Trying to Gain Muscle honestly ... please help

[Robario]

Hi all -
I am new to this forum, so please try to help me out. First off, I know I am a novice, but I am trying to learn. I am 6' 190lbs, and I want to put on some good muscle, realisitically, about 5-10 pounds before summer. I can get lean then, so I dont care about my looks that much right now, I just want to add muscle. I lift 5 days a week. Cardio about 3 days a week. Diet consists of solid 250g protein a day, about 250-300g carbs a day and always around 25-35g of fat. I eat lots of cottage chesse, tuna, turkey and chicken. Eat about 4-5 meals a day. I have started on protein shakes about a month ago, twice a day, and finally started simple creatine last week. I take 6 grams 3 times a day(once right before, once right after a workout). Always take it with apple juice. I also drink lots of water. So far, I do not notice an impact from the creatine. Only that before I had some gas with high protein diet, and now I dont(maybe I am finally using the protein in my diet). Sorry for the ramble, but can anyone offer any suggestions? To try to gain muscle, I have switched to a lower rep, higher weight lifting program, but I am still weak. Maybe my weight training needs work. Again, any help would be appreciated, thanks everyone.

 

[riskybizz007]

Maybe you're overtraining. Doing lots of cardio and hitting the gym 5 days a week is a lot of stress on the body. There's another thread on a beginner guy here, take a look at it there's lots of good info there.

If you're stuck on plateu you could do several things to get out. 1 is to change the intensity of your workout. you can do lower reps w/ bigger weight, you can cut your rest in b/w sets in half, you can do a couple of weeks of 15 reps then go back to lower reps, you can do drop sets, etc etc etc. just change something bro and increase your intensity.

Make some changes in your diet. Sticking to the same diet will just make your body get used to what you're eating. Have a day where you increase carbs and cut your protein, make some changes here and there to trick your body so that it wont adapt. One thing I keep stressing but most people don't want to believe me is cycling your protein.

If you're trying to add some mass, cut your cardio to 1 day a week as well. You've come to a point where your body has adapted to the stress you put it under and the food you eat. Now it's just a matter of changing what it knows to keep pushing some gains.

 

[Robario]

Thanks Risky. I agree totally. I am cutting cardio until I go on a "cutting" cycle. Also, to change things up I will try to eat moderately more, sacrificing my mostly clean diet. I think I need o get around 4000 calories too. Gym intensity will have to be picked up as well. I also think I should give it some time and things will pay off(hopefully). Thanks again.

 

[Robario]

Can anyone else offer any suggestions?

 

[voodoo]

Yes, risky is right. You may want to cut back on training and maybe even lay off the cardio for awhile. Increase the intensity, maybe add 1 or 2 drop sets a week on different compound lifts.

Also are you hitting the squats hard? That is a good way to stimulate growth.

 

[RGC3]

4000 cals are a lot! Increase your cal intake by a few hundred. Sounds like you are eating 1825 cals so increase it to 2000. Then continue to increase/decrease every few months.

Stop the cardio. This is burning off cals. So you are burning as many cals as you are eating. This is why you aren't gaining weight.

Cut back your training days as well. Go to a 3-4 day lifting scheme. Do more compound lifts (squats, bench, deadlifts) during your bulking phase. Vary the sets/reps every few weeks also.

 

[riskybizz007]

I agree you got to increase calories little by little. But in order for me to gain any weight, I need to eat at least 4000 calories/day. If I started to eat 2000calories/day I'd lose ton of weight.

 

[RGC3]

Hey Risky,

What's your stats? You must be a big joker to eat that much.

 

[riskybizz007]

age 24, wt 234, arms 18.5", bodyfat haven't checked after I bulked.

Most people when they bulk that I know eat b/w 4000-6000 calories/day. So 4000 to me is the very least for me. Everyone is different, not everyone's metabolism is the same, and not everyone trains the same, and some people have desk jobs, and some people got run around type jobs. Too many factors to take into consideration. I know I can't grow w/ less than 4000. You obviously are different.

 

[RGC3]

Risky,

I agree with completely. Too many variables to have one blue print for everyone. Too bad too many people don't believe that.