Hello everyone! My name is Sean (aka Spriggan) I am 5' 4'' and weigh 145... I have found that I am an easy gainer and I am currently experimenting with a mesamorph workout program... I am 17 half white and half Hawaiin. I have been working out for about 2 years off and on and lately very intensely.
The Low Down
First of all I think no one younger then 16 shoulda begin a vigorous weight training regimen as it can stunt your growth! Also remember that you don't just lift weights and magically gain muscle (unless your an easy gainer or mesamorph like me ) this is gonna take some hard work. I will begin with brief introductions to the following subjects and then a general overview.
Nutrition
Well this is a very important aspect of weight training... since you are going to be turning that choo choo of a music stealing body into a locomotive of piracy power you will need better coal (food). When we eat our bodies tend to digest the food and then release the nutrients to be used (if yours isn't then your probably dead) This means all 3 meals of the day are important but they are flawed... Thats right, flawed... My reasoning? Well mainly because that means there are 3 points of the day your body will have large amounts of nutrients which may not be used fully and the carbs will turn into fat if there not being used steadily... Instead of 3 meals try 6... of course finding time to do that is hard so I suggest a glass of milk and some wheat chex in the morning, banana's, apples, etc. Just no soda or other crap. Wait NO SODA! Yup thats right... Soda is very high in sugar and not the good kind (fructose like in banana's and apples) that sugar rushes into your vein faster then a needle in a junkies arm... This mass amount of sugar will give you instant energy but leave you hanging and mess with your insulin levels and make you uncapable of absorbing as much nutrients as possible... So no post/pre workout soda's (of course a exception now and then is fine) We now understand that we need to spread our meals through the day and eat more often but not as much to give us a steady stream of nutrients.
Supplements
These are important because if you eat all the food it requires to get a amount of supplements in one scoop of protein powder, creatine, L-Glutamine, Zinc, Magnesium, Iron, and Calcium you will probably be over your calories burned per day and gain weight... Supplements are really the way to go when you are trying to really bulk up... Never take something without exstensive research.
Protein
Ok this is one of the main amino acids our bodies use to repair cell damage from weight training and then to make them bigger to handle the heavy weights we lift (Imagine looking at a little thin looking scrawny Asian looking Hawaiin and then find out he can curl 45 pounds only a miracle drug like protein can do that) The amount you should take varies on your size and workout intensity, in general the RDA for protein is .33 grams per pound of body weight but a body builder will consume about 1 gram per pound of body weight. Lets get to the kinds of protein:
Whey
This is a milk derived protein that is soluble and fairly cheap. You can find a bottle of this stuff in powder form in many flavors for around 20 - 80 dollars. This stuff is proven to increase protein synthesis by up to 70% but at the same time it isn't anti catabolic (catabolism is when your muscle is being eaten by body for energy... really bad since you lose all that hard earned muscle) I know what your all thinking... all that stuff taste like crap... and your right, however if you buy the unflavored whey and mix it with some water plug your nose and down the hatch it tastes just like well water. Best time to take Whey is post workout or in other words about a half hour after a workout (FYI: Whey digests in a half hour being the fastest digested protein)
Casein
This is another milk derived protein that is the exact oppisite of Whey in the way it is digested and effects the body. This is non soluble and takes about 2.5 - 4 hours to digest and is proven to be anti-catabolic (that nasty muscle breakdown thing) This stuff as far as I know is cheap like Whey but so far I can only find it in blended protein mixtures... Milk has a lot of Casein in it and thus the reason I think you should have a glass in the morning and at night since it will provide you with a steady stream of protein to keep your body in a anabolic state (a state of growth unlike catobolism) Like I said take this after a meal and take only as much as you need to meet your requirements.
Albumin
This is a egg derived protein that has a perfect amino acid profile... All non essential and essential amino acids are found in eggs... They are the perfect snack for a light meal with a bagel and a glass of milk. This protein digests in about 1 - 2 hours making it the in between protein... PROM3 a protein powder blend has all three for instant and long lasting delivery.
Overview
Well thats all for protein... I won't be talking about Soy protein cause in my opinion Soy is for health nuts and yields little benefit to a body builder unless of course your afraid of cancer (I laugh in the face of CANCER )
Other Supplements
I won't talk about those imitation steiroids cause they yield only some benefit while having many side effects... Sure people who take them say there safe and perfected but I think it's just a bad idea to do something that gave people GYNO naturally (man boobs).
L-Glutamine
This basically will make nutrients absorb into the body better... You can buy this stuff in a pill however don't take it with Creatine or at least gap taking them. The reason is because L-Glutamine and Creatine are absorbed by the same receptors and that means they will cancel eachother out and you won't get much from either of them. My opinion is that it's definitely worth looking into to but not absolutely essential.
Creatine
Here is the grand daddy of supplements safe for 16 and up in my opinion from studies I have read... This naturally occurs in the body and can be found in red meat. What Creatine does is basically recycle used ATP (Adrenosine Tri Phosphate) the muscles main source of energy that turns into ADP which is worthless, thats where CP in Creatine comes along and kicks it's butt into gear and converts it back to ATP. It also makes the cells in the muscle retain water which technically means they get bigger. If you do take creatine make sure you drink lots of water. My opinion on this one is really, really, REALLY look into it... it has a lot to offer and nothing to loose. Read the directions on a container for instructions on how to take it.
Multivitamin
It's good overall to take one of these as you will really see the benefit in the long run... Who want's Cancer anyways?
Water
Drink water like a fish it's what the body usess as fuel to repair and build new cells. You should be able to pee through the entire day and it should be a very light yellow. Personally I drink around 5 - 8 cups of water through out the day... REMEMBER to spread things out too much too soon is never good...
Overview
There is a lot more of stuff out there but those are all a typical person needs to know.
Training
Weight lifting can be fun and boring... Personally I like weight training and the results I get from it. People don't expect to see 14" biceps on a small look'n guy like me. If you find yourself get'n bored it probably just isn't your thing but there are a few ways to spice it up. Do curls and sit ups facing a tv or put a CD in your stereo, PS2, etc and rock out. Over training is something a lot of people do and since weight training basically burns the muscle and makes it grow back bigger when can it grow when your just kill'n it? Take at least 2 days to relax and always get plenty of sleep. Sleep at least 7 hours and no more then 10. My workout regimen is as follows:
MON: Biceps, Triceps, Quads, Calves (Heavy Day)
TUES: Pec's, Shoulders, Back (Medium Day)
WEDS: Relax
THURS: Biceps, Triceps, Quads, Calves (Medium Day)
FRI: Pec's, Shoulders, Back (Heavy Day)
SAT: Relax
SUN: FREE (I like to just do whatever I feel like on these days)
Find exercises that work for you. Nothing should hurt first of all and add weight slowly... Never cheat and always do a full motion when lifting a weight etc so the muscle grows evenly. Keep a log to keep track and get a fabric measurer ro string and a yard stick to get measurements to see how much you improve...
The Low Down
First of all I think no one younger then 16 shoulda begin a vigorous weight training regimen as it can stunt your growth! Also remember that you don't just lift weights and magically gain muscle (unless your an easy gainer or mesamorph like me ) this is gonna take some hard work. I will begin with brief introductions to the following subjects and then a general overview.
Nutrition
Well this is a very important aspect of weight training... since you are going to be turning that choo choo of a music stealing body into a locomotive of piracy power you will need better coal (food). When we eat our bodies tend to digest the food and then release the nutrients to be used (if yours isn't then your probably dead) This means all 3 meals of the day are important but they are flawed... Thats right, flawed... My reasoning? Well mainly because that means there are 3 points of the day your body will have large amounts of nutrients which may not be used fully and the carbs will turn into fat if there not being used steadily... Instead of 3 meals try 6... of course finding time to do that is hard so I suggest a glass of milk and some wheat chex in the morning, banana's, apples, etc. Just no soda or other crap. Wait NO SODA! Yup thats right... Soda is very high in sugar and not the good kind (fructose like in banana's and apples) that sugar rushes into your vein faster then a needle in a junkies arm... This mass amount of sugar will give you instant energy but leave you hanging and mess with your insulin levels and make you uncapable of absorbing as much nutrients as possible... So no post/pre workout soda's (of course a exception now and then is fine) We now understand that we need to spread our meals through the day and eat more often but not as much to give us a steady stream of nutrients.
Supplements
These are important because if you eat all the food it requires to get a amount of supplements in one scoop of protein powder, creatine, L-Glutamine, Zinc, Magnesium, Iron, and Calcium you will probably be over your calories burned per day and gain weight... Supplements are really the way to go when you are trying to really bulk up... Never take something without exstensive research.
Protein
Ok this is one of the main amino acids our bodies use to repair cell damage from weight training and then to make them bigger to handle the heavy weights we lift (Imagine looking at a little thin looking scrawny Asian looking Hawaiin and then find out he can curl 45 pounds only a miracle drug like protein can do that) The amount you should take varies on your size and workout intensity, in general the RDA for protein is .33 grams per pound of body weight but a body builder will consume about 1 gram per pound of body weight. Lets get to the kinds of protein:
Whey
This is a milk derived protein that is soluble and fairly cheap. You can find a bottle of this stuff in powder form in many flavors for around 20 - 80 dollars. This stuff is proven to increase protein synthesis by up to 70% but at the same time it isn't anti catabolic (catabolism is when your muscle is being eaten by body for energy... really bad since you lose all that hard earned muscle) I know what your all thinking... all that stuff taste like crap... and your right, however if you buy the unflavored whey and mix it with some water plug your nose and down the hatch it tastes just like well water. Best time to take Whey is post workout or in other words about a half hour after a workout (FYI: Whey digests in a half hour being the fastest digested protein)
Casein
This is another milk derived protein that is the exact oppisite of Whey in the way it is digested and effects the body. This is non soluble and takes about 2.5 - 4 hours to digest and is proven to be anti-catabolic (that nasty muscle breakdown thing) This stuff as far as I know is cheap like Whey but so far I can only find it in blended protein mixtures... Milk has a lot of Casein in it and thus the reason I think you should have a glass in the morning and at night since it will provide you with a steady stream of protein to keep your body in a anabolic state (a state of growth unlike catobolism) Like I said take this after a meal and take only as much as you need to meet your requirements.
Albumin
This is a egg derived protein that has a perfect amino acid profile... All non essential and essential amino acids are found in eggs... They are the perfect snack for a light meal with a bagel and a glass of milk. This protein digests in about 1 - 2 hours making it the in between protein... PROM3 a protein powder blend has all three for instant and long lasting delivery.
Overview
Well thats all for protein... I won't be talking about Soy protein cause in my opinion Soy is for health nuts and yields little benefit to a body builder unless of course your afraid of cancer (I laugh in the face of CANCER )
Other Supplements
I won't talk about those imitation steiroids cause they yield only some benefit while having many side effects... Sure people who take them say there safe and perfected but I think it's just a bad idea to do something that gave people GYNO naturally (man boobs).
L-Glutamine
This basically will make nutrients absorb into the body better... You can buy this stuff in a pill however don't take it with Creatine or at least gap taking them. The reason is because L-Glutamine and Creatine are absorbed by the same receptors and that means they will cancel eachother out and you won't get much from either of them. My opinion is that it's definitely worth looking into to but not absolutely essential.
Creatine
Here is the grand daddy of supplements safe for 16 and up in my opinion from studies I have read... This naturally occurs in the body and can be found in red meat. What Creatine does is basically recycle used ATP (Adrenosine Tri Phosphate) the muscles main source of energy that turns into ADP which is worthless, thats where CP in Creatine comes along and kicks it's butt into gear and converts it back to ATP. It also makes the cells in the muscle retain water which technically means they get bigger. If you do take creatine make sure you drink lots of water. My opinion on this one is really, really, REALLY look into it... it has a lot to offer and nothing to loose. Read the directions on a container for instructions on how to take it.
Multivitamin
It's good overall to take one of these as you will really see the benefit in the long run... Who want's Cancer anyways?
Water
Drink water like a fish it's what the body usess as fuel to repair and build new cells. You should be able to pee through the entire day and it should be a very light yellow. Personally I drink around 5 - 8 cups of water through out the day... REMEMBER to spread things out too much too soon is never good...
Overview
There is a lot more of stuff out there but those are all a typical person needs to know.
Training
Weight lifting can be fun and boring... Personally I like weight training and the results I get from it. People don't expect to see 14" biceps on a small look'n guy like me. If you find yourself get'n bored it probably just isn't your thing but there are a few ways to spice it up. Do curls and sit ups facing a tv or put a CD in your stereo, PS2, etc and rock out. Over training is something a lot of people do and since weight training basically burns the muscle and makes it grow back bigger when can it grow when your just kill'n it? Take at least 2 days to relax and always get plenty of sleep. Sleep at least 7 hours and no more then 10. My workout regimen is as follows:
MON: Biceps, Triceps, Quads, Calves (Heavy Day)
TUES: Pec's, Shoulders, Back (Medium Day)
WEDS: Relax
THURS: Biceps, Triceps, Quads, Calves (Medium Day)
FRI: Pec's, Shoulders, Back (Heavy Day)
SAT: Relax
SUN: FREE (I like to just do whatever I feel like on these days)
Find exercises that work for you. Nothing should hurt first of all and add weight slowly... Never cheat and always do a full motion when lifting a weight etc so the muscle grows evenly. Keep a log to keep track and get a fabric measurer ro string and a yard stick to get measurements to see how much you improve...
