18... Advice?

Bigger Stronger Leaner Competitive Bodybuilding
1

ok ill try to keep this short. im 18, ill be 19 in june. i havent lifted since around new years of last year. i was pretty into it and gained a LOT of strength and mass. i was into it for at least a year.

but the past year i have done nothing constructive. my diet has been horrible… ive been doing drugs everyday, and i havent touched a weight.

i now want to get back into it. knowing what you know about my past year and my past training experience, what would you recommend i do starting back out? im looking to bulk up quick and gain my strength back via muscle memory. any advice or tips that you guys can give me?

also, i also lost a lot of athletic ability and agility during this time… what do you guys recommend that i implement into my training for this?

and if my post doesnt make sense to you, just ask a question and ill be more than glad to answer. im looking forward to your responses, because i know this is the best board on the net for this sort of thing.

2

im just posting because it isnt showing up in the topic list. i dunno whats goin on

3

Stop Doing Drugs.

4

fuck it i’ll bite

  1. stop doing drugs.
  2. eat clean
  3. eat big
  4. lift heavy, regularly.
  5. be patient.

pretty well the same advice that everyone else on here will give.

5

oh yea definitely… im gonna start treating my body right.

but asides from eating a lot and healthy, and lifting… what programs and whatnot should i use considering my past?

6

What are your stats man? Without knowing that its hard to suggest anything.

Also, what were your gym numbers when you were at your best?

7

[quote]jarvis wrote:
What are your stats man? Without knowing that its hard to suggest anything.

Also, what were your gym numbers when you were at your best? [/quote]

at my best i was 5’8, around 170. now i am about 5’8, 145-150.

i used to bench around 225 and deadlift 400. my biceps were 15.5". those are the only stats i recall.

8

As another kid ( I?m a little older than you are ) who used to be in shape, but is getting it all back now, I’m more than glad to jump in here with some stuff.

First off, there is a beginner forum here. They have a killer sticky thread that’s called "Are You A Beginner?? You should probably head over to that thread.

Second thing is I think you should find a RL dude or dudes that are bigger than you, and have serious dedication. You don’t have to become their mascot or some shit, but you should keep in contact with people whom are in better shape than you should. Training with guys like this even for just a cycle or so can have a great impact on you. RL mentors are a huge advantage in life, if you don’t already know a couple guys, find em’ some how.

Third thing is that I think you should get a clear idea of what you want to look like. Do you just want to be joe gym rat? Skinny ultra-ripped guy? Or do you want to be as huge as you can get? Maybe you want meticulously sculpted Greek proportions? You need a precise physique goal, long term. Then you can work on short-term goals to hit that years down the road.

The kind of physique you want long term should have great influence on your routine…I think.

I know I didn’t spell it out for you, but I think if you really look at what I am saying, you’ll be much better off than if I posted a bunch of set rep shcemes, etc.

9

[quote]silent_circus wrote:

at my best i was 5’8, around 170. now i am about 5’8, 145-150.

i used to bench around 225 and deadlift 400. my biceps were 15.5". those are the only stats i recall. [/quote]

I’d read up on Westside for Skinny Bastards or Total Body training. See what results you get from either of those programs and carry on from there.

As far as nutrition is concerned, read all of Dr.Berardi’s articles and TC’s article on power foods.

10

i wanna pack on a lot of size, but i also want to be quick.

11

Find friends who don’t do drugs.

12

What ‘drugs’ were you doing?

13

[quote]LAMF wrote:
As another kid ( I?m a little older than you are ) who used to be in shape, but is getting it all back now, I’m more than glad to jump in here with some stuff.

First off, there is a beginner forum here. They have a killer sticky thread that’s called "Are You A Beginner?? You should probably head over to that thread.

Second thing is I think you should find a RL dude or dudes that are bigger than you, and have serious dedication. You don’t have to become their mascot or some shit, but you should keep in contact with people whom are in better shape than you should. Training with guys like this even for just a cycle or so can have a great impact on you. RL mentors are a huge advantage in life, if you don’t already know a couple guys, find em’ some how.

Third thing is that I think you should get a clear idea of what you want to look like. Do you just want to be joe gym rat? Skinny ultra-ripped guy? Or do you want to be as huge as you can get? Maybe you want meticulously sculpted Greek proportions? You need a precise physique goal, long term. Then you can work on short-term goals to hit that years down the road.

The kind of physique you want long term should have great influence on your routine…I think.

I know I didn’t spell it out for you, but I think if you really look at what I am saying, you’ll be much better off than if I posted a bunch of set rep shcemes, etc.
[/quote]

Overall, some pretty sound advice, especially on the idea of surrounding yourself with the right kinds of people. Get yourself away from the people who were with you, sitting around, eating like crap, not lifting and doing drugs.

Second (and this is something I think that is seriously overlooked by too many people), don’t forget to actually enjoy the process. People get so militaristic about their training, they forget to… oh, I dunno… actually have some fun in the process. That’s one of the big keys to sticking with it long term, in my mind.

14

i guess what im asking is… starting back up after a year, what should my rep scheme and split look like?

should i go full body workouts?

15

[quote]silent_circus wrote:
i guess what im asking is… starting back up after a year, what should my rep scheme and split look like?

should i go full body workouts?[/quote]

Read both the training articles I told you about. Try them both, it doesn’t matter which you use first. See which one works best for you.

Asking, out right, if you should do full body workouts is an invite for people to flog, an immensely boring, dead horse.

16

How about quitting the drug habit, eating a lot of good, clean food and lifting the way you made your best gains? I don’t think there is a magic program that will give you instant gains if you used to lift once.

17

[quote]Robert P. wrote:
How about quitting the drug habit, eating a lot of good, clean food and lifting the way you made your best gains? I don’t think there is a magic program that will give you instant gains if you used to lift once.[/quote]

This isn’t bad advice. Look, you’ve spent the past year getting out of shape, don’t expect it all to come back overnight.

Do what you did before to get in shape. Anything is better than nothing.

If you want some recommendations, try this:

Get back in the gym. Take it easy the first couple of weeks. Keep your sets, reps and weight moderate, and focus on the big compound movements. Work on lifts like squat, deadlift, pullups, rows, presses. Get a couple of warmup sets in and maybe 3 working sets. Keep your reps in the 8-12 range until you get back in the groove.

While you are doing that, read the “Are you a Beginner II” thread and read all of the links. If you don’t want to do the program that got you the best results, then pick a program from that list.

There are also lots of links for nutrition there. You will find guidelines there for food choices, caloric needs, nutrient timing, etc.

Stop abusing your body, and start treating it right. “Garbage in, Garbage out.”

Good luck.