Training & Nutrition - Confirmation On Bulking Up

On January 5 I started my bulking stage. I will continue until June 5 2004. I would like to know if this plan sounds good for a 16 year old male. I have been lifting for two years now and have a pretty good amount of muscle...but now it's time to get a little more serious for the summer that will be here before we know it (look at my sig. if you would like to know my attitude ;) ).

Four days a week will be weight training...
Monday-legs, shoulders, abs
Tuesday-biceps, back, abs
Wednesday-bike and run
Thursday-Triceps, chest, reverse crunches
Friday-bike and run HIIT
Saturday-biceps, triceps, shoulders, chest, back, abs
Sunday-bike

I have been doing as much weight will allow me to do 12 reps. Then a minute rest or so and 8 reps. Then a minute or so and 6 reps. The weight is heavey enough so that the last rep is extrememly hard. Is there a better way to bulk up? I would like to get as strong looking as possible for the summer. I am also trying to lose some weight and I know that muscle boosts your metabolism so I thought this would be a good way to do it.

Try the Max-OT method. This will bulk you up.

http://www.ast-ss.com/max-ot/max-ot_intro.asp

The short version of Max-OT: Less reps (4-6), more weight, more time (2-3 min) between sets (6-9 heavy sets total), one muscle group per day. 40 minutes per workout.

Hope this helps,

ehenz

Oh, and check with your school's coaches too, they will have some age appropriate methods of weight training.

I agree with Max-OT. It worked for me when I was in that bodybuilder-training-stage-which-I-won't-go-back-to.


And, I disagree with you on coaches. Generally. the schools coaches don't know much about lifting. My schools coaches teach HIT . . . it sucks, really, really hard. For anything, for that matter. It's not good for gaining size or athleticism.


And, remember, probably the biggest key to gaining size is eating right. Head on over to bodybuilding.com or another website for information. They have a lot of training and nutrition articles there.

My thought is you appear to be doing a lot of exercise by perhaps trying to combining mass building(weigths) and fat cutting(aerobics/hiit) objectives into one routine risking overtraining and burnout though I do admit a 16 year old has some advantages in this regard due to naturally high hormone levels. With that routine make sure the Sat. workout where you are hitting those bodyparts a second time in a week is not too intense or you could even drop it to add a rest day.Also for mass make sure the bike days are not too intense they would be better as basically rest days(ie active rest or even total rest if your feeling run down at all) as too much aerobics and even hiit is really a toning/cutting routine and will hinder mass.As the others said lower rep ranges are better for size/strength as opposed to pure mass but at your age I would be careful going too heavy as I have heard it can shut off the growth plates(at ends of bones)and stunt natural growth so just pyramiding down to 6 reps might be a good strategy for you.

I have a nephew thats a bodybuilder. As soon as I can get him over Ill get him to post his suggestons.:)

at your age, i would be very worried that you are overdoing it. it does seem (as was prev posted) that you are doing conflicting types of workouts, combining lots of cardio(HIIT, biking and running) as well as lifting for bulk (which you should describe better to us if you want better advice...reps, sets, exercises. etc). I would AT LEAST recommend you take one day off in the week to recover, and it looks to me that the best day to do that is saturday. this is a case of more is not necessarily better. youre body makes it changes and improves while it is RESTING and RECOVERING from the stresses you are putting on it. even tho you arent actively 'working out' the same muscles that you lift with when you are running/biking you are still not giving your body a chance to rest. at your age and with your attitude you could keep this up for a while im sure, but the benefits are not going to be worth the effort, esp if you injure yourself or get too frustrated to maintain it. also, it sounds to me like your bulking phase is very long. it is always recommended (by folks much smarter and better experienced than i, i can point you to several exercise phys PhD's if you want) that you change you workout every 4-6 weeks, and i would definitely not go more than 8. your body will become adapted to your routine and stop improving. last comment is on abs. why does everyone think they need to train their abs differently than they train the rest of their muscle groups?!? abs should not be trained in '100 crunches a day' fashion. treat then as you would any other muscle group, and train them 1-2 times a week, with at least 48-72 hrs of rest between sessions. youre attitude is admirable and your motivation inspiring, but i think you may be over ambitious.

Hi everyone. Thank you all for the great advice!
First off, the bike riding is not intense it is at a moderate pace...I just love to ride :D I'm sorry I did not mention this before.
Second, that Max-OT program sounds great. I will try it out.
I use the machines at the gym along with some free weights. If you need the names of the machines next time I go I will write down the names and post them.
Eating: I do not eat a lot of meat at all. I will eat some turkey on pita. I eat hot dogs but I have not had one in about 8 months. I will eat chicken occasionally. As you can see that is not much protein. To get my share of protein (I know it is very important when trying to bulf up) I have a protein drink for breakfast. I also have protein powder on cereal. I eat eggs once in a while. I have a peanut butter only sandwich every day for lunch. I love nuts and get some protein from them...If you have any suggestions on what I should eat please let me know.

As far as losing weight and gaining muscle goes, will I be succesful or is this not possible? It seems if I do both I will lose some muscle but also be gaining at the same time until I am done with losing fat...If I should do one first I would like to lose the fat. I am pretty sure I have a good set of abs under the flab. I know there is no such thing as spot reduction. I am taking a guess and saying I only need to lose 5-10 pounds...

If you need any information please ask me.
Thanks for all of the help,
TVbuster.

I, am not a fan of machines at all, myself. I Also hate isolation movements.


I am personally in favor of multiplejoint compound-movements, such as bench press, push press, barbell rows(or really, pulling anything), deadlifts, and the squat. I've found i've gotten the best gains using these exercises.

I have used machines for so long I guess I am just used to them...I like them. Is the only benefit of free weights helping to make your balance better? Isn't it more a matter of personal preferance?

The free weight exercises I do are:
Shrugs
bicep curls
dumbbell shoulder press
a lower back exercise I forget the name
and the dumbbell chest press
Should I be doing more with free weights?

i started training in the gym when i was around 14 (about two years ago) because i was pretty overweight. i dont know how much weight you want to lose, but i found that while the weights definately do help take some off, doing an equal amount of cardio will make a significant difference. it will burn the most calories and make your weight loss a lot quicker

Hi,
you really need a coach, or a trainer. We can offer some suggestions, but you need someone experienced who can see you, and see what it is you need. My suggestion is that you pick a goal, and then redesign your workout around that goal. Do you want to race, or...?

Given that you have said before that you are 136 lbs. at 5'10" I really don't think you should be trying to lose 5-10 lbs. to see your abs because this will cost you some of what muscle you have and you will just basically be skin and bones.As was said by most everyone in a prior thread try to put on muscle with weights and eating plenty of good foods but also do plenty of other activities like you are doing as they develop good lifelong habits to keep you lean.If you gain some muscle your abs will look much more impressive and it will be easier to lose fat around the abs.Again as was said prior you should not be dieting with that activity level you need plenty of food and like was said above a day or two of rest per week.Compound freeweights are better for core size and strength while machines and isolation moves are better as a supplement to hit the muscle from more angles or for fine tuning once you have a base developed .As a growing teenager hardgainer type eating some protein rich lean meats and dairy products should be alright(and desirable) particularly if you balance them with plenty of fruits,vegies and healthy fats.

I use free weights as much as possible, but also some machines.

Everything I have read/heard says to stay away from the Smith Machine and squat machine, as they will not allow proper development of the supportive muscles. I use a power rack to provide safety on both exercises.

My goal is general fitness, so I do combine aerobics with weight lifting - have done so for many years.

Therefore, I will never win any prizes for weight lifting (nor do I want to) but I do feel a very good level of fitness overall.

Just depends on your goal!

You have had some excellent suggestions. I see nothing wrong with moderate aerobics combined with intensive weight lifting.

the problem with machines and isolation exercises is that stabilizing muscles and tendons/ligaments do not get worked. when used by themselves (machines, that is) an imbalance of strength can be created that can lead to alot of injuries. i had a powerlifter friend in high school who lost nearly 1.5 years do to a rotator cuff injury that a doctor blamed on muscle strength imbalance. im not saying machines and isolation exercises are bad, but they have a specific place in a workout regimen, and i feel should be used in conjuction with compound-joint exercises. also, about the Smith machine, i hate them because they do not allow for natural range of motion, and can lead to knee problems and bad form. there is nothing better for you than doing free-weight squats with correct form and the right amount of weight for your goals.