advice?

Chris said:

Hi, I've been going to the gym now for a while, I am able to bench

press

Quoted message said:

75kg, which isn't too bad since I'm bout 68kg; I use 30kg dumbells

for

Quoted message said:

inclined bench press, which basically max's out the dumbells in my

gym... so

Quoted message said:

I can lift the weights, do the reps... but the thing is, my body

hasn't got

Quoted message said:

muscley?!?! yeah I've got bigger all over, as in my body size has

increased

Quoted message said:

slightly, mainly over the shoulders back and biceps... but I'm not

ripped,

Quoted message said:

defined, BULGING!!!!

I was thinking it could be due to my protein intake?? I decided to

start

Quoted message said:

taking supplements last week, protein supplements... it says it gives

20g

Quoted message said:

protein per drink made.. how many drinks of this protein stuff should

I be

Quoted message said:

aiming at per day?? is it the fact I haven't been taking a protein
supplement that I haven't increased hugely in mass or definition??

or should I be doing more sets?? reps??? at the moment I do 3

exercises per

Quoted message said:

muscle, 3 sets per exercise, and reps starting at 8 reps for the

first set,

Quoted message said:

then 6, 4... as I try maximise the max amount of weight I can lift...

Sorry if my questions are a bit basic, but I'm lost and we all gotta

start

Quoted message said:

somewhere!!!

Many thanks

J.

Ripped doesn't have so much to do with muscle as it does body fat %.
You said you have gotten bigger throughout the shoulders and back so
you must have gained some muscle. Upping your protein intake won't
make you ripped, but it will help build muscle.

If you want to reveal that muscle you'll need to go through a cutting
phase, lower your calorie intake and up your cardio for several weeks,
concentrate on losing fat not gaining muscle.

If you want to put on mass while gaining fat lower the reps, up the
weight and increase calories and protein intake (about 1.5-2 grams per
pound of body weight). You will not be ripped during this phase.

You'll need to alternate these phases if you want to put on muscle and
become ripped. I'm kind of pressed for time, I hope this answered
your question sufficiently.

Chris said:

Hi, I've been going to the gym now for a while, I am able to bench press
75kg, which isn't too bad since I'm bout 68kg; I use 30kg dumbells for
inclined bench press, which basically max's out the dumbells in my gym... so
I can lift the weights, do the reps... but the thing is, my body hasn't got
muscley?!?! yeah I've got bigger all over, as in my body size has increased
slightly, mainly over the shoulders back and biceps... but I'm not ripped,
defined, BULGING!!!!

Definition comes when you lower your bodyfat.
You wont looked ripped until you diet to low bodyfat, 10% or below.
And even then, looking ripped and muscular doesn't happen unless you
have a lot of muscle mass. Otherwise you'll look small & skinny.
Ripped, but skinny.

Quoted message said:

I was thinking it could be due to my protein intake?? I decided to start
taking supplements last week, protein supplements... it says it gives 20g
protein per drink made.. how many drinks of this protein stuff should I be
aiming at per day?? is it the fact I haven't been taking a protein
supplement that I haven't increased hugely in mass or definition??

Could be, but you also get protein through your diet. You're probably
getting enough.
Aim for 1 gram/lb bodyweight.

Quoted message said:

or should I be doing more sets?? reps??? at the moment I do 3 exercises per
muscle, 3 sets per exercise, and reps starting at 8 reps for the first set,
then 6, 4... as I try maximise the max amount of weight I can lift...

Alos depends on how frequently you lift, how much rest/sleep you get,
how much food you eat what exercises you do...
The food thing is important. You wont build muscle unless
you're eating enough, training well and gaining weight.

Many thanks for the replies!!!! I think if I were to loose all body fat to
become ripped, I'd end up looking quite skinny indeed. so I guess I'll
concentrate on building muscle mass more... how many reps/sets should I be
doing to achieve max muscle gain?? also do you all do cardio before doing
weight training?? if so how much?? cross trainer? treadmill?? before and
after weight training?? or none at all??

once again, many thanks for your replies

J.

"Justin Case" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Chris said:

Hi, I've been going to the gym now for a while, I am able to bench press
75kg, which isn't too bad since I'm bout 68kg; I use 30kg dumbells for
inclined bench press, which basically max's out the dumbells in my gym...
so
I can lift the weights, do the reps... but the thing is, my body hasn't
got
muscley?!?! yeah I've got bigger all over, as in my body size has
increased
slightly, mainly over the shoulders back and biceps... but I'm not ripped,
defined, BULGING!!!!

Definition comes when you lower your bodyfat.
You wont looked ripped until you diet to low bodyfat, 10% or below.
And even then, looking ripped and muscular doesn't happen unless you
have a lot of muscle mass. Otherwise you'll look small & skinny.
Ripped, but skinny.

Quoted message said:

I was thinking it could be due to my protein intake?? I decided to start
taking supplements last week, protein supplements... it says it gives 20g
protein per drink made.. how many drinks of this protein stuff should I be
aiming at per day?? is it the fact I haven't been taking a protein
supplement that I haven't increased hugely in mass or definition??

Could be, but you also get protein through your diet. You're probably
getting enough.
Aim for 1 gram/lb bodyweight.

Quoted message said:

or should I be doing more sets?? reps??? at the moment I do 3 exercises
per
muscle, 3 sets per exercise, and reps starting at 8 reps for the first
set,
then 6, 4... as I try maximise the max amount of weight I can lift...

Alos depends on how frequently you lift, how much rest/sleep you get,
how much food you eat what exercises you do...
The food thing is important. You wont build muscle unless
you're eating enough, training well and gaining weight.

Quoted message said:

how many reps/sets should I be doing to achieve max muscle gain??

Keep your reps under 8, anywhere from 4 to 6 would be good. Adjust
your weight accordingly.

Quoted message said:

also do you all do cardio before doing weight training?

Cardio isn't a good idea if you are trying to build muscle. If you
have to, however, do cardio AFTER lifting. Cardio depletes you
glutamine store and will make your lifting session less productive. A
good plan would be to do your lifting in the morning and do Guerilla
Cardio (Google for details) or some other form of HIIT in the evening.
Or run on your non-lifting days.

tabber said:

Quoted message said:

how many reps/sets should I be doing to achieve max
muscle gain??

Keep your reps under 8, anywhere from 4 to 6 would be
good. Adjust your weight accordingly.

That depends on what is meant by "max muscle gain." If
that reference is to optomizing strength, then, yes, four
to six reps is a good range. It it means optimal gains
in hypertrophy, a rep range of 8 to 12 is probably better.

Chris said:

Many thanks for the replies!!!! I think if I were to loose all body fat to
become ripped, I'd end up looking quite skinny indeed. so I guess I'll
concentrate on building muscle mass more... how many reps/sets should I be
doing to achieve max muscle gain?? also do you all do cardio before doing

It depends. You'll have to do some experimenting.
Ideally, you'd train in both higher (10ish) rep ranges and lower
(4-6ish) periodically. Alternating for a week or two at a time.

Quoted message said:

weight training?? if so how much?? cross trainer? treadmill?? before and
after weight training?? or none at all??

I do none at times and 2 - 3x/week at other times.
It depends on what you want.

Sometimes if you trim off the fat (and a little muscle will go with it)
you actually end up LOOKING bigger...the general public is stupid and
will think your huge, even though you
know the dirty little secret that you lost muscle with all that fat.

haha nice!!! I like!!! many thanks for the replies!!! I think I'll try the
gorilla cardio thing mentioned earlier, as I don't wanna loose too much of
the gains I've made, but I don't want my flabby gut getting any bigger
either!!! I was thinking, gorilla caridio after weight training 2 or 3 times
a week>???

You's have been a great help!!! alot more useful than all the mumble jumble
on the web!!!

MANY THANKS!!! ONCE AGAIN!!!

P.s... I LOVE going the gym, and at the moment I'm between jobs, so gotta
find something to occupy my mind during the days, I find myself going to the
gym nearly everyday, using a 3day workout over and over again... is this
ok?? Or will this cause overtraining?? surely its ok since I'm doing
basically no other stressful work during the day, and I get LOADS of rest
time... Basically is it ok to train everyday?? 2 muscle groups per day??
repeat routine every third day??

J.

"mct546" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Sometimes if you trim off the fat (and a little muscle will go with it)
you actually end up LOOKING bigger...the general public is stupid and
will think your huge, even though you
know the dirty little secret that you lost muscle with all that fat.

Chris said:

haha nice!!! I like!!! many thanks for the replies!!! I think I'll

try the

Quoted message said:

gorilla cardio thing mentioned earlier, as I don't wanna loose too

much of

Quoted message said:

the gains I've made, but I don't want my flabby gut getting any

bigger

Quoted message said:

either!!! I was thinking, gorilla caridio after weight training 2 or

3 times

Quoted message said:

a week>???

You's have been a great help!!! alot more useful than all the mumble

jumble

Quoted message said:

on the web!!!

MANY THANKS!!! ONCE AGAIN!!!

P.s... I LOVE going the gym, and at the moment I'm between jobs, so

gotta

Quoted message said:

find something to occupy my mind during the days, I find myself going

to the

Quoted message said:

gym nearly everyday, using a 3day workout over and over again... is

this

Quoted message said:

ok?? Or will this cause overtraining?? surely its ok since I'm doing
basically no other stressful work during the day, and I get LOADS of

rest

Quoted message said:

time... Basically is it ok to train everyday?? 2 muscle groups per

day??

Quoted message said:

repeat routine every third day??

J.

"mct546" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Sometimes if you trim off the fat (and a little muscle will go with

it)

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

you actually end up LOOKING bigger...the general public is stupid

and

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

will think your huge, even though you
know the dirty little secret that you lost muscle with all that

fat.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

As long as you rest each body part for at least 2 days during your mass
phase you're fine.

P.S. It's "Guerilla" Cardio like the military. Just so you don't get
caught up searching for it.

Chris said:

Hi, I've been going to the gym now for a while, I am able to bench press
75kg, which isn't too bad since I'm bout 68kg; I use 30kg dumbells for
inclined bench press, which basically max's out the dumbells in my gym... so
I can lift the weights, do the reps... but the thing is, my body hasn't got
muscley?!?! yeah I've got bigger all over, as in my body size has increased
slightly, mainly over the shoulders back and biceps... but I'm not ripped,
defined, BULGING!

People are going to mention fat loss, specifically diet, and they're
right, but...

I bench more than you and weigh less than you and I'm a woman. Keep
getting stronger. Go read www.hypertrophy-specific.com if you want to
get bigger as fast as you can without drugs.

Quoted message said:

I was thinking it could be due to my protein intake? I decided to start
taking supplements last week, protein supplements... it says it gives 20g
protein per drink made.. how many drinks of this protein stuff should I be
aiming at per day?? is it the fact I haven't been taking a protein
supplement that I haven't increased hugely in mass or definition??

It's really hard to add muscle and lose fat at the same time. Pick one.
Next month, work on the other one. Alternate months until you're
perfect. If you're lean enough and you hate dieting, like me, do 2:1 or
3:1 muscle gain:fat loss.

Quoted message said:

or should I be doing more sets?? reps??? at the moment I do 3 exercises per
muscle, 3 sets per exercise, and reps starting at 8 reps for the first set,
then 6, 4... as I try maximise the max amount of weight I can lift...

I do one top set of one or two exercises per muscle group, sort of, but
I do it three times a week. You?

Take squats for example. After a couple of weeks of rest, I start a
cycle with 50% of my 1RM, and squat to failure. Every session I add ten
pounds to the bar, and squat to failure every session. When I hit my
new 1RM, the cycle is over. Once the weight gets over 70% 1RM or so, I
do a really easy warmup set with 50% 1RM first. When the weight gets
over 90%1RM, I add an easy 75% 1RM warmup set.