GIS
05-30-2002, 03:48 PM
There are a lot of sources out there that claim to know what it takes to gain muscle, but do not try to follow any of them too closely. I have been strling for a year now in trying to put on some lean weight, but have recently seen HUGE improvements becasue I used my head and not the media.
Most 'professionals' I've talked to say you should only work out for a maximum of 1.5 hours and do 3-4 sets of 3-4 exercises per body part. They also say only workout for 5 days a week.
I tried this and it did NOT work... I was merely becoming toned... I want mass, not to tone up like a girl. That is simply not enough to get my muslces fatigued to add size.
The one key ingrediant to adding muscle is protein. I was once taking one gram of protein per pound of body weight, but only when I upped that to 1.5 grams did I see gains. I am 5'11", weigh 170, and have added about 12 pounds recently with 5.3% body fat. It takes a LOT of calories to fuel your body if you are going to do the workout program I do.
My workout regime includes 6 days a week for 2 hours and 15 minutes. I'll do chest/legs, Bi's/Tri's, and Shoulders/Back on a three day program and repeat the cycle on the 4th. I've stayed away from small 'toning' movements like front delt raises and have concentrated on heavy power lifts like military press with an olympic bar and using my legs to crank out the last few reps as needed. I'll throw in a few toning movements into my workout, but only at the end to really fatigue my muscles... you can't rely on them as your mass-building excersizes, though.
I could go on and on but the bottom line is to read your own body and experiment with what works for you. Arnold Schwarzenegger did a workout routine that TOTALLY defies what they say you should do to add muscle (he'd workout 6 days a week for a total of 4 hours a day!), yet he was the founder of modern bodybuilding and had 22" arms. Those dinky 4 days a week for only 1-1.5 hour lifting programs might work for some people, but it might not for you.
Anyway, if anybody wants to see my routine I'll post it if anybody is interested. I mainly talked about the training aspect, but the diet is HUGE. You'll need to suppliment in protein powders and try to get most of your protein from animal and dairy sources... plant protein doesn't digest as well.
Most 'professionals' I've talked to say you should only work out for a maximum of 1.5 hours and do 3-4 sets of 3-4 exercises per body part. They also say only workout for 5 days a week.
I tried this and it did NOT work... I was merely becoming toned... I want mass, not to tone up like a girl. That is simply not enough to get my muslces fatigued to add size.
The one key ingrediant to adding muscle is protein. I was once taking one gram of protein per pound of body weight, but only when I upped that to 1.5 grams did I see gains. I am 5'11", weigh 170, and have added about 12 pounds recently with 5.3% body fat. It takes a LOT of calories to fuel your body if you are going to do the workout program I do.
My workout regime includes 6 days a week for 2 hours and 15 minutes. I'll do chest/legs, Bi's/Tri's, and Shoulders/Back on a three day program and repeat the cycle on the 4th. I've stayed away from small 'toning' movements like front delt raises and have concentrated on heavy power lifts like military press with an olympic bar and using my legs to crank out the last few reps as needed. I'll throw in a few toning movements into my workout, but only at the end to really fatigue my muscles... you can't rely on them as your mass-building excersizes, though.
I could go on and on but the bottom line is to read your own body and experiment with what works for you. Arnold Schwarzenegger did a workout routine that TOTALLY defies what they say you should do to add muscle (he'd workout 6 days a week for a total of 4 hours a day!), yet he was the founder of modern bodybuilding and had 22" arms. Those dinky 4 days a week for only 1-1.5 hour lifting programs might work for some people, but it might not for you.
Anyway, if anybody wants to see my routine I'll post it if anybody is interested. I mainly talked about the training aspect, but the diet is HUGE. You'll need to suppliment in protein powders and try to get most of your protein from animal and dairy sources... plant protein doesn't digest as well.