Getting Big, Getting Strong; Truth and Hype

[kimtae]

There have been some confused postings lately so I think it’s time to set some things straight. I’m not a licensed trainer and I don’t pretend to know everything but there is a lot of misunderstanding about some very basic fundamentals to weightlifting that any seasoned weightlifter can easily dispel. If anything I write seems incorrect, by all means feel free to bring it to my attention but I think if you do your own research you’ll find that I am generally correct. There are some aspects to weight training and its related issues that might get updated from time to time but the core information and the general myths that have sprung up about it haven’t changed in a long time so I’m pretty confident of what I’m about to post.

First, the myths and misconceptions:

1. Lifting will make you bulky and slow.
This one gets thrown around by a lot of couch potatoes who have all the muscle tone of silly putty. Unless you are on steroids/HGH or you are one of the very, very few naturally gifted individuals who are predisposed to getting enormous, this does not apply to you. By you I mean the weekend warrior plugging away trying to gain ten pounds of muscle or lose that gut for summer. Putting on the kind of mass that would actually make you slow would require a tremendous effort over several years and is probably not achievable anyway by 99% of the general public. Don’t believe me; take a look at your top athletes in the sports that require lots of speed, power and stamina. What do you see, lots of bulging pecs and muscular arms. This includes boxers, MMA fighters, wrestlers, gymnasts, sprinters, even basketball players. In fact, Michael Jordan attributed a lot of his improvement as a defensive player to weightlifting which he started well after he began his pro career. So, don’t worry about it. You WILL NOT become another Franco Colombo. You WILL increase your power and speed if you train properly.

2. Muscle turns to fat:
A lot of people think that if you stop lifting your muscles will turn into fat. In no way does your body convert muscle to fat. This is a very inefficient way to deal with muscle that is no longer being used and nature is, if nothing, very efficient. Your body will metabolize the protein in unused muscle mass into energy. That explains the shrinking biceps but what about the expanding waist? Most athletes who get fat when they go off their training regimen do so because they continue to eat as if they were still in a high energy mode. They get fat because of the same reason everyone else does, they eat too damn much.

3. Weightlifting makes women muscular and bulky which is unattractive.
So many girls at my gym stand in front of a mirror hoisting a 3lb dumbbell over and over, afraid to touch anything heavier for fear of turning into the next Bev Francis. Not likely. Bev Francis was both a freak of nature and a steroid freak. So ladies, that 3lb dumbbell isn’t doing you any good.
A well-toned woman’s body is sexy and for most of you, luckily, well-toned is as “big” as you will get. Pick up that heavier dumbbell, do some squats, don’t be afraid to go over to the “guys” area and start doing the French press. You won’t get huge. Your bodies don’t produce the testosterone needed so don’t be afraid to work it a little harder.

4. Weightlifting doesn’t burn fat.
Most people think that aerobic exercises are the only ones that burn fat. Not true. Aerobic exercises burn fat as you work out but the demand of weightlifting means your body cannot use the same mechanism to supply energy to your muscles. Weightlifting requires huge amounts of energy and that energy is supplied by the glycogen stored in your muscles. Once this has been depleted, your body will convert fat (after your workout) to refuel the empty stores. In fact, depending on the work that you did, your metabolism could be in this high fat conversion mode for up to three hours.

[kimtae]

Now some general tips and advice:

1. Less is more. A lot of people get to a plateau after a year or two of lifting. They will then blame this on lack of training and start to lift more and more. This is actually the opposite. Like most things, there is an optimum amount of exercise. Overtraining will cause you to stop growing and lead you to a path of continuous frustration. Keep your workouts from 45 min. to 1 hour. If you have good intensity the whole time you will not need more. Pro bodybuilders will say they lift two hours or more but that’s the benefit of being on steroids. I assume we are all trying to go natural here. In any case, after 45 min. of intense lifting your workout will most likely turn catabolic (your body having depleted its glycogen supplies will start burning the protein in muscle rather than fat for its immediate energy needs).

2. Fuel your workout. Make sure you get a good balanced meal of both complex carbs and protein two to three hours prior to your workout. You need time to digest and get the energy from the food absorbed into your system. If you can’t eat until just prior to your workout go with something that will digest quickly like bananas and yogurt. Some athletes have been known to use baby food in this type of situation. A dollop of honey with a banana in a protein shake is good too but you should try to eat two hours prior for best results.
Post workout, try to get some carbs and protein into your system within 45 min or less after you finish. Your body is primed for maximum absorption of nutrients at this point so a fast digesting protein shake with a banana is perfect. A follow up of slower digesting protein will help to achieve optimum growth.
Don’t try to take in all your protein at once. I used to know a guy who would scarf down half a dozen eggs, two chicken breasts, and a can of tuna after a workout. All you do with that is take really expensive dumps later. Your body can only process and absorb into your muscles about 20 grams of protein per hour. Anything that’s left over will be converted to fat. Pace out your protein intake. 40-60 grams per two-three hours or so over five small meals is the best way to maximize your diet.

3. Warming up and stretching. Static stretching does little to prime your workout and could instead work against you by relaxing your muscles too much. Instead, take five minutes to do some light aerobic work then do some dynamic stretches. Save the static stretches for after the workout to ease muscle pain, flush out lactic acid, and lock in strength gains.

4. Lift what you can. I’ve seen a lot of guys stack too much weight on the bench and then cheat the lift. They go down halfway and huff and puff a lot but they really aren’t getting a full workout. 6 months later I see these same guys lifting the same weight in the same manner, no improvements in size or strength. In some cases these guys will stack on a lot of weight and do a full lift but with a spotter taking up to a quarter of the weight for them. Absolutely no good either, after all who’s doing the work?
At best these guys will get some very small benefits at the beginning but these gains will taper off quickly. At worst they will injure joints, particularly wrists and shoulders, and will quit because they think lifting isn’t “right” for them. So lift the correct weight for you, do it in good form, and don’t worry what anyone else in the gym is doing.

5. Choose the workout that’s right for you. If you want power, strength, speed, or bulk, there is a weight regimen that’s right for each. A lot of people don’t seem to understand and they wind up doing something that is of little benefit to what their goals are. I want mass and strength. I do a basic bodybuilding style workout for the upper body with occasional power pyramids. But I also have very naturally large legs and I was never really fleet of foot so I do a different workout for my lower body involving heavier weights, fewer reps and I sprint once a week.
Also choose the workout that’s right for each muscle group. Pecs respond well to the benchpress at lower reps because it’s a compound exercise involving very heavy weights and because the muscle fibers are designed for short bursts of tremendous energy. Calves, on the other hand, are designed to work constantly over long periods of time. The muscle fibers there won’t get much benefit from 3 sets of 8 reps like your pecs will. So you need to hit them at a lower weight for more sets at higher reps, I do four sets of 12 to 15 at three different angles and even then I feel like I should be doing more.

6. Go heavy and compound to light and simple.
This seems fairly intuitive and common sense but I’ve seen a lot of people over the years that will do something like start off with a triceps workout then jump over to the bench. I ask them why and they will usually say something like if they bench first, it makes them weak and tired for the triceps exercises. Duh. And if you do your triceps first, won’t it make you weak for the benchpress? If you do the benchpress you’re not tiring your triceps, your working them. Seems simple but a lot of people don’t get this so they’ll do curls before doing their upper back or they’ll run twenty min before squatting.

[kimtae]

So here is my basic workout. This is the one I developed over the course of two years of trying different splits. My current one is a little different but this is the one I always come back to as my base for everything else. As you can see I don’t do a lot of sets per body part. Instead I work on intensity, pushing to the limit each time and I keep it all within 45 min. I rest one min between sets and two min between exercises.

Mon. Chest, Triceps
- Warm up: one set of 12 dips, one set of 12 flat bench at 50% of max, one set of 8 flat bench at 60% of max. Take two minutes to rest and recover.
- Bench: Three sets of eight at about 75% of max. As I get stronger I increase reps until I can do ten reps per set. Then I adjust weight up.
- Incline bench: Two sets of eight
- Incline dumbbell press: One set of eight
- Flat bench dumbbell press: One set of eight
- French press: Three sets of eight
- Triceps extension (over the head): Two sets of eight

Tue. Back
- Warm up: one set of 12 Chin ups
- Chin and Pull ups: One set of 10 chin ups with 35lb dumbbell hooked onto belt; one set of 10 side grip pull ups with 35lb dumbbell; one set of 10pull ups with 30lb dumbbell; one set of 12 chin ups with no eight to finish
- Lat pulldowns: Two sets of 10
- Bent over row: Four sets of 8-10 (two normal grip, two reverse grip)
- One arm rows: Two sets of ten (I don’t use a bench but instead use my free hand to balance by pushing off my knee)
- Seated rows: Two sets of twelve

Wed. Abs, Running
- I spend 30 minutes on various ab exercises including all different types of crunches, Roman chair sit-ups, incline board sit-ups with a 25lb plate, and several oblique exercises. Abs are like calf muscles in that they need a lot of reps but I try to keep my reps to between 15 and 25 by using weights to make them harder.

Thu. Shoulders
- Warm up: I spend a lot of time warming up my shoulders. I probably take ten min just to get them ready including hitting the rotator cuffs deeply. I don’t do anything heavy, just a lot of flies and dynamic stretching etc.
- Military press: One set of 12 at less than 50%of max; one set of ten at 60%; three sets of 8 behind the neck press at 70% (not recommended by a lot of trainers these days as this can severely injure your rotator cuff). This is a very tough movement and recommended for most people. Two sets of eight in the front followed one set of eight push press
- Arnold press: Two sets of eight
- One set of 12 lateral flies, one set of twelve bent over flies, one set of twelve front raises
- Upright row: Three sets of eight

Fri. Legs and Deadlift
- Warm up: Lunges and squat with very light weights one set of eight each. One set of eight squats at 50% of max. One set of eight squats at 60%
- Squats: Three sets of six followed by one set of eight pause reps for explosiveness.
- Deadlift: One set of eight at 60% of max, one set of eight at 70%, one set of four at 85% or more, one set of eight at 75%. These are bent leg deadlifts. Sometimes I do stiff leg instead, depends on how strong I’m feeling.
- Sled or Hack Squats: One set of six with emphasis on explosiveness.
- Hamstring curls: Four sets of ten to twelve
- Adductor machine: Three sets of twelve
- Calf raises: Four sets of fifteen at three different angles

Sat. Biceps, Forearms and Abs
- Warm up: One set of pull-ups to failure
- Curls: One set of eight curls on straight bar at 60% of max; three sets of eight on straight bar; two sets of eight on the preacher curl; two sets of twelve hammer curls; two sets of eight reverse curls; two sets of fifteen wrist curls.
- Abs: I do a different ab workout on this day, concentrating on stabilizing muscles by doing things like reverse leg extensions from vertical (up on shoulders) to horizontal (keeping legs locked and straight the whole time), roll outs, and planking.

Sun. Sprints and Running

I think my split is pretty good, you can change it around but as my gym is closed on Sundays this allows me to hit every body part at least once a week while spacing out the ones that overlap like chest and shoulder days (both work front delts and triceps). Some people prefer a three or four day split. I think my split is best because you only get two heavy days in a row which allows for optimum neurological recovery. I also have an elliptical trainer at home which I use in the mornings for 20 min.

The exercises I do are by no means the only ones. I chose them because to me they are the most efficient and effective and because in the 45 min limit I cannot do any more than these. There are some though that I switch in and out. Decline benchpress is good as are weighted dips. I also don’t work a lot of triceps because this is one area where I am particularly large and strong but for others I would recommend triceps pulldowns. I also don’t do a lot of biceps work but dumbbell curls are good after you’ve done heavier lifts.

Some exercises, however, I think are completely useless. The pec deck AKA the pec wreck is one that I think is a waste of time. This thing is designed for one thing only, to mess up your rotator cuffs. One arm over the head dumbbell triceps press, skull crushers, and triceps kickbacks are two others that I think are useless as you will quickly get to a point where the weights are inadequate but you can’t go heavier due to the mechanics of the exercise. I also don’t recommend shrugs. This is a very old school exercise with little benefit but great potential for a pinched nerve. But ultimately, it’s up to you to decide. Try various things, not everyone responds to the same thing the same way.

Since I’ve been lifting heavy I have read countless articles, queried every sports related health and nutrition professional I ever, met, talked with many pro athletes in all kinds of disciplines, searched every website I could, and trained with several bodybuilders, Korean ssireum wrestlers, martial artists, and powerlifters. I am constantly working to tweak my workouts but I think the basic one up above is very complete for most people’s needs. My own current schedule is not much different from the one I posted. The only difference is I have been trying to get only 5-6 days rest between chest days which requires some juggling but the basic framework and concept of spacing out body parts evenly is still there.

[maogirl]

wow, this is kind of a turn on :P

my brother and i are those freaks who muscle without really trying. it's good for him because he gets really huge without too much effort, but then here i am, i haven't even been to a single yoga or pilates or gyrotonics class since 2005 and i'm still muscular as ever.

i know it sounds fucked up, but it seems the only way i can keep the muscle growth at a minimum is by eating lots of junk food. if i eat healthy for a while, i usually start to grow more muscle and muscle definition, blech.

yes, yes "muscle tone is sexy on women," etc. but not if you live in hk.

*prays to satan for a body like sammi cheng*

[cattygurl]

Great post, kimtae. I can't emphasize the doing compund to concentrated for lifting exercises enough. It's so important for injury prevention. Lots of injuries and strains can be avoided this way.

[theme]

The body is totally counter intuitive.

The more you lift the better? Not necessarily. Sometimes it's detrimental.

Big huge guys are slow and unathletic? Power lifters have some of the highest vertical jumps amongst all athletes. And they don't even train their jumps.

The more I've learned about training the more I realize that you can't use intuition and logic when training the body. You have to read and ask advice to understand how the body works.

[Vahz]

I can never seem to get the deadlift to work correctly. I'm lifting from my hamstrings, or at least I think I am, but I always feel the burn on my back.

I've never comprehended how complicated gaining mass really was.

[kimtae]

I'm glad people find my posts helpful, now I know those two hours at work weren't wasted. Don't tell the boss.
MG, you're a genetic freak in a good way. I know we discussed it before and decided against it for the good of the world but now I'm reconsidering and I think we need to have uber-Asian babies, arm them with knuckle stun guns and let them become super-villains.
Vahz, the deadlift is designed to work the back primarily. If you do them stiff legged, then you'll get a good stretch in your hamstrings and if you do them bent legged then you'll work your quads a little but mostly it's for your lower back. Other body parts do benefit though. Other than the legs it also works among others your forearms, traps, middle back, abs, rear delts, and glutes. It's one of the most important lifts you can do as nothing trains the core better. It also is the only lift other than the squat and the benchpress where you lift so heavy that it stresses your body and causes it to produce larger than ususal amounts of testosterone. If you want to stack on upper body weight and muscle you absolutely need to do this lift. It won't make you look bigger like pull ups and benchpresses will but in order to build the large muscles that give the appearance of size (thick arms, big pecs, broad shoulders, wide lats) you need the strong, thick, less visible core. Think of it as building a house. Nobody sees the concrete slab of the foundation but if it's not there, then you can't have the rest of the house either.
to execute the deadlift correctly and safely, start light. Work on form before building up to a lot of weight. You'll be able to lift a lot more with the bent legged deadlift. In this one, it's important to keep the bar close to the legs. I often get skinned knees and shins from doing this. Here's and excellent resource http://www.exrx.net/WeightExercises/ErectorSpinae/BBDeadlift.html
See how close the bar is to his legs in the animation?
As far as gaining mass, it's not complicated, it's just science.

Just to brag a little, According to this site, I am well in the advanced in benchpress (always been my weakest lift) but closer to elite in the press, and in the elite in deadlift and squat (I don't power clean).

[Vahz]

Thanks for the tips and update, Kim. Good to see someone willing to explain why things should be done in a certain way rather than having someone tell me "do this because I said so."

I'm currently working with a personal trainer and he suggested very high sets and reps to maximize intensity. If I can't lift the reps he suggested, he wants me to move the weights down.

[Ike]

How did you find this personal trainer? Did you just walk into a gym and say "Hi, I need a personal trainer?"

[kimtae]

Thanks for the tips and update, Kim. Good to see someone willing to explain why things should be done in a certain way rather than having someone tell me "do this because I said so."

I'm currently working with a personal trainer and he suggested very high sets and reps to maximize intensity. If I can't lift the reps he suggested, he wants me to move the weights down.

His program for you is one that I would recommend for beginners but it's not something that will make you grow much or get a lot stronger. Keep doing research on your own, read the bodybuilding mags and sites, and think of your end goals. Wanna be built? emulate Arnold or Lee Haney. Wanna have a lot of strength? Look at Pudzianowski and the other guys who do the World's Strongest man contests. Wanna build power (not the same as strength)? Then train like a power lifter or follow the Univ of Neb program. There's a lot of different ways to train for different goals.

[Vahz]

I'm actually not looking to be as ripped as I was in high school. I was along the lines of Bruce Lee but that's far too thin for me. I'm looking to gain more bulk/mass honestly.

This trainer actually said that this is the best way to get started for now.

[Vahz]

How did you find this personal trainer? Did you just walk into a gym and say "Hi, I need a personal trainer?"

No, he was a friend of my cousin.

[Vahz]

Is there an easy way to measure body fat percentages or a way to gauge if you've been gaining muscle mass. I do see some changes but want to make sure my progress is decent.

The only way for me to gauge progress is I see bumps where I didn't before and my weight hasn't changed so assuming I'm gaining muscle and not just losing fat.

[kimtae]

Buy calipers. They run from 15 bucks on up to over a hundred. I also have a bodyfat measuring scale but it doesn't work for bodybuilders of even moderate size.

[Vahz]

The "min-maxing" bug is starting to reveal itself in me as I'm searching for the most amount of payoff with the least amount of work.

I'm constantly wondering if I'm gaining muscle mass efficently quickly or efficently enough. I always feel that I haven't done enough to warrent growth.

[kwak76]

It takes time to get muscles . Keep training and make it more of habit and life stlye. Within one year from now you will look and feel allot different.

[Vahz]

Thanks for the encouragement. I'm sure something is changing because during the first 2-3 weeks of working out, there are alot of bumps and muscle definition when I flex. Now, after about a month, I can see definition without flexing at all.

However, the idea of working specific muscle groups and parts on a certain day seems to be an outdated method of working out from what I've read. Most bodybuilders are following the schedule of only working out 4 days a week with 1 day focusing on upper body (back, arms, shoulders) while another day focuses on the lower body (legs, abs).

Also, they highly suggest working out multiple body parts in one exercise as it encourages a massive testosterone boost such as doing squats but when you rise up, work out calves into it.

[kimtae]

Most bodybuilders are also on steroids and HGH.

[nightshade]

So many girls at my gym stand in front of a mirror hoisting a 3lb dumbbell over and over, afraid to touch anything heavier for fear of turning into the next Bev Francis. Not likely. Bev Francis was both a freak of nature and a steroid freak. So ladies, that 3lb dumbbell isn’t doing you any good.

Damn. I'm so weak that I'm only capable of doing reps with the 3lb dumbell. 5lbs when I'm in decent shape. I guess I'm hopeless.

[Vahz]

Most bodybuilders are also on steroids and HGH.

It's not only those guys though. The most recent issue of Men's Fitness reports that it's much better to perform full body workouts that utilize different muscle groups at the same time.

This is why exercises that use your own weight (I forgot what the term is called) are the most effective such as pushups, pullups, dips, etc.

Pushups utilize the chest, triceps, and back. Pullups utilize the back and shoulders.

I know some individuals that perform leg raises while they're doing a lying dumbbell press.

[kwak76]

Body weigth exercises are fine to get in shape.

Bottom line is to work out. Find out what suits you. If it's lifting weight go for it. If you rather stick to just push-up and pull ups stick with it.

As long as you exercises you will get in shape. The difference between weight lifting and doing body weight exercises is that with weight training you are lifting something that can be heavier than your own bodyweight.

For example the push-up. If you do a push -up your probably lifting 70-80% of your own body weight since your feet is on the ground where as the bench you could bench more than your own body weight.

You can get a decent body with just body weight exercises only . Doing full body weight work out is fine just as doing a weight routine that works your whole body.

Reason why guys that do body parts is because as you progress in weight lifting sometimes you need to do more exercises for that body part to get a full work out. This is something experience bodybuilders will do.

But I recommend for beginners to do full body weight training.
example routine would be:

squat 3 sets for 8- 10 reps
bench 3 sets for 8-10 reps
rows or dead lift 3 sets for 8-10 reps
push press or clean n press 3 sets for 8-10 reps

Optional ( pull -ups and dips )

body weight training is pretty much the same

go back to back with
push-ups and body weight squat
try to do 5 sets of 20 reps or more
pulls up and get up sit ups
5 sets and as many reps you can.

do this 3-5 times a week . make it a habit and eat clean and in due time your body will change and you will feel different also.

[kimtae]

Vahz, I get the feeling you're one of those guys who will follow every trend that comes along. I gave you a good blueprint. Stick with it and modify it slowly as you get results (good and bad). Stop jumping around trying to find some miracle cure. Men's Health is a great magazine but most of their articles are for guys who are into fitness, not bodybuilding as you indicated. Besides, if pushups work so many bodyparts, what do you think benchpresses and deadlifts do? As for the bodybuilders, a multiple bodypart day like chest/back is not possible for most of us. We are not on roids, and even if we were, we wouldn't have three hours a day to workout. but I did recommend that you find a split that works for you. I also said that most bodybuilders do a four day or three day split. Mine is split the way it is because it works for most people with jobs and lives outside of the gym.
Here is my morning today.
7:45, got to gym and did 5 min warm up. Did three working sets of bench and then two working sets on the incline. Did one set of incline dumbbell press, and one set of flat bench. Did two sets of French press. Time, 8:30. Even that basic workout took 45 min with the changing of plates and equipment etc. I stayed within the time limit for keeping my workout from going catabolic but I didn't have time for anything else. I know what I'm talking about.

[Vahz]

Vahz, I get the feeling you're one of those guys who will follow every trend that comes along. I gave you a good blueprint. Stick with it and modify it slowly as you get results (good and bad). Stop jumping around trying to find some miracle cure. Men's Health is a great magazine but most of their articles are for guys who are into fitness, not bodybuilding as you indicated. Besides, if pushups work so many bodyparts, what do you think benchpresses and deadlifts do? As for the bodybuilders, a multiple bodypart day like chest/back is not possible for most of us. We are not on roids, and even if we were, we wouldn't have three hours a day to workout. but I did recommend that you find a split that works for you. I also said that most bodybuilders do a four day or three day split. Mine is split the way it is because it works for most people with jobs and lives outside of the gym.
Here is my morning today.
7:45, got to gym and did 5 min warm up. Did three working sets of bench and then two working sets on the incline. Did one set of incline dumbbell press, and one set of flat bench. Did two sets of French press. Time, 8:30. Even that basic workout took 45 min with the changing of plates and equipment etc. I stayed within the time limit for keeping my workout from going catabolic but I didn't have time for anything else. I know what I'm talking about.

It's not about following a trend but rather the desire to be as time efficent as possible. I'm following your schedule at the moment except I work out my abs almost every day. If I'm tired or lazy, I'll only work them out every other day.

Two concerns at the moment include:

1.) Am I doing enough?
2.) Are supplements a good or bad idea?

I acknowledged that it's wrong to think your muscles didn't get a good workout if a soreness is not present the next day but I can't help thinking I didn't perform the exercises properly or effectivly. After the exercises, I do feel a solid "pump" sensation but it seems to be gone in an hour.

Also, do you use any of supplements? I'm not referring to protein products but creatine and other simular types. I tried some of that NO Explode from BSNonline.net and it did make my arm mucles feel a little...funny.

[kwak76]

Supplements are just that supplements.

You use supplements as secondary to your diet. Your diet comes first and you use supplements in case there is anything lacking in your diet.

For example you need extra protein in your diet and don't feel like eating an extra meal than you use protein supplements .

If your starting out weight training or bodybuilding as you progress in the amount of weight you lift you should also progress in the amount of food you take in.

I would worry more about your diet first than supplements but if you feel like you have to take supplement keep it simple is my thinking.

Protein supplements is number one on the list.
Possible Vits and min supplements.

Creatine I think is overrated.

[kwak76]

vahz,

I took a look at Kimtae routine.
His following more of a bodybuilding routine and hitting his muscle group once every 7 days .

Personally I think his routine is more for advance lifters however not saying that a novice can't do this routine but I think his program does enough work for you.


The reason why he trains his muscles once every 6-7 days is you need those days to recover for the next work out. If you train hard enough believe it or not you need time to heal. That's when you actually grow.

[kimtae]

vahz,

I took a look at Kimtae routine.
His following more of a bodybuilding routine and hitting his muscle group once every 7 days .

Personally I think his routine is more for advance lifters however not saying that a novice can't do this routine but I think his program does enough work for you.


The reason why he trains his muscles once every 6-7 days is you need those days to recover for the next work out. If you train hard enough believe it or not you need time to heal. That's when you actually grow.
Hey Kwak, you know me, I'm just trying to be the biggest dog in hood. The routine should fit Vahz since he originally posted about wanting to bulk up. I'm currently at the biggest I've ever been on my split. I'm also benching more than I ever have as well as being able to do over 15 clean pullups with a 35 lb dumbbell on my belt (I weigh 93 kilos at the moment) so it's working for me but everyone should fine-tune it to their own results as they go. A four day split is also good but I think that's actually more advanced than mine.
Supplements can help I suppose but I don't have any experience with them myself. I know some guys who take creatine but none are really any bigger or stronger than me. I think proper nutrition is more important than anything else. I eat a good meal with complex carbs and protein, not too heavy, about 2-3 hours before I lift then I take a protein shake with a banana within 20 min of finishing a workout. I try to get minimum 200g of protein a day split up in 5 small amounts and I eat a lot of veggies and fruit. Look for pics soon.

[Vahz]

Kim, before I switched to your routine, I was going the route of working each muscle group every 2-3 days. For now, I'm going to follow your schedule for the next month or two and see how it goes.

[kimtae]

Good article on muscle gain (http://www.ironmagazine.com/viewarticle-3995.html)

[little mixed girl]

haha the "getting big, getting strong" part of this thread title was on the main forum page under the "SEX forum"...

the first thing that came to my mind was a dude lifting weights with his thing...

just thought i'd share that.

[.:hanbox3r]

haha the "getting big, getting strong" part of this thread title was on the main forum page under the "SEX forum"...

the first thing that came to my mind was a dude lifting weights with his thing...

just thought i'd share that.

Duly noted. lol.

As for the topic, isn't a general rule of thumb for developing strength = high weight (about 80% ORM) + low reps? I used to do a bit of weightlifting in high school, but have almost exclusively focused on bodyweight exercises due to boxing.

[Vahz]

Well, the good thing is that after following Kim's routine, I have noticed some changes. A tad slower than my tastes but changes nonetheless.

Heh. I'm so impatient.

[Vahz]

I've will have more time in the next few months so I'm considering bumping up the amount of training for each muscle group.

Maybe twice a week.

[Vahz]

Well, at least I'm seeing some progress. In three weeks, I was able to tack on 3 pounds of dry muscle mass.

[Heli]

1. Lifting will make you bulky and slow.
This one gets thrown around by a lot of couch potatoes who have all the muscle tone of silly putty. Unless you are on steroids/HGH or you are one of the very, very few naturally gifted individuals who are predisposed to getting enormous, this does not apply to you. By you I mean the weekend warrior plugging away trying to gain ten pounds of muscle or lose that gut for summer. Putting on the kind of mass that would actually make you slow would require a tremendous effort over several years and is probably not achievable anyway by 99% of the general public. Don’t believe me; take a look at your top athletes in the sports that require lots of speed, power and stamina. What do you see, lots of bulging pecs and muscular arms. This includes boxers, MMA fighters, wrestlers, gymnasts, sprinters, even basketball players. In fact, Michael Jordan attributed a lot of his improvement as a defensive player to weightlifting which he started well after he began his pro career. So, don’t worry about it. You WILL NOT become another Franco Colombo. You WILL increase your power and speed if you train properly.

May I also add to the above that consequently that likewise the little bit of weightlifting will not give you much definition unless you lose the flab on top. For that you need to either tan like a maniac or do lots of aerobic exercise or both.

[Vahz]

^That's pretty much the reason why so many people don't understand that abs are like 90% diet and 10% exercise.

[Heli]

Actually that goes for everything other part of the body. People weight lift a little, eat a lot and think they got bulky when in actuality they put on much more fat than lean muscle mass. Thus the myth that weightlifting makes you bulky.

[.:hanbox3r]

^That's pretty much the reason why so many people don't understand that abs are like 90% diet and 10% exercise.

"Abs are made in the kitchen, not the gym," pretty much sums it up.

[Vahz]

Regardless, I still work my abs 3 times a week with about 3 sets / 20 reps with a 20 pound weight on my chest.

[Heli]

leg lifts 90 reps, crunches 60 reps. Both either one or two times a day.

Apart from a nice definition, I think strong abdominal muscles helps with postures, endurance as well as generating power on a variety of sports.

I run and swim a lot, so strong abdominal muscles are vital.

[Vahz]

Goddamn it.

I can finally see the abs now with very little flexing and I look to have abs that aren't symmetrical. You’ve seen them, the ones that are somewhat lopsided.

Blah!

[Heli]

I am wondering did you change the amount of fat in your diet as well or was it just all or mostly crunches and protein intake?

[Vahz]

I am wondering did you change the amount of fat in your diet as well or was it just all or mostly crunches and protein intake?

I take in very few fat calories to begin with but out of my total calorie intake a day, less than 25% is from fat. The fat that comes in is from olive oil and nuts.

When it comes to exercises for abs, I usually just do 30 weighted crunches, 30 non-weighted crunches, and 30 leg lifts. So far, it seems to be enough.

My only other concern is that while I do see some changes over the past month, I'm doing some research to see if my body's growth might actually be hindered by my calorie intake. Since I'm wearing Invisalign braces, it's difficult to constantly eat as I have to keep brushing my teeth. This just won't work since I must keep the braces on my teeth for 22 hours a day.

I was thinking of investing in some weight gainer.