Hi,

Currently I feel and look absolutely $hit and I really need some help, a mentor to guide me along here. I'm not making excuses and I do want to get a good body and I think it is possible even with my crappy genetics.

Background Info

Started out 46 weeks ago at 142lb at 6ft 2. Yes I was VERY SKINNY. However the low weight made my face look pretty darn handsome and perversly I got attention from girls now I get fewer attention.

Basically I got it in my head that 142 was way too skinny from this board and especially Pooks skinny guy thread. He made it also seem like it was possible to gain 30lb of muscle in 12 weeks.

Anyway I started out. Bulked up firstly to 172lb then cut down to 166lb. However I never really got a 6 pack and all I could see was the skinny person in the mirror. I never saw that most my gains seemed to come in my face, legs and stomach area. I was fooled by the gains I made in my squat deadlift and bench press. They all went up from about 30kg squat to 80kg and deadlift went from 30 to 80, bench press 20kg to 40kg. However I was still weak really just not as weak. Took me 17 weeks.

I decided to bulk up again.... went from 166lb to 191lb in about 12 weeks. Ridiculous bulking, yes I know. I started to use creatine and protein however for the first time during that bulk.

By now I was a big bloated mess with double chin and all. Up to size 34 inch jeans and bursting out of them from having to wear a belt on my size 32 inch jeans.

My squat had gone up to 125kg and deadlift was 120kg as well. I can now Bench Press 65kg.

Still not strong but better than I was before.

Decided to start cutting... 17 weeks later I'am at 172lb and I still look a mess...

The double chin has been reduced but not eliminated. I can now fit back into my 32 inch jeans but I'm bursting out of them...

I'am very disheartened at the moment. I look like a hideous skinny fat guy. Confidence is at an all time low. I don't know what to do at the moment.

46 weeks of pain, strict diet and strict sleeping schedule (no sweet chocolate etc and always getting at leats 8 hours sleep, never missing a workout but always timing in scheduled rests etc).

I feel I'm getting completly obsessed. All I think about is the anoying stubborn fat that wont go away. The thing is I want to gain more muscle (my dream is 190lb ripped for my height) but I'am terrified of gaining more fat and I cant even lose the fat I've gained now ,when I dont even look good at the moment. I just want to get ripped so I have a solid base to work on in future.

LESSON TO YOU ALL, DONT GO CRAZY ON THE BULKING. JUST GAIN 1LB A WEEK, IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO GAIN 30LB IN 12 WEEKS WITHOUT A GOOD PORTION OF THAT BEING FAT. .

Sorry for the rant.

Any advice on what I should do?

oh yes you may want current diet and workout routine...

DIET (yes I know I'm hardly eating anything, I just kept cutting to keep losing weight)

Supplements: Green tea extract and Multi vitamin.

Meal 1: Protein shake and tbsp olive oil
Meal 2: Protein Shake
Meal 3: 75g Rice and 100g Chicken
Meal 4: Protein Shake and tbsp olive oil
Meal 5: Whatever my mum is cooking as long as it is not crap.
Meal 6: 100g Chicken and Vegetables
Meal 7: Protein Shake

Workout Routine (I switch it up every week varying sets and reps etc)

Workout 1
Dumbell or Barbell Bench Press 3 heavy sets and 2 warm up sets.
Dips 2 sets or close grip bench press 2 sets
Pull ups 3 sets or dumbell curl 3 sets or ez bar curl 3 sets
crunches 3 sets

If I dont feel I've blasted something enough I would add extra exercise from the other option so might have dumbell and barbell bench press...

Workout 2

Bent over Row 3 sets
Dumbell Standing Press 3 sets
Deadlift pyramid up to 1 set max
Lateral wide grip pulls ups 2 sets
Crunches 3 sets

Workout 3

ATG Squats 2 sets
Parallel Squats 3 Sets
Calf Raises 2 sets
Crunches 3 sets

EVERY OTHER DAY MORNING HIIT ON MY EXERCISE BIKE ON EMPTY STOMACH.
xxx

From what I read here, it sounds like its a problem with your workout, cause you're definately eating enough. What's your macros and calories (when cutting + bulkijng)?


I'd tell you to continue your cut until you feel comfortable starting up again, and do SS.

Unless you know exactly what your doing don't start bulking or cutting or taking anything other than protein and a good multi vitamin.

Your diet looks like sh!t mate, protein protein and more protein ........... anything with any fibre or good vitamins ??? or good complex carbs and a minimum of basic starchy carbs ???

First of all your not eating enough so your body is holding onto the last bit of fat because it feels as if your starving it. Thats why you gained so much fat.

Also cardio son, cardio is the best way to get the blood pumping burn the fat away and lean your body out.

Ever seen a powerlifter ??? Fat ugly POS's arent they ??? Ever seen an Olympic Sprinter ??? Chiseled like a machine arent they ???

Cutting and bulking is so so old news mate best results are to eat a solid clean diet lift hard and heavy and pick up a sport which gives you solid cardio, if you can't play a sport then make sure you run everyday at least 5kms.

P.S unless your a hardcore competing bodybuilder stay the fu(k away from all supplements apart from a good protein powder the rest is pure hyped up rubbish. Also HIIT only works if you have a strong muscular base to workout otherwise your killing yourself.

NorwegianDJ said:

From what I read here, it sounds like its a problem with your workout, cause you're definately eating enough. What's your macros and calories (when cutting + bulkijng)?


I'd tell you to continue your cut until you feel comfortable starting up again, and do SS.

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I agree with Norwegian that your diet looks good, so I think your workout is not intense enough. Either cut down the calories with the same routine, or add more exercises to your routine. Start taking pictures every week of weight lifting and if you notice yourself getting too fat you can change your caloric intake.

142lb at 6ft 2.

You could give up on power lifting and take up mma. You'd be a terror at six-two fighting at 135. Your typical opponent would look like a midget next to you. You'd be the tallest 135er I've ever seen.

Or just go do another sport that caters to your body style: basketball, sand volleyball, whatever. If you are lean, chiseled, and confident, you'll do fine with women regardless of what you weigh or how much weight you can lift.

Man I'm in a similar position to you. I started working out about a year ago and after 6 months I decided to stop doing cardio to try to put on some more muscle. Did it work? Yeah, I went up significantly in almost every workout I did, but now I am ready to cut off the fat. My highest point was 171 (5'8'') now I am at 167 and looking to really cut it down by June. I think the lesson here is keep up the cardio year round, especially in the winter when you aren't as active so that when summer comes around you don't have to put as much work in.

Didn't mean to hijack this thread, but is it realistic to think I can go down to around the 155-160 range by June and still maintain most of the gains I made on the different exercises? (I know I'll be at least maintaining or possibly gaining on pull ups due to weight loss lol)

omg dude. no offense but thats a horrible approach to working out and eating.

please hear me out, cus i was in your SAME exact boat in june 2010. 6'1 and around 160 pounds. i was only around 160 cus i had tried working out doing whatever i thought was fit..aka not going in with a solid gameplan.

then i decided enough was enough since i didnt find the results i was looking for. i started youtubing workouts and found a program which ive been following ever since called athleanx.

basically its a system where every workout is laid out for you, the meal plans are chill, 6 meals a day and i can eat as much as i want, but i only eat really healthy food now since i realized how important nutrition is.

im now almost 180 lbs and heres a pic i took a month or so back.

http://img194.imageshack.us/img194/5674/photo1kd.jpg
im still trucking though i want to get a bit bigger still but the key is remaining lean and working on that 6 pac.

pm me if you need more help, i feel like theres alot of misinformation when it comes to working out. ps, i rarely ever do bench, squats, and never deadlifts. if you want to be bulky then do that but i personally dont give a eff how much weight i can lift, i just want to be muscular and lean.

ps i NEVER do cardio, you dont have to if you eat super clean

Way too many protein shakes in there, I would try to limit them. They are good for post-workout or if you are on the move and can't get a solid meal in, but to be consuming 3-4 everyday instead of a meal is no good.

Kerpal said:

http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTC7JYzeJgMv_Stq2-amhYhJizMiO__bHqAaWwzPUCAcQP-i3bMnQ&t=1

http://theswole.com/swole/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/Konstantin-Konstantinovs.jpg

https://tnation.t-nation.com/forum_images/f/7/f7ff4-roger_ester_.jpg

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In no way do I find that type of body appealing, but then again I have a gymnist's physique each to their own I guess

typical said:

In no way do I find that type of body appealing, but then again I have a gymnist's physique each to their own I guess

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To be honest, a gymnist's physique looks basically like a small powerlifter's.

personally gunning for the gymnast look myself...but i dead, squat and bench heaps lol

Da Realist said:

To be honest, a gymnist's physique looks basically like a small powerlifter's.

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Your kidding me right mate ?? I'm 180cm tall and no way is my chest as massive as a powerlifters nor do I look out of proportion like a freak. I can put my arms behind my back (one from above and one from below) and manage to hold hands with myself.

I have more speed and endurance than most people and I don't even compete anymore. I bench I squat and I deadlift but thats not all I do I run 5km every morning and also do kettlebell work also go swimming at least twice a week and not to mention I still train as if I was going to compete in a gymnastics tournament, plus the girls have all got tight toned bodies.

Trust me having a lean in proportion body that allows you do use your entire range of motion in all your limbs is a great asset. I know I may not be as big as a powerlifter (only 80kg) but I can do a whole lot of things that most people will never be able to.

Also being flexible and agile helps when learning mma ..... think about it you want speed power and agility years of gymnastic training and then weights and now kettlebells have given me a very good body. I would never become a powerlifter just not enough of a thrill in it as a sport.

I'm a national-graded powerlifter and I've seen all kinds of body types in powerlifting, including actual gymnasts.

As for the OP, he was doing it all wrong. Not in a position to give any advice. Maybe he should be willing to listen to a few good ones instead.

Lesson learned. Bodybuilding/powerlifting are basically useless for any endurance based sports, any actual physical work. You dont need a ton of muscle mass, just built up muscle and cardiovascular endurance. The most healthy physique you get by doing your regular construction/digging work and eating healthy. Keeps away the heart diseases, doesnt require expensive supplements, and much more useful for any practical real life scenario than a guy bustin his nut to get the highest possible 1 rep deadlift or bench.

Just want to look like a Greek sculpture! All chiseled and hard - Is that too much to ask for?!!? haha

typical said:

Your kidding me right mate ?? I'm 180cm tall and no way is my chest as massive as a powerlifters nor do I look out of proportion like a freak. I can put my arms behind my back (one from above and one from below) and manage to hold hands with myself.

I have more speed and endurance than most people and I don't even compete anymore. I bench I squat and I deadlift but thats not all I do I run 5km every morning and also do kettlebell work also go swimming at least twice a week and not to mention I still train as if I was going to compete in a gymnastics tournament, plus the girls have all got tight toned bodies.

Trust me having a lean in proportion body that allows you do use your entire range of motion in all your limbs is a great asset. I know I may not be as big as a powerlifter (only 80kg) but I can do a whole lot of things that most people will never be able to.

Also being flexible and agile helps when learning mma ..... think about it you want speed power and agility years of gymnastic training and then weights and now kettlebells have given me a very good body. I would never become a powerlifter just not enough of a thrill in it as a sport.

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I applaud your training regiment, but they both still look alike to me. And it's not because I'm just being contrary, but the smaller powerlifters from 130 to 170 can be stronger than the big guys proportionately because of the lower body weight relative to how much they can lift.

Kerpal said:

DON'T CONFUSE STRENGTH TRAINING WITH BODYBUILDING! THEY ARE 2 COMPLETELY DIFFERENT THINGS!

This type of attitude is exactly what I'm talking about when I say that bodybuilding has ruined strength training in this country. Bodybuilding has nothing to do with strength. It involves shaving your body, oiling yourself up, putting on a thong, and posing on a stage in front of other men.

Strength athletes, on the other hand, posses incredible levels of relative strength. I can't think of a single sport, including endurance sports, where more strength is a bad thing. In fact, in weak people, maximal strength acts as a ceiling on all other athletic qualities. In other words, if you're weak, strength training (NOT BODYBUILDING) will make you run faster, jump higher, increase your endurance, etc. And as for the idea that strength training lowers flexibility: http://www.coachkeats.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/Snatch_with_very_low_squat_2.jpg

That said, I do think that gymnasts are in general better all-around athletes than powerlifters, simply because their sport requires them to be more well-rounded. But it would be a huge mistake to stereotype all powerlifters as fat slobs who can only lift a heavy weight 1 time before collapsing from exhaustion. Many of them are quite athletic, and had they chosen to specialize in other sports would have excelled in those as well.

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I agree with you on all points except that the vast majority of people that say they are Bodybuilders or powerlifters are vert very badly out of shape. There are some that are in very good shape but those are few and far between.

I would strongly recommend to everyone to try and get into two types of sports or strenuous activities the hard work will greatly benifit you in all aspects of life.

Example : As a young gymnast I was very arrogant (still am slightly) because I could do many things others could not, I thought I would easily excell in MMA at the age of 19 but got my a$$ handed to me in training sessions which taught me respect and patience among other life lessons.

Don't just do one thing do many and try to excell in them all, after a few years you will become a very well rounded athlete, maybe not pro but still way better then 90% of this planets persons will ever be.

6'2" and under 150 lbs??? You had no business trying a traditional bodybuilding type program w/ cutting/bulking cycles with those stats. Instead you should have taken a couple of years and established a good sound strength base/conditioning, and gained 60-70 lbs of bodyweight... most of which should have been lean muscle.

I'm a competitive bodybuilder, and I don't even cycle back and forth as much as you do. I'm 5'8" - 185 lbs and still need a belt to make sure that my 32" waist pants fit properly.

You should have just done a pure bulk program for a couple of years like I said. Taking in around 4000 cals/day w/ 250+ g protein. 1-1.5 lbs of meat/day w/ 1-2 weight gainer shakes and whey isolate as required. Your program should have been based around squats, deads, bench, shoulder press, chins, rows and dips. You could have added isolation work as you wanted but given how skinny you were when you started you really should have established a solid muscle base before you tried to get ripped.

As far as Kerpal's comments about bodybuilding... there really isn't anything I can say against it. Bodybuilding isn't a sport in my view. Its a hobby. I attended a national level "natural" show this weekend, and competitions are highly subjective especially for categories like women's figure/bikini. In addition there's a lot of politics.

I have a natural affinity for more objective sports like powerlifting/olympic lifting. However, with my body type, I'm simply more likely to succeed in bodybuilding than as a PL/OL. This is why I wanna compete as a bodybuilder rather than as a PL/OL. I definitely hate how bodybuilders do not train for strength... Personally, I make it a point to lift heavy at least 2-3 times a month.

Kerpal, bodybuilding judges can be female too you know!! And I think its easier for bodybuilders to get laid cuz we look better than PLs!

There's definite good and bad things to take out of any fitness discipline. Its up to the individual to glean useful stuff from every discipline to be the best possible athlete. Bodybuilders are absolutely fantastic at designing diet/supplementation plans. If your diet/supplementation is sub-par then you're not gonna get far. This is what has really helped me to progress. In addition, enhanced builders also have a reasonably good knowledge base with anabolics, should you decide to take that route. There's tons of shiiity things about bodybuilding as well... too many to name!

With PL/OL, my biggest problem was my susceptibility to injuries. I've been lifting since before most of you guys learned to jerk off, and I'll tell you right now that constant heavy/explosive lifting does take a toll on your joints. Bodybuilding is great for old farts like me. My joints have never felt this good. Pound-for-pound, I think olympic lifters are among the strongest guys out there. As far as overall athletic ability goes, I think wrestlers and gymnasts are the best.

Typical, great points about trying to excel in a couple of areas to become the best athlete that you can be.

You're focusing on your legs waaaay too much and making gains in the muscles that don't make you look/feel more muscular. If you want to trim up your chin and get a 6 pack you have to do cardio, get out running or biking 3 days a week, every other day. On the days in between do your pull ups, arms, chest, back, and abs. Example week, I'm no professional, so anyone that knows better please chime in, but this is what I would do in your situation:

Mon - Pulls ups, chest, abs
Tues - Run 2-3miles (or work up to that)
Wed - Bicep/Tricep, abs
Thurs - Bike 45min (stationary or outside)
Fri - Pull ups, back, abs
Sat - Fun cardio (heavybag, sports, 2hours of sex, etc)
Sun - Rest

Only take protein right after lifting and keep it under 50grams. Look up a few basic exercises for those muscle groups that make your workout around 30 minutes doing sets with short rests (20-30 sec), or make super-sets out of 3-4 exercises with 2min rests between.