# Getting massive with limited equipment



## naw38 (Mar 7, 2015)

Okay, SS.org, my only source of news, advice and wisdom, I need your advice. 

I want to make my arms stupid big. I have a set of 17.5 kg dumb bells, which I can typically do 13 bicep curls with, and a pull up bar, which I can do slightly more with. 
When I do sets of push ups, I can do around thirty reps on the first, then at most seventeen on the rest. 

So, is there any advice you can give me to help me lift more and get stupid big?


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## Millul (Mar 7, 2015)

Buy a barbell and some plates.


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## MemphisHawk (Mar 7, 2015)

watch some barstarzz videos on YouTube. The old school ones are really good.


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## Cowboyfromhell (Mar 7, 2015)

Personally i like these guys they have really informative videos : https://www.youtube.com/user/buffdudes . They have really good workout plans on their site and nutrition stuff : Healthy Food Recipes & Gym Workout Routines. Lose Fat, Gain Muscle. | B.U.F.F. Dudes: Workout Routines & Exercise Tutorials . Been watching them for 2 years now and i gotta say they know what they are talking about !


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## naw38 (Mar 8, 2015)

Cheers guys, I'll check that all out!


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## lemeker (Mar 8, 2015)

I'm sure the link says the same thing in the other post but, Your diet will be one of the single most important things to take into account when bulking. You'll want at least 1:1 grams of protein per pound of body weight. I suggest lots of brown rice, chicken, and fish.


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## MikeH (Mar 8, 2015)

Dat dere celltech.


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## gunshow86de (Mar 9, 2015)

MikeH said:


> Dat dere celltech.


Careful.


Official Forum Rules said:


> 15. No discussion of illegal drugs/paraphernalia.




You could stack it with some Serious Mass. Serious Mass, the only weight gainer so serious, it comes in a fertilizer bag.


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## UnderTheSign (Mar 9, 2015)

Get some more equipment and eat like a beast.


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## MikeH (Mar 9, 2015)

gunshow86de said:


> Careful.



We've had an unpopular opinions thread turn into a thread on weed.  Not to mention it was a lighthearted joke. I doubt OP even knows what it is.

To offer some real advice, eat a stupid amount of calories. Like, what you think is a lot x2. And just lift repetitively. You'll always see progress with consistency.


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## UnquestionablePresence (Mar 9, 2015)

Forgotten Bulking Ideas of the Past / Elite FTS

5 Quick and Easy Ways to Add Calories / Elite FTS

Kentucky Strong: 1,100+ Calorie Protein Shakes / Elite FTS

If you want some ideas for how to get calories in pretty easily, there are some. You might need these, but I would eat what you think "a lot" is consistently for maybe a month or so and see if you gain weight just by doing that. Weigh yourself every day and maybe even graph it or write it down somewhere. Chances are your weight will bounce up and down as much as five pounds in the short term (especially if you are really trying to cram down the food), but your weight will trend upwards in the long term.

Some people really struggle with food, and if you are one of them those links are worth a look. Along with those you can go with something as simple as blending whole milk and peanut butter together, maybe throw in some almonds. If you use protein powders you can chuck those in there too, of course. There are plenty of "bulking" recipes out there designed by and for people who hate to eat. 

You can see some pretty big improvements in strength from grinding away at calisthenics; however, they aren't as easy to progress with as external weight is. With a barbell you learn the movement, and from there you add a plate or two every now and then. With calisthenics, for example, you might do push ups until you get really good at them, then you have to spend some time learning how to do one arm push ups, then you get really good at them, then maybe you learn how to do a planche, then maybe you start doing planche push ups. You have to learn a new movement just to progress in some cases, and some of these movements require heaps of athletic qualities other than strength. You end up spending time building skill which could be time spent just getting stronger. Now, I know learning the barbell movements isn't THAT simple, but hopefully you get my point. You can build some mass with calisthenics, but I have yet to see anyone build it as quickly as can be done with weights. If all you want is size and strength, I would argue that barbells, dumbbells and such would get you there quicker.

So, ideally, if you really want to get BIG you should find a way to lift with a barbell sometime soon. If it's going to be a while, or you don't have the money, you could get a sandbag and some sand. Sand is dirt cheap (Around 6 bucks for 50 pounds), and you can measure it and add it incrementally like you would add plates to a barbell. 

Large sandbag set for carrying, loading, throwing - IronMind-www.ironmind-store.com

You can clean it, press it, load it (think strongman atlas stones), bear hug it and carry it, or maybe buy two, rig up some sort of handles for them, and do farmer carries with them (good way to work towards a bigger upper back and a stronger grip). I guess you could try to squat with it with some sort of improvised "rack". This is assuming you can't get some plates and a barbell or a gym membership. Ideally that is what you would want.

If you do get a barbell + plates, grab some horse stall mats to protect your flooring and get to work on some deadlifts. They are 40 bucks a piece and they seem to do the trick for me.

Rubber Horse Stall Mat, 4 ft. x 6 ft. - Tractor Supply Co.

(This isn't exactly what I have, but it's very similar)

I deadlift on one of these on top of a concrete floor. I just checked and there is no obvious damage under the mat. It is still pretty loud and it tends to shake the house a little when I am doing deadlifts, but you can build a more complex DYI platform to take care of those issues.

(You don't have to buy THAT exact stall mat or THAT exact sandbag, I was just giving you a reference.)

And just to repeat, you really should try to find a way to get some more typical equipment. Gym memberships are nice, but your own set of weights will work too. This is what you should strive for. If all else fails, find a way to get strong quickly and eat well while you do so. Chances are you will get bigger.


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## TRENCHLORD (Mar 9, 2015)

Sometimes having limited (well, like Mike H said a barbell and plates would sure help) equipment is actually a blessing.

It's very tempting to add in too many secondary moves when you have a gym full of machines and cables, which can in turn serve to drain and slow you're recovery.

Keeping things simple can allow for more quality sets and more sessions over the month/year.


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## MikeH (Mar 9, 2015)

That was Millul's suggestion. Can't take credit, but I do wholeheartedly agree. A used set of plates and a cheap bar can be found sub-$100 in some cases on Craigslist. If that's the case, buy that, a bench, and maybe an adjustable squat stand. Just do different variations of each of the big 3 with some light accessory work thrown in. For bench, do regular bench, close-grip, paused reps, then accessorize with some skull crushers and behind-the-head plate raises to hit the shoulders and triceps. Squats will be regular, front squats, and paused squats to a bench, accessorized by lunges and full power jumps for as many reps as possible. Deadlifts will be regular, deficit (stack two plates on each other and stand on them), and stiff-legged, followed by some barbell rows, barbell curls, and plate raises to hit your delts. If you try that out for about 2 months, I guarantee you'll see some solid results. You won't look like a bodybuilder, necessarily, because it's not a ton of isolation work, but you'll be bigger and stronger. I'm strictly on a powerlifting regiment, but I recently started adding bodybuilding/hypertrophy work. Prior to that though, it was strictly power and strength lifting, and this is what happened in exactly a year:





Consistency is key. Don't overcomplicate your training with 900 variations of an isolation exercise. Stick to the basics over and over and over. You WILL see results.


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## naw38 (Mar 10, 2015)

The diet thing is really tough for me. I constantly flounder in between "I'm lifting so much lately, I need to eat every ....ing thing I see" and "oh god, my arse is so big, I'm gonna eat maybe, a salad once a day" - and obviously, both of those choices are pretty shit.


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## MikeH (Mar 10, 2015)

Find a balance. Allow yourself a couple cheat meals a week starting off, then gradually wean yourself into cleaner foods.


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## naw38 (Mar 10, 2015)

Okay, how do I know if I'm working out enough to justify eating so much? Like I understand you've gotta eat to grow and maintain mass, but how do you know what the balance is, where I can get stronger and not just put on fat?


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## TRENCHLORD (Mar 10, 2015)

naw38 said:


> Okay, how do I know if I'm working out enough to justify eating so much? Like I understand you've gotta eat to grow and maintain mass, but how do you know what the balance is, where I can get stronger and not just put on fat?




Got a mirror? IMO that's really the best way, at least without getting too technical with LBM testing.


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## naw38 (Mar 10, 2015)

I was hoping for something a little bit more specific than that, haha. But if you reckon that's best, I'll go with that.


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## MikeH (Mar 10, 2015)

Really, it's trial and error without getting super scientific with a BodPod or having someone analyze your BMI and BF% coupled with your required caloric intake for maintenance. Do what Trenchlord said. Use a mirror. Not getting big enough? Eat more, lift more. Not lean enough? Cut back on carbs and fats, add some cardio. Too big? Eat less.


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## Hollowway (Mar 11, 2015)

TRENCHLORD said:


> Sometimes having limited (well, like Mike H said a barbell and plates would sure help) equipment is actually a blessing.
> 
> It's very tempting to add in too many secondary moves when you have a gym full of machines and cables, which can in turn serve to drain and slow you're recovery.
> 
> Keeping things simple can allow for more quality sets and more sessions over the month/year.



Yep. +1. Don't be like those idiots in the gym on a forearm machine. People get way too much into working small muscle groups that normally just come along for the ride with the big ones.

I'll recommend Arnold Schwarzenegger's Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding. I lived by that thing for like 15 years. 

And do big weight, big muscle group things. A barbell is a good idea, and do things like clean and jerk so you can work out large muscles. I don't remember all of them for developing a lot of mass, but it's in the Arnold book. He specifically talks about that.

And for the love of God, PLEASE don't ignore your legs. Any real body builder will look at you as a joke if your upper body is huge and you have scrawny chicken legs.


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## TRENCHLORD (Mar 11, 2015)

^ Yelp.


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## Preciousyetvicious (Mar 11, 2015)

Whoops wrong forum


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## naw38 (Mar 12, 2015)

Hollowway said:


> And for the love of God, PLEASE don't ignore your legs. Any real body builder will look at you as a joke if your upper body is huge and you have scrawny chicken legs.



Haha, I'm in no danger of that. I've always had pretty decent legs and relatively scrawny arm muscles. 

Sorry for all the moronic, beginner questions... but here's another one! How bad is it to not have rest days? Should I have a rest every other day? Should I still eat heaps those days? I feel like I automatically lose mass and gain fat if I have a day off.


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## TRENCHLORD (Mar 12, 2015)

naw38 said:


> Haha, I'm in no danger of that. I've always had pretty decent legs and relatively scrawny arm muscles.
> 
> Sorry for all the moronic, beginner questions... but here's another one! How bad is it to not have rest days? Should I have a rest every other day? Should I still eat heaps those days? I feel like I automatically lose mass and gain fat if I have a day off.



You could train almost everyday if you split things up properly, and you can always have days where you hit some cardio and abs, or even do some light-weight very-high rep stuff for the pump and burn factor.
You'll probably need some off days from intense strength stuff, but that really depends how heavy you lift, how far you take you're sets and if you're using extra-intensity techniques such as forced reps, drop-sets, super-sets, rest pause, ect...


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## MemphisHawk (Mar 12, 2015)

I have done around 2,500 pushups over the last 19 days and my arms went from 38cm to 39cm in that same period. I am actually quite astonished. I only wrote down my arm size at the start as a joke, but it's real as can be. That's 0.4 inches in American. Guess I should start curling my laundry or something so my biceps can catch up.


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## naw38 (Mar 12, 2015)

MemphisHawk said:


> I have done around 2,500 pushups over the last 19 days and my arms went from 38cm to 39cm in that same period. I am actually quite astonished. I only wrote down my arm size at the start as a joke, but it's real as can be. That's 0.4 inches in American. Guess I should start curling my laundry or something so my biceps can catch up.



Yeah mate! That's what I want to hear. So that's like, 131 reps a day, how many sets? Sets of 10? I hope so. 13 sets of 10 a day at bicep curls, push ups, pull ups squats, and as many farmers walks as I can, plus a whole bunch of protein, and then BOOM! Big arms. 

Does that sound good...?


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## MemphisHawk (Mar 12, 2015)

I wrote it all down on a calendar at home. I'll type it all out when I get back.


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## MemphisHawk (Mar 12, 2015)

Feb 25 - 25 30 20 (75) / Pullups 15 ( not all at once )
Feb 26 - 35 35 30 25 20 15 (160)
Feb 27 - 45 30 (75)
Feb 28 - 25 30 35 20 40 40 (190) = 500 1st week

I stopped keeping count of individual sets after that, sorry.
March 1 - 215
March 2 - 220
March 4 - 250
March 6 - 200
March 7 - 115 Week 2 = 1000 Pushups

March 8 - 310
March 10 - 320
March 12 - 330, still have saturday to go, aiming for 1250 this week. 


I have realllllly not wanted to do many many sets of these in my head, but I have dragged myself to keep upping the number and I am seeing results. I know I will plateau soon, but to give you an idea of what three weeks has done... I struggled to finish 40 pushups in a row (with no pause) when I started. Today, I did 70 without pause for my first set. I remember that because it was all been so surprising to me. 

Now if I could figure out something this easy for a diet!

(PS)- I also have been doing pull-ups when I see something I can grab onto and I do sit-ups on my days in between pushups.


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## naw38 (Mar 19, 2015)

Okay, so the main two things I've taken from this is a) eat more and b) do more sets, less different types.

Well, it's not been long, but so far I've noticed a definite growth in my arms, and I've less fat on my torso - I haven't managed to up my maximum rep count, but I have got to the point where instead of doing say, 17 then 10 then 8 then 3 reps in a set of bicep curls, I can comfortably do about 14 for as many sets as I like, which I'm pretty happy about.

Cheers folks, y'all have been great!


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## TRENCHLORD (Mar 19, 2015)

naw38 said:


> Okay, so the main two things I've taken from this is a) eat more and b) do more sets, less different types.
> 
> Well, it's not been long, but so far I've noticed a definite growth in my arms, and I've less fat on my torso - I haven't managed to up my maximum rep count, but I have got to the point where instead of doing say, 17 then 10 then 8 then 3 reps in a set of bicep curls, I can comfortably do about 14 for as many sets as I like, which I'm pretty happy about.
> 
> Cheers folks, y'all have been great!



After maybe a few more sessions take about 2 or three days off strength stuff then you'll likely blow away your old rep records .


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## naw38 (Mar 19, 2015)

Yeah, I've been think that. It's just a matter of having days organised so I have a chance to do a decent amount of cardio so I don't end up feeling like a lazy slob.


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