I am not gaining in Muscle Mass as much as I have expected to....

[CraigGT]

British Royal Marine pre boot camp training. Completely changed my physique:




At first I couldn't do the circuit (Day 2/4) for week 1, so I cut each rep in half and worked from there. For pullups, I started with assisted pullups and then slowly reduced the assisted amount until I didn't need any.

Day 2/4 is a circuit. You do a rep of Press Ups (Military Style, arms close to body), Sit Ups, Burpees (Squat Thrusts), Crunches, Squat Jumps, and Pull Ups (Military Style, wide grip).

I went from 185 lbs, 5'9" and maxing at 3 sets of 15 push ups/ 1 (yes, 1) pullup (both military style). 3 months later I am 160 lbs, 3 sets of 50 pushups and 3 sets of 10+ pullups are no problem at all.

Though, I'm about to give P90X a whirl, want to finish it all off before my wedding/honeymoon in August in St. Maarten

[mylydiamy]

I have a similar question as OP but my goal is opposite. I am 41 years old, in good shape, 5.10 1/2 and 180 lbs. I have been exercising at home for years. I started going to gym 3 times a week and workout 1.5 hours each time about 8 months ago. Since I started going to gym I gained about 6-7 lbs muscle. But my goal is not to gain any muscle. I just want to maintain my weight but tone my muscles. I did not change my eating habits since started going to gym (no special diets or supplements)

What should I do to prevent muscle gain while just toning the existing muscles?

Thanks

[1MOREMOD]

However my bench never seems to go up, sitting at a solid 30 on both sides for 5 reps.

what do you mean by this? you bench 30 pounds. maybe 30 on each end of the bar making it 105 pound bench? thats half your body weight? must be typo or this is why you dont gain mass. should be at least at body weight for 8-10 reps without much effort.

[Thisisdudewhoru]

Originally Posted by chriszeh

However my bench never seems to go up, sitting at a solid 30 on both sides for 5 reps.

what do you mean by this? you bench 30 pounds. maybe 30 on each end of the bar making it 105 pound bench? thats half your body weight? must be typo or this is why you dont gain mass. should be at least at body weight for 8-10 reps without much effort.

+1. I was kind of confused as well. The guy says he's like 200 lbs and it struck me weird that he only benches 100. My friend who is 5'10 120lbs max benches his body weight and just started working out a month ago. I myself have been on it a solid 5 months now. I'm 5'9 145lbs and max 215 but if I have to do 5 reps, I can only do 185.

[Delta0311]

Originally Posted by Thisisdudewhoru

+1. I was kind of confused as well. The guy says he's like 200 lbs and it struck me weird that he only benches 100. My friend who is 5'10 120lbs max benches his body weight and just started working out a month ago. I myself have been on it a solid 5 months now. I'm 5'9 145lbs and max 215 but if I have to do 5 reps, I can only do 185.

Weight does not mean anything. My friend is 6'3 270lbs and strong all around, yet he can only outlift me in a few exercises (mostly arms and back) and I'm 5'8 and 210lbs (and pretty lean) as of this morning. Some people will be stronger in some exercises and weaker in others. In my case my arms are my only drawback but that was due to a tendon injury in my forearm (and no it wasnt from spanking off ).

[1MOREMOD]

weight definitley means something. thats why there are weight classes in powerlifting. yes people are naturally stronger or weaker at certain moves but a 205 guy that has never seen a weight should be able to lay down and bench close to his body weight unless he is a real couch potato or at least more than 105 after training for a while as op said.

[TiAg335i]

Originally Posted by Delta0311

Weight does not mean anything. My friend is 6'3 270lbs and strong all around, yet he can only outlift me in a few exercises (mostly arms and back) and I'm 5'8 and 210lbs (and pretty lean) as of this morning. Some people will be stronger in some exercises and weaker in others. In my case my arms are my only drawback but that was due to a tendon injury in my forearm (and no it wasnt from spanking off ).

lol...why do you think there are weight classes in pretty much every competitive event...

that's because weight does mean something. heavier people are just naturally stronger overall than lighter people - that's a fact.

[Spec 1]

Originally Posted by JayKay335i

You need to vary your routine. You also need to do more reps. You're no where big enough to be power lifting. You need to first build your muscles up. You should be doing 8-10 reps and slowly increasing your weight.

This is what I was going to say. The first 2 months of serious training and only doing 5 reps? You really need to be developing those muscles before trying to gain mass in them. 10 reps per set. Once you can do that consistently, add 5 lbs on each end, and repeat.

Creatine has helped me bigtime in pushing out the last few reps of a set. It helps with explosive power.

[Delta0311]

Originally Posted by TiAg335i

lol...why do you think there are weight classes in pretty much every competitive event...

that's because weight does mean something. heavier people are just naturally stronger overall than lighter people - that's a fact.

That's not true. On Monday I did shoulders. I worked out with a guy who is taller and heavier then me. I was throwing up 225lbs on military press with no problem. He was struggling with 205. There is a guy at my gym that's about 5'10 at about 170lbs and he throws up 315 on the bench press, for 6 reps without a spot. Meanwhile I see guys a lot heavier then him that can bearly do 315 for 2 clean reps. One thing I did notice is that being short has its advantages in bodybuilding.

Want proof.
Check out Mariusz Pudzanowski. At his first Strongest Man Competition win he was roughly 280lbs at 6'1. He competed against guys a lot taller and heavier and kept on kicking their ass. Size and weight don't mean shit!!! It's genetics and for the most part a good "chemistry lab".

[BMWCadet]

Originally Posted by Delta0311

That's not true. On Monday I did shoulders. I worked out with a guy who is taller and heavier then me. I was throwing up 225lbs on military press with no problem. He was struggling with 205. There is a guy at my gym that's about 5'10 at about 170lbs and he throws up 315 on the bench press, for 6 reps without a spot. Meanwhile I see guys a lot heavier then him that can bearly do 315 for 2 clean reps. One thing I did notice is that being short has its advantages in bodybuilding.

And disadvantages in other things....but yeah, I think from all the muscle mags i've ever purchased, most of the bodybuilders were short with some exceptions. Lifes a lot easier when you don't have to lift as high as other people.

[Delta0311]

Originally Posted by BMWCadet

And disadvantages in other things....but yeah, I think from all the muscle mags i've ever purchased, most of the bodybuilders were short with some exceptions. Lifes a lot easier when you don't have to lift as high as other people.

BINGO!!! This is why I'm into bodybuilding and not basketball

[BMWCadet]

Originally Posted by Delta0311

BINGO!!! This is why I'm into bodybuilding and not basketball

LOL well there's always rugby

[Thisisdudewhoru]

Yea, height and arm length plays alot more than weight.
BUT in general if you have two guys the same height and dimensions length wise and the only thing separating them is weight differences, the heavier guy has more potential.

[1MOREMOD]

im personally stronger when im heavier and weaker when im lighter so dont even have to compare to someone else. not necessarily increased muscle mass either. its a lot easier for a 5 foot 8 guy to be thick than a 6 foot 4 guy but you train them equally and the taller guy will lift more but will also weigh more if he is as thick. that being said there is a definite advantage to having to move the bar 3 inches to bench like some short guys. im 6 foot but have longish limbs and feel like i have a longer movement at squats, bench and deads than a short guy.

[Year's_End]

Originally Posted by emac08

more variety in your work out and spreading out muscle groups more... pushing chest everyother day for 2 months straight = plateu (sp??). example: instead of upper body/lowerbody... do back and biceps... chest/triceps.. legs/ shoulders.. then repeat. basically u will be doing each muscle group twice a week and you will get much more rest per group allowing you to gain strength/size better. also work out patterns should be changed MONTHLY.

This.

Gotta change it up. I didn't know why I was hitting a plateau with my muscle development until my friend/occasional personal trainer told me I needed to mix it up more.

Also the obvious stuff like maxing out around 6-8 reps, slow, controlled movements through the full range, and getting my protein in.

[TiAg335i]

I think what's holding me back from getting bigger is the fact that I am not doing squats, deadlifts, etc.

Correct me if I am wrong, but those two are the highest mass-building exercises out there. If you neglect your legs, the rest of your body will plateau.

[audiprotein]

Diet would be a key for you. Working out every day wont help you either. Google it, there are millions of examples how to eat in order to get muscle weight.
Gaining muscles is harder than losing weight.

[jimmyeatsworld]

Reading this thread, everyone has their own opinions and theories.

One that has not been mentioned is genetics. Some people are hard gainers, and some are not.

The OP needs to realize that it has been only 2 months. His work outs seem pretty good. I would just focus on eating enough protein, and enough calories. At least 1gram of protein per lb of body weight, and enough calories to put on weight. Then see how your genetics work for you.

I would say that Whey Protein is good enough for now in regards to supps.