A little advice...

Alright, gentlemen, ladies... This will turn out to be a chain question, but any help will be much appreciated.

I recently started working out. I'm not looking to get huge, I just have plans for a career that relies somewhat on physical fitness, enough so that I need to pass physical examination.

With that being said, I am 20, about 5'11-6'0, and fluxuate anywhere between 172-183 pounds daily. My current exercise routines consisit of Bench Press, Military Press, Incline Press, Curls, Isolaton Curls, Wrist Curls, Flys, Dips, Pushups, and Rows (Bent Over, Upright), on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays.....and on Tuesdays and Thursdays I will do Squats, Calf Raises, Leg Raises, Leg Curls, Bicycles, Crunches, Leg Press and some jumproping/running. I am looking to put on enough weight to be around the 200lb range. My first question would be, does this seem like an appropriate schedule to go by? Either or, could you recommend some useful exercises to help increase muscle mass? In addition, I was recently informed that it would benefit me to reverse the order of my exercises as opposed to going straight down the line. Is there any validity to that?

I apologize, but there is much more to come..

Like any other no-nothing beginner, I decided to check out my neighborhood GNC. They gave me some insight as to what supplements would work best for my goal and suggested Glutamene, Creatine, and Protein, to which I picked up. Unfortunately, although they "knew" what would benefit me, they couldn't really give me clear indications as to what the proper dosage was. The labels inform me how to take them, but not when and how often.

I heard from a friend that it is good to load up on Creatine when you first start, then lower dosage, and tapper off of it on occasion. They heard about this, but couldn't tell me if it was correct or not. So I figured I would ask you guys and/or girls. No matter what the case is, could someone give me some advice into how often to actually take this stuff, and when would my best time to take it would be (i.e. after waking up, before/during/after workout, with dinner, etc.)?

And last, but certainley not least, I know I am supposed to take at least 1 g of protein per day. I was just curious if you people had certain meal schedules for yourselves (Like, Monday I eat tuna, burgers, and roasted turkey, 2 protein shakes, and some eggs...or something of that nature.)? Lastly, is there a good way of managing cost for food/supplement? I'd like to save some cabbage if you know what I mean.


Any and all responses would be helpful, even for just 1 of the questions mentioned. I apologize for the barrage of interrogation, but I just want to make sure I do this thing the right way. Thanks for your help, take it easy;)
 
1. you're not hitting your back nearly enough, espeically with all that chest work. you should be doing pull-ups, and deadlifts on upper day and lower day respectively.

2. you don't have to load on creatine. daily 5g doses will get you the same results in about 3 weeks as taking 4 doses a day for 5 days. its not a miracle powder, so there's no need to rush its effects IMO.

3. skip glutamine completely. it doesn't work. get plain creatine monohydrate with 'creapure' on the label. ON brand has it, as does AtLargeNutrition.com bout $15 for 500g, 100 normal servings...3 month supply. both of those companies make good protein powder too.

4. diet is individual. i tend to eat 'the same kinds of things, daily' its just too hard to be very diverse when you eat 6-7 times a day, 7 days a week. that's 40-50 meals to 'figure out'
instead I just vary my spices. normal eggs, cajun eggs, tabasco eggs, eggs with sausage (turkey)...etc. different veggies and fruits help too.
 
Back
Top