Hi guys

I am about to start my training to become a Police Officer and thought i would hit the gym in preparation.

I have always been very slim, from the age of 18 up until the age of twenty eight i was about ten stone four, my height is five ten, but i look scrawny. Over the last two years i have put on a stone but still look just as scrawny. I joined a local gym in febrauary to try to bulk up a bit but i am seeing no visible results at all. Now i am not thick, i wasnt expecting to walk in thin and walk out looking like Arnie, but surely i should be seeing some sort of results?? My muscles are definatley much more firm to the touch and the weights that i am lifting are incresing so strength must be getting better, but no size. A brief description of my routine is;

Strength
3 x 12 leg press - 86 kg
3 x 12 seated leg curl - 45 kg
3 x 12 assisted pull up - 30 kg assist off of my 72 kg body weight
2 x 15 dumbell row - 9kg dumbell
3 x 12 dumbell bench press - 10 kg dumbells
2000 metres on the rowing machine

Then i do some ground work (sit ups crunches etc for stomach work)

I do the above routine three times per week and then i do the following cardio twice a week;

15 minutes on thr treadmill
10 minutes on the stair climber.

I understand that the cardio may not help in my wish to gain size, but i obviously need to maintain a good level of aerobic fitness as well as strength etc.

Thanks in advance for any advice or help!!

i dont think the weights you are using are heavy enough you need to drop down 2 8- 10 reps and lift heavy .

If your 11 stone 4 now.... Your gonna have to bulk to 14-15 stone, its not what you wanna hear

what does your diet look like?

My Journal - Cut 2.0

Hi Blueboy

I've been in about 15 months and I work with guys a lot smaller than you. I'm 6 feet 5 and 20 stone but it doesn't stop 17 year old drunks trying to have a go. It's the uniform they see not what's inside, and don't forget our gang is a lot bigger then theirs

Keep up with the training though. My colleagues are always commenting on my size, my arms are just under 18 inches so by weight training it'll put you way ahead of most people out there. How many weight lifters do you see barreling around the high street w£$%^&*d on a Saturday night. NONE.

I do Cashmans routine from the Beginners section. Works a treat. 6-8 Reps is a good balance between growth and strength.

Good luck mate, it's a great career.

Ogg

ORIGINAL: tubbyman

what does your diet look like?

Agreed, this is the most important thing to be looking at, if its size you want.

www.underground-muscle.co.uk

no where near enough weight ....

add more weight, so the last 2 reps are very challenging,

get a proven 3 day routine in place, ditch the leg press machine and go for squats,

the weight on those leg press machines dont feel right, i can doo the whole stack at my gym, which is 195kg ....

and i assure you i can not do nearly that much on a squat lol !!

I don't think I would bother with the 2K row after weights. I don't think 8-9 mins of effort is going to help that much.
I think you would be better doing a bit more on the cardio day instead.

Instead of rowing give yourself 10 minutes stretching or some abs work. Weighted sit-ups or maybe the plank for a couple of minutes, trying to increase the time gradually.

Good luck with your progress.

On the road with JB - a progress log Rippetoe started and finished in one day

Cheers ogg i cant wait. I dont want to build to try to intimidate or anything, its more for my own self esteem, my chest and shoulders look fine but i just dont seem to be able to do anything with my scrawny arms. The gym instructors are telling me my routine (that they gave me) is correct and with time i will see results but i dont know. Body fat is between 14 - 15% so thats ok.

Re; my diet, to get my weight up to what it is i ate a lot of crap, pizzas crisps etc. i ensure that i eat at least 2700 cals per day and i have four meals and try to snack in between. I would say my diet now is average to be honest but i am far from knowledgable on the subject, hence all of the questions!! Would a weight gain shake help?

Noo not the best way about it mate, Keep away fom the junk food thats not going to help you at all, that'll just make you fat. What you want is a nice good protein intake.

Currently i'm putting on weight as i just ran the marathon and stuff and i'm joining up as a special through uni and then joining the Met after but protein is the way forward. I'm not the best person to advise you on diets but look around the forum and you'll find some good help there.

i've currently moved too 3 protein shakes a day (as adviced by some mates from the gym here) as they said "if you work it off you won't get fat and in a year the maximum fat weight you can gain (not muscle just fat) is probably only about 2 stone.

Adam - AKS
www.justgiving.com/adamks - Flora London Marathon 2008 sponsorship

My Journal - http://www.muscletalk.co.uk/m_2684997/tm.htm

ORIGINAL: Aks

"if you work it off you won't get fat and in a year the maximum fat weight you can gain (not muscle just fat) is probably only about 2 stone.

Personally I'd like to see the evidence for this statement.

ORIGINAL: blueboy4ever

Hi guys

I am about to start my training to become a Police Officer and thought i would hit the gym in preparation.

I have always been very slim, from the age of 18 up until the age of twenty eight i was about ten stone four, my height is five ten, but i look scrawny. Over the last two years i have put on a stone but still look just as scrawny. I joined a local gym in febrauary to try to bulk up a bit but i am seeing no visible results at all. Now i am not thick, i wasnt expecting to walk in thin and walk out looking like Arnie, but surely i should be seeing some sort of results?? My muscles are definatley much more firm to the touch and the weights that i am lifting are incresing so strength must be getting better, but no size. A brief description of my routine is;

Strength
3 x 12 leg press - 86 kg
3 x 12 seated leg curl - 45 kg
3 x 12 assisted pull up - 30 kg assist off of my 72 kg body weight
2 x 15 dumbell row - 9kg dumbell
3 x 12 dumbell bench press - 10 kg dumbells
2000 metres on the rowing machine

Then i do some ground work (sit ups crunches etc for stomach work)

I do the above routine three times per week and then i do the following cardio twice a week;

15 minutes on thr treadmill
10 minutes on the stair climber.

I understand that the cardio may not help in my wish to gain size, but i obviously need to maintain a good level of aerobic fitness as well as strength etc.

Thanks in advance for any advice or help!!

Hi mate and welcome to MT have a read of these, http://www.muscletalk.co.uk/article-beginners-guide.aspx , http://www.muscletalk.co.uk/article-beginners-first-stop.aspx and post your diet up in the Diet and Nutrition section and the guys will critique it for you.

Goodluck mate
Shane

Aks I don't understand your advice, protein is not the secret to bulking... calories are.

Blueboy if you are hitting the gym hard then I doubt 2700 is anywhere near enough calories to pack on mass, I would hazard a guess that you are barely above maintenance level.

I'd suggest you try to hit at least 3000 a day, and adjust up further if after 2 months you're still not seeing any size increases.

mate i would do bill starr 5 x5. sqitch to onlty doing squats, deadlifts, bench and barbell rows.

You don't eat enough.

Wheels

Age and Guile beat Youth, Innocence and a Bad Haircut

”How can anyone expect to possess co-ordination in active work when his muscles have never worked together in groups?” Earle Liederman, 1924

Yeah , eat more, cut the rowing out or do it on cardio day, (better off doing running, in your game mate) add another set on to the list.

" A bank is a place where you can get a lend of money if you can prove you dont need it"

Eat more clean foods and aim for 3000+ cals a day, watch your weight week by week and when weight stops going on, increase daily calories to keep it moving. General opinion is - lower reps = size, higher reps = fitness. I aim for 8 at my heaviest wieght and if I can do at least 7 reps on the last set I will move up the weight. As stated above, read all the articles and you will learn whats what.

'If at first you don't succeed, find out if the loser gets anything.'

' Slow but sure moves the might of the gods. '

Cheers for the advice guys, i have booked an assessment at the gym this week with one of the instructors to discuss this and to try to get a new routine, so i will let you know how i get on.

I think i am going to struggle to eat much more so do you think a weight gain shake is the way to go? If so are there any you can recommend?

Thanks again for all of your posts.

routine is poor, eat more

Space this routine out evenly over a week, i,e mon, wed, fri. 3 sets of 8reps, when you can do 8reps, up the weight by 2.5KG

Session 1
-------
Deadlift
Bent over DB rows
Pull ups
Preacher Curls

Session 2
-----------
Flat Barbell or Dumbell Bench
Overhead Shoulder Press
Dips
Tricep rope pushdowns or tricep bar pushdowns

Session 3
------------
Squats
Lying Leg Curls
Calf Raise
Ab work e.g crunches and hanging leg raises

73.25K BW
160K Squat
102.5K Bench
220K Deadlift (3BW)

My Journal

ORIGINAL: blueboy4ever

Cheers for the advice guys, i have booked an assessment at the gym this week with one of the instructors to discuss this and to try to get a new routine, so i will let you know how i get on.

I think i am going to struggle to eat much more so do you think a weight gain shake is the way to go? If so are there any you can recommend?

Thanks again for all of your posts.

Weight gainers can sometimes be used to help fill in some calories, although be warned they are not always 'clean' calories and will almost certainly put you some fat on. Check out the deal here - http://www.bargain-supplements.co.uk/product_info.php?cPath=48&products_id=1097 2 mass builders for £55 delivered, bargain!

Cliff's routine is very similar to what I use so can recommend it.

'If at first you don't succeed, find out if the loser gets anything.'

' Slow but sure moves the might of the gods. '

Right guys. i went to the gym and they have put me on a new routine. I will put it up when i get a chance, did the full thing last thursday and my triceps and chest have been in absolute agony, its not localised like a pull but its the whole areas. Is this normal? Is it that i am now working the muscles properly, or am i overdoing it? The gym bloke didnt seem to like the fact that i have said that i didnt think his routine was working and would like to change it, and i am wondering if he is trying to work me into the ground!!