Popeye - Print Topic

Im starting to look like popeye i only weigh 11stone, my neck is 13.5" and my arms have gone up to 14.5" cold. And before you ask i dont concentrate hardly any of my time on my arms my main focus is my pigeon chest and my stick legs. I also eat like a horse and have 3 protein shakes a day(other than the weekend). i train 4 times a week doing low reps apprx 6 and high weights but with focus on good form. I steamed up from 9 stone 12 in a very short period to 11 stone but now i have been stuck for 3 months at 11 stone. I do squats bench press and dead lifts amongst other things just dont know what to do as the only thing growing is my arms, its starting to look scilly now.
im not looking for a magic fix and totally love the gym just need to know what i am doing wrong.

count yaself luck only having a 13.5 inch neck at that weight im 2 st lighter with 15inch neck 38 chest and 30 waist it sucks need more weight arms are about 16 cold :(

Providing your are eating enough quality calories to grow new muscle - if you are finding that your arms are growing faster than your chest or legs - I owuld suggest reassesing your workouts and exercise form. If the food is ther and thses muscles are not growing at the same rate as other m8uscle groups - simply put you are not stimulating muscle growth when training these muscles....

This is my eating and training layout

Monday-

chest
- bench press (alternate between dumbells and bar each week)
- flys
- dips

Tuesday-

legs and a little bit on biceps

-Dead lift
-Squats (hate this with a passion)
-leg extension
-leg curls
-use a machine for my calves
-then a few sets on my biceps

Thursday

back
-pullups wide grip then close
-bent over row
-then seated row with cable pulling grip towards my stomach

Friday

Shoulders
-smith machine pressing infront and then behind my neck
-upright row (think thats what its called lift an easy bar to my chin)
-lateral raises to front and side
-shrugs
-also do reverse flys(think thats what you call them)

i do roughly 6 reps with a heavy wait concentrating on good form

think i need to eat more my diet is as follows

weetabix at 7am

toast and maximuscle protein shake (30g protein) 10am

shephards pie and another shake 1pm

toast and shake 5pm

train at 6.30pm

dinner no shake around 9pm

i also have one cod liver oil tablet and a vitamin tablet with dinner

i love eating but find eat hard to eat first thing in the morning but by 10am i could eat a horse. Any pointers would be great as i am loving my traing and my strengh is constantly improving just need to sort the bulk out.

Your diet need work to say the least - and you do more volume on your delts that you do your legs??

when you say my diet needs work do you mean more protein or.......
and whats that about my delts

Thanks for the pointers

Looking at your training routine - you are doin more volume on your delts which is a small muscle group in comparison to legs - and you want bigger legs? Your diet is not that great for bodybuilding, toast and a protein shake is not really a meal. You need more whole foods of simular size and of high quality.

when i first started training i didnt do anything on my legs but since i have started training them i have noticed an overall increase in strenght (not sure if the two are related) what changes would you recomend i make to my training.
re my diet i work a 10 hour day but i do have a kitchen with a microwave available so any ideas would be cool. I know there is no quick fix but i am totally addicted i dont drink on week nights and make sure i get good sleep so hopefully over time this will pay off.

Quoted from gig

This is my eating and training layout

Monday-

chest
- bench press (alternate between dumbells and bar each week)
- flys
- dips
ARE ANY OF THESE SETS ON THE INCLINE?
Tuesday-

legs and a little bit on biceps

-Dead lift
-Squats (hate this with a passion)
-leg extension
-leg curls
-use a machine for my calves
-then a few sets on my biceps
DEADS AND SQUATS TOGETHER DONT GO, THIS COULD BE A BIG PROBLEM AS BOTH CORE EXERCISES - SPLIT THESE UP INTO BACK/LEGS

Thursday

back
-pullups wide grip then close
-bent over row
-then seated row with cable pulling grip towards my stomach

Friday

Shoulders
-smith machine pressing infront and then behind my neck DO SOME DUMBELL PRESSES-upright row (think thats what its called lift an easy bar to my chin)
-lateral raises to front and side
-shrugs
-also do reverse flys(think thats what you call them)

i do roughly 6 reps with a heavy wait concentrating on good form

think i need to eat more my diet is as follows

weetabix at 7am(INCLUDE PROTEIN)
toast and maximuscle protein shake (30g protein) 10am (DITCH THE TOAST)
shephards pie and another shake 1pm( SHEPHERDS PIE?????)
toast and shake 5pm(TOAST AGAIN!!)train at 6.30pm (PROTEIN/CARBS STRAIGHT AFTER TRAINING)
dinner no shake around 9pm

i also have one cod liver oil tablet and a vitamin tablet with dinner(HAVE THESE WITH BREAKFAST)
i love eating but find eat hard to eat first thing in the morning but by 10am i could eat a horse. Any pointers would be great as i am loving my traing and my strengh is constantly improving just need to sort the bulk out.
BREAKFAST IS THE MOST IMPORTANT MEAL - YOUR BODY HAS WOKEN AND IS CRAVING NUTRIENTS - IT SHOULD REALLY BE THE HIGHEST CALORIE MEAL!

wicked thanks for the pointers

re the chest, i start with incline normally using the bar, is it best to use dumbells as i really want to develop my chest, ive also heard dips are really good for your chest so was toying with the idea of doing weighted dips to start as i have been training for just over a year solid now and havent seen any size gains in my chest.

re- dead lifts is it ok to do this with my back workout

re-dumbell french press should i ditch the smith machine and use dumbelss instead.

Do you think i should do my legs more than once a week as they only measure 19.5" at the widest part, ive heard that if you develop your legs it will have a knock on effect with the rest of your body.

re my diet, i sometimes buy a cooked chicked from tesco's and have this in a role would that be better for lunch.
i think my biggest problem is breakfast as i find it really hard to eat 1st thing but come 9am when i am at work i am starving. Are those protein bars any good, basically if i have to get up an hour early to prepare a meal i will do it., just really want to pack on the bulk as i know my training is good in that i work hard and never miss a session(just need to refine it) and im 6ft2 so i have a good frame just need to put some bulk on my skinny little body currently 11stone dead and my fat ratio isnt good its 20% although havent got a clue where its hiding.

Again thanks for the help love the new site

firstly anylize your chest and what is its weakest point upper or lower if your upper chest is weakest ,start with incline presses 5 sets should do ityou can always adjust your angle of pressing to suit (eg:i start of chest at about a 45* angle then lower to about 15* angle doing about 8-10 sets in total)that way i an prioratizing my weak upper chest ,which is out of proportion to my lower chest,but regardless always start with core building first then finish with flys ,or cable crossovers...try 6 weeks on barbell pressing then 6 weeks on dumbell pressing 6 weeks fly`s then 6 weeks cable if you feel slightly sore the next day you have don it right if not ask your self why,what have i done wrong, ARNOLDS ENCYCLOPIDIA is a fantastic book which i recommend you BUY AND STUDY as it will teach you alot about every aspect of body building ,if you dont know mentally where your going then how will you train your body to respond physically ,,buy the book it will be the best resourch that you ever buy and will answer nearly every question you have about bodybuilding
i an still refering to my copy of the book after training for nearly 4 years ,and i still have questions that i dont know BUY THE BOOK (BEST �40 IV`E EVER SPENT)

Yeah its a good book - skimmings isright, any one serious about training should start by studying this, I mean study aswel you wont grow by accident!!

You can do deads with your back but be sure to do them first and you must warm up fully, also perform very strictly and dont go too heavy until perfected.

The smith is ok but tends to keep the rep in the same plane over and over, by using a bar bell military press or dumbells you utilise all the stabilisers and stimulate more growth. I use the smith to drop set to proper finish the shoulders off after a workout.

Try to eat quality protein as oppose to 'making do'. I no its hard but its the only way. By quality I mean chicken breasts, tuna (in water), egg whites, if youre struggling for time get some decent whey protein in. A shake is far superior to bars and with skimmed milk are quite nice, the milk also provides some extra protein!

You must eat breakfast, even if you have to force it down, when bulking you can split your intake into 6 - 8 meals a day and trust me sometimes you have to really force the food in.

Do some research into dieting, plan a diet and give it 6 - 8 weeks, see how you go, take pictures, before and after so you can see your progress, keep a training diary and post your diet/training on here, we will all comment and help.

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