I've recently got back into training and it's been going quite well except for past week or two maybe as I've been quite busy and tired so I've not been going to the gym as much. Anyway, I'm just wondering would a skinny person (like myself) be limited in how much bigger I can actually get. I know I won't be able to get as big as someone who is naaturally bigger than but in terms of proportions would you say pretty much anyone can achieve more or less the same. For example my torso is pretty much straight and though my back and chest seem to be getting wider I just would like to know how much of a V-shape I could forward to getting.
I recommend Scoobys site: http://www.scoobysworkshop.com/ and forum http://www.askscooby.com/ for honest advice. He has a whole bunch of videos on YT, and his forum is full of good info and users.
With hard work, I mean real hard work, nearly everday, and lots of food including loads of meat, it would take a few years for a skrawny kid to bulk up at least as much as Statham. If you're not gonna work out real hard, or just once a week, then it could easily take over a decade.
Building muscle is a slow process (as you probably already know), no matter what body type you are. Use scooby's workshop for the basic advice and exercise routines, as Zener Diode says. About getting a nice V shape though, you need to build your lats and burn away fat around your waist to reveal the abs and, eventually, a nice V shape, although it helps if your natural body composition has a narrow waist. Anyway, pullups are critical for big lats. Incorporate them into your back workout, but when you are starting out, do them 2-3 times a week. If you currently cant do them, use a chair to assist you on the negative. Typical exercises I do for lats are bent-over barbell or dumbbell rows, with dumbbell pullovers. If you have access to a gym do cable pulldowns also. For abs, I suppose its the type you want. If you want flat abs, you should train them every night for a few minutes (begin with 3 sets of 20 situps) - just start getting into the routine of doing situps before you go to bed. If you want big abs with massive crevices etc, you should train them like every other body part you want to make bigger, once a week for approx 20 minutes with around 2-3 different exercises. Use scoobys workshop and this exercise directory for help with learning different back exercises. I should also say that cardio and nutritution are critical here. Whether you're a skinny guy or not, you should be eating regular balanced meals of protein, with lots of nutrients and minerals, and complex carbs for energy (think chicken breast, mixed veg, rice, fruits, porridge oats, etc). You should also be doing cardio on a regular basis, 3 times a week for 20 minutes or longer. This will help burn the fat away and keep you feeling fit and healthy. I typically run around 12-15 miles a week but I came from a running background before I started to lift weights.
Having made the hard transition from 9 stone with a 32" waist and a 32" chest to 12 stone with a 32" waist and a 42" chest over an 8 month period I can tell you when it comes to working out, it's all down to how your body reacts. But remember you get big out of the gym not in it, leave at least 48 hours between each muscle (or muscle group depending how you train) otherwise you wont get anywhere due to over training. Only two things are definite in training / body-building. Eat above your maintainable level of calories, you will gain weight. Eat below it, you WILL loose weight. Every thing else is trial and error to see how your body reacts to it. Big lats or the V Shape is easily achieved with the right workouts, wide grip pull ups, lat pull downs etc. Mine was coming on nicely prior to getting demolished by a 6 week long chest infection without anti-biotics (stupid doctors!!) I think 3lusives advice is almost spot on but for getting your abs I'd recommend a Roman chair and leg lifts and curling your legs up as oppose to sit-ups. Those IMO piss all over sit-ups. Best advice I can give you is give it time to find out what your body likes and doesn't. But I went from this : (9 stone) To this : (12 stone) (no it's not vanity, it's pride) In less than 12 months, naturally. ALSO!! One of the biggest mistakes people make is not training their legs. Your body will only get as big as your legs can carry (naturally) training your legs also releases lots of chemicals / hormones etc. used to repair other muscles and build mass in your body. So dedicate at-least one day a week to training your legs, I usually incorporate this into my shoulder and ab day as they're oddball groups to train. Compound exercises are amazing for building strength and mass, don't spend all your time in the gym doing isolated muscle workouts, bicep curls for example. Squats, Dead Lifts, Bench Pressing, Military Press etc, all compound workouts that help build mass and strength quicker than isolated workouts ever will. Once you've then laid the foundations, it's time to sculpt.
And don't forget to do some cardio. It's all good and well to be Statham-like and hit up a lot of girls but if you go out of breath after 2 minutes in the bed it's no good. I'm not a weightlifter myself, I absolutely hate it since I get nowhere the mental kick that I get from running say, 10 miles. As a result I have better cardio than 98% of the population but I lack a bit in the muscle department. And then again, if I get jumped while walking out at night, chances are that I can run from those ****ers faster than they can blink.
What kinda workout routine did you run steve then? Am thinking of trying to get into better shape (currently 11.5 stone, 5'11ish) For cardio/legs I'm cycling 16+miles a day I never know what kinda routine to go for, in terms of amount of time etc. Would rather avoid gym based workouts due to the cost.
Not a huge fan of cardio while trying to bulk, especially if you're already struggling to get the calories required to gain weight burning them off is going to slow you down. I haven't trained since September last year and have just decided to get back into shape. I'm hitting the cardio like a mad man and have also just stopped smoking. But when I was bulking though I avoided cardio like the plague. Depends what your goals are and what equipment you have access to at home?
Hmm, well, I think I need to lose some weight before gaining muscle really, so you'd recommend just trying to lose the weight first, then try to gain muscle mass afterwards?
Yes, but that doesn't mean avoiding the weights. The combination of cardio and weights is far better at burning fat than cardio alone. First thing I'd look at in terms of loosing weight is going for a nice clean calorie deficit diet. (ie eat below maintenance) So work out what your daily requirement to maintain body mass is : http://www.freedieting.com/tools/calorie_calculator.htm And eat consciously below it. (but healthy) Also if you're wanting to avoid the gym a nice little circuit set can work wonders. Also if you're based in the UK, send off for this : http://www.gaspariconditioningguide.co.uk/ It's free and it's a damn good routine. I'll be running this same workout at the end of an 8 month bulk hopefully to get ready to go to Body-Power next year.
Just like to add to what steve has said, which to start with is spot on. I weight 9 stones, and now weigh 10, been going to the gym for a few months. I have been doing the 5x5 routine. Found here: http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/wotw56.htm I have been eating loads of meat, and still do a 5 min cardio warm up, and play 5 a side football on Wednesday for 1.5 hours. you can't loose and gain weight at the same time. Pick one and focus on it. And if you did want to burn more carbs do interval training, i.e. jog for a 1min, sprint for 1min, etc Remember 80 % deit 20% training, eating healthy is key. I have been reading loads and still do, and most articles and research talk about diet. Also your muscles have two fibre groups fast stitch and slow stitch, different reps and exercise will target them. Read up on it. Also do compound training, this will train the primary muscle but also train the secondary muscle at the same time. And remember its not about how much you lift, but how well you do. Everybody is different. I also take supplements, mainly because i cant eat 6 times a day. Check out some websites out for information on exercies, and routines, find the best for you: http://www.bodybuilding.com http://www.muscleandstrength.com/ http://www.mensfitness.co.uk/ http://www.menshealth.co.uk/ http://www.myprotein.com/uk/ (MP354790 feel free to use my referral code ) Remember work hard, eat well, and rest plenty. Good luck
I'd like to take this time to plug the monster supplements forum, they're a nice bunch and always willing to help *cough* has nothing to do with the fact I'm an Admin there*/cough*. There's a guy over there called Papa Laz and he has a thread specifically tailored for giving out diet advice to people. I can't fault them at all. I agree with MiT a lot of the clean part of my diet is supplement shakes and bars as I struggle to pre make food and eat so much / often and regardless of what anybody tells you, food is food, liquid powdered or otherwise. So I find things like this : and this aaaannnnd this : to be better than this: and this : Oh and always remember
hey steve, what would you recommend for a pre workout? (energy boost...) (so sorry to thread jack, but maybe of use to you as well )
Jack3d or WhiteFlood, I once double hit the White Flood by accident, thought the samples were half servings but they weren't they were one full serving. So there's me throwing two packs into a cup. Don't know if you've ever had beta tingles from a pre workout before but I was close to ripping my own face off on my way to the gym. But yeah Jack3d is what I always use 30 mins prior to workout. Unless you mean a pre workout shake? In which case if you're bulking I'd suggest a gainer with some Maltodextrin and two scoops of oats (or crushed up weetabix as I prefer) 40 mins to an hour before your workout. After your workout you want something that's simple and easy for you digest so a simple whey for example or PhD's Recover blend.
Liking this thread, need to get back to working out hard, new job as a food salesman is ruining my diet! A website i used is this , lots of info and never felt pressured into products or workout styles
Progress at the gym is a function of intenisty and diet. Workouts need to be intense, but in a sensible manner. Don't sit between reps or sets, stay standing, walk around, keep momentum going. Wear a wristwatch and adhere to set rest periods religiously, which you decide on before a workout and not during. A firm routine is necessary to gauge true performance and decide whether extra weight/more reps/lower rest periods are appropriate to introduce. Eat a tin of tuna with a chocolate bar after workouts. The sugar aides in metabolising the protein of the tuna. Adjust your diet for extra vitamins and minerals, as well as additional protein. A protein-stuffed diet is not necessary, however. Rest periods are very important. Do no return to working a muscle group until all stiffness and weakness is gone. Injury is secondary as a concern, rather economy of effort is better served by exercising muscles that have already fully derived all the benefit from their last round of heavy working. ....Then all the usual fluff, concentrate as much as possible on free-weights, avoid exercise machines that are not cardio related like the plague, don't always go heaviest-weights-just-breaking-six-or-eight-reps-on-your-first-set as this will stall your progress (relating to a sports science article I read once. In short: Avoid the temptation to impress yourself with giant weights, select weights where you can do 10-12 reps on your 3rd set for maximum economy of effort over the longer term).
+1 THIS THIS THIS Crazy good for the stomach. Not just the central abs but all the way through and around your lower trunk. If you've never done it before and try it out, you'll be all like 'christ!'.
Edit button bro @ Action_Parsnip And yes, Roman Chair pwns sit-ups for improving core and abs. Hence why I suggested it Remember though kids, a six pack on a skinny kid is like big tits on a fat bird. Hang from the chin up bar and do it then improvise
