Need help with workout for size (42 year old)

Hi All,

I need some help with working out for gaining size. I want to be as big as I possibly can get, and I don't really care if I'm not completely shredded. I just want bulk. I'm 42 years old.

I've been pretty much working out all my life but it seems as though I'm not making any gains lately. My workout is this (I go 2 on, 1 off, and sometimes take 2 days off in a row):

Squats & Upright rows (1 day)
Flat benches & face-crushers (another day)
Deadlifts and straight-bar curls (another day)

That's it. I know my body well and if I do any high-intensity sets with lighter weight, that always just makes me wiry and I feel skinny. I hate that. So, for the last several years, I've been just doing the above routine, heavy. I'll do warm-up sets of 20 always with every exercise, and then do sets like 15, 10, 8, 6, 3, 1, 1, 1, 10, 15. Same pretty much will all exercises.

I eat like a horse, turkey, chicken, tuna, vegies, all the normal gettin' big food. So diet is not a problem, I can't eat anymore than I do now.

I don't take any supplements and I'm feeling like I should. Any suggestions?

I workout alone always. I'm the only one I even know that is obsessed with gettin' big. I have all the tools in my basement.

It just seems like I'm plateau'd or something. Ran out of testosterone or something. I don't feel hard lately and I feel and actually look smaller.

I'm never fatigued and I know all about resting my body, which I do.

What I'm wondering is how can I jump start myself to grow again and feel pumped and big all the time.

I'm also wondering anyone's thoughts on mixing heavy workouts with high-rep light workouts in the fashion of 1 week heavy, 1 week light. I've never really actually tried and stuck to a workout like that for any length of time because, like I said above, after 1 or 2 days like that I feel wiry and skinny. But I'm wondering if maybe that would change if I stuck to it for a few weeks or more.

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated. I'm not at all liking how I feel now.

Thanks all!!

-chimp

There's a lot of reasons why you aren't seeing any gains. For future reference, it's probably best not to say that everything else is right such as diet, rest etc. and then talk about how well you know your body yet you aren't making gains. Flat out dude, you need a better routine. I'd recommend 5/3/1 just because it's dummy proof.

What's 5/3/1? Can you elaborate? I hear ya on the rest. Let me know. Thx.

Originally Posted by chimp_53

What's 5/3/1? Can you elaborate? I hear ya on the rest. Let me know. Thx.

Here is the link to the elitefts.
http://www.flexcart.com/members/elit...d=370&pid=2976

It's a 20 dollar e-book. Once you pay for it, it emails to you pretty quickly. It answers any question you'd ever have about the program. Here's a quick rundown of it though. It can be a three or four day program depending on your schedule. It focuses on the standing military press, squat, deadlift, and bench. A cycle is a month with the last week being a deload week. This program is set up for the long term. It's not a put 3 inches on your bicep kind of program but I guarantee if you follow it to a 't', you will get bigger after 2 cycles as well as stronger.

Originally Posted by Murph1001

There's a lot of reasons why you aren't seeing any gains. For future reference, it's probably best not to say that everything else is right such as diet, rest etc. and then talk about how well you know your body yet you aren't making gains. Flat out dude, you need a better routine. I'd recommend 5/3/1 just because it's dummy proof.

Amen! I'll second 5/3/1 and suggest working out 3 times a week using the boring but big template. The 5/3/1 link has been posted above.

Hey Tim, did you originally do the boring but big template? When we started, I was like no way towards the boring but big. After bout 5 cycles though, bbb is definitely my favorite. The squats and deadlifts are brutal.

I did my first three cycles as boring but big. After that I switched up some exercises for my upper body days but kept the bbb for squats and deadlifts. This is my 32 week of 5/3/1. During my first week my 5 rep numbers were:
Military Press - 140 x 3 (I started too heavy)
Deadlift - 260 x 5
Bench - 190 x 5
Squats - 245 x 5

Now, at 32 weeks:
Military Press - 145 x 6
Deadlift - 345 x 8
Bench - 215 x 9
Squats - 345 x 5 (I'm doing those later today. I'll get at least 8 reps)

Cool, thanks for the info. I'll look into it. I can't do military presses, do you think that it could still work? Used to be my absolute favorite exercise until I messed up my shoulder 2 years ago. Flat bench works with some pain, but I handle it. I can't press or do incline benches.


Sucks.

OP...if you've been doing the same thing for two years, it's definately time to switch things up a bit.

You are 42, so lean twards recovery in your workout selection. Maybe stay with three days a week (Mon., Wed., Fri.)

Never say you can't eat more. At the very least you can find ways to boost calories and not increase the meals.

Lastly, you are doing a TON of sets. You could reduce the ammount of sets you do, add another exercise, and you won't be adding any more volume than you are already doing. Instead of doing 10 sets for squats, you could do 5 sets of squats and 5 sets of stiff-legged deadlifts.

What did you do to your shoulder. When I tore my labrum, I did inclines with a narrow hand grip and an extreme elbow tuck. I did the same after I broke my collarbone. I had little to no problems. I would just stop when it got to hurt to much and just work up each week. Eventually I was doing it that way without pain.

Jason Pegg over at elitefts did the 5/3/1 with barbell rows instead of military's. He did rows using the 5/3/1 rep scheme. You could do that, 5 x 10 db bench, some rotator cuff work and abs.

Originally Posted by chimp_53

I eat like a horse

-chimp

There is your problem a horse eats very little for its size about 0.025%. better to eat like a bird, they eat 50% of their body weight each day just to survive.

Originally Posted by DMedley

There is your problem a horse eats very little for its size about 0.025%. better to eat like a bird, they eat 50% of their body weight each day just to survive.

Them darned horses are easy gainers with great genetics

Thanks all.

To the OP - 5/3/1 isn't bad idea, at all. A 5X5 might not be a bad idea, either. You might consider training like a powerlifter. Whatever routine you use, lower reps with higher weight is the ticket. I usually train in the lower than 8 reps range.

Unlike what most think, more is not better.....for sets/reps and days per week. 3 days a week is fine, 4 max. If you're gonna hit the EFS website, checkout the EFS Basic Training book, as well.

Originally Posted by Off Road

Them darned horses are easy gainers with great genetics

I have been told that I have a lot in common with a horse, I know because I have often been called a horses and I am also an easy gainer, just with bad genetics.

Originally Posted by DMedley

I have often been called a horses

But yet, we still love you!


OP, how long have you been working out? I am the same age with almost exact goals and you describe, we may be able to exchange ideas/information.

Andrew

Originally Posted by DieselWarrior

But yet, we still love you!

Thanks love is important even to the south bound end of a north bound horse.

Originally Posted by chimp_53

I eat like a horse, turkey, chicken, tuna, vegies, all the normal gettin' big food. So diet is not a problem, I can't eat anymore than I do now.



-chimp

This actually is a huge part of your problem. These arent really "gettin' big" foods. These foods have high protein content but very little total kcals in relation to other things such as whole milk, ground beef, or peanut butter. Start subbing out some of these foods for higher kcal foods.

Originally Posted by RichMcGuire

This actually is a huge part of your problem. These arent really "gettin' big" foods. These foods have high protein content but very little total kcals in relation to other things such as whole milk, ground beef, or peanut butter. Start subbing out some of these foods for higher kcal foods.

I agree... Theres nothing WRONG with the foods your eating, you are eating a good clean diet.... try eating a lot more red meat and chicken, good amounts of milk each day, just EAT!! Dont worry about the scale right now... bulk up and get your muscle up, then diet a little later to slowly loose some weight and keep the muscle.

I personally do not take ANY supplements (other than the common multivitiman), and I would not advise you take any either, but that is my personal opinion... someone will insist on 5 whey shakes a day and twice creatine, but I still say thats a waste of money and is hard on the human's filtering system (kidneys), with little or no positive effect. Lift heavy, lift hard and lift often and you will put on muscle.

Andrew

Originally Posted by DieselWarrior

I personally do not take ANY supplements (other than the common multivitiman), and I would not advise you take any either, but that is my personal opinion... someone will insist on 5 whey shakes a day and twice creatine, but I still say thats a waste of money and is hard on the human's filtering system (kidneys), with little or no positive effect. Lift heavy, lift hard and lift often and you will put on muscle.

No so much. Creatine is good. Powdered protein is good. Take both. They are not necessary by any means but are both fine and can provide positive results. You should really stop giving advice until you are more experienced and have done more research.

Originally Posted by DieselWarrior

I agree... Theres nothing WRONG with the foods your eating, you are eating a good clean diet.... try eating a lot more red meat and chicken, good amounts of milk each day, just EAT!! Dont worry about the scale right now... bulk up and get your muscle up, then diet a little later to slowly loose some weight and keep the muscle.

I personally do not take ANY supplements (other than the common multivitiman), and I would not advise you take any either, but that is my personal opinion... someone will insist on 5 whey shakes a day and twice creatine, but I still say thats a waste of money and is hard on the human's filtering system (kidneys), with little or no positive effect. Lift heavy, lift hard and lift often and you will put on muscle.

Andrew

(bolding mine)

As long as you intake adequate water (which you should be doing anyway) it is not any more harsh on your kidneys that the same amount of protein that you get from solid foods would be. Drink plenty of fluids (alcohol doesn't count, sorry) and you and your kidneys should have a long and healthy relationship.

More carbs is always the answer for helping me bulk easier. No, they don't have as many calories/gram as fats, but you can eat a lot more carbs, and not get as full (at least I can).

I keep the protein the same no matter what I'm doing (gaining or losing fat), and I don't slack on the fats either no matter which I'm doing. But it's the carbs that is the variable that I change between cutting and bulking.

Originally Posted by ZenMonkey

You should really stop giving advice until you are more experienced and have done more research.

I respect your view, and all I ask is you respect mine. Thanks. Im not going to turn the thread into a slate for an argument but in the future do not tell me to not give advice. Its up to the OP to discriminate the information and make there own decision. Its up to us to post our thoughts on the question posed. We ( you and I ) can discuss the rest in PM if you wish. But the outcome will remain, I will not be able to convince you and you will not be able to convince me. But in the end, that is okay too!

Live strong Zen-
Andrew

My advice, lift heavy dammit (5x5 works for me)! And then rest! Don't be afraid of the protein powder..it works

Im fine discussing the subject here, as you never seem to reply to any criticism anyone gives you. You are ill-informed and it is evident from what you say in this and other posts. Its nothing against you, but one of the rules of this board is to only give advice when you know what you are talking about. Why dont we talk about the subject at hand rather than side step it in a flurry of rhetoric?