Trying to get buff but can't.... Mega Thread/Mega Merged

theotherside

theotherside

Ex-Bluelighter
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I want to look very muscle like but nothing is working for me. Can anyone suggest anything that won't harm me but make me look like Arnold?
Help me please?

Modnote:

This is a general thread that anyone can post in for information/questions/comments regarding their struggles in putting on muscle mass.

By turning this into a mega thread I hope to eliminate potential forum clutter as well as creating one solid place where all of the good information can be found regarding this subject.

- Captain.Heroin
 
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Well you just have to lay off the sims. I guess creatine can help. It serves as an energy reservoir, especially during intense physical exertion.
 
theotherside said:
My problem is stimulants....everytime I gain muscle mass I stim binge and lose it. Will creatine help in this regard??
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I would personally suggest not to use stimulants. If you are going to, use a short lasting one and at a modest dosage. Try to keep it to once per week or less often.

Every day I would work on eating more. There is a lot of good food out there, but even more bad food. Try to focus on eating plenty of fruits, vegetables, dairy, and make sure your protein intake is high. Chicken, seafood, grass-fed beef, are all great places to start. You can also mix whey protein into milk - if you are not putting on any weight then switch to whole milk (if you can tolerate the taste). Make sure to also eat eggs; they are very good for you.

As long as you are actually getting activity and exercise in, you can't be eating too much of these foods. It seems to me you probably have a high metabolism as is, stimulants increase it further, and therefore more food is in order.

What kinds of exercise are you getting? How often? You want to focus on complex exercises that utilize multiple muscles/groups of muscles. A huge mistake many people make is they will work primarily on single muscles at first (i.e. biceps) - it is much better to work out your biceps, shoulders, trapezius, back, and pecs, all within the same day, instead of only working on one of them in a day. Most amateurs neglect their backs and it does them no good; paying attention to exercising the body as a whole is important.

It is also a good idea to exercise your legs as well. If you find it hard to want to work out for an hour in the gym at a time, get a mp3 player, pace yourself (to prevent burning out too early), and enable it to be a highly enjoyable experience. The more you can do to make lifting fun, the more lifting you will do.

Finally, after you work out, make sure to consume a decent amount of protein in the first half hour, as this is the optimal time for your body to utilize the protein.
 
^
And he put in a lot of work to get that way. :)



It seems like your problem is actually sticking to the routine. You'll most certainly have to decide what you're interested in more, drugs or getting fit.

Sure it's possible to use a bit and still be fit, but from what you've said you're no where near that point.


Start with something relatively easy, like a bodyweight routine and better nutrition and progress through that. Hopefully you'll enjoy it enough and be able to stick with it, then progress to weights...
 
lay off the stims, stick to a schedule, eat proper and don't forget - lots of protein

creatine isn't a long-term solution, it will make your muscles look puffed up but it's from water weight. when i go off the creatine you will lose that look. creatine is good if you want a beach body for the summer but if you want to change the way you look long-term then creatine isn't the answer - a lifestyle change is the answer.
 
Thizz_Machine_138 said:
Well you need a consistent weight lifting schedule that includes proper nutrition.

Here's a routine I just completed these last two months:
http://www.freedomfly.net/workouts/workout2.htm
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Whoa, whoa whoa. All those exercises are well beyond overkill for a beginner. Maybe I read the link wrong, but if they are suggesting to do all of those exercises than I would find another.

Starting Strength+good diet is a great way to start. Being skinny has its advantages where just 10 pounds of muscle will make you look very good. I will never be "huge" but I do like looking "ripped".

I have been sober for 9+ months (except for Sub) and have put on more weight and look better than I ever have. I doubt I stay completely sober forever, but I do know that my health is now ahead of my need to self medicate. Exercise is way more effective and doesn't have the negative effects. I know narcotics/hard drugs and do not mix well, and I cannot ever use them again. I would rather look good and feel good than walk around in an opiate stupor.

I never really got into stimulants, but towards the end I was using coke occasionally and I just wouldn't eat at all. I lost alot of weight which I had worked hard to put on.
 
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Just in case no one noticed, the OP is an ex-Bluelighter and they won't be coming back.

However I think we can make this the general "mega thread" for Bluelighters who have the predicament where they don't feel they can put on much muscle. That way, similar posts can be merged into this one.
 
There are a few things you need to understand. Arnold was a genetic FREAK and he also was on drugs. If you really want to get big you need to lift HEAVY weight and do it for a long time. Its very hard to build muscle.
 
http://www.defrancostraining.com/articles.html

Do this routine.
Switch the exercises around every 3 weeks or so or else you will plateau.
Run more than you do now, but not too much. Don't want to burn the calories you need to repair your muscles.
Eat a can of tuna after every workout. Do not eat anything that doesn't fall into protein or fuel category. That means no shit. No sweets, no soda, nothing. Get used to liking yogurt, tuna, hot dogs, spaghetti, chicken salad, tuna salad, whole wheat bread, etc.

And don't do stimulants.

Actually I think everyone would benefit from taking a look at that website.
 
Everybody wants to be big, cut, and shredded. There's no magic pill in this regard. How can you ask for advice and be so vague at the same time? What does your current diet consist of? How long have you been working out? How often do you work out? Which muscle groups do you work? Which exercises do you perform for each muscle group? What range of repetitions do you use and how many sets do you do? What is your general fitness level?

These are important questions that provide insight into where you might need an overhaul or adjustment.
 
If you are skinny and want to gain weight then you need to eat tons of food and do compound exercises. Doing the same isolation exercises everyday will do very little. I drink 50 grams of chocolate whey mixed with 2% milk and chocolate syrup every day. It comes out to about 70g of protein and really helps me keep the muscle ive gained even if the rest of my diet is shitty that day, its also delicious. Learning how to properly do dead lifts and squats are probably the most important exercises you can do to gain muscle mass. A squat rack is the most important piece of equipment you can get, you can do bench press , squats, deadlifts and cleans with just a squat rack, a bench and barbell. If you dont have access to a gym then pushups and pullups are the best bodyweight exercise available. Get some dumbells too, there are tons of exercises you can do with dumbells. Dont do any cardio, it makes you lose weight.

If you want to learn how to train with barbells starting strength is a great book to teach you form. But in the end you really have to enjoy lifting in order to make significant progress, even if you have to force yourself to train at first, eventually you will get into a rhythm and it becomes enjoyable in a way. Lifting weights has pretty much replaced drugs as the way I get high these days. Good luck.
 
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aanallein said:
Time is the #1 ingredient.
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Glad you mentioned it. I've seen people expect crazy results, not get them, and then just give up. From what I've read anything beyond 1-1.5 lbs of muscle per month is pretty much a pipe dream. And that's assuming you're doing everything right!
 
Very few people will have enviable physiques based on exercise and diet alone, only the genetically elite. The truth is every guy with a good amount of muscle at a low body fat is on steroids, hgh or both. Even the skinny guys with abs on the mens fitness covers are huge drug users. It's a dirty little secret, but it's the truth, believe it or not. And to get to Arnold size, it requires tons of drugs, tons of food, and tons of training. Years, on a very consistent basis. And even then, only those who are blessed with a superior genetic response to hormone will ever get to his level. That doesnt mean the rest of us can't achieve our goals without sacrificing too much of our health. I graduated college at 5'7", 140-150lbs @ 18% bf. 12 years of consistent training later, 8 years of those cycling on and off, I am a consistent 200-210lbs @ 8% bf.
 
T Durden said:
Very few people will have enviable physiques based on exercise and diet alone, only the genetically elite. The truth is every guy with a good amount of muscle at a low body fat is on steroids, hgh or both. Even the skinny guys with abs on the mens fitness covers are huge drug users. It's a dirty little secret, but it's the truth, believe it or not. And to get to Arnold size, it requires tons of drugs, tons of food, and tons of training. Years, on a very consistent basis. And even then, only those who are blessed with a superior genetic response to hormone will ever get to his level.
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nah, I don't believe that for a second (except for the reference to getting to 'Arnold Size'). I think what may have me confused is the 'skinny guys with abs' point. I know quite a few people that have abs and don't do steroids. Shit, I'm 40 and have okay abs and I'm not on steroids (yet).

10 months of consistent weight lifting combined with trial and error with diet has yielded results for me personally. Granted, genetics is in my favor but I am not among the 'genetically elite'.

Now, before I get trashed on... I was an emaciated IV coke user a little over 10 months ago so results are going to show pretty clearly based on the starting point.

That doesnt mean the rest of us can't achieve our goals without sacrificing too much of our health. I graduated college at 5'7", 140-150lbs @ 18% bf. 12 years of consistent training later, 8 years of those cycling on and off, I am a consistent 200-210lbs @ 8% bf.
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I do believe this entirely.

I think I just got thrown by the absolute terms utilized
 
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