Karl Sanders

I have only been lifting now for two weeks and I'm literally a 140lb weakling, so please bear this in mind.
I am working my whole body and working each muscle once a weeek. For example I used a measly 20lbs dumbell for bicep curls on my last biceps workout (like I said I'm still pretty weak but I'm going to get stronger) should I add 1 lbs or 2lbs or even more for the next bicep workout? And is it different for the bigger muscles like quads, should I be increasing the weights by as much as 5lbs every time I do a quad workout?
Thanks

big

It depends on so many factors - the routine you're using, your loading pattern, your genetics, your diet etc etc.

I would suggest you use as small an increment as possible (assuming that you've already started using a weight that you lift about 2-3 reps from failure). That way you will be able to load for longer, you'll grow due to progressive resistance and you won't stall as early.

Typically, a 1-2% increase per workout is ample.

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Karl Sanders

Thanks for the reply. Just to give a few specifics: I'm looking at get to around 180lbs of lean muscle (I don't want to be a 20 stone bodybuilder) so I'm consuming 2 grams of protein per kg of bodyweight - I know some people say more is needed but for financial reasons this is my limit and I hope it will be sufficient - I work out four times a week, all bodyparts, each muscle once a week and I do sets of 8 reps which is pretty close to failure without losing form. I do 7 sets for small muscles and 10 sets for big muscles.
for the smaller muscles like biceps, triceps and pecs (do pecs count as smaller muscles?) I will try 1lbs increases each week, and for the bigger muscles 2lbs per week. How does this sound, will I get the physique I want?

a3lkx

personaly depends what your goals are, how long you been doin weight trainin? id do what ever weight your comfortable wit mate as long as you get the reps out, keep them simple and fairly light for a few weeks so you get use to it and can build on your form,(nice n slow i find wrks best for me) because its not all about weight, technique is the key in my opinon, am only 160lb,5'10 10% bf and very strong i dnt strive to b like the big juice heads in my gym i do what i feel i can manage, stick to compound exercise also till you get into the swing of things. also rest alot (rest is the main factor) i also alternate my work outs on a 2-3 week basis, ull find that most people who attend the gym aint got a clue what there onabout so id seek info from the profetionals am not 1 am jst giving you an idea of what i do an works best for me, i do it for the ladies ha ha an myself like. by the sounds of things as your describing your self as a weaklin (small thin no real frame?) id bulk up a bit 1st dnt realy have a strick diet i mean eat healthily but gd to, do a search for bmr in this forum that will give you an idea of what your burning off an waht your takin in

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big

As long as you are able to put the weight up each week, you WILL get bigger and stronger dude.

If you can't, it means something is deficient - either your diet, training, or you just need to back off for a while and deload.

Honestly, eating 130g of protein a day (that's 2g per kg of your bodyweight) is nowhere near enough for a small girl to grow, much less someone who wants to be 180lbs! You need to pound down the protein dude, even if you get it from cheaper sources to save money. If you want to look like a 180lb bodybuilder, you need to eat like one. Gaining a solid, lean 40lbs of mass won't happen any time soon with mouse-size portions of protein dude

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Karl Sanders

Perhaps its typical of the internet, with all manner of opinions, With regards to how much protein is needed to build lean muscle I've heard bodybuilders saying anything from 250 grams per day right down to 90 grams per day, its impossible to get a consensus. From all the things I've read 1.8 grams of protein per kilo of bodyweight seems to be the average opinion, and I'm eating slightly more than that. I'll leave it at 2 grams per kilo for the time being and see if these people are talking crap, if I don't see any gains then I'll have to find the money from somewhere to buy even more whey protein. The trouble is I'm not a big eater, there's no way I can eat six square meals a day and whey protein aint cheap if you're eating 200 grams per day of the stuff.

a3lkx

am a firm believer of only using protein shakes before and after wrk out and possible before bed with glutamine, food is well better sourse of protein thank powder form in my opinin, if u cnt eat loads blend it n drink it i do tuna n egg in a blender all over n dun with within 5mins washed the lot no time at all, and i dnt really subscribe to the 1-2g of protein per lb etc as i dnt wish to b over sized am perfect as i am i eat what i wnt if its 400g 1 day n only 100 th next i jst eat what i feel like but keep a fair balnce of about 40 30 20

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Karl Sanders

I hear what you say about food, but I just can't eat food in huge quantities, or even smaller quantities six seven times a day, so whey protein powder is my only option. I'll just have to wait and see if its enough. Oh and no i don't have a small frame, I'm actually big boned, which shows just how little muscle I have at present, and I have also lost around 3 stone in weight i the past 6 months, mostly fat.
Thanks for the input.

big

The guys recommending only 1.8g of protein per kilo of body weight are very rarely big, nor are they usually strong.

If you look at what the bigger/stronger guys are actually consuming, you'll find it's a whole lot more.

Whey works out fairly cheap if you buy it unflavoured and in bulk.

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Carter

what do you recomend in the sense of cheap whey protein in bulk? Any links?

tkd

My Protein
BulkPowders

big

http://myprotein.co.uk/
http://www.bulkpowders.co.uk/

I've used both of these before and have been very happy with them.

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big

LOL beat me to it

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hackskii

160 grams of protein is enough for you bro, you can bump it up a little but you wont really see any more gains.


As long as you can get a rep or two each workout then you are getting stronger, you dont have to pack more weight on till you exceed 12 reps then add some weight then work back to exceeding your 12 reps.

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Karl Sanders

I was just about to ask about this: there are different ways of adding weight to the bar/dumbell,which of these three is best for increasing muscle size:
I'll use my bicep routine as an example.
1) Increasing the number of reps with the same weight until you get to 10 reps and then increasing the weight and going back to 6 reps.
So you start with a weight you can lift 6 times and do 4 sets of bicep curls and 3 sets of hammer curls then on the next workout move up to 8 reps, then next workout 10 reps, and only then increase the weight.
2) Do 4 sets of bicep curls 3 sets of hammer curls with 8 reps, then increase the weight at the next workout, and just keep going like this.
3) Increase the weight every time you do a set and lower the reps as you go along.
Which of these is best for a beginner looking to bulk?
Thanks