[RAGEN2008]

I am finally starting to get serious and do things right this time around. I currently am 170 pounds and would like to get to 200 as my first stepping stone.

My goal is to put on 30 pounds in 1 year. Good thing is I have great genetics and even after working out 3 or 4 months have put on as much as 20 pounds in the past.

Problem is I have never been a good eater and I have read up and see there is a lot of foods, carbs, protein and all kinds of stuff that goes into nutrition.

What I am looking for is suggested; daily meals and serving sizes have me in need of help, I am not a picky eater and don't mind eating a lot of the same things.

I am on a budget so it is easier for me to get protein from food, vs. expensive shakes.

Any help would be appreciated. As far as stats I am 5'9 weigh 170 and have a 30" waist, I am naturally lean and muscular and gain size very quickly.

I have worked out on and off since I was a teen ager and now am 32 years old, but have never worked out more than 6 months straight.

I started off doing two 45's benching and 6 months later I could rep 275 - 10 times. My weight then was 150 pounds and I was younger then about 26.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

My current weight lifting schedule is:

1.Chest and Tri's
2.Legs and Abs
3.Rest
4.Back, Biceps and Forearms (right after bicep set)
5.Shoulder and Abs
6.Rest
7.Forearms

Currently I can bench 205 x 10 times max effort set, can curl 120-130 x 10 times on a max effort set, 200 x 8 on tricep push downs on a cable if someone holds me down, and my first workout I did the bar and two 45's with two tens for shoulder presses, but it wasn't my max, I did this for sets and I don't have a leg strength average yet because I workout at home and have limited equipment so I haven't tried to go to an max lifts squatting.

I have a wide bench that does decline, incline and flat in various angles. And Olympic bar, 300 total pounds of weights, 2 adjustable dumbbells , curling bar, preacher curling attachment, leg curl / extension attachment and a pull up bar.


I start week 2 tomorrow.

I'm willing to work and listen to any good advice I can get so please point me in the right direction.

[ZackKnight]

Okay for one, if you looked at Layne's previous posts (I think it's the one about the natural bbder that said he gained 26lbs in a year) you can't gain more than 25.6lbs of pure lean muscle in a year. You can gain more, but it's going to be fat along with it. Which is understandable on a gaining cycle.

You definitely want to get your protein from food. You should also figure out your macro totals. Diet is key to gaining mass.

I wouldn't go any higher than 10 reps for mass gaining. I've learned of the past year or two that for mass you can either go really heavy for 10 reps no matter what, or you can just not go beyond 6 reps but go really heavy again. It all depends on your style I guess.

Any compound movement is definitely going to give you mass. Bench, Rows, Deads, Squats, IMO Leg Press works, Pull ups, Cleans, and probably the Snatch would work.

But keep it up man. If you're gaining that much that fast you just gotta be careful too about stretch marks. Try lotioning up everyday too. IMO it's one of the best things you can do.

Keep lifting and don't give up man. Happy lifting!

[A_Man_With_A_Dream]

There are a lot of good meal plans on this forum, have a look through them and find one that suits you. Don't forget about your water intake, too. It's good that you don't mind eating the same things over and over again because that's what you'll be doing from now on, lol.
I don't understand why you are training your forearms twice and the rest of your body parts once. Forearms get a lot of training through all your other exercise.
Also, you say you have good genetics after training for 3 - 4 months, that may just be because you are still getting beginners gains. How long you have beginners gains fluctuates from person to person so it's hard to tell.

[RAGEN2008]

Originally Posted by A_Man_With_A_Dream

There are a lot of good meal plans on this forum, have a look through them and find one that suits you. Don't forget about your water intake, too. It's good that you don't mind eating the same things over and over again because that's what you'll be doing from now on, lol.
I don't understand why you are training your forearms twice and the rest of your body parts once. Forearms get a lot of training through all your other exercise.
Also, you say you have good genetics after training for 3 - 4 months, that may just be because you are still getting beginners gains. How long you have beginners gains fluctuates from person to person so it's hard to tell.

I was only doing every body part once a week because I am beginning and don't want to over train, but I know abs and calves and forearms you can do more frequently without having to worry about over training.

I also am doing forearms 2x a week and part of a dedicated muscle workout because I really don't get them pumped and worked out good unless I seem to do exercises just for them.

[RAGEN2008]

Just sent my lady to the store to buy some goodies, the list is as follows: brown and white rice, boneless skinless chicken breasts, tuna (canned in water), broccoli, zucchini, oranges, bananas, oat meal, cream of wheat, pinto beans, soy beans, turkey, eggs, potatoes, peanut butter and wheat bread.

Any other things I can add to my diet that are good for putting on mass?

[j0sh710]

Originally Posted by RAGEN2008

Just sent my lady to the store to buy some goodies, the list is as follows: brown and white rice, boneless skinless chicken breasts, tuna (canned in water), broccoli, zucchini, oranges, bananas, oat meal, cream of wheat, pinto beans, soy beans, turkey, eggs, potatoes, peanut butter and wheat bread.

Any other things I can add to my diet that are good for putting on mass?

looks like some great food to do what you want.

[j0sh710]

i am curious to what you look like you must already be pretty big with only 8% body fat weighing at 170 with 30inch waist.

[A_Man_With_A_Dream]

Originally Posted by RAGEN2008

I was only doing every body part once a week because I am beginning and don't want to over train, but I know abs and calves and forearms you can do more frequently without having to worry about over training.

I also am doing forearms 2x a week and part of a dedicated muscle workout because I really don't get them pumped and worked out good unless I seem to do exercises just for them.

I just wondered why you did forearms twice a week, not why you worked every bodypart one a week. I understand your reasoning, though. IMO a beginner can work each body part twice a week without overtraining but a lot of people dissagree with that.

The food you just got is great. If sorted into the right meals proberly.

[empire]

I think you just have to find out what works best with you; I have always had a problem with lifting each muscle group once a week, it has never worked for me. I lift every muscle group twice a week, excluding abs which I do three times each week.

I will say that having a day strictly to forearms might be a little overkill. I'm not sure what kind of cardio you do, but if lifting forearms that frequently does work for you, I'd make day 7 a cardio day to go along with the forearms.

Another thing you could consider is this (I'm not sure what shape your calves are like): you seem to be a fan of lifting the faster recovering muscle-groups twice a week, so you could throw calves in on day 7. For most people they can be hit more often like abs.

Other than that I think it looks great. If this is your first time dieting along with lifting you are going to see monumental differences, good luck.

[A_Man_With_A_Dream]

Remember the biceps recover the fastest because it's a small muscle, so you could add that to your forearms, too (it seems like a waste of pump to just work the one muscle that day). Like empire said: just see what works best for you and go with it and don't give up.

[RAGEN2008]

I am on week 2, I weighed in at 184.5, so I have gained 14.5 pounds. I am working on it, but eating a lot more and more often sure seems hard, but I assume once my body gets used to it I will be ok.

I think I need to up my goal from 200 to something a little higher since I only have 15 more pounds to go, and I am sure I can pass that up way before December 31st.

I've never ate this much in my life =/ It's weird I get sleepy sometimes after I eat a lot. Most meals are protein and carbs, some fat not much, but I am eating 1 can of tuna with a cup of brown rice, about 5 times a day now, along with milk for a little extra protein and calories.

[RAGEN2008]

Originally Posted by j0sh710

i am curious to what you look like you must already be pretty big with only 8% body fat weighing at 170 with 30inch waist.

Just did an update this morning and weighed in after I drained the lizard, which I am told is the best way to get my true weight.

180 even Still great considering I started eating good 3 weeks ago and I am on day 11 of my workout.

Here's a pic I only got two and my camera stopped working, someone dropped it but of course no one fessed up

[RAGEN2008]

Any other suggestions?