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2005/06/29, 02:15 AM
This is going to be a bit of a long winded post, but I know you guys can help me out.
Okay... Here is goes. I have been struggling to gain weight (at least any good weight) for the past several months. I don't like it because its making me feel like I am wasting my time at the gym and with dieting. I KNOW its something I am doing wrong but I am not sure what it is. I have tried changing my diet and my routine but have had no luck with any form of gains.
I would appreciate any feed back you guys can give me on both my routine and diet. I don't expect you guys to write me up a new diet or split, I will do that with the given advice.
So here it is.
Diet - I stick to my diet pretty much every day. I am in no way perfect on this, and do enjoy the occasional cheat day but I never falter for more then a few meals (usually on Saturdays nights).
Because I work shifts, its tough to follow a set eating schedule, so instead I made up several meals to be eaten when most convenient and practical (CC before bed, heavy carbs before workout, etc)
Meal 1 - First thing
2 whole eggs, 2 egg whites
3/4 cup oatmeal, 1/4 cup oat bran
1 large spoonful of PB (about 30g).
Meal 2 - Whenever
1 Serving whey or 1 can tuna w/ 1 tbsp fat free mayo
1 cup baby carrots
1 cup whole dry roasted plain peanuts (approx 20... God I love these things)
Meal 3 - Usually lunch type.
1 can Tuna + Cottage cheese, in a whole wheat pita wrap.
1 bowl Salad (premade stuff sometimes-- Cabbage, carrots, etc. Spinach and carrots other times... Really depends on the cost of spinach)
Meal 4 - Before bed
1 cup Cottage Cheese
Meal 5 - Pre-workout
Chicken Breast or Pollock or Pork (pretty much any lean meat). I would put the servings at about 20-30 grams of protien.
1 cup Mixed Veggies
1 cup sweet potato or 1 cup mixed beans (without the syrup) or 1 whole wheat pita
Meal 6 - 1 cup Cottage Cheese or 1 can tuna
Meal 7 - Post workout shake - 1 1/2 servings of whey, 1 spoonful peanut butter (approx 15grams), water.
So thats it for the most part. I mix and match depending on the day, but I always have protein with each meal and never go more then 3 hours without eating (I keep cans of tuna in my car just in case -- Is that weird? Everyone else thinks so).
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And now for my workout. I decided to try the less is more idea out because I was afraid of over training. Didn't see much improvement in my lifts the past couple months, so I am not sure if I am under training. I try to mix up my workouts every six weeks, but it tends to be the same muscle groups for each day of the week.
I could write out my entire routine and the reps I shoot for, but thats too much reading for you and too much writing for me. So here is the jist: I go 4 days a week, and sometimes (though not often enough) do 1 day of moderate cardio.
Most of my workouts consist of a warm up set (12-15 reps), then heavier sets pyramiding up until I can't do more then 4 reps (its usually 10, 8, 6 or 8, 6, 4 depending on the workout and if I have a spotter to let me do higher weights).
Monday - Shoulders and abs
- 5 minutes warmup on the bike
- 3 exercises for shoulders, 4 sets each.
- 4 exercises for abs, 2 sets each.
Tuesday - Chest and Triceps
- 5 minutes warmup on the bike
- 3 exercises for chest, 4 sets each.
- 2 exercises for Triceps, 4 sets each
Wednesday - Break or cardio
- Cardio consists of 15 minutes on the bike and 15 on the X-trainer
Thursday - Legs, Calves and Biceps
- Rotate squats or straight-leg dead lifts each week for legs
- 5 minutes warmup on the bike
- 3 exercises for Leg, 4 sets each
- 1 exercise for Calves, 4 sets
- 2 exercises for Biceps, 4 sets each
Friday - Back
- I found hitting all the parts of the back was tough without giving it a day too its own.
- 5 Exercises, 4 sets each.
I am considering adding 10 minutes cardio to the end of each workout because I have been skipping the middle day so often. I really neglect cardio far too much.
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And thats that. I have no clue what I am doing wrong, but its obvious that its something. Please point out my follies so I can get back on track!
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Lift. Eat. Rest. Gain.
~Brad~
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2005/06/29, 09:55 AM
Your diet does not look bad in the least. If you are not gaining weight, then you must be at maintenance. This actually is the only explanation. This means that the calorie intake you are getting is adequate to keep you the same with your energy expenditure. So, you need to increase calories. This is the reason we struggle to gain weight, calorie intake is not set correctly to do so. Try upping your total daily intake by 500 calories per day. Make them clean, and you will see a weight increase. Give this a few weeks, don't want to jump them up too fast. At this rate, in 2-4 weeks or so you should start to see some movement on the scale.
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If you don't stand for something, you will fall for anything....
bb1fit@freetrainers.com
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2005/06/29, 09:56 AM
It looks like maybe you aren't eating enough.
Are you also taking a quality multi?
Have you tried creatine?
Do you get adequate rest to grow?
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It\'s easier to go down a hill than up it but the view is much better at the top.
-Henry Ward Beecher
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2005/06/29, 09:57 AM
bbfit beat me to it!
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2005/06/29, 09:58 AM
============
Quoting from asimmer:
bbfit beat me to it!
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:big_smile:
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If you don't stand for something, you will fall for anything....
bb1fit@freetrainers.com
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2005/06/30, 01:15 AM
I take a multi everyday, plus brewers yeast with at 2 or 3 meals. I have tried creatine and got pretty good results. I was considering doing another cycle, but my caffine requirement for the graveyard shifts is putting a hold on that.
I get about 7-8 hours sleep a night, and try to get at 2-3 days off a week. Right now I am going three days straight off instead of breaking them up like I did before.
What did you think about my training? Am I over training or under training?
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Lift. Eat. Rest. Gain.
~Brad~
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2005/06/30, 06:18 AM
how are your abs turining out? i would suggest doing them more often.. anywhere between 2- 4 times a week if you arent satisfied with the progress.
also, if you feel up to it, you can throw in another exercise for bis and tris each day. and remember, if you are looking to add weight, be wary and sparing with your cardio. you will be burning valuable calories this way that could contribute to your weight gain, so i suggest keeping it minimal.. maybe switch from wednesday to sunday for your session, so you get a break wednesday in the middle of your training, and saturday.. and are fresh for sunday.
when you do the cardio, i would suggest something like HIIT.. it will be much more targeted at fat burning and raising metabolism, and will spare possible muscle catabolism.. which will be beneficial in your situation
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2005/06/30, 07:15 AM
Actually, since I cut back to doing abs once a week over the last several months they have never looked better. I treat them like any other muscle, going hard and heavy and feeling it the next day.
I think I may add a couple short 10 minute HIIT sessions at the end of my workouts. I bring my post workout shakes with me so I can get quick access to protien after my workouts. I realize that it is counter productive for growth, but I really don't want to let my heart get out of shape.
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2005/06/30, 09:19 PM
Your weight training will actually have an effect on your heart - studies are just startign to come out on the subject that say weight training may be beneficial for your cardiovascular system as well.
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It\'s easier to go down a hill than up it but the view is much better at the top.
-Henry Ward Beecher
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