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[Tess3ract]

That doesn't exactly help when I can squat the weight. I just want to make sure I don't fuck up in the long run because of my posture. Keeping your back straight is paramount though.

 

[Veezy]

The term doesn't bother me at all. If you want to call it that, then go for it. I'm not insuecure about working out in that area of the gym, because I did it back when I was tiny as hell.

But, walking into a gym and saying to yourself, mentally, "that area is hardcore, therefor I need to work up to it" is a bad way to approach it. It's just the weightlifting section of the gym. You don't call the treadmills the "Ironman" area but there are probably a few people there running 20ks once a month.

It's all in the attitude. You can call that area "hardcore" but if it's like any globogym in America, there are plenty of people who haven't been training for long at all that work out in that area too. Just like the random people at my Gold's who just kinda walk around from place to place.

 

[The Last Wizard]

So I wore my shoes down, and decided to pick up those Rogue Fitness weightlifting shoes that someone recommended on here.

Today was my first leg day using them, and they helped a ton with my overall stability. I'm flat-footed so my squats have always been a bit wobbly, and the new shoes helped a ton.

Thanks for the rec, FitnessGAF!

I really want a pair of these, I've been wearing my chucks since June when I started(they're a 3-4 pair already) and I don't feel that stable at times. But I can still lift in them. I'll probably pick up a pair first half of next year, are they true to your shoe size?

 

[Spiritreaver]

sphinx, what Veezy says is true, it's definitely an area for people on all levels, so you can go workout there too, but I completely understand where you're coming from. I don't agree with the "just go lift" advice though. It may work for someone else, but for you I think you need to work your way in simply for comfort reasons.

Yeah I would also suggest picking up a program and going with it, especially one that incorporates free weight lifts so you can get accustomed to lifting.

What I really think you should, is actually talk to one of the trainers, or even one of the hardcore guys there. See if they can help you with learning some of the basic lifts. Not only do you learn how to do things, but it may make you feel more comfortable.

 

[parrotbeak]

Two things:

1. Are there any bodyweight exercises I can do to strengthen my back that require no equipment? I'm looking for stuff I can do in my hotel room, so that rules out pull-ups/chin-ups.

2. Has anyone else gone through physical therapy for a back injury (like a herniated disk), and if so do you remember what stretches and exercises you were given? I lost the sheet I that I used and it's been so long that I don't really remember most of what I did.

I forget what itʻs called but you can get in a reverse pushup position (facing ceiling) under a table and pull yourself toward the table with your hands. Thatʻs what I do when stuck in hotel rooms with no gym. Itʻs awkward but itʻs better than nothing.

I have done PT for herniated disk. It was a lot of stretching while flat on back--foot pointed to ceiling with a towel around it to stretch ham, glute stretch by pulling one knee to chest, bridging/hip thrust while on back, wall squats, and then just walking on a treadmill with good form since my walking had gotten really bad, compensating for the pain and tightness.

 

[calza]

I am currently doing greyskull lp at the moment.

I am thinking of switching to dumbbells for bench, ohp and rows to sort out imbalances between my right and left hand. Good idea?

 

[MrToughPants]

I forget what itʻs called but you can get in a reverse pushup position (facing ceiling) under a table and pull yourself toward the table with your hands. Thatʻs what I do when stuck in hotel rooms with no gym. Itʻs awkward but itʻs better than nothing.

It's an inverted row. Keep the body completely straight and don't round during entire movement. Feet should be suspended from the floor at least at full arm extension height. Arms full extension and full contraction, I like my palms up (facing me) for the exercise as it gives better back recruitment and a more natural ROM. Will work the lats and upper back but you'd have to stack a bit of weight to get proper hypertrophy after a while, they're really good. You can do them after rows. Also flat lying barbell rows are great too with palms up but you'd need a cambered or ez bar for full ROM, DBs could work too with thumbs up grip.

Problem with a table is most would probably flip over unless you're really light. Also you want a full range of motion so you'd smash your face into the table to do that

A good body weight exercise I used to do were hand stand push ups with my back against a wall. Doing them as perpendicular as possible is best, and having a small cushion for your head!

 

[MrOogieBoogie]

I know we were all posting back pics before, so I missed out on the fun, but here's me:

Don't have one with me flexing or anything like that, but I think this'll do.

 

[TheDarkStark]

I love rice. I lived in asia for 18 months and I got used to eating 3-4 bowls of the stuff every day - it doesn't feel right when I don't eat rice nowadays.

Buy a rice cooker, if you can. Those things are amazing. You put in rice and water, leave it for 30 minutes and when you come back you'll have perfectly cooked rice.

There's no need to buy an expensive one - I bought a cheap £7.50 rice cooker from my local supermarket and it has served me well over the last year.



Have you tried brown basmati rice? Nutritionally, it's very similar to brown rice, but it tastes WAY better.

Brown rice and oatmeal are pretty much my only source of carbs next to a couple of pieces of fruit. I can't eat it plain though, it's far too rough and dry (in comparison to white rice), so I always put chicken and veggies in it. Good stuff though.

I occasionally do sweet potatoes or air popped popcorn at times.

Good to know, thanks fellas. I'll keep my out for a rice cooker next time I'm at the store.

 

[TheDarkStark]

So I wore my shoes down, and decided to pick up those Rogue Fitness weightlifting shoes that someone recommended on here.

Today was my first leg day using them, and they helped a ton with my overall stability. I'm flat-footed so my squats have always been a bit wobbly, and the new shoes helped a ton.

Thanks for the rec, FitnessGAF!

I really want a pair of these, I've been wearing my chucks since June when I started(they're a 3-4 pair already) and I don't feel that stable at times. But I can still lift in them. I'll probably pick up a pair first half of next year, are they true to your shoe size?

I have a pair of these

I'm sure they're not the greatest (they don't have a wooden sole like many lifting shoes do) but they're very nice, comfortable, stylish, and relatively cheap compared to most other lifting shoes. Also, they fit the same as any Adidas athletic shoe, so if you can't find a pair to try on you can just try on any Adidas shoe to get your size.

I also wear chucks every now and then but I definitely prefer squatting and deading with these on, more stability for sure.

 

[Resident4t.]

Hey guys, I really want to lose some inner thigh fat that I have collected over the past few months. Are there any foods to avoid or specific exercises that would help?
I'm not sure if the template is necessary.
Age:19
Height:5'9"
Weight:163
Goal:Losing that inner thigh fat, first of all.
Current Training Schedule: None regularly as of now, but a month or two ago I was on a Monday, Wednesday, and Friday schedule.
Current Training Equipment Available:4 Dumbbells and an old treadmill are pretty much all I have. Two of the dumbbells are 20 pounds each, the other two are 10 pounds each.
Comments: Not exactly prepared, I know :/

 

[ldcommando]

Took the kids to the park today. Made the wife take some pics:
Warning, shirtless dude below:

Please don´t mind the weird face, I was pretty much looking at the sun. Also no bad lighting to hide stuff this time.

Back pic, relaxed: (Liked the veiny forearm)

Back pic, doing some flexing, trying to get dat V shape going:

 

[MrOogieBoogie]

You're the guy who everyone thought looked like Christian Bale, right?

Anyway, you look good, man. Am I correct in assuming you mostly do calisthenics/bodyweight exercises? That's what your physique looks like to me (kinda reminds me of my own, though your body still looks quite a bit better ).

 

[ldcommando]

You're the guy who everyone thought looked like Christian Bale, right?

Anyway, you look good, man. Am I correct in assuming you mostly do calisthenics/bodyweight exercises? That's what your physique looks like to me (kinda reminds me of my own, though you still look quite a bit better ).

Yep, that's me.
My regular workout is with weights, mostly bb stuff. The only bodyweight stuff I use is pull-ups and dips. I guess I look like that because I'm tall (6'4") and still 180 lbs.

 

[MrOogieBoogie]

Ah, interesting. Usually I can spot differences between people who mostly lift weights and those who mostly don't. You certainly had me fooled.

What's your routine like?

 

[sphinx]

sphinx, what Veezy says is true, it's definitely an area for people on all levels, so you can go workout there too, but I completely understand where you're coming from. I don't agree with the "just go lift" advice though. It may work for someone else, but for you I think you need to work your way in simply for comfort reasons.

Yeah I would also suggest picking up a program and going with it, especially one that incorporates free weight lifts so you can get accustomed to lifting.

What I really think you should, is actually talk to one of the trainers, or even one of the hardcore guys there. See if they can help you with learning some of the basic lifts. Not only do you learn how to do things, but it may make you feel more comfortable.

Darth thanks for your suggestions, I appreciate it.

indeed I don't think I should just go and lift, I am paying close attention to the guys while I stretch and warmup to the side of the main weightlifting area (what I meant with "hardcore area", sorry for the awful term, but I guess you understand ) and it really seems you HAVE to know your stuff, you must have at least some basic technique to lifting, you must know what will you achieve if you do this or that exercise and how they are done.

I don't think that the trainers there will give me a complete routine but I guess I can ask them about the basics and whether they can please check my posture and handling of the barbell for starters, then I can go from there, do some research on the net and ask a couple of friends that are more advanced about their programms and go for something myself.

Thing is, that gym area is never free. even late at night there are 4 or 5 guys around in one part, another group on the other part, I guess friends from long ago that help each other for the extra push in the last rep and such... I just can't go in there and say "hey guys, I wanna use this thing too, count me in and let me have a go"... and then don't have a fucking clue what I am doing, I'll embarass myself :/ ... that's the intimidating part...Maybe I have to go at 3 in the morning with one trainer and get some confidence...the hardcore guys you mention don't seem to be happy fellows waiting for a newbie to ask them about basic stuff, so I really wouldn't want to waste their time with my questions.. not everyone is as kind as you

but I do want to get a bigger and while I am happy with these five month results, there's so much pushups and pullups can do for a guy... either that or take 5 or 6 freaking years to reach any visible improvement.

_____________

and are we posting pics again? I had those awful before/after pics some pages back but I think I'll approach it differently from now on. Taken Yesterday

 

[ldcommando]

Lately, your typical 1 muscle group a day bb style.
Like: Monday - back, Tuesday - chest , Wednesday - leg and so on. 5 days a week.
But I'm about to try some new stuff and I think will add a 2nd leg day because its what's lagging the most.

 

[TheDarkStark]

Hey guys, I really want to lose some inner thigh fat that I have collected over the past few months. Are there any foods to avoid or specific exercises that would help?
:/

Fat loss can't be targeted, lose weight, lose fat.

Everyone stores fat differently, people tend to store it somewhere near the center (chest, stomach, butt, upper legs).

 

[Dany]

I ran for an hour for the first time in like...3 months I assume and I feel great. I had a heavy breakfast and sat around studying all day and decided to run. 8.33 miles and 946 kcal burned (says nike+). Ah, it felt good.

Took the kids to the park today. Made the wife take some pics:
Warning, shirtless dude below:

No warning needed, you look great.

 

[sphinx]

I ran for an hour for the first time in like...3 months I assume and I feel great. I had a heavy breakfast and sat around studying all day and decided to run. 8.33 miles and 946 kcal burned (says nike+). Ah, it felt good.



No warning needed, you look great.

great! do you have your speed? I mostly go for 7.5 M/H for 25 minutes, burnt calories go for around 320.

 

[Dany]

great! do you have your speed? I mostly go for 7.5 M/H for 25 minutes, burnt calories go for around 320.

7.46 m/h so close


I've ran 159 times with the app, burnt 73,871 kcal, avg. pace of 8.41M/H for a total of 702.5 miles covered.

 

[Noema]

I've decided I want to squat 405lb and Deadlift 495lb for reps by January 2014.

 

[shindoku21]

My left shoulder is starting to click. It feels a little sore too. I did a quick google search and it could be a tear in the rotator cuff? Should I just take a few days off BP and OHP? I don't like these injury setbacks... =/

 

[harSon]

These pictures are about a month and a half old, but I forgot to make an update when they were taken. I want to refrain from making a more current update until new years, but these certainly show some of the progress I've made over summer.

For those who don't know, I've been dieting for well over 2 years now, starting at 351 pounds:

Comparison between my heaviest and the beginning of summer:

And more recently:

I'm not exactly sure where I'm at weight wise since I stopped weighing myself, but I'm probably still somewhere around 190, albeit with a lot less body fat than before. I'm pretty much where I want to be weight wise, but am definitely looking to lessen my body fat percentage some more. It's been a while since I've felt comfortable with my shirt off.

Can't wait to show ya'll where I'm at on New Years!

 

[cryptic]

If I don't squat to the ground is it a real squat, because I've been watching some records and they're not doing that. It would explain why I have trouble squatting more than 225.

 

[snoopen]

If I don't squat to the ground is it a real squat, because I've been watching some records and they're not doing that. It would explain why I have trouble squatting more than 225.

For big weights I don't go below parallel for my legs. If i'm doing a lighter weight, ie widowmakers i'll do atg.

 

[Deleted member 12837]

I forget what itʻs called but you can get in a reverse pushup position (facing ceiling) under a table and pull yourself toward the table with your hands. Thatʻs what I do when stuck in hotel rooms with no gym. Itʻs awkward but itʻs better than nothing.

I have done PT for herniated disk. It was a lot of stretching while flat on back--foot pointed to ceiling with a towel around it to stretch ham, glute stretch by pulling one knee to chest, bridging/hip thrust while on back, wall squats, and then just walking on a treadmill with good form since my walking had gotten really bad, compensating for the pain and tightness.

It's an inverted row. Keep the body completely straight and don't round during entire movement. Feet should be suspended from the floor at least at full arm extension height. Arms full extension and full contraction, I like my palms up (facing me) for the exercise as it gives better back recruitment and a more natural ROM. Will work the lats and upper back but you'd have to stack a bit of weight to get proper hypertrophy after a while, they're really good. You can do them after rows. Also flat lying barbell rows are great too with palms up but you'd need a cambered or ez bar for full ROM, DBs could work too with thumbs up grip.

Problem with a table is most would probably flip over unless you're really light. Also you want a full range of motion so you'd smash your face into the table to do that

A good body weight exercise I used to do were hand stand push ups with my back against a wall. Doing them as perpendicular as possible is best, and having a small cushion for your head!

Thanks guys, I totally forgot about inverted rows. I'll see what I can rig together!

 

[despire]

Starting my cut today. Got a lot of fat to lose but at least I know exactly what I'm doing. Going to post some progress numbers every now and then too.

Dropping my lifting volume down too so that I only do two sets instead of three since I'm going for a pretty big deficit. So it will be 5x, 5+ (AMRAP).

Press/Bench
Squat
Rows/Chins

Press/Bench
Deadlift
Rows/Chins

Press/Bench
Squat
Rows/Chins

Maybe throw fews dips in there too sometimes..


Let's do this!

 

[red731]

I will be jumping on this too..

I have one question though - if i have lets say three sets of five repetitions and then another exercise, should I do three sets first and then do another sets of different exercise or do one, do one from another, another and then second set for first, second, third...

Also interval running in between the workout days, yay or nay?

Will be sticking to beginner routine from the OP.

 

[A More Normal Bird]

Finish all sets of one exercise before moving onto another. As for the running, it may be manageable early on, but as the weights increase squatting 3 times a week with interval sprints on the off days will become nightmarish. The general recommendation is to keep the heavy conditioning for a day on the weekend that is not the day before any lower body lifting is to take place, e.g. saturday if lifting mon/wed/fri. Light to moderate cardio in between lifting days can assist with recovery however.

If conditioning is important to you however, for sports or otherwise, you could consider dropping lifting to 2 days a week.

 

[despire]

I will be jumping on this too..

I have one question though - if i have lets say three sets of five repetitions and then another exercise, should I do three sets first and then do another sets of different exercise or do one, do one from another, another and then second set for first, second, third...

Also interval running in between the workout days, yay or nay?

Will be sticking to beginner routine from the OP.

With your main lifts it is recommended to do one first before moving on to the second lift. If you want to do supersets you can do them with assistance lifts to save time.

HIIT can be done on rest days if you eat and rest enough. But if and when recovery becomes an issue I would reduce the intensity of the cardio or do it after your lifting.

Edit:
Beaten..

 

[red731]

Thanks A More Normal Bird & despire.
That perfectly answered my question.

 

[Noema]

If I don't squat to the ground is it a real squat, because I've been watching some records and they're not doing that. It would explain why I have trouble squatting more than 225.

You don't need to touch your calves with your butt, specially not in a low-bar squat, but your squat should be deep enough so that your butt is going below your knees by at least a little.

Anything else than that and you won't engage your posterior chain (glutes, hamstrings, adductors) in the movement as much as you would in a proper, full squat. In particular, with partial squats, there isn't a full stretch for the hamstrings, which means most of the force comes from the quadriceps (upwards), without a balancing pull from the antagonist hamstrings.

In other words, don't half squat. We don't like no stinking half squats. If someone half squats because that allows them to move more weight, they are just deluding themselves (and potentially risking knee / back injuries).

I will be jumping on this too..

I have one question though - if i have lets say three sets of five repetitions and then another exercise, should I do three sets first and then do another sets of different exercise or do one, do one from another, another and then second set for first, second, third...

Also interval running in between the workout days, yay or nay?

Will be sticking to beginner routine from the OP.

Don't superset compound movements. Do your squats, then after you are done, move on to the next lift.

 

[parrotbeak]

Thanks guys, I totally forgot about inverted rows. I'll see what I can rig together!

Last time I was on a business trip I broke a tree branch outside the hotel lobby doing pullups.

 

[Hilti92]

Quick question regarding gaining weight guys.. How does it work? Since September I've gained 20lbs. Started by taking Mutant Mass Protein which gained me 10lbs and currently doing GOMAD which has gained me 10lbs more. Started off at 122 now at 142. Anyways, the question is.. How does gaining weight work? When I wake up I will be at 142 then when I sleep I will be around 145/146 and then wake up at 142 again. I know you need to intake a certain amount of calories, protein, etc. But it seems like I just have been fluctuating around this weight for about a week or two now as compared to before I've been gaining weight pretty steady. How do I keep myself from shedding all of this weight at night, if possible. Probably a really stupid question though.

 

[despire]

Quick question regarding gaining weight guys.. How does it work? Since September I've gained 20lbs. Started by taking Mutant Mass Protein which gained me 10lbs and currently doing GOMAD which has gained me 10lbs more. Started off at 122 now at 142. Anyways, the question is.. How does gaining weight work? When I wake up I will be at 142 then when I sleep I will be around 145/146 and then wake up at 142 again. I know you need to intake a certain amount of calories, protein, etc. But it seems like I just have been fluctuating around this weight for about a week or two now as compared to before I've been gaining weight pretty steady. How do I keep myself from shedding all of this weight at night, if possible. Probably a really stupid question though.

You weight less in the morning since you haven't yet eaten or drank anything. When you drink and eat your bodyweight goes up of course since food weighs something. And eating carbs stores water to your body (1g of carbs sucks 3-4g of water to your body) which is released when the carbs get used by your body. So your weight first thing in the morning (after taking a crap) is the one you need to be concerned about.

And 20lbs in a month just means you gained a ton of fat as well as some muscle. You might want to slow things down a bit and get of that Mutant Mass. How tall are you if you only weighed 122lbs when you started? How did your lifts improve?

 

[TheDarkStark]

You weight less in the morning since you haven't yet eaten or drank anything. When you drink and eat your bodyweight goes up of course since food weighs something. And eating carbs stores water to your body (1g of carbs sucks 3-4g of water to your body) which is released when the carbs get used by your body. So your weight first thing in the morning (after taking a crap) is the one you need to be concerned about.

And 20lbs in a month just means you gained a ton of fat as well as some muscle. You might want to slow things down a bit and get of that Mutant Mass. How tall are you if you only weighed 122lbs when you started? How did your lifts improve?

This.

You're eating way too much if you're gaining 20lbs a month, at least half if not more will be fat.

You only want to be around BMR + 30% on lifting days (for somebody your size probably only like 2500 calories, depending on activity level), and then just slightly above BMR on rest days.


I mean if "getting bigger" is your only goal, then by all means keep eating, just realize that when you're done, you're going to have gained a ton of fat.

 

[Hilti92]

You weight less in the morning since you haven't yet eaten or drank anything. When you drink and eat your bodyweight goes up of course since food weighs something. And eating carbs stores water to your body (1g of carbs sucks 3-4g of water to your body) which is released when the carbs get used by your body. So your weight first thing in the morning (after taking a crap) is the one you need to be concerned about.

And 20lbs in a month just means you gained a ton of fat as well as some muscle. You might want to slow things down a bit and get of that Mutant Mass. How tall are you if you only weighed 122lbs when you started? How did your lifts improve?

I stopped Mutant Mass because I fucking dreaded the taste. I've been off that for about a month now. Anyways, I'm 5'8 1/2" and have been that pretty much for the paste 5 years. I've been at 118-120 for the past 5 years too and in September I joined a gym to help get myself into shape. I'm not quite sure my gain amounts but I can lift about 10lbs heavier in everything from when I started. I think 20lbs heavier for bench press.

This.

You're eating way too much if you're gaining 20lbs a month, at least half if not more will be fat.

You only want to be around BMR + 30% on lifting days (for somebody your size probably only like 2500 calories, depending on activity level), and then just slightly above BMR on rest days.


I mean if "getting bigger" is your only goal, then by all means keep eating, just realize that when you're done, you're going to have gained a ton of fat.

I'm trying to get bigger because I'm so skinny but I want to get muscle bigger. I know right now I'm gaining mostly fat but wont I be turning that fat into muscle soon/down the road as to before I did not have much of anything to turn into muscle?

 

[HarryHengst]

Quick question regarding gaining weight guys.. How does it work? Since September I've gained 20lbs. Started by taking Mutant Mass Protein which gained me 10lbs and currently doing GOMAD which has gained me 10lbs more. Started off at 122 now at 142. Anyways, the question is.. How does gaining weight work? When I wake up I will be at 142 then when I sleep I will be around 145/146 and then wake up at 142 again. I know you need to intake a certain amount of calories, protein, etc. But it seems like I just have been fluctuating around this weight for about a week or two now as compared to before I've been gaining weight pretty steady. How do I keep myself from shedding all of this weight at night, if possible. Probably a really stupid question though.

If you are really doing a gallon of milk a day you should half it to 2 liters a day. You are gaining weight too fast at the moment.

I'm trying to get bigger because I'm so skinny but I want to get muscle bigger. I know right now I'm gaining mostly fat but wont I be turning that fat into muscle soon/down the road as to before I did not have much of anything to turn into muscle?

Im not sure if the OP has something about how turning fat into muscle is not possible, but you gain either fat or muscle. With GOMAD, like others already said, you are clearly gaining mostly fat, which will take time to lose again. A shame, especially since its fat you are gaining unnecessarily.

 

[agrajag]

it took me about 6 months to put on 20 lbs of weight. Is that good or bad?

 

[sphinx]

I am by no means an specialist in nutrition but as a skinny guy, what I do is:

.- eat good sized portions of healthy(ish) food (Example: Beef, mashed potatoes and rice.). if you are really small or skinny, don't diet, eat as much as your body wants without going overboard.
.- Edited..
.- make sure workout is intense and that you are consuming what you eat.

strengthening muscle that is already there is done in a couple of months, creating muscle takes years, many, many years, AFAIK.

if there's something wrong with this, sorry, I'll edit and erase.

it took me about 6 months to put on 20 lbs of weight. Is that good or bad?

is that pure muscle?? holy shit, that's extremely fast. I've gained.. maybe 4.5 or 5 lbs in 3 months, granted no protein shakes, only bodyweight, blablabla...still, one of my best friends is doing serious bodybuilding for a bit more than a year and no way he is 20 lbs bigger.

 

[Hilti92]

If you are really doing a gallon of milk a day you should half it to 2 liters a day. You are gaining weight too fast at the moment.


Im not sure if the OP has something about how turning fat into muscle is not possible, but you gain either fat or muscle. With GOMAD, like others already said, you are clearly gaining mostly fat, which will take time to lose again. A shame, especially since its fat you are gaining unnecessarily.

Okay, so I guess I'm doing the opposite of what I want. How long should it be taking me to gain 1lb of weight? I guess I'll start doing 1/2 a gallon if that's what people are recommending. I'm not the best eater which I'll tell you guys now. Currently my diet pretty much is this:
Morning: Vector Cereal or 2 slices of toast full of peanut butter
Lunch: Beans or Mr. Noodles
Supper: Steak with a side of vegetables
Snack: Peanut Butter Toast.
After gym: Protein drink (MyoFusion)
I really don't each much and no matter how hard I try, it makes me feel sick to try and fill myself up more than what I eat now. Any recommendations there? I guess drinking a gallon of milk fills me up throughout the day aswell.. Also, I'm just a student and I can't afford much for food so it's hard to get expensive shit or a lot of stuff.

EDIT:
The Milk Diet
Aside from having the money to afford slabs of steak every night, the "milk diet" is one of the, if not the best, way for a beginner to gain muscular bodyweight, COUPLED with a routine focused on compound lifts (especially squats). Here's the essence:

3 solid, healthy meals a day
A protein shake here and there
1 gallon of whole milk a day

The gallon of whole milk contains:

2400 calories
130g fat
180g carbohydrates
130g protein

The OP seems to think the GOMAD diet is good for a person like me. Why do you guys say different?

 

[agrajag]

is that pure muscle?? holy shit, that's extremely fast. I've gained.. maybe 4.5 or 5 lbs in 3 months, granted no protein shakes, only bodyweight, blablabla...still, one of my best friends is doing serious bodybuilding for a bit more than a year and no way he is 20 lbs bigger.

no, of course it's not pure muscle, it's the total weight that I gained. I don't know how many lbs. of muscle I've gained, I'll take one or two or three, lol

 

[TheDarkStark]

I am by no means an specialist in nutrition but as a skinny guy, what I do is:

.- eat good sized portions of healthy(ish) food (Example: Beef, mashed potatoes and rice.). if you are really small or skinny, don't diet, eat as much as your body wants without going overboard.
.- Do decent cardio to keep your metabolism from going stagnant, you'll get pudgy down the line if you just eat and lift weight.
.- make sure workout is intense and that you are consuming what you eat.

strengthening muscle that is already there is done in a couple of months, creating muscle takes years, many, many years, AFAIK.

This is absolutely 100% false. You never ever need to do any cardio ever. In fact cardio is counter-productive for somebody who is trying to gain weight/muscle.

The more cardio you do the more you have to eat to gain muscle. Cardio good for your heart, lungs, and trying to LOSE weight, if you don't care about these 3 things than cardio is a complete waste of your time.

There's a reason you don't see most of the bigger guys at the gym on treadmill. You keep yourself from getting "pudgy" by NOT doing what mibpue is doing, which is by completely overeating to the extreme. You don't just jump from a 1700 calorie diet to taking weight gainer doing GOMAD, you've gotta take baby steps, there are no shortcuts (besides steroids) it takes years to put on lean mass.

 

[sphinx]

no, of course it's not pure muscle, it's the total weight that I gained. I don't know how many lbs. of muscle I've gained, I'll take one or two or three, lol

do you have your BF% from before? maybe you can more or less get an idea how much is from what if you compare that % to your current one.

If they are the same, then you deserve a medal

This is absolutely 100% false. You never ever need to do any cardio ever. In fact cardio is counter-productive for somebody who is trying to gain weight/muscle.

The more cardio you do the more you have to eat to gain muscle.

There's a reason you don't see most of the bigger guys at the gym on treadmill.

agreed. No argument there.

however, I don't think that a guy doing no cardio whatsoever and a guy putting some cardio will get the same results. The one with less movement will look sturdier, heavier and if BF% is high then definitely pudgy, the other guy with look leaner. Maybe Mibupe would like to consider that and see for himself what he wants.

but I'll edit in any case.

 

[agrajag]

do you have your BF% from before? maybe you can more or less get an idea how much is from what if you compare that % to your current one.

If they are the same, then you deserve a medal

No clue how to measure that stuff, I'm just going by feel. I know I'm not getting fat, so I'm not very concerned about putting on an extreme amount of fat. I started at 146 lbs. in may, I'm hovering around 164-165 right now. So a little less than 20 lbs. My original plan was to get to 165 and then cut, but I now changed the goal to 170. I think if I go up to 170 I'll have gained sufficient muscle mass to justify a cut. It was incredibly difficult gaining that much weight for me, I don't normally eat a lot and feel satiated after small meals.

 

[TheDarkStark]

do you have your BF% from before? maybe you can more or less get an idea how much is from what if you compare that % to your current one.

If they are the same, then you deserve a medal



agreed. No argument there.

however, I don't think that a guy doing no cardio whatsoever and a guy putting some cardio will get the same results. The one with less movement will look sturdier, heavier and if BF% is high then definitely pudgy, the other guy with look leaner. Maybe Mibupe would like to consider that and see for himself what he wants.

but I'll edit in any case.

Literally the only thing that effects weight gain/loss (and thus fat gain/loss) is calories burned vs calories consumed.

If you burn 2000 calories a day, you could eat 1900 calories worth of ice cream every single day, and never get out of bed, and you'd still lose weight.

It's that simple.

Body composition is determined by macro's and activity level. If you want to gain mostly lean muscle, eat tons of carbs and protein and limit your fats. If you're under BMR (some people call it maintenance) your body will burn fat to use it as energy in place of carbs, if you're over BMR your body will turn all fat in your diet into body fat (minus about 50-60g a day which is used for daily bodily functions).

 

[Syphon Filter]

How often do you guys switch up your whole workout routine? Also do you still keep the compound exercises no matter what?

 

[RumblingRosco]

I have been slowly bulking since May and have gained about 14 lbs in that time, with my main compound lifts improving by 15-30 lbs without losing proper form. My calipers, my body fat is about the same, maybe a few pounds heavier (less than 5 by this rough estimate). I feel like it is a nice rate of growth for me and I hope to keep up this rate through March or April, when I will begin a cut of some sort.

When I see people gain or lose more than 1-2 lbs a week, I have to question the healthiness of it.

 

[agrajag]

I have been slowly bulking since May and have gained about 14 lbs in that time, with my main compound lifts improving by 15-30 lbs without losing proper form. My calipers, my body fat is about the same, maybe a few pounds heavier (less than 5 by this rough estimate). I feel like it is a nice rate of growth for me and I hope to keep up this rate through March or April, when I will begin a cut of some sort.

When I see people gain or lose more than 1-2 lbs a week, I have to question the healthiness of it.

My gains are weird. I'll stay the same for two or three weeks and then all of a sudden bump up 1-2 lbs in one week.