Looking for some advice.

Ice87

Hey folks

Looking for some specialist advice!!Any info appreciated.

Been going to the gym a lot over the past year and have gotten much fitter and stronger however long story short I want to put on an extra 6-8 pounds of muscle but I've hit a road block and it could be partially down to my training or diet, could be both:mad:

I'm 6ft and 171 pounds, BF%15. I go to the gym 5-6 times a week and train football twice a week and would consider myself in decent enough shape at the moment.

My diet is as follows

Breakfast:4eggs(2 full,2whites) two slices brown bread in the morning or some porridge along with some fruit and orange juice

Snack midday of some nuts and youghert.

Some pasta chicken or tuna sandwich hour and half before workout.

Post workout shake of 2sccops whey.

Then fish/steak/chicken along with some salad after for dinner.

Usually keep carbs low after 9. On the days I go football training I usually eat a lot of carbs beforehand like a pizza or a lot of pasta.

Not great at counting the calorie intake but I'm not sure if the above is enough. Not sure if a mass gainer is the road I want to go down either.

The problem is I can tell I'm getting a lot leaner however not gaining the extra pounds. I try upping the weights I do every two weeks.

Routine i'm doing at the moment is a 3 day one

Day 1 Back/Biceps/Shoulders
Pull Ups 1x10 2x8
Shoulder Press 3x10 45kg
Power partials 3x10 12kg
Seated Cable rows 3x10
Inverted Rows 3x10
Lat pulldowns 3 x10

Day 2 Legs

Squats 5x5 max 100kg
Deadlifts 5x5 max 110kg
Split squats 10x3 20kg
Calf Raises 10x3
Calf Press 10x3
Leg Extensions 3x10

Day 3 Chest triceps

Weighted tricep dips 3x8 8kg,10kg,12kg
Incline chest press 3x8 24kg
Bench Press 5x5 Max 65kg
Tricep cable pull down 3x8
Incline Dumbell flys 3 x8 16kg
Tricep press 24kg

Thanks for the help.

TommyKnocker

Hi There

Firstly I have a couple of questions.

• You said that you go to the gym 5-6 days a week but only listed weight workouts for 3 days. What do you do on the other 2-3 days, Cardio? if yes what kind and for how long?
• Depending on the answer to the question above, do you alternate weight training with cardio?
• You said you train for football twice per week. What level are you playing at? How long does training last and what does a typical session consist of
• In Season do you play a match each week in addition to the training outlined?

My unqualified opinion just based on what you presented in your opening post is that you are not eating enough.

I would suggest upping your calorie intake a little at a time till you start to see the gains you want.

For example

• 1 lt of full fat milk will add about 600 calories
• 100g of mixed nuts will add about 600 calories
• 1 tin of tuna will add about 150 calories

I am not advocating doubling your food intake or anything. But you could easily add about 500-1000 calories to your daily diet, give it 4-6 weeks to notice any effects. If gaining to quickly cut back a bit. If not gaining, then increase again.

IMHO the trick (as you play a competitive sport) is not to try and gain too quickly, as this could be mostly fat which might impede your sporting performance.


Just my 2 cents worth.


Best Regards,

M

Ice87

Thanks for the reply.

Sorry I forgot to mention I only do weights in the gym and alternate with that 3 day routine. Once I'm finished I the third day I go back to the first.

Football training is fairly intense pre-season with a lot of cardio/sprints and agility work. Sessions last about 2 hours. From August I'll have a match on Sundays and training twice a week.

I'd agree with you about gaining too quickly as it would probably turn into fat.

TommyKnocker

Hi Again

Ok, so I have 2 more unqualified points to make, but first a question or two

• How long have you been doing that routine?
• How often do you increase the weight you are lifting on each exercise?

Your training week looks pretty intense and will become more so when the season starts and the matches begin.

Your muscles do not grow when you work them, they get broken down. It's when they are rested and given the correct nutrients in the required quantities that they repair and grow in both size and strength.

I think you might actually benefit from cutting your weight training back a little. Also you could have a look at the Starting Strength program, which is a beginners 3 day fully body program for strength and size gains. Do your weights on 3 days when you are not football training, and also give them some time to rest, repair and grow. Believe it or not less is sometimes more

Just another 2 cents worth.


M

Transform

B-Builder wrote: »

Hi Again

Ok, so I have 2 more unqualified points to make, but first a question or two

• How long have you been doing that routine?
• How often do you increase the weight you are lifting on each exercise?

Your training week looks pretty intense and will become more so when the season starts and the matches begin.

Your muscles do not grow when you work them, they get broken down. It's when they are rested and given the correct nutrients in the required quantities that they repair and grow in both size and strength.

I think you might actually benefit from cutting your weight training back a little. Also you could have a look at the Starting Strength program, which is a beginners 3 day fully body program for strength and size gains. Do your weights on 3 days when you are not football training, and also give them some time to rest, repair and grow. Believe it or not less is sometimes more

Just another 2 cents worth.


M

agreed mix up your sessions a little more and vary the rep range every 6 weeks

just make sure your calorie intake is held high around workout times