Exercise me: Make me gain muscle

Put your car in neutral and push it around the parking lot for half an hour.

If you are serious, I would by "The Body Sculpting Bible for Men" I would also overload on protein - 50gr a day if you can. Over there you should have access to alot of soy and fish right?

Make them a part of your diet, and not just do shakes.

But-do shakes like Myoplex or some other protein right after you are done working out.

THE KEYS

I have a friend like you wanting to get bigger (we share a trainer) and the key is:

1. Do not work the same muscle group 2 days in a row. Example: Do arms, then do legs the next day. The resting is key.
2. Get a ton of sleep
You will start to get sleepy earlier because your muscles will want to heal (lifting causes strain and micro-tears, and the body responds by making the fibers bigger)
3. Water Water Water


Hope this helps,
kenn

First gear for a thorough workout?

you don't have to be so subtle.

Depends on the tranny (oops, bad mental picture).

I saw an overweight lady do something like that yesterday. Her car died after coming to a stop at a red light; she just got out and pushed the damn thing by herself to a safe area 100 yards away, much to the amazement of passerby.

Lots of Protien, a little fat, low reps and heavy weight!!!

OP, you have 2200 posts and you haven't found one thread on SF that already deals with this topic?

ROFLMAO

Your diet is a big contributor, read this post. Found a good post on one of the forums, thought it might be helpful nOOb FAQ Rippetoe's Starting Strength FAQ I read through a few workout journals and threads about this program and after seeing the same questions over and over I figured I'd do the community a favor. So here are most of the questions in a FAQ type format for those of you who don't have the book yet or are too lazy to do your own research I am no expert on this program or bodybuilding, I am only reposting questions and general answers to them from other threads. For nOObs, BY a nOOb. This FAQ is by no means a substitute for the book; merely some quick answers to common questions that have been asked already. If in doubt, buy the book. I am presuming you know SOMETHING about this program when looking here. Matta114 has an excellent summary/overview of the program in this thread HERE I've seen more than one routine for this program. What exercises do you do in this program exactly? This program requires that you do 5 main exercises: SQUAT (ATG), BENCH PRESS, DEADLIFT, STANDING MILITARY PRESS, POWER CLEAN OR PENDLAY ROW. Ab work and hypers are also recommended. Anything else is optional/changes the program. Do I do it every day? No, There are 2 workouts that you do for 3 non-consecutive days. Example: WORKOUT A: SQUATS 3X5 BENCH PRESS 3X5 DEADLIFT 1X5 WORKOUT B: SQUATS 3X5 STANDING MILITARY PRESS 3X5 POWER CLEAN OR PENDLAY ROW 3X5 WEEK 1 MONDAY - WORKOUT A WEDNESDAY - WORKOUT B FRIDAY - WORKOUT A WEEK 2 MONDAY - WORKOUT B WEDNESDAY - WORKOUT A FRIDAY - WORKOUT B That's it? That doesn't seem like enough exercises Yes, it is plenty. Remember, this is a full body program comprised of compound lifts that work all your muscle groups. You CAN add isolation exercises to this program. It is recommended to only add 1 isolation exercise for 3x8 for each targeted muscle group to the last workout of the week. I.E. Friday add 3x8 curls, 3x8 tricep press. Do I increase the weight every workout or every week? Try to increase the weight every workout. Early in the program it may be possible to increase weight by 10 lbs each workout, but later increases will most likely be in the 2.5-5 lb range. Can I do cardio with this program? Yes, but this program was designed for beginning lifters to put on mass quickly. Lots of cardio will probably reduce your gains. My legs are sore from yesterday's workout, should I still do squats tomorrow? Hell yes. The squats are KEY to this program. What about warm-ups? Do I need to do them? Yes, recommended warm up sets are as follows: If working sets are 175 then warm-up sets are: 2x5xbar 1x5x85 1x3x125 1x2x155 **reps to Matta114 for the example** Why is there only 1 set of deadlifts? Because you already worked the crap out of yourself doing squats and bench press. Give it a few weeks, you'll see. Can I interchange the exercises from workout A and B? No, keep it just as it is prescribed. Add isolation work to Friday workout if necessary. Which is better for me; power cleans or Pendlay rows? If your goal is strength, do power cleans. If your goal is mass, do Pendlay rows. Do you use the same weight for all three working sets? Yes, if your working set weight for squats is 175, then use it for all 3 sets of 5 reps. Can I use a Smith machine for this program? You CAN, but I think most people here think of it as a 'Suck' machine . Use a power rack or squat rack and freeweights for best results. Aren't all these squats bad for my knees? No, actually, ATG squats are better than squats where you don't go below parallel. What's ATG? Ass to Grass buddy. All the way down. This program is for noobs, is that me? If you're asking this, then the answer is probably 'YES' young Jedi. One important note here though: even experienced lifters have had success with this program. I don't think this program is very good. Can I change it around and add stuff to it? No, go find another workout if you don't like it. The point is to DO IT LIKE IT RIPPETOE DIRECTS. How long is this program? It varies, but I think 4-6 months for most beginners. Can I do the standing military press sitting down? Now why would they put 'standing' in the name then... Seriously though, if the ceiling is too low, go outside. If you can't go outside, then seated will work, but I think the core muscles get more work if you do them standing. I just finished my first workout and it was too easy. I thought this was gonna be tough. It will be. Keep adding weight each workout. When you have to crawl home after one of your workouts, think about how 'easy' it was on Day 1. Are you sure I can't use machines for this workout? Machines are NOT an option. What happens when I get to a weight that I can't do 3x5 with? Drop 15-25 lbs and start again. Can I do ab workouts with this program? Yes, it is a good idea to do some ab work with any program. I row more than I bench, is that bad? No, it is not bad. ...Freak. How much rest between sets should I take? 1-2 minutes between working sets. Can I use dumbbells for the squats instead of a barbell? Um, no. Is doing squats 3 times a week too much? No. Again, this program revolves around the squats. What equipment do I need for this program? A Power rack, olympic weight set and a solid bench. How soon will I notice results? As long as you are adding weight to your workouts-that is a positive result. Noticeable physical results will vary, but definitely within the first couple weeks. When you reach failure on a particular exercise, are you supposed to drop 15-25 lbs and ramp back up again or do you stick it out w/ that weight? Drop weight and add incremental weight at each workout again. Am I trying to increase by 2.5% or 5 lbs each workout? Who cares. If you can add 5 lbs, great you're showing improvement. If its less than that, thats still good too! Will this program give me size AND strength? Yes. Exercise builds strength. Diet builds size. Lift weights, eat lots, repeat. How long should each workout last? About an hour. They will be shorter in the beginning because you wont feel the need to rest as much between sets. Also, any additional exercises (i.e. ab work, etc) will add time to the workout. There is no specific time limit for this program. How much weight should I start with? Find your 5 rep max (5RM) for a particular exercise, then start with 70% of that. If you can't do that/don't know it, start conservative and add 5-10 lbs each week until you plateau. Drop 15-25 lbs and start adding weight again. My personal trainer said doing squats ATG is bad for my knees. He should be fired. I have a bad back, is this a good program for me? Definitely not. I'm not in the U.S., how can I get the Starting Strength book? Go to www.amazon.com and order it. Cheapest shipping you'll find. __________________ -Jay

Ironically, just got to the part in the New Rules of Lifting where the author describes his ideal gym as exactly that - a bunch of cars for people to push, if he could devise safety features to keep them from rolling backward.

lol sounds like a cheap (or expensive) prowler.

Revamp your diet.