Lacking gains

[RyGuy1024]

Okay so before anyone blows me up I know this is a common question on here and people post 800 threads a day asking "rate my routine". I would really like advice on my current routine or possibly something else I should switch to. I only have time to lift 3 to 4 times a week due to work and then playing in some sports leagues a couple days a week.

Anyways I am 6'1, 180-185 pounds and 4.6% body fat. My goal is to pack on 10 to 15 pounds of muscle which I know is a lot of work and my metabolism is literally burning at a light speed it seems. I do not put on size as easily a I would like nor do I consistently see gains in strength, its seems most people I work out with increase strength at a much more rapid pace. This is currently what I am doing at the gym.

Monday:
BB Bench 5x (4-8)
BB OH Press 5x 5(10)
BB Incline 3x (8-10)
Super set DB lat side and front raises 3x10
Cable Flys 3x10
DB kickbacks 3-10
Dips 3x to failure
DB Shrugs 3x15
Core work

Weds:
Back Squats 5x5-8
Hack Squats 5x8-10
DB Lunges 3x8
Seated Calf Raises 3x10
Legs Curls 3x10-12
Standing Calf Raises
Core work

Friday:
Pull Ups: 3x10-15
BB DL 5x5-10
Underhand Pulldown 3x10
Pendlay Rows 3x10
T-bar Row 3x10
Preacher Curl 5x10
Core Work

Should I add or cut anything from this routine? Rearrange? Or add a 4th day? And if I do add a 4th day any advice on what I should do on that day?

[Deano2727]

Okay so before anyone blows me up I know this is a common question on here and people post 800 threads a day asking "rate my routine". I would really like advice on my current routine or possibly something else I should switch to. I only have time to lift 3 to 4 times a week due to work and then playing in some sports leagues a couple days a week.

Anyways I am 6'1, 180-185 pounds and 4.6% body fat. My goal is to pack on 10 to 15 pounds of muscle which I know is a lot of work and my metabolism is literally burning at a light speed it seems. I do not put on size as easily a I would like nor do I consistently see gains in strength, its seems most people I work out with increase strength at a much more rapid pace. This is currently what I am doing at the gym.

Monday:
BB Bench 5x (4-8)
BB OH Press 5x 5(10)
BB Incline 3x (8-10)
Super set DB lat side and front raises 3x10
Cable Flys 3x10
DB kickbacks 3-10
Dips 3x to failure
DB Shrugs 3x15
Core work

Weds:
Back Squats 5x5-8
Hack Squats 5x8-10
DB Lunges 3x8
Seated Calf Raises 3x10
Legs Curls 3x10-12
Standing Calf Raises
Core work

Friday:
Pull Ups: 3x10-15
BB DL 5x5-10
Underhand Pulldown 3x10
Pendlay Rows 3x10
T-bar Row 3x10
Preacher Curl 5x10
Core Work

Should I add or cut anything from this routine? Rearrange? Or add a 4th day? And if I do add a 4th day any advice on what I should do on that day?

You do realise with those stats posted, you are not far from your natural potential? Maybe you meant 14%? 4% is as low as you can go really, and at 180lbs at your height, they would be show winning stats.

All this is assuming your advanced, because the stats you posted certainly are.

Its not bad, but I am not sure there is enough volume on the monday for each bodypart. Personally I think you have crammed too much into the monday. Maybe add in a seperate day on saturday for shoulders and delts or something? Someone who has more knowledge than me will be able to help you better I am sure.

Just my .02c

[RyGuy1024]

I honestly didnt think I was 4.6 percent either but I had a trainer do a skin fold test two weeks ago and the results were 4.6 percent. There could be a little variance in that number i suppose but my body fat percent definitely came back a lot lower than I thought it would be. I am definitely not a bodybuilder though haha I don't have that build.

And yeah Monday is the day that kind of bothers me most because I try and focus the routine mostly on flat bench and OH press but my numbers for these lifts go up very little and very slow. So I was thinking about adding a 4th day on Saturday but wasn't sure if I should try rearranging things first.

[stitch123]

Please please please post a pic - I gotta see 4.6% BF!

[ScottRoland]

Please please please post a pic - I gotta see 4.6% BF!

^^^^ This x 2 ! ! I've never seen 4.6% body fat except on an anorexic girl.

[orca23554]

Discard the trainer. Getting to 180 lbs at sub 5% ain't a joke

If you are looking to increase strength the routine you posted may not be the best

To gain 15 lbs of muscle your lifts have got to be considerably higher than what they are right now. Ask yourself when do you see the most gains on your lifts? Is it when you hit each muscle group more than once a week? What progression and rep scheme has worked for you in the past? A lot of folks will jump in here with different answers but the point is that it works for them, may not work for you. Some quality and objective introspection should help here (assuming you are up to speed on the basics of routine, progression and nutrition)

For e.g. Linear progression stopped working for me after a while. I tried a 2X a week routine lifting heavy each time, I did make some gains but stalled again. What's working for me right now is a simple U/L with a Heavy/Light template where I go for a PR every 10 days on a 3X5 scheme. Once I stall, I deload and work with a 8-10 rep scheme for a couple of months at a lower weight, then go at it again. When I am making good progress on a cycle, I do less rather than more volume to squeeze out as much as possible. My lifts still aren't intermediate level but I manage to move ahead in small steps

[ironwill2008]

Please please please post a pic - I gotta see 4.6% BF!

Here's Doug Miller, at an actual, somewhat higher 5%, right before stepping on stage:

[stitch123]

Holy sh*t that is impressive. I wonder how long that can be maintained for?

OP - is that how you look?

[RyGuy1024]

^^^^ This x 2 ! ! I've never seen 4.6% body fat except on an anorexic girl.

haha yeah I really don't know how I can possibly be that low, my metabolism is really pretty unbelievable but being this low on body fat seems rather improbable. I guess I could try having it checked again this weekend. But I can try and take a copy of the body stat sheet that has all my info on it from the gym.

[mariusdeac]

Well, since you look like a pro, you don't need any advice

[RyGuy1024]

Discard the trainer. Getting to 180 lbs at sub 5% ain't a joke

If you are looking to increase strength the routine you posted may not be the best

To gain 15 lbs of muscle your lifts have got to be considerably higher than what they are right now. Ask yourself when do you see the most gains on your lifts? Is it when you hit each muscle group more than once a week? What progression and rep scheme has worked for you in the past? A lot of folks will jump in here with different answers but the point is that it works for them, may not work for you. Some quality and objective introspection should help here (assuming you are up to speed on the basics of routine, progression and nutrition)

For e.g. Linear progression stopped working for me after a while. I tried a 2X a week routine lifting heavy each time, I did make some gains but stalled again. What's working for me right now is a simple U/L with a Heavy/Light template where I go for a PR every 10 days on a 3X5 scheme. Once I stall, I deload and work with a 8-10 rep scheme for a couple of months at a lower weight, then go at it again. When I am making good progress on a cycle, I do less rather than more volume to squeeze out as much as possible. My lifts still aren't intermediate level but I manage to move ahead in small steps

Yeah I have tried a few routines which is really why I posted this, because I really wasn't seeing the results I wanted from the few routines I have tried so I kind of took a push/pull legs routine and made some changes. I have gotten stronger on using this than I did when I used to do a 5 day split when I first started working out ( which was a stupid routine for me to start on in the first place). But I feel like I will slowly gain strength but size does not happen much for me. And my nutrition is ok as far as food but the amount of food I eat si the issue, I know there are a number of days were I do not get a surplus of calories. So this is something I am really working on improving but also I kind of started doubting what I have been doing at the gym, I was thinking about maybe adding the 4th day as a whole body compound day and just take like flat bench, OH press, squats and barbell rows and do a 5x5 to round out the week but wasn't sure if it wouold be worthwhile.

[RyGuy1024]

ironwill2008,

HELL NO! haha, I look nowhere close to that. I am far leaner than that, I in no way have a body builder physic, but I also don't really train on being a body builder in that regard. Like I said I am 6'1 180lbs which I don't think is enough weight for my frame.

[RyGuy1024]

Well, since you look like a pro, you don't need any advice

In what way did I say i am a pro?

[mariusdeac]

In what way did I say i am a pro?

Since you're in constest shape...

Anyway, I suggest you doing All Pro's routine which you can find in the stickies

[ironwill2008]

Holy sh*t that is impressive. I wonder how long that can be maintained for?

Most of the guys who can cut down to such an extreme say it can only be sustained for just several hours. Even some pros will look shredded to the bone during prelims in the afternoon, but by finals that evening, they're already starting to smooth out.


Again, such a level of leanness is extreme, and requires extreme measures to attain.

[SuffolkPunch]

You aren't 4.6 % but ignoring such distractions, just eat and do all pros routines.

[RyGuy1024]

Since you're in constest shape...

I am in no way in contest shape, I do not train for contests nor have I ever considered it because there would be no point. It would look like a basketball player walking into a room of ripped dudes. you are saying I am "in contest shape" but I am simply stating what was measured two weeks ago. There could have been some error I suppose in the measuring that the trainer did with the skin fold caliper but its kind of all I really have to base my body fat % on.

[RyGuy1024]

Most of the guys who can cut down to such an extreme say it can only be sustained for just several hours. Even some pros will look shredded to the bone during prelims in the afternoon, but by finals that evening, they're already starting to smooth out.


Again, such a level of leanness is extreme, and requires extreme measures to attain.

Yeah I am sure it takes some major training and eating right to attain that look. I in no way look like a shredded body builder. But I am very lean, I always have been but I have also done a lot of things that keep me very lean as far as sports and activities.

[RyGuy1024]

You aren't 4.6 % but ignoring such distractions, just eat and do all pros routines.

I simply based that 4.6% off of what was measured by the trainer at the gym, I wouldn't disagree that there could be some error in the measuring but the skin fold caliper method was the only method they offer and I was curious what is was and this is what the result came back as.

As far as pro routines any that you would particularly recommend? I am not looking to be a bodybuilder. Simply to increase strength, 4 days is the max I have to lift due to work and sports I play in the evenings on the other days.