Building Muscle/diet help please

Ok so i'm wanting to gain a lil muscle size the upper body in particular, but am kind of lost in the sea of information out there!

The thing is I lost a lot of muscle due to the way I dropped 7stone so fast, I literally have none and think my 9 year old nephew has bigger biceps than me! now i'm still quite fat so this will have to be taken into account to.

What i'm basically asking for is advice on supplements and diet bearing in mind I still have weight to lose, as well as a routine with just Dumbells anyone can help me out with! and please i'm not asking for anything handed to me on a plate before anyone starts with smart comments I just am new to this and don't know where to start.

Thank you in advance!

reply to post by valiant


Consistency is the key.

What ever type of regiment you choose you MUST stick with it longer than a few weeks. Which seems to be the run for most people.

Cut down on the Carbs, Increase lean protein and up the cardio as well as hitting the weight room. Aerobic and Anaerobic work entirely different. Increasing your Cardio program [Aerobic] will result in weight loss, increases in the Anaerobic [Weight Lifting] will result in more muscle mass. Having more muscle your body will start to burn fat in order to maintain it.

You'll need to decide which way you want to go first. Both will eventually result in weight loss. Keep in mind though that muscle weighs more than fat. So the scale in this case doesn't really tell how you're doing. The question you ask yourself after a few weeks or months is how do your clothes fit you.

Good luck

Originally posted by valiant

What i'm basically asking for is advice on supplements and diet bearing in mind I still have weight to lose, as well as a routine with just Dumbells anyone can help me out with!

OK, I have a couple hundred digital books that I will go through and upload a few that would be what you are looking for and u2u you on how to get them.

I'll also post more info here in a bit as I'm on the run but want to make sure that you get the correct information as its important to start out right more than anything you do afterwards.

and dumbells are my preferred workout as you use more total body when working out with them. Just a preference though.

Originally posted by SLAYER69
Having more muscle your body will start to burn fat in order to maintain it.

You'll need to decide which way you want to go first. Both will eventually result in weight loss. Keep in mind though that muscle weighs more than fat. So the scale in this case doesn't really tell how you're doing. The question you ask yourself after a few weeks or months is how do your clothes fit you.

Good luck

well said..

With this in mind, I think the best route for you would be to bulk up right now. I am not talking about making you fat, rather that in order to build muscle, you need to have an excess of proteins, fats and carbs.

The more muscle you have, the more you burn even just sitting around. So to bulk up first, when and if you need to cut down on your caloric intake, your body will burn it off faster than is you dieted and then started to build muscle.

1. First things first. Whether or not you are gaining or losing, here is one rule you have to follow. You must eat every two to three hours when awake. This is a must. When dieting your body will not go into a "starvation metabolism" and if your gaining, your body needs a steady supply of protein or your muscle fibers will not repair themselves.

2. You must get a minimum of 8 hours of "good" sleep per night. Your body only grows muscle when you are sleeping, without proper rest you won't make gains, and will find yourself quite sore as your body hasn't healed itself. More sleep...it's a win win..

3. Drink one to two gallons of water a day. Your body needs it and that's all I have to say about that.

4. When you workout, keep it to an hour, hour and a half maximum. Believe me, it doesn't take hours upon hours in the gym to build muscle and it can even be detrimental if done in excess. Like I said, without rest its pointless, and its actually said by some that the whole thing is like workout=20% diet=40% and rest 40%. As long as you are doing it right!!. When working out, remember, its all about the form and NOT what weight you are lifting. It doesn't matter who can lift what, you just want to get some muscle on your upper body and lose some fat.

I have been in countless gyms where there are always those that try to impress others and almost kill themselves doing it. It's pointless. Just learn what weight you can handle correctly and go from there. You will be amazed at the results.

5. At your age I would go for a diet that is 33% protein,fat, and carbs as this will give your body the best bang for its buck as far as testosterone goes.

6. Always warm up. I have seen quite a few injuries of torn muscles just because the person didn't stretch the muscles they were going to be working out. I don't know if they don't think it looks cool or what the reason is, but once you have seen one person tear their muscle, you would think you would get it.

7. It doesn't matter what time you workout. It all depends on when is best for you. If you have to drag yourself to your workout because of poor timing, you might as well not go at all.

8. So you get one of those "muscle and fitness" magazines and notice that over half of it is advertising. Not only that, but a lot of the ads are made to look like articles confusing one even more. If you believed those ads, you would be an adonis in a week!!!!!

There are only two known supplements that are proven to increase muscle size. Protein and creatine.

That's all you need. Get some protein powder, and some creatine, preferably ph buffered. Go here and you will find reviews for all of the supplements, but again, don't let a slick ad influence you, just do your homework.

will continue later....

I'll try and keep it short.

Protein, creatine, and glutamine are like the holy trinity, use them.

If you want to add stuff for weight loss, maybe add lecithin, l-carnitine and a good stimulant stack, like ephedrine/caffeine/synephrine. It's illegal in the US, but can still find it online.

If you just have dumbells, thats fine, ... never underestimate pushups, theyll work your pec's, triceps and shoulders, ... curls for biceps, laterals for shoulders. Your growth hormones drop off considerably after an hour of hard training, so don't go longer, u can even keep it down to thirty or fourty minutes.

Since you trying to lose weight and build muscle, its a lil tricky but definitely doable, .... do what i call, .... "precision eating". Look at food as fuel, and choose accordingly. For one thing you want to eat Immediately after a workout, don't worry about calories but make sure you always have protein in every meal. Your muscles do alot of recovering right after a work out.

Always eat breakfast, it jump starts your metabolism, taper carbs as you go through your day, ... so maybe your very last meal will have none at all, ... maybe just a protein shake with water. People do most of their fat burning / muscle building in sleep. So you want to make sure you have amino acid's to at least support your muscles, ... but no carbs so you will quickly switch to fat metabolism.

When I'm dieting I can get really particular about what i eat and when, kind of like looking at your body like a scientist would look at an experiment. I may take supplements, wait an hour to take something else, then eat half an hour after that. I know it's not practical, but I try to get the most bang for my day.

Pretty easy to build muscle or lose weight if you have the dedication...

To build muscle you need to get your body in a state called anabolism or muscle building, the key to do this is to ensure your consuming more calories than your burning and then training accordingly.

There's been some good answers in this thread so far and as others have said you need to increase your protein intake, ideally to 1g of protein per lb of your body weight.

Eat healthy and clean, foods such as chicken, tuna, pasta, rice, veg, milk, fruit, nuts, oily fish.

It's almost impossible to consume the amount of protein needed to build a significant amount of muscle from food alone so I'd suggest buying a high quality whey protein mix and consume 2/3 a day making sure to consume one immediately after training.

You need to train correctly but I'm sure you can do a bit of research on the net regarding the various exercises and workouts.

Typically a medium to high weight looking at around 8-12 reps per exercise and about 4/5 exercises per body part.

As already mentioned make sure to always eat breakfast as it kick starts your metabolism and if your looking to add a large amount of size then I'd recommend drinking a protein shake before bed to ensure your body is getting a constant source of protein while you sleep.

Sleep is also important as that's when your body repairs itself and grows so ideally you need at least 8 to 9 hours a night.

Lay off the fast food and alcohol although its fine to have a "cheat" day once or twice a week where you can treat yourself to some fast food or something a little less healthy.

Moderation is the key, a packet of crisps once or twice a week isn't going to make anyone fat but 3/4 packs a day obviously will.

There are various natural supplements that are effective such as Creatine, L-Glutamine, Amino Acids etc Read on on these on the net.

If you want to stay lean-ish then perform cardio 2/3 times a week.

Hope that helps.

So far everybody IMHO has given the right information.

Supplements are good, Amino acids, both branch chain and free form will help.
Another thing to remember some body types [Endo, Ecto, or Mesomorphs] respond better to certain types of exercise faster than others. Although all body types can benefit from even the smallest exercise program. Just don't get caught up with or down with yourself by comparing yourself to others if you don't see the "Progress" you'd like when comparing to others.

Remember how YOU were before YOU consistently followed the program YOU set out for yourself a few months back, that's who YOU only compare yourself to.

reply to post by SLAYER69


Good point mentioning the somatotypes Slayer, I'd also add that people should never really rely on the scales to weight themselves as a way of indicating progress (or lack there of)

Muscle weighs three times heavier than fat so you could theoretically be losing weight, gaining muscle but weigh heavier.

With that in mind, never go off the scales but always go off the mirror. Look at how your body has changed, take before and after pictures if necessary; its a much more accurate way to determine how you have progressed.

Personally, I wouldnt touch Creatine. Especially if you want to lose weight.

When you do get a routine put together, usually the first 6-8lbs you'll drop will be the retained water that your body has.

Lean meats are your friends. Mix them up with Proteins.
Some are quite pricey, so be prepared to faulk out a bit of cash. Especially if you have 6 shakes a day etc.

Upper Body exercises:

~ Press-ups (pecs, triceps.)
~ Dumb-bell flyes (pecs.)
~ Seated/Standing Dumb bell curls (biceps.)
~ Seated/laying down dumb bell press (pecs)
~ Standing Military press (deltoids, tris)
~ Shoulder shruggs (delts, trapezius.)
~ Alternate dumbbell rows (rhomboid, delts, triceps, lats, traps. YOU can do this half on your bed.)
~ Seated/Standing dumbell curls (bicep, triceps. ALSO alternate your grip, underhand, over hand, hammer grip to also work your bracioradials and flexor mucles in your forearm. ALSO try doing alternate curls whilst standing on one leg to work the body more.)
~ Preacher Curls (biceps. This isolates the shoulder, so you only work your biceps.)
~ Single-arm over head extensions (triceps)

I could go on for a while, but look up images of the above if your unsure.
Learn about diffrent mucle groups, and target a diffrent part each day.
If your new to weight lifting, reduce your number of 'sets' to give your body time to adjust to the work out.

Find a good cardio exercise that you like.
Myself, I hate running, but prefere roller-blading (even though i look daft doing it)

Try to plan your meals, and plan ahead.

Learn to cook. If your making chocolate cakes etc, chuck in two scoops of protien powder. Or chuck a scoop in your porrige.

Fat burners can be a bit 'iffy' and in my mind, there a bit of a taboo. Shop around and you'll find a half decent one. Or even ask the staff in the supplement store you go to for advice on which one that'll suit your needs- they may even give you a catalog so you can learn about each product.
But a word of warning.. Be prepared to sweat if you try them!!!

eee.


Edit because I cant spell....

[edit on 31/7/10 by Esrom Escutcheon Esquire]

Devo's laws of muscle hypertrophy:

1st Law: Lift heavy things off the ground.

Nobody gets big lifting light weights for 20 reps. Complex, heavy lifts that incorporate mutliple muscle groups stimulate the Central Nervous System and increase testosterone and HGH. If you can begin each workout with an olympic stile lift, like the dead-lift, or any other explosive lifts then you'll be in a great hormonal state to build muscle.

2nd Law: EAT like fat man:

You can work your ass off in the gym and do everything right, but if you still eat as much as your 110 pound girlfriend at every meal......you'll end up with arms as big as hers. Eat calorically dense, clean food. Coconut milk makes for a great base for a protein shake and provides a ton of calories.


3rd Law: Nutrient Timing

This, in my opinion, is the most important. Fueling your body pre-peri-post workout is essential. Insulin is quite possibly the most important hormone for muscle growth after testosterone; after all, it is an anabolic hormone. Spiking glucose and insulin levels just before working, supplying the body with glucose and amino acids during the workout and then spiking insulin to delivery protein and creatine and glucose to the muscles immediately after working out is THE best way to ensure optimal muscle growth.

This is achieved multiple ways....here's how I do it:

- Preworkout shake (premixed product) that includes maltodextrin and dextrose to spike blood glucose, as well as small amounts of creatine, glutamine and other energy stimulating nutrients.

- During my workout I sip on a shake that has essentially maltodextrin, dextrose and amino acids (proteins). It provides an exogenous source for protein/glucose so you don't have to use your body's.

- Postworkout is a shake immediately after finishing. It's, once again, maltodextrin, dextrose and a blend of creatine, glutamine and and amino acids. It spikes insulin, which switches your body from catabolism to anabolism (tissue repair/growth) and delivers the glucose, which refuels muscle and liver glycogen, and protein to the muscles.

To sum it up.....Eat a lot, lift heavy and utilize nutrient timing. Eat fat and protein and avoid starchy, glucose spiking carbs during the day. And pre/peri/post workout eat lots of carbs and avoid fat. Pretty simple.

Wow never expected so much advice! i'm gonna sit down with some notes soon and try take everything in!

Well I went out tonight and bought a big tub of Maximuscle Cyclone! now this was pretty expensive but I wanted to start my programme maybe monday so I got this because it was there basically! and will look for a cheaper alternative next week I think, can't be shedding £40 out for 20 servings all the time!

Now the food consumption part is worrying me! I mean I want to gain obviously but I don't wanna eat too much and not loose any fat too, surely if I have a calorie deficit with me being pretty overwight still my body would consume the calories it needs from my fat??? or is it just not that simple? i'm kinda stressing on this part!

Thank you everyone advice is greatly appreciated!!!

Originally posted by valiant



Now the food consumption part is worrying me! I mean I want to gain obviously but I don't wanna eat too much and not loose any fat too, surely if I have a calorie deficit with me being pretty overwight still my body would consume the calories it needs from my fat??? or is it just not that simple? i'm kinda stressing on this part!

From everything that I have read it is very difficult to build muscle if you are in a caloric deficit. There are lot of different theories and it varies from person to person; but generally speaking if you exercise with a caloric deficit the body will burn both muscle and fat. Meaning that weightlifting while in a caloric deficit will not yield maximum muscle (size) building results. However there will still likely be benefits such as increased strength/muscular endurance that can serve as a good base for when you feel like you've lost enough weight/fat that you can increase the intensity of your weightlifting and are not afraid to gain a few pounds back.

Nutrition: Keep a journal and log everything that you eat. Track your daily intake of calories, protein, carbs, and fat. It may seem tedious day to day, but over the course of weeks and months it can be invaluable data.

Weight Training: Keep it simple. Stick to compound exercises (squats, dead lifts, lunges, bent over rows, variations of bench press, push-ups/pull-ups and standing military press). Compound exercises are exercises that use more than one muscle group, and they are the most efficient way to build muscle. Don't waste the majority of your time doing isolation lifts like bicep curls and tricep extensions, sit-ups, etc...Especially if you are new to weightlifting and have little muscle to begin with. Keep a training journal also to track you progress.

I have more thoughts, but I have to go right now.
This site Bodybuilding.com has all the information you could ever need about nutrition, training, supplements, etc.

reply to post by valiant


Here's what I would do ... in your shoes. Focus a little more on putting on muscle, because that will make you look better, and increase metabolism for future weight loss, .. you don't want to run your metabolism in the ground just yet.

You can do BOTH, lose fat, and gain muscle, ... TRUST ME. it has to do with how and when you eat, ... to make sure your in a calorie surplus when you need it to build muscle, and a nutrient deficiit to lose fat.

There was some great advice above me, .... have a decent breakfast, include proteine, .... taper down untill your workout, and eat whatever you want before and after it, .... then taper down untill you go to sleep, eating near zero carbs. Most weight loss happens in sleep, trust me.

If you really wanted to go balls to the wall, ... you can go low carb. It's not dangerous how people say, ... and you only stick to it for three or four days untill you have a cheat day. What people dont know is, ... this diet will dramaticaly increase your levels of GH and testosterone, ... seriously when I was on it i could work out five times a day, ... increasing workout weight almost every four days. and on your cheat day, ... all the extra carbs are simply loaded into your empty muscles and liver creating an increased anobolic effect.

I know it's hard to choose supplements, .... you got kinda jipped, never buy "EVerything in one " supplements, ... they do give everything, but in miniscule amounts. .... besides, certain supplements should be taken a certain way to enhance bioavailability.

I can find 5 pound jugs of whey protein for 30 bucks online, .... that should be your base, ... on top of that get a pure and cheap creatine, and glutamine. Someone said they wouldnt take creatine if dieting, ... but creatine is for muscle mass, .. not only does it increase strength, but it pulls water into the muscles so they absorb more nutrients and feel over all bigger, .... dont worry about the scale right now, ... trust the mirror and your personal gains. If you need help finding good, reliable supplements let me know. you'd be surprised how much they can help.

[edit on 31-7-2010 by IntastellaBurst]

[edit on 31-7-2010 by IntastellaBurst]

Before I say anything else, I am a CPT specializing in speed and agility, biomechanics, functionality, and metabolic enhancement. You have recieved so-so information so far, with most of it being straight out of Muscle and whatever magazine. To those who are telling you to try supplements, stop. Everyone telling you to try a hypertrophic workout before establishing a solid fitness base, stop. Everyone who thinks this inidividual needs 3-5 excercises PER muscle group, STOP. And to the guy who listed triceps as a muscle used during dumbell curls...stop.
If you were my client, the first thing you would do is get a physical, then a professional fitness assessment. These two things will dictate what your workouts are to be at least in the beginning 3-4 months. It makes no sense to have you lifting like an bodybuilder when your body composition is poor. The most likely beginnings for you is to get on the treadmill and walk every morning before you eat. Achieve 65-75% of your maximum heart rate (MHR=220-your age) for 30 minutes with a five minute easy warm up and five minute easy cooldown. Use a heart rate monitor to help establish the correct speed and incline. This is the aerobic zone, where body fat is used for fuel. Works best on an empty stomach in the A.M. There will be NO STATIC STRETCHING BEFORE YOUR WORKOUT. Doing such will only promote joint laxity by temporarily changing the resting length of the muscle. It is like trying to raise the flag with a cord thats a hundred feet too long. Instead warm your joints up by moving in small controlled circles starting with the neck and spine moving to shoulders and hips, knees and elbows finally wrists and ankles. This is a form of gentle dynamic stretching and is designed to prepare the kinetic chain (your body) for action.
After a 2 to 3 week period you should have better wind and have dropped some decent body fat. This will make things easier on your joints and circulatory system before moving to resisted excercises. At this point maintaing your morning walks and add 2-3 afternoon circuit style workouts and you will begin to see a new you coming out! Its easy to go to GNC and get the latest box full of screaming aggresion, instead spend that money working with a trainer at least in the beginning and you will no doubt be better for it. This is just some good starting advice..go for it!

reply to post by DevolutionEvolvd
your "laws" of hypertrophy are flawed. A muscle is stimulated into a hypertrophic state during an increased time under tension with an emphasis on the eccentric (lengthening) of the agonistic muscle (the primary mover in that particular excercise). An explosive lift would predicate an increased reliance on the aromitization period of muscle contraction. In other words an explosive lift relies on the stored potential energy in the muscle created by a quick motion through the eccentric phase, thereby negating its usefullness in accomplishing hypertrophy. You are mixing modalities here and nullifying them both. If you really are trying to increase the "size" of the muscle a 4-2-2 count at approx. 75 to 85 % 1rm in the neighborhood of 10 -15 reps for 2-3 sets in a compound excercise is sufficient to induce hypertrophy in the primary and secondary movers. This is all reliant of a periodization system changing every 4-6 weeks to avoid stagnation and injury. Have FUN! Sweat HARD! go for the PUMP.

Originally posted by valiant
Ok so i'm wanting to gain a lil muscle size the upper body in particular, but am kind of lost in the sea of information out there!

What i'm basically asking for is advice on supplements and diet bearing in mind I still have weight to lose, as well as a routine with just Dumbells anyone can help me out with! and please i'm not asking for anything handed to me on a plate before anyone starts with smart comments I just am new to this and don't know where to start.

Originally posted by Fifth Horseman
You have recieved so-so information so far, with most of it being straight out of Muscle and whatever magazine. To those who are telling you to try supplements, stop.

Ok, but this so-so information is indeed correct and the basics MUST be learned correctly and the way the body functions must be understood, in order to get the best workout advice possible.

The OP has admitted to being ignorant in what he needs to learn in order get the results he wants. In this vein, I think it is best to just get the basics in and the correct form and diet down pat, before confusing anyone with too much information.

I had mentioned protein powder and creatine as supplements but left out glutamine as this is produced in great quantities in the body. It is very important for recovery and growing muscle and if used in a supplement, after working out and before bed are the best times to take it.

I would take glutamine with a B.C.A.A. supplement as well, but am trying to keep things simple for the OP here.

What will show results the fastest are protein powder and creatine in my book. And get the ph buffered creatine as it does not "bloat" you in my experience.

Still going through my books here and will have a few "general" books as well as dumbell workouts for you soon.

My advice is to bulk up and go into this to grow muscle, not to worry about fat for now, and to get the body in an anabolic state to turn Valient into a "hulk" without turning him green and confused.

OP, there is a lot of great information here and I'm sure that if someone posts something that is not correct, you will read about it in this thread. So far, it's all factual info but sooner or later, someone always comes up with a "trick" and although some work, some can be quite dangerous to you.

Same as supplements, don't be pulled in by the way the ad's are written as they are meant to sell and common sense needs to come into play in them all. There are a lot or reputable companies that make supp's but just as many that you should stay away from. Do your research, don't just listen to one person's account but go the places where they actually rate these supplements.

Places such as this and this are great places to get information just don't get drawn into all the hype if you can help it.




[edit on 8/1/2010 by tribewilder]

WARNING
Lack of Protein and rest will lead to a Catabolic state.



Then you are in a world of hurt.

Hello Valiant!

Good to hear you want to actively change your body.
It's always good to see someone who puts forth the effort to change.

All I am going to do is give you the list of things I did (and presently do), to achieve the body I desired.
This took me 6-7 years, and there have been years where I've taken months off and lost ALL my strength. (something I never recommend!)
It takes years to put on a lot of muscle, and without exercise, weeks to lose.
So if you do something, stick to it! (take it from me)

1. First, I set a goal of what I wanted. Lose weight or gain strength.
I chose the latter. I wasn't that overweight to begin with, but I could stand to lose a few pounds...

2. I set a routine of eating habits that were high in protein, low in fats.
For me, it was alot of homemade salads, tuna, artificial crabmeat, chicken, and red meats (venison, and small game too).
I tried my hardest to stay away from processed food, or fast food.
Period.
NO cheat days, no snacks...nothing. (that was hard)
THAT was the hardest part of my routine. The diet.
I enjoy good food, as do most people, so giving up some foods was hard.

3. I began to work out.
For the first few months, I only did push-ups and sit-ups, with the occasional jogging. ( I despise running, or jogging BTW)
In the morning and before bed. (as many as I could do in sets)
I think I started at 5 sets of 10. Then 4 sets of 25.
Then 6 sets of 30, etc...you must build yourself up and push.
Your body can do it! Its amazing after a few weeks how the numbers increase.
I did this for a long time. At least a year. But, I wasn't in a hurry.
This lasted until I could start seeing results, basically like the PT in any service branch.
My chest was more pronounced, my arms were bigger...
Then, I decided to buy my own equipment.
I incorporated a routine that I enjoyed.
I did what you are doing and researched to find out what to do.

Then, I actually started taking supplements, and whey protein, then creatine...etc.
To me, it was a huge expense that I didn't have extra cash for.
So, I just stuck to whey protein whenever possible, or for a snack instead of junk food. I am not a fan of actual supplements.
Its amazing what the human body can produce on its own.

4. Then came the gym.
This is where I began to see the most results.
This is because there is a wider range of tools to use in a gym.
You can get a whole lot more done with the right tools.
If you want to learn a good workout routine, or good exercises, again like all the posters above, there's a ton of good info and diagrams out there.

Now mind you, it takes a long time to get the desired effect....
Anything that promises fast results, usually ends up bad for the body.

Im my opinion:
You need 3 main things to achieve anything you want.
Dedication.
Motivation.
Action.


The internet and books, beyond people's advice, are huge sources of info.



Only you can talk yourself into doing things right.


Oh yeah and I hear P90X is amazing.

reply to post by tribewilder


right, and learning the basics and proper form has nothing to do with supplements. Period. Please stop with all the "you need to be taking 1gram/lb bodyweight of protein, and be spiking blood sugar to elicit an increased insulin response". If this person is quite fat, they are predisposed for type II diabetes and "blood sugar spiking" will only make things worse. Try telling a registered dietician about your protein theory. You will get laughed out of the office.
These magazines that all these awful ideas come out of are over 60% advertisements for supplements. The articles are written to tell you to use supplements. Here's a question: do you really believe that the athelete telling you to eat or drink some supplement is really only taking that supplement. If you do, you are a fool. Anyone you see in the OLYMPIA body building scene is JUICING period. That is exactly why you see a counter culture: Natural bodybuilding. Does our client in question here really need to be on a body building program FIRST? of course not. You need to establish a good healthy athletic base first: Improved body composition, improved posture, lower resting heart rate, restore functionality to all prime anatomical positions, and begin to explore some beginning resistance style movements known as calisthenics.
You can listen to all the magazines, the people who read and live by those magazines and take all the supplements you want and you will be disappointed and potentially injured. ORRRRR, you can make a smart decision and speak with a professional trainer who understands all the bodies systems synergistic effects on each other and have a solid foundation paired with UNDERSTANDING that will lead to a successful health and fitness experience. Don't go looking for advice on a conspiracy website. You wouldn't come here looking for advice on brain surgery, would you? Well this is PREVENTIVE medicine and should be treated with the same respect and methodology.

Originally posted by tribewilder

My advice is to bulk up and go into this to grow muscle, not to worry about fat for now, and to get the body in an anabolic state to turn Valient into a "hulk" without turning him green and confused.

I don't want a hulk Valiant, thats too big, he just needs bigger biceps than me, and be able to carry me lol!