Eat more food = get fat! No growth for me!

[ROCCOdoesDubai]

Howdy All

A Long time reader, so I thought I would see if anyone had any insight into the below issue.


I've been training for a long time and i've never seen results. From a guess, I would say, from an untrained stated, my body has grown maybe 3-5kg,...maybe.

And before you think “this guy just needs to eat more”, forget that thought. During training I eat more and get fat. That's pretty much the only think I gain. If I've been working out at least a few times a week then the muscles do look fuller but that's about it, no real muscular gain. I've taken the odd photo at various stages and it all looks the same [same lighting conditions, same time of day, etc..]

I'm 33 now and have almost given up on natural [no AAS] training. Its not working for me. I love pushing in the gym and working out hard but for the love of god, after all these years I would like to see some worthwhile results. How many years? Well as a teenager there where a few years in the gym [which I did see a bit of a change but not like it was 5kg, just things like arms had more 'bulgingness' to them]. Then from age 23-to27 [HIT style], along with kick boxing done at the same time, so I guess this would have sapped any possible gains. Then from 29-33 – training HIT style, then the last few years [IART style, perhaps best 'gains' here], then for the the last 9 months, HST, with a fat loss regime in the middle of the 2 HST attempts.

Yep, I did the testing for the 15's,10's,5's to workout maxes in HST. These have changed over each program, sometimes I feel its not hard enough – if so, i'll increase the weight by more then what is planned, but i am mindful of not to turn it into a HIT workout. I think I had this worked out by the 2nd attempt – you can just feel if its too little or too much.

Diet always reflects the level of training. Currently 5'9',75kg, and at least 15-18% BF and my diet ....before the start of the last HST I was 72kg [where I was about 5 years ago!] and probably 12% fat and then coming to the end of the 5's I was 77kg...with, you guessed it, an increase in the waist. My legs are the same size they where 2 years ago. Thats the only measurement I have apart from the waist. The pictures don't show any improvement and thats what we are looking for.

Another piece of information that might help. I've just set my calories at 2000 for a week [my BMR is 2000] and then performed 3 X week, 15min run and then a workout of about 30m completing 2 sets of bench, press, pull down, leg curl and bicep curl – at around 90-95% capacity, performing in the range of 5-15 reps, including 2 warm up reps for each exercise. And I did not loose any weight or inches from my gut.

And generally its a good diet; fruit, vegetables, meats, olive oil. And the 'correct' number of calories and ratio's. Spread out over 6 meals and including a post workout drink.

After the last HST cycle in Nov/Dec 05, I dieted for a few months afterwards [to loose the fat from the last HST-I tried something different for a change, the Anabolic Diet]] using UD2.0 and then just a month or so using twice a week training/running. This allowed me to lose about 0.5-1kg per week

At the end of the weight loss, calories where 1800 cal, I then increase from the start of the previous HST [April/May] 15's around 100-200 cal per week until the end of 5's- ending at around 3000 cal – and my waist increased by about an inch or two. The only thing that ever grows is the waist! Although the weight increase did not grow liners..here is what I mean:

Weight is at end of the week, calorie amount consumed are from the previous week

Week Calories Weight
0 1800 72kg SD
1- 1900 72.5kg HST+10m of running
2 2150 72kg HST+10m of running
3 2250 73kg
4 2400 74kg
5 2600 73kg
6 2600 75kg
7 2900 74.5
went up to 3000 because lost .5kg and weight went to 77kg, BUT also started creating at the end of the previous week, and creatine, always adds 2kg for me.

So I can only conclude that, I am not causing the body to grow. No use eating more, as is the general advice if your not growing. My stomach is growing so there is enough fuel. It appears that I am only using the extra fuel to support the increase in activity [gym] and growing fat on the gut.

There seems to be a lot of theory on variables in PIMP MY HST....has anyone actually found the advice in that ebook to help them out of the dolldrums, similar to what I seem to be experiencing. What I am asking is, are there people who have only experienced little change using HST and then using the ideas in PIMP MY HST, they have at last found some results.

And everyone states this but I believe my form is good. I even video taped it and sent it to a trainer and he found no problem.

Here is my last 2 HST routines and some comments

Warmups as per the fabulous HST spreadsheet somebody produced

Cadence:
15's 2's concentric/ 4's eccentric
10's 2/2
5's 1 / 2 – usually a bit more on the concentric in the 5's as the weights are heavy, so perhaps 1.5 or 2

Nov/Dec05

15's
1 Set of
Incline Bench [MaxCam Mach]
Lat Raises
Squat
Toe Press
Wide Grip PD
Leg Curl
Upright Row
Tricep PD
Bicep Curl [Cable]
Crunches

10's
1 Set of
Incline Bench [MaxCam Mach]
Lat Raises
Squat
Toe Press
Wide Grip PD
Leg Curl
Upright Row
Tricep PD
Bicep Curl [Cable]
Crunches
Leg Press [terminated at week 4]
Close Grip PD [terminated at week 4]


5's
1 Set of
Incline Bench [MaxCam Mach]
Lat Raises
Squat
Toe Press
Wide Grip PD
Leg Curl
Upright Row
Tricep PD
Bicep Curl [Cable]
Crunches
Leg Press [terminated at week 4]
Close Grip PD [terminated at week 4]

April/May HST

I was considering that maybe my body can not cope with too many exercises [particularly adding iso's], so I focused on the main compound exercises when I reached the 10's/5's/neg

In both of the HST experiences, you'll note, no deadlifts. Now I actually like these as they are really I hard thing to do full on- and you feel like you have had a great workout after completing a set of DL's. BUT there is no way I can do DL and Squat in the same week, my lower back is strong but compared to my stubborn legs, it is the weak link. I can't really sub anything for squat so I need do it 3 times a week but I can sub the DL with pulling movements

I increased the number work sets for the 10's and 5's as i never really felt tied or sore after the first go of HST in Nov/Dec. After adding these other sets, I did feel tired after and slept well, but no DOMS. With HIT I always experienced DOMS after training, as I was increasing TUL or weight at each workout.


15's
1 Set of
Incline Bench [MaxCam Mach]
1 Arm pull down
Lat raises
Squat
Toe Press X 2
Leg Curl
Upright Row
Tricep PD
Bicep Curl [Cable]
Crunches


10's
Incline Bench [MaxCam Mach] X 2
1 Arm pull down
Squat
Leg Curl x 2
Upright Row
Close Grip PD
Leg Press

5's
Incline Bench [MaxCam Mach] X 3
1 Arm pull down
Squat
Leg Curl X 3
Upright Row
Close Grip PD
Wide Grip PD
Leg Press
Hack Squat [Machine]

Negs
Well I thought this was the last 2 weeks, so at the start of the 2nd week I increased the number of sets. Cadence was 3s neg. 5 reps for the negs

Workouts 1,2,3

Incline Bench [MaxCam Mach] X 3
1 Arm pull down
Squat - normal
Leg Curl X 3
Upright Row
Close Grip PD
Wide Grip PD
Leg Press - normal
Hack Squat [Machine] - normal


Workouts 4,5,6

Incline Bench [MaxCam Mach] X 3
Flat Bench X 2 - normal
1 Arm pull down
Squat - normal
Leg Curl X 3
Upright Row
Close Grip PD X 2
Wide Grip PD
Leg Press X 2 - normal
Hack Squat [Machine] – normal

I would like to try the AM/PM thing but my gym doesn't open to 9am. I could use the crappy gym in the apartment complex for the AM but I might move so there goes that idea.

Well, hopefully someone out there can see what I am doing wrong, before I start jabbing my ass with some Test!

Best Regards
ROCCO

 

[quadancer]

I have a similar problem, which turns out to be low test. My doc won't subscribe HRT for me because I'm in the "normal" range and have had heart trouble, but you may qualify for it, and it is certainly a lot safer bumping your test up to upper normal levels than taking it all the way to steroidal levels.
You covered your bases pretty well; you should have grown; you didn't. Has to be a hormone problem I would think. You wanna be 20 years old again anyway, right?

 

[Old and Grey]

Have you had your Testosterone and Cortisol levels checked. You could well be low in T and high in C. That means no muscle gain, just fat.

 

[xarfox]

i feel like i'm in the same boat, where do you get these levels "tested"

if this strength training program doesn't work for me i don't know what will

i think i have plenty of testosterone because i'm hairy... or doesnt that mean anything

 

[quadancer]

You come from a hairy family. No, it's not a measure of test, just genetics. If you're tired a lot, have a low libido, lack gains, don't sleep well, maybe are irritable a lot, you probably have low test. HRT (Hormone Replacement Therapy) adds a small amount of test to you to bring levels up to normal, although what doctors consider "in range" seems to be low for a bodybuilder. What we would ascribe to is the upper limit of the range (1000ng/dl I believe) for hypertrophy. Mine checks in around 300+ or so. Sux.

 

[xarfox]

where did you get your levels tested?

is there anything that increases testosterone safely (without steroids)

doesn't excess testosterone cause acne?

 

[Totentanz]

Excess test does not necessarily cause acne. There is no worthwhile way to increase testosterone levels other than hormone supplementation.

 

[mindstar]

what exactly is your diet? what you eat and when you eat it...macro nutrient breakdown and timing may have something to do with it.

 

[Spyke]

Your doc can do a testosterone test. Have him check your total AND free test. Like the guys said adding an estrogen level test may not be a bad idea.

Being hairy has nothing to do with it.

 

[liegelord]

I know this is getting very predictable, but cut down on the exercises and only hit the big 7, alternate them MWF:

A: olympic squats, bench, 90 degree rows,
B: conventional deadlifts, dips, chins, OH press

Your goal should be to squat and deadlift at least 2x bodyweight and bench and chin 1.5x bodyweight. Forget about the machines, you need to pull some real weight off the floor, you may want to throw power cleans in there.

When you do rows, do them at a 90 degree angle, put the weight on the floor after every rep and don't use wrist wraps. Always, unless injured, do you're OH presses while standing.

Most of us are going to have to get pretty strong to get big (look at icars and notice the weight the guy moves). Only those select few and those on gear are going to get big without having to move some impressive weights. Focus on moving more weight in those 7 exercises. Forget the iso's for now.