Is there anything I should be taking that I’m not taking?

[magnificentmale]

Hello fellow bodybuilders.

Let me introduce myself. My name is Matthew. I’m from Australia. I have been training on and off since I was 15. Recently I have become more serious with my goal to produce the best body I can at the age of 41. I have some ongoing issues with a sore lower back and sore shoulders. This prevents me going super heavy with bench press and squats. However I have compensated with 100% form and intensity.

I am currently eating 5-6 solid meals per day, eggs, meat and rice. I only have a small treat once every 3 days, it maybe a few biscuits. I cannot drink whey protein or any dairy based protein. I do not like the taste of dairy, despite wishing I could. So I make sure there is plenty of protein and meat in my diet. On average I eat 4 full eggs and 1-1.3kg of chicken/beef per day. And around 200 of carbs.

I am taking a 300mg pre workout that I have weened down to 1/4 of a scoop per workout. I’m taking creatinine HCL, citraline malate, beta alinine, glutamine pre and post workouts in the right doses for recovery.

20 minute treadmill warm up and stretches pre workout.
Monday: Quads
Tuesday: Chest/shoulders
Wednesday: Back, abs
Thursday: Sprinting
Friday: calves and hamstrings
Saturday: abs/light arm workout/45 minutes cardio.
Sunday: Off

My measurements are 5’10, 74kg, arms 16 1/4, waist 29.5, thighs 23, calves 15 1/3, lean, abs present.

I want to put more size on, what else can I do with diet and supplements. I’m training 6 days per week.

[SuffolkPunch]

I'm a little older than you - weight training can be the solution to problems with areas like lower back and shoulders - if you do it correctly. So don't just write off those areas and avoid training them with intensity. I've had knee surgery and can tell you that heavy squatting is actually good for my knee as it protects the area. The key is to do a BALANCED program which trains all muscles around a joint equally using fullest possible range of motion and smooth tempo - good form is important to but should not hold you back from pushing it.

You don't have to eat 5-6 meals a day, that's old bodybuilding dogma. Number of meals is not that important. FYI, I usually only have 2 (lunch, dinner) but have a protein shake at breakfast time and pre-bed

Also, there are no "cheat" foods - as long as your base diet contains all the right nutrients, the rest is just more calories and more nutrients. No foods have a negative impact - at least nothing you could buy in a first world country and consume in moderate doses.

I am getting to supplements - I promise! Protein powder (for convenience), creatine mono, fish oils (if you don't eat oily fish), vitamin D (if you stay out of the sun). That's it. The rest is not worth the money in my opinion.

Also, do a routine that trains every bodypart at least twice a week. 7 days is way too long to wait between training a muscle group. I can advise if you decide to take this on board.