Tired of being skinny...it's time to man up!

[bongo_man]

Long story short, I've been skinny, lanky, bony, etc. my entire life. Low food intake, a fast metabolism and laziness all blocked me on my road to a healthy body figure. At 19, I figure it's time to stop making excuses for myself and man up. I'll push down any obstacle that comes in my way, as I am determined to reach my goal(s).

 

I had been doing home workouts (mostly abs) since the beginning of August, but now that I'm back in school I decided it's about time I start using the free gym facilities offered to students at my university. My workout program consists of the following as of now:

 

Dumbbell Curl - 35lbs x 8

Overhead Tricep Extension (2 arms) - 35lbs x 12

Single Arm Row - 40lbs x 15

Pec Dec Fly (machine) - 90lbs x 12

Barbell Curl - 50lbs x 10

Barbell Upright Row - 50lbs x 15

Wrist Curl - 30lbs x 20 (each arm)

Concentration Curl - 30lbs x 10 (each arm)

Lat Pulldown - 100lbs x 15

 

 

Calf Raises - 55lbs in each arm x 20

Leg Curls - 135 x 20 (2 sets)

Hamstring Curls - 110 x 15 (2 sets)

 

 

Oblique Twists - w/ 30lbs x 30

Bicycle Crunch - w/ 10lbs x 25

Crunch (legs raised) - w/10lbs x 25

Crunch (legs 90 degrees) - w/10 lbs x 25

Crunch - w/10lbs x 30

Reverse Crunch - x30

Standing Leg Raises - x15

Plank for 1:30

 

 

I do this 3 times a week: Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday. So far I have noticed that the biggest improvement has been in my abs and obliques, but I'd like to see more development in my arms and chest. As for my calorie intake, I'm consuming about 1800 minimum per day, not including the protein shake I drink which adds 100 with each drink (16g of protein).

 

I currently stand at 6'1 and weigh only 145lbs. My goal for the end of the school year (April) is to put on 20lbs of lean muscle mass, or at least put on enough meat so that I don't feel my ribcage when I pat my fingers against my chest. So are there any suggestions/tips you guys can offer me in regards to my workout plan and goal? If I continue down the path I'm on now, will my goal still be achievable? Thank you in advance.

[Wizz]

Thats great. But this is more suited here.

But besides that this work out does seem well for mostly upperbody and one who is... not heavy?

[bongo_man]

Haha, can a mod move this to the Sports & Fitness section please :D

[Ouchy]

Moved :)

 

How much protein do you take through out the day?

[OldJoe]

Just wondering, why no squats and deadlifts?

[Wizz]

Are the barbell exercise incline or decline? Or do you alternate between sets?

[Iamdan]

I highly recommend you ditch the isolation routines and stick to compound lifts.

 

At least do squats.

[bongo_man]

Moved :)

 

How much protein do you take through out the day?

 

I don't keep track of the amount of protein I take each day, I've only been counting calories. I know protein is important in building muscle, so is there a minimum amount I should be having?

 

 

 

Just wondering, why no squats and deadlifts?

 

I figured the leg curls would suffice for my quad workout, and I've never done deadlifts before, nor do I know their benefits. Are they something I should definitely look into?

 

 

Are the barbell exercise incline or decline? Or do you alternate between sets?

 

The barbell exercises are done standing up. And I only do one set of each exercise listed (except the two leg exercises)

 

 

I highly recommend you ditch the isolation routines and stick to compound lifts.

 

At least do squats.

 

Could you elaborate more? I don't understand isolation routines vs. compound lifts.

[Iamdan]

Isolation isolates muscles. Stuff like curls and calf raises. Those are the routines where you have to remember 20 different exercises, and the ones you see in garbage health magazines.

 

Isolation should really just be used for advanced lifters. Compound lifts use multiple muscle areas at once and are generally much more effective.

 

Starting strength is a good routine to go by.

[RpgGamer]

I'm going to replicate this for myself in a week when I'm not working everyday.

 

of course, your lankiness pales in comparison to my 120 pound 5'11" body :P

[Serpent Eye]

[hide=Off Topic]Hi nice avatar and signature.

 

kbye.[/hide]

[Ouchy]

Rule of thumb with protein, have 1g of it per 1 pound of body weight. So you should be having 145g of protein a day.

 

Oh, and muscles are built in the kitchen.

[obfuscator]

I agree with dan - doing squats and deadlifts will be very helpful for your legs and core. What I found as well when I worked out is that I gained the most muscle fastest the more heavy leg/core exercises I did.

[Iamdan]

I gained the most muscle fastest the more heavy leg/core exercises I did.

 

I should have mentioned that. Legs are big muscles, and it's something to do with lots of chemicals for muscle development are released because of that which gets shared around to your other muscles.

 

 

Atm my routine is

 

Session 1

5x5 squats

5x5 bench press

5x5 barbell rows

 

Session 2

3xfailure pullups

5x5 squats

5x5 overhead press

1x5 deadlift

 

I'm going to sub rows for powercleans at some point, but I'll have to learn how to do it first.

 

It's so short because they are compound lifts and I work everything at once. I'm getting great results from it.

 

If you do these lifts, make sure you research them and do them correctly or you will hurt yourself.

[Actaeon]

Deadlifts are an essential workout for body builders, as they boost your bench, and squat. However, I would like to throw in that dumbbell/shoulder presses will suffice 100% for benching. As for squats, if your family history is bad backs (as is mine), avoid squatting as a whole. Substituting leg presses is an excellent alternative as the weight is not compressing against your spine, but more so your hips. As Ouchy mentioned, 1g/1lb is the text book definition for your daily amount of protein. You mentioned having an 1,800 calorie diet which puts me on the worry, at 6'1 and 145 pounds, you have a metabolism that competes with a Bughatti Veyron. In my opinion, if I were you I would have two protein shakes, one in the morning before you hitch a ride from the school bus, and one directly after your workout. Protein shakes are "fillers," for people who cannot get their regular amount of protein strictly through their diet. Make sure you are getting at least eight, eight ounce glasses of water every day to counteract the protein (and stomach aches). Also, while we're on the topic of diet, make sure you are getting a daily serving of vegetables in that diet of yours. A lot of this information is basic, and can be obtained through reading through an article or two of weight training/nutrition everyday while you are on the bus, at lunch, or in your jammies. Alas, if you are absolutely serious of seeing true gains, Google "Scooby's Workshop," he is a former body builder that donates a tremendous amount of time to his community, and to You Tube (yes, you can google "Scooby," and "Workout," and he will pop up). It's shocking that nobody's told you to veer away from creatine monohydrate, or any of those other nasty supplements. Heed my advice and stay away from anything that uses the word "creatine," as it's water weight, and will bloat you by diluting your muscles with water.

[Iamdan]

Creatine helps you workout more and recover faster (it's a naturally occurring part of your energy system) but save it for a later stage if you want to use it.

 

As far as squats and bad backs, the squats will help improve your back as long as you start with light weights and perform the lift correctly.

[Tim]

Sorry to hijack, I just didn't wanna make a new topic that was the same.

 

I just joined up to a 24hr local GYM but I have NO IDEA WHAT TO DO. I dont know any lingo terms for exercise or ANYTHING. All I know is I'm mostly focusing around my stomach/abdomen and whatever muscle area is around the side/hips as well as strengthening my back. Three's not much point in going if I dont know what equipment I'm supposed to use :(

[Iamdan]

Download the starting strength ebook. It has a very good program for all types of lifters with detailed instructions for each lift. Squats, deadlift, oh press etc all work your core.

[bongo_man]

Thanks to everyone for the helpful suggestions! I've furthered my knowledge in compund lifts and high caloric + protein dieting, and I've revamped my workout schedule (can't wait to try it out on Tuesday!):

 

 

 

Bicep Curls - Drop Set (35-30-25)

Deadlifts - Weight Unknown Yet (wil start with 100lbs to get used to the technique) 1 set

Squats - Weight Unknown Yet (done them before...just can't remember how much) 1 set

Pull-Ups - 2 Sets Until Failure

Inward Barbell Rows - Weight Unknown Yet , 1 set

Military Press - Drop Set (25-20-15)

Overhead Tricep Extension (2 arms) - 35lbs x 12

Pec Dec Fly (machine) - Drop Set (90-80-70)

 

 

Oblique Twists - w/ 30lbs x 30

Bicycle Crunch - w/ 20lbs x 25

Crunch (legs raised) - w/20lbs x 25

Crunch (legs 90 degrees) - w/20 lbs x 25

Crunch - w/20lbs x 30

Reverse Crunch - x30

Captain's Chair Leg Raises - x15

Plank for 1:30

 

 

If there are any exercises you guys think I should add or remove please don't hesitate to say so!

[Ouchy]

Personally I'd recommend doing at least 2+ sets of squats and deadlifts. One doesn't seem enough really. After you've done it on Tuesday, can you post back here with how long it took you to go through all of that?

 

But good luck :thumbup:

[emers8529]

i cba reading what every1 else said.

 

but what worked for me with my arms was just simply lifting until i couldn't lift anymore. i usually did 3 sets a day, 3 days a week of just curling.

throw on your favorite song that gets you pumped up and do work. if you need help getting pumped up before working out you should consider trying a pre-workout drink.

my favorite is jack3d. you can pick it up at a local vitamin store, or order it online if you want to. theres minimal side effects with jack3d too.. YAY :D http://www.jack-3d.com/side-effects

ok..

i'd curl 65-70 lbs about 45 times before my arms started hurting, then push out another 25-30 for my first set

my 2nd set would be the same weight, but about half the reps

and my 3rd set would be the same as my 2nd set

 

taking a 5 minute break and stretching out my arms between sets seems to help me

 

after about a month of that i was able to bench 5 reps of 180 lbs

 

 

before any1 laughs i never said this was the smartest or most efficient lifting routine, but its what worked for me.

and all i have at my house is a bench set.

 

i have a gym membership now tho.

[bongo_man]

Personally I'd recommend doing at least 2+ sets of squats and deadlifts. One doesn't seem enough really. After you've done it on Tuesday, can you post back here with how long it took you to go through all of that?

 

But good luck :thumbup:

 

 

Sorry for the late reply, I meant to post it sooner but the forums were down!

 

 

It takes me about 50mins minimum to go through my whole workout. And I've taken heed to your word and started doing 2 drop sets for squats and deadlifts. For squats, I'm currently doing 115lbs x 8 for my first set, and 95lbs x 8 for my second (including bar weight for both). I had to drop the weight because I was doing "half-squats" the first time I did them; when I tried full squats with the original weight...well let's just say I'm lucky I got past the first rep. As for deadlifts, I'm doing 100lbs x 10 for the first set, and 90lbs x 10 for the second.

 

I'm feeling really good about my routine right now. On top of that I've been getting at least 2500cal/day and a min of 130g of protein, and since combine this diet change with my workout two weeks ago, I've gained 5lbs! Not exactly sure how much of that is muscle, but I've noticed some definition in my abdomen and back, so I'll just keep on truckin' until I reach my goal.

[Iamdan]

I think you would be better off doing 5x5 squats (3x5 when you keep stalling) and 1-3x5 or 6 deadlifts.

 

 

 

You will get results doing almost anything for the first year, but it slows down quickly after that so you might as well make the most of it and be efficient.

 

Why no overhead press or bench press?

 

Edit: read the [bleep]arounditis blog

 

http://www.leangains.com/

[bongo_man]

It's been almost 2 months since I last posted here, so I figured I'd give an update of how my progress is going!

 

 

I started keeping track of my workouts in a book since Oct.25th, here are my stats from that day...

 

DB Curl - 35lbs x 9; 30lbs x 9

OH Tricep Extension - 35lbs x 11; 30lbs x 11

Military Press - 20lbs x 10; 20lbs x 7

BB Curl - 60lbs x 10

Upward Rows - 60lbs x 10

Pull-Ups - 5; 8

Squat - 95lbs x 10; 105lbs x 8

Deadlift - 115lbs x 10; 115lbs x 10

Calf Raises (machine) - 180lbs x 15; 180lbs x 15

Pec Deck Fly - 100 x 10

Oblique Twist - 35lbs x 35

Crunch - 15lbs x 20 (x3)

Reverse Crunch - 30

Plank - 1:40

 

 

WEIGH-IN: 145.3lbs

 

 

 

These are my stats from Tuesday, Novemeber 29th...

 

DB Curl - 40lbs x 6; 35lbs x 8

OH Tricep Extension - 45lbs x 7; 40lbs x 11

Military Press - 30lbs x 8; 30lbs x 7

BB Curl - 70lbs x 9; 65lbs x 6

Upward Rows - 70lbs x 10; 65lbs x 7

Pull-Ups - 10; 5; 5

Squat - 125lbs x 5; 135lbs x 5; 135lbs x 5

Deadlift - 195lbs x 5; 205lbs x 5; 215lbs x 5

Calf Raises (machine) - 217.5lbs x 12; 217.5lbs x 13

Pec Deck Fly - 110 x 10; 110 x 6

Oblique Twist - 40lbs x 3

Crunch - 15lbs x 20 (x3)

Reverse Crunch - 30

Plank - 2:00

 

 

WEIGH-IN: 148.8lbs

 

 

I'm feeling and seeing the changes in my body, and that is what has kept me motivated to continue working towards my goals. I do feel as though I am overworking my body a bit; I worked out today and my reps were 1-2 lower for almost all my exercises. I've been doing that same routine every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, so I figured I had enough time inbetween for my muscles to recover in time for the next workout. Am I wrong about this? Should I consider starting a split-routine across my three days of exercise? I appreciate every piece of advice you guys have to offer!

[Deathmath]

Just do starting strength... although you probably did see gains doing that, they'll be so much more with SS.