Please help me out!

[Matticus]

im a beginner lifter and DEFINITELY a hardgainer, ive been researching alot and i know i need to eat like theres no tomorrow, and do compound movements but i need someone to checkout what im doing and give me some advice and tips on what to change.

im 6'2, weigh 152 pounds, and im 17 years old
i have a protein shake post workout, and i usually have one on rest days
heres my workout(i JUST started increasing 5 pounds every 1-2 weeks, so who knows what the future holds)

bench- 150 lbs x 6 reps 4 sets going down 5 pounds each time
bentover rows- 40 lbs x 10 reps 2 sets then 35 lbsx10 reps 2 sets
dumbell bicep curl- i dont know what the bar weighs(its an olympic bar)
but i start with 25 pounds on each side, rep that 6-8 times and do 4 sets decreasing 5 each time
instead of squat i do legpress(because my back hurts) and i do 350 pounds on that
and after all of this i do weighted crunches, side crunches, and then normal crunches

also, would it be okay to run a mile pre workout? (remember im a hardgainer ) ive recently stopped cardio to gain more mass, but now im starting to get(or havent got rid of) a tiny bit of love handles, or should i just not worry about the love handles

thanks ALOT for any feedback, matt

[NCcanes]

i wouldnt worry too much about cardio if your trying to gain muscle mass. running may use up precious calories your muscles need, and it may even consume some of your muscle for energy

as for benching (and all your other lifts), i would look to add weight with each set. i used to do exactly what you do--decreasing the weight. it took a while to get used to increasing it, but the gains are worth it.

im not sure if you have a back injury, or if it just hurts, but i would highly recommend adding deadlifts and changing to squats (consult with a physician). find someone to show you proper technique, and those can be the most important lifts you do. deadlifts work nearly the whole body, and if you have a smaller neck and traps (like i did) itll be sure to add some mass to those areas and make you look bigger. squats are by far the best leg exercise, and the bigger muscles you work the more testosorone your body produces, and since the legs are your biggest muscles...well you do the math. also look about maybe adding power cleans or hang cleans once you get the hang of deadlifting and squatting

dieting isnt my forte, but remember its not jsut about eating like theres no tomorrow. its eating healthy like theres no tomorrow

btw, most olympic bars weight 44-45lbs (i believe its actually 20kg), so your bench is actually 195lbs, rows are 85lbs, curls are 95lbs, and leg press, well thats still 350

[bodyshop20]

mmm, if yr a hard gainer, try this as a beginner try 5x5 training.
This is 5 sets of 5 reps on compound moves.
System works like taking yr max 1 rep lift and cutting it to 80% and doing 5 reps x 5 sets
So for example you bench 150 max 1 rep, you will attempt 5 120lb reps and 5 sets.
Now the compound moves should be
Behind head shoulder barbell press
Wide grip cable pull downs or wide grip chin ups
T bar row
Squats
Dead lifts
Bench press
This will hit every muscle so dont worry with bi cep curls tricep push downs.
These are small muscles that help big body parts and are used in the moves i have mentioned.
And for the record it the work out my 14 yr old is doing
Heavy basic moves to build, then you use little isolation moves to chisel that big chunk to a ripped torso
Hope this is of help to you

[Matticus]

Originally Posted by NCcanes

i wouldnt worry too much about cardio if your trying to gain muscle mass. running may use up precious calories your muscles need, and it may even consume some of your muscle for energy

as for benching (and all your other lifts), i would look to add weight with each set. i used to do exactly what you do--decreasing the weight. it took a while to get used to increasing it, but the gains are worth it.

im not sure if you have a back injury, or if it just hurts, but i would highly recommend adding deadlifts and changing to squats (consult with a physician). find someone to show you proper technique, and those can be the most important lifts you do. deadlifts work nearly the whole body, and if you have a smaller neck and traps (like i did) itll be sure to add some mass to those areas and make you look bigger. squats are by far the best leg exercise, and the bigger muscles you work the more testosorone your body produces, and since the legs are your biggest muscles...well you do the math. also look about maybe adding power cleans or hang cleans once you get the hang of deadlifting and squatting

dieting isnt my forte, but remember its not jsut about eating like theres no tomorrow. its eating healthy like theres no tomorrow

btw, most olympic bars weight 44-45lbs (i believe its actually 20kg), so your bench is actually 195lbs, rows are 85lbs, curls are 95lbs, and leg press, well thats still 350

thanks alot, ill try increasing each set in my workout tommorow. im gonna do some lowerback workouts to get that stronger and then start my squats shortly there after. as for the dead lifts, i have NO clue what weight to start those at, but i guess ill figure it out. and all of my lifts except for the curls factored the bar in :P yeah, my diet is actually pretty healthy usually so i think the fat build up is just a result of me getting alot more food and protein than my body was used to.
thanks alot!
matt

[Matticus]

Originally Posted by bodyshop20

mmm, if yr a hard gainer, try this as a beginner try 5x5 training.
This is 5 sets of 5 reps on compound moves.
System works like taking yr max 1 rep lift and cutting it to 80% and doing 5 reps x 5 sets
So for example you bench 150 max 1 rep, you will attempt 5 120lb reps and 5 sets.
Now the compound moves should be
Behind head shoulder barbell press
Wide grip cable pull downs or wide grip chin ups
T bar row
Squats
Dead lifts
Bench press
This will hit every muscle so dont worry with bi cep curls tricep push downs.
These are small muscles that help big body parts and are used in the moves i have mentioned.
And for the record it the work out my 14 yr old is doing
Heavy basic moves to build, then you use little isolation moves to chisel that big chunk to a ripped torso
Hope this is of help to you

alright, im definitely planning on doing pull ups, and i dont know what t bar rows are but ill look into those for sure. thanks alot for the info!

[NCcanes]

idk about everybody, but for me, i can deadlift more than i can squat. so if you squat say 100, start out at 100 then increase accrodingly (if its too light, add maybe 10's or 25's, if its about right, add 5's)

make sure your form is correct!! deadlifts can really screw with your back if your doing them wrong (and sometimes even if your doing them right)

t-bar rows require a t-bar row machine. although you can improvise with a barbell and placing one end against a corner. place the weight on the other side, stand over the bar, take a cable row handle and put it under the bar and lift with that. i prefer regular bent over rows however