workout advice, second opinions please?

[Ws6Luvr]

well for the new year i have decided to completely revamp my diet in hopes of reaching 185-200 LBs in weight (i am currently 5' 9"-5' 10", and 140ish). In addition to the added weight, i would like more energy and an overall feeling of healthiness. I have been working out for nearly 3-4 years on and off and seen little to no gain in appearance, but my overall strength has increased enormously. I was religious with my workouts, but was getting 3-5 hours of sleep a night and eating maybe 2 x a day :(

this is the route i am taking now, and i would like y'alls input on it.


I have quit drinking anything carbonated, strictly water, iced tea, milk and juice, I continue to workout on a daily basis, with a strict routine that is working wonders for me now. I am eating a lot of fruits now, lots of chicken and some tuna, i am straying away from red meats, although i still have them once a week. I eat a lot of eggs now as well, but not too much as i don't want my cholestorol levels to increrase. i have one protein shake in the morning when i wake up, one at noon then one after my workouts. As of tonight, in the past 4 hours i have eaten 4 pretty good sized meals, and i have kept the food down thus far, i am still eating though. I also am getting 8-10 hours of sleep a night now too.

anyway, please give me some input on my routine and my diet. Also please give me some idea's on foods that are good for the goal's i am trying to reach. thanks a lot

nitin

[Head Hunter]

Just my opinion, but you should try eating 3 small meals and 3 mid sized snacks a day... to keep your energy levels stable. And all those protein shakes are a little overkill. At 150lbs you only need about 100grams of protein a day and I'd say your getting plenty from the chicken and tuna. Course people dont seem to agree with me about high-protein diets being more harm then good. All I can suggest is drink 1-2 gallons of water a day and like momma always said "If you wanna be big n strong you gots to eat your vegetables" Good luck whatever route you choose.

[Ws6Luvr]

Originally posted by MaddHatter
Just my opinion, but you should try eating 3 small meals and 3 mid sized snacks a day... to keep your energy levels stable. And all those protein shakes are a little overkill. At 150lbs you only need about 100grams of protein a day and I'd say your getting plenty from the chicken and tuna. Course people dont seem to agree with me about high-protein diets being more harm then good. All I can suggest is drink 1-2 gallons of water a day and like momma always said "If you wanna be big n strong you gots to eat your vegetables" Good luck whatever route you choose.

my dad said the same thing (doctor) that too much protein is bad for your kidney's if you don't drink enough water. He said as long as i drink enough water i am fine though. I will more than likely cut down on the shakes as they are very $. as far as the small meals and small snakcs go, can you elaborate? i am trying to find a good balanced diet and have yet to find one...thanks for the advice

[Head Hunter]

Well my diet is usually cold cereal and toast or waffles and fruit for breakfast, then pre-workout snack is a bagel with turkey, cheese and mustard... post-worktout is a gatorade which is usually 2:1 or 4:1 carb to protein ratio then for lunch I eat a chicken breast and jasmine rice then for snack i eat a cup of black bean soup... then dinner I eat whatever i can cook up whehter chicken hotdogs or that Chicken Voila frozen pasta stuff. Sometimes I drink a protein shake mixed with water instead of the gatorade. I'm aiming for 2 gallons a day and when I start bakc up on creatine I'll bump up to 4... I drink gatorade bc it replaces electrolytes, boosts ur carbs and adds some protein in there. I'm not a professional body builder but I'm 6'0 and 175lbs

[The Raven]

Originally posted by MaddHatter
At 150lbs you only need about 100grams of protein a day

In a growth phase, I recommend atleast 1-1.3 grams of protien per pound of bodyweight. Eat often, and get atleast 8 hours of sleep. You can have a perfect diet and exercise routine, but if you don't give your body tinme to grow, it won't.

[Head Hunter]

Originally posted by Got Boost?
In a growth phase get atleast 8 hours of sleep. You can have a perfect diet and exercise routine, but if you don't give your body tinme to grow, it won't.

Couldnt agree more... If your not sleeping your not rebuilding the muscles you tore during your workout... Hell I even drink herbal hot tea to help myself calm down and go to sleep... Last night I woke up at 3am to pee and ended up waking up every hour after that to go back in pee :( Now I can barely keep my eyes open

[89BlueCoupe]

ok i wanna gain weight too, but not in my gut area, how would I acomplish this, i try to work out as much as I can but I work a lot and go to school. Any suggestions? ps working at sonic dosnt help at all!
oh and im 6' and 150 right now, but my arms,chest and legs are small :)

[The Raven]

Originally posted by 89BlueCoupe
ok i wanna gain weight too, but not in my gut area, how would I acomplish this, i try to work out as much as I can but I work a lot and go to school. Any suggestions? ps working at sonic dosnt help at all!
oh and im 6' and 150 right now, but my arms,chest and legs are small :)

Work each body part intensly and on the heavy end and eat plenty of solid calories (non-processed protiens and complex carbs).

[89BlueCoupe]

oh ya and also I heard less reps and more weight is better for gaining mass than more reps and less weight is this correct.

[The Raven]

Originally posted by 89BlueCoupe
oh ya and also I heard less reps and more weight is better for gaining mass than more reps and less weight is this correct.

It depends on your own body structure (slow twitch vs. fast twitch muscle fibers), but most pros use a strict 10-12 rep scheme to induce atrophy, and throw in heavy sets of 5-8 every other week or so.

[75vega]

my suggestion is to limit your time in the gym , don,t do tons of reps and sets , stay around 3 to 6 reps for 4 sets ( after strecthing and warmups ) also limit the number of movements per workout , do basics such as flatbench press , squats , deadlifts , good mornings , bent over rows , and military press , etc . try and do no more than 2 exercises per muscle groups and only 3 muscle types per workout . also train each group once every 7 days , and take a week ( workout 3 times ) do get in a full body routine . also limit cardio intake , this helps in weight gaining routines .

i have done similiar routines over the years and have slowly added weight , went from 185 to 206 in the last 2 years and still manage not to gain a lot of fat ( stayed within 1% bodyfat at both weights )