[quote]FearFactory wrote:
Fellow tall lifter here…
I am 6’5" 230 lbs. I started at 24 and I am 28 now. In those 4 years, I have gained 70 pounds. Actually, my heaviest was 245 lbs…so really 85 lbs since I started. Not that it needs to be mentioned since it is fairly obvious from my pic, but I am natty and will always be that way.
Being natty and tall, it will always be an uphill battle for you. What has worked for me is the following:
- Train HEAVY with INTENSITY (failure, close to it) and OFTEN (meaning hitting bodyparts 1.5-2x per week) but keep the volume LOW.
- Eat enough to gain 1 lb a week or so.
You are not ready to go onto a classic bodybuilding routine yet. You need to build mass, in general first. You WILL need to get a little soft to attain this. Don’t be trying to stay shredded year round or anything. I am not saying get sloppy fat, but don’t be afraid to get smooth.
A great program for you would be 5/3/1, on a MWF schedule, with bodybuilding type accessories. I used that for a while and it worked wonders for my physique and strength.
You mentioned you have trouble flat benching…can you incline bench? If so, I would set up 5/3/1 with squat, deads, military press, and incline bench press as your movements and set it up like so.
MON
Incline Bench 5/3/1 (balls out on last set, get as many as you can)
Neutral Grip Chins.
Seated DB Shoulder Press
Chest Supported Rows
Skullcrushers
WED
Squats 5/3/1 (balls out)
Incline DB Curls
Good Mornings
Seated Calf
Ab Wheel
Fri
Miltary Press (balls out)
Curl Grip Lat Pulldowns
DB Bench (flat or incline, up to you)
Some type of machine row (seated cable or hammer strength)
Close Grip Smith Bench
Mon
Deadlifts (balls out)
Standing BB Curls
Leg Press
Standing Calf
Ab Wheel
On the accessories, I will leave it up to you. You can either do 5 sets across and go for a volume approach, or do one all out set just like your 5/3/1 set. I prefer the one all out set. If you have great recovery, you can do this program on a mon/tues/thurs/fri schedule.
Here is a link to my LOG if you want to follow along.
I train in a similar fashion as the routine I wrote up for you, except I rest-pause accessories now.
[/quote]
Thanks, I’ve never tried wave loading like that. I like to lift with slightly higher rep range but I will give it a shot. At last, a useful response in my thread!
As for the haters, have fun on the smith machine and remember to strap up for those lat pulldowns!