Alright so as the title says what is the best training regime for someone who wants to start going to the gym and get big. Not huge but like a fitness model type physique, I know about calculating your macros and whatnot and of course all the eating and what to eat but I am stumped with two things.
I play football so I do some exercise I am around 5"9 - 6"0 and I don't know my weight as I haven't done it in a long time, When I first start going what do I do? Do I bulk even though I already have some fat around my stomach mostly or do I cut or do I not do either? When I say I some fat around my stomach I am not obese or overweight just have a little belly xD.
The other thing is the regime I can't think/find anything that I could do as I feel they are not suitable for someone who has never been to the gym before. Would greatly appreciate if any of you guys could help out or give any pointers?
I'd be interetsed in this too, I want to start getting fitter and start to build myself up. But I'm the same, I'm not too sure what the best way is to do so. It's not easy though, takes a lot of work and time.
I'd be interetsed in this too, I want to start getting fitter and start to build myself up. But I'm the same, I'm not too sure what the best way is to do so. It's not easy though, takes a lot of work and time.
It sure is my head is mince trying to figure out what to do haha. I've always wanted to do it but its those reasons above I have never pursued it 😐
Alright so as the title says what is the best training regime for someone who wants to start going to the gym and get big. Not huge but like a fitness model type physique, I know about calculating your macros and whatnot and of course all the eating and what to eat but I am stumped with two things.
I play football so I do some exercise I am around 5"9 - 6"0 and I don't know my weight as I haven't done it in a long time, When I first start going what do I do? Do I bulk even though I already have some fat around my stomach mostly or do I cut or do I not do either? When I say I some fat around my stomach I am not obese or overweight just have a little belly :hysterical:.
The other thing is the regime I can't think/find anything that I could do as I feel they are not suitable for someone who has never been to the gym before. Would greatly appreciate if any of you guys could help out or give any pointers?
I'd be interetsed in this too, I want to start getting fitter and start to build myself up. But I'm the same, I'm not too sure what the best way is to do so. It's not easy though, takes a lot of work and time.
Better late than never I always say. Let's start here... it is perfectly okay to bulk even if you have a bit of stomach fat. That will not effect anything depending on the look you are trying to go for. Plus, you can bulk to gain muscle and weight, while still shedding fat you know! I will break this down as best as I can...
PART 1: How to eat!
You have two types of bulking methods. Clean and Dirty. (I know you said you know about dieting already Zeus but I want to post this anyway for others who may not lol)
Clean is obviously where you eat very healthy, keeping your sugar intake at an extreme low, while having a higher intake of protein, carbs, and healthy fats such as avocados, unsalted almonds, and peanut butter. Your protein should consist of lean meats like fish, chicken, and beef. Head to any grocery store and pick up some raw fish filets, raw chicken breasts, or raw beef (not sure how to select the best beef). This is definitely the route you want to go if you want to A) get big and B) stay cut for the women 😉
Anyway, here is a diagram for you to reference on the fats issue.
Now comes your Dirty bulk. In all honesty, it is just an excuse to eat whatever you want, whenever you want, and not worrying about your diet. This kind will pack on muscle as long as protein is involved, but will also gain you fat as well. I assume you can imagine what you would eat on this "diet". As long as you eat a ton of food, and don't get diabetes or go into cardiac arrest, you will gain weight at a fairly decent rate, at the risk of some fat too.
Yet another diagram for your reference...
PART 2: Do you even lift, bro?
I currently follow this training regime, and I love it so far. This is a copy & paste from elsewhere, so to KS98 on the bodybuilding.com forums, thanks!
You will have 3 days of lifting, one rest day, then another 3 days of lifting. Essentially, 3 days on, one day off. The first day is all about push movements. Chest, Triceps, and Shoulders for the most part. The next day is for pull movements. Biceps, Back & Lats, other Shoulder movements for the most part. Lastly, the all lovable LEG DAY. Do not skip this day, chicken legs.
Pre-notes:
- You will see plenty of 3x5 and 3x5-8 and stuff like that. If you do not already know, the first number is how many sets you do, and the next number is how many reps you do.
Green = Variations I made personally to the program to fit my needs.
Red = Variations another user made to modify the program on a different site we can't mention.
Day 1 (Push):
- Push ups 3x10-15: Targets the triceps and pecs at the same time, and is one the most basic but effective exercises there is. Used as a warm-up exercise before bench.
- Flat barbell bench 3x5: the most versatile chest exercise. Targets both heads of your pecs for good overall chest development. A must in every push-orientated workout.
- Military press 3x5: overhead pressing will support anterior delt growth, as well as heavily stimulate the long head of your tricep AND the clavicular head of your pecs (i.e. the "upper" pecs) to a lesser degree.
- Flat/decline DB press OR incline DB press 3x8: these just serve as a means of further stimulating specific heads of your chest. If you have favorable clavicular ("upper" pec) insertions, you will greatly benefit from pressing on a 15-20 degree incline. Otherwise, hitting flat or decline will serve as a much better option to further emphasize your sternal head.
- Side lateral raise 3x8-12: some additional lateral delt work in addition to the military presses. Great mass builder for an isolation movement.
- Overhead tricep extension 3x8-12: works the long head of your triceps.
- Barbell shrug 2x12-15: direct trap work is typically overlooked. Don't get me wrong, deadlifts and rows are great for building prominent traps, but shrugs will bring them to the next level.
I moved Barbell shrugs to the "Pull" day in favor of pushups or pec flyes to finish off "Push" day.
-Pec Flyes 2x12-15: To shape the chest muscle and give it a little more work, incase you feel like you didn't hit it hard enough that day
Day 2 (Pull):
- Pull-up or chin-up 4x6-8: For me, these are wide-grip pullups everyday. good movement for direct lat work. Grip width doesn't matter all too much here. For me, I disagree. Grip width and direction does matter, as it will target different parts of the body. The wider you go, the more your lats are targeted. I like to do 3x10 (10 wide grip, 10 standard grip, 10 chip-up grip.)
- Deadlift 1x3-5 (I do 3x5): Best bang-for-your-buck exercise. Works so many different muscles... from your spinal erectors to your hamstrings to your traps, etc. One top set is sufficient here.
- Barbell or pendlay row 3x5: any horizontal row heavily emphasizes your rhomboids; great for maintaining good posture with all the pressing you'll be doing.
- Curl of your choice 3x8-12: curls for the girls brah.
- Face pull 3x15-20:He's absolutely right when he says: the MOST important movement for rear delt development and postural balance. Even people who don't lift weights seriously should be doing face pulls. Instead of these, I do another, but different curl of my choice. I do not have access to any equipment that will allow me to do this exercise.
-Barbell shrug 2x12-15: direct trap work is typically overlooked. Don't get me wrong, deadlifts and rows are great for building prominent traps, but shrugs will bring them to the next level. For me, these are dumbbell shrugs. Your range of motion is limited with a bar, and you will not get the full potential of your shoulder workout.
Day 2 [ Legs (and abs) ]:
- Back squat 3x5: the most effective leg exercise you can do.
- Front squat 3x6-8: very beneficial for quad development if you squat low bar.
- Hamstring curl 4x8-12: your hammies operate on the knee and hip joints. The hip articulation is worked sufficiently with squats, while the knee articulation isn't. Doing ham curls will help ensure that no muscle imbalances arise.
- Standing calf raise 4x12-15: do these standing to target your gastrocnemius (you don't need to know the specific anatomy... just understand that this is the muscle that gives your calves their round shape)
- Weighted decline crunch 3x8-12: your abs (specifically, your rectus abdominis) aren't really worked sufficiently from compounds like squats and deads, believe it or not. Your transverse (inner) abs, which hold your core in place, are activated to a greater extent during exercises of that nature.
- Stomach vacuum OR plank (for your core stabilizers) x 2 sets: any compound movement you perform while standing will work your transverse (inner) abs. However, it won't hurt to directly train them for aesthetic, strength, and postural purposes.
- I have a completely different Ab routine I follow on its own.
- Day 4 (REST) -
- Day 5 becomes Day 1 (Repeat) -
** Warm up sets not included. Be cognizant of this and make sure to ramp up adequately before you perform any work sets.
*** Ideally, the routine should be set up as such: 1.) [Push/Pull/Legs/Rest/Push/Pull/Legs] *OR* 2.) [Push/Pull/Legs/Push/Pull/Legs/Rest]. This will allow you to maintain 2x per week frequency for each individual muscle group. However, you can modify it however you'd like so that it fits your schedule.
FAQs:
- Q: Is it possible to squat the day after you do deadlifts?
- A: Yes, one heavy set of deadlifts won't tax your nervous system and lower back to the point where you can't squat or train legs the next day.
- Q: Won't deadlifting twice a week lead to overtraining?
- A: No, but it may take a few workouts to adapt to this if you've been deadlifting only once per week.
- Q: Should I train to failure?
- A: No, going to failure is not any more beneficial than not doing so. If anything, it will just lead to adrenal fatigue and overreaching.
- Q: What specifically makes someone an "intermediate"?
- A: Basic guidelines are at least a 315 lb squat, 225 lb bench, and a 405 lb deadlift. More importantly, progression should begin to slow to the point where you can no longer add weight to the bar every workout and you've stalled on each major lift more than twice. You should be familiar with basic things like how your body responds to different types of periodization, what it means to autoregulate, etc.
- Q: Did you just copy Coolcicada's routine and change the name?
- A: No. Let me list just a few differences between the two programs. I give you the option to pick either incline/flat/decline DB press depending on your pec insertions. An overhead extension will be the only tricep isolation exercise you'll perform due to all the heavy pressing. I included deadlifts because they are one of the most effective full-body movements you can do. For leg day, you'll be doing front squats instead of leg press and no leg extensions. Also included are workouts for both your outer and inner abs.
- Q: What are some other ways you can modify the routine's schedule?
- A: It's really up to you. Preferably, you'd still be hitting every muscle group twice per week. Here are two examples of modifications which you can make: [Legs/Push/Pull/off/Legs/Push/Pull/off] or [Push/Legs/Pull/off/Push/Legs/Pull/off].
- Q: I'm not strong enough to do bodyweight pull-ups/chin-ups. Can I do lat pulldowns instead?
- A: You can, but it's not the best option. Though lat pulldowns will sufficiently stimulate your lats, they are not the ideal movement to perform due to the nature of an inferior (downward) rotation of the scapula. With movements like these, suspension of the trunk will lead to greater activation of deep posterior stabilizers, such as your infraspinatus, teres major/minor, and levator scapulae. I suggest doing band-assisted pull-ups/chin-ups or negatives until you gain sufficient strength to perform them without support.
- Q: Why can't I use a 45° incline?
- A: Pressing on a bench with an incline any higher than 15-20° will lead to too much front delt involvement. 45° makes it almost exclusively a front delt dominant exercise.
- Q: Needs more biceps! Can I add some other curl variations in?
- A: No, you're already curling twice per week in addition to indirectly hitting your biceps with rows and pull-ups/chin-ups. Adding even more isolation work will just be a waste of time and energy.
- Q: What's the point of doing front squats after back squats?
- A: By shifting your center of gravity, front squats will put slightly more emphasis on the quads, glutes, and core. Great for preventing any imbalances and provides a good carryover to the back squat.
Part 3: Supplements!
There are 3 items I recommend using when you lift in order to further your process on the gains train. 100% Whey Protein Isolate Powder, Monohydrate Creatine Powder, and some sort of Pre-Workout to kick your *ss into gear and hype you up for that leg day you have not done in a month.
#1 Whey Protein: I recommend Optimum Nutrition 100% Whey Protein Isolate. Click here for pricing. It is expensive I know.
#2 Creatine: No, it is not a steroid, and no, it does not destroy your liver. Look it up if you want. Click here from pricing. Make sure to shake well and add to something flavorful. It tastes bad on its own.
#3 Pre-Workout: Just about anything will do, but it is mainly up to you on how strong you want your pre to be. C4 is pretty low grade, but offers really nice pumps. Jekyll pre is rumored to be super strong and make you feel like you want to explode with energy. Gamma Labs GFuel is not really a pre, but it does offer decent energy to get you ready to go. Click the underlined names in this paragraph to see pricing.
Make sure your pay attention to how much Creatine, Protein, and Pre-Workout you take in a day. Some pre's contain Creatine, so that is something you have to account for. Take Protein shakes right when you wake up, after a workout, and after bed, unless the workout falls close to you waking up or going to sleep. Take 5grams of Creatine 30 minutes before a workout along with your pre-workout. The combination of the two seem to pair nicely, even though there is no evidence to suggest it actually is more effective this way. (Any more than 5 grams of Creatine a day is wasteful and proven uneffective after that point.)
Part 4: Other stuff!
- Stay motivated. You will only see results with dedication and hard work. These supplements will help to further your progress, but they are not meant to replace your diet entirely. Hence why they are called supplements.
- Get enough sleep and rest. Your body needs time to recover. While in sleep, your body produces chemicals that help to repair and reshape your body.
- Feel free to ask me questions, I'd love to help!