Gaining Mass

[Spec 1]

I have been getting in great shape over the last 10 months. I've been hitting the gym consistently 4-5 days a week and have improved my diet substantially. I've started eating more fresh fruits and vegetables, large amounts of protein, and cut out most of the junk.

I'm pretty lean currently, and am finishing up on getting my stomach flat. I can't tell you how happy I am to not have a huge tummy anymore and to start being able to see a defined set of abs.

My question is this: How can I gain lean mass in specific areas?

I am aiming specifically for my cheast and arms. My cheast has always been small, and I tend to have difficulty putting on weight (besides the gut region ). Do I simply need to increase my protein intake each day? I probably take in close to 1g of protein per lb of body weight currently. Do I need to try some different excercises? I'm 175lb & 6.0". I DO NOT want to end up adding more belly/waist again.

Only supplements I take is Wheybolic Extreme 60, about 20g pre-workout and about 40g post workout (evenings). I take about 30g in the morning on non-workout days.

Suggestions?

[Spec 1]

I should probably mention that my job unfortunately has me sitting at a desk most hours of the day, which I hate but can not control.

[aragorn764]

Get some Creatine and train heavy with max 8 reps, try to do most of your exercise with free weights, avoid machines

[SUB-ZERO]

Originally Posted by aragorn764

Get some Creatine and train heavy with max 8 reps, try to do most of your exercise with free weights, avoid machines

+1

- Increase your Protein intake to about 1 gram per pound of weight
- Creatine, Glutamine or even some N02
- Do not do more than eight reps of each exercise (You can pyramid 3, 5, 8, 5, 3)
- Increase the weight of your free weights
- Sleep

Here is a pic of me during my bulking phase:



About 215 at 15% BF. I cut down to about 185-190 at 7-10% BF

-SZ

[I335]

Congrats - that's awesome! Tell us, what's the secret to getting motivated and staying motivated? That's the hardest part for me...

[Delta0311]

Want to get big then work your legs. I been lifting since I was about 21 years old and I can tell you for a fact that guys who only train their upper bodies never really get very far. You need to lift heavy and concentrate on compound movements.

My chest work out consist of the followin
incline
warm up followed by 3 sets of 295lbs or 315lbs (depending on how i feel)

dumbless press
3 sets with 125lbs dumbells (thats the highest they go in my gym)

flys
with 80lbs dumbellls

dips
with 2x45lb plates

Thats all I do for chest and my chest is pretty damn big. Mind you genetics do play a role here. I can tell you one thing at one point I could not work my legs for about a year. During that time I didn't make great gains. Once I started my balls-out leg workouts again my overall strenght just got twin turbo boosted.

[SUB-ZERO]

Originally Posted by Delta0311

Want to get big then work your legs. I been lifting since I was about 21 years old and I can tell you for a fact that guys who only train their upper bodies never really get very far. You need to lift heavy and concentrate on compound movements.

My chest work out consist of the followin
incline
warm up followed by 3 sets of 295lbs or 315lbs (depending on how i feel)

dumbless press
3 sets with 125lbs dumbells (thats the highest they go in my gym)

flys
with 80lbs dumbellls

dips
with 2x45lb plates

Thats all I do for chest and my chest is pretty damn big. Mind you genetics do play a role here. I can tell you one thing at one point I could not work my legs for about a year. During that time I didn't make great gains. Once I started my balls-out leg workouts again my overall strenght just got twin turbo boosted.

Good Point! Legs is a must. Working out legs hard will help your body produce more testosterone, in turn, making your whole body grow.

Always start the week with a big muscle group and end the week with a big muscle group.

-SZ

[iBoost3d]

Originally Posted by I335

Congrats - that's awesome! Tell us, what's the secret to getting motivated and staying motivated? That's the hardest part for me...

Looking in the mirror lol.
I usually think of someone I want to tie into a pretzel and listen to some heavy music to keep going.

The best way to get more definition in those areas are by leaning out in your stomach. I always looked much bigger at 185 with very defined midsection than at 200 with a lil bit of a belly.

[Delta0311]

My pic
Dont mind the shit in the background just did a quick snap. This was taken a few weeks back. I'm bulking to get to about 220lbs then cut down to roughly 210lbs.. I do clean bulks and I'm about 204lbs in this pic. Mind you

I'm bearly 5'8.

[SUB-ZERO]

Originally Posted by Spec 1

I have been getting in great shape over the last 10 months. I've been hitting the gym consistently 4-5 days a week and have improved my diet substantially. I've started eating more fresh fruits and vegetables, large amounts of protein, and cut out most of the junk.

I'm pretty lean currently, and am finishing up on getting my stomach flat. I can't tell you how happy I am to not have a huge tummy anymore and to start being able to see a defined set of abs.

My question is this: How can I gain lean mass in specific areas?

I am aiming specifically for my cheast and arms. My cheast has always been small, and I tend to have difficulty putting on weight (besides the gut region ). Do I simply need to increase my protein intake each day? I probably take in close to 1g of protein per lb of body weight currently. Do I need to try some different excercises? I'm 175lb & 6.0". I DO NOT want to end up adding more belly/waist again.

Only supplements I take is Wheybolic Extreme 60, about 20g pre-workout and about 40g post workout (evenings). I take about 30g in the morning on non-workout days.

Suggestions?

By the way, how old are you? I found that as I get older, I may not bulk as fast but I develop a better looking and fuller muscle. When I was younger, 19, I would get big fast but lacked depth of muscle groups. I attached a pic at 19..first comp.

[artifice]

I'm not a fan of all the pre and post workout sugary mixes, but i increased my chest size with no supplements by simply doing chest and tri's on the same day. Incline, decline, bench (machine, flat bench was too hard on my shoulders), Skull crushers (with 10 blow out reps close grip bench starting about mid chest). It has been years and I still have a good chest but I've gotten happy so now I got a gut. This is from my experience but I was not trying to be a body builder. just have a good chest for my gf to like.

Be sure to get protein within 30 min of working out... tuna or fish meals usually helped me since it was usually dinner time.

[Spec 1]

Originally Posted by aragorn764

Get some Creatine and train heavy with max 8 reps, try to do most of your exercise with free weights, avoid machines

I'm skeptical on creatine... I don't know a lot about it and the fact it turns into a poison when your body processes it doesn't seem so hot.

I should probably try the heavier weights with less reps. As I was trying to get lean I was doing lesser weights but with 15-20 reps each set. I'm going to begin that with my cheast/arm workouts and I'll report back.

I try to use free weights and only do machines at the end of my workouts, maybe the last couple sets when I can hardly lift the freeweights any more.

Originally Posted by I335

Congrats - that's awesome! Tell us, what's the secret to getting motivated and staying motivated? That's the hardest part for me...

Few things have been big motivators for me, so I'll share.

1) Workout buddies. I have two (recently three) guys I go to the gym with. It motivate the hell out of me to go because I know I'll get flack if I dont. Having multiple is crucial because if one guy decides to be lazy, there is still someone else. This is I think my biggest motivation to stay at the gym 4-5 days a week.

2) The Mirror. I put up a big mirror on the wall of my bedroom that I have to look at every time I enter. Seeing a small, weak body or a layer of fat around my waist is gross, and motivates me to get rid of it so I don't have to see it every day. This helps me focus on problem areas.

3) Women. I'm single, but even if you're not it's a motivator. My arms grew bigger, my posture got better, my waist shrank. Women notice it and start talking with you or complimenting you for no reason. It's fun on a base level, and assists with my options when searching for 'the one'. Even if you're married, it would be great to revamp some lust into your wife.

Originally Posted by Delta0311

Want to get big then work your legs. I been lifting since I was about 21 years old and I can tell you for a fact that guys who only train their upper bodies never really get very far. You need to lift heavy and concentrate on compound movements.

My chest work out consist of the followin
incline
warm up followed by 3 sets of 295lbs or 315lbs (depending on how i feel)

dumbless press
3 sets with 125lbs dumbells (thats the highest they go in my gym)

flys
with 80lbs dumbellls

dips
with 2x45lb plates

Thats all I do for chest and my chest is pretty damn big. Mind you genetics do play a role here. I can tell you one thing at one point I could not work my legs for about a year. During that time I didn't make great gains. Once I started my balls-out leg workouts again my overall strenght just got twin turbo boosted.

Legs - gotcha. I don't feel I hit these hard enough in my workout.

Originally Posted by SUB-ZERO

By the way, how old are you? I found that as I get older, I may not bulk as fast but I develop a better looking and fuller muscle. When I was younger, 19, I would get big fast but lacked depth of muscle groups.

25

[Spec 1]

So this week I've started using heavier weights with less reps (8,10,& 15 instead of 15,20,25) and also slightly changed the protein I'm using. The old one was 60g/serving with a large amount of Leucine (amino acid) & other amino blends. The new one has slightly less protein (50g) but 3g of creatine & moderate Leucine.

I'm interested to see what the creatine does, and happy I found a product with a smaller daily dosage to test it out.

Btw, traps = killing me.

[gonzo]

To the guy who posted the "don't do tri's and bi's on the same day".

My tri's have always been one of my better areas while bi's are a bit more work.

Anyway. I started doing JUST close grip chin ups, until failure, and notice a good amount of change in my bi's. No tri's on that day.


Thanks!

[Couch]

Originally Posted by Spec 1

So this week I've started using heavier weights with less reps (8,10,& 15 instead of 15,20,25) and also slightly changed the protein I'm using. The old one was 60g/serving with a large amount of Leucine (amino acid) & other amino blends. The new one has slightly less protein (50g) but 3g of creatine & moderate Leucine.

I'm interested to see what the creatine does, and happy I found a product with a smaller daily dosage to test it out.

Btw, traps = killing me.

Especially when you're on creatine, make sure you're drinking AT LEAST 1gallon of water a day. I always tried at least 1.5-2 when on creatine.

What creatine are you taking? I've taken Green Mag and SizeOn. Liked both of them.

[gonzo]

^

I have been using it for about 3 weeks..and I don't care for water. To put it nicely. Do I need to choke some down anyway?

[bosstones]

Originally Posted by gonzo

^

I have been using it for about 3 weeks..and I don't care for water. To put it nicely. Do I need to choke some down anyway?

Simply put: yes. Creatine volumizes cells by pulling water in.

[gonzo]

^ I have drank about 24oz so far today. I put some Italian lemon juice in it and it went down.

[Couch]

You need to learn to like water. It's the absolute best thing you can drink. Being properly hydrated isn't just good for your insides, it makes everything on the outside healthier as well.

Squeeze some real lemon juice in it if it helps.

[Jeff@TopGearSolutions]

Originally Posted by Couch

You need to learn to like water. It's the absolute best thing you can drink. Being properly hydrated isn't just good for your insides, it makes everything on the outside healthier as well.

Squeeze some real lemon juice in it if it helps.

Tru story. A bigger buddy of mine use to carry around a gallon of water, wherever he went, work, out to a store etc

Mofo was always drinking water, im not that crazy but at work I probably drink about 80OZ in an 8hr period. Which is not too bad.

Been working out for about 6 years straight.

As far as gaining mass, Ive never been very good at it.

Started working out in college, at 135 lbs 5ft 10, 30 inch waist 6 pack.
I now sit at 160lbs wet, 5ft 10, same 30inch waist and even better 6 pack. Max bench 285, Body fat in the 3-4% range for those who are into that knowledge.

Just can't up the mass without getting a small belly, even high protein low fat diets. I do legs, been doing them for about 4 years. I've tried all the supplements from creatine, nitrix, whey proteins, and glutamine. At the end of the day, I just eat high protein diets and took out the supplements for the lean, power to weight ratio look.

When I tried the supplements I went to about 165 lbs, wasnt any "stronger", and had the slighest of belly with the 6 pack. I took out the supplements, focused on my diet and routine, and trimmed it down to the 160 im at, and the strongest I've ever been. This is not to discredit anyones opinions of supplements or anything, i'm just saying I tried it and it didnt work for me.

I'd take any advice anyone is willing to offer however. The strength is their for my weight, just wish I can jump up another 10 lbs, stay lean, and maybe get the max bench to about 300.

[gonzo]

Originally Posted by Couch

You need to learn to like water. It's the absolute best thing you can drink. Being properly hydrated isn't just good for your insides, it makes everything on the outside healthier as well.

Squeeze some real lemon juice in it if it helps.

I don't think I can learn to like it but am drinking it now.

For about $1.50 I use Volcano lemon juice.

Not from Concentrate. Made with organic lemon juice and lemon oil from Italy.
I squirt it on salmon/tuna too. It makes the other brands taste like poo. Good stuff.

[Spec 1]

Originally Posted by Couch

What creatine are you taking?

This is what I've switched to, not sure of what it is exactly:

http://www.gnc.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3480824


Missed the last 4 days of workouts due to being sick Hitting it again tonight. I'll update on on progress once I get a solid week or two of the workouts in with this stuff.