From experience (as i've read countless conflicting articles, books, etc), which do you reckon is the best of the following to do? I'm not training specifically for the Marines as of yet, but attempting to bulk up a little. Anyway, my training program is not set in stone yet and I can't decide what to do.
Do I:
a) work 5 days on, 1 or 2 days off - different muscle groups for different days, similar to what body builders do. I'm not a bodybuilder, but thought this might be more efficient with regard to energy and recovery, etc. Basically a short, intense workout.
or
b) 2/3 days on, 1 day off - here, working all major muslce groups in each session (arms, chest, trunk and back, legs) - Total body workout - quicker workout, but more intense.
I'm not doing cardio at the moment other than light swimming and don't plan to do much more befpre Christmas, and I have a decent appetite and eat good healthy food, so not really worried about energy levels declining due to lack of nutrition. I'm highly motivated and never miss a session out, so discipline isnt a concern.
urrently I weigh 13.5stone, but attempting to get that up to an ideal weight of 15stone. Although I expect this to go down when I eventually get round to Marine specific fitness training (one reason I want to bulk up a little is to prevent injuries, as i'm prone, so I'm not really worried about losing weight later on) - i'm not doing this yet simply because I'm not expecting to go on a PRMC for at least another 9 months, and already have decent fitness levels. I'm going to put aside 4-6 months for PRMC specific fitness when it comes to it, but for now i'm not to worried about it.
I'm interested to know what people who are training think, cheers.
Prior to joining the marines i was bodybuilding for a number of years so i can share my knowledge with you over that. Before i started training for RM i was 15 and half stones in bodyweight with 10.2 % bodyfat, which i was and still am very proud of.
Exercise:
I worked out 4 to 5 times a week with two rest days sat and sun, depending on how i was feeling. to be honest with you i cant really give you an answer to what you should be doing as i dont know how old you are and doing too much at a young age can stunt your growth and cause problems later on in your life.
I worked two muscle groups per day, for example Monday: triceps and biceps, Tuesday: chest and shoulders, Wednesday: legs etc. Your workout should roughly consist of 3-4 sets of each exercise, maybe two or three exercises per muscle at a higher weight. I would recommend changing your workout regime every month or so as to avoid mucle fatigue and plateu.
Diet:
Dont know if you know this but you need to be eating about 6-7 times a day if you want to bulk. Alotr of people focus too much on training and not enough on diet which is their downfall and the reason why alot of people stay at the same weight. My diet was as follows:
Morning: 300g of porriage cooked
3 scrambled eggs
protein shake
1 medium glass of organge juice with table spoon of olive oil
Mid afternoon: Weightgain shake
2 bananas
Afternoon: Tin of tuna with three tablespoons of organic yougart
2 slices of wholemeal bread with olive spread
1 large chicken breast
salad
Protein shake
Pre workout: weightgain shake
1 banana
Post workout: protein shake with a raw egg
Dinner: 1 large rump steak grilled or 2 mackral fillet
Potatos mashed/ boiled or brown rice
100g of other veg
1 yogart
Bedtime: protein shake.
This put my weight up alot over the space of a few months. Combined with a good workout routine you will put on alot of muscle. Take multivitamins with your daily food intake to ensure that you get what your body needs. I wouldn't reccomend any other supplements as you dont really need them. Hard work will get you where you want.
If you need some more help just pm and ill send you my old workout regime. Or you could try www.muscletalk.co.uk which has some good advice. Chris will probably disagree with me and be 'Pedantic' but life goes on.
As you said, there is lots of conflicting advice about which approach is better for hypertrophy. Both sides of the arguement have their merits and shortcomings (I won't go into these here.... unless the explination of different approaches is wanted) which makes it even harder to decide which would work best.
However, in my experience (and this goes for any type of training) it all comes down to the age old saying, "different strokes for different folks". Until you have a go you might not know which style your body responds best to. Even then it breaks down into body parts. Different body parts respond better to different rep ranges, total sets and even frequency of training.
Have a bit of an experiment, maybe you could try this (assuming you know how to correctly and safely conduct the lifts mentioned):
Weeks 1, 2, and 3:
Monday: Bench Press, Deadlift, Squat and Bench auxilleries (eg, incline dumbell press)
Tuesday: Rest
Wednesday: Deadlift, Squat, Bench Press and Deadlift Auxilleries (eg, Romanian Deadlift, Glute Ham raise)
Thursday: Rest
Friday: Squat, Bench Press, Dead lift and Squat Auxilleries (eg, pistols, front squat)
Saturday: Rest
Sunday: Rest
NB
The first exercise mentioned is the main focus of the work out. Low reps for multiple sets. Other exercises done in moderation.
Weeks 3, 4 and 5
Monday: Lower Body
Tuesday: Upper Body
Wednesday: Rest
Thursday: Lower Body
Friday: Upper Body
Saturday:Rest
Sunday:Rest
Lower Body to include: Squats (front or back), Romanian Deadlifts, Pistols,
Glute Ham Raises.
Upper Body to include: Incline Dumbell Press, T-bar row, Full Dips, Pull ups, Military Press.
That just off the top of my head. But hopefully its given you a few ideas on how to structure somthing for yourself, its not just about the programme you are on now, but also where it leads to and a suitable progression.
I know I might be teaching you to suck eggs but for reference only carry this out if you are already physically robust enough to take on the deamands of a new training programme. Make sure you have been properly instructed in how to carry out the said exercises. There are no dangerous exercises - only poorly excecuted ones. Training is only one part of the puzzle, also remember about proper nutrition, lifestyle and recovery strategies. Do not carry out if you are pregnant or currently lactating. May Cause drowsyness. Keep away from fire. Not suitable for children under 36 months due to small parts
I overheard a guy handing out expert advice to his rookie friend in the locker room last week.
"Don't be drinking to many of the those protein shakes man, you'll get immune to them."
A couple of my favourites:
"Creatine is a Steroid"
"You don't need protein"/"protein doesn't work"
And by far the best:
"Yeah that's creatine man, hes absorbing it through his hands..."- one friend to another on watching a fellow gym goer chalk his hands up for a set of deads.
Ignorance and misinformation really could drive me to tears sometimes.
"Don't be drinking to many of the those protein shakes man, you'll get immune to them."
The thing that really annoys me is the people who think protein shakes are "Roids" and the muscle gained on them is "fake"
A lad in my I.T class said to me..."do you use those Protein shakes" I replied "yes Post work out... mainly because they are convenient" he then said "so that’s why you have muscles... I’m going to get me dad to get me some so I can be as quick as you" Really gets on my nerves, they seem to think one shake a day is going to make a massive difference. Totally forget the few hours a day we work our back side's off.
Anyways one thing I was wondering is why drop the cardio? Unless done in an extreme fashion I can't see it making a huge difference (especially if you don't plan on competing as a bodybuilder) shoot for lean muscle gains... clean diet, good lifting, cardio and of course plenty of rest/sleep.
Even if you have to shove some more Carbohydrates and Protein down you're neck 3-4 run's a week wont turn you into a Marathon runner.
Just wondering is all
Best of luck anyways
Stokey
P.S. if you really want to bodybuilder or just add some serious mass for now, why not look around bodybuilding forums/sites.
Going to be full of people who know the score (not that some people on here don't, just likely to be more on say www.bodybuilding.com etc)
"Yeah that's creatine man, hes absorbing it through his hands..."- one friend to another on watching a fellow gym goer chalk his hands up for a set of deads.
Well Ive always been told that doing alot of weights too young can stunt your growth as your muscles are still developing and growing. You dont stop growing until the age of 21. It really just depends on the person. Some people grow quickly while others take longer. Its the same as steroids, which shouldnt be taken by young people as these stunt growth.
the creatine through the hands was awesome it even says on the back of the tub drink with water haha. steroids stop you getting the results you would have got naturaly because when your on steroids it lowers your own testosteron production so you can never be as good as you would have naturaly but whilst your on them the gains are rediculous and i dont think weight training at a young age stunts growth i started 14/15 and im still growing i think it may affect your growth if your lifting massive weights and not easing yourself into training with lighter weights and not going crazy.
psychometric test- passed
eye test- passed
interview- passed
medical- passed
pjft- passed
prmc- passed
rt- 5th of november
yeh thats what im saying. If your lifting big boy weights then it will stunt your growth. When i first started bout 16 my PT eased me into them. It was really light weights with high reps, then as i got older the workouts got more intense e.g heavier weights.
Addiction: 'It's not the same as steriods at all.........I give up.'
I was using steroids as an example of the age at which you stop growing. Wasnt comparing weightlifting to steroids!!! lol. Its just that when your growing your muscles need to grow and develop naturally, and if your lifting heavy weights then this can shorten muscles and stunt growth. etc
Its the same as steroids, which shouldn’t be taken by young people as these stunt growth.
Hope I don't sound Pedantic here, but that’s a very wide statement, Steroids come in many forms, performance enhancers such as Testosterone, Dbol, Whinstrol, Tren etc to the steroid found in inhalers... now the use of an inhaler, as I know of, will not stunt you're growth but you are in fact using a steroid at a young age.
Not trying to pick apart you're post or be a pain just making a point.
steroids stop you getting the results you would have got naturally because when your on steroids it lowers your own testosterone production so you can never be as good as you would have naturally but whilst your on them the gains are ridiculous
Although I know what you are saying, from what I’ve herd/ read the gain's made whilst on steroids can be kept, not all of them but to some extent you can keep them, this is why some bodybuilders use them once they have reached there natural limit. The gain's made on steroids would of curse disappear if intense training and correct diet where not used but to say all gains made on a cycle would be lost just like that, from what I gather is incorrect. You can also retain normal testosterone production through correct PCT (post cycle therapy)
Obviously if you want to join up then there is certainly no place for steroids etc I’m just trying to help with what I have herd.
Not all of the above may be true so don't quote me on it, I’m going completely from memory and of course feel free to correct me.
Blimey stokey, sounds like uve been on em urself!!! Wasnt gonna bother going into too much detail.
nah was just using it as an example for ages of when you stop growing. Read above^^^
And it is true you do keep gains whilst on them, not all of them but the most if ur PCT is correct as is ur diet. However this depends on what youve taken etc.
Spence - to settle this rumour, at least in my mind, is it safe to assume that weight lifting in U16's will not stunt growth? Feels like that's what you're getting at. I have no idea what the answer is, would be nice to have it settled, and a little explanation.
www.MilitaryBootsUK.co.uk - Latest offers and best deals on Military, Combat, Army, Police, Emergency, Safety and Waterproof Boots. www.SteelToeCapBoots.co.uk - Latest offers and best deals on trending Footwear, Workwear, Steel Toe, Waterproof Safety Boots.
Is this still being branded about as "fact"? I had really hoped this myth had started to die out....
I liked that one.
