Can I do more????

[manwithav8]

Morning all, just got home from the gym and feeling really pumped but dissatisfied. My workout is designed for the ectomorph to bulk up so I want to follow it so I don't muck all the hard work up.

I am concerntrating on compound movements and all are exercises are 3 sets of 4-8 reps.

I am lifting weights that will only allow me to do 8 reps and no more, sometimes only 6 but only doing 3 sets feels like I am not working enough. I didn't want to leave the gym this morning due to not feeling like I had worked enough. I felt like getting back on the bench and for a few more reps.

Will I comprimise my workouts if I carry out 4 or 5 sets of each exercise instead of the recommend 3 sets? Even if I were to load up the bar with some more weight and crack out another 4 reps for a final set to really hit that muscle?

I wil add that I used animal pump this morning for the first time and all lifts were increase by 5-10kg per exercise and the pump was fantastic, still popping half an hour later at home. I think this might have a little to do with my problem but I felt the same most of last week.

Any advice is appreciated.

Lee.

[NZPT]

post up your training routine, stats and a average days eating and then we can have a better idea of where your at.

if yourve still got plenty in the tank when leaving the gym chances are you are ready to progress. As long as your nutrition is there you will increase mass and strength

[manwithav8]

Weight -70kg. Height - 178cm

Second week into diet and lifting after 1 year off.

Diet ----

M1 - 3 poached eggs on 2 slices of wholemeal toast and double serve of whey with banana and pottle of yoghurt.

M2 - Either 185g tuna on 2 slices of wholemeal toast or, 500calorie shake.

M3 - 150g skinnles boneless chicken with half cup of cooked rice and cup of veges.

M4 - 500 calorie shake. (pre workout)

M5 - Banana and double serve of whey mixed with water ( post work out)

M6 - 150g Chicken/Steak or fish, cup of veges, cup of potatoes or rice

M7 - Double serve of whey mixed with milk 1 hour before bed.

Routine ----

Monday.

Flat Bench 3x 4-8

Mil press 3x 4-8

Close grip bench 3x 4-8

Squat 3x 4-8

Seated calf raise 3x 4-8

Tuesday.

Bent over row 3x 4-8

Lat pulldown 3x 4-8

DB shrug 3x 4-8

DB curl 3x 4-8

Stiff leg deads 3x 4-8

Thursday.

Incline DB press 3x 4-8

DB shoulder press 3x 4-8

Skull crusher 3x 4-8

Leg press 3x 4-8

Leg press calf raise 3x 4-8

Friday.

Deadlift 3x 4-8

Pull up 3x 4-8

Barbell shrug 3x 4-8

Barbell curl 3x 4-8

lying leg curl 3x 4-8

There is my diet and routine. Only started week 2 today.

The routine stipulates to perform 3 sets. I get through a workout in about 40 -45 mins if I draw it out to stay in the gym a little longer otherwise if I got at it hard I can be done in half an hour and it doesn't feel like I have done enough...

[NZPT]

what are your goals? diets ok, i would change a few things but all in all not bad.

your routine is a split i dont like but its ok. id stick with it for 2 more weeks let your muscles,ligaments, tendons and CNS get use to lifting again before going to hard or you mite run into injury.

add an extra set or more weight or reps this week and next and see if that ups the intensity.

dont count warmups as sets. 3 working sets after warm up and go hard!

[manwithav8]

what are your goals? diets ok, i would change a few things but all in all not bad.

your routine is a split i dont like but its ok. id stick with it for 2 more weeks let your muscles,ligaments, tendons and CNS get use to lifting again before going to hard or you mite run into injury.

add an extra set or more weight or reps this week and next and see if that ups the intensity.

dont count warmups as sets. 3 working sets after warm up and go hard!

Goals---

Add 5kg of mass as quick as possible for summer... ( yeah yeah I know, everyone wants to look good for summer but I'd like to be able to wear shorts without feeling self concious)

Long term is to get to 85-90kg which I know is going to take a wee while.

What would you change in the diet?

I got that split off the net along with a lengthy article for ectomorphs so will stick too it for another week or two. All sets counted are working sets, warm ups are normally no weight on the bar for 20 or so reps.

I have always had problems with my right shoulder pinching tendons so I am taknig it a little easy for now but the doc knows about it and is on stand by with a nice big needle. ( lol )

So another set or two will be ok to up the intensity you think? OR would it be better to put some more weight on and do a fourth set with less reps?

[NZPT]

ok, sorry to burst your bubble, but you do have a long road ahead and 5 kg of mass(go pick up 5kg of steak) is a lot of lean muscle. not saying it cant be done but once you see what 5 kg of muscle (through the 5kg of steak) looks like it will bring you into perspective. Keep at it though man , its well worth it. but as quick as possible is not really the approach to have.

wear shorts and be confident because theres plenty of people who probably have legs like yours and dont care! you may think people are staring but there not!!

as for the workout yip stick to it for 2 more weeks, add a 4th set in. maybe drop the weight5-20kg from your last heavy set and do a pump set of as many reps as you can. That way its safe as its light and will give you a good pump which should satidfy your urge to do more and leave the muscle looking full.

good luck mate and stick with it, consistency and overload is the key.

[manwithav8]

Yeah I know the " as quick as possible" is not the best approach and I do understand that it will take a while... I'm hoping for nothing less than half a kg a week at this stage, anything more is a bonus...

3 working sets at full weight then droping 20% or so for max reps sounds good.. Should let the shoulder build up to the weight too...

[Luigi]

dont forget dropsets,supersets for a really good pump!

find doing them after pre exhausting with heavier compound movements works good.

[SoaringSwine]

If you're just coming back to lifting you don't need that much volume to increase your size and strength. You don't have to feel exhausted to get results.

[manwithav8]

cheers guys..

All taken on board and will give tomorrows work out a little extra, just not too much extra..

[weener lad]

Train hard, eat hard and rest allot. Get stuck in and keep up the hard work like the advert said "It wont happen overnight but it will happen"

I'm still waiting :pfft:

[manwithav8]

Train hard, eat hard and rest allot. Get stuck in and keep up the hard work like the advert said "It wont happen overnight but it will happen"

I'm still waiting :pfft:

LOL I know what you mean, mind you, this is the first time I have been motivated to do things properly.. I used to lift without eating a proper diet, I had decent strength gains but nothing else.. This time I have spent the extra on good supps and good food. I want to have thigns right from the word GO!!!...I'm hoping for anywhere between 0.5 - 1 kg a week which I think is achievable, even for and ecto!!!

AS everyone says, think big, eat big and get big....I haven't been hungry in almost two weeks now cos I just keep eating..

[Varven]

Your diet looks good, and the split is great if you are starting back after a layout... however I can't see you making gains on it after about 4 - 5 weeks...

I'd rather go for a twice a week upper body and twice a week lower body routine.

But that is just my opinion.

keep logging your lifts. the day your weights stop progressing, you know its time to change.

[manwithav8]

Your diet looks good, and the split is great if you are starting back after a layout... however I can't see you making gains on it after about 4 - 5 weeks...

I'd rather go for a twice a week upper body and twice a week lower body routine.

But that is just my opinion.

keep logging your lifts. the day your weights stop progressing, you know its time to change.

Yeah I am keeping a log, thus far my weights are increasing, will see what the next week brings. I'm hoping to follow this routine for 4 weeks at least, even if it is just to get the muscle used to it all again.

Tomorrow is rest day but can't wait till thursday. Todays workout was pretty good, had a great pump and felt really solid, even only at 70kg. My whole body just felt really different.

[Android]

Great advice from above.

I do think you have too many shakes in your diet to be perfectly honest. There's no substitute for real food, it's a great anabolic, and if its a whey shake u have at bedtime I would go slow-release and pick Casein instead, or better yet chicken or egg whites since even WPC goes through you in a couple of hours after which time you're catabolic while you sleep. There's 24 hrs in a day and for 1/3 of those you don't want your body lacking anything. If you wake up in the middle of the night pop some BCAAs. I have a bottle in my bathroom in case I happen to get up in the night (too much information? hehe)

What else...wearing shorts is an excellent idea for the legs!

I'm not big on twice weekly body workouts - I was also recommended this when I started in the gym but it crams too much into a workout. e.g I just couldn't give any body part 100% effort if I had just trained my Chest and given that bodypart 100%. Add to that you'll have to eat even more for that kind of intensity, and 3 days rest between body parts week after week just isn't really REST imho.

I went from 68kg to 100kg in less than 10 years (average 3kg a year) and just went on stage at 91kg ripped. So I've been the skinny Ectomorph with no legs or calves and a sunken chest mate and the best advice I ever followed was:

Eat more food. That was it.

I personally modify that to two things:

1. Aim for 5kg increments increase in body weight and eat like a person 5kg heavier than your goal. So I'm always trying to eat like a person 10kg larger than my current size which seems to always force me to grow at a steady rate of knots.

2. Eat nutrient-dense food so you don't have to eat quantities of stuff. I'd buy peanuts, bananas, steak (any meat), eggs, and rice as staple and only eat bread if I didn't have one of the previous 4 to eat.

** Save money and put oats in your shakes instead of Mass Gainers (200gms of Oats is nothing and yet it contains over 430 calories, just let it soak for 5 minutes no need to cook)

All the best!

[manwithav8]

Android,

thanks heaps for the info and advice. I'm not taking weight gainers cos as you said they are very pricey so the oats in a shake is what I have been doing.

I am still trying to get the body used to all the extra food so sometimes it is easier to take a shake instead of more chicken. I'm currently aiming for about 3000-3500 calories a day when my maintenance amount is only 2400 so I'm hoping to start putting it on soon. I have seen an increase of 1.5kg since maonday last week but i'd say alot of that is water weight.

BCAA's is on my shopping list but I'm worried about the cost and normally you only get half a months worth at a time.. ( unless I haven't searched well enough )

My routine doesn't quite hit the same muscle twice a week. Well it does but from different angles ie Monday falt bench, thursday incline DB press. I feel my workouts are intense and I can give 100% each day. I am going to follow this routine for another 2 weeks then move onto concerntrating a muscle group per day ie Monday chest, tues arms, wed back etc etc..

I like the big compound movements, so will try to load each workout with as many compounds instead of isolation exercises as possible...

My goal so far is to get to 75kg by Feb next year which is 1.55kg per month...Will be interesting to see if I get there.

[Android]

You're welcome :-)

Sounds like you have everything under control, counting calories and organising bodyparts for workouts etc.

BCAA's is on my shopping list but I'm worried about the cost and normally you only get half a months worth at a time.. ( unless I haven't searched well enough )

Yeah I know what you mean, from my experience:

Dymatize 2200s and MHP A-Bomb BCAAs taste funny they're coated with something that leaves a strange taste in your mouth.

Prolab BCAAs are larger than horse pills and hurt to swallow.

Optimum Nutrition BCAA Powder is easy to use but the convenience of popping a pill is lost. Also has BCAA and Creatine mixed but you'd be loading up on Creatine too much if you took several times a day over a month imho.

Ultimate Nutrition Chewable Aminos are awesome if you like the good-old Milk Biscuits you had as a kid. (5gm Protein in 3 of them) but they're not just BCAAs.

SciVation Xtend is another BCAA Powder but has Citrulline in it so no good before bedtime.

PrimaForce BCAA Powder doesn't mix with water at all, need a shaker and about 5 minutes of shaking to dissolve.

Optimum Nutrition BCAA 1000's are easy to swallow capsules but for 5gms of BCAAs you need to swallow 10 of them!

I've tried them all and despite each ones failings they all supply BCAAs in various amounts I guess.

I agree with you about how long they last. No-one tells you that taking a few BCAA capsules a day does pretty much nothing for you either except slowly empty your wallet.

Also to consider...there's more BCAAs in a scoop of protein powder than there is in 10 BCAA pills no matter how large they are!

I now just do Optimum Nutrition BCAA Powder to get 5gms of BCAAs with each serve and only take them if I think I can't get a protein meal in me within the next 2 hours or so. (So I don't add it to a shake that would be wasting it since the shake has at least 5gms of BCAAs anyway). A tub can last me 2 months if I get regular meals and only need a 5gm serving once a day, or if over holidays when diet isn't too regular it might only last me 3 weeks, taking it 3 times a day.

Let us know how your goals go, want to hear you've reached 75kg by Feb!...but no pressure...

[manwithav8]

Dang, looks like you've tried them all... By the sounds of it I might be better to stick with my whey shakes. I make sure I have one within 45 mins of a workout along with a banana or apple..

My shakes are normally to have along with my snakes to up my calories. So if I have a can of tuna on toast I will normally have a shake with some oats just to bump everything up...

Today I've had 2 shakes and 3 real food meals. Still got chicken pasta for dinner, then I will have chicken on toast around 8.30ish and after that a 500 cal whey shake in milk not water. I know casein is the way to go but also heard having normal whey with milk wil slow the release down too..

[biggurl27]

My shakes are normally to have along with my snakes to up my calories. quote]

What kinda snakes are these?

[manwithav8]

My shakes are normally to have along with my snakes to up my calories. quote]

What kinda snakes are these?

Oh crap lol... That was meant to read snacks lol.....My bad...

[Team JLA]

welll one of the main characteristics for an ectomorph is they overtrain very esily

you current programme 5 day split would be clearly overtrain urself EXTREAMLY.

iv trained 2 clients who are typical ectomorphs and over a year they have gained over 10 kg in 8 months.

So il suggest you just drop you split down to 3 days a week, to avoid overtraining yourself .

4-5 exercises each day and just split it into push, pull and legs .

cheers :grin:

let me know if it works or if you gona give it a chot

[manwithav8]

welll one of the main characteristics for an ectomorph is they overtrain very esily

you current programme 5 day split would be clearly overtrain urself EXTREAMLY.

iv trained 2 clients who are typical ectomorphs and over a year they have gained over 10 kg in 8 months.

So il suggest you just drop you split down to 3 days a week, to avoid overtraining yourself .

4-5 exercises each day and just split it into push, pull and legs .

cheers :grin:

let me know if it works or if you gona give it a chot

Hey bro, tried to send yo ua PM but not sure if it worked. 10kg in 8 months is something I definately wan to achieve...

I like the sound of the 3 days split but would maybe add a fourth day in there just for the likes of forearms and grip strength etc.. Mainly cos I like the gym and 3 days wouldn't be enough lol..

I will finish out the 4 week cycle of this routine I'm following and look at changing.. Mainly cos I have never seen a routine through to the end, I'm always changing things. With the push /pull would I still do main compound movements or should I through in some isolation exercises too?