I'm 16 and I'm new to bodybuilding... Where/how do I start?

[jonathan11303]

Hey guys! My name is Jonathan and I'm 16 years old! I'm new to the bodybuilding forums as well as bodybuilding in general, and I was wondering where or how I even begin my (skinny to muscular) body transformation.

First off, a little bit about myself:

Name: Jonathan
Age: 16
Height: 6' 1"
Weight 147 lbs
Body Fat Percentage: ~11%
Body Type: 2.58 - some where in between an Ectomorph and a Mesomorph according to Bodybuilding.com

My Goal: I would like to develop a strong muscular body with great definition while at the same time developing a lot of agility. I'm not sure where to start and I was wondering if someone could point me in the right direction as to how to begin. What should my workout routine be? What should I eat? Supplements? - Like I said, I'm new to bodybuilding and I'd really like to learn the proper way of developing and maintaining a strong, defined, fast, and flexible body. Sorry for the numerous questions, however, the local gyms here in Houston charge ~$100/hour for a personal trainer and I really don't have that kind of money! If you're anything like me and have achieved your goal, please feel free to share you insights! Thanks in advance!

[startingtotrain]

Hey guys! My name is Jonathan and I'm 16 years old! I'm new to the bodybuilding forums as well as bodybuilding in general, and I was wondering where or how I even begin my (skinny to muscular) body transformation.

First off, a little bit about myself:

Name: Jonathan
Age: 16
Height: 6' 1"
Weight 147 lbs
Body Fat Percentage: ~11%
Body Type: 2.58 - some where in between an Ectomorph and a Mesomorph according to Bodybuilding.com

My Goal: I would like to develop a strong muscular body with great definition while at the same time developing a lot of agility. I'm not sure where to start and I was wondering if someone could point me in the right direction as to how to begin. What should my workout routine be? What should I eat? Supplements? - Like I said, I'm new to bodybuilding and I'd really like to learn the proper way of developing and maintaining a strong, defined, fast, and flexible body. Sorry for the numerous questions, however, the local gyms here in Houston charge ~$100/hour for a personal trainer and I really don't have that kind of money! If you're anything like me and have achieved your goal, please feel free to share you insights! Thanks in advance!

[BitterBlossom]

Welcome.

Ignore our young friend above. He's cranky that so many people here are mean to him.

Workout - Any routine with the major compound lifts. Exercises such as Squats, Deadlifts, Bench Press and Pull Ups. Exercises such as these will deliver overall size and strength. There's a routine called rippetoes starting strength, which is the general program people advise around here. It focuses completely on compound exercises.

Diet - The first step is bulking: putting on muscle mass/weight. Therefore, foods such as pasta, milk, nuts/peanut butter, olive oil, lean meats will be necessary for reaching your high caloric numbers. There are calculators online for figuring out how many calores you need, but you could simply start off with 3000 calories a day. As for protein, make sure you're getting in at least 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight.

Supplements - None are truly needed, however a good protein powder is always nice. Creatine is also an option, but if you do choose to get some, stick with a simple, cheap creatine monohydrate. Don't fall for company advertising scams.

Those are the basics, good luck and cheers.

[CajunPballer]

This is just a hunch, but a good place to start might be the thread titled: "new to lifting? Start here!"

.

[chopsticks91]

Noww I havent exactly gotten big and stayed defined yet Im cutting now and im eating just about perfect...
first off where to start- make sure everyday you go in to the gym knowing what youre going to work dont go in there and just go with the flow and jump around from machine to bench and so on and so forth...have a good split and go from there. Also workin the angles, for example dont just do flat bench stuff for chest hit some incline and what not, just like if youre working shoulders most people neglect the rear delts, so on and so forth...also are you lifting for mass or are you lifting for stregth because rep ranges and type of sets youre doing play a factor...

now to eating- eat alot....take in a **** ton of protein and carbs when youre bulking but make sure its quality calories...fats essential to, not alot but you need it....without it youre cheating yourself

supplements- as far as supplementation goes im a fan of the following for keeping it simple and not so expensive
whey protein
casein protein
nitric oxide supp
glutamine
bcaa's
and a multivitamin


I probably left out some stuff you asked about memory isnt too hot

[Natstokes14]

Read ALL the stickies in this section and ALL the stickies in the nutrition section, I started about where your at right now and if you have money for a gym membership/to buy proper home equipment i would forsure do Rippetoes SS, bench max goes up about 2.5 pounds a week and ive been adding 5 to my deadlift and 5 to squats.

[realize]

This is just a hunch, but a good place to start might be the thread titled: "new to lifting? Start here!"

.

New to lifting? Start here! [click here]

[bigruss757]

http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showth...hp?t=117423471

This will help you out with numerous questions you may have, if theres any thing specific you dont understand look it up on the supersite or forums, goodluck!

[jonathan11303]

Welcome.

Ignore our young friend above. He's cranky that so many people here are mean to him.

Workout - Any routine with the major compound lifts. Exercises such as Squats, Deadlifts, Bench Press and Pull Ups. Exercises such as these will deliver overall size and strength. There's a routine called rippetoes starting strength, which is the general program people advise around here. It focuses completely on compound exercises.

Diet - The first step is bulking: putting on muscle mass/weight. Therefore, foods such as pasta, milk, nuts/peanut butter, olive oil, lean meats will be necessary for reaching your high caloric numbers. There are calculators online for figuring out how many calores you need, but you could simply start off with 3000 calories a day. As for protein, make sure you're getting in at least 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight.

Supplements - None are truly needed, however a good protein powder is always nice. Creatine is also an option, but if you do choose to get some, stick with a simple, cheap creatine monohydrate. Don't fall for company advertising scams.

Those are the basics, good luck and cheers.

Thanks for the tips!

Noww I havent exactly gotten big and stayed defined yet Im cutting now and im eating just about perfect...
first off where to start- make sure everyday you go in to the gym knowing what youre going to work dont go in there and just go with the flow and jump around from machine to bench and so on and so forth...have a good split and go from there. Also workin the angles, for example dont just do flat bench stuff for chest hit some incline and what not, just like if youre working shoulders most people neglect the rear delts, so on and so forth...also are you lifting for mass or are you lifting for stregth because rep ranges and type of sets youre doing play a factor...

now to eating- eat alot....take in a **** ton of protein and carbs when youre bulking but make sure its quality calories...fats essential to, not alot but you need it....without it youre cheating yourself

supplements- as far as supplementation goes im a fan of the following for keeping it simple and not so expensive
whey protein
casein protein
nitric oxide supp
glutamine
bcaa's
and a multivitamin


I probably left out some stuff you asked about memory isnt too hot

Well I'm looking to gain a lot of strength, however, I would like for it to show. So I would assume I am not only looking to gain a lot of strength but some mass as well - but I guess the mass kind of comes along with the strength gains =P. As far as reps go, I would assume 3 sets of 8 is a pretty good general rep to build a lot of strength. However, remember that I'm also aiming to develop a lot of agility. Correct me if I'm wrong but would it be ideal to rep 3 sets of 8 when working on lifts that use multiple muscles throughout the body and like 4 sets of 12 with a much smaller weight when working on lifts that are isolated for a specific muscle? Thanks for the insight btw!

[chopsticks91]

Depends, that was the ideal rep range when i first started out to me...I stayed at 8, but I was going for mass so I should have upped the reps... if i was going for strength i would have stayed at about 6. and take barbell bicep curls for example, isolated for the bicep obviously buttttt going for strength i wouldnt do 4 sets of 12, definitely lower that... and as far as the agility goes you could do plyometrics or yoga hah or maybe even crossfit one day a week?....And i mean its inevitable that starting out no matter what rep range you do youre definitely going to get stronger, but as time goes by and you start to plateau thats when you have to consider more, such as super sets, negatives, forced reps, rest pauses and so on

[johnpa24]

Hey guys! My name is Jonathan and I'm 16 years old! I'm new to the bodybuilding forums as well as bodybuilding in general, and I was wondering where or how I even begin my (skinny to muscular) body transformation.

First off, a little bit about myself:

Name: Jonathan
Age: 16
Height: 6' 1"
Weight 147 lbs
Body Fat Percentage: ~11%
Body Type: 2.58 - some where in between an Ectomorph and a Mesomorph according to Bodybuilding.com

My Goal: I would like to develop a strong muscular body with great definition while at the same time developing a lot of agility. I'm not sure where to start and I was wondering if someone could point me in the right direction as to how to begin. What should my workout routine be? What should I eat? Supplements? - Like I said, I'm new to bodybuilding and I'd really like to learn the proper way of developing and maintaining a strong, defined, fast, and flexible body. Sorry for the numerous questions, however, the local gyms here in Houston charge ~$100/hour for a personal trainer and I really don't have that kind of money! If you're anything like me and have achieved your goal, please feel free to share you insights! Thanks in advance!

1. Go to the thread "rippetoe's starting strength"
2. Read
3. Get to it

[We_Big]

Just take a multivitamin a lift heavy, good luck with your goals for 2011!

[Steron99]

I am a trainer/attendant/bodybuilder,let see if I can help. Go gym shopping,see whats out there and what you can afford,check out your local Y too. After joining make an appointment for an orientation with staff,start with machines,3 sets,8-10 reps with a comfortable weight.Start from there.

[Partyrocking]

I am a trainer/attendant/bodybuilder,let see if I can help. Go gym shopping,see whats out there and what you can afford,check out your local Y too. After joining make an appointment for an orientation with staff,start with machines,3 sets,8-10 reps with a comfortable weight.Start from there.

Pretty sure he's figured it out over the past 5.5 years

[lowyj]

I am a trainer/attendant/bodybuilder,let see if I can help. Go gym shopping,see whats out there and what you can afford,check out your local Y too. After joining make an appointment for an orientation with staff,start with machines,3 sets,8-10 reps with a comfortable weight.Start from there.

Seriously? digging out a 5years thread? ggwp