Advice required for a beginner

[meanpeoplesuck]

Hey Guys!

This thread relates to general fitness and exercise rather than to body building, but I'm hoping that with all the knowledge here that I can get some advice.

I am 5'8 tall, weigh 64kg (141 lbs) and have a 31 inch waist. So I am quite slim already, but with very little muscle. The body type that I want to work towards is one similar to Kelly Slaters. (Please see the attached image)

Nutrition: I eat a very balanced diet, which has kept my weight consistantly at 64kg for the past year with minimal exercise due to an injury I recieved. Do I need to "bulk up" or put on weight to get to my goal, or should I be focussing on losing body fat?

Also related to nutrition, are supplements necessary for me or are they usually reserved for body builders?

Cardio: How much cardio should I be doing? I have read on other forums and various websites that if I want to put on muscle, I should be doing no cardio at all. Perhaps this advice is just intended for body builders, or should I be abstaining from it too?

Reps: I have a chinning bar and that is the only equipment I own. I can buy some free weights if required. However I am wondering if I should be doing a lot of reps when I work out, or if doing low rep counts of heavier weights would be better for achieving my goal?

I am very eager to get to work on this long term goal of mine, but understand that I need all the proper information before I dive head first in and risk hurting myself or working out unproductively.

Thank you very much for your time and any comments you may have, I do not intend to start an argument over whether this body type is better or worse than any other.

All my best,
John

 

[deschain]

We all have a mental image of what we want to look like (usually some model/actor/celebrity). Unfortunately, even if we see some similarity in body type, we may not have a chance in hell of ever looking like them. The main reason being genetics, followed closely by individual lifestyle and resources.

I believe it is important not to start down the road of fitness with a picture of someone else in front of you. Countless times, that has lead to disappointment, and ultimately, failure.

To address your other questions, supplements are not necessary. They can sometimes be beneficial when used properly and in addition to a good diet (as opposed to in place of a good diet).

Whether you should focus on bulking or cutting depends on you. If you have extra fat you want to lose, then cut. If you are pretty lean, just want more muscle, then bulk. I would start with whichever one you feel you need the most (less fat, or more muscle), then proceed to the other.

It would be a good idea to invest in some basic wt equipment - bench, barbell, dumbells. There are also a lot of good body weight exercises you can do.

In general cardio is good. Some people don't do it at all while trying to bulk, and some people do wayyyy too much of it trying to cut. For general health and fitness purposes, some cardio can be a good idea.

For reps, that depends on a lot of things. A good general range is 8-12 reps, but that varies depending on what you are trying to achieve at that time.

 

[meanpeoplesuck]

Thanks deschain,

With regards to wanting to look like the picture, I should clarify something. My intention was to say that I wanted a physique more along the lines of his rather than a physique comparable to a body builder. (See attachment)

What I mean is that I want to be muscular, but with a similar body size to what I am now and with minimal fat. (By this I mean that if you were to look at a silhouette of my body, I don't want the overall size of my body to be dramatically increased as a result of working out). I understand that it is impossible for 2 people to ever have the exact same results.

I should have just said "More Surfer than Body Builder" 'cause I think I over complicated things! I appreciate the advice though, it's something important that I will keep in mind

 

[deschain]

OK, I gotcha.

I was assuming that b/c there are people who come on here with a posted pic, asking what they can do to look like that person (and they don't generally like the answer ).

The big huge body builders look that way for a reason - every waking moment is spent on the pursuit of bigger muscles.

A good, overall workout plan and balanced nutrition will go a long way in helping you achieve better health and fitness. At the top of most of the forum sections, there are stickies loaded with good advice on nutrition and wkout programs. Also, you can do searches for posts containing specific content. Then of course, there is just plain old reading around the forums too, that's usually helpful.