Ultimate Muscle Training Guide

[TerranForces]

Not too bad phatj. I gave you Reps on BB forums.

 

[secretanchitman]

hey this is a pretty good guide! i think ill try to do the listed excerises in the first post from now on.

im 5'9, 16 years old, and currently 130lbs...but im "skinny". will doing the exercises you listed and taking the dietary supplements (creatine/ethyl ester, etc) help me gain more muscle mass? my muscles are kinda small. is there any way to lose a "fat gut" too? lol...i do 30 crunches and 15 push-ups everyday, and i jog for 5 mins too.

 

[shortspanishguy]

Originally posted by: Aharami
u sure its 10 lbs of muscle you put on in the first 3 weeks?

shens... thats not gonna happen without some dianabol and tons of calories.

 

[PHiuR]

great post!
now all we need is 100 useless posts

 

[TerranForces]

secretanchitman, it will definately help you. With some dedication, you can probably get up to 150lbs in a couple months. The best ab exercies is the lying leg lift imo. However, I already had decent abs before I started lifting, so I don't know how it will work for you. I just grabbed a hold of a pullup bar and did 10-15 leg lifts keeping my legs as locked as possible. You'll really feel it.

shortspanishguy, most new bodybuilders have really good gains in their beginning stages. Especially, if you eat well and supplement. The ethyl ester helped out a lot I think.

 

[shortspanishguy]

Originally posted by: TerranForces
secretanchitman, it will definately help you. With some dedication, you can probably get up to 150lbs in a couple months. The best ab exercies is the lying leg lift imo. However, I already had decent abs before I started lifting, so I don't know how it will work for you. I just grabbed a hold of a pullup bar and did 10-15 leg lifts keeping my legs as locked as possible. You'll really feel it.

shortspanishguy, most new bodybuilders have really good gains in their beginning stages. Especially, if you eat well and supplement. The ethyl ester helped out a lot I think.

I didnt read all of the post I assumed you gained all this without supplements. Some of the weight you did gain can be attributed to water gain, which is fine. Your still making good progress. keep up the good work.

 

[shortspanishguy]

Originally posted by: TerranForces
The ethyl ester helped out a lot I think.

Yeah I really like this stuff.

 

[suse920]

Hmmm i'm your age 6'3 and 155 I need to gain some weight, but do highjump in winter track... decisions decisions.

 

[Legend]

I think I could get more nutrition from some cheerios and a bit of cooked tomato paste than you get in those multivitamins.

You seem to know what you're doing otherwise. But I think a simple multivitamin is the least important part to body building. If you already have a good diet, you won't need Vitamin C or B vitamins or zinc. These are all very, very basic nutrients that are found in common foods. On top of that, they are much, much more bioavailable in food form that in pill form.

Those fish oil supplements are awfully cheap. I wonder where they get it from. You've got to be very careful about fish oil because if it's caught from bad sources, you'll get the benefits immediately, but you could be loading up on heavy metals.

With fish oil, look for fish that live in unpolluted waters, that don't migrate to breed, and are from younger fish (older = more heavy metals).

 

[TerranForces]

I got huge gains from the glycerol. Before school I was 142, after taking it and working out I was 148lbs. It was mostly water weight, but your muscle cells are much more anabolic when they are volumized. I really liked the pumps I got out of it considering it only cost $4.

Most of my other gains were pure Lean Muscle Mass though. My BF% is around the same as it was when I started, maybe a little lower actually. The Ethyl Ester didn't seem to put on much water weight at all. No bloating whatsoever. My friend took some monohydrate and he looked really bloated. He started with 20g a day though to load.

suse920, when I started lifting, I was about an inch short of rim. Now, I am very close to dunking. I can get a full 2-4in above the rim and hang on it.

 

[Spamela]

I attribute this amazing progress to my knowledge behind training, supplementing, nutrition, etc.

you've become such a humble expert in only 4 months?
IMO beginner gains had a lot to do with it. your rate of progress will level off.

Squats, Bench Press, Deadlift, Pullups, and Dips...Concentrate on proper form

sounds good to me.

You don't really need any more than this if you are a beginner

or if you've been lifting for years

IMHO, protein shakes (in particular, this) & creatine give you most of the benefits at the least cost.

 

[TBone48]

Thanks for the guide. I'm starting back into working out and was looking for a good start-up routine.

 

[TerranForces]

Someone tested the fish oil. It was supposedly pure and contained no mercury. (He also tested a can of tuna which surprisingly had a ton of mercury). It is a very reputable brand and no one on the forums reported any problems.

What makes you say that about the multivitamin. Most reasons for poor absorbtion are from high levels of iron. It is very important. Check out this link for the importance of zinc, magnesium, and B6:

http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/zma.html

Spamela, I actually took a course at school before lifting. As an elective I got Sports Science last year. The teacher really knew what he was talking about and I learned a lot. This year, I got physical condtioning which gives me credit for working out every other school day for 40 minutes a day. Pretty awesome for a public school. Not to mention how many hours I spent on the bodybuilding forums before starting.

 

[Legend]

What makes you say that about the multivitamin. Most reasons for poor absorbtion are from high levels of iron. It is very important. Check out this link for the importance of zinc, magnesium, and B6:

I get plenty of B vitamins from canned nuts, fortified foods, whole grains, etc. They're in so many foods.

I get zinc from nuts, meat, beans, and fortified foods.

I must get 300% of Vitamin C at least a day from fruits, and from Celestial Seasonings Antioxidant Green tea.

On top of that I take supplements.

I take 3 of these a day, for general health:

http://www.xtend-life.com/main/products.asp?product=tb&page=mens_plus

I take 3 of these a day, for my ADD:

http://www.xtend-life.com/main/products.asp?product=nl&page=n4

The supplements form of zinc is Zinc Aspartate and Zinc Citrate. These are the most bioavailable forms that you can get from supplements.

But I don't take these supplements for Zinc really. It's the stuff that I don't get everyday from my diet.




And these supplements have not given me gains at all with body building. They have improved my sleep, reduced my ADD/allergies, improved my vision, but not given me muscles. That's up to a sensible diet, training, protein and other stuff.

My point is that those multivitamins aren't doing much for you (nor would mine). Your other stuff is. But the multivitamins have common ingredients found in everyday food (or what should be).

 

[TerranForces]

legend, I see your point. Its just that most kids don't get all their vitamins from food. If you have a deficiency, your gains will be hurt substantially. Also, like you said, they can help with general health which is important.

 

[91TTZ]

No offense, so don't take this the wrong way, but why would people who have been lifting for 16+ years listen to someone who is only 16 years old and just started lifting 4 months ago? I'm not saying your info is all bad, I'm just playing devil's advocate here.

Also:

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

You couldn't have 10 lbs of LBM in 3 weeks. You gained water in your muscles. You'd be lucky to gain an honest 10 lbs of LBM in a year, let alone 3 weeks. It's hard.

But keep lifting and keep up the good work. :thumbsup:

 

[cchen]

Originally posted by: Nutdotnet

Originally posted by: cchen

Originally posted by: Nutdotnet
Pretty good info coming from a 16 year-old!

Good work!

However, I don't think working out the entire upper body in one day is the "best" way. Your chest and your back are two of the largest muscle groups in the body. They both should really have their own day.

My suggested 3x a week routine, for newbs (who have worked out for at least a month) on up:

Monday: Chest/Biceps or Chest/Triceps (really depends on what gives you better results. Personally, I liked to do one for 4-8 weeks and switch to the other)
- Flat Bench Press (I prefer dumbell, but each his own)
- Incline Bench Press
- Dips (for chest/triceps) or Flys (for Chest if I'm doing biceps)
- Curls (biceps) or Skullcrushers (triceps)

Wednesday: Legs
- Squats, squats, and more squats
- Straight-Legged Deadlifts (I wouldn't recommend for beginners...need to have GOOD form)
- Some sort of calf exercise...just because.


Friday:
Back/Shoulders/Triceps or Back/Shoulders/Biceps
- Deadlifts (maybe not quite a beginner exercise, but one that should be practiced and done)
- Shoulder shrugs (dumbell or barbell...works the traps)
-Shoulder press (I prefer dumbell)
-Curls or Skullcrushers

I keep the sets to 3-4 and reps between 4-8. At the most I spend 45 minutes in the gym.

If you're seriously doing heavy weight for shoulders or back, I would not recommend doing both on the same day. Actually, even if you're not, I wouldn't recommend doing them on the same day.

Shoulders:

Military Press
Dumbell Press
Front / side raises
Shrugs
Upright Rows

Back:

Deadlift
Bent over rows
Lat pull down
One arm dumbbell row
Rear lat raise

I'd still go with my routine doing the back/shoulders on the same day BECAUSE I wouldn't do all the exercises that you listed...to me, it seems like a waste or time, and more importantly effort.

What I hope you realize is that your shoulders get worked a lot throughout the week. Most chest exercises work your shoulders, most back exercises work your shoulders. The most overworked muscle group in the body tends to be the deltoids. Your routine is a classic case of overworking them.

I did forget to put pull-ups in the "Back" day.

Where did I ever say to do all of them? I just merely suggesting some other exercises to do...

In any case, lets assume that you do back and shoulders on the same. Lets say for back, you start off with deadlift, and then bent over rows.

If you really worked hard, and went all out on those two, there's no way you would be able to go all out on shoulders.

 

[TerranForces]

bump

 

[yankeesfan]

I am always at home, but don't know how to cook very well. What are some easy foods to make that can help my diet?

 

[SVT Cobra]

I have lifted for about nine years now and my stats are

Bench: 355SL
Squat:610SL
Power Clean:460SL


and let me tell you something...your guide is great and everything...but all that sh!t you descirbed only works if you are a beginer...you gained so much in so little time because you were a new to it and did not lift before...as sson as your muscles get used to it you always see those gains when you first start...you are taking the wrong approach to a lot...

the only thing I agree with of that you said is creatine ethyl ester (only because of no cycling, not what you described, because you obviously read the advertising and did not read or understand about the science behind it) and not doing isolation exercises....after that you pretty much sound like an info-commercial....

once again you are a begginer and you need a lot more work and effort than what you described to keep at it...

I do not mean to put you down but it gets a lot more advanced/simple though if you want to do it right is waht I mean...

 

[SP33Demon]

Originally posted by: Spamela

I attribute this amazing progress to my knowledge behind training, supplementing, nutrition, etc.

you've become such a humble expert in only 4 months?
IMO beginner gains had a lot to do with it. your rate of progress will level off.

Squats, Bench Press, Deadlift, Pullups, and Dips...Concentrate on proper form

sounds good to me.

You don't really need any more than this if you are a beginner

or if you've been lifting for years

IMHO, protein shakes (in particular, this) & creatine give you most of the benefits at the least cost.

I'm with the vets (Spamela) on this one. Beginner gains is mainly what Terran has experienced, you will eventually hit your genetic limits and get diminishing returns over the years.

A lot of good info, a lot of it not backed with any scientific studies (supplements).

Adding to your analyses:
Whey Protein Powder
Creatine Ehtyl Ester
Fish Oil
Multi Vitamin

Whey is a must. If you're eating a protein bar, shake, etc, look for Whey Isolate. This is whey in its purest form and maximizes absorption rates. Most major companies like MET-RX and EAS will use a mix of casein, whey isolate, and whey concentrate which is fine. The best cost ratio for a whey brand that mixes isolate with concentrate is probably Optimum (they also have enzymes that reduce bloating). If you really have cash to burn, check out www.proteinfactory.com for omgwtfdumbell mixes of premium types of protein tailored to your goals (bulk, shred, or cardio).

Creatine - Monohydrate is by far your best bet (never ever buy Phosphate, it's a scam). If you want the poor man's super absorption formula, mix 100% pure monohydrate with grape juice, it has a very high absorption rate. If you have the cash to burn, get something like Muscletech's Celltech or AST's Creatine HSC (hyper saturation complex) which use glucosatatory crystals to spike insulin, as well as sodium transporters to maximize creatine absorption.

Never heard of Ethyl Ester, but if you can produce a medical study done on it, it would validate your beliefs a little more. Remember the ZMA hype? That's just what it turned out to be: hype.
EDIT: Ester IS nothing but hype.

Fish oil - absolutely great supplement. Numerous studies have shown Omega 3 EPA's to reduce fat levels in the body significantly (15% over a few months) by taking 2.5-3g a day.

Multi Vitamins - nothing to say about this, if you're eating a salad a day don't worry about it.

Other supp's:
Taurine
Glycerol Mono
Sesamin
Green Tea Extract

Taurine and Green Tea Extract (compound Epigallocatechin gallate aka EGCG), have proven track records in energy supp's and drinks, and are backed by studies. GTE especially! Read for studies done on EGCG.

Sesamin and Glycerol Mono, never heard of them. Probably hype.

One supplement that I would recommend is Glutamine for powerlifters. I was taking AST's GL3 and it seemed to aid my recovery faster. Also backed by medical research.

One MAJOR thing you forgot to mention for building muscle is the Bracketing Method. It's the single most powerful muscle building tool you can integrate into your nutrition. You WILL notice the difference by bracketing workouts with protein shakes/creatine as well as spiking your insulin after your workout to maximize absorption in that 45 minute window.

Basically, just check out www.ast-ss.com . They'll have everything you need to know about MAX-OT (4-6 reps to muscle failure) ideaology for maximizing energy for muscle gains. 1 body part worked out per week, 1 hour workouts at the most.

 

[Koing]

Originally posted by: Son of a N00b
I have lifted for about nine years now and my stats are

Bench: 355SL
Squat:610SL
Power Clean:460SL

wtf?

460lbs PC?! NO WAY man. You got a video of that? If so that is a SICKENING PC.

What is the SL for? Lbs?

I'd like pics of this 8% bf%. Most people GROSSLY over estimate their bf% and most ways to measure it off.

Koing

Koing

 

[SVT Cobra]

Originally posted by: Koing

Originally posted by: Son of a N00b
I have lifted for about nine years now and my stats are

Bench: 355SL
Squat:610SL
Power Clean:460SL

wtf?

460lbs PC?! NO WAY man. You got a video of that? If so that is a SICKENING PC.

What is the SL for? Lbs?

I'd like pics of this 8% bf%. Most people GROSSLY over estimate their bf% and most ways to measure it off.

Koing

Koing

SL means strength level, the official strength level for NCAA stats...I did 355 six times to get that

its actually pretty good because I have awesome form...got iron cheif in my football days in HS, but its nothing compared to olympic level...

the trick is just jerking the weight up to your waist and sinking under it locking out your elbows and catching it with your hips and resting it on your brest bone and collar bone that bar that is, and then coming right back up bouncing your but off the back of your calves...

I worked long long hours to perfect my form

 

[drsafety]

I have gained 6 lbs. of muscle in the past 4-5 weeks. I will post some more detailed info whe nI get home today

 

[Koing]

My form is pretty solid but I have been coached and I coach other lifters and I am a qualified OL referee

Just that 460lbs PC is a lot of weight even at 235lbs. Didn't know anyone else on here posted such a big number in a pretty non standard lift for most people here.

Koing