Hi mate.

Here's my take on your questions . . .

You say you don't have a workout partner, but I don't think you necessarily need one. Not at your level anyway. As for working to failure, I don't think you need to do that either. Leaving a bit in the tank is an accepted way to work out.

I would certainly recommend recording workouts for a while. Just small amounts of progression is really all that's necessary and by keeping a record you will ensure you do that.

When you say you don't have the growth you want, do you mean you have no or very little growth or that you're not getting an unrealistic amount of growth?

I'm 53, been lifting consistently for around 35 years and I'm still able to grow. But what I've come to appreciate is that I can't do the daily cardio and grow and get stronger. My recovery rate is just not up to it these days. Maybe you can do it, maybe you can't, but it would appear that you are struggling, so my suggestion is to knock the cardio on the head for a few months and save your energy for recovery. I would also try something like the 5 x 5 stronglift program. Follow it rigidly and you should progress nicely.

I'm not an ectomorph but I do know you need to eat plenty whatever body type you are. Almost certainly, the problem you probably have is that performing so much cardio, plus, from the sound of it, quite a lot of weight training is burning off far too many calories and not leaving enough for growth.

No doubt you are super fit, but you need to decide what your priorities are from now on. Super fit or super big?

I agree to a certain extent that workout programmes can be confusing. But the truth is there is no right or wrong way. From what you have written I would say that you need to cut back. It sounds as though working out as much as you do is not bringing the results you want. That being the case, you need to consider what other options you have. I would suggest that training even harder isn't going to work, so you are really only left with the option of training less.

And don't forget that you can and should change the way your train in three or four months anyway, so that might be the time to go back to adding extra weight training days and cardio. The results you get from training less will dictate what you decide to do next.

I wouldn't like to comment on the effect of your injury on your workout. For optimal growth it is best to concentrate on compound exercises and unfortunately for you, the squat is the best there is. Deadlifts are a close second, so maybe you could really hit those hard and do whatever form of squat or leg workout you can do, as hard as you can within your limits. Don't do lunges.

Whatever you decide, in whatever order you decide, remember to hit the gym hard and fast and then make sure you get adequate rest. The idea is to let your central nervous system recover before hitting the gym hard again.

Can't help with the food bit, I'm afraid. I just don't have your problem. Maybe you could drink as many calories as possible to get them down?

As for weight loss (for which read fat loss) if you train hard enough and certainly if you follow the 5 x 5 system and eat adequate amounts of food you will lose fat and gain muscle. For you, I doubt you will need to eat less or watch what you eat.

Honestly, try the 5 x 5 stronglift workout programme, follow it rigidly, cut out the cardio or if you need to do something just walk every day, take plenty of rest and make sure to add weight every time you go to the gym and you will grow. Obviously, you will need to mix it around a bit to account for not using squats as your main exercise, but I'm sure that by doing 5 x 5 deadlifts instead of the squats you will get almost as good a benefit as you would from doing the squats.

The compound exercises will send the right signals to grow the whole of your body. At your stage there is no need to waste energy and calories on isolation exercises and I think it would be detrimental just now. Do that when you have got over your plateau and you have seen some solid growth, just to give your body a break from the same routine.

I'm not going to comment on your current workout, mainly because from what you are saying, it doesn't seem to work for you. It might well work for someone else, but that doesn't really help you.

Just to drive home the point again . . . intensity can mean different things. Driving yourself to exhaustion 4 or 5 times a week and then adding cardio to that is not really the way to gain muscle for most. Hitting the gym for 30 to 45 minutes and lifting the heaviest weights you can manage for around 11 sets of 5 reps and letting your body recover sufficiently to do the same again in two days time is a form of intensity that might just work for you.

You've tried the exhaustion way and it doesn't seem to be working for you, so what have you got to lose by changing it around a bit.

Good luck