Well I have decided to get off my ass and get back into power lifting. I competed for 2 years in highschool @ 161 in the 165 pound class with 1rep maxxes of 255 in bench, 450 deadlift, and 425 squat. 1130 three lift total. I didnt compete my senior year because I got lazy and had senioritis… biggest regret of my life. I cant take that back but I can improve myself now. For the last 8 months I have done nothing but sit on my ass and eat whatever I wanted. My bench has dropped about 40 pounds and I dont even want to go into what my other lifts would be. I am weighing in at about 170lbs right now @ 5’10 with quite a bit more fat around my lower midsection.
Now before this I have never used any supplements or “juice” I figure at 18 my balls should be enough test for me to gain sufficiently. This time around I’m going to be using a high protein high fiber shake, 3-5 times daily. Along with Creatine. I would like some advice on other supplements if anyone can recommend something.
My goals: To eat healthy about 6 times a day, using protein shakes to help out missed meals when I cant find the time. I would like to gain a lean 15 pounds of mass in my upper body. I will be using my old powerlifting routine. which is Monday - Friday.
Mon- Chest and Tri’s superset w/ pushups and handstand push ups
Tuesday - Core - Abs abs and more abs letting my upper body recover
Weds - Back and Biceps
Thursday - 30 minutes of Jumprope
Friday - legs - i.e squats, leg curls
I am still looking at other workout routines on the net, but this always seemed to work for me in highschool. Any comments or critiques are welcome here definately.
Anyhow I will post before and after pictures with some in between. I should be able to gain a bit back fairly quickly just from muscle memory (I hope)
Thanks T-Nation, hopefully this will help me with the motivation I need to be dedicated once again!
Of course you can throw in some secondary movements for those [eg. leg curls after deadlift, if you can still move your legs]. Of course this is a blatant rip off of Dan John’s one lift a day program, but god damn if I haven’t made the gains of my life on that program in a really short time.
[quote]danmaftei wrote:
I love how everyone says “do whatever works” to newbies who haven’t done anything yet as if they should know what works and what doesn’t.[/quote]
The honest reality is, that unless a beginner is just a genetic snail, nearly any program will work as long as they lift heavy enough to promote muscle gains and eat enough. Yes, it really is that simple. Have some of you just walked up to some of those truly big guys and asked them what they did initially? (and by “big” I mean someone who is relatively pushing 220+lbs under 6 feet tall) Did they run on and on about specific program names…or did they state that they simply stayd consistent, lifted hard and ate more?
I love how people are quick to pop off with a smart ass reply and/or critisism, and don’t bother addressing the original post or offering anything constructive.
Lazyaxus11,
As stated above, your lower body needs as much, if not more attention then your upperbody. If your thighs are growing, the rest of your body will follow.
You look pretty lean as is. You mentioned a little fat on your lower abs, and that you want to gain @15 lbs. Don’t worry about that fat for now.
You are on track with a powerlifting base. Even if that is not your goal, it is a solid foundation.
I base my routine around squats, deadlifts, bench, rows, chins, cleans, dips and overhead presses. I throw limited arm, calf and ab work in for balance. 5 sets of 5 reps works pretty well for me.
Keep it up. At 18, most anything you do will get you results. At this point, food and consistency will get you a lot farther than a specific routine or any supplements.
I have read a lot that cardio may be bad news when trying to “bulk up” so I am wondering if maybe I should do very very little to no cardio, and if that will affect my fat gain one way or the other.
I would like to gain as much lean mass with as little fat as possible, but if the best results are achieved by gaining some fat first and then working it off later I will do it. I also would like some advice on keeping my gains and “good figure” after I have achieved my goals. Most likely I will only set new goals once these are achieved. I just hope I can get the iron bug again without having PLifting and football to motivate me.
