Day 1 - Adding big muscle.

[healthyme2]

Hi,

I have been lifting for 2 to 3 months consistently in full body workout sessions. It gave me good start with encouraging results. It lowered my Body Fat and added noticeable shape.

I have small and thin muscles currently. I want to get big muscles now. Like nice round big shoulders, big chest, strong tight core and legs and a V-back.

After reading around, I collected some data. Please critique if this is right to get big loads of muscle.

- Eat a lot. more than you burn. 4 meals a day, high proptein, moderate carbs and low fat.
- Do split workout routine with rest on alternating days. Lift as big as possible.
- Take amplifying protein supplements like Creatine and Whey.

Does this sound right? Is this called bulking? Is there a series of steps that I should follow towards this goal?

Should I go ahead with this starting today?

Thanks a lot.

[James.Unit]

To get 'big loads of muscle' here are some basics:

- Eat a lot. If you're just starting out then don't worry about macro ratios and carb cutoffs etc just eat; at least your bodyweight in grams of protein a day (e.g. if you're 150 pounds you need at least 150 grams of protein a day.) Good protein sources are milk, tuna, chicken, cheese, steak etc. A general guide for calorie intake is to take your bodyweight in pounds and multiply it by 18 - 20 to get an idea of how many calories you need in order to gain weight, then split that into 6 - 7 meals/day.

- Do a program that focuses on the major compound movements; squat, bench, deadlift, row, military press, dips etc...don't use machines and don't do a bodypart split yet. A lot of beginners on this site do Rippetoe's Starting Strength program with great results, so run a search for that and read.

- Creatine is an amino acid, not a protein. I wouldn't worry about taking creatine yet; you're new to lifting, so rather wait until you've taken advantage of the gains you'll get just by lifting heavy and eating enough. Get some whey if you're struggling to get enough protein/day.