Specifically, trying to gain lean muscle mass?

Tell me what I'm doing wrong here, I'm 5'10" & 160 lbs...


Free Weights:

Bench: 50 lb dbells - 3 sets of 10 to 12 reps
Flies: 45 lb dbells - 3 sets of 10 to 12 reps
Curls: 30 lb dbells - 3 sets of 10 of standard, twist, and hammer each
Shoulder Press: 25 lb dbells - 3 sets of 10
Shoulder Front & Lateral Raises: 20 lb dbells - 3 sets of 10 each
Tri's: 20 lb dbells - 3 sets of 10 to 12 (lying on back one arm at a time)

Sit-ups: Multiple sets of 25 each, rotating w/feet on floor and feet raised (knees closer to chest)
Push-ups: Sets of 10 whenever I remember to squeeze them in away from the gym

Legs: Nothing. Cardio more than takes care of this? Quads and calves have very good definition.


Cardio:

1 hour on the stairclimber 4 to 5 times per week and I don't go easy. I usually do the pre-set "Rolling Hills" program at a level 10 setting (20 is the max) and I don't hold onto the side railings, my arms swing freely. At the peak points on the hill, I'm literally running on the **** thing. I do this in three, 20 minute intervals, resting for a minute in between to stretch and to drink water. This definitely gets the heart rate going and I sweat a good bit.

Food:

Tons of pasta, chicken, salads, sandwiches, raw broccoli, Grape Nuts, Cheerios, Raisin Bran, Power Bars, hummus, low-fat cheese, low-fat Trader Joe's frozen foods, peanut butter, almonds, cashews, everything whole grain as much as possible.


Just can't seem to get bigger, thicker muscles. I have more of a runner's body, which I don't really like. Decent muscle definition but severely lack density. Odd thing is, outside of the real meatheads at the gym, I don't lift weights that are significantly much less than others, but I'm a good bit smaller than most. I've been working out consistently for a good 10 years, not always the same routine mind you, but a combo of the above.

I too am in a bulking phase right now. Main thing is the only way you are going to grow is to eat, eat, and eat. Oh, and dont forget train hard. You should consume about 3500-4000 calories per day and you will bulk. A few summers ago i put on over 25 lbs (not all good weight, but i was able to cut the bad out with training) by charting everything i ate for the whole summer in a notebook. Calories, Fat, protein, carbs and would make sure i consumed the proper amount of each.

Here is where i have been hanging out lately, a pretty busy forum similar to this one. Check it out, there are plenty of routines over there and knowledgeable people. I also have the link to the routine i am currently on and i love it.

So far i put on 3lbs in about 3 weeks which is a pretty solid gain.

Shawn- Your current height, weight, BF %, and routine if you wouldn't mind? Also curious, how do you know the 3 lbs you've put on recently has all been good bulk? I'm very poor at judging gains.

Thanks for the link. I've been on that forum practically non-stop for the last couple days and am afraid I'm already becoming addicted. Haven't come across a single troll attempt in all the threads I've read, which says a lot, seeing the serious, uphill battles many are facing there.

Yea that forum is very addicting, and it is actually turned into my favorite one. I spend most of my time over there.

I was previously 175 back in high school, stopped lifting and pretty much eating and dropped to where im at now, which is 148 (just put on another pound). I gained 4 lbs in 4 weeks which is great. You should really shoot for 1 lb every 2 weeks, but your gains will eventually slow. There is no doubt in my mind that i will put on the 15-20 lbs that i want to.

My current height is 5'10 and 148 lbs, but i dont look that small. Ive never been big on looking at my bodyfat % because i literally have the best you can get.

The 4 lbs i put on so far maybe clean, but the total 15-20 in the long run will not be, i just dont do it that way. I can cut down my bodyfat after i bulk up and look solid. Whenever you bulk you will put on some fat.

Definitely continue to read the forum there, i spend much time in the Nutrition section, supplement section, and weightlifting programs, and finally weightlifting journals. Its always good to see what others are doing.

You have to do squats to gain size and strength. The brutality of the exersize will stimulate your central nervous system to recruit more muscle.

A very simple push/ pull would probably do you well.

Mon /Push

Squat
Bench
Pushpress (over the head press)

Thurs/ pull

deadlift
Bent over Row
pullup

Possibly throw in some weighted ab exersise at the end, but it's not really necessary because the squats and deadlifts stimulate your core.

the three exercises that work out the most muscles in your body are benching squats and deadlifts, eat some peanut butter sandwhichs before you go to bed every night, protein shakes, muscle milk and create in all effective ways to gain some serious size if you stick to them and you should defiantly be doing more for your legs p.s. gl

Just ordered a tub of Size-On at Bodybuilding.com, a type of creatine product. Have read nothing but great results from it thus far, we'll see how it fares.

Maybe you can look at this book - Scrawny to Brawny: The Complete Guide to Building Muscle the Natural Way, it explains not just the what, but the why. It's full of the science behind the workouts, which makes the book fascinating as well as helpful. I think if you can follow this book strictly I have no doubt you would get significant results in a reasonable amount of time.

Wish we could trade.. LOL

I have been trying to bulk up for 25 years. I just burn up everything. I probably eat 4k calories a day