How long does it take to "bulk up"

metafora

Hi,

I know its very vague but any ideas? Im looking to increase muscles in chest/pecs and arms really. Currently 80kg and 5ft 11. Never done weights or been to Gym. In early 30's. I would be slim build i suppose. Looking to build up muscles in arms and increase chest - looking to get rid of skinny appearance.

Any advice. Think i would prefer to do weights at home before going to a gym? Does it take a year before a noticable difference is in place?
What about supplementary pills e.g creatine. Do they work and is there any side effects i need to be concerned with?

Advice apprciated.

billyhead

Metafora,

It took me about 6 months to put on a stone of lean muscle. I am just over 6ft one inch and about 11.8 stone now. I was arounda stone lighter last September. I had a very low body fat level and still do but I put on a lot of muscle since then (I still have a bit to go). I want to put another stone of muscle on. I was big into running and traithlons and hence lost a tonne of weight. I have reduced the cardio significantly and go to the gym 3-4 times a week concentrating on the big compound lifts i.e deadlift, Benchpress, Dips, Chins, Squats and Military Presses. Your diet will need to include lots of protein i.e Milk/Meat/Fish/Nuts and Protein Shakes.

metafora

Oh yeah, fogot to say that i dont want to get huge but have more of an athletic body rather than skinny

Colm_OReilly

The best way to look like an athletic individual is to be an athletic individual.

Lift heavy (squat, dead, clean, jerk, snatch, press), move fast (row, bike, run, swim), do gymnastics (dips, pull ups, push ups, etc). These sites should help you pick what sort of program you'd like to do
startingstrength.wikia.com
www.simplefit.org
www.crossfit.com
www.crossfit.ie (had to sneak that one in)

cardio,shoot me

(dont mean to hijack the thread guys) but Colm, i was on spartanmma the other day and noticed the name of the vid poster, i was wondering if u are one in the same?

bigstar

how skinny is 5'11' and 12.5 stone? thats sounds fairly average weight wise, maybe even a little heavy.

Smellyirishman

6months to a year will see significant change if you put in the work. As above too, I don't think 80kg at 5' 11 is skinny.

Killme00

It all depends how much milk you drink

Smellyirishman

Killme00 wrote: »

It all depends how much protein shake/creatine you buy.

Fixed that for you .

BossArky

metafora wrote: »

Hi,

Im looking to increase muscles in chest/pecs and arms really.

Do you look like this guy?

?

If yes, then you probably can neglect your legs and back. Otherwise your best bet to banish skinny-ness is to hit all the big compound exercises and eat more.

The big compound exercises work your muscles as they were designed to work i.e. together. They will kick start your metabolism, release natural growth hormones and make you feel like King Kong.

Compound Exercises:

• Squat
• Deadlift
• Pull Ups
• Barbell Row
• Bench Press
• Shoulder Press

Eat More of this:

• Protein (chicken, tuna, eggs)
• Milk
• Porridge
• Fresh Veg
• Spuds, Pasta, Rice
• Fruit
• Almonds

edit - if you workout hard and eat enough you could easily put on 1kg per month. So, in 6 months you will put on a stone (1 stone = ~ 6.3kg).

Just make sure that you are eating lots of "clean" food so you put on quality weight, not fat.

colly10

metafora wrote: »

Hi,

I know its very vague but any ideas? Im looking to increase muscles in chest/pecs and arms really. Currently 80kg and 5ft 11. Never done weights or been to Gym. In early 30's. I would be slim build i suppose. Looking to build up muscles in arms and increase chest - looking to get rid of skinny appearance.

Any advice. Think i would prefer to do weights at home before going to a gym? Does it take a year before a noticable difference is in place?
What about supplementary pills e.g creatine. Do they work and is there any side effects i need to be concerned with?

Advice apprciated.

80kg at 5" 11 isn't all that bad.
Ye may as well just hit the gym, no point in doing weights at home first, ye'll have more options at the gym. It does not take a year for a noticable difference. Im about 1 and 3/4 stone heavier than I was last July and have no extra bodyfat.
Just eat more and work hard. I take in mass gainer for breakfast to help add a bit of weight. I take whey after a workout and have started taking NO before, I think all are fairly safe and they work (whey is important in perticular because your muscles require enough protein to grow).
Creatine will also make you bigger and is safe if your taking in enough water, I don't bother with creatine though, it just stores more water in your muscles making them bigger.
Don't ignore your legs btw

BossArky wrote: »

Just make sure that you are eating lots of "clean" food so you put on quality weight, not fat.

Just eat lots, I wouldn't be overly concerned with quality if you have the right metobolism. Eat ****loads of whatever ye like and you'll quickly know by looking in the mirror in the morning if your diet needs to be cleaned up or not

Brian?

BossArky wrote: »

Do you look like this guy?

?

If yes, then you probably can neglect your legs and back. Otherwise your best bet to banish skinny-ness is to hit all the big compound exercises and eat more.

The big compound exercises work your muscles as they were designed to work i.e. together. They will kick start your metabolism, release natural growth hormones and make you feel like King Kong.

Compound Exercises:

• Squat
• Deadlift
• Pull Ups
• Barbell Row
• Bench Press
• Shoulder Press

Eat More of this:

• Protein (chicken, tuna, eggs)
• Milk
• Porridge
• Fresh Veg
• Spuds, Pasta, Rice
• Fruit
• Almonds

edit - if you workout hard and eat enough you could easily put on 1kg per month. So, in 6 months you will put on a stone (1 stone = ~ 6.3kg).

Just make sure that you are eating lots of "clean" food so you put on quality weight, not fat.

OP, that there is great advice.

If I was you I'd start with a program that just does the big compound lifts as well swimming, cycling or whatever cardio you really enjoy.

I noticed subtle changes a couple of months after starting to lift, unfortunatly I was following bad programs. It was only when I started listening to more people on here and started squatting and deadlifting heavy that I made big changes. Start off on the right foot, ignore any program that has more isolation work than compound lifts and work on building strength first and foremost. The more weight you can lift the bigger you'll get.

I know you said you 'dont want to get huge', getting huge takes an unreal amount of effort and a massive appetite so I wouldn't go worrying about that.

maxxie

As a beginner you should be training about 3 days a week! My advice would be not to put off going the gym,get stuck straight in! You will fall in love with the place.Just say it to the instructor on joining and they will be happy to help ya! Personally I started to see results after 2 months. Just make sure your always progressing the routine when necessary!

BobbyOLeary

Colm O'Reilly wrote:

The best way to look like an athletic individual is to be an athletic individual.

Spot on. I'm going to steal that now.

metafora

Thanks, some good advice here.
Think i will go to the gym and talk to an instructor. Suppose i do feel a bit intimidated going to the gym not having a clue and probably lifting really small weights.

Kangaroo isnt 100 miles off i suppose. Legs are fine but id have small enough wrists (can easily touch thumb with middle finger around it) and bit scrawny around shoulders and arms.
Weighed myself again with shoes off and im actually 78kg.
Dont really have much of a belly but have also started playing squash once a week and have started doing 5 k runs around twice a week recently.
Question: Will this amount of aerobic exercise negate work to get bigger as most runners i see are pretty slim?

Reason for all this new exercise is that ive given up the smokes (10 a day) for the last 2 months and feel this a great chance to get my body in shape.

I also bought some 5kg dumbells. Any exercises you can recommend to do at home? How many would i need to do and for how long.

I really am a novice!

Advice appreciated

Procasinator

5kg weights are not going to be good for very long. Them kinda weights might be helpful for adding slight resistance to some cardio workouts, but won't go much further than that.

If you are starting at low weights due to lack of strength (which is nothing to be ashamed of), maybe you can start with some basic but nevertheless effective exercises:

• Press ups
• Pull ups/Chin ups
• Planks
• Burpees
• Bodyweight squats

To establish some initial strength and to get your muscles working.

The 5k runs and squash (although if intense short games could almost be like HIIT) can take away from resistance-training gains such as size/strength. Just keep yourself fuelled well for these activities (plenty of carbs). Maybe reduce the 5k run down to one a week: you might find you need more time for recovery after adding resistance training into the mix.

Colm_OReilly

Cardio,

Yes, I'm the same guy. Spartan MMA and CrossFit are run out of the same box.

rubadub

metafora wrote: »

Weighed myself again with shoes off and im actually 78kg.

Weigh yourself in the raw, though I got in trouble in the local pharmacy for doing that! you should have the same hydration level each time too. Your scale could well be off. I am 5'11'' and at 75kg I still had a small belly.

metafora wrote: »

I also bought some 5kg dumbells. Any exercises you can recommend to do at home? How many would i need to do and for how long.

Where did you get them? if it was argos you can still return them in 30 days, then get the 50kg york cast iron set. 5kg is nothing and you will outgrow them very soon. Get a chinup bar too. Check www.exrx.net and www.stronglifts.com

colly10

rubadub wrote: »

Where did you get them? if it was argos you can still return them in 30 days, then get the 50kg york cast iron set. 5kg is nothing and you will outgrow them very soon. Get a chinup bar too. Check www.exrx.net and www.stronglifts.com

+1 on this, do not waste your time with 5kg weights, it doesn't matter how weak you think you are, you can surely already easily manage more than 10 bicep curls with these weights, your wasting your time lifting them.

RaverRo808

Im only back in the gym the last two weeks,after a 9 month absence,and my goal at the moment is to put as weight on as possible,Im 6ft and used to be 13 stone and verly large muscle wise,but am now 11 stone and would be slim but still maintain muscularity,Im just cramming in as much food as possible mostly the good stuff,eggs,tuna,chicken,turkey,steak,but what I do whenever I want to bulk up fast is eat alot of bulky foods to add mass,creamed rice,cottage cheese,sugar free belgium waffles(I know),and plenty of mass gainer shakes,I find doing this in the first months,adds the needed extra fews pound,which in turn adds to overall strength

metafora

Hey,

Went to local Gym after and had an assessment. Guy put a few probes on and said i wasnt in too bad shape. Need to reduce coffee intake (too much water in body) and get my fitness/endurance level up before i can start on any weights. He reckons 2 weeks of this should be enough.

I asked is it ok to take Whey twice a day and he said thats fine. Might get some in Tesco tonight. Anything i need to look out for on box?
Thanks for advice so far.

billyhead

Metafora,

I wouldn't bother with the stuff you get in Tesco (its problay rubbish, full of sweeteners and inferior to a lot of other brands). Purchase Optimum Nutrition whey from the web. Its low in carbs and high in protein.

Jimmy Bottlehead

I'd recommend MyProtein.co.uk myself. Delicious, top quality, and also cheap! Get some of their oats too. Throw them in a whey shake in the morning and you've got a full breakfast that'll get right into your system after sleep. Works for me because I HATE porridge with a passion!

I got my first order from them about two months ago - run a search on this forum for it if you want more info.

If you do decide to order from them, use my code and you get 5% off the total. Sorted

**

On topic, I bulked up from 11st to 13st 8lbs. You need to eat eat eat, lift heavy, and then eat again! Quality foods like those listed on this thread, and get some whey protein. I'd also throw in glutamine for recovery. Stick with compound exercises, go deep on your squats, and keep your form - and you'll get there.

Degsy

Jimmy Bottlehead wrote: »

On topic, I bulked up from 11st to 13st 8lbs. You need to eat eat eat, lift heavy, and then eat again! Quality foods like those listed on this thread, and get some whey protein. I'd also throw in glutamine for recovery. Stick with compound exercises, go deep on your squats, and keep your form - and you'll get there.

How long did it take you to put that weight on?
Did you gain much fat?

metafora

Cheers for that.

I purchased 5 lbs of Choc Optimium Nutrition Whey - €51 on the web.
Hope it does the trick.

cardio,shoot me

i really reccomend Optimum nutrition aswell

Jimmy Bottlehead

Degsy wrote: »

How long did it take you to put that weight on?
Did you gain much fat?

It took just over 12 months to put on the 35lbs. I did put on a teeny bit too much fat for my liking (so i never actually looked fat!) that time but it's been trimmed down since. I've Dragan's Anacat diet to thank for smarter bulking

shamblertine

Jimmy Bottlehead wrote: »

It took just over 12 months to put on the 35lbs. I did put on a teeny bit too much fat for my liking (so i never actually looked fat!) that time but it's been trimmed down since. I've Dragan's Anacat diet to thank for smarter bulking

thats an incredible bulk, do you mind posting your diet and lifting routine during this time? I've been stuck on 11.5 stone for so long now despite continually increasing weights on my lifts. I know people will say just eat more but I really don't tihnk I can manage much more so perhaps I could change what I'm eating to see if that makes any difference. So maybe if you oculd write up your diet I can get some ideas about whatever changes I should make.

eroo

shamblertine wrote: »

thats an incredible bulk, do you mind posting your diet and lifting routine during this time? I've been stuck on 11.5 stone for so long now despite continually increasing weights on my lifts. I know people will say just eat more but I really don't tihnk I can manage much more so perhaps I could change what I'm eating to see if that makes any difference. So maybe if you oculd write up your diet I can get some ideas about whatever changes I should make.

Adding 2-3 litres of milk to your daily diet can seriously make up for where you may be lacking in meals.

chillywilly

rubadub wrote: »

Weigh yourself in the raw, though I got in trouble in the local pharmacy for doing that! you should have the same hydration level each time too. Your scale could well be off. I am 5'11'' and at 75kg I still had a small belly.


Where did you get them? if it was argos you can still return them in 30 days, then get the 50kg york cast iron set. 5kg is nothing and you will outgrow them very soon. Get a chinup bar too. Check www.exrx.net and www.stronglifts.com

I thought I was the only one!!:D

shamblertine

eroo wrote: »

Adding 2-3 litres of milk to your daily diet can seriously make up for where you may be lacking in meals.

I already drink 2 litres of milk a day

eroo

shamblertine wrote: »

I already drink 2 litres of milk a day

What's your diet like then?

shamblertine

eroo wrote: »

What's your diet like then?

Pretty crap to be honest, I don't eat a huge amount of meat it must be said which may be my downfall. I've always made sure I get a lot of protein however through whey supplements (75 grams protein a day) plus 2 litres of milk plus tuna. But in terms of things like steak I don't eat a lot because often when I get in from work I'm too tired to bother cooking meat.

acontadino

shut up little head

shamblertine

thats it I'm growing my hair long and growing a beard so people don't know where my head ends

givyjoe81

shamblertine wrote: »

thats it I'm growing my hair long and growing a beard so people don't know where my head ends

I might not be able to tell where it ends but i know where it begins... and that location doesnt get much sunshine this time of year:D

Appaling diet and poor sleep patterns i think are my downfall, does milk really make a huge, diff, have always drank bucket loads.

floggg

metafora wrote: »

Hey,

Went to local Gym after and had an assessment. Guy put a few probes on and said i wasnt in too bad shape. Need to reduce coffee intake (too much water in body) and get my fitness/endurance level up before i can start on any weights. He reckons 2 weeks of this should be enough.

Huh? How does coffee result in too much water in your body? Coffee is a diuretic is it not? Aren't they supposed to cause dehydration?

Also, what does he mean by too much water? How much do you drink. As far as i was concerned, the more water you can get into you the better. Am i missing something?

Also, unless you are terribly unfit and completely lacking in strength (which i doubt if you are doing 5k runs) i wouldn't have imagined you would need to "build up" to doing weights.

itsallaboutheL

shamblertine wrote: »

Pretty crap to be honest, I don't eat a huge amount of meat it must be said which may be my downfall. I've always made sure I get a lot of protein however through whey supplements (75 grams protein a day) plus 2 litres of milk plus tuna. But in terms of things like steak I don't eat a lot because often when I get in from work I'm too tired to bother cooking meat.

what kinda calories per day

shamblertine

about 3,500 per day and bout 180 grams protein

itsallaboutheL

shamblertine wrote: »

about 3,500 per day and bout 180 grams protein

you're a genetic oddity if you're not bulking up with that intake, i personally think id be an actual horse if i managed to get that in...