I'm already hitting the gym minimum 4 days a week max 5-6 depending on how drunk I am at the weekend. I've just ran 3 miles tonight and done 200 sit ups cos I never made the gym. Was gonna do some weights but it's pointless when they're not even half what I'd be doing at the gym so I'll do some press ups instead. I've already got a full on programme for the gym, working different muscle groups each day, I'm eating 4 eggs for breakfast (2 scrambled & 2 in a home made pro shake with a banana and 3/4 a pint of milk). Healthy rest of the day (again unless it's the weekend and I'm hammered). For my size I'm already strong I only weigh about 11.5 stone now compared to 12 last summer which I can't seem to get back, probably because I've been running aswell. Doing all my weights in the gym 4 sets 12/10/8/6 reps going up in weight down to the 6 reps which my absolute maximum. At the moment I'm benching 70kg max for 6 reps and doing max of 20kg dumbells again for 6 if I'm lucky. For my size that's strong as fuck but if I hit the roids I'd easily be benching about 90-100kg by the end of the cycle. If I do it will be done properly with arimidex for any water retention and proper PCT ie eating right, not drinking and cutting straight after.
I'd say cool it on the cardio front if you want to get bigger, 200 sit ups is basically cardio. Cardio is healthy and great to do, however cardio burns off a lot of calories. It's no problem if you're eating extra calories to make up for those lost but it means you've got to eat an awful lot of food. To put on weight, you want to be aiming for a calorific surplus of around 500 extra cals per day on top of your TDEE, which is how many calories it takes to maintain your current body weight (
work out your approx level here).
Lifting naturally you're going to get fat alongside muscle when bulking up, you have to realise this. Bulk for a few months, then cut down. Rinse, repeat. This way you will never get too fat. On a cut you're not going to get any stronger but you'll cut down on bodyfat, it's imperative that you keep lifting as heavy as possible otherwise your muscles have no reason to stay and will shrink down. On a cut you should eat 500 calories under your TDEE but keep protein consumption very high. Lean protein sources are fish, whey/casien protein shakes, low fat yogurt, chicken breast etc. Foods better for bulking are beef, pork, nuts, whole milk, lamb etc.
I can't emphasise calorie counting enough. I know you think it's girly and a weight watchers thing to do but it's so important. People have such little idea of how much they consume. Include everything though, drinks are something to keep an eye on.
I've been lifting for the past eight months without steroids, in that time I have gone from benching 30kg to 90kg, squatting 50 to 130kg and deadlifting 70 to 170kg. Bulked the whole time. I have put on around 3 stone in weight but realistically around half of that is bodyfat. You can put on a lot of muscle naturally, especially at first. Getting your diet right makes such a difference, it's literally like being on cycle.
eating correctly and weight training 3 times a week.
Dee Dee is right, unless you're on cycle (greatly enhanced recovery time) I see no reason to be hitting the gym anymore than 4 times a week, if anything going 5/6 times a week will hinder recovery and your lifts. More is not better, consider doing a strength based routine where you hit heavy weights three times a week such as
this modified version of Starting Strength or
StrongLifts 5x5. After you've got your lifts up then I'd consider going on to a routine orientated towards hypertrophy if you lift to look good rather than for strength,
like Lyle Mcdonald's generic bulking routine
agreed on the weight training and no cardio bit, few friends of mine who eat unhealthy stuff then go gym, can lift loads but do no cardio. they're hench but look fat and flabby, no definition. then they tell me "protein isnt that important, its all about the calories" ended up a bit of an argument with them. firm believer in protein intake being important. building blocks of muscle... gotta be important. muppets
Protein and calories are both important. You're not going to put on size without the correct balance. On a bulk (aiming to put on weight) you want to aim for 1g of protein per lb of bodymass, so if you weigh 180lbs then you eat 180grams of protein a day. On a cut (aiming to lose body fat) you should aim to eat 1.5g protein per lb to help retain muscle due to being on a calorific deficit. Your friends will look flabby because they have a layer of fat covering up the muscle. Low bodyfat = definition. What your friends should do if they want to look good is cut down... but I mean not everyone lifts for vanity, some enjoy it as a sport and to be stronger. You do not even need to do cardio to get lean, to keep a healthy heart yes but not to lose weight. To lose weight all you have to do is have a calorific deficit, all cardio does burn extra calories to create a deficit in people who eat at their TDEE or above.
I dont see the point of steroids at all.
Steroids have many uses. For strength and muscle mass, not to mention medical use. In terms of increasing muscle mass, they can be used to continue to grow after reaching the bodies genetic limit for muscle mass or they can be used as a fast forward button to reach targets quickly. Steroids are demonised massively in the same way recreational drugs are, they can be used very safely but they still come with a lot of side effects. Rockstar seems pretty clued up in terms of using an AI and in terms of PCT etc, I don't think it would be dangerous for him to use them but I also don't think at the time it's a necessary move either. Until diet and routine are locked down, I wouldn't be considering steroids at all. Even on an IM testosterone cycle, gains will be pissed away in months without correct diet and training.
I'm not really ever wanting to be more than about 13-13.5 stone max...
Just read this, presuming you're over about 5 foot 7/8 inch or so, reaching a lean 13.5 stone will be well within your genetic limit. I know guys who want to be 18 stone+ meatheads at around 6 foot and cycling tren, deca alongside test is the only way they're going to get there. Also, dbol gains do stick around. Dbol does cause a lot of water retention but it is not water alone. Turinabol (tbol) is an oral steroid that will lead to solid gains without the same level of water retention as dianabol.
Somebody quick post some photos! This page is well off-topic... maybe move to a gym thread?
