I need some help getting to the next level. I'm 50 and have been consistently lifting hard for one year. I've done this at different times over my life for two to three years at a clip. I've never had the results I wanted. First of all I'm an ectomorph and it seems damn near impossible to get real size.

I work out at least 4 times per week and do lots, probably too much cardio. I push hard and I feel good. But I don't have the growth I'd like. In know it takes time!!! This is my priority, I cut work and everything else to get to gym.

Here's where I need help:

1. I don't have a workout partner. I try to work to failure, but it's hard without a partner, not sure this is enough if I don't have partner helping me get the most out of sets. I probably won't have a partner as I work and get to gym when I get off, this is different times each day. Advice?

2. I plan on doing cycle bout 6 months from now. I'm recording my workouts between now and then to make sure I have good numbers to work from. Not worried about what gear to use now, will figure that out in a couple months. I'm using an iPhone app called "strong". Any recommendations on this or other apps to record workouts.

3. It's confusing, there seems to be as many people saying to work three days per week as there are saying work 5 days per week. I seem to burn out every other week, so I think I'll cut back number of days. Advice?

4. I have no pcl in left knee. Haven't had for 25 years. Doesn't seem to be as critical as acl and I don't arthritis or daily pain from this. I know I can't blast squats or lunges without damage. I do light machine squats without issue. What excercises for same muscles with minimum impact here. I'm going to push it just want best advice. Are good mornings or dead lifts with light squats adequate to build these muscles and are they easier on knees. Any advice here is appreciated.

5. I'm always starving. I eat good. Lots of protien, no supplements. I go to bed and get right back up to eat, because I'm starving. I drink lots of water. Make fruit and vegetable smoothies every day with nutrabullet. If I'm at home, I'm constantly eating. Although I've been slowly losing weight because I spend about two hours at gym or bicycle 30 miles or do HIIT on treadmill each day. Very few off days.

Weight - 200
5'11"
Little bit of extra gut but not fat.
My typical routines are as follows:
Chest/tri - three exercises each muscle 10 -12 reps
Back/bi - same as above
Shoulders - 4 exercises 10 - 12 reps
Legs- my weak point as I have trouble with selecting exercises with pcl issue. Light squats and other light exercises, got to get this right!
30 minutes of cardio (minimum every workout)
Abs - every other workout

Again I've always been a very hard gainer. I feel good and want to make this happen. I've always done everything intensely, sports, drugs and alcohol(unfortunately), bikes, etc.. I have the scars to remind me of this. Of course this lifestyle has left me single at this point in my life. This is great for me, I don't care about these things anymore. Just want to get bigger than I've ever been. I've never cycled before, but I believe it's safe and I'm going to do it. That seems to be what I need to do to get over the hump. Just want to be in best position to do this in the near future.

Any comments or advice are appreciated.

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"It doesn't matter what you go through as long as you go through it and come out the other side!"

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

I appreciate your recommendations and I'm going to use them. I already did my first 5x5 routine today. I used an app called "stronglifts". It is a 5x5 app. I only did 10 minutes on the elliptical to get a little sweat going. I'm going to stick with this for a while.

Again, I really appreciate your help.

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"It doesn't matter what you go through as long as you go through it and come out the other side!"

Nice one. It'll feel wrong at first. Like you're doing next to nothing at all but let it build up and the results will soon come.
When I first did it I felt as though I was warming up and then stopping before I actually did a workout but when the weight starts to add up it felt good again.
Good luck and definitely let us know how it went.

Highly recommend 5x5 fella ...highly

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