No Clue

[1-800-HellNo]

Right now i'm 6'2 around 170lbs

I don't eat a lot, and i don't even know if 170 is "fat" for my height. My arms are thin as hell and where i used to have muscle is now some dangling skin on my arms.
I don't know anything at all about gaining muscle, or nutrition.

I could give excuses, but it really doesn't matter. I get overwhelmed with info when I start looking things up, and it's hard to know where to begin.

I just got a gym membership.

Where should I start?

and since my schedule is usually pretty fvcked with traveling, what kind of stuff can i do to build muscle without a gym (home work out routines, etc).

 

[Purefilth]

Big compound lifts and eat plenty of carbs and protein.

3 day plan
Push Day
dips
Bench press(flat, incline decline)
shoulder press
pushups

Pull Day
pullups
lat pulldowns
rows (seated, standing, bent over, yates's)

Legday
Squats
or
Deadlifts + Leg exts
Seated and standing calf raises

Thats just for an Idea.

Mainly You want to spend a couple of weeks just on really light weights.
Do 3 sets of 12reps on each exercise with a weight that you can move relatively easily. You should be failing to complete the last set by the end. This Is to gety the unused muscles into the idea of lifting weights and to strenghten the ligaments and tendons.

Dont worry about isolation exercises too much to start with (bicep curls etc).

http://www.freedieting.com/tools/calorie_calculator.htm

enter your stats here to figre how much you need to be eating too.

Time under tension builds muscle, so hold form and pull slow

 

[TheStig]

I'm nowhere near an expert on nutrition, but you gotta eat more. 170 lbs at 6'2" is NOT even close to fat. I'm 6'2" 225. Consuming a lot of protein, be it through food or protein powder, is where it's at. Coupled with lifting it will facilitate protein synthesis, which builds muscle. I've also heard high protein diets can spark up metabolism.

Anyway for the lifting side of things, start out with full body workouts, and stick mostly to compound movements (movements that involve multiple joints). The reason full body workouts are good for beginners, is that they don't have the solid base needed to move big numbers for a split routine, and a full body workout routine for a few months will kick start your growth.

So if I were you my workouts would include at least one of each of these:
a pushing movement,
pulling movement,
overhead press,
1 or two leg exercises.
When you're starting out from scratch, it really is simple as fvck...just doing something will stimulate your muscles and burn some calories.

Some lifts you could incorporate into your workouts would be
bench press,
squat (and it's variations),
deadlift (and it's variations),
overhead press,
pullups,
dips,
pushups,
any type of row,
dumbbell overhead or incline press,
a multitude of ab exercises (I like to stick to planks and ab rollouts as they work your deep abdominals that are used to stay stable during big movements), and you can also throw in some assistance isolation movements to support the compound lifts if you want.
But really being a beginner and all, you will see plenty of progress with big lifts.

Also, cardio is great too, whether it be running, jogging, sprinting, jumping rope, circuit training, rowing for 2000 meters etc...

Edit: I forgot to add DRINK WATER! It sounds obvious as fvck, but it really is the most important thing, even over diet. 1 gallon a day is a good number to shoot for. Maybe even 2. You'd be surprised at how little water a lot of people drink. Some people can lose a few pounds in just a few days or a week just by drinking a lot of water, because when you drink a lot of water, you actually lose waterweight that your body is holding onto. The reason for this, is that when you don't drink enough water, your body holds on to and stores every last drop because it thinks it won't get any more. So when you're drinking a lot of water, it lets go of this extra water because it is being properly hydrated. There are a huge multitude of benefits; just google 'benefits of drinking a lot of water' or something. Your piss should always be clear-very light yellow.

 

[Haywood Jablome]

What they said are good for starting for lifting. Get your body used to it.

I just wanted to add...if you are travelling, you can try and find a gym where you are, or look into getting Insanity or something like that. Not sure how much room you would have where you are staying, but this would build lean muscle. But, since it is high intensity, it would also assist in getting rid of the "flabby" areas.

 

[TheStig]

What they said are good for starting for lifting. Get your body used to it.

I just wanted to add...if you are travelling, you can try and find a gym where you are, or look into getting Insanity or something like that. Not sure how much room you would have where you are staying, but this would build lean muscle. But, since it is high intensity, it would also assist in getting rid of the "flabby" areas.

Insanity is a killer!! I've done it before and it really is no joke. The only thing I don't agree with, is that it builds lean muscle. It might, but the results in that area would be negligible. It's main purpose is to burn fat really really quickly. As far as home workouts that get you jacked, p90x is where it's at, provided you stick with it in a strict fashion.

But if you're in hotels a lot, bodyweight exercises and a jump rope are your best friends.

 

[1-800-HellNo]

Thanks for the suggestions.
I'm gonna go with purefilths suggestion because it's pretty simple to follow.
does anybody think it's a bad plan?

I've tried Insanity before in my old apartment but had to quit because it was an OLD apartment.

 

[TheStig]

Thanks for the suggestions.
I'm gonna go with purefilths suggestion because it's pretty simple to follow.
does anybody think it's a bad plan?

I've tried Insanity before in my old apartment but had to quit because it was an OLD apartment.

It's not a bad plan at all. The reason I suggested full body workouts to start, is because it will get your body used to the abuse you'll give it, and give you good conditioning to build a solid base before you go into a split.

Remember, there's no 1 way to do it, so choose whatever you prefer.

 

[Purefilth]

Thanks for the suggestions.
I'm gonna go with purefilths suggestion because it's pretty simple to follow.
does anybody think it's a bad plan?

I've tried Insanity before in my old apartment but had to quit because it was an OLD apartment.

Cool, just dont over exert yourself to start with. let your body get into it for a few weeks, then hit it with the full on murderlifts

Also remember in the gym - if you get thirsty (and you will) then STOP and drink a little water STRAIGHT AWAY.

You need to keep well hydrated not only for your bodys health but from a lifting point of view too - if you are well hydrated, then your muscles will be full of water.
A) Full muscles can get a better range of motion under tension.
B)Well lubricated = less damage (youll still tear the fibres, but recovery time will be quicker)
C) Its good for you to keep hydrated