Adding muscle mass

[Mguy92]

I've been wanting to give myself a better appearance. I am quite weak, 5'9" and 152 lbs last I checked. My goal is to lose some weight after the holiday season and add muscle. Thing is, I really don't know how. See, I can't regularly attend a gym because I don't have the money to afford it, and other than push-ups and sit-ups, I know very little about putting on muscle correctly. Losing fat, however, is rather simple for me. A couple years ago, I was 185 lbs, and then I decided to use a game called DDR (Dance Dance Revolution) which brought my weight down to 145 lbs after about a year. This was great and all, but the holiday season of 2007 brought me back up to 152, then I just couldn't * * * * myself to get back in shape, and went up 12 lbs to 164. Not good. After Summer 2008, I decided it was time to get back in shape because I had a rather large crush on a girl (I've made various threads about her, read if you like) and went back to 152. Now, I haven't checked my weight in a few weeks, but I don't feel fatter, although I've been eating horribly because of the holidays. Not letting what happened last year happen again, though. Going to lose more weight until I am satisfied.

 

Of course, I don't want to be scrawny. I want an athletic build (I play zero sports, ironic that I want that build isn't it?) but I don't know how to attain it. I do have a bench press downstairs that I may ask to use, but other than that, push-ups and sit-ups, I don't know anything about building muscle. Help would be appreciated, and if possible, pointers on how to maintain the build I want to reach.

[waveseer]

Handweights are cheap, or use plastic milk containers filled with sand or water. Curls, tricep extensions, rows, even squats and lunges can be done with handweights. Look online for exactly how to make weights and which exercises build what.

[shykid]

make sure you're consuming protein in your diet. At least 1g of protein per pound you weigh

[coldplay.]

Ok, dedication is key here, you arnt going to put on muscle for the holiday season, its gonna take atleast one month to notice a real difference and obviously more thereafter.

 

If you cant get to a gym thats ok. You should start running regularaly. For me running isnt just about the exercise, its about getting in the correct frame of mine and habit of working out. After a warm up run, you should move to push ups and sit ups, keep them at a pace where your heartbeat is always UPUPUP. Pull up bars are cheap, or you could just find someplace to do a quasi pull up, but other than that. Yes weight sets are cheap for a bar, some weights ect. look around.

[veneratio]

Since you're limited to what you have, stick with compound movements. Push-ups, deadlifts, military press, hang clean and press, squats, lunges, chin-ups, pull-ups, rows, dips..think I covered them all. This way rather than isolating each body part, you workout 2-3 at a time if not more. And all you need is the barbell from the bench press and some weights.

 

Maintaining and building muscle is done in the kitchen, though. Make sure you're adding lean muscle mass. Stick to chicken, steak, tuna, beans, eggs, milk, a protein shake of choice, yogurt, fruit, almonds. Drink nothing but water. Use the milk in your shakes if you want. 6 smaller meals a day versus 3 large ones or snacking here and there.

 

Since you're just starting look up the 5x5 workout, pretty good for beginners for the first month or so. Or you can jump into a 3x10-12 routine.

[Pressfit]

Your age and your genetics will have a lot to do with what kind of mass you put on.

At this point you have no idea til you start.

[BoneMachine]

I spent a summer weighttraining without going to the gym. A backpack filled with sand will go a long way.

 

It can be a bit akward to use at times but you'll get used to it. You can obviously use it for added resistance on pullups and push-ups, but also for rowing excersices and deadlift variations.

 

Aim for 3-4 days of weight training each week. An equal amount of training for chest, back and legs.

 

The key is progression. Always try to improve, a little more weight, a rep more, an ekstra set, or adding more excersises it needed.

[Mguy92]

How many push-ups and sit-ups should I do a day (sets and reps) and how many times should I use the bench press (I've been told 3 days a week)

[veneratio]

50 situps, 50 pushups always worked well for me. I would do them in the morning and again at night. If you want you can do them in sets, but going straight for 50 worked for me. Different for everyone, though. More or less may work.

 

If you're going to go with the compound movements, you can do bench 3 times a week, or switch your routine every other day to "shock" your muscles. So maybe on monday you'd do bench, military press, squats, dips. On wednesday you could do a bent over barbell row, lunges, pull-ups, deadlift. I'd try to balance it out, make sure you have push and pull exercises each day.

[FGch3ng]

Ok, first get yourself a membership at the gym, I've been skinny my whole life, and for the past 3 years, i wanted results from working out at home. It did not happen. If you want the build you want, you have to get a membership at the gym. If you have fast metabolism, then it's alright to eat out every now and then, but diet and sleeping is also a key to reaching your goal. Hope this helps. Good Luck!

 

Oh and for maintaining your build, you have to keep working out a lifestyle. If you workout for a couple months, then stop, your muscles will deteriorate thus making all your efforts wasted. Try to make a schedule for yourself. eg: working out chest on monday, back and biceps on tuesday, triceps and shoulders on wednesday, etc...

[ghost69]

pull-ups. don't bench press 3x a week. you might tear something, especially if it's pretty heavy.

[Mguy92]

pull-ups. don't bench press 3x a week. you might tear something, especially if it's pretty heavy.

 

Err...I've never in my life been able to do one pull-up. That is something I want to change, though.

[ghost69]

Err...I've never in my life been able to do one pull-up. That is something I want to change, though.

 

well, i know they have machines that take some of your weight off you so you can do some. then you just work your way up.

 

can you get a gym membership somewhere?

 

but you can find a stationary bar somewhere that is somewhat close to the ground. get under it and do pull-ups with your feet on the ground. it will take some weight off.

[Mguy92]

well, i know they have machines that take some of your weight off you so you can do some. then you just work your way up.

 

can you get a gym membership somewhere?

 

but you can find a stationary bar somewhere that is somewhat close to the ground. get under it and do pull-ups with your feet on the ground. it will take some weight off.

 

I'll stick to DDR (high-intensity cardio) for losing weight, though I'm not sure how low I should go. Given my height (5'8" - 5'9") 135 - 140 lbs perhaps?

[sns256]

I'll stick to DDR (high-intensity cardio) for losing weight, though I'm not sure how low I should go. Given my height (5'8" - 5'9") 135 - 140 lbs perhaps?

 

Your weight is relative to your body fat percentage. You could be 5’9 weigh 200lbs and have 8% body fat and look like a muscle man. You’ll eventually hit a plateau when you are trying to loose some weight.

 

DDR isn’t my thought of a great cardio workout but do whatever gets you moving and works for you.

 

Good luck. Pretty much what I can add has already been said.

[Pressfit]

Chin-ups.... using Lats, Biceps, and Deltoids. This is where a gym would be good. That way you can work up with less weight by using a Lat machine by doing pulldowns with whatever weight you want.

[Mguy92]

Chin-ups.... using Lats, Biceps, and Deltoids. This is where a gym would be good. That way you can work up with less weight by using a Lat machine by doing pulldowns with whatever weight you want.

 

I just don't know if I can afford to. The last one I went to was $60 a month. I can't do that on a regular basis. I'd like to by all means, but I'm not made of money. I also had a trainer, too, seeing as I probably wouldn't know how to use the machines on my own.

[sns256]

I just don't know if I can afford to. The last one I went to was $60 a month. I can't do that on a regular basis. I'd like to by all means, but I'm not made of money. I also had a trainer, too, seeing as I probably wouldn't know how to use the machines on my own.

 

$60/ Month is a lot of money. Why don't you go to a personal trainer for a couple of weeks to learn how to do the machines and then go to a cheaper gym once you don't need a trainer? Learn how to use the dumbbells too. I prefer them for almost all exercises to machines.

 

I did that back when I was your age. I went to a $200/ Month gym for awhile. I became very good friends with the owner/ head trainer. I got in such good shape that they eventually let me train for free, because I was able to help train and push his more elite level customers. (NHL, AHL, WHL, CFL, ect.) players. He ended up moving to a larger facility and wanted me to start paying again, and I couldn't afford it.

 

So I decided to go to a different gym and now I pay $15/ month. I am not sure how it works where you live. But military gyms are very inexpensive to go to. High school gyms, and university gyms are very inexpensive too.

[Pressfit]

There's tons of sites and info on the net to illustrate the proper ways to use machines too. link removed is a great forum. Join and ask questions?

[veneratio]

Ditto^ . Use the search and read the articles on link removed before you pour money into a personal trainer. Most machines have a description on them anyway. If you've got the barney gym as I like to call it (planet fitness), in close proximity, hit it up! It's only $10 a month. Once you get higher up in numbers it kind of sucks, but it's perfect for beginners. And most likely you wont be able to deadlift, but everything else is there.

 

Maybe check out the YMCA, too? But honestly, for your pull-ups or chin-ups. Buy a $20 bar from walmart to go in your doorway. I was in the same boat, couldn't do a pull-up for crap. I did chin-ups everyday to buildup my strength. I think I started at 5 in a row...so..yeah, I was pretty weak. The machines made me feel cheated, so I just worked my way up the regular way.

[ghost69]

$60 a month? whoa. rip off. $25 a month or less here.

[Mguy92]

One problem of mine is that once I reach my goal weight, and am satisfied, I won't know how to maintain it. I'll know how to keep losing, but I won't know how to stay there, and probably gain weight and repeat the process again.

[veneratio]

To maintain a certain body weight you need to find a site that calculates how many calories you burn off in a day. Anywhere around that number is what you should be hitting. For me, it says I need 3,000 cals per day, but eating 3,000 has helped me gain rather than maintain my weight. So it differs from person to person, but it should be around that number.

[ghost69]

One problem of mine is that once I reach my goal weight, and am satisfied, I won't know how to maintain it. I'll know how to keep losing, but I won't know how to stay there, and probably gain weight and repeat the process again.

 

just have to watch your diet.

[Pressfit]

In theory maintaining your final target body weight after you achieve it is pretty simple. That is you need to eat almost the same as you do when you're working out. Otherwise the body will start to consume its own mass. But if you keep some fat on normally, then that might not be much of a problem for you. It's natural for the appetite to drop if the demand for energy is not there.

 

My biggest problem was always keeping the appetite if I stopped working out. Especially since I normally carry 5 to 7 percent body fat. So I can run through burning fat really quick and start to burning muscle if I don't watch it carefully.

 

Remember the body uses Glycogen for energy first, then fat, then muscle.