[Tommy]

So i'm starting to fitness soon. I've done it before but not really on a high level.

I now want to gain muscles. Train 4 times a week.

Someone adviced me to eat alot of vegetables, fish & chicken after training.

What do you guys advice?

[mikeymike]

Getting the motivation to get started is always the first step so congrats on having that...

before someone can advise you, you should state some basics, what you weigh now, bf%, how much muscle are you actually talking about trying to gain? do you have a workout plan in place? Plan can differ greatly if you're a chunky dude who can put on easily vs a skinny hardgainer, things like that so you don't get a generic response and something that could actually do ya some good.

[Tommy]

I'm 5"8 and I weight 83 kg's so i'm not skinny. Plan on training 4 times a week (about 2 hours a day): Back, biceps, triceps, chest & shoulders.

My plan is to eat alot of yoghurt, vegetables, fish/chicken/turkey after training, drink alot of water and to eat muesly cereals with some fruit and yoghurt in the morning. I will only eat this for the coming 6 months, with some exceptions when I go out eat with friends.

It's said that in order to gain muscles you need to eat alot of these things, especially straight after each training session and in the morning.

What do you guys think about this?

[Invictus]

If you havent worked out before, 2 hours a day is way too much, even 4 times a week is quite a lot. Unless youre a serious athlete, lifting more than 3 times only gives marginal benefits. How long have you been working out.

Diet is important, but I recommend getting into a decent routine you can STICK to. For the diet first you increase protein, then you can start getting anal and cutting out other things. But the most important thing in my opinion is a regular exercise routine (if you want to get fit/huge/shredded). If you want to lose weight, then, of course, diet first.

The gains come over long stretches of time, so you also need to be patient with everything.

And goddammit, do squats and deadlifts. Those two exercises will complement and increase growth in other parts of your body as well.

I am about to hit the gym myself after being out of it due to injuries and whatnot for two years. I have a game plan, will share with all later.

[Tommy]

Well I don't want to lose weight I just want to gain muscles. Haven't fitness in a year and even before I was just lifting a few times a week nothing special.

So I might start with 1 hour a day 4 times a week and a healthy diet full of proteins and stick to it.

I pay 14.95€ a month for my gym membership. Is it me or is this ridicilously low?

[Invictus]

Sounds like a very good price to me.

If you want, you can do 4 times a week. Check this program out to help you covered.

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/wotw55.htm

Keep it as simple as possible in the beginning. It will pay off. And blast those quads.

[gringochileno]

All diets boil down to calories in and calories out. You gain weight if you take in more calories than you burn and you lose it if you burn more calories than you take in--theoretically, you could eat 1500 calories worth of Twinkies every day, not exercise, and lose a lot of weight very quickly. The key to any successful program is to find something that you, personally, can stick to over the long term.

To gain muscle mass, you do need to eat a certain amount of protein, but the reason why chicken, fish, and vegetables are recommended instead of red meat is to keep the number of total calories down even as you're taking in a lot of protein.

[rumguzzler]

But red meat is vital too...

Gringochileno is right, however. I´ll agree maintain that get the exercise routine handled, then worry about diet. It's easy to start strong than lose momentum. You want to go steady.

[kimleebj]

(05-21-2011 07:54 PM)Tommy Wrote:  

I weigh 83 kg's ... Back, biceps, triceps, chest & shoulders.

That is really fat for somebody with no legs or ass. Women love big arms, fat gut, flat ass, and skinny legs.

(05-21-2011 07:54 PM)Tommy Wrote:  

Plan on training 4 times a week (about 2 hours a day)

Do biceps for two hours eight times per week. The biceps are complex with so many exercises: curls, preacher curls, concentration curls, hammer curls.

[Tommy]

I'm not fat. I'm stocky. I never really fitnessed seriously but I do have muscles, guess it's nature. My father is kind of a big guy too, same like my brother. I want to get ripped as fast as possible. Not that i'm dissapointed with my body, I don't feel fat or something. I just want to gain muscles.

Thanks for the advice

[Invictus]

Ripped as fast as possible

You should get your weight down to about 70 kg for your height.

That´s a LOT and you shouldnt try to do that in less than 3 months, and only then with superhuman discipline.

Heres my advice buddy.

Your from belgium, spend now till jan/feb getting big and building muscle, dont worry about getting shredded.

To get your cardio going, do HIIT (High Interval Intensity Training), and only 3 times a week, and keep it brief. This will get you fit without impairing muscle gains too much. Build your caloric intake to somewhere just under 4,000 calories of "good" food, and add a hundred calories for every two pounds you gain.

In feb, when you´ve given yourself time to get muscle, hit the cardio 4-5 times a week. Your body will be able to take it by then, all the squats and HIIT having prepared you. Keep weightlifting to 2-3 times a week, and even consider dropping the gym and doing work-outs at home, like boxing training and circuits in your living room.

Cut your diet to about 3,000 calories and in 3 months, youll be a monster.

You want to have a strong muscle base, because muscle burns 10-20 times as many calories as fat. with the muscle youve gained, you can drop weight faster and have overall better results and youll be ready for next years beach season.

No point getting shredded this late in the year.

[Tommy]

Very interesting post Invictus. Thanks for the advice

But I don't consider myself fat, honestly I don't want to weight 70 kg's dude. That's ridicilously low. I feel good at 83 kgs and would even consider gaining more weight (muscle mass ofcourse). I think I got heavy bones.

So I'm not going to do cardio, just focus on the muscles, some running and the good food. Like I said I don't want to lose weight, I don't look fat and don't feel fat. I just want to gain muscles.

"You should get your weight down to about 70 kg for your height."

70 kgs... I would feel like i'm 16 years old again... No thank you, lol.

I'm stocky and that's how I am. Being skinny wouldn't fit me well anyway. Never thought about losing weight, just gaining some muscles would fit me better than being skinny & ripped.

[Invictus]

Well, I dont want to project on to you, pal.

I figured at 5'8'', you were probably a bit big. I myself am 5'10'', and weight about 85kg, and am by no means fat. If I weight 75kg of muscle, I´d be a machine.

Usually when people say cardio, they mean 45 minutes of jogging. That is a sure-fire way to get lean.

But... if you want to just get in shape, and dont care about abs, look up "Tabata Protocol for Running"...

You will not be able to complete one work out for at least 4 weeks. When you do, no one will be able to keep up. It's pure death and gets you into better shape faster than ANYTHING I've tried.

Good luck and let us know how it goes!

PS. I still havent done much crossfit or PX90, but I heard that was the shit, too.

[Tommy]

That's interesting. I'll keep you guys updated and I take your advice Invictus.

[gringochileno]

(05-22-2011 09:31 AM)Invictus Wrote:  

You want to have a strong muscle base, because muscle burns 10-20 times as many calories as fat. with the muscle youve gained, you can drop weight faster and have overall better results and youll be ready for next years beach season.

This is kind of a myth. One pound of muscle does burn more calories than one pound of fat but the number of calories burned per extra pound of muscle is so small it's almost negligible (we're talking about an extra 3-4 calories per pound per day). Since there are 3500 calories in a pound of body weight, even adding 10 pounds of muscle would only result in about 4 pounds of weight lost in a year's time, and probably less than that since your body would try to counteract the increased metabolism by making you want to eat more.

[solo]

In my experience, what you eat before working out is even more important than what you eat afterwards. This is because right after workout it's the nutrition that's already in your blood that will reach the muscles first. The stuff you eat after training won't reach your muscles until several hours afterwards.

[Mekhi]

Great posting.
I think if you are fit and do exercise then
you don't need to do any diet...because it is
necessary of a fat man.....and i am very happy that
i am not fat.

[WesternCancer]

http://caloriecount.about.com/
http://www.bodybuilding.com/

Use both of these sites in conjunction with your goals. I recommend diving in headfirst and reading as much as you can and only focus on one goal at a time. Be it fat loss or muscle gain. Calorie count is great for keeping track of what you've been eating and making sure you get the correct macro and micronutrients. Bodybuilding teaches you about supplements it has customized workouts and knowledge on pretty much everything. Biggest thing for both would be setting realistic goals and immediate feedback be it through measurements and strength improvements or weight loss and maintaining a healthy diet.

[Chad Daring]

WWW://leangains.com

[_DC_]

Starting Strength has been used and is recommended by lots of people on the board. All heavy compound movements, only 45 min or so, 3 days a week.

http://www.rooshvforum.network/thread-5908.h...t=starting

And if gaining muscle is your main priority eat a large calorie surplus of healthy protein rich foods.

[prince]

Just wanted to add to DC's post, he's on point with his advice by the way, that you should really not get above doing 6 reps with heavy weight if you're looking for size. You should really be struggling, not straining yourself, a bit with your last set's reps. Also, you HAVE to eat breakfast and drink a protein shake upon waking up. Your muscles will be in a catabolic state from sleeping all night and need to be fed promptly. Keep in mind that the most important aspects of lean muscle gain occur away from the gym. Anyway, PM me if you need anymore advice. I just finished playing D1 football and gained quite a bit of size during my tenure. Good luck!

[chyamor]

I started the no white carb diet last week, will let you know how that goes