Lifting seriously since February, few gains.. what's up?

[IacobvsRex]

I have been lifting heavily since February '08. My workouts before that were irregular. I have modest expectations. I don't have images of fitness models in mind. I just want to get a little bigger and lose about 10 lbs of stomach fat. I don't need cut abs, just a flat stomach. I also want bigger shoulders, traps, and upper arms. I think these are reasonable goals.

I'm posting because I have been taking progress pictures since February, every one to two weeks, and I only seem to be progressing very slightly, or sometimes not at all. A friend with a very similar bodytype to mine started lifting in April and has made huge gains, (he's not on this site). We have been following sometimes similar and sometimes different routines and I am getting frustrated with my lack of gains compared to his.

I have been doing a training program from the Arnold's Bodybuilding Encyclopedia for about a month and a half. I am training each body part 3x/week, with one day off. I go to the gym twice a day. I have recently added 30 minutes of cardio each training day. I am now spending amost 4 hours a day in the gym (2 morning, 2 night) and I'm not seeing significant gains at all. I thought it might be overtraining, but I just recently started the twice a day plan, having not seen any results previously with a once a day, and two body part per week plan.

I'm currently supplementing with protein, (at least 1 gram per pound, often a bit more), and I'm one month into taking a NO product with an afterworkout recovery supplement.

I have had a shoulder injury for the last two months, which is slowly getting better; I am continuing to be able to lift heavier and heavier. What's going on?

I could really use some help and suggestions. I'm a student and have four more weeks until my schedule precludes the twice a day, eachbody part 3x/week plan. Any ideas?

[Jonson]

http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=998224

Read this link, do the program, and eat lots youll be bigger in no time

[troj4nm4n]

dude your over-training .. unless your a body builder with yrs of lifting under your belt .. you need less ...try to do a 3 day 4 day split with rest in between days ... you always need rest to grow ...

[Vermonta]

Originally Posted by IacobvsRex

I have been lifting heavily since February '08. My workouts before that were irregular. I have modest expectations. I don't have images of fitness models in mind. I just want to get a little bigger and lose about 10 lbs of stomach fat. I don't need cut abs, just a flat stomach. I also want bigger shoulders, traps, and upper arms. I think these are reasonable goals.

I'm posting because I have been taking progress pictures since February, every one to two weeks, and I only seem to be progressing very slightly, or sometimes not at all. A friend with a very similar bodytype to mine started lifting in April and has made huge gains, (he's not on this site). We have been following sometimes similar and sometimes different routines and I am getting frustrated with my lack of gains compared to his.

I have been doing a training program from the Arnold's Bodybuilding Encyclopedia for about a month and a half. I am training each body part 3x/week, with one day off. I go to the gym twice a day. I have recently added 30 minutes of cardio each training day. I am now spending amost 4 hours a day in the gym (2 morning, 2 night) and I'm not seeing significant gains at all. I thought it might be overtraining, but I just recently started the twice a day plan, having not seen any results previously with a once a day, and two body part per week plan.

I'm currently supplementing with protein, (at least 1 gram per pound, often a bit more), and I'm one month into taking a NO product with an afterworkout recovery supplement.

I have had a shoulder injury for the last two months, which is slowly getting better; I am continuing to be able to lift heavier and heavier. What's going on?

I could really use some help and suggestions. I'm a student and have four more weeks until my schedule precludes the twice a day, eachbody part 3x/week plan. Any ideas?

You're a noob lifter for starters, lets just put that out there to begin with. I don't know you personally, but I'm willing to bet your strength isn't all that great if you just started lifting weights. What are your one rep maxs for squat, bench press, and deadlift?

If your bench isn't at least 225, squat 1.5-2x your bodyweight, and deadlift slightly higher than your squat, I suggest you get on Mark Rippetoe's Starting Strength. There is a continueing thread on it on the first page where there is plently of help from smart guys.

If your strength is up to those levels then the problem may lay in your frequency. You were doing a workout that worked your muscles 3 times a week then bumped up to two-a-day workouts when you saw no results, and still have seen few. I think it's time you try less frequency and more intensity. My favorite workouts are full body, 3x a week, centered around heavy compound lifts. www.weightrainer.net has some AWESOME articles about putting together a routine if you cannot find one you like from the thread by latrel here - http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=772206.

Another problem may be with your diet. It sounds like you're getting enough protein, but what about other nutrients? Diet is your best supplement every time. Eat healthy. If you're looking to get bigger eat like a hoarse, but with no junk. You want all your food to benefit you, not slow your progress down. A good multi-vitamin would be a good choice too to get the vitamins and minerals you don't get from your diet alone.

Hope I helped you out man and good luck with your training.

[Panacea.]

Originally Posted by IacobvsRex

I am training each body part 3x/week, with one day off. I go to the gym twice a day. I have recently added 30 minutes of cardio each training day. I am now spending amost 4 hours a day in the gym (2 morning, 2 night)

heres your mistake right here.

[Zee Deveel]

Simple case of overtraining, you need to spend about 3-4 hours in the gym a week, not 4 hours a day!

[Jneves]

take 3 of those 4 hours a day and spend it perfecting your nutrition. Gaining muscle and losing fat has more to do with nutrition then training.

also you need some concrete goals. Instead of saying you want to be bigger say you want to gain 10lbs of muscle, same thing with fat loss. So now you have your specific goals (using gain 10lbs of muscle and lose 10lbs of fat), now pick ONE of those goals and make a plan to achieve it.

[jgreystoke]

Originally Posted by Jonson

http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=998224

Read this link, do the program, and eat lots youll be bigger in no time

x 2
x 2
x 2
x 2
.......n times


so

x 2^n

Get with the program if you are serious, Iacob!

You won't even have to train 4 hours a week!

[IacobvsRex]

Originally Posted by Panacea.

heres your mistake right here.

What do you mean? The problem is the gym frequency added to the cardio? That's what I always thought too. I've been trying a mixture of things, because I was actually putting on fat while not gaining much weight. I got the cardio on top of frequency suggestion from a post on this site. Just trying to see what works

[IacobvsRex]

Originally Posted by Vermonta

You're a noob lifter for starters, lets just put that out there to begin with. I don't know you personally, but I'm willing to bet your strength isn't all that great if you just started lifting weights. What are your one rep maxs for squat, bench press, and deadlift?

If your bench isn't at least 225, squat 1.5-2x your bodyweight, and deadlift slightly higher than your squat, I suggest you get on Mark Rippetoe's Starting Strength. There is a continueing thread on it on the first page where there is plently of help from smart guys.

If your strength is up to those levels then the problem may lay in your frequency. You were doing a workout that worked your muscles 3 times a week then bumped up to two-a-day workouts when you saw no results, and still have seen few. I think it's time you try less frequency and more intensity. My favorite workouts are full body, 3x a week, centered around heavy compound lifts. www.weightrainer.net has some AWESOME articles about putting together a routine if you cannot find one you like from the thread by latrel here - http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=772206.

Another problem may be with your diet. It sounds like you're getting enough protein, but what about other nutrients? Diet is your best supplement every time. Eat healthy. If you're looking to get bigger eat like a hoarse, but with no junk. You want all your food to benefit you, not slow your progress down. A good multi-vitamin would be a good choice too to get the vitamins and minerals you don't get from your diet alone.

Hope I helped you out man and good luck with your training.

Well, I'm definitely not an effective lifter, or I wouldn't be asking for advice. I looked at the Rippetoe workout someone suggested. I already do all the compound exercises listed in that program. I've been lifting for almost 6 years, on and off with various trainers where I've lived who taught me proper form. It seems counter-intuitive to drop half of my training program for gains. I don't know where I fit in the "newbie" - "proficient" scale, but I have been doing these exercises for years and have really been intense since February. My diet, I think, is pretty impeccable. Complex carbs, lean protein, some shake supplementation, good fats. Any further suggestions considering what I've said. Thanks...

[Vermonta]

Originally Posted by IacobvsRex

Well, I'm definitely not an effective lifter, or I wouldn't be asking for advice. I looked at the Rippetoe workout someone suggested. I already do all the compound exercises listed in that program. I've been lifting for almost 6 years, on and off with various trainers where I've lived who taught me proper form. It seems counter-intuitive to drop half of my training program for gains. I don't know where I fit in the "newbie" - "proficient" scale, but I have been doing these exercises for years and have really been intense since February. My diet, I think, is pretty impeccable. Complex carbs, lean protein, some shake supplementation, good fats. Any further suggestions considering what I've said. Thanks...

It's good you have the forms down for lifts. That means you won't waste anytime throwing around heavy weights. Could you post the routine you are currently doing (days, exercises, sets, reps)?

When you say "It seems counter-intuitive to drop half my training program for gains." do you mean "it seems like it's back tracking to do less work then I am now."? If so then you are sadly mistaken. The current schedual you are on is, IMO overtraining for someone that isn't extremely advanced with at least 20 years under their belt, or on the juice. With your logic that would make Starting Strength a bad routine, which is 100% false, no questions asked.

Different bodies react different ways. You've been doing high volume for a while with little results. My advice, take that as a learning step and move on. Try fewer workouts, exercises, and more weight, intensity.

[Akimoto]

Find a proven program and get on it.

[IacobvsRex]

What you guys are saying makes some sense. Reading more about the Rippetoe program, I came across the line:

"What this boils down to is that a novice or beginner does NOT need to train the way a professional does. Not only would it not benefit you, it will probably HINDER your progress. Many a newb has attempted to do the infamous Arnold Schwarzenegger double-split workout, and has gotten buried within 2 weeks, despite the best intentions and nutrition."

So yeah... that pretty much describes me. I'll give this more basic program a try. Thanks all.