Friday, October 25, 2013

Muscle and strength gain in the off season.

I had a tough finish to my season.  Neck injury forced me to withdraw from a couple of events.  I am feeling healthy now and I am on a mission to add 10 pounds to my little frame to help prevent further injuries.  I have been at 158 for the last 5 years.  That is mainly due to my routine in the gym and diet all reflecting a maintenance phase.  I have decided to change things up and I gained 6 pounds in the first 12 days.  The main reason for the gain is the increased calorie intake.  4 Hour Body is a book by Tim Ferris.  This book is the bible of body composition.  He wrote a chapter on how he gained 34 pounds in 4 weeks.  I am following his advice with some slight adjustments.  His main point is that nearly all people overtrain which does not allow them maximum growth and gain.  My workout routine looks like this:

First off every rep is 10 seconds.  5 seconds up and 5 seconds down.  Every set is to failure.  8 to 12 reps for each exercise.  Minimum rest of 3 minutes between sets.  3 to 4 days rest between workouts.  Concentrate on eating.

leg press
cable rows then superset with db pull overs
kettle bell swing 50 reps
db shoulder press
bosu ball abs
dips super set to cable flys for chest

add ons are:
drag curls
rear delt with cables
hip abduction for stability

my goal is to gain 10 pounds by the end of the year and then try to maintain a 4 to 5 pound lean muscle mass gain through next season.

2 comments:

  1. It has been 5 weeks and I am still on the 6 pound gain. I am stronger and my clothes are tighter but I am a little frustrated because I am not tipping the scale. I will keep eating and hopefully gain more than 10 pounds.

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  2. 12 pounds with 1 month remaining. Shooting for a total of 17 pounds.

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