Please help me, I keep failing to change my body.

[Being_the_Don]

I've read your logs and you guys are doing pretty much the same thing! Though training inconsistent, with more volume and isolation exercises but stil training the big lifts every other day. Like modified versions of Stronglifts and Starting Strength. Progressing linear, but I was told that it stops when you reach 1.5 times bodyweight Squat. Plus sometimes you don't finish a workout when you feel sick. So in general, you're doing pretty much the same thing as me, but getting better results. Except for
Carlitos, he trains with high volume and lots of machines. Furthermore, you're stats are not that much higher than mine. Some of you Squat 150 Kg, but I squatted140 Kg myself and I was still skinny. Same with Bench Pressing, you can lift about 90 Kg, I could do that six months ago...

Despite all this, if you guys have beautiful physiques, I guess the take home point for me is more isolation exercises, more cardio and more volume. And visit a doctor as well like Diddy says.

I did stretches this morning by the way. I am going to jump rope for life after my workout. I'll incorporate some fly's and barbell curls as well.

Your workouts are too generalized. For example you mention bench press. Do you just do flat bench or does that include inclined and declined? They work different muscles. On flat bench I can press 265, inclined 215 and declined 275. There are also t-bar rows, cable rows, OHP (dumbbell and barbell), dead lift variations, etc. Do chest and tricep dips, chin ups and pull ups. Push ups, too. The harder you push yourself, the more you'll accomplish. You should never workout when you're really sick, but try to get to the gym at least two or three times a week. The objective is to reach a point where training becomes second nature, it becomes as important to you as eating and breathing.

It's good that you've added in jump rope, that works for cardio and endurance.

 

[Mad World]

You're right, I am close minded, but that's because I don't want to waste my time anymore and I learned a few things about my own body. So ok, I'm willing to try a new program, but it must involve the big lifts frequently and only use free weights. And I want to see my lifts progress within the next month.

By the way, I worked out to day, went back to a more linear scheme and did some fly's and latteral raises. I did cardio as well, jump roped like you adviced. I can't jump continously though because my feet get stuck in the rope all the time. Did it for ten minutes, then my calves just burned off my body. I followed it up with 11 minutes of machine rowing. I'll try to increase time by 1 minute each workout.

 

[CarlitosWay]

Your workouts are too generalized. For example you mention bench press. Do you just do flat bench or does that include inclined and declined? They work different muscles. On flat bench I can press 265, inclined 215 and declined 275. There are also t-bar rows, cable rows, OHP (dumbbell and barbell), dead lift variations, etc. Do chest and tricep dips, chin ups and pull ups. Push ups, too. The harder you push yourself, the more you'll accomplish. You should never workout when you're really sick, but try to get to the gym at least two or three times a week. The objective is to reach a point where training becomes second nature, it becomes as important to you as eating and breathing.

It's good that you've added in jump rope, that works for cardio and endurance.

Yeah I don't get how people only work out 3 days a week. I know to reach my goal I'll have to be in there a minimum of 4-5 days a week leaning more toward 5-6 days.

If your ass is holding to much fat and a guy like me who has been lifting not even half his time frame and weighs less, with less than average pitiful genetics, plus is taller and stronger with a better composition. Something is very wrong.

 

[Mad World]

Well, CarlitosWay, with the my current schedule I am squatting 3x in 5 day's. You're squatting 1x in 5 day's. There's also 5 day's between your bench sessions. There's 2-3 day's between mine. So it's not like I'm being lazy by going 3 times. But yes, something is wrong. I shoul have been a scary monster by now.

Being The Don, I'm already incorperating those... And it already is my life, it always has been. I'm always going 3 times a week and the other 4 day's I'm stretching and doing a few reps with an empty bar to get the blood flowing for recovery. But I just don't recover.

Maybe I will sleep better after the cardio. I'll try and find out.

 

[Mad World]

Hmm, quick thought about a split program according to Carlitos:

3x8

Monday
Bench Press
Fly's
Dips
Barbell Curls

Tuesday
Deadlift
Calve raise


Thursday
Squat
Overhead Press
Chin-ups
Turkish Get-ups

Still less work then I'm doing now though...

 

[CarlitosWay]

Hmm, quick thought about a split program according to Carlitos:

3x8

Monday
Bench Press

Pick two pressing movements. either low barbell incline, flat db/low incline db or decline barbbell work . flat barbell=overrated unless you're a powerlifter.

Like a heavy low incline/decline barbell movement (6-10 reps) followed by some lighter flat/low incline work with dumbbells (10-15 rep area) works great. (no need to warm up on 2nd exercise as your shoulders/tris/ches tare already warmed up from first exercise)

Fly's

Yeah machine flys, low incline cable flys, or low incline dumbbell flys are great!

2-3 sets 10-15 reps

Dips

Dips are ok...close grip bench press off pins (set them 3-4 inches off chest) or reverse grip bench press work better for tirs. Give them a go in the smith machine (c'mon come to the dark side!) or you can do free weights lol. go 6-12 rep area.

Then do one extension movement...lying ez bar tricep extensions(laying down have bar go behind the head and rest on floor) or larry scott extensions or standing tri pressdowns. Go higher rep say 15-20.


Barbell Curls
Good

Add some forearm work after pinwheel curls, hammer curls or reverse forearm curls (reverse forearm cable curls are great) 1-2 sets 10-15 reps

Tuesday
Deadlift
Calve raise

scrap the deadlift
do machine leg curls 6-12rep area

Move legs here. do either narrow stance front squats or narrow stance high bar back squats 6-10 rep area

Followed by a 20 rep set on either back squats, leg press or hack squat machine.

Thursday
Squat
Overhead Press
Chin-ups
Turkish Get-ups

Do heavy deadlifts here...I'd like to see you do rack deadlifts or heavy rows here from time to time that way on your tues/leg day we can have you alternating betwen leg curls and stifflegged deadlift/romanian deadlifts (done after squats) as to not overload your lower back.

I'd like to see you do your shoulder work first so

Pick one over head pressing movement (seated barbbell shoulder press or dumbbell press) Standing work is good to,(not most ideal shoulder exercise IMO tho) Yet at least alternate between one of the others I mentioned.

Then do lateral raises be it machine laterals/db laterals or cable laterals.

2-3 sets 10-15 reps

Now the fun part...my fav

Chinups are good..but I have a feeling you suck at them. Can you even crank out 12 strict chinups without kicking? If I'm spot on with my assumption. Add some lat pulldowns, rack chinups or machine pulldowns.

We can work on your chinup strength by having you do negatives/static holds at the top what not and getting strong as hell on lat pulldowns/machines.

Now onto deadlifts... deadlifts are good but rack deadlifts are great also Maybe we can comprimise and have you alternate between them? (great idea if you ask me) So do deadlifts/rack deadlifts up to 6-8 heavy reps

I would then follow this with say by ramped up sets of seated cable rows or barbbell rows/t-bar rows/db rows...to 10-15 reps. or get crazy and do heavy kroc rows for 15-20+ reps

Maybe do a couple sets of hyperextensions/hyperextensions after, just to beef/strengthen that lower back some + hammies/glutes. Yet rack deads/floor deads really hit up the lower back good to


Still less work then I'm doing now though...

Look I provided lots of barbell movements...lots of variety. You're stimulating all your muscle groups adequately. What more could you ask for? All you literally have to do now is print that out...eat enough protein every day 1.5 -2 grams x BW watch your carbs and hit the gym and hit them weights like a possessed wildman.
Rinse, lather and repeat 1-2 days later. Give my outline a shot for a month. What do you have to lose? Absolutely nothing. I also don't want to feel like I wasted valuable time and effort here. Cause I could have been helping other people who actually would put my thoughts into PLAY.

EDIT: BTW turkish get ups? Awww so cute....do them on your off day with cardio. forgot to mention do some heavy ab work on tuesday after your training and again some more after training on thursday. or you could do it the day after thursday. things like laying/decline reverse crunches, hanging leg raises, dragon flags, swiss ball cable crunches, kneeling cable crunches, ab pulldowns are great.

 

[CarlitosWay]

http://tnation.tmuscle.com/free_onl...au/things_that_dont_matter_much_thing_that_do
wantted to give you this article also...and here's my biggest beef with total body training.

*Total Body Training can be adequate only if the second "condition" is respected, and that is:

The workout structure should allow for a high quality performance of all the exercises in a session

If it doesn't, then your workload repartition is idiotic. That is my main beef with TBT for bodybuilders: it is difficult to do the proper quantity of stimulation for every muscle group without suffering from a bad performance before the end of the workout.

I'm not saying that it can't be done. Obviously if you stick to one push, one pull and one lower body movement per session you should be fine. However this amount of volume might not be optimal for maximum growth to occur in a vast proportion of the population and might lead to imbalances in others.

 

[CarlitosWay]

Yeah write down what you get on that last 1-2 sets that has you hitting utter failure. Then work on getting that up in more reps or weight.

All your sets going up to the last 1-2 sets should just be warm up/muscle stimulating sets priming you for that last "let's get **** done set"