How to bulk up?

[Blue>Red]

For those of you experienced lifters in here, im only 20 and have been lifting less than a year, just trying to bulk up a bit coming up to play adult football now, in terms of adding some size did you guys use a split or an all body routine?

I know this is massively debated and ive done a lot of reading on it on the internet where everyone just contradicts and argues with each other. By no means am i looking to become a bodybuilder, just add about 10lbs to a stone of muscle, from doing a mixture of the 2 routines ive managed to add about 12lbs so far but feel like im hitting a bit of a slump, any help would be great

If your main aim is for sports purposes I'd look at just doing the fundamentals like Squat, Bench, Deads, Clean and press 5 sets of 3 reps twice a week mate and concentrate on explosive power, you can chop and change some of the exercise when you feel like a change or do a couple of full bodies but for now I'd stick with the above.

Only 3 reps? It is for sport but obviously to gain that bit more i want, currently about 13 stone at 6 foot 3.

At the moment im doing an upper body workout twice a week usually pullups, benchpress, shoulder press, bicep curls, lat pull downs, flies and then another exercise, 3 sets of 7-10 reps, leaving my leg work to strength and conditioning sessions with uni.

I'll give yours a shot though mate, see if it makes a difference in the next couple of months, cheers

 

[Howling Wolf]

For those of you experienced lifters in here, im only 20 and have been lifting less than a year, just trying to bulk up a bit coming up to play adult football now, in terms of adding some size did you guys use a split or an all body routine?

I know this is massively debated and ive done a lot of reading on it on the internet where everyone just contradicts and argues with each other. By no means am i looking to become a bodybuilder, just add about 10lbs to a stone of muscle, from doing a mixture of the 2 routines ive managed to add about 12lbs so far but feel like im hitting a bit of a slump, any help would be great

If your main aim is for sports purposes I'd look at just doing the fundamentals like Squat, Bench, Deads, Clean and press 5 sets of 3 reps twice a week mate and concentrate on explosive power, you can chop and change some of the exercise when you feel like a change or do a couple of full bodies but for now I'd stick with the above.

Only 3 reps? It is for sport but obviously to gain that bit more i want, currently about 13 stone at 6 foot 3.

At the moment im doing an upper body workout twice a week usually pullups, benchpress, shoulder press, bicep curls, lat pull downs, flies and then another exercise, 3 sets of 7-10 reps, leaving my leg work to strength and conditioning sessions with uni.

I'll give yours a shot though mate, see if it makes a difference in the next couple of months, cheers

this is a classic routine, do this for 6 weeks and I promise your body will be transformed.

very simple but not easy. 3 times a week all exercise 5x5

power clean
military press
front squat
bench press
dead lift.

seems so simple, just give it a go. most people make it too complicated, with mulitple exercises on one body part. for the beginner, always low reps, compound/full body moves.

or if your just interested in bulking up. why not just squat everyday. i wonder how many people actually work their legs at all, i know you never have to wait to use the equipment. front sqats, split squats, raised squats. bet your chest and arms get bigger (for the beginner)than they would doing 15 reps doing curls/bench press that they love to do.

 

[johnny on the spot]

Quick question, does anyone still eat raw eggs as part of a routine?

 

[Blue>Red]

cheers guys, ive seen that 5x5 workout before but never tried it. And see what you mean about the explosiveness, as opposed to endurance with more reps

 

[quiet_riot]

very simple but not easy. 3 times a week all exercise 5x5

power clean
military press
front squat
bench press
dead lift.

Quick Q regarding this, as I'm coming up to a change.

Do I go as heavy as you can on all these lifts 3x a week? Or do say, 60% one day, 80% the second and 100% on the third?

Surely six weeks of the big three lifts, as heavy as possible, three times a week would knacker you?

 

[Blue>Red]

what ive seen of the 5x5 workouts, they have 3 compound lifts. then maybe a couple of isolation exercises? i was thinkin 5 might be a killer too, but if he's used it and been successful i might give it a go

 

[andyhinch]

Get yourself a log fire spend your life chopping up said logs saves on the heating bills and bulks you up

 

[Daveth]

I'm 185lbs and 6'1, my main aim is to look good for the start of summer (Which is fast approaching..)

Should I be cutting or just eating like I am now?
Would an EC stack be beneficial to me?

 

[andyhinch]

The more you chop the more you eat, had my axe and chain saw out all weekend not stoped eating knocking the shit out of stuff is good to

 

[Dirty Harry]

very simple but not easy. 3 times a week all exercise 5x5

power clean
military press
front squat
bench press
dead lift.

Quick Q regarding this, as I'm coming up to a change.

Do I go as heavy as you can on all these lifts 3x a week? Or do say, 60% one day, 80% the second and 100% on the third?

Surely six weeks of the big three lifts, as heavy as possible, three times a week would knacker you?

That above what HW wrote (great exercises, no question, although I'd never use that order as it's written, deadlifts at the end of a workout, NO WAY :-0) would kill me at a decent level of intensity, something would have to give ie number of sets and/or stopping short of failure on the last sets.

If you're looking for a bit of variety in a routine like that mate, I'd personally go with something like this for 3 days a week :-

Squats x 3
Deads x 3
Bench x3
Clean and press x 3

You could use a different rep scheme Monday, Wednesday, Friday to change it up a bit say 3-5, 6-8, 10-12 (although I'd personally stick to low reps on Deads) and throw in a few sets of chins/pull-ups/rows occasionally.

From then on it's down to you to be honest about how you're feeling, you may have a better CNS recovery rate that will allow you to do more volume or intensity if you feel great on it, or you may not, it may be just right for you, either way adjust it accordingly, you need to find your own threshold and balance it mate and as long as the weights are moving in the right direction you won't be doing much wrong.