new bulking up FAQ

Acronyms and lingo used in this FAQ and board:

Reps: Repetitions. A repetition is the term used for each individual time a movement is performed. Performing 8 reps would mean you perform a movement 8 times consecutively.
Set: A sequence of perfomances of a movement. If you're to perform 5 sets of 8, you'll perform 8 reps at a time, but you'll perform those 8 repetitions 5 seperate times within the same workout.
Compound: An exercise that involves the movement of two or more joints.
Isolation: An exercise that only involves the movement of one joint.
DOMS: Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness, which is the soreness you experience a day or two after working out.
FBW: a full body workout. Wherein you workout your entire body in each session.
Split: Dividing your workout between muscle groups (back, legs, arms, upper body, lower body etc.).
Resistance training: Working against resistance to elicit a response from the body.
DAW: Days a week. Ex: a 4DAW program has you exercising four days a week with 3 off.

I want muscles (or I want to bulk up), what should I do?

• Plug your information into this calculator, select gain muscle and take in between .5-1g. per lb. of lean mass in protein while following a resistance training program which includes movements that are performed with moderate(8-12 reps) to heavy(1-5 reps) weights.

My coach says to stretch each muscle(static stretching) before I workout!

• NO! Read Goldie's post about dynamic and static stretching before going on with your next workout.
• Scooby talks warming up here

How much weight should I use? And when do I increase it?

• Find out right here!

Aside from the bit about failure. Try to stop once the speed drops off, which will usually be 1-2 shy of failure. going till failure compromises total volume for the session.

Can lifting weights stunt my growth?

• No. For an explanation read about weightlifting and stunted growth,read this.

What equipment do I need?

• If you're looking to start with a beginner calisthenics plan see here. This requires nothing but yourself and a place to do pull ups.
  
  For a program with weight training, either get on a prefabricated reputable strength plan(SS or SL 5x5), or follow a plan from the 21 workout routines thread.  These plans require you either have a well equipped home gym or for you to belong to one.

Roughly when will i stop being considered a beginner, and want to consider a move on to slightly more advanced methods of training like splits(HIT and so on)?

• Approximately once you hit these numbers(taken from The_Wolf's  FAQ:
  Deadlifts - 1.5-2x BW
  Squats - 1.25-1.5x BW (depending on your build, progressing here will be harder or easier)
  Flat bench press - 1x BW
  Bent-over BB row - 1X BW
  Chinup - 10 x 1.1x BW
  Military press - 0.5x BW
  Dips - 10 x 1.25x BW
  
  
  • Once your working weights begin to approach these, you can plug your numbers into a one rep max calculator and if the results appear at or very close to these numbers you can check to see if you meet these pre-requisites.
  • Working with such relatively heavy weights can be very dangerous, so only make an attempt in as safe an environment as possible. use safety equipment, or get supervision by a competent spotter, preferably both.
  
  What if I'm more interested in powerlifting?
  
  
• Then follow a prefabricated beginner strength plan, such as those that have already been mentioned(SS, SL5x5, or ones from 21WR). and watch the eliteFTS series so you think you can squat and so you think you can bench.
• if you have a fair bit of experience(have finished linear progression) and have started to understand what makes a program, you might want to give this a read to aid your competency in both choosing or forming your own plan with this goal in mind.

I don't have a pull-up bar, a place to do them or access to a pulldown machine. How can I replace them?

• Vertical pulls have been shown through EMG testing to produce the most activation in the lats.  However, some horizontal pulls come very close, so some substitution are acceptable till you find a way to do them.  You can get a door-mounted pull-up bar and if that is not an option, get creative.  This post shows a number of places where you can do pull ups in or around your home. this T-Nation article shows the results of an EMG test Bret Contreras performed

But I can't even do a single pull-up!

• This excellent article  explains how to increase your pullups. World renowned forum member Moonsugarvehk is writing a blog post on this as well, but it goes off in a different direction.

Erm, I can't even really do a push-up!

• No worries, start with this excellent posting on pushups for the complete beginner.

Everybody says a beginner needs to do squats!

• Squats are a great mass-building compound exercise that works the quads, hamstrings, glutes, and core while enlisting a number of other muscles as stabilizers. Squats, however aren't for everyone. If you have scoliosis or any other genuinely limiting factor it will be worth considering the alternatives. learning to squat properly is incredibly important.

How important is my core?



Can't I just start with the Intermediate / Advanced workout?

• No, because your body has to be conditioned to resistance training first.

So when should I switch to a more advanced training plan?

• See the table above taken from the_wolf's FAQ

I do 50 (100, 500, 1000) dumbbell curls (crunches, lunges etc.) but I'm not getting stronger or bigger!

• That's because your muscles need to work against increasing resistance to keep growing. This video explains when to increase your working weight, and this explains progressive overload

How do I get flat abs like the model in this picture*insert jpg*?
 

• By not giving them enough resistance to grow too large. they're just like every other muscle. Certain adjustments may be needed to be made to most plans, to make them less core intensive.
• In addition to getting your fat% to be very low(usually a bit below 10%).

So, how much progress (or how many lbs of muscle) can I expect to see in a year?

• That's a pretty individual thing. the only answer anyone can really give you is your results are based on where you are in relation to your potential, gradually slowing the closer you get.
• Fulfilling your nutritional needs, getting proper rest, potentially adding performance aiding supplements(creatine and the like),  keeping clear of stress, and following a plan that works well for you will allow you to grow as fast as your genetics will allow you to. Genetics aren't an excuse, only one of your limiting factors.
• Myschly wrote a more lengthy post about genetics here, and Will Brink's series on genetics and success begins with
  this video

I am doing all I can, but I'm not getting sore.

• Soreness (or DOMS) is an indicator of nothing but the fact that you have DOMS

What is over-training, and how do i know when i'm doing it?

• Over-training is a condition that occurs after exerting oneself beyond ones' current recovery capacity. Common symptoms of over-training are(taken from Wikipedia: Persistent muscle soreness, Persistent fatigue, Elevated resting heart rate, Reduced heart rate variability, Increased susceptibility to infections, Increased incidence of injuries, Irritability, Depression, and Mental breakdown.
• To undo over-training, an extended period of time off is needed. The longer it's been going on, the long it may be necessary to do so.
• Nickyz wrote about the concept here here

How often should I change my routine?

• whenever your current one stops working even after a couple deloads. Rani3110 wrote a great post on just that subject

Can't I train my chest (legs, arms etc.) every day to get bigger sooner?

• No, your muscles grow when they are resting.

Isnt more better? Dont I get bigger the more I work out?

• Frequency is an important variable in your success.  Dodothebird wrote about frequency in this posting
  

My left abs (arm, leg, pec etc.) are bigger (smaller, stronger, looks different) than the other!

• We all have a stronger (more dominant) side and nobody is really symmetrical, read about symmetry here.
  

I dont have time for eating healthy, is it really that important?

• Eating healthy isn't essential to bodybuilding. Bodybuilding isn't inherently pursued for health reasons, and you can still be very successful by only really caring about your caloric and protein intakes, but  if you care about your health, you'll make the time.
  

Herrkaputt's summary of the ACSM guidelines from 2009 can be found here. it's simplified, but for all practical purposes to a beginner, it's  for the most part accurate

thanks to Mike, Magnus, and Scooby for their work on the initial FAQ that this came from... oh and soc for telling me to do this

Please request it replace the sticky, and that it not be locked [/list]

Good job Moony. One think you could have linked is the dealods article that Rani has in excellent posting.
I think you should put it under How often should I change my routine?

Should be stickied, as this seems to be a total noob FAQ, maybe you should list the different between a dumbbell and barbell, I'm serious, a total noob may not know.

completely slipped my mind, i'll go do that now

thanky lots guys

not being able to quote it(why i request it not be locked >:O), made it so all the links had to be redone >: i had a sad and a rage.

it kinda felt like /fit/ in here since there were things in the sticky that everyone disagreed with and no one was looking to change them.  

i'm probably going to finish the blog post tonight or tomorrow so it'll be complete then...pending i do what i was supposed to do for a week now

Thanks because I often don't recognize the links.  I don't recognize them because I think I'm partially color blind haha.

no, it's going to be more mundane than you're expecting 

BTW Moon I tossed you some rep.

It's just a standard in this forum, but not necessarily the only metric because not everyone does those exercises.  Don't take it to heart because it's something you can compare yourself.