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

[Lebrawwn James]

I am 7% body fat... I measured myself and I am nowhere near 10%.

There are a lot of misguided ways to measure your body fat. It's really hard to be below 10% body fat without the use of steroids.

Using calipers or any other way via the internet or technology, percentage points can be very dramatic based on factors that don't actually entail your amount of lean body mass and how much fat you have along with it.

Unless you follow a ketogenic frequently (VERY LOW carb diet) which you are probably not since you are training for strength, you being at 7% BF is probably not true. You look skinnyfat to be honest.

Another reason as to why I don't think you are 7% BF is because of your form. How much do you weigh? You aren't squatting, bench pressing a lot of weight to begin with. I see a lot of technique on your lifts to be very subpar as well. You don't go Ass Too Grass on your squats. If you have 7% Body Fat at for example 150 pounds, you would have 140 pounds of lean body mass, and someone with that much lean body mass would not be struggling to squat or bench that amount of weight that you do like I see in your vidoes.

I really don't want to hurt your feelings, but you are most likely skinnyfat. You have around 12%+ BF and you aren't very big and/or strong. However that's most likely why you made this thread, right?

Also, looking at your deadlift form. ITS HORRIBLE. YOU NEED TO LOWER YOUR BUTT MORE! YOU LOOK LIKE DRAKE DOING DEADLIFTS. if you had a lot higher weight you would be on the way to the hospital, which is hilarious because you are acting like you know what good form looks like and you're talking about breaking your back in the video.


THIS IS WHAT SUB 10% BF LOOKS LIKE: (this is about ~6% BF)

You see A LOT of vascularity, abdominal definition, etc.

Even though this guy is on gear and is remotely strong, you can still compare it to you, and your 6% body fat picture looks nothing as defined as this picture.

Good luck and please ask me questions if you want to know anything

 

[Bad Ass]

nice, thanks CaptKirby!

 

[SOMALIA]

DAY 6:

Horrible day, Quads torn so no squats or deadlifts for me.

Done:-

Bench press (40kg 5x5)
Overhead press (35kg 5x5)
Calf raises (50kg 5x5)
Dumbell Press (12.5kg in each hand 3 sets)
Pullups (4x15)
Lat pulldown (56kg 5x5) [My biceps are amazing compared to triceps...]

Calorie intake: 2950 calories

No video for today, cant be bothered.

There are a lot of misguided ways to measure your body fat. It's really hard to be below 10% body fat without the use of steroids.

Using calipers or any other way via the internet or technology, percentage points can be very dramatic based on factors that don't actually entail your amount of lean body mass and how much fat you have along with it.

Unless you follow a ketogenic frequently (VERY LOW carb diet) which you are probably not since you are training for strength, you being at 7% BF is probably not true. You look skinnyfat to be honest.

Another reason as to why I don't think you are 7% BF is because of your form. How much do you weigh? You aren't squatting, bench pressing a lot of weight to begin with. I see a lot of technique on your lifts to be very subpar as well. You don't go Ass Too Grass on your squats. If you have 7% Body Fat at for example 150 pounds, you would have 140 pounds of lean body mass, and someone with that much lean body mass would not be struggling to squat or bench that amount of weight that you do like I see in your vidoes.

I really don't want to hurt your feelings, but you are most likely skinnyfat. You have around 12%+ BF and you aren't very big and/or strong. However that's most likely why you made this thread, right?

Also, looking at your deadlift form. ITS HORRIBLE. YOU NEED TO LOWER YOUR BUTT MORE! YOU LOOK LIKE DRAKE DOING DEADLIFTS. if you had a lot higher weight you would be on the way to the hospital, which is hilarious because you are acting like you know what good form looks like and you're talking about breaking your back in the video.


THIS IS WHAT SUB 10% BF LOOKS LIKE: (this is about ~6% BF)

You see A LOT of vascularity, abdominal definition, etc.

Even though this guy is on gear and is remotely strong, you can still compare it to you, and your 6% body fat picture looks nothing as defined as this picture.

Good luck and please ask me questions if you want to know anything

I made this thread to share my progress and learn, so I don't understand how I am acting like I know x or y. I simply stated my body fat which is correct. I don't get why you are acting so defensive over something like this? I was 49kg 5'8-5'9 my upper body literally being a pile of bones. I haven't trained abs alot which might be why they are not very visible in addition to me putting on some fat recently.

My deadlift form was horrid. I have been told by others in the gym how to improve my deadlift form so I'll be sure to do it right next time, thanks for the heads up. I don't measure how much carbs i intake a day so I might be taking alot less then I should, all I follow is my calories intake. Is it vital for me to monitor my carbs? And don't worry, no offense taken, I'm here to learn and appreciate constructive criticism.

 

[jdarden]

DAY 6:

Horrible day, Quads torn so no squats or deadlifts for me.

Done:-

Bench press (40kg 5x5)
Overhead press (35kg 5x5)
Calf raises (50kg 5x5)
Dumbell Press (12.5kg in each hand 3 sets)
Pullups (4x15)
Lat pulldown (56kg 5x5) [My biceps are amazing compared to triceps...]

Calorie intake: 2950 calories

No video for today, cant be bothered.




I made this thread to share my progress and learn, so I don't understand how I am acting like I know x or y. I simply stated my body fat which is correct. I don't get why you are acting so defensive over something like this? I was 49kg 5'8-5'9 my upper body literally being a pile of bones. I haven't trained abs alot which might be why they are not very visible in addition to me putting on some fat recently.

My deadlift form was horrid. I have been told by others in the gym how to improve my deadlift form so I'll be sure to do it right next time, thanks for the heads up. I don't measure how much carbs i intake a day so I might be taking alot less then I should, all I follow is my calories intake. Is it vital for me to monitor my carbs? And don't worry, no offense taken, I'm here to learn and appreciate constructive criticism.

Given your bodyweight and goal of bulking, carbs don't need to be monitored strictly; if you're dirty bulking as you said (McDonalds, milk, whatever you can eat) you're going to get a ton of carbs in easily. It's more important to monitor protein intake to make sure you're getting enough.

Also, for someone just starting out, this day seems like kind of a lot of volume to me; when I did starting strength about 4 years ago, I was probably only in the gym for ~45 minutes a session and saw pretty great results; I know everyone is different, but too much volume in a beginner's workout is a pretty common mistake and can discourage down the line or just generally wear you down too much. For example, I wouldn't really do lat pulldowns AND pullups; you're doing virtually the same motion in both exercises. Probably better to do 5 x Fail on the pullups, or add weight to them with a belt if you're feeling up to it!

In response to the bodyfat thing, Lebrawn is right but it isn't a big deal or anything to worry about, many people are unaware that most ways of measuring bodyfat have a huge margin of error (a friend of mine tried to convince me that he was 4% in high school). That's just an FYI. Finally, as to what you said about training abs, you generally don't need to when starting out. Considering you're doing so many heavy compound lifts (military press, squats, deads), your abs will get plenty of work.

Good luck with this! It was a great decision on my part to get started in the gym, and I'm always glad to see others starting too!

 

[Acklow]

http://www.theflatteringman.com/

Check this website out. It should help you out. And when I say check it out, I mean open it and don't feel the sudden urge to close it because something good might happen if you don't.

 

[SOMALIA]

DAY 8:

Tried squats again but the left leg still didn't fully recover unfortunately. Will wait till Monday or Wednesday to resume my favorite exercise.

-Lat pulldowns (49kg)
-Bench press (Went up to 45kg finally, Done 2 full sets alone, last 3 sets got help with the last rep of each set)
-Barbell rows (still have to work on form) Went back down to 40kg
-Calf raises
-Decline crunches (2 sets of 15, final set of 10)
-Ab machine exercise (Don't know the name of the exercises...)

I'm starting to get in a minimum of 2800 calories a day nowadays so hopefully i bulk up quicker...I'm currently 54KG which is pretty shit, I was hoping to be at least 57 or so now. I need to take on foods with more carbs me thinks.

Does anyone else feel sick having whey protein with water? I made the mistake of putting a tad bit too much water and felt like throwing up with each gulp...even now I'm still cringing.

 

[Soul Fly]

Keep some mints handy. Protein doses always sucks. No love for the gimmicky chocolate flavored ones either.

 

[youngjake93]

Hey bro I was really hoping you'd get faster gains than this.
A word of advice that echoes jdaren somewhat is try to spend less time lifting but higher effort when you do lift. The whole point to starting strength is to have newbies get strong fast so that they can bulk faster. Your assistance exercises such as multiple ab workouts and calf raises are unnecessarily taxing for little benefit in the grand scheme at this stage.

Also, since the goal is to move more weight fast, you should be more enthused to slap extra plates on there. If you overestimate, ok you do 3 or 4 reps, still a great set. If you underestimate, you hold back your strength development. Plus don't be afraid to add more weight on your second and third sets. If your breaks are long enough, you should be able to do progressively more and more weight throughout that one workout due to warming up.

Right now everything you should be doing should be geared toward getting that bar heavier. You getting heavier will follow behind that.
If the weight isn't heavy enough to need a spotter, you're doing it wrong. Plus please have a spotter double check your form as best they can.
Good luck!
PS I wish I made one of these for my client that started right before you. He's gained almost 10kg so far o_O
Edit: Dec 23rd-157 lbs, now 177 lbs

 

[Stallion]

Hey bro I was really hoping you'd get faster gains than this.
A word of advice that echoes jdaren somewhat is try to spend less time lifting but higher effort when you do lift. The whole point to starting strength is to have newbies get strong fast so that they can bulk faster. Your assistance exercises such as multiple ab workouts and calf raises are unnecessarily taxing for little benefit in the grand scheme at this stage.

Also, since the goal is to move more weight fast, you should be more enthused to slap extra plates on there. If you overestimate, ok you do 3 or 4 reps, still a great set. If you underestimate, you hold back your strength development. Plus don't be afraid to add more weight on your second and third sets. If your breaks are long enough, you should be able to do progressively more and more weight throughout that one workout due to warming up.

Right now everything you should be doing should be geared toward getting that bar heavier. You getting heavier will follow behind that.
If the weight isn't heavy enough to need a spotter, you're doing it wrong. Plus please have a spotter double check your form as best they can.
Good luck!
PS I wish I made one of these for my client that started right before you. He's gained almost 10kg so far o_O
Edit: Dec 23rd-157 lbs, now 177 lbs

Yeah this. I've just switched to a 3/2/1 program detailed here: http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/jeff1.htm.

Less time in the gym and less volume then I'm used to but more focus on picking the right exercises coupled with good form and I've been sorer and noticed more results then when I spent 2 hours or so training.

 

[SickSevenOne]

Sup Somalia,

I'm in U.S. Army and if you want to make some serious gains, and I mean SERIOUS STRENGTH AND MUSCLE GAINS. Here's what I did for my last deployment to Afghanistan.

Mike OHearns Power BodyBuilding:
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/mike-ohearn/power-bodybuilding/12-week-program.html

This plan incorporates the BIG 3:
Deadlifts
Squats
Bench Press

Read through the program and give it a shot when you're done on use this as a supplementary workout.

 

[SOMALIA]

Appreciate the helpful advice from everyone. For anyone wondering why i haven't been putting on as much weight was because i wasn't consistently having 5-6 meals throughout the day and at times, would not eat for a good 6-7 hours which fucked everything up. The past week I've started eating alot more frequently and am at 55kgs now, hopefully i'll have to hit 60kg before February ends, no excuses for me not reaching that within a month.

 

[SOMALIA]

Alright, haven't been uploading regularly but finally something new.

Squats: Last 4 sets of 65kg solid form 1 set of 60kg could have gone lower but my muscles weren't warmed up enough at that point.
Benching: 5 sets of 45kg with no help until the last 2 reps of the final set, huge improvement for me on that.
Barbell rows: 5 sets of 50kg followed by a dropset (1 set of 40, 1 set of 30, 1 set of the empty 20kg bar) still but improving on form gradually.
Decline crunches: 2 sets of 15 reps followed by 1 set of 11 reps

Body wise, my chest expanded to some extent but what surprised me the most was my back in general, looks really good atm compared to few weeks ago. The rest of the body however, not much to say; arms feel very solid, perhaps due to strengthening the muscles but no mass added I guess??

youngjake93

Need your advise here dude. Eating wise, I am getting a weight gain shake down for breakfast every morning nowadays in addition to some peanut butter sandwich or bowl of porridge however I don't see much gains sadly. I'm getting minimum 2900 calories a day for the past week so don't understand why I ain't making gainz. I count the 1000 calories gained from the weight shake to my calories at the end of the days so not sure if I am not suppose to take it into account for the 3000 calories I'm supposed to intake daily?? Thanks in advance.

Overall I NEED to be at least 60kg before this month ends, I think it is a realistic goal; 5kgs in 20 days.

 

[Stallion]

Alright, haven't been uploading regularly but finally something new.

Squats: Last 4 sets of 65kg solid form 1 set of 60kg could have gone lower but my muscles weren't warmed up enough at that point.
Benching: 5 sets of 45kg with no help until the last 2 reps of the final set, huge improvement for me on that.
Barbell rows: 5 sets of 50kg followed by a dropset (1 set of 40, 1 set of 30, 1 set of the empty 20kg bar) still but improving on form gradually.
Decline crunches: 2 sets of 15 reps followed by 1 set of 11 reps

Body wise, my chest expanded to some extent but what surprised me the most was my back in general, looks really good atm compared to few weeks ago. The rest of the body however, not much to say; arms feel very solid, perhaps due to strengthening the muscles but no mass added I guess??

youngjake93

Need your advise here dude. Eating wise, I am getting a weight gain shake down for breakfast every morning nowadays in addition to some peanut butter sandwich or bowl of porridge however I don't see much gains sadly. I'm getting minimum 2900 calories a day for the past week so don't understand why I ain't making gainz. I count the 1000 calories gained from the weight shake to my calories at the end of the days so not sure if I am not suppose to take it into account for the 3000 calories I'm supposed to intake daily?? Thanks in advance.

Overall I NEED to be at least 60kg before this month ends, I think it is a realistic goal; 5kgs in 20 days.

Well done on improving. Great stuff :-).

Regarding the last part, if it ain't working then eat more is my best advice. Now that you're heavier, 3000 Cals might not be enough to gain weight as quickly as you want to. Play around and see what works for you

 

[youngjake93]

Oo I am gonna watch the video later, but I definitely feel like you can get more calories than 3k? Especially if you are resorting to weight gainers.
I eat 4 meals as a bare min, sometimes 6 and I've had individual meals tip over 2k calories.

A few tips to load in some calories:
1) Fall in love with a food. For me, if I get some meatballs or doritos, I go crazy eating more than I've eaten in a while which sets my stomach on track for fitting more and wanting more
2) Try to eat some of the same things in a row and try to PR like you do in the weight room. Eat 6 slices of pizza one day, next time eat the whole pizza, next time eat a pizza and a half
3) Realize that every time you postpone a meal, you take several steps back in progress. Try to start eating before your stomach reminds you
4) Stay hydrated! Water facilitates growth and gives you more energy to stick to your goals!
5) A slice of bread is 90 calories and doesn't fill you up at all. 500 calories extra per day results in an extra pound of weight gain per wk. Sneak in that bread! And that higher % of carbs will help.

The weight gainer does count as calories, but I would think you could eat more than 1900 calories per day if I can do that in one meal.

Finally, your body tries to maintain homeostasis. Often, after a week of serious weight gain, your body will need time to readjust to that weight as it basically fights against you to try to get back to the old weight. So basically, you either need to ramp up the calories more to fight homeostasis or wait until your body has found its new equilibrium for it to be ready to gain again.

People might think you're insane trying to eat like a 350 lb grown ass man, but that's what it takes if you don't want to wait a year for your gains.

Edit: sorry I use pounds lol. 2.2 lbs in a kg

 

[some hero]

Ugh can you please edit all of your posts to either remove anything metric or at least have the decency to write it in () next to each number so us americans can follow the thread. We should not have to go through all that trouble just to know you ain't the size of my cousins dog.

 

[Age of Kings]

Ugh can you please edit all of your posts to either remove anything metric or at least have the decency to write it in () next to each number so us americans can follow the thread. We should not have to go through all that trouble just to know you ain't the size of my cousins dog.

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=metric+conversion

 

[SOMALIA]

Oo I am gonna watch the video later, but I definitely feel like you can get more calories than 3k? Especially if you are resorting to weight gainers.
I eat 4 meals as a bare min, sometimes 6 and I've had individual meals tip over 2k calories.

A few tips to load in some calories:
1) Fall in love with a food. For me, if I get some meatballs or doritos, I go crazy eating more than I've eaten in a while which sets my stomach on track for fitting more and wanting more
2) Try to eat some of the same things in a row and try to PR like you do in the weight room. Eat 6 slices of pizza one day, next time eat the whole pizza, next time eat a pizza and a half
3) Realize that every time you postpone a meal, you take several steps back in progress. Try to start eating before your stomach reminds you
4) Stay hydrated! Water facilitates growth and gives you more energy to stick to your goals!
5) A slice of bread is 90 calories and doesn't fill you up at all. 500 calories extra per day results in an extra pound of weight gain per wk. Sneak in that bread! And that higher % of carbs will help.

The weight gainer does count as calories, but I would think you could eat more than 1900 calories per day if I can do that in one meal.

Finally, your body tries to maintain homeostasis. Often, after a week of serious weight gain, your body will need time to readjust to that weight as it basically fights against you to try to get back to the old weight. So basically, you either need to ramp up the calories more to fight homeostasis or wait until your body has found its new equilibrium for it to be ready to gain again.

People might think you're insane trying to eat like a 350 lb grown ass man, but that's what it takes if you don't want to wait a year for your gains.

Edit: sorry I use pounds lol. 2.2 lbs in a kg

Eh, I don't get how people get almost 2k calories in a meal, i cant think of any kind of meal that'll get you that much lol. I guess I just am eating the wrong stuff.

I also suffer from Anemia + irritable bowel syndrome so that just makes the process of getting in enough food without killing my stomach very tough; always out of breath quickly and feel dizzy at gym after squats lol.

For instance today I just couldnt lift shit, my stomach finally succumbed to these shit meals I been taking and I felt like throwing up all day and felt light headed. Reached gym late, only had an hour to work out and forgot to even eat before as my head was hurting too much.

SQUATS: Stuck to 5 sets of 60kgs (132 lb) then went down back to 40kg (88lb)
BENCHING: Stuck to 5 sets of 45kgs (100lb)

My max so far:
Squats 70kg (155lb)
Benching 50kg (110lb)
Deadlifts 85kg (187lb)
Dumbell press 20kg each hand (44lb)
Barbell rows 50kg (110lb)

Didn't have time for anything else. I am feeling like this isnt working out for me, I am still 55kgs (121lb) and all these illnesses are just holding me back big time.

 

[Stallion]

Eh, I don't get how people get almost 2k calories in a meal, i cant think of any kind of meal that'll get you that much lol. I guess I just am eating the wrong stuff.

I also suffer from Anemia + irritable bowel syndrome so that just makes the process of getting in enough food without killing my stomach very tough; always out of breath quickly and feel dizzy at gym after squats lol.

For instance today I just couldnt lift shit, my stomach finally succumbed to these shit meals I been taking and I felt like throwing up all day and felt light headed. Reached gym late, only had an hour to work out and forgot to even eat before as my head was hurting too much.

SQUATS: Stuck to 5 sets of 60kgs (132 lb) then went down back to 40kg (88lb)
BENCHING: Stuck to 5 sets of 45kgs (100lb)

My max so far:
Squats 70kg (155lb)
Benching 50kg (110lb)
Deadlifts 85kg (187lb)
Dumbell press 20kg each hand (44lb)
Barbell rows 50kg (110lb)

Didn't have time for anything else. I am feeling like this isnt working out for me, I am still 55kgs (121lb) and all these illnesses are just holding me back big time.

Anemia? Have you been taking Iron tablets to help with that? Also because of my ridiculous work hours, my body has almost broken down quite a few times. Vitamin C tablets (and to a lesser extent, Zinc) have literally saved me.

 

[UsernameSayWha]

I only know about the exact opposite, (weight loss) but keep going somalia! You're doing what I did wrong and taking progress videos. Look back at your first video. Even if it's small, a gain is a gain.

 

[SOMALIA]

Anemia? Have you been taking Iron tablets to help with that? Also because of my ridiculous work hours, my body has almost broken down quite a few times. Vitamin C tablets (and to a lesser extent, Zinc) have literally saved me.

Yeah, I recently started taking Iron tablets, I guess my Iron intake wasn't enough to begin with but I'll start getting in alot more green vegetables and nuts in my diet.

I only know about the exact opposite, (weight loss) but keep going somalia! You're doing what I did wrong and taking progress videos. Look back at your first video. Even if it's small, a gain is a gain.

Thanks alot bro, much appreciated!


DAY 17
ALL THESE 5 X 5
SQUATS 70kg (155lb) With no assistance (Going to aim to hit 80kg (176lb) by the end of next week)
DUMBELL CURLS 20kg (44lb) With slight elbow elevation assistance for the final 2 sets' final rep
POWERCLEAN 30kg (66lb) First time doing them, pretty hard and painful but thats what i love about it, my shoulders need major improving. I started boxing so that'll help develop my shoulders as well.

next......Went and done a 'Mike Rashid' workout on the arms right after! High intensity to really blast the arms up.

1) Skullcrushers 3 sets of 10 reps 30kg 20 sec rest between each set
2) Bicep curls 3 sets of 10 reps 30kg 20 sec rest between each set

This works really well, the idea is to have one of you (you need someone else for this) lay on the bench and do skullcrushers while you are behind him, as soon as they are done, you take the bar and do bicep curls. Then switch around after 3 sets.

3) Hammer dumbell curls 3 sets of 12 reps 12.5kg (27lb)
4) 7-ups 2 sets 8 low, 8 high, 8 full 25kg (55lb)
5) Cable tricep extensions 3 sets of 10 reps 35kg (77lb)
6) Machine assisted bicep curls 6 sets of 5 reps 25kg (55lb)

Finished with Dips and pushups.

Current weight 56kg (Pretty lean somehow, my abs are becoming pretty visible despite the dirty bulking) Started to get my diet in shape and should be gaining quickly over the next few weeks.

 

[UsernameSayWha]

As a highschool wrestler, I can personally tell you that you can be sub-10% body fat while not looking completely ripped. I started the season at around 10% (I'm a pretty small kid, weighed around 144lbs, 63kg, to start the season and I ended at 132lbs, or 60kg) I am 5'11'' by the way. I was probably close to around 8% body fat by the end of the season and my core was nowhere near that developed. I had a pretty clear six pack and my ribs were semi-visible but there were no bulging vein and my six-pack was definitely not as defined as in this picture. Its all about body type, like in that picture that guy seems naturally very muscular in his upper body (you can see how he broadens as he goes up from his waist to his shoulders). I was very strong by the end of the season (we never weightlifted so we could avoid putting on extra muscle weight) but my core strength was impressive, as well as my shoulders and back from all the lifting. There is no universal look for body fat, everyone is different.

EDIT: Our body fat was calculated at the start of the season by our school trainers using calipers, its required for high school wrestlers to have their body fat calculated to ensure that nobody drops to an unsafe weight.

Completely unrelated but you weigh 132 and you're 5"11'? How do you get that skinny

 

[Perfect Cell]

Completely unrelated but you weigh 132 and you're 5"11'? How do you get that skinny

I wouldn't say that's uncommon. I know a few people around that height that weigh more or less the same. Hell, I'm 6'1(185cm) and just about 145lbs(65.9kg).

 

[UsernameSayWha]

I wouldn't say that's uncommon. I know a few people around that height that weigh more or less the same. Hell, I'm 6'1(185cm) and just about 145lbs(65.9kg).

I weighed that much when I was in junior high and I was like 5'5" and I wasn't chubby or fat, I was fairly fit

 

[Unitas]

Completely unrelated but you weigh 132 and you're 5"11'? How do you get that skinny

A few reasons kinda mixed together led to that weight. The first is I'm just naturally very skinny. The second would be that since I was cutting weight, I are less than half of my normal calorie intake every day for about a week. And three, I lost around 2 pounds of water weight every practice (at least) and I tried my best to keep that water weight off because it made it easier to cut weight with less water weight

 

[Soul Fly]

Bone density counts afaik. Some people are just naturally heavier. My dad is 6'2 and skinny as fuck. He weighs 72 kgs, and then some people tend to weigh lower than they look.