building new muscle

[Tuggan]

whats the best routine to get into for building new muscle? not toning.

people who ive asked say you lift one day, take a day off, repeat. it doesnt seem to be workin all that well for me.

[Diekan]

First and foremost you have to remember that everyone is different; meaning that what works for me – may or may not work for you.

In high school I weighed 170 lbs, and wrestled in the 172 weight class. My coach was an amateur national weight lifting champion – all 5 foot 4 of him. I learned quite a bit from him and I still use that knowledge to this day. In the Army my boxing coach was a former Golden Gloves of New York (I think it was NY – can’t remember exactly). His thing was endurance and stamina… anyway I learned more from him. Then in college (Ohio) I wrestled heavy weight. This particular coach was much like my boxing coach in his beliefs of endurance first – strength second.

In no way am I slighting Mop, or anyone else who may be a professional trainer (I felt the need to say that - because every time I offer my opinion, or tell people how I did it - it's almost always met with "that doesn't work", or "that's all wrong" bla bla bla) – I am sure he’s excellent at what he does, as are the others - but just in case - you've got my disclaimer. But, I’ve tried the routines offered by various fitness trainers and have yet to find one [a routine] that works, for me. I use what I have learned from my coaches (men who are experts in their sports with combined decades of experience in health and fitness) and have been very happy with the results.

Now, I mentioned that I weighed 170 in high school – during my time in the Army (in Germany) I bulked up to around 265. I was bench pressing 405 lbs and dead lifting around 400 as well. I dropped down to around 230 during my college wrestling years.

Anyway, below is a picture of the mass I put on from bulking up.

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So, what did “I” do to bulk up?

First and foremost I ate right and got plenty of rest. Your body needs its rest (sleep and relaxation), it also needs a quality diet. However, two things… being in the military, sleep wasn’t always an option, but I made due. Secondly, I DID use a supplement. I used Wieder Mass shakes. One for breakfast, everyday. Very little to no refined sugar. Fruits and vegetables EVERY day… My meat consumption consisted of primarily fish and chicken. I ate red meat maybe twice a week (seven day week). LOTS of water – You’ve got to drink water till you feel like you’re going to burst… then drink more.

“My” workout routine was pretty simple: I’ll give you a sample of what I did – if you want more details – ask

Day 1 – Chest

Flat bench: 4 sets of 8.
Incline bench: 4 sets of 8.
Peck deck: 4 sets of 8.
Cable Crossovers: 4 sets of 8.
Flat bench pullovers: 4 sets of 8. (I’ll explain these if you don’t know what they are).
Abs
Cardio

Day 2 – Back

Lat pull downs: 4 sets of 8.
Bent over dumbbell rows: 4 sets of 8.
Seated rows: 4 sets of 8.
Pull ups: 4 sets of 8. (with extra weight).
Abs.

Day 3 – Shoulders.

Military press – 4 sets of 8.
Shrugs: 4 sets of 8.
Forward raises (that’s what we’ve always called them): 4 sets of 8 (each arm). Stand with your knees slightly bent – hold the dumbbells to your sides – raise them (one at a time) keeping your arm straight until the ‘bell is parallel to the floor – lower it down slowly and do the other arm.
Abs.
Cardio.

Day 4 – Arms.

Straight bars curls: 4 sets of 8.
Preacher curls (with bar): 4 sets of 8.
Hammer curls: 4 sets of 8.
Dips: 4 sets of 8.
Dumbbell kickbacks: 4 sets of 8.
Abs.

Day 5 – Legs.

Leg curls: 4 sets of 8.
Leg extensions: 4 sets of 8.
Leg press: 4 sets of 8.
Abs.
Cardio.

Day 6

Off.

Day 7 – Dead Lift.

6 sets of 8. Dead lift is the only exercise I did on this particular day.

Day 8

Off.

Day 9 – Chest

Flat bench with dumbbells: 4 sets of 8.
Incline flys with dumbbells: 4 sets of 9.
So and so on.

You get the idea… I kept it mixed up. I just wanted to give you an idea what I did to bulk up. Now if you’re interested I can spend a little time and write up my complete workout schedule. It’s late here (midnight actually) and I am tired.

Anyway – there are some “Golden Rules” (if you will) that you must follow.

- NEVER over do it. If you think you’re using too much weight – stop – don’t try to impress the chicks on the treadmills. Don’t push yourself to hard. You know your own limits better than anyone.
- Drink WATER, and LOTS of it.
- Get REST – your body needs it.
- Practice first. If you’re new to weight lifting – don’t go in, toss on some weight, and go at it. Practice your form – form is key to keeping you safe and to ensure you're working the muscle group effectively... FORM IS KING.
- Keep your knees slightly bent when doing stand up exercises.
- Wear a weight belt. Don’t have one? Buy one – they’re cheap and will save you a lot of pain and grief.
- Rest between sets.

There are others – but that’s good enough for now.

Despite what “experts” say… high weight low reps for building bulk, low weights and high reps for toning. I don’t know a single power lifter or mass builder who uses low weights and high reps for bulking up. I didn’t go from 170 to 265 using low weight / high reps. They’re great for toning, but not building… as far as I am concerned, anyway. But, again, I expect a lot of people to disagree, of course.

As for cardio – yes – it is important. I STILL work the heavy bag and speed bag at least once a week at my gym for some of my cardio. I keep my 16’s in my locker. Right now I weight around 220 (give or take) – still lean – and I am benching around 350 or so. I stopped “bulking up” (or actually maintaining my bulk) because quite frankly I don’t need it. I’m looking at dropping to about 200 and am doing high reps / low weight to keep my tone. Besides, women aren't into "huge" men anymore - it's all about scrawny! (I'm joking).

[Tuggan]

my chest, shoulders, and back are pretty well built. im focusing moreso on my arms. lost alot of the arm strength i used to have from lots of sittin around with hardly any physical work to do.

i go for bout 5 minutes straight daily (sometimes twice depending on my mood) on my kickboxing bag, constant movement and different strikes/combos with arms and legs. gets my heart pumping quite a bit. so im pretty satisfied with my endurance for my size. just pisses me off that my arms dont really want to bulk up at all no matter the weight, probably my diet and lack of sleep

[Mop]

For building muscle it has alot to do with diet and frequency of lifting once a week of a heavy heavy day works wonders for a singular muscle group