ok so im 16, 132lbs, i have free weights and i want to build upper body
im totally new at this, but im starting to work out 3 times a week; what do i need to eat in order to gain more muscle? i dont want to change all of meals...but would adding a protein shake or something a few times a day help with building the muscle?
tips on training/dieting/anything else you can think of would help
help would be appreciated
Moderators: Boss Man, cassiegose
help would be appreciated
Last edited by trace11 on Sat Jul 19, 2008 5:50 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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cassiegose
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Hi there!
Couple of questions... Why do you only want to build your upper body? Why no lower also? I always think people look a bit awkward when they build they build their upper body but not the lower.
What is your current diet like? Post an example of a typical day. You might see some gains from adding a protein shake a couple of times a day but you won't see the best results doing it this way. A good principle is to eat protein with every meal... and eat every 2-3 hours. For optimal results you'll want to make sure you're eating lots of whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and healthy fats. For proteins you'll want to make sure the majority of your protein is lean. Good examples are chicken breast, turkey breast, lean red meats, tofu, eggs/eggwhites, and fish. These are much better choices than protein powder... although the powder is best for after workouts because it helps with muscle recovery.
For workouts... Since you're totally new at this you might do best just doing body weight exercises to start with. Great examples of these include squats, lunges, pushups (incline and decline), pull ups, inverted rows, and dips. Once you get those down you could move on to using those free weights.
I hope this helps. Post further questions if you have any. :)
Couple of questions... Why do you only want to build your upper body? Why no lower also? I always think people look a bit awkward when they build they build their upper body but not the lower.
What is your current diet like? Post an example of a typical day. You might see some gains from adding a protein shake a couple of times a day but you won't see the best results doing it this way. A good principle is to eat protein with every meal... and eat every 2-3 hours. For optimal results you'll want to make sure you're eating lots of whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and healthy fats. For proteins you'll want to make sure the majority of your protein is lean. Good examples are chicken breast, turkey breast, lean red meats, tofu, eggs/eggwhites, and fish. These are much better choices than protein powder... although the powder is best for after workouts because it helps with muscle recovery.
For workouts... Since you're totally new at this you might do best just doing body weight exercises to start with. Great examples of these include squats, lunges, pushups (incline and decline), pull ups, inverted rows, and dips. Once you get those down you could move on to using those free weights.
I hope this helps. Post further questions if you have any. :)
sorry, i didnt put all thought into that part, i dont want to change all of meals all at once, i want to gradually work myself into a diet that i'll be able to stick toswanso5 wrote:i'm pretty sure you'll need to...or stay skinny, your choiceim dont want to change all of meals
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current diet = not unhealthy (i.e. junky greasy food), but i dont eat enough (i.e. i skip breakfast alot, which is a diffent kind of unhealthy) 2-3 meals a day - can you give me some suggestions on what i need to eat?
as far as that goes...i guess i wasnt really thinking of what i was typing...but im focusing mostly on upper body, but you're right, i do need to work on lower body too, thank you all for the tipscassiegose wrote:Why do you only want to build your upper body?
anything else would be appreciated~trace
well if you wish to get your upper body big ya gotta work the lower body, ever see the roots of a tree? what you see as branches and leaves up top is about the same size for roots in the ground.
Big tops fall over, big bottoms don't!
Its all about balance. Hence, full body workouts. No guessing work to it! want strength and size its an all or nothing deal. So don't skimp on the legs.
Big tops fall over, big bottoms don't!
Its all about balance. Hence, full body workouts. No guessing work to it! want strength and size its an all or nothing deal. So don't skimp on the legs.
true 'datvamp wrote:well if you wish to get your upper body big ya gotta work the lower body, ever see the roots of a tree? what you see as branches and leaves up top is about the same size for roots in the ground.
Big tops fall over, big bottoms don't!
Its all about balance. Hence, full body workouts. No guessing work to it! want strength and size its an all or nothing deal. So don't skimp on the legs.