5' 10", 134lbs.

xxxFRIARxxx

Bluelighter
Joined
Mar 17, 2002
Messages
235
As you can see from the title, I'm a relatively skinny guy. I've been this skinny since high school; I'm in college currently. 24 years old.

I've been working on my chest/arms recently (last 2 months) and I really haven't been seeing any of the gains (as quickly) as I'd like.

I'm not thinking of going into steroids, but I was just wondering how much do you guys think I could gain in upper-body mass (keeping in mind that I don't work my legs other than the treadmill) in weight?

Do you think I'd max out at around 150/160 with no steroids? or where?

Also, I've read that whey helps with this, should this be my first supplement step (besides the vitamins I'm taking)?

Thanks, Friar
 
I've been working on my chest/arms recently (last 2 months) and I really haven't been seeing any of the gains (as quickly) as I'd like.

Before we can tell you what you're doing wrong (if anything) we need to know what you're doing. How many reps/sets, which exercises? Are you lifting as heavily as you can while still finishing your target reps? How often do you target a muscle group? How much protein are you getting?

I can tell you one thing you're doing wrong: Just working your arms and chest. (A common newbie mistake.) Such an approach will produce imbalances; if you're lucky just funny-looking cosmetic ones, but some can mess with your posture and increase the risk of injury while lifting.

don't work my legs other than the treadmill

First, your legs are far more important to your health and fitness than upper body. Second, 'leg' exercises like squats are also good back, glute, etc. exercises. Third, heavy compound exercises like squats and deadlifts are more effective at raising testosterone levels, which may help you gain muscle on your upper body as well. And finally, guys look really, really stupid with big pecs and chicken legs. Learn to squat (free barbell, not machine).

Do you think I'd max out at around 150/160 with no steroids? or where?

Do real workouts (full body, legs, back, etc.) and there's no reason you can't hit close to a lean 200 pounds eventually. Try this program, at least for the first 6-12 months:

http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=998224

I've read that whey helps with this, should this be my first supplement step (besides the vitamins I'm taking)?

Whey protein shakes are very handy for increasing protein intake. If you're properly working out (such as with the above program) you'll want to get about 120+ grams of protein a day (more as you get bigger.) Diet (particularly getting enough calories and protein) is every bit as important as the weight lifting itself.

Most 'supplements' are bullshit. Frauds. Rip-offs. Protein, vitamins, if you want to some cheap creatine monohydrate. Every time you have the urge to buy some 'get ripped fast' supplement, stick the money in a piggy bank instead and save up for an olympic weight set. :)
 
Firstly, never in the world did I think I would EVER take advice from a DEA. =D

To answer...

I don't have a gym membership (too expensive, plus I'm in college), so I use the machine weight sets here in my apartment complex. (I know, I know...lol)

I do as many reps as I can (keeping the max reps I can do at 13-15) of incline bench, non-incline bench, bicep curls, and that one that you push your elbows together. (lol, such a noob) butterfly? 3 sets each. Also, I do roughly 100 pushups a day just because I think it will help.

Honestly, I'm not following my caloric and protein intake, but I can tell you that I don't eat a lot of vegetables, take my flinstones vitamins (lolol, still), and eat meat at least once a day. I've recently started to drink a lot of milk as well...

I don't think I'll buy the creatine (what, with all that water-muscles and all that) but the whey protein shakes sound like a good idea.

A last, but important piece of info is that I'm a smoker (roughly a pack a day or little less)

Any other advice to a true noob?

-Friar
 
ever in the world did I think I would EVER take advice from a DEA.

*laugh* I needed a domain name and thought it would be funny late one night...it's been causing confusion ever since. :)

I don't have a gym membership (too expensive

Unfortunately, it's going to cost some money to build real muscle. Money for food/protein, money for a gym membership or home equipment.

Gym memberships can be had for about $30/month in most areas; if you're serious about getting in shape, it's a small price to pay. Call around to local gyms and see if they offer day passes or trial memberships (tell them you're looking for a gym to join but don't want to make a decision until you've had a chance to get a good feel for the gym; they can probably arrange something.) It's worth trying a real gym just to familiarize yourself with the sorts of equipment/exercises out there.

If you find yourself thinking of home equipment (and have the space for it), take a look at this thing: http://www.gymcor.com/powerrack.html

It's called a power rack. They're used for all manner of exercises; you can do pullups on the frame, safely bench press, squat, etc. If you could only buy one piece of equipment, it should be a power rack IMO. (Well, you'll also need an olympic weight set and probably a bench to stick inside the rack.)

If you go to a gym, make sure it has either a power rack or a squat rack (something similar to this thing.) A Smith machine (a device where the barbell slides up and down in a track) is NOT good enough in my opinion.


Study muscles. Figure out where everything is and WHAT IT DOES. For instance, which muscles are used to bench press? Most people would say 'pecs', but that's not even close to the whole picture. Perhaps the most important muscles for benching are the triceps (the muscles under your arm, opposite the biceps.) The triceps job is to straiten/extend the arm, making them critical for any pressing/pushing movement.

Read more here: http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/anatomy.htm

Don't neglect your back! Learn how to do barbell rows and pullups. (If you can't get to the gym and don't have the budget/space for a power rack, you can get a fairly inexpensive pullup/chinup bar that mounts in a doorway at Walmart or such.) The lats (the main muscle worked by pullups) are a big part of what gives your body that broad shouldered, v-tapered look.

Honestly, I'm not following my caloric and protein intake

Time to start.

When you're building muscle, you're going through two stages. First, you lift weights to cause tiny tears in your muscles. Then you sit and relax (and eat) while your body repairs and reinforces the damaged muscles. (This process is what causes next-day soreness.) Rest and diet are every bit as important as your workout. If you don't give your muscles enough time to recover, they won't be able to grow. (Generally people don't target the same muscle group more than twice a week, and often only once a week.)

During the repair/growth phase, your muscles need plenty of protein and calories. If your body doesn't have plenty of calories available, it will try to conserve energy by limiting muscle growth. Protein poses a special problem; if there isn't protein available, repairs/growth can't happen, and since your body doesn't have a way to store protein, in order to maximize muscle growth you need to provide your healing/growing muscles with small amounts of protein throughout the day. Bodybuilders will usually eat about every two hours. (Small meals, protein shakes, etc.)

So: Eat more, eat more protein, eat more often. :) (And plenty of sleep too.)

Do NOT skimp on diet. Lifting weights without a good diet is like buying a sports car with no wheels; you won't get far.

I don't think I'll buy the creatine (what, with all that water-muscles and all that)

Personally I haven't noticed any water retention, but it's hardly critical to include.

I do as many reps as I can (keeping the max reps I can do at 13-15)

I would probably increase the weight a bit (reducing the reps to perhaps 8-12.) Not using heavy enough weights (and not increasing them aggressively as your strength grows) is one of the common (and serious) mistakes newbies make. Many lifting programs involve increasing the weights every week whether you feel up to it or not.

My own goals are brute strength, so I generally choose weights I can only lift for about five reps (some advanced strength athletes only do 1-3 reps with very heavy weights.)

and that one that you push your elbows together. (lol, such a noob) butterfly?

Ah, the hated 'pec deck'. IMO they put unnatural and potentially harmful forces on your shoulders; I'd look for a different exercise.

Also, I do roughly 100 pushups a day just because I think it will help.

The trouble is, if you're strong enough to do many reps of an exercise, you're no longer very effectively challenging (damaging) your muscles, and without that damage you won't get repair/growth. To make pushups more challenging (and thus more beneficial) add resistance. They sell latex resistance bands for exercise; you can loop them over your back to your hands, making the pushup harder, or you can add weight (such as by putting a sand bag on your back.)

It's critical to push the limits of your strength to effectively build muscle. Lift heavy, eat well, sleep as much as you can, repeat. That's it in a nutshell.
 
^ well said.

Just as an aside - to gain a lot more mass you should really push your legs more than any other muscle group. Leg exercises will almost universally strengthen your back and core (abs and lower back) as well and that whole region is the key to successful strength training/body building for numerous reasons. Many people don't like to work legs/back/abs because they are the most demanding areas of your body and require the most energy to work well but the results are simply amazing.

Good exercises to put on some mass and become more powerful:
Squats (heavy squats, deep squats, breathing squats, hack squats, front squats)
Dead Lifts (stiff leg and normal)
Clean and Press
Bench Press

I would almost universally recommend free weights over any machine setup.


As for your weight - there is no reason (in my opinion) you can't reach 200+ lbs @ 5'10'' given 6-12 months training, a dramatic improvement in diet, and a LOT of studying on muscle structure and exercises as well as how the body responds to training (I spend a few hours everyday reading about it and I've been doing it a long time - there is TONS to learn).
 
Thanks for the replies everyone, especially DEA for coming back and writing an even LONGER reply. That's awesome. =D

I've been studying up on different types of lifts and how freeweights are better than machine, and the whole exercising thing (that site that DEA gave me in the first post is AWESOME)

Since I've been about 130 my entire life, I'm so excited to begin gaining weight so I won't be a skinny little bastard anymore, and the people here at BL have really gotten the ball rolling.

I don't think I'll necessarily want to be 200lb plus, because I think for a 5' 10" guy that is absolutely MASSIVE, but I wouldn't be completely abject to it. I was hoping for somewhere around like 170 or so max. Oh man, I can't WAIT to be big... :D

PS, when I said that I did 100 pushups a day, I meant that as an estimation of the total I do. I only do them in 20-pushup increments and space them out by 30 min to an hour or so.

Once again, thanks fellow BLers ('specially DEA) for gettin' me started on finally whipping my skinny bone-showin' ass in gear.

-Friar
 
You're quite welcome.

One more thing: Give SERIOUS thought to quitting smoking. Smoking will limit your gains (it places a burden on your system and reduces endurance during workouts.) The money you'd save would also easily pay for a gym membership and a lot of food/protein, or buy you a pretty nice home gym set-up over the next year.
 
holy shit ,,,,diet and training is the key,,,,,not steroids,,get your diet and training right first then think about steroids,,,,,i was 94kgs when i did my first cycle
 
I haven't been thinking about steroids, it just seemed that a question about building up my muscle mass would go best in the steroids section of BL.

Also, I think I'm going to try to quit smoking here in the next couple of days. I feel a cold coming on and I HATE the smell/taste of cigarettes when I'm sick.

Thanks again for the replies, you can close this thread if you wanna' mods.

-Friar
 
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