How should I work out to gain muscle size?
I’m 18 years old, have lifted some before but haven’t for about the past six months. I want to start again because I’ve lost any muscle size I once had. I’ve always had trouble gaining weight and am considering some type of protein supplement or even creatine. What type of workout plans/ supplements would be the best to gain muscle mass? I don’t wan’t to be HUGE because I’m a basketball player and I want to stay quick but I do want to gain solid mass.
November 15th, 2010 at 5:08 pm
I’m in the same boat pretty much. I would suggest protein supplements if your diet does not have enough protein in it. Protein is pretty much what adds to muscle mass, and I had a trainer that suggested you should consume 3 times your body weight in grams of protein – that was for bodybuilding. So you could follow that guideline for a little bit or push it down to around 2.5 times. Consume the protein in the morning, and right after your workout.
My diet consists of heavy carbs and protein. Carbs and protein at night after workout, protein in the morning, and carbs and protein at lunch. I also eat in between breakfast and lunch, and make sure I give myself around 2 hours break from eating before I work out. Carbs and sugars from fruit will provide energy for exercise and protein will provide mass building on muscles. If you do a protein supplement, I recommend muscle milk – powder form in a shake. I’ll put a couple scoops in with a cup of whole milk and some fruit in the morning.
As for the exercising, you have to consistently push your weight limit and use mostly free weights. My regimen is 3 days on, 1 day off, and each day I work two muscle groups. For example day 1 would be chest and shoulders, day 2 legs and back, day 3 is biceps and triceps. I do three exercises for each muscle group, and work in abs every two exercises. Each exercise has 4 sets of 8-10 reps, light rest in between sets, and greater rests in between exercises. The weight starts off lighter in the first 2 sets, and heavier in the last 2 – You should barely be able to push/pull the weight in the last set. Having a spotter is always safer, but also more beneficial as you can safely put up more weight than you would be able to by yourself. A few exercises that I found most helpful are:
Chest – pushups, decline press
Arms – Hammercurls
Back and shoulders – Pullups, lateral pulldown, pushups
legs – lunges, squats
abs – incline crunch for lowers and obliques, and ball crunches for upper – also gorilla crunches are good for arms and abs, but a bit awkward at first.
November 15th, 2010 at 5:36 pm
Here’s A Workout Plan:
Monday – Biceps/Triceps
Tuesday – Rest
Wednesday – Chest/Back
Thursday – Rest
Friday – Shoulders/Legs
Sat And Sun – Rest
If You Want To Build Only Biceps And Triceps, Heres A Few Exercises:
Biceps: Dumbell Curl, Concentration Curl, Hammer Curl
Triceps: KickBack, Over Head Extension
Good Luck!
November 15th, 2010 at 6:12 pm
Hey there man. I totally hear you. Most people have a problem gaining muscle, so it’s all good. There’s plenty of help to go around. First off, how is your nutrition? Nutrition is HUGE! If you’re not getting solid meals, you won’t get any solid gains. And no worries about not being TOO huge, that would never, ever happen all at once, lol. I’ve found the best site to get information on is: http://www.swolefitness.com/ – I found it just recently, but it has some awesome articles on it, and updates a ton. Anyways man, keep working!