For all you guys wanting to gain muscle, size, etc.

[nkhera1]

Re: For all you guys wanting to gain muscle, size, etc.

How does one go about getting a flat stomach as opposed to a Daniel Craig like one in James Bond where you have a huge stomach muscle? I'm assuming for both you need to do certain ab exercises, but i was wondering if you guys knew a little more in depth?

[Money99]

Re: For all you guys wanting to gain muscle, size, etc.

How does one go about getting a flat stomach as opposed to a Daniel Craig like one in James Bond where you have a huge stomach muscle? I'm assuming for both you need to do certain ab exercises, but i was wondering if you guys knew a little more in depth?

Flat stomach = cardio and diet. Simple as that. To get that thick, muscular midsection you're talking about, you would have to do ab workouts using weights and machines.
If you watched what you ate (low carbs, low fat, high protein), did a lot of cardio (30-45 minutes, 4-7 days a week) and then did crunches each night, you would get that flat stomach you're looking for.

[forensicd]

Re: For all you guys wanting to gain muscle, size, etc.

I have been lifting now for about 8 months, 3 days a week on upper body, 2 days a week on cardio and legs. I now want to switch up my routine and program, but i find it very hard as there are so many conflicting things out there.

I have been tending to work too much i think of the same exercises on monday - weds - friday (my upper body days), and Im beginning to think this is affecting my overall mass gain.

The past week i have started a serious diet change, eating the following meals:

breakfast - 4 egg whites, oatmeal, bananana, orange juice

after workout - protein shake

lunch - turkey sandwhich, piece of fruit

later after noon - granola bar, apple

dinner - chicken breast, brown rice

before bed - protein shake

So, my stats are right now: 30 years old, 6' 6", 225. I max out bench around 225. I really enjoy going to the gym every morning mon though friday before work, and if i miss a day due to illness, i feel like i have let myself down, so im very serious about weigh lifting. Prior to going to the gym I was up near 270 lbs, and this is mainly do to being a college bball player then no longer playing, hence gaining so much weight.

Can someone steer my in the righ direction of what it is i should be doing? I know what i have been doing is probably bad, in which i was pretty much doing the same exercises every mon-weds-friday. I really enjoy doing upper body on mon-weds-fri, its the thing that kind of drives me to the gym everyday, so if this possible that would be great. Right now, i just want to really know whats the best thing for me to do, as I want to add alot of muscle. Thanks all

[WTF]

Re: For all you guys wanting to gain muscle, size, etc.

I'd say changing the diet like you have will definitely help and you'll see some results, but also, something that I've done lately, is gone to a strictly dumbell workout for a few weeks. With dumbells, you work a lot of those little muscles that are often left behind by machines or some other freeweights. With dumbells, you can add the slightest variation in your reps, and get a completely different workout.

If I were you, I'd thrown in a day or two of dumbell workouts in the midst of your regular workout. Maybe replace 1-2 of your upper body days with dumbells... and see how that works out for you. Your body eventually gets into a phase with repitition and you'll stop seeing gains. So it's good to work other "support" muscles in order to get bigger.

Maybe AA will chime in here.

[Money99]

Re: For all you guys wanting to gain muscle, size, etc.

I have been lifting now for about 8 months, 3 days a week on upper body, 2 days a week on cardio and legs. I now want to switch up my routine and program, but i find it very hard as there are so many conflicting things out there.

I have been tending to work too much i think of the same exercises on monday - weds - friday (my upper body days), and Im beginning to think this is affecting my overall mass gain.

The past week i have started a serious diet change, eating the following meals:

breakfast - 4 egg whites, oatmeal, bananana, orange juice

after workout - protein shake

lunch - turkey sandwhich, piece of fruit

later after noon - granola bar, apple

dinner - chicken breast, brown rice

before bed - protein shake

So, my stats are right now: 30 years old, 6' 6", 225. I max out bench around 225. I really enjoy going to the gym every morning mon though friday before work, and if i miss a day due to illness, i feel like i have let myself down, so im very serious about weigh lifting. Prior to going to the gym I was up near 270 lbs, and this is mainly do to being a college bball player then no longer playing, hence gaining so much weight.

Can someone steer my in the righ direction of what it is i should be doing? I know what i have been doing is probably bad, in which i was pretty much doing the same exercises every mon-weds-friday. I really enjoy doing upper body on mon-weds-fri, its the thing that kind of drives me to the gym everyday, so if this possible that would be great. Right now, i just want to really know whats the best thing for me to do, as I want to add alot of muscle. Thanks all

I don't see anythign wrong with doing upperbody three times a week. But are you doing the same muscle groups on those 3 days? Or are you doing a different muscle group for each day?
Eg. Mon - Chest, Wed - Bis/Tris, Fri-Shoulders

I'm finding out that diet is the most important thing in the workout. If you're not consuming enough calories and protein you won't gain mass.

And like WTF said, you should always change up your routine now and again. I change mine up every 6 weeks. And I've just started taking a week off after 8 weeks. The first time I did this I was dying by Tuesday to get back in the gym. But eventually you start to appreciate the time off. It not only gives your body a rest but more importantly it gives your mind a rest. You'll attack those weights when Monday rolls back around.

[stewaat]

Re: For all you guys wanting to gain muscle, size, etc.

This is a great thread.

I'm really trying to cut down on my body fat %. I'm a college baseball player and I'm 6'3" 215 lbs. My body was designed to carry weight, if I ever ask people how much they think I weigh it's in the 190 range. All my fat is in my abs, which disgusts me.

Here's my diet:
Breakfast: 2 packets of Kashi instant oatmeal with 1 scoop of Muscle Milk
Snack: Banana
Lunch: Turkey sandwich w/ slice of 2% cheese on whole wheat bread, pretzels, banana
Dinner: I make a mixture of foods I like or have chicken.
First dish: Lean ground turkey, corn, green beans, tomato soup, black beans (all together...really good)
Other option: Chicken breast with corn, rice, and black beans.

I think that in a few months I'll be where I want to be. It just sucks when I went back home for break and my mom made tons of cookies, and I'm a sucker for sweets.

My workout regime:
Day 1- Upper
Day 2- Lower
Day 3- Cardio
Day 4- Upper
Day 5- Lower
Go back to Day 1

Sometimes I do plyo's for lower body. I'm really going for the "cut-up" look. My chest is pretty good and I can see the top 4 abs a little if flexing. I want a 6-pack soooo bad haha. Oh, and each day I do a 2-mile run on the treadmill for warmup (start at 9mph and work up to 10===13 min) and I do a bunch of abs.

Any tips for really working on my abs?

[J.R. Locke]

Re: For all you guys wanting to gain muscle, size, etc.

If ya'll want to lose weight put on some old school R&B turn down the lights and get your freak on....have more/longer sex....good cardio workout without going to the gym.

Anyway for those of you having trouble gaining weight my advice is to eat some high protein, even high fat, low sugar foods before bed. When I was trying to get up to 185 from 170 I did this by eating two peanut butter sandwiches with a glass or two of whole milk. I added about 15 pounds in 3 months while keeping my body fat % around 8-10% during that time.

My workout once I really start hitting it is this

Everyday I run a mile warmup and do some moving stretches (similar to football warm ups-high knees, karaokes, walk on heels, calves,) and do at least 100 push ups and ab/core exercises every morning after breakfast.

Monday - Run 3 miles, basketball practice
Tuesday - Run 1 mile, basketball practice, lift legs (squat, leg machines)
Wednesday - Off
Thursday - Run 3 miles, basketball practice, lift upper (Bench, arms)
Friday - Run 1 mile, Sprints, Plyometrics.
Saturday - Off usually or will just play basketball
Sunday - Basketball

Now I only lift hard two days a week but within those lifts I do a lot of little toning things like pushups, pullups, dips depending on how I feel. I am not going for bulk, although I do need to gain 13 pounds again as I lost all my muscle because I lived in a bar for the last two years.

My advice is to read up on all this stuff, there are plenty of different sources. Most weightlifters I know are all about adding bulk and defining certain areas for the express purpose of looks. This in my mind is a whole different bag than people who actually want to be athletic and excel in something other than lifting big weights. There are a lot of contradictions in gaining muscle and how to build it. I believe strongly in resting muscle from the breaking and rebuilding cycle (which is what you do when lifting big) and adding more cardio "lean" muscle workouts. But I am a basketball player/wide receiver type not a 260 pound linebacker or dude who measures his biceps.

Someone mentioned it before but I am a big propenent of making breakfast the biggest meal of the day. I eat at least 600 calories in the morning. and try to eat as much as 1000 and tail off my intake during the day to keep a good energy level. I found also that eating more at the begining of day rather than late helped me sleep through the night a whole lot better. I will see how it goes now that I am back to trying to gain weight with a PBJ and milk before bed.

[nkhera1]

Re: For all you guys wanting to gain muscle, size, etc.

Flat stomach = cardio and diet. Simple as that. To get that thick, muscular midsection you're talking about, you would have to do ab workouts using weights and machines.
If you watched what you ate (low carbs, low fat, high protein), did a lot of cardio (30-45 minutes, 4-7 days a week) and then did crunches each night, you would get that flat stomach you're looking for.

Ok thanks for the help, but don't you need carbs for cardio or will protein suffice?

[Money99]

Re: For all you guys wanting to gain muscle, size, etc.

This is a great thread.

I'm really trying to cut down on my body fat %. I'm a college baseball player and I'm 6'3" 215 lbs. My body was designed to carry weight, if I ever ask people how much they think I weigh it's in the 190 range. All my fat is in my abs, which disgusts me.

Here's my diet:
Breakfast: 2 packets of Kashi instant oatmeal with 1 scoop of Muscle Milk
Snack: Banana
Lunch: Turkey sandwich w/ slice of 2% cheese on whole wheat bread, pretzels, banana
Dinner: I make a mixture of foods I like or have chicken.
First dish: Lean ground turkey, corn, green beans, tomato soup, black beans (all together...really good)
Other option: Chicken breast with corn, rice, and black beans.

I think that in a few months I'll be where I want to be. It just sucks when I went back home for break and my mom made tons of cookies, and I'm a sucker for sweets.

My workout regime:
Day 1- Upper
Day 2- Lower
Day 3- Cardio
Day 4- Upper
Day 5- Lower
Go back to Day 1

Sometimes I do plyo's for lower body. I'm really going for the "cut-up" look. My chest is pretty good and I can see the top 4 abs a little if flexing. I want a 6-pack soooo bad haha. Oh, and each day I do a 2-mile run on the treadmill for warmup (start at 9mph and work up to 10===13 min) and I do a bunch of abs.

Any tips for really working on my abs?

Great abs = diet & cardio. Keep doing what you're doing, eat right and you'll have them soon enough.

[Spear]

Re: For all you guys wanting to gain muscle, size, etc.

I got a question, I work generally work out regularly but due to time restraints I have taken a month off. Well now that the month is over with, I've noticed my weight to drop and I don't look as big.

How long will it take before I'm lifting the same amount that I was prior to my break? Will I be able to regain my 5 pounds back rather quickly?

[Money99]

Re: For all you guys wanting to gain muscle, size, etc.

I got a question, I work generally work out regularly but due to time restraints I have taken a month off. Well now that the month is over with, I've noticed my weight to drop and I don't look as big.

How long will it take before I'm lifting the same amount that I was prior to my break? Will I be able to regain my 5 pounds back rather quickly?

Everyone has what's called muscle memory. I would say it would only take two weeks before you gained all what you lost. (strength wise).

And actually, I believe it takes between 6-8 weeks of doing absolutely nothing before your muscles begin to atrophy.

[BigDofBA]

Re: For all you guys wanting to gain muscle, size, etc.

48 hours is the golden rule.

I train heavy so I usually train each bodypart once a week..sometimes twice.

If I'm trying to "cut up" in the spring...I'll still lift relatively heavy but I'll do more "compound" exercise..i.e. exercises involving more muscle groups simultaneously to increase the amount of calories I'm burning.

But yes...48 hours for a specific muscle group to recover is good.

I train like this.

Monday - Upper heavy (6-8 reps)
Tuesday - Lower Light (10-12 reps)
Wednesday off
Thursday - Upper Light (10-12 reps)
Friday - Lower heavy (6-8 reps)
Sat - Off
Sun - Off

The upper day would be bench, military presses, pull-ups, dips, and barbell curls. The lower day would be squats, extensions, leg curls, calves, and abs. I also usually incorporate dead lifts at least once a week. Don't let the light days fool you. They are usually more intense than the heavy days.

I have found that this routine works the best for me. I got a lot stronger while getting a lot more cut. Something about this routine really got my muscles defined which I liked. I have never been out of shape but this routine definitely toned me up quite a bit.

I think its time to switch up my program a little bit as I am having difficulty adding any more mass.

My old routine was this which is a typical bodybuilder split.

Mon - Chest/tri's
Tues - Back/Bi's
Wed - off
Thurs - Shoulders/abs
Friday - Legs

I got weird results from this routine. I actually got bigger but I did not feel like I really got that much stronger. I also was not as ripped.

Here is my deal though. I don't want to look like one of those guys with the huge arms and chest that walks around with a gut and chicken legs while puffing his chest out. I don't really care about having huge guns if I don't have abs.

My new goal is to add mass as I have reached some what of a plateau. I am fine with my definition but I would like to get a bit bigger. I'm not really sure if my diet or routine needs to be tweaked.

I know that to add mass one must have an excess calorie intake. I just seem to have trouble putting on anymore weight.


Opinions would be appreciated.

[Chrono]

Re: For all you guys wanting to gain muscle, size, etc.

Just browsing through some of the latest diets entered in here, what may help is trying to break your food into more meals. I know it's tough for some to schedule so many meals, but I make it a point to eat something every 3 hours or so. For example, here is why my typical daily diet looks like:

Breakfast (6:30): Protein Shake & oatmeal or bowl of grape nuts w/ skim milk
Snack (9:30): Chicken Breast & 1/4 Almonds
Lunch (12:30): Turkey/Tuna/Chicken Sandwich & some veggie and/or Fruit
Snack (3:30): Chicken Breast & Reduced Fat Triscuits or Banana
Dinner (6:30): Varies... Lean Steak/Fish/Chicken & Rice/Potato & Veggies
(*WORKOUT*)
Post Workout: Protein shake w/ Dextrose
Late Snack (if i'm up later): Cottage Cheese and/or Protein Shake w/ Skim Milk

I don't always get 7 meals in, but 6 is my bare minimum. Plus I have a stock of protein bars that I use sometimes to replace snacks when I get too busy. It was once I broke up my meals something like this that I found it much easier to gain quality muscle with minimum fat when bulking, and lost fat without too much muscle when cutting. I know it seems like a lot of work, but once you find some foods you like and get your routine down it becomes second nature.

And for guys who aren't crazy about tuna (like me) I have found a GREAT alternative to be canned chicken breast. I pick up three "six packs" at Costco every month or so and I love it. Granted I do run it through some water to wash out the salty tasting preservative they use, but for me it's 100x's easier to eat then tuna. It wasn't until I first tracked my diet for a few days that I realized I wasn't getting as much protein as I thought. Getting even 1 gram per lb of your bodyweight doesn't happen by accident... you have to plan ahead!

[Husker_OS]

Re: For all you guys wanting to gain muscle, size, etc.

Is biking for a mile or so after running a good or bad thing?


Also, is it harder to run outside in the cold if you're used to running inside?

[WTF]

Re: For all you guys wanting to gain muscle, size, etc.

It's harder for me to breathe. And as for the biking thing, I'd probably just do one or the other. I mean, I'm sure it may not be a bad thing, but I'd just rather run or bike.

And Chrono.. how is that chicken in a can? Is it honestly pretty decent? What brand do you get?