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The Internet's a crazy place man. I'm getting so much mixed information.

 

I want to put on some muscle. I'm 6'1 and about 150 pounds. I want to put on some muscle. I'm a really small eater but im working on eating more and drinking more water and everything.

 

What I don't know is how to start putting on some muscle without gaining any fat. I know I will put on some but I don't want to get like bulky you know. I would like to lean out as I go. I already have some fat around my tummy area a good bit of fat actually.

 

My previous job was pretty much sitting all day and i never exercised so i got a little fat there.

 

Im still in a skinny frame though. Because of my height.

 

I know i need around 2700 + calories. Also is 5*5 strength program something good to start.? To gain strentgh and get comfortable lifting.

 

So much people has different ideas im confused a bit. A friend of mine has a personal gym . there's no trainers there for me to ask. The up side is its free :).

 

I'm also doing a little training to become a police officer. So everyday I do a little push ups and sit ups. Like a mile run also.

 

Can I do all this and still put on muscle ( with the 5x5 program) and 2700+ calories.

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The Internet's a crazy place man. I'm getting so much mixed information.

 

I want to put on some muscle. I'm 6'1 and about 150 pounds. I want to put on some muscle. I'm a really small eater but im working on eating more and drinking more water and everything.

 

What I don't know is how to start putting on some muscle without gaining any fat. I know I will put on some but I don't want to get like bulky you know. I would like to lean out as I go. I already have some fat around my tummy area a good bit of fat actually.

 

My previous job was pretty much sitting all day and i never exercised so i got a little fat there.

 

Im still in a skinny frame though. Because of my height.

 

I know i need around 2700 + calories. Also is 5*5 strength program something good to start.? To gain strentgh and get comfortable lifting.

 

So much people has different ideas im confused a bit. A friend of mine has a personal gym . there's no trainers there for me to ask. The up side is its free :).

 

I'm also doing a little training to become a police officer. So everyday I do a little push ups and sit ups. Like a mile run also.

 

Can I do all this and still put on muscle ( with the 5x5 program) and 2700+ calories.

 

Exercise and weight training is pointless if you're not consuming enough calories - you probably and should already know that. For muscle growth I recommend taking around 1.5g of protein per KG you are (so in your case, 68 which would equate to 102g of protein per day).

 

Another good alternative for muscle growth and body enhancement (lean-ness) is taking different supplements a long with the generic protein shake. Take Casein during the night or after a workout and ensure that you have BCAA (Amino acids) daily. Some would say it's too much to intake, but it really isn't especially if you balance it with an intensive workout.

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Life lessons
The Internet's a crazy place man. I'm getting so much mixed information.

 

I want to put on some muscle. I'm 6'1 and about 150 pounds. I want to put on some muscle. I'm a really small eater but im working on eating more and drinking more water and everything.

 

What I don't know is how to start putting on some muscle without gaining any fat. I know I will put on some but I don't want to get like bulky you know. I would like to lean out as I go. I already have some fat around my tummy area a good bit of fat actually.

 

My previous job was pretty much sitting all day and i never exercised so i got a little fat there.

 

Im still in a skinny frame though. Because of my height.

 

I know i need around 2700 + calories. Also is 5*5 strength program something good to start.? To gain strentgh and get comfortable lifting.

 

So much people has different ideas im confused a bit. A friend of mine has a personal gym . there's no trainers there for me to ask. The up side is its free :).

 

I'm also doing a little training to become a police officer. So everyday I do a little push ups and sit ups. Like a mile run also.

 

Can I do all this and still put on muscle ( with the 5x5 program) and 2700+ calories.

 

I'm not a guy but I do know quite a few that have been/are successful with muscle gain by adding protein powder shakes into their diet. GNC has many great options and are knowledgeable.

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I can sit here and type 20 pages on muscle growth. You will get a million different answers. The reason is, every body responds different to workouts.

 

In my opinion, for a natural body builder, one must hit one muscle twice a week in a way that you WON'T over train. Its tricky to do but possible. By doing so, you have to make sure you have ample calories, protein, rest and, make sure you train a bigger muscle group before a smaller. Dont go do biceps on monday then back on tuesday. Thats just stupid. Your biceps will fail before your back muscles will. common sense. To start off, try a simple one muscle group a week. Learn how your body works. Nobody can tell you that. Its part of being a body builder or weight lifter.

 

If your running a mile and trying to gain mass, it won't work. Its one or the other. light walking, sure. working out longer than one hour for a natural body builder just adds to the recovery process. You are further breaking down the muscle and you loose testosterone by doing so. whats the point of working out if your tesosterone is low?

 

consistency, calories, protein, overload, rest, and you will grow.

 

My workout may not work for you. All I know is, I went from 145lbs to 250lbs without steroids. It was hard training to the point of falling over at times, eating to the point that I felt like throwing up, and taking my vitamins and certain supplements.

 

Granted I am no longer 250lbs bc I am getting older and I can't maintain that weight. Just remember, the bigger you get, the more food you need to eat to maintain that weight and to keep growing. I am staying at 225lbs and using that 225lbs and try to make it look more DENSE. How? 20-30 reps. That will fill out my muscle belly and get dense. For you? 8-12 reps TO FAILURE.

 

supplements. I like a protein that has a blend. example. JYM protein. Fantastic. I also take crystalized egg whites. Thats REAL FOOD. NO SHAKE WILL EVER COME CLOSE TO REAL FOOD LIKE CHICKEN STEAK AND EGGS. I dont care what you tell me or buy. The shake is just to add a little more protein to your diet. Creatine has been studied since the 80's and its proven. Bcaa's, yea there good. I take them for my POST POST workout meal. Notice I said post post. Not just post.

 

creatine, bcaa, crystalized egg whites, good protein shake. Thats it.

 

You dont need to buy a million supplements. You dont need to take TWO OR THREE DIFFERENT PROTEIN SHAKES BC ONE IS SLOWER DIGESTING THAN THE OTHER OR TAKE IT AT NIGHT BEFORE BED. I have 7 different kinds bc I am a supplement junky. Its my passion. I do it bc I love it and I want to try everything. You dont need to.

 

A blended protein is all you need. If you cant find one, and just have whey protein, dont go out and by casein protein. Take a big scoop of peanut butter, coconut oil etc, and mix it with the whey protein. By doing so, it will prolong the protein in your body bc of the fat. save money.

 

This is just advice. You dont have to follow it or take it. This is what worked for me. Im natural, I gained close to 100lbs of mass, IM NATURAL.

Even with a torn shoulder I still workout. TORN SHOULDER and I still train. Its in my blood and it wont go away. I will lift weights until I drop dead.

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Im not here to promote anything but the very first program I started back in 1999 that taught me how to train one muscle group twice a week was a book written by francesco castano. Heck my testimonial is even on his website about my 100lb weight gain. Look him up.

 

I read that book like it was the bible. Its something that you will read and you will literally go AH HA. The light will go on bc it makes sense. It just makes sense.

 

Its going to look easy on paper but when you do it, and follow it step by step, you will feel it. if you skip even one rule, it wont work. I cant train like that anymore bc of my injuries. its too much for me.

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Chicken breasts, broccoli and rice should be twice a day every day, plus a few eggs and a protein shake after every workout. Cut out your cardio if you want to gain mass. Start out with a broad workout plan that focuses on heavy compound movements, not low weight, high rep exercises. If you go that route it's a good idea to use a personal trainer for a few weeks so you can learn to lift properly and not hurt yourself.

 

The Internet is your friend for bodybuilding info. Start go googling it and you'll be able to build a workout plan for yourself. Or go buy Schwarzenegger's Encyclopedia to Bodybuilding, that's how I started out.

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5x5 is great fir building strength and learning the moves. You will build some muscle mass but you will get stronger. One thing you have to realize is that muscle mass does not equal strength. If all you want is mass then go with a hypertrophy program (lower weight more reps) instead of a strength program like 5x5. I love 5x5. If I were you I would go 5x5 for 12 weeks and then go PHUL or PHAT. Also watch your diet!!

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Ok guys thanks for all the advice so far. I'm getting the jist of everything and putting it together. I sorted out my diet. Checked out some great programs. I know I do need more strength before I could consider myself a lifter. I can bench about 60 pounds (excluding barbell) squat 80 ( excluding barbell) and deadlift like 80 pounds as well (excluding barbell) .

 

Being not very active for long I think I lost a lot of strength or never really gained any. I did the 5*5 for about a week but I stopped the gym because I started a job that required me to work from 4am to 8pm. So there wasn't much time.

 

As for as using the dumbbells for isolated exercises I'm comfortable with 20 pounds. Can use more.

 

But I know I need more strength because I struggle with the weights I mentioned above. I struggle to do 10 push ups so I need to put in a lot of work.

 

I got a protein called Combat from muscle pharm. Guy told me that's good to start with. Should I get anything else.?? I got some vitamins as well and a multi vitamin.

 

One more thing guys. Is it ok for me to just focus on the strength training for the next few months. I ask that because I really need to work on getting fit.

 

I'm being successful with the police academy. So I need to train for that and as soon as I graduate I can focus on putting on the muscle. I need a job right now more than anything. I know I can't have both the mass and the fitness. Its gonna take a lot of work and eating and i know it will be difficult as im a beginner.

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Totally. If what you want is strength then I'd suggest sticking with 5x5 for three months. The workouts get a little long - time wise - when you start maxing out on your weights - mainly because you'll need to rest 3+ mins between sets. SL has a whole thing on what to do - I found going to 3x5 to work best. Get the free app too.

 

You will get stronger. That's for sure.

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1. Eat like it's your job. Seriously, you will gain a llttle fat. That's ok, you can slim down later. If you want to gain muscle you have to accept you can't eat like a coked up supermodel. I'd say 3k calories a day.

 

2. Compound lifts. Not Isolation exercises with 20 lb. dumbbells

Squats, Deadlifts, Bench Press, Military Press, Rows and Pullups. That's all you need.

 

3. Once you learn these exercises and have the form down, do reps in the 3-8 range. Good training books are Starting Strength and 5/3/1, 5x5 works as well.

 

4. Don't do too much cardio, and make sure you get rest. You don't make muscles in the gym, you make the by having your body repairing the breakdown of muscle fibers by lifting. Also get 9 hours of sleep if possible.

 

To get big, you have to eat big, lift big and rest big.

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curiouslysearching

I am a former athlete and I learned that not every program

works for every body. Also, I think it is paramount in knowing

what you want achieve...endurance, playing strength or

whatever....I hope you find what you are looking for

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I want to put on some muscle. I'm 6'1 and about 150 pounds. I want to put on some muscle.

 

How much are you willing to spend to keep that muscle? In time? In money? How much muscle for that matter? Don't get me wrong. I'm all for lifting. Just appreciate that your chosen endeavor isn't akin to climbing a mountain or creating a great sculpture. Those endeavors end when the goal is reached. Keeping muscle doesn't.

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Personally the only problem I have with myself is the scrawny look. I have a big chest and back but thin long arms and legs. Doesn't look bad because I dress well and I don't look skinny. But I don't feel big and strong. And i would love to feel like that.

 

Strength would be a must and gaining some muscle. Right now i weigh 150 pounds and im not happy with it.

 

I know as you get older you gain weight but right now im 24 and i feel i would be very comfortable at 180. So i would really like to gain 20+ pounds.

 

Would i put in the time. Yes. The money yes. My expenses are fortunately cut in half because i have acess to a free gym.

 

Dieting and all of that wont be a problem for me im not a picky eater. So I'm willing to go all out for this.

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1. Eat like it's your job. Seriously, you will gain a llttle fat. That's ok, you can slim down later. If you want to gain muscle you have to accept you can't eat like a coked up supermodel. I'd say 3k calories a day.

 

2. Compound lifts. Not Isolation exercises with 20 lb. dumbbells

Squats, Deadlifts, Bench Press, Military Press, Rows and Pullups. That's all you need.

 

3. Once you learn these exercises and have the form down, do reps in the 3-8 range. Good training books are Starting Strength and 5/3/1, 5x5 works as well.

 

4. Don't do too much cardio, and make sure you get rest. You don't make muscles in the gym, you make the by having your body repairing the breakdown of muscle fibers by lifting. Also get 9 hours of sleep if possible.

 

To get big, you have to eat big, lift big and rest big.

 

^^^^^^ this ^^^^^^

 

Get the book Starting Strength and let Mark Ripptoe become your personal spirit guide, guru and inspiration all in one.

 

Skinny dudes can put on muscle and become strong and look good.

 

But they are going to have to EAT like a bear in a slaughterhouse and they are going to have to WORK like the slaves that built the Great Pyramid.

 

Give the dumbells to your sister or your girlfriend and learn to squat and deadlift like it is the cure for cancer, world hunger and lost puppies.

 

My suggestion is get a set of Olympic weights and a good squat rack and save your gym $$ for FOOD. A lot of FOOD. .... and then when you don't think you can eat another bite without puking, eat some more. If you do puke, then you'll need to eat twice.

 

Say good by to your abz. you can't put on working, visable muscle mass and have abz at the same time. The guys you see on stage flexing and showing off their bulging biceps and ripped abz at the same time, put on dozens of pounds during the bulking phase and then starved off the fat and are have cycled themselves so that they look muscular and ripped at the same time. They are in an unsustainable physiologic state that only lasts a matter of days around the time of the competition.

 

If you want to gain 20 lbs of muscle mass and get developed arms and legs, the abz will likely need to be sacrificed because you are going to have to increase your caloric intake by a large amount.

 

"Abz on a scrawny dude are like big t!ts on a fat chick"

- Mark Ripptoe

 

 

Skinny dudes think they eat a lot but they don't. Your going to need to eat a lot of high quality, high nutrient food all day.

 

And have I mentioned you'll need to squat and dead lift?

 

I don't mean doing some lunges holding on to pink dumbells and I don't mean doing leg presses and leg extensions and hamstring curls. I mean real squats with iron plates on an Olympic bar on your shoulders and pulling an Olympic bar with a few hundred pounds off the ground to an upright position with nothing more than your bare hands.

 

Once you are squatting full sets in the 250lb range and deadlifting sets in the 300lb range, you will have probably put on your 20lbs.

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Thanks man. I'm hoping to be fully prepared and get started. I don't mind losing abs. I don't have any right now lol. Got some fattines on the belly.

 

Alot of eating and compound exercises along with good rest is the major focus.

 

Got a question though. In terms of the 5x5 which focuses on mostly compound excersises.. How much days a week should i go to the gym? I don't want to over train and I also don't want to under train.

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Got a question though. In terms of the 5x5 which focuses on mostly compound excersises.. How much days a week should i go to the gym? I don't want to over train and I also don't want to under train.

 

I'll leave it to others with more experience to opine on the overall number of days in a week.As for the compound movements? I've been working with a bodybuilding coach lately. He advised me to only perform squats and deadlifts twice per month each. I can't imagine that is popular advice. When pressed he advised that -- neurologically -- the body/brain need time to recover from the stress endured during those particular exercises.

 

That being said plenty of 5x5 programs are going to tell you otherwise. I say do the research and decide for yourself. I just wanted to make you aware of the opinion.

 

Buy a food scale if you don't have one already. Invest in pyrex containers if you aren't comfortable with storing in plastic containers (wherein the plastic can leach into your food). I buy around five pounds of chicken, dice it up, and bake it in 9x12 pans. Crockpots work great for beef. Chop up a few pounds and drop it in the crockpot before work/bed. Tunafish and hummus is a tasty combination.

 

You should likely be consuming one gram of protein per pound of bodyweight per day. The more real food the better. Two servings of chicken/brown-rice/brocoli, one serving of beef, one serving of fish, one serving of eggs, and some casein protein in the morning and evening. Over and over and over. Good luck!

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I would train 5 x 5 every other day, so 3-4 days a week. Here is what worked for me.

 

Start light, adjust weight so you can succeed in doing all sets of 5,

Day 1, Monday

 

Bench Press, 5 x 5 w/135

Squat 5 x 5 w/ 185, make sure to get below parallel.

In between every set do a pullup or 2. If you can do 2 pullups, do 3. If you can only do 1 pullup, do 1 pullup. The more you practice the stronger you will get.

Barbell Row 5 x 5 w/ 135

 

Day 2, Wednesday

Military Press, 5 x 5 with 95. Do standing barbell. Grip should be just wider than the smooth part of the barbell

Deadlift 5 x 5 with 185

Do your pullups in between all sets

Seated or dumbbell row 5 x 5.

 

Day 3 Friday, repeat Day 1

Day 4, Sunday, repeat Day 2 and so forth.

 

When you can get all 5 sets of 5 with confidence, bump the weight up 5 or 10 lbs.

 

Tips, always do the upper body first. No one ever had a lousy leg workout because they did too much upper body, but the reverse has happened.

 

Get your form locked in. See a trainer to show you how to do this. Spend the money on a session or 2. The investment will prevent injury

 

Be patient, it's better to start light and keep you ego in the car. Build a track of success.

 

Do the pullups. Your pulling muscles will help your pressing muscles.

 

Throw 10 hill sprints in twice a week for conditioning, 50-100 yards.

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Thank you very much. Lol I already documented like 5 pages of info on a notebook just from what you guys give me. I really appreciate the detailed threads you guys are replying. Much respect.

 

I enjoy the gym and my time there. Lol deadlifts are my favourite for some reason. Only exercises im not a fan of are bench presses and barbell squats. But hey. Gotta do em.

 

I read an article that said too much rest between sets and reps arent that good. I tend to rest atleast around 30-40, seconds now and go hard again. Get in do the work and get out is my motto.

 

I dont like to hang around I view it that way. Get it. Be ecplosive get it done and im out.

 

The mistake i did when i started the 5x5 previoulsy would be overtraining. I use to be in the gym like 5 times almost a week. Would use the program and add more things because I felt I wasn't doing enough. Come to learn I was screwing myself. So I like that schedule you made. Puts things together nicely.

 

Im a hindu. So i cant eat beef or pork. Everything else I can. So I'm gonna replace the beef with turkey and more fish and chicken. I'm.not sure if there's any more lean meat source I can turn to.

 

I've already felt a difference with the simple training i started. Just a few days ago i began doing a few things. Where i struggles doing 5 push ups i can do 10 now. My only problem is i feel tired quickly.

 

My change in diet and more frequent work outs should change that.

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How much days a week should i go to the gym? I don't want to over train and I also don't want to under train.

 

To start out with you're probably only going to be doing 4 days a week max because you're going to be too sore to keep going. After you've put on some mass you'll have the endurance to have longer and more frequent workouts, which you could even push to 6 days a week, if you wanted to. When that happens I'd say take a rest day every fourth day.

 

And don't be dissuaded when after a few months you don't notice many gains. You're a skinny guy so it will be difficult for you to put on that initial base of muscle, but when you do it'll get a lot easier to gain mass.

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Thank you very much. Lol I already documented like 5 pages of info on a notebook just from what you guys give me. I really appreciate the detailed threads you guys are replying. Much respect.

 

I enjoy the gym and my time there. Lol deadlifts are my favourite for some reason. Only exercises im not a fan of are bench presses and barbell squats. But hey. Gotta do em.

 

I read an article that said too much rest between sets and reps arent that good. I tend to rest atleast around 30-40, seconds now and go hard again. Get in do the work and get out is my motto.

 

I dont like to hang around I view it that way. Get it. Be ecplosive get it done and im out.

 

The mistake i did when i started the 5x5 previoulsy would be overtraining. I use to be in the gym like 5 times almost a week. Would use the program and add more things because I felt I wasn't doing enough. Come to learn I was screwing myself. So I like that schedule you made. Puts things together nicely.

 

Im a hindu. So i cant eat beef or pork. Everything else I can. So I'm gonna replace the beef with turkey and more fish and chicken. I'm.not sure if there's any more lean meat source I can turn to.

 

I've already felt a difference with the simple training i started. Just a few days ago i began doing a few things. Where i struggles doing 5 push ups i can do 10 now. My only problem is i feel tired quickly.

 

My change in diet and more frequent work outs should change that.

 

 

If you want to get strong and lift heavier weights, your rest periods are going to need to be a lot longer. Like 2-3 minutes.

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TheTraveler

I would say the most underrated gym exercise and hardly anyone does it is chest/triceps dips along with pull-ups. If you can't do any of them, there are machines that assist you until you can finally do it on your own.

 

Look up Buff Dudes on youtube for how to do each properly

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Not saying Kbob's incorrect in any way, however especially as you are a beginner I would suggest you take more than 1 days rest p/w. 2-3 maximum.

 

What a lot of people neglect is rest, and they believe that intensely working out each and every day is the most beneficial way in order to gain muscle mass and body weight. Although that might be true for more advanced fitness advocates, to start out you're going to need to allow your body to adjust to the fluctuation and 'new' routines that you will be implementing.

 

Rest days are important.

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Just to chime in here regarding rest between sets. You're both right. When strength training/powerlifting, where you're lifting max weight, you want to go low reps and 2-3 minutes of rest between sets. Your Type II muscles just need that to recover or you will see your ability to handle the weight in subsequent sets go down.

 

However, in a hypertrophy/bodybuilding scenario, where you are lifting less weight and much higher reps/sets, then ya, you actually want to minimize your rest period between sets because you're building Type I muscle fibers (endurance).

 

On the rest days - absolutely, you need at least 1 day of rest each time. I actually have seen my best strength gains come when the rest period is more like 2-3 days

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