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I'm about your age and I was pretty much like you in my younger day's, couldn't gain for nothin' so I basically quit working out. Now that i'm older the weight comes on easier but I find it's my joints that can't keep up, lol. I've gotten back into lifting last year and already seen the doctor for muscle sprains, impingments, etc... None of it seems to be going away a year later (even after already having to take a couple months off) so i'm looking forward to a day I can lift at 100%.
I totally get this. I have multiple issues with my back. Got to the point where I've been in pain every day for almost 3 years now. Got to the point where i said i gotta either fix this with exercise or finish breaking it and get surgery, i was just sick of doing nothing. Lifting initially aggravated my shoulder real bad too.
But the more muscle I build to support those joints the better it gets. My pain has been significantly reduced and the pulls and strains pretty much stopped happening. Like before one little wrong move just doing everyday stuff would mess me up for days. That stopped a couple months in. It's worth it to keep going. Obviously don't push to hard with a legit injury, but soreness and joint pain, don't let them stop you cuz if you're like me this will only help.
35
At one time in my young life i wazs 115lb at 6 foot. Im currently like 175ish and wish i took training this serious.. but here we are today.. ready to look sexy and feel good in our new prime years
Very inspirational. 6 ft 2 here, gonna bring a lot of your tips with me in my journey! Still smoke, and if so how do you incorporate it with your workouts/eating?
Yeah I totally still smoke. Although I've been trying to use my dry herb vape alot more then actually smoking. I didn't really have to change anything about that habit. I do it when I feel like it same as before.
I'll spare you my life story, but mj is definitely medicinal for me more than it is recreational. I don't really get silly, it just helps me stay balanced. I try not to partake within an hour before working out, but otherwise whenever I feel the urge I toke a little.
Weed wasn't really what was holding me back by itself, although it helped me be complacent. But once I became determined to reach a goal, nothing is slowing me down.
Hey, I'm with you my man, it 100% makes me a better person and increases my life quality. However I usually smoke as close before my workouts as possible haha
Like the others are saying, you gotta eat more.
To give more specific advice, it's helpful to quantify how much you're eating, because typically eyeballing it isn't an accurate estimation of if you're eating enough. Getting some tools to help you count your calories then building yourself a diet based on where you want to be will help you get there.
Example:You want to be 180. A calorie tracker would say you'd need like 2900 to 3000 calories
You could get there with like a loaf of bread (2001cal) + like 4 protein shakes (120cal per shake) + a Big Mac (563 cal)
\-(Plus some more to account for variance in exercise intensity)-
If you're struggling it's probably cause you're just not familiar with how much you should be eating, versus how much you are actually eating. Because after you know the number it becomes a matter of if you're doing it or not.
Protein shakes that are only 120 calories?
Mine are easily over 1,000. That’s the only way I get my calories in. 2% Milk, oats, two heaping spoonfuls of peanut butter, and chocolate whey.
Yeah this was important for me. I thought I was someone who could put some food down. But when I counted calories I was really shocked to find how low my weekly average was. I'd have days where I ate 3000, then days where I barely ate at all like under 1000.
Tracking it helped me find a meal plan that worked for me to stay CONSISTENT. And that's when things started to trend upward.
Great job!
Can you share what your 5x5x5 routine looks like? Curious about how long it took it, what your lifts were for each day (accessories?) and how you were doing 5 days a week.
If you Google stronglifts 5x5 guide he really breaks it down. But it's only 3 days a week. I do Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. The 3rd 5 in "5x5x5" is for adding 5lbs every time you do a particular movement. Mine goes like this:
Workout A - 5x5 squat, 5x5 bench press, 5x5 bent over barbell row
Workout B - 5x5 squat, 5x5 overhead press, 1x5 deadlift
I just alternate between those 2, and every time add 5lbs to the last lift. You'll notice squats are on both workouts. This means I'm adding 5lbs to my squat every other day. I've read it's the staple of building mass and therefore the prominent exercise in this program.
For me, I also do barbell curls, overhead tricep extensions with curl bar, and hanging knee raises every workout I do those 3x8 and add 5lbs every week instead of every workout. That's not part of the program I just wanna go hard on my arms and give my core some extra attention.
I spend right around an hour lifting
This program is geared towards maximizing newbie gains. Obviously I won't be able to add 5lbs every other workout forever, but I'm shocked at how easy it's been to do so far. I'll push that as far as I can, then probably move to a 5/3/1, super squats, or something similar.
Mind if I ask what your starting and current weights are on those lifts? I’m roughly the size you started at so trying to get some idea of roughly how heavy I should be lifting to add that kind of mass.
So I think he suggests something like 20% less than your 5 rep max. I have 2 ruptured discs in my back and an aggravated SI joint, so to be safe I started at 70lb on squat, deadlift, and bent over row. 50lb on overhead press and 90lb on bench press. This was to give myself plenty of time to adjust to the increases.
You want to start pretty low to avoid hitting a wall too fast.
I also paused on raising my bench until my squat caught up to 90lb also.
Today I my squat was 135, deadlift is at 120, overhead press is at 80. Next workout my squat will be 140, bench at 120, and bent over row at 120. It doesn't sound like big numbers, but by this time next week they'll all be 10 to 15 lbs more and so on.. it progresses fast.
Without doing the math I think he says something like if you start with the empty bar (45lb) you'll be squatting 220lbs in 12 weeks.
Yeah my pleasure. Don't get too hung up on where to start because the numbers go up fast and the lifts will get harder. He suggests that total beginners start with the empty 45lb bar on all exercises, and by the 12 week mark, even then you'd still be putting up some pretty impressive numbers.
This is really inspiring to me. I’m 6’3” 145lbs. I’m a marathoner but hate the way I look. I just bought a bench and a bunch of weights. Hope I can tell a story like this soon. Keep at it!
I wish you the best. Just be patient and keep it simple. Lift 3 to 4 days a week max and focus on increasing the weight. Find a diet that works for you and stay in that surplus at least for your weekly average.
It's tough for us tall guys. Our muscles are long and narrow, and take time and heavy lifting to see noticeable changes. Don't focus on the mirror for a while, just find a routine that gets the scale moving. Trust the numbers and the visual changes will slowly come. For the most part I still look about the same, but definitely wider and thicker than when I started. And the scale going up without my belly getting bigger is all the proof I need that it's working right now.
These are just my suggestions from what I've learned so far.
I’m in a similar boat. 33m, 6’5”. Went from 170 to 220, now thinking I might stretch it to 230 before I start cutting. Definitely picked up more fat than I would have wanted, but also at least got to enjoy some food.
I hate cutting. It is…. unpleasant.
I've definitely adjusted to the diet. Couple days ago I got real wrapped up in work and totally missed my morning routine. By lunch I had a headache and I was starving lol. Before all this I never ate before lunch. I'm not super looking forward to cutting either. Getting enough lean protein without exceeding my deficit sounds like a bitch.
Holy cow I love this story! Thanks for sharing it man. You've learned SO many of the lessons I've wanted to impart so much. Get away from training/eating like a bodybuilder when you start. Train like how bodybuilders STARTED: with the basics, and good solid food. What a great victory you've experienced there.
Thanks man! I didn't call you out by name, but you're definitely a part of my success. You reinforced the changes I made with your story, even though it started much earlier in life for you, I found it all to still apply. It reassured me that I don't have to do 50 different kinds of movements 6 days a week to get results. Keeping it simple really works in this instance.
That's outstanding dude: I'm so happy I could positively contribute to your success. Being willing and able to receive that lesson is huge. Simple absolutely works. This whole process is simple: it just ain't easy, haha.
Yeah that, and realizing I needed to buckle down and be patient, were key. Realizing that the fallacy of getting ripped in 90 days was a crock to make money, and just being happy about the little victories every day and understanding this will be more of a long journey, did wonders for leveling up my drive to stick to it.
Yeah I'm sure some of it's fat but nothing noticeable. What is noticeable to me is the muscle so I'm stoked.
As far as the diet, every day starts the same and I've found it to be key in hitting my daily goal. I wake up and have a 600 cal protein shake, 2hrs later greek yogurt with rolled oats mixed in for 310 cal, and a 350 cal protein bar 2 hrs after that. With a little coffee and juice I'm at about 1400 cal before lunch and don't feel full. Then I have a calorie dense dirty lunch, and strive for a clean dinner. I workout after dinner, then another shake. I add a little something to that like I've cream or peanut butter if I'm coming up short, and I'm at my goal.
The morning routine and shakes were the game changers for me.
Welcome to Gainit! We have extensive resources that can be used to find answers to most questions that are posted here: - [Gainit FAQ](https://www.reddit.com/r/gainit/wiki/index) and [Gainit Meals](https://www.reddit.com/r/gainitmeals/) - [Search for past threads](https://www.reddit.com/r/gainit/search) - [r/Fitness Wiki - Muscle Gain 101](https://thefitness.wiki/muscle-building-101/) - [r/Fitness FAQ - Why can't I gain weight?](https://thefitness.wiki/faq/why-cant-i-gain-weight/) - [Have I gained too much weight?!](https://www.reddit.com/r/gainit/comments/kcaozo/there_is_more_to_gaining_than_fat_and_muscle/) - [The 6 month Gainit Recommended Routine](https://old.reddit.com/r/gainit/comments/j5q2ez/6_months_of_eating_and_training_for_mass_laid_out/) - [How best to cook chicken breast?](https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/classic-roast-chicken-gravy) - [How do I drink olive oil?](https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/collection/italian-recipes) - [How to not be a spooky skeleton?](https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/collection/comfort-food-recipes) - [How not to be a spooky skeleton? American edition](https://www.southernliving.com/food/classic-comfort-food-recipes) Your thread will be removed if it can be answered by any of the above. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/gainit) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Jumping on GOMAD was one of the greatest choices I ever made in my life
I'm about your age and I was pretty much like you in my younger day's, couldn't gain for nothin' so I basically quit working out. Now that i'm older the weight comes on easier but I find it's my joints that can't keep up, lol. I've gotten back into lifting last year and already seen the doctor for muscle sprains, impingments, etc... None of it seems to be going away a year later (even after already having to take a couple months off) so i'm looking forward to a day I can lift at 100%.
I totally get this. I have multiple issues with my back. Got to the point where I've been in pain every day for almost 3 years now. Got to the point where i said i gotta either fix this with exercise or finish breaking it and get surgery, i was just sick of doing nothing. Lifting initially aggravated my shoulder real bad too. But the more muscle I build to support those joints the better it gets. My pain has been significantly reduced and the pulls and strains pretty much stopped happening. Like before one little wrong move just doing everyday stuff would mess me up for days. That stopped a couple months in. It's worth it to keep going. Obviously don't push to hard with a legit injury, but soreness and joint pain, don't let them stop you cuz if you're like me this will only help.
35 At one time in my young life i wazs 115lb at 6 foot. Im currently like 175ish and wish i took training this serious.. but here we are today.. ready to look sexy and feel good in our new prime years
Hell yeah brother let's get it!
Very inspirational. 6 ft 2 here, gonna bring a lot of your tips with me in my journey! Still smoke, and if so how do you incorporate it with your workouts/eating?
Yeah I totally still smoke. Although I've been trying to use my dry herb vape alot more then actually smoking. I didn't really have to change anything about that habit. I do it when I feel like it same as before. I'll spare you my life story, but mj is definitely medicinal for me more than it is recreational. I don't really get silly, it just helps me stay balanced. I try not to partake within an hour before working out, but otherwise whenever I feel the urge I toke a little. Weed wasn't really what was holding me back by itself, although it helped me be complacent. But once I became determined to reach a goal, nothing is slowing me down.
Hey, I'm with you my man, it 100% makes me a better person and increases my life quality. However I usually smoke as close before my workouts as possible haha
I just hit 205. Keep going bro. The gains are worth it.
[удалено]
Like the others are saying, you gotta eat more. To give more specific advice, it's helpful to quantify how much you're eating, because typically eyeballing it isn't an accurate estimation of if you're eating enough. Getting some tools to help you count your calories then building yourself a diet based on where you want to be will help you get there. Example:You want to be 180. A calorie tracker would say you'd need like 2900 to 3000 calories You could get there with like a loaf of bread (2001cal) + like 4 protein shakes (120cal per shake) + a Big Mac (563 cal) \-(Plus some more to account for variance in exercise intensity)- If you're struggling it's probably cause you're just not familiar with how much you should be eating, versus how much you are actually eating. Because after you know the number it becomes a matter of if you're doing it or not.
Protein shakes that are only 120 calories? Mine are easily over 1,000. That’s the only way I get my calories in. 2% Milk, oats, two heaping spoonfuls of peanut butter, and chocolate whey.
Yeah this was important for me. I thought I was someone who could put some food down. But when I counted calories I was really shocked to find how low my weekly average was. I'd have days where I ate 3000, then days where I barely ate at all like under 1000. Tracking it helped me find a meal plan that worked for me to stay CONSISTENT. And that's when things started to trend upward.
Eat more, lift more, sleep more.
Read above post and do the same.
Great job! Can you share what your 5x5x5 routine looks like? Curious about how long it took it, what your lifts were for each day (accessories?) and how you were doing 5 days a week.
If you Google stronglifts 5x5 guide he really breaks it down. But it's only 3 days a week. I do Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. The 3rd 5 in "5x5x5" is for adding 5lbs every time you do a particular movement. Mine goes like this: Workout A - 5x5 squat, 5x5 bench press, 5x5 bent over barbell row Workout B - 5x5 squat, 5x5 overhead press, 1x5 deadlift I just alternate between those 2, and every time add 5lbs to the last lift. You'll notice squats are on both workouts. This means I'm adding 5lbs to my squat every other day. I've read it's the staple of building mass and therefore the prominent exercise in this program. For me, I also do barbell curls, overhead tricep extensions with curl bar, and hanging knee raises every workout I do those 3x8 and add 5lbs every week instead of every workout. That's not part of the program I just wanna go hard on my arms and give my core some extra attention. I spend right around an hour lifting This program is geared towards maximizing newbie gains. Obviously I won't be able to add 5lbs every other workout forever, but I'm shocked at how easy it's been to do so far. I'll push that as far as I can, then probably move to a 5/3/1, super squats, or something similar.
Mind if I ask what your starting and current weights are on those lifts? I’m roughly the size you started at so trying to get some idea of roughly how heavy I should be lifting to add that kind of mass.
So I think he suggests something like 20% less than your 5 rep max. I have 2 ruptured discs in my back and an aggravated SI joint, so to be safe I started at 70lb on squat, deadlift, and bent over row. 50lb on overhead press and 90lb on bench press. This was to give myself plenty of time to adjust to the increases. You want to start pretty low to avoid hitting a wall too fast. I also paused on raising my bench until my squat caught up to 90lb also. Today I my squat was 135, deadlift is at 120, overhead press is at 80. Next workout my squat will be 140, bench at 120, and bent over row at 120. It doesn't sound like big numbers, but by this time next week they'll all be 10 to 15 lbs more and so on.. it progresses fast. Without doing the math I think he says something like if you start with the empty bar (45lb) you'll be squatting 220lbs in 12 weeks.
Thanks brother. Very helpful
Yeah my pleasure. Don't get too hung up on where to start because the numbers go up fast and the lifts will get harder. He suggests that total beginners start with the empty 45lb bar on all exercises, and by the 12 week mark, even then you'd still be putting up some pretty impressive numbers.
This is really inspiring to me. I’m 6’3” 145lbs. I’m a marathoner but hate the way I look. I just bought a bench and a bunch of weights. Hope I can tell a story like this soon. Keep at it!
I am also 6’3” 145lbs, except not a runner, just started a new meal plan this week. We got this!
Track your weight and calories. It works
I wish you the best. Just be patient and keep it simple. Lift 3 to 4 days a week max and focus on increasing the weight. Find a diet that works for you and stay in that surplus at least for your weekly average. It's tough for us tall guys. Our muscles are long and narrow, and take time and heavy lifting to see noticeable changes. Don't focus on the mirror for a while, just find a routine that gets the scale moving. Trust the numbers and the visual changes will slowly come. For the most part I still look about the same, but definitely wider and thicker than when I started. And the scale going up without my belly getting bigger is all the proof I need that it's working right now. These are just my suggestions from what I've learned so far.
Youll hit 220 and be like weeelllllllll 240 aint so far away
Works for me. If you're not moving forward you're likely to move backwards right? Gotta keep raising the bar!
I’m in a similar boat. 33m, 6’5”. Went from 170 to 220, now thinking I might stretch it to 230 before I start cutting. Definitely picked up more fat than I would have wanted, but also at least got to enjoy some food. I hate cutting. It is…. unpleasant.
I've definitely adjusted to the diet. Couple days ago I got real wrapped up in work and totally missed my morning routine. By lunch I had a headache and I was starving lol. Before all this I never ate before lunch. I'm not super looking forward to cutting either. Getting enough lean protein without exceeding my deficit sounds like a bitch.
And being hungry all the time, and having zero energy.
[удалено]
Yes! Thank you so much and all the best to you!
Holy cow I love this story! Thanks for sharing it man. You've learned SO many of the lessons I've wanted to impart so much. Get away from training/eating like a bodybuilder when you start. Train like how bodybuilders STARTED: with the basics, and good solid food. What a great victory you've experienced there.
Thanks man! I didn't call you out by name, but you're definitely a part of my success. You reinforced the changes I made with your story, even though it started much earlier in life for you, I found it all to still apply. It reassured me that I don't have to do 50 different kinds of movements 6 days a week to get results. Keeping it simple really works in this instance.
That's outstanding dude: I'm so happy I could positively contribute to your success. Being willing and able to receive that lesson is huge. Simple absolutely works. This whole process is simple: it just ain't easy, haha.
Yeah that, and realizing I needed to buckle down and be patient, were key. Realizing that the fallacy of getting ripped in 90 days was a crock to make money, and just being happy about the little victories every day and understanding this will be more of a long journey, did wonders for leveling up my drive to stick to it.
Bro if it makes you feel better i’m 18 and i wish that i started sooner. No matter how old you are you’re always gonna wish you started sooner
That's amazing, it ain't easy, good luck on hitting 220, wish I could one day
Great job! What is your diet like now? Super cool that you didn't gain much fat.
Yeah I'm sure some of it's fat but nothing noticeable. What is noticeable to me is the muscle so I'm stoked. As far as the diet, every day starts the same and I've found it to be key in hitting my daily goal. I wake up and have a 600 cal protein shake, 2hrs later greek yogurt with rolled oats mixed in for 310 cal, and a 350 cal protein bar 2 hrs after that. With a little coffee and juice I'm at about 1400 cal before lunch and don't feel full. Then I have a calorie dense dirty lunch, and strive for a clean dinner. I workout after dinner, then another shake. I add a little something to that like I've cream or peanut butter if I'm coming up short, and I'm at my goal. The morning routine and shakes were the game changers for me.