Bulking Advice for Newb!

Bigger Stronger Leaner Beginners
21

Oh ok that works then. Just make sure you are getting enough carbs from that post workout.

And I always diet a litle bit during the summer to look good for the ladies haha and for extra cals I’l just have a protein shake. Mine has 120 cals, 24g protein, bunch of BCAAS’s and only 1g of fat so I’l have a few of these a day to supplement my diet. It works great for me.

If you’re interested in that protein its from Optimum Nutrition. Costs like $70 for a 10 lb bag and it has 156 servings, its a badass deal.

22

Cheers mate. I’ve got a few protein sups at the moment but when I’m low I’ll check them out.

I’ve come up with a routine - see below.

I only get to the gym on Fri to train legs. I have the following equipment at home:
Bench which inclines to flat
4 pairs DB’s
1 BB
1 EX Bar
1 pullup bar

Standard Plates ranging up to 20Kg.

Mon (home)

Two sets of 8-14 reps

DB Squat
DB Pullover
Chinup
Bench Dips
DB Rows
Arnold Press
DB Shrugs
Incline DB Curls

Wed (home)

Three sets of 6-8 reps

DB Squat
DB Bench Press
Chinup
Bench Dips
DB Rows
Arnold Press
Crunches
Incline DB Curls

Fridays (gym)

Three sets of 8-10 reps

Heavy Squats
Leg Press
Leg Extension/Leg Curl
Calf Raises

Any advice on this please let me know. It’s the first workout I’ve tried to design myself so go easy LOL!

Thanks again WayLander.

23

No problem at all.

Hmm well seems like your equipment at home may be fairly limited, especially with the amount of weights and DB’s you have. How come if you have access to a gym you only go there once a week when it has everything you will need?

One thing you may want to consider is to stick with a 5x5 routine for all your big movements like squat, military press, bench, and deadlift and then upping the reps for your assistance exercises like leg extensions, side laterals, isolations, etc to 4x10+. When you first start out you need to stay pretty consistent with your rep scheme for your core lifts or you will just confuse your body and it will hinder your gains.

And btw add in deadlift once a week, its the most important exercise you’ll ever do.

I think you should maybe consider doing a split routine, hitting 2 body parts a day. You need to really increase your volume. For instance, you are only doing 3 bench sets for an entire week, ideally you want 30-40 sets per week per body part lol. Other than your legs which you are hitting pretty frequently, you are barely scratching the surface of the volume required for muscle growth for your other muscle groups.

A real full body workout requires 2 training sessions per day, 3 times a week. If you are still interested in following that path, there are plenty of articles on this website that have them written out for you. If you are interested in doing split training with one session perday 5-6 times a week you can either look one up on here or I can PM you the one I use if you wish. Its kind of advanced but it works very nicely.

24

[quote]waylanderxx wrote:
IMO fruit=worthless lol I just don’t see the point. I mean who doesn’t want a whole bunch of sugar and carbs all for 2g of fiber? yah…stick with the protein bar or a shake if you can’t fit in a real meal there.

One question though why are you putting a slow digesting carb (brown rice) in your second to last meal? Theres no way you can burn that off before you go to bed and it will just form fat deposits.

Also wondering inbetween which 2 meals does your training fall? B/c you want the fast digesting carbs (oatmeal) to be before and after your workout. So you may want to add in some oatmeal for pre/post workout and to accomodate for the extra carbs maybe ditch the rice at night. Salad after a workout won’t pack on the muscle. Up to you though. Other than that looks good, way to count all your calories.[/quote]

Isn’t oatmeal slow burning?? This was my understanding. It’s low GI bro.

25

Lol is it really? I could have sworn it was fast. Damn I’l have to look that one up.

26

wow immensefiend you were right. I had the fast burning and slow burning carbs mixed up, thx for correcting me. Sad thing is I have been putting that into practice in my own diet, so I’ve been doing in backwards sometimes. lol im an idiot.

Here you go OP:
Examples of high GI carbohydrates are most cereals (cereals high in bran have a lower GI), white bread, potatoes, rice, popcorn, and carrots. Now, be reasonable, although carrots are high on the GI, a person would have to consume a large amount of carrots, daily, in order to get the full effect as you would from a normal serving of something like white bread. Sources of low GI carbohydrates are those that are high in fiber. Examples include virtually all vegetables (excluding carrots) and fruit.

So you can either eat high GI or low GI carbs pre workout but you def need the fast digesting carbs post workout(a rule of thumb you can use is anything that is white lol). I have also read that you want to eat 70-100g of these carbs within an hour of your workout. Then only eat low GI carbs to satisfy your other diet needs. Sorry about the mix up. Although I do know for a fact that brown rice is slow digesting, white rice is the fast digesting one.

27

[quote]waylanderxx wrote:
wow immensefiend you were right. I had the fast burning and slow burning carbs mixed up, thx for correcting me. Sad thing is I have been putting that into practice in my own diet, so I’ve been doing in backwards sometimes. lol im an idiot.

Here you go OP:
Examples of high GI carbohydrates are most cereals (cereals high in bran have a lower GI), white bread, potatoes, rice, popcorn, and carrots. Now, be reasonable, although carrots are high on the GI, a person would have to consume a large amount of carrots, daily, in order to get the full effect as you would from a normal serving of something like white bread. Sources of low GI carbohydrates are those that are high in fiber. Examples include virtually all vegetables (excluding carrots) and fruit.

So you can either eat high GI or low GI carbs pre workout but you def need the fast digesting carbs post workout(a rule of thumb you can use is anything that is white lol). I have also read that you want to eat 70-100g of these carbs within an hour of your workout. Then only eat low GI carbs to satisfy your other diet needs. Sorry about the mix up. Although I do know for a fact that brown rice is slow digesting, white rice is the fast digesting one.[/quote]

Imagine how swole you’d be if you had it right bro. lol.

Here’s a link about the glycemic index.

http://www.becomehealthynow.com/article/carbs/8/

Basically, OP, have anything on the high end post workout. Try and focus on simple sugars. Perfect examples of this are gatorade, white bread with jelly, or a bagel. Do not include any fats with this meal and try and keep it over 2:1 carb to protein ratio. Let’s not overcomplicate things.

28

haha yah I owe you one. Who knows how long I would have kept doing it backwards lol…sad

29

[quote]waylanderxx wrote:
No problem at all.

Hmm well seems like your equipment at home may be fairly limited, especially with the amount of weights and DB’s you have. How come if you have access to a gym you only go there once a week when it has everything you will need?

One thing you may want to consider is to stick with a 5x5 routine for all your big movements like squat, military press, bench, and deadlift and then upping the reps for your assistance exercises like leg extensions, side laterals, isolations, etc to 4x10+. When you first start out you need to stay pretty consistent with your rep scheme for your core lifts or you will just confuse your body and it will hinder your gains.

And btw add in deadlift once a week, its the most important exercise you’ll ever do.

I think you should maybe consider doing a split routine, hitting 2 body parts a day. You need to really increase your volume. For instance, you are only doing 3 bench sets for an entire week, ideally you want 30-40 sets per week per body part lol. Other than your legs which you are hitting pretty frequently, you are barely scratching the surface of the volume required for muscle growth for your other muscle groups.

A real full body workout requires 2 training sessions per day, 3 times a week. If you are still interested in following that path, there are plenty of articles on this website that have them written out for you. If you are interested in doing split training with one session perday 5-6 times a week you can either look one up on here or I can PM you the one I use if you wish. Its kind of advanced but it works very nicely.[/quote]

30-40 sets per body part per week in mental. My goal is not to be a body builder but to gain 12-14lbs muscle in 12 weeks.

When do you get the rest for your muscles to grow? All those sets would surely be overtraining.

Remember, I am bulking natural and I am not taking anything other than creatine/profusion.

30

Also, forgot to add that I can’t do deadlifts as of yet due to a back problem which I am seeing someone about. Shame as they are my fave!

Cheers dude.

31

Just so you know all my bulking was natural. All I use is food,protein and BCAA’s.

30-40 sets a body part per week is completely normal, it is whats required for new growth. You need to be working each muscle group twice a week, with atleast 4 exercises for that muscle group per session. How can you think that doing 3 sets a body part a week possibly make you grow? That is not enough to accomplish anything, trust me. Sure you may make a few noobie gains with this program but they will stop within like 2-3 weeks if you go this low of volume.

Btw bodybuilders and powerlifters alike use steroids. Who is bigger? a bodybuilder. Who is stronger? a powerlifter. So to oversimplify this, if you want to get bigger train like a bodybuilder, if you want to get stronger, train like a powerlifter. Either way though, you need more sets/reps.

You will not reach anywhere your goal with your current program, plain and simple.

32

One of Chris Shugart’s suggestions for a split:
Day 1: Back & Chest
Day 2: Legs & Abs
Day 3: Shoulders & Arms
Day 4: Cardio (in your case, HIT)
Day 5: Repeat (Start again with Back/Chest)

this has worked really well for me!

also you won’t gain that much muscle in 12 weeks, especially with how much you’re eating! If you stick to this split and emphasize your legs, you might be able to get closer to that number in overall mass gains.
Seriously though, set a more realistic goal. And take the focus off overall weight gain and set it on increasing your measurements while keeping your waist slim.

33

Not sure I agree with you waylander,

Muscles do not count reps or sets!
It’s all about intensity, if I did each body part less times per week than you, but put more effort in then that would be working the muscles to the full.

I’m not saying what you say does not work for you, although I honestly think you could spend less time at the gym and increase the intensity of your workouts.

I think I can easily gain 12lbs of muscle in 12 weeks on my current plan without spending half my life at the gym. Working out every day is daft as you are not allowing your muscle time to recover and grow. Your muscles do not grow while you are at the gym, they grow when you are resting.

34

Everything you are telling me I already know. And btw Every muscle group gets b/w 2-3 days of rest even though I workout almost everyday. So I did back/biceps monday, why would that affect me doing chest/tris the next day? And why would doing chest/tris tuesday affect my leg workout on wednesday? And why would a leg workout on wednesday affect my shoulder workout on thursday? So as you see, it isn’t daft. It is effective.

And I have a question. So you are telling me that your 3 sets of “High intensity” DB bench press will give you better results then me doing 4 sets flat bench, incline, decline, and flys also at a high intensity? You have got to be kidding me, it won’t do shit.

When someone a lot bigger than you gives you some advice, its probably a good idea to implement it eh? I implent advice from people on this site all the time, especially the guys who are bigger than me, b/c you have to know what you’re doing to reach that level. Think about it.

Obviously if you were doing your workouts correctly you wouldnt look like a 12 year old right now. But if you want to be stubborn, go for it and I will mourn for you b/c your physique won’t change.

35

Yah waylanderxx is right, he can do 30 full pullups at 230 lbs.

36

[quote]DanErickson wrote:
Yah waylanderxx is right, he can do 30 full pullups at 230 lbs.[/quote]

lol get a life dude, btw I weigh 240, k thx.

37

[quote]waylanderxx wrote:
Everything you are telling me I already know. And btw Every muscle group gets b/w 2-3 days of rest even though I workout almost everyday. So I did back/biceps monday, why would that affect me doing chest/tris the next day? And why would doing chest/tris tuesday affect my leg workout on wednesday? And why would a leg workout on wednesday affect my shoulder workout on thursday? So as you see, it isn’t daft. It is effective.

And I have a question. So you are telling me that your 3 sets of “High intensity” DB bench press will give you better results then me doing 4 sets flat bench, incline, decline, and flys also at a high intensity? You have got to be kidding me, it won’t do shit.

When someone a lot bigger than you gives you some advice, its probably a good idea to implement it eh? I implent advice from people on this site all the time, especially the guys who are bigger than me, b/c you have to know what you’re doing to reach that level. Think about it.

Obviously if you were doing your workouts correctly you wouldnt look like a 12 year old right now. But if you want to be stubborn, go for it and I will mourn for you b/c your physique won’t change. [/quote]

Not having a go mate, I think all advice just be questioned and not followed blindly. I understand what you are saying and I am not saying you won’t get results. What I am saying is that for my goals, I think my routine (although I need a few tweaks on the Friday gym day) is suffice.

As for looking like a 12 year old boy I think that is you messing about. Seeing as I have never really bulked up I don’t see how any comparison is relevant.

I think your way would be great for someone maybe more experienced in the gym, but I think a slow steady bulk is the way forward with alternative routines, getting more intense as I go on, slowly upping cal intake as I go.

I don’t want to get huge, I only want to slowly add 12lbs muscle and take it from there lol.

Don’t take it like I am not listening to your advice mate, I do, and I have been researching everything you have said.

30-40 set per week per body part seems an awful lot to start with! Give my poor muscle time to get used to lifting some decent weights lol!

In a few weeks to a month I will look into working different body parts etc as you recommend, maybe not 40 sets per body part a week though lol!

38

Ok I fell better now. I thought you were questioning my intensity there at first and that you were just trashing everything I had told you and were just saying what I do is shit. And that you were just going to stick to this routine for an indefinate amount of time and expect great results. However, you cleared all that up with this post, and I am happier lol.

Like you said just keep progressing. The routine you have now won’t work for long so just keep making sure you add more exercises/reps/sets/frequency as you go along or you’ll just platuea forever. For instance, 3 sets of chest a week for me wouldn’t do anything but I didn’t realize this was really your first time having a go at it so it will work for you, atleast for a little while. Just don’t be afraid to add more in.

39

[quote]McSTE wrote:
I think I can easily gain 12lbs of muscle in 12 weeks on my current plan…[/quote]

Waylander wins. He’s bigger, and he knows a thing or two about getting big. You don’t have to take his advice, but you’d be an idiot to discount it. You obviously don’t have to do what he said, but he’s got results behind him, and you’re looking for tips.

Good tip-lookers look for results.

That said, if I were you, I would adopt a training program from one of the stickies at the top of the beginners forum. It’s difficult to do one of the programs one here wrong, because they’re used to breaking it down to basics. That said, any program done with enough intensity will provide stimulation for growth… for a while.

That, and eat. I’d throw in more healthy fats to your diet, but at least your basics are down solid.

Good luck, come back in 3 months and let us know how it goes.

40

There is no cut. There is no bulk. There is only the road to being jacked.

Seriously, there are not many reasons anyone should cut weight.

  1. You have health problems
  2. You want to move to a lower weight class for weightlifting/powerlifting/wresting/whatever
  3. You are going to compete in a bodybuilding contest.

If you just eat A LOT of good, real food then you will become leaner but you will gain muscle. Do these things:

  1. Lift Heavy
  2. Lift Often
  3. Eat Steak, Bird, Eggs, Fish, Milk, Vegetables, Fruit, Cottage Cheese, Whole Grain Carbs, Brown Rice, Waxy Maize, Protein Shakes, other foods that are obviously good for you.

You are a novice. You should not worry about cutting. It’s obvious that you need to gain muscle and that should be your priority over getting leaner. Seriously, have you not read any forum posts or articles on this site?

Just eat lots of good, wholesome food and do heavy Pressing, Squatting, and Pulling movements. Don’t worry about muscle shaping movements like Chest Flys or Reverse Grip Triceps Pushdowns. Stick to Squats, Deadlifts, Bench, Military Presses, Rows, Chins, Dips, Skullcrushers, and Curls. I once thought the best exercises were the most difficult ones like flys and dumbbell lateral raises. I though that when I was 9 years old and had no concept of strength training. Heavy Weights and good food is what makes the body grow.

There are no magical supplements. There are no magical programs. Steroids aren’t even as incredible as you’d think they’d be.

It doesn’t matter if you want to be a strongman, powerlifter, bodybuilder, kilted thrower, or whatever. You need to build a solid base in your youth. Your number one priority should be getting strong at this point. Don’t read any muscle magazines. Don’t listen to anyone who says that the “poundages you train with aren’t important.” Go heavy then eat heavy.

Eat frequently too. This will make you leaner, I promise. Don’t be afraid of fat. You think eggs and butter and high cholesterol foods make you fat? It’s actually the sugars and extra carbs that turn into triglycerides. Fat is necessary for the production of testosterone. Testosterone makes you jacked, strong, and sexually desired. Quit eating your Ben & Jerrys: start eating your steak and eggs.

Most of the faceless members of this site think you’re a massive tool right now for posting pics of your skinny self and seriously asking if you should bulk or cut.
But you’ve put yourself out there. You’ve started the journey. Don’t cut and run now. Prove all of us wrong. Read up on CTs articles, Charles Poliquin’s articles, Dante Trudell’s articles about DoggCrapp Training, and Loui Simmon’s articles on powerlifting and his Westside Template.

Make sure every time you step into the gym, you prove that you are stronger than you were yesterday. Break your personal records on a weekly basis. Go balls out. If you fail, punish yourself with drop sets, rest-pause sets, extra sets, and anything else you can think of.

When Lance Armstrong was asked about how he derived pleasure from biking 6 hour rides, he said he didn’t understand the question. He said he didn’t ride for the pleasure, he did it for the pain. It doesn’t matter how strong or weak you are. Be a total sadistic badass in the weight room. Do it for the pain. Stretch the very limits of your body, mind, and soul so you can grow as a sentient being.

Oh, and don’t overtrain.