warning: TLDR incoming...
a lot of points have been covered already so ill summarize: youre not getting enough calories, enough carbs, and/or enough protein. the weightlifting you do is likely countered by the amount of cardio + military marching. that is going to burn right through all your calories, so start stacking a lot more. if you dont have opportunity to eat enough, well, sadly, you dont have opportunity to bulk.
sounds like you have good dietary sense. how often do you eat? you should be eating a minimum of 20g of protein every 3 hours, right on that 3 hour mark. eating 100g of protein in one meal is likely going to just find its way into your feces instead of your cell walls. each of these meals should not be solely protein, include fats, carbs, and a
low amount of cholesterol (ie - the body does not live on protein shakes alone - diversify your food sources).
with the amount of cardio you do in a week, sounds like you could afford a good bit more fat. peanut butter is your friend. i diddnt read if you listed a numeric value for your caloric intake. you probably want to reach up to 3,000-3500 a day (when i was mass gaining, my goal was 4,000 a day, and i usually ate 3500+). general fitness is easy. body building is a 24 hour job.
NO ALCOHOL UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES (until youre satisfied with your level of bulk). Alcohol reduces the amount of testosterone in your body, and breaks down your muscles. Again, body building is a lifestyle.
So lastly, i bet a big problem you have is with technique and form. Ive been into weightlifting for almost a decade, ive had veteran marines, traumatic rehab doctors, and seasoned personal trainers give me all their own pointers, plus ive used my own body as an experiment laboratory for half a decade - that being said, i
rarely see anyone have good form in a gym. THIS INCLUDES PERSONAL TRAINERS - i often see personal trainers saying "good! good job! one more! you got it!" to someone whose form is piss poor. Im convinced that most personal trainers out there dont even know proper form.
Form is everything. Bad form reduces the amount of work youre muscles are doing, and could possibly stress areas that can not afford to be stressed. Continuous bad form over many years can result in arthritis or other bone/joint problems far later in life.
I have a two-fold theory on why you rarely see good form in a gym:
1) The body is designed to attempt to do everything with the least amount of effort possible. Its embedded into our dna to resist the effort required for muscular work, to divert the energy to multiple places in the body so overall the muscles do less, and to require less energy. This is excellent in an environment where calories are scarce (such as, human existence for hundreds of thousands of years before about 10,000 years ago). This is terrible if youre trying to make your muscles larger, as youll do way too much work over way too long of a time to get where you want. Less energy efficient moves - ie good form when doing a weightlifting exercise, produces quicker results in a short amount of time. This is why you need to consume calories like a rancid whore on nickel night.
2) Everyone wants to jump ahead to the next level. This is particularly true for westerners. Everyone wants to feel tough and stack more plates on the bench, more weight ont heir curls, or more weight on their squats so they can say (chris farley voice
'Yeah, I can bench XXX and Squat XYZ!' Again, I often witness people with 45-60lbs more biomass than myself putting 30lbs too heavy on their bench and doing a piss poor rep that wouldnt even count in a competition and slamming the weight down like he man. Usually, theyre doing everything out of form, struggling, and just wanting to appear like someone with strength. This is exactly how you roadblock yourself and make 0 gains over a year span. The key - ONLY LIFT THE AMOUNT OF WEIGHT THAT ALLOWS YOU TO MAINTAIN
PERFECT FORM, OR PUT LESS WEIGHT ON!
The following is very difficult to discuss via text, however, since youre posting online, you have an unlimited resource for searching for such things. The following is also not a general fitness guideline, but purely a mass gaining guideline.
You want to cycle techniques in the gym (no, this cycling does not refer to roids! that shit is for pussies who cant handle a real workout). Cycling workout technique along with proper body building diet will turn your muscles into iron, produce a plentiful amount of testosterone, and place your muscles ina state of non stop growth.
Cycle 1 - Hypertrophy (look it up). Hypertrophy is essentially the act of causing tiny tears in your muscle fibers and repairing them with proteins. If you havent heard this word before, its likely youve never been introduced to a proper body building workout. And that being said, there are many different types of weightlifting, all of them will do slightly different things to your muscles. Hypertrophy is ONLY effective with good form and adequate protein/calorie intake.
For 4 weeks, you will perform no more than 5 exercises and no less than 3 exercises each day int he gym. You will work out no more than 5 days and no fewer than 4. For each exercise, you will do no fewer than 4 sets, no more than 4 sets (there is certainly such a thing as 'too much'). For each set, you will do the following - 12 reps on the first set, 10 reps on the next two sets, and 8 reps on the last set. For the first set, set an appropriate weight such that 11 reps is easy, 12 is difficult, and 13 would burn so bad you wouldnt be able to maintain form. For each subsequent set, same deal. So for example, on your last set, the 8th rep may be very difficult to maintain form. 9 should be impossible. This is where you need to learn how to set an appropriate weight. For hypertrophy, you may be surprised as to how light of weight you have to set. For example, when I was at my peak bulk, I used to do incline press with 35lb weights (although my max is like 330).
THIS IS MOST IMPORTANT: for each rep, from the starting position, breathe in deep, pause for a split second, and upon exhalation of the breath move to the peak position for about 1 second, no more. Pause at the peak position and squeeze the exact muscles youre trying to grow. Now as you come back to teh starting position, TAKE FOUR WHOLE SECONDS while breathing in. repeat. If you can not handle 12 reps at that slow of a pace,
you have too much weight on, lower the weight and try the next set. It will feel extremely easy for your first few reps, and very difficult for your last few.
Cycle 2 - Strength training. Now that youve spent four weeks doing hypertrophy, with good form, youll notice your muscles are larger. However, they arent conditioned for strength. Strength has NOTHING to do with muscle size, strength is your muscles' load bearing capacities. For example, when I had a 168lb frame, I could bench 285-290lbs 6 times with good form. My muscles were conditioned for strength, not size.
For for weeks, for 4-5 days a week, for 4-5 exercises each day, for 4 sets each exercise, you will do 8 reps on first set, 6 reps on next two sets, and 5 reps on last set. This time, you will put a good bit more weight on. You wont build much muscle from this, however, you will make the new muscle mass you have much much stronger. You dont wanna be some 220lb guido that can barely handle 250lbs with his huge muscles. You want to hit a goal of outputting far more weight than your own bodyweight, or else youre some pansy that belongs shirtless in front of abercunty and fish.
Much like hypertrophy, on the first set (8 reps), you should feel a challenge getting the 8th off, with confidence that 9 is possible but form will be sacrificed. Also, you dont want to take so long doing each rep. From the starting position, blow out fast and hit your peak. Recede back to the starting position for about 2 seconds this time while inhaling. Repeat. For your last set, the set of 5 reps, I recommend a spotter, as you may misjudge the amount of weight and hurt yourself if your muscles fail. REMEMBER TO BREATHE!
3rd cycle - power training. Now its meathead time! Power training, imo, is super easy, and you can get a solid workout in in like 30 mins. Basically, youre finding out your maximum weight. On the inside, its a much different story. Hypertrophy built you some new muscles. Strength training conditioned those muscles for proper load bearing. Power training will build faster and stronger neurological connections to those muscles, so that when you go back to hypertrophy, your muscles will strike like a beast. Power training is great for anyone who wants to have a quick, instantaneous burst of muscular force (IE - a quarterback's throw, a runner's initial start, etc).
I recommend you always have a spotter, as you should be doing enough weight that failure of some exercises will result in hospitalization or death. Be safe! For 4 weeks, for 4-5 days a week, for 3-5 exercises a day, for 4 sets each exercises, you want to do 5,3,2,1 reps per set. The last set, the set of 1 rep, is your maximum. Learn this, and know thyself!
So, you need to learn a safe amount of weight to do. The first set of 5 should make 6 reps impossible, and 5 should feel very difficult. Your next set should be much harder. The 2nd to last set is testing your limit - stack up a weight that you think you can handle 2 reps with good form, although if you only get 1, thats just fine. Better to do one rep with good form than 1,000 reps with poor form. Not knowing your body's limits can result in serious injury, dont be a tough guy, this is about body transformation not a show.
The reps are performed as follows: Inhale, blast to the peak as quickly as possible, and receede back to starting position while inhaling for about 1 second. Repeat. This is the opposite of hypertrophy - this does not build muscle, it makes your body's response to the demand for load bearing very fast. Likewise, you want to do a high amount of weight very quickly, instead of a low amount of weight very slowly. It is necessary for your next hypertrophy cycle.
Last cycle - REST! Spend 7-10 days eating healthy, lots of protein, and doing NO weight training/ muscular conditioning exercise. Id also suggest not even running, just let your entire body rest, but if you have other obligations in life thats cool. Just dont do any muscular work. Rest rest rest. Also, as Ive mentioned above, you dont want to weight lift more than 5 days a week (4 is even better, if you can afford longer workouts). Why? Your muscles only grow when youre resting. If you lift 6 days a week, you will hurt your muscles more than you repair them, and youll make reverse progress. REST WELL. Sleep a MINIMUM of 8 hours a night, 10 is ideal. This allows you to grow the most. Resting is equally important to activity in the gym. If these are unbalanced, you will not grow much.
Now, repeat the above cycle. Do this 4 times a year, and with good form and proper rest and proper diet, you will grow. I did this for two years and put quite a lot of solid muscle on my body without putting hardly any fat on it. Your bones will be denser, joints stronger, and your endurance should be bestial. Sorry, no alcohol, it will reverse your progress. Dont smoke tobacco, as it will reduce your lung capacity, and make each repetition weaker.
IMO, and let me reiterate, MY OPINION, is that cannabis is a good thing, as it makes you consume a lot more calories. Others diagree with me. For the record, the notion that cannabis reduces the amount of testosterone is a street myth resulting from a botched CIA test in an unrealistic laboratory setting. Its bullshit. I smoke weed every day and Id enjoy punching through my enemy's chest and ripping out his beating heart - trust me, cannabis does not reduce testosterone anymore than LSD changes your DNA (Again, thank the US government for spreading as many phony street myths as possible).
Here are some tips for good form - Your elbow and knee joints should be rarely, if ever, locked. If you lock your elbows, youre diverting your energy away from your target muscle and not getting the most efficient workout. Lazy people lock their joints. Lazy people are not body builders. Your wrists should always be in neutral positions, except for more exotic activities. Neutral means a 0 degree angle (flat) with palms facing down, or a 'hammer' position, with the hands turned 90 degrees upward and the palms facing inward (note, even switching the wrist positions can activate/deactivate certain muscles). Lastly, you shouldnt be working out muscles not involved in the exercise. For example, a classic way to do bicep curls wrong (which almost EVERYONE does as theyre doing too much weight), is to rock the back back and forth, to lock the knees out with the legs straight, and to whip the curl bar up with the triceps and anterior deltoid. Correctly, this is done by moving the foerarm up rotating about the elbow, with NOTHING else in the body moving but the lungs for breath. This is an example of how to maintain form.
Diversify your exercises. I CANT STRESS THIS ENOUGH EITHER - your body will build a tolerance to the same workout day in and day out. DIVERSIFY. If you did olympic bar one week, do freeweights the next week. Mix up cables with bars and freeweights. Avoid machines, they do too much work for you. If you did flat french curls one week, do tricep pulldowns the next time you do tris. If you did decline press with the olympic bar one week, do it at a sharper angle with freeweights the next. If you did standing calf raises with a freeweight one weak, do seated calf raises the next, etc.
Remember, if you struggle, have one side of the body doing more work than the other, lock joints out, clang the weights together, slam weights down on the floor, make too loud of a noise when lifting, or otherwise have bad posture, youre not doing real work for the muscles youre targeting, and everything becomes ineffective. FORM IS YOUR FOUNDATION. You want to do each repetition exactly as you did the first, dont sacrifice form for anything, else youll just end up taking much longer to reach your goals. Put less weight on, try again. You wont look weak, youll look like someone who actually knows how to lift.
If you really want to gain fat start drinking, beer and or alcohol in general. I used to smoke weed all the time and could not gain weight even though i ate food all day long. When i got put on probation and couldnt smoke i started drinking. Ive gained probably 30 to 40 pounds ( i was 130lb then) over the past year just because beer has alot of calories and i drink often, but if i was to work out like im supposed to it wouldnt be as big of a weight gain
In my
opinion and experience, this is quite possibly the worst advice ive ever read. This is the homer simpson workout, not the body builder's workout.
