getting stronger but not bigger...

[AlexMC]

Hi

I've been training for about 12 weeks, visiting the gym 2-3 times per week. As it's early days and I'm just trying to put some meat on my bones, I have a fairly simple workout split over two days. I begin with a warmup set at ~50% of max lift, followed by 3 sets of 8 reps of the highest weight I can lift. Occasionally I will be too ambitious with the first set and only be able to complete 6 reps, so I drop the weight a little. I concentrate very hard on keeping good form and lowering the weight down slowly. At the end of my session I generally revisit each piece of equipment for one last 'finisher' set to completely exhaust my muscles.

In the 3 months I've been working out, my lifting ability has increased by at least 50% on each exercise, but if anything I have lost 3-5 lbs, although I can definitely see an improvement in definition and general body shape. Here's my set:

starting weight/kg current weight/kg
Bicep hammer curl 10 17
Tricep pushdown 42 65
Seated row 42 63
Lat pulldown 42 63
Bench press 42 70
Pec dec 35 60
shrug 17 25
shoulder press 35 55
leg curl 42 98
leg extension 56 110

As you can see, my legs and chest especially have responded very well in terms of strength, but I'm just not getting any bigger - although the muscle feels a lot harder and more toned.

I'm a 27yr old healthy male, 182 lbs and 6'4". I've always been fairly slim and my weight has not varied much since I was 17. I eat a healthy diet, avoiding candy, chocolate, potato chips, french fries, burgers etc almost completely.

Can anyone give me advice on why my strength in increasing but not my size? Is 12 weeks not long enough to show much physical difference? Should I eat more meat and fish or start drinking protein shakes daily?

Thanks for any help...
Alex

 

[psilo]

well let's see....you could try EATING enough to support new muscle mass. otherwise, you'll never gain.

 

[JohnRobHolmes]

eating is the key. also, you are not doing squats. forget leg extensions and curls and do squats. you will gain some weight in your legs that way. study the motions before you do them, you should break at the hips first.

also, dont focus on size so much, 12 weeks is awfully quick to expect 10 pounds of solid muscle for most people, especially first time lifters. i havent gotten 5 pounds in 5 months, but my lifts are getting much better. EAT EAT EAT if kg of body is what you want.

 

[AlexMC]

Thx for the advice. What sort of daily calorific intake should I be aiming for if working out for 1.5 hours 2-3 times a week?

In the average day I will usually eat:

2 bowls muesli with skim milk
2-3 pints milk
3 cheese/ham/mayo sandwiches
1 pot yoghurt
1 large portion cooked meal (spag bol/chilli/curry & rice/similar)

So I should change to more heavy compound exercises? Deadlifts, squats, bench press? The gym I use is 95% machines, only dumbells up to 25kg, no barbells, one incline bench and one flat bench and one squat rack machine. Can I use a cable machine for deadlifts or should I use the squat rack? Oh, I forgot to mention the leg press - is this not as good as squats? I am worried about my knees and balance using a bar...

 

[Madcow2]

Leg press sucks compared to squats. Both the squat and the dead need to be done with a standard barbell. It should not be a smith machine (on tracks). You can get rid of the legg press/extension/curl all in one. Also get rid of the seated row and do bentover rows with a barbell.

You could also do with more protein and calories. If you have been dropping fat that means your caloric intake is insufficient to maintain the original fat level and add muscle. As you get to lower and lower BF levels muscular gains will be drastically curtailed as the body holds onto its remaining fat (survival mechanism). Meat/fish/eggs are good sources. You could also snag a whey protein supplement but make sure you start eating a lot more overall calories.

Using the squat/dead/row your progress in strength will be rewarded with muscle. Guaranteed.

 

[AlexMC]

I find it is easier to perform the movement with good form and high weight if I have the stability and safety of a machine... is it really that beneficial to use free weights?

I mean, if my legs collapse on the 7th rep of leg press at 300lbs I'm not gonna hurt myself just make a little noise! I'd hate to be at the bottom of a squat when that happens...

 

[Madcow2]

The strengh and muscular hypertrophy benefits of free weights over machines are so unbelievably pronounced that I can't possibly overstate it. Machines are okay for geriatricts, rehab, and correcting very specific imbalances. If you want to get strong, big, or improve in athletic performance, you need to leave them and never ever look back. Run another 12 week program and the mirror will prove it to you. I can take a slacker and give him free weights, he will make much faster progress and eventually have a much better physique than someone working their ass off on a machine.

Also outside of the BBing community, routinely training to failure is widely regarded as an excellent way not to make progress. The idea comes from a fanatic adherence to single factor training methodology which the entire world outside of BBing long since abandoned. Don't think for one minute that those in charge of professional, Div1, or Olympic athletes use programs that look anything like what most guys are running here (most of which are totally ineffective for an experienced lifter unless one really loads up on drugs - even then, better gains would be made using drugs with a decent program).

http://forum.mesomorphosis.com/showthread.php?t=12&page=1
This is an excellent thread to read through. Topic 3 specifically discussed dual vs. single factor theory in training. Topics 1/2 are good examples of dual factor programs. The basic 5x5 is an excellent program for strength and hypertrophy. This thread is comprised of topics taken from posts written by one of the best strength coaches in the nation.

You should also read over the links I provided in this post before setting up a new program: http://www.elitefitness.com/forum/showpost.php?p=4429440&postcount=7

 

[Illuminati]

Thx for the advice. What sort of daily calorific intake should I be aiming for if working out for 1.5 hours 2-3 times a week?

In the average day I will usually eat:

2 bowls muesli with skim milk
2-3 pints milk
3 cheese/ham/mayo sandwiches
1 pot yoghurt
1 large portion cooked meal (spag bol/chilli/curry & rice/similar)

So I should change to more heavy compound exercises? Deadlifts, squats, bench press? The gym I use is 95% machines, only dumbells up to 25kg, no barbells, one incline bench and one flat bench and one squat rack machine. Can I use a cable machine for deadlifts or should I use the squat rack? Oh, I forgot to mention the leg press - is this not as good as squats? I am worried about my knees and balance using a bar...

bro. if all you are eating every day is what you listed above, then there is no way you are gonna gain weight. what you listed should be one meal for you, not what you eat over the course of the day. you need to start eating more food. start eating more chicken, and steak.

as for your movements...no, dont do deadlifts on the smith machine (with cables.) leg press isn't a good replacement for the squat. so, start doing squats. best exercise for you. personally, if all your gym has is 25kg dumbells (not sure what that converts to in lbs) and 95% machines, i would try to find somewhere else to train, if that is at all possible.

 

[Lee]

wheres the protein?

 

[JKurz1]

Bro - you are severely under weight............training should be the 3rd thing on your list next to calories and rest................dont worry about what to eat, just friggn EAT.........aim for 250g of protein to start and then everything else is fair game!