skinny guy doing p90x for a year needs help! plz

[bandit]

whats up ladies and gents. new to the forum and i need help. im pritty mush stuck on my current weight and strength, im hoping u guys can help. here is my story

iv been doing p90x for about a year and 3 months now. i started out 125lbs 14%bf im 5'9. as soon as i started i began to eat alot more, got me some weight gainer protein and began doing to program. i cut cardio to half. in 3 months i was 140lbs, with higher bf. gained some strength, went from 0 pull ups to 15 and 10 pushups to 30.
i started doing the program again right after. after about a month i felt disgusted in my belly area as i gained alot of fat there. i quit the weight gainer, got regular protein, cleaned up my diet to about 3000cal, and restarted the program again. i pretty mush stayed the same, lost little fat. not mush increase in strength for size.

i then got sad that i wasted my time and begain eating like alot to gain weight. i tried the gomad diet (1 gal milk a day whole milk) started with 1/2 milk/day then 3/4 milk. couldnt take the whole gal. i gained about 8lbs in about 1 1/2 months. got sad again cuz belly area. i felt all i was doing was gaining fat in my belly area and not mush muscle.
i have then started doing the program again with full cardio, clean diet. about 2800 to 3000 cal a day. iv slowly lost weight, im back down to 143lbs. im almost done with this round. have not gained any strength, if anything i felt like iv gotten weaker. although my belly area looks better. i can finally see the top 4 abs.

im now 143lbs with about 12%bf. i dont know how to get out of this plateau. where do i go from here? is my training routine not made for me? should i continue cutting to about 8%bf then try to bulk? im not looking to be meaty. just look fit.

my goals are to be 160lbs with low bf to show abs.

i feel like Albert Einstein definition of insanity.

thx for all the help guys.

 

[Coach Palfrey]

whats up ladies and gents. new to the forum and i need help. im pritty mush stuck on my current weight and strength, im hoping u guys can help. here is my story

iv been doing p90x for about a year and 3 months now. i started out 125lbs 14%bf im 5'9. as soon as i started i began to eat alot more, got me some weight gainer protein and began doing to program. i cut cardio to half. in 3 months i was 140lbs, with higher bf. gained some strength, went from 0 pull ups to 15 and 10 pushups to 30.
i started doing the program again right after. after about a month i felt disgusted in my belly area as i gained alot of fat there. i quit the weight gainer, got regular protein, cleaned up my diet to about 3000cal, and restarted the program again. i pretty mush stayed the same, lost little fat. not mush increase in strength for size.

i then got sad that i wasted my time and begain eating like alot to gain weight. i tried the gomad diet (1 gal milk a day whole milk) started with 1/2 milk/day then 3/4 milk. couldnt take the whole gal. i gained about 8lbs in about 1 1/2 months. got sad again cuz belly area. i felt all i was doing was gaining fat in my belly area and not mush muscle.
i have then started doing the program again with full cardio, clean diet. about 2800 to 3000 cal a day. iv slowly lost weight, im back down to 143lbs. im almost done with this round. have not gained any strength, if anything i felt like iv gotten weaker. although my belly area looks better. i can finally see the top 4 abs.

im now 143lbs with about 12%bf. i dont know how to get out of this plateau. where do i go from here? is my training routine not made for me? should i continue cutting to about 8%bf then try to bulk? im not looking to be meaty. just look fit.

my goals are to be 160lbs with low bf to show abs.

i feel like Albert Einstein definition of insanity.

thx for all the help guys.

P90x is not really a strength training programme. Go back to basics with some heavy compound exercises and you'll start to add some serious size and strength. Deadlifts, squats, presses and pulls - leave the P90x on the shelf where it belongs.

Focus on building some muscle first then worry about your bodyfat later.

 

[bandit]

Thx for the reply. After readin abit on the forum I had a feeling that's what was going to be suggested..
The thing is I don't have access to a gym. I do p90x cuz I can do it at my house with dumbells. The gym here is really crowded and the little small gyms r full of nothing but meat heads.

Any way I can do those exercises at home with dumbells?

Any routine u can point me too? I'm looking for a routine I can folllow. I liked p90x cuz I know what I'm doing every time and I'm more consistant in my workouts that way.

Any diet help u can give me. Rght now I take in about 2800 to 3000 cal. About a 40/40/20 radio. Lots of eggs, chicken, fruits, oats, sandwiches, protein drinks, creatine.

I should post a pic.

I was told first I should lean out, then bulk up. If I bulk up now I will gain a lot of fat and stuggle to diet it off while keeping the muscle I made.. is this true?

Sorry for all these questions. I'm completely lost and in need of help.

 

[bandit]

here is a pic and a pic of my current diet..plz help with the diet.

 

[Coach Palfrey]

Thx for the reply. After readin abit on the forum I had a feeling that's what was going to be suggested..
The thing is I don't have access to a gym. I do p90x cuz I can do it at my house with dumbells. The gym here is really crowded and the little small gyms r full of nothing but meat heads.

Any way I can do those exercises at home with dumbells?

Any routine u can point me too? I'm looking for a routine I can folllow. I liked p90x cuz I know what I'm doing every time and I'm more consistant in my workouts that way.

Any diet help u can give me. Rght now I take in about 2800 to 3000 cal. About a 40/40/20 radio. Lots of eggs, chicken, fruits, oats, sandwiches, protein drinks, creatine.

I should post a pic.

I was told first I should lean out, then bulk up. If I bulk up now I will gain a lot of fat and stuggle to diet it off while keeping the muscle I made.. is this true?

Sorry for all these questions. I'm completely lost and in need of help.

It is far easier to lose fat than gain muscle so I'd always recommend not worrying about bodyfat until the point where you are relatively happy with your muscle growth. A 5 % increase in bodyfat is not a major problem.

Your diet looks fine - just monitor progress and adjust calorie intake if needs be. The ratio is fine.

You can train at home with no problems but you will probably need a barbell (Olympic if possible). The bottom line is that you need to progressively lift more weight. If money is tight, you can get by with other heavy objects - I train lots with sandbags ()

I'd recommend something like starting strength (beginners programme) or Wendlers 5/3/1 - google these for an explanation.

 

[bandit]

i just checked out ur website, looks pretty fun. thx alot for ur help.

 

[Coach Palfrey]

i just checked out ur website, looks pretty fun. thx alot for ur help.

No worries - best of luck.

 

[bandit]

i have more questions if u dont mind

i was looking at the Wendlers 5/3/1 programe. since i dont gym access i cant bench or do leg extensions. i have adjustable dumbells that will go up to 50lbs for both and 75lbs for 1.

i was doing 1/2 squats on saturday with dumbbells at 40lbs 8reps. i did 5 sets along with pull ups. back to back to back for 1 hr. i also threw in there some dead lift squats without weights and some lunges with about 20lbs. calf raises with 20lbs.

i saw a couple videos with dead lift squats with dumbbells. it was my first time doing it. so i didnt know how heavy i can lift. i noticed my forearms and shoulders got really tired when doing the workouts. almost to where it was tough to hold the weight at my side.

on squats i held the dumbbells on my side. what im trying to get at is. are those ok to do?? will it have the same effect as doing it with a strait bar? and on my shoulders?

im going to look into the Wendlers 5/3/1 program alittle more to get better picture of how many reps and sets to do. i just briffly looked at it.

i went to the store and checked out some prices for a regular staight bar and 100lbs of weights for about $200. i may save my penny's to get that soon.

thx for all ur help.

 

[bandit]

ohh and another thing. doing squats
i noticed my left knee pop when i let go of the weight and bend my legs it all the way down. like if there was pressure there. it didnt hurt, just pop.
i was making sure i had good from too. i read doing 1/2 squats is better on knees that full squats.
what do u think??

 

[Coach Palfrey]

i have more questions if u dont mind

i was looking at the Wendlers 5/3/1 programe. since i dont gym access i cant bench or do leg extensions. i have adjustable dumbells that will go up to 50lbs for both and 75lbs for 1.

i was doing 1/2 squats on saturday with dumbbells at 40lbs 8reps. i did 5 sets along with pull ups. back to back to back for 1 hr. i also threw in there some dead lift squats without weights and some lunges with about 20lbs. calf raises with 20lbs.

i saw a couple videos with dead lift squats with dumbbells. it was my first time doing it. so i didnt know how heavy i can lift. i noticed my forearms and shoulders got really tired when doing the workouts. almost to where it was tough to hold the weight at my side.

on squats i held the dumbbells on my side. what im trying to get at is. are those ok to do?? will it have the same effect as doing it with a strait bar? and on my shoulders?

im going to look into the Wendlers 5/3/1 program alittle more to get better picture of how many reps and sets to do. i just briffly looked at it.

i went to the store and checked out some prices for a regular staight bar and 100lbs of weights for about $200. i may save my penny's to get that soon.

thx for all ur help.

You can certainly make do with your dumbbells for the time being but I'd really recommend doing your best to get yourself a barbell - it will give you far superior results. Plus, it's far easier to add weight as you get stronger. But, when you're really on a budget, just lift any heavy stuff you can find!

In regard to your squat technique - I'd hold the dumbbells at shoulder height (as in a front squat) rather than by your sides. Popping/cracking joints aren't necessarily a huge problem. It's difficult to give you advice on your form as I can't see you but DO NOT DO 1/2 SQUATS. Work towards a full squat, unweighted at first, and keep a close eye on technique - hip dominant, feet flat and slightly turned out.

Let me know how you get on.