Challenge Thread for the Skinnies

[Unclean]

Can we start a challenge thread for the skinny people? I'm trying to bulk up a bit, and figure there's gotta be SOME other people around doing the same thing. I'll put up some of my "shame pictures" later this weekend or early next weekend.

 

Starting weight: 174

Current weight: 177

Current height: 6'2"

Goal: 200lbs

% to Goal: 13%

 

Diet: 3000-3500 calories a day. Protein shake + Glutamine after workout.

 

Exercise: high intensity (at least 4 reps, can't do more than 6 in a set), 3 sets. 45 minutes each

Day 1: Chest & Arms

Day 2: Legs & Abs

Day 3: Shoulders & Back

 

Noteable achievements: I was able to bench 195 comfortably on Monday. New personal record. Whooo!

[stutters]

Can we start a challenge thread for the skinny people?  I'm trying to bulk up a bit, and figure there's gotta be SOME other people around doing the same thing.  I'll put up some of my "shame pictures" later this weekend or early next weekend.

 

Starting weight:  174

Current weight:  177

Current height:  6'2"

Goal:  200lbs

% to Goal:  13%

 

Diet: 3000-3500 calories a day.  Protein shake + Glutamine after workout.

 

Exercise:  high intensity (at least 4 reps, can't do more than 6 in a set), 3 sets.  45 minutes each

Day 1:  Chest & Arms

Day 2:  Legs & Abs

Day 3:  Shoulders & Back

 

Noteable achievements:  I was able to bench 195 comfortably on Monday.  New personal record.  Whooo!

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drag avengence into this with you. that pole needs to beef up

 

west # 3 - the cleanest (and healthiest) server in all of GC land!

[Bubblegum Bandit]

Exercise:  high intensity (at least 4 reps, can't do more than 6 in a set), 3 sets.  45 minutes each

Day 1:  Chest & Arms

Day 2:  Legs & Abs

Day 3:  Shoulders & Back

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

If I may ask, why only 4 to 6 reps? and only 3 sets? Would seem more like low intensity to me, depending on rest time between sets at least.

 

It would also seem like if you were going to bulk, you would want to put some bodyfat restrictions on it as well so that its definately exercise. I mean, if you're working out and eating all that and the other guy is just sitting on the couch and eating, I'm betting he's going to win. You would have a much nicer body though!!!...

[Unclean]

I see your point -- intensity is relative. Simply put, high weights with low repetitions is the fastest way to create mass. Medium or lower weights with higher repetitions is the fastest way to create better muscle endurance. I've been following a routine named "MAX-OT", if you're curious to learn more about it.

 

And I get what you're saying about the competition side -- it's mainly on the honor system. If someone wants to cheat me out of money or whatever by pigging out and letting their body go to hell, it's their choice. Nothing I can do about that. In your situation there, who's the REAL winner? Me, or the guy on the couch?

[stutters]

one of our old weight trainers lived and died by the pyramid for bulking. using your bench (195) as an example:

 

1st - 12 reps - 135lbs (light, but focus on breathing and technique)

2nd - 10 reps - 165 lbs

3rd - 8 reps - 185 lbs

4th - 6 reps - 195lbs

5th - 12 reps - 145lbs

 

during the lift, emphasize slow continuous movement. do your reps slower (and usually lower weight) than the meathead next to you. your 4th set should be burning, and the 10th, 11th, & 12th rep on the 5th set should feel like death.

 

what's glutamine? i've heard of glucoasime (which destroyed my stomache). if that's an alternative, i'd like to know more about it. have you considered creatine in place of your protein?

[Bubblegum Bandit]

I see your point -- intensity is relative.  Simply put, high weights with low repetitions is the fastest way to create mass.  Medium or lower weights with higher repetitions is the fastest way to create better muscle endurance.  I've been following a routine named "MAX-OT", if you're curious to learn more about it.

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I'd be interested in seeing your source of information, especially for the italicized text there. I will admit that with more and more research, things change. I haven't been in the build mass game for 3 or 4 years now, but when I was, this was pretty much gospel:

 

4-6 rep zone = strength gain

8-10 rep zone = mass gain

10-14 rep zone = cut/muscle endurance

 

There is obviously no fine line there, and all three lended to each other in some way shape or form. Its been so long I don't know that I could still link you to the data I'm spitting out, but I can look and see. I used to have a huge library of weightlifting / get fit books but I loaned to bulk of them to a coworker at an old job and I never got them back.

 

Anyways, I'd just be curious to see the info if you have it handy.

 

during the lift, emphasize slow continuous movement. do your reps slower (and usually lower weight) than the meathead next to you.

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This is good advice no matter what your scheme or target is. I'd also add good form to the mix. Those guys throwing weights around fast like that are only cheating themselves. 1. They are using momentum more then their muscles which isn't really helping them build muscles and 2. once they learn to use their momentum well enough they are going to hurt themselves.

[Bubblegum Bandit]

Here's a very interesting article imo. It seems to favor both of our ideals above. However, there is a very interesting section that talks about weight gain and how much protein to intake.

 

Secret #6

 

Growing muscles need more than protein.

 

The mythology surrounding protein and muscle building could fill a book, even though the science is fairly straightforward. Your muscles are made of protein (except the four-fifths that's water), so you have to eat protein to make them grow. You also have to eat protein to keep them from shrinking, which is why men trying to lose fat without sacrificing muscle do best when they build their diets around high-quality, muscle-friendly protein from lean meat, fish, eggs, poultry, and low-fat dairy products.

 

But if you're young, lean, and trying to gain solid weight, a lot of extra protein may not help as much as you think. Protein has qualities that help weight loss and may curtail weight gain. First, protein is metabolically expensive for your body to process. Your body burns about 20 percent of each protein calorie just digesting it. (It burns about 8 percent of carbohydrate and 2 percent of fat during digestion.)

 

Second, protein creates a high level of satiety, both during meals and between them. In other words, it makes you feel fuller faster and keeps you feeling full longer between meals. (This effect does wear off as you grow accustomed to a higher-protein diet, so it may not have an impact on long-term weight gain or weight loss.)

 

Finally, if you eat more protein than your body needs, it will learn to use the protein for energy. You want your body to burn carbohydrates and fat for energy, obviously, so a body that's relying on protein for energy is like a car that's using pieces of its engine for fuel.

 

The best weight-gain strategy is to focus on calories first, protein second. You should make sure you're eating at least 2 grams (g) of protein per kilogram (kg) of muscle mass. A kilogram is 2.2 pounds, so a 160-pound guy weighs about 73 kg and should take in a minimum of 146 g protein a day. But that's just 584 calories of protein, the amount you'd find in 15 ounces of chicken, two salmon fillets, or a 28-ounce steak. A protein-powder shake can amp up your totals, as well. If you need to eat more than 3,000 calories a day to gain weight, you'd better have some sweet potatoes with those steaks.

 

http://www.menshealth.com/cda/article.do?s...010cfe793cd____

[Bubblegum Bandit]

Found this, I actually did it twice. Took about 6 months off in between. It worked though. 1st time I did it I went from a Max bench press of 275 to 325 and the second time I went from 355 to 405. Some of my buddies didn't have as much success with it, but they did have appreciable gains.

 

Increase your bench by 50 pounds.

[Unclean]

one of our old weight trainers lived and died by the pyramid for bulking. using your bench (195) as an example:

 

1st  - 12 reps - 135lbs (light, but focus on breathing and technique)

2nd - 10 reps - 165 lbs

3rd - 8 reps - 185 lbs

4th - 6 reps - 195lbs

5th - 12 reps - 145lbs

 

during the lift, emphasize slow continuous movement. do your reps slower (and usually lower weight) than the meathead next to you. your 4th set should be burning, and the 10th, 11th, & 12th rep on the 5th set should feel like death.

I've actually heard the pyramid mindset doesn't work well for bodybuilding for a few reasons. The two that stick out in my mind are 1) if a muscle is worked to exhaustion, the body's priority is to re-charge the muscle rather than build more, and 2) something to do with "muscle memory", where the body tends to remember the last exercise done. If it was really intense, then the body creates more muscle. If it was a weak exercise, then the body thinks "oh, I'm just tired, and don't really need to build muscle".

 

what's glutamine? i've heard of glucoasime (which destroyed my stomache). if that's an alternative, i'd like to know more about it. have you considered creatine in place of your protein?

Glutamine = a nutrient the body uses to help metabolize protein.

Glucosamine = glutamine + sugar (glucose).

 

I'm still not sure about creatine though... I'd be curious to hear what other people have to say about it (what they've heard, their experiences, etc).

 

Found this, I actually did it twice.  Took about 6 months off in between.  It worked though.  1st time I did it I went from a Max bench press of 275 to 325 and the second time I went from 355 to 405.  Some of my buddies didn't have as much success with it, but they did have appreciable gains.

 

Increase your bench by 50 pounds.

This sounds an awful lot like Max-OT. I've been putting 5-10lbs on my bench each week from a routine like that. Good stuff. For those of you that are interested, send me a PM with your email address and I'll send you a pdf about the program.

[Bubblegum Bandit]

I've actually heard the pyramid mindset doesn't work well for bodybuilding for a few reasons.  The two that stick out in my mind are 1) if a muscle is worked to exhaustion, the body's priority is to re-charge the muscle rather than build more, and 2) something to do with "muscle memory", where the body tends to remember the last exercise done.  If it was really intense, then the body creates more muscle.  If it was a weak exercise, then the body thinks "oh, I'm just tired, and don't really need to build muscle".

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Those two points seem to contradict themselves in my mind. I would think working the muscle to exhaustion would be more intense.

 

Also, the way a muscle "grows" is by being broken down. You hammer the muscle and it creates small tears in the muscle tissue. When the body repairs the muscle it puts a little more tissue in there to try and prevent that from happening again. This is how your muscle gets bigger. I would think pyramiding and working the muscle to exhaustion would be THE way to go. The down fall is that it takes soooo much rest in between. If you work out that muscle again before it is fully repaired then you are just repeatedly damaging the muscle rather then letting it repair itself before you tear it down again.

[Unclean]

Ah, I don't think I explained it properly. Yes, the body builds the torn muscle fibers, but if the body is replenishing the muscle's energy, it's not dedicating that energy to building additional muscle fibers.

 

But again, this is going from memory -- I could be completely wrong on this one.

[Bubblegum Bandit]

I think what you're saying is that if you don't work the muscles hard enough to where they "tear" then they won't be rebuilt, just replenished with energy.

 

All I'm saying is that I would think pyrimiding would be a good way to get your muscles to that point. Assuming you are doing the exercises correctly, pyramids are pretty punishing.