Thread: Beginning my weight gain

You have the essential mass-gaining excercises. Do the dips and pull ups weighted, if possible.

Originally Posted by Doublebase

Pasta is my main carb source.

I hope that pasta is whole wheat pasta. If you havent looked closely into your diet, i strongly suggest that you do so. As diet is 70-80% of the whole aspect of changing your body. Read the sticky 'Guide to...' in the diet forum. It has some GREAT info in helping you get started.

I am buying a scale tonight to way out my portions. Do any of you know a web-site that converts amounts of chicken, meat, etc to protein? Thx for the info so far guys. I also supplement in designer whey protein and a multi.

www.fitday.com
www.nutritiondata.com

How long do I need to be in the gym. I read that you need to do mass building exercises to gain mass. Ok so one day I'll do my deadlifts. Are my 5 sets sufficient. 15-25 reps. Thats like 20 mins at the most. Lat pulldowns, rowing, hammer strength back exercises, are they pointless for me since I am so lean and need to gain mass. This question is also for Squats too. 20 mins in the gym just does not seem to be long enough. Also, time between sets? How many secs or mins do you suggest?

Originally Posted by Doublebase

How long do I need to be in the gym. I read that you need to do mass building exercises to gain mass. Ok so one day I'll do my deadlifts. Are my 5 sets sufficient. 15-25 reps. Thats like 20 mins at the most. Lat pulldowns, rowing, hammer strength back exercises, are they pointless for me since I am so lean and need to gain mass. This question is also for Squats too. 20 mins in the gym just does not seem to be long enough. Also, time between sets? How many secs or mins do you suggest?

Why would you limit yourself to only those basic mass building excercises?

i thought mass building was mainly about your diet, but i agree with vegman you dont have to only do the "main" exercises, you want to workout everything so everyting grows proportionately

Originally Posted by vegman

Why would you limit yourself to only those basic mass building excercises?

You can see my program at the top. I guess I need to know more mass building exercises. I was under the impression that I need to stick to:
Chest - Bench Press
Back - Deadlifts
Legs - Squats, Leg Press
Shoulders - Military Press
All the isolation movements do not help me. I need to work more muscle fibers in my movements rather then target one.

Originally Posted by Doublebase

You can see my program at the top. I guess I need to know more mass building exercises. I was under the impression that I need to stick to:
Chest - Bench Press
Back - Deadlifts
Legs - Squats, Leg Press
Shoulders - Military Press
All the isolation movements do not help me. I need to work more muscle fibers in my movements rather then target one.

I could be wrong but i was under the impression that all resistance training was essentially "mass building", i guess those are the best to gain overall body mass but any muscle you workout, along with eating right, is going to grow, maybe im not understanding what you mean though..

Originally Posted by Doublebase

You can see my program at the top. I guess I need to know more mass building exercises. I was under the impression that I need to stick to:
Chest - Bench Press
Back - Deadlifts
Legs - Squats, Leg Press
Shoulders - Military Press
All the isolation movements do not help me. I need to work more muscle fibers in my movements rather then target one.

You are right. As a beginner it is a recommended to stick to compound exercises and do not focus on isloation movemetns presently.

DL's work your lower back. You need to include rows to get to your upper back.

You could consider a simple 3 day split (push, pull, legs). Do a search and you will get lots of threads which will help you to decide what to do.

I am familiar with the (push/pull/legs) method. I have been going to the gym on/off since I was 16. I am now 23. I never had any huge gains. That is why I am going with mass building training. I am trying to eat 4000 calories with good foods everyday. I have been accomplishing this so far and I find it is getting easier everyday. My appetite is a lot stronger then it used to be. I am just wondering if I should do curls, push-downs, hammer-strenghts, hammstring exercises, calf raises, pec-decks, incline press, decline press, DB curls, DB anything. Now if you say I shouldn't do any isolation exercises then what does that leave me.

My normal Chest routine would be something like this:
Flat Bench 4 sets
Incline Bench 4 sets
Cable Crossovers or Pec Deck 3 sets

Now is that to much since I am trying to gain mass? Is that to many sets?
Give me a basic program with sets, exercises and reps.

By leaving out isolation exercises i meant leave out things like concentration curls.

I am presently doing a 3 day split. Here is my routine:
Legs-
Legpress (4sets)
Squats (4sets)
Standing calf raises (3sets)
Seated calf raises (3sets)
Weighted ab crunches (machine) (4sets)

Push
DB BP's (4sets)
Flies (machine) (4sets)
Tris Pulldown (3sets)
Tris extension (kinda seated skull crushers) (3sets)
Lat raises (3sets)
Military presses (3sets)

Pull
CG Pulldowns (4sets)
Rows (4sets)
SLDL's (4sets)
Hammers (3sets)
Curls (3sets)

Target reps 10. If i get all sets to 12 reps, i hike up the weights. You may want to reconsider the volume of bi/tri work.

But as you have realised, without eating adequately, you wont grow no matter how much weight you schlep around the gym.

So stick to higher rep range? I thought you needed heavy weight low reps to gain mass. Like 8, 6 ,4 ,2.

Originally Posted by Doublebase

My normal Chest routine would be something like this:
Flat Bench 4 sets
Incline Bench 4 sets
Cable Crossovers or Pec Deck 3 sets

Now is that to much since I am trying to gain mass? Is that too many sets?
Give me a basic program with sets, exercises and reps.

That's good. now throw in some sort of tricep excercise at the end for one set.

Originally Posted by Doublebase

So stick to higher rep range? I thought you needed heavy weight low reps to gain mass. Like 8, 6 ,4 ,2.

I would use a 10, 7, 4, 10 set-up, with the last set back to your starting weight and do it slow and controlled to failure

So for chest and triceps a good workout for me would be:
Flat Bench 4 sets
Inline Bench 4 sets
Skull Crushers 4 sets

Is that to little, to much or just right?

Sample Back for me
Deadlifts 5 sets
Rowing 4 sets
Lat pulldowns 4 sets
45 pound bar curls w/ weight 4 sets

Originally Posted by Doublebase

So for chest and triceps a good workout for me would be:
Flat Bench 4 sets
Inline Bench 4 sets
Skull Crushers 4 sets

Is that to little, to much or just right?

Sample Back for me
Deadlifts 5 sets
Rowing 4 sets
Lat pulldowns 4 sets
45 pound bar curls w/ weight 4 sets

Thats sound just right for you right now. Also, I would mix up the SC with Dips once in a while

Originally Posted by vegman

I would use a 10, 7, 4, 10 set-up, with the last set back to your starting weight and do it slow and controlled to failure

I wouldn't go to failure on dead lifts though.

Originally Posted by Doublebase

So stick to higher rep range? I thought you needed heavy weight low reps to gain mass. Like 8, 6 ,4 ,2.

From what i know, anything between 6-15 reps will result in mass gain. I like going a bit higher as i use a little less weight which enables me do the exercises with better form. Coz form is my first and foremost priority.