Hey guys i've never posted in here but recently i've been trying to put on a bit of weight (hopefully muscle), just wanted some tips from the more experienced then me (i.e everyone here)

If anyone could give me a rough idea of foods to eat etc that would be great, also i'm looking at getting a gym membership as the local Fitness Express has a deal on for $12p/w because it's their 3rd birthday or something, so i thought that might be a good idea, but the only problem is i've never been before so i dont know what to do lol, sets of 8 i've heard are good for building muscle and sets of 12 for toning? And what's all these protein powders? there's about a hundred different ones, all with different additives (phospho-criotine, protein, etc etc) which would i be looking at using? when do i take it?


Sorry if that was a bit confusing, just have no idea about all this lol

What are your stats atm?

Height
Weight
Age
Etc

Also some pics if any?

I'm no expert but theres alot of people here who know what there talking about.

I've been going to the gym for about 2 months and I'm down 15kg!

I'm assuming you'd be an ectomorph?

Well anywho look in my training journal up the top in the health section I have pics of before and after, I got another guy on here to use it and he's seeing good results with it..I think you would find it very good as well.

You don't actually need protein powder if you have a good protein based diet but B Unit should be able to help you on that one the most, he's really good with diets/food ect

squat, bench, deadlift, overhead press and eat lots of protein like eggs, meat, chicken, fish, cheese and drink lots of milk.

Try 5 sets of 5 reps and once you complete a weight add a bit more and keep adding weight..

http://www.boostcruising.com/forums/index....31&hl=gomad
Start here dude.

This needs to be stickied.

Hey Chris, welcome to the section. You will be pleased to know that there are alot of helpful people in here, and we have managed so far to keep any wankers out. It will be a long read, but maybe read the original thread that lead to us getting our own section:

http://www.boostcruising.com/forums/index....howtopic=404545

There was some pretty good advice listed for both training and diet to help you get some good results. Then start to have a bit more of a read of some of the other threads, even write down some notes to re-read later. For starters though, steer clear of any supplements or protein powders except for maybe a good multi vitamin. Just focus on learning good lifting techniques and having a reasonable diet. Be prepared to eat alot more than you are used to.

Do you have any mates who are into the gym and know good training form? Maybe start doing some reading up on correct form for exercises, or if you plan on using a personal trainer, ask around at the gym for who others are recommending. Maybe hit up a trainer from here, there are a few that post regularly that I'm sure are always looking for new cliental.

First things first, implement a good diet. Include plenty of protein (from natural sources), fresh fruit and vege's and good fats (nuts, avocado, etc). Gyms are a good place to start, but can be a bit scary for a beginner who isn't training with a friend (which you should be doing). Maybe get the help of a trainer and focus Once you've got that down pat, then you can start working on upping the weight and lowering the reps.

It's a lot easier gain muscle if you accept that you will gain fat as well. This way you can feed your body all the nutrition it needs and grow at an optimal rate instead of carefully calculating your input/output calories. Once you've reached your goals, start cutting (ie. lower your calories to below your maintenance rate).

If you combine this with a gym routine which utilises a lot of compound/superset exercises you will be well on your way. Figure out what rep/set range is optimal for you and you are there.

Riggaz - 177cm, 78kg (i'm not super skinny, i'd just like to be bigger), 20 years old

Imp - Thanks heaps, will have a look as soon as i've posted this

Silly silvia - Sounds good, i went for my first workout at the gym today, should i be increasing the weight i lift with each set? today i was doing 12 reps of 20kg, then 10 on 25, then 8 on 30, would 5x5 all of the same weight, the most i can do, be better?

Whykickamoocow - Just read that article and had a massive glass of milk, lol

B Unit - I've got mates that go to the gym, but because of work the only time i can really get there is early morning and they all go in the afternoons. I was thinking of getting 2 or 3 sessions with a trainer though, just to show me how to do each exercise.

The random hero - Yeah i've been eating heaps of fruit lately since i turned over my new leaf and drinking a lot more milk now with this GOMAD thing lol, also up&go's have been my protein shakes lol

drdimo - Yeah 'm happy to gain a bit of fat as well, not interested in being perfectly cut or anything just wanna get bigger lol

Your workout routine should also be something like this
http://nutribody.com/blog/post/Bill-Starrs...x5-Workout.aspx

or just search BIll starrs' 5x5 in google. Basically your routine will be based on the squat, bench, row and deadlift. There is a nice spreadsheet you can download as wel so you can input your numbers and take it with you when you train.
I'm trying to find the original version I'm using but I can't seem to find it. If I do find it i'll post it up, it's a very good program.

It was specifically designed for football players looking to develop strength and increase size. Use this with the GOMAD and you will make awesome gains.

ok heres my daily diet

breakfast 2 and a half cups of frozen egg whites, fried with a small spray of conolla oil

morning tea, protein shake, plus 100g of almonds

lunch, chicken breast and brown rice

afternoon tea(usually pre workout meal) protein shake, plus penut butter sandwhich

dinner usually chicken, steak or salmon with lots of brocoli or whatever veges i have in the freezer.

hope this gives you a bit of insight into a clean bulking diet, currently consuming, 180 to 240g of protein a day, 150g of carbs and around 60g of fat. btw im 6ft 85kg 15%bodyfat.

where do u go to measure body fat and all that shit and how much??
i know i have like under 5% but just curious lol

Are you serious, I know bodybuilders who can't even hit that low for a competition.

one of the guys down at the gym who has probably more body fat then me currently weighs 77kgs
he enters those body building grease urself up comps.. and wants to drop to 70kgs
he is currently at 5.6% body fat and wants to be in the 3% region :|

oh and yes i am skinny but have been goin to the gym for 8 weeks n put on 4.5kgs
will post in here more when i start seeing better results.

body fat calipers

man i wish i could be 5%body fat i would be shredded

Thanks for the link moocow, only 2 problems are that i dont have excel so i can't download the spreadsheet, and theres nothing i hate more than deadlifts lol...

are squats on the hack squat machine alright lol

not trying to be lazy, i'm just not too sure on my technique and i know both deadlifts and squats can result in some pretty nasty back problems when done wrong

I hate squats, but that doesn't stop me from doing them. You can't deviate from this program otherwise it won't work.

Don't even think about touching machines for the main lifts. They are even worse for you, because they don't allow for proper range of motion (causes more injuries than they prevent).

Technique is easy to learn. Start out with an empty bar. You want to go down as far as you can (past parallel for most people but we are all different, some can go lower than others, but with training you will find eventually you will be able to go lower)

To keep your back straight the easiest way I found is to always keep your head up and look towards the sky. Also make sure you back is arched inwards not outwards(use your core muscles to keep you steady), squats are a whole body exercise, not just a leg workout, remember this.

Use the same technique for dead lifts.

I can full squat more than 1.5 X body weight and never have had an injury (and I don't use any weight lifting belts). You will find the ones hurting themselves are the newbs who go around ego lifting. They keep their head down and look at their feet, biggest no no ever.

edit: If you don't have excel you're just going to have to work everything out manually I guess. For the moment though, you're going to have to work out your 5 rep max anyway.

Chris it seems you are a novice and as such its important to train the right way. The 5x5 stuff works real great however if u dont have some kind of background of strength then i would suggest the "skinny guy routine" 3 times a week.

Skinny guy routine

Breathing squats 1 x 20, 1 x 15
Bench press 2 x 12
Stiff leg deads 2 x 12
Bent rows 3 x 8
Military press 3 x 8
BB curl 3 x 8
Dips 3 x 12 or whatever u can do

Squat all the way down, ass to grass, take three breaths in between each rep - trust me its harder this way.

I did this for a month and i put on some really good size and strength, i started on a light weight and every session added 2.5kg to each lift until i could complete the reps... i drank lots of milk, ate some really good food and yeah got leaner and bigger.

They are still only a very rough estimate at best when it comes to calculating actual body fat %. The only true weigh is by the machines that weigh you in water. Skin calipers are good to see if your folds are decreasing though, hence losing body fat.


I would strongly advise getting someone who knows to actually show you in person proper lifting techniques. Even reading how to do them and seeing pictures is different to having someone actually physically watching you and correcting your form in person.

Just wanted to say its nice to see another good health and fitness forum, I've been reading NissanSilvia's health and fitness forum, especially the PTC forum

I've also found great newsletters here on the PTC website I'll try and start a new topic at some point of sources rather than posting into this thread

Anyway back on topic, you may want to read:
http://www.ptcfrankston.com/doc/newsletter..._IssueNo37.html
http://www.nissansilvia.com/forums/index.p...howtopic=269228

Or take a look at the Skinny guy routine in the NS programs thread

I hope no one minds me linking to another forum on here...
I have plenty of other interesting reads such as protein prejudice

Good luck

he's not 5%

most people who think they are 5% are 12%+

ignore any of that shit

and as for bodybuilders going to 3%, unlikely. 3% is practically dead. Id say most compete in the 5-6% zone.

To OP, what you are going to find is that everyone has a different theory on workout, diet and supplementation. I have literally read hundreds of contradictory opinions on all of the above mentioned areas.

Here is my advice, for what it's worth.

Forget numbers. Unless you are looking to become a professional body builder, 5% bodyfat is not the be all and end all. 140 kg's on the bench doesn't make you tough. The average bloke should consider the job done when he likes what he sees in the mirror. Then, it's just a matter of maintenance. Also, make sure you are realistic about where you want to go and how long it will take. Losing weight can be rapid but putting on lean weight is slow and difficult. For example, the guys at the absolute pinicle of body building only put on around 3-5 lb's of lean body mass a year!

Don't be scared to try things in the gym. You don't have to follow someones workout to a T to get results. Think about what you are doing, what is happening to you and how you are changing. Like I said, I have read hundreds of workout plans, but I have decided to try something that I have come up with. That is, I haven't seen anyone suggest what I am doing. I will give it a couple of months trial. If it works, great. If not, no big deal.

Nutrition is the most important area in looking how you want to in my opinion. The food which you consume will dictate if you gain weight ( lean or not ), or lose it. Again you are going to read hundreds of different diet plans. If you see 1 you like, give it a go but don't be scared to swap something out that you don't like. What's the point in eating things you hate when there are a bunch of alternate things you can eat that will contain similar nutritional properties?

Supplements are great. I love them. I wouldn't be where I'm at without them. You do need a good protein powder and creatine. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise.

Best of luck kid.

Thanks everyone for the help, since the original post i've been hitting the gym 3 times a week and have put on about 6KG and most of it (hopefully) is muscle. I'm doing the Bill Starr's 5x5 workout and have been trying to get as much milk as possible for GOMAD (not getting anywhere near 4L a day, i can't afford to buy that much milk lol).

Also a quick question, with the excel document at http://nutribody.com/blog/post/Bill-Starrs...x5-Workout.aspx should that be ALL i do? I've been doing that and most days adding on a few sets of biceps, triceps, sometimes a bit of shoulders and been doing abs (weighted situps 3 sets then 3 sets of bicycles) and lower back (weighted hypers)... That's fine right? i dont feel like i've accomplished much if i'm only there for half an hour or so doing the base exercises (sure i cant walk up my stairs when i get home without getting jellylegs and basically crawling up them on fridays, but i feel like i'm missing a lot of muscles)