Thread: Building Muscle/Working out

I've been lifting pretty seriously for about, 20 years. I don't have much advice or real zeal for a thread on the subject.

For me I was a marathon runner in the mid-80s and transitioned over to lifting. I needed more bulk. I do not train all my muscle groups with enough balance. Things change dramatically after you turn 40, rest time wise.

I used to work two muscle groups out, once or twice a week. I've always needed/used lots of off-time for growth. Turning 40 made the problem worse.

Lately I've been working mutliple body parts twice a week based on the theory that growth hormones are released by specific muscle groups when worked. We'll see in a few months.

My only advice would be to eat often, min 7 meals a day, minimum. Keep your aerobics up so you don't get fat. Big is great, fat and big kinda sucks. I've been using a Nitros Oxide supplement which is great for an energy boost before working out. I use something called "Superpump 250". Its a rockin' supplement.

So, 7 meals a day, protein at every meal and two good work outs a week lifting, with lots of rest, offset with atleast one good quality aerobics session a week. Thats what I do. Mind you I'm also a full time Executive, government consultant, and grad school student. Some of the grown-up cr*p gets in the way.

sounds like you are a busy man...

If you like superpump try MRI Blackpowder...if you havent yet i would suggest you try it ...i like that one alot...no jitters...no stomach ache and good pump ...

i have to be brutally honest for this, i have never given a &#^# about trying to look big or strong, and that seems to be the goal of most of the guys at the gym. i hate hearing "i just wanna look trimmer and get a little bulk for when i go to the beach".

almost all the supplements that are out there are crap! i know i am gonna get in trouble for saying this but it is true. even if they do work they kill your kidneys and liver and usually once you stop taking them it all reverses. the only thing that i ever take or recommend is a good quality protein that has no preservatives or artificial sweeteners or artificial colouring. and there are very few people who need more then 22g of protein in one shake, as long as it is good quality protein. creatine isn't bad if you get a good quality product but it is another one that once your stop using it your size goes down, though it will help in muscle recovery.

Ultimate protein by Brad King is the best stuff i have found so far, though Genuine Health Proteins Plus is pretty good to because Brad King actually developed it for them. i haven't had a person yet tell me they don't notice an immediate difference with this protein and these were guys and girls from the full spectrum of weight lifters to just normal people.

as far as the actual weight lifting goes i always find free weights to be better for strength as it premotes balance and support muscle growth. i like that someone already mentioned that simpler is better. a great product that i really like and have found the best strength gains with is the Universal Strength Apparatus. very simple and much harder then most people think.

if anyone has a chance, read Pavel Tsatsoulines book the Naked Warrior. it is amazing. he also has some great books on Kettle Bell workouts that i can't wait to try, but i have to save up to buy the Kettle Bells.

PS. for those avid weight lifters (and anyone for that matter) it made a big difference for me when i started doing one arm at a time for everything, again it is for the support muscles, and i was really surprised how much of a change it made.

Originally Posted by chee16

i have to be brutally honest for this, i have never given a &#^# about trying to look big or strong, and that seems to be the goal of most of the guys at the gym. i hate hearing "i just wanna look trimmer and get a little bulk for when i go to the beach".

Who cares whether you're actually healthy? It's all about whether you look good.

Why the hell else do any of those at the gym punish themselves the way they do? If they couldn't see the results in the many mirrors in those places, there's no way they'd keep coming back.

The way I look at it, when you're young, you're a flower in bloom. Make the best of those sunny days, before your pedals fall off. I'lll worry about feeling good long-term later in life.

Here's a link to the program I'm on:

20 Months to a Champion Physique - by Bill Pearl - Bill Pearl Enterprises, Inc.

It is probably more frequency than I'll be able to keep up for to long, but if you want to be a bodybuilder and lift for life, it gives you a bunch of different exercises structured to build you up from never having lifted before to safely lifting a lot, often. It also helps you try out a bunch of different exercises so you learn what works for you.

Don't forget muscles grow when you are sleeping not in the gym.

The only thing about squats is that if you haven't been athletic in a while you should work up to them, this is for the older lurkers out there, you won't have the flexibility, or the back strength to get the most benefit from them without building up to them, that what I like about the above program, he puts you through a few months of exercises that build the necessary flexibility and accessory strength to really benefit from the big movement before introducing them. A lot of guys just dive right in and do them but while that works when young it hurts when you get old, and can even cause injury.

I also don't go in for much in the way of supplementation, just vitamins, joint support (I'd take these even if I didn't work out) and protein. Again if you are just starting out, eating many meals throughout the day is an ideal, as is a very controlled calorie count and specific macro's, but if you start out trying to do everything right you are more likely to burn out and do nothing right. I'd make one dietary change a month until you are eating the way you should. for instance give up pop and drink water could be a goal for a month. Then next month split you lunch into two separate smaller meals. That way you will slowly build perfect habits you will stick with over the long term.

I work out at home with my wife as my workout partner, we're on the same program, just different weights. I never liked crowds, so going to the gym pretty much sucked even when there was a decent one close to where I lived.

I've been lifting for about 5 years or so. I didn't get real serious about it until 2 years ago, and since then I've been on a good workout and diet schedule. Most of the guys I workout with follow something similar to this routine...

Monday - chest/triceps
Tuesday - legs
Wednesday - rest
Thursday - shoulders/traps
Friday - back/biceps/forearms
Saturday and Sunday - rest

Each of my workouts take less than an hour to complete. I use all free weights when doing my workouts. If I am sore or just feel weak for whatever reason, I do not lift that day. I also try to do cardio about three times a weak. The only supplements that I take are a good daily vitamin, creatine, and whey protein. Getting an adequate amount of sleep is critical, but for me, this is the weak link in my routine because I go to school fulltime and work part-time and do not get enough sleep.

Most of my friends bulk during winter and cut during the summer, but because I do not care about getting that ripped look, but rather desire a more massive body, I never cut.

My diet is pretty simple and not extreme at all. I try to stay away from fatty foods and eat a lot of lean meat and vegetables, but if I want a pizza, a Bigmac, or whatever, I will eat it.

This is how I build muscle and it has worked for me.
Hope this helps.

Ok, here it is. somewhat short.Its a really good old school program.

Kristoffer

My problem is nutrition. When I go work out, I cannot seem to eat enough protein. There's only so much chicken, tuna, eggs and vanilla flavored flatulence-inducing protein shakes I can stuff into myself. When I look at reports on what the bodybuilders eat, I'm not surprised that I dont get anywhere. They eat more in a day than I can eat in a week! Granted, there's no comparison in terms of workout, but still.
Now when I dont go to the gym, I seem to be able to eat much more... junk, that is, and it shows. The whole thing seems like a setup.
Roids seem like a good idea - I read somewhere here that they make your beard grow!

Originally Posted by Cornelius

My problem is nutrition. When I go work out, I cannot seem to eat enough protein. There's only so much chicken, tuna, eggs and vanilla flavored flatulence-inducing protein shakes I can stuff into myself. When I look at reports on what the bodybuilders eat, I'm not surprised that I dont get anywhere. They eat more in a day than I can eat in a week! Granted, there's no comparison in terms of workout, but still.
Now when I dont go to the gym, I seem to be able to eat much more... junk, that is, and it shows. The whole thing seems like a setup.
Roids seem like a good idea - I read somewhere here that they make your beard grow!

These guys who are consuming 6000-8000 Kcal/ day diets are also using steroids. A natural guy trying to consume that much food in a day is asking for trouble.

Of course in the muscle mags they never reveal the real reason for their huge gains. They tell all about their protien intake, carbs, fats, etc. But not their anabolic steroid cycles.


Scott

I've been doing most of these for about 30 to 60 minutes a day, 3-5 days a week, since ≈1970. Crunches, dumbbells (5 exercises 30 reps each), pullups, and pushups are always included. The rest of the exercises are in rotation. The only equipment used is a pullup bar and the dumbbells and some rope. I've slowed down slightly on the aerobic exercises in the last 4 years for various reasons.