[quote]yarni wrote:
[quote]fisch wrote:
[/quote]
At any rate we have different views, in the interest of not derailing this thread we can agree to disagree.
[quote]Chris Colucci wrote:
[quote]Vince_fr wrote:
I got a narrow skeleton, ectomorph type, with narrow wrists and elbows. I m not expecting to become hulk one day. [/quote]
What’s your current height and weight?
What did the workout look like - exercises, sets, and reps?[/quote]
Height 5’9"
Weight 170
workout was :
-
Squat 3x5
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Bench 3x5
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DL 3x5
explosive reps, 80% of 5RM -
Bench : 5x5 100% 5RM
-
Incline DB Flies : 3x8
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Triceps machine : 4x8
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High cable triceps extension : 4x12
Some shoulder rotation work too
[quote]Vince_fr wrote:
Height 5’9"
Weight 170[/quote]
Four months ago, you were 6’0" and 160 or 170 pounds (you said both weights).
Nevermind the height issue (there’s an obvious language issue), but this, above all else, is why you’re seeing slow progress in your arms.
Make the program adjustments already mentioned, but you’ve got to figure out how to eat to support the gains you’re looking for.
Hello,
Well size is 1m77, and yes, as I am french, there is a problem with units etc…
For my weight, I am at a plateau (I gained a lot in the past years, but had to break between plateaus most of time, so it’s not a big issue right now).
My work, involving emergencies, can make me wake up at night and working (not very physical, but still moving etc) without easy ways to eat, so my weight can drastically evolve weeks to weeks.
That’s currently my first and foremost battle. But I am working on it. Trying to find what will break that plateau.
[quote]Vince_fr wrote:
My work, involving emergencies, can make me wake up at night and working (not very physical, but still moving etc) without easy ways to eat, so my weight can drastically evolve weeks to weeks.[/quote]
Crazy schedules are one thing, but plenty of guys have still managed to eat and train consistently when thing get busy. Planning ahead and having the right foods ready-to-go will help a lot.
Also, search the forums for previous discussions about weight-gainer shakes.
(^^ I recommended this article to you four months ago ^^ )
Yep, I have to take the time to prepare more food. It s in process, in fact. A I changed my routine some months ago, I wanted to do things one at a time to keep motivation.
Thanks for the articles anyways. I lost fat and grew (volume), I can see it, and people started to say it to me. So I guess I m on the right path, but still need to eat more.
About shakes… Blah, I don’t know where I am anymore. I get acne breakouts especially with casein (and have a bad past with acne, psychologically I am a wreck about my skin), and, more problematic, bloated feeling and digestive issues. They are bearable but… tend to lessen my motivation and question my health.
try beef protein shakes. my acne cleared up about two months after I switched from whey/casein products.
[quote]Chris Colucci wrote:
[quote]Vince_fr wrote:
My work, involving emergencies, can make me wake up at night and working (not very physical, but still moving etc) without easy ways to eat, so my weight can drastically evolve weeks to weeks.[/quote]
Crazy schedules are one thing, but plenty of guys have still managed to eat and train consistently when thing get busy. Planning ahead and having the right foods ready-to-go will help a lot.
Also, search the forums for previous discussions about weight-gainer shakes.
(^^ I recommended this article to you four months ago ^^ )
[/quote]
I read all those articles 6 months ago. I remember one sticking in my head from the skinny-fat manifesto: “2) No More Chest and Biceps…You’re allowed Full Body workouts or Upper/Lower Splits”. I did that (not just because of that article) but I think it was to my detriment.
In the 6 months I’ve gained A LOT of weight (30 pounds), good strength gains, but I’m totally mis-proportioned. My chest and back are huge compared to my arms and lower legs. My arms haven’t grown one bit in those 6 months - I’m exactly the same, 15.5" (I’m 5’10" btw), neither have my calves.
If I’m wearing a normal shirt people can’t tell I work out since my skinny arms stick out of the sleeves (and skinny lower legs if I’m wearing shorts). My belly sticks out more so people sometimes think I’m just fatter. It’s kind-of the worse of both worlds: weak-looking and fat-looking. When I was skinny at least people thought of me as ‘fit’ and asked me advice on how to get thin.
I know it’s temporary and when I work on my arms more I’ll look more proportionate. I always had a very hard time making my arms grow, so I gotta figure out how to do it now.
[quote]qsar wrote:
[quote]Chris Colucci wrote:
[quote]Vince_fr wrote:
My work, involving emergencies, can make me wake up at night and working (not very physical, but still moving etc) without easy ways to eat, so my weight can drastically evolve weeks to weeks.[/quote]
Crazy schedules are one thing, but plenty of guys have still managed to eat and train consistently when thing get busy. Planning ahead and having the right foods ready-to-go will help a lot.
Also, search the forums for previous discussions about weight-gainer shakes.
(^^ I recommended this article to you four months ago ^^ )
[/quote]
I read all those articles 6 months ago. I remember one sticking in my head from the skinny-fat manifesto: “2) No More Chest and Biceps…You’re allowed Full Body workouts or Upper/Lower Splits”. I did that (not just because of that article) but I think it was to my detriment.
In the 6 months I’ve gained A LOT of weight (30 pounds), good strength gains, but I’m totally mis-proportioned. My chest and back are huge compared to my arms and lower legs. My arms haven’t grown one bit in those 6 months - I’m exactly the same, 15.5" (I’m 5’10" btw), neither have my calves.
If I’m wearing a normal shirt people can’t tell I work out since my skinny arms stick out of the sleeves (and skinny lower legs if I’m wearing shorts). My belly sticks out more so people sometimes think I’m just fatter. It’s kind-of the worse of both worlds: weak-looking and fat-looking. When I was skinny at least people thought of me as ‘fit’ and asked me advice on how to get thin.
I know it’s temporary and when I work on my arms more I’ll look more proportionate. I always had a very hard time making my arms grow, so I gotta figure out how to do it now.
[/quote]
Personnally I learnt to take some distance about those articles. Especially when they report experience with trainee who were strictly coached & followed with programs adjusted.
It’s just good source of information but the best way is to adapt them to yourself, if you know what to do.
During SL5x5 my back & quads & hamstrings grew steadily but my chest & shoulders were seriously lagging due to bad improvements in overhead press + bench press. So I started to focus those part more, and the results are slowly coming.
The recipe for rookies like us is, imo, simple : lift heavier & heavier, aim for big 3 steady improvement, and eat, eat, eat and sleep.
Why do you have to revamp your entire approach just because you’ve identified one weakness? What I’m reading is that you’re feeling too fat and your arms are weak, so why not just add in some basic conditioning, clean up your diet if that is the problem, and do some chins or barbell curls and weighted dips? Seems like that would avert this whole crisis.
[quote]AngryMidget wrote:
Why do you have to revamp your entire approach just because you’ve identified one weakness? What I’m reading is that you’re feeling too fat and your arms are weak, so why not just add in some basic conditioning, clean up your diet if that is the problem, and do some chins or barbell curls and weighted dips? Seems like that would avert this whole crisis. [/quote]
You’re right. However, weighted chins & dips have been part of my routine for some time, yet my arms don’t grow. I just didn’t worry about it until now. I added barbell curls a couple of weeks ago. I’ve always had a really hard time making my arms grow, yet other parts grow pretty easily. I’ve ran the course through several programs meant for it in the past, with little progress to show for it. Physiological?
Don’t want to go too far off-topic, but in terms of the conditioning I always preferred to eat 500 less calories per day than try to burn an extra 500 calories per day with cardio. Any reason why the cardio approach is better?
[quote]qsar wrote:
[quote]AngryMidget wrote:
Why do you have to revamp your entire approach just because you’ve identified one weakness? What I’m reading is that you’re feeling too fat and your arms are weak, so why not just add in some basic conditioning, clean up your diet if that is the problem, and do some chins or barbell curls and weighted dips? Seems like that would avert this whole crisis. [/quote]
You’re right. However, weighted chins & dips have been part of my routine for some time, yet my arms don’t grow. I just didn’t worry about it until now. I added barbell curls a couple of weeks ago. I’ve always had a really hard time making my arms grow, yet other parts grow pretty easily. I’ve ran the course through several programs meant for it in the past, with little progress to show for it. Physiological?
Don’t want to go too far off-topic, but in terms of the conditioning I always preferred to eat 500 less calories per day than try to burn an extra 500 calories per day with cardio. Any reason why the cardio approach is better?
[/quote]
Better conditioning, better recovery, heart health etc. Assuming you mean cardio vs. no cardio rather than cardio vs. extra cardio
[quote]The-German wrote:
[quote]qsar wrote:
[quote]AngryMidget wrote:
Why do you have to revamp your entire approach just because you’ve identified one weakness? What I’m reading is that you’re feeling too fat and your arms are weak, so why not just add in some basic conditioning, clean up your diet if that is the problem, and do some chins or barbell curls and weighted dips? Seems like that would avert this whole crisis. [/quote]
You’re right. However, weighted chins & dips have been part of my routine for some time, yet my arms don’t grow. I just didn’t worry about it until now. I added barbell curls a couple of weeks ago. I’ve always had a really hard time making my arms grow, yet other parts grow pretty easily. I’ve ran the course through several programs meant for it in the past, with little progress to show for it. Physiological?
Don’t want to go too far off-topic, but in terms of the conditioning I always preferred to eat 500 less calories per day than try to burn an extra 500 calories per day with cardio. Any reason why the cardio approach is better?
[/quote]
Better conditioning, better recovery, heart health etc. Assuming you mean cardio vs. no cardio rather than cardio vs. extra cardio[/quote]
I meant lower calories + light cardio + body building exercise vs. extra cardio + body building
[quote]qsar wrote:
[quote]The-German wrote:
[quote]qsar wrote:
[quote]AngryMidget wrote:
Why do you have to revamp your entire approach just because you’ve identified one weakness? What I’m reading is that you’re feeling too fat and your arms are weak, so why not just add in some basic conditioning, clean up your diet if that is the problem, and do some chins or barbell curls and weighted dips? Seems like that would avert this whole crisis. [/quote]
You’re right. However, weighted chins & dips have been part of my routine for some time, yet my arms don’t grow. I just didn’t worry about it until now. I added barbell curls a couple of weeks ago. I’ve always had a really hard time making my arms grow, yet other parts grow pretty easily. I’ve ran the course through several programs meant for it in the past, with little progress to show for it. Physiological?
Don’t want to go too far off-topic, but in terms of the conditioning I always preferred to eat 500 less calories per day than try to burn an extra 500 calories per day with cardio. Any reason why the cardio approach is better?
[/quote]
Better conditioning, better recovery, heart health etc. Assuming you mean cardio vs. no cardio rather than cardio vs. extra cardio[/quote]
I meant lower calories + light cardio + body building exercise vs. extra cardio + body building
[/quote]
I like
lower calories + NO cardio + increase training volume and frequency + slightly decreased weight range half the time to support recovery
Train week points in between sets on non conflicting days.
Example: Alternate between a set of 6 with tris or bis between whatever your doing. Not heavy but a working weight.
Problem solved