# Newb needs help bulking up... Workouts, nutrition, supplements etc



## Tjwx1989 (Jan 22, 2014)

Hi. 

I'm a complete newb to all of this sorry just looking for help trying to bulk up and gain mass.  I have free weights at home that consist of barbells, dumbbells and a weights bench with incline/decline and leg extensions.  Can someone help me out regarding :

Workouts -  any routines or programs?  Also how much reps and sets I should be doing? And how much rest in between reps and days off to rest? 

Nutrition -  what should I be eating too gain mass etc

Supplements - what are the best supplements out there to take. I already have creatine tablets. 

Many thanks


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## PillarofBalance (Jan 22, 2014)

You would do well to dig into the already existing threads. Your question is so broad that nobody can give you a straight answer. There are many many ways to reach your goal. You need to just find what looks good to you and go with it for a while.


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## jyoung8j (Jan 22, 2014)

Find out wht calories u need to maintain then add 500-1000 on top of it..


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## FreeBirdSam (Jan 22, 2014)

buy the book: " The Strongest Shall Survive: Strength Training for Football" - you want to focus on compound lifts and adding a little weight to each lift each week. (get progressively stronger!)

food,  eat Carbohydrates with every meal.. (pasta, oats, rice, etc..)  these should be your main focus to help add some scale weight/fat  - chicken, steak, ground beef, etc..
eat healthy fats (this is the easiest way to get more calories,..  Extra virgin olive oil, nuts,.. etc..   add to your meals!  Eat pop tarts in between meals (with a glass of milk)  for the first few months just eat everything in site!,  then you will want to dial in your diet there are many online calculators that you can utilize to lay out your macros for you.  (then like Jyoung said above, find your maintenance calories and add to them to GAIN or Lose weight!)  PLAN AHEAD!!  make a week's worth of meals on Saturday or Sunday,... you wont have time during the week to go shopping and cooking..  just make them up, freeze or refrigerate them and take them with you to work/school.

weigh yourself each week,  you want to eat enough to gain 1-2lbs per week.   (it takes time to get big, doesnt happen overnight!!)

your supplements should be Fish oil (lots of it!) I take 1g three to four times a day
multivitamin (just find one that doesn't upset your stomach..  gummies work good for me!)  don't spend too much on this, try sam's club or other bulk stores for your supplements - stay away from GNC, and others  these are nothing but gimmicks that will take your money and leave you with no cash for the REAL supplements: FOOD!

when you reach a sticking point and can't add weight to your workouts, try creatine monohydrate!  - you should already be consuming almost a gal of spring water a day, but water is even more important while taking creatine - creatine causes your muscles to hold water, therefore, you must consume water for it to work properly!   Creatine can get you over a Plato and progressing in strength again!  just take it long enough to get past your sticking point and save the rest for the next time you're stuck!

do light (walking cardio in the mornings for 30 min before breakfast) - this will increase your appetite (which is hands down the most important thing to bulking!)
if you get constipated from the excess foods you're eating, try Metamucil before bed,... mix it with greek yogurt or cottage cheese for your last meal of the day (this keeps feeding your muscles all night)

Get GOOD rest, keep some Valerian Root capsules (found at walmart) at home for nights you cant fall asleep, SLEEP IS IMPORTANT!!! its when you grow, if you aint sleeping, you aint growing!

STAY STRICT, STAY MOTIVATED, DON'T GIVE UP.   SET YOURSELF A GOAL.   DON'T WORRY ABOUT FAT, if you're getting REALLY fat, do more morning cardio (longer walking)
Post pictures on here, ask for help and critique, and stay away from sodas, energy drinks, McDonald's, nicotine, recreational drugs, etc..   if you fail to do any of these things (even just one) you will fail at getting big!

Good luck brother, and don't hesitate to PM me any questions


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## zog (Jan 22, 2014)

Samcooke pretty much nailed it (I'm a newb and a very similar routine worked for me)
Alternately, check out Starting Strength or Strong Lifts, both are extremely effective and extremely popular beginner programs (first 6 months).
They focus on compound lifts in the lower rep ranges until you have a stable muscle and skeletal base to work off of.

If you're skinny like me and want to bulk up, figure out your maintenance calorie intake http://www.freedieting.com/tools/calorie_calculator.htm
then add 500-1000 cals on top. For me, this meant eating until I was in pain, then eating again 2 hrs later, etc. Might be different for you.

If you need easy calories, protein shakes are great. I used Syntha-6 with whole milk since. Just make sure you're ALWAYS EATING.

Hope that helps.


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## FreeBirdSam (Jan 22, 2014)

zog said:


> Samcooke pretty much nailed it (I'm a newb and a very similar routine worked for me)
> Alternately, check out Starting Strength or Strong Lifts, both are extremely effective and extremely popular beginner programs (first 6 months).
> They focus on compound lifts in the lower rep ranges until you have a stable muscle and skeletal base to work off of.
> 
> ...



starting strength/strong lifts are just new re labeled versions of The strongest shall survive..  in the end all that matters is a good routine built around basic compound lifts and progression. 

and as for protein shakes..  every one of them are just dead animal protein.  I'd rather grind up chicken or beef with peanut butter and milk.  at least you're drinking real food then.

Whole food does a LOT more for you than powder.  any day.


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## DocDePanda187123 (Jan 22, 2014)

samcooke said:


> buy the book: " The Strongest Shall Survive: Strength Training for Football" - you want to focus on compound lifts and adding a little weight to each lift each week. (get progressively stronger!)
> 
> food,  eat Carbohydrates with every meal.. (pasta, oats, rice, etc..)  these should be your main focus to help add some scale weight/fat  - chicken, steak, ground beef, etc..
> eat healthy fats (this is the easiest way to get more calories,..  Extra virgin olive oil, nuts,.. etc..   add to your meals!  Eat pop tarts in between meals (with a glass of milk)  for the first few months just eat everything in site!,  then you will want to dial in your diet there are many online calculators that you can utilize to lay out your macros for you.  (then like Jyoung said above, find your maintenance calories and add to them to GAIN or Lose weight!)  PLAN AHEAD!!  make a week's worth of meals on Saturday or Sunday,... you wont have time during the week to go shopping and cooking..  just make them up, freeze or refrigerate them and take them with you to work/school.
> ...



I'm not the only one to have read it!! Starr's book/articles are filled with great ideas and is a must read IMO. This is our binding moment lol


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## Iron1 (Jan 29, 2014)

^^^ Augh, it's spreading!


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