hello. Need some advice/help please

[CaddysNJuice]

Hello
I am a novice BB that is trying to get proportional.
I am a slender 155 lbs. 6'2"
I do 5x5 workouts
Monday: Shoulders and tri's
Wed: Legs, Traps
Fri: Sholders, Bi's, Lats
i will switch these up from time to time to shock myself.
I have 2 main trouble areas.
My Forearms and Calves
For my forearms i do reverse curls 20 pounds under my curl weight
For calves i do standing calf press. So far, this is the only excersizes i know that work for these 2 areas. I believe,however, that there are more excersizes that are probably better. Could i please get some help? Than ks so much for reading

 

[Madcow2]

At 155 and 6'2 I'd just concentrate on adding muscle. No offence but you are kind of trying to shape what isn't there. You are never going to deviate terribly far from genetic proportional tendencies (or it requires a ton of drugs, some seriously odd training, and tends to be the first thing that reverts no matter what one does after the drugs stop). I kind of get the feeling you have a thin calf/thin forearm tall lanky build. The thing to really do is add muscle to your frame. Work on putting weight on your squat, deadlift, bench, row and overhead, and eat a lot. Get strong. Bring your weight up 20 pounds and then re-evaluate. That's a long frame and there just can't be much muscle on you at 155 even at very low bodyfat (which will make adding muscle very hard unless you let your bodyfat drift up).

As for "5x5" there is no magic in the sets and reps. What makes a good program work is plan of progression and matching the progression and workload to an individual's experience. It could be 3x8 or 8x3 or 6x4 or 5x5. Doesn't matter 1/10th as much as the plan and programing.

This is a fairly popular program here where you start 4 weeks out from your current records and incriment all lifts upward week by week. http://www.elitefitness.com/forum/showpost.php?p=4497774&postcount=15. You might also try purchasing StartingStrength which covers the lifts in a ton of detail as well as basic programing from a guy known for his success at adding muscle to novices. www.startingstrength.com.

 

[CaddysNJuice]

oh ya im trying to bluk, not shape.
i have NO problems cutting naturally

 

[Madcow2]

These are a lot of links to stuff we've discussed here: http://www.geocities.com/elitemadcow1/table_of_contents_thread.htm

Do not use the periodized program that you will find there - use this version if you are looking for something new: http://www.elitefitness.com/forum/showpost.php?p=4497774&postcount=15

The exercise descriptions on the squat, bench, and deadlift are key reads and very important,

Given your height/weight and propensity for leanness - you absolutely need to read this on diet: http://www.elitefitness.com/forum/showpost.php?p=4866519&postcount=465

Buying Starting Strength would really be a good move. Rippetoe averages 30-40lbs on a novice lifter in 4-6 months. They get very big and very strong. www.startingstrength.com

Focus on increasing your squat, bench, row, dead, overhead while consuming caloric excess (and you will need to eat more and more as your bodyweight increases to keep yourself in that state). You will grow.

 

[CaddysNJuice]

im just lost when it comes to bulking. never done it before. I am a tall skinny guy, your dead on. but i want more forearms and calves. You say to up tyhe weight on my rows, squats and bench...ect. With squats, i got a machine at the gym that has you load plates on each side of a sholder harness. you then pick up the weight and reliece this safety lever letting the weight go all the way down. Is this an easier way of squats. ie, like a pully sysyem. it takes more weight than a regualy bar-ed squat? or should it be the same weight factor?

 

[Madcow2]

Wow - if you avoid machines like the plague you will miss out on very little and get a whole lot bigger a whole lot faster. Like I said before, adding muscle to small specific areas is a difficult thing, the body has a strong tendency to stay in proportion. It can also be where your muscles are attached - meaning if your calve attachments are high, they will never get that big huge look no matter what.

I mean really- I'm not trying to rip you off. Order Starting Strength. It'll be the best money you can spend. Learn to lift right and learn to organize a program for progress. It's not about working a muscle it's about the body as a system and loading that system to make it adapt (this is why isolation exercises tend to really suck no matter how much effort you put into them). I don't get any money but I've been and have seen many others where you are. As a rule BBing mags and books are shit. Luckily the strength and conditioning field is also charged with adding muscle to athletes and Rippetoe wrote that book for the specific purpose of coaching new lifters/athletes and getting muscle on them. When it comes to this he is one of the best if not the best. Skimp out on one of those bullshit supplements for a month and buy it. Lost of others have it here including some very experienced people and none have failed to get a lot out of it. www.startingstrength.com

I just can't teach from the ground up on the net and I don't have any faith you'll get good information and fundementals elsewhere. Probably spend 3 years learning that what I'm saying is right so if you believe 1 thing, that I tell you - you will save yourself enormous time and frustration by buying that book now. www.startingstrength.com

 

[thelion2005]

IMO ...
At your height and weight, I'd be doing a balanced routine, hitting all the body parts moderately, twice a week ... recovering fully, and eating about 3,000 clean calories over 5 meals. No shocks, including 5x5's until you are over 185.

IMO ... you need a foundation first.

PM me if you want to hear more.

 

[anotherbutters]

What's shocking about the single factor 5x5? It's just big compound movements, with a little bit added to the bar from week to week. It's a pretty solid way of building a foundation. As for 3000 calories, I think that's way too low for someone 6'2".

 

[CaddysNJuice]

In honesty, my cals reach about 8000 a day, if not more. I get around 160 grams protein and the same in carbs. I am getting fatter, so to speak, in my stomach only. Its not filling my arms or legs out for some reason. These are my trouble spots, namley my calves and forearms. The only problem is my appetite. I loose it easily. I need someting to stimulate my appatite and i already smoke some weed to do that. It doesnt give my munchies anymore, so im looking for a supplement or something so i can shovel food down.

 

[Guinness5.0]

In honesty, my cals reach about 8000 a day, if not more. I get around 160 grams protein and the same in carbs.

I think your math is a little off. No way in hell are you getting 8000 cals and only 160 grams of carbs/pro unless you're drinking vegetable oil through a straw all day.

What does a typical day look like from a diet standpoint? Please list meals/supps.

 

[Protobuilder]

You're kidding, right? 160 grams of protein & 160 grams of carbs totals around 1300 calories. To reach 8000 calories, you'd need more than 700 grams of fat daily. LMAO. And you don't need "appetite" in order to sit down and EAT. You just do it. Who cares whether you want to or are hungry??? You just eat. And there's no mystery as to why you're getting fat in the gut first -- people gain fat in some places more than others. It'll eventually spread beyond your gut. Read up on proper nutrition & diet.

You're a "novice BB" who wants more forearms and calves . . . at 155 and 6'2"????????????? How about just adding weight in general first. Some other exercises for forearms include farmers walks, behind-the-back wrist curls, across-bench wrist curls, and hammer curls.

 

[Madcow2]

To be honest, there's just far too many issues to address. Buy Starting Strength, get off the machines, learn to do the exercises correctly, get a better grasp on diet, get on a program designed to increase capacity in the exercises that matter and is tailored for the beginner. That book will actually take care of most of this or at least put you on the correct path.

A forum like this can really help in that people can answer or give opinion on specific questions. But really, you need to get a decent base of knowledge first. This isn't a good format for helping you. I think that's actually why Rippetoe wrote the book, just because most of the info out there is either ludicrously bad (just about every commerically available BBing book or magazine) or very advanced and inaccessible to the layman.