Im 6'3. August 05 I was at 175. Right now Im at 197 +/- 2 lbs. Ive managed to put on mostly good muscle, with limited belly jelly. But, I havent been able to breach 200. I need some help with building my shoulders since I have a thin frame and maybe some chest because Ive plateaued there and cant break 90lb dumbells and 230 barbell bench. Ive just been using On Whey for about a month, most of my protein comes from my diet. Im trying to build while not getting fat, maybe so I could lose a few pounds. Any ideas?
take a week break...you always go back stronger then before...change up your workout...try lifting heavier, less reps, more sets. Switch up your diet...try carb cycling. Do less cardio..or do HIIT...your body is bored
my routine has been for the past month
Day 1: dumbells press 4 sets of 6, incline dumbell press, 4 sets of 6
standing bicep curl, incline curls, single arm curls. 1.5 mile run
day 2: military press, dumbells military, rear delts
skull crushers, french curls, 1.5 mile run
Day 3ullups, lat pull down, rows, calf raises seated and standing, squats
Rest
Day 5: chest decline press, incline fly, bicep curl, incline curls, single arm curls, 1.5 mile run
Day 6: shoudler upright row, lateral raises, front delt raises, skull crushers, french curls, 1.5 mile run
Rest
The previous month, I was working the barbells rather than the dumbells to change it up. I actually just started to focus on one muscle group 1 day a week and have noticed that I have been able to break my barriers and have also switched up the order of what days work which muscles, basically what is not sore Im working. Let me know if u have more suggestions. ty
Yeah you should be doing each muscle group once a week and do about 4 different movements...always do your Tris the day before you do chest so you are using more of your chest muscles. Same goes with bis the day before back. Also I think you are doing too much SS cardio...you should try doing 2 sessions a week of HIIT cardio, you end up burning fat faster in the long run then SS cardio...also takes up less time which in my case is great cause I HATE cardio!
always do your Tris the day before you do chest so you are using more of your chest muscles. Same goes with bis the day before back.
def. DON'T do that.. chest and back are large muscle groups, and you won't be working them to their full potential if you blast triceps/biceps the day before. Not to mention you'll be overworking your triceps/biceps like crazy.
I don't like your routine for several reasons. First of all, 6 days/week is too much IMO, unless you're getting 10+ hrs. of sleep a day, your diet is close to perfect and/or you're using steroids.
4 days should be enough if you're lifting with intensity and doing all the meat-n-potatoes exercises (squats, deadlifts, bench press, etc.). If you really wanna go on the 5th day, do some cardio and maybe abs. But I remember when I used to be really into lifting, I needed those 3 days off, because I couldn't move my legs from heavy squats, and the rest of my body was sore from other days.
And why do you have 2 days dedicated to chest and biceps.. one is enough.
Do something along the lines:
Day 1 - Chest / triceps / abs
Day 2 - Legs
Day 3 - rest
Day 4 - Back / abs
Day 5 - Shoulders / biceps
Day 6 - rest / cardio
Day 7 - rest
And you still haven't posted your daily meal plan, chances are it's the weak link.
good advice. i cant do tris before chest cause ill lose some ability to lift. So i shouldnt be running as much? i still need to lose some ab flab imo, but i figure with it being 90 now, im losing lbs everyday more and more. i guess my plateau is subjective, but its not so bad since ive moved into one muscle group per day.
noise, meal like this:
breakfast: water, PBJ , apple, banana
snack: salad, 75g protein shake
lunch: not fast food, but what i can make in 10 mins, maybe tuna sand.
snack: fruit
prior to gym: 75g protein shake, 3000mg arginine
after gym: 50g shake, salad, yogurt, some sort of meat, maybe rice or potato
i get 8 hours of sleep usually, dont drink ever anymore.
well, I personally would have a bigger breakfast than that. For example - eggs, oatmeal (or dry cereal w/ milk), couple pieces of whole wheat toast, banana (or your PBJ sandwich). For snacks, it's always better to go with real food, cause really the only time you need a protein powder is post-workout. So for example, make a few turkey or tuna salad sandwiches. Also nuts, just snacks on them anytime during the day. I'd also make lunch bigger, like some kind of meat plus rice/potatoes and a salad. Oh, and also have that meal after the workout about an hour after you have your shake, not right away.
if you're relying on bis and tris to do the movement, then you're not doing the movement right in the first place. Both biceps and triceps are supporting muscles, and working them the day before is just gonna make them fail first when doing bench press for example, instead of your chest, therefore not allowing the main muscle group to be exercised properly.
If forces you to use the correct muscles and not rely on the bis and tris to get you through the workout. I have been told this by fitness competitors
That's fine for fitness competitors, but chances are the dude doesn't want to look like Monica Brandt. Whatever advice the fitness competitors gave you is probably good for a woman who wants to still look feminine, but do you want to act on the advice I've gotten from competitive bodybuilders and powerlifters? I certainly wouldn't expect you to take up a Westside Barbell powerlifting routine anytime soon.
Onto my layman's advice for Blouisgod...
In my opinion, your split sucks. It makes no sense. You're doing biceps on two consecutive days and biceps with chest, you're doing legs with back, you're doing chest twice a week, etc, and you're running all the damn time. It's completely random with no rhyme or reason.
Here's my split, but keep in mind that I use a powerlifter grip for bench (index fingers on the rings) and take care not to use any triceps to bench.
Monday - legs
Tuesday - shoudlers/traps
Wednesday - back
Thursday - chest
Friday - arms
I work abs when I feel like it (usually on tuesdays, thursdays, and weekends.)
As for the diet, George Foreman is your friend. If not for that crazy little grille, I'd probably weigh 30lbs less. I live in the dorms and don't have access to an oven so something that can cook a chicken breast or a lean burger in 5 minutes is my best friend. It seems like too much of your protein comes from shakes and you need to try to change that to whole foods. Also, your timing needs to be more consistent. Instead of 75g shakes, try smaller shakes more often. I carry around my protein powder in little ziplock bags in my backpack and it's very convienent.
kool thanks for the info. i work sales all day and am on the road. it makes it really hard to eat something that isnt processed from a drive through, hence the shakes and the occasionally protein bar. there is no benefit from eating the processed shit, other than making you shit. sometimes im able to grab a deli sub or a i do a luncheon with BBQ and pig out.
as for the workout, switching back to my old routine doing a group a day, before the one i posted that got destroyed by you guys (and a "fitness guru" put me onto) ive started to climb weight again ... i just feel more rested and that i can go longer and stronger. just goes to show that those guys dont know everything.
i used to do the powerlifter grip with my 4ft long arms, but i found i couldnt get the bar to my chest because id pinch my shoulders. i now put my ring finger on the rings and am able to drop the bar to my chest, and have actually been able to surpass my old powerlift weight by 30 lbs. im not using my triceps, but it helps to support the weight if they arent sore, ya know.
ullups, lat pull down, rows, calf raises seated and standing, squats 
, apple, banana
