Can't Get Bigger!?

Dude, just add 300-500 calories to the casein shake you have every night.

Obvious answer is eat more. If your content on your eating plan now, make some small changes like adding natty Peanut Butter & a extra banana to your shakes. Eat the whole sweet potato instead of half. Start pan frying your potatoes and make hash, and add some extra olive oil before eating.

[quote]austin_bicep wrote:
Yea this is a poor picture to judge his legs.[/quote]
Agreed. He did put up a leg pic in his Steroids thread.
http://tnation.T-Nation.com/free_online_forum/sports_training_performance_bodybuilding_gear/first_time_teen_cycle

They’re not great by any means, but they’re not not there.

[quote]dopes1 wrote:
Ive been lifting since i was 12, but properly since i was 13, as the first year was only full body workouts eod. Ive put on about 44 pounds since lifting[/quote]
You gained 44 pounds from age 12/13 to age 18. I’d say that’s much closer to an average, non-lifting kid’s “progress” than someone who’s actively training to build muscle. And, side note, but full body workouts every other day is absolutely “proper” for a 12 year old.

Well, I’d truly hate to bother you, but yes please. Days, exercises, sets, and reps.

CLA, green tea, and carnitine don’t need to be on the “everyday” list because they’re not essential by any means. Also, that combo sounds like a stack you’d use to try burning fat. You wouldn’t be stressing out over too much fat gain, would you?

[quote]My diet consists of:
A whey isolate shake upon waking.
1 cup of oats, 1 cup eggwhites and 2 whole eggs, 1 banana, 1 cup of blueberries
A whey isolate shake post workout, pluss creatine, bcaas and glutamine
250g tuna and 1 cup white rice
300g chicken and 1 cup white rice with spinach
300g beef (ground or porterhouse steaks) 1/2 large sweet potato and a salad
A casein shake before bed[/quote]
In addition to what everyone else has said - that’s it’s ridiculously simple to fix your “problem” by adding calories to this diet - I’ll say that this looks more like what a competitive bodybuilder would eat, not a teenage lifter trying to maximize the biggest growth phase of his life.

More shakes and bars, less BCAAs and glutamine. As an aside, glutamine has little if anything to do with muscle recovery. Good for fighting colds though.

Seriously, dude, the fact that you even entertained the thought of doing a cycle instead of tweaking your training and eating is a fucking shame. If I was your big brother, I’d give you a dead arm and tell you to get your head straight.

You could even just make your 3 shakes a day with whole milk rather than water (assuming your using water) that alone would up your calories by ~600.

[quote]BreathIn wrote:
You could even just make your 3 shakes a day with whole milk rather than water (assuming your using water) that alone would up your calories by ~600.[/quote]

This. Whole milk is your friend in weight gain mode. simple extra calories.

[quote]Spidey22 wrote:
Dude, just add 300-500 calories to the casein shake you have every night. [/quote]

Gee, who knew it was that easy and specific.

FST7

[quote]Ct. Rockula wrote:
FST7[/quote]

But it hurts so good…

[quote]Ripsaw3689 wrote:

[quote]Ct. Rockula wrote:
FST7[/quote]

But it hurts so good…[/quote]

So worth it for the bubbly cartoon muscles

Squats and Milk?

[quote]kylesully wrote:
Squats and Milk?[/quote]

PIIHB
(putting it in her butt)

=

Growth

[quote]Cron391 wrote:

[quote]kylesully wrote:
Squats and Milk?[/quote]

PIIHB
(putting it in her butt)

=

Growth[/quote]

That s the key ingredient!! ;))

Okay ive read everyones advice and i’ll start by answering everything first, the main reason im not eating fucking macdonalds n all that high calorie shit is because i am clearly not wanting to put on too much fat, otherwise i would just eat in excess of 6000 every day and just put on weight, i want to add lean mass not just mass.

Also here’s my routine, although i change it almost week to week so its never exact, and about every 4-8 weeks i change the rep ranges, rest time, set number, exercise number etc: (not including warm up)

Day 1: Chest
Flat benchpress 4 sets 8-12 reps
Incline dumbbell 3 sets 8-12 reps
Decline smith 3 sets 8-12 reps (or dips)
Cable flyes 3 sets 8-12 reps
Hammer Strength Press 3 sets 8-12 reps

Day 2: Back
Weighted Pull-ups 4 sets 8-12 reps
Deadlifts 4 sets 6-15 reps
Bent over row 3 sets 8-12 reps
Underhand lat pulldown 3 sets 8-12 reps
Seated cable row 3 sets 8-12 reps
One Arm dumbbell row 2 sets 8-12 reps
Lat pullover 2 sets 8-12 reps

Day 3: Legs/calves
Squats 5 sets 8-20 reps
Leg Press 3 sets 8-30 reps
Leg Extension/Lunges 3 sets 8-30 reps
Lying Leg curl 3 sets 10-15 reps
Stiff leg deadlift 10-15 reps
Standing Calf raises 3 sets 20 reps
Donkey calf raises 3 sets 20 reps
Seated calf raises 3 sets 20 reps

Day 4: Shoulders
Dumbbell Press/Barbell Press 4 sets 8-12 reps
Lateral Raises 3 sets 10-15 reps
Rear delt flyes 3 sets 10-15 reps superset with facepulls same reps/sets
Upright row 3 sets 10-15 reps
Machine Press 3 sets 10-15 reps
Shrugs 3 sets 10-15 reps

Day 5: arms, all supersets
Barbell curl/rope pushdown 3 sets 10-15 reps
Hammer curl/skullcrusher/cg bench 3 sets 10-15 reps
Preacher curl/overhead dumbbell extension 3 sets 10-15 reps
Incline dumbbell curl/one arm pushdowns 3 sets 10-15 reps

usually i’ll have a rest day in between those or after all 5 days, and i do cardio about 3 times a week, switching between HIIT and LISS. i also train abs on the days i do cardio.

But yeah i shouldve been more clear about the fact that i want to be relatively lean still, not puffy looking, i want to put on lean mass whilst limiting fat gain, so im not going to add bulk fats to my diet just to make up calories, if i make up calories it’ll be by adding more oats/rice/sweet potato, and some natty peanut butter as snacks inbetween meals, might also add some nuts and fruit in between meals.

Is there any more advice? I do like the idea of the deload week i havnt done that in a while so maybe i should. But yeah basically i wont go any higher than 4000 calories because then i’ll just gain fat reallyy quickly, ive tried it before and i know my body pretty well enough by now to realise when im gonna just gain fat. Also thanks to everyone for the advice, more would be very appreciated, cheers.

[quote]dopes1 wrote:
Okay ive read everyones advice and i’ll start by answering everything first, the main reason im not eating fucking macdonalds n all that high calorie shit is because i am clearly not wanting to put on too much fat, otherwise i would just eat in excess of 6000 every day and just put on weight, i want to add lean mass not just mass.
.[/quote]

Dear Lord, these guys are slow lately.

No one was telling you to eat at Mc Donalds. I cook most of my own food. But a meal for me is a freaking pound of steak. That’s damn near 1,000cals alone for that one meal.

I was simply pointing out how easy it is to get that much down in one meal…and you seem to be having such a problem that NOT going to Mc Donalds takes top priority over sitting at the same freaking weight for a full year.

I don’t know about you, but I would have hit up a Micky D’s before I wasted 365 damn days doing nothing but running in circles.

Your priorities are fucked. Congrats on NOT eating a hamburger.

I am sure that outshines the lack of muscle in a year.

[quote]Professor X wrote:

[quote]Spidey22 wrote:
Dude, just add 300-500 calories to the casein shake you have every night. [/quote]

Gee, who knew it was that easy and specific.[/quote]

Quoting this for the OP, assuming you missed it. Because it’s the easiest, simplest suggestion.

Depending on what flavor the protein is, mixing a banana with some VCO or natty PB in the shake will be pretty tasty.

Ohh, and don’t worry about eating fats or carbs before bed. Calories eaten then doesn’t magically turn to fat because you eat it then. Some research even suggests carbs later in the day is BETTER for lean gains.

Regardless, just add 300-500 to your daily intake. That’s all you can do. I weigh roughly 185-190 and I’m eating 3400 calories a day, to add weight SLOWLY. Some people have to eat more then that. When I stop making gains, I’ll probably add more calories.

Just try it for a few weeks man.

high dose of burger n squats or GTFO!

[quote]HateTank wrote:
high dose of burger n squats or GTFO![/quote]

But…HE’LL GET FAT!!!

LOL.

This is bodybuilding. You have a limited amount of time to get swole.

Guys who waste full years making zero progress just so they can boast about NOT eating a cheeseburger for a full year make me laugh out loud and nearly shit myself.

Personally, I would rather gain a little more fat than I wanted (which can be easily lost) rather than NOT make progress for years at a time so I can brag about how clean I eat.

[quote]dopes1 wrote:
Okay ive read everyones advice and i’ll start by answering everything first, the main reason im not eating fucking macdonalds n all that high calorie shit is because i am clearly not wanting to put on too much fat, otherwise i would just eat in excess of 6000 every day and just put on weight, i want to add lean mass not just mass.

Also here’s my routine, although i change it almost week to week so its never exact, and about every 4-8 weeks i change the rep ranges, rest time, set number, exercise number etc: (not including warm up)

Day 1: Chest
Flat benchpress 4 sets 8-12 reps
Incline dumbbell 3 sets 8-12 reps
Decline smith 3 sets 8-12 reps (or dips)
Cable flyes 3 sets 8-12 reps
Hammer Strength Press 3 sets 8-12 reps

Day 2: Back
Weighted Pull-ups 4 sets 8-12 reps
Deadlifts 4 sets 6-15 reps
Bent over row 3 sets 8-12 reps
Underhand lat pulldown 3 sets 8-12 reps
Seated cable row 3 sets 8-12 reps
One Arm dumbbell row 2 sets 8-12 reps
Lat pullover 2 sets 8-12 reps

Day 3: Legs/calves
Squats 5 sets 8-20 reps
Leg Press 3 sets 8-30 reps
Leg Extension/Lunges 3 sets 8-30 reps
Lying Leg curl 3 sets 10-15 reps
Stiff leg deadlift 10-15 reps
Standing Calf raises 3 sets 20 reps
Donkey calf raises 3 sets 20 reps
Seated calf raises 3 sets 20 reps

Day 4: Shoulders
Dumbbell Press/Barbell Press 4 sets 8-12 reps
Lateral Raises 3 sets 10-15 reps
Rear delt flyes 3 sets 10-15 reps superset with facepulls same reps/sets
Upright row 3 sets 10-15 reps
Machine Press 3 sets 10-15 reps
Shrugs 3 sets 10-15 reps

Day 5: arms, all supersets
Barbell curl/rope pushdown 3 sets 10-15 reps
Hammer curl/skullcrusher/cg bench 3 sets 10-15 reps
Preacher curl/overhead dumbbell extension 3 sets 10-15 reps
Incline dumbbell curl/one arm pushdowns 3 sets 10-15 reps

usually i’ll have a rest day in between those or after all 5 days, and i do cardio about 3 times a week, switching between HIIT and LISS. i also train abs on the days i do cardio.

But yeah i shouldve been more clear about the fact that i want to be relatively lean still, not puffy looking, i want to put on lean mass whilst limiting fat gain, so im not going to add bulk fats to my diet just to make up calories, if i make up calories it’ll be by adding more oats/rice/sweet potato, and some natty peanut butter as snacks inbetween meals, might also add some nuts and fruit in between meals.

Is there any more advice? I do like the idea of the deload week i havnt done that in a while so maybe i should. But yeah basically i wont go any higher than 4000 calories because then i’ll just gain fat reallyy quickly, ive tried it before and i know my body pretty well enough by now to realise when im gonna just gain fat. Also thanks to everyone for the advice, more would be very appreciated, cheers.[/quote]

if you only want lean muscle gain you’re gonna need a whole hell of a lot of patience- in my mind when it comes to muscle gain you have a few choices

-Bulk up real fast with a lot of calories–add a lot of muscle and fat
-Gain lean mass slowly—dont gain as much fat- gain muscle slower

with the major bulk up method youll have to eventually lose the fat and if you want to keep all the muscle and strength you gained in this process, you are in for a long tedious dieting experience

with the gain lean mass approach you have to be patient- youll add muscle slower but wont get fat in the process…

to be honest both methods lead to same end result in the end-

if you choose the slower method you need more patience- and to get lean youre still going to have to diet eventually ;). I like everyones suggestion to add 300-500 calories and see where that takes you–make sure you hit the same calorie level every day- day in day out–no missing meals,ever…

[quote]GrindOverMatter wrote:

[quote]dopes1 wrote:
Okay ive read everyones advice and i’ll start by answering everything first, the main reason im not eating fucking macdonalds n all that high calorie shit is because i am clearly not wanting to put on too much fat, otherwise i would just eat in excess of 6000 every day and just put on weight, i want to add lean mass not just mass.

Also here’s my routine, although i change it almost week to week so its never exact, and about every 4-8 weeks i change the rep ranges, rest time, set number, exercise number etc: (not including warm up)

Day 1: Chest
Flat benchpress 4 sets 8-12 reps
Incline dumbbell 3 sets 8-12 reps
Decline smith 3 sets 8-12 reps (or dips)
Cable flyes 3 sets 8-12 reps
Hammer Strength Press 3 sets 8-12 reps

Day 2: Back
Weighted Pull-ups 4 sets 8-12 reps
Deadlifts 4 sets 6-15 reps
Bent over row 3 sets 8-12 reps
Underhand lat pulldown 3 sets 8-12 reps
Seated cable row 3 sets 8-12 reps
One Arm dumbbell row 2 sets 8-12 reps
Lat pullover 2 sets 8-12 reps

Day 3: Legs/calves
Squats 5 sets 8-20 reps
Leg Press 3 sets 8-30 reps
Leg Extension/Lunges 3 sets 8-30 reps
Lying Leg curl 3 sets 10-15 reps
Stiff leg deadlift 10-15 reps
Standing Calf raises 3 sets 20 reps
Donkey calf raises 3 sets 20 reps
Seated calf raises 3 sets 20 reps

Day 4: Shoulders
Dumbbell Press/Barbell Press 4 sets 8-12 reps
Lateral Raises 3 sets 10-15 reps
Rear delt flyes 3 sets 10-15 reps superset with facepulls same reps/sets
Upright row 3 sets 10-15 reps
Machine Press 3 sets 10-15 reps
Shrugs 3 sets 10-15 reps

Day 5: arms, all supersets
Barbell curl/rope pushdown 3 sets 10-15 reps
Hammer curl/skullcrusher/cg bench 3 sets 10-15 reps
Preacher curl/overhead dumbbell extension 3 sets 10-15 reps
Incline dumbbell curl/one arm pushdowns 3 sets 10-15 reps

usually i’ll have a rest day in between those or after all 5 days, and i do cardio about 3 times a week, switching between HIIT and LISS. i also train abs on the days i do cardio.

But yeah i shouldve been more clear about the fact that i want to be relatively lean still, not puffy looking, i want to put on lean mass whilst limiting fat gain, so im not going to add bulk fats to my diet just to make up calories, if i make up calories it’ll be by adding more oats/rice/sweet potato, and some natty peanut butter as snacks inbetween meals, might also add some nuts and fruit in between meals.

Is there any more advice? I do like the idea of the deload week i havnt done that in a while so maybe i should. But yeah basically i wont go any higher than 4000 calories because then i’ll just gain fat reallyy quickly, ive tried it before and i know my body pretty well enough by now to realise when im gonna just gain fat. Also thanks to everyone for the advice, more would be very appreciated, cheers.[/quote]

if you only want lean muscle gain you’re gonna need a whole hell of a lot of patience- in my mind when it comes to muscle gain you have a few choices

-Bulk up real fast with a lot of calories–add a lot of muscle and fat
-Gain lean mass slowly—dont gain as much fat- gain muscle slower

with the major bulk up method youll have to eventually lose the fat and if you want to keep all the muscle and strength you gained in this process, you are in for a long tedious dieting experience

with the gain lean mass approach you have to be patient- youll add muscle slower but wont get fat in the process…

to be honest both methods lead to same end result in the end-

if you choose the slower method you need more patience- and to get lean youre still going to have to diet eventually ;). I like everyones suggestion to add 300-500 calories and see where that takes you–make sure you hit the same calorie level every day- day in day out–no missing meals,ever…

[/quote]

Good advice Grind.

dopes, one suggestion I have for your training is to use the same scheme for a few weeks. Meaning, use the same reps, exercises and rest. You will be able to build strength on specific exercises and overload a muscle more than if you change up exercises/rest/reps weekly.

[quote]Professor X wrote:
No one was telling you to eat at Mc Donalds. I cook most of my own food. But a meal for me is a freaking pound of steak. That’s damn near 1,000cals alone for that one meal.
[/quote]

I’ve been reading these boards for two years or so. Honest to God, I have no idea how people have consistently and incessantly understood what you are saying to mean that they should be going to McDonalds.

And for the record, the only person who ever advocated McD’s is Waylanderxx, whom I’m pretty sure is one of the biggest people to post on these boards. I believe he ate like two big macs (or equivalent) after all his workouts at one point, lol.

This is only tangentially related to the OP’s post, but I was wondering if anyone had thoughts on the whole “eat 300 cals above maintenance for ‘teh lean gainzzz’” school of thought? Honestly, I feel like I’ve wasted a good amount of time in the past trying to hit that “sweet spot” and ultimately undershooting.