Hey guys! I’m 19 years old, 6’1 and 185 pounds. I’ve always been fairly fit but have never taken my fitness and health too seriously - I want that to change today. I go to the gym 2-3 times a week but I’m starting to realize I lack variety in the exercises that I do; I do the same exercises almost each time and I don’t work on as many parts of my body that I know I should be. I want to get bigger and build muscle in all areas while maintaining a level of cardio – I’m willing to work out 7 days a week. I know the basics about health but I’m not as knowledgeable as I’d like to be and I’ve become very curious about these things, so..
I have quite a few questions or concerns I would love to be answered, so please bear with me.
1. How much protein should I be consuming each day if I want to gain muscle? As far as good protein sources go, I drink 4 eggs and 2 liters of milk every day but I’m unsure if that’s enough to gain any muscle. I know that protein is the nutrition source I should be focusing on taking the most, but what are the other ones I should focus on besides protein? And how much of each should I be taking each day?
2. Should I take my source of protein before or after I workout? And on the days that I don’t work out, do I take it in the morning or right before I sleep?
3. I want to build my cardio and (running) speed. What is the limit of how much running I can do (each week) before I start losing any weight? I want to gain weight, not lose it.
4. How many calories should I be taking in a day (I weigh 185 lbs or 84 kg)?
5. How am I supposed to gain muscle and get bigger when I’m still working on my cardio and trying to manage my calories (I want better abs too)? The art of balance... it seems challenging.
6. Is there a best way of doing each body part for each workout? For example, one day triceps and chest, next day biceps and forearms, then legs/calves, etc. It may seem like I know how to have a strategy or plan but I have no idea what the best way to go about it is. Is it good to do this or should there only be upper body one day and lower body the next?
7. By now, I’m past the initial stage of building muscle, so I don’t need to lift very light weights with many reps anymore. Is it safe to lift heavy weights with very few reps? For example, putting up a lot of weight on bench press so I can do 5 reps max each set. Is this a more effective way of gaining muscle or should I stay on light weights with many reps?
I will probably have more questions but this is all I could think of right now. Thanks guys, I’ll write back if you have any questions. I want to get serious about my health, so I really appreciate any advice you guys can give. Cheers!
I have quite a few questions or concerns I would love to be answered, so please bear with me.
1. How much protein should I be consuming each day if I want to gain muscle? As far as good protein sources go, I drink 4 eggs and 2 liters of milk every day but I’m unsure if that’s enough to gain any muscle. I know that protein is the nutrition source I should be focusing on taking the most, but what are the other ones I should focus on besides protein? And how much of each should I be taking each day?
2. Should I take my source of protein before or after I workout? And on the days that I don’t work out, do I take it in the morning or right before I sleep?
3. I want to build my cardio and (running) speed. What is the limit of how much running I can do (each week) before I start losing any weight? I want to gain weight, not lose it.
4. How many calories should I be taking in a day (I weigh 185 lbs or 84 kg)?
5. How am I supposed to gain muscle and get bigger when I’m still working on my cardio and trying to manage my calories (I want better abs too)? The art of balance... it seems challenging.
6. Is there a best way of doing each body part for each workout? For example, one day triceps and chest, next day biceps and forearms, then legs/calves, etc. It may seem like I know how to have a strategy or plan but I have no idea what the best way to go about it is. Is it good to do this or should there only be upper body one day and lower body the next?
7. By now, I’m past the initial stage of building muscle, so I don’t need to lift very light weights with many reps anymore. Is it safe to lift heavy weights with very few reps? For example, putting up a lot of weight on bench press so I can do 5 reps max each set. Is this a more effective way of gaining muscle or should I stay on light weights with many reps?
I will probably have more questions but this is all I could think of right now. Thanks guys, I’ll write back if you have any questions. I want to get serious about my health, so I really appreciate any advice you guys can give. Cheers!