finding a good wieght training progam
 

So since my wife had our first child I found it really hard to make it to the gym like I wanted. So around thanksgiving I bought a nice half rack off craigslist and about 360 # pound in Olympic weights and other odds and ends like dumb bells and a tread mill. It's really nice to be able to play with little man until his bed time at 7:30 then instead of watching TV on the couch I go upstairs to my new "gym" and work out 3-4 times a week.


Here's the thing I'm a skinny guy and I have always been the skinniest guy in the room. I'm athletic I just cant put on muscle. I refuse to be that guy that is 35 with a beer gut and being skinny with a beer but is even worse. Since having a kid and not making it to the gym like I wanted my stomach isn't where I want it but that what I'm doing what I'm doing.


So you more in shape guy's what do you thing of this program. I find it better If I have something written down of what I'm doing for each day instead of going in the room and saying I'm do chest and biceps. because I always skip stuff it shouldn't and I'll end up just doing bench and curls LOL.


Here is one I was looking at.


http://weighttraining.guide/training-programs/muscle/


I've been following a 4 day program from Bodybuilding.com but it's so basic I think it's time to move to something else. I post the sheets for that one later.

Here is day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Day 4 I add crunches pull ups and other exercises into these now. But I feel it would be better to have a more complete program to follow.

squat 3 days a week. nothing else works your most of your body in one rep.
rest of it looks good.

you increasing protein and carbs?

I was taking this stuff after every work out. After a month of taking I realized all the gains I had with my stomach where gone. Even my wife was like I didn't won't to say anything but your belly was getting bigger. I could see it in my face too. I gained about 6 or 7 pounds maybe that's what you have to do to bulk up. I didn't like it so I stopped about two weeks ago and since I lost 4 pounds and my stomach already looks better.

I need to find another protein with out so many carbs.

https://www.bodybuilding.com/store/m...FZqCswodCWkA6g

you want pure whey protein, too many BS products out there. 25-30 grams in a serving. take your pic of flavor. you have an hour to feed the muscles after a workout. I do another the next morning. when you get the squirts, you're getting enough. don't stop adding until then

Sounds good thanks.

The year before my wife got pregnant we really go into fitness and I was running a lot more and lifting but I was having stomach problems and I lost to much weight. I was 6' and 145 pounds, I looked the most defined I have ever looked. But I felt that was too extreme, right now I'm holding steady at 155 but I would really like to put on at least 10 pounds of muscle without getting a gut LOL.


The only reason I took that other stuff is some guy at GNC that I should have never listened to told me to take it. My wife tells me I shouldn't worry about a number on a scale that no one will ever see as long as I'm happy with the way I look. I don't think that's bad advice but I still want to be bigger.

I recently just got back in to the gym myself. My buddy who got in to the competing scene put me on to this guy: https://www.jimstoppani.com/ He's got a facebook page and instagram as well. Jim has lots of videos and is full of great knowledge along with lots of different programs you can do. Highly recommend.

For me I haven't been counting my macros at all. The biggest difference for me has come in the way of limiting my alcohol in take. I love me some heavy IPA's and such but have really cut down since December and it's made a huge difference. For me I also try and stay high protein and limit my carbs or eat low glycemic carbs like yams. Try and eat your carbs at breakfast and lunch and much less if any at dinner....chicken and salad type dinner.

For a skinny guy you will always have a hard time. You'll need to eat like a machine to help put on muscle.

I'm trying to eat more protein and limit my carbs. We eat a lot of chicken and salmon so I'll just eat two chicken breast instead of one like I used too.

I can't wait until it warms up because I never realized how weak my grip was until I started doing dead lifts again. No wonder I always feel like I can't hang on to the rope when I try to back rolls.

I always worked out at Planet Fitness and doing dead lifts on their Smith machines I would hit my head on the cross bar when I stood up. I realize how much better free weight are now that I'm doing them at home.

Started working out with a trainer about a year ago. Was a bootcamp type class. Never thought I'd like something like that but it was good. Never have the boredom of the same routine...no 2 workouts are ever the same. Dropped 25 pounds while adding some muscle. Went from 190 to 165 and I'm 6'3" so I know where you're coming from. At that point I had no more to lose so switched the diet up to add muscle and am at 170 now.

We do all of these exercises and more (I don't look like this guy, lol) - http://www.menshealth.com/fitness/spartacus/slide/4

Diet is the most important part. It's easy to make all the sweat happen for nothing if your diet sucks. I haven't stopped drinking.

ISO 100 was recommended for post workout shake. Lots of protein and easy on the carbs

That ISO doesn't look to bad at all.

That MP mass gainer was just to many calories for the amount I work out. It was 1270 calories per serving, now I couldn't do the 4 scoops they wanted you to use. So I cut it in half for a grand total of 635 calories per shake.

I draw furniture on the computer all day and just sit still for 8 hours a day. Even with working out I don't think it enough to burn off 635 extra calories plus trying to eat more food.

I'm thinking that stomach fat is going to be better addressed with diet and some other form of exercise vs weight training. I eat a massive amount of carbs in the morning and cut way back on them the rest of the day. Making no other changes in my diet and routine I stared eating a small amount of ice cream in the evening regularly and noticed more belly fat in no time. You probably already know but cut out everything you can with sugar added. High fiber to carb ratio in the morning is how I roll, and then I don't eat again until evening.

On a split routine where you're spending one entire workout blast legs that can't really happen. You spend half of your week sore. But on a non-split, full body circuit type workout I agree. I do legs every day.

Your routine looks fine. Definitely a body building routine. Pick two muscles for one workout and blast them......that's what my 20s were all about.

I found that body building routines decreased my athleticism. I felt like dead weight on a snowboard, wakeboard, and motocross bike. I lost flexibility and range of motion. I was always sore and unable to ride at my best.

I discovered P90X in the mid 2000s and and also became a trainer. Changed everything. Circuits may not help you add as much bulk as you want, but I've found them to to be a good balance of adding strength, muscle mass, and also increasing athletic ability. Look at Rusty for example.

Everyday: Push, pull, squat, repeat. Integrate exercises instead of isolate, and work in all three planes. I'm 42 so I have to do this just to continue living an active life.

Keep us posted on progress. I'm interested.

Gotta agree with this. Old school weight lifting works a muscle or a small group at a time. Bicep curls you're standing around working few muscles, bench press you're laying down isolating a small area, etc. Squats are great, lunges are too. Add some shoulder presses or curls while you're at it.

Work more than 1 group at a time, get your heart rate up, burn some calories while feeding your muscles. Bulking up is temporary. Turns to fat or just goes away when the supplements stop. I'm no ninja warrior but those guys are in fantastic shape. That's healthy. If your frame and bone structure put you around 160 or whatever don't sweat it.

I'm kinda with y'all on doing more of a integrated routine. I think they are more fun. But do you thing it worth build up some muscles the traditional way first then switching over to that kind of routine.

I did the P90x stuff before I got married for a few month too. I got a lot more defined but I never felt like I was building real strength.

Here's my example, Even though I was doing 200 or more push up a night. When I went to a buddy's house with a weight rack I still couldn't do any more than like 145. But I have always been teriable at bench. I guess long arms and a bird chest doesn't add up to a benching monster LOL.

But since thanksgiving doing it the traditional way. My bench has gone from 145 to my last set being 165 at 4 reps. I know that not lot but I feel really good about it since that was on my 3rd set. I want 205 so bad

See my other post on P90X re-visited. I will say you can make P90X harder if you want to. I am 5'9 165. I could probably lose another 5 pounds to really show the definition but I am so much stronger since I started it 60 days ago. If you want to get bigger you can add a weight vest which I will be doing on my second round. I know most people think P90X is old school and there are probably newer "better" workouts but for me, I can't argue with the results.

I am 38 and like JROD said above, I want a full body work out so I continue to be active well into the future. I have two little guys now and they will kick my ass if I don't.

I read through it Mike

Maybe it sounded like I didn't like P90X but I really did. My wife is doing beach body core to force "or something like that" right now and on days when I want to do something different I will work out with her. It's a lot of the same push up and plyometric's kind of stuff just a little more core specific. It really kicks my butt. Since I've been doing classic chest exercises it much easier to make it through all the push up.

At 34 soon to be 35 I want to make my weakness my strengths or at least stronger. Those have always been bench press and squats and squat have always been extremely bad for me. I don't think something like P90X at this point will get me what I want.

what width grip on bench? I have similar chest and found a slightly wider grip to work better for me. incline and OHP will bring things together as well - (over head press)

Seem like I put my thumbs on the edge of the smooth part of the bar and stretch them out and that's where my hand goes if that makes since. I've always neglected incline bench but not now and I can really tell a difference in the way my chest looks.

And I use dead man's grip, no thumb's around the bar.

agree on isolation. pick a muscle group each day and work it HARD. couple supersets will usually put you in the right place

so slightly wider than shoulders?

yes sir

The width of the grip means little. A wider grip for pull-ups means you'll load your lats (back) heavier and decrease the amount of flexion you'll get out of your elbows (less bicep). No right or wrong just preference. Do a narrow grip pull-up. Notice you'll get your elbows all the way down, and your elbows in full flexion (biceps to forearms). You can't do that wide grip. Wider=shorter range of motion. Not bad just different.

Same goes for a bench press or pushup. Wide means you'll lose full elbow extension which is why I only use dumbells. Or better yet.....do pushups with a plate on your back. Now your bench press is a core exercise.

When I was at plannet fitness the only free weights they have is dumbells so instead of using the smith machine I only did bench with dumbbell. which I really think helped equal out my weak side with bench. I used to always push better with my left hand.

I'm really struggling with wide grip pull ups. The half rack I bought has the grips set out really wide because the guy I bought it from was a bigger guy (6' 4" ish 250). I really need to move them in.

I'd be more curious about your diet. You're going to need to eat.....a lot... to pack on size. You can diet to cut later. For anyone looking to gain size, you need to be eating carbs. Low carb is going to hold you back. Almost any workout will work...if you want size...you still need to train heavy.


google Athlean X....a pretty good circuit style workout with 100s of exercises.

at 35...do you get annual physicals? Get some bloodwork done and get ur test levels checked. Depending on how serious you are, a low dose cycle cud really help you. aka TRT. Consult your doctor obviously.

Yea I've always heard you got to eat big to get big. That's easier said than done when you've never been a big eater. But I'm trying to just make my self go back for seconds of the meats in a meal.


So your saying I need to go back for the bread and potatoes instead LOL.

Well I got my new 100% whey in. So now I'm drinking 180 calories per drink instead of 650 but the same protein at 30 grams.