5 Months In (Need some advice)

P

poolman

0
First off let me tell you where I am at. For the past 5 months I have been doing a Push (Mon) Legs (Wed) Pull (Fri) Routine with 30min on Elliptical 1 - 2 times a week on off days. I am 5'11'' and started out at 151lbs (14% BF) and now am still 151 lbs (havent checked body fat since). I have incorporated Whey Protein Shakes into my diet after workout and have turned my diet into much healthier foods. I eat around 90% Healthy foods but have no idea how many calories I take in. I have seen slight gains in muscle mass but more so in the cut of the muscle (not really the size). My strength has increased from pitifull to weak. (Example: I can now do sets of 55lbs dumbell presses and 30lbs dumbell curls) My abs have gotten stronger (harder) but no more visable than when I started.

My goal would be to get up to 165lbs and get my BF down to around 9 - 10%. I want to add some bulk to my body but also cut down so that my abs and muscles are tighter looking.

Here are my questions:
Is bulking for a while before cutting what I need to be doing to meet my goals?
If bulking is what I need to be doing, what is the proper way to determine caloric intake needed to bulk?
Is it common to take creatine during the bulking stage of my routine and cut it out during the cutting stage?
Those massive gains people see when they start working out, is there any reason I am not seeing them?

Any advice you can throw my way will be greatly appreciated. If you need any more info like my routine just ask I would be glad to throw it in, I didnt want to throw it all into this allready long post.

THANKS for all the help.
 
I would suggest you start eating 1000 more calories then what you normally eat and start taking protien. Also think of a better exercise routine that involves more weight lifting. How bout you write down your diet and maybe more people can help you.
 
It would be much better to bulk for a long while and then cut rather than trying to do both at once.
 
If I was going to start bulking I know I should increase my calorie intake to around 3500 per day. Should I hit the weights harder when bulking? I am thinking of starting to take some creatine, would this be wise to start up along with the bulking? And how long should I bulk for before I cut? (When I hit my target weight or above that?)
 
If you are new to lifting I wouldnt start creatine. How old are you also? Focus on getting a solid diet going first. Bulk until you reach whatever goal you set. There isn't one set time, everyone is different.
 
1) Of course. You don't want to cut before you bulk, or else you will add a bit of fat.
2) Read the back of food you eat. It will say how many calories.
3) I don't like creatine for many reasons.... I used it, but saw no different results.
4) There are MANY reasons why you may not be getting results.
- You aren't eating enough
- You aren't working out hard enough
- You might be eating the wrong foods
 
How old are you also?
Click to expand...
I am 25 yrs old. Sorry I forgot to add that. Not as young as you probably thought but I am new to weight training, so you think stay away from the creatine?

Loads of Fire:
I need to try and figure out how many calories I am taking in a day. I would probably guess that it is not enough. I am making sure that what I am eating is healthy. All whole wheat carbs when possible, Lean meats, eggs, oatmeal, vegeatables. What is a typical carloie intake when not bulking and when bulking for 25 yrs old 150lbs?

As far as not training hard enough. I definately feel like I should be training harder but when in the gym I run out of energy when doing some exercises. For example when i am doing dumbell bench presses, my arms give out before my chest feels like I got a good workout. Here is quickly what I have been doing. Please let me know if I should tweak anything. I try to increase the weight throughout 3 sets with (12, 10, 8 reps)

Mon (Push)
DB Bench Press
DB Incline Press
DB Shoulder Press
DB Flys
Skull Crushers
DB Front Shoulder Raises
Tricep Push Downs

Wed (Legs)
Barbell Squats
Incline Seated Leg Press
DB Front Lunges
Seated Leg Curl
Striaght Back Straight Leg Deadlift
Seated Calf Extensions

Fri (Push)
Lat Pulldown
Lat Pullover
Seated High Row
Seated Low Row
DB Shoulder Shrugs
DB Bicep Curls
BB Reverse Curl
BB Bicep Curls
 
An average 25 year old, thats bulking all depends on your metabolism. I'm taking in just over 3000 calories, which isn't enough, so I need to change up my diet. Some people will only need about 3000 calories a day, some will need 5000. I'm guessing you are more of an average person seeing your weight, so 4000 should be a good amount. Thats a lot to eat, so you should find a good eating routine.

This should help you out a lot for organization.:



The reason your arms are giving out may be because that muscle group is lagging. I normally feel the same way, but the next morning, I can tell my chest got a great workout, just by how tired it is.

If you feel like your arms may be lagging, you can do 2 things.

- Do an isolated workout for them
- Do your normal workouts, and since they are lagging, it will work them out more than your other body parts, meaning they will get better results, and soon catch up.
 
Concentrate on the food for a while, and trying eating more often if you aren't already. I would wait for a while until you are fully 100% confident in all of the exercises and lifts before you start creatine.
 
5' 11" and 150 is pretty darn skinny, hehe. Well honestly, I've been working out for about 6 months and haven't gained a pound. I look a lot bigger, the shape of my chest has changed, my arms are bigger and everything but I'm still the same weight. To gain you just have to eat a crapload of food. I'm 5' 11" and 165 lbs, and I'm trying to get up to 180 or so. Just be very conscious of your diet, read the labels and all of that stuff. Bulking sucks because you have to eat a crapload of food but it has to be healthy, which usually means you have to intake more quantities of lower calorie, healthy food. What helps me, is to buy protein bars and tack them on to the end of my meals.
 
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