Advice on Muscle Gain without Supplements

[JoshOz]

does anybody have any advice on growing muscle without supplements and what exercises they do to grow muscle?

 

[nhguy78]

Nutrition is the majority of the game. If you're not eating sufficiently to build then you're just catabolizing your own body.

Ask yourself this: what is my goal? Is it to get lean and toned looking or is it to bulk and get big?

 

[JoshOz]

Nutrition is the majority of the game. If you're not eating sufficiently to build then you're just catabolizing your own body.

Ask yourself this: what is my goal? Is it to get lean and toned looking or is it to bulk and get big?

bulk up and get big is my plan, what sort of nutrition would you recommend for doing that

 

[nhguy78]

bulk up and get big is my plan, what sort of nutrition would you recommend for doing that

Calorie surplus. Workout plan for bulking i am not as knowledgeable.

 

[Thirdlegproduction]

Why are you against supplements?

The point of supplements is because there are beneficial parts like omega 3's 6's and 9's, creatine and l-carnitine or arginine but you would have to eat a lot of different kinds of meats and fishes to get the amounts needed which isn't always economical and you don't have the time to cook three meals of salmon, steak and chicken every day.

 

[MisterB]

bulk up and get big is my plan, what sort of nutrition would you recommend for doing that

First question to ask yourself: What is your body type? Look up body types; are you ecto/meso/endomorph?

Once you figure that out, google is your friend. All sorts of FREE information about what's the best exercise/lifting plan for each body type depending on your goals.

If you want to get bulk up and get big, then you should:

1. Lift heavy. Hire a Personal Trainer who is well-versed/trainer/certified to develop a lifting plan. It is worth spending the money for several sessions to learn how to lift properly. He/she should train you how to lift correctly to maximize your efforts to achieve your muscle growth. He/she should provide you with a lifting plan to split your body parts into specific days to lift. When you lift heavy, you need several days recovery before you train that same body part.

For example, I train each body part once per week. Heavy as possible. Legs one day. Chest and shoulders/front delts another day. Back and rear delts another day. Arms another day.

2. Form is everything; the weights will come. If you lift correctly, you'll see results fairly quickly. NOT overnight. But within three months of consistent lifting, you should notice changes in your body's appearance. That's why hiring a PT to teach you this is important. And if you decide to train on your own after you've mastered all the exercises, find a training partner. Lifting heavy you should have a spotter. And a training partner can be good motivation, especially on those days when you might not want to go to the gym. Consistency is key to building your best muscle.

3. Don't focus on how much weight you are lifting; learning proper form is key to optimum muscle growth. AND, staving off injuries. Getting injured early in a fitness regimen has caused many folks with lofty goals to quit. As you get stronger, and you will with consistency, the weights will increase. Building muscle requires lifting as heavy as you can and get 6-8 to 10 reps. Once you can get 10 reps regularly, increase the weight.

4. Failure is your friend!!! If you are lifting heavy with good form and can only get 6 reps, that means you are working that muscle group to the max. Don't be afraid to only get 6 or 7 reps with a new weight; failure means you are maximizing muscle fatigue.

5. Don't worry about what others are doing or how they look. Everyone's body is unique. And responds differently. Stay focused on yourself and your goals. Not to say you can't learn from others, but don't get distracted from what you are doing.

6. Learn different exercises for each muscle group so you don't do the same workout each time. Your body needs to be surprised with the change. Usually it's 3 chest exercises, a warm up or two with lighter weights and then two heavy sets per exercise. Same for the other body parts. Lifting heavy may need a 3-5 minutes rest/recovery between sets. You'll figure that out as you go depending on your your body responds. Again, learning as many different exercises for each body part is where a PT can really help.

7. Eat. If you don't feed your body well, the work in the gym will not be maximized. And make sure a lot of what you eat is protein. Fish, lean red meat, chicken, turkey, etc. Many lifters find 5-6 smaller meals over the course of the day to be best for optimum muscle growth. Stay hydrated.

8. Take a protein supplement like whey protein if you are unable to ingest enough protein through food. You need to take in about 3/4 to 1 gram of protein for every pound of your body weight. Worst thing is for you to lose weight while trying to bulk up. This is when you have to focus on the long-term goals; you can always tweak your diet once you've bulked up to the muscle mass you want to get a leaner look if that's what you want. Again, the internet is ripe with information about all of this.

9. Get plenty of rest. Sleep is your friend. That's when your body recovers and builds the muscle you fatigued in your workout. Stay hydrated. Water is your friend. Don't train every day; take rest days to let your body recover. It works!

I think I've covered most of what has worked for me. I'm an ectomorph, which means putting on muscle is difficult. I'm naturally thin. 6 feet tall and 165# until I stepped into the gym, and like you, wanted to bulk up. I remember my first training session. We spent 1/2 the session talking about my goals and him explaining what I needed to do to get there. It was a lot of hard work. I never skipped a workout. Even when I didn't want to go. Make myself do it. And was always glad after the workout that I had.

At my biggest, I weighed 255#. I was huge. Once I was happy with my size, I dieted down to 200#. And kept most of my size as I had to eat and eat to gain weight to gain muscle. I've been with the same PT for 26+ years. He's a former professional body builder. Degreed in exercise science and nutrition. Who spent the first few weeks of my regimen teaching me how to lift with proper form. And how to eat; I lost 5 pounds the first two weeks I trained with him!

Good luck to you and let us know how it goes. It's hard work. But it's a nice feeling to set a goal and accomplish it. Remember the time is going to go by whether you lift or don't. I chose to lift. And now that I'm a senior citizen, I realize how important my fitness regimen has been to the quality of life I have now.

One bonus side effect: exercising/eating right also helps keep ALL the plumbing working!

 

[James Kujveli]

This is a general reply but the topic comes up often..one suggestion is the book

Starting Strength: Basic Barbell Training​

it has great info on everything a person needs