Journey to putting on serious muscle mass (75kg by may 2015)

[SOMALIA]

Been a while, after fasting a month sadly I lost another 6kg so im kinda back from square one folks, gonna keep this updated till perhaps end of the year now that im back and focused. Sorry for the delay (to the 2 ppl who followed this ;) )

Bare in mind was stupidly doing this and semi pro boxing at the same time so it kinda was a lose-lose situation. Kinda stopped boxing for now.

Currently trynna get in 2800 calories and stand at a mass of 61kg, kinda dirty bulked a bit as my abs arent as visible but this is what I need.

Current goal: reach 75kg before end of year

Current lifts:
edit put in lbs for my americans friends
Bench - 70kg (154lbs)
Deadlifts - 120kg (264lbs)
Squats - 100kg (220lbs)
Shoulders dumbell press: 20kg each hand (45lbs)
dumbell press: 25kg (55lbs)
t bar row: 60kg (132lbs) edit: was wrong 50kg

Progress pics: my chest improved alot (shit camera) however lots of striations or w.e you call them but once again lacking mass and slowly building upper chest, i got the worst genetics for arms mainly the biceps are the problem, if anyone can help me with that. Back improved kinda and legs of course

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[scene]

if you're serious about nutrition I highly recommend a food tracking app like myfitnesspal - it's easy to do, keeps you on track and it's motivational to hit your targets. make sure you've also calculated your macro/micro requirements, which isn't hard to do and gives you a more specific picture of where exactly you need to improve your diet. if you're on top of that stuff, great. doing a similar thing myself, so good luck!

 

[afterburn]

Good on you for taking this up bro. If you're having trouble putting on mass, you may want to try GOMAD. The guy who made the strong lifts 5x5 routine also made GOMAD: http://stronglifts.com/gomad-milk-squats-gallon-gain-weight/ It basically stands for Gallon of Milk a Day, and is tailor made for hardgainers like yourself. I'd go easy on the milk at first because it seems like you've been getting stomach pains with your body getting used to the amounts you're eating. Slowly build up to 1 gallon a day over a 5 weeks or so (the article goes in-depth on your situation towards the end).

I've heard and seen ectomorphs like yourself put on decent weight with GOMAD, so it's a tried and tested way to put on weight. Good luck young sorsoor. I bet fasting in ramadan hurt the bulking.

(if someone already mentioned gomad in this thread, then i'm sorry for repeating, didn't read the above posts)

 

[SOMALIA]

if you're serious about nutrition I highly recommend a food tracking app like myfitnesspal - it's easy to do, keeps you on track and it's motivational to hit your targets. make sure you've also calculated your macro/micro requirements, which isn't hard to do and gives you a more specific picture of where exactly you need to improve your diet. if you're on top of that stuff, great. doing a similar thing myself, so good luck!

Yeah I got the hang of all that few months ago lol but thanks anyways for the advice and gl yourself man; are you trying to dirty bulk as well or you taking the longer, cleaner approach to start out?

Good on you for taking this up bro. If you're having trouble putting on mass, you may want to try GOMAD. The guy who made the strong lifts 5x5 routine also made GOMAD: http://stronglifts.com/gomad-milk-squats-gallon-gain-weight/ It basically stands for Gallon of Milk a Day, and is tailor made for hardgainers like yourself. I'd go easy on the milk at first because it seems like you've been getting stomach pains with your body getting used to the amounts you're eating. Slowly build up to 1 gallon a day over a 5 weeks or so (the article goes in-depth on your situation towards the end).

I've heard and seen ectomorphs like yourself put on decent weight with GOMAD, so it's a tried and tested way to put on weight. Good luck young sorsoor. I bet fasting in ramadan hurt the bulking.

(if someone already mentioned gomad in this thread, then i'm sorry for repeating, didn't read the above posts)

Brother Afterburn! Yeah sadly you're right man, my stomache can't handle lactose, i use lactofree milk but even if I have large quantities of that (I drink a litre of milk a day now) my stomache gives out big time lol. I think thats another reason its hard for me to put on weight, alot of foods that are common to help one put mass, my stomache doesnt really go down well with it lol, aside from that, hope all is good breh! #arabs 4 lyfe

 

[scene]

Yeah I got the hang of all that few months ago lol but thanks anyways for the advice and gl yourself man; are you trying to dirty bulk as well or you taking the longer, cleaner approach to start out?

I'm doing something in between, although I'm definitely eating a lot better (and more) than I have been all my life. I've got more energy, less aches and I've even learned how to cook more stuff. If I'm at home it's pretty clean, but of course when I'm out it's hard to stay perfect. Progress is consistent, nothing amazing but I'm really happy and can see/feel the benefits.

 

[Lee]

how about just ditching the bodybuilding and sticking with the boxing that you're obviously quite good at? Leave bodybuilding to people without any real athletic talent to be brutally frank; in nearly every single athletic endeavour you can name, carrying around more weight than is absolutely necessary is either a crippling handicap (running, climbing, football, tennis etc) or strictly regulated (as in boxing...good luck with the heavyweights, bro). You're gonna further damage your boxing with a routine like 5x5...the squat-heavy nature of it is gonna cause a lot of leg growth and, as you doubtlessly know, big legs are a strict handicap in boxing. Strong upper body (for obvious reasons) and skinny lower body (to keep weight down) is the classic boxer blueprint. A few kilograms of muscle on your legs won't help you box but it will mean you're fighting a middleweight rather than a welterweight.

basically, only follow this path if you're sure you don't want to continue with your boxing.

source: i'm an athlete who dabbled in bodybuilding and ended up competing at a lower level as a result. oh and i used to box too.

 

[SOMALIA]

how about just ditching the bodybuilding and sticking with the boxing that you're obviously quite good at? Leave bodybuilding to people without any real athletic talent to be brutally frank; in nearly every single athletic endeavour you can name, carrying around more weight than is absolutely necessary is either a crippling handicap (running, climbing, football, tennis etc) or strictly regulated (as in boxing...good luck with the heavyweights, bro). You're gonna further damage your boxing with a routine like 5x5...the squat-heavy nature of it is gonna cause a lot of leg growth and, as you doubtlessly know, big legs are a strict handicap in boxing. Strong upper body (for obvious reasons) and skinny lower body (to keep weight down) is the classic boxer blueprint. A few kilograms of muscle on your legs won't help you box but it will mean you're fighting a middleweight rather than a welterweight.

basically, only follow this path if you're sure you don't want to continue with your boxing.

source: i'm an athlete who dabbled in bodybuilding and ended up competing at a lower level as a result. oh and i used to box too.

Thanks for the indepth analysis on my situation Lee, my boxing coach told me the same thing however my passion for body-building currently is too high for me to quit and now that I am finally doing it correct (starting from the end of last month in terms of eating right, going beyond failure in gym, correct form etc) It'd be a shame to quit I feel. Boxing was a great run, competiting in tournament matches and going 2-0 was great however my main goal is to get "hench" so as to speak; don't get me wrong, I also enjoy it so much that I still spar with friends in my spare time and do road work sometimes however I'm too skinny and I doubt I'd be satisfied until I become huge for some reason. My problem is always jumping to new things whenever I find something I like to do, was a striker for a semi pro football (british) team and quit when i started boxing, in conclusion I more or less will just quit professional boxing for good I guess since I am pretty sure I've found something I'll do for the rest of my life

 

[Stallion]

Thanks for the indepth analysis on my situation Lee, my boxing coach told me the same thing however my passion for body-building currently is too high for me to quit and now that I am finally doing it correct (starting from the end of last month in terms of eating right, going beyond failure in gym, correct form etc) It'd be a shame to quit I feel. Boxing was a great run, competiting in tournament matches and going 2-0 was great however my main goal is to get "hench" so as to speak; don't get me wrong, I also enjoy it so much that I still spar with friends in my spare time and do road work sometimes however I'm too skinny and I doubt I'd be satisfied until I become huge for some reason. My problem is always jumping to new things whenever I find something I like to do, was a striker for a semi pro football (british) team and quit when i started boxing, in conclusion I more or less will just quit professional boxing for good I guess since I am pretty sure I've found something I'll do for the rest of my life

Im not a drug advocate or anything but if you're not going to be satisfied until you're huge why don't you just take steroids? 99.9% of these guys you probably look up to in magazines are running complex cycles, so they've probably given you an unrealistic standard to look up to. If you wanna get as big as you naturally can then stick to what you're doing man, but if your goal is to look like Lazar / Steve Cook and your idea of "huge" is 90+ kilos and shredded, going on the juice is your only option. We don't have the genetic capability to hold that much muscle without it. You can still be a big guy all natural but I'm just trying to pin down your definition of "huge"

 

[SOMALIA]

Im not a drug advocate or anything but if you're not going to be satisfied until you're huge why don't you just take steroids? 99.9% of these guys you probably look up to in magazines are running complex cycles, so they've probably given you an unrealistic standard to look up to. If you wanna get as big as you naturally can then stick to what you're doing man, but if your goal is to look like Lazar / Steve Cook and your idea of "huge" is 90+ kilos and shredded, going on the juice is your only option. We don't have the genetic capability to hold that much muscle without it. You can still be a big guy all natural but I'm just trying to pin down your definition of "huge"

Unbanned finally....My definition is basically when I walk down the street people know i lift, not insanely huge lol. I just need to gain some more mass tbh. Do you reckon that needs steroids as well? I am a pretty patient individual and understand if it'll take a few years to achieve.

Back progress

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Chest

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Trying to reach from 62kg to 70kg by end of January...

Arm in inches atm for anyone who happens to give a fuck: 13.6inches

 

[Stallion]

Unbanned finally....My definition is basically when I walk down the street people know i lift, not insanely huge lol. I just need to gain some more mass tbh. Do you reckon that needs steroids as well? I am a pretty patient individual and understand if it'll take a few years to achieve.

Back progress

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Chest

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Trying to reach from 62kg to 70kg by end of January...

Arm in inches atm for anyone who happens to give a fuck: 13.6inches

Put it this way, in the above photo a few days ago I'm around 11-12% body fat (so leaner than what you are currently) and 78.6 kilos and I've been training for years. 85 kg lean is something I'd need years more to achieve naturally and your thread title says may 15. If you don't mind putting on a fuck load of fat it's doable. To be that weight and lean though? Even with steroids you probably wouldn't make it by then. Of course at your stage of development you still have the ability to make some fantastic natural gains. Just have to be realistic about what you can do in a given timeframe. Keep on grinding man :-)

 

[SOMALIA]

View attachment 29981
Put it this way, in the above photo a few days ago I'm around 11-12% body fat (so leaner than what you are currently) and 78.6 kilos and I've been training for years. 85 kg lean is something I'd need years more to achieve naturally and your thread title says may 15. If you don't mind putting on a fuck load of fat it's doable. To be that weight and lean though? Even with steroids you probably wouldn't make it by then. Of course at your stage of development you still have the ability to make some fantastic natural gains. Just have to be realistic about what you can do in a given timeframe. Keep on grinding man :-)

Damn looking solid man, and yeah of course realistically it isn't possible unless I put on quite a bit of fat which I accepted from the beginning haha, I mean gaining 4-5kg a month is realistic on a calorie surplass of 800 for now so give 6 months, I should be able to put at least 20 additional kgs. Thanks bro!

 

[Lee]

Yeah, I see where Stallion is coming from in encouraging you to keep your expectations in check but at the same time, everybody responds differently to exercise and 'genetics' will inevitably come into it so we simply can't say for certain what's realistic and what's not. My advice would be, unless you have a very specific reason to be x weight by y date (namely, a competition etc), then try not to boggle yourself down with dates. Just do your thing and to hell with the calendar. You will reach your goals eventually; you shouldn't view yourself as a failure if you don't reach them by a seemingly arbitrarily chosen date.

And looking good bro, vicious looking V-taper going on.

 

[Lee]

That aside, what are your findings with 5x5? Any plateaus? It's been nearly a year now, I'm wondering if you've been considering throwing in any assistance exercises? Mehdi often preaches about how chin-ups are the ideal 'additional' 5x5 exercise and I think that you should consider them; they'd serve the dual purpose of emphasising your strong point (dat back) while helping out what I'm deeming to be your weak point (biceps).

Just a musing though, you're doing great as you are.

 

[Stallion]

Damn looking solid man, and yeah of course realistically it isn't possible unless I put on quite a bit of fat which I accepted from the beginning haha, I mean gaining 4-5kg a month is realistic on a calorie surplass of 800 for now so give 6 months, I should be able to put at least 20 additional kgs. Thanks bro!

Make sure as you keep gaining weight that you keep upping your calories on a weekly basis. If you don't mind putting on some fat like you said above, by doing this you can pack meat onto your frame like crazy. If you wanna do it the clean way, Peanut butter is my number one recommendation. Super calorie dense. Fatty cuts of meat are also a great choice as is Rice and Pasta. If you've got the cash, mass gainers are as good as advertised. For less clean sources of food, meat based Pizza's are king. A Hawaiian pizza from Dominos cost me $4.95 for 1600 calories, when I was stuffing down 4000 a day on my bulk it made a big difference.

 

[SOMALIA]

That aside, what are your findings with 5x5? Any plateaus? It's been nearly a year now, I'm wondering if you've been considering throwing in any assistance exercises? Mehdi often preaches about how chin-ups are the ideal 'additional' 5x5 exercise and I think that you should consider them; they'd serve the dual purpose of emphasising your strong point (dat back) while helping out what I'm deeming to be your weak point (biceps).

Just a musing though, you're doing great as you are.

Oh I think I stopped doing it a bit too quick man, currently I'm just doing a normal body-building routine which I probably shouldn't have done. I do variations of pullups and pushups on a daily basis as well as heavy reps and sets on my back / chest days and I find they really help for sure. Damn lol you are 100% correct my arms are lagging so badly I mean when I first started they were only 11.5 inches haha, and only about 13 and a bit now. My quads are ok for someone as small as me but hoping to achieve your amazing ones someday...someday!

Make sure as you keep gaining weight that you keep upping your calories on a weekly basis. If you don't mind putting on some fat like you said above, by doing this you can pack meat onto your frame like crazy. If you wanna do it the clean way, Peanut butter is my number one recommendation. Super calorie dense. Fatty cuts of meat are also a great choice as is Rice and Pasta. If you've got the cash, mass gainers are as good as advertised. For less clean sources of food, meat based Pizza's are king. A Hawaiian pizza from Dominos cost me $4.95 for 1600 calories, when I was stuffing down 4000 a day on my bulk it made a big difference.

Yeah bro I have 4 peanut butter sandwiches everyday at night, easy 1000 calories lol and sadly I am on a real tight budget so can't really afford weight gain shake, I just stuff myself with bread and 1-2litres of milk a day usually.

 

[Stallion]

If you're on a tight budget have a meat lovers pizza. You'll notice it and have room for more food than filling up on bread

 

[Lee]

It sounds like you already know this but I would advise sticking on 5x5 a bit longer, to quote a friend of mine talking about the same subject; 'you need to build a good foundation for your house before you worry about the wallpaper.' Your bodybuilding routine will be far more effective when you're able to lift heavier weights but you likely won't get much stronger on such a routine so consider coming back to it further down the line. I think Mehdi advocates sticking to 5x5 until you can squat about 300lbs and that seems a good benchmark. Going off your last check-in and assuming steady progression you're looking at another 5 weeks or so to reach that...time well spent imo!

and Stallion! A dominoes meat lover pizza is like £15 in this country!

 

[Stallion]

It sounds like you already know this but I would advise sticking on 5x5 a bit longer, to quote a friend of mine talking about the same subject; 'you need to build a good foundation for your house before you worry about the wallpaper.' Your bodybuilding routine will be far more effective when you're able to lift heavier weights but you likely won't get much stronger on such a routine so consider coming back to it further down the line. I think Mehdi advocates sticking to 5x5 until you can squat about 300lbs and that seems a good benchmark. Going off your last check-in and assuming steady progression you're looking at another 5 weeks or so to reach that...time well spent imo!

and Stallion! A dominoes meat lover pizza is like £15 in this country!

1. Man I can't even do that. Although in my defense I've had pretty debilitating hip injuries, but the most I've ever squatted for reps was 265 from memory (never gone for a 1RM. Once I begin bulking again in March I'm gonna be hitting these hard as well as my deadlift (another lift that has stagnated from injury).

2. Poor Britts! So expensive, over here Pizza costs fuck all and I assume it would be even less in America. The point I'm making for SOMALIA is that any protein stacked calorie dense and cheap fast food will do if he's looking to put on lots of muscle at the expense of being lean :).

 

[SOMALIA]

3/12/14:

Current weight 61kg 11% bodyfat
Squats: 110kg 1rpm
Bench: 75kg 1rpm
Deadlift: 120kg for reps
dumbell press: 25kg 5 x 5
T-Bar row: 3 plates 3 x 12
shoulders press: 22.5kg 3 x 10-12 27.5kg 1 x 2-4

Posing, kinda increased mass on triceps and back however biceps suck major ass...

No legs shown however my quads are great (best bodypart) but calvs are a joke, if someone got any tips I'd be grateful

I try to get a minimum of 3200 calories for now at least till i hit 65kg then up it to 3700 calories

 

[Stallion]

How is your back so much better than the rest of your upper body?

 

[SOMALIA]

How is your back so much better than the rest of your upper body?

I'm not sure myself man, probably I'm lagging so bad in everything (heck i think the average non lifter got bigger arms then me lmao) else and the back is my best part genetically, then again I do few sets of pullups almost everyday so not sure how much that contributes to back growth, good back and quads sadly the parts that no1 looks at or can be revealed as much as the others

 

[Lee]

3/12/14:

Current weight 61kg 11% bodyfat
Squats: 110kg 1rpm
Bench: 75kg 1rpm
Deadlift: 120kg for reps
dumbell press: 25kg 5 x 5
T-Bar row: 3 plates 3 x 12
shoulders press: 22.5kg 3 x 10-12 27.5kg 1 x 2-4

Posing, kinda increased mass on triceps and back however biceps suck major ass...

No legs shown however my quads are great (best bodypart) but calvs are a joke, if someone got any tips I'd be grateful

I try to get a minimum of 3200 calories for now at least till i hit 65kg then up it to 3700 calories

first off, fuck yeah video updates, why don't more people do them?! Looking lean and pretty buff in some of those poses, particularly the back. I can see the frustration in your face but you're doing great; don't let pissy weight fluctuations put you down...it happens to us all...I know you're very focused on weight but it seems to be dragging you down so try focusing on your lifts for a while. Heavier lifts = more muscle mass and that is a simple formula that cuts through all the bullshit variables that you run into when you judge your success solely by the number on the scales.

As for calves, it's the most common problem area in bodybuilders so the good news is that you're not alone. The bad news is there's no easy fix and a lot of it is genetically predetermined so you might already be screwed in that department. Hill sprints are the best for them imo but I wouldn't suggest that you start doing hill sprints given your goals/body type. I know people who swear by donkey calf raises but ehhhhh, I'm not convinced.

also, nice teeth.

 

[SOMALIA]

first off, fuck yeah video updates, why don't more people do them?! Looking lean and pretty buff in some of those poses, particularly the back. I can see the frustration in your face but you're doing great; don't let pissy weight fluctuations put you down...it happens to us all...I

first off, fuck yeah video updates, why don't more people do them?! Looking lean and pretty buff in some of those poses, particularly the back. I can see the frustration in your face but you're doing great; don't let pissy weight fluctuations put you down...it happens to us all...I know you're very focused on weight but it seems to be dragging you down so try focusing on your lifts for a while. Heavier lifts = more muscle mass and that is a simple formula that cuts through all the bullshit variables that you run into when you judge your success solely by the number on the scales.

As for calves, it's the most common problem area in bodybuilders so the good news is that you're not alone. The bad news is there's no easy fix and a lot of it is genetically predetermined so you might already be screwed in that department. Hill sprints are the best for them imo but I wouldn't suggest that you start doing hill sprints given your goals/body type. I know people who swear by donkey calf raises but ehhhhh, I'm not convinced.

also, nice teeth.

you're very focused on weight but it seems to be dragging you down so try focusing on your lifts for a while. Heavier lifts = more muscle mass and that is a simple formula that cuts through all the bullshit variables that you run into when you judge your success solely by the number on the scales.

As for calves, it's the most common problem area in bodybuilders so the good news is that you're not alone. The bad news is there's no easy fix and a lot of it is genetically predetermined so you might already be screwed in that department. Hill sprints are the best for them imo but I wouldn't suggest that you start doing hill sprints given your goals/body type. I know people who swear by donkey calf raises but ehhhhh, I'm not convinced.

also, nice teeth.

Thanks alot bro! Yeah i guess there isnt any silver bullet for calves so i just hit them twice a week as opposed to once to attempt to get them bigger lol and yeah man ego lifting is just a downhill path for sure so I just go alot lighter nowadays and get volume in especially for arms, once again thanks alot man

 

[Godsend]

Hey man, I respect the grind. I went from being semi-fat to deadlifting 515 at 170 (pounds, clearly).

You watch PoG, don't you?

(Oh, and this is me so you know I'm not a liar)

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(And I subbed you on yt)

 

[SOMALIA]

Hey man, I respect the grind. I went from being semi-fat to deadlifting 515 at 170 (pounds, clearly).

You watch PoG, don't you?

(Oh, and this is me so you know I'm not a liar)

Hide

(And I subbed you on yt)

Nothing but respect, you look really good man, especially that back! How long you been lifting for? And thanks for the motivation + subscription means alot brother