Help! I'm Stuck!

[DrMull04]

:dunno:

Stats: 19 yrs. old, male
167 lbs., 10% BF
5/10


My goal is to someday compete in smaller bodybuilding shows. I'm quite educated on nutrition, and supplementation. I'm just stuck on what I should base my diet and training sessions on. I have a pretty decent six pack right now and am loving the definition of my muscles. I have no where close to the size I want though. Since I'm only 19 and know that bodybuilding is a marathon not a sprint so I don't know if I should take a year and start on a massive bulking cycle and not worry so much about my "six pack" and body fat percentage or what? I didn't know if I should start on a powerlifting training program to gain as much mass as possible in a year and then go from there? Any feedback and opinions that I could get from you guys would be great! Thanks!

[mindstar]

I'd not worry about the six pack too much and focus for the next year or two on building quality muscle that you can keep. Get your diet right, get enough sleep and train as hard as you can and watch yourself grow. It's awesome that you recognise that it's a long process, and that choices and sacrafices must be made in order to advance.

As far as training programmes go, find one that works for you...mine works really well for me, but not for others. I train 5 days a week, 1 bodypart per day. Just remember to stick with a program long enough to judge whether it works or not...

Good luck!

[DrMull04]

Progress

Thanks for the reply bro. Yeah, I'm pretty much just going balls out on diet and training. I can definitely give up a six pack and definition for alittle bit. With my metabolism and genetics there's not much else I can do besides overload my body with complex carbs, and proteins so I'm excited to see what happens within the next few months. I'll keep you posted. As far as your training routine goes, could you maybe post your workouts so I could get an idea on how your doing. Thanks man!

[njlovehandles]

Great Mindset for you younger person! O yeah, screw that 6 pack for a while,start hitten the compound movements and watch the mucle grow!

[mindstar]

Hey DrMull

for me, I do a 5 day rotation with the weekends off...

monday is legs, and sort of fuct because i'm recovering from surgery right now...
Tuesday is chest: BP, Inc DB Press, Dips, Flyes and or Cables.
Wed is Back: Lat pulls, Bent BB Rows, DB Rows, Goodmornings, 1 arm cable rows, may start weighted chins.\
Thurs is shoulders: DB press, flyes, front raises, upright rows, shrugs, some neck stuff
Friday is arms and cleanup: Narrow BP, Alt curls, O/H Tri extensions (sing hand), cable curls, rope press down, 21's (last set rev grip), 1 compound ex from a day a may have slacked on a bit.

3-4 sets, 6-8 reps, form is key. Swimming for cardio. It may not work for everyone, but with a good diet and strict training, I have gotten really dramatic results in the past 3 weeks after not lifting for the better part of a year...of course I have been doing this for a long time.

http://www.abcbodybuilding.com/exercise1.htm has some great ideas to keep your workouts interesting. Good luck, stay positive and son't let others undermine your healthy lifestyle. I take a lot of heat for not drinking beer with my teammates or eating healthy when I'm at it, but after seeing results, they tend to stfu...

[DrMull04]

Thanks for the quick reply man. It's cool to have others focused on a healthy, prioritized lifestyle. Those workouts sound interesting, I'll definitely give some of those ideas a shot. As for cardio, how many days and for how long do you think I should indulge in cardio considering I'm loading my body with a handful of heavy carbs, and moderately bulky fats? I've heard once, maybe twice a week, but I'm not real sure on how long I should do it. I've read alot about speed intervals on the treadmill, starting out with a power walk, transferring into a jog, then a sprint, back into power walking. Is there any other supplements out there that I should be taking? D-Bol, or any other kind of legal growth hormone? I'm turning 20 in August, and obviously my test. is producing through the roof but if there is anything out there that could really help me make some gains I'd appreciate it. As of now, I'm currently taking a; multi-vitamin, Vitamin C, a basic antioxidant, calcium/magnesium, and ginseng. If anyone could let me know some other key supplements or weight lifting advice I'd definitely appreciate it!

Cheers!

[mindstar]

As I am trying to cut down my bf, i do cardio 5x a week...but when I leaner and worried about losing muscle mass, I'd only train cardio 3x a week and all of those were rugby practices/games. Let yourself get a bit soft and the muscle will pack on a lot easier, though I personally have always done some cardio to keep my heart in good shape.

I personally don't do hormones, legal or otherwise (are there any legal hormones left?), but if you want to, do a tonne of research and let your body reach it's own potential before you begin them. It may not be what you want to hear, but stay away from them until you're at least 24-25...let your body settle in and finish it's natural growth before you mess with it too much.

After you get some muscle memory in the gym, try a creatine and see where that puts you. Maybe add a fish oil cap in there too, and I take glucosamine because I have the joints of an old man. Good diet and sound training will help you grow but take a while to get right (at least in my case).

Make sure to keep you head on right when you're in the gym and you'll be fine.