Starting to lift....

[nissanrider06 10+ year member]

i've been lifting every other day at home just like arms and abs and stuff, but am about to start staying after school and lifting regularly and was wondering how often i should be lifting? mon, wed, fri??? whats happens if i lift daily? and is creatine or any of that other stuff work???

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[XtrmAudioCncpts 10+ year member]

if you lift daily you dont leave your muscles any time to recover, well that is if you lift the same muscle groups daily. if you do upper body m,w,f and lower t,th then you will have no problem. if you want to get big do fewer reps with more weight. and yes creatine works

 

[PhatTonyDeMarco 5,000+ posts]

Search, there are countless threads on exercise... Just be sure to aviod any of FatRyans advice on this matter.

But a rule of thumb is to work out every other day to give your body a day of rest in order to 'rebuild' the muscle tissue that was previously torn during your work out (which would result in the build up of more muscle.) If you work out lightly every day (maybe 30 minutes or so) then you should be fine doing it everyday, just some people find it hard to do because of their schedule and excessive exhaustion...

And I have heard that creatine can help, but it deffinitly wont hurt you so why not try it?

 

[ndnbolla 10+ year member]

Its best to give atleast 1 day rests in between workouts of the same muscle.

You could work out everyday and do different parts of your body like legs on monday, cardio on tuesday, arms on wednesday, ect. and then give yourself a break on the weekend or something.

Also keep in mind that working out is only half the battle in getting and staying tone and in shape. The other half is all nutrition but i'm sure you have heard of this.

About the creatine, I have never used it but I don't think its really necessary unless you want to get big really quick. I would rather use protein shakes.

 

[Chevyaudio 5,000+ posts]

You need to alternate between upper and lower body.

 

[PhatTonyDeMarco 5,000+ posts]

As to the nutrition aspect, I have found that you do not need to alter your diet if you are simply trying to 'bulk' up, but if you wish to define and lose a large portion of your body fat then you should definitely rethink what you eat.

 

[skmfkr 5,000+ posts]

http://www.dietfacts.com is an awesome site to find out the nutrition facts on almost anything, if your going out to eat get some muh fu ckin grilled chicken that shiat is loaded with protein, im glad its always been my fav meat anyways, besides red meats

 

[nissanrider06 10+ year member]

so doesnt creatine just help ur body retain water, so u gain water weight? how does this help with building muscle?

 

[nissanrider06 10+ year member]

o and i heard it causes acne??

 

[Harrison486 10+ year member]

Everyone who says you need to alternate between upper body and lower body is wrong...

Just dont work the same muscle group two days in a row...

For example...

My routine:

Monday: Legs

Tuesday: Chest

Wednesday: Shoulders/Traps/Abs

Thursday: Back

Friday: Arms

*EDIT*

To those of you asking about creatine, honestly just search google. There has been TONS of research. Basically, it makes your muscles absorb more water which increases the size of the fibers and thus muscle. This gives you an ability to lift a little more weight, especially the last few reps. This, in the end, helps increase strength even after you stop using creatine...

Protein powder would probably be the easiest/safest route for those who are too lazy to do research or do anything the right way...

 

[nissanrider06 10+ year member]

u can gain muscle working them once a week?

 

[XtrmAudioCncpts 10+ year member]

so doesnt creatine just help ur body retain water, so u gain water weight? how does this help with building muscle?

creatine is created naturally in your muscles when they produce ATP. so basically it helps your muscles build upon themselfs and recover(kind of)

 

[bdawson72 5,000+ posts]

I do monday wednsday and friday.......but i do squats and i bench on all three days.......If i were to go everyday id do legs one day arms one day and just alternate

 

[Calhoun295 10+ year member]

http://www.wannabebig.com

Go on that site and search around..

 

[Primetime 10+ year member]

Pretty good advice from everyone. Lets talk about your age, background and health problems first though.

In general, like everyone said you need to rest your body so it can recover. You will find some great results by doing so. ACSM says that 30 mins of cardiovascular exercise daily will help prevent heart disease and reduce your chance of a heart attack by 80%. They also say that an exercise rutine of 2 sets of 12 reps with a weight that is challenging but not overbearing for the last few reps is all you need to maintain a healthy body.

On the other hand, if you want to build lean muscle you will need heavier weight. Even to the point of failure.

Creatine does work. It stores more water in the muscle cell. By doing so, it creates a better enviornment for growth. Protien shakes are not at all the same thing.

D