WRT and NG - Bodybuilding introduction for beginners
Well me and WRT are going to make 3 threads, this one is more noob friendly and since he has more experience he'll do a more advanced faq to everyone that has been lifting for more then a couple of years (advanced lifters).
There are some rules that i find that everyone that wants to start building muscle needs to know....
General Rules:
1- Most forums regarding fitness/bodybuilding have a bunch of realllllllllllly bad information.
2- Just because someone is a lot bigger than you that doesn't make him an expert, there are many factors in bodybuilding as a science that have be accounted for.
3- Lifting for 1 year or just because you have read every damn article in T-Nation or BB forum doesn't make you an expert.
4- Supplements are NOT a "must have".
5- Lifting is NOT more important than getting your nutrition and sleeping hours in check. You can lift 5 days a week and you may not be able to see any changes.
6- F*cked up form will get you injured, a little swing isn't uncommon and may help you do that extra rep BUT since you are starting, try to do it as clean as possible, you AIN'T a powerlifter (unless you want to be one, but even they have rules).
7- Eating like a pig will make you bigger...and fatter.
8- Not eating enough or not sleeping, won't help you grow.
9- Doing a set than resting for 5 minutes because the TV show is good or because you need to sms your girlfriend/boyfriend is not a good idea UNLESS you are strength training, because if you are you will need those 5 min.
10- What worked wonders for "that guy" may not work for you, you are an unique individual.
11- There are no shortcuts!! Don't waste your time on "big in 20 days", or "sixpackshortcuts" or any other stupid program.
12- Overtraining is not a myth, but also is not that easily achievable !
13- Don't skip leg day! You will regret it (like myself)!
More rules will be added in time.
So lets start shall we?!
Teens vs Adults
Being a teen is not the same as being a 30y old man, your metabolism is faster, your hormone level should be at their peak and you body is still growing and of course you need fuel like anyone else and that fuel comes in calories! Of course if you are overweight you also need fuel, but in less amount, on the other hand if are underweight eating 6000kcal a day will get you bigger of course, but it is unhealthy and in the end will make you skinny-fat.
If you are an adult usually when you reach your mid 30's (some say early 30's but it depends on many variables including where you are from) your metabolism will slow and your testosterone level will drop, but that isn't an excuse to not get in shape, you ain't 80!
Puberty (part1)
Puberty is the transition between being a child and a man, some changes occur like voice changing, hairs where you were bald ^^ and guess what you are more prone to build muscle!
There many factors that influence muscle growth but i'll talk mainly of Growth Hormone and Testosterone, im NOT going to refer to illegal drugs and side-effects we are keeping natural over here :p .
Growth Hormone - Growth hormone (GH) is a protein-based peptide hormone. It stimulates growth, cell reproduction and regeneration in humans and other animals. Growth hormone is a 191-amino acid, single-chain polypeptide that is synthesized, stored, and secreted by the somatotroph cells within the lateral wings of the anterior pituitary gland.
Testosterone - Is a steroid hormone from the androgen group. In mammals, testosterone is primarily secreted in the testes of males and the ovaries of females, although small amounts are also secreted by the adrenal glands. It is the principal male sex hormone and an anabolic steroid. Testosterone is evolutionarily conserved through most vertebrates, although fish make a slightly different form called 11-ketotestosterone.In men, testosterone plays a key role in the development of male reproductive tissues such as the testis and prostate as well as promoting secondary sexual characteristics such as increased muscle and bone mass and hair growth. In addition, testosterone is essential for health and well-being as well as preventing osteoporosis.
On average, an adult human male body produces about ten times more testosterone than an adult human female body, but females are, from a behavioral perspective (rather than from an anatomical or biological perspective), more sensitive to the hormone. However, the overall ranges for male and female are very wide, such that the ranges actually overlap at the low end and high end respectively.
Source - news medical
Puberty (part2)
When you get those facial hairs around 15 (just a mild average) you can get the urge to lift everything around you to get big, so should you just start deep squating, bench pressing and deadlifting your dad's car? It depends, cause remember you are still growing and that can be a no-no, best to do is talk to your pediatrician, but expect him to say you shouldn't be squatting heavy weights ! There is a lot of doubt in this regard of bodybuilding vs growing and since medical studies cant be done (cause it may be harmful) there is still lots of unanswered questions regarding this topic.
Because of this the THE AMERICAN ACADEMY OF PEDIATRICS did this study which shows the benefits and low risk of strenght training on kids:
http://pediatrics.aappublications.or...4/835.abstract
SHOW THIS TO YOUR PARENTS!!
My personal opinion? Lift, just do it correctly and you if have any abnormal condition (in your spine or cardiovascular system for example) you should really consult your MD, not your regular Joe on www.iwanttobecomehugein2weeks.com .
In my opinion bodyweight exercises are great when you are in your early teens, then slowly progressing to weights.
Reasonable expectations (from teens to adults)
Teens - So you see that 18y old youtuber with big *** muscles, looking like he's been lifting since he was 1y old?
Example:
He ain't natural! Surprised?! Shouldn't be 99% of people that you that are huge in their teens/mid twenty's are on the juice aka steroids. Of course 1% exists (in same places this percentage is higher), people who are genetically superior to regular us. Everyone knows that guy that wouldn't even lift, ate like crazy and became huge when they started doing sports.
Professional bodybuilders also use a lot of supplements to get to where they are, but SUPPLEMENTS AIN'T MIRACLE WORKERS, they also work very very very hard!!!
People have this wrong idea that if you take steroids you will become huge and that is 100% false !!! You will have to watch your nutrition, sleep and workout like a beast to get anywhere! Don't bash what you don't understand!
So what can you look like with a couple of years of lifting and doing everything right? For MOST of us, something like this:
See the difference?? Dont expect MUCH more, but work hard enough so that you can achieve much moreand become much better than this guy.
Adults
What do you expect me to say?! There is no excuse, go workout!
Adults (after 40)
So you think you are too old? Come on...if you are in your 40's you still have a loooooooooooong way to go, there much muscle to be built, of course you wont recover as fast as when you were in your 20's/30's and your test level is dropping but you can still look very fit, don't forget this is beneficial to your health as well!
This is a natural 76 (if im not messing up maths) going 77 Paul Stone
But this 60y old that spent most of his time in prison looks like this:
Many 20y olds want to look like him.
Why are prisoners so jacked?!
First, not all prisoners are jacked or look good, here are some facts:
1 -In most western countries (dont know about the other ones), prisoners have proper nutrition, they don't eat pizza hut, mcdonalds,etc... their meal is conceived in a way most of us can only dream off, in many locations they have a country nutritionist that makes an overall nutrition plan, so yeah they usually get their proteins, carbs, fats, vitamins and minerals.
2- They rest a lotttttttt, they sleep at least 9 hours a day, so they muscle tissue as a lot of recovering time.
3- They workout consistently !
Nutrition? Confusing...
Nutrition
First of all you have to get your nutrition in check, there are a number of calculators online that will help you get the Macronutrients you need, they can give different results so just do an average!
This one has 3 different formulas do them and do an average afterwards, but remember if you want to gain mass add 500kcal to the calculation.
Macronutrients are nutrients that provide calories(energy), there are 3 of them:protein, carbohydrates and fats .
Carbohydrate provides 4 calories per gram.
Protein provides 4 calories per gram.
Fat provides 9 calories per gram.
Remember !! There are different types and sources of macronutrients, if you need 400g of carbs you should eat 400g of simple carbs, sugars are a NO-NO!
Carbohydrates
They usually include, starch, fibers and sugars. Their main function is to provide energy to your body!
Simple carbs usually have 1 or 2 sugars (like sucrose or fructose), complex have 3 or more sugars (starchy foods like vegetables, whole-grains like oats.
Most health organizations say one should consume 40% to 60% of their diet in carbs.
Avoid those simple carbs!! They are fast absorbing and they will mostly turn into fat, also they intake is usually from refined sugars and they are unhealthy!
Complex carbs will help you loose weight!! Yes because they aren't as quickly digested they will make you feel fuller for a much longer period of time!
Examples of good complex carbs:
Oats
Brown rice ( i eat basmati rice or white rice, i dont care :P)
Integral bread
Yams
Pasta (you can get them integral also)
Whole-grains
Sweet potatoes
Lentils
etc...check online.
Check for a good reading:
Farrell JJ. Digestion and absorption of nutrients and vitamins. In: Feldman M, Friedman LS, Brandt LJ, eds. Sleisenger & Fordtran’s Gastrointestinal and Liver Disease. 9th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders Elsevier; 2010:chap 100.
Protein
Our bodies need protein from food to build and maintain bones, muscles, hair, nails and skin. Protein intake from our diet will supply us with amino acids that our body can't make on its own, so we should eat different sources of protein to get a good range of amino acids (unless you eat from complete protein sources like animal products).
It is important to get enough dietary protein. You need to eat protein every day, because your body doesn't store it the way it stores fats or carbohydrates.
So when choosing protein-rich foods, pay attention to what comes along with the protein. Vegetable sources of protein, such as beans, nuts, and whole grains, are excellent choices, and they offer fibers, vitamins and minerals. The best animal protein choices are fish and poultry. If you are partial to red meat, stick with the leanest cuts, choose moderate portion sizes, and make it only an occasional part of your diet.
Consume 1 g of protein for pound of bodyweight or 2g for each kg of bodyweight as a guideline.
Examples of good protein sources:
Poultry
Fish
Red Meat (in moderation, avoiding processed meats)
Beans
Soy (in moderation)
Whey (more on this later)
Fats
First some facts about fats:
- Cholesterol is a lipid consisting of more fats than proteins
- Testosterone and Steroid hormones are derived from cholesterol
- Steroid hormones exert a stronger influence on cells than peptide hormones
- Hormones regulate the uptake of amino acids into muscle cells
- The correct intake of fats can aid in preventing muscle breakdown
In the old days BB would mainly avoid fats, little did they know that fats actually help you balance or even increase some anabolic hormones (test and growth hormone), like it was proved in this study:
Sallinen, J. et al: Relationship between diet and serum anabolic hormone responses to heavy resistance exercise in men. Int J Sports Med 2004 Nov; 25(8):627-33
Of course much more studies need to be make, but overall nowadays fat isnt seen as such a bad guy in terms of bodybuilding/fitness, but of course it's still advised to get your fats from good sources like:
Olive oil (not for deep frying :P)
Nuts
Coconut oil (very good for cooking)
Fish oils
If you are a hardgainer fats are awesome! They are very caloric dense! 9 calories per gram remember??
Don't forget fats are what compose the cell membranes and the coating of your neurons? They also protect your organs, help your body maintaining a sustainable internal temperature, keep your hormone levels in check, blood-glucose levels and insulin response.
Every type of fat has is benefits and bad side to it, but be sure to avoid trans-fats as much as possible because it raises your bad cholesterol (LDL) and decreases your good cholesterol (HDL), so read your food labels!!
Sodium
Of course, sodium... things just don't taste the same without it, but be careful!
The 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend limiting sodium to less than 2,300 mg a day — or 1,500 mg if you're age 51 or older, or if you are black, or if you have high blood pressure, diabetes or chronic kidney disease.
Keep in mind that these are upper limits, and less is usually best, especially if you're sensitive to the effects of sodium. If you aren't sure how much sodium your diet should include, talk to your doctor.
Source: Dietary American Guidelines
To sum it up, don't overthink it, but also don't neglect your macronutrient intake. Personally since i dont take bodybuilding more serious than it needs to be, i eat fruits despite being high on frucotse to provide me with vitamins and nuts for healthy fats
Nutrition to lose/gain weight?
It's as simple as this: you eat more calores than your body needs, you will gain weight; you eat less you will lose weight; you eat to much, you will get obese; you eat to little and your body can become catabolic up to the point it will use muscle as fuel.
So if you want to lose weight i would advise you to workout and be on a 400/500 kcal deficit.
If you want to gain weight, be on a 400/500 kcal surplus.
Clean bulk vs dirty bulk?
At this point you shouldn't even be considering a bulk, just eat your macros and get into a deficit/surplus depending on your goal and don't go overboard either way.
When you get results is very easy to go overboard like i did, since i was a skinny mofo since my early teens, spaghetti arms and you could count all my ribs, i went overboard, then i got skinny-fat :P.
With a clean bulk is actually possible to loose fat and gain weight but that is much more difficult.
Rest/Sleep
Your growth hormone reaches its peak in your REM sleep so you want to make sure you get a looooooooot of rest (i don't mean sleeping 12 hours a day of course), also if you are of a deficit caloric-wise you can burn muscle instead of fat if you don't sleep enough, so thats a big no-no.
Muscle repairs mostly happens when you are sleeping, not when you just ate your big 2 steak lunch, so i would advise sleeping 8-9 hours a day, 7 would be bare minimum. Why? Well your body wont recover as it could and it will jeopardize your workout!
Gynecomastia aka Man-Boobs!
Gynecomastia is present in a great number of young men and even adult bodies, but if you are a teen there's a very very high chance that it will go away with time. It's thought that an inbalance between testosterone and estrogen to be the cause of it's appearance.
Don't confuse gynecomastia with pseudogynecomastia!! Being overweight will cause that fat to also be stored on your breast area so don't think they are the same, just lose that weight otherwise it won't go away.
Gynecomastia will disappear anywhere between 2 to 3 years in more than 85% of the young males after it first appeared, so don't sweat it to much, i can imagine it can be hard, but that it is a very high percentage.
Anabolic steroids can cause this condition (usually people don't understand it's use and f*ck up getting many side effects).
A teen common example:
Workouts
So how should i start NG? Btw you talk too much...
Well you only need a barbel, somewhere to do pullups and a couple of dumbells and you will get far!! Don't need chromed machines or 50 dollars of gym subscription fee! Go to craigslist or ebay (disclaimer if you get scammed, not my fault)!
But like any beginner you are forgetting something important...cardio...
Cardio!!
Don't skip it, even if you want to gain weight! You really should do cardio because:
1- It will help your cardio-vascular system ence helping you become stronger by provind more blood flow to your muscles.
2- Increased endurance
3- It will help your mentally also, becoming more focused
4- Healthy skin for the ladies (or men) that touch you
5- Burns calories.
6- Lowers heart resting rate
7- Balances metabolism
8- Search for more reasons!
So do 30 minutes every other day ! I confess nowadays i only do 30 minutes every 3 or 4 days, but i walk some. But as a beginner dont skip this is very important!
F*ck you NG, i want to start lifting!!
Well there are a numbbbbbbbbbbbberrrrrrrrrrr of different workouts for beginners, from my personal mistake i would say, in your first year (which is usually when you get your awesome newbie gains) you should do big compound movements, like bench press (of course you are jumping, clapping and laughing like a little girl right about now), deadlifts and squats.
I strongly advise against the 5 day splits when you are taking your first steps, full-body are optimal, but many (including me) don't like them, so i will only talk regarding splits in the Intermediate thread.
So here are some reasons you should do a full-body routine:
1- Low time workouts
2- They will allow you for high recovery time
3- You can do extra physical activities
4- Full body movements can up your testosterone
5- Can workout easily at home
6- Less chance to hit a plateau
7- Less chance to fry your CNS
8- Easy to do
9- You will see progress
Here are some good examples of good starting FULL-BODY routines you can do at home or at the gym (remember if you are really young -14 do body weight or light-weight exercises) :
For strenght and hypertrophy:
XBOX360iso Full-Body Routine ^^
Frequency - 3 days a week
Training days - Monday, Wednesday and Friday or Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday or Wednesday, Friday and Sunday.
Routine Duration- From 20 to 36 weeks.
Sets per exercise - 3
Rest between sets - 1 min to 1 and 1/2 min (abs 30 sec)
Sets per workout - 20
Day 1
Squats - 5x5 ( 1 and 1/2 min rest)
Bench press or Dumbbell press- 3x8 (1 min rest)
Pull-ups - 3x12 (1 and 1/2 min rest)
Military press or shoulder press - 3x8 (1 and a 1/2 min rest)
DB curls - 3x8 ( 1 min rest)
Hanging leg raises (done in the pullup bar)- 3x12 (30 sec to 1 min rest)
Day 2
Deadlift (Barbell or Dumbbell, i prefer Barbell) - 5x5 (1 and 1/2 min rest)
Chest (or bench or even an old persons walker) dips - 3x12 (1 min rest)
Bent-over rows or 1-arm bent over dumbbell row - 3x8 (1 min rest)
Lateral Raises - 3x 8 (1 min rest)
Skullcrushers - 3x8-12 (1 min rest)
Calf raises (use a backpack with weights and stand on a plate or something if you are doing at home)- 3x12 (1 min rest)
Day 3
Lunges - 5x5 ( 1 and 1/2 min rest)
Bench press - 3x8 (1 min rest)
Chinups - 3x8 (1 min rest)
Bent-over lateral raises - 3x8 (1 and a 1/2 min rest)
Hammer Curls - 3x8 ( 1 min rest)
Ab roller or crunches - 3x12 (30 sec to 1 min rest)
and repeat...
From my 6th month to my 12th i did something similar with good results in strength and hypertrophy, but was doing back extensions instead of deadlifts.
For strenght:
Strong Lifts
Day 1
Squat - 5x5 (5min)
Bench Press - 5x5 (5min)
Barbell Rows - 5x5 (5min)
Day 2
Squat - 5x5 (5min)
Bench Press - 5x5 (5min)
Deadlifts- 1x5 (5min)
My thoughts - I did something similar but without deadlifts, i didn't do deadlifts until my 2nd year of lifting, i was using bax extensions.
Starting Strenght
Day 1
Squat - 3x5 (5min)
Bench Press - 3x5 (5min)
Deadlift - 1x5 (5min)
Day 2
Squat - 3x5 (5min)
Bench Press - 3x5 (5min)
Power cleans- 1x5 (5min)
and repeat...
After you reached 3 weeks you can add chinups or pullups or back extensions until u reach the remaining 6-9 months.
My thoughts - never tried it.
Proper form
It is very important to use proper form when doing exercises, remember unless you are a powerlifter is not about the weight, but the stretch and contraction of the muscle, you want to get those muscle fibers doing all that they can, not just partially, cause guess what, you will get partial gains.
There are a number of video tutorials online that can help you get the most of your exercises, you don't need to impress anyone with the weight you are lifting, just impress them with the muscle gains you are achieving!
Dont use momentum, but if you have doubts about the weight you are using, you can ask a friend or the gym trainer to spot you, so you can get that extra-rep.
Here are some bad examples:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P-xzgrU2frg
Supplements
Don't need them, eat your food, but if you aren't able to reach your macros because of busy schedule you can use Whey Protein Powder as an aid (and not as main protein source) and if you cant reach your carbs goal use ground oats with water/milk and just drink !!
Personal Example (or F*CK you NG who are you to help us?)
Well i don't have great genetics, or am i the biggest/strongest and i've always been a hard gainer (or so i thought, i was just eating the wrong foods and in the wrong quantity) but i started in my very late 20's and im in my early 30's so that test is not what it once was ^^. In my life i did aerobic gymnastics and Taekwondo and sometimes would go to the gym, but my nutrition and overall knowledge was zero, i have to thank 1 of my MD professors for a lot he thought me on physiology and CNS and a another physiology professor.
This was me went i started:
So as you can see by the time ^ it wasn't that long ago, but i had some good knowledge on the subject and of course i had prior experience with weight lifting even though at the time my nutrition was crap. The only thing i regret is not taking shots of my legs, they were the worst part by far of my body.
I was 1.79m and 60kg, i had ups and downs on my weight, i've been at most at 84kg (a lot of fat) now im at 76kg.
This was taken i thinkkkkkk 8 months ago i believe?!
And yes i need leg pics, i'll do all that when i reach what i want, sorry about these old photos.
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Disclaimer: This is a work in progress i have to review some things i've wrote and such, if i did a mistake somewhere please be helpful and warn me.
I'm not an MD, im a radiology technician, unlike in the US here its a 5 year degree, that involves anatomy, physiology, etc and etc... but that doesn't make me in any way a know-it-all, so if you have doubts consult your family doctor, or if you can a Sports MD.
Also i'm not an expert in any way and i haven't been lifting for 10y+ like many.
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Originally Posted by gingernuts88
