Beginning Bodybuilding Help

Training
1

Hey all. I’m currently 18 years old and in my final year of school. I have been training consistently and keeping my diet in check for a little over a year. I have made noticeable gains in certain muscle groups and my strength has increased. My main focus is on muscle mass rather than strength so my goal is greater hypertrophy. I perform usually 4-5 sets of an exercise with reps of 8-12.

I am curious to know if anyone could lend some advice on any supplements that would support my bulking goals or advice on my training. My chest is lagging compared to other muscles and tips on developing that would be greatly appreciated. I also am interested to know if any pre-workout supplements would benefit me as I often lack energy after school and work.

2

Are you getting enough sleep which is a problem for most hs students.

How many hours a week are you working and is your job physical.

3

Could you outline your current and past training, your current diet, and your height and weight?

4

I manage at least 8-10 hours sleep although sometimes less on weekends. I currently weigh 74 kilograms and my height is 180 cm. A regular training week for me would look like this: Monday- legs , Tuesday - back/abs, Wednesday - rest Thursday- chest, Friday - arms (bi’s and tri’s), Saturday - shoulders and Sunday is usually a rest day or a full body day of compound lifts :slight_smile:

5

To further clarify, my job isn’t very physical and my diet consists of oats and fruit for breakfast, meat and vegetables before and after training with one or two protein shakes on gym days. My caloric intake is not an issue as My metabolism allows for easy fat gains

6

I get between 8-10 hours sleep on week days. My job isn’t considerably physical

7

You still need to get stronger to build muscle with a caloric excess.

How much weight do you lift for compounds?

8

I’m fairly weak, and am tossing up whether to focus on strength/hypertrophy or combine the two.

Bench Press - 175 lb
Deadlift - 220 lb
Squat - 135 lb

I haven’t attempted many other compound lifts so cannot list much else. I find my strength gains are minor unless I switch to low rep work.

9

[quote]mclemon wrote:
I’m fairly weak, and am tossing up whether to focus on strength/hypertrophy or combine the two.

Bench Press - 175 lb
Deadlift - 220 lb
Squat - 135 lb

I haven’t attempted many other compound lifts so cannot list much else. I find my strength gains are minor unless I switch to low rep work.[/quote]

Focus on both.

Choose 1 main lift for each muscle group and do everything possible to get stronger at it. Do the rest with focus on mmc and getting stronger

For example :

Chest

  1. Bench Press
    Work up to 1 to 2 sets of 3-5. Increase weight or reps weekly.

  2. Incline Dumbbell Press
    Pyramid up from 12 to 6 reps in 10lb-20lb increments in 3-4 sets
    Stretch at bottom position, bring dumbbells together at top and squeeze chest.

  3. Pec Dec/ Flyes/ Cable crossovers
    4 to 5 sets of 12
    Bring arms together by FLEXING THE CHEST.

10

If you’re not gaining weight it’s because you’re not taking in enough calories. Try incorporating more dairy products into your day, such as peanut butter, milk, cheese etc. things that are more calorie dense. As for your strength, pick a program and stick to it, you’ll see your strength go up gradually, these things take time. Try focusing mainly on shorter rep ranges for your 3 main lifts, sets of 3-5 and maybe some singles. Hope this helps a bit, best of luck!

11

Thanks for the advice all, I’ll give it a shot :slight_smile: