[Sonsowey]

OK so today I'm trying to get more calories

Breakfast: 2 slices of thick-cut bacon, 4 eggs cooked in bacon fat, coffee

Lunch: Tuna salad with bell peppers, marscapone cheese, hazelnut oil, onions, cucumbers, salami. Also sweet potato puree with heavy cream and a bunch of grass-fed butter. Drank some coconut milk and some water with ACV.

Sound a bit better for bulking? I am full as shit

[H1N1]

(01-23-2015 01:14 PM)Sonsowey Wrote:  

OK so today I'm trying to get more calories

Breakfast: 2 slices of thick-cut bacon, 4 eggs cooked in bacon fat, coffee

Lunch: Tuna salad with bell peppers, marscapone cheese, hazelnut oil, onions, cucumbers, salami. Also sweet potato puree with heavy cream and a bunch of grass-fed butter. Drank some coconut milk and some water with ACV.

Sound a bit better for bulking? I am full as shit

I'd personally say not to think of it as bulking, as everyone I know who bulks tends to get fat and then have to cut, often ending up back when they were. Try to focus on increasing shoulder, chest, leg etc measurements, whilst keeping your waist measurement the same, and gaining quality weight.

The meals listed are better, assuming you're going to eat a shitload for dinner. You probably still need to eat more, but baby steps.

[Bilboswaggins]

Ok first calculate your TDEE - how many calories do you need a day to support your weight at the moment. As you put on roughly a pound of muscle/week as a beginner, split the extra 3500 calories you have to eat during the week between the 3 training sessions. Get at least 1g/lb of protein and 0,5g/lb of fat a day and fill the calories you have left with carbs/fat as you prefer, doesn't really matter that much what's the exact ratio between them.

As for the training program and bodybuilding in general: Strength gained in the medium rep ranges (5-8) equals size, provided you get enough calories and the training volume is sufficient. About exercise selection - have you ever seen someone benching 300 pounds for reps with small arms and undeveloped chest? Have you ever seen anyone do weighted chins with +110 pounds lacking bicep size? Someone squatting 400 with small thighs? Put your effort into getting crazy strong in the money exercises (squats, deadlifts, bench press, chin-ups, military, bent-over row, dips), eating in accordance to your training and you will get big.

That said, 5x5 stronglifts is a great routine for a beginner but you should add in chin-ups. As you progress and get the most of your newbie gains, you probably start to need more volume to gain size but for now it's a very good choice of a routine and you won't make better progress than that.

[StrikeBack]

For skinny guys, count your daily protein. Aim for at least 1g per lb of bodyweight. More if you can. Don't worry too much about other things as long as you hit your daily protein (of course eat more carbs, but lets not obsess too much over it). Its easier to get in more calories if you do it this way (only work for skinny guys).

Youŕe eating as much protein as a vegetarian atm.

FYI Im cutting and eating 10300 kj or 2460 Cals a day, and Im in the 163lb weight class. I also eat between 185 and 200+ grams of protein daily.

[Parlay44]

I was taught to work out a different way. My friend taught me to do 100 of an exercise everyday. It doesn't matter how you break it up as long as it adds up to 100 reps.

For example: If you're a beginner and just starting out do sets of say 4 push-ups. But do 25 sets. After a few weeks once you get used to it kick up the reps and do 20 sets of 5 reps. Then 12 sets of 8 reps(96) plus an odd set to equal 100. Then 10 sets of 10 etc.

Eventually you'll be able to do 1 set of 100 reps without breaking a sweat. That's when you increase the weight slightly and keep the reps at 100.

[WanderingSoul]

(01-23-2015 07:06 PM)Parlay44 Wrote:  

I was taught to work out a different way. My friend taught me to do 100 of an exercise everyday. It doesn't matter how you break it up as long as it adds up to 100 reps.

For example: If you're a beginner and just starting out do sets of say 4 push-ups. But do 25 sets. After a few weeks once you get used to it kick up the reps and do 20 sets of 5 reps. Then 12 sets of 8 reps(96) plus an odd set to equal 100. Then 10 sets of 10 etc.

Eventually you'll be able to do 1 set of 100 reps without breaking a sweat. That's when you increase the weight slightly and keep the reps at 100.

Your friend gave you bad advice.

OP, we can't tell you if that diet is good for bulking or not.

What is your TDEE? How many calories is that diet you just posted?

How long were you on the 5x5 program consistently?

Whst are your current maxes?

How much do you weigh?

Provide that info and we can help you. If you dont provide that info then don't bother asking for advice because it's all a shot in the dark.

[Rikardo]

5x5 for bench press does not work very good you need more sets do 10X10 then 8Reps 10 sets then just lower reps and increase weight still doing 10 sets until you do 1-2 reps and 10 sets and take rest at least 5 min in last stages at beginning 1.5 min that is recipe for real muscle and strength, 5X5 is ok for deadlifts and squats.

[ThrustMaster]

Well the other day I was hanging out with my friends Clen Buterol, Diana Bol and good ole' Tren...

Seriously, though OP - how old are you? How long have you been lifting? Doing 5x5? Stats? What are your macros on average? Ever done a male hormone panel? Do you know what your maintenance calories are?

[WanderingSoul]

(01-24-2015 11:57 AM)Rikardo Wrote:  

5x5 for bench press does not work very good you need more sets do 10X10 then 8Reps 10 sets then just lower reps and increase weight still doing 10 sets until you do 1-2 reps and 10 sets and take rest at least 5 min in last stages at beginning 1.5 min that is recipe for real muscle and strength, 5X5 is ok for deadlifts and squats.

Wow lol. I'd tell you how wrong you are, but I have no idea what you just wrote.

[VincentVinturi]

I'm on 5x5 too, pretty much a hard gainer but I've been seeing good results. I look more substantial than I ever have before.

It's getting hard now. Heavy squats are no joke!

Anyway, one thing that's helped me with the eating is raw eggs. I pop half a dozen raw eggs throughout the day, either in shakes or in my morning coffee (you don't really notice them in there) or just break an egg or two on top of whatever I'm eating.

The don't fill you up too much when you eat then raw.

[RexImperator]

FYI: Eating raw egg whites very often could lead to a biotin deficiency. It's better to cook those.

[Hades]

(01-25-2015 01:21 AM)RioNomad Wrote:  

(01-24-2015 11:57 AM)Rikardo Wrote:  

5x5 for bench press does not work very good you need more sets do 10X10 then 8Reps 10 sets then just lower reps and increase weight still doing 10 sets until you do 1-2 reps and 10 sets and take rest at least 5 min in last stages at beginning 1.5 min that is recipe for real muscle and strength, 5X5 is ok for deadlifts and squats.

Wow lol. I'd tell you how wrong you are, but I have no idea what you just wrote.

Why defend 5x5?

[KeepMovingForward]

I'll chime in on the 5x5.

It works, and is a great program for beginners and intermediate lifters. Provided you're putting in the time at the dinner table and doing the workouts correctly (form, intensity, etc.), you will gain strength, and if you're skinny to begin with you'll put on weight as well.

However, you WILL stall out eventually. For me, I was 5'10, ~180lbs. and I stalled out at 5x5 270 for squats, 225 5x5 for bench, don't recall deadlift numbers. At that point it was either spend a ton of extra time/money to eat more and gain, or switch workout programs. I moved to Wendler's 5/3/1 last summer and added the Boring But Big template for size gain. At my peak I was 203 at the end of November, now I'm trimming down with intermittent fasting/reverse pyramid training and currently at ~195.

[WanderingSoul]

(01-25-2015 10:18 AM)Hades Wrote:  

(01-25-2015 01:21 AM)RioNomad Wrote:  

(01-24-2015 11:57 AM)Rikardo Wrote:  

5x5 for bench press does not work very good you need more sets do 10X10 then 8Reps 10 sets then just lower reps and increase weight still doing 10 sets until you do 1-2 reps and 10 sets and take rest at least 5 min in last stages at beginning 1.5 min that is recipe for real muscle and strength, 5X5 is ok for deadlifts and squats.

Wow lol. I'd tell you how wrong you are, but I have no idea what you just wrote.

Why defend 5x5?

5x5 is great for beginners. It builds a solid strength base, packs on good size if your diet is good, gets them familiar with the most important compound movements, is easy to follow, and follows linear progression to built strength quickly for a new lifter.

Though I was mainly commenting on his run on and incoherent sentence.

[ThrustMaster]

(01-25-2015 09:50 AM)RexImperator Wrote:  

FYI: Eating raw egg whites very often could lead to a biotin deficiency. It's better to cook those.

If I'm hitting protein hard I use powdered eggs whites in my smoothies. A 1/4 cup of NOW egg white protein is 16g of protein.

[YardDog]

(01-25-2015 09:50 AM)RexImperator Wrote:  

FYI: Eating raw egg whites very often could lead to a biotin deficiency. It's better to cook those.

But he said he was eating raw eggs, not just the whites that contain the avidin that binds to biotin. Raw eggs yolks are packed with biotin. This theory of avidin 'binding' and removing ALL of the biotin has never been proven if eating the egg whole.

I've been eating raw eggs for over 10 years as have many people I know. No one I know has ever had an issue.

I think many health experts that would be considered 'red pill' in their views believe raw eggs are a great source of nutrition and don't worry a bit about a 'biotin deficiency'.

I do think eating only the whites is a bad idea. Nature created a perfect food in the egg. No need to separate it, cook it, or alter it in any other way. Just make sure you get good quality eggs and the Salmonella concerns are basically nothing.

Quote:

The American Dietetic Association and Jane Kirby, R.D., explain that eggs are the most bioavailable source of protein you can eat. Eggs have a protein efficiency rating and net protein utilization score of a "perfect" 1.00.

[RexImperator]

That's good to know. Just in case, I usually only eat (well, drink) the yolks raw, and then save the whites for making scrambled eggs or omelettes.

[The Reactionary Tree]

Even cooked eggs have high protein utilization. Eggs are the best source of protein out there.

[Saweeep]

Raw eggs were the staple of the 50s/60s bodybuilder, before supplements existed.

Through trial and error, these were the guys that created the workouts, machines, equipment and base nutritional information we rely on today.

Of course they didn't get everything right but I'm tempted to trust their approach more than what we get fed today by magazines and supplement companies with nothing but $$$ as their motivation.

So eat your raw eggs like an Adonis of a bygone era; and be proud that you eat and train like a man

[Hades]

(01-25-2015 11:27 AM)RioNomad Wrote:  

(01-25-2015 10:18 AM)Hades Wrote:  

(01-25-2015 01:21 AM)RioNomad Wrote:  

(01-24-2015 11:57 AM)Rikardo Wrote:  

5x5 for bench press does not work very good you need more sets do 10X10 then 8Reps 10 sets then just lower reps and increase weight still doing 10 sets until you do 1-2 reps and 10 sets and take rest at least 5 min in last stages at beginning 1.5 min that is recipe for real muscle and strength, 5X5 is ok for deadlifts and squats.

Wow lol. I'd tell you how wrong you are, but I have no idea what you just wrote.

Why defend 5x5?

5x5 is great for beginners. It builds a solid strength base, packs on good size if your diet is good, gets them familiar with the most important compound movements, is easy to follow, and follows linear progression to built strength quickly for a new lifter.

Though I was mainly commenting on his run on and incoherent sentence.

Yeah if I read it correctly this guy is recommending german volume training which works pretty good. Agreed that it's pretty incoherent otherwise. Most any routine will get good results as long as there's enough volume and frequency.

[The Great Basilisk]

Wait wait wait...
You are 190cm tall
You eat salad for lunch
You are training heavy

And you are wondering why you can't put on mass?

Dude, you are lanky as a shit. I am 180cm and i weigh the same as you.
EAT MORE. Stop with the stupid tuna salads and eat pasta or whatever. Protein shakes mixed in whole milk etc. Hell, you could go to mcdonalds 3 times a day and you would still probably look like a stick.

5x5 is fine but if you are eating like a girl you are just going to plateau too soon.

[darktranquility]

All of this talk about eating too little is just speculation, until you quantify it. Are you losing or gaining weight? Gaining? Or maintaining the same weight?

The only person who can ascertain how much you should be eating is you. Find a macro calculator online to give you some ballpark figures on how much protein and calories you should be eating for your height, weight, age and body fat.

Start tracking the macros and calories of everything you eat, even if just for a few weeks. Eat a consistent diet, and maintain your weight for a couple of weeks. Then increase your calories by 10% (by increasing carbs). You don't have to eat everything in sight, you just need to eat in a slight surplus.

[RexImperator]

^^^ Yes. There are fancy calculators out there but basically I find that if one multiplies body weight by 12 you get a rough estimate of maintenance calories.

Tracking and recording everything you eat will tell you the number experimentally.