I probably won't offend you, but you might not like the answer. Not too many people would.
First 6 months, you will gain, IF YOU ARE CONSISTENT. I don't care who you are, it's SO easy to gain at first...
Then, another 6 months of consistency, and you will be about halfway there (not time wise, results wise). It takes maybe 2 or 3 more years before you reach anything close to your genetic limits of natural lifting.
Most guys your size in my gym, I feel sorry for. I'd love to go an talk to them about how they are wasting their time, but you can tell they aren't open minded enough. Their ego's are involved, and ego is the worst enemy of truth.
This routine SO worked for me... and it's so simple...
6 sets per body part, but always preceeded by 2 lighter warm up sets to prevent enjury.
Body parts...
I rotate the following, finding it comfortable for me. I'm neither a powerlifter or a bodybuilder, just a guy who looks damn good to the women, and that is my goal. My wife drools over me, and I get looks from women. I like that. I also like to stay young looking, and weight lifting does that SO well. At 44 I got mistaken for 29 the other day.
Legs
Chest
Back
arms
I want to keep this simple, and honestly you can do a lot more fancy stuff, but if you just want to look good, this will do it. It will give you the most for your money, least effort with greatest gains.
Remember, I'm focused on developing your muscles to look good, not to be a bodybuilder or powerlifter. This is cheap and easy, and you will grow, period.
For legs, get someone at the gym to show you squat technique. I hate squats, but your stuck with them unless you want bird legs, or going endless usless leg extensions (leg ext. are ancillary, not the main builder of muscle, so DON'T waste your time!!!)
Legs - 6 sets of 8-10 reps. Warmup, then use a weight you can barely do that last set on. You may only get 5 reps, and that's fine.
Chest - 6 sets of 6 and 8 reps. After warmup, 3 sets of heavier weight you can only do 6 reps with, and then then lower the weight by maybe 20 or so lbs, and do three more sets of 8 reps. The last reps in each set might make you shake, and that's okay.
Back - I have problems, so I can't do deadlifts, and again, this is to look good, so I use 3 sets per angle. Lat pulldowns (god, please don't pull the damn bar behind your neck!!!) for the down angle. Then I do something a little odd, but it works. I use the sit down cable row machine and stand up at it, pulling the cable (via a small handgrip) up towards my chest. That hits the upper back and anterior delts nicely. I always get compliments on my shoulder development. Nothing is as impressive as cannon ball delts. Then I do the normal seated rows, concentrating on using my back muscles, not my arms. Do whatever your gym has, heck bend over a bench and pull a dumbell up to your hip.
Arms 6 sets of 6, alternating skull crushers and curls on and easy curl bar. I hate seeing guys curl with light weights... use a weight that is HARD for crying out loud... just don't lose your form. You have to cheat a tiny bit at the bottom sometimes, but that's okay. A TINY bit...
Skull crushers are the best tri exercise ever, if you ask me. Hard to describe, sometimes called lying tricep extensions...
Do each routine twice every 9 days, rotating, legs, chest, arms back... the reason for that order is to let your arms recover. Doing chest one day and arms the next, will be a weak arm day, you will be too pooped to pump a heavy weight. You get one day off, no work.
After 6 months of this, you can start adding neat things like overhead dumbell presses, which will make your delts pop out, and a million other things you might fall in love with. To each his own. You gotta make this 'yours', or you won't keep it up. You have to like it, so do it your way.
Most newbies have no idea what intensity is, but it's necessary after the first month. First month, you shouldn't be too intense, your body has to start adjusting as a whole, and that take time. Maybe even two months.
After that, walk into the gym and destroy your bodyparts. The more they burn, the more they work, the more tired they are at the end, the more you will grow.
But you gotta eat protien, and I mean a lot more than you are used to.
I got up today and had 3 eggs and toast. An hour later at work I had 26 grams of whey. For lunch I had 6 pieces of fish and some steamed broccolli. Before my workout today, I'll have another cup of whey, and then for dinner I'll have a half a chicken... well, kind of... I don't like white meat, so I eat all the dark on one chicken (legs and thighs). Before bed, a snack of some kind of protein. I treat myself to a bad of M&M's every day too, just to feel human.
You may be an ectomorph, high metabolic rate, high catobolic response, so read up on this stuff. The way to stay motivated, is to keep reading and talking about it.
AFTER, and I mean after 2 years of VERY CONSISTENT working out, you will have gained at least 30 lbs, and look mighty fine to the women. They LOVE skinny guys with muscles... Big guys with muscles are useless to most women, no offense to the big guys, but in general women like shape over size (regarding muscle that is... heh heh).
Some women LOVE huge men, and more power to them. You and I are not concerned with these kinds of women. We can't have them. (grin)
You may make a lot faster gains than that, but you must eat enough protein, and you must be consistent in working out. If you miss a workout, don't let it get you down. The secret to consistency is not letting a failure make you stop. It all works eventually.
This stuff is a lot of work man, but let me tell you, after 6 weeks you will start seeing your body change, and after 90 days no one will recognize you. After that, it's your decision, but you get addicted to looking better than anyone else around, and having women stare at you in a muscle shirt walking down the street or at the mall.
Measure yourself right away, and have fun as you measure once a month, seeing the changes and seeing the tape numbers increase.
After 3 years of consistent lifting, if you slow way down in progress, start thinking of trying chemicals, and if it excites the hell out of you, go for it. But if you can't lift for that long consistently, doing roids will only shrink your nuts and make you lose muscle mass. Seriously.
Good luck man.
illest said:
neodavid: thanks for the reply, wasn't offended at all, you're totally right about me not working out first and doing chemicals too soon. So, how long would you recommend me going to the gym before even considering doing juice?
one more thing, 200 lbs?? How am I supposed to gain 60 lbs naturally? That doesn't seem possible and if I could I don't think I'd want to be any bigger, so I wouldn't even need juice then.
btw, i'm 23 and ya having almost no chest sucks
