Weights aren't really giving me anymore muscle, so

What is another way to gain alot of muscle. I am up for almost anything.

I have been bodybuilding for 15 years now. Please take what I say very seriously.

If you are thinking of steroids, dont do it. You will regret it- I promise you. If your life or career depends on it- maybe, but nothing else. I have done and do regret, and so do many others who have. You will gain in the short run(if you know really well what youre doing), but you will only lose in the long run. You will never have as good a hormone levels as you did before, even with proper post-cycle therapy (PCT) . You will never be the same person mentally or physically afterwards either. Also, if you havent gained much naturally, then steroids arent the answer and wont help you much. Many unknowledgable dudes are trying steroids and are not gaining much because they arent doing theyre nutrition and workouts right in the first place. Figuring out how to do things properly naturally is the answer.

Any healthy male can put on a ton of mass and strength naturally if they know how to do it and apply it over time. If you arent doing things right naturally, then you will not be doing things right with steroids either. I went from 130 lbs at 19 y/o to 185 lbs at 21 y/o naturally with only a 7% increase in BF %( a very long bulking cycle). But I had someone to teach me the right way.

Learn about bulking and cutting cycles at bb.com or elsewhere. They are crucial for making gains! You will not gain much muscle on a maintenance diet, nor will you lose much fat, and it will take a very long time to make meager gains. You will make faster and much more sgnificant gains alternating bulking and cutting. Basically with bulking and cutting cycles, you force muscle gain in bulking cycles and force fat loss during cutting cycles, alternating between the two. You will also lose a little muscle during cutting and gain a little fat during bulking, but your routine will make it sway the way you want each time for more muscle gain/fat loss over time. So in your bulking cycles, you gain more muscle than fat, and in your cutting cycles, you lose more fat than muscle. Generally, you do 3 to 6 months of each. Cutting and bulking are crucial to what you want to do and you must understand how to do this properly if you want the best results! I cannot emphasize that enough. Most amatuer bodybuilders fail in this aspect. Learn exactly how to do this though, because what I just stated is just the jist of it. The nutrition schedule for each is what youre going to have to learn about and figure out for yourself.

Go to the bodybuilding.com forums and start learning:
forum.bodybuilding.com...
aka bb.com
250,000 members there

Stick mostly to the "nutrition" and "workout programs" forums and start reading and learning as much as you can. It will make all the difference in the world. Use the search feature. There is a vast amount of knowledge there.
Also, go to the misc forum and click on the religion and politics section if you want. Thats where we discuss stuff like is discussed at ATS. Stay out of the Misc section itself though. Nothing but trouble there.

Concentrate on the barbell heavy compound exercises!:
squat
deadlift
bench press
bent over row
military press

These should form the bulk of your routine and these will give you more muscle and strength than most everything else. Concentrate on increasing the amounts lifted over time.

Do not concentrate on isolation work! It will only leave you wondering why you cant gain. Dont do those 4 or 5 day a week of isolation work routines you see in the mags. For gaining muscle and strength naturally, a 3 day/week full body routine designed around a plan like " Madcow 5 X 5 " is the best way to go for most guys. Almost everyone who does Madcow 5 X 5 is having excellent results and is raving like crazy about it.

Most all supplements are BS. Whey protein, creatine, and a good multivitamin are exceptions though and will help you considerably.

Learn about proper "post workout nutrition" and nutrition in general. You are most anabolic in the first several hours following an intense workout and proper post workout nutrition is also crucial. Solid food is good if its dense in protein and carbs, but many prefer faster digesting liquid meals PWO. Mine is whey protein, ground oats(quick oatmeal ground up fine in a coffee grinder), peanut butter, honey, and water, blended with a hand blender.

This is my best advice I can give in as short a post as this.

Good luck and have fun!

go old school....take gymnastics..combine weights and gymnastics...train like the old strong men with longs,bricks,stones...

what..what have you been doing,let me just say you could be doing like 5x5 method and that may not be getting you good muscle mass...i tell youy what why dont you try to over load your muscles. Try this on for 2 weeks,you will gain an inch on your biceps.

www.bodybuilding.com...

try that program..its only 3 workouts and i will garantee you you will get 1 inch on your arms. just really try not to any other arm excercises other than whats listed on there, i would also sugest doing squats,goodmornings,deadlifts, abs,and sprints for just so your not board...


also if you want...i can make ya a program, just give me your stats and goals and i can make you some good program that will make you strong,big,fast...or whatever!

SQUAT

SQUAT

SQUAT

Squats make you gain mass like crazy, so ive heard.... im 5'7 and 130 so i dont really have much room to talk about bb.

I am not really concerned about mass. My concern is strength. I don't eat much, and I think that is why I am not building muscle. Would shock nodes hooked to your muscles work? Since muscles build by contracting, and that is what the nodes do.

I am not really concerned about mass. My concern is strength. I don't eat much, and I think that is why I am not building muscle. Would shock nodes hooked to your muscles work? Since muscles build by contracting, and that is what the nodes do.

get your diet sorted out first...youve got to have a regular healthy intake that goes hand in hand with your exercise programme...take selur's advice seriously...he knows what hes talking about.

oh strength....well let me tell you something, one of the strongest men in the world i forget who he is, anyway he basically eats gritts doesnt even watch what he eats and is a olympic weight lifter, i mean just look at all the gymnasts too, they hardly eat and have increadible hypertropgy and strength.

I myself also want to get strong and i have been seeing my strength lift off like a rocket.I find that the best excercises for strength are well, squat,weighted pullups,weighted dip,and clean...

there that is basically all you need.Stick with parimaters...www.t-nation.com... this to find your set/rep area for maximum strength!!!

i also dont watch what i eat, some days i may eat alot, others i may eat little. Diet and food consumtion is overrated...just workhard.

[edit on 22-4-2006 by ATSGUY]

i can see you are a disturbed fan...yeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

The most overlooked, and probably some of the most important things are: Proper REST, SLEEP, STRESS FREE LIFE!


[edit on 1-5-2006 by opposingdigit]

Flaxseed oil worked for Barry Bonds.

Peace

Sleep is the most important part of getting any kind of size is sleep. The only time your body heals is when you are sleeping.

You have to move up in weight. You have to SHOCK your muscles. Do twice as many reps, do them till you fail.

I've been doing weights for 2 years now and I am SOOOOOO buff. I began with pushups. Then added to that small weights, then added to that heavy weights.
I never took steroids OR any vitamins, yet I'm as buff as hell. I don't cheat with vitamins. Here, do this: Lift as much as you can lift 10 times. Begin with that, then every month add about 5-10 more LB.(I add 10 lb every month) Think about doing pushups and pull ups( I'm good at those!!!!! I do 100 pushups and 30 pullups.) as well, theyr'e good for you. Do situps, too. Run, too. But the best is SWIMMING! However I stick to pull-ups, push-ups, barbells, dumbells, adn sit ups( Yes I do all those, and it only takes about 1 hr of your day, but the results are worth a lifetime! Yes, I'm really into it but I'm just preparing for the Russian army which I will join in 1 yr. Why do you work out? Which muscles do you want to improve? Like I said, swimmin is the best because it tones all muscles, and lastly, work hard! Oh, and eat alot of meat(not red meat!), fruits and vegetables. Good luck!

Hey Russian soldier, be interested to know if you have any experience with kettle bells. Originated in Russia and supposedly a more efficient way to work out. Google it up, there's a lot of info out there.

No, sadly, I don't.

By the way, I never miss a day of workout, never. Everyday I exercize

Russian soldier. Nice the basics pushup, pull-ups, sit-ups, running...the basics rule and that is all you need to get fit. I like your idea of adding 5-10lbs to your lifts or body every month...

I now its also true that the best way to get out of a gaining plateau or strength plateau is to add 1 pound every week to all of your workout lifts in the end it always increases your gains and your body doesn’t even notice the 1lb difference.

Just think adding 1lb every week when you exercises…over a course of lets say 6 months, that’s like 25lbs to all of your lifts. And of course your strength will increase dramatically always.

Also hope joining the army goes good , i used to workout everyday...running like a mile,500 pushups,100 pullups,like 300 situps..basically some major volume, i soon became burned out and then i started training smarter and better.

When I add 10lb a month, I feel there is little difference because by the time the month ends, I worked out with what I had so much that it became easy and I added more. That's how I do it.

By the way, always do your best when you work out. Pain is good. If you feel pain, work even harder! I like to get angry when I can't lift any more and then I get a sudden surge
of power and I like to workout and box my punching bag when I'm angry.
But my old Speed bag on a I broke with my punches, so I'm getting a 100lb punching bag. I would get a 200lb punching bag because my punches ARE SO STRONG but I can't find any in any sports store and I am only going to spen $100 because the rest I'm going to spend on a car, so I can't afford one either.

Boxing is a very good sport for you, but you gotta punch the punch the bag for a long time: Try 100 strong, fast punches to begin with.

Also I am about to get weight gloves to make my punches even stronger, though they are already strong enough to crack heads, hehhehehe.

Weight gloves are good, they will make your punches faster when you take them off and may built shoulder strength even more if you punch with them

Oh, and don't forget the jump rope. I don't have one yet, but you should get one. Its good for toning your body.

You could also get a membership to the gym, if you live close to one. I like to go with my friend but usually I just workout at home. And don't give up.

One last thing: I don't know if its good or bad, but I workout even when I'm sick, even when I'm cramping, even when I'm exhausted from something else, I don't know if you should do that but you could. I have heard about bodybuilders getting injured and then their muscle turned into fat. One thing's for sure: If I got an injury, I wouldn't stop working out. I will never give up. A soldier never gives up. And that's my last advice to you: Never Give Up.

Peace out.

you deffenetly are an insperation to us all, especially me you have shown me to work harder. One thing though what is your current workout? if you will.

If weights arent working for you it is because you have reached a max point either that or your body type is the scarecrow variety.
I suggest that you continue your workout regimen but supplement it with some high protein dietary supplements and some anabolic steroids on the side. These would help you do more reps than ever before with weights that are dangerous. Try to do a super-workout in one region be it lads, biceps or abs or whatever that will truly build definition into the muslces.

I am already taking testosterone boosters. I do have a light body frame (5'8 and 120 lbs) I am trying to find pure protein, but the only way I can get it is to eat a lot of chicken.