Bulk

[kshway]

Hey. I'm 21 years of age and Looking to put on some Lean bulk. I lifted a bit in Highschool and got really decent results in definition, but no mass. So I would say I'm a beginner. I am at 135lbs now and hope to hit 155-160lbs. I only supplement creatine & whey protein at the moment. If someone could provide me with a Decent detailed workout & possible a dieting regimen to go along with the workout routine, i'd really appreciate it.

Thanks, Kay

[MuscleInk]

Hey. I'm 21 years of age and Looking to put on some Lean bulk. I lifted a bit in Highschool and got really decent results in definition, but no mass. So I would say I'm a beginner. I am at 135lbs now and hope to hit 155-160lbs. I only supplement creatine & whey protein at the moment. If someone could provide me with a Decent detailed workout & possible a dieting regimen to go along with the workout routine, i'd really appreciate it.

Thanks, Kay

Hey Kay, welcome to the board. Designing a lifting routine is a little tricky, especially for beginners because the number one mistake I see in the gym with a lot of guys is form and technique. They get so caught up in trying to lift as much weight as they can in as short a time as possible that their training and form is poor. They don't get a complete range of motion, don't get full muscle contractions, their lifts are shared across muscles, tendons, and ligaments, and they eventually hurt themselves.

More important than your lift routine would be your diet. A diet that is low in caloric intake with an improper balance of macros will not support muscle growth.

Spend some time browsing and searching the nutrition section and see what others have done with developing a nutrition plan and then circle back and ask for input on your proposed diet. Typically if you are looking for lean gains, you'll want your caloric intake to be no less than 3500 daily and ideally I shoot for 4000 at least when I'm bulking cleanly.

For training there are so many possible routines but regardless of your plan, work your legs twice as often as your upper body. Most guys want the appearance of a lean muscular torso and arms but you'll grow faster if you work your lower body twice as often.

There are so many people here with years of solid experience that can and will help you but you need to take steps towards doing a bit of reading to show your enthusiasm and dedication to training.....and above all, be patient. Lean gains take time but when done correctly are well worth the commitment.

[TOkidd]

At your age I was also looking to put on lean muscle mass, and as the other poster pointed out, diet is the real key. If you can consume sufficient calories, while concentrating on a simple routine of basic, compound exercises, and a mixture of low and mid rep sets, you will get good results. But diet is key.

But this is not the diet section, so I will talk a little more about the kind of exercise plan you should follow.

You really want to concentrate on free weights at this point, and I personally recommend dumbells for just about all press exercises where the bar is an option. Dumbells allow you to get the greatest range of motion, forcing you to concentrate on form, while not locking your arms into a position that may be unnatural and lead to injuries. This is especially true for exercises like shoulder press, which many lifters simply eschew because of injuries caused by the bar. When you replace the bar with dumbells, the shoulder press is much easier on your wrists and joints. Dumbells also allow you to do Arnold Presses, which are IMO, the best shoulder press, with the greatest range of motion.

A good, simple workout routine for you would include heavy weeks, with a number of low rep (4-6) sets for each exercise, alternated with weeks where you focus on moderate weight and moderate (8-12) reps. This ensures a well-rounded approach that will build both strength and mass.

From week to week your exercises will remain fairly consistent, and should include:

Chest: flat dumbell press, incline dumbell press, dumbell fly (alternating flat and incline from week to week).

Back: chins (alternating wide and narrow grip from week to week). Don't replace chins with cable pulldowns! Chins are so important for building wide lats, and IMO, cannot be replaced with cables. If you have problems lifting your own weight at first, start with assisted chins until you can lift your own weight for at least 5 good reps per set. But considering your low body weight, this shouldn't be too much of a problem. Also include bent-over barbell rows, and dumbell rows. Alternating these two exercises from week-to-week is a good idea. Finish off with deadlifts.

Shoulders: Arnold Presses. Upright rows. Standing dumbell flys. Shrugs.

Biceps: With biceps and triceps, there is a bit more variety in the exercises you can add to your routine. At first, simple standing EZ-bar curls followed by hammer curls will allow you to build mass and strength in your biceps. In time, preacher curls can be thrown in, as well as concentration curls for bicep peak. There are so many different curls you can incorporate to hit the bicep at different angles to achieve different results, but simple EZ bar curls followed by hammer curls or seated dumbell curls are the best exercises for beginners.

Triceps: As with biceps, there are so many different ways to work your triceps, but the beginner should focus on good compound exercises to build general mass and strength. As a result I recommend starting with skullcrushers, followed by dips. This can be alternated with behind-the-head dumbell raises and narrow-grip bench press from week-to-week. In time, dumbell kickbacks and cable pulldowns can be substituted some weeks for increased definition.

Legs: squats and lunges make up the core of any upper leg routine. Eventually leg bicep curls and seated quad raises can be added. Seated and standing calf raises are the core movements for calves.


As you can see, there is no secret recipe to a good beginner program. Good compound exercises with free weights is the key. Work each muscle group once weekly, but work it hard. Be sure to get adequate rest in between workouts. Rest time is just as important as training time, so don't make the common beginner mistake of overdoing it. Overtraining will kill your progress, so a super-intense workout for each muscle group once weekly is enough IMO.

As you progress, certain exercises may be added or substituted to work weak areas, but these compound exercises are the core of routines for both beginners and veterans. Concentrate on form; lifting the weights properly with a full range of motion is more important than lifting heavy weight improperly. Throwing around heavy weights might turn heads, but the best results come from lifting a weight you can comfortably lift with perfect form. The heavy weights will come in time.

I hope this helps.