Bodybuilding

[Karmack]

On 2/6/2016 at 8:57 AM, Yourreputationisoutthere.c said:

Any tips for putting on some size? I'm hesitant to ask the guys at the gym because I do not want advice from potential steriod users (could be harmful advice and I'll be interrupting their workout).

^ along with all the above information, Learn to love and have fun with it. 
Leo speaks about this somewhere in his videos. Basically, Arnold says the feeling of training is like having an orgasm.

 

 

If you had an orgasm every time you trained wouldn't you be doing it more often?
No. Not only more often, but you'd end up LOVING it too, you'd do it so often that it becomes a part of you; and the trial of training isn't about getting bigger and having results, but a reward in it's self. I've been training on and off for 6 years. When I finish my sets at the gym, I have endorphins rushing through my body making me feel amazing - which is enough of a reason to keep me going.
Just love it.

 

 

[Analyst]

Time under tension is legit, therefore keep consistent with your training programme in the gym.

For adding weight, 'Caloric Surplus,' meaning eat more than your maintenance. Eat more nuts and dried fruit, don't be afraid of eating more nutrition which will help for the bulking process. Layne Norton has a PhD in Nutritional Sciences, one of the most respected and knowledgeable individuals in the fitness industry. I recommend going through this playlist on YouTube and meticulously take notes. 

The key is consistency, be consistent with diet and nutrition and results will come.

[Thomas]

5 minutes ago, Analyst said:

Time under tension is legit, therefore keep consistent with your training programme in the gym.

Time Under Tension is a variable. You can't say the interchangeable variable is legit since its effectiveness or importance depends on its value.
It depends how You use it - when You neglect other factors like intensity, total workload, volume, ROM, it is not "legit" ;P

In that context I said that people overlook to TUT and misuse it, by doing 3 to 10 seconds long just on eccentric portion of the movement, when they just could've done more volume (which is a variable too) in the same amount time.

By saying that Time Under Tension is legit, without given context there is an open room to interpretation and potential of misguiding people.

[Walter B]

1 hour ago, Thomas said:

Time Under Tension is a variable. You can't say the interchangeable variable is legit since its effectiveness or importance depends on its value.
It depends how You use it - when You neglect other factors like intensity, total workload, volume, ROM, it is not "legit" ;P

In that context I said that people overlook to TUT and misuse it, by doing 3 to 10 seconds long just on eccentric portion of the movement, when they just could've done more volume (which is a variable too) in the same amount time.

By saying that Time Under Tension is legit, without given context there is an open room to interpretation and potential of misguiding people.

People misguide themselves with too much characterization from another person's perspective.  In order for someone less read or educated on a topic, sometimes we must keep it simple or they will loose motivation before they do their first exercise!  From experience, time under tension is very effective at strength and endurance and consistency is key!

Edited February 7, 2016 by Elemental
grammer

[Analyst]

3 hours ago, Thomas said:

Time Under Tension is a variable. You can't say the interchangeable variable is legit since its effectiveness or importance depends on its value.
It depends how You use it - when You neglect other factors like intensity, total workload, volume, ROM, it is not "legit" ;P

In that context I said that people overlook to TUT and misuse it, by doing 3 to 10 seconds long just on eccentric portion of the movement, when they just could've done more volume (which is a variable too) in the same amount time.

By saying that Time Under Tension is legit, without given context there is an open room to interpretation and potential of misguiding people.

Oh yeah you are right about that, but as he's a beginner gradual consistent progress is the concern as he is asking simple questions such as asking how to gain mass.

Great information though!

[JevinR]

Start Stronglifts 5x5 If you are a noob with no gains http://stronglifts.com/5x5/ Work on compound lifts, especially as a noob http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=118920551 Bodybuilding.com is an excellent site, remember that your nutrition is x10 more important than what you are actually doing (exercises). So a simple way to both bulk and cut (bulk = Gain muscle) (Cut= Lose Fat) is to eat 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight, also to track all your calories, so you know whats going in and out, which is your macros. Macros is Protein, Fats and Carbs. Protein and Carbs = 4 calories/gram , Fat = 9 calories/gram. Use myfitnesspal.com to track calories, and use http://www.iifym.com/iifym-calculator/ 

 

Thats it, hours upon hours of pointless research composed in one paragraph - DONE

[Guest SCM]

I'm two years into my bodybuilding journey now, and it's been a lot of trial and error, but finally found what works for me. I'd recommend getting a bodybuilding coach with a good reputation for at least 12 weeks to get you on the right track. Bodybuidling is a science. Good luck!

[Blessed81]

I am an experienced body builder for 13 years.  I am willing to take a ten min phone call and give you any info you need.  I will message you my phone number good sir.  I have Leo's metabolism i was only 130 when i started.  I got up to 240.  And now sit at a comfortable 215. 

[ULFBERHT]

@Yourreputationisoutthere.c

Putting on size is completely contingent upon being in a caloric surplus, provided that you are doing appropriate exercises to force muscular adaptation (strength training, bodybuilding, Olympic lifts). Go to http://www.iifym.com/iifym-calculator/ to start or you can use the calculator that I've attached.

Buffinator Mass Calculator.xls

[Argue]

On February 7, 2016 at 7:46 AM, Thomas said:

@Rares
 The TUT (Time Under Tension) role and importance as a factor for inducing muscular hypertrophy is... really misunderstood and misused.
Dr. Layne Norton explained in depth the issue about it in this video: 

You don't have to watch it, but thing to know about it is most people are actually increasing their time spent in the gym and decreasing efficacy of their workouts with no benefit or even limiting their potential growth.

@Yourreputationisoutthere.c

Training:

I would recommend any 5x5 program, begginer athletes tend to do really well on them:
 5x5 Stronglifts or more fresh (not necessarily better) Jason Blaha's 5x5 Novice Program or my favourite Mark Rippetoe's Texas Method, but the first two are better to start IMO. Keep it simple, adding weight to your lifts each week will increase the total workload and the training volume which is a primary factor to increasing muscle hypertrophy a.k.a muscle growth. 

Focus on resistance training and cut out cardio if You don't find yourself gaining weight.

Food:

If You struggle to gain weight and happen to be called a hardgainer or have a body type of an ectomorph (the whole somatotype idea is a semi myth at best, invented & introduced by a psychologist William Herbert Sheldon almost 80 years ago).
What I find from working with people is they just have a small apetite and tend to think they eat a lot. When we actually start to measure their macronutrient intake and calorie input, it turns out they're eating below or at their maintenance - they were just undereaters, overestimating their food intake.

Here are the best tips that come to my mind right now and in fact, one of them has been given by @Leo Gura in a specific form, that I'm going to play with:

Which can be transformed into more universal rule: "Drinking your calories helps a lot"
It doesn't have to be whey protein, consuming anything in liquid helps You gain weight for 2 reasons:
1) It's easier to drink a cup of mixed oatmeal and veggies, whatever You like, than to eat the same amount on plate.
2) It doesn't make as You satiated which leads to You being able to eat more without getting feeling sick

Eat more calorically dense food like for example: peanut butter if You're allergic to dairy or find the type of food that You like and try to overeat on it.
(It wasn't a question about how to keep your blood markes or fasting glucose good, You want to gain weight - consume more calories. As long as 80% of your diet makes up to deliver fiber and necessary micronutrients, the other 20% has marginal significance).

If You're really into that (most people're not and find it boring unlike me), You could measure Your food intake by counting macronutrients or/and calories in MyFitnessPal for example. I'm just spitting ideas at You.

When it comes to meal frequency, You'll have to experiment as fewer meals (Intermittent Fasting) tend to change Your leptin (goes up) : ghrelin (goes down) hormones ratio which leads to decrease of apetite over the course of the time, so I would start with 3 - 4 meals, since saying to eat when You're hungry wouldn't do much because that's probably the same thing You've been doing and struggling with gaining weight - It wouldn't apply.
Generally try to eat often.

Inner game:

When I first started lifting, my main reason for taking actions in direction of building muscle & getting fit was shallow, long story-short - I just wanted to look good for girls. If that's remained as the primary motivating factor I would've probably given up after a month.
But the funny thing is that I really started to enjoy the grind, looking in the mirror, loading more weight to the bar, being able to help in mundane stuff like carrying groceries, moving big ass sofas without needing any help and carrying your drunk, half-conscious friend out of the club to make sure he won't get robbed or beaten.
Working out to look great may be shallow, but so is wearing makeup, taking selfies, and grooming of any sort. Pick your shallow.
Looking good naked is cool, but nothing compared to being stronger than You were.
For me, a young, growing man, strength is a value associated with the personal growth, exploiting your potential in one more area.
By being stronger, You can bring more to the table, be more useful.
Plus after almost every session I'm in state of mind close to the one obtained through meditation - like still water after storm.

Okay, so if You don't want my Woo woo stuff , I will give You very specific reasons and benefits associated with lifting weights, which are based on scientific studies (I will probably regret that, since everybody would require a link to every single study. You know how many there are? ^.^):

1. It reduces cancer risk considerably and increases the chances of survivng the cancer. Factors below also have impact on cancer risk reduction.
    
2. Moderate amounts of regular resistance training and aerobic activity have been shown to reduce risk of diabetes to a very high degree.
   e.g. http://archinte.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=1307571
    
3. Is associated with better bone mineral density and/or bone width, which amongst others means it protects You against osteoporosis or osteopenia and suggests lower risk of physical injury
   e.g. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9809388
    
4. Having more muscles allows You to eat more, unlike adipose tissue, lean tissue burns energy - You are burning more calories (increasing TDEE - Total Daily Energetic Expenditure), just by having more muscle mass instead of fat.
    
5. It increases insulin sensitivity, which is also associated with better nutrient partitioning and how well your body utilizes food in some cases, helps also people with impaired glucose tolerance
   e.g. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20351587
    
6.  It reduces resting blood pressure, decreases low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and triglycerides, which is good for longevity and avoiding cardiovascular diseases
   e.g. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1756170/

If You really want to dig deep, there is so much information, You'll be confused and overthink stuff to a degree it'll become procrastination.
Start doing, pick a program, eat what seems to be healthy and slowly gather information or You'll kill yourself with thought processes and questions like:

"Does whey protein has to be cold, since enzymes are denaturalized in over 40 degrees?",
"Is my current aminoacid ingestion timing optimal for getting maximum muscle-protein-synthesis?" or
"I don't know if doing a ketogenic diet will help me preserve muscle mass more than high carb".

Don't worry. Don't get obsessive. It's okay to be wrong and the details will not affect the big picture.
Do the best that You can with all that You have and don't worry about the rest.

Science is science, some guy's story on the forum is just a story.

You have to find Your own reasons and deeper value derived from engaging in those actions. 

What's Your WHY?
The bigger the reason, the better.

This is great man. Thank you. I have an athletic build but I'm slim. I'm trying to gain a little more muscle and look toned. 

My WHY is to look good and enhance my handsomeness. Nothing more nothing less. 

I just don't know where to start. I was thinking of purchasing a push up bar at wal mart and starting off that way. Maybe some Dumbbells and eating a lot. Any advice? I'm focusing on my arms and chest. I weigh 150 pounds. 

[Irina Irina]

On 07.02.2016 at 4:33 AM, Leo Gura said:

@Leo Gura  I was taking 2 -3 shakes of whey protein a day also, until I saw a video online about this. The body can absorb only 25 g of protein a day, no matter how much you put in it. So I reduced it to this quantity.

 

[Falk]

How you can get nice gains has been explained now...

Also ask yourself WHY you wanna gain?

I started to do body-building cause i wanted to feel more confident with women, to have a trump in my hand (and im not talking about wanking off donald ^^)  So it is not like: she has nice tits and i want her but have no chance... now i can go ...see!! i have nice muscles i know you want me ^^ I know this shit is pretty low! and reptilian-brainy but i had to start somewhere ^^ now that i look quite fit, the gains are secondary it is more about health and i concentrate on other topics more now...

[Thomas]

On 29.02.2016 at 4:42 AM, Argue said:

This is great man. Thank you. I have an athletic build but I'm slim. I'm trying to gain a little more muscle and look toned. 

My WHY is to look good and enhance my handsomeness. Nothing more nothing less. 

I just don't know where to start. I was thinking of purchasing a push up bar at wal mart and starting off that way. Maybe some Dumbbells and eating a lot. Any advice? I'm focusing on my arms and chest. I weigh 150 pounds. 

EAT what You enjoy - find a balance between high nutrient dense foods like veggies and high calorically dense (processed food also tends to have higher calorie content in less volume). Basically try to eat as healthy as possible - this is the goal of the day and then You can incorporate some 
If You're going to put too much weight on the weekly basis (1 pound is pretty much a sweet spot when it starts diminishing returns) , just cut out some crap like sweetened beverages, less crappy food.

If You're planing to do only bodyweight training I would say a pullup bar is only thing You need to buy. Even for doing eccentric portion of the movement.
Get a program, the simplier the better, because progression is what You'll be focusing on.
Exempli gratia: 5 sets of pushups, as many reps each set as You can do (don't go all out on the first set, have in mind a picture of Your whole training session and the amount of energy You'll have to expense, be mindful and strategic - Any workout can make You tired, not every workout will make You better.

Make a workout log - on paper, electronic, whatever You like, but log how many sets and reps You performed each session as it will be the point from 
Let's say you did a workout A on the first week and You did 5 sets of pushups 12 reps each , Your goal for the next week workout A is to beat that number, even 1 rep counts, but keep progressing.

And another important thing is to pick exercises  You enjoy doing, maybe those that give You the biggest pump or just feel good (It doesn't mean You should do curls all day, like a bro ^.^)
 

[Thomas]

On 4.03.2016 at 8:10 PM, Falk said:

How you can get nice gains has been explained now...

Also ask yourself WHY you wanna gain?

I started to do body-building cause i wanted to feel more confident with women, to have a trump in my hand (and im not talking about wanking off donald ^^)  So it is not like: she has nice tits and i want her but have no chance... now i can go ...see!! i have nice muscles i know you want me ^^ I know this shit is pretty low! and reptilian-brainy but i had to start somewhere ^^ now that i look quite fit, the gains are secondary it is more about health and i concentrate on other topics more now...

Everybody wants to feel sexy, I wanted to be like a gorilla pounding sugar walls balls deep at first and can't say that I'm totally beyond that now & transcendent 

We're all chimps, man 

But the thing is that, when it's good impulse, I feel like the low consciousness, those primal "needs" are not going to keep You going and that's why You need to engage some bigger reason, little bit of philosophy behind whatever You do to stick to it and keep the fire burning.
It applies almost to everything - If you don't believe it's important / beneficial for You, You'll simply skip it or quit it. If I didn't belive meditation helps me tremendously and perceived it as some whacky hippie shit, I wouldn't waste my precious time for it.

That's why, You have to find Your own WHY and question it, evolve it.

[Thomas]

@Irina Irina

Based on what data lol?
If that was true, You would have an explosive diarrhea & poop whole parts of food after ingesting e.g. 8 ounces of steak.

Your body does a fine job at absorbing protein and even though it's hard to estimate and give a universal number of how much You can absorb, I can assure You - it's much more than 25 grams a day, which by the way is an intake close to promoting protein defficiency & health issues.

Breakdown of protein begins in the mouth through the mechanical act of chewing, almost no actual digestion occurs there. 
Rather, chewed protein hits the stomach where digestion and breakdown occurs via hydrochloric acid and the enzyme pepsinogen.

The majority (data shows approximately 95%) of protein digestion occurs in the small intestine where protein is broken down into smaller and smaller amino acid (AA, the building blocks of protein) chains via a variety of protein digesting enzymes.  You can think of proteins as being a long chain of the AAs, the enzymes basically act like scissors, cutting the chains into smaller and smaller bits.

Prior to absorption into the bloodstream, whole proteins have been broken down to provide single AAs along with two and three AA chains (called di- and tri-peptides); further breakdown occurs in the intestinal cells themselves, finally releasing individual amino acids into the bloodstream.

Generally speaking, AA chains larger than three in length will not be absorbed to any appreciable degree.  I’d note that occasionally very small amounts of longer amino acid chains can slip through and this is especially the case in situations like leaky gut syndrome where the normal functioning of the gut has been compromised.

This is actually a very bad thing as the body tends to launch immune/allergic responses to the presence of undigested protein in the bloodstream; which is a big part of why the gut is set up to not allow larger protein chains into the bloodstream under normal circumstances.

The protein that is stored in Your gut is:
1) Currently being absorbed in the intestines and later into the body, by amino acid transporters
2) Waiting for being absorbed
3) Unabsorbed fragments are going to the colon to be fermented by bacteria
4) If there is too much protein - It's going to be converted into sugar (glucose) via process of gluconeogenesis - Yes, Your body is so fucking awesome that it can turn unnecessary protein into more universal fuel which glucose is!

The speed of protein digestion is not a static value, it varies and is affected many factors (age, activity levels, nutrient partitioning, frequency, type of ingested protein, sources, other macronutrients added, etc.), but usually is between 5-10 g/hour (not a day).

One more thing is that amino acids and some peptides are able to self-regulate their time in the intestines.
For example - digestive hormone Cholecystokinin which, in addition to regulating appetite and satiety in response to food can also slow down intestinal contractions and speed in response to protein. It is released when dietary protein is present, and demonstrates a way in which the body can slow down digestion in order to absorb all present protein.

[Irina Irina]

@Thomas

Minute 6.20 . it's 1 g / 1 pound body weight. I've mistaken. 

Still, I take half cup of protein,  30 grams, and it's working for me.

I thought 1 kg = 1 pound. I reviewed the video, and I'll take more protein. 

Edited March 12, 2016 by Irina Irina

[Thomas]

@Irina Irina
I'm not gonna argue with Mike Chang, haha  
It's just beyond anything, I cannot win with his science and experience, neither Layne Norton who has a PhD in protein metabolism.

 

Alan Aragon,  Masters in Nutritional Science, also known as the son of Aragorn, by himself,  or with Brad Schoenfeld, a.k.a. Dr Long Schlong, or randomly picked study 1, study 2, study 3, study 4, study 5, they all fall apart in the face of the power of towel rows, and THE ASIAN SECRET because, well... science!

No offense, seriously, if some of his advice works for You or/and his positive attitude in videos make You keep going - that's great! 

No intention to convince You to anything - I'm only addressing the issue of protein absorption (which is a bullshit claim, that body can absorb 25 grams of protein A DAY), not aminoacid ingestion frequency and it's effects on plasma levels or muscl-protein-synthesis levels. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited March 12, 2016 by Thomas

[Irina Irina]

@Thomas No, I got it wrong , it was 1 g of protein per 1 pound body weight.

Well, I'm working out for one year, don't know that much about this.

[JimmySmalls]

I'm also allergic to Whey like Leo said, didn't realise for a while but it gave me hightened anxiety and was fucking with my digestion. Good news though, you don't need a lot of protein like most people think.

A lot of lifters will go for 2g of protein per lbs of bodyweight or some shit, really it's superfluous. You don't even need 1g / lbs of bw. I go for 0.8g / lbs of bw which is enough. Read more here http://bayesianbodybuilding.com/the-myth-of-1glb-optimal-protein-intake-for-bodybuilders/

EDIT: And yeah, it's bullshit that you can only absorb X amount in one sitting. Think about this RATIONALLY. Do you think our bodies wouldn't have evolved to digest as much protein as possible from one meal considering when we were hunter/gathers and we wouldn't eat a big meal for hours and hours until we chased down a prey for one big payoff?

What Thomas said about the inner game is spot on. It's important to remind yourself consistantly why you're doing it rather than just going through the motions otherwise your primitive self will be more likely to take you over and minimise effort by quitting.

Here's some more benefits that you can read about here http://www.bodbot.com/Cognitive_Health.html:

- Enhanced memory,

- improved brain plasticity and possibly 3x more brain cells created when you exercise than when you don't,

- Lessens stress, anxiety and depression

- Improved attentional processes, regulates gender specific hormones, impacts neurotransmitter systems favourably

- Helps to prevent diabetes, alzheimers, parkinsons, and heart disease

The daily energy it creates is cool (as long as you aren't going overboard).

Pratical advice

For volume / frequency you'll have to experiment and see what works best for your body. I used to lift 5-6 days a week with 20+ sets each and it was too much. I actually grow better from 4 days a week and keeping volume around 17-20 sets. My favourite routine is push/pull/legs.

8 - 12 reps on your lifts (most optimal for gaining muscle). Compound movements (Squat, Bench, DB Incline bench to hit upper chest, deadlifts if you're strict with your form from the beginning but pullups are just as good if not better, etc.) supported with accessory lifts (curls, tricep pulldowns, lateral raises etc.) Also TRAIN YOUR REAR DELTS seperately every back day, they don't get hit enough usually and this helps to stabilise your shoulder to keep it healthy (learned this the hard way, still kind of fucked)

You can eat whatever you want and you'll lose weight for cutting as long as you go under your maintenance intake (find this out through trial and error, different for everyone). Obviously eating good foods will keep you fuller for longer so will be the better option.

You can eat whatever you want as long as you eat over maintenance and hit 0.8g / lbs of bw protein from complete protein sources. I'd recommend limitting junk food though unless you like feeling like shit, and eat a decent amount of fibre to keep you shitting smooth logs erry day. Also there's really no need to go more than 300kcal over maintenance when bulking. Some people go 500kcal+ and get fat as fuck for no reason. I like to stay lean so I go 100 - 200 over. Some people say gains are slower (doubt it) but even if they were you don't have to cut as long as someone who bulks way over so it would work out the same.

 

Channels

Scooby - Best for beginners by far

Strengthcamp (The older videos are better)

Omar isuf

Frank yang (ish)

Edited March 12, 2016 by JimmySmalls

[Thomas]

On 7.02.2016 at 1:46 PM, Thomas said:

Don't worry. Don't get obsessive. It's okay to be wrong and the details will not affect the big picture.
Do the best that You can with all that You have and don't worry about the rest.

Science is science, some guy's story on the forum is just a story.

@Irina Irina

Don't take it personally, like I said, I'm adressing only the claim that body can only absorb 25 grams of protein a day, which is harmful to spread.

@JimmySmalls

It's true that You need roughly 0.8 g/kg, but what is understood by being needed and beneficial is different.
Higher protein intake amongst athletes is proven to give minor additional benefits when it comes to fat loss / muscle retention, increased capacity for training adaptations and appetite suppression. 
International Society of Sports Nutrition standpoint

Study with resistance trained athletes

Maintaining nitrogen balance a.k.a. protecting Your gains study

Higher protein intake preserves muscle mass during caloric restriction study

Am I saying You can't make gains with 0.8 g/kg protein intake? No.

Am I saying some individuals in particular circumstances can take benefits from higher than 0.8 g/kg intake (up to 2.2 g/kg in some cases)? Yes.

Peace.

@Edit: I didn't see You wrote 0.8 g/lb, but whatever, I wrote some stuff anyway 

Good channels are being mentioned in the post above, so I'd suggest checking out Scooby, Omar Isuf and Elliott Hulse especially.

Edited March 12, 2016 by Thomas