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    jnvlv247's Avatar
    jnvlv247 Posts: 68, Reputation: 1
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    #1

    Sep 17, 2006, 04:27 PM
    Muscle Gain
    Hi, I'm 16yrs old, 113 lbs, and 5'2, I lift weights and I have not seen any real significant results and I have been doing it for about 4 months now, I am changing my diet, but what types of meals should you eat? Also I want to get rid of love handles and also build up my biceps, etc.
    Gmanv1's Avatar
    Gmanv1 Posts: 19, Reputation: 2
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    #2

    Sep 18, 2006, 02:52 PM
    Im the same really I've been working my biceps and triceps for around 6 months now I have a full bench and the necessary weights and to be honest I have seen ann improvement but nothing fantastic not to my likeing maybe an inch vertical for my biceps and half triceps but they don't really seem to be gaining thickness you no actually around the arm at the moment you can only see the muscle when I tence up. I'm doing 3 sets of 10 and have been for about 6 months and have increased up in weight what... twice in the last 6 months but I have been on the same one now for about 4 months and still I can't seem to move up in weight any ideas

    By the way I'm not really on any diet
    gregr's Avatar
    gregr Posts: 3, Reputation: 1
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    #3

    Sep 18, 2006, 05:22 PM
    Your results will vary due to many factors; age, diet, genetics and your workout program. The two you have control of is diet and workout. Try changing up your program to shock your muscles into more growth. If you feel your muscles and strength have stopped growing add different exercises for the same muscle. Sometimes if you have been working your muscles very hard they’ll stop growing. That’s your body telling you it needs a rest. Take about 4 or 5 days rest after a month of hard workouts and always give at least one day of rest between workouts. Eat healthy and be safe don’t strain yourself.
    jnvlv247's Avatar
    jnvlv247 Posts: 68, Reputation: 1
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    #4

    Sep 19, 2006, 04:58 PM
    I workout 4x a week sometimes consecutively, and they're not really intense workouts. Should I change that??
    kp2171's Avatar
    kp2171 Posts: 5,318, Reputation: 1612
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    #5

    Sep 19, 2006, 05:10 PM
    I know you want to bulk up more now. Id say focus on good form and good habits. Mix up cardio and weights. Do both endurance and heavy reps.

    I put on a lot of my muscle mass my freshman and sophomore year in college. Some of it may be genetic, but really, you've got some growing still to do... and while some guys will bulk up earlier, some, like me, put on more mass later on... and for me, since I was in the habit of lifting and excercising, it really wasn't like I had to force it.

    The guys in college that I knew who played football... those guys ate all the time and worked out like mad. Lots of running and lifting. They ate so much they didn't enjoy it as much anymore. Again, some of it was genetic, but if you eat healthy and work out consistently with a mix of good weight training and cardio, you'll see results in time.
    jnvlv247's Avatar
    jnvlv247 Posts: 68, Reputation: 1
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    #6

    Sep 20, 2006, 02:24 PM
    You didn't answer my question, should work out 4x a week (tues, thurs, Friday, sat or tues, wed, thurs, fri, etc, etc) or should I do it 3x a week spread out (mon, wed, fri, or tues, thurs, and sat)?
    kp2171's Avatar
    kp2171 Posts: 5,318, Reputation: 1612
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    #7

    Sep 20, 2006, 03:54 PM
    well listen to your body. But its not unreasonable to work out 4 x a week, especially if you mix cardio one day with weights the next, and split out weights to work diff muscle groups diff days.

    cardio will help you shed fat, weights will bulk and define of course. Don't forget core strengthening of back and abs. guys want defines arms and such, but you strengthen you back and abs and it's a foundation for the rest.
    jnvlv247's Avatar
    jnvlv247 Posts: 68, Reputation: 1
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    #8

    Sep 20, 2006, 05:42 PM
    Well I do cardio in the day and I work out at night. I do everything in a workout except for legs cause the cardio helps that a lot. When I work out at night 4x a week I do chest, biceps, triceps and abs. So would spreading THIS out 3x a week every other day be better? Cause with what I'm doing now, I haven't seen much results. So 3x a week would take longer or be more efficient? I don't have the resources also to work each group one day, it wouldn't be long enough
    gregr's Avatar
    gregr Posts: 3, Reputation: 1
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    #9

    Sep 20, 2006, 07:02 PM
    As I said before if your working specific muscles each time you work out then you should work out every other day. If your not seeing much gain anymore then you need to change up your exercises. Your muscles are getting used to your routine if your doing the same exercises every time.
    kp2171's Avatar
    kp2171 Posts: 5,318, Reputation: 1612
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    #10

    Sep 20, 2006, 10:04 PM
    Quote Originally Posted by jnvlv247
    I don't have the resources also to work each group one day, it wouldn't be long enough
    first of all, muscle mass has nothing to do with minutes in the gym. It has to do with stress and hard reps.

    your body won't build bigger mass unless you are increasing your weights over time. If you are still working with the same or nearly the same weights as you were before, why should your body make bigger muscles? It costs energy. It takes maintenance. You are trying to force your body to go against itself. This means really stressing the muscles. 8-12 reps, hard work. Don't be doing the same weights a month or two later. You need to stack more on. If you've been working out your body should be broken in enough to be upping the weight and increasing the resistance.

    its fine that you work your whole body, especially as a beginner. When I was established into a hard routine I split my workout into diff parts.. one day legs, abs, chest, triceps... another day back, shoulders, abs, biceps. Alternated every other day... so one day workout one, one day off, next day workout two, one day off. Cardio here and there.

    I said before its fine to do 4x a week. If you are really looking for muscle mass, you might want to cut back to 3x, make sure you are really working hard (but w good form and safety), and give your body a day in between to recover.

    if you want arm mass don't neglect the triceps. Everybody works the biceps w curls, but you can really get some good mass w tricep work.

    doing chest work at diff angles and a mix of presses and flys is needed.

    when doing abs you need to really squeeze the muscle... not just raise your torso. And a mix of crunches, side bends and tilts will help hit all the angles.

    flab or fat isn't going away by weights. It takes an overall reduction of fat, which means proper diet and cardio.

    one of the best things I did when I was a teen was I bought a body building book. I didn't want to be that bulked, but it was really good about explaining proper form and how you could vary different exercises to hit different angles and muscle groups. If you don't have access to a trainer at a gym (if there is a ymca nearby you can get a membership easily) you might want to do a little reading.

    so you need to really push your body, using good form, being safe. As gregr mentioned, if you are doing the same old routine and not getting results, then you need to amp up your routine.
    jnvlv247's Avatar
    jnvlv247 Posts: 68, Reputation: 1
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    #11

    Oct 2, 2006, 06:34 PM
    Say I have 10 lb dumbbells, do I go to 15 or 20?
    kp2171's Avatar
    kp2171 Posts: 5,318, Reputation: 1612
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    #12

    Oct 2, 2006, 10:17 PM
    OK...

    Are you reading the posts or not?

    YOU have to do some work, physical AND mental. Get out a book. Do a little reading. Understand how you can structure your workout. Understand how you build muscle mass. Understand your body better. How about reading the first full paragraph of my last post that mentions # of heavy reps??

    Saying you need 10 lb or heavier weights period is not the answer. What are you using then for? Biceps curls? Triceps work? Flyes? Presses? One movement might require more weight than another! I don't use the same weight I bench with to do military presses. I can biceps curl more weight than I can extend working the triceps. Each muscle movement might need a different weight to stress it correctly to gain mass. Again, as I said already, if you want to gain mass you need to do hard reps.

    So yes, you might need more weight. Or not. Or maybe. YOU need to figure this out. Generally speaking, I really don't think 10lb dumbbells are going to do much of ANYTHING to add on real bulk. But again, YOU need to see how much weight it takes to do some hard reps. As I already said, your goal is to continue to increase the weight over time... otherwise you muscles will not bulk up much. But, of course, you need to start someplace. If you've been using the same weight all this time... well again, I've already said this will not substantially increase your muscle mass.

    Glad to answer more questions but I think you need to really read what has been already posted, and then you need to do a little research yourself and educate yourself. Otherwise you are just going to be frustrated from a lack of results.
    kp2171's Avatar
    kp2171 Posts: 5,318, Reputation: 1612
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    #13

    Oct 2, 2006, 10:29 PM
    Quote Originally Posted by kp2171

    ....first of all, muscle mass has nothing to do with minutes in the gym. it has to do with stress and hard reps.

    your body wont build bigger mass unless you are increasing your weights over time. if you are still working with the same or nearly the same weights as you were before, why should your body make bigger muscles? it costs energy. it takes maintenance. you are trying to force your body to go against itself. this means really stressing the muscles. 8-12 reps, hard work. dont be doing the same weights a month or two later. you need to stack more on. if youve been working out your body should be broken in enough to be upping the weight and increasing the resistance.....

    ....so you need to really push your body, using good form, being safe. as gregr mentioned, if you are doing the same old routine and not getting results, then you need to amp up your routine.
    Points in blue from previous post pretty much tell you the answer to the questions you just asked.
    major_soccer_freak's Avatar
    major_soccer_freak Posts: 74, Reputation: 0
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    #14

    Oct 9, 2006, 09:22 AM
    Quote Originally Posted by jnvlv247
    Hi, I'm 16yrs old, 113 lbs, and 5'2, I lift weights and I have not seen any real signifigant results and I have been doing it for about 4 months now, I am changing my diet, but what types of meals should you eat? Also I want to get rid of love handles and also build up my biceps, etc.
    Okay a problem you may have is that you may be working out the same muscles everyday and not giving them a chance to rest and heal. When you work out your muscles they rip and if you don't give them a rest they will not heal and get bigger. I would try to space out your work outs or work out different muscles every day to give time for your muscles to heal. Also if you want to get rid of those love handles crunches and situps are not always the answer, you need to eat right do cardio (running, walking, jogging) and to tone your stomach do some crunches or situps. The best way to get your arms bigger would be to work out your tricepts because they have 1 more muscle than the bicept so they would make your arm look bigger.

    Hope that helps
    major_soccer_freak's Avatar
    major_soccer_freak Posts: 74, Reputation: 0
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    #15

    Oct 9, 2006, 09:24 AM
    Also people that tend to be more skinny do not have much fat to brun into muscle, if you want to build muscle try gaining a couple of pounds while lifting weights and you may see huge results.
    Captain_Brown's Avatar
    Captain_Brown Posts: 40, Reputation: 1
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    #16

    Oct 9, 2006, 10:09 AM
    I am 11 years old. I am 5'8" and 172 lbs. I have been doing Bench Press and lifting weights for over a month. I have gained some muscular weight. I can take my mother down in armwrestling. I am at about 60 lbs. on Bench. I am interested in Power Lifting, but I am too young to do that. I think you have to be at least 14 years old. I made World Records at age 6 and 7 on Rolling Thunder, I did 53 lbs. at the most. [That's a little info about me.] Maybe you should start exercising a little bit harder, and eating regualr meals. Maybe that will help.

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