hey guys.
i'm a skinny dude who's almost skin and bones (thanks for those genes dad) and i'm looking to buff up.
i'm considering investing in a couple of dumbbells so i can work out but without going to the gym...BUT i'm not into taking supplements like whey and whatnot too.
so, before i spend my money...i'd like to know if i would be able to get bigger shoulders, back and chest muscles from just lifting without having to eat additional supplements. I'm talking about visible changes here...
anyone can help? thanks!
> i'm a skinny dude who's almost skin and bones (thanks for those genes dad)
Be grateful that your genes are that great. It usually means you have a good metabolism and that you're healthy.
Yes, visible changes of course are possible. Just by doing an incremental amount of pushups every day (and a proper warming up before), will get you where you want to be in a month or two. You will also notice that you're going to be much hungrier than before. If you want to do this properly you'll also have to adjuts your diet to match your new body, and you must strive to eat healthy and not junkfood from macdonalds. (that's general advice for anyone actually)
But you're adopting a new lifestyle - if you stop exercising your body will soon go back to its normal appearance. Do you really want to do this and are you prepared for the consequences, or you just want to "buff up" because it's summer?...
If you want to get big, get yourself on a high-intensity workout program. Start slow and work your way up to regular training. Try to set aside an hour 4-5 days a week for training.
Do some cardio, I like stationary bikes myself. 20-30 minutes during each workout. Then, its on to weightlifting. Take time to learn how to weightlift properly, make yourself a sensible workout schedule... then add weight until you reach a low-rep, high-intensity schedule. Add weight as you improve. There's info all over the internet on how to do this, do your research so you don't end up hurting yourself.
With all this exercise, your body will crave nutrients to repair and strengthen itself. Get on a good diet... lots of protein, vegetables and whole grains. Work out and get lots of sleep. Once you get in the rhythm, you'll feel the difference in a few weeks, and start noticing the difference in the weeks to come.
Some people just have rabbit-like metabolisms, and they just can't seem to put on weight. Trust me though, if you start working out seriously, your body WILL demand more food and generate mass to offset the demand on your muscles.
I know a lot of people who supplement their diets with extra protein (via that weird gray chocolate powder junk), which is not something I do. Granted, when I work out now I don't accumulate size as quickly as when I first started out, but I'm fine with it. I also eat a stupid amount of chicken and fish, which is delicious. Nothing like tuna steak and eggs first thing in the morning.
Thanks for the replies. And nah, my genes aren't that fantastic...there's high blood pressure, cancer and heart problems among other things in my family tree...
I'm not eating very much at the moment simply because I'm not hungry enough...sometimes its just 2 proper meals per day... and I have weird sleeping hours which I'm working on getting fixed.
I've been working out at home with a barbell doing exercises like deadlifts, bent over rows etc. which work multiple muscles because I heard that's what beginners should do instead of stuff like bicep curls... usually 3 sets of 10 reps.
I admit I want to get in shape because I'm going to university/college soon, but I definitely want to look better for my own sake.
Question about cardio...won't doing cardio result in losing weight instead? Diet-wise, will the standard 3 meals a day do?
cardio is for fat burning.. if you want to show off your muscle shape and such (no dirty bulk or any bulking up in the summer) then cardio is essential..
you will burn fat if cardio is being done around heart rate 130-140bpm.
>>4
It's not about just 3 random meals, it's about 3 GOOD meals. Stuff rich in protein for muscle growth like tuna, chicken/turkey breast, soy, eggs, wheat bran, milk etc.
Also, working out at home will sort of only get you so far. Why not invest in a cheap monthly gym membership? Sometime you'll arrive at a point (especially bench press) where you'd probably need a spotter just to pass over your plateau and not drop the barbell on you
Excuse me for interrupting this thread, but I'd like to ask about losing weight.
My weight is 85 kg, while normal weight should be around 75-80 kg. And I need to exercise as well. Unfortunatelly, gym prices in the area where I live are currently too high for me.
Is there any set of exercises which is possible to do at home?
(I remember that someone AFK recommended me a few relatively simple sets from yoga, but I don't remember which book they recommended)
I find jump roping and jumping jacks to be a fairly good work out if you want to lose weight. Im by no means over weight but I do like to get in some jump roping and jumping jacks in when i get time. Id imagine it would burn fat. I agree that if youre someone that wants to get some muscle on at home.. PUSH UPS!! I come up wiht my own push ups as well where ill put one leg up and out to the side as im doing push ups so it pulls on your core muscles (abs) as well. Widen ur hands also works your chest more. Great work out. I usually avg about 60-70 slow correct push ups per set and do about 300 every day as well as the gym 3-4 days a week. good luck.
My buddy lost 160 pounds in the last 13 months by only running and eating healthy, all he did was increase the distance he ran by a little bit each day. Oh and yeah to the skinny dude wanting to gain muscle, I was the exact same way, 6'3 and skin and bones until I started pushing weights. I do drink a protein powder but its completely vegan and very healthy for you, its called Vega. I am a work out at home kinda guy too and started small then worked up big. I'm currently on a routine where I up the weight I do by 5 pounds every 15 days on my press. Basically man your body will demand an increased appetite to make your muscles adapt to the weight you are lifting. I suggest getting a used work bench with a bench bar and weights. Military press, chest press, and curls are the greatest way to build upper body strength in my opinion. And trust me eventually you will need a spotter so unless you can get your dad to help you out your gunna have to hit the gym eventually. When that time comes around you'll easily have enough confidence to hit the gym no problem though. Good luck man, and be patient, it doesn't come easy.
Oh and I almost forgot, up your work out to 5 sets of 10 man, and if you feel like you can do more, do it. Push yourself but not to the point of exhaustion, you'll learn your limit very quickly.
Hey I need some help guys I'm 17 years old and I weigh about a 130 pounds and I'm trying to get a bigger body not to big but a good size for my age , I live in a small town with no gyms near bye so I have been doing workouts at home like chin ups pushups situps lifting 10 pound weights for now and protein shakes is that good enough if I do that everyday ??? I just want to get bigger is it possible to get bigger in a month ?
It's not possible to get bigger in a month. Not at all. Sorry, but it takes real dedication to get bigger. Take a picture of yourself now, and work out really hard for three months. Take another picture and compare them. If your workout regimen is right, you'll see the difference in muscle mass between the two pictures.
I really have to tell you, though, that diet is just as important as working out. My cousin was a personal trainer, and he always maintained that people looking to add some muscle should eat as many grams of protein as they weigh. This is only for people who aren't overweight. If you weight 130 lbs, and you are skinny, you should aim to consume 130 grams of protein. You'll probably also want to consume at least 3,000 Calories per day. By working out, you'll be burning close to that many, and by eating less you actually wind up getting smaller.
I think you should set a tripcode, j L, and keep a daily blog here about working out.