Best method for building muscles?

[Kraenen]

Harzaka is right it's a myth. Was banded around when I Was a teenager that lifting weights bent your bones and did all-sorts of other miscellaneous stupid shit. Conveniently ignoring the fact that we lift weights our whole lives. The only difference being - in the real world weights are shaped like logs, dishwashers, boxes, tools, each other, dirt, sand-bags, book-cases and toys and in gyms they look like 2 weights on either end of a bar.

Ironically, going to a gym and lifting weights and doing functional exercise from a young age will actually help your body not damage it - because you'd be learning how to lift weights correctly, have good posture, form and the muscular and skeletal preparedness to actually lift heavy stuff.

Crazy aint it!

Difference is you're lifting weights that are much heavier, more frequently, and for longer durations, as well as under harsher circumstances.

[Deleted]

Difference is you're lifting weights that are much heavier, more frequently, and for longer durations, as well as under harsher circumstances.

Doesn't matter. You're doing what the body was designed to do. Formative strength and conditioning training from a young age will make a person's body better able to deal with life, knocks and injury than those who avoid it until later in life. Not, as previous myths suggested - which was to irrepairably damage you.

Strength training does not exclusively mean lifting barbells - gymnastics, for example, is using your body as a weight.

[larrakeyah]

I'm 16, turning 17 in january

That explains the quick muscle growth. At your age you will develop muscle without the need to train or control your diet as hard as an adult. If you train hard, follow a strict diet and persevere you will obtain impressive results.

The bodybuilding/weightlifting world is a world of very few truths: if you eat more calories you will get bigger (depending on your diet you will add more fat or muscle, when bulking it's impossible to add only muscle), if you eat less you'll get smaller (when getting smaller you will lose muscle yes or yes, depending on your training and diet you will be able to minimise that loss) In my first gym i heard one of the big guys saying: "they were no fatties in Auschwitz" to a guy claiming it was impossible for him to lose weight. A can do mentality is necessary.

Like you i started lifting at 16, im 24 now, I was very lucky because my brothers were my trainers/mentors when i started so i was safe on the BS camp and the greedy professional trainers trying to sell you supplements, they made me focus on three points:: train hard, eat good and rest.

Training: you're starting so the best thing you can do is build a solid foundation, you need to master the perfect form of performing an exercise. There's probably trainers in your gym, so get one and tell him to check the way you are doing the exercises and correct you. What exercises to do? what your trainer says, it doesn't really matter because you're starting, your muscles will adapt and grow with any of them. For a beginner like you i recommend compound exercises: squats, bench press, overhead press, deadlift, rows, and maybe some isolation on biceps, triceps and calfs. But this is not written in stone, trust your trainer.

8-12 reps do the trick for growing big muscles. 3 days a week at the gym is enough but if you really like and feel like you can do 5 days a week then by god do it. Personally i found working out Monday-Wednesday and Friday works great for me, it helps me maintain a healthy mind too, not being too obsessed about going to the gym.

Eat good: you're young, you don't need a draconian diet, you've gained an astounding mass without looking at your diet. Now imagine where's the limit if you follow a diet, there's no limit. Common sense is key here. Being 16 you probably eat what your mother cooks, good, you're safe on that part, home made food is the best you can eat. First focus on avoiding sugary beverages, fast food and fat desserts. Try to eat more fruits and vegetables. And always try to eat a bit more, a bit more of that pasta, a bit more of that chicken breast etc. I think posting you a diet would be worthless, because i doubt you have the means to buy the food. You probably have no problem eating good carbos and good fat, but maybe you have a problem with the protein intake: drink a lot of skim milk, it's cheap good protein and usually available on all households, and convince your parents to buy you canned tuna, it's cheap and healthy.

Rest: you need to sleep 8 hours a day yes or yes. No compromise here. And try making a routine out of it. Going to sleep everyday at the same hour helps you maintain a healthy body and mind.

Any question you have ask.

[Deleted]

That explains the quick muscle growth. At your age you will develop muscle without the need to train or control your diet as hard as an adult. If you train hard, follow a strict diet and persevere you will obtain impressive results.

The bodybuilding/weightlifting world is a world of very few truths: if you eat more calories you will get bigger (depending on your diet you will add more fat or muscle, when bulking it's impossible to add only muscle), if you eat less you'll get smaller (when getting smaller you will lose muscle yes or yes, depending on your training and diet you will be able to minimise that loss) In my first gym i heard one of the big guys saying: "they were no fatties in Auschwitz" to a guy claiming it was impossible for him to lose weight. A can do mentality is necessary.

Like you i started lifting at 16, im 24 now, I was very lucky because my brothers were my trainers/mentors when i started so i was safe on the BS camp and the greedy professional trainers trying to sell you supplements, they made me focus on three points:: train hard, eat good and rest.

Training: you're starting so the best thing you can do is build a solid foundation, you need to master the perfect form of performing an exercise. There's probably trainers in your gym, so get one and tell him to check the way you are doing the exercises and correct you. What exercises to do? what your trainer says, it doesn't really matter because you're starting, your muscles will adapt and grow with any of them. For a beginner like you i recommend compound exercises: squats, bench press, overhead press, deadlift, rows, and maybe some isolation on biceps, triceps and calfs. But this is not written in stone, trust your trainer.

8-12 reps do the trick for growing big muscles. 3 days a week at the gym is enough but if you really like and feel like you can do 5 days a week then by god do it. Personally i found working out Monday-Wednesday and Friday works great for me, it helps me maintain a healthy mind too, not being too obsessed about going to the gym.

Eat good: you're young, you don't need a draconian diet, you've gained an astounding mass without looking at your diet. Now imagine where's the limit if you follow a diet, there's no limit. Common sense is key here. Being 16 you probably eat what your mother cooks, good, you're safe on that part, home made food is the best you can eat. First focus on avoiding sugary beverages, fast food and fat desserts. Try to eat more fruits and vegetables. And always try to eat a bit more, a bit more of that pasta, a bit more of that chicken breast etc. I think posting you a diet would be worthless, because i doubt you have the means to buy the food. You probably have no problem eating good carbos and good fat, but maybe you have a problem with the protein intake: drink a lot of skim milk, it's cheap good protein and usually available on all households, and convince your parents to buy you canned tuna, it's cheap and healthy.

Rest: you need to sleep 8 hours a day yes or yes. No compromise here. And try making a routine out of it. Going to sleep everyday at the same hour helps you maintain a healthy body and mind.

Any question you have ask.

6-8 hours of sleep is fine.

[mittacc]

That explains the quick muscle growth. At your age you will develop muscle without the need to train or control your diet as hard as an adult. If you train hard, follow a strict diet and persevere you will obtain impressive results.

The bodybuilding/weightlifting world is a world of very few truths: if you eat more calories you will get bigger (depending on your diet you will add more fat or muscle, when bulking it's impossible to add only muscle), if you eat less you'll get smaller (when getting smaller you will lose muscle yes or yes, depending on your training and diet you will be able to minimise that loss) In my first gym i heard one of the big guys saying: "they were no fatties in Auschwitz" to a guy claiming it was impossible for him to lose weight. A can do mentality is necessary.

Like you i started lifting at 16, im 24 now, I was very lucky because my brothers were my trainers/mentors when i started so i was safe on the BS camp and the greedy professional trainers trying to sell you supplements, they made me focus on three points:: train hard, eat good and rest.

Training: you're starting so the best thing you can do is build a solid foundation, you need to master the perfect form of performing an exercise. There's probably trainers in your gym, so get one and tell him to check the way you are doing the exercises and correct you. What exercises to do? what your trainer says, it doesn't really matter because you're starting, your muscles will adapt and grow with any of them. For a beginner like you i recommend compound exercises: squats, bench press, overhead press, deadlift, rows, and maybe some isolation on biceps, triceps and calfs. But this is not written in stone, trust your trainer.

8-12 reps do the trick for growing big muscles. 3 days a week at the gym is enough but if you really like and feel like you can do 5 days a week then by god do it. Personally i found working out Monday-Wednesday and Friday works great for me, it helps me maintain a healthy mind too, not being too obsessed about going to the gym.

Eat good: you're young, you don't need a draconian diet, you've gained an astounding mass without looking at your diet. Now imagine where's the limit if you follow a diet, there's no limit. Common sense is key here. Being 16 you probably eat what your mother cooks, good, you're safe on that part, home made food is the best you can eat. First focus on avoiding sugary beverages, fast food and fat desserts. Try to eat more fruits and vegetables. And always try to eat a bit more, a bit more of that pasta, a bit more of that chicken breast etc. I think posting you a diet would be worthless, because i doubt you have the means to buy the food. You probably have no problem eating good carbos and good fat, but maybe you have a problem with the protein intake: drink a lot of skim milk, it's cheap good protein and usually available on all households, and convince your parents to buy you canned tuna, it's cheap and healthy.

Rest: you need to sleep 8 hours a day yes or yes. No compromise here. And try making a routine out of it. Going to sleep everyday at the same hour helps you maintain a healthy body and mind.

Any question you have ask.

I'm studying robotics so i have very little free time, so 3 times a week is all i can do if i want to have any free time at all.
I'm not eating as much home made food as you think. 4/7 days a week i have to cook my own food(a lot of pasta with a burger is an example) and i don't have the time or energy to stand there for hours so it is not very well cooked(cba cutting vegetables) or it's microwave food on the menu. On the weekends on the other hand is very good in the food department. Either my mom or my brother's girlfriend cook food.

Why should i focus on avoiding sugary beverages? I've never seen it affecting me in any way shape or form. In 7th-8th grade i drank 2 cans a day(33cl cans) and 6L during the weekend and i was like the skinniest guy in school. Have i missed something like that it affects me in another way except fat?(I have an addiction and i'm trying to stop, but since it hasn't really affected me i don't see why it is such a big deal)


My original goal was to reach 70kg at newyear, but that is out of reach atm, isn't it? :P Anyway, since you're experienced, what would you recommend that my goal should be for the upcoming year?

[Deleted]

I'm studying robotics so i have very little free time, so 3 times a week is all i can do if i want to have any free time at all.
I'm not eating as much home made food as you think. 4/7 days a week i have to cook my own food(a lot of pasta with a burger is an example) and i don't have the time or energy to stand there for hours so it is not very well cooked(cba cutting vegetables) or it's microwave food on the menu. On the weekends on the other hand is very good in the food department. Either my mom or my brother's girlfriend cook food.

Why should i focus on avoiding sugary beverages? I've never seen it affecting me in any way shape or form. In 7th-8th grade i drank 2 cans a day(33cl cans) and 6L during the weekend and i was like the skinniest guy in school. Have i missed something like that it affects me in another way except fat?(I have an addiction and i'm trying to stop, but since it hasn't really affected me i don't see why it is such a big deal)


My original goal was to reach 70kg at newyear, but that is out of reach atm, isn't it? :P Anyway, since you're experienced, what would you recommend that my goal should be for the upcoming year?

Make food in bulk at the start of the week. Refridgerated Turkey can be kept for 3-4 days, a tin of tuna takes what, 20seconds to open? Also, a portion of fish can be grilled or baked in less than 20minutes and you can boil, scramble, poach or omelette an egg in less than 10minutes. There's your protein covered. Heck, a sirloin steak can be cooked medium-rare in 4-8 minutes depending on its weight!!

If you're also making meals in bulk in advance - quinoa can be kept refridgerated for upto a week, rice 3 days, pasta 3-4 days, sweet potato is roughly the same. There's your carbohydrates sorted.

Vegetables and salads are laughably easy to prepare - they can be chopped and prepped in under 5minutes.

All of the above can be done on a sunday night, boxed up in tupperware and kept (with a dated sticker on) in your fridge - just pull out and consume. You have hot food options in omelettes, fish bakes or chicken / turkey if you have a spare 30minutes you can make virtually anything.

If you have time to cook pasta and burgers you have time to cook healthy food, it's just lazyness tbh.

[larrakeyah]

I'm studying robotics so i have very little free time, so 3 times a week is all i can do if i want to have any free time at all.
I'm not eating as much home made food as you think. 4/7 days a week i have to cook my own food(a lot of pasta with a burger is an example) and i don't have the time or energy to stand there for hours so it is not very well cooked(cba cutting vegetables) or it's microwave food on the menu. On the weekends on the other hand is very good in the food department. Either my mom or my brother's girlfriend cook food.

Why should i focus on avoiding sugary beverages? I've never seen it affecting me in any way shape or form. In 7th-8th grade i drank 2 cans a day(33cl cans) and 6L during the weekend and i was like the skinniest guy in school. Have i missed something like that it affects me in another way except fat?(I have an addiction and i'm trying to stop, but since it hasn't really affected me i don't see why it is such a big deal)


My original goal was to reach 70kg at newyear, but that is out of reach atm, isn't it? :P Anyway, since you're experienced, what would you recommend that my goal should be for the upcoming year?

You have gained 8kgs in 3 months, that's awesome. By all standards that's great. You must be doing something good, the thing is polishing your diet and training a bit can maximise your gains. You should try doing SMALL adjustments to your diet for two reasons, first, as i said before, to maximise gains, and second because eventually you will start progressing less and less, and you will need to start with tougher diets to gain muscle, and eventually as you grow up your metabolism won't be as forgiving as it is when you're 17.

Training 3 times a week is perfect.

Pasta and burgers that's nice, that's solid food, try to avoid microwave food though. Tell the mother and gf to cook more food on the weekend and put the excess on small tupperwares and to the freezer with them. Substitute the microwave food with that. If I was yourself I'll make the following adjustments, substitute microfood with homemade and avoid fast food, except twice on the weekend, indulge yourself with two fast food portions to maintain sanity. And always eat a bit more, if you are going to cook 100gr of chicken go for 110g, 75gr of rice go for 85gr. Buy a quality digital food scale, don't be cheap.

Fruit and vegetables: they are needed, vitamins and minerals are essential. And they need no preparation, wal-mart or euro equivalent sells precut vegetables.

2 cans of coke a day and 6l on the weekend and you'll be a diabetic very soon. Cut it slowly, one can of coke a day. If you really feel the need then go for diet coke. It's not about fat or muscle, it's about health.

70kg is not out of reach, go through 10 kgs of sugary weight gainers and you'll reach 70 by new years. It won't be a solid or a healthy gain though. We are talking about gaining 4kgs in less than 40 days, forget that goal, take it slow and easy.

If you are going to take this seriously i think getting to 78kg by December 2013 is a feasible goal, not easy but not impossible, i'd go for that.

---------- Post added 2012-11-26 at 10:22 AM ----------

All of the above can be done on a sunday night, boxed up in tupperware and kept (with a dated sticker on) in your fridge - just pull out and consume. You have hot food options in omelettes, fish bakes or chicken / turkey if you have a spare 30minutes you can make virtually anything.

Reqq beat me to it, good advice.

[obdigore]

Make food in bulk at the start of the week. Refridgerated Turkey can be kept for 3-4 days, a tin of tuna takes what, 20seconds to open? Also, a portion of fish can be grilled or baked in less than 20minutes and you can boil, scramble, poach or omelette an egg in less than 10minutes. There's your protein covered. Heck, a sirloin steak can be cooked medium-rare in 4-8 minutes depending on its weight!!

If you're also making meals in bulk in advance - quinoa can be kept refridgerated for upto a week, rice 3 days, pasta 3-4 days, sweet potato is roughly the same. There's your carbohydrates sorted.

Vegetables and salads are laughably easy to prepare - they can be chopped and prepped in under 5minutes.

All of the above can be done on a sunday night, boxed up in tupperware and kept (with a dated sticker on) in your fridge - just pull out and consume. You have hot food options in omelettes, fish bakes or chicken / turkey if you have a spare 30minutes you can make virtually anything.

If you have time to cook pasta and burgers you have time to cook healthy food, it's just lazyness tbh.

You don't even need the 30 minutes it takes to cook, as you don't have to watch it like you do pasta and sauces. Drizzle some Olive Oil on a chicken breast, put on some spices you like (I had a gift given with some mixed spices and I use that), wrap it in tin foil. Get some fresh vegetables, throw what you like together, more olive oil, wrap it in tin foil. Put the two tin foil wraps on a pan, put pan in oven. Turn on at 350F for 30 minutes. Takes less than 5 minutes to prepare, you can go study or whatever for half an hour, and dinner is served.

[Noadha]

I am getting so tired at seeing people regurgitate what they think they know, as knowledge for other people. I am going to keep this plain and simple because I am sure people are going to flame. There is only two things you need to do to gain muscle mass. Eat for it (diet your macro nutrient goals for the weight you want to achieve), and train for it. You do not train to gain size and strength by doing some sort of prescribed method that everyone thinks they know to work. You train by going to the gym and finding what works for you, educating yourself on exercises and form, and constantly changing the exercises you use. Repetition of an exercise is the one way you WILL find yourself hitting a plateau FAST.

Two years ago (Jan 2011) I weighed 220 lbs at 5'10" with close to 30% body fat. I decided to make a change for myself and dedicated my spare time to meeting my goals. This year I competed in one natural body building competition and one open competition, and took 1st in novice in the naturals and 4th in novice in the open. I made many many mistakes, but I also learned many many things. I do not have my pro card yet but I will get it in 2013.

This is me during the open competition at 168 lbs 4% Body Fat.
imageshack.us/a/img694/7223/imagewul.jpg
Since then I have learned where I need to grow to earn my pro card. I've been dieting for 200 lbs since August, and plan to compete at 190 lbs starting May of 2013.

Once you gain size and strength, PM me and I will help you to find fullness and detail. I will not provide you detail on how you should set your macro nutrient goals, or how you should train. You should figure that stuff out for yourself. I do of course offer personal training. Either way, focus on seting your diet and constantly changing and evolving your workouts with your body. Don't find yourself doing the same shit over and over and expecting anything great. The body is an incredibly adaptatious (I just made this cool new word up) thing, and you need to fight it!

[Shik Valentine]

No. Just no.

Toning = losing body fat.
Building Bulk = gaining size. You eat. A lot. Stay at a caloric surplus and eat adequate amounts of protein and follow a lifting routine. You can train for strength or size- either way progressive overload to your muscles (basically increasing strain on muscles by upping weight/repetitions) will cause you to grow.. IF you eat enough.

90% of the time people don't grow is you aren't eating enough.

But god darn when I hear people talking about toning my body hurts.

This for the most part, there was a couple other good posts but didnt wanna quote them all.

figure out your caloric maintenance, eat about 200-500 calories above it. Get 1 gram of protein per lb of body weight, .4-.5 grams of fat, & fill the rest w/ carbs or a mixture of the three. Thats just a general guideline, some people can get away with less pro/fat or will need more. Get enough fiber, & sufficient amounts of micros(vitamins/minerals).

Pick a program & stick to it, it's all personal preference. I prefer 5x5 full body routines w/ compound lifts & some isolation work, some might enjoy a routine in the higher rep range including dumbbells & machines. Just be sure to track your lifts, & progressing from workout to workout. Be it by adding weight, more reps, more sets, or time under tension.

Here's a couple simple routines you can google:
Starting Strength: 3x5
Strong Lifts 5x5
Jim Wendler's 5/3/1
Lyle Mcdonald's Generic Bulking Routine: It's a 4 day upper/lower split
Ice Cream Fitness Novice 5x5 Fullbody(inb4 people make fun of the name)

[iggie]

Here's a couple simple routines you can google:
Starting Strength: 3x5
Strong Lifts 5x5
Jim Wendler's 5/3/1
Lyle Mcdonald's Generic Bulking Routine: It's a 4 day upper/lower split
Ice Cream Fitness Novice 5x5 Fullbody(inb4 people make fun of the name)

A Simple Beginner's Routine http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showth...4195843&page=1

Squats
Bench Presses
Bent-Over Rows
Overhead Barbell Presses
Stiff-Legged Deadlifts
Barbell Curls
Calf Raises

Worked for me!

[Syro]

The best advice you could posibly get is in here http://www.bodybuildingrevealed.com/ ignore the obvious marketing stuff, it is probably the best book on the subject there is right now, and you can find it all over the internets. If you decide to pay for it you also get acces to a great comunity.
Also you can get the book Starting strength from Ripptoe, if you never set foot in the gym then this is for you, it will teach you the lifts and get you started on a simple and efficient strength building programe. You may want to ignore the diet advices tho.

---------- Post added 2012-12-04 at 09:21 PM ----------

Why should i focus on avoiding sugary beverages? I've never seen it affecting me in any way shape or form. In 7th-8th grade i drank 2 cans a day(33cl cans) and 6L during the weekend and i was like the skinniest guy in school. Have i missed something like that it affects me in another way except fat?(I have an addiction and i'm trying to stop, but since it hasn't really affected me i don't see why it is such a big deal)


My original goal was to reach 70kg at newyear, but that is out of reach atm, isn't it? :P Anyway, since you're experienced, what would you recommend that my goal should be for the upcoming year?

The huge amount of sugar wich will cause all sorts of trouble including and not limited to insulin resistance, diabet, and bad teeth. Also if the drinks contain coffeine they will raise blood pressure, and cause heart problems in the future.

[freelapdance]

High weight low reps with lots of multi muscle exercises:

Ie: pullups, dips, bench press, shoulder press, deadlift, squat

Google Mark Rippetoe an excellent source for anyone even semi serious about the gym