Training to get bigger. 5 questions I would like answered.

[Trepkos01]

I've been working out for about four weeks on a six-day routine, hitting a different muscle group per day. But now I am trying to start bulking, getting bigger, in turn I know Im going to lose alot of definition but hopefully I can gain that back once I hit a decent size I'm satisfied with. So I decided to go off the six-day routine to a three day split, also I upped my nutrition quite a bit to help.

Three Day Split Consists of:

Mondays: Chest/Abs/Biceps/Neck
Wednesday: Chest/Triceps/Abs/Back
Friday: Chest/Abs/Shoulders/Legs/Fore-Arms

So I hit the chest and abs on all days mainly because my chest needs alot of improving(everything needs improving but for some reason, my chest seems to have alot of trouble amounting to anything). My abs I work out each day because I also need to get them a lot bigger.

Here are a couple of questions:

1. For my chest exercises I usually do the following: 5x10 Flat Bench(105lb), 5x10 Inclined(105lb), 5x15 Chest Flies(25lb dumbbells), 5x10 Dumbbell presses(35lb dumbbells).

Is this sufficient? I can feel my chest being stretched and tense after I do the bench presses, not so much with the chest flies and the dumbbell presses. Should I do alot more weights and less reps?

2. Is it just me, but whenever I begin to build up a muscle group, I notice that I am making instant progress when I am able to flex or tense up that muscle group when I wasn't able to do so before. For example...

When I first noticed I had anything resembling a six-pack, I had the ability to flex it(which is usually the only way it can be seen, otherwise it just looks like a normal stomach). This was back when I did sit-ups and crunches quite a lot. Same with my chest, which I had no ability to flex whatsoever, now I can, and most recently, my lats.

3. Is my abdominal workout sufficient? Typically I do around 2x50x sit-ups with a 25lb dumbbell on my chest. Which doesn't really make me feel much in my abs but when I actually do crunches, 5x25, I get a really nice and painful burning sensation in my gut/abdominal section. I don't want a skinny six-pack, but more so a large muscular one.

4. Are there any other good exercises for my lats and back, all I find myself doing on the day I work out my back is a lateral bar wide-grip overhand pulldown at 180lb's. Are there any freeweight excercises for my lats or any other area of my back?

5. My nutrition, I really upped it, starting a week ago. I weighed myself last week at 154lb. I began taking a few supplements to aid in my nutrition such as Creatine, Multi-Vitamins, Super-Antioxidants, ALA, Essential fatty acids, ZMA. In addition to that, I eat a good amount of carbohydrates through pasta, oatmeal, wheat bread, but I also eat alot of protein now through eggs and chicken breasts. I also drink around 140-150g's of protein through Whey Protein shakes every day on top of all of that.

Am I overdoing it? I weighed myself today, thought I don't feel like Im getting any bigger or anything. I now weigh 164lb, maybe Im not a hard gainer like I originally thought and I just had a poor diet before? Should I start putting cardio into workout to keep the excess fat from covering up any muscles?

Anyways that is all for now.

[BlackLabelMafia]

1)IMHO, that seems more than sufficient for your chest. Maybe you can handle it, but I like to lift as heavy as possible, and that many sets/reps would burn me out quick. I wouldn't add any more, but if you can take the pounding.....

2)I don't really know what you're asking here.

3)I was going to say this anyway, but a good way to target abs is by doing squats(both back and front). You work out your chest all three days, but only have 1 leg day. Squats will build mass better than anything else, and you should add deadlifts. And just because you don't feel a burn doesn't mean you're not building muscle.

4)Pull ups and bent rows are probably the two best back exercises that I've used. You can also try 1-arm rows. However, Squats and deadlifts will hit your back big time, as well.

5)Diet looks good, but you didn't include how much of everything you're eating. Not enough calories=minimal/no growth.

[chuckno]

I've been working out for about four weeks on a six-day routine, hitting a different muscle group per day. But now I am trying to start bulking, getting bigger, in turn I know Im going to lose alot of definition but hopefully I can gain that back once I hit a decent size I'm satisfied with. So I decided to go off the six-day routine to a three day split, also I upped my nutrition quite a bit to help.

Three Day Split Consists of:

Mondays: Chest/Abs/Biceps/Neck
Wednesday: Chest/Triceps/Abs/Back
Friday: Chest/Abs/Shoulders/Legs/Fore-Arms

So I hit the chest and abs on all days mainly because my chest needs alot of improving(everything needs improving but for some reason, my chest seems to have alot of trouble amounting to anything). My abs I work out each day because I also need to get them a lot bigger.

Here are a couple of questions:

1. For my chest exercises I usually do the following: 5x10 Flat Bench(105lb), 5x10 Inclined(105lb), 5x15 Chest Flies(25lb dumbbells), 5x10 Dumbbell presses(35lb dumbbells).

Is this sufficient? I can feel my chest being stretched and tense after I do the bench presses, not so much with the chest flies and the dumbbell presses. Should I do alot more weights and less reps?

2. Is it just me, but whenever I begin to build up a muscle group, I notice that I am making instant progress when I am able to flex or tense up that muscle group when I wasn't able to do so before. For example...

When I first noticed I had anything resembling a six-pack, I had the ability to flex it(which is usually the only way it can be seen, otherwise it just looks like a normal stomach). This was back when I did sit-ups and crunches quite a lot. Same with my chest, which I had no ability to flex whatsoever, now I can, and most recently, my lats.

3. Is my abdominal workout sufficient? Typically I do around 2x50x sit-ups with a 25lb dumbbell on my chest. Which doesn't really make me feel much in my abs but when I actually do crunches, 5x25, I get a really nice and painful burning sensation in my gut/abdominal section. I don't want a skinny six-pack, but more so a large muscular one.

4. Are there any other good exercises for my lats and back, all I find myself doing on the day I work out my back is a lateral bar wide-grip overhand pulldown at 180lb's. Are there any freeweight excercises for my lats or any other area of my back?

5. My nutrition, I really upped it, starting a week ago. I weighed myself last week at 154lb. I began taking a few supplements to aid in my nutrition such as Creatine, Multi-Vitamins, Super-Antioxidants, ALA, Essential fatty acids, ZMA. In addition to that, I eat a good amount of carbohydrates through pasta, oatmeal, wheat bread, but I also eat alot of protein now through eggs and chicken breasts. I also drink around 140-150g's of protein through Whey Protein shakes every day on top of all of that.

Am I overdoing it? I weighed myself today, thought I don't feel like Im getting any bigger or anything. I now weigh 164lb, maybe Im not a hard gainer like I originally thought and I just had a poor diet before? Should I start putting cardio into workout to keep the excess fat from covering up any muscles?

Anyways that is all for now.

1. overtrainning your chest
2 thats the begining of mmc
3if you want bigger abbs add wiegts
4deadlift!!!! free wieght rows pull ups and chins mmc is extremly important in back development
5 extra suplementation is not nutrition what you actually eat is 500 times more important than your sups you said nutrition yet you gave no diet just sups

[chuckno]

and you look like a hard gainer low volume is defiantly the way to go

[Leni101Natural]

1.I think your over trainning chest,keep it to once a week and up the intesity,lower the reps and up the weights,chest is a big muscle it needs to be hit hard.

2.Your building up better connection with you muscle fibers through trainnig,its common.

3.Go with what you feel but dont over do it,i dont need to do abs,the contaction from doing back exercises and leg presses gave me a muscular 6 pac,this may come to you also.

4.Seated rows with the lat bar are a killer,dumbell rows along with bent over rows will hit yor lower lats.But lat pull down front and reverse grips will give you lats like a bat!

5.As long as you getting enough carbs/calories from your diet its fine,remember to be loading protien in your diet as well as shakes.

Remember building muscle takes time!

[Trepkos01]

Alright, I have added alot more weights to the bench now, now trying to do around 5x5, same routine, flat and then inclined, etc.

Alot of questions about my nutrition. It isn't solely dependent on protein shakes and etc. This is my usual diet, per day.

Mondays/Wednesdays/Fridays/Sundays
Mornings: 3 eggs, 2 whole wheat, 2 bowls of oatmeal, 2x protein shakes
Lunch: Anything I can find to eat, mostly boneless chicken.
Afternoon snack: 2x bowls of oatmeal, 2x protein shakes.
*Workout*
Dinner: 2x Chicken breasts, pasta, etc.
Before sleep: 2x bowls of oatmeal, 2x proteins shakes

Tuesdays/Thursdays/Saturdays
Pretty much the same, except since I can actually come home and cook lunch. Its usually better structured then the other days which consists of just trying to find a decent fast food place.