Gym newbie, advice please

[dgr]

Hi guys, It seems a few of you know your stuff about training for strength etc, so seeing as I know nothing whatsoever, im asking for help.

I have bought a gym membership, and enjoy going along, but in all honesty I have no idea what im doing.

Im looking to 'bulk up'... basically I have recently got into kickboxing, and realise although my technique is good, my strength is awful. im 6foot, 21 years old, and weigh 9 stone dead. I need to get more power in my upper body mainly, and grow some bloody muscle, as ever time I go to throw a punch after the first minute my arms are knackered just from keeping my guard up.

what sort of machines should I be using for arm/chest muscle building, and how often? what are sensible, achievable targets that I can aim for?

please do help, im feeling really lost with it all if im honest.

[Brookie]

You need to eat A LOT if you're weighing in at 9st at the moment! Honestly, without the fuel to do so you will not build muscle.
Try and do free weight and body weight exercises rather than machines, I'll leave it to kick boxing experts to tell you which muscle groups to train as I'm just body building really

[itrhondaboy]

Woah!! 9 stone and 6 foot!!!
You need to get eatting mate
4 times a day get lots of red meat down you! Maybe look into some build up shakes to get more calories in! Note build up not protein, big difference in calories
I'd stay away from machines if you can, free weights dumbbells barbells will build muscle faster in your upper body, maybe use rowing and treadmills though

Just my opinion mind but I'd not bother with the gym buy your own free weights they arent expensive and much better than paying x per month for x months! You can worry about gym when your home equipment is not working for you any more and the next level of equipment is too expensive

[dgr]

On the eating front, are protein shakes any good? I have some 'hyperbolic mass' shakes.
Also, what do you mean by free weight and body weight exercises?

muscle groups.... well. I have a body, it has some muscles (not alot). That is my full and complete knowledge of muscle groups, so if you could expand on that I would appreciate it Bodybuilding/kickboxing, im not fussed, at this stage I just need to get bigger, I can refine myself to a shape that suits at a later date

edit: I eat a HELL of a lot. a bowl of crunchy nut and 2 slices of toast for breakfast, 2 sandwiches, choccy bar and a bacon roll for lunch, and a bloody big (2 plates) dinner, normally beef casserole etc.

[Gazwould]

In all my 24 years of experience of the gym, I can say Ive never met a serious gym member without a shoulder injury.

These multi angle joints inner structures are over powered by the 3 heads of developed muscle.

Do all you can to learn and train with light weights shoulder stabilization exercises & the rotator cuff

[itrhondaboy]

On the eating front, are protein shakes any good? I have some 'hyperbolic mass' shakes.
Also, what do you mean by free weight and body weight exercises?

muscle groups.... well. I have a body, it has some muscles (not alot). That is my full and complete knowledge of muscle groups, so if you could expand on that I would appreciate it Bodybuilding/kickboxing, im not fussed, at this stage I just need to get bigger, I can refine myself to a shape that suits at a later date

Protein shakes are basically muscle food not the be all and end all they will help your muscles but not Popeyes spinach
I mean to stack weight on use a build up shake not a protein shake, my protein shakes are bearly 200kcal each! You need to massively up your intake of cal, and exercise the more you exercise eat more you'll get bigger muscles and stay lean

[dgr]

on the bucket (shakes) it says for the hard gainer... wrong ones for what i want? and Im taking shakes ASWELL as eating all the normal stuff.

this one: USN-hyperbolicmass.JPG

Gazwould, did you make that up or is it actually real information ?

[itrhondaboy]

on the bucket (shakes) it says for the hard gainer... wrong ones for what i want? and Im taking shakes ASWELL as eating all the normal stuff.

Gazwould, did you make that up or is it actually real information ?

The hard gainer stuff is it in a yellow tub? iirc the hard gainer stuff I saw was like 900kcal per shake

Edit

Here is some info for you
http://www.musclesurf.com/howtogainwei.html


http://www.phd-fitness.co.uk/store/p/487/1/Pro-Lab-N-Large2---2.7Kg.html&gclid=CM3Lx6jp5K4CFZARfAodjXDCWg?source=awin

600kcal per shake

[Gazwould]

I wish !

Those tiny rotator cuff muscles, 4, IIRC.

[hoopsbhoy]

If you have paid for a gym membership, then get value for your money and ask the trainers in the gym for advice and a program.

The internet is great for information but its no substitute for a trainer. Also if your arms are getting tired its not just strength you need to concentrate on. Just be aware of that.

[Simmo14a]

Other than whats already been said!.. Try and get a decent training partner. Makes motivation to go easier as you wont want to let them down etc and youl always train that bit harder in the competitive sense.

Hard gainers need ALOT of calories, it sounds like your eating a good amount just try increasing your amount slowly. Its a right pain but preparing a few small meals too take to work in your case id suggest plenty of carbs.

High calorie shakes like that hard gainer stuff will be brill and easy. Excellent post workout! 900cals shakes are guna be bloody filling isnt it..!

Training wise, depends how many days you have free to train! Best bulking and most important exercises i can think of off hand are squats, bench press, military press, deadlift and wide arm pullups. If your after speed cleans are brill!.. Look to do 4-8 for strength, 8-15 for size and 15+ for muscular endurance! although everyone will respnd different but thats what ive found in the past 10years.

Hope it goes well dude!

[frisbee]

One word:

Squats

[dgr]

thanks for the response guys, Ill look into what a clean, military press etc is, then do them

I have the exact tub in that picture. what is a realistic goal for me, I think to gain 1 stone (of muscle) in 6 months should be a safe bet?

[djdobson]

I will suggest weight gainer and use gaspari nutrician they are the best i have used. You want to up you protein intake and use the weight gainer too. Pro-10 are also good and they are cheap. Juat do weights and not too much cardio as that makes you lose weight lol. Also make sure you have plenty of chicken and turkey in your diet as these have loads of protein. If you want more advice get onto the uk muscle forum as they will help you

Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk

[Quail]

Chicken, Steak, Fish, Rice, Sweet Potatoes, Pasta, Vegetables, etc. Eat loads of it. Go crazy.

Key exercises:

Squats:



Deadlift:



Bench Press:



Dumbell Shoulder Press (or Military press if you prefer the Barbell):




Just those four exercises, plus lots of surplus calories, will make you grow big nice and quick

Go light to begin with, and perfect your technique before trying to go too heavy. There's no shame in using the bar without any plates when you're starting out.

They're all undeniably unforgiving exercises, but the best way to build muscle (all over your body).

Don't bother with machines to begin with (imo). Better to focus on compound exercises early on so you have the right foundations/frame to be effective in the gym. One of my biggest gym regrets was not doing squats and deadlifts from an earlier age. Machines train via isolation. No point getting big biceps if the rest of you is weak!

[hoopsbhoy]

Machines do not train via isolation as a rule, Lat pull down, shoulder press, chest press, leg press are all examples. It could be argued that starting off you should use machines for a number of weeks as they reduce the pressure on stabilising muscles and let connective tissue adapt appropriately to reduce injuries later on.

you are correct to focus on free weights if you want to achieve hypertrophy though.

This thread will always go the sme way, so you are gonna save yourself some serious time if you just get a trainer to work with you, or at the least someone of your friends who has an adequate knowledge of resistance training. Otherwise you are going to waste allot of time and risk injury.

[Quail]

To clarify my point, a machine chest/shoulder press will be substantially more isolated than a free weight chest/shoulder press; the act of combatting the pivot of the free weights counts for a lot; even pulling the weights to position can be an exercise in itself! IMO, as long as you start at an appropriate weight and don't overtrain, the machines can be bypassed.

Machines definitely have their place, but if I was focused on gaining as much useable strength as quickly as possible, I wouldn't bother with them. It's so easy to fall into habits in the gym. If you get used to a machine routine, it'll be hard to break out of that cycle. Also, after getting used to pushing certain weights on machines, and then having to go lighter on the free weights, can be disheartening, causing you to sacrifice form for overall weight.

I've trained my GF exactly the same way and she's making very impressive progress without injury.

And yes, if you're just starting out, finding the right PT will make a massive difference to the intensity of your workouts (and your form).

[Shotaro]

I used to go to the gym, once my technique was good with free weights I started at home and find it easier to push myself harder in the privacy of my own home. When I was 21 I was also 9 stone, then I started working in an office, my metabolism slowed down and I got a bit chubby, but the slowed metabolism allowed me to build muscle, now I'm pretty slim but with a lot more muscle than ever. Whereabouts in Berkshire are you mate?

[BaldyBastard]

You've got some pretty good advice from the guys on here - Definitely try and stick with free weights rather than machines, you don't need to be doing huge amounts of different exercises. Stick with the big core exercises whilst you build up your strength they will put you in good stead for what ever you do.

Once you've got the basics down try looking at the 5x5 routines and get your strength up some more.

If you're a hard gainer then eat lots, rest lots - when you've trained get some more food in you ASAP

[laze]

I haven't read the entire thread, so apologies if you've already answered this, but who is your membership with? Most gyms offer a free personal trainer for three to five sessions - it varies from gym to gym.