[Scarecr0w]

Hi guys

i have decided to start gym soon. My goal is to gain weight and muscle because i'm 6'4" with 170lbs
and i think i could be better than that. Please advice me how many days should i go to the gym, what routines should i do and what protein supplement do you recommend.
Also do you think swimming is compatible with gaining weight and muscle?
Thanks!

[Tornado]

I am really glad you started weight training. You should go to the gym 3-4 times a week. You can find routines on bodybuilding.com or Google them. Get some whey protein

[WanderingSoul]

If you are serious about getting bigger and stronger then do yourself a huge favor and buy Starting Strength by Mark Rippetoe. That, or you can Google "Starting Strength wiki" and get most of the info there. Follow the program as is. I know it sounds crazy to squat heavy 3x a week but trust me, you will see huge gains in both size and strength very quickly.

DON'T start with some bodybuilding routine. With how skinny you are you need to do compound lifts which will put muscle onto your frame. Squats, deadlifts and presses are MUCH more beneficial to you than dumbell rows, curls and hack squats.

[Shamrock]

(04-22-2012 10:44 AM)RioNomad Wrote:  

If you are serious about getting bigger and stronger then do yourself a huge favor and buy Starting Strength by Mark Rippetoe. That, or you can Google "Starting Strength wiki" and get most of the info there. Follow the program as is. I know it sounds crazy to squat heavy 3x a week but trust me, you will see huge gains in both size and strength very quickly.

DON'T start with some bodybuilding routine. With how skinny you are you need to do compound lifts which will put muscle onto your frame. Squats, deadlifts and presses are MUCH more beneficial to you than dumbell rows, curls and hack squats.

Agree with this 100%. I started this basic program sometime in December and experienced noticeable gains in only 4-6 weeks. It's also perfect if you're extremely busy as the workout requires 3 days a week (I recommend M/W/F) and can be finished in 30-40mins depending on how busy your gym is.

[RichieP]

Starting Strength is good, add in chinups for biceps and upper back too.

I even do a bodyweight version these days, barbells stopped agreeing with me:

Chinups
1-handed Pushups (assisted, but working up to unassisted)
Pseudo-planche Pushups (vids on youtube)
Pistol Squats

all hard enough to be "hard" in the 4-8 rep range, and all easily made harder by adding weight /changing hand positions. A good little routine you can take with you anywhere, gym free.

Squats and Deadlifts are preferable if you want to pack on as much overall size, but this routine is serving me just fine these days, with slow steady gains in the exercises.

[HiFlo]

Like some of the other guys above you said, you need to first build a good "base"

This comes from squats, deadlifts, military presses, bench press, and chinups/barbell rows.

[Mr.GM]

Also check Stronglifts.com there is a free e-book that you can download and it's basically the same as Starting Strength but it is 5x5 and you do barbell rows instead of power cleans in day B. Both programs are good and you can start with one and than switch to the other after 6 months.

[WanderingSoul]

(04-22-2012 12:10 PM)Mr.GM Wrote:  

Also check Stronglifts.com there is a free e-book that you can download and it's basically the same as Starting Strength but it is 5x5 and you do barbell rows instead of power cleans in day B. Both programs are good and you can start with one and than switch to the other after 6 months.

Good recommendation. Great info on that site.

[Nujabes]

Man, where is the love for Joe Defranco!?!?!? Defrancostraining.com/. Highly recommend "Built Like A Badass"

[HiFlo]

Dont forget that one of the biggest contributors to more muscle is proper diet: that means a lot of protein, which forms the building block of all your muscle. Get a good tasting protein powder because you'll be drinking it 2-3x per day and if it doesn't taste good (like a lot of them out there), you won't stick to it very long.

[Scarecr0w]

Hey guys what about swimming? is it compatible with workout sessions??

[OGNorCal707]

(04-22-2012 06:16 PM)Scarecr0w Wrote:  

Hey guys what about swimming? is it compatible with workout sessions??

I'm curious about this too. I know swimming gets you lean and cut, but would there be any downsides to gaining muscle. I've been advised that cardio can reduce muscle gains, and I know swimming is largely cardio, however you do use a lot of your muscle groups. I'm currently doing a variation of the Mehdi's 5X5 program, working out 3 days a week, squatting everytime, and deadlifting once a week.

[HiFlo]

cardio - including swimming - will not build muscle mass. It will get you cut and stronger, but it will not create muscle mass. You need to lift weights for that.

Most - if not all - body recomp programs recommend a combination of HIIT training and weightlifting.

[Walnuts]

If you're looking to gain mass, swimming isn't the best way to go about it.
First off, it's cardio. If you don't have enough stored muscle glycogen and swim for long enough, your body can actually start to break down muscle as well as fat for energy.
I would recommend short but very high intensity cardio. Max 10-15 minutes of balls to the wall swimming. Only thing is, this will increase your metabolism and will make it a little harder to gain weight.

Secondly, it won't help much in the way of building strength. There's not enough physical resistance to properly work and tear the muscles to achieve growth.
I'm not saying don't do it, I think the high intensity cardio would be a good supplement to your routine. I'm just saying that swimming alone will not yield as significant strength gains as the free weights room.

It could help muscle recovery though. This is strictly just my thoughts but I think the activity could be beneficial to alleviate soreness and train your body to better deal with lactic acid build up.

[HiFlo]

homeboy is 6'4" and 170lbs. I don't think he should be concerning himself with losing weight

say no to cardio, say yes to big compound lifts.

[WanderingSoul]

(04-22-2012 04:47 PM)Nujabes Wrote:  

Man, where is the love for Joe Defranco!?!?!? Defrancostraining.com/. Highly recommend "Built Like A Badass"

Solid program as well. As is the Eclipse Gym 5x5: http://www.eclipsegym.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=57

Those two a long with Starting Strength and StrongLifts.com 5x5 are the only 4 legitimate programs I know for a beginner/intermediate lifter. You will notice, they are all very similar, with DeFrancos being more of an outlier.

[Hades]

Bodyweight programs are never a bad idea.
I like Ross Enemait's website for pretty much everything. It's a good place to check out but you have to be clear on your goals. I have them broken into four groups.

Aesthetic muscle mass -> bodybuilding literature (zyzz's stuff probably works fine)
Raw strength + muscle mass -> Mark Rippetoe's "Starting Strength". He wrote the bible on barbell training.
Pure strength training (little mass gain) -> Pavel's "Power to the People" routine.
Gym-free strength training-> Paul Wades "Convict Conditioning" or Ross Enemait's ghetto workout articles
Strength and strength conditioning -> Ross Enemait's books (Strongly recommended for combat sports)