Alrighty guys...I'm 19 years old, 1,76m (5ft9 1/2) and 66kg (145lbs) with 8% bodyfat, my bodytype is probably ecto-meso with ecto dominance obviously... I've been working out for around 7ish mounths and so far I only gained 2 kg without any diet and probably the routine i was doing is super bad it was basicly a Bicep/chest day, followed by legs/shoulders and back/triceps...

tbh, the only part of my body that I saw gains was in my arms, I probably went from 29cm arm to a 33cm arm flexed which is still not that great...Now here's what im worried about, you guys will laugh at me srly but this is my marks at the big 3:

Bench Press: 143 lbs 1 rep max (At the moment I cant even press 10 reps with 110lbs)
Squat: 110 lbs for 5 reps (and im struggling already) (never tested the 1 rep max here)
Deadlift: 121 lbs for 5 reps (same situation as in the squat)

So guys as you can see i'm pretty weak, if it helps on anything I can do about 25 pushups and 3 pullups, cant do dips tho

So guys what routine I should start doing, I also need help with the diet.

Thanks in advance.

Check out this video to calculate your macros, it's pretty straight forward and simple.

First off don't let your ego over take you. Who cares if you can't lift massive weight because you will get there. The only competition you should be in is being better tomorrow then you were today. You're 7 months in and everyone is different. 4.4lbs of muscle is gainz my man, and with the right diet and traing program your gainz make take off or you could be just a hard gainer but we are all here to help each other GROW!!! If I were you I'd either do a Push/Pull/Legs routine with 2 days 20-30 mins cardio and 2 days off. Or a 4 day a week Upper/Lower split. Upper, Lower, Rest, Upper, Lower. You can still do 2 days of Cardio if you want just give yourself at least that 1 day complete rest. You can use the other 2 days for rest as well if you decide to Use Compound Lifts: Chest Presses, Overhead Presses, Dips, Deadlifts, Squats, Pull Ups and Rows. 3-4 Sets @ 8-10 reps or 5x5's if you want more Strength. The first Routine is just once a week while the 2nd split will give you twice a week. You got to figure out if once or twice a week is better for you. The Push/Pull/Legs routine can be repeated after your rest days for a total of 6 training days a week if your recovery can handle it. You have to program your whole body so too many days training and too high of volume may be too much to start off with.

We never laugh about someone who is trying to better themselfs in the gym! You've come to the right place my man! If you're goal is getting stronger I recommend doing a linear progression type program. This can be done in every type of split as long as you track your lifts and keep adding (small steps) weight every time you work out. If you can tell us how many times you'll probably go to the gym, and what kind of equipement you have available. We can help you make a program if you like.

Hey buddy, any progress is rewarding and over time, small changes accumulate to produce huge results - it's simply a matter of patience and persistence, never lose the fire that drives you and your reason for starting!

I wouldn't worry about lifting the most, as at the moment I'd concentrate on lifting what is challenging, yet you are still able to maintain correct form and full ROM - This will stimulate and break down muscle fibers the most (which can be rebuilt in recovery and with correct nutrition).

Any type of split is effective, full body, body parts and so on. Try one and see which works best for you based on recovery and time constraints - It takes 48 hours for a muscle to fully recover. I tend to opt for full body 3 times a week.

Regarding diet, the key for ectomorphs is ingesting calorie dense foods to up the caloric expenditure of having a faster metabolism (it tends to slow later in age). Read this article for more information: http://muscularstrength.com/article/The-Bodybuilder-Bible-Volume-One-Strength-and-Mass-For-Hard-Gainers-part-one

Best of luck and keep us posted!

Hey @Maestro1337

Let start with your mealplan first, can you give us a break down of your macros in grams ( carbs, protein and fat ). Nutrition is very important for muscle growth.

About your routine, so let see. It doesnt matter if can't lift 10 reps for 110lbs bench press. In weight lifting the most important to gain muscle is the correct form and mind muscle connection. Maybe the reason why is your nutrition.. you should eat the right amount of calories to have enough energy during workout. At the moment focus on the weight that you can lift and complete the 12 reps with good form. I assure you, you will get muscle growth. In time, you will get stronger if you stay consistent and focus on your diet and training as well. And yes.. you will also notice that arms is the easiest to train and growth. You can also post here about your workout routine and let see if we have to make some adjustment.

idk if it helps the case but you want me to post some pics of myself so you see my actual form?

I've been searching in most of the forums about this and everyone's opinion tend to differ, so I have huge doubts now on what routine I should do mostly. Since my goals are hypertrophy and then strenght I always tend to look for routines when there is a lot of isolation movements but people in general tell me to drop that shit and go for the big compound moves. Which is alright, I just want to have a proper routine and diet, i've been adviced to do the jason blaha's ICF routine but what is your opinion guys?

I can train 5 days a week and take in mind i've been in the gym for 7 months so im familiar with basicly almost every exercise. As for nutrition since im 66kg/145lbs, 176cm/5'9 1/2 and 19 years old, I was thinking about doing around 2400 calories:

145g protein

83g fat

269g carbs

As for the current workout routine I was doing a Chest/Bicep - Leg/shoulder - back/tricep (ending up working each muscle once per week) given to me 7 months ago by the PT on the gym...Now after a lot of reading I find this routine is probably awfull but it is what it is and now I came looking for the help of professionals like you.

Thanks guys.

I can't see anything wrong with that split you are currently doing. However, for a more generic split you could go for...

Chest/Tricep

Back/Bicep

Legs/Shoulders

You say you have five days to train...how often do you want to train muscle groups? Twice a week or once a week? If you want to keep doing things once a week you could try...

Chest

Back

Arms/Shoulders

Hamstrings & Calves

Quads & Glutes

You want to focus on compound movements AND isolation movements. I would throw your compound movements in at the start of your workouts, and then use isolations later. But it's up to you.

You also might want to eat more than 2400 calories - how long have you been following that diet, and what has your weight done? Gone up? Gone down? Stayed the same?

You could increase the protein if you wanted more calories, and probably your fat too. Maybe leave the carbs for now.

Jordan

Here's some pics of myself:

http://i.imgur.com/xDCOWKe.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/hameMef.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/zNyGBle.jpg

pure ecto right? :/

Anyways I want to train each body part twice a week as I see its the optimal for growth, as for the calories i might bump to 2600 but i havent started it yet cuz I have no idea what to eat between meals and breakfast, I know that for lunch and dinner I should take (steak/chicken breast/tuna/salmo) with good carb sources like (sweet potaotes, brown rice, pasta)...

I srly need a good routine cuz I'm heavily confused, some people say go for full body routine 3x a week, some say do some compounds and do isolations aswell i mean i'm a beginner trying to learn but its so much info that it got to the point that I'm super confused. So to make it simple guys:

1-What is the best routine for hypertrophy goals (strenght is also apreciable), I'm at 66kg, so lets say I want to bump it up all the way to 75kg lean (bodyfat lower than 10%).

2-Diet and also the ratios of the macronutrients, because I've seen in some places they say 2g for KG of weight ( 0,9 g for lbs of weight ), but i've seen Scott's videos when he says to use 2g for lbs of LEAN mass....

Cheers guys.

Everyones opinion will differ because there is so much lifting knowledge out there to share. Keep it simple, you need to know what muscle groups work together. You can pair them most anyway you like given you give them at least 24 hours before you work them again. Example: back exercises work biceps too so you can pair them with biceps but you can also have a seperate bicep day if you waitat least a day before training them again. There is nothing wrong with isolation exercises but many including myself like to use them for finishers after you major compound lifts. I also like to use them not just as a finisher but mainly for any body part I feel lags like calves, calves need alot of work for most people and even though squats and deadlifts for example hit your calves as a secondary muscle you may need a couple variations of isolation exercises to hit them really well. Compound lifts are great for building a foundation to start with. They also hit multiple muscle increasing testosterone and growth hormones need for fat burning and muscle building. You'll be able to lift way more in a Chest Press than a Chest Flye. Take all the responses you get from people, experiment and find what your body best responds to and keep working in that direction. Everyone is different and what always works for me may not work for you.

I apologize for my spelling lol!

Bench Press 3 sets of 5 reps
Barbell Row 3 sets of 5 reps
Military Press 3 sets of 6-10 reps
Wide-grip Pulldowns 3 sets of 6-10 reps
Incline DB Press 2 sets of 8-12 reps
Close-grip Cable Rows 2 sets of 8-12 reps
Barbell Curls/Skullcrushers 2 supersets of 8-12 reps

Lower day:
Squat 3 sets of 5 reps
Deadlift 2 sets of 5 reps
Walking Lunges 3 sets of 8-12 step per leg
Leg Press 3 sets of 10-15 reps
Laying Leg Curls 3 sets of 10-15 reps
Standing Calf Raises 4 sets of 15-20 reps

Or something more ellaborate?? I feel some areas might lack with this workout.

Good choice of exercises. Remember, if you already haven't, try to put them in order of most importance to you. Like if chest is top priority then do your flat and incline for your first 2 exercises. Also since you are pretty much just begining 2 sets per exercie may be okay and I am guessing this is the upper/lower slpit that is going to be done twice weekly? I prefer no less than 3 sets. 5 reps are okay if you're training for strength with the appropriate sets but seeing you want muscle gain and strength you need to stay in the 8-12 rep range.

It is supposed to be like Upper-Lower-Rest-Upper-Lower-Rest-Rest and then start over again. The thing is I think some area will be lacking with this routine like traps and lack of volume for biceps and triceps. So do you recomend this routine, full body or muscle splits???

When you train muscle groups twice a week you have to split your volume for the week. If you do at least 3 sets of everything, Chest for example: Flat press will hit your entire chest and incline will as well but more towards your upper chest. You'd have 6 sets for chest each training routine for a total of 12 fo the week. Barbell curls would be 3 sets per training day for 6 sets for the week. A good rule of thumb I have found is to start with 6-9 sets for small muscle groups and 12-15 for large per week. Sets not exercises. 3 exercises for 15 sets is better than 5 exercises for 15 sets. That doesn't mean it is a rule etched in stone and if you feel you aren't responding well you could always add more sets. You also have to remember chest presses hit tris and shoulders while your back exercises hit biceps, with compound leg movements like squats and lunges you hit quads, hams and calves to different degrees. More doesn't always mean better. Since you are a beginner you shouldn't need to start out with too much training but your body may need it. You have to learn your body and what you respond from best but if you go at it too hard and don't give yourself proper recovery from the amount of training you receive you may overtrain/underrecover and not make the gains you should.

Things like your traps are worked with shoulder presses and deadlifts. Like I've said if something lags (traps) add it as a finisher or like I do is when I swith up a routine once in a while I add traps but my traps have always grow well and I don't feel I need to directly work them all the time. When you try to throw too much all in at once especially trying to add too many exercises on a day you train you whole upper body you find yourself spending way to much time in the gym. Remember you are a beginner and all you need to do is start with building yourself a foundatin with compound lifts because do all the major compound lifts will work your entire body.

Try it for 8 weeks, look in the mirror, measure you body parts and asses your bf and bw. You will then know if and how well this program works for you and can make any changes needed.

I've been doing that full body workout and seriously, I'm not getting enough chest, shoulders and lats even...Can someone recomend to me a good split where I can work all the body muscles properly?

bump. I want to train at least 4 days a week, I feel 3 days a week are such a waste, i'm not sore the next days to the point I cannot workout. So what you recomend?