I'm new

[ineed2change]

Alright so I am completely new and I need guided in the right direction. I want to work on my chest, arms and abs more and have them more tone. I do not want to neglect my legs but I just want to get a defined upper body.

[oldballs]

Alright so I am completely new and I need guided in the right direction. I want to work on my chest, arms and abs more and have them more tone. I do not want to neglect my legs but I just want to get a defined upper body.

Read all the stickys and get right back to us with any questions.

[PharmaFreak1]

1. Determine your daily calorie needs based on your current physique and fitness level:
Determining Daily Caloric Needs


2. Organize/create a diet that is either at a surplus OR a defect of the calories determined in step 1, depending if you are planning on cutting or bulking. (10-20% surplus or deficit)


3. Monitor your progress (lifts and bodyweight) and see how effective your deficit or surplus, is. Adjust accordingly and I’d give it a good 3 weeks before assessing and readjusting.


4. Check out the following link and read about basics of nutrition before formulating your plan:
Nutritional Information - The Basics


5. Focus on a training plan that is conducive to your goals (3-5 times per week training program)


6. Aim for 1 gram per pound of bodyweight per day (e.g.. 150lbs = 150 grams of protein per day)

[PharmaFreak1]

read all the stickys and get right back to us with any questions.

plus this!

[amitnihal]

Alright so I am completely new and I need guided in the right direction. I want to work on my chest, arms and abs more and have them more tone. I do not want to neglect my legs but I just want to get a defined upper body.

With regards to your workout plan do not start off with the 5 day split routine recommended in most muscle magazines, those are more suited towards the professional body builders. Stick to the basic compound movements for the first few months.
I personally like the 5x5 routine which includes most of them.

[artvandelay02]

Toned lol I hate that word.

[GeneralSerpant]

Disregarding all the cookie-cutter posts above, I say to learn a full-body split which is divided between your back, chest, and lower-body. For your first week to two weeks, give about 5-7 sets per area, which consists of about 3-4 sets of bench press, pull-ups, and squats. Supplement this with some incline bench press, some seated cable-rows, and some romanian dead-lifts, on such days respectively. You should be golden then.

[repsandsets]

Alright so I am completely new and I need guided in the right direction. I want to work on my chest, arms and abs more and have them more tone. I do not want to neglect my legs but I just want to get a defined upper body.

If you haven't already, I'd join a gym.

Get started with a whole body program you do three of four times a week. In the first few weeks, I'd stick to the resistance machines to let you body adapt to lifting heavy weights in a safe way, without needing to worry too much about form. As you get used to lifting, you will want to progress on to free weights, but there's no hurry if you're just starting out.

I'd also work in higher rep ranges initially - say 15-20 reps per set, around 3 sets per exercise, and aim to be reaching failure by the end of the third set. This means working with lighter weights initially - again to let your body adjust. Then you can slowly start bringing the reps down and the weights up over time.

It can be a huge advantage to have a workout buddy at the gym - so you can spot each other, give feedback on each others form, etc - so if you know someone else who might be interested, ask them.

Most gyms, when you join, offer a free induction - they'll probably even work out your first program for you - so I'd recommend taking advantage of this.

Finally, I'd say, you need to be paying attention to diet. Without knowing anything about your current body fat, etc, I can't give you specific advice. But in general, when someone says they want "tone" this usually means they want more muscle definition, which involves reducing body fat. To do this, you need to be in calorie deficit - i.e. eating less calories than you burn. At your age, however, many guys are looking to put weight on, rather than lose it, so you might find that you get the results you are looking from just from working out.

Good luck!

[-Lucifer]

Check my sig.

[TheMadPhysicist]

second this advice! especially in regards to diet. Pointless lifting weights if you're diet isn't in check.

If you haven't already, I'd join a gym.

Get started with a whole body program you do three of four times a week. In the first few weeks, I'd stick to the resistance machines to let you body adapt to lifting heavy weights in a safe way, without needing to worry too much about form. As you get used to lifting, you will want to progress on to free weights, but there's no hurry if you're just starting out.

I'd also work in higher rep ranges initially - say 15-20 reps per set, around 3 sets per exercise, and aim to be reaching failure by the end of the third set. This means working with lighter weights initially - again to let your body adjust. Then you can slowly start bringing the reps down and the weights up over time.

It can be a huge advantage to have a workout buddy at the gym - so you can spot each other, give feedback on each others form, etc - so if you know someone else who might be interested, ask them.

Most gyms, when you join, offer a free induction - they'll probably even work out your first program for you - so I'd recommend taking advantage of this.

Finally, I'd say, you need to be paying attention to diet. Without knowing anything about your current body fat, etc, I can't give you specific advice. But in general, when someone says they want "tone" this usually means they want more muscle definition, which involves reducing body fat. To do this, you need to be in calorie deficit - i.e. eating less calories than you burn. At your age, however, many guys are looking to put weight on, rather than lose it, so you might find that you get the results you are looking from just from working out.

Good luck!