Looking for some advice.

[thundercleetz]

Hello, my name is Andrew and I am 18-years old. I am looking for some advice on which supplements I should take, and what type of workout routine I should be doing. My goal is not neccessarily to gain weight or bulk, but to get definition and at the same time continue to gain strength. I do not mind gaining weight as long as it is lean muscle. I am 5'10", 175 pounds, but I have a very thick build (broad shoulders, thick lower-body). So I am more so just trying to get cut, for I already have a muscular build.

Currently I work out four times a week. Twice a week I do a full upper body workout, and then run for thirty minutes (in which I usually get about 3.5 miles). The other two days I do abs and run for an hour (which usually comes out to 7.25-7.5 miles). I do not workout my legs, for when I do they get too big like tree trucks. It was good for when I played football, but I do not like the look now that I am not playing anymore.

However, I am not sure if this type of routine is working for me. Yes, I am in the best running shape of my life and could probably run a marathon, but I am losing strength on my bench press. In the past year my bench has gone down from 300 to about 240 since I have started incorporating a lot of cardio into my workouts.

I am thinking about changing my workout to six times a week and just breaking up muscle categories to put more individual focus on them. I would still continue to work my cardio as well. I also think I should probably start working out my legs again, but make sure I do lots of reps instead of just heavy lifting. Would this be a good plan?

So, what should I be taking, and what workout routine should I be doing, to achieve my goal of cutting away fat and getting definition, but at the same time be able to gain strength? Basically I am trying to get a more fitness look instead of a body building look. Right now I am taking Muscle Milk, but only after my workouts. I have been reading online about protein supplements and have found out that I should be taking supplements like this three times a day. Is this correct?

I have been reading about Nitro-Tech Hardcore, would this be good to take? Some place I have read say it is also good to use Cell-Tech at the same time. I am not sure if creatine would be good to use with my build. If someone could explain this to me, that would be great.

By the way, my diet is pretty good. I do not eat junk food, and rarely eat out. Of course, it could always be better, but I make a conscious effort to try my best.

Thanks for the replies!

 

[juggernaut]

Hey Andrew, welcome aboard.
Ok, first things first-you must work your legs. It balances out your physique and, when done properly, squats (the king of leg exercises) make your entire body grow. Make no mistake they are tough. But if you arent a candyass and persevere, you'll grow to like them as well as hate them. You'll also be impressed with the results.
You say you want to workout six times a week. I believe that that is way too much. i feel as a beginner, you can make amazing gains with a 2-3 day routine which concentrates solely on learning compound exercises. These are squats, barbell bench presses, military presses and barbell curls to name a few. If this is done on a 3 month basis, you'll find that this can really do well to make the body grow-BIG. This will do you fine, and after you get about six months of training under your belt, you should then move up to a 5 day routine concentrating on 1-2 bodyparts a day with a day of rest in between. I'm a competitive bodybuilder and I dont even train six times a week, unless it is six weeks before my next contest.

As for supps, I really think that your diet should consist of whole food, a whey protein drink (twice a day-once in the morning with complex carbs) and once at immediately after training with a good sized meal of carbs again. I also think you need a drugstore, no frills multivitamin. A year from now, you may want to start looking into creatine/cee for more gains. But really for now, I think you should trust me on this. Again, I dont use many supps, except for whole food timed at various parts of the day, scientifically makes great gains.

Cardio-2-3 weekly, can be low impact running, cycling walking. It's healthful and will partition nutrients correctly so that you dont gain as much fat.

If you would, post your diet. I would like to see what you eat so that we can make adjustments and see what needs to be altered.

Good luck with training. Sorry you didnt get the magic answer but i firmly believe that as a "newb" to the world of weight training, you need to take baby steps to ensure that you continue on your path to HUGEness.


BTW-if you want anymore insight on the routine that I am talking about, let me know via PM.

 

[Arnold]

post the training questions(s) and routine in the training forum.

as far as supps, a multi-vitamin, EFA's, whey protein, and maybe some creatine to start.

 

[juggernaut]

yes, he's right. sorry.

 

[thundercleetz]

Thanks for the replies! Right now I am trying to decide which protein and creatine supplements to use. I saw an add for something called VPX No Shotgun. Could someone explain to me what this stuff does, and if it is any more effective then anything else? I was trying to read about it, and honestly, I was confused, lol. And what about the VPX protein supplement Zero Impact? Are these VPX products any different or better then anything else? Thanks!

 

[0pete9]

No Shotgun is a nitric oxide supplement that works very well, but Im not sure that its what you need right now. Also, are you talking about the Zero Impact protein bars? If so, they arent so bad but try and stay away from the protein bars because they have a bunch of junk in them.

 

[thundercleetz]

What is a nitric oxide supplement, and what does it do? The Zero Impact was a protein powder.

 

[0pete9]

Nitric Oxide supps all have the key ingredient L-Arginine in them which is an amino acid, whichs helps produce nitric oxide in your body. N02 is used for pumps because it dialates the blood vessels in your body.

 

[juggernaut]

you can buy AAKg in bulk here:


Arginine Alpha Ketoglutarate (AAKG) Powder [100 Grams] - $6.99