GUIDE TO BULKING UP

DIESEL

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This board is repetitive as fukk. Newbies come in and pretty much ask the same question over and over.

"HOW DO I GAIN MASS ON X BODYPART??"

"I'M A SKINNY BASTARD AND I WANT TO GET BIGGER."

etc, etc, etc.

Here's the deal. Follow the steps, and get big.

1. Weigh yourself (in lbs !! - if you're a skinny bastard, bf% is irrelevant)
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2. Use these ratios to set up your diet: EAT THIS AMOUNT OF CALORIES EVERY DAY WHETHER YOU LIFT OR NOT

Protein: 1.3-1.5g / # of body weight
Carbs: 2-3g/ # of body weight
Fat .33 - .5g / # of body weight

Notes:
Carb sources: Whole wheat bread, pasta, rice, potatoes, oatmeal, green vegetables, dextrose

Protein: whey powder, eggs, lean meats, fish, skim milk, lowfat cottage cheese

Fat: you'll probably get enough from the meats/eggs you eat, but supplement 1 TABLESPOON of FLAX OIL
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3. at least 1/3 of your total daily calories should come in the 3hour window following your weightlifting workout.

Note: Keep fat intake to a minimum during this time. Whey protein is the desired protein source too due to its fast absorption by the body.

example:
Immediately post workout.
2 scoops whey
1 serving creatine transport + additional dextrose

1 hour post workout
2 scoops whey
2 potatoes

2 hours post workout
MRP
1 potato

3 hours post workout
regular meal (meats, eggs, etc..)
=======================
4. Limit training to 4x a week tops

5. Each body part is trained once a week. The following are the max sets you should be doing a week. per body part.

Chest: no more than 10 work sets
Back: 10 sets
Legs: 10 sets
Bis: 4-6 sets
Tris: 5- 7 sets
Delts: 4-6 sets
Traps: 4 sets
Calves, Abs, Forearms (can be done 2x week - 6-10 sets)
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6. Train heavy - if you can do more than 8 reps it's too light, if you can't do 4 reps with good form it's too heavy.
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7. No isolation movements. Use heavy, basic, compound movements

Chest: Pressing movements (barbell or dumbbells), Flyes w/ DB
Back: Heavy Rows, T-Bars, Pull Ups, Pulldowns, Deadlifts
Legs: Squats, Leg Press, Stiff Leg Deads, Leg Curls
Bis: Barbell Curls, Alt DB Curls
Tris: Close Grip Bench, Skullcrushers, Tri Pressdowns, Dips
Delts: Military Press, DB Presses, DB Raises
Traps: Barbell/ DB Shrugs, Power Cleans
==============
8. Little if any machine movements.

Chest: no machines
Back: Hammer Machines, and Lat Pulldowns, Seated Rows are OK
Legs: Leg Press, Leg Curl OK
Bis: no machines
Tris: Cable Pressdowns OK
Delts: No machines
Traps: no machines
==========

9. Drink lots of water - at least a gallon a day

10. Supplement properly
Vit. C, E, Creatine, Glutamine, and CLA are all you need.

11. Get at least 8 hours of sleep a day

12. ABSOLUTELY NO FVCKING CARDIO
(unless you start getting a visible fat roll.. if this happens, just start cutting from the carb totals - that should keep you lean )
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13. Change your routine every 4 weeks, but keep the rep range and exercises constant. Basically, change the order of exercises around to keep the workouts fresh.
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14. Buy a little notebook and track your reps and sets.. each week try to do more weight and more reps. Once you hit the 8 reps you know it's time to up the weight.
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15. After 8 weeks, TAKE ONE FULL WEEK OFF THE GYM. This will recharge your body and keep you from overtraining.

When you come back to the gym, work for that FIRST WEEK ONLY in the 10-12 rep range to get your body used to the weight again. Then jump into another 8 week cycle using your maxes from the last 8 week cycle as your starting point.
===========

there you have it, now get to work!

D



[This message has been edited by DIESEL (edited 08-13-2002).]
 

Turner Ohvur

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ok, just a small clarification needed. when you say "work" sets, this means the sets in the 4-8 rep range, ie, NOT warmup sets before, correct?
 

DIESEL

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YES. You only need to warm up once at the beginning of your workout.

For example: let's say you are going to be beginning your chest workout with 3 worksets of bench press at 225 x 7, 230 x6 , and 235 x 5 . This is a sample warmup.

95x 12 (about 40% of starting weight)
135 x 6 (about 60%)
185 x 3 (about 75%)
215 x 1 (about 90 - 95%)

and then you jump into the ten worksets for chest. You do not need to warmup for each new movement. These are called garbage sets, as they do not stimulate optimum development, merely rob your muscles of the precious glycogen it needs to move the big weight necessary to stimulate 1b recruitment, which in turn leads to muscle growth.

Use this principle for all body parts.

[This message has been edited by DIESEL (edited 08-13-2002).]
 

Turner Ohvur

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Great. Thanks for posting this, by the way. Awhile ago I asked about a good bench routine, and the one you posted made me grow a lot, and very fast.

One last question and i'll leave ya alone. I've been lifting every other day, and I'm plateauing now (after gaining 25 lbs on bench). My guess is my system is just exhausted. I was recommended to take a 3-4 day break from lifting. What's your take on overtraining, and "breaks" ?
 

~Tha Don~

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hey D, u said no cardio... and u said when u see a visible roll u cut the carbs.

does that mean i lay off the gatorade and water mix u told me about?

------------------
~Dont Full ya self, ya need me baby~
 

DIESEL

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NO. In your particular case, you are doing two a days for football. Your main goal right now is performance.

What I just posted would work for you during the offseason when you're not playing football.

Stick with the program I had posted for you before.

D
 

DIESEL

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Originally posted by Turner Ohvur:

One last question and i'll leave ya alone. I've been lifting every other day, and I'm plateauing now (after gaining 25 lbs on bench). My guess is my system is just exhausted. I was recommended to take a 3-4 day break from lifting. What's your take on overtraining, and "breaks" ?
Take a week off from the gym then come back and see what happens. Then do the light 10-12 on the week you come back, then try at your plateau weight the week after. Make sure you're still eating well.. the weight should start moving up again. Chances are, you're probably overtrained.

D
 

gotnone

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No flames for this, just my thought, I know I'm probably wrong.

Every bulking routine/method will never probably work for other people. I can create one that works for me but not for another one.

This routine works because D uses it well, it's hard to catch up with someone else's plan if you have a bad one yourself. So. Just my thought. Good post btw, I can see alot of good tips in it.
 

Turner Ohvur

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Shnikeys, I have something else I want to ask you about.

Francesco Castano (www.musclenow.com) insists that in order to get proper definition and not to become a tub of lard, cardio is needed. Yet you, Diesel, disagree fervently. Why exactly are you right, and why exaclty is he wrong.

I failed to mention in the question about my plateau that I've been running 7.5 mph for 30 minutes every other day.
 

Sun-Tan Superman

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Just a quick question for yea Disel

(since i usually see u are considered by many the best person for advce here in the health section)

I personally am looking to get big but I am 16 right now and 5'8 ish

Hopefully *fingers crossed* have a nice lil growth spurt left in me.

Most people out there saying lifting too early before muscles have developed fully can damage bones and what not and even hurt total growth.
Now some people say that is ONLY true if you lift unbsurd amounts and you should be ok if you lift not too much.

I just wanted to get your opinion on this and just tell me if i should do anything differently at my age (16) because i am assuming your are posting for people fully grown and what not (like 18+)

Should i still stick to the same diet...as for working out stick to stuff like my own body weight (pull ups, pushups...ect)

I'm still looking to get big yet i am not THAT desperate as of yet since i still probably have some growing left in me anyway... so just wantng to get some opinion...even if it is from someone else it would still be appreciated
 

aussiedj

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good post DIESEL.
Your dedication to this board is amazing.
Now if anyone asks that same "i'm skinny how do i get big?" question i will just refer them to this post.
 

DIESEL

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Originally posted by Turner Ohvur:
Shnikeys, I have something else I want to ask you about.

Francesco Castano (www.musclenow.com) insists that in order to get proper definition and not to become a tub of lard, cardio is needed. Yet you, Diesel, disagree fervently. Why exactly are you right, and why exaclty is he wrong.

I failed to mention in the question about my plateau that I've been running 7.5 mph for 30 minutes every other day.
he's not wrong, and I'm not wrong either. If you'll notice this post is about BULKING while you are referring to CUTTING - which are at opposite ends of the spectrum. You have to choose one or the other.. it's pretty hard, if not impossible, to do both naturally.

However, Mr. Castano is wrong in saying that you cannot bulk w/o becoming a tub of lard. Not true at all. Bulking does not mean eating whatever the hell you want, that only makes you fat. Bulking implies quantity but most importantly quality.

If you're skinny then start bulking. If you are fat, it's better to shed the fat first then start eating for muscle.

hope that clarifies things.
D
 

DIESEL

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Originally posted by Sun-Tan Superman:
Just a quick question for yea Disel

(since i usually see u are considered by many the best person for advce here in the health section)

I personally am looking to get big but I am 16 right now and 5'8 ish

Hopefully *fingers crossed* have a nice lil growth spurt left in me.

Most people out there saying lifting too early before muscles have developed fully can damage bones and what not and even hurt total growth.
Now some people say that is ONLY true if you lift unbsurd amounts and you should be ok if you lift not too much.

I just wanted to get your opinion on this and just tell me if i should do anything differently at my age (16) because i am assuming your are posting for people fully grown and what not (like 18+)

Should i still stick to the same diet...as for working out stick to stuff like my own body weight (pull ups, pushups...ect)

I'm still looking to get big yet i am not THAT desperate as of yet since i still probably have some growing left in me anyway... so just wantng to get some opinion...even if it is from someone else it would still be appreciated
I'd go get a growth plate X-ray taken to find out exactly how tall you are going to be. Then determine whether or not it's a good time to start serious, heavy lifting.

peace,
D
 

DIESEL

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Originally posted by gotnone:
No flames for this, just my thought, I know I'm probably wrong.

Every bulking routine/method will never probably work for other people. I can create one that works for me but not for another one.

This routine works because D uses it well, it's hard to catch up with someone else's plan if you have a bad one yourself. So. Just my thought. Good post btw, I can see alot of good tips in it.
gotnone, your reasoning is way off. You can start following these guidelines are start putting on some serious mass. It doesn't work b/c I say it works. It works b/c over the years I've come to understand the way the body works, and this will pretty much work for everyone.

However, you have to tweak to your body and metabolism. Everything I have outlined (particularly the dieting parameters) are by no means set in stone, consider it a guide to start experimenting on yourself with. It's like a starting point to give you a frame of reference, on what you have to do to get big.

I've basically saved a bunch of newbies a shytload of guesswork and (often frustrating) experimentation. Just try it, gotnone, you'll be amazed at the results you'll get in a couple of months.

peace,
D
 

stuartSan

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Hey D,

I'm don't really understand 'gym lingo' so I
was wondering what 'sets' meant. You
mentioned max sets you should be doing per
week on each body part, but I don't know what
it exactly is.

Is it a number of reps? Or number of X reps?
 

Turner Ohvur

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stuart, a rep is performing the excercise once. it is short for "repetition". a group of repetitions is a set.
 

Sun-Tan Superman

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Don't wanna sound like a reffugee

But is a growth plate X-ray free???


I do live in Canada and they provide that essential stuff free *like checkups and goin in wen ur sick and what not* would this be considered??

Cuase i really dun wanna spen like 100 dollars + on something like that when most people say a average amount to wait is until you are atleast 18 *which i think is common knowlade*
 

stuartSan

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Originally posted by Turner Ohvur:
stuart, a rep is performing the excercise once. it is short for "repetition". a group of repetitions is a set.
So can I consider 5 reps a set? Or does it have to be a specific amount like 10 or something..
 

Steve

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Stuart yes, any amount of reps is a set. Like say you bench 8 times none stop before racking it, that is 8 reps in 1 set.
 

DIESEL

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Originally posted by stuartSan:
So can I consider 5 reps a set? Or does it have to be a specific amount like 10 or something..

Yes. This is the notation: WEIGHT x REPS (done with the weight) = SET

For example. Let's say you're doing 10 "sets" of chest: Using my list, you'll select 3-4 exercises.

So you'd write it like this in your training diary.

1. Incline Barbell Bench Press
225 x 6, 235 x 5, 235 x 4 (that's 3 sets)

2. Flat Barbell Bench Press
225 x 7, 235 x6, 240 x 4 (that's 3 more, giving you 6 total for the workout)

3. Decline Bench
225 x 8 (go up next week ! ), 230 x 5 (that's 2 more for a total of 8 )

4. Flat Bench Dumbbell Flyes
50 x 8, 55 x 6 (that's 2 more for a total of 10 sets)

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also please note that the rep range, is proportional to your strength. You would choose a weight that would make it difficult for you to complete the last 1-2 reps. This is where the adaptation, and thus, muscle growth and increased strength come in.

Is it clearer now?

This principle (and notation system) also applies to all body parts.

peace,
D
 
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