Greetings, All! I am the author of the original Fitness 101 on the old Flood. You can find the old thread [url=http://halo.bungie.net/Forums/posts.aspx?postID=73550659]here.[/url] Rather than re-post the old thread, I figured I would make this alternate version for your convenience.
The purpose of this thread is to educate you about Weightlifting, and how you can change your lifestyle and transform yourself from skinny to huge.
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[u][b]LIFT[/b][/u]
I highly recommend the program [url=http://stronglifts.com/stronglifts-5x5-beginner-strength-training-program/]Stronglifts 5x5[/url]. The program is extremely simple and effective, and easily the most popular beginners routine out there.
You alternate between two workouts, workout A and workout B.
Lift 3 times a week.
[quote]Workout A:
Squats 5x5
Bench 5x5 (Barbell or Dumbbell, doesn't matter)
DumbbellRows 5x5
Workout B:
Squats 5x5
Overhead Press 5x5
Deadlift 1x5[/quote]
[url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ME8gEN54Ao&list=PLMyyFqrl2x6UmKlaYy6gHb5_79OzcGf8G]How to Squat[/url]
[url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EHx1gYTA-Rw&list=PL38D8B0C3BFDB82F2]How to Bench[/url]
[url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pYcpY20QaE8]How to Dumbbell Row[/url]
[url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SAXPJ3PfdyY]How to Overhead Press[/url]
[url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Syt7A23YnpA]How to Deadlift[/url]
(I guarantee that your form will suck at first. Watch LOTS of videos and practice will light weight first. Find someone who's experienced to teach you, if possible.)
Short and sweet, no bs.
You're probably asking, "what about my biceps???". F*** your biceps. As a beginner, you need to focus your time on your BIG muscles like your legs, your back, and your chest.
I wasted time with magazine workouts and "bro splits" when I started, doing too many curls and not enough squats. They worked somewhat, but I could have achieved much more by following a tried and tested program such as Stronglifts 5x5. It took me like 8 months to squat 185 for reps. My good friend Robbie is squatting 185 after only 5 months of Stronglifts 5x5.
Add weight to your exercises each week. From experience, most guys add 5 pounds a week to each lift at the beginning. But after 2 or 4 or 6 or even 8 months, your gains will slow down. Stick with the program for as long as you can; MILK IT until you're not making any more progress .
When you're eventually stalling on Stronglifts 5x5, then its time to think switch to another program. ( I'm currently doing Dave Tate's 5/3/1 and seeing great success). But don't worry about that. For now, just do Stronglifts 5x5.
I'm going back to my friend Robbie here; 5 months ago he weighed about 120 pounds. Now he weighs 145 pounds and he's doubled or tripled the weight he's using on most of his lifts. This program works, period.
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[u][b]EAT[/b][/u]
I kid you not, diet will make or break you. Diet is the single most important thing when trying to put on muscle.
Luckily for you, it's very simple. If you're skinny and trying to put on mass, you will need to Bulk. Bulking is a particular kind of diet where you intake large amounts of food to put on large amounts of muscle. You will ultimately put on some fat as well. Bulking phases last anywhere between 4-12 months.
1. Weigh yourself in pounds.
2. Then take your bodyweight and multiply by 18. This is how many calories you should AT LEAST eat a day to gain weight at a good pace.
(If your above number is below 2500, disregard it and try to eat 2500 calories a day.)
3. When you eat something, look at the nutrition facts on the box and keep a running tally of your calories.
Simple.
Some of you are probably thinking, "Holy s***, that's a lot of food." Probably way more than you are used to. But if you want to gain muscle, and lift more weight, it's crucial to eat a lot. Its simple. You can't build more body mass without providing the energy for it.
If you don't eat enough, you won't gain muscle and you won't lift more weight.
If you're not gaining weight, you're not eating enough. End of Story. NO, it's not because of your "genetics" or your "fast metabolism"; It's because you're being a pussy and not eating enough, so eat more.
Get it? Food is life. Eating enough food is probably more crucial than lifting in the gym.
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[u][b]SLEEP[/b][/u]
Your body builds muscle during rest, so sleep is incredibly important when attempting to bulk up. You can't stay up late and play video games anymore. Get at very least 6 hours of sleep, but 8 hours is preferable so your body can be fully rested. Don't underestimate the power of sleep. Sleep = Gains.
And that's all I have for you right now, my friends. In summary,
- Follow Stronglifts 5x5
- Eat like a vacuum cleaner.
- Sleep a lot.
I've laid it out for you on a silver platter. If you're too lazy to follow simple instructions, then you will fail. But if you follow the simple instructions, you'll be amazed at what you can accomplish.
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Shoot I can't remember the last time I lifted. I think it was in 10th grade for basketball. Now I just do fitness for soccer for college. And I like it much better.
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Bulk is a lie! Why you ask? Always remember: The cake is a lie.
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Do you guys recommend buying weights or going to a gym? (nearest gym is kinda far)
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I do a full body workout every other day, I have seen big gains, although it is slow
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This thread was bumped, and it made Dutchy remember something. So here it goes, it's somewhat relevant to the topic. Kinda. Well not really. But he needs to get it off his chest. It's kind of a blog. I feel like a plebeian after skimming through the entire thing again. Dutchy plans on suddenly working out on New Years Day and he will claim its part of a New Years Revolution. I say "suddenly" because Dutchy's family will think of it as such. I could have started working out any time in the last two months. However, Dutchy doesn't like his family sometimes, as they continue to constantly ask questions about his life whenever they learn about an event going on, this is especially true with his aunts and grandmother (You think this sounds normal, but trust me, the way they do it is not. I can tolerate anybody else asking a few questions about his life, but not them, no, it's BAD). Therefore, he tends to make an effort to completely separate his family life and his friends life. Anyways, he knows that if he starts working out, Dutchy's family will be curious as to what has made him start such a dramatic change in his life. They will ask questions, and they will do it how they usually do it, and I hate that. One of them and her obese self may attempt to be humorous and tease Dutchy for it, telling him that he wants super big muscles and wants "the ladies" and she'll do her women things that make her feel cute and 20. Dutchy has considered suicide because it really, really, really bothers him. It's annoying and I hope she dies of natural causes in the near future. So my plan is to use "New Years Resolution" as his excuse so they won't be as curious and bothersome. He will also try to only workout in a single place and tell his immediate family not to inform the extended family of my plans. I kinda wish that I got my ass kicked or even get shot by a firearm so they could be less curious and assume that I'm just trying to not die or some shit like that. However, "New Years Resolution" is what all Dutchy has so far. He has to work with it and hopes his family ignores him when he's finally noticeably big while wearing clothes. I'll be going to college and avoiding the family as much as possible during that time when he's bigger. I'm not really sure what's wrong with me and why I'm thinking all these things. End of blog. Thank you for reading.
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Bump for any new members to see.
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Can you feel it now, Mr Krabs?
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Are you like a midget or something? 185 sounds like nothing. You're weak bro.
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Edited by M80: 12/27/2013 4:15:15 AMboo. go swimming or play water polo!
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This one has a question.
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Been bulking since mid-July and have gained 28 lbs and more attention from women than I ever thought I would. You can do it, Flood. I'm not even remotely close to being done and this is the kind of shit you get when you put effort into stuff.
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What the -blam!- did I scroll through
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I'm already in good shape, but thanks anyways bro.
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You lost me at the food part
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Is there any advice on getting reasonably ripped without heavy lifting/bulking?
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Edited by Deleted User: 12/27/2013 2:32:50 AMOk fitness pros I was 155 8 percent body fat. Played rugby ran track until 18. Started working on a farm construction pack on weight to 175. Smoking the whole time. Went to college for police, high 80s for fitness. Did a lot of chest work. About. 8:30 mile and a half. After I quit smoking and first year college I went up to 215 and 20 percent body fat in like 8 months. Second year still aced opp swat requirements but mile and half time went to 10:30 11:00 mile and a half. Still did arms went from 20's now up to 45 in bicep curls. So now Im about 205 20% still but still athletic but cant drop the weight. Now 22 and unsure how I gained 60 pounds in a couple years. Im sure its muscle and fat( fairly big shoulders etc but chest and stomach fat) How do I cut all this fat? Start smoking again? Is it possible it was the only thing keeping my metabolism rate so high? I dont want to be 230 and muscular, I want to trim the fat and get down to 180 keeping the muscle I have. Lik if I take a before and after pic its almost like I switched body types.
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Edited by BannedLemön: 12/27/2013 2:18:12 AM[quote]Let me tell you the story of a boy named Aziz. He was a pasty skinny kid who played WoW all day. Then one day he got tired of being the skinny kid. He did research on the internet and started lifting. Years passed, he stuck with it, and Aziz became Zyzz. And Zyzz was glorious. Why was Zyzz succesful? Because gaming gave him the perfect mindset for weightlifting.[/quote]And then he abused steroids like the waterboy he was, and then died because of the steroid abuse. The End.
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About the diet part, what if I buy fresh produce and don't know the nutrition into?
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I'm currently doing the Starting Strength program. Why do you recommend Stonglifts over Starting Strength?
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I don't know if it's in my best interest to do bodybuilding. I play defensive line for Football and I do shot put for Track & Field, so I'll stick to power lifting for now. Immense props to you for this thread and getting and staying in shape, though! It's always great to see encouragement and others bettering themselves in the gym.
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Impossible for me. I can never be huge.
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But... [spoiler]I like being scrawny.[/spoiler]
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Smh recommending a brosplit after 2 months training
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Yeah, I went to State for Crosscountry this year. GOML, scrub. (:
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I agree with the 5x5 splits for beginners and ignoring the "bro" splits. But using a picture of Zyzz when he was using as an example of inspiration without telling people that he was using in that picture is stupid. At least use a picture of him when he was natty. And "bodybuilding.com" is full of shit and retards. So, don't believe everything you see and read on there. And yes, there is some quality info on their too. But, anyone seeing this post should look at the YouTube channels OmarIsuf and CanditoTrainingHQ for good, quality info. Get more experienced and knowledgable through them so you can spot all the bullshit you see on the web. And yes, YouTube has some shit too but the above 2 channels are not. Calisthenics is awesome too. So check out LittlebeastM, FitnessFAQs, and Adam Raw for info and inspiration.
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Ohhh... this thread full of ego and posturing is back. Oh well, the only reason I would do any sort of lifting is to get my left arm back into shape after breaking it in 2 places. Otherwise I prefer cardio with a light six pack and semi muscular build. Being "ripped" isn't for me. God I hate that phrase so much.