Hi, been a long time reader of the forums and articles. I’ve finally decided to pick up working out again after a year break and take it as seriously as I’ve ever done. My background is I’m ectomorph.
Age: 20
Height: 6’0
Weight: 141
Body fat %: Its been awhile but definetly below 10%. Definetly not a fat-skinny guy(a skinny-skinny guy with decent muscle tone because its easy to see due to lack of body mass) but I can upload pictures later on to get a better idea if needed.
I worked out really hard for around a year and half but after reading up I was overtraining. I had the faulty mindset the more I do the more Id gain. Even though I really overtrained I still gained 15 lbs then school came began to interfere with the routine (lost my workout partner) and eventually it fizzled out. I know Im now mentally ready to start up again and actually do it the right way.
I’m here to get feedback because I want to get the most constructive criticism possible to better myself. I really dont want to make excuses for lack of gains because “I have a high metabolism” etc. Im looking to put in the hard work to gain the weight and eating 2-3 times more than Im doing now (as clean as possible). I made the thread so that I can get a good routine and to keep a log so that I will not waver from it.
I was wondering in my situation would it be better to follow Rippetoe’s or WSFSBs. I’ve been leaning towards West Side but dont know if its the best fit for me. Im looking for size gains mostly with strength gains coupled with it.
Also does anyone have a good bulking meal ideas for a college budget in mind. It seems that eating is the biggest part of working out in my physique situation and want to get the best information possible. Thanks for the responses.
ripps for a few months. Switch to wsfsb after that. I’m assuming you aren’t an athlete so you might want to try a layout like:
Max effort upper body:
-Bench press variation
-incline DB
SUPERSET
-row variation with face pulls, db cleans, rear delt flys
-curl variation
Squat day:
-squat variation
-unilateral
-hammy movement
-abdominal circuit
-calves
RE upper body:
-RE bench variation
-Chin variation/rear delt superset
-Military press
-trap/arms superset
-grip
Deadlift day:
-deadlift variation
-unilateral
-ghr
-abs
-calves
Do something like this, or pull-push-legs
Sun April 20
-135- 3x5 Squat
-115- 3x5 Bench Press
-115- 1x5 Deadlift
-BW- 2x8 Dips
A quick workout. On the squats, I dont know if I started too heavy. It wasn’t too bad but I could see in a couple weeks adding weight where I could have trouble.
Bench press was not too bad. Most comfortable of the four exercises. Started off a little light so I could build my way up.
Deadlifts and dips weren’t nearly as taxing as the squats. I think I picked a good weight for Deadlifts, it went smooth and kept good form.
Tomorrow I’ll post my diet log so I can get some feedback.
make sure you’re hitting depth on those squats!
Oh yeah I am. 135 really isnt that heavy but I can see it getting pretty hard once I climb up in weight. I go down about as far if not further than this vid. I think my form is pretty good just need to get stronger. The hardest part of this is going to be my diet and forcing myself to not eat like a school girl.
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/2003/barbellsquat.wvx
For the “Clean Bulk” on a budget I like big cheap bags of oats, huge econosized cans of black beans, and nuts. those are all easy to prepare and easy to carry with.
Also, at your height/weight you could use a bit of overeating. Before bed and in the morning are good times for skinny dudes to catch extra cals. Nuts are so good at this. bags of cashews, macadamia and pistachios are big calorie boosters.
If you have no intolerance for milk you might also give the 1/2 gal per day route a go. It might give you indigestion to eat so much but you’ll be getting it on oats as it is.
I would also say that you could likely pop up the frequency of rippetoes a bit too. I’d say it might help to go two days on one day off if you are getting decent sleep.
Good luck sir
-chris
Thanks for the responses. So by upping the frequency you mean combine both workouts (A and B) 3 times a week instead of alternating?
Like,
Warmup
3x5 Squat
3x5 Bench Press
1x5 Deadlift
2x8 Dips
3x5 Standing military press
3x5 Bent Rows
2x8 Chin-ups
Just making sure Im understanding correctly.
No.
Monday - A
Tuesday - B
Wednesday - Off
Thursday - A
Friday - B
Saturday - Off
Sunday - Off
or something similar
This would be the idea, although I don’t recommend doing it. The program is the program. Don’t mess with the program. This will get more difficult. If you find that you have an excess of energy left over, then increase by an additional 5 lbs next workout. I would never do this program more than 3x/week.
First off, good luck on your journey! Lots of motivation around here, and lots of great information.
I’m on Starting Strength, and have always been told to keep it to 3 days a week. Like TheDude said, the program is the program. Keep upping the weight until it suitably wears you out.
I got somewhat of a problem. I work at a restaurant and we arent “allowed” to eat during shifts. My shifts are around 6 six hours at a time which blows if I want to eat more than I usually do. Im going to sneak shit in and eat regardless because thats a lot of time without eating and Ill go in a catabolic (?) state. What else could I sneak besides a shaker of a meal replacement shake?
Edit: Would this do anything if I just did because I do not have a set work schedule. Itll barely up the frequency. Maybe Im just thinking too much about it and should stick to 3x a week.
Sun- Workout A
Mon- Off
Tues- Workout B
Wed- Off
Thurs- Workout A
Fri- Off
Sat- Workout B
Sun- Off
The question is now, why not everyday? Why not everyday, twice a day? I’m not saying that you will not gain or progress (at the start) doing it 4x/week, but you will stall quickly. The/a goal of SS is to not stall, or delay stalling for as long as possible. I give you several weeks doing it 4x/week before some sort of over training occurs.
Here was a question about recovery, asked of Mark Rippetoe
strengthmill.net/forum/showthread.php?t=1280
[quote]TheDudeAbides wrote:
The question is now, why not everyday? Why not everyday, twice a day? I’m not saying that you will not gain or progress (at the start) doing it 4x/week, but you will stall quickly. The/a goal of SS is to not stall, or delay stalling for as long as possible. I give you several weeks doing it 4x/week before some sort of over training occurs.[/quote]
Good point. I have the habit of trying to do too much and burning out. Gonna follow the 3x plan and eat as much as possible. Just after that one workout I can feel my hunger levels rising.
Mon. April 21
Alright just got off of work and as of now this is what Ive eaten.
Cal / Carb / Prot
4 eggs- 284 / 0 / 24
2 toast- 110 / 24 / 4
Peanut Butter and Banana- 376 / 12 / 16
Grilled Chicken Sub- 310 / 48 / 24
½ gal Whole Milk- 1200 / 96 / 64
8 ounces chicken- 240 / 0 / 42
Noodles - 190 / 26 / 5
Meal Replacement Shake- 750 / 124 / 50
Tuna Sandwich- 260 / 24 / 29
Totals: 3480 / 354 / 258
Im gonna eat a little bit before I go to bed but I seriously need to get used to this many calories. Ive been feeling weird all day.
Tues. April 22
-140- 3x5 Squat
-60- 3x5 Standing Military
-95- 3x5 Rows
-BW+10lbs - 2x8 Chin ups
Good workout. Everything went smooth. Love doing rows and getting a nice pump. Kinda light on Military Presses but kept good form and it wasnt overly easy. Bumped up 5 lbs on squat and it was smooth only problem is I have a makeshift squat holder so I have to bend down real low before I lift.
Gonna edit later tonight with my diet. So glad I started this log on the site and it keeps me focused as well as the helpful people on here.
I had a lot to do last night so didnt update as thoroughly but here are some totals
3132 / 268 / 195
[quote]TheDudeAbides wrote:
Here was a question about recovery, asked of Mark Rippetoe
strengthmill.net/forum/showthread.php?t=1280
[/quote]
checked out that website and look:
strengthmill.net/forum/showthread.php?t=1101
I have a guy trying to steal my name!
Thurs. April 24
-145- 3x5 Squat
-120- 3x5 Bench Press
-120- 1x5 Deadlift
Ill update Wed food with todays. Alot of shit been going on but still eating as much as possible. Been feeling nauseous at times because Im not used to eating this much but still keeping at it. Clearing above 3k calories a day with a little over 1/2 gallon of milk a day. The lifts werent that bad and gonna post an update later hopefully.
Edit: Im not going to weigh myself for another couple weeks but I can already feel that Im putting on some mass.
-150- 3x5 Squat
-65- 3x5 Standing Military
-100- 3x5 Rows
-BW+10lbs - 2x8 Chin ups
Drank a lot last night and felt awful this morning. I usually don’t get hang overs but I felt dehydrated and so hungry. I know you arent supposed to drink while on a plan but last night cemented this fact. Gonna limit drinking now because I really want to see the best results and its kinda funny because Im turning 21 this week. I havent been updating diet much but Im really dedicating myself and really want to hit 165 lbs by this fall. Anyways Im rambling on and went intense on this workout. Everything went alright and squats are beginning to feel natural to me.
Today’s Workout
-155- 3x5 Squat
-125- 3x5 Bench Press
-125- 1x5 Deadlift
keep up the goodwork cb, and keep updating. I’ll be following to make sure you aren’t quitting on us. best of luck