Deicide
17th June 2012, 00:42
I'm surprised a thread like this doesn't already exist. I'm going to suggest a basic weight-lifting routine, a diet, and some supplements. This is for anyone interested in transforming their life forever. This can be carried out by a complete beginner with minimum equipment and without going to the gym. First, I must be blunt, working out is essentially 100% pain, so if you're not a big, tough, hairy bloke, turn away now. But the benefits of doing so are incredible.
The greatest benefit of regular and intense training is not the improvement of your physical appearance, strength, power, speed, general fitness and health, although those things are really nice, but rather it's the improvement in psychological well-being, such as increased concentration, higher moods, stress reduction, which is scientifically documented.
Equipment
Free-weights are by far superior to machines. The lower chance of having an injury is one of the main reasons.
Dumbbells @ at least 20kg, so 10kg per arm, if that's too heavy for you, you can always use less weights. (these are essential)
Olympic Barbell + at least 30kg of weights (this is essential), preferably with a weight bench that can incline.
Pressup handles (not essential, but highly recommended)
Pull up bar (not essential)
Workout mat (not essential, but it's all nice and cushiony)
A field or an area where you can run safely (if you decide to do cardio)
Power cage or squat rack (these are nice, but they're not that cheap)
You don't need any machines, they're shit.
Training routine
I'm sure you all know this, but it's advisable that you do 5 - 10 minutes of warming up before doing any serious lifting or cardio. Doing stretches and some Yoga is probably your best bet. You can also do dumbbell exercises, but do so with less weights than you'd use for your main exercises.
Main training.
This will be a workout for pretty much your entire body. I recommend doing 8 reps and 4 sets (8 reps = 1 set) for each exercise to begin with. Increase the amount of reps by 1 each week, until you reach 12 and then start again. If you feel this is no longer enough, add more weights, if you don't have any more weights then do more reps. If this is too much, then either lower your reps, sets, or both. If you do not know what these exercises are and how to perform them correctly, simply watch a demonstration on youtube. You don't want to injure yourself. Before beginning training, find out how much you're capable and comfortable with lifting. It's advisable to start with less and then gradually increase the weights every month or so.
Train 3 days out of 7. You can do more if you're capable of doing so. Cardio can be done every day of the week, but you can do no cardio whatsoever. It's advisable that you rest at least one day of the week. Resting and getting enough sleep (8 hours) is just as important as training hard and eating properly. If you don't rest properly, you're missing out on muscle growth, simple as that.
Squats. These are essential for building strength and power. If you do not have a weight bench, power cage, squat rack or a friend to help, do dumbbell squats instead. Unless you don't mind putting a big hole or crack in your floor.
Dead lift. These are also essential for building strength and power. You can use dumbbells or the barbell.
Dumbbell or barbell overhead press.
Standing or sitting, 1 or 2 hand, triceps extensions with dumbbells.
Barbell or dumbbell curls. There are several variations of these if you get bored, such as hammer curls (if you're using dumbbells).
Bent-over rows or Wide rows with dumbbells.
Toe raise with dumbbells.
Bench press. These can be performed on the floor or on a weight bench. You can either use dumbbells or a barbell. If you have a weight bench that can incline, do incline dumbbell presses.
Flys with dumbbells
Palms-up wrist curl with dumbbells
Upright Row with dumbbells
Shoulder shrugs with dumbbells or barbell.
Front raise or lateral raise with dumbbells.
Dumbbell side bend
Crunches, if they become too easy, hold a 5kg weight (or more), while doing them. (I would do these every day, regardless of whether you're training that day or not)
Pressups. Most people can barely do 10, so if you can only do 1 set with 8 reps, just do that. There's also plenty of variations. Don't use your wrists, use your fists for support, or better yet, get some pressup handles.
Pull ups (if you have a place to do them)
You don't have to do all of these, although it's advisable that you do. Train until you finish everything. There are other exercises that you can do, look around the internet or if you decide to go the gym, ask the dudes there. Remember to drink a shit load of water before, during and after training. I personally drink around a gallon a day, that's not including food.
Cardio. Some people believe this gets in the way of muscle growth. If you're fat and want to lose weight, it's advisable that you do it. Do whatever you feel like, It doesn't matter, hell you can even walk your dog or whatever, aslong as you do it for 30 - 60 minutes. I personally run around 10 miles, sometimes less, of crosscountry throughout the week. Which isn't much if you spread it out.
Supplements
First of all, you don't have to take any supplements whatsoever. Frankly some of them are ridiculously expensive and hardly make a difference. However, there are two supplements that are pretty much essential. You still need to eat and train properly, otherwise they're a waste of money.
Essentials
Whey Protein shakes. Protein is what builds muscle, you need this if you want to get anywhere, it's as simple as that. Protein in high concentration is found in foods such as chicken, turkey and nuts. However, most people don't consume enough through food. This is when protein shakes come in. It's recommended that you consume 1 gram of protein per lb of body weight. For instance, if you weight 150lb, consume 150 grams daily. However, I would recommend consuming 50 - 100 grams more than that. The great thing about protein shakes is that they have low, or sometimes no, carbs and are low in calories, and some of them are even delicious, depending on the brand and flavour. Drink your protein shakes as soon as you wake up, after a workout and before sleep.
Creatine. This is a natural substance, Creatine is found in food such as meat. Your body also produces 2 grams of this stuff daily. There's a lot of bro science going around regarding creatine. All of it is nonsense. This stuff is safe, there are over 300 studies done on creatine by scientists. Nothing compares to the strength, power, endurance and lean mass gains from creatine, apart from steroids, but stay away from that shit. Creatine also reduces your recovery time.
Read this
http://www.abcbodybuilding.com/creatine%20myths%20and_facts.htm
Omega 3, 6 and 9. I'm sure you all know what these are.
Essential vitamins, most stores sell a tub.
Non-essential
Branched-chain amino acid or BCAA. I've been using this stuff for around 2 weeks, I already notice the difference in recovery time.
Branched Chain Amino Acids (BCAAs) are Leucine, Isoleucine and Valine. They are considered to be essential amino acids because humans could not survive unless they were present in their diet. BCAAs are required to maintain lean tissue and studies have shown that they help to preserve your stores of glycogen. BCAAs also prevent tissue breakdown during training. Unlike other amino acids BCAAs are not metabolised in the stomach and are instead metabolised directly in the muscle. This unique quality means that they build lean tissue and stop catabolism. These unique amino acids (Leucine, Isoleucine and Valine) cannot be synthesised by your body so they are essential to your growth.
CLA
Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA) is a naturally occurring free fatty acid found mainly in foods such as cheese, milk, lamb and beef as well as many processed foods - but only in small amounts! To consume enough CLA you would require a large intake of these types of foods. This of course would be of no use as it would require you to eat alot of calories. CLA is proven by research to build lean tissue, reduce body fat, and help general improved health!
Glutamine.
Glutamine is a vital amino acid that is required by every muscle in the body, and is one of the most important building blocks in forming the proteins that maintain cellular health and tissue repair. Glutamine is found in varying amounts in most meat and fish as well as, to a small extent, in vegetables and pulses. Anyone involved in high intensity training programmes designed for hypertrophy, may find Glutamine a beneficial supplement.
Glutamine is a semi essential amino acid that the body is able to produce in small amounts; however the majority of it must come from the diet. It is required for hypertrophy and also plays an important role in repairing damaged tissue. Glutamine is also considered useful to anyone undergoing training for endurance sports such as long distance running or cycling, and can help to reduce the incidence of cramps caused through repetitive strain. Because Glutamine can help in this regard, it is also recommended for elderly people who suffer from cramps and regular muscle pain as a natural alternative to chemical pain killers.
Diet
This is the most important. If you don't eat correctly, you're pretty much wasting your time. I'm not going to list recipes, or tell you what time you should eat, it doesn't matter. I'm just going to list the food that you should eat, if you want results. Of course this isn't some comprehensive list, there's more things you can eat, but I don't have all day, so do some research if this isn't your fancy.
Fish - Mackerel, tuna, bass, salmon.
Nuts (Non-salted) - Almonds, pistachios, cashews, peanuts.
Lean meat - Chicken, Beef, Turkey.
Veg - Carrots, spinach, broccoli, cabbage, cucumber.
Fruit - Apples, bananas, tomatoes, melon.
Dairy - Skimmed milk, cottage cheese and natural yogurts.
Liquids - Green tea, Water (drink this as if your life depends on it ;)), and coffee.
Brown rice, oats, and eggs.
If you want to lose weight, it's simple, eat less calories than your daily intake for maintaining your current weight. For example, if you're sustainment intake is 3000 calories, instead consume 2000 or 2500. To roughly find out your daily sustainment, use an online calorie intake calculator. Also, the more muscle you have, the faster you burn fat. If you're trying to gain muscle and lose fat at the same time, usually it doesn't work very well, unless you're a beginner. If you want to bulk, consume more calories than your current daily intake. Simple.
If you're new to lifting and you're a relatively young male (18 - 22), and you stick to this and take it seriously, it's possible to gain anywhere from 10lb to 50lb (yes, really) of muscle in a single year. Depending on your diet, current fat to lean mass ratio, and genetics, yes, unfortunately, genetics mean quite a lot. Some guys are just made for building muscle.
Women can follow this too, although I have no idea how fast women gain muscle. But I know muscle gain for women is slower and there's less of it compared to men, for various biological reasons, namely lower testosterone levels, among other reasons, but I can't be bothered going into it.
Good luck on your journey. Have fun. :cool:
The greatest benefit of regular and intense training is not the improvement of your physical appearance, strength, power, speed, general fitness and health, although those things are really nice, but rather it's the improvement in psychological well-being, such as increased concentration, higher moods, stress reduction, which is scientifically documented.
Equipment
Free-weights are by far superior to machines. The lower chance of having an injury is one of the main reasons.
Dumbbells @ at least 20kg, so 10kg per arm, if that's too heavy for you, you can always use less weights. (these are essential)
Olympic Barbell + at least 30kg of weights (this is essential), preferably with a weight bench that can incline.
Pressup handles (not essential, but highly recommended)
Pull up bar (not essential)
Workout mat (not essential, but it's all nice and cushiony)
A field or an area where you can run safely (if you decide to do cardio)
Power cage or squat rack (these are nice, but they're not that cheap)
You don't need any machines, they're shit.
Training routine
I'm sure you all know this, but it's advisable that you do 5 - 10 minutes of warming up before doing any serious lifting or cardio. Doing stretches and some Yoga is probably your best bet. You can also do dumbbell exercises, but do so with less weights than you'd use for your main exercises.
Main training.
This will be a workout for pretty much your entire body. I recommend doing 8 reps and 4 sets (8 reps = 1 set) for each exercise to begin with. Increase the amount of reps by 1 each week, until you reach 12 and then start again. If you feel this is no longer enough, add more weights, if you don't have any more weights then do more reps. If this is too much, then either lower your reps, sets, or both. If you do not know what these exercises are and how to perform them correctly, simply watch a demonstration on youtube. You don't want to injure yourself. Before beginning training, find out how much you're capable and comfortable with lifting. It's advisable to start with less and then gradually increase the weights every month or so.
Train 3 days out of 7. You can do more if you're capable of doing so. Cardio can be done every day of the week, but you can do no cardio whatsoever. It's advisable that you rest at least one day of the week. Resting and getting enough sleep (8 hours) is just as important as training hard and eating properly. If you don't rest properly, you're missing out on muscle growth, simple as that.
Squats. These are essential for building strength and power. If you do not have a weight bench, power cage, squat rack or a friend to help, do dumbbell squats instead. Unless you don't mind putting a big hole or crack in your floor.
Dead lift. These are also essential for building strength and power. You can use dumbbells or the barbell.
Dumbbell or barbell overhead press.
Standing or sitting, 1 or 2 hand, triceps extensions with dumbbells.
Barbell or dumbbell curls. There are several variations of these if you get bored, such as hammer curls (if you're using dumbbells).
Bent-over rows or Wide rows with dumbbells.
Toe raise with dumbbells.
Bench press. These can be performed on the floor or on a weight bench. You can either use dumbbells or a barbell. If you have a weight bench that can incline, do incline dumbbell presses.
Flys with dumbbells
Palms-up wrist curl with dumbbells
Upright Row with dumbbells
Shoulder shrugs with dumbbells or barbell.
Front raise or lateral raise with dumbbells.
Dumbbell side bend
Crunches, if they become too easy, hold a 5kg weight (or more), while doing them. (I would do these every day, regardless of whether you're training that day or not)
Pressups. Most people can barely do 10, so if you can only do 1 set with 8 reps, just do that. There's also plenty of variations. Don't use your wrists, use your fists for support, or better yet, get some pressup handles.
Pull ups (if you have a place to do them)
You don't have to do all of these, although it's advisable that you do. Train until you finish everything. There are other exercises that you can do, look around the internet or if you decide to go the gym, ask the dudes there. Remember to drink a shit load of water before, during and after training. I personally drink around a gallon a day, that's not including food.
Cardio. Some people believe this gets in the way of muscle growth. If you're fat and want to lose weight, it's advisable that you do it. Do whatever you feel like, It doesn't matter, hell you can even walk your dog or whatever, aslong as you do it for 30 - 60 minutes. I personally run around 10 miles, sometimes less, of crosscountry throughout the week. Which isn't much if you spread it out.
Supplements
First of all, you don't have to take any supplements whatsoever. Frankly some of them are ridiculously expensive and hardly make a difference. However, there are two supplements that are pretty much essential. You still need to eat and train properly, otherwise they're a waste of money.
Essentials
Whey Protein shakes. Protein is what builds muscle, you need this if you want to get anywhere, it's as simple as that. Protein in high concentration is found in foods such as chicken, turkey and nuts. However, most people don't consume enough through food. This is when protein shakes come in. It's recommended that you consume 1 gram of protein per lb of body weight. For instance, if you weight 150lb, consume 150 grams daily. However, I would recommend consuming 50 - 100 grams more than that. The great thing about protein shakes is that they have low, or sometimes no, carbs and are low in calories, and some of them are even delicious, depending on the brand and flavour. Drink your protein shakes as soon as you wake up, after a workout and before sleep.
Creatine. This is a natural substance, Creatine is found in food such as meat. Your body also produces 2 grams of this stuff daily. There's a lot of bro science going around regarding creatine. All of it is nonsense. This stuff is safe, there are over 300 studies done on creatine by scientists. Nothing compares to the strength, power, endurance and lean mass gains from creatine, apart from steroids, but stay away from that shit. Creatine also reduces your recovery time.
Read this
http://www.abcbodybuilding.com/creatine%20myths%20and_facts.htm
Omega 3, 6 and 9. I'm sure you all know what these are.
Essential vitamins, most stores sell a tub.
Non-essential
Branched-chain amino acid or BCAA. I've been using this stuff for around 2 weeks, I already notice the difference in recovery time.
Branched Chain Amino Acids (BCAAs) are Leucine, Isoleucine and Valine. They are considered to be essential amino acids because humans could not survive unless they were present in their diet. BCAAs are required to maintain lean tissue and studies have shown that they help to preserve your stores of glycogen. BCAAs also prevent tissue breakdown during training. Unlike other amino acids BCAAs are not metabolised in the stomach and are instead metabolised directly in the muscle. This unique quality means that they build lean tissue and stop catabolism. These unique amino acids (Leucine, Isoleucine and Valine) cannot be synthesised by your body so they are essential to your growth.
CLA
Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA) is a naturally occurring free fatty acid found mainly in foods such as cheese, milk, lamb and beef as well as many processed foods - but only in small amounts! To consume enough CLA you would require a large intake of these types of foods. This of course would be of no use as it would require you to eat alot of calories. CLA is proven by research to build lean tissue, reduce body fat, and help general improved health!
Glutamine.
Glutamine is a vital amino acid that is required by every muscle in the body, and is one of the most important building blocks in forming the proteins that maintain cellular health and tissue repair. Glutamine is found in varying amounts in most meat and fish as well as, to a small extent, in vegetables and pulses. Anyone involved in high intensity training programmes designed for hypertrophy, may find Glutamine a beneficial supplement.
Glutamine is a semi essential amino acid that the body is able to produce in small amounts; however the majority of it must come from the diet. It is required for hypertrophy and also plays an important role in repairing damaged tissue. Glutamine is also considered useful to anyone undergoing training for endurance sports such as long distance running or cycling, and can help to reduce the incidence of cramps caused through repetitive strain. Because Glutamine can help in this regard, it is also recommended for elderly people who suffer from cramps and regular muscle pain as a natural alternative to chemical pain killers.
Diet
This is the most important. If you don't eat correctly, you're pretty much wasting your time. I'm not going to list recipes, or tell you what time you should eat, it doesn't matter. I'm just going to list the food that you should eat, if you want results. Of course this isn't some comprehensive list, there's more things you can eat, but I don't have all day, so do some research if this isn't your fancy.
Fish - Mackerel, tuna, bass, salmon.
Nuts (Non-salted) - Almonds, pistachios, cashews, peanuts.
Lean meat - Chicken, Beef, Turkey.
Veg - Carrots, spinach, broccoli, cabbage, cucumber.
Fruit - Apples, bananas, tomatoes, melon.
Dairy - Skimmed milk, cottage cheese and natural yogurts.
Liquids - Green tea, Water (drink this as if your life depends on it ;)), and coffee.
Brown rice, oats, and eggs.
If you want to lose weight, it's simple, eat less calories than your daily intake for maintaining your current weight. For example, if you're sustainment intake is 3000 calories, instead consume 2000 or 2500. To roughly find out your daily sustainment, use an online calorie intake calculator. Also, the more muscle you have, the faster you burn fat. If you're trying to gain muscle and lose fat at the same time, usually it doesn't work very well, unless you're a beginner. If you want to bulk, consume more calories than your current daily intake. Simple.
If you're new to lifting and you're a relatively young male (18 - 22), and you stick to this and take it seriously, it's possible to gain anywhere from 10lb to 50lb (yes, really) of muscle in a single year. Depending on your diet, current fat to lean mass ratio, and genetics, yes, unfortunately, genetics mean quite a lot. Some guys are just made for building muscle.
Women can follow this too, although I have no idea how fast women gain muscle. But I know muscle gain for women is slower and there's less of it compared to men, for various biological reasons, namely lower testosterone levels, among other reasons, but I can't be bothered going into it.
Good luck on your journey. Have fun. :cool: