any suggestions? i am not getting bigger it is soar and it h

It may be your personal biology -- genetics. You may never bulk up in a natural way because your body is not designed to be any bigger than what it is. That is one possibility anyhow.

I was told once that muscle building is only through weight lifting. (Healthy muscle building that is, not the steroid kind.) I am guessing that you're already doing that? I don't know if this is still true today, but it was also my understanding that weight training should be done on alternate days to give the body a chance to recover and that the process of building muscle is both an anabolic and catabolic process, alternating back and forth.

Why not consult a physical fitness expert? (Someone with solid credentials, education and training.)

thanks caprice maybe i will and thanks for all your help it was nice of you thanks a lot.

You're welcome MisterEThoughts Just wish I knew more to help you out!

Your expert is back from hell aka Iraq, what body type are you what is your diet like and whats your routine?

when those are answered I can pinpoint your problem and get you over the lump.

safecracker!

Safecracker! Safe and sound, I presume?

yup it's all good desk job with power now.

my body type chest diet i dunno i eat everything well no junk food i eate about 5 times a day routine i keep working the chest for as long as it hurts i don't count how many i do and i do it for about 1 hour just one body part i rest in between for about 2 min and do it again i do bench push ups and others i dunno igot a lot of chest work outs but it is not growing.....

do this test to find your body type http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/becker3.htm

you are overworking your chest which can have an adverse effect on muscle growth......you can't work 1 bodypart like that and expect it to respond in a good way. You also need to realize that working 1 muscle group is bad practice and even if your chest did grow you wouldn't like the out of proportion look.

write down EVERYTHING you eat for the next 5 days then post it so I can get an idea of your diet.

what are your exact goals? strength? look? a mix of both?

Your score is 2.17.

Your body is closest to a Mesomorph. You have a naturally fit body but to maintain it or improve it you should exercise and diet correctly for your type. Strength training can be done more often and for longer sessions then would be good for an Ectomorph, but you must still be carefull not to overdo it. You should train with moderate to heavy weighs and at a moderate pace, not resting too long between sets. You will find you gain muscle quite easy (some women and even men might not want to get too bulky, but this won't happen suddenly. When you are happy with your muscle size simply train to maintain it). Stick to a good healthy diet to keep you lean and muscular, and watch for any slow creeping fat gains. Engage in and enjoy aerobic activities, sports, etc. but do not overdo.

Also, get yourself on a consistent weight training program. You have to work your whole body(and not at once), chest, arms, legs, back, and shoulders. Go pick up some fitness/bodybuilding magazines, research the internet(ex. bodybuilding.com), or get a personal trainer. Alot of people work each body part once a week, split into 4 or 5 days, working one or two bodyparts per workout.

Besides that, the only way you can gain weight is by eating more calories than you burn. So you have to eat more. Like safecracker said, write down everything you eat for the next 5 days then post it. You have to structure a diet where you're consistently getting more calories than you are now. You need protien, but it's ultimately the number of calories you consume that'll determine weight gain.

I'll have to think about my diet. Then I will post it.

Ehm, Gus .... I dont think we wanna know ...

avoid bodybuilding mags as they teach to do such bad things as train to failure which slows the CNS. It is best to do compound exercises not isolation to gain a good strength base but as I said before your workout will depend on your goals.

weight gain has MANY factors calorie intake is just 1 of the main group.

PS: tested my bench today: 435 at my weight of 195

435? What a weakling!

Obviously kidding...I have no idea what my max bench is, I stay away from flat barbell bench, I hate that excercise...it's uncomfortable for my shoulder.

Safecracker, what's your opinion on upright rows..do you agree with this article?
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/betteru26.htm

I've been doing them for probably 5 years now, and I'm at the point where I can go pretty heavy. I've never had any pain whatsoever from doing them, but reading that kind of scares me.

The upright row is not a bad thing if done in proper form. When the internal rotator muscles of the rotator cuff are fully stretched they are in a extremely weak position trying to hold the shoulder togather. Now with proper form this won't happen because you don't go past around mid chest which doesn't fully extend the muscles. Also keep it level and don't overload it.

If your still worried you could do Lateral Raise/Lying Lateral Raise.

Thanks. Oh yea...you say avoid training to failure...what's your approach?

When I first saw this thread I thought for sure this guy had fallen for one of those "Enlarge your love log" e-mails.

Lmao@ cjhsa

Ok basicly train to near failure but never to failure, you want strength not just hypertrophy. I do sets like 3X8 one week 4x6 the next and then 5x4 (just an example) Heres a powerlifting split i made for a beginner http://www.fortifiediron.com/view.php?id=51