body building tips?
 

Hey guys,

i've been body building for like 2 years now and havent seen any dramatic changes. Any body builders here with some good tips that might break my genetic make up?

Are you eating right ?Also check out bodybuilding.com there's tons of useful info.

I don't think you'll be breaking any genetics, but diet is a huge part of building mass.

oh yeah i eat real well. My asian mum cooks healthy food all the time, so i dont think diet is an issue.

Are you trying to get bigger or get leaner? An idea of your goals would be helfpul.

If you're trying to build mass then:

A) Mum's cooking won't likely cut it alone. You'll need to add more protein and calories, I guarantee it.

B) How old are you? A lot of guys have trouble building mass a teenager but can pack it on later in their twenties.

If you're trying to build the following works for me:

Strength - Pyramid routine for larger muscle exercises (i.e. - bench press, squat).

each percentage refers to 1 rep max
80% - 4
85% - 3
90% - 2
95% - 1
70% rep out as many as you can.

So if your max bench press is 225 your routine would be:

180 X 4
190 X 3
205 X 2
215 X 1
170 as many times as you can.



Mass - 4 sets between 6-8 reps.

Tone - 4 sets between 10-15 reps.

When you are able to complete the maximum # of reps for any routine, increase the weight. Variety is always a good thing. Change up your routine every several months.

Remember to always use a spotter...

1 - eat plenty, but try to avoid shit more than a couple of times a week (i mean, not literal shit, but junk food and so on)

2 - exercise 4 times a week for 1 hour if you can

3 - dont get too stressed about it.

But hark at me giving advice on such things, Im a 280 lbs fatso!

Contact Barry Bonds for mass building suggestions...

muscle confusion and supppliments...Also see Troit's comments for good lifting scale. let us know how you are doing.

Find a site called professional muscle, read, lift and repeat.

And buy yourself some LBA's, they work oh so well.

What's an LBA?

Liquid beef amino's, do a search on the site, or google all american pharmacy liquid amino acids.

The best advice anyone can get on the subject:
Hire
a
good
personal
trainer.

That's the whole game right there. They can tell you exactly how to exercise and eat to get the desired result and can give you real time feedback. Even the best of us here on TFP can't do that.

Keep it simple:

• Don't worry too much about supplementing, eat the right food. Supplements can be a big waste of money, especially when much of what is found in those pills are found in the right foods. Also, many of them are basically useless, and most of them are a waste of money that could be spent on good food. If anything, supplement with a good multivitamin, and maybe some vitamin C (500mg) if you get sick easily. I use soy protein to make homemade protein bars, but I consider this more of a food item, as each serving of protein isn't nearly as high as 25-50g like some of the protein supplements out there. I use it to balance my diet, basically.
• Keep your workouts focused (i.e. don't waste your time on toning-style lifting, focus on the big, compound exercises).
• Lift heavy, eat heavy: Don't be afraid of carbs if you are eating natural foods--balance your diet (Keep eating your mum's food; maybe eat more of it; load up). Be sure to eat a meal or a snack every 3 or 4 hours max. If it's been 4 hours, you've waited too long.
• Most recommendations for protein intake are overhyped; the goal is to eat enough calories on a balanced diet. You don't need 200g of protein a day. I've built muscle at about a pound/month on 120-140g or protein/day. I likely could with less, even. If anything, my barrier was not eating enough overall calories.
• Train with high intensity; lift to muscular failure on three sets.
• Blast the crap out of your legs; some people don't focus enough on their legs; this sells you short above your waist. The human body is a machine; all parts included. Use it.

I'm a "hard gainer." I've read many articles and books, and I've seen results on efficient (read: non-obsessive) plans. If I wasn't such a slacker, I'd be in far better shape, with some nice lean muscle. Actually, I just restarted a routine, so this is on my mind these days.

The trick is to "listen" to your body. Push your muscles to the limit without overdoing it, then rest and eat. It's a simple cycle, but you've got to work hard at it.

Gains should be viewed as a long-term thing. Lean muscle mass is not the same as "bulking." Avoid bulking; it's for professional builders. Build lean mass, which realistically will equate to ten or so pounds per year--as high as twenty plus, depending on your genetics. This is lean muscle mass. You don't want to build fat; it's difficult to get rid of. Build pure muscle from the ground up.

Another big advantage of a personal trainer is motivation. God knows I could use that. I'd look like Brad Pitt in Troy if I could afford one.

The personal training advice is the ticket. No matter how hard you can work yourself, having a second brain present at your workout will always push you harder and closer to your true muscle failure - that place you go where your brain's not telling you you can't... that place where you're telling your body to do something and it just won't.

I'd say it's the best choice I've made in my adult life.

If you can't afford a personal trainer, find a good workout partner. A close friend with whom you share constant rivalries would be a good choice. That way, you could kick the shit out of each other in the gym. This is something else I don't have. I work out at home.... alone. :sad: