Gaining Muscle Mass w/o Steriods

[XLEdwards Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close XLEdwards]

Hey guys, I've been searching around the forum, as well as the internet, looking for topics on gaining muscle mass without that infamous drug, Steroids. Sadly, I can't seem to find one detailed enough that's actually probably not totally BS.

So I've come to you all, and would like some input on what I'd need to do in order to look bigger and get stronger, without substance abuse. I will say, I KNOW what needs to be done; weight training, HIIT, Cross fit, etc, but it seems the people I've looked up, and claimed it was all natural gains, were phonies. I mean, it'd be great to work hard enough in 4 years and look like Terry Cruise lol.

I just need advice on the matter, what you all have done to get larger. Thanks!

[HealthyMeat Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close HealthyMeat]

I'm a hard gainer, very high metabolism. What finally works for me is a high calorie weight gain protein shake. I use Optimum nutrition Serious Mass. That combined with eating at least three large meals with small meals in between works for me. Lift HEAVY! 5 sets of 5 with a spotter But not all the time, change it up. I follow athletic build type

[Pegasus AdministratorPE Gym EditorPEGym Hero ☺ Admin of the Month Mar 2015 Find all posts View Profile Close Pegasus]

Well here is a thing the guys knew before roids if you have a fast metabolism you have to limit calories going out . So limit activities that burn a lot of calories .

[HealthyMeat Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close HealthyMeat]

^^True. If you don't need cardio for anything, ie sports. Then don't do it often. Limit it to like 1 day a week for about 20 mins just to work the heart. I for one need cardio, so I jump rope.

[rodc Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close rodc]

First of all roids are the last thing you want to do, you dont mention you age but especially if you are younger biggest thing is nutrition. I have a bit of experience with this I have been bodybuilding for several years and am now training my 19 year old son for his first competition in Mexico. He also was a hard gainer but nutrition is key, even though its a pain plenty of protein and in your case you probably want to make sure you are getting lots of good carbs from sources like oatmeal, green veggies rice etc.

Keep your lifts heavy 6 to 7 sets between 5 and 7 reps you can vary this but like Ronnie Coleman said "everybody wants to get big but no one wants to lift heavy ass weight" This is very true the heavier you lift the more you will grow because the muscle needs to adapt. Make sure you do this within reason to avoid injury, build up slowly and warm up with a few light sets and then gradually go heavy. Even sloppy reps can help especially on the last two or three "last forced reps are the best".

The bottom line is everyone is different so you need to listen to your body and experiment around with foods and see what your body responds to, make sure you eat clean and also trick your body here and there, my son eats clean 5 days a week and Pizza and fried chicken are his favorite weekend foods however during the week his diet is strict and very clean no sugars and lots of meat, chicken and fish, whole grains and occasional fruit.

In the future once you've bulked and you want to compete thats a totally different story to but genetics is key, build what you have and then later you can decide. I am not a big advocate of steroids and prefer to keep things natural and there are other natural steroid alternatives that can help but ultimately everyone has to make that decision for themselves. Unfortunately as we know most of the pros do roids but thats their business and livelihood once in that league you may need to but if you just want to bulk best thing is hard training and good nutrition.

[XLEdwards Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close XLEdwards]

First of all roids are the last thing you want to do, you dont mention you age but especially if you are younger biggest thing is nutrition. I have a bit of experience with this I have been bodybuilding for several years and am now training my 19 year old son for his first competition in Mexico. He also was a hard gainer but nutrition is key, even though its a pain plenty of protein and in your case you probably want to make sure you are getting lots of good carbs from sources like oatmeal, green veggies rice etc.

Keep your lifts heavy 6 to 7 sets between 5 and 7 reps you can vary this but like Ronnie Coleman said "everybody wants to get big but no one wants to lift heavy ass weight" This is very true the heavier you lift the more you will grow because the muscle needs to adapt. Make sure you do this within reason to avoid injury, build up slowly and warm up with a few light sets and then gradually go heavy. Even sloppy reps can help especially on the last two or three "last forced reps are the best".

The bottom line is everyone is different so you need to listen to your body and experiment around with foods and see what your body responds to, make sure you eat clean and also trick your body here and there, my son eats clean 5 days a week and Pizza and fried chicken are his favorite weekend foods however during the week his diet is strict and very clean no sugars and lots of meat, chicken and fish, whole grains and occasional fruit.

In the future once you've bulked and you want to compete thats a totally different story to but genetics is key, build what you have and then later you can decide. I am not a big advocate of steroids and prefer to keep things natural and there are other natural steroid alternatives that can help but ultimately everyone has to make that decision for themselves. Unfortunately as we know most of the pros do roids but thats their business and livelihood once in that league you may need to but if you just want to bulk best thing is hard training and good nutrition.

Right, sorry, I'm 23 so I'm still pretty young lol. I lift fairly heavy, usually heavy enough that I can do 5 good reps before struggling. However, the cardio portion of my exercises, I'm pushing to get a lean build going; V-Cut and all, so I'd like to keep that up. If doing that, shouldn't I eat more carbs/calories then I'm burning?

[Jaw Breaker Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Jaw Breaker]

Food + Weights + Hard Work + Patience + Time

What does your current routine look like? What are your current stats? What are your goals?

[gettingintoshape Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close gettingintoshape]

Great topic. There are so many fads and advice columns out there that are counter productive. For me, I started using a calorie counter, dropped a bunch of weight by doing cardio and light weights. Once I reached my weight goal, I started eating enough to maintain my weight and lifting heavy. I dont really want to bulk up, but I do want to be lean and defined.

[XLEdwards Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close XLEdwards]

Honestly, my goals for the gym are pretty vague, other than keep the consistency.

I guess my routine for Monday, Wednesdayday, Friday would be upper body strength(chest, biceps, triceps, back, etc.), and Tuesday and Thursday I focus on lower strength aka Leg Day.

I'm going to need to invest in a journal to bring with me, as well as set up goals to meet weekly and monthly. For right now though, I've just been winging it really. Go in, pump iron till I'm too tired to pump more, even though I keep track of the reps and sets that I'm doing.

[Jaw Breaker Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Jaw Breaker]

Well ... I was asking more specifically ... what exercises do you do? You're going to need more consistency and planning if you want to see consistent results. If you just go into the gym and kind of guess what you're going to do that day instead of having a well-made plan, you're not going to get the kind of results you desire ... especially if your goals aren't really clear either. You need tangible, reachable goals. Then from there you can begin putting together an attack plan to attain those goals. Your diet needs to be on point as well.

No matter what you're doing, take it slow at first and work up the intensity. Listen to your body. If you're doing something and it doesn't feel right, stop doing it. Never push through pain. That whole "no pain no gain" thing is wildly misinterpreted and can lead to injury. Pushing yourself is one thing ... pushing through your body's signals telling you something wrong is something else entirely.

Think about what you really want to gain through exercise. Get some clearcut goals in mind. Then start from there.

[MrB8 Senior Member Member of the Month Nov 2013 Find all posts View Profile Close MrB8]

Eat well, work hard, and know your body, no steroids needed!

Good luck!

[rodc Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close rodc]

Good point, I don't think you can say i will do so many sets etc. I usually go by feel and at your age you should be able to blast some serious weight, cardio you can get from super-setting exercises if need be, it all depends on the physique you want to achieve, diet is the hardest thing. In my case I am older but even my son I have train one body part per day except for arms he does biceps and triceps on the same day, if you are going to do cardio keep slow "that is if you want to build muscle" and usually no more than 15 - 20 minutes, and yes this a subject that has a lot of info read research and see what some of the big guys are doing and you can get more of an idea.

[Jaw Breaker Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Jaw Breaker]

^^

What?

[C.G Member Find all posts View Profile Close C.G]

Well, you dont need 5 times a week gym to get big, homie. You dont want to overtrain and your body needs rest and resources so that it can build mass, exercising muscle only wont get you bigger. The 2 most important things for you to gain mass is FOOD and REST. Exercising is only like 20 % of the whole process. I've been through various exercise routines in my lifetime, guys who wrote about going for a 2:1 carbs/ proteine ratio are right, guys who told you to cut down from your aerobic exercises are right as well.
You dont need 5 times a week gym, my advice for you is to do 3 times, 4 times the most. I can help you up with a very good 4 times a week routine if you'd like that. 2/1/2
One more thing that I would like to add is do your abs workout about every other day. Abs exercising is known for metabolism boost.

[Jaw Breaker Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Jaw Breaker]

Well, you dont need 5 times a week gym to get big, homie. You dont want to overtrain and your body needs rest and resources so that it can build mass, exercising muscle only wont get you bigger.

Overtraining only occurs when the volume of a person's routine exceeds the level at which they're able to recover from that routine. This varies from person to person ... so there aren't any absolute guidelines as to what qualifies as going too much. 3 days a week works for some people ... and so does 5. Normally people that do 5 are on a split routine, where they break up body parts/groups into separate days ... with enough time in between to allow proper rest before that same group is trained again.

The 2 most important things for you to gain mass is FOOD and REST.

Yes, those two things are very important.

Exercising is only like 20 % of the whole process.

That’s a randomly selected percentage.

guys who wrote about going for a 2:1 carbs/ proteine ratio are right

What “guys” are you referring to? Different diets are appropriate for different goals … and not all diets work exactly the same for everybody. You could have two individuals that are the exact same body type, age, height, weight, etc. eating the same exact food and they will respond differently to the same diet. Although basic guidelines can be set for specific goals, it still must be adjusted for individual needs and biological differences.

guys who told you to cut down from your aerobic exercises are right as well.

This is completely dependent upon the person’s goals and there are a variety of ways to increase cardiovascular endurance. The most popular way for those trying to put on muscle while sparing lean tissue is High Intensity Interval Training or HIIT.

You dont need 5 times a week gym, my advice for you is to do 3 times, 4 times the most.

This is dependent upon the person’s time and preferences. It’s possible to take a 3 day routine and break it up into a 5 day routine … allowing for more rest in between muscle groups. There’s many ways you can tweak a routine to fit someone’s needs.

One more thing that I would like to add is do your abs workout about every other day. Abs exercising is known for metabolism boost.

This is utter nonsense. Working your abdominals isn’t going to ignite some kind of magical metabolic boost. They’re not a large enough muscle group to have any significant effect on metabolism to make a claim of any metabolic boost unto themselves. Working the body as a whole is what should be the main focus if increased metabolic efficiency is the goal. The body wants to adapt and work and grow as a whole … so incorporating compound movements such as deadlifts, squats, bench press, etc. will have the most benefit for increasing your basal metabolic rate. Unlike cardio, weight training will continue to keep your BMR elevated even when you are done working out. Also, the more lean muscle tissue you acquire, the more your body becomes a fat furnace … making you more efficient at burning fat … and also permanently increasing your basal metabolic rate … meaning you can eat more food without gaining weight.