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Starting Working Out: Building Strength
I'm 19, 5' 9", and weigh 135. I want to use what's left of this summer to begin working out and building strength, something I haven't done before and am at a loss about. I have no knowledge going into this and could really use some advice. I don't need to lose weight and have a semi-decent fitness level to begin from. What can/should I do to work on building strength?
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Justin Salmon on
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Permalink Reply by Cameron Dean on -
+1
Cooper, it doesn't get much better than Starting Strength for beginning strength training. Definitely check out the link that Justin posted and consider giving it a shot. It has worked wonders for me, and tons of of people populating various fitness forums around the internet swear by its effectiveness as well.
Good luck!
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Permalink Reply by Justin Poff on -
Cooper,
1st and foremost, keep the weight light until you have the technique down pat. Improper lifting can lead to serious issues or injuries later on.
I would recommend starting with a full body circuit workout like: http://www.menshealth.com/mhlists/high-intensity-circuit-routine/in.... I would say that after 2-3 weeks of this training you would be ok to start more isolation exercises to target specific muscle groups.
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Permalink Reply by Mike S. on -
To give you the proper advice, I need a bit more info. Do you want to build functional strength? Are you more interested in bulking up? What are your goals?
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Permalink Reply by Cooper M on -
I do want to bulk up. I'm not skin-and-bones thin, but I want to add some weight. What is a reasonable goal for gain? 10, 15 pounds of muscle?
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Permalink Reply by Phoenix Busch on -
At least 15. 150-160 wouldn't be bad for you. Even up to 170 would be reasonable. I'm 6ft aiming for 180 at least myself.
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Permalink Reply by Justin Poff on
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Everything that has been said is accurate to an extent. You will need to eat differently to gain muscle mass. You NEED to understand this point 1st: YOU ARE UNIQUE. Trying to look like someone else in a magazine is not always a realistic goal. With that said, you can potentially gain up to 20-25 lbs of muscle if you're willing to put the work into it.
The nutrition aspect can get a little confusing if you try and absorb it all at once. What to eat, how much to eat, when to eat... There are some good sites on the web with some good information. Check out Chad Howse, AoM has had him write a few fitness articles that I think are good. http://www.chadhowsefitness.com/blog/
I hope this has been of some help and I look forward to hearing about your results.
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Permalink Reply by Mike S. on
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To give you a point of reference, I am 5'7 last July I was about 145. Since then I have bulked up to about 165 and trimmed it back down to 160. 15 pounds is a reasonable goal, and at your height even 20-25 is doable without being monstrously big.
If you want to bulk, then you need to lift heavy. The key is high weight, low reps. Alternatively, when you want to cut fat and tone your muscle, then you need to do lower weight with high reps.
Here is my workout plan. You can use this as a reference and take away/add exercises as you like. It is by no means the end all, and I often switch out exercises for variety, but it has worked well for me. I am getting bigger, and better looking all the time.
Each exercise is done in 4 sets, repetitions of 12, 10, 8, 6, going heavier with each set.
(Chest and Upper Back)
Bench Press
Incline Bench
Decline Press
Cable Cross Over
Barbell Row
Cable Row
Rope Face Pull
Dumbell Row
(Shoulders and Lats)
Barbell Shoulder Press
Front Raise and Lat Raise (alternating between sets)
Bent Over Lat Raise
Overhead Shrug
Barbell Shrug
Pull Ups
Chin Ups
Pull Downs
Close Pull Downs
Rotator Cuff w/ cables
(Arms)
Barbell Curls
Weighted Dips
EZ Bar Bell Curls (they are bent and funny looking)
Overhead Press
Vbar Cable Curl
Rope Extensions
Inclined Dumbell Curl
Dumble Skull Crusher
One Arm Preacher Curls
Kick Backs
(Legs)
Squats
Dead Lift
Weight Calf Raises
Leg Curls
Leg Extensions
Your best bet is to find someone who knows how to lift so that they can ensure you have good form. Poor form is a sure way to injure yourself. Take it from me, when I first started lifting heavy, I hurt my back doing kettle bell swings. It put me out for two months. I can't stress enough how important your form is. If nothing else, practice the lift first with light or no weight.
With nutrition, as Justin said, you are going to have to eat. Ideally you should be eating five to six times a day. As far as supplementation, I recommend taking whey protein. Once you get your routine figured out and what not, you can start thinking about other supplements if you so choose. There are lots of resources online and I am not a nutriionest, nor do I have the best eating habits, so I don't have much advice beyond that. This is still an area I am working on.
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Permalink Reply by Carl Monster on -
Mike, this is very similar to the program I was doing before I switched to Starting Strength's; it had just one superset of assistance work after each compound exercise.
Just curious how long you rest between sets, and how long each session is. You got a lot going on there. I hear you need to keep your gym time to 75-90 minutes tops.
Excellent eating advice, for me it is eating lots of oatmeal and eggs, and peanut butter. I can go through a jar a week by myself.
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Permalink Reply by Mike S. on
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Carl, I don't time myself between sets. I just workout with a partner, so however long it takes for him to finish his set, and depending on the day, how much we bullshit in between. My workouts take 90 minutes if we are dragging our feet, but normally it takes about 70ish.
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Permalink Reply by Carl Monster on
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You be surprised at what the body is capable of. This winter I hit a training sweet spot and swear I would wake up next day bigger. From 08 to last winter I've gone from 150 to over 200 pounds, most of the gain in the last year when I started hitting the simple compounds featured in the Starting Strength program. Ive always been a skinny 6'2". Lately I've throttled back the gaining so I can lean up a hair and show some abs at the pool; my wife thinks it's a hoot she's gotten a trophy husband without having to remarry.
My one regret is that I didn't start sooner, I'll be 48 in September.
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Permalink Reply by Phoenix Busch on
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Well I suggest first you start eating more. You'll need the weight for more muscle mass and for the energy to do lifts and such. Also learn how to properly do the exercises you intend to do. I recommend at least the deadlift/squat either or will work as a part of your routine. Once you learn how to properly do your exercises add weight in increments of 5 and see how much you can do. Add weight until you can only do about 6-8 reps on the exercise and start from there. Also define your goals, makes it easier.
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