Hey guys, Chase here! Just curious... How many people here work out? I have just started, and it's actually to gain weight! XD Ofc, not just fat- I want muscle. I am not expecting to be a hulking giant of course, but I plan to gain at least 20-25 pounds by the end of Summer. I am 95LBs atm, so I'd be at 115 or 120Lbs if I work out daily... My brother says I can do it! ^_^ My suggested calorie intake is 1,600 if I want to stay the same weight, so atm I'm taking 2,000 to gain some weight while I exercise... Really, my lower body's the only part of me that doesn't pass as male at all, and through exercise I hope to change that. I am joining wrestling next school year, so that should help me out a lot. Anyway, my exercise routine is mostly just crunches, weight-lifting, (I'm starting out lifting 8Lbs. X_X Pathetic, I know) and basic stretching exercises... My dad says I should start taking protein powder once I reach my goal, but I am worried about fucking up my body. X_X What do you guys think? Is there anything else I can do? What do you guys do? Honestly, I know bodies have limits, but my sister's muscular- she has a 4-pack and she's sort of lazy. I'm smaller than her in build, but I'm taller. I'm 5'5, and I just feel like I have a lot of room to grow muscle. I know I won't be nearly as strong until I start testosterone, but if I try hard enough, I'm sure I could still work my way up to looking pretty tough.
I do but it's to lose weight (down 30 lbs since August!). I had a few sessions with a trainer at my gym which really helped get me started. I'd strongly recommend that. They can tailor a workout to what you're trying to do, and can work with you to make sure you're doing the exercises right and not hurting yourself.
If you're trying to gain weight, then definitely try to maintain a caloric surplus, and get plenty of protein. There's nothing wrong with taking protein powder, just do your research on the brand. Some are better than others. Make sure you're still eating healthy though. As for what else you can do...what does your current workout routine look like? Like, what exercises, how many sets and reps, what days are you working out, etc.?
I don't know if protein powder os healthy. It might not be. Milk products, fish work and fresh fruit and vegetables are just fine. I mean, I dunno, I prefer not to touch supplements, and that's what I do. And no sweets, no junk food - not often at least, and eating according to your needs and hunger. Doing a sport you enjoy helps a lot. And take it slow. Don't overdo - that's what I wish I knew earlier. It's a pain that it takes so much time to develop some muscle and strength, approximately it's month until anything restructures, and many months until you can actually reach the desired result. You can get there, it's just slow. In my opinion it doesn't really matter what you train and how. Just move and do the most traditional gymnastics if you want.
Protein powder won't hurt you, I usually like to get my protein through food but if you're struggling to get enough calories or protein, protein powder's fine. I work out also: I like cycling, running, martial arts, and weight lifting. I'm at 15-20 pounds, and I've been doing it for ~8 months. Starting at 8 pounds is good, not pathetic. For building muscle exercise-wise, I'd recommend working on your triceps and shoulders especially: triceps make up 2/3 of your arm, and will make you look big the fastest and shoulders are the most important thing to looking masculine. I'd also advise you to workout your abs with something like flutter kicks or oblique twists. Crunches are better than nothing, but they burn very few calories and don't do as much as other abdominal exercises.
Semi- I might go to the gym later in this, but for now I'm just exercising on my own and seeing how far it takes me. I don't really like exercising in front of people: I have a huge ego, so exercising with old grannies lifting 5Lbs or massive giants of men lifting 20Lbs doesn't suit me. XD It's a generalization, but until I build up my confidence a bit too I think I'll stay and work at home. Stoccata- My routine's pretty basic right now, as I said... I am looking for exercises to add to it, because currently I'm lifting weights in a bunch of different positions, from the basic curl, to sitting down and sort of lifting them up, to putting one knee on my bed and lifting the weight to my hip with my opposite arm... Idk. X_X It was a suggestion for beginners, so I took it, and it does actually seem fairly difficult. I was advised to exercise every other day so my muscles can heal, so I'll probably do that, or transition between exercises that mostly focus on my core vs mostly my legs. I'll at least try to do stretches daily. Baconpox- Thanks for the suggestion! I definitely will add them to my exercise routine! ^_^ I looked them up and they don't look too hard; Perfect for a beginner like me! I'm not SUPER out of shape, despite not having done a ton of exercise before this. Okay, so I have a question, for anyone who's willing to answer... How often should I exercise? Will how often I exercise need to change at all as I advance? Just curious and would love an answer. Thanks!
1-3 times a week? At least on the beginning you just can't do it everyday, because muscles need time to regenerate. If it's rarer than about once a week, you might lose muscle quicker than you gain it.
I take it that all you have available in terms of weights are dumbbells? I'm also not sure what exercises you're doing. The first is obviously some sort of curl but I'm not sure specifically what, and the second I have no idea what you mean. The third exercise sounds like a dumbbell row from your description. As for how often you work out, it depends on what you're doing. Your muscles need time to rest after exercising, but you could break up your workout routine about a million different ways. You could, for example work out six days a week as long as you work a different muscle group each day. (I personally would not recommend that to a beginner however.) For a beginner, I'd suggest working out three times a week, with a day off from lifting in between each workout day. For example, working out on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, and having the weekend be your two rest days. (If you wanted you could do some sort of cardio on Tuesdays and Thursdays.) If you're working out 3 days a week, I personally would suggest a push/pull/legs workout. Here's an example of what that might look like: Monday - Push Push-ups 3 x 8-15 Decline Push-ups 3 x 8-15 Dumbbell Tricep Kickbacks 3 x 8-15 Dumbbell Lateral Raises 3 x 8-15 Wednesday - Pull Pull-ups/Chin-ups 3 x 5-8 (If you're not strong enough, just do the negative portion) Dumbbell Rows 3 x 8-15 Concentration Curls 3 x 8-15 Reverse Dumbbell Curl 3 x 8-15 Friday - Legs & Abs Goblet Squat 3 x 8-15 Lunges 3 x 8-15 Dumbbell Deadlifts 3 x 8-15 Crossover Crunches x 30 (each side) Side Crunches x 20 (each side) Plank 45 seconds Take 1-2 minutes between sets on everything except abs. Try to do those with no rest. If you have any questions, let me know.
