Hi guys, I've been bodybuilding for about 4 months now with excellent results. I am currently 5'11 160lbs with 8% body fat. I am still growing at only 16yrs old.
When I started, I was less than 130lbs and I could barely bench 95lbs. Most of my lifts have doubled in this short time frame. I attribute this amazing progress to my knowledge behind training, supplementing, nutrition, etc.
I see a lot of questions on here asking about how to get bigger. Most of the time the answers are very misinforming. I decided to write a guide with basically everything you need to know. First, I'll start with the basics.
Nutrition is key. You won't get anywhere if you eat junk food. Its pretty easy to eat healthier. Try to get the most protein possible. I go for 1.5g protein per 1lb of body weight. Of course, you can take some protein powder to achieve this if you want. A good split for your total intake is 40% protein, 40% carbs, and 20% fats. Avoid trans fat and poly unsaturated fats found in fast food. Also, water is extremely important. I drink at least 1 gallon a day.
Next up is the training. Most people think you need to overtrain to get bigger. All you really have to do is train for 30 minutes 2-3 times per week. The secret is to increase your weight or reps each workout. If you are going for mass, I suggest heavy weight and 6-8 reps. Do each exercise for 3 sets.
For a good split, I recommend: Upper body, rest 2 days, Lower Body, rest 2 days, repeat. Rest is essential for getting stronger. Try to get about 7-8 hours of sleep a night if possible.
A more advanced split would be a 3 day like Mon, Wed, Fri. I do back/biceps, Chest/Triceps, Legs/Shoulders/Abs.
As far as exercies go, I am shocked at what I see in the gym usually. Remember to keep it simple. If you are a beginner, avoid most isolation exercises. You always see the puny kids doing curls every time they are in the gym because they want big biceps. This is the wrong way to go about it.
I suggest you do Squats, Bench Press, Deadlift, Pullups, and Dips. You don't really need any more than this if you are a beginner. After a few weeks, you might want to throw in calf raises and barbell curls.
Concentrate on proper form. Don't worry about what the other people in the gym think. We all have to start somewhere. I am assuming you know how to do all the exercises above, if not you can go here. http://www.theministryoffitness.com/exercises.htm You will make really quick progress, believe me.
Everyone always wants to try supplements. This is one of my best fields, and they have helped me greatly. Remember that you need a good diet first though.
The 4 supplements that I almost always recommend are:
Whey Protein Powder
Creatine Ehtyl Ester
Fish Oil
Multi Vitamin
You don't need any fancy No2 supplements or anything. It kills me when people go into GNC and spend $100's. I buy all my stuff in bulk from www.bodybuilding.com I highly recommend that you check them out if you want to buy something, or need information. Their forums are good too.
Whey protein is simple enough. You need protein to grow. It cost about $20 for 5lbs of it. I take 1-2 teaspoons of the following daily.
http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/hp/whey.html
Creatine is very popular. It is a natural supplement that gives great results. It is mainly used for muscle fullness. It works great for me. I put on 10lbs of LBM in the first 3 weeks and increased my lifts by 5-15lbs. Monohydrate is what 95% of the people use. The problem with that is that it has poor absorbtion rates. Therefore, it sits outside the muscle while collecting water which causes bloating. You lose most of the waterweight when you stop taking it anyway. Ethyl Ester is what I recommend. It has a transporter attached which gives it great absorbtion. You don't get any bloating or water weight and you get the same results if not better. It is about $20 for a 4 month supply. I take 1/2 teaspoon before working out and after. 3/4 teaspoon once on off days.
http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/hp/ester.html
Then we have fish oil. Don't underrate this. It has essantial Omega 3 fatty acids. It is mainly for overall health. My whole family takes it now and loves it. It lowers your cholestrol, improves joints, among many other good side effects. It will also give you a minor boost in strength. I think a test showed 8% gains. Not much, but this stuff is great. It is very cheap and I take about 4-5 a day. Here is what I use:
http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/opt/fish.html
You pretty much need a multivitamin. They are necessary for overall health and can give you nice gains. Look for one with NO IRON and plenty of Zinc, Vitamin C, Vitamin B, Magnesium, and selenium with as little calcium as possible. Now Adam is a great vitamin but a little expensive. Winfuel Men's is also good and very cheap.
http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/now/adam.html
http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/win/men.html
After that, you are into the advanced stuff which I don't know if you are ready for yet. The only things I would consider are
Taurine
Glycerol Mono
Sesamin
Green Tea Extract
L-Taurine is one of the main amino acids found in Type 2 muscle. Supplementing with it will give you a little bit more fullness like Creatine, more energy, and faster recovery. It is dirt cheap at $7 for a 3 month supply. Take about the same amount as you do creatine.
http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/now/taurine.html
Glycerol Monostearate is a newly found supplement. All it is, is a syrupy type of sugar really. The powdered form is just called gylcerol instead of glycerine. It has similar effects to NO2, but at 1/10 the price. It will give you huge pumps for about 3 hours. I take it before working out for insane energy and before the beach for some looks. It is safe to take about 1 teaspoon before working out. Make sure you take a lot of water. The only site that sells it is:
http://customnutritionwarehouse.com/product_info.php?cPath=1&products_id=196
Sesamin is mainly for weight loss. It is kind of like super fish oil. I don't take it, but it seems to have great results. I don't know much about it.
http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/sv/ses.html
Grean Tea gives so many benefits. It is mainly used for weight loss though. My mom takes it, but I don't since I have virtually no body fat already.
http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/now/gtea.htm
I can guarantee you that those aren't steroids or anything even close. However, don't hold me accountable if something goes wrong. Especially, the advanced stuff. Make sure you research it first. www.bodybuiliding.com gives extensive information about each supplement. If you still aren't sure, ask on theri forums or post here. Consult your doctor as necessary and be careful if you have blood pressure, heart, kidney, liver problems.
I'll update the guide as necessary and maybe get a few pics up of myself. Please let me know what you thought. I'll answer any questions you have. Thanks for your time. Good luck with your training!
When I started, I was less than 130lbs and I could barely bench 95lbs. Most of my lifts have doubled in this short time frame. I attribute this amazing progress to my knowledge behind training, supplementing, nutrition, etc.
I see a lot of questions on here asking about how to get bigger. Most of the time the answers are very misinforming. I decided to write a guide with basically everything you need to know. First, I'll start with the basics.
Nutrition is key. You won't get anywhere if you eat junk food. Its pretty easy to eat healthier. Try to get the most protein possible. I go for 1.5g protein per 1lb of body weight. Of course, you can take some protein powder to achieve this if you want. A good split for your total intake is 40% protein, 40% carbs, and 20% fats. Avoid trans fat and poly unsaturated fats found in fast food. Also, water is extremely important. I drink at least 1 gallon a day.
Next up is the training. Most people think you need to overtrain to get bigger. All you really have to do is train for 30 minutes 2-3 times per week. The secret is to increase your weight or reps each workout. If you are going for mass, I suggest heavy weight and 6-8 reps. Do each exercise for 3 sets.
For a good split, I recommend: Upper body, rest 2 days, Lower Body, rest 2 days, repeat. Rest is essential for getting stronger. Try to get about 7-8 hours of sleep a night if possible.
A more advanced split would be a 3 day like Mon, Wed, Fri. I do back/biceps, Chest/Triceps, Legs/Shoulders/Abs.
As far as exercies go, I am shocked at what I see in the gym usually. Remember to keep it simple. If you are a beginner, avoid most isolation exercises. You always see the puny kids doing curls every time they are in the gym because they want big biceps. This is the wrong way to go about it.
I suggest you do Squats, Bench Press, Deadlift, Pullups, and Dips. You don't really need any more than this if you are a beginner. After a few weeks, you might want to throw in calf raises and barbell curls.
Concentrate on proper form. Don't worry about what the other people in the gym think. We all have to start somewhere. I am assuming you know how to do all the exercises above, if not you can go here. http://www.theministryoffitness.com/exercises.htm You will make really quick progress, believe me.
Everyone always wants to try supplements. This is one of my best fields, and they have helped me greatly. Remember that you need a good diet first though.
The 4 supplements that I almost always recommend are:
Whey Protein Powder
Creatine Ehtyl Ester
Fish Oil
Multi Vitamin
You don't need any fancy No2 supplements or anything. It kills me when people go into GNC and spend $100's. I buy all my stuff in bulk from www.bodybuilding.com I highly recommend that you check them out if you want to buy something, or need information. Their forums are good too.
Whey protein is simple enough. You need protein to grow. It cost about $20 for 5lbs of it. I take 1-2 teaspoons of the following daily.
http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/hp/whey.html
Creatine is very popular. It is a natural supplement that gives great results. It is mainly used for muscle fullness. It works great for me. I put on 10lbs of LBM in the first 3 weeks and increased my lifts by 5-15lbs. Monohydrate is what 95% of the people use. The problem with that is that it has poor absorbtion rates. Therefore, it sits outside the muscle while collecting water which causes bloating. You lose most of the waterweight when you stop taking it anyway. Ethyl Ester is what I recommend. It has a transporter attached which gives it great absorbtion. You don't get any bloating or water weight and you get the same results if not better. It is about $20 for a 4 month supply. I take 1/2 teaspoon before working out and after. 3/4 teaspoon once on off days.
http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/hp/ester.html
Then we have fish oil. Don't underrate this. It has essantial Omega 3 fatty acids. It is mainly for overall health. My whole family takes it now and loves it. It lowers your cholestrol, improves joints, among many other good side effects. It will also give you a minor boost in strength. I think a test showed 8% gains. Not much, but this stuff is great. It is very cheap and I take about 4-5 a day. Here is what I use:
http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/opt/fish.html
You pretty much need a multivitamin. They are necessary for overall health and can give you nice gains. Look for one with NO IRON and plenty of Zinc, Vitamin C, Vitamin B, Magnesium, and selenium with as little calcium as possible. Now Adam is a great vitamin but a little expensive. Winfuel Men's is also good and very cheap.
http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/now/adam.html
http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/win/men.html
After that, you are into the advanced stuff which I don't know if you are ready for yet. The only things I would consider are
Taurine
Glycerol Mono
Sesamin
Green Tea Extract
L-Taurine is one of the main amino acids found in Type 2 muscle. Supplementing with it will give you a little bit more fullness like Creatine, more energy, and faster recovery. It is dirt cheap at $7 for a 3 month supply. Take about the same amount as you do creatine.
http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/now/taurine.html
Glycerol Monostearate is a newly found supplement. All it is, is a syrupy type of sugar really. The powdered form is just called gylcerol instead of glycerine. It has similar effects to NO2, but at 1/10 the price. It will give you huge pumps for about 3 hours. I take it before working out for insane energy and before the beach for some looks. It is safe to take about 1 teaspoon before working out. Make sure you take a lot of water. The only site that sells it is:
http://customnutritionwarehouse.com/product_info.php?cPath=1&products_id=196
Sesamin is mainly for weight loss. It is kind of like super fish oil. I don't take it, but it seems to have great results. I don't know much about it.
http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/sv/ses.html
Grean Tea gives so many benefits. It is mainly used for weight loss though. My mom takes it, but I don't since I have virtually no body fat already.
http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/now/gtea.htm
I can guarantee you that those aren't steroids or anything even close. However, don't hold me accountable if something goes wrong. Especially, the advanced stuff. Make sure you research it first. www.bodybuiliding.com gives extensive information about each supplement. If you still aren't sure, ask on theri forums or post here. Consult your doctor as necessary and be careful if you have blood pressure, heart, kidney, liver problems.
I'll update the guide as necessary and maybe get a few pics up of myself. Please let me know what you thought. I'll answer any questions you have. Thanks for your time. Good luck with your training!