What I've learned in 10 years of lifting.

[nixter]

TweetWhat's up guys,

I haven't posted in a long time and I just received one of those "Hey we haven't seen you in a while" automated forum emails so I thought I'd post something. I originally signed up here ages ago to research a cycle I was planning. It was my one and only cycle and it did very little for me. I had all the info but I ignored it because I didn't want to do test. I did an Eq/Winny cycle that was way too short and never really kicked in. Long story short, it didn't work and I decided I didn't want to go down that road again anyways. I committed myself to doing things the natural way. I personally feel that most guys (not all) jump too quickly into the AAS route due to lack of proper instruction and training in the gym and at the table.

What follows is my personal experience as a tall, skinny, hardgainer.

I'm currently 31yrs old, 6'3.5, and 205 lbs. I started my "training" about 10 yrs ago at 165 lbs. My goal was never to get hyooge, I only ever aspired to have a nice, althetic build with emphasis on symetry and proportion. I feel like I have finally attained my goal. I'm currently a couple % BF higher than I'd like but it's sculpting at this point. I will post pics very soon. Possibly tonight, but I can't promise, it's Friday

I started out not knowing what the hell I was doing, no reall plan, nothing. You can imagine my phenomenal gains . One thing I did have was determination, I've never taken any long term break from lifting in my 10 years. I slowly found out about various 3 day splits, upper body day, lower body day, all the usual old hat routines. Never did I think to record anything I was doing mind you.

About 4-5 years ago was when I decided I wanted to try AAS. I reasearched for the better part of year before I tried it. It went smoothly but like I said earlier it didn't work well which was my own fault. I'm somewhat glad it didn't as maybe I would have been hooked.

I still muddled around for a while with various programs but it wasn't until I found HST that I figured out the importance of a proper regiment. I didn't like HST too much as a program as it is far too strict for my lifestyle but it taught me that my body needs incremental progression. I'd read this for years but figure m half-assed job of trying to remember what I'd lifted last time was good enough. Not so.

The other main lesson I learned was "rest". This one was the kicker. "No pain, no gain" is drilled into us from an early age and it would seem to make sense, go to the gym more, get bigger right? Not. It was VERY hard to break the habit of going to the gym Mon, Wed, Fri, like clockwork, no matter what. I learned this lesson rather by mistake not too long ago. I had been working very hard in the gym with a regimented program, slow, incremental progression each session. Then all of a sudden work got very busy and I was unable to train for about 3-4 weeks. Initially the expected happened. I felt good for the first couple days while my muscles were still sore and pumped. Then as expected I started to fell a little deflated after then. By about the 8-10th day I noticed something odd, I was starting to grow again! by the end of the second week I was bigger than I had ever been before! "What the hell?!" i thought at first, and then it was obvious. I had given my body the proper time to FULLY recover and build muscle.

So that's basically what I wanted to contribute. Two very obvious things that I think are often read but not absorbed by too many lifters.

If someone where to ask me for basic advice here's what I'd say:

Train with intensity. I use volume training for that. 5 sets of 10 reps for each exercise. 5-6 exercises max. Use a 3 day split that maximises rest for each muscle group. When I say 3 day split that does not have to be 3 days a week. ONLY go when you have the proper rest and energy to commit to a proper workout. Going for the sake of going when you are tired or low energy is FAR FAR FAR worse than not going at all.

Progression. You must add weight to each of your exercises the next time you workout. It doesn't matter how little you add but add something and record it. I actually prefer to add small amount of weight each week as it allows me to progress longer. Adding too much weight too quickly will result in a platue, quickly.

Rest. This is the one that took me the longest to fully understand. It was amazing once I learned this though. I now feel fully in touch with my body and what it is trying to tell me at any given time. I have a very active social life and I'll say it, I like to party! Most training programs are designed with a near miltary lifestyle in mind. They just don't account for the typical guy in his twenties who likes to get f*cked up once in a while....or more Ok, not so much now that I'm 31! But I say this... Don't even consider going to the gym unless you are fully rested and have full energy levels. I said it before, doing so will reverse progress. This one lesson has gone the furthest to increasing my gains. Who would have really thought that less IS more?!

I'm running out of time here but I will post my routine if anyone wants to see it.

Hope you guys are doing well and training hard!

nix

[nixter]

TweetHere's a recent pic..

[daved150]

Tweetyea...post up your routine...i like seeing different routines. i change mine about ever 4-6mo's so i'm always needing something new or diff. welcome back to the board. with 10yrs of training under your belt, it'd be great to have ya around helping out

[nixter]

TweetThanks bro!

Here's the routine. I've spread it into a 4 day routine as I found the workouts were getting to be a bit exhausting once the weights got really heavy.

Everything exercise is done for 5 sets of 10 reps. You MUST add weight each time you repeat a workout. I switch squats and deadlifts each time I do day2. I have naturally large legs which is why I only do them on one day. You may want to add more.

This workout has done more for me than anything else in my 10 years of lifting!

Day1
Bench
Barbell chin lifts (Traps)
Calves
Reverse Woodchoppers

Day2
Squats/Deadlifts.
Military press
laying down dumbell pullovers (serratus)
Leg raises (abs)

Day3
Bench
Cable Rows
Calves
Biceps

Day4
Chinups
Arnolds
Dips
Weighted Roman chain situps

[nixter]

TweetIs there some reason I can't edit my posts?