Getting back into the flow
 

like 2-3 years ago I started with Riptoes and I loved it, made a shit load of gains. Then for some random ass reason I stopped and started a lame program that had 50 million excersises in it and i stopped growing. Then I stopped going at the beginning of the summer.


This morning I looked in the mirror and I'm like :wtf: I used to weigh 185lbs and now I weigh 155 and I'm soooo skinny its crazy. I'm 6' 4" btw. I don't know how I'm alive right now. I would have thought I'd be dead from having no mass on my body at all. It's nuts!

Anyways! I'm looking to get back to the gym and try and gain some mass again. I don't know what routine to grab, theres so many. I want to train smart and not like some idiot.

Try what you had great results with before. Start a bulking diet, get into a routine, and get big. If you did it once, it sounds like you know what you need to do. I'm taking a little time off from doing a 5X5 routine which I loved. I'm going to do a different program for a few weeks, but I still have planned progression. And I'm pretty sure I'll be back on the 5X5 routine in a month or two.

This time don't switch to a lame program. Ask when/if you decide you want to switch programs if you aren't sure.

Try going back to what worked in the past. Also, you could try setting up a routine that utilizes more than one muscle group (i.e. train chest with shoulders, or triceps on one day). By doing this you are recruiting more muscle fibers and prefatiguing others, and this will create more growth. With your past experience and your muscle memory you should be able to get back to where you were before in no time with a good bulkng diet.

What exactly is the riptoe workout. I read about it quite abit but never actually seen it....

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/wotw52.htm

Thats the rippetoe.

I don't know if I want to go back into that one though because its such a beginner program.

Can someone recommend a full body w/o ?

If you haven't worked out in a while, Rippetoe is a great way to get your strength numbers up quick and put on some mass. You could just use rippetoe to get your strength up then by then you'll have formulated a new custom workout. I wouldn't cast it aside cause its "beginner".

I agree 100%. I hate it when people call it a beginner workout and cast it aside. I know some huge guys that have done the Rippetoe program. You're just doing heavy compound lifts. They are the best for gaining size and strength. Too often I see small people or big people that are just getting back into the gym doing about 20 different isolation exercises. They would be better off just doing the heavy compound lifts and cutting the time in half that they spend in the gym. Doing leg extensions, calve raises, leg curls, weighted lunges, crunches, and glute ham raises are not as good as doing one good squat workout IMO.