Hello Everyone! How are you all doing today? I tried making a thread a while ago and didn’t get much help so I thought I would try it again and make myself a bit more clear.

Well I’m new to this forum and new to working out in general:

My name is Anthony
I'm 17 years old
150 lbs
5 foot 9-10

I want to start working out to get bigger: achieving both strength and size (form/ getting cut). I am not sure where to start or how to really approach this. I’ve used the search button and tried reading other posts and I gained lots of very important and useful information but I still need help.

Before I begin going to the gym, should I eat more or is my body weight fine the way it is now?

I have been reading around and plan on doing either a full body workout 3-4 times a week or an upper/lower split routine. Which would you recommend or are they both great?

Now, I have been reading that compound exercises are better for working out and obtaining results and for a beginner like me, which exercise do you think I should be doing. I read about squats and deadlifts but not sure how to perform them as I’ve never done them before and I am afraid to doing them incorrect. I’m embarrassed to say this but, almost all these exercises that I read about on this forum, I don’t know how to actually perform them as I’ve never learned the correct way to execute them.

Lastly, onto the whole thing of protein and protein shakes. I’ve been reading a lot protein shakes and how it helps to build muscle or what not. Would someone care to explain it a bit to me about how it works? Also, would you recommend that I be taking protein shakes and if so, how exactly would I go about it? How much, when each day, etc.

I’m sorry for asking so many questions, but I’m a NOOBIE in need of some major help. Any help, suggestions, articles to read, and answers would be great and I would really appreciate it.

P.S. Everyone started off as a beginner like me so no bashing!

Thank-you,
Anthony!

Hey Anthony! Some help from a fellow newbie okay?

I've found that having someone show you the exercises is really helpful. For me, freshman year track taught me the basics of lifts like bench press and squats, and I'm going to get my brother to show me deadlifts (although I don't know if we're even allowed to do them in my school gym). My brother also helped me make the program I'm following now.

When it comes to full body or split, the deciding factor for me was time. I didn't want to be in the gym for an extended period of time, so I went for the split, because I go often anyway.

Don't know anything about protein, so can't help you there, but good luck!q

Do you have any excess weight or are you very skinny?

Protein is the building block for muscle. Aim to get roughly 1-1.5 grams per pound of body weight a day. It is important to get quite alot post workout, maybe 30+ grams.
Tkae a look at the stickies and then maybe try putting up a routine you might be trying and we'll take a look at it.

To gain size and strength you could either do 5 sets of 5 reps per exercise (just a guideline) or 3 or 4 sets of about 8 reps per exercise (again, guideline).

Remember, when planning routine don't ignore the legs even if its tempting because squats and other leg stuff release growth hormones that greatly help muscle growth.
And yes, compounds are king.

coopersguns.com is an example of a great site because it has videos of all exercises.

I'm fairly skinny I suppose. And i'll take a lot at that site. Thanks!

Please, no one hold back. Keep the comments and replies coming

Hi Anthony,

You need to calculate how many calories you consume daily. If your goal is to gain muscle, then add 500 calories per day. It is only natural that you will put on weight, even some fat. Don't let this get to you though as what is more important is your body fat percentage, not your total weight. Also, it is generally accepted that you will gain fat when on a bulking cycle.

In regards to protein, as mentioned it is necessary for building muscle. Are protein shakes necessary? Absolutely not. If you can get your protein requirements from whole foods then great. protein shakes are however are a fast and convenient way to pack in the protein particularly straight after a workout.

I would recommend that you hire a personal trainer or befriend a competent lifter who can show you the correct form. Squats and deadlifts are two exercises where form is imperative. Perfect your form first before going crazy with the weight.

A full body workout 3xper week would be perfect for you. make sure you concentrate on compound movements and mix up or sets/reps/rest times to stave off adaptation. There is plenty of information on the site relating to FBW's.

Good luck

Thanks for the help so far! About protein... I'll be taking about 30 grams of protein after every workout and I'll see how that goes.

Okay, after looking at some exercises and how to perform them, I've come up with some possible routines. So can you all help me and let me know what you think of it. It is order from beginning to end of workout:

A:
Sqauts (Smith Machine) - That will be probably the only type ill be able to do right now
Lat Pull Down
Dumbell Single Arm row
Bench Press
Leg Raises or Sit-Ups
Standing Calf Raise
If time (which i will probably have to do some of the following):
Shoulder Press
Bumbell Curls
Tricep Push Down
Forearm Curls

B:
Lunges and/or Leg Press
Bench Press or Push Up
Lat Pull Down and/or Bent Over Row
Sit Up or Crunches
Calf Raises
If time (which i will probably have to do some of the following):
Shoulder Press
Bumbell Curls
Tricep Push Down
Forearm Curls

I will be doing something like these workout routines 3 times per week and after each workout i will be taking bout 30g of protein in the form of a shake.

Please tell me what you think

Some good exercises in there but way too many. Try to organise it a little better. Also, supersetting push and pull motions is very effective: Try something like:

A
Squat (Don't use the smith machine. Use body weight or the bar only if you have to but work on perfecting your forum)
Lunge
cable row
bench press
lat pull down
shoulder press

B
Deadlift
Step-up
wide grip row
db incline bench press
chin-up
dumbbell shoulder press

Do the most taxing exercises first, the ones that work the big muscles. Don't worry about isolation exercises in this part of the game, especially forearm and dumbbell curls.

Also, get some simple carbs into you after the workout along with protein. It is needed to replace the glycogen stores used during the workout. Fruits like bananas, oranges and dates can work for this I believe.

Thanks.. I'll try to revise my routine keeping in mind what you've said so that i create and efficient routine!

Also, if anyone else has some suggestions for me, please feel free to share

What JTM said is good - keep to those examples. You should add an ab workout after those six (only examples, look around for exercises you like but keep to that basic idea because they hit everything). Then, if you want you can do some isolation e.g. biceps and triceps but try to keep workout under one hour.

Yea ill try doing that .. ill be doing the compound exercises first and if i got time ill hit up some isolation exercises that i wish to do.. but im lookin to keep my workout to an hour tops.. anymore tips would be great