I'm Joe Posted February 16, 2009 Share Posted February 16, 2009 Im 5'9 and before I started working out I was about 125 - 130 lbs in other words rail thin... over the past few years I have been lifting weights on and off and I got up to about 150 lbs then last year I started lifting with a really gung-ho grab the bull by the horns type of guy and Ive since shot up to 175lbs but Ive been slacking latley so I havent kept going. up but now Im back to it 5 days a week. Im not huge or anything I would describe myself as having an athletic build. Its apperant that I work out but I think some people have my build naturally so its not something that most people notice My question is how much more weight could I reasonably put on before I look like a freak... My dream is 200lbs but I dont know if that is attainable without radically restructuring my diet and lifestyle. Anyone have an Idea? Link to post Share on other sites
a_f_w Posted February 16, 2009 Share Posted February 16, 2009 post pictures or there's no way we can say very much Link to post Share on other sites
Author I'm Joe Posted February 16, 2009 Author Share Posted February 16, 2009 http://www.myspace.com/sevenfootjoe Here is my myspace... none of the pictures are very good but I there are a few pictures of me with a beard and no shirt... also if you look at my comments a friend of mine posted a picture of me before I started working out. Link to post Share on other sites
Island Girl Posted February 16, 2009 Share Posted February 16, 2009 http://www.myspace.com/sevenfootjoe Here is my myspace... none of the pictures are very good but I there are a few pictures of me with a beard and no shirt... also if you look at my comments a friend of mine posted a picture of me before I started working out. Are you doing this for yourself only - as in you like bodybuilding and you are getting into it to be competitive or look like that? Or are you doing to boost your self-confidence and get more women? Because you are on the cusp when it comes to women. Some women like bulging muscles and some like a guy who is physically fit but not a gym maniac. If you want a greater cross section then you are fine as you are as far as size goes. Any bigger and you'll cut out those that like a more average physique. Link to post Share on other sites
fral945 Posted February 16, 2009 Share Posted February 16, 2009 I'm built similarly to you (I'm 5'9", 175 lbs). I weighed 195 lbs at one time, but my diet was terrible (I was kinda fat). Now that I've cleaned it up, 175 lbs is about my max weight I can get with supplementing (or if I just gave up on eating healthy and went back to eating junk). I eat all the time and workout 4-5 days a week. My weight is in the 170-175 lb range generally. When I wasn't lifting heavy my weight dropped to about 155 lbs. What does your weight get to when you aren't working out? If you're naturally thin, it will probably be impossible for you to reach 200 lbs and sustain it (at least not without just getting fat to go along with your muscle). My only advice is to push yourself harder when you are at the gym and maybe add a bit more protein after workouts and to your daily diet. One thing that helps is doing sets with super heavy weight and just doing the eccentric part of the lift, then have a partner help with the concentric part. That allows your muscles to experience a greater load than you would normally get and promotes greater muscle growth. Why do you wanna get that big? Link to post Share on other sites
Author I'm Joe Posted February 16, 2009 Author Share Posted February 16, 2009 Are you doing this for yourself only - as in you like bodybuilding and you are getting into it to be competitive or look like that? Or are you doing to boost your self-confidence and get more women? Because you are on the cusp when it comes to women. Some women like bulging muscles and some like a guy who is physically fit but not a gym maniac. If you want a greater cross section then you are fine as you are as far as size goes. Any bigger and you'll cut out those that like a more average physique. Well I always used to feel weak and puny so I guess its a self confidence thing although now Im just kinda addicted to seeing results. I think your touching on something that I hadn't thought about which how big is too big? But I wonder if I could even if I wanted to.. My legs have room to grow but i have a terrible time putting muscle on them. Link to post Share on other sites
Island Girl Posted February 16, 2009 Share Posted February 16, 2009 Well I always used to feel weak and puny so I guess its a self confidence thing although now Im just kinda addicted to seeing results. I think your touching on something that I hadn't thought about which how big is too big? But I wonder if I could even if I wanted to.. My legs have room to grow but i have a terrible time putting muscle on them. Too big -- well I suppose it is in the eye of the beholder but you are on the cusp as far as athletic build and a "muscle head" (I hate that terminology because my husband would qualify and he SO has a brain). Now you touched on something - the legs. There is NOTHING more unappealing than a guy that works hi upper body like crazy but does not have legs to match. Especially when they wear shorts! Blecht! It is better to have a balanced physique that may be just athletic than big arms, chest, and biceps, etc. with little chicken legs. It just looks ridiculous. Link to post Share on other sites
Author I'm Joe Posted February 16, 2009 Author Share Posted February 16, 2009 I'm built similarly to you (I'm 5'9", 175 lbs). I weighed 195 lbs at one time, but my diet was terrible (I was kinda fat). Now that I've cleaned it up, 175 lbs is about my max weight I can get with supplementing (or if I just gave up on eating healthy and went back to eating junk). I eat all the time and workout 4-5 days a week. My weight is in the 170-175 lb range generally. When I wasn't lifting heavy my weight dropped to about 155 lbs. What does your weight get to when you aren't working out? If you're naturally thin, it will probably be impossible for you to reach 200 lbs and sustain it (at least not without just getting fat to go along with your muscle). My only advice is to push yourself harder when you are at the gym and maybe add a bit more protein after workouts and to your daily diet. One thing that helps is doing sets with super heavy weight and just doing the eccentric part of the lift, then have a partner help with the concentric part. That allows your muscles to experience a greater load than you would normally get and promotes greater muscle growth. Why do you wanna get that big? If I were to stop working out totaly I suspect I would eventually settle at around 145-155lbs A few things 1. If I am going to look like a freak then I don't want to get any bigger... but to be fair I have put on about 45lbs of muscle and I still don't look like a freak, which I thought I would have. 2. I also don't want to get bigger if getting bigger means a radical restructuring of my eating habbits and supplement intake.. The reasons I want to get bigger are so I can lift more weight and becuase I quite enjoy the feeling of being heavier. instead of the blade of grass I used to be. Although I my weights have sort of leveled out recently too. I can seem to break 245 for 3 sets of 10 benching. and ive been stuck curling the 55lb dumbells forever. ans Squats!!! man squats..don't even get me started. Link to post Share on other sites
Author I'm Joe Posted February 16, 2009 Author Share Posted February 16, 2009 Now you touched on something - the legs. There is NOTHING more unappealing than a guy that works hi upper body like crazy but does not have legs to match. Especially when they wear shorts! Blecht! It is better to have a balanced physique that may be just athletic than big arms, chest, and biceps, etc. with little chicken legs. It just looks ridiculous. . Its kind of a weird thing.. my thighs grow.. which means I have to start buying new jeans but my calves just seem to get more tone never much bigger... but even putting muscle on my thighs is an uphill battle. Its kind of funny I have always had a very shapely ass but it was the only thing on me that had any muscle. but now I have "grown into it" so to speak. I used to be a size 28 waist and now Im a 32. the worst part about getting big is buying new clothes. Link to post Share on other sites
fral945 Posted February 16, 2009 Share Posted February 16, 2009 You’re a little lighter than me naturally, then, but not by much. My guess is that you are going to have an extremely difficult time getting up to 200 lbs. without major dietary/lifestyle changes, and you will likely lose your gains made when you stop the intensive workouts, eating, and supplementation. Everyone’s body generally has a “set” weight point. I’ve determined mine is 155 lbs. without lifting weights, but I can get up to 175 lbs when working out on a regular basis. The only way I could get above 175 is: a) Supplementation (i.e., creatine, protein powders) b) Increasing exercise intensity and time spent in the gym c) Quit my healthy eating and get fat along with my muscle development (which is what I was doing about 8 years ago) None of those options appeal to me, but they may to you. I decided I prefer a weight I can maintain long-term. If I quit working out I’ll be around 155. If I maintain my exercise routine I will stay around 175 lbs. 175 lbs. is a good amount of weight on a 5’9” frame, anyway. If you’ve plateaued, the only thing you can do is increase your workout intensity and your protein intake. It sounds like your upper body is strong. Might want to work your legs out a big harder. One way to get past those breaking points is to do the eccentric reps I was talking about. Other than that my only advice is to learn to accept your limitations. Link to post Share on other sites
Author I'm Joe Posted February 19, 2009 Author Share Posted February 19, 2009 Just weighed myself today at the gym...183! I have been really trying to get in shape since I am going on vacation tomorrow, so I have been going very intense. However I suspect the 8 pounds is due to the creatine I have been taking. so we will see If I can hold on to it after I cycle off. I thought something was up but I hadn't weighed myself in almost a month. Link to post Share on other sites
soon2Bfiling Posted February 21, 2009 Share Posted February 21, 2009 Just weighed myself today at the gym...183! I have been really trying to get in shape since I am going on vacation tomorrow' date=' so I have been going very intense. However I suspect the 8 pounds is due to the creatine I have been taking. so we will see If I can hold on to it after I cycle off. I thought something was up but I hadn't weighed myself in almost a month.[/quote']Hey joe, No offense but it looks like your 18-19% body fat so I suggest you ''cut'' starting in march and see what muscle you have under the layer,this way you will look ripped by summer and start a ''bulk'' cycle in the fall. It is the only way to add muscle the right way. All year of bulking is not good look, Burn the fat [cut] and build the muscle [bulk] ..never at the same time. good luck Link to post Share on other sites
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