Hi Guys, Well its summer time and that for me is the time to hit the gym as all of the university sports stop. Previous summers I have just gone to the gym and done my thing but I really want to bulk up this summer as I am a little on the lean side. I am roughly 5 ft 10 and weight 9 Stones :s, and during fooball although I try to fight back it is far too easy t push me off the ball. So going to the gym 3-4 times a week at the moment and have a good workout planned as well as interspersing it with sporadic tennis sessions etc. I think I have that part okay however I really do not know anything about protein shakes apart from its good to drink them So the questions 1. What to buy? - there is so much out there from Whey Protein to ready made shakes and drinks that you just add to water. I have googled a lot but cant really find the best option. 2. How often to take? - Before? After? 3 times a day? Lots of contradicting stuff but from what I read After is a must and Before is advisable as well 3. What to make? - If getting something like why protein or protein powder got to make it into something right? Well thanks fo rany help that you can give appreciate it.
me and my mates have always used the stuff from maximuscle, the progain is good for packing on the bulk or cyclone if you just want to shape up. Might be worth getting some pure creatine too, creatamax 300 is great and i've seen definite results, using both products, shame about the price. Amounts? Two shakes a day, two scoops of progain and a scoop of creatamax one in the morning and one right after training (monday, wednesday, friday) or in the evening on off days. I'd recommend the strawberry flavour or chocolate, AVOID orange if they still make it, its ****ing nasty, not sure about vanilla, I havent tried it but I might get some next month when my dose has run out. Just bang some in a food blender with water or skimmed milk and you're good to go, if you buy chocolate use milk, its so much nicer! Strawberry is good either way. You can use a fork to mix it, but it always ends up lumpy when I do it so... Note: Expect to retch the first few days after you drink this stuff, you WILL get used to it but its a bit touch and go to begin with
Hi there, I was similar to you. I am about 6ft and was just about 10 stone and pretty thin. I wouldn't say I bulked up as I'm not big by any stretch of the imagination but I have put on a bit more muscle. What I did was gym 3 times a week-work on two or three muscle groups per session: EG Session 1 - Back and triceps Session 2 - Chest and biceps Session 3 - Legs and abs Protein wise I use Reflex whey protein. It is pure protein with no carbohydrates in it. So it builds muscle without building weight. Good if you just want to be stonger and more toned rather than 'bigger' as such. I take one protein shake in the morning, another at lunch time and another within 30 minutes after exercise. I mix it with water-it doesn't taste great but your body breaks it down quicker than if it was mixed with milk. Hope this helps a bit.
Thanks guys, got much more help here than i did at the fitness forum I joined and posted Because of the taste?
Wow, really? Sounds like you've got the wrong stuff. I really enjoy drinking mine, I just mix two scoops with cold water in a shaker and I'm sorted. Mixes really well, never lumpy and tastes really good. I use this. Excellent price, excellent service from them, really tasty and I've definitely seen results. I use one straight after a work out and one before bed every day. I work out Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. I have three different work outs: 1: Biceps and chest 2: Triceps and back 3: Legs and shoulders This really works for me as I don't overwork a muscle group and can do a lot more in a single workout due to working opposing muscles. Each workout also works my core and also involves some cardio work. I mainly started using protein as a way of reducing the ache the next day. I've now increased my intake and have noticed a gain in strength and bulk and can lift more, I still do ache quite a bit though. Hope this helps, I would never say I'm any kind of expert but have picked up a lot of handy hints from my trainer and other people at the gym.
Pretty much what everyone else has said. The main supplement I would recommend it whey protein. Anything else is really only for the hardcore gym rats. Creatine is good, but not necessary. A common phrase I hear, and really like, is that supplements only get you 5% of the way, the other 95% is all down to you. Of that 95% a vast majority of it is down to your diet. Unless you eat right, then no matter how hard you work, you will see little returns for your time. You need to be eating a calorific surplus inorder to gain weight. Furthermore, you should be eating regularly - at least every 2/3 hours. The earlier you start the better, get that metabolism going. Another thing to do with eating, and time, is your last meal of the day. Depending on your goals - just pure mass gain, or muscle growth with limited fat increase - should determine whether you consume carbs during this meal - carbs late contribute to fat increase, notice I said contribute, they do not solely cause it, and not eating carbs for dinner will not stop it either! Oo, one further supplement I would recommend is ZMA. This is a great little one that improves my sleep no end, and helps to keep your zinc levels and therefore your testosterone levels stable. With regards to protein consumption, I tend to take 3/4 shakes a day, one as a mid-morning snack with some fruit and nuts. One shortly before my workout ~ 30mins. One immediately after working out, and one as either an afternoon snack, or an evening snack, or both. Combining all this with some fierce workouts, I gained over 5kgs in 10 weeks and my body fat % dropped to 7.4%. If you're in the UK (where are you exactly?) then definately take a look at myprotein as DaveVader suggests, they do some excellent stuff for a good price. If you're trying to bulk then maybe look at some of their mass gainers - they are a little thick, but very tasty. Two servings of this a day, with one or two standard whey will keep those muscles growing. One final thing - this is all about what has worked for me... No promises!
I got some Whey Protein from MyProtein.co.uk one that the trainer at the gym suggested. He suggested 3 times a day when I go to the gym (Morning, After workout, evening) and then on non-workout days just twice. Diatery wise what would you suggest? Currently I have a big breakfast (just cereal) and then normally lunch, and in the afternoon (mid-afternoon) have a snack which can vary from fruit to more cereal and then have a big meal at the end of the day (relativly late ~ 8-9pm). For lunch normally have soup, sandwiches with various toppings and salad. Dinner varies although most of the time got a major source of carbs like potatoes and rice, lots of vegatables (spinache, brocoli, cabbage etc) and some meat or fish (Mostly Chicken or Lamb) In terms of workout I do about 30 mins of cardio and then do shoulders, legs, chest, back. Do it all in one day, and do it every day at the gym (Monday, Wednesday, Friday). Then on the off days (not all the time) I do some lighter exercise (press ups, situps, sometimes tennis/football, bicep/tricep exercises). What I am looking to do in general is bulk up and gain weight. Particular bulk up the upper body, chest/shoulders. Is it better to do something like Dave Vader suggested and just work on 2 areas a day or is it okay to do what I am doing? Thanks guys, both of you. Gave you some rep for the help. I understand its just experiences but thats better than what I have and is exactly what I am looking for So Thanks!
Protein with your breakfast... I tend to have porridge mixed with baked beans, some eggs and maybe some tuna as a treat You would be surprised by how much you need to eat to be in calorific surplus. Use one of those online calory calculators to get a rough idea of how many you burn during an average day, then add 20% to allow for muscle growth. Maybe you have heard to phrase which when paraphrased basically says eat a big breakfast, a smaller lunch and a even smaller dinner... Apply that to the carb portions, and loosely to the protein portions and you have the beginnings of a good diet. There have been a few posts already about training separate body parts each day. I find this works best for me, and could provide you will countless different variations. I would suggest that your method is not going to get the best results. Once again, this is in my experience, but I don't do cardio. Your method of doing everything in one day will likely mean that you cannot truely work each body part to its limit. Unless you have awesome dedication by the end you will have reduced your tempo slightly, which will affect those exercises and muscles. Some more advice. Do not focus on your chest! Everyone loves to have a great chest, and no doubt you will always see someone on the bench in your gym. But if your shoulders, lats and arms are lacking in size or definition, a nice chest is wasted... Im having this problem myself. I keep thinking of other things - I could go on for hours! Plenty of sleep is always benefical. For example - Im off to bed now
Hardwork. Sounds like I'm taking the piss, but I'm not. When I was 17 I was stick-thin, seriously skinny. I got a job for a few months on a building site fetching and carrying. 2 months later I had bulked up massivley. I expect if it wasn't for that job I'd still be pencil thin. One thing about those protien drinks is the high calorie count, make sure you try and burn off what you put in, unused carbs can be turned into fat........ At the mo I'm on the end of a six month journey (mentioned here) I'm quite tall 6'2" and broad shouldered so I can have alot of weight and not look fat. The past six months had seen me lose 3 stone, 4+ inches of my waist and gain a few on my chest. It has been a long time and alot of work. Personally, I'd not be overly bothered by protien drinks, a good healthy diet and try to match your callorie intack to your expenditure. I do a 1000 calorie workout 3 times a week and on those days I add around 1000 calories to my intake of around 2000 per day. I try to get high protien foods on those days, bacon butty (350 calories) or 2 will be enough. But everyone is different, different mass and motabalism, and different goals and tastes good luck.
So the questions 1. What to buy? - there is so much out there from Whey Protein to ready made shakes and drinks that you just add to water. I have googled a lot but cant really find the best option. www.myprotein.co.uk is where I get mine (just about to have one now). I'd just go for the Impact Whey Protein. Edit: Stuff like Maximuscle is overpriced for the product. 2. How often to take? - Before? After? 3 times a day? Lots of contradicting stuff but from what I read After is a must and Before is advisable as well Protein shakes are just for your diet and for convenience. One straight after workout is advisable. Then whenever in the day you feel the meal could do with more protein, depending on your diet, this could be with every meal or not at all. 3. What to make? - If getting something like why protein or protein powder got to make it into something right? Wat? Just mix two scoops of whey into a bottle (maybe a shaker with a blender ball in it), shake it about, and drink.
Thanks again Yatesy. I appreciate it. In terms of the gym I do a lot of cardio to keep my general fitness up. Normally its 15 min running, 5-10 mins Rowing, 10-20 min Cycling. It also acts as a nice warm up. What I am on at the moment is what the trainer at the gym reccomended for my aims, and a review is due in 4-6 weeks time, but may discuss with him whats better to do. I am focusing more on upper body strength/bulking as I would describe myself as "wheedy" at the moment. So at the moment its all pretty evenly balanced. I guess I will have a chat with him and see if its better to focus on different areas on different days. I guess then my issue then is what in particular to do, as I assume it would require a lot more free weights as at the moment I am only doing that at home rather than at the gym.
Alright well Cardio I covered I do 4 sets of 10 reps of each doing the heaviest weight I can complete 10 reps with Lat Pull down Shoulder Press Chest Press Pec Fly Reverse Fly Leg Press Leg Curls Seems a short list when written
There's been a fair amount of good advice in this thread so far, but quite a bit of broscience as well. Getting 'big' is 80% diet and 20% routine. You can have the best routine in the world but if you are not eating the correct macronutrients and enough calories, you will not make gains. So... lets fix your diet. Design a meal plan for a day that you can stick to, week in week out. Calorie wise, do your bodyweight in lbs x 20 and then add 500. That is your target for a 'clean' bulk, meaning you do not gain much fat. Gaining fat has far less to do with eating fat than people think - it is just to do with calories. Fat contains 9 calories per g, protein and carbs only 4. In your diet you want to have a ratio of 40/40/20 protein/carb/fat. The original question was whey protein, and any brand is fine. Expensive stuff simply tastest better, they all do the same thing. I use pharmawhey which tastes pretty nice. Aim for one with little to no carbs, you arent paying for that. For an amazing, tasty shake mix 1L semi skimmed milk, 2 eggs and 1.5 scoops of whey. Take it with breakfast and after workout. 70g protein along with some sugary carbs and a bit of fat to keep you full, perfect for an after workout shake. Onto workouts. I'm afraid to say that if you wanted a good body for the summer, the hard work had to start in September last year. But if this is a lifestyle change, dont worry, good on you. Dont make your own routine that you think is good - it probably isnt. There are tried and tested ones on the internet that are perfect for skinny guys. The one thing most people do horribly wrong is 1. use machines and 2. not do compounds. Compounds are exercises that use more than one muscle eg: squats. For the first 3 months of your gym time, i really do suggest you do a program called 'starting strength'. Its designed to help skinny guys pack on mass fast and then allow you to move onto a hypertrophy based routine afterwards. Link to a wiki on it: http://startingstrength.wikia.com/wiki/The_Starting_Strength_Novice/Beginner_Programs. It lacks a bit of arm work so most people suggest doing 3x8 dips on A and 3x8 chins on B, adding weight as necessary. You say you do cardio on the same day as weights - dont. Do cardio on your off days. 30 minutes is the ideal time, just make sure you dont train so hard you cant commit fully to the weights the next day. Doing cardio on tues/thurs should be more than enough. Make sure to eat the same meal everyday, even when resting. Thats quite alot of info so i hope it helps, ask any questions you might have.
I dont want to sound harsh, but you are wasting your time. Look at my previous post. Ill reemphasise the main points: 1. Use free weights 2. Do compound excercises 3. Do not neglect your legs 4. Get your diet right
Thanks for the advise Azzy. This is a lifestyle change for the most part. Its not something I expect to happen over night and definetly not something I expect to happen with no effort. I expect to have to work very hard for it, but I am willing to do that. I will give that site a read over then [EDIT] Azzy that was slightly harsh as I am here asking for advise... hence fully aware that it may not be the best. I am doing what the trainer at the gym advised for me, and yes I am aware he is no expert hence I am here asking. Neither did I have say I was neglecting my legs, I did put an emphasise on upper body though so can understand why you thought that
Free weights are something I'd definitely recommend, the machines are a waste in my opinion! As for a workout, I'll go through why I like having it split and how it works best for me, you may agree, you may not, but for me it makes total sense and I hope it can help. Anyway, like I said, biceps and chest, triceps and back, shoulders and legs. The first 2 sort of "counter" each other. When working your chest you will find it works your triceps aswell, when working your back it will work your biceps. Therefore, if you work your back and biceps together, you will end up fatiguing a lot sooner; thus, working biceps with the chest means you can work a lot more before waring yourself out. If you understood all this before, disregard what I am saying. The way I work is a short cardio warm up then onto weights (free weights mainly but I have to accommodate a couple of things due to injury) I don't like to mix too much cardio with weights as has been said before. I do a low number of reps on a high weight; 3 sets, 8 reps and by the last few reps I will be either struggling or cannot do it at all. I think this last bit is important as it really means I'm pushing myself and is also a way of measuring progress; once you can do those last for reps then you've got better! At the end of a workout I will head to the mats and work my core, acts as a great cool down in my opinion. I'm blabbering a bit... The three workouts, I like, it has variation, I don't over work, and I'm not in too much danger of overdoing it on a muscle group and becoming mis-shapen (like someone above said about working the chest). If you think this is going to work for you too then talk to your trainer, they can advise you aswell along with your input. Hope this has helped and not sounded too patronising.
How do you measure body fat? I prefer to use maximuscle, the cheap whey protein available gave poorer results and wind. I trained with an international rugby player, we did: 1) Triceps and biceps 2) Chest and back 3) Legs Something about exercising opposite muscle groups gettin you big. I don't need to lose weight, so I don't bother with calorie counting.
I would strongly suggest you don't do a lot of cardio on your weight days. When I joined the gym, the trainer gave me practically the same workout you have. I felt I was wasting my time as you are probably spending more time at the gym than you should be and your not 'exhausting' any muscle groups. My routine is 5 minutes warm up-normally a rowing machine just to get your muscles loosened up. The I will work a particular group- Monday: Chest and Biceps Press-ups, bench press, Flys, 'twenty-ones', short grip pull ups etc Tuesday: Back and Triceps Dips, wide grip pull ups, Supermans, Skull crushers etc Wednesday: Day off Thursday: Cardio & Abs 20 minutes of 2 minute sprints followed by 1 minute rests then 20 minutes of bike/X-trainer/rowing. Sit-ups are good after this as you have did a goot bit of fat burning here Friday: Legs Squats, Lunges etc Saturday: Day off Sunday: Play football I also change my weights quite often. I'll do 4 weeks of heavy sets-3 sets of 8 reps on each machine followed by 4 weeks of light sets-4 sets of 12 reps. The heavy set builds up your strength and size while the light sets tone you. If you don't mix it up, you can either end up looking quite big but nor 'hard' or quite thin and 'stringy'. Hope this helps.
