| 26 yr old male (of the darker
decent lol...afr. american)
6'0" (183 cm)
173 lbs / not sure how much fat %
but i'm fairly skinny (esp. in
my arms..i hate that the most)
for starters i know i have some
damn good genes when it comes to
getting fit. for an example..when i
was 18 i joined the military and
went to basic training and ait
which lasted about 6 months
roughly. when i got to ait i just
started doing normal sit-ups,
supine bicycle, dips, regular
push-ups and elevated (diamond and
fingertip). just things like that
using my own bodyweight with no
weights. three somewhat healthy
meals a day that's it!! i
looked and felt like a million
bucks.. nothing could stop me. all
without weights. my triceps were
defined, my chest was very
distinguishable and i had the
energy of the frickin sun!!
but shortly after ait was over...i
stopped doing all that completely
never hit a gym or did
extracurricular activity besides
the running that the army had use
doing throughout the week which
basically just kept you fit. no
gains from running 6 - 7 miles a
day besides the killer stamina
(which is always very useful i
might add ;)
i stopped doing that for 7 years!!!
that was 7 years ago i was in ait
and it's been 7 years too
long. now i know lifting weights
with heavy sets and less reps build
mass, and i've done my
research on whey protein 100%
natural, should be here in 3 days
or so. i've purchased myself a
road bike because i feel cardio
before a workout actually gets me
pumped up more. i have weights
including two 35lb and two
25lb..including my weight bar which
is 11'lbs or so ( curl bar,
only thing i have right now ) adds
up to 130ish. i figure i buy more
weights later and that this should
be enough to started.
i'm going for a high protein
diet. i would like to get my weight
up. mass is just a little more of a
priority than getting toned or
cut.
breakfast: ( i like my breakfast to
be a big meal of the day so this
would probably be the least amount
of what i will be consuming.)
egg whites (eggbeaters) 2 or 3 eggs
worth..not sure yet depending on
how full i get.
turkey bacon - 2 strips
1 orange ( vitamin c )
1 slice of wheat toast with peanut
butter
1 cup of welch's grape drink (
thats all i drink is
welch's..cannot stand sodas )
1 bowl of oatmeal ( regular quaker
oat with a dash of brown sugar,
that can't be helped ;d
and if that doesn't get me
going i don't know what will.
for lunch i was thinking of going
light...maybe cook up some chicken
fillets early in the week and bring
a sandwich to work each day with a
bottle of water and maybe some
celery with peanut butter. again,
trying to keep the protein up.
after lunch i would eat on cashews
throughout the day sparingly. i
heard that nuts and almonds alike
are good sources of protein for
you. and if cashews aren't a
good idea, what is ? :)
as for dinner i would try to mix it
up throughout the week..pasta one
night...fish another night...baked
chicken another. most meals
followed with some kind of greens
i.e. brocolli...spinach...steamed
carrots.
i read it's better to eat 5 -
6 meals throughout the day...i work
commission so taking off to eat a
meal even if it takes just 10
minutes. not worth it in my book.
so 3 square meals a day will just
have to cut it. will that play
against me? or should i try getting
a 4th meal in there somewhere?
as far as my workout routine
i'm just going to go with what
i know. i purchased a pull-up bar
for the indoors, the one that hangs
in the door frame and is just so
easy to use (can't wait til it
gets here). the main areas i would
like to see improvements on and
will be focusing on more than any
are as follows and they exercises i
will do for each one.
triceps - dips til it burns like
fire
forearm - using my curl bar with
the two 25lb weights for starters (
i actually in one point in the army
could curl the two 75's ) 3
sets of 9
<<<chest>>> -
push-ups / push-ups /
push-ups....elevated, regular,
diamonds, fingertips. these i will
be doing all day most likely at
work...at home bored, just
anywhere. i haven't heard many
cases where doing push-ups will
hurt you. of course after a day of
heavy lifting i may take it easy on
how many i do depending on
soreness. any other good techniques
to get the he-man chest is greatly
appreciated but as far as i know
push-ups done the right way with
fully extended torso, head straight
forward, no slumping in the middle
and steady motion is one of the
most total body workouts you can do
that will build the pecks
ab workouts will include supine
bicycle, obliques, crunches,
flutter kicks starting at 2 sets
each of 15....also, would i get
better results increasing reps or
sets when i'm dealing with the
abs? would i gain more mass
increasing weight, reps, or sets ?
okay i know this is getting lengthy
but just a few more minor
questions..i'm trying to get
all the info i can without
consulting a professional trainer.
again thank you for your time, any
feedback is hig
First off im not a personal trainer, but i have a lot of experience with a personal trainer / ex marine drill sergeant, and i have done probably hundreds of hours of research. Your right about low reps to build mass 4- 8 reps is the accepted range for building up fast twitch fiber (type II b and II a ). As for nutrition, while it is better to have 5-6 meals you can get away with 4 solid meals as long as you make sure to have at least a couple hundred clean calories every 2-3 hours or else your body will start going into a catabolic state (producing cortisol and breaking down muscle). Breakfast sounds solid, although you might want some more vitamin C because it supposedly increases testosterone production.
As for your routine, it sounds like you are focusing on upper body only... i would suggest you ditch the pushups because they will only build endurance, and are very ineffective at causing hypertrophy (and they will not cause hyperplasia at all). you really need to use free weights to build mass. Do you have a bench? if you do you can do bench presses at all angles (flat, decline and incline - they work different parts of the pectorals) Also Dumbbell flyes work the inside of the pec - although be careful i tore my rec a couple of months ago doing dumbbell flyes. For shoulders you can do shoulder press, shrugs, or lateral raises. Triceps - extensions with dumbbells, or close grip bench. Biceps - curls plain and simple. Pullups are great for for expanding the lats outward, but to get them thick and cut you need to do some sort of row whether cable, bent over, or t-bar. Abs, do as many different exercises, up to 30 reps, after that that specific exercise will do nothing to strength and tone your abs (this come from a boxing coach at one of the major gyms in LA).
The optimum routine is about 3 sets between 4 and 8 reps at the heaviest weight you can lift for maximum growth, only working each muscle group once or twice maximum each week (I know its tempting to do more, but trust me over training is a bitch - every ligament and tendon hurts all the time and strength decreases).
At 26 i might suggest you look into some supplements as your natural testosterone levels have decreased and will continue to fall (generally males peak between 21 and 24). First some basic supplements for anyone of any age include creatine, beta alanine, either whey protein or BCAA's (the essential amino acids).
Some non-hormonal supplements include Ecdysterone's and methoxisoflavones (nutrient partitioners), Nitric Oxide (NO) which is a vacodiliator important for protein synthesis.
The next category is natural testosterone boosters (this is only for men over 24, under that age it will have no effect). These are safe. They range from weak herbal boosters (ie: tribulus and ZMA) to strong such as Aromatase inhibitors (hyperdrol and testobolan). Always do reseacrh on the product before considering these though.
Finally there are prohormones and designer steroids. THESE ARE VERY DANGEROUS. They can destroy your liver and kidneys as well as shutdown your endocrine system. I highly recommend you stay away from these. These have very similar names to some stronger testosterone boosters so make sure to research any product before you buy it.
Hope this helps, if you have any questions about diet, exercises, or supplement feel free to send me a message. |
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