Here's a basic, minimalist gaining routine, but before getting into it I'd like to present an interesting case of physical culture obsession dating back to the Sandow era . . .
Some men aspired to Sandow's form with too deep a fervor. An article in New York City's Sun newspaper from September 1894 recounts the arrest of one James McCoy, a forty-one-year-old steamship engineer and "enthusiastic admirer of Sandow, the strong man."
Like Sandow, McCoy -- no small fry himself, at 200 pounds -- had a suite of elegant photos of himself dressed in gladiator garb, taken by the photographer Napoleon Sarony.
Unlike Sandow, "gradually he became insane on the subject."
[Whatever It Takes . . . back in the 1890's.]
McCoy was beginning to concern his wife with calm requests that she cut off his head. "He had an idea that his decapitation would increase his strength and he was very much grieved when Mrs. McCoy refused to comply with his request," the article reads.
A week prior, McCoy had heaped all of their parlor furniture on top of the house piano, then forced his wife to climb on top. Once she was in position, he went underneath the piano and tried to balance the pile on his chest, imitating one of Sandow's standard feats.
According to the Sun: "He failed to budge it, but when Mrs. McCoy was unwise enough to tell him so, and hint that he was a fool for trying such a feat, he flew into a violent rage. More than once he proposed to break her in half across his knee and he also threatened to pull down the elevated railway structure on Flatbush Ave."
McCoy regaled the officers who arrested him with tales of his outsized strength, including one about the time his ship had stranded itself on the tip of an iceberg, forcing him to carry the vessel in his arms down the slope of the berg to the surface of the sea, where he "launched it so gently that passengers were entirely unconscious of any mishap."
Officer Thomas Moran of the Charities Department informed McCoy that Sandow was awaiting his visit in a Flatbush apartment, "and by means of this pious fraud the policeman managed to get him to the asylum without much trouble."
"McCoy was flattered at the idea that Sandow had sent for him," the article concludes, "and seemed particularly pleased with the additional suggestion that Sandow would cut off his head."
Okay then . . . on to the article.
Why can't I gain? These four words probably constitute one of the most asked questions among weight trainers.
The answer to that question is as simple as the question itself, although many prefer to believe it's a complex mystery. In the simplest terms, if you want to make gains, then combine a regular workout routine with a good nutritional program and above all don't be haphazard with either.
This is probably the single most important factor that produces results. That is:
BE CONSISTENT in applying your nutritional program and workout routine. Consistency means you don't skip workouts and you eat only the necessary foods.
Examine your current workout routine. Is it consistent with routines the top experts in weight training recommend for producing optimal results? Is it set up in the proper sequence? Do you perform each exercise for a specific result? Do you know how to obtain the maximum results from an exercise before discarding it or do you merely change exercises when you reach a sticking point? Are your routines consistent with the goals you've set for yourself? Do you have specific goals you wish to accomplish? If you haven't a set goal you want to achieve, you're like a ship without a rudder that drifts wherever the current takes it.
What type of diet do you follow? Does it complement your workout routine? Do you know which foods are best for muscle growth? What daily caloric quota is necessary for you to gain or lose weight?
As you probably gathered by now, weight training is not something that can be done on a haphazard basis if you expect results. If there are any of the above questions that you can't answer, then reexamine what you're doing and see what's not correct.
A basic, sample exercise routine for gaining muscular bulk would be as follows:
1) Twisting situps, 2 x 25
2) Bench press, 2 x 8-10
3) Bentover row, 2 x 8-10
4) Behind neck press, 2 x 8-10
5) Barbell curl, 2 x 8-10
6) Squats, alternated with light DB pullovers, 2 x 15-20
7) Calf raise, 2 x 20-25.
This routine incorporates many of the time-tested methods of producing result. It consists of basic exercises for maximum gains through the use of heavy exercise poundages. Low sets are used which allows maximum intensity.
The first set in each movement is a warmup set with half of the weight that will be used for the second set. The second set is an all all effort with the maximum weight that can handled for a minimum of 8 reps. You should strive constantly to increase the weight and/or reps used each succeeding session.
The sequence of exercises is arranged so that each successive bodypart worked provides a preliminary warmup for the next bodypart and newly oxygenated blood being pumped to remove fatigue products from the exercised area.
The twisting situps at the start of the routine provide a good warmup to prepare the body and mind for the exercises to follow, while the calf raises at the end of the routine allow for a tapering off period where very little energy needs to be expended to complete the required sets. This allows the body to gradually restore normal respiration and heartrate rather than abruptly terminating the workout after squats which can raise the heart rate to 150 beats a minute and more.
The second phase of any sound gaining program should be a well-balanced diet. Nutrition counts for a lot in your program and the results obtainable through following an appropriate nutrition program will far surpass those that come from a haphazard diet. It's too important to be neglected.
It's next to impossible to add muscular bulk without gaining weight. However, the weight gained should be solid and not just weight for its own sake. So avoid all white flour and white sugar products, sodas, candies, etc. Concentrate instead on raw vegetables, fruits, milk, eggs, cheese, meat, fish, poultry and whole grain breads and bran cereals.
Adjust your diet so you're taking in around 1,000 calories a day more than is required to maintain your bodyweight. Through the use of plenty of protein, fiber and natural carbohydrates obtained from raw fruits and vegetables, whole gran bread and bran cereals, meat, eggs, cheeses, poultry and fish, these weight gains should be mainly muscle.
Since each individual is different you will have to compute your own nutritional requirements for gaining. An excellent book to use for calculating these factors is "Food Power." On page 32-37 you'll find charts for calculating them.
Food Power argues the ways postwar American policymakers and experts politically linked people and places around world through food illuminates both America's role in the world during the mid-twentieth century and sheds light on contemporary food problems (2016).
Oops, wrong Food Power.
Now that you're following a good exercise and nutritional program you should accurately chart both your daily food consumption and your workout reps, sets and poundages. This way there can be no mistakes in not consuming enough of the right food to ensure weight gains and you'll know exactly what you have to do to improve on your previous workouts, poundages and reps.
A joke about not losing your head to make gains goes here.
Enjoy Your Lifting!
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