Small newbie (relatively) needs advice.

[Cannibal Thrill]

Hi. This will be pretty long so thanks for your replies

I'm 6'5", 165 lbs, and I'm skinny, and I've always been skinny, and I'm thinking I'll always *be* skinng. I've got good endurance (70 pushups, 22 pullups) but I have like no strength, and my arms are tiny. My Dad is totally not the in-shape type, my Mom was a pretty good athlete though. But maybe I just haven't been working out right.

Here is my workout, perhaps you can comment, or suggest something better? (I have read up on HIT this evening, has been intriguing me)

First, I ride 20-30 miles on my bicycle...this leaves my quads pretty freaking dead, so I'm not so interested in quad workouts.


Ok, I repeat the same workout M,W,F. All is done on machines. I know lots of people spurn machines but that's all I got, and I have no lifting partner.

3x8 Bench Press
3x8 Seated Row
3x8 Shoulder Press
3x8 Lat Pull
3x8 Triceps
3x8 Biceps (preachers)
600 crunchies, 200 center, 200 rght,200 left
5 sets alternating pushups and pullups to exhaustion.

Ok, now I have been following this for a while (> 1 year), making little variations here and there, and I'm still skinny and I haven't gone up in weight very much.

I eat LOTS of food, I burn through it like nobody's business. I estimate >4000 calories/day.

What do you think? Can you suggest changes? Is HIT something I should try?

I appreciate it

 

[ssj-hawk]

Why so many crunches?i think you should add some weights to your ab workouts, if you have a machine at your gym called Power crunch try that instead, it's a killer!

you may want to start off with no weights on that machine at first and then start adding.

 

[strengthmonster]

There are a few reasons why you are not gaining.
1. Repeating the same workout every other day. This does not give the muscles enough time to recuperate and grow. After a muscle is trained it will need between 4-7 days of rest if you want it to grow. You are overtraining. Instead do more sets per bodypart and split them so you do your whole body over three days. Also keep your workouts to around an hour.
2. Cycling. This is basically burning up your calories and energy. If you are an ectomorph (which you are) you need to minimise all cardio.
3. Not training legs. If you do not squat you are missing out on the best overall weight gaining excersize there is. Besides why would you want a big upper body and no legs. It looks stupid.

 

[SuperSquat]

I agree to an extent with the idea of overtraining and only training each muscle every 4-7 days but I have found one workout which this doesnt apply and it may be a good idea for you. I know I will sound pretty barbaric and uneducated by suggesting the SuperSquats workout because it looks and sounds rediculous but I have gotten wonderful results with it and so have every partner I have ever had do it with me. And, actually, for a beginner to mid-intermediate level lifters nearly everyone reccommends whole body workouts. Even if you think I am crazy by suggesting them, with so many bodybuilders advocating them certainly they cant all be wrong. Actually, it says in the SuperSquat book that you should gain 10 pounds a month and I in all the experiences I have had and seen that 10 pounds was a low number to gain. The workout is a full body workout and actually works very well.

Military Press 3x10
Bench Press 2x12
Bent Rows 2x15
Squats 1x20
Pullovers 1x20
Barbell Curls 1x10

Leave out your cardio. You will get enough of a cardio workout from the squats. Do 2 sets of ab work of anything you want. The idea is to take 3 deep breaths between each rep on the squats and use your normal 10 rep weight for 20 reps when you squat. That is a bit heavy but your normal 15 rep weight should do fine. Put 5 more pounds on the bar every time you squat and workout 2-3 days a week, depending on how well you recover. Also, try to drink a gallon of milk a day.If you have anymore questions let me know. Later.

Bear

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I know it stinks in here 'cause I'm the shit!

 

[theoak01]

ok your problem is to much cardio,cut down to twice a week and do quad workouts as squats release more testostorone making you grow,i dont want to post a routine on here but you can email me at [email protected] and i will work with you to make a routine
and in my email address there are 2 _'s
hope to hear from ya soon

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" The Lord said he can get me out of this one, but he's pretty sure you're fucked."

"Fighting for peace is like fucking for virginity."

"Its not when you die its how you live"

 

[Cannibal Thrill]

Thanks for the replies, guys. Now, this is going to sound kind of stupid, because I know I asked for advice, but what if I really don't want to leave out the cardio?

I'm an avid biker and I try and keep in training for major tours I take every so often...and I love bicycling the same way you guys love lifting . So if I have to give up one thing, getting bigger or my bicycling, I'm going to give up getting bigger every time.

Trust me, my quads (& glutes) are freaking dead ... I ride more than 200 miles a week (50/day on weekends, 20-30 o weekdays). If I start getting big enough that I look awkward, I'll reconsider, but trust me, I've got a long way to go before I start looking top heavy

However, hamstrings, I need to start working out...

Anyhoo, thanks for the input. I see the general concensus is that I should not be workig out the same muscls every other day. What do you think of this:

Mon: chest, abs
Tues: biceps, back
Wed: tris, shoulders
Thurs: hamstrings, calves, (possibl quads & glutes too)
Fri rest
Sat rest
Sun rest

And completely go nuts on the muscles in question, like on chest day, obliterate my chest, etc. How does this sound? Also, should I be doing the thing where you take 2 seconds to raise the weight, 4 to lower it?

(Rob thanks for the offer I will email ya tonite!!)

 

[supersizeme]

cannibal - if you don't want to drop the cardio then you are going to have to accept being skinny. you can't gain size doing all the bike-riding you are doing. that's why you don't see big bikers.
secondly, you are not willing to work your legs. squats are, in my opinion, the single most important lift to gaining mass.
drop the cardio, work your legs with HEAVY weight and you'll put on the size. also fix the rest of your training so you're not hitting the same body parts 3x a week and make sure you go to failure.

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[Cannibal Thrill]

Ok, I'm just exploring my options here. Look, I'm kindof an iconoclast so when people tell me something can't be done I ask them WHY

So forgive my incessant questioning...but why is it impossible to get a bigger *upper body* if I am doing all this biking? Is it because I will not have enough energy to lift well, depleting energy resources? Because the cardio somehow inhibits muscle building throughout the body? What if I biked in the morning and lifted in the evening? What if I upped my calorie intake by 1000 or so?

Also, is it possible to get a bigger upper body but not lower? I'm interested in gaining weight, yes, but not in my lower body, in my upper. Is this possible or not? I have an elementary physiology understanding and I don't see why not, but since you all are more studied in this than I am can you tell me why?

Thanks guys

 

[S O B]

Try add this to your diet
The Get Big Drink

In a blender add:
atleast a day's supply of a good protein supplement
two quarts of milk 2liters
two cups of skim milk powder

mix

two eggs
four tablespoons of peanut butter

mix

ice cream (your choice of flavor)
small banana
four tablespoons malted milk powder
six tablespoons of corn syrup

mix

Makes about ten glasses. Drink a glass with each meal and drink the rest throughout the day.

 

[strengthmonster]

Two reasons.
1.For muscle recovery with optimum growth you require total rest and recuperation of the muscle.
2.Your calories need to be enough over your basic metabolic rate to grow to a bigger size than your normal.

You could increase calories, however there is only so much you can eat. I am currently on around 5000 a day, doing as little cardio as possible. If you think you can get that much food down you then go for it, just ensure each body part gets enough rest as well by structuring your training around your cycling. Unfortunately it is very difficult to do both. I am involved also in martial arts as an instructor and if I am bulking I have to force myself to do far less of it, or I simply do not grow. If you prefer your cycling then fair enough, but don't expect to put on masses of muscle at the same time.