Noted - however I guess when I say the pump, I am not meaning that the pump itself yields muscle growth, but rather the physical mechanisms that signal during the pump are a sign that muscular contractions you are performing are hitting the targeted area correctly and with great focus which will in fact yield larger sized muscles. The more you repeat a specific muscular contraction, the larger and longer a specific muscle group can become. Training specifically for strength involves virtually all muscles moving in harmony - which rather than building giant pecs from bench press, one would be building strength in all muscles associated: Pectorals, Triceps, Deltoids, Neck, Upper and Lower Back, Trapezius, Brachials, etc. So essentially what I'm saying is that the feeling of a good pump is the sign of a good focused contraction on a specific muscle group which will in fact yield larger size gains in that particular area.

hmm interesting question...but for the guy that i spoke to a few days ago with the question I posted below in a PM:

could you do me a favor and PM me? I want to know how your progress is going and I forgot your user name..

so if you see this, PM me and let me know! Thanks! I also have more information for you that might help accelerate your goals.


-SKCRaynor







QUESTION:

Hey I am currently looking for a work out plan, and i saw your post in the forums.
some info about me

5ft 7'
133 lbs

I have access to a full gym when i head back to college in two weeks and i can spend about 50$ a month on supplements (not counting how i would change my diet/what food i would eat)

Eventually I would like to be around 150, and have toned look. I can spend around 2 hours four days a week at the gym, and i am willing to change my diet, but not to the extreme.

I was wondering if you could give me a full body work out plan, a diet consisting of what types of foods and how many meals/sizes, and what supplements i need to take, and im assuming ill need some weight gainer because i have trouble maintaining 133 lbs because i have a very fast metabolism and i play basketball for like 10 hours a week.



ANSWER:

Hey there -


Now lets get down to business - in order to gain 20 solid pounds of lean mass, you need to go on a bulking cycle followed up by a cutting cycle.

You will be doing a clean bulk because you play basketball and have an already fast metabolism - and this way there's a possibility that your bulking cycle will yield a 20 lb gain of lean mass without gaining fat.

Ok so lets begin - I will start with the Nutrition Basics:

A very active male at 5'7 133lbs such as yourself burns 1,600 calories a day just in your basal metabolism. This means that you are going to want to take in at least 2,100-2,500 calories (+500 to +800 cal a day for clean gains). But you are going to want to separate your nutrition into many smaller meals spread out 2-3 hours apart.

You are going to want to eat at least 2grams of protein per pound of bodyweight - so in your case take in 270-300 grams of protein per day (also spread out equally, taking care to not eat more than 40-45 grams per meal...any more will be stored or wasted)

Make sure to get plenty of good fats (HDL) - these can be found in foods like - Fish, Avocados, Olive Oil, Flax Seed, Eggs, Tuna, EFA Supplements, etc...the easiest way to get lots of good fats is to use extra-virgin olive oil in all of your foods for flavor and/or lubrication for the fan (use olive oil instead of butter to fry something etc)

Also watch your sodium - try not to eat more than 2,000mg of sodium per day. Also it would be best to balance it with 4,000mg of potassium (which can be found in foods like sweet potatoes, regular potatoes, bananas, etc.)

Cut down the sugar! Instead of sugary sodas and dessert items, opt for diet sodas and fresh fruits.

Eat lots of WHOLE FOODS (meats veggies dairy grains....but avoid processed shit like soups, fast food, and frozen meals)


DRINK ICE WATER WITH EVERY MEAL, AND MAKE SURE TO DRINK NOTHING BUT WATER/DIET SODA DURING THE DAY!! AT LEAST 1 GAL OF WATER PER DAY!


Buy Cytosport Cytogainer weight gainer/protein supplement (from bodybuilding.com if u want the best price, or vitaminshoppe/GNC if you want it right away) It tastes amazing, and works phenominally.


OK now here's your sample DIET


Breakfast - 1 cup cooked oatmeal w/ fruit and 3 whole eggs (about 250 calories and 25 protein)

Meal 2 - Cytogainer w/ fruit (about 600calories and 54 protein)

*WORKOUT*

Meal 3 - Another Cytogainer w/ fruit (600 calories and 54 protein)

Meal 4 - Grilled Chicken Breast, Broccoli, and Brown Rice (400 calories and 40 protein)

Meal 5 - Sliced Turkey/Chicken/Roast Beef with cheese and a couple crackers (250 calories and 20 protein)

Meal 6 - Cottage Cheese and mixed nuts (right before bed) (200 calories and 20 protein)

Total of 2,300 calories (+700 calories), 213 protein, no sugars/simple carbs (white flour, white rice, soda, etc)
Note: this meal plan is for a workout day...on non-workout days, have only 1 cytogainer early in the day, and replace the 2nd cytogainer with a small meal, reducing your calorie intake for the non-workout day.


You can modify and chance this daily meal plan per your own tastes...just remember the core principles -


Cytogainer before and after workouts, lean meats w/ veggies and complex carbs after workouts and before bed, heavy complex carb and light protein meal in the morning (like oatmeal, whole grain cereal, etc w/ eggs).

All dairy items should be skim milk (2%)

Lean meats include - Chicken, Turkey, Tuna, Eggs, Lean Beef, Fish, Shellfish, Protein Shakes, etc.

All complex carbs include - brown rice, whole grain pasta, whole grain bread, buckwheat, beans, vegetables, whole grain crackers like triscuits, Sweet Potatoes, Oatmeal, Granola, etc.


Now we move onto the EXERCISE PLAN

To bulk up the way you want without gaining excess fat and being a lean 150-155, you will need to focus on individual muscle groups...here is an example

Monday - Chest + abs
Tuesday - Back + abs
Wednesday - Legs
Thursday - Shoulders + abs
Friday - Arms + abs
Saturday - REST
Sunday - REST

This 5 day routine is the best for gaining size and strength while giving all muscle groups plenty of time to rest.

Some great exercises for each muscle group include -

Chest - Bench Press, Incline Bench Press, Decline Bench Press, Dumbell Flies, Cable Flies, Wide Chest Press/Board Press, Pec Deck, and Pushups.

Back - Deadlifts, Good-Mornings, Dumbell Rows, Barbell Rows, Cable Rows, Lower Back Extensions, Lat Pulldowns, Close-Grip Pulldowns, and Pullups

Legs - Squats, Leg-Press, Leg Extensions, Leg Curls, Standing Calf Raises, Seated Calf Raises, Leg Lunges, HackSquats, Hip Abduction and Hip Adduction.

Shoulders - Military Press, Dumbell Shoulder Press, Arnold Presses, Front dumbell Raises, Lateral dumbell Raises, Dumbell Shrugs, Barbell Shrugs, Behind-the-neck presses.

Arms - EZ Bar Curls, dumbell curls, concentration curls, cable curls, hammer curls, tricep pulldowns, machine dips, tricep kickbacks, and skullcrushers.

Abs - V-crunches, situps, leg raises, alternating crunches, and knee-lifts.


You can pick any 4 exercises out of these lists (except abs) and do 5 sets of each (for a total of 20 sets not counting abs each day). The number of reps you do should depend on how much weight you use. The best method is to start lighter (do about 15 reps first set, and finish doing 6 reps on the final set with heavier weight)

For abs, do about 100-200 reps a day of and two of the exercises listed.


FOR A COMPLETE PICTURE/VIDEO EXPLANATION OF EACH EXERCISE, GO HERE! - http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/exercises.htm

There are even other great exercises there to choose from to add into your schedule.


LASTLY - SUPPLEMENTATION!



Besides buying cytosport Cytogainer to take before and after workouts - I would reccomend the following:

NOW! Adam Men's MULTIVITAMIN

Micronized Creatine (any brand)

HMB (preferably scifit brand but any brand should work)

Arginine/Ornithine (NOW! Brand)

Omega 3-6-9 (NOW BRAND, take with every meal)


those 4 things, you can buy anywhere, but bodybuilding.com is the best. Those products will help you achieve your goals faster than without using anything at all.

The total cost monthly should be around: $45 cytogainer + $10 multi + $10 creatine + $20 HMB + $10 arginine + $10 Omega 3-6-9 = $105 / month.

If you can't afford that I'd reccomend just sticking with the cytogainer and the multivitamin (afterall the cytogainer provides you with 2 meals a day, and the multi is cheap and extremely important)



Ok that about does it...if you need anything else, please feel free to PM or POST.

This should definitely help you, and you will see results sooner than you think. Just remember to stay true to the diet and exercise plan, take heed to the nutritional advice, and if possible supplement with the stuff I listed.

Ok, hope this works out! Stay Safe!

Donations are greatly appreciated =)

-SKCRaynor

This post was edited by SKCRaynor on Jul 31 2008 05:23pm

[THIS IS FROM AN ANANYMOUS PM - BUT VERY HELPFUL TO A LOT OF YOU!]

QUESTION

For the diet you told me to do what kind of meal should i have

Like what to eat at each meal

I'd be so thankfull if you could answer me Since I do not really know what to eat and what not to eat =)


ANSWER

hey there...I'd be glad to help you =)

ok well in my previous PM I listed a sample meal plan...but here's a good method to use for a 3,000-3,500 calorie clean bulking diet:


Breakfast:

Choose 1 item from here: Oatmeal, Whole grain toast, whole grain cereal, Whole Grain English Muffin, Whole Grain Bagel.

Choose 1 item from here: 6 scrambled eggs, 8 ounces of steak, 1 cup of cottage cheese, 1 protein shake (not cytogainer but 100% whey)

Choose 1 item from here: Fresh Fruit, Fruit Juice, Jelly (on the bread), Applesauce, Dried Fruit.


Pre and Post workout meals :

Have 1 cytogainer shake mixed with water or milk + ice + fruit in a blender =)


Mid day meals :

Choose 1 item from here: Brown Rice, Whole Grain Pasta, Buckwheat, Beans, Whole Grain Breads, Lentils, Sweet Potato, Baked Potato.

Choose 1 item from here: Any kind of plain or mixed Vegetables, Garden Salad, or sauteed greens.

Choose 1 item from here: 8-10 ounces of chicken, 8-12 ounces of lean beef (steak, burger, meatsauce, meatloaf, etc), 8-10 ounces of turkey, 10-12 ounces of fish, 12-14 ounces of shellfish, 8-12 ounces of other meat like lamb, bison, etc.


Late night and pre-bedtime meals:

Choose 1 item from here: Mixed Nuts, dried fruit, or vegetables.

CHoose 1 item from here: 6 ounces of any lean meat (see above), 2 cups unflavored yogurt, 1 cup cottage cheese, or 5-6 eggs (any style), or 1 protein shake (not cytogainer, but 100% whey)



There you go...now a good rule of thumb is...don't eat fast food, frozen food, or any food with bad nutrition (like desserts or pre-packaged crap). Whole foods are the best, and make sure you eat less than 2,000 mg of sodium per day...eat plenty of fruits and veggies...and a ton of lean meat. You'll be good to go!

thanks for help man the shakes with milk n furit are helping already

hard for me 2 not burn so many calories scine i i hardly sleep due 2 job + i work out then spend at least 8 hours on my feet at work. anyway thanks for the tip

you are very welcome

Got the power butter.
It's got like an inch to half inch of liquid on top of it, do I drain this, or just stir it in and eat it?

you just mix it with the peanut butter.

its the "taste" lol

does it taste alright?

That is the natural oils that rise to the top! The best thing to do is seriously work the shit out of it with a butter knife until its spread evenly into the mixture. However, if there's still an unpleasant amount of oil left on top, drain that off. All of that oil is GOOD fat...so its best to try not to waste it. The first few tubs I sat there for 15-20 mins stirring (great forearm workout) and finally the whole thing was mixed to a perfect consistency.

hope that helps brotha!

u look kinda fat imo