Blake said:
I've recently started and I don't have much experience with lifting. I would like to know some safety tips where I won't injure myself too terribly. Also, I'd like to know some rutines that will take around an hour to complete. I mainly want to work on my upper body. If you need to know anyother info just let me know. Thanks.
-Always stretch whatever you're working out before you start. I don't do this as much for safety reasons, but for the fact that recovery times are shortened.
-Don't be simple in what you want to accomplish. If you're intersted in mass more than stamina, lift heavy weights for shorter reps, and MAINTAIN your POSTURE. It doesn't do anything to slouch when you're curling. An inside tip: work resistance muscles by letting down the, for example, curling bar or bench press bar, SLOWLY and pushing up faster. Here's the tip: while letting it down slowly, keep those muscles flexed. You could theoretically get a good workout with small weights if you flex the whole time.
-On muscles where you want stamina more so than mass (leg muscles mostly, also shoulders, quads and hams especially), work on more reps with lighter weight. The best work-out for lower body is just running. Tried and true.
-The key is supplements. Joint problems, take glucosamine and MSM (methyl sulfonyl methane) just cause you don't want to mess up your joints. Muscles are no good if it'll permanently hurt when using them. For mass, here's a miracle supplement: Creatine monohydrate! As far as I know it's impossible to OD on, and doesn't work like other magic muscle mass drugs- no side effects if you know what I mean since it doesn't have anything to do with testosterone levels. The way it works is by adding water mass in muscle cells, energizing them, giving superhuman stamina, and bulging them. NO possible way to have side effects since it's natural- you get can some by eating a steak. STAY AWAY from stuff that works your testosterone levels. You don't want to mess with that stuff.
-Biggest tip isn't even in the workout- it's in diet and sleep. Don't fret eating extra protein if you're getting it in a bar or shake. Eat six small meals a day (cook two BIG meals a day, and switch off with leftovers from different days). Six is a lot if you're not up to it, but have at least four. Get vitamins and minerals from multi-vitamin tablets.
-DO NOT work out muscles that are at all sore. If they're sore, that means they've been torn. The way weightlifting works is like this: pretend a city has been through an earthquake. Well, for the future, when they rebuild, they'll make the buildings bigger and stronger. When another earthquake hits, they'll repeat that same process. Try to imagine that an earthquake just hit and while they're rebuilding- another one strikes. Bad news. If you feel soreness, wait it off and work something else. The MOMENT you feel you're recovered, that's the prime time to go at it again.
Eat carbs, a lot of them for lunch, take a 30 minute break watching TV or whatever, drink water while stretching, workout at about 1-3 for a half an hour in the afternoon keeping well-hydrated, and when you're done drink more water and have a meal with a decent amount of protein. Eight glasses of water a day is for people who DON'T work out, and you do, so it should be about 11. Especially when you're taking creatine, which utilizes water by using them by packing them into muscle cells.
Do this faithfully, and for guys our age who are underweight taking suplements and routine in faithfully, starting results will be in UNDER three weeks! We're at that age where if we play our cards right, the results are amazing. Puberty works like this: first you grow in height, then in size. By the time we're 20-21, our body switches most of its focus to mass now. Do it before then, when your body is focusing on height, like my age, and you'll mess up the growth plates. Your age is perfect. Between 20-25 guys beef up naturally. If you send signals to your body that you need yet MORE muscle then what you're naturally getting, the results will be awesome. The body will kick it into high gear. Good news for you.
I wouldn't get any of those gyms on T.V. Going to an actual gym forces you to push yourself harder and hold you more accountable. Three weeks I guarantee. And it's the summer! Conditions are perfect for you. TTYL Jesus loves you!
Good luck!
If you need joint supplements because you notice that you have a problem with your ROM or pain in your joints, ask me or Gabriel. LOL, I'm going to work for him from home selling Flexcin to health food and sports nutrition stores, and some chiropractors.
