week off in a year or so. It's mentally difficult. I tried it once or twice, drives crazy. I think what i need to know most about is what i need to do to really start packing on the meat. Assuming I haven't reached my genetic limitations. Don't get me wrong I do vary my work outs (what excercises I do, in what order I do them and how many reps I do them for) every month or two. I was just trying to see if anyone here believes in radically altering thier excercise, and if anyone has done anything specific (not roids) that really made a dramatic difference. As for Popa's advice I think i'll give it a try.

[BigMike J]

well hell i don't know what you want to hear then. I took 4 wks off and when i came back i made better gains. It sucks because after a while our natural gains slow down. And you can either try what popa said change up your routine.. while keeping diet in check, shock the muscles or keep training the way you are now and stay on that platou.

I have heard of some people taking 1-ad just as a boost to get past the platou. Some have said it did wonders, but some said not. I personally can't comment on this because i have never tried the shit. Too many sides not enough results. But you might want to check into it.

Peace out

[Warrior]

It's good to take a week or two off every now and then. You feel like a pent up animal and you return with new aggression. Advanced athletes are usually overtraining themselves and the time off helps their bodies heal and recover.

A good practive during a break is to take a Tribulis Terretis sup like Acetobolan II or Sopharma's Tribestan (yeah - they make gear too). It will help restore natural Testosterone levels by stimulating LH production (your bodies key to produce test), which plumit when overtrained.

There have been a couple good posts on this board to identify if you are overtrained... in the forum search engine.

Creatine is not dangerous. What is dangerous is the extremely large tubs being sold for cheap these days. People tend to scoop into it like it is a <a href="http://www.allsportsnutrition.com/listproducts.php?style=category&value=PROTEIN" target="_blank">protein</a> powder. 5-8 grams per day - that's all you need.

If you are an ectomorph looking to add size - your biggest thing is fueling your metabolism and new growth. Take a good Multi Vitamin and Vitamin C with lots of whole foods. When you don't feel like cooking or eating - take, shake up a Myoplex and drink it... taste like pudding.

For training you need to raise the intensity to promote hypertrophy. Take your last two excercises of every routine and make them supersets as a starting point. Back to back - no rest.

[RoNNy THe BuLL]

No such thing as a hardgainer, just a lazy gainer.

Clean your diet up and stick to it, don't give up and you'll be fine. Good luck!

[jerseymeathead]

well i think i'll take this week off, seeing as how it's christmas and all. Hey warrior, i'm confused. Are you suggesting i take my two cutting exercises (the ones i do last like cable shit) and do them before my heavy excercises or are you saying i should simply superset my cutting exercises after doing my heavy ones? also how often do you eat a day, how many calories do you consume? i have difficulty getting in that many meals because of my busy schedule. Oh btw, on the week off, how much calories do you think i should consume on a daily basis? Should i still take daily supplements (creatine, glut, whey etc?)

[Warrior]

Originally posted by jerseymeathead
... or are you saying i should simply superset my cutting exercises after doing my heavy ones? also how often do you eat a day, how many calories do you consume? i have difficulty getting in that many meals because of my busy schedule. Oh btw, on the week off, how much calories do you think i should consume on a daily basis? Should i still take daily supplements creatine , glut, whey etc?)

Exactly. Do them to finsih the bodypart off. It is not for strength but merely to drain out all the muscle stores and induce hypertrophy. You can use your first couple compound movements as a guide on strength.

How. often do I eat? Well, right now I am on a staggered bulking diet. I eat a lot but stagger my calories. I know how it can be difficult to get in meals, and how sometimes cooking just don't seem too appealing... my advice is to add a big box of Myoplex to the grocery bill. Lots of quality protein (casein/whey) and only requires a shaker - no greesy dishes. If I am on the run and need to make something quick - that's what I take.

From what I do know about you, at 190lbs trying to gain 20lbs - you should never dip below 2,750 and 6 out of 7 days a week should be around 3,000 - 3,400. If you put on too much fat then adjust. If you don't gain, then adjust. But remember - you shouldn't expect to be below 10 percent while bulking, but at the same time don't go over 15 percent or you start to limit GH secretion from training...