I Want To Put On 3Kg Of Muscle

[tropo]

I would like to chime in and say go for a heavy weight low volume training 3x week. Don't listen to people here, do your own research on supplements and what not. Everybody has different requirements for them.

For a program, I would highly recommend Starting Strength by Mark Rippetoe or Stronglifts 5x5. You'll find all the info you need online. It's all about barbell training and progressively adding weight to the bar for increasing strength aka muscle building.

If your goal is to add muscle, you will have to eat a caloric excess. There is no way around that. You will see changes within a couple of weeks if you do either of the programs consistently and eat a diet that has adequate protein (1-1.25g protein per pound of bodyweight). Have carbs on workout days and make your post workout meal the largest meal of the day.

You're going to be REALLY sore the day after your first workout, push through it, it will get better after the first week or so!

Personally, I'm doing Stronglifts and have made some modifications to include Calf raises and Push-ups because I like them. I use protein powder post workout and sometimes when I feel hungry late in the day and can't look at another serving of chicken. I also do an Intermittent Fasting protocol as prescribed on Martin Berkhan on the Leangains website.

PS- I'm a girl

LOL - coming on here saying don't listen to anyone else, but listen to me.

Careful with your advice. The Mark Rippetoe or Stronglifts 5x5 programs etc will be the death of an older guy with no experience (this is an expats forum and the majority of people here are older). Those programs are only good for younger guys who have a good solid background in heavy lifting with good technique. Older guys will soon be out of action with serious injuries. Even for younger guys, sooner or later you'll need to change your program entirely as you cannot go on increasing your weights year in year out. You'll soon reach the limitations of the program and hopefully without any major injuries. Better off leaving the heavy lifting to olympic weight lifters and powerlifters.

There are ways to increase muscle size without the need to go heavy. The muscles don't know how much you're lifting - only your ego knows that. It's easy to make light weights feel heavy and the muscles will not know the difference and grow.

A far better program is one which includes different rep ranges over a wider range of exercises. For example, in any of my sessions I'll be doing from as low as 5 to as high as 15 - 20 reps. Different rep ranges have different benefits on the working muscles. Why restrict yourself to a single rep range? Higher reps are better for the joints and connective tissue, improving the blood circulation.

If you are getting very sore after your first workout, you're doing it wrong. Take it very easy over the first few weeks - what's the rush? Even on the Mark Rippetoe strength program there is a build up phase where you do higher reps. It would be senseless to risk promoting an injury from the very first week. I've been training for 36 years and I know a lot about training with injuries - mostly self inflicted from doing stupid things in the gym.

Edited March 24, 2012 by tropo

[Neha]

I would like to chime in and say go for a heavy weight low volume training 3x week. Don't listen to people here, do your own research on supplements and what not. Everybody has different requirements for them.

For a program, I would highly recommend Starting Strength by Mark Rippetoe or Stronglifts 5x5. You'll find all the info you need online. It's all about barbell training and progressively adding weight to the bar for increasing strength aka muscle building.

If your goal is to add muscle, you will have to eat a caloric excess. There is no way around that. You will see changes within a couple of weeks if you do either of the programs consistently and eat a diet that has adequate protein (1-1.25g protein per pound of bodyweight). Have carbs on workout days and make your post workout meal the largest meal of the day.

You're going to be REALLY sore the day after your first workout, push through it, it will get better after the first week or so!

Personally, I'm doing Stronglifts and have made some modifications to include Calf raises and Push-ups because I like them. I use protein powder post workout and sometimes when I feel hungry late in the day and can't look at another serving of chicken. I also do an Intermittent Fasting protocol as prescribed on Martin Berkhan on the Leangains website.

PS- I'm a girl

LOL - coming on here saying don't listen to anyone else, but listen to me.

Careful with your advice. The Mark Rippetoe or Stronglifts 5x5 programs etc will be the death of an older guy with no experience (this is an expats forum and the majority of people here are older). Those programs are only good for younger guys who have a good solid background in heavy lifting with good technique. Older guys will soon be out of action with serious injuries. Even for younger guys, sooner or later you'll need to change your program entirely as you cannot go on increasing your weights year in year out. You'll soon reach the limitations of the program and hopefully without any major injuries. Better off leaving the heavy lifting to olympic weight lifters and powerlifters.

There are ways to increase muscle size without the need to go heavy. The muscles don't know how much you're lifting - only your ego knows that. It's easy to make light weights feel heavy and the muscles will not know the difference and grow.

A far better program is one which includes different rep ranges over a wider range of exercises. For example, in any of my sessions I'll be doing from as low as 5 to as high as 15 - 20 reps. Different rep ranges have different benefits on the working muscles. Why restrict yourself to a single rep range? Higher reps are better for the joints and connective tissue, improving the blood circulation.

If you are getting very sore after your first workout, you're doing it wrong. Take it very easy over the first few weeks - what's the rush? Even on the Mark Rippetoe strength program there is a build up phase where you do higher reps. It would be senseless to risk promoting an injury from the very first week. I've been training for 36 years and I know a lot about training with injuries - mostly self inflicted from doing stupid things in the gym.

You raise some fair points, tropo.

I didn't take into consideration that people on here are older at all. Maybe the OP is older. Do you know this for sure? And even if he is, so what? Does that mean they can't lift heavy? There are several senior gentlemen who do. Mark Rippetoe himself is over 50 if I'm not mistaken.

I'm 23 myself and certainly don't have as much training experience than you. But, respectfully, I do have the internet the wealth of knowledge that comes with it. A lot of it can be BS but there's a lot of good stuff to find if you know where to look. One can also download books from a variety of authors pretty easily. Of course people with experience like you talking about things is the biggest source even on forums and what not and the programs I recommended are also laid out by people with vast previous experience and adjusted for mistakes they've made. I feel I've learned quite enough to post on a thread such as this, with the sole intention of being helpful and I still think that of the OP checks out the programs I've recommended, reads up and follows them, he's most likely reach his goal pretty quickly.

"Those programs are only good for younger guys who have a good solid background in heavy lifting with good technique" "If you are getting very sore after your first workout, you're doing it wrong. Take it very easy over the first few weeks - what's the rush? Even on the Mark Rippetoe strength program there is a build up phase where you do higher reps. It would be senseless to risk promoting an injury from the very first week."

I am not a "guy" and had absolutely no background in lifting - heavy of otherwise - when I started this program. A total beginner. I have taken my time progressing and haven't got a single injury. I trained by myself the entire time - no trainer, no "spotter" and no workout partner. My only spotter was the power rack. If people use their heads just a little and follow safety guidelines, injury is very easily preventable to a large extent in lifting heavy. I'm not saying that squatting with heavy weights will NEVER cause any injuries even if done right but it's no more dangerous than jogging and you knees will thank you for the break from the constant beating they take with the latter.

I don't want to argue with you on rep ranges, I'm sure there is credit to your methodology as well (i've never gone higher than 12 reps except for bodyweight exercises). I just figured since this guy wants to "put on 3 kg of muscle", that Starting Strength or Stronglifts would be a good, well structured place to start with lots of advice coming from a large, supportive community who is doing the same thing rather than 100 people saying 100 different things like on here. The program is straightforwrd and easy to remember and excellent for someone who seems like a beginner and only requires minimal gym equipment rather than 100s of machines not all gyms might be equipped with. This was one of the things that, as a newbie to the lifting area of gyms, I really liked.

I myself do not have the intention to become a bodybuilder or olympic/power lifter yet I follow this program to get to my goals. It works for me and for several people I know personally and over the internet.

As for your comment "LOL - coming on here saying don't listen to anyone else, but listen to me."

Please read my post carefully. I said don't listen to people about supplements as everybody has different needs. I didn't give any advice about supplements, just told him what I personally do with protein powder. Nothing about creatine, caffeine, multivitamins, etc.

Edited March 24, 2012 by Neha

[tropo]

You raise some fair points, tropo.

I didn't take into consideration that people on here are older at all. Maybe the OP is older. Do you know this for sure? And even if he is, so what? Does that mean they can't lift heavy? There are several senior gentlemen who do. Mark Rippetoe himself is over 50 if I'm not mistaken.

I believe the OP is over 40.

Yes, Mark Rippetoe is over 50. There are plenty of people over 50 who can still handle moderate to heavy weights but they are an exception and normally people with a long histroy of lifting behind them. I trained through my teens, 20's, 30's, 40's and now into my 50's. I can still push quite a bit but I'd be kidding myself thinking I can do what I did 20 years ago.

I'd just like to add - I like Mark Rippetoe. I find his instruction videos exceptional. I've seen him do a set of squats 315 x 10 (very slowly too with long breathing pauses), which is ok but nothing exceptional, even for his age. I was able to squat more than that at age 50 with arthritic knees. He also doesn't have the type of physique I'd aspire to, so that alone could be reason not to pursue his program.

My main point is - why lift heavy if you can develop a better physique and get better muscular conditioning from lifting lighter. Heavy weights place a huge toll on your joints, ligaments and tendons and comes with a high degree of inherent risk.

Suggesting that a 40 plus person with no lifting experience or conditioning start lifting heavy is dangerous and foolish. The risks are just too high of messing up his knees, shoulders and back.

I'm 23 myself and certainly don't have as much training experience than you. But, respectfully, I do have the internet the wealth of knowledge that comes with it.

Yeah, the internet... when I started off in 1976 the internet wasn't even a distant dream.

I've had enough arguing with 17 year olds on bodybuilding forums. All the forums achieve really is add to the confusion. It's even more confusing because every "successful" bodybuilder and powerlifter takes roids. You cannot be competitive without them - end of story. The only clean strength athletes are the Olympic lifters as they are drug tested.

One thing is sure - if you lift heavy you WILL get injured sooner or later. As a girl you're using light weights and maybe you'll be lucky, but guys need to be benching well over 150 kg, and squatting and deadlifting in excess of 200 kg to be considered even moderately strong. Think of the stress on the joints no matter how strong you are. Heavy weights never feel light even if you can handle them easily. When you take 150 kg off the bench pins it always feels heavy even if you can lift a lot more.

Interestingly, considering that we were discussing injuries - this afternoon I went to the gym after I made my post here and got a small injury doing heavy barbell shrugs. I max out at around 200 kg x 12 on the shrugs everytime I train traps. Been using that weight for many years without a problem - yet today as I picked the weight off the rack I pulled a small intercostal muscle in my back. Just a slight lapse in concentration - boom - injury. Last year I was doing bench presses with what I considered a light weight. It was a drop back set after my heavy sets with 110 kg. I was planning for a set of 10 reps in a slow pause rep style when I experienced a minor tear in the pectoral muscle on the 2nd rep. Totally unexpected with a weight I could normally easily handle for my last set of 10 reps.

These type of unexpected injuries can be frightening because they can come without warning. 2 weeks ago I was doing light squats when I experienced a nerve pinch at the bottom of the squat. Result - a week of back pain and weeks or months of light training to get over it. I was very lucky I wasn't using a heavy weight at the time. I discovered after much analysis and experimentation that doing heavy RDL deadlifts was the culprit that lead to my low back injury.

Don't ever get complacent about heavy weights - they can be very dangerous no matter how careful you think you are. Respect them. If you're getting on in age and haven't lifted heavy before - DON'T START! There is absolutely no valid reason to take the risk. You don't need to.

Don't kid yourself. Squatting can be a great exercise, but more often than not it's a knee and back killer as it is seldom done correctly and too many people put too much weight on the bar. It's much more dangerous than jogging.

I'm surprised to hear of a girl doing the 5x5 program. I would never put a girl on such a program as it tends to lead to a blocky, bulky type of physique. Most of your muscle gains will be in the trunk, hips and thighs. If you're a tall, slender type you may get away with it but it could take away the feminine curves in a short Asian girl - I did that once - ruined a girl's nice hour glass figure with weights.

Edited March 24, 2012 by tropo

[Firefan]

Some great info here. In my experience even heavy training for girls (when not on "da juice") does not lead them to becoming blocky/bulky. Girls often state that they want to "just tone and tighten" - and then spends hours with the little pink weights and way too many reps out of fear of turning into Arnold!

Their level of testosterone (with a few exceptions) will simply not lead to that kind of growth in my experience. It WILL grow the "good looking" muscles and thereby do the toning and tightening that was the target.

All the different programs complicate things sometimes. IMHO the main reasons that guys have a hard time to gain muscle is; 1. not training to failure (after proper warm up sets Etc.) and 2. not getting enough protein (right after the workout especially).

I agree that some of the most growth hormones/testosterone boosting exercise like squads/dead lifts can be tricky for beginners and a good instruction is certainly needed in the beginning for those.

Cheers!

[tropo]

IMHO the main reasons that guys have a hard time to gain muscle is; 1. not training to failure (after proper warm up sets Etc.) and 2. not getting enough protein (right after the workout especially).

Training to failure too often, and even beyond failure with a training partner assisting, is probably one of the main reasons people DON'T put on muscle. Injuries sustained by this type of over-training will not help one bit.

In other words, without the support of exogenous hormones, over-training is a leading cause of stalled muscle growth, helped along with sub-optimal nutrition and rest.

Of course there are degrees of muscle failure. Total muscle failure should be used sparingly and in an intelligent way. This is why Rippetoe's programs are so useful as he addresses the need for rest and holding back in order to advance at the best possible rate. Even then he acknowledges that forward progress will only occur for limited periods of time.

Edited March 28, 2012 by tropo

[Firefan]

Tropo; I do not disagree. Like you mention when I say "to failure" I should probably say "to failure - light version" I.e. going to failure point but NOT beyond. And not hammering the same muscles with MORE sets and exercises after that point is reached.

For newbies (and even experienced lifters) that can be quite a difficult target to find.

For the typical weight trainer a couple of times a week over training is hardly a problem, but for more serious trainers with 4-6 sessions a wk (some even do twice a day!) it is certainly an issue. I have been there myself and have found that scaling back gave me better gains, less injuries AND more time for other stuff!

Cheers!

[tropo]

Tropo; I do not disagree. Like you mention when I say "to failure" I should probably say "to failure - light version" I.e. going to failure point but NOT beyond. And not hammering the same muscles with MORE sets and exercises after that point is reached.

For newbies (and even experienced lifters) that can be quite a difficult target to find.

For the typical weight trainer a couple of times a week over training is hardly a problem, but for more serious trainers with 4-6 sessions a wk (some even do twice a day!) it is certainly an issue. I have been there myself and have found that scaling back gave me better gains, less injuries AND more time for other stuff!

Cheers!

Come to think about it more closely, I would have to say that I hardly ever go to failure. I stop when I've completed my last rep in good form at a reasonably high intensity but it is hardly ever a maximum effort. There's something about failure that slows progress because when you're past what you can handle in good form you start wriggling around and using different muscle groups. A failed effort sets up a negative feed back that causes sticking points. There's a psychologically negative component to failing too.

For example, if I had a 5 rep goal on a particular weight and I completed the 5 comfortably I wouldn't go for a 6th rep. I would put the weight up next time I came to that exercise. Back in the old days there was always a spotter behind me coaxing me to complete another rep and forcing an extra one or two out with assistance. Those were the days where progress was very slow and injuries were prevalent.

[robblok]

I am making more progress as ever also muscle wise on the 5 x 5. I think its because it forces me to increase weights all the time. I did decrease the increments a bit because its hard to keep up else. I even got 450 gram plates (smallest they could make).

I don't think i do think i do it until failure though yesterday with my last set of deadlifts i pretty much was at the end and i doubt i could have done an extra rep or that the last rep was done 100% correct.

Im reading more now from rippetoe about training and how hard you have to do it. He isnt talking about failure all the time. Anyway im going to bring more isolation exercises into the routine in a while. But keep the big 3 (deads / squat / bench) because i still believe that big compounds help you pack more muscle then isolation exercises. Besides i don't think my gains will be optimal anyway as im on a caloric restricted diet. (making gains in both strength and mass but not as much as if i had eaten a bit more)

[tropo]

I am making more progress as ever also muscle wise on the 5 x 5. I think its because it forces me to increase weights all the time. I did decrease the increments a bit because its hard to keep up else. I even got 450 gram plates (smallest they could make).

I don't think i do think i do it until failure though yesterday with my last set of deadlifts i pretty much was at the end and i doubt i could have done an extra rep or that the last rep was done 100% correct.

Im reading more now from rippetoe about training and how hard you have to do it. He isnt talking about failure all the time. Anyway im going to bring more isolation exercises into the routine in a while. But keep the big 3 (deads / squat / bench) because i still believe that big compounds help you pack more muscle then isolation exercises. Besides i don't think my gains will be optimal anyway as im on a caloric restricted diet. (making gains in both strength and mass but not as much as if i had eaten a bit more)

Yes, but one of the concepts of Rippetoe's programs and other such 5x5 programs is not ever to fail. You need to adjust the weight so you can finish that last rep. You need to avoid failure at all costs. If you hit your 4th rep and you know you're unlikely to make the 5th rep it is better not to attempt it. Achieving 4 good reps is a better feeling than failing a 5th. There's a lot of psychology to strength training apart from the fact that failing a heavy weight gets you out of the groove and highly susceptible to injury.

Edited March 31, 2012 by tropo

[robblok]

Sure if you mess up with a heavy weight your in trouble. I might end this program for 2-3 months and go back to split to give my body a bit of a break. Its mentally and physically real heavy. I always dread my last 5 sets of deadlifts. It really takes all from the body and gives me shortness of breath and a high heart rate (during the exercise and rest). I am sure that exercise is responsible for packing up loads of muscle on my back that i have never had before. But its so damm heavy.

[Cheesekraft]

starting strength is the best answer