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I need help (regarding my gym routine)

post #1 of 70
12/3/07 at 3:05am
Thread Starter 
I've been training with weights for a while and have been getting different results than what I was aiming for. It seems as though my body is acting incorrectly to teh training (??). I have been lifting to gain mass (high weights, low reps) but it seems as though I'm not getting bigger. I'm merely getting toned. This doesn't work for me as I would like to get toned by virture of my cardio exercises. The worst part is that if I stop lifting I start gaining dead weight in fat...not muscle.

My routine is normaly dedicating an hour a day to a muscle group and then 30 minutes of cardio + ab workout. this usually takes me about two hours to complete.

What should I change in my routine?? Is there any advice you can give me?
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post #2 of 70
12/3/07 at 4:58am
maybe you are a "hard gainer" I think there is a post specifically about this. earlier
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post #3 of 70
12/3/07 at 5:23am
Quote:
Originally Posted by kakaroach View Post
I've been training with weights for a while and have been getting different results than what I was aiming for. It seems as though my body is acting incorrectly to teh training (??). I have been lifting to gain mass (high weights, low reps) but it seems as though I'm not getting bigger. I'm merely getting toned. This doesn't work for me as I would like to get toned by virture of my cardio exercises. The worst part is that if I stop lifting I start gaining dead weight in fat...not muscle.

My routine is normaly dedicating an hour a day to a muscle group and then 30 minutes of cardio + ab workout. this usually takes me about two hours to complete.

What should I change in my routine?? Is there any advice you can give me?

What exactly do you do in the gym?
How low are your reps?
What do you eat?

These are the things that figures in your results?
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post #4 of 70
12/3/07 at 5:45am
High weights and low reps = strength specific, not hypertrophy. I don't know what you mean by "low", however, to me (and the NSCA) that means 1-2 sets of 2-6 reps. If you want to gain size, you should be repping 8-12 with 2-4 sets using a difficult weight.
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post #5 of 70
12/3/07 at 12:58pm
Here is how I agained my muscle mass. I am asian male and my height is 5'10". As for me, I consumed sh!t load of calories and bumped up my body weight from 160 to 205lbs at one point. I lifted heavy heavy weights without use of any spotters. Of course, I gained lot of body fat in the process so I looked like a football player when I wore clothes. After reaching 205lbs, I cut down calories and now I am 185lbs with about 10% body fat. Now I do less weight training and more dancing or cardio to "shape" my body.
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post #6 of 70
12/3/07 at 1:13pm
What is your after workout meal? What do you eat the rest of the day? If you're not getting bigger (putting on weight) then you're not eating enough.
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post #7 of 70
12/3/07 at 1:51pm
HST is an effective way to gain weight pretty quickly, in my experience.
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post #8 of 70
12/3/07 at 1:51pm
Two things:

1. Your cardio is counter-productive. You are burning the calories that will add the mass that will give you the bulk for which you are looking. What you basically want is a body builder's approach. Eat heavy, lift heavy, sleep. Do the cardio and the diet after you have added mass so as to strip off the fat.

2. You are probably lifting too much if you are lifting for an hour almost every day. You need to build in time time for recovery. During recovery is when mass is added. In the cutting phase, you can add more reps, sets if you wish. In the mass building stage, think no more than 2 sets in the 8-10 rep range. Virtually all studies indicate that the gain achieved by the 3rd set is negligible unless you are juicing. Build in rest days.

Good luck.
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post #9 of 70
12/3/07 at 2:09pm
Also you may gain more benefit by doing more compound exercises involving large muscle groups for pure mass gain.
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post #10 of 70
12/3/07 at 2:58pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by marc237 View Post
Two things:

1. Your cardio is counter-productive. You are burning the calories that will add the mass that will give you the bulk for which you are looking. What you basically want is a body builder's approach. Eat heavy, lift heavy, sleep. Do the cardio and the diet after you have added mass so as to strip off the fat.

This is not entirely correct. Assuming you take in enough food to make up for the expendited calories AND still maintain a caloric surplus, doing some cardio won't hurt. Done in >30min continuous sessions, it actually helps cut down the fat gain, among other cardiovascular benefits. I read that many BB-ers do >45 min cardio session everyday, if not more, during bulking phases.

Quote:
Originally Posted by kakaroach
My routine is normaly dedicating an hour a day to a muscle group and then 30 minutes of cardio + ab workout. this usually takes me about two hours to complete.
Lest you're a fitness professional, spending 2 hours everyday in the gym is a waste of time.

Quote:
Originally Posted by kakemono
maybe you are a "hard gainer"

I think there is a post specifically about this. earlier
No. In that thread we sorta esblished that this term does not apply to 99% of the population. Mass gain is all about proper nutrition and training.
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post #11 of 70
12/3/07 at 3:08pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by whacked View Post
No. In that thread we sorta esblished that this term does not apply to 99% of the population. Mass gain is all about proper nutrition and training.

Good post but you forgot to tell him to eat more.

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post #12 of 70
12/3/07 at 3:20pm
Yeah FYI you don't want to be in the gym for extended periods of time. Studies show that after about 45 minutes, your cortisol levels shoot up and will negate a lot of the benefits.
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post #13 of 70
12/3/07 at 3:24pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by TheHoff View Post
Good post but you forgot to tell him to eat more.


mah bad. It's worth noting, however, that eating too clean during bulking phases might be a bad idea. It has been suggested that very high fiber intake can increase the amount of nutrients being lost to excretion; as the fiber prevents the enzymes from being able to reach the nutrients, and they simply pass through unabsorbed. Essentially, you'll need to eat even more food to get the same results. Besides, it's hard to eat regularly when you're always full.
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post #14 of 70
12/3/07 at 3:35pm
Eat more.
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post #15 of 70
12/3/07 at 4:04pm
Well in addition to eating more, you have to eat right. I went from about 170lbs to 205lbs in a semester by following some simple rules. In addition to eating right you want to try and consume 1.5 to 2 grams of protein for every pound that you weigh. so if you weigh 160lb you want to consume anywhere from 240grams to 320grams of protein per day. So every meal you eat per day you should try to get protein in it. It doesnt work if you try to get the bulk of the protein in one meal you have to spread it throughout the day while making sure that you eat the most protein an hour after you weight train. So you can get a protein powder and make shakes after workouts which is about 70g. Count in dinner and lunch and you should be well on your way. And if you want a very useful site for nutrition and working out, go to www.bodybuilding.com. I found a lot of useful info on that site.
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