# Little progress in 5 months ?



## J89 (Dec 16, 2011)

Hi all,

I posted a 'newbie looking for advice' topic at the start of January here - http://www.uk-muscle.co.uk/getting-started/161582-cardio-not-cardio-pics-inside-unfortunately.html

Long story short, after losing a fair bit of fat through cardio I'd joined a 'proper gym' to help scrap the cardio and get lifting some weights to hopefully get a bit of a lean bulk on.

My only fear was putting back the fat that I'd lost previously on, but after some very helpful replies I resigned myself to the fact I will put on some fat during a bulk.

This is the routine I've been following;

Monday - Bis & Tris

Bicep Curl - 4 sets, 10-12 reps

Incline Bicep Curl - 4 sets, 10-12 reps

Preacher Curl (ez bar) - 3 sets, 10-12 reps

Single Arm Hammer Curl - 3 sets, 10-12 reps

Tricep Pushdown - 3 sets, 10-15 reps

Close Grip Bench Press - 4 sets, 10-12 reps

Rope Pushdown - 3 sets, 15-20 reps

Tuesday - Chest & Abs

Flat Benchpress w/Smith Machine - 4 sets, 8-12 reps

Incline Smith Press - 4 sets, 8-12 reps

Incline Dumbbell Press - 3 sets, 8-12 reps

Pec Deck - 3 sets, 10-15 reps

Cable Crossovers - 4 sets, 15-20 reps

Wednesday - Legs

Barbell Squat - 4 working sets, 8-12 reps

Leg Press - 4 sets, 15 reps

Extension - 5 sets, 20 reps

Lying Leg Curl - 4 sets, 12-15 reps

Reverse Hack Squat - 3 sets, 12-15 reps

Standing Calf Raises - 4 sets, 20 reps

Seated Calf Raises - 4 sets, 20 reps

Thursday - Shoulders & Abs

Dumbbell Flye - 5 sets, 10-12 reps

Bent Over Flye - 3 sets, 8-12 reps

Dumbbell Shrug - 5 sets, 15-20 reps

Seated Press - 3 sets, 8-12 reps

Single Arm Cable Flye - 3 sets to failure

Friday - Back

Wide Pullups - 3 sets, 10-12 reps

Bent Over Row - 4 sets, 12-15 reps

Iso-Row ( wide grip ) - 3 sets, 15 reps then repeat reps with close grip

Deadlift - 4 sets, 8-12 reps

Lat Pull Down - 3 sets, 10-12 reps

This is my diet;

7.15am - 5 Egg Whites + 85g Oats with Flavdrops + Green Tea / Multivit / Omega 3 Cap

10.30am - 1 Turkey Breast + 100g Brown Rice or Brown Pasta + Small amount of salad

1.15pm - 1 Turkey Breast + 150g Brown Rice or Brown Pasta + Small amount of salad

5.00pm - 1 Turkey Breast + 100g Brown Rice or Brown Pasta + Small amount of salad

6.30pm - 1.5 Scoops Pre Workout Shake - No2 Fuel

7.00pm - 8.00pm Workout

8.10pm - 1.5 Scoops Nrg Fuel TTP Anabolic Shake

9.30pm - 200g Steak ( occasionally lean beef mince ) with mixed veg

Drinking around 3l water a day also.

Im not expecting miracles and I understand achieving a good physique can take years, not months. But after 5 months I guess I was hoping for a bit more progress than I've made, as to be honest all I can see in difference from the photos in my first thread and the photos attached to this one is a slightly larger stomach. My question really is, should I change my routine and diet up as this doesn't seem to be working for me, or should I keep at it for another few months and just keep trying to increase the weight on my lifts? Hope this post comes out ok as I'm using an iPad app for the first time so apologies if it's come out mislaid!

Thanks in advance for any help,

J


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## jake87 (May 7, 2010)

terrible split. doing a load of tricep isolation on monday then doing chest the following day. same goes for 5 sets of shrugs on thursday then doing 4 sets of deadlifts on friday. how long have you been doing this split? reason i ask is it would destroy most people especially if youre natural


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## George-Bean (Sep 8, 2010)

I found my shape changed when I started to hit the chin ups and dips, I'm into my second year now and I finally worked out that less is more, but I do understand your eagerness. You seem to be doing a lot of working out. (like I did for a start).

I now do weights every other day, on the non weight days I do cardio. Also one day a week when I do nothing definately improved my performance.


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## Fleg (May 27, 2011)

You're training like you're on gear mate. Plus the bicep and tricep isolation on the Monday is rediculous and tbh isolation is a bit pointless unless you have some good mass to shape?

Volume is too high too, how are you gauging poundage progression??

Diet looks ok but man you must have some appetite to be eating 150g rice!


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## Natty.Solider (May 4, 2012)

Not everybodys bodies react the same to their carb intake. Personally I cant eat a huge ammount of carbs otherwise I will put weight on. Youve put on alot of fat between these pictures. 250g of rice and 85g of oats is a whole lot of carbs. Try different carbs such as sweet potato. Also, dont like chicken?? IMO I dont grow on turkey so I avoid it unless I want really clean protein between meals in the form of tuna chunky. I grow on steaks and chicken.. so you could try this eating less carbs and more meat.

Training doesnt look upto scratch either, aside from the split you have put up, the actual excercises dont look good. Let me start with arm day.. Arm day should always start with triceps. Triceps make up most of your arm and can help to increase your shoulder and bech press -Biceps are just pretty little muscles that sit ontop of them. Whilst we are talking about shoulder pressing - where is it?! That is a huge shoulder excercise. You cant build up a shoulder routine without it imo. Lose abs out of your week, thats just eating into time you could spend making up for lost time on your shoulders... abs are something that become visible with low bodyfat, so when you can see them well, then you should start working them. Start with your biggest muscle groups at the start of the week. Thats back, chest and shoulders. I do shoulders monday, back tuesday and chest wednesday, find that works for me. If your shoulder dont recover as quickly as mine do, then sub legs in for wednesday and do chest after that day etc... Hope that has helped you a little. Dont become de-motivated, move up weights if you can, keep going heavier and heavier and the muscles will grow.


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## BodytorqueGym (May 11, 2012)

George-Bean said:


> I found my shape changed when I started to hit the chin ups and dips, I'm into my second year now and I finally worked out that less is more, but I do understand your eagerness. You seem to be doing a lot of working out. (like I did for a start).
> 
> I now do weights every other day, on the non weight days I do cardio. Also one day a week when I do nothing definately improved my performance.


I agree, muscle size will only increase in resting periods. I train every other day aswell. That way your muscles will be able to be supplyed with the correct nutrition for them to grow and your nutrition intake will not be split around all your muscles


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## J89 (Dec 16, 2011)

Cheers for all the replies guys! Fantastic help and information inside every one. I'll try reply from top to bottom!

Jake - Ive been doing this since January and to be honest your not far wrong. Pretty much every day I'm aching somewhere and it does effect my workouts, yesterday I couldn't deadlift as my legs were so fcuked from the Wednesday leg session. Also as you say my tris do feel the effect of training chest just 24 hours later.

George - Embarassing but I can barely do more than 2/3 chin ups or dips! What is your weight workout every other day, full body or 2 body parts? I'd like to start doing a bit of cardio again as I think cutting it out has hit my fitness levels.

Fleg - I've actually put on around a stone since starting the split and my lifts are heavier than when I began but a lot of that is probably just to do with the food intake being upped significantly. 150g rice is an effort!

Natty - Thanks for your message very helpful! Im happy with chicken or turkey to be honest, but I usually just go for turkey as you get a bit more for your money! Would you recommend maybe cutting out carbs with my 10am and 5pm meals and simply just having a tin of tuna at 10am, and a chicken breast at 5pm? I may also go for a simple whey protein such as MPs true whey just to stick in during the day? With regards to the training, my routine was actually put together by a BBer so I'm quite suprised at how incorrect it is for me! I'll definetly start with my triceps in the future and ensure they get smashed fully and bis are stuck in at the end! I do a dumbbell shoulder press ( got it done as seated press ) if that's what you mean? Or is it better to do with

a barbell? That routine looks good to me but I think legs would have to be more than a day apart from back for me as they hit me hard! Would you still recommend an individual split to myself or maybe look at a full body 3 days a week and adding a couple of days cardio to get my body fat back down ( especially with summer around the corner! Haha ). Your post has motivated me if anything looking forward to changing my routine and diet up!

Bodytorque - Could you tell me what your split looks like? Is it a full body split 3 times a week? With regards to the nutrition on rest days do you keep the protein up but lower carbs?

Thanks again guys, owe you all!


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## Bruze (Nov 5, 2011)

IMO i would buy 5/3/1 by Jim Wendler.

http://www.t-nation.com/free_online_article/sports_body_training_performance/how_to_build_pure_strength

Keeps things simple and you seen like are patient and willing to learn. If your natural starting out a powerlifting split is the best way to put on size and strength fast. Do that for 18 months on a big dirty bulking diet then worry about fat later mate.






Explains it better, tell me what you think about the vid & my recommendation


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## Markyboy81 (Jan 27, 2012)

I would look at monitoring calorie intake a bit more carefully if you've got an iPad there are some good apps to do this such as myfitnesspal. Start by calculating your resting metabolic rate (there are some good calculators if you type it into google), multiply by a factor depending on how active you are and then look to adding 200-300 calories a day to gain muscle. This way you shouldn't add on too much fat.

I would also focus on the core muscle groups and drop at least one workout per week - what you're doing at the moment doesn't look very sustainable, especially if you're looking to do more cardio now!

Good luck!


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## J89 (Dec 16, 2011)

Thanks guys - excellent video :laugh: I don't think I could handle an 18 month bulk though as an ex fatty I get paranoid about my waist size very easy. I've been looking at leangains and debating attempting a lean bulk using the idea of 16 hours of fasting there, what do you think? Thanks.


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## Guest (May 12, 2012)

Try more compounds mate. It's taken me a while to work out that they are far superior to iso's. As mentioned, I wouldn't have a separate arm day. Do tri's with your chest and bi's with your back. Your bi's will be fooked from back when your done. And then you wont need to do the huge amounts of exercises for bi's that you have been doing.

Look at a 3 day split pull/push/legs gives you some resting time


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## Trevor McDonald (Mar 30, 2010)

Do less. 3 days a week. Squats deadlift and bench. Some pull ups and dips. <add weight to these when you can. Your arms will grow from this not those 100isolation moments you were doing!


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## Natty.Solider (May 4, 2012)

You could do less like Mey suggests and do a heavy compound 3 day split with push one day, pull the next and legs after that. Some react very well to this routine. That would be good to get some strength up. Im very supprised at the routine if a bodybuilder gave it to you, but they might have given you their routine. And if they are a BBer then chances are they are using AAS which means recovery time will be completely different to that of someone not on AAS  I wouldnt completely rule out carbs for certain meals, just tone them down. Half the carb intake EXCEPT the meal you use before a workout and breakfast (remember you burn up an awful lot of complex carbs for energy when you train) - then see how you get on and adjust. In answer to your rest day question, personally I cycle my carbs, this means on non physical excercise days I eat less carbs and I eat less carbs in my meals in the day time EXCEPT before workout and breakfast (If im cutting then I reduce the ammount in breakfast but never before workout). Thats my take on it, and it seems to work for me. But your stepping in the right direction recognising that this isnt working for you and that you need to change it up. Once you find out what your body needs, you can fine tune it.


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## J89 (Dec 16, 2011)

Cheers guys - after taking all the above advice on board this is what I'm thinking of going for;

Train - PPL routine

Monday - Push

Flat Dumbbell Bench Press 3 x 8

Incline Barbell Smith Press 3 x 10

Shoulder Press 3 x 8

Military Press 3 x 8

Dips 3 sets to fail as these need a lot of working on !*

Tuesday - Cardio

40 min run

Wednesday - Pull

Deadlift *4 x 6

Single Arm Bent Over Rows*- 3 x 10

Chin Ups 3 sets to failure again as these need working on

Alternate Bicep Curls - 3 x 10

Lat Pull Down 3 x 10

Thursday -Cardio

40 min run

Friday - Legs

Squats 4 x 8

Leg Extension 3 x 12

Leg Curls 3 x 12

Hack Squats 3 x 8

Calf Raises 4 x 20

Diet wise im going to aim for 2700 calories a day*

Monday - Friday

7.00am 80g Oats (285cal, 9g protein, 48g carbs) *w/ 200ml semi skimmed milk ( 80cal, 7g protein, 5g carbs)

5 egg White omelette (38cal, 8g protein, .83 carbs)

10.00am - 1 Chicken Breast ( *110cal, 26g protein, 0g carbs ), 30g almonds ( 176cal, 8g protein, 3g carbs)*

1.00pm -2 Chicken Breasts ( 220cal, 52g protein, 0g carbs), 100g wholemeal pasta ( 316cal, 13g protein, 62g carbs)*

5.00pm (Pre Workout) -*1 Chicken Breast ( *110cal, 26g protein, 0g carbs ), *100g wholemeal pasta ( 316cal, 13g protein, 62g carbs)*

6.30pm - No2 Pre Workout Shake*

7.00pm - 8.00pm Train

8.10pm - Post Workout 2 x Scoop TTP Anabolic ( 476cal, 50g protein, 60g carbs)*

9.30pm - 200g Rump Steak (350cal, 40g protein, 0g carbs)*

I make that 2477 calories, 250g protein, 240g carbs *I'll be having a couple of bits of fruit most days too and also some salad / veg which should take my calorie target up to the 2700. I do think my post workout shake needs changing for some whey to reduce the carbs?! But I'll wait until the tub runs out as it was pricy haha. I'll also be aiming for 3l water a day with a couple of green teas too.*

On my rest days ( weekend ) I'll eat similar foods ( except a cheat meal Saturday night, and also without the shakes. ) but in a smaller quantity as I don't wake as early etc but will aim for at least 2000cal and 150g protein.*

Any feedback on that will be much appreciated, as is everything that has already been posted!*


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## Trevor McDonald (Mar 30, 2010)

Switch Monday with Wednesday. If you're dead lifting Wednesday your legs will be knackered still to squat Friday mate.


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## Natty.Solider (May 4, 2012)

Well your diet looks about 1000 times better, as does your routine. I have never tried push pull legs, but imagine you could do it with 3 days on, 1-2 days off??

Hope it works for you mate. Your following a good ratio of carb/ protein/ fat.


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## J89 (Dec 16, 2011)

Mey said:


> Switch Monday with Wednesday. If you're dead lifting Wednesday your legs will be knackered still to squat Friday mate.


Excellent point, almost failed before I began :beer:



Natty.Solider said:


> Well your diet looks about 1000 times better, as does your routine. I have never tried push pull legs, but imagine you could do it with 3 days on, 1-2 days off??
> 
> Hope it works for you mate. Your following a good ratio of carb/ protein/ fat.


I'll see how it goes.. Think with my goals cutting cardio out completely with my current shape wasn't a great move previously so having a couple of free days to do this should hopefully benefit me.

Thanks again for all your help lads, I may even get a log going to record how it goes


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## Trevor McDonald (Mar 30, 2010)

Do it mate. We can then chip in on things to improve. Even if it's only updated weekly.


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## DanB (Dec 28, 2009)

Just to point out that from my experience when i have done PPL in the past i struggled with hitting shoulders effectively on push days. Your volume is still quite high, and i think you'll find that your shoulders will give out before you would be able to complete all those sets. I don't think you need incline press(which uses delts heavily) on top of your flat bench and other exercises. I always found my shoulders were ****ed by the time i actually got round to doing the shoulder/military pressing.

Also, you have included shoulder and military press - these are the same thing to me. A military press is a shoulder press.


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## J89 (Dec 16, 2011)

DanB said:


> Just to point out that from my experience when i have done PPL in the past i struggled with hitting shoulders effectively on push days. Your volume is still quite high, and i think you'll find that your shoulders will give out before you would be able to complete all those sets. I don't think you need incline press(which uses delts heavily) on top of your flat bench and other exercises. I always found my shoulders were ****ed by the time i actually got round to doing the shoulder/military pressing.
> 
> Also, you have included shoulder and military press - these are the same thing to me. A military press is a shoulder press.


Cheers fella - I'll see how it goes for the first couple of sessions but if I do see fatigue towards the ends of my sets I will knock the shoulder press on the head. I'm going to try and keep flat and incline bench hopefully as it really does give my chest a good pump once I'm finished! Is there any difference between dumbbell press ( flat ) or using a barbell ? I prefer dumbbells and find my form is a lot better with them but if barbell is massively better I'll start light and improve my form.

Cheers.


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## Sk1nny (Jun 5, 2010)

Dunno what your breaks are like between sets mate but I find I burn fat faster and get a real pump going with 30seconds between sets and 2 mins between excersises. Also the push pull legs 3day split is the way forwards IMO gives your muscle fibres time to grow/repair before you damage them in the gym again


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## Bulk2010 (Apr 19, 2010)

Personally i would keep military press. If your doing your incline and flat bench correctly then most of focus will be on your chest muscles. Obviously shoulders are involved but if you can't do military press because of your bench you've gone wrong somewhere. Never take out military press. It's a must. Also drop leg extensions and add lunges. Start with lower weight until you get used to having good form then add weight as you get stronger. Lunges are hardcore and done well builds core strength which you need. On a leg day if you do heavy squats, lunges, and heavy calf raises your legs will start to grow. When your legs grow the rest of your body follows. Good luck. Glad your changing from the crap you were doing before.


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## Bulk2010 (Apr 19, 2010)

Sorry i don't agree with anobolic. A guy at his stage of conditioning should keep it simple and compound. When you start to make those muscles grow you can look at iso lifts later. No chest flyes. Just bench and incline for now as heavy as you can go with good form. Each lift working and targeting that muscle. Good intensity. Good rest. Good diet. Goodbye no muscles !


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## Bulk2010 (Apr 19, 2010)

Oh and do deadlifts!


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## Mingster (Mar 25, 2011)

I agree with points 2,3 and 4 as suggested by anabOlic. If you are benching or doing heavy db presses for chest I feel that shoulder presses are unnecessary and you'd be better off doing laterals for shoulders. All chest workouts should incorporate flyes imo, and it just makes good sense to log your lifts so you can monitor progress.

Training muscles twice a week is way to much for me unless you include secondary work ie deads work legs on back day as well as squats on leg day.

I would always do my deads first. It's the heaviest lift and needs the most energy and concentration. You don't need to do much other back work after deads. Personally I follow my deadlifts with one set of chins to failure and one set of Low Pulley Rows, again to failure.


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## johnny_lee (Jun 15, 2011)

keep it basic bro i only train twice a week for 6 weeks then take some time of and go back at it


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## Bulk2010 (Apr 19, 2010)

No he has not being doing that for 5 months at all. He's been wasting his time (apart from learning) for 5 months. Doing a pull rush legs routine properly will get this guy off the ground. I spent months with nothing happening before changing to doing it right. Then had the best gains in 6 months. I'm glad you found something that worked for you but don't misadvise him or he'll spend another 5 months not gaining. Keep it simple lift heavy and compound. Rest. And eat well. In time he can do some of what you suggest and then if might be lucky enough to look like you do. At the end of the day he needs to find what works himself like we all have. Just don't take 5 months to realise its not working.


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## Sk1nny (Jun 5, 2010)

anab0lic said:


> Saying OHP is enough for shoulders is like saying squats are enough to build good calves... their is barely any work done by the side delts in OHP moves and that is the head most people need to emphasise to create a good v taper.... my delts were so ****ing **** when i believed the bro-science of 'go heavy on OHP bro that's all you need' i used to walk around with my lats flared to compensate for my lack of shoulder width lmao...


clearly found what works for you now bro :thumbup1:

to the op you havent wasted 5 months you just proved that combo didnt work for you. i find 3 day push pull legs with compounds does it for me but as anabolic says it dont work for him so different for everyone. id say it doesnt matter what you do in the gym as long as you damage the muscle fibres you are aiming to hit during that session then its job done and home to eat and sleep while the repair work/growth happens. keep trying different things and see what works for you. the big compound movement a lot of people leave out is clean and press. i do this after my chest session, before tris and it cains my shoulders i love it


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## Bulk2010 (Apr 19, 2010)

I do agree with anobolic to keep a log of lifts, although we all have off days. Keep your chin up if one day your not keeping up. Also agree with him that military alone is not enough for shoulders.


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## J89 (Dec 16, 2011)

Cheers for all the above replies lads, very much appreciated!

After reading the comments i've adjusted the routine slightly,

Monday - Pull

Single Arm Bent Over Rows*- 3 x 10

Deadlift 3 x 6-8

Chin Ups 3 sets to failure again as these need working on

Alternate Bicep Curls - 3 x 10

Lat Pull Down 3 x 10

Tuesday - Cardio

40 min run

Wednesday - Push

Flat Dumbbell Bench Press 3 x 8

Incline Barbell Smith Press 3 x 10

Military Press 3 x 8

Front Raises 3 x 10

Chest Flys 3 x 8

Dips 3 sets to fail as these need a lot of working on !*

Thursday -Cardio

40 min run

Friday - Legs

Squats 4 x 8

Leg Extension 3 x 12

Leg Curls 3 x 12

Hack Squats 3 x 8

Calf Raises 4 x 20

I can see my push doing maybe being one too many exercises - but trial and error i'll give it a go for a couple of weeks and see how it goes, if i'm struggling i'll lose an exercise.

With regards to my chin ups and dips, as I say i'm struggling with these big time and if im only doing 2/3 reps (yep, seriously) on each set, should I add an additional exercise until i've built that up enough to complete a proper set?

Sk1nny - With the 30 seconds rest, is that inclusive of compounds? I may be able to give a 30-40sec break on isolation exercises but on compounds I usually need around 3 minutes before i'm ready to go again :blush:

I've got some PT sessions left with my trainer which i've already paid up for so going to get them out the way before starting this routine - so hopefully the week commencing 28th May i'll get a log up and start tracking my lifts, hopefully plenty of time to get into shape for summer 2013!


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## Bulk2010 (Apr 19, 2010)

m8 give me a minute to make up a protein shake and I'll give you a routine that should blow your bollox off and get some results without all that shat. We'll ditch your PT instructor and the stuff you can't do and focus on the things you can do and improve on. Sometimes less is more. Intensity helps a lot. Give me a min I'll be back with something in a minute


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## Bulk2010 (Apr 19, 2010)

Right before I begin. To all readers this routine or advice is based on my own experience of listening learning and trying new things and does not dispute what anyone else has done or achieved. I type this only with the best of intention for the OP as i truly believe this will help him.

Right m8,

Firstly stuff all the things you can't do. Dips and chin ups are great but F them for now cos there is more important things to put your energy into. Like growning your body. You have to imagine yourself back at the start and follow these points which is going to take hard graft.

1) Training - use push pull legs routine or pull push legs. Less can be more. Keep it to an hour. Use free weights!

2) Intensity - your not ready yet for 3o seconds between sets but 2- 3 minutes aint happening anymore. You need to push much harder. Start at 60 seconds between stes and use a timer. You will feel like dying to start with but this means your working. Gradually you will improve and go to 45 seconds (could take a few months) then work towards 30 seconds if you can or want to (way down the line) *if you leave it beyond a minute you will not break down enough muscle fibres and you will not start the process for growth! Work your **** off!

3) Weight - dont lift what you think you should be lifting because of what everyone else says. Only lift the maximum you can for 5-7 reps with good form. No swinging about. No wobbling everywhere. Just those muscles your targeting lifting that weight. Then as you grow and build strenght progessively add weight when it is a benefit to your body and is achievable.

4) Diet - change your diet as you have suggested. Keep an eye on your calories. Not enough clean calories and no growth. In fact you might get smaller. Yes you'll build a bit of fat but it can be dealt with later or during your process. No growth add calories. Even if its virgin olive oil in your shakes or nuts as snacks.

5)Cardio - personally looking at you photos I'd do none to start with. Add some in if you know your putting on too much fat. Not think you are. Know you are because you'll put some on anyway. Keep it 20 minutes before you kill yourself. Your body does need to recover.

6) Results - you will see results if you stick like a f'ing robert to all of your routine and diet. This is a lifestyle and not a hobby. You know what you want and it is all possible.

Ok Routine:

Monday:

Stretch everytime and do something to get your blood flowing. Put on some tunes that mean something to you and get you pumping.

Bench press: 5 sets - 5-7 reps (you will achieve more at the start) Try 40kg until you build up. Remember push your shoulders in to the bench. keep your feet on the floor. Have a decent wide grip but not touching the plates. Lift and put the main focus on using that chest muscle to lift.

Incline bench: 5 sets - 5-7 reps You may have to lower weight slight but this time emphasise the top of chest muscles.

DB bench flyes: 4/5 sets 8-10 reps (5kg per db to start) bend your elbows get a bit of a stretch on your pecs then use them to bring your pecs together and straighten those arms. Tense those pecs at the end of the lift.

Military press: 5 sets -5 reps (20kg minimum) Clean into position and raise the bar above your head and press to a lock out. tense those shoulders then press another 4 times.

Dumbell overhead raises: 5 sets 8-10 reps (5kg on each DB) Stay in a seat position with knees and feet together. Hold a DB in each hand palms up with arms raised vertically. Keeping your arms straight lift the DB's up until your arms are pointing at the ceiling. Tense those shoulder muscles.

THE END YOUR DONE GET A PROTEIN SHAKE AND CLEAN YOURSELF UP *I also do skull crushers at the end but don't suggest you do this until later in your training.

Tuesday:

Do sweet F all except eat well and get to bed early.

Wednesday:

Deadlift: (you know what these are!) 3/4 sets - 4/5 reps (pack on as much weight as you can lift well into a full deadlift position. Do this first while you've got the power.

Bent over row: (again you know this sh1t) 5 sets 6/7 reps (only add weight you can genuinely lift without almost falling over) bend knees, head up, lift bar into stomach not chest. and let it hang low lifting with your back muscles as much as possible.

Arm Curls: 5 sets 6/7 reps keep your elbows glued to your side or lean against a wall and only use the biceps to lift that bar (use an EZ) at the top of the lift tense your bicep and lower bar right down to top of your legs slowly so your also controlling the weight down.

*I also add DB preacher curls right after lifting the EZ for 4 lifts of i can to blast my biceps. My biceps respond very well but you should not try this until later in your training.

Shrugs: 4 sets - 15/20 reps (you have to do this bad boys!) use your EZ you were just curling with. Use moderate weight. If you can't shrug it then its pointless. A lot about shrugs is in the movement and seeing al the reps through well.

THE END YOUR DONE GET A PROTEIN SHAKE AND CLEAN YOURSELF UP

Thursday:

Do sweet F all except eat well and get to bed early.

Friday: Otherwise known as OH MY GOD DAY!

Legs:

Squats (you know these alright) 4/5 sets if you can 7 - 10 reps (you've got to push so hard with good form) Get through the pain. You should barely be able to walk after leg day. You do wanna grow don't you? Well legs is where it happens.

Lunges: (look online to see correct form) These are killer if your doing them right. Get a bar on your should and alternate legs 5 sets - 5 reps each leg. Get your knee low and push up while keeping steady. Your ass and hams are going to ache now for a week!

Calf Raises: 5 sets reps to failure - really push through the pain barrier.

THE END YOUR DONE GET A PROTEIN SHAKE AND CLEAN YOURSELF UP

WEEKEND: Is yours to have a life  and a rest and learn to walk again.

In all of these sessions keep to a minute or less between sets because intensity is key. You wanna grow not tone. As you get stronger add weight gradually to keep pushing forward. Eat well. Sleep well and I really believe this will help you out.

As time goes on you can change it around and add other things, lower your rest times etc etc. Keep at it, graft your bollox off, and don't give up. Be realistic about how long it will take and TAKE PRIDE IN EVERY BIT OF PROGRESS YOU MAKE! THIS SH1 T IS HARD BUT ENJOY IT. WHEN YOU WEIGHT GOES UP AND YOU SEE MUSCLE FORMING PAT YOURSELF ON THE BACK. IGNORE THE DOWNS AND RELISH THE UPS. IF IT AINT WORKING KICK ITS ASS AND DO MORE. YOUR IN CONTROL.

I hope this helps you like it did me when I get fed up of sod all happening.


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## J89 (Dec 16, 2011)

Thanks so much mate as I said in the PM, putting that much effort into a routine for me is much appreciated!

Just some questions if I may!

Should I be near-on failing on the last rep of each set, or should I be at the point where its starting to hit me but i'm ready to go again 40-60 seconds later?

How quickly should I be looking for body changes? Should I notice something within a couple of months, and if it's not, change it up again?

Tuesday / Thursday - I know you've mentioned rest! But would doing some HIIT really be that much of a hindrance? I can understand steady state cardio for an hour may be pointless but would quite like to do some sort of cardio even if it is sprints in a field!

If I skip a day through work as sometimes I work away / late, this isn't usually a weekly thing and I mostly miss 1/2 sessions a month max, i'll start booking longer jobs around Mon-Weds-Fri as much as I can now, but should I say miss a Wednesday, should I bash out Wednesdays on Thursday and still do legs Friday? Guess the pain may just be higher!

Lastly, away from training - you mention protein shakes post workout, obviously it'll depend what fits in my macros etc. as well, but do you recommend something simple such as MyProtein True Whey or stick with an all-in-one?

Thanks again,

J.


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## Bulk2010 (Apr 19, 2010)

Your welcome. I'm no expert but I cringe at what some people are told. I also cringe at lads in holland and barret being told by some idiot what shake they should be taking and walking out after spending £40 on something that won't help the poor sods. I've been there and although I'm syill learning and have a long way to go, i have already been through what your going through now. I think that if someone can really push themselves to stick to it, and pushes themselves to eat the right things this will get them off the ground and gaining muscle. You can do this and then as you learn what works for you you can add and change things.

To answer your questions this is what I think but ultimately the choice is yours:

1) With the reps depending on what lift I am doing I'm almost at failure at the end of the set. If I can push an extra one with good form I will. If I can push 2 to 3 or more! then I add weight steadily . . . and I mean steady! If you whack on 10kg thinking your now king kong your form goes out the window or you end up with a bar smashed down on your chest (done it) Steadily challenge your body. Don't rush it. You wont be adding weight weekly. Be proud when you do tho. Stick to the 60 Seconds. You may think you can't but you can and as you continue week by week it becomes more easy to manage the rest times. Intensity is key.

2) How long it takes to notice changes depends on many factors. i think the best way to tell is your clothing. You will notice changes in the mirror for sure as you start to progress as long as your doing the right things. If you don't stick to it or you dont try hard it wont happen. This includes diet. Don't leave it 5 months tho. After 2 months you should be seeing the start of a body platform you can only add to. It then takes time and dedication to flesh this out. I'm miles away from that myself but i'm working on it and I won't stop.

3) I have long and demanding job and sometimes I have to skip a day. I do not recommend going again the next day. Your weekend can be ideal. Yesterday i finished too late to do legs. I will do them today, and start again from Monday. Always have a rest day.

4) As for your protein. i've tried a few but everyone is different. I switch between USN muscle fuel anobolic and USN pure protein IGF-1. IGF-1 is leaner but on a bulk I prefer muscle fuel. After a work out you can cope with the carbs in muscle fuel. You may not like it but if you want to build a bigger body you need to feed it with lots of calories. I don't mean cakes either. You need to get in those carbs fats and proteins. I plow it in the day after training. Then lessen off the carbs leading up to the next training session until right before I start training. Unfortunately you will pick up some fat but you can drop it later.

5) Did I forget something? oh yeah I forgot Cardio . . . . . . because YOU should forget Cardio. Well only for the time being. Your body needs those cals to build itself. if you burn them all off bombing around a field what is left for your growth? In time tho you will probably want to add some low intensity cardio for maybe 20 mins at a time to control the extra cals you maybe taking in. Then on a cut turn your cardio up a notch. For now i would focus on training hard, eating well, and sleeping well. Your mind is a very powerful thing and can make you think your only gaining fat when eating all this food. Your mind says you should burn it off becaue thats what you had to do in the past. In the past tho you were not a serious beginner bodybuilder who continually challenges his strength and wants to grow. You are now.

Good luck. You'll have some ups and downs but keep me informed of anything you notice working or anything you don't. It's up to you now.


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## J89 (Dec 16, 2011)

Thanks again mate - taken all your advice on board and im feeling very motivated to crack on with it now! As of next week i'll be starting a log on here to track my progress if you want to see how your advice is going! :thumb:


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## Bulk2010 (Apr 19, 2010)

How did your first week go?


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## J89 (Dec 16, 2011)

Hello mate, just put a journal up and also sent you a PM :thumbup1:


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