Just getting started... Tons of Questions.....

[USMCKoontz]

Ok so I honestly have never actually been a Hard lifter. I lifted a little when I was in the Marines back in 2001-2005. Now my wife and I are both wanting to get into the gym serious and do what we can to be our best.

So I am 5 foot 10 and I weigh 150 pounds.
My Goal is 195-200 pounds by this time next year if Possible.
I dont know jack about calories/protien etc.. How many calories would I need to intake and protein?
What would be some good meal ideas to help add this? Tuna? Oatmeal?

Ok and I have these questions also

What is a good training routine for a beginner? M-W-F split? or a 4 day split?

What would be a good supplement stack? I know about Whey Protien, Creatine, and Pre and post workout supps but what are Natural Anabolics, Prohormones, Test Boosters? What else is out there? I havent been in the supplement side of things in a long time.

What all would you include in a stack with creatine, Whey, Pre and Post workout? I am not sure what all Animal and Universal make perhaps I need to look.

I am on way to work, so typed this out on my phone...:)

[USMCKoontz]

Also I am 31 if that helps with anything :)

[Embee]

Ok so I honestly have never actually been a Hard lifter. I lifted a little when I was in the Marines back in 2001-2005. Now my wife and I are both wanting to get into the gym serious and do what we can to be our best.

So I am 5 foot 10 and I weigh 150 pounds.
My Goal is 195-200 pounds by this time next year if Possible.
I dont know jack about calories/protien etc.. How many calories would I need to intake and protein?
What would be some good meal ideas to help add this? Tuna? Oatmeal?

Ok and I have these questions also

What is a good training routine for a beginner? M-W-F split? or a 4 day split?

What would be a good supplement stack? I know about Whey Protien, Creatine, and Pre and post workout supps but what are Natural Anabolics, Prohormones, Test Boosters? What else is out there? I havent been in the supplement side of things in a long time.

What all would you include in a stack with creatine, Whey, Pre and Post workout? I am not sure what all Animal and Universal make perhaps I need to look.

I am on way to work, so typed this out on my phone...:)

Here are my thoughts on it all:

First of all, your intake depends not only on your weight, but also on your metabolism. The very general guideline is that your RDI for maintenance is bodyweight in lbs x 15.
So for you this would be 150lbs x 15 = 2250. Again, this depends on your metabolism, but you could use this as your baseline and work from here.
For bulking, I'd personally start with a caloric excess of 250-500 calories. Monitor your weight and adjust accordingly.
Also try and keep an eye on your bodyfat percentage, to make sure you're maximising the lean mass you gain while you try to keep the bodyfat you gain to a minimum.

So those calories are split up into protein, fat and carbohydrates. One gram of protein equals four calories and so does one gram of carbohydrates. One gram of fat equals nine calories.

Here are some general guidelines on how to split those:
- Protein: 1.0g - 1.3g per 1lbs of bodyweight
- Fat: 0.3 - 0.4 per 1lbs of bodyweight
- Carbs: remaining calories

Some ideas when it comes to sources for those macronutrients:
- Protein: Chicken, turkey, lean beef, low fat pork, egg(whites), tuna.
- Fat: Nuts, egg(yokes), avocado, olive oil.
- Carbs: Pasta, rice, (sweet) potatoes, bread, fruit, beans.

That's just the ones I quick think of right now.

It's important to understand your diet, as a lot of beginners overlook the importance of it and I was no exception. This will also make it a lot easier to adjust your diet to your goals - bulking, cutting or maintenance.

As far as training routines go, as a beginner I'd opt for a programme that hits all the muscles atleast two times per week. This could be three times full body (Mon-Wed-Fri) or an upperbody-lowerbody split (Mon-Tue-Thu-Fri).
I believe the standard bodybuilding splits where you hit the musclegroups once per week are great for more advanced athletes as they need a metric tonne of volume to still achieve hypertrophy and more rest to allow for supercompensation.
A beginner however doesn't need that amount of volume and will need less time to recover, allowing him to hit muscles more often per week. Especially as a beginner you can progress quite rapidly, so why not make the most of it?
This also means you'll have to focus on the most important exercises to build mass and strength - compound movements. Think of exercises like the squat, bench press, deadlift, bent over row, dips and pull-ups. In my opinion those are the ones that should form the base of your programme.

When it comes to supplementation as a beginner - keep it simple. I work in a big commercial gym and I get asked on a daily basis what supplements to take, while 9 times out of 10 their diet is still crap. Supplements can help you a lot if your diet is already solid.
To start with, you could supplement with whey protein (Universal Ultra Whey Pro) to make sure you hit your recommended protein intake. Next to that, you could start off with creatine (Universal Creatine).
I do think a multi-vitamin should be included (Animal Pak). Intense training can possibly even lower your resistance. Even if you don't supplement with whey protein or creatine, get your vitamins in.

Once your diet is solid and your training is going well, you can always look at what other products Animal has in their line-up, as they have several great products to choose from, whatever your goal or desired effect is.

Now, this is all just my personal opinion and I always encourage people to draw their own conclusions from the information they've been provided. We have a lot of great athletes here on the forum, so when you get home from work, have a look around on the forum and I'm sure you'll find all sorts of valuable information.


I hope this helps and welcome to the FORVM!

[Cellardweller]

Embee coverd diet pretty good. I'd like to add eggs, milk and peanut butter as awesome and cheap protein sources. Also try to eat 5-6 times a day. Come up with a plan for eating as well as training

For a routine and how often to train I'd want to know more about your goals first. Looking to just get ripped, or do you want to put up some heavy weight? A guy at work is wanting to get back into the game and I recommended to him to do 5x5 on his heavy compound lifts (bench, squat, deadlift and over head press) to build up a strong base and then to do 10-15 reps on everything else to add size. Best of both worlds.

[USMCKoontz]

Thanks for the replies guys :)

Now that I am on a computer heres a little more info...

Their is a gym getting ready to open by me 1/2 down the road. They open on Januarary 10th. I plan to begin shortly after. I am reading up as much as I can about everything so when I begin I will have the knowledge needed ahead of time, and what to be shopping for grocery wise.

I am skinny, and my goal is to gain muscle mass and strength. I am thinking at around 200 would be ideal. or even around 210. I think that would put me close to the look I am going for. Something close to these are my goal for nowhttp://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSjYEnUoI45tzfq9Xn7g7UEITjVtd2LU HOlUrt1TB8OSg5RHXYU and
http://bradrowefit.com/wp-content/uploads/mainImageHome.png

[Aggression]

The bigger picture is Brad Rowe. He used to be a Universal sponsored athlete up until about a year ago. Good guy.

Honestly, I wouldn't get too caught up in all the numbers and stats. If you're just starting out, ease into things. Don't go breaking out the calculator to add up every single microgram of food. Just eat good, quality meals. If you're trying to add 50lbs of lean mass to get to your goal, then just focus on the foods that are proven time and time again; chicken, red meat, eggs, turkey, fish, oatmeal, potatoes (white, sweet, red, whatever), rice (jasmine, white, brown, whatever), peanut butter, olive oil, coconut oil, avocadoes, nuts, and green veggies. Make sure each meal has a hearty amount of each and you'll be fine. If you aren't gaining, then increase the size of each portion and/or add in another meal to your diet. I never counted macros, calories, or any of that and I've been able to successfully add/drop weight any time I wanted with no issues.

As for supplements, stick with the basics for now; go with something like Pak, a whey protein and a creatine. Maybe a preWO if you need it.

That's it. Train hard and eat big. Simple.

[Swolepez]

Basically what everyone said above ^^^^^..... Dont worry about meal timing or test boosters or the next ground breaking supp or should i take casein at night or whey or food or the 30min anabolic window or lifting 5-6 days a wk, etc....

food: if you count anything at all as far as macros just focus on protein, don't get to anal about it for now ... focus on overall calories at the end of the day depending on your goal...try to get mopst of your food from lean protein, potatoes, rice, oatmeal, veggies, fruits, egg yolks, olive oil, fat from the protein etc...

good supps: multi. protein powder, creatine, fish oil

weights: maybe 3x a wk...full-body...focus on compound movements, squat, deadlift, chest press, shoulder press, rows, pull-ups, push-ups, etc...ands focus on the form rather than the weight for now..

[KettleBellFreak]

Eat everything. just make sure there is a ratio of protein and carbs that is greater than fats. eat a lot. stretch a lot. train hard. never feel hungry. eat when you don't want to. ALWAYS ALWAYS EAT. Never skip it and never forget vegetables. vitamins are just as important as calories.

Keep your head down and train hard, this lifestyle doesn't stop and doesn't do anything to make it easier on you. Research every lift, every exercise, every split, rest theories, form vs function lifting, total body splits, lifting for strength or lifting for muscle volumization. I'm no trainer but beginners can do a 3 day, push/pull/legs routine, or a 5 day chest/back/shoulders/legs/arms, or a bench/deadlift/press/squat day, work at all of these and see which helps the most.

Animal has a "big on the basics" series on youtube, RICHARD HAWTHORNE CAN TEACH YOU TO DEADLIFT, GARRET GRIFFIN WILL TEACH YOU TO BENCH LIKE FUCK WHAT MORE COULD THEY GIVE US?!?!!?

DO COMPOUND LIFTS DAMMIT!! high volume compound lifts build muscle. add weight accordingly but check your ego, form is more important than that girl you keep looking at on the treadmill.

Train hard, push yourself. Yell. Hurt. Be mad about not being the body you want to be or have the strength you want to have, be hungry for gains.

Once again, eat like you mean it. It's important and your diet will lead you to the promise land. as far as supplements, maybe a little pre-workout, but Universal Torrent for intra workout and Real Gains for postWO is all you need.

be ambitious and work hard brother!!!!

[USMCKoontz]

Ok thanks... What are some good, small cheaper food things I can use at work? I work a 12 hour rotating shift. So sometimes I work nights, and other times I work days. I am usually on the move alot at work, since I work @ a huge plant. I keep my food in a fridge.

What are some things I could use to eat quickly or mix as a drink to help keep the calories, protien etc..?

[KettleBellFreak]

Ok thanks... What are some good, small cheaper food things I can use at work? I work a 12 hour rotating shift. So sometimes I work nights, and other times I work days. I am usually on the move alot at work, since I work @ a huge plant. I keep my food in a fridge.

What are some things I could use to eat quickly or mix as a drink to help keep the calories, protien etc..?

Shakes. make sandwiches on rolls: Three four bites each, 30g carbs, 20-25g protein. handful of nuts. tacos are good for quick snacks

[USMCKoontz]

Shakes. make sandwiches on rolls: Three four bites each, 30g carbs, 20-25g protein. handful of nuts. tacos are good for quick snacks

Ok what about things like PB&J Sandwhiches.. Tuna with quick heated mac and cheese and green beans... Also what about Raman Noodles and adding things to them like Bread and boiled eggs? We own chickens so I can almost get as many eggs as I need :) :)
Also I know Rice is good... and we have plenty of Rice, so I will be sure to add it in the mix also :)
Also my cousin recommended oatmeal and beans heated up and with powdered milk

[KettleBellFreak]

Ok what about things like PB&J Sandwhiches.. Tuna with quick heated mac and cheese and green beans... Also what about Raman Noodles and adding things to them like Bread and boiled eggs? We own chickens so I can almost get as many eggs as I need :) :)
Also I know Rice is good... and we have plenty of Rice, so I will be sure to add it in the mix also :)
Also my cousin recommended oatmeal and beans heated up and with powdered milk

Protein should be around 40% of your diet, 40% carbs, 20% fat. Eat accordingly. Watch the sources of your food. Do your best man.

[Aggression]

I work the same schedule as you: 12hr shifts rotating days and nights. Some shifts I may only eat once or twice. Other shifts I can get in 3 meals. It's called life. And sometimes you gotta roll with it. Try to eat when you can. But if you're particualrly busy one shift and only get in one or two meals, don't worry man. Stay grounded.

PBJ sandwiches are good. Maybe get a protein drink from a 7-11 or something and just keep it in case you need a quick 50g or whatever.

[MR. C]

I agree with everything that was said above.
Also I would incorporate a ton of squats/deadlifts/bench into your training. Maybe do these with a 5 by 5 type program. If you want to a great snack that could help you out on some quality pounds I would put in a blender the following and chug it down a couple of times a day

Water 1 cup
Milk 1 cup
Eggs 1 whole
oatmeal (1 cup dry)
Banana
Peanut butter (1 tablespoon)
Scoop of protein powder

[USMCKoontz]

I agree with everything that was said above.
Also I would incorporate a ton of squats/deadlifts/bench into your training. Maybe do these with a 5 by 5 type program. If you want to a great snack that could help you out on some quality pounds I would put in a blender the following and chug it down a couple of times a day

Water 1 cup
Milk 1 cup
Eggs 1 whole
oatmeal (1 cup dry)
Banana
Peanut butter (1 tablespoon)
Scoop of protein powder

that does sound good ;) I think I will give it a shot :)

[GunRock]

I'm not going to rehash anything that was said above because I agree with it all. Not to put you down, but as you're fairly new to lifting, I recommend you get someone who's been down this road ahead of you to watch you lift from time to time. That can be via video or (since I don’t know where you are) you should get involved in your local ABC and get some vets there to check form etc. You don't need perfect form to progress but having a vet to watch you can shave time off how long it takes and how healthy you are during the process.
Good luck with it!

[MR. C]

Make sure the egg is pasturized.