Getting Huge

[kcroach5]

So listen up everyone --- this is my first post ever on any blog/forum.

My cherry just burst.

I am not an action figure nerd, but I like the movies because they are cool and figured I could learn a lot from this site as well as help out anyone else because I am an actual bookworm nerd and love to work out.

A little bit about myself to start:

My name is Kevin and I am 24 years old. I am currently looking for my path in life, but am leaning towards healthcare as my degree is in Biology and I love to talk health and fitness. I have worked as a personal trainer but did not like the atmosphere of the globo-gym where I worked. That is all for now because I do not want to lose anyone reading this post.

I want to get huge. I have always had some body image issues because I was obese most of my life and then hit the yo-yo diets and lost a lot of weight. I discovered the weightroom and have put on a lot of muscle. I want to continue getting big though and fear the plateau.

I am 5'10'' and weigh in around 192. My body fat is sitting around 13%.

This post is for anyone else looking to lift weights and discuss diet and exercise to continue their pursuit towards looking like the Hulk.

Posting may have been a terrible idea. For anyone that enjoyed the topic of conversation, however, let's get this fight club under way.

Roach

[cammocat@gmail.com]

Hey there! Fellow Bio-dork here. Nice to meet you! I wish you luck with your hulking out.

[Pat G]

There are a heap of us charging for strength gain or weight gain. Whats your favorite lift if any?

[Tanktimus the Encourager]

I understand what you mean by wanting to get huge. When I saw that video of the guy lifting the president I looked at my wife and said, "That guy is all muscle, one of my goals is to look like that."

[rtalencar]

What are you currently doing? I love lifting.

[kcroach5]

There are a heap of us charging for strength gain or weight gain. Whats your favorite lift if any?

I have to say I go through waves.

I have done one round of p90x and hated it because the thought of doing another round made me sick. Plus, I got lean but not very strong. Doing 40 pullups in a row is quite the party trick though. This was 4 years ago.

I then moved into the Crossfit revolution and got very heavily involved in this as well as HIIT training (tabata workouts). The results are fantastic, but the coaching was deceivingly bad. I thought I was doing everything well, but ended up tearing a hip labrum and fracturing my wrist. I know this wasn't Crossfit's fault, but the culmination of reps were definitely involved. This was still a great time though. I did Crossfit for approximately two years and ended 8 months ago.

I do a mixture of compound and isolation exercises with the emphasis on small intervals of rest. My favorite exercise before the wrist injury was the power clean. My ultimate exercise is the deadlift --- there is nothing better than hitting a personal best with good form on this lift. I would say anything involving the back though is a favorite of mine.

Anyone want to discuss lifts or supplementation (natural, no PEDs)?

[rtalencar]

I have to say I go through waves.

I have done one round of p90x and hated it because the thought of doing another round made me sick. Plus, I got lean but not very strong. Doing 40 pullups in a row is quite the party trick though. This was 4 years ago.

I then moved into the Crossfit revolution and got very heavily involved in this as well as HIIT training (tabata workouts). The results are fantastic, but the coaching was deceivingly bad. I thought I was doing everything well, but ended up tearing a hip labrum and fracturing my wrist. I know this wasn't Crossfit's fault, but the culmination of reps were definitely involved. This was still a great time though. I did Crossfit for approximately two years and ended 8 months ago.

I do a mixture of compound and isolation exercises with the emphasis on small intervals of rest. My favorite exercise before the wrist injury was the power clean. My ultimate exercise is the deadlift --- there is nothing better than hitting a personal best with good form on this lift. I would say anything involving the back though is a favorite of mine.

Anyone want to discuss lifts or supplementation (natural, no PEDs)?

I'm game.

Currently lifting 4-5 days a week.

Monday - Hypertrophy Press/Pull

Tuesday - Hypertrophy Legs

Wednesday - Power Press/Pull

Thursday - Power Legs

Friday - Arms and Leftovers

A lot of people do power work before hypertrophy stuff in the week, but I've found for myself that that just kills me. A lot of it has to do with gas I imagine, but I always seem to have enough energy for one more heavy lift. Doing a set of 50 squats when I'm gassed though isn't pretty, even if it is light.

I eat a ton of natural protein, and the only supplement I use beyond protein powder is creatine. I think it's got more of a mental benefit than anything physical, but the mental benefit justifies the costs to me. I should be taking fish oil and my multivitamin, but I'm bad at remembering to take pills and usually forget.

I can squat more than I deadlift, like a lot more. I think part of it is that my lower back is pretty crappy from years of being overweight and telling it to stfu and play rugby or football or judo or whatever other thing I was doing at the time. I'm slowly building my back up again though.

Worst injury I got lifting was a torn left oblique squatting. It still worries me, and has forced me to be more careful with my progression (which is for the best).

I hate crossfit and oly lifting. Not because I think they're bad...but because I suck at them. Have fun with your double unders and things that sound naughty...I'll be over here doing stuff I'm good at.

[bigm141414]

[quote=kcroach5;271240This post is for anyone else looking to lift weights and discuss diet and exercise to continue their pursuit towards looking like the Hulk.

Welcome Roach! As PatG pointed out there are plenty of us looking to get big and strong on here. Our motto is Adult Male >200lbs

[kcroach5]

Welcome Roach! As PatG pointed out there are plenty of us looking to get big and strong on here. Our motto is Adult Male >200lbs

BigM----

And that is where I am now. I think all people struggle with weight. Culture plays a big role. But I know people from Asian cultures, who while eating vegetables as their staple, have remained very lean but lack the stature. There are people who live in the States who have struggled with the extremes oftentimes associated with eating disorders. As for me, I was a fat kid. Large and in charge. While I did my fair share of snacking, it wasn't this snacking that sent me off the height/weight charts at my pediatric visits. I had a crappy genetic profile for my early years. This has set me up beautifully for mass gain. I still have the "fat kid legs" which means only that I will run you over.

Here is the deal. I am 5'10.5-5'11'' depending on the day. I sit naturally at 180# (I am assuming). With the added muscle and fat, I am sitting at 192. Now the extra weight doesn't scare me. I'd love to sit above 200 and be a monster. But my upper body is getting bigger and stronger while my legs arent due to the injury. I am slowly adding legs back in. And I will most definitely give the Thor Strength workout a try. I know I will inevitably do more because for those of us that like to lift, that workout just isnt enough. I am not doubting its potency for results, just not for me.

I am currently eating 3 eggs with cheese and half a cup of oatmeal for breakfast, protein bar for snack, sandwich/salad for lunch, protein shake with BSN Syntha6 and whole milk post workout, some other snack of nuts or protein bar, and salad with chicken and vegetables and whatever for dinner. I am trying to up my calories big time despite the ease with which I gain weight. Just to see where it will take me. I have always been concerned with gaining bad weight. But I want to experiment. I have always jumbled the idea of steroids, but would never do them. This is my form of steroids. Big meals, hard workouts, and I take a concoction of supplements (vitamins and minerals, some herbs) that I will get into once that discussion starts.

This is a rant and most of them will be, but I will always through in content.

Doing shoulders today. 5 exercises, 5 sets of each (warmup, 3 working sets, and a failure set), all sets separated by 60 seconds and exercises by 2 minutes. I will follow my lift session with sprints on the treadmill (ugh) of 60 second on/60 seconds off (11 mph-13 mph for on and my "off" is a walk).

This could be a downright filthy thread if we get the right people on board.

Roach

[rtalencar]

BigM----

And that is where I am now. I think all people struggle with weight. Culture plays a big role. But I know people from Asian cultures, who while eating vegetables as their staple, have remained very lean but lack the stature. There are people who live in the States who have struggled with the extremes oftentimes associated with eating disorders. As for me, I was a fat kid. Large and in charge. While I did my fair share of snacking, it wasn't this snacking that sent me off the height/weight charts at my pediatric visits. I had a crappy genetic profile for my early years. This has set me up beautifully for mass gain. I still have the "fat kid legs" which means only that I will run you over.

Here is the deal. I am 5'10.5-5'11'' depending on the day. I sit naturally at 180# (I am assuming). With the added muscle and fat, I am sitting at 192. Now the extra weight doesn't scare me. I'd love to sit above 200 and be a monster. But my upper body is getting bigger and stronger while my legs arent due to the injury. I am slowly adding legs back in. And I will most definitely give the Thor Strength workout a try. I know I will inevitably do more because for those of us that like to lift, that workout just isnt enough. I am not doubting its potency for results, just not for me.

I am currently eating 3 eggs with cheese and half a cup of oatmeal for breakfast, protein bar for snack, sandwich/salad for lunch, protein shake with BSN Syntha6 and whole milk post workout, some other snack of nuts or protein bar, and salad with chicken and vegetables and whatever for dinner. I am trying to up my calories big time despite the ease with which I gain weight. Just to see where it will take me. I have always been concerned with gaining bad weight. But I want to experiment. I have always jumbled the idea of steroids, but would never do them. This is my form of steroids. Big meals, hard workouts, and I take a concoction of supplements (vitamins and minerals, some herbs) that I will get into once that discussion starts.

This is a rant and most of them will be, but I will always through in content.

Doing shoulders today. 5 exercises, 5 sets of each (warmup, 3 working sets, and a failure set), all sets separated by 60 seconds and exercises by 2 minutes. I will follow my lift session with sprints on the treadmill (ugh) of 60 second on/60 seconds off (11 mph-13 mph for on and my "off" is a walk).

This could be a downright filthy thread if we get the right people on board.

Roach

If you're already doing cardio, why are you limiting your rest between sets to 60 seconds? Have you played with that for recovery time at all?

[kcroach5]

If you're already doing cardio, why are you limiting your rest between sets to 60 seconds? Have you played with that for recovery time at all?

I do the sprints maybe 3 times a week. I don't know if anyone here is familiar with Hormone Optimization, particularly Mike Mahler's lectures on this topic. But sprinting naturally increases Growth Hormone in males. I try to optimize this pathway in my quest to becoming the Hulk.

PS. I will sound like a herb in these posts. I am not actually a herb. But you catch my drift.

[kcroach5]

Throwing out a few supplements to kick this off:

1. Magnesium Oil

2. Zinc Citrate

3. Fish oil

4. Vitamin D

5. Arginine

These are my power 5. I take a few other things as well. But being able to manipulate the male androgen hormones as well as IGF-1 and GH seems to be the most important thing for gaining strength and size. Anyone who has something to say about this topic --- whether it pertains to diet, supplementation or workouts should share.

Roach

[Tocho]

Welcome Roach! I'm sure you'll like it on here, and there are lots of lifters (as you've already noticed).

[kcroach5]

Just throwing out other topics that can turn some interesting conversations with a basis on diet (nutrition and supplementation) and exercise:

The three somatotypes and combinations of those:

I want to say I am a mesomorph.

This is why I tend to take smaller rests, do minimum cardio, and sometimes superset during my workouts. Although, I must stress, I do cycle through different training styles to keep the muscles guessing. But going along with what Steve said in the Superhero post --- I go heavy.

[rtalencar]

How long do you stick with a given paradigm before shifting, and how much of a difference do you notice with weight between short rests and longer ones?

[kcroach5]

How long do you stick with a given paradigm before shifting, and how much of a difference do you notice with weight between short rests and longer ones?

I give everything 3-6 months depending on how I feel. Progression is personal. Someone can tell you what to do, but the reality of everything, as far as I have noticed, is how is this making me feel? If I feel that I am still making progress, I stick with it. That being said, my goals have changed over the years. My current goal is to now increase my lean mass as far as I can. I am fine with putting on fat along with it, because after all, a little intermittent fasting and paleo diet takes the fat right off.

[Jeyung]

You seem pretty set on your approach nothing wrong with that. All I can add to that is get your sleep, don't over train, no recovery make small muscle, make hulk sad. *HULK SMASH OVER TRAINING*

1. Magnesium Oil - not sure on this one, might be ok, I'd want to see some real studies around the claims before I drop cash on it.

2. Zinc Citrate - are you planning on getting a cold? Taking more than 40mg a day can have bobo side effects including anemia (screw that)

3. Fish oil - spend money on the $120 stuff or just eat more cold water fish, avoid dark chicken meat and chicken skin, too much omega 6 in those too keep in balance with omega-3.

4. Vitamin D - sunbath or take it

5. Arginine - save your money. Your body should be making all you need for recovery, if not eat protein you'll get plenty that way. If you want it for the "pump" ok sure I guess so go ahead.

[kcroach5]

You seem pretty set on your approach nothing wrong with that. All I can add to that is get your sleep, don't over train, no recovery make small muscle, make hulk sad. *HULK SMASH OVER TRAINING*

1. Magnesium Oil - not sure on this one, might be ok, I'd want to see some real studies around the claims before I drop cash on it.

2. Zinc Citrate - are you planning on getting a cold? Taking more than 40mg a day can have bobo side effects including anemia (screw that)

3. Fish oil - spend money on the $120 stuff or just eat more cold water fish, avoid dark chicken meat and chicken skin, too much omega 6 in those too keep in balance with omega-3.

4. Vitamin D - sunbath or take it

5. Arginine - save your money. Your body should be making all you need for recovery, if not eat protein you'll get plenty that way. If you want it for the "pump" ok sure I guess so go ahead.

1. http://www.ancient-minerals.com/products/magnesium-oil/

2. Zinc is involved with testosterone on the cellular level

I attribute some size gains directly to this. I cannot be sure, obviously, but give it a try. Maybe I am superman, but I have been taking 60 mg immediately post-workout for 8 months and feel great.

3. I take the liquid Nordic Naturals brand. I do not have access to good fish as I am still subjected to "cafeteria food" at my school.

4. NY gets crap-quality sun and I do not have the time to get enough of it anyways.

5. I do take it for the pump. But amino acids are huge in muscle synthesis. Biochem, Biochem, Biochem!

That is just my response. There is a lot of literature that could sway people in all sorts of directions on any supplement.

[kcroach5]

I should also note: No one should feel awkward about asking questions about their approach with exercise. I have found that when styles come together, people work harder. Who read the superhero post? I have been following Steve's advice with the Hulk nutrition, and for a week now, I feel like a million bucks. This is the first time I have had this much dairy --- but whole milk is so good. And then paleo will eventually take over...

[Jeyung]

1. http://www.ancient-minerals.com/products/magnesium-oil/

2. Zinc is involved with testosterone on the cellular level

I attribute some size gains directly to this. I cannot be sure, obviously, but give it a try. Maybe I am superman, but I have been taking 60 mg immediately post-workout for 8 months and feel great.

3. I take the liquid Nordic Naturals brand. I do not have access to good fish as I am still subjected to "cafeteria food" at my school.

4. NY gets crap-quality sun and I do not have the time to get enough of it anyways.

5. I do take it for the pump. But amino acids are huge in muscle synthesis. Biochem, Biochem, Biochem!

That is just my response. There is a lot of literature that could sway people in all sorts of directions on any supplement.

1. Yeah I saw that site, but I want more info that's just me.

2. Zinc just jacks your cholesterol too much for me to feel comfortable with it, I want my high levels HDL to do there job.

4. Well go out and sunbath at high noon buck naked and try to not get arrested

5. Yeah I took them before and did notice a difference, but I got more out of switching my rotation every 6 weeks. I got 120lbs gain on my bench in 5 rotations. I'm not sold on them for myself there new study out on them somewhere recently, maybe that was BCAA's. Even in my advanced years I making pretty easy gains, it really pisses off my co-workers, hehe.

[kcroach5]

1. Yeah I saw that site, but I want more info that's just me.

2. Zinc just jacks your cholesterol too much for me to feel comfortable with it, I want my high levels HDL to do there job.

4. Well go out and sunbath at high noon buck naked and try to not get arrested

5. Yeah I took them before and did notice a difference, but I got more out of switching my rotation every 6 weeks. I got 120lbs gain on my bench in 5 rotations. I'm not sold on them for myself there new study out on them somewhere recently, maybe that was BCAA's. Even in my advanced years I making pretty easy gains, it really pisses off my co-workers, hehe.

Maybe you wouldn't mind sharing a little about your rotations in case someone is looking for a leg up. Likewise, if anyone wants to go into any amount of depth with their workout style.

[Jeyung]

Oh sure nothing really new. Each workout was the same just the number of reps in a set and the weight changed.

Standard 2 muscle group workout day of legs, day chest and shoulders, day of back and arms. No more then 3 days a week aka each body part once a week. Cardio 30 minutes once a weak, unless your trying to cut weight.

Rotation one:

3 sets of 8 at 85-90% of failure weight for warmup. If you failed to hit 8 reps during warm up, lighten the weight. If you hit 12 reps add weight.

60 sec weight between warmup sets

3 sets to failure with a 5 rep max, if you did 5 reps and didn't fail, add weight. Repeat the set after a 3 minutes of rest if you didn't fail in 5.

90 sec rest between failure sets.

Move to the next body part.

Rotation Two:

Repeat the above 3 warm ups at 15 reps same rest time 60 seconds, if you hit 20 reps add weight

3 sets to failure if you reach 12 reps and didn't fail, add weight.

Move to the next body part.

Each week drop 10 sec off the rest period, unless your completely green then don't drop the rest at all for the frist 12 weeks.

Switch between the two rotations every 6 weeks. If you can switch between free weights and machines as well. (I did this for just one of the high rep rotations, machines didn't go high enough for the low failure reps, this is when I got beastly gains going back to free weights).

I was doing beach body workouts so I would have 5-6 different movements to do each workout, so lots volume of with the warmups in there. This would take any from 75 - 90 minutes for me to finish. I own my own cheap O weight set and spotting cage and a few benches that i would pre stage with the right weigth, so I didn't have to wait around at a gym, or constantly swap weights round, just add a few 5 or 10's depending.

If any of that doesn't make sense ask away.

[TurtIe]

My lifting schedule basically goes:

A:

Squats: 3x5 Warm Up + 5x5 Work sets

Deadlifts: 3x5 Warm Up + 5x5 Work sets

B:

Bench Press: 3x5 Warm Up + 5x5 Work sets

Dips: 3x5 Warm Up + 5x5 Work sets

Military Press: 3x5 Warm Up + 5x5 Work sets

C:

Pull Up: 3x5 Warm Up + 5x5 Work sets

Mid Row: 3x5 Warm Up + 5x5 Work sets

Cable Row: 3x5 Warm Up + 5x5 Work sets

I've been doing this for about two months, before that I had a fairly long break from anything but leg presses and pistol squats (fractured metacarpal) and before that I was doing some fairly intense bodyweight stuff.

Nutritionally I take fish oil and a probiotic in the mornings with four whey protein (wpi+wpc) shakes a day. One at 7:30am, one at 10:30am, one at 2:30pm and another at 8:00pm. Between that I'll have a couple of eggs for breakfast, a chicken breast or a steak with vegies for lunch and either steak, chicken or salmon for dinner with more vegies and salad (mainly baby spinach). Saturday and Sunday are generally cheat days.

So far, everything's been working pretty well. I've been getting some trigger point pain in my rectus femoris above my knee on squats and I think it has to do with all the leg work I did while my hand was broken. After Tuesdays squats I was in a lot of pain so I might take the next few weeks off that and hope I can maintain my squat strength on deadlifts alone (they don't seem to aggravate it so much).

In maybe another months time I will look at switching it up again (unless I'm still making consistent gains) and maybe go fewer sets/higher reps for a few weeks (4x8 is what I'm thinking).

[kcroach5]

TurtleRunner:

Great setup man! I like the lifting schedule as well as the set/rep paradigm.

A couple of things (I am not a doctor guys --- you can take anything that I say with a grain or half-grain of salt):

1. This type of workout is great! You can apply power through large loads and spike hypertrophy. This guy is getting a ton of lean protein for recovery.

2. When will you be changing up the workout? Not necessarily the setup, but the exercises.

3. Not much fat in your diet...Is there a reason for this?

4. Rectus Femoris --> I saw this all the time when I was doing CrossFit because of the compound leg movements. This is the only muscle that innervates the hip. Therefore, it is easy to injure, and re-injure, and remain injured. When you feel this coming on, my suggestion would be to lighten the loads -- big time or you will inevitably compensate and develop weaknesses elsewhere. Get on a regular icing schedule where you apply ice to the region while laying on your side to relieve any pressure on the area. Rehab with some light biking (stationary bike) or pool-work if you have the ability to do so.

Do you incorporate foam rolling into your routine?

Again, I am a HUGE fan of this type of workout as I have seen the best results with a similar style. I do a 5 day program with a couple more exercises and 8-10 rep range. But sometimes I will go with much higher weights and less reps on a failure set.

Good stuff man.

Jeyung---

A lot of what I said applies to your routine as well.

I like the heavy weight/ short-timed rest periods. Again, this is what has worked best for me over the past couple months. I have noticed CONSIDERABLE gains. I am also eating like a horse which we can get into if people want to.

[kcroach5]

Does anyone want to discuss any of the following topics:

1. Barbell Exercises

2. Supplementation

3. Foam Rolling Technique

4. Kettlebells

5. Natural Hormonal Enhancement by Rob Fagin or any other literature specific to lifting and nutrition

These are all topics that interest me. My feeling is that none of us are experts on all areas of fitness/nutrition because of the amount of information available to us and conflicting ideas. What works for you may not work for someone else.

The synthesis of good ideas (i.e. things worth giving a shot) has landed me in a much stronger place than I ever was in. I owe my knowledge to many different people, most of whom I have never met. However, the lessons I have learned from co-workers and professors are priceless and serve as my foundation to help others.

I am willing to discuss anything with anyone because I wish more people would have reached out to me when I was growing up.

My experiences are specific to obesity. Unless you have been a fat kid, you don't really know. Someone cannot even begin to comprehend the hardships associated with being that overweight, wanting to change, and not having the resources (i.e. knowledge, mentors, finances, etc) to give it a go.

However, everyone has had to endure something at some point in their lives. Sharing any of these experiences on this forum is fair game and should be done if individuals think it will positively contribute to a healthier way of life for someone reading.

Perhaps a bit too philosophical/involved for a forum about exercise --- and maybe I am trying to facilitate too much --- but ignorance is poison and we should all be helping others out if we can.

Roach