Can Anyone Give Me Any Tips About BodyBuilding?

I'm just looking for some advice from any guys from this site. That knows proper ways when it comes to weight lifting. I go to a gym that has limited dumb bells and weight machines. I been lifting weights for weeks almost everyday, but alot of times I don't feel sore. I do alot of reps but I still don't feel anything. I don't know what I'm doing wrong.

Go to 4chan /fit/ and read the sticky there, it's the best intro you will get. (http://liamrosen.com/fitness.html the old sticky)

If you are new to weight lifting you likely must develop a strength base first, for which you should follow programs like Starting Strength (http://startingstrength.wikia.com/wiki/Starting_Strength_Wiki ) or Strong Lifts (http://stronglifts.com/)

Count your calories and remember to eat a lot and stay rested, also you should really read that sticky.

But to summarize, count your calories, eat more than you burn, sleep a lot and do a starting program.

@falserelic: Hey there in my experience your better served lifting heavy with less reps, for example I've been doing decline bench presses at 180 for 5-7 reps for 3-4 sets. Just be mindful that you can lift the weight with correct form for those number of reps and you'll start to see results. Also what is your caloric intake like?

Take steroids, they're pretty good.

@falserelic: Hey there in my experience your better served lifting heavy with less reps

I don't feel soar when I lift weights either.

@DanteFaustEsq said:

@falserelic: Hey there in my experience your better served lifting heavy with less reps, for example I've been doing decline bench presses at 180 for 5-7 reps for 3-4 sets. Just be mindful that you can lift the weight with correct form for those number of reps and you'll start to see results. Also what is your caloric intake like?

I'm not to for sure. I don't really pay to much attention to the amount of calories I eat. But I don't really eat much nowadays.

A couple of tips:

1. If you have dumbbells and a bench, you can work out pretty much every major muscle group, and can do it more effectively than any machine.
2. Go slow. As in, lift and lower the weight slowly and deliberately. You WILL feel the burn.
3. Look up additional exercises. Alternate upper and lower body.
4. Protein AFTER you lift.

http://www.defrancostraining.com/articles/38-articles/65-westside-for-skinny-bastards-part3.html

Really can't go wrong with this program.

@mtcantor said:

A couple of tips:

1. If you have dumbbells and a bench, you can work out pretty much every major muscle group, and can do it more effectively than any machine.
2. Go slow. As in, lift and lower the weight slowly and deliberately. You WILL feel the burn.
3. Look up additional exercises. Alternate upper and lower body.
4. Protein AFTER you lift.

Thanks for the advice. I probably should drink protein shakes.

 But I don't really eat much nowadays.

I take creatine and Ive been eating a lot.  I got to know this really really attractive university girl and she said that I look really jacked so yeah what Ive been doing has been working lately.  High reps low weights.  Take very small breaks and you will sweat like a motherfucker.  Also for your last set keep going until failure.  At times you might think that youre at your "last rep" but you just have to keep going.  And formulating a schedule helps out a lot.   
 
*EDIT* 
Oh wait I didnt read the OP......  As a few people mentioned before you need to go down slowly (there was a count for this but I forgot..... 1,2,3?) and then explode if youre doing a lot of reps.  Then on the last set keep going until failure.  

Use Fitocracy.com to track your progress, it turns your workouts into a quest / leveling system.

Definitely made me want to get my daily reps in to get the XP.

It's pretty cool, and I got fire enchants on my freeweights.

Well I'm about to head out to the gym soon. I'll try out some of you guys advice.

Depending on what your goals are: For Mass: higher weight w/ less reps For Lean Mass: lower weight w/ less reps Proper form is the most important thing. Starting off you will most likely be using a lower weights. Don't worry about looking like a pussy as long as proper technique is used. Too often at gyms you will see people throwing around large weights with horrible technique. They are doing nothing but risking injury. Your strength will increase exponentially quickly if you stick to proper technique. Lift only 3 times/week with a day of rest between. I would usually do chest/tris on Monday, cardio on Tuesday, Back/Bis on Wednesday, cardio on Thursday, Legs on Friday, cardio on Saturday, and rest on Sunday. The first week will suck ass and you will be sore as well. After the 1st week you will still experience soreness but it is a different "good" sore feeling. It is normal to be sore a day or so after every workout. It indicates that you have torn the fine muscle fibers and they are repairing. This is the goal of lifting. It's what builds lean muscle mass and bulk. Mix up your exercises every month or so for muscle confusion. Use protein and creatine supplements daily. Increase your daily protein and fiber intake as well. The fiber will fuck your stomach for a few days but will even out. The fiber inhibits the absorbtion of fats. Most importantly, set realistic goals and do your best to stick with them. Don't get discouraged and give up if you decide to follow through with lifting. Feel free to message me with any questions you may have.

@Divina_Rex: What in the fucking Jesus of Satan was that........

@falserelic said:

@Divina_Rex: What in the fucking Jesus of Satan was that........

Frank Yang.

@falserelic said:

I'm just looking for some advice from any guys from this site. That knows proper ways when it comes to weight lifting. I go to a gym that has limited dumb bells and weight machines. I been lifting weights for weeks almost everyday, but alot of times I don't feel sore. I do alot of reps but I still don't feel anything. I don't know what I'm doing wrong.

lots of reps, good for keeping lean. does nothing for gaining increasing mass.

increasing weight so by the end of your set you almost go to failure* will give you more muscle mass.

*failure, is the point where doing one more rep will make you lose good form. you don't want to a rep in bad form.

but you need a goal, this is a general rule. not sure if you are tying to become the hulk or just fit.

@troll93 said:

@falserelic said:

@mtcantor said:

A couple of tips:

1. If you have dumbbells and a bench, you can work out pretty much every major muscle group, and can do it more effectively than any machine.
2. Go slow. As in, lift and lower the weight slowly and deliberately. You WILL feel the burn.
3. Look up additional exercises. Alternate upper and lower body.
4. Protein AFTER you lift.

Thanks for the advice. I probably should drink protein shakes.

It may just be that all the shakes that I have ever tried taste like garbage, but I try to work out before dinner, than have a high protin meal i.e. chicken, turkey ect.

True, I had some protein shakes before they do taste like shit. But I'm willing to stick with it, if it helps build muscle.

To gain mass, do heavy free weight compound exercises: bench press, dead lift, squats, lunges, pull-ups, bent over barbell rows. Also, a common mistake for beginners is focusing entirely on the exercise and ignoring diet. Any professional bodybuilder will tell you that achieving the body you desire is 65% diet, 10% rest, and 25% exercise. I ignored this when I began, and I saw modest results. However, after I began eating 6 smaller balanced meals a day, I was able to put on 15 pounds.

My brother is really into his body building stuff and one thing he always goes on about is food intake. He eats often throughout the day and has plenty of pasta and chicken and fish. He also has protein shakes but I'm unsure of how often. I think he does weights about four times a week and cardio once or twice. You should join a body building forum and look into diet plans and such. You can't bulk up if you're not taking in the calories, it's just not possible. Oh, and be prepared for some pretty bland meals if what my brother eats is anything to go by! =p

@stinky said:

@falserelic said:

I'm just looking for some advice from any guys from this site. That knows proper ways when it comes to weight lifting. I go to a gym that has limited dumb bells and weight machines. I been lifting weights for weeks almost everyday, but alot of times I don't feel sore. I do alot of reps but I still don't feel anything. I don't know what I'm doing wrong.

lots of reps, good for keeping lean. does nothing for gaining increasing mass.

increasing weight so by the end of your set you almost go to failure* will give you more muscle mass.

*failure, is the point where doing one more rep will make you lose good form. you don't want to a rep in bad form.

but you need a goal, this is a general rule. not sure if you are tying to become the hulk or just fit.

Nah, I'm not trying to look like a monster with muscles on top of each other. I'm just trying to be fit and get a 6 pack. Its going to be a long and painful journey but I'm willing to do it.

@Erzs said:

My brother is really into his body building stuff and one thing he always goes on about is food intake. He eats often throughout the day and has plenty of pasta and chicken and fish. He also has protein shakes but I'm unsure of how often. I think he does weights about four times a week and cardio once or twice. You should join a body building forum and look into diet plans and such. You can't bulk up if you're not taking in the calories, it's just not possible. Oh, and be prepared for some pretty bland meals if what my brother eats is anything to go by! =p

Thanks for the tip.

you will not be sore if you lift regularly. Also, dont just do chest and biceps. If deadlifts and squats are not in your routine, you are doing it wrong

@phrali said:

you will not be sore if you lift regularly. Also, dont just do chest and biceps. If deadlifts and squats are not in your routine, you are doing it wrong

I'll keep that in mind thanks.

Simplified: Fewer reps, greater amounts of weight. Switch up the "machines" you use if you're not getting sore; your muscles are getting "accustomed" to the motions and you're not efficiently tearing them down anymore. Don't do your full body every other day, do one major muscle and a few minor muscles. Example: Chest and... well, depends on the chest exercise, because if you're benchpressing, you're going to be using both triceps and chest. I personally do benchpress, curls, and crunches on Monday; squats, overhead press, and some cardio Wednesdays; pulldowns (or pullups), a different chest/tricep exercise (either angled benchpress or a machine), crunches, and cardio Friday. It's basic, it's not a very pro regimen, but doing this for 3 months has given me very impressive results (IMO).

You need to eat QUITE A LOT MORE than you normally do if you're serious about gaining. I eat ~3k cals a day. 1g protein per lb per day. Yes, protein shakes after workouts are great.

@the_OFFICIAL_jAPanese_teaBAG said:

I take creatine and Ive been eating a lot. I got to know this really really attractive university girl and she said that I look really jacked so yeah what Ive been doing has been working lately. High reps low weights. Take very small breaks and you will sweat like a motherfucker. Also for your last set keep going until failure. At times you might think that youre at your "last rep" but you just have to keep going. And formulating a schedule helps out a lot.

High reps with low weights is more for tone than muscle building. Less reps with higher weights is more for muscle building. Either way you're going to build muscle but one is slightly slower than the other.

To everyone saying do deadlifts: how do without spotter? I tried these for a while, but I always managed to fuck it up somehow and hurt myself (albeit minorly). I decided to just say fuck it, but I want to include them. Any good (free) sources? I've found some real shit gifs, no videos that help beginners.

@the_OFFICIAL_jAPanese_teaBAG said:

I take creatine and Ive been eating a lot. I got to know this really really attractive university girl and she said that I look really jacked so yeah what Ive been doing has been working lately. High reps low weights. Take very small breaks and you will sweat like a motherfucker. Also for your last set keep going until failure. At times you might think that youre at your "last rep" but you just have to keep going. And formulating a schedule helps out a lot.

High reps with low weights is more for tone than muscle building. Less reps with higher weights is more for muscle building. Either way you're going to build muscle but one is slightly slower than the other.

I'm not jacked by any means, but one thing I will say is don't neglect your cardio.

@Tim_the_Corsair said:

I'm not jacked by any means, but one thing I will say is don't neglect your cardio.

I do more cardio then weight lifting. I lost a few pounds, but I'm trying to work on gaining muscle. So I'm going to try out some of these people's advice and see if it works for me.

@falserelic:

Saw some links, those are some great starting places. So is Bodybuilding.com, it has a great store for protein and supplements and guides on exercises and nutrition.

You need to eat, like a lot. I've put on about 30 pounds (from 160 lbs) over the past 6 months and I still have quite a bit to go. There is no way around that, if you want to put on strength and mass you need to eat a lot (with protein obviously) to put on weight. Buying weight gainers help, too.

@falserelic said:

@Tim_the_Corsair said:

I'm not jacked by any means, but one thing I will say is don't neglect your cardio.

I do more cardio then weight lifting. I lost a few pounds, but I'm trying to work on gaining muscle. So I'm going to try out some of these people's advice and see if it works for me.

Yeah, you need to eat a lot, period.

Started bodybuilding about six months ago, and have gained about 30 pounds so far. Went from 5'11'' 140lbs to 5' 11'' 175lbs, with my goal being 190lbs before doing my first cut.

LIFTS: Compound movements (movements using more than one muscle group) in a "split". Each is done for either 3 or 4 sets, 12-15 reps per set. My current weekly split is

Day 1: Chest (flat and incline bench press, chest flies, hammer raises) and Tricep (tricep extensions, skullcrushers)

Day 2: Back (pullups, chinups, bent over row, rear delt flies) and Bicep (pullups, chinups, bicep curls)

Day 3: Rest

Day 4: Legs (squats, deadlifts, leg extensions, calf raises, really anything lower body!)

Day 5: Rest

Day 6: Shoulders (shoulder/military press, standing dumbbell flies, Arnold press)

Day 7: Rest

DIET: Eat a lot. A WHOLE LOT. I take in about 3000 calories a day, and on workout/heavy days, I take in about 3200 calories. I have 1g of protein per pound of bodyweight, anywhere from 250-350g of carbs, and about 40g of healthy fats (peanut butter, olive oil, etc). Tons of peanut butter, oatmeal, weight gainer shakes (Optimum Nutrition's Serious Mass, Dymatize's Mega Gainer, MHP's Up Your Mass are the top three for me).

REST: Get TONS of rest. 8 hours of sleep a night on average, and be sure that a bodypart is fully healed before lifting again, or you'll just be spinning your wheels, never actually making progress.

The ONE THING to keep in mind: You don't have to lift heavy, just moderate. 'Stimulate, don't Annihilate'. Rest is key, as is diet. You tear down muscle in the gym, you build it in the kitchen.

Hope this helps!

@murisan:

Here

I've never used a spotter, although it would certainly be good for precautionary purposes.

A novice question that I'm sure you're not having a problem with but are you adequately stretching before your workout?

What do you currently weigh and what's the goal of your exercise? Increasing reps is good for definition but if you're going for something else we need to know.

@Karmum said:

@murisan:

Here

I've never used a spotter, although it would certainly be good for precautionary purposes.

When they say substitute a rowing motion, what exactly is that? Sorry to ask stupid questions.

@theANCIENTgray said:

A novice question that I'm sure you're not having a problem with but are you adequately stretching before your workout?

What do you currently weigh and what's the goal of your exercise? Increasing reps is good for definition but if you're going for something else we need to know.

I'm a fat guy I've lost a few pounds, now I'm 295. I use to be skinny gained weight over the years, and now I'm trying to get back in shape. This time I want to be muscular.

1. A lot of weight with low reps

2. Three times a week with days off in between

3. Each of those three days works a different muscle set

If your goal is to lose weight while packing on muscle, drop your carbs (but don't eliminate them! You need them for energy! Brown rice and oatmeal are your best friends here), do a 'cooldown' of light cardio immediately after doing your lifts (20 minutes of well-paced walking on a treadmill for instance), and continue resting well. Stick with the compound lifts, be SURE to get enough protein in your diet, and burn more calories than you take in per day.

While doing 'high weight for less reps' will build some muscle, that's more for muscle STRENGTH, not muscle SIZE. If you're in it for purely aesthetics (hypertrophy training), then stick with medium weight, medium reps.

High reps and low weight - toning, conditioning, and shaping muscles (Soccer player, swimmer)

Low reps and high weight - power, explosive force (Defenisive Lineman in football)

Medium reps with medium weight - muscle appearance and size (hollywood actors 'bulking up' for roles, etc)

But key is: BURN MORE CALORIES THAN YOU TAKE IN PER DAY, AND GIVE YOUR BODY ENOUGH REST AND PROTEIN!

@KamiDaHobo said:

If your goal is to lose weight while packing on muscle, drop your carbs (but don't eliminate them! You need them for energy! Brown rice and oatmeal are your best friends here), do a 'cooldown' of light cardio immediately after doing your lifts (20 minutes of well-paced walking on a treadmill for instance), and continue resting well. Stick with the compound lifts, be SURE to get enough protein in your diet, and burn more calories than you take in per day.

While doing 'high weight for less reps' will build some muscle, that's more for muscle STRENGTH, not muscle SIZE. If you're in it for purely aesthetics (hypertrophy training), then stick with medium weight, medium reps.

High reps and low weight - toning, conditioning, and shaping muscles (Soccer player, swimmer)

Low reps and high weight - power, explosive force (Defenisive Lineman in football)

Medium reps with medium weight - muscle appearance and size (hollywood actors 'bulking up' for roles, etc)

But key is: BURN MORE CALORIES THAN YOU TAKE IN PER DAY, AND GIVE YOUR BODY ENOUGH REST AND PROTEIN!

Thanks for the tips. I can definitely give that a try..

@falserelic said:

@theANCIENTgray said:

A novice question that I'm sure you're not having a problem with but are you adequately stretching before your workout?

What do you currently weigh and what's the goal of your exercise? Increasing reps is good for definition but if you're going for something else we need to know.

I'm a fat guy I've lost a few pounds, now I'm 295. I use to be skinny gained weight over the years, and now I'm trying to get back in shape. This time I want to be muscular.

The cardio, IMO, is the best place to start at this point. I walk about 45 minutes a night and it has really raised my metabolism. I sat on my ass at work and ate once or twice a day for two years. When I started walking I had to start eating 5 times a day or the hunger pangs were overwhelming. Getting your breath in order will help with your work out. When I worked out regularly, I worked groups like abs and triceps every other day. They tend to recover more quickly. Don't neglect your chest muscles. They're kinda hard to build-up and nothing looks stranger than a guy with huge arms and a tiny chest.

Good luck on your goal duder.

Hahah oh man Carrot-Top, that's what happens when you take Prohormones and only do like, three exercises!

@Tim_the_Corsair said:

I'm not jacked by any means, but one thing I will say is don't neglect your cardio.

I do more cardio then weight lifting. I lost a few pounds, but I'm trying to work on gaining muscle. So I'm going to try out some of these people's advice and see if it works for me.