any advice please

[needsleep]

I will have to introduce myself and give some background before I outline my program and what I would appreciate some advice on.

I've been reading a lot of info on this site trying to increase my own knowledge on building myself up and weight training.

I already had a program I was following but being as I had never done weight training before and had only a passing knowledge I came to the conclusion that I would just do 3 sets on main muscle groups at maximum instensity and I trained 3 times a week on all muscles (overtraining I now realise). I regularly did Legpress for quads and calves, leg extensions, leg curls, flat chess press, shoulder press, lat pull down and pec deck.

Although this wasn't an ideal program I managed to put on 35lbs over 6 months (from 165lbs to 200lbs). I did level out at this weight and then I suffered from a swelling of both my ankles for a month before I restarted and worked my weights back up to their previous highs. I was taking creatine and just a little extra protein (whey powder) after work outs. The gym I trained at was very small and all machines, I have now joined a much larger gym with many more machines and free weights.

Anyway now my life story is over I am wanting to step my training up to the next level. I want to put on some decent muscle and look a lot better than I do now.

I have been reading up a lot on this site and in books, I come from a fairly sporty background and have a Masters Degree in Sports Science (Essex University UK 2000), you may think this makes me knowledgeable, but no we hardly touched on heavy weight training so I know very little. Well after this I decided to use Doggcrapps (sp) training methods. I was impressed by all the articles I read and the thread where he replied multiple times.

I am training tuesdays, thursdays and saturdays doing tuesday and saturday as my one work out (eg legs, biceps forearms) and thursday and the following tuesday as my other work out (day 2).

Here it is

Day 1:1
Leg press,
Hamstring Curls,
Calf raises (using leg press machine),
forearm curls,
bicep curls (dumbbells)

Day 2:1
Flat chess press (machine)
Shoulder press (machine)
tricep extensions (machine)
lat pull down, wide arm grip.
Seated Rows.
Abs.

Day 1:2
etc....

Day 2:2

Day 1:3

Day 2:3

Day 1:1
etc...

I am struggling to come up with a couple extra back width exercises (lats) and also back thickness exercises.

I really want to do more free weights, but I don't have a training partner so it is very difficult to do so.

Any advice about websites detailing exerices for these body parts showing more ways to exercise those two groups and also legs and chest (thinking dumb bell flys for one and pec deck for the other).

Also is inclined chest press a shoulder or chest exercise?

I have so far done one day of each day (days 1:1 and 2:1), I do ache a fair bit but it's not that bad, thinking I should develop more intensity during my work outs.

I was doing the rest pausing and 6-8 second negatives and then attempting the statics (I say attempting as it was more of just me putting the weight down real slowly as my muscles just couldn't hold it there for that length of time.

I also did the best stretches I could but was limited from doing the stated extreme stretches in some cases, in which case I did the best I could.

I need advice on alternate exercises for those I listed and perhaps others. And any advice on the DC program to do with how you can manage to hold the weight up there for 30 second statics at the end =p think I managed like 10-15 seconds before my muscles just couldn't lift a thing.

I am also really struggling on the inhuman protein consumption, I am knocking back whey protein shakes and tins of tuna and bottles of milk like nobodies business, but 400grams or so is just really difficult, any other easily accesible foods I could be hitting?

Thanks for putting up with a wannabe's questions.

25years old, male, 6ft, 200lbs, about 13%bf, but comming from 165lbs I still feel like a stick with no muscles

 

[Fatty4You]

First off, at 200 lbs. I dont think you should feel like a stick! Especially at 13% bf.

I just started the DC method a few weeks ago and here are the rotational exercises i came up with:

Shoulders: Barbell press, dumbbell press, upright rows [although this one feels wierd, may stop doing it]

Chest: Incline Barbell, Flat Barbell, Machine Press [Each arm has its own weight]

Back width: Assisted Pull ups, Pull downs, narrow grip pull downs

Back thick: Machine High Row, Machine Low Row, Deads

Bis: Standing Ez-bar, preacher curl

Tris: Weighted dips, lying extensions [skull crushers], v-bar push down.

Quads: Squats, Leg press

Hammies: Stiff leg deads, lying leg curls, [maybe dong glute-ham raises also]

Calves: Standing calve raises.


I am still playing around with stuff, trying to figure out which works best. For instance, the leg press at my gym has a limited weight stack, so i am now trying to figure out how to add more weight.

Hope this helped at all.

-Fatty

 

[needsleep]

thanks for the reply

Being always slim I just always feel thin even though I have upped myself to 200lbs, I guess it's not to disimilar to aneroxic people thinking they are fat (bit of an exageration but closest thing I could think of), any other ex thin people feel the same way?

Thanks for the advice, I am comming to realise I am actually aching quite a bit from my workout yesterday, trying to eat all that protein is one of the hardest things I have done also.

My goal is to put on appreciable muscle mass so I look a lot better than I do at the moment. Trying to go on DC's principle of strength gain + proper nutrition = size gain. Have a note book and pen I now carry around the gym with me

Thank you for the reply.

btw I was having to think up a name on the spot to join these forums I saw someone named needsize and thought to myself "hmm what do i need?" the first thought in my head was SLEEP hope needsize doesn't mind.

 

[Fatty4You]

Re: thanks for the reply

Being always slim I just always feel thin even though I have upped myself to 200lbs, I guess it's not to disimilar to aneroxic people thinking they are fat (bit of an exageration but closest thing I could think of), any other ex thin people feel the same way?

I know exactly what you mean. I weigh about 220 right now [with high BF percentage] and i feel just as small as i did when i was 180. I dont think my feelings reflex my size at all... I will always be too small

Maybe when i am 300 and ripped, i will be satisfied...

-Fatty

 

[DrBones]

I know exactly what you mean. I weigh about 220 right now [with high BF percentage] and i feel just as small as i did when i was 180. I dont think my feelings reflex my size at all... I will always be too small

I think we all feel this way... its fuckin terrible... I'm 5'10 and always told myself when I was 170ish that when I hit 190 i would be soooo happy.... well, 200 rolled around(well my stomach was rolling.. lol) and I didnt feel like I was even a little bit bigger....

Getting bigger is like crack.... once you try it, your hooked and it takes more and more to satisfy you!

 

[Fatty4You]

The worst part is that i look around, and everyone seems bigger than me!! Its aweful!!

No matter how small the guy is, i can look at him an be like "i wonder if his legs are bigger than mine?" or "I will my traps coudl be seen through my shirt like that?" and all the while, these could be people who weigh like 145 and probably have never done lifting.

AHHHHHH

-Fatty

 

[needsleep]

It's nice to know others feel the same way about feeling thin, it's kind of comforting. I keep telling myself I need another 14lbs (a stone in the UK), I've done this a couple times but each time I have succeeded I just still look exactly the same in my own eyes.

Another question I have is, I never really trained biceps before and now I started on the DC training I found the seated rows have worked them enough for me to feel it in my biceps the day after, not much but it's there. Should I be doing the bicep training (curls) tommorow on my legs/biceps/forearms day?

 

[Fatty4You]

Hmmm, i would say wait till tomarrow to see if you are still sore. Then, if you are, maybe go light, just to get some blood flowing.

But in the end, the body has to get used to the work... i think.

-Fatty

 

[needsize]

Re: thanks for the reply

btw I was having to think up a name on the spot to join these forums I saw someone named needsize and thought to myself "hmm what do i need?" the first thought in my head was SLEEP hope needsize doesn't mind. [/B]

Nope, it's cool, just dont go trying to steal spatts from me, we're going steady.....(at least thats what I've been telling myself since her latest avatar)