Getting a Good Bit of Muscle in a Year
- Thread starter Burkie7
- Start date
- Replies 121
- Views 53K
The vast majority of personal trainers don't know **** and just perpetuate what's best for the gym and what's in the supplement company owned magazines.
5x5 means doing 5 sets of 5 reps on an exercise, generally it allows you to lift higher weights than 3x8 (3 sets of 8 reps) in a similar if not shorter amount of time (less time spent struggling on final 3 reps).
Don't work out on your recovery days, they're for recovery and working out interrupts the healing/building of muscle. You want at least a day between workouts for recovery during which you want to eat lots of protein (via meat/eggs/milk/quark/oats/etc), although you should still be eating a lot of this during workout days too.
Don't use machines, use free weights. Machines generally stabilise the weight and force you into unnatural movements which neglect stabilising and other muscles, free weights make you control the weight and move naturally.
5x5 means doing 5 sets of 5 reps on an exercise, generally it allows you to lift higher weights than 3x8 (3 sets of 8 reps) in a similar if not shorter amount of time (less time spent struggling on final 3 reps).
Don't work out on your recovery days, they're for recovery and working out interrupts the healing/building of muscle. You want at least a day between workouts for recovery during which you want to eat lots of protein (via meat/eggs/milk/quark/oats/etc), although you should still be eating a lot of this during workout days too.
Don't use machines, use free weights. Machines generally stabilise the weight and force you into unnatural movements which neglect stabilising and other muscles, free weights make you control the weight and move naturally.
So 5 sets of 5 doing bicep curls then move on to 5 sets of 5 doing pyrmaids etc .. ?
Well since I went the gym today and am going tomorrow I won't work out today, and in my job their is a canteen that doesn't serve the healtiest food they serve chips curry sauce and southern fried chicken an all that, their is a bit of a salad and sandwich bar and they serve soup and fruit also what would you suggest I eat as I need to put on weight at the moemnt.
And ye heard about not using machines but sometimes the weight room is full and I have no choice but to use the machines not a big fan of them though.
Thanks for the help.
Average Joe
Member
- Joined
- May 25, 2009
- Messages
- 7,420
- Reaction score
- 13
- Points
- 38
Pack your own meals mate. Cook up a load of chicken with some salad the night before and just take it. Tuna or eggs etc, high protein meals 
If you're serious about bulking up you want as many calories as you can get, so eating some **** food is alright, just try to focus on lots of meat (preferably chicken/turkey), other protein sources, rice/potato/pasta and veg.
You've got the idea of 5x5, but not sure on the exercises you're picking. Bicep curls are at best a supplementary exercise you can save for the end of your workout.
Workout A
5x5 Squat
5x5 Bench Press
5x5 Barbell Rows
Workout B
5x5 Squat
5x5 Overhead Press
1x5 Deadlift
The above is the stronglifts beginner routine. You do 3 sessions a week with at least a day inbetween for recovery, and alternate workouts. So if you workout on Mon, Wed and Fri it's A, B, A, then B, A, B following week. You want to start with low weights or even an empty olympic bar (20kg) and perfect your form, then keep adding 2.5 or 5kg each session (5kg to squat and deadlift, 2.5kg to others).
Read the attached .pdf if you want some motivation and to read more into stronglifts.
As for the machines problem, is it possible for you to get to the gym early morning or any other quiet time?
Last edited:
Thanks very much for the routines defo going to give them a go and read into that document. The gym is never usually packed my mate said just monday but I can't get their till about 5 as I work till 4 Monday - Friday, and the machines which help your abs bad for you aswell or would I be better of doing the basic sit up?
Poobington
Member
- Joined
- Jan 7, 2009
- Messages
- 300
- Reaction score
- 0
- Points
- 16
well if you want to bulk up i recommend a good high protein diet and going to the gym about 3 times a week.
This alone I have found is not enough, I would go with some supplements, something like an all in one.
Maximuscle I have found to be very good, tastes alright and after 4-5 days of using it ( 2 servings a day) I have seen noticeable gains in muscle size and strength. It is however a little bit on the pricey side so be cautious. £33.96 and lasts 10 days if you take 2 servings a day http://monstersupplements.com/store...-1.2kg-+-FREE-Blender-Cup-with-wire-ball.html
PhD Synergy is another supplement that i bought recently. Haven't tried it yet, but it s better value for money. £37.99 and lasts 15 days. http://monstersupplements.com/store...-:-2kg-+-FREE-Blender-Cup-with-wire-ball.html
To be honest with you if its size you are looking for these 2 products will help you achieve that, although it is important to have a good workout regime, and a GOOD DIET. In addition I would suggest looking this kinda stuff up on google. I know this is a forum where you can ask questions about stuff other than fm, but there are sites, forums, and blogs which have recommendations on supplements and training advice.
Hope this helps
This alone I have found is not enough, I would go with some supplements, something like an all in one.
Maximuscle I have found to be very good, tastes alright and after 4-5 days of using it ( 2 servings a day) I have seen noticeable gains in muscle size and strength. It is however a little bit on the pricey side so be cautious. £33.96 and lasts 10 days if you take 2 servings a day http://monstersupplements.com/store...-1.2kg-+-FREE-Blender-Cup-with-wire-ball.html
PhD Synergy is another supplement that i bought recently. Haven't tried it yet, but it s better value for money. £37.99 and lasts 15 days. http://monstersupplements.com/store...-:-2kg-+-FREE-Blender-Cup-with-wire-ball.html
To be honest with you if its size you are looking for these 2 products will help you achieve that, although it is important to have a good workout regime, and a GOOD DIET. In addition I would suggest looking this kinda stuff up on google. I know this is a forum where you can ask questions about stuff other than fm, but there are sites, forums, and blogs which have recommendations on supplements and training advice.
Hope this helps
My mate who I used to play football with was a cage fighter and he was absolutely massive! He told me all he done was 3 sets of light weights and as many reps as possible. This would take about 2 hours, with all work outs etc. Eating a lot will help you too. He also mentioned he had 3 protein shakes a day 1 in the morn, 1 at lunch and 1 at tea. I started doing this and was gaining muscle rapidly. Then my mrs and baby come along and haven't had much time to do so. So im back to being thin lol.
Tattoo looks good, but good luck with the pain lol.
Ive got a 3/4 sleeve that still isn't finished and it hurt like ****.!
Tattoo looks good, but good luck with the pain lol.
Ive got a 3/4 sleeve that still isn't finished and it hurt like ****.!
Restrict yourself to about 6 reps, try and make it so you can do no more - try and push yourself with the weight, if you think you can't lift more, you probably can - half of it is psychological.
I usually have about 1 - 2 minutes worth of rest between sets, of which I do 3 of them, but some people have anything upto 3 or 4 minutes rest. There's pros and cons for this, but you'll have to check them out yourself.
That said, make sure you keep in control of the lifting of the weight at all times, try not to jerk it, keep it smooth. If you feel you have to go faster to control it, knock the weight down a bit. It's important to breathe properly aswell, when you're pushing or pulling the weight, breathe out as much as possible, when you're controlling it back to the starting position, breathe in as much as possible. You need lots of oxygen in your blood to be able to do the lifiting
It's probably a good idea to try and go with someone who knows what they're doing, or have a few personal training sessions. Still, if you get someone going with you there's a bit of competition so you're both pushing yourselves.
Hope that helps, but the best thing is to get a plan made and get taught about best practices from an professional trainer at your gym.
I usually have about 1 - 2 minutes worth of rest between sets, of which I do 3 of them, but some people have anything upto 3 or 4 minutes rest. There's pros and cons for this, but you'll have to check them out yourself.
That said, make sure you keep in control of the lifting of the weight at all times, try not to jerk it, keep it smooth. If you feel you have to go faster to control it, knock the weight down a bit. It's important to breathe properly aswell, when you're pushing or pulling the weight, breathe out as much as possible, when you're controlling it back to the starting position, breathe in as much as possible. You need lots of oxygen in your blood to be able to do the lifiting
It's probably a good idea to try and go with someone who knows what they're doing, or have a few personal training sessions. Still, if you get someone going with you there's a bit of competition so you're both pushing yourselves.
Hope that helps, but the best thing is to get a plan made and get taught about best practices from an professional trainer at your gym.
Thanks for all that help their lads learning more and more with each post, in terms of diet today for breakfast I had a bowl of coco-pops and a carton of milk and for lunch I had sweet&sour chicken and pasta and cup of tea with 2 glass's of water and I plan on having a protein shake when I get home from work is that a suitable diet so far?
Poobington
Member
- Joined
- Jan 7, 2009
- Messages
- 300
- Reaction score
- 0
- Points
- 16
what shake are you using, you should take 2 a day. On gym days 1 after work out, and 1 between meals. On rest days, just have them whenever just be sensible.
---------- Post added at 07:44 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:44 PM ----------
http://www.youtube.com/user/EpicMealTime
Ye I know mate I slept it out this morning for work so didn't have time to get breakfast at home had to get it in the work canteen and they have none so Coco-Pops will have to do for today but yes I eat porridge at home its very tasty
---------- Post added at 07:58 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:54 PM ----------
Its called Pro-X protein ? Today is a rest day for me so will I have one when I get home before dinner and one before I go to bed?
Protein shakes = waste of money.
Before i became a large-ish chap (see recent FM Base 5-a-side photos for details) i worked out a bit and kept myself in relatively good shape. I found it far easier and cheaper to get all the protein i required from normal food sources. Eggs, baked beans, lean chicken (or any lean meats) fish, nuts and pulses (lentils, beans etc) are all great sources of protein without the levels of fat (eggs aside, the yolk does have some saturated fat) that food based protein sources are usually associated with.
I also studied Dietetics and Nutrition so i know what I'm talking about. (To anyone who's seen my pics from the 5-a-side, i said studied, not followed or obeyed any of the rules, I'm a 15 stone 10 unit now.)
As for your coco pops, they will be ridden with sugar and will (surprisingly) have almost the same amount of salt as they do sugar. Consider swapping to something like porridge oats or shredded wheat.
Before i became a large-ish chap (see recent FM Base 5-a-side photos for details) i worked out a bit and kept myself in relatively good shape. I found it far easier and cheaper to get all the protein i required from normal food sources. Eggs, baked beans, lean chicken (or any lean meats) fish, nuts and pulses (lentils, beans etc) are all great sources of protein without the levels of fat (eggs aside, the yolk does have some saturated fat) that food based protein sources are usually associated with.
I also studied Dietetics and Nutrition so i know what I'm talking about. (To anyone who's seen my pics from the 5-a-side, i said studied, not followed or obeyed any of the rules, I'm a 15 stone 10 unit now.
)As for your coco pops, they will be ridden with sugar and will (surprisingly) have almost the same amount of salt as they do sugar. Consider swapping to something like porridge oats or shredded wheat.
Last edited:
Average Joe
Member
- Joined
- May 25, 2009
- Messages
- 7,420
- Reaction score
- 13
- Points
- 38
Got to disagree about the shakes Jake. Cheaper than many high protein food sources overall and really convinient and easy
Not enough calories in your breakfast, as has been suggested porridge is a great breakfast, as for the rest, it depends on serving size, although 5 meals a day is suggested to keep your metabolism optimally. You want to be eating tons, at least 3000 calories a day if you're working out properly (need to exceed what you're using, you can cut any fat you gain later).
As for the protein shake issue, I'm between Jake and Joe on the subject. I think they're worth using if you're struggling you get sufficient protein from your diet (around your weight in lb, but grams [so 180lb = 180+g/day]). But you need to buy the right stuff, not this bullshit which costs £30 for 908g and is half sugar/carb, half protein and then a few other magic ingredients. If you insist on using protein buy just whey protein (impact or isolate depending on budget), mix it with milk and optionally flavouring (nesquik/similar work well).
For easy protein I tend to buy packs of frozen chicken *******. Cheaper than buy fresh, not processed or full of ****. Just defrost, sear either side in a pan and bake for 25 mins.
Average Joe
Member
- Joined
- May 25, 2009
- Messages
- 7,420
- Reaction score
- 13
- Points
- 38
I dont think I've disagreed with anything youve posted here yet Cal. You have put everything I couldnt be arsed to type!
Getting enough grams of protein in you can get tedious, the shakes are a simple and quick way of boosting your intake. Obviously food is a better way of getting it, but time and circumstances often make preparing food difficult.
I do the chicken breast thing too, just get bag fulls in the freezer and take them out at night to de-frost or before ou leave for work / school / uni etc.
Getting enough grams of protein in you can get tedious, the shakes are a simple and quick way of boosting your intake. Obviously food is a better way of getting it, but time and circumstances often make preparing food difficult.
I do the chicken breast thing too, just get bag fulls in the freezer and take them out at night to de-frost or before ou leave for work / school / uni etc.
Most protein shakes contain a small amount of protein and high amounts of sugar and complex carbs allowing you to work out longer, but not actually providing that much protein. The ones with low protein content might be cheaper, but the ones that actually contain a noticable amount of protein are expensive as far as i can tell.
Consider also that consuming anything more than about 40g of protein in one go is essentially a waste of time, and in extreme cases can actually be dangerous.
Side effects include ketosis, osteoperosis (high protein intake casues acid levels in your blood to be neutralized by stripping calcium from your bones) dehydration, and most importantly, excess protein is converted to fat by the body.
If you have a normal and balanced diet that includes a number of high quality sources of protein, such as non fat dairy products like yoghurt, soy, as well as nuts, pulses and lean meat, such as chicken and fish, then you will have more than enough of the protein that you need in order to build muscle mass.
This principle remains true even if you are a body builder. If you are training pretty intensely, then you don't need to change your nutritional intake, meaning you don't suddenly need to guzzle tons of protein shakes, as i said before, a balanced, healthy diet contains more than enough protein.
You do however, need to follow a different type of eating plan than normal. It's advisable to eat more meals per day, obviously make them smaller as you shouldn't have to alter your normal food intake too much.
Have a small meal 6 times a day consisting of:
1/3 lean meat/fish
1/3 complex carbohydrate like rice, pasta or potato
1/3 fruit or vegetable
No fatty sauces/cooking methods. So bake, boil, grill or steam the meat and veg; basically don't fry it!
Something like that shouldn't require a great deal of change in terms of the actual food that you eat, and the protein you consume from food will be more than enough, particularly if you time the meals to be consumed just before a workout. The convinience of being able to have a shake before a workout rather than cooking a meal is the only advantage i can see to protein shakes.
Last edited: