jim stoppani's shortcut to size

[breakdirt916]

give me 2-3 years...I'll just get fatter because I'll be in my 30's

lucas - trainer said that's what body builders do, but I'm still eating as much as I can regardless...just had a plate of wheat pasta, 3 servings of ground beef, and a few eggs...I think my body has a limit to how much protein I absorb in a meal, so I'm going to eat again in a couple hours before I go to work, then snack on protein bars during work until dinner

[Lucas]

give me 2-3 years...I'll just get fatter because I'll be in my 30's

lucas - trainer said that's what body builders do, but I'm still eating as much as I can regardless...just had a plate of wheat pasta, 3 servings of ground beef, and a few eggs...I think my body has a limit to how much protein I absorb in a meal, so I'm going to eat again in a couple hours before I go to work, then snack on protein bars during work until dinner

You are confusing me.

So you are trying to put on mass, correct? And eating is an issue for you, correct?

Can we agree, that for your body type, you need to eat ALOT to maximize gains?

So If you can barely eat enough to sustain muscle growth, why are you interested in bulking then cutting? You aren't consuming enough calories to begin with so there won't be any left over to store as fat.

And wtf is three serving sizes of beef? Thrown the whole pound in the pan and wolf it down.

[tsorfas]

There's no science behind it. metabolism is pretty much the same thing as activity.

That is not very accurate. Your metabolism actually builds with you. Your preteen years and low teens are the most important ones as far as how your metabolism will develope. At least that's how it was explained to me. And iv seen it a lot

[breakdirt916]

You are confusing me.

So you are trying to put on mass, correct? And eating is an issue for you, correct?

Can we agree, that for your body type, you need to eat ALOT to maximize gains?

So If you can barely eat enough to sustain muscle growth, why are you interested in bulking then cutting? You aren't consuming enough calories to begin with so there won't be any left over to store as fat.

And wtf is three serving sizes of beef? Thrown the whole pound in the pan and wolf it down.

yep, still having issues eating, and yes I'm trying to gain size

the bulk/shred was more of a general question...just doing research to see what all the methods of body building were...I'm still not 100% sold that bulk eating + heaviest lifting = size

but I'm doing better with food...I'm eating more frequently & the major meals are bigger - for dinner last night I ate a pound of turkey with 1/2 a box of pasta
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

update - finished week 3...weight going up, reps down, building strength

but...I'm already starting to plateau...

my shoulders, triceps, & back stopped growing (maybe even shrunk a bit?). Chest, biceps & legs still have some room to grow, but I'm getting to the same place I get every time

strength is definitely increasing...I'm having more powerful/stable workouts, and the weight range is going up...it feels like the body is just adapting

the shortcut to size program says keep increasing weight for another week, then suddenly drop weight and go back up to 15 reps for a week...only this time around I'll start at a higher weight range than the first time...this alternating rep range is what generates muscle confusion and hopefully muscle size...then drop weight over another 4 weeks, and repeat for a total of 3 months

left picture: a week ago...week 2 (higher reps, lower weight) ............................. right picture: last night...week 3 (lower reps, higher weight)

[breakdirt916]

more update: slowly gaining strength because the reps are more controlled & stable, and I've gone up as much as 50% in weight..by next week it will go up a bit more as I settle into the 4-6 rep range. One week of low reps/high weight finishes phase I, then I transition to phase II, & high (12-15) reps again.

it definitely helps to write down all the weights you're doing to track your progress...

today - total tricep destruction!



weak point - some days, I'm still lousy with food...2-3 days/week I get up late, accidentally burn the food I'm making, or just not organized enough to have food in the fridge ready to go after a 12 hour day at work...but the intake has to keep up! food is damn expensive though...I'll eat a $6 tray of meat in one sitting...add salad, pasta, canned tomatoes, fruit, and protein bars... and it's nearing $10/meal! I'm not sure if the BCAA's or glutamine are doing anything...I'm almost out, so I'll likely stop them after this week.

another weak point - I took 4 back-to-back days off last week because of work...it really felt too long, as if my body was recovering quickly. This week - not going to take more than 2 consecutive days off...

[Phat Twin]

did this, plateau'd every time

everybody's body is different and react to diet and exercise stimuli differently...eating a lot just didn't get me fat or big, I just pooped more

this time I'm not eating as many crappy foods, and using a microcycle lifting regime

tried a personal trainer...he wanted $260/week...so $1,000+/month, and all he did was give me diet info and lifting regime's you can find online

Look up "Body Ambition" online. Janelle Nicolo. She's an IFBB pro that gives you your workouts and diet info online. She tracks your diet progress though an online program, gives you a diet to follow (recommendations for fats/proteins/carbs, not actual recipes, you have to do some homework and there are tons out there), and gives you workouts that are tailored to what you want. Its like $100 a month, and if your motivated to eat clean, work out hard and do what she says, it will work. My wife has lost almost 18 pounds, I'm down 8, but my mass is changing being 6'4", and I started later than her. I eat like 6 times a day, the meals are great. She follows you through pictures that you send in to her, and alters you workout based on what she sees. Try it for three months, thats how you pay up front. If not, you've got great workouts, they're hard, a lot of ploy's body weight work, etc., not just bench and squat.

Might be a good option

[xrocket21]

Lift big. Eat big. Sleep big.

If you aren't getting the size you want you are slacking in one of those areas. Plain and simple.

I came in here to say: "Eat big, sleep big, lift big, get big"

but you were close enough!

[breakdirt916]

Look up "Body Ambition" online. Janelle Nicolo. She's an IFBB pro that gives you your workouts and diet info online. She tracks your diet progress though an online program, gives you a diet to follow (recommendations for fats/proteins/carbs, not actual recipes, you have to do some homework and there are tons out there), and gives you workouts that are tailored to what you want. Its like $100 a month, and if your motivated to eat clean, work out hard and do what she says, it will work. My wife has lost almost 18 pounds, I'm down 8, but my mass is changing being 6'4", and I started later than her. I eat like 6 times a day, the meals are great. She follows you through pictures that you send in to her, and alters you workout based on what she sees. Try it for three months, thats how you pay up front. If not, you've got great workouts, they're hard, a lot of ploy's body weight work, etc., not just bench and squat.

Might be a good option

whoa! that's cool!!

my issue isn't the information - there's a lot of it out there, and I can calculate how much I need of foods I need...the issue is following through...and honestly, it seems like every person seems to have their own opinion about which workout regime works, and it may work for them, but doesn't always seem to work for me...

but thanks!

[Petorius]

Any good forums/free online resources for this kind of thing? Ie not just trying to sell me supplements?

[mzdagrl]

honestly, it seems like every person seems to have their own opinion about which workout regime works, and it may work for them, but doesn't always seem to work for me...

Welcome to the fitness world. Also what works for you now may not be what worked 10 years ago, or will work 10 years from now. But, if you are looking for other things to try, then there is no shortage of plans out there. (granted I am no bodybuilder, but I believe this goes for all aspects of fitness)

[MattR302]

Any good forums/free online resources for this kind of thing? Ie not just trying to sell me supplements?

Start with the stickies...
http://forum.bodybuilding.com/forumdisplay.php?f=8&

[curiouser]

it seems like every person seems to have their own opinion about which workout regime works, and it may work for them, but doesn't always seem to work for me...

That's exactly why the whole getting into shape thing is one big experiment. It involves trying different protocols and observing which your body responds to, and for how long. Some people take this as a vindication of workout A.D.D. whereby they switch their training around so frequently, they don't give their body a chance to respond. The other frustrating thing about everyone having their differing opinion, especially those in the fitness industry, is that in many cases, they used a different method to get in the shape they're currently in. They might prescribe a cutting edge 5-day split routine to a n00b lifter, when in reality, they themselves gained the most size on a low rep compound-based routine before switching to a more advanced split.

Anyway, I'm rehashing some of the other recommendations already posted by others months back, but I'll offer whatever advice I can think of. Generally, there are 2 things that must be present in order to see results:
1) Consistency - No brainer. You have to stick with it for long enough to see results. A couple days off here and there shouldn't be much of an issue, provided they're not frequent and you jump back in and get on track.

2) Intensity - You have to push yourself to perform at a higher level than last week's workout. It might only be another few reps or 2 more lbs, but that kind of progression over time is what will cause your physiology to adapt. If you're on the beginner end of the spectrum, your best bet is to go with compound movement (as described on the prev page) like squat, deadlift, pull-ups, dips, etc. These exercises require the most musculature working in concert and will give you the biggest bang-for-the-buck. They will also help keep your muscles in balance relative to each other. E.g. you shouldn't be doing endless sets of curls or lat pulldowns if you can't perform at least 5 pull-ups with strict form. If you're looking for a good routine for beginners in black&white, check out the book "Starting Strength". It also has a fairly thorough wiki: http://startingstrength.wikia.com/

As far as supplements, I wouldn't bother with them for the most part. I've tried plenty and have become disillusioned with the vast majority. Even among the few that have legitimate value, some people respond better than others. A protein shake here and there can help get the calories in your diet, and there are a few ancillary ones which might help prevent soreness etc, but I wouldn't waste your money on the most of the stuff on the shelves of Vitamin Shoppe, GNC, etc.

Having a qualified person teach you how to execute "the big lifts" with proper form is also important to avoid injury. Unfortunately, many personal trainers got a certificate from an online course, so beware of whomever is providing the instruction.

Good luck, and let me know if I can clarify anything else.

[breakdirt916]

very good information, thanks!

the consistency is def. huge, and honestly something I work pretty hard to maintain...it's *so* easy to skip out on a workout on the long back-to-back work days...but I also like that aspect of working out - if I skip days, it's all on me. Nobody else to blame...I can't take shortcuts here, I'm the one that pays for it...after I saw my size decrease with increasing weight, I considered quitting too...but like you said about ADD, I'm going to stick with this for the full 12 weeks to give it a chance for results.

the intensity is still something I've been investigating - all the workout programs in the world won't work if you don't pick the right weight to maximize intensity...I actually spend a good amount of time doing a few extra sets, just to make sure I'm finding the right weight range to hit muscle fatigue/failure on my last set. The weight gets recorded, and beat by the next week.

I'm done with BCAA's & glutamine after these run out - they didn't do anything. The whey protein isolate, however, "felt" like it helped, plus something in there increases my appetite which makes it easier for me to hit my food goals. I know that creatine causes fluid retention, so that I *may* try out short term to see what sort of results I get

[breakdirt916]

4th week done...

6-8 rep range...weight up...

exhaustion by 3rd set, drop weight 25%, & pushing to exhaustion again (this is called a "drop set")



strength increasing, weight increasing, but size remains about the same ??

next week: 3-5 reps, with increased focus on the most weight...when in doubt, go up on weight and just do 3-reps.

following week: restart microcycle 1: 12-15 reps again!

[Paul_E_D]

You're looking at too many of those fakebook ads, aren't you? The ones poorly photoshopped with guy stupidly over-inflated (in just 6 weeks!)

[breakdirt916]

yeaahhh...I was more talking about what lucas/matt/xrocket are saying: eat big, lift big, that's it - I swear it doesn't work on me...5 weeks into it, and I plateau, and almost getting smaller!

but the "2 week cycle" was almost dead-on...my first pic was around that time, and my muscles swelled a whole lot. So I'll stick it out for 6 months - 1 year and see if my body starts to give into the change...maybe time is all I ever needed.

also - this hit home today

2) Intensity - You have to push yourself to perform at a higher level than last week's workout.

I went in today completely exhausted from work - could barely hit the reps I was pushing up a week before - wtf happened?

but then I remembered something about work, got a little angry, put on some aggressive music, wailed out my sets, and just kept racking weight and slamming them up and down, to top what I did before. so some of it for me is psychological...and sometimes I can lift 20% more just by being energized into it...I need to harness that intensity every time, or I won't get a maximum workout

and recovery...if I do chest once/week, the swelling goes down after 4-5 days...I almost want to condense the "microcycles" even further...instead of waiting 7 days to work on a certain muscle group again, I want to do it every 5 days instead. Also - in the last week, I took 3 days off in the middle of the week with no weights - almost took my results back 1 week. No more than 2 day breaks anymore

good thing - lots of leftover turkey - Target sold them for $.99/lb for boneless turkey breasts....I bought 10lbs worth for $10...cheap protein!

also, a good back workout feels awesome...and still looking about the same...can't wait to see how month 6 looks:

[tsorfas]

If you skinny cut, like myself, don't expect to gain size with this wirk out. His diet is stupidly intense and promoted to target sales from the website. You need to constantly lift more n more weight with at least 30 reps total per exercise. You also gotta eat bigger meals. Not 9 small ones like he suggest. You gotta increase calories too. I was 148 lbs in January. I'm 160 now. Getting from 158 to 160 was the same amount of work it took me to get from 148 to 158.

[Billy]

Everyone who wants to put on muscle and has problems putting it on is simply because the following in my opinion:

1) Not taking in enough calories. Building muscle requires calories. If you do some research you'll see that professional bodybuilders basically eat a meal every 2-3 hours. They do that to build and also maintain their current muscle mass.

2) Not taking in enough protein. When you work out, you are tearing your muscle at a cellular level. Your body repairs the muscles which in turn makes them bigger. Injesting protein helps your body repair/build muscle. The golden rule is 1 gram for every pound you weight.

3) Not working out hard enough. I can't tell you how many times I've worked out with guys who were struggling to gain muscle. When I witnesses their workout routine, I quickly realized why they were not gaining muscle.

4) Taking the right combination of suppliments and also at the right time. Protein is one of many suppliments you should be taking. I have a section of my kitchen countertop dedicated to my suppliments. It's a good chunk of my countertop.

[Petorius]

4) Taking the right combination of suppliments and also at the right time. Protein is one of many suppliments you should be taking. I have a section of my kitchen countertop dedicated to my suppliments. It's a good chunk of my countertop.

Its so hard to sift through all the BS brawndo marketing and bro-science that I dont know how you can get any comfort around the value of this stuff. It would be so nice if there was a truly unbiased and scientific resource for information on this.

[Billy]

As far as supplements, I wouldn't bother with them for the most part. I've tried plenty and have become disillusioned with the vast majority. Even among the few that have legitimate value, some people respond better than others. A protein shake here and there can help get the calories in your diet, and there are a few ancillary ones which might help prevent soreness etc, but I wouldn't waste your money on the most of the stuff on the shelves of Vitamin Shoppe, GNC, etc.

This statement stuck out like a sore thumb to me. There are definately bad suppliments and then there are good ones. The problem is filtering out the junk and focusing on the good ones.

1) Protein - I think we all will agree protein helps build/repair muscle. Stick with the Whey Isolate and Casein.
2) Arginine - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L-arginine.
3) Glutamine - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glutamine
4) Creatine - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Creatine
5) ZMA - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ZMA_(supplement). Zinc helps in the creation of testosterone.
6) Acetyl-L-carnitine - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acetyl-L-Carnitine
7) BCAAs = http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Branched-chain_amino_acid

So back in Nov 2011 I used to just take protein whey isolate, nothing else that would aid in muscle growth. I did some research online about other suppliments and how they could benefit my muscle growth. I came up with a whole new suppliment regime. If you look at a picture of me before and after this regime, you can clearly see a muscle defintion difference especially in my arms, chest and legs. Believe what you want but I strongly believe "Good Suppliments" do help quite a bit, especially if you are not getting them from natural sources.

[Billy]

I completely agree with you and it's taken me many years to figure out what I should be taking and what's a waste of time in my opinion. I'll give you a perfect example of what I think is a bad suppliment. Bad in the sense you're just wasting money and it's probably marketing BS to make you spend more money.

About a year or two ago this new protein type came to market. It was called Hydro Whey. Basically it's a super fast absorbing protein for post workouts. it was like 2x the cost of regular whey isolate. Whey Isolate is already considered a fast absorbing protein so how much faster does it really need to be. I call it total BS.

Another one, is Tribulus terrestris. All the suppliment companies say it increases your own testosterone levels. When you do some research, studies have showen it has not increased it. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tribulus_terrestris. I call it total BS. I had a coworker who used to take this thinking it increased his test. I showed him some articles including Wiki, he stopped taking it.

Basically research all your suppliments to death. Google/Bing is your friend.

[curiouser]

so some of it for me is psychological...and sometimes I can lift 20% more just by being energized into it...I need to harness that intensity every time, or I won't get a maximum workout

So true. A large degree of the intensity component is mental fortitude and focus. Of course, physiological factors such as how recovered your muscles are from the last workout or how tired you are can play an important role as well. Sir Dwayne Johnson reminds us of the importance of mindset in the gym:



You seem to have the right idea by getting most of your calories/protein via whole food, but if you need to get more quickly, liquid can be a help. If you normally take a protein supplement mixed with water, try mixing it with milk (or even whole milk) and pour in some liquid egg whites from the grocery store. With all other variables realistically constant, adding 200 calories per day via a shake should produce a result, hopefully in the form of lean mass, before too long.

[breakdirt916]

ahhh nevermind...hurt my back on the MX track...gonna re-start this when I'm healed...

thanks though

Edit: the nurses never even noticed when I took off my shirt, haha

[jaehok]

For help with dieting. I follow www.fitmencook.com on instagram. Gives great recipes along with approximate macros.

http://instagram.com/fitmencook

[MattR302]

...supplements...

One big mistake which a lot of newbies to bodybuilding make is relying too much on supplements and not enough on diet/calories. In college, when I was just starting lifting, after one of my friends read an advertisement about how cell-tech is 700% more effective at building muscle, I probably wasted $200 on those bigass 7lb tubs of that shit. It wasn't until after I realized that my diet was crap and that adding a granola bar here and there wasn't actually eating more. I started actually eating more meals and started seeing gains. Supplements are just that, they supplement a good diet, they can't replace it. Otherwise you're just wasting money.