I was told that if I wanted to lose weight, I should gain 10lbs in lean muscle, then loose 20lbs in fatness.

1. Does anybody know a good exercise routine using weights to gain muscle? I've never lited weights before.
2. What is a good powder to take? For weight gaining.

*I was told creatine was bad. It gives you power and energy to make lifting easier. However, I was told that it degenerates the muscles in the long run. Thereby causing the muscles to develop a dependency on taking creatine to function properly. As such, lifting after no longer taking creatine would be more difficult than lifting before you ever took it. Developing muscle would be more difficult after no longer taking creatine that it was before starting. Is this true? Are there any good links about creatine facts?


*I was told that the only thing you really need to take is protien powder in order to build lean muscle mass. There is protein powder, weight gainer powder, and meal replacement powder. Can somebody give a logical explanation of the diferrences between the three? I was told that as long as I was eating my own meals, all I would need to take is the protein powder.

I went and got hemp protein powder with fiber (http://www.manitobaharvest.com/cartshop/productview.asp?key=12). Not sure what the difference is between the one without fiber. Would this allow me to put on muscle mass as long as I eat good healthy meals?

do this:
1. sleep regularly for 8-10 hours at night
2. when you wake up, go jog for 1hr
3. don't eat foods with fat or cholesterol
4. try swimming

Instead of building muscle mass, it might be more advisable to go in for strength training as well as training for flexibility.

1. Which is better for my situation between hep with fiber and hemp without fiber?
2. What is the difference between protein powder and weight gainer powder? I will be eating a meal no matter which I take.
3. What is the truth about creatine? I would like the burst of energy to motivate me to lift more, however, I am weary of the warnings.
4. It is true if one is not using muscle, they will atrophy. Is it true that they will atrophy significantly faster if one has used creatine to build muscle in the past, bust stopped lifting and using creatine?

do this:
1. sleep regularly for 8-10 hours at night
2. when you wake up, go jog for 1hr
3. don't eat foods with fat or cholesterol
4. try swimming
I swim sometimes. I also do alot of dance practice, so I get all the aerobics I need.


Instead of building muscle mass, it might be more advisable to go in for strength training as well as training for flexibility.
I am working on flexibility big time. I have not really started to produce results as I don't know any decent routine. I heard this book was good: "The Genius of Flexibility: The Smart Way to Stretch and Strengthen Your Body".



What is the difference between strength training and building muscle mass? I went to some of those strength training classes that invloved lots of aerobics integrated into it. I stopped because I found out it was unhealthy to loose weight I don't have muscle mass. Because the weight that I will loose is muscle mass. My plan is to go back to those classes after I have built my muscle mass, and attend them in order to stay fit in muscle while getting my aerobics at the same time, and maintaining my desired weight.


MY GOAL
My goal is gymnastics. Not necessarily all those tricks, but to have the balance, flexibility, and strength of a world class gymnist.

What is the difference between strength training and building muscle mass? I went to some of those strength training classes that invloved lots of aerobics integrated into it. I stopped because I found out it was unhealthy to loose weight I don't have muscle mass. Because the weight that I will loose is muscle mass. My plan is to go back to those classes after I have built my muscle mass, and attend them in order to stay fit in muscle while getting my aerobics at the same time, and maintaining my desired weight.


Aerobics cannot make you lose muscle mass; only inactivity does that.

Muscle responds to stimulation. You can use training to improve muscle weight and strength

Weight training is one type of strength training, but the most common and is seen by all but specialists as synonymous with strength training. The difference between weight training and other types of strength training is how the opposition to muscular contraction is generated. Resistance training uses elastic or hydraulic (water) forces to oppose muscular contraction and isometric exercise uses structural or intramuscular forces (e.g. doorways or the body's own muscles).

Building muscle mass is unnecessary to improve overall fitness. Improving muscle tone may be easier to do and maintain.

Lixluke,
You want to avoid powders for the simple reason that they are not natural foods. Not only do they taste yucky, they are they hard to digest and most people take enough to put the body under extreme stress, weakening their vitality. The 'cure' is worse than the disease.

A lean, healthy, hard body takes years of focus to develop. Eat only clean nutrition-dense foods, gets lots of sunshine and varied exercise and eventually you will be rewarded.

*I was told creatine was bad.

Whoa... wait a minute. No. It's not.

Making lifts easier? The fact is... the more weight you can lift with what you got, the more muscle you build. It's that simple.

And if you are looking for an exercise routine.. make sure it includes squats and/or deadlifts. If you do your research on those two lifts, you'll see why. The first two reasons? Testosterone and maximal muscle recruitment.

http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=998224

Read this thread and do that routine. Don't go about pulling a routine from "Muscle and Fitness" or other garbage magazines.

As for powders... I take ON Whey only. But, it's only a protein supplement and works best only pre and post workout... only. It's not a food you take at every meal.

Aerobics cannot make you lose muscle mass; only inactivity does that.

Tell that to the bodybuilders in the world.

Whoa... wait a minute. No. It's not.

Making lifts easier? The fact is... the more weight you can lift with what you got, the more muscle you build. It's that simple.

And if you are looking for an exercise routine.. make sure it includes squats and/or deadlifts. If you do your research on those two lifts, you'll see why. The first two reasons? Testosterone and maximal muscle recruitment.

http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=998224

Read this thread and do that routine. Don't go about pulling a routine from "Muscle and Fitness" or other garbage magazines.

As for powders... I take ON Whey only. But, it's only a protein supplement and works best only pre and post workout... only. It's not a food you take at every meal.
I read through that link. Those exercises look pretty good. I'll read it more thoroughly, and probably make a routine with it.

1. What is your opinion on creatine, and weight gainer powders?

2. What is the difference between protein powder and weight gainer powder?

3. Everybody here seems to admonish against taking any powders, and just eat healthy. What are the benefits of taking taking powders?

I don't intend to use whey either way as it comes from cows milk. There is a protein powder from goats milk called, Goatine, but it is very expensive. Hemp protein seems to be just as good as any yes? The Hemp I have seems to be a meal supplement for extra protein. Not necessary for lean muscle gaining. I spoke to a guy that has a very good cut. He uses recommended Cytogainer. If I do decide taking weight gain powder is a good idea, I will likely go with that. If creatine is good too, I will add it as well.


Tell that to the bodybuilders in the world.
Everybody seems to think it is OK to do aerobics and strength training at the same time to loose pounds while gaining muscle mass. However it seems to also make sense to build the muscle mass first doing minimal aerobics at dance practice while doing regular body building at the gym. Then, once I gain the lean muscle mass pounds, to go ahead with the aerobic strength training plus spinning and dance practice to burn the fatness. Probably because building muscle mass first increases resting metabolic rate.

That is why you do not burn the fat first to loose wieght, and then go ahead to gain the muscle mass. You gain the muscle mass first, then burn the fat to loose the fat weight. What would you say is a good idea in terms of increasing my muscle mass, and decreasing my fatness?

1. Does anybody know a good exercise routine using weights to gain muscle? I've never lited weights before.

As Absane said, if you're planning on building muscle and general strength, squats and deadlifts are exercises that you absolutely should do, whether you're a man or a woman, whether you want to have huge muscles, or just look good and trim. Those are hugely important exercises for the reasons he mentioned--large scale muscle recruitment and it boosts your testosterone, which helps build muscle and trim fat.

Like Absane mentioned, deadlifts and squats boost testosterone, so I do those at the beginning of the week. I lift pretty hard, for about 45 minutes and then I do cardio for about 15 minutes, Monday through Friday.

I break my routine into different muscle groups.

Monday I do back exercises with deadlifts.
Tuesday: squats, crunches
Wednesday: chest
Thurs: shoulders
Friday: arms

This way on any given day I can give my total focus to a small group of muscles. Like I said, I'm hardcore and I do most of my exercises to failure (meaning I'll do as many shoulder presses/bench presses/chin-ups/whatever it is until I can't anymore). Of course, I don't always lift to failure, and neither should you. You should do warmups, as well, but I'm sure you know a little about that, or you'll learn about it anyway. If you're lazy, it's likely you won't have to be hardcore to gain 10 lbs of muscle. If I'm correctly guessing that you don't lift weights at all and you're not very active, you should gain weight quickly--provided that you lift consistently. However, be advised that after the first week of lifting weights, you are going to hurt. Your muscles will be sore as hell, especially a day or two after you started doing squats or deadlifts. In other words, start slow. Work your way up and then you can be more hardcore.

My routine works well. I'm 6 feet tall and weigh about 195 lbs. My normal weight (without lifting weights at all) is 160 lbs, albeit, I wasn't fat, because when I weighed that much I was running quite a bit. So now I'm about 35 lbs more than I used to be, and I'm guessing about 30 of those pounds is muscle mass. I've been measured with those body fat calipers at 12.4%, which is normal, and from what I know, close to ideal.

Here is an excellent link that shows you how to perform all of the exercises you'll need to know in order to gain those 10+ lbs of muscle. In other parts of the site, there's a lot of information about MaxOT training, bodybuilding and supplements. They try to get you to buy a lot of things, but if you just stick to this part of the site, you'll be good. It is very specific about how to execute the exercises and shows you many of the different phases with captioned pictures.
http://ast-ss.com/training/exercises/eow-intro.asp

2. What is a good powder to take? For weight gaining.
I, like Absane, use ON (Optimum Nutrition). I'm somewhat wary of using those no-name brands. But I've heard some of those no-name brand whey protein powders are the same products as the brand name ones. I should do more research on that, because you can save quite a bit. I normally buy protein on Ebay and get a 5 lb tub for $35-40. But ON has worked very well for me.

A while ago, Absane recommended mixing steel cut oats with shakes and I've been doing that ever since. I blend half a cup of steel cut oats with a scoop of protein, a cup and a half of milk, a teaspoon of creatine, and whatever else I can to put in there. Sometimes peanut butter, sometimes fruit, ginger, yogurt, flax seed--anything to make it interesting and more nutrient dense. It's a really important thing for me, because being the big guy I am, I eat a shitload of food. This is convenient, because it's cheap, I can put it down the hatch very quickly and it helps give my body the nutrition it needs. Food is expensive--if I didn't make these shakes, I would be eating a lot of other shit that's expensive and not even as good for me. I highly recommend that you do something like this. Fashion for yourself a shake that will help your body recuperate and give it fuel.

Instead of building muscle mass, it might be more advisable to go in for strength training as well as training for flexibility.
Of course strength training will cause you to build muscle mass. Training for flexibility is a good recommendation. I don't know the specific ways that it helps, but I'm pretty sure it helps prevent injuries.

Aerobics cannot make you lose muscle mass; only inactivity does that.

Yes, it can. If you're very much into bodybuilding, it does begin to cut into your ability to build and maintain muscle mass. Eventually, you have to make a trade-off. You have to choose whether you want to be really strong or have a really good cardiovascular capacity. I go more into the middle. I lift for strength, but I do cardio every day. I could be stronger if I stopped doing cardio, but doing cardio is too damn important if having giant muscles isn't that important to you. There are too many benefits to have a good cardiovascular system to give up. Helps your brain function (there's even evidence that cardio can stimulate the production of actual new brain cells, as well as stimulate new interneural pathways), helps create "feel good" chemicals, helps keep you trim, and I also just plain enjoy cardio exercise. No way I'm giving that up. I strive for an optimal balance between brute strength and cardiovascular capacity.

Building muscle mass is unnecessary to improve overall fitness. Improving muscle tone may be easier to do and maintain.

It can help you lose fat though. Everybody should do squats and deadlifts. I guarantee if you started doing those exercises you'd be stronger, you'd feel better, and you'd have a more attractive body (of course I'm assuming you don't do those exercises). I bet it would be damn hard to not gain muscle if you started doing those exercises and began reaping those benefits.

do this:
1. sleep regularly for 8-10 hours at night
Good advice

2. when you wake up, go jog for 1hr
This is tricky. Certainly you're not advising him to go run for an hour without eating first. Running for an hour requires a tremendous amount of energy--energy your body is extremely low in when you first wake up. When you first wake up, your glycogen levels are almost entirely depleted. That makes sense because you haven't eaten in 8-10 hours. First thing you should do before you do anything that consumes a lot of energy is eat! However, then you have the problem of running on a stomach, which is full of breakfast. It's really not good to run on a full stomach.

So I really would recommend against running in the morning. You could get away with a light, brisk jog, for maybe 15-20 minutes or so, but I definitely wouldn't recommend running for an hour before or after breakfast. There's gotta be a better time to run. For example, many people sag in the midafternoon. It has something to do with the circadian rhythm. If you could somehow schedule it in that time, it would help get the oxygen pumping and give the old metabolism a good slap in the face!

3. don't eat foods with fat or cholesterol
Don't avoid fats completely. Fats give you long-term energy and help you feel sated. There's nothing evil about fats, but do try to minimize intake of saturated fats, oils that have been heated to high temperatures, and especially trans-fats. The fat in peanut butter (natural peanut butter--not Jiff and the like) is good for you, so is vegetable oils like conola, fish oil, extra-virgin olive oil, flax seed oil and many other vegetable oils.

Cholesterol is something you generally want to avoid though. However, I've heard in my nutrition class that your cholesterol levels have more to do with your genetics than the amount of cholesterol you actually ingest.

4. try swimming
Ohhh yeahhhh..

I was told that if I wanted to lose weight, I should gain 10lbs in lean muscle, then loose 20lbs in fatness.

1. Does anybody know a good exercise routine using weights to gain muscle? I've never lited weights before.
2. What is a good powder to take? For weight gaining.

*I was told creatine was bad. It gives you power and energy to make lifting easier. However, I was told that it degenerates the muscles in the long run. Thereby causing the muscles to develop a dependency on taking creatine to function properly. As such, lifting after no longer taking creatine would be more difficult than lifting before you ever took it. Developing muscle would be more difficult after no longer taking creatine that it was before starting. Is this true? Are there any good links about creatine facts?


*I was told that the only thing you really need to take is protien powder in order to build lean muscle mass. There is protein powder, weight gainer powder, and meal replacement powder. Can somebody give a logical explanation of the diferrences between the three? I was told that as long as I was eating my own meals, all I would need to take is the protein powder.

I went and got hemp protein powder with fiber (http://www.manitobaharvest.com/cartshop/productview.asp?key=12). Not sure what the difference is between the one without fiber. Would this allow me to put on muscle mass as long as I eat good healthy meals?

bodybuilding.com

I wouldn't take weight-lifting advice from sciforum members anymore than I'd take car advice from doctors. Go to the specialized sites and you'll get much better information.

I'm not saying everybody here is ignorant, but you'll get a lot more information if you go to a bodybuilding forum.

- Eat no refined carbohydrates
- Eat highly complex cabs when you can-- whole wheat / oats, and eat them before noon.
- Eat LOTS of protein
- Eat moderate amounts of fat
- Eat fruits only before noon, and no veggies after 7:00pm
- By reducing your available carbs as the day goes on, you train your body to naturally wind down as the day progresses
- Do your weights first, aerobics last
- Try to work out before 5pm
- Confuse your muscles, never do the same workout more than once a week
- Drink lots of water... and then drink some more
- Find a good / organic multi-vitamin
- SLEEP! Get lots of sleep.
- Don't make excuses-- do some kind of activity six days a week
- Find a partner, good friends make good work-out buddies

~String

I was told that if I wanted to lose weight, I should gain 10lbs in lean muscle, then loose 20lbs in fatness.
and that would lose you 10 lbs if you do the math. if you want to lose weight then cut out your saturated fat consumption. up your protein intake for amino acids. high rep workouts on a low weight to gain lean muscles. combined with plenty of cardio.



1. Does anybody know a good exercise routine using weights to gain muscle? I've never lited weights before.
2. What is a good powder to take? For weight gaining.
if you want tight lean muscles then high reps low weight workouts with cardio are vital. for big bodybuilding muscles you need the opposite. lower reps with higher weight. but if you can manage then over 12 reps each set with high weights is fine.

protein intake is the key to any form of muscle building routine. whey protein is the common pupular trend right now and it is good. but casein protein is even slower to digest and fuels your muscles for much longer periods after consumption than whey. many hardcore bodybuilders use casein powder. but the real stuff tastes like soap to me. but there is always ways to improve the taste. like adding milkshake powder. or fat free yoghurt.


*I was told creatine was bad. It gives you power and energy to make lifting easier. However, I was told that it degenerates the muscles in the long run. Thereby causing the muscles to develop a dependency on taking creatine to function properly. As such, lifting after no longer taking creatine would be more difficult than lifting before you ever took it. Developing muscle would be more difficult after no longer taking creatine that it was before starting. Is this true? Are there any good links about creatine facts?

no creatine is not bad for you. (monohydrate). aslong as you drink plenty of water during the day and workout its fine. it is very effective with energy level and stamina increase. i dont suggest taking protein supplements or creatine if your just going to sit around and not stay hydrated. i take monohydrate caps daily along with whey and casein protein. creatine does not directly build any muscle int he first place. protein builds muscle and only protein.


*I was told that the only thing you really need to take is protien powder in order to build lean muscle mass. There is protein powder, weight gainer powder, and meal replacement powder. Can somebody give a logical explanation of the diferrences between the three? I was told that as long as I was eating my own meals, all I would need to take is the protein powder.
you dont need to take protein powders. you can gain muscle purely fromt he protein intake from foods alone. but i suggest taking as many different sources of protein as you can. variety is key, you can get many types of proteins with different acids, amino acids are the key factor. the more different types of protein you take the better your results.

the difference is that protein powder is for building muscle because muscles are made of protein, apart from water protein is the main content of the human body. weight gain powder is not mainly protein based, it contains fat usualy to gain bulk. this is not ideal for gaining lean muscle. and meal replacement suplements contain vitamins minerals and nutrients that the body needs and are not for building muscles. you can get all in 1 powders also.



I went and got hemp protein powder with fiber (http://www.manitobaharvest.com/cartshop/productview.asp?key=12). Not sure what the difference is between the one without fiber. Would this allow me to put on muscle mass as long as I eat good healthy meals?



fiber is a much needed part of your diet, but hemp protein is for vegans, because most protein comes from animal products that are on the market (not all), its a substitute for vegans. dont just rely on powders for protein. and dont just rely on food for muscles, because without the workouts and hard labour you will get nowhere. its no walk in the park and you must always remember to stretch, its the basic rule you must always follow. always stretch or dont bother working out atall.

take roughly 1 gram of protein per KG of your bodyweight per day. if you intake anymore you will most likely pass the remaining protein out through your urine. unless you are seriously pumping some iron then it will be used.

and most people dont understand this but listen carefully to this next part. just before you go to sleep take in protein, your muscle mass builds up and repairs during the night when you are sleeping, your body needs protein during sleep. i will give you a quick guide ok.



wake up. eat breakfast. fruit, oats, milk,(meal 1).
an hour or 2 later eat again, 3 slices of brown bread with tuna. (meal 2).
an hour or 2 later eat lunch, chicken with rice and peas, (meal 3)
an hour later drink a protein shake (meal 4)
have a workout for roughly 1 hour or mor.
straight after drink another protein shake (meal 5)
an hour or 2 later eat dinner, lamb, potatoes, veg, (meal 6)
just before bed drink another protein shake, or have a protein bar.


everyday switch up the meals to keep a balenced diet. eat pieces of fruit and veg in between meals. always keep hydrated. over 10 glasses of water per day. roughly around 15 i would say. most people say 7 glasses of water is ok, yeah it is ok if your a coach potatoe but not if your an athelete or bodybuilder.





peace.

and that would lose you 10 lbs if you do the math. if you want to lose weight then cut out your saturated fat consumption. up your protein intake for amino acids. high rep workouts on a low weight to gain lean muscles. combined with plenty of cardio.
Yes. The objective is to lose weight, and at the same time gain strength and energy. I suffer from pretty severe cronich fatigue. I plan to do a few detox cleaning fasts next 2 week or so.


if you want tight lean muscles then high reps low weight workouts with cardio are vital. for big bodybuilding muscles you need the opposite. lower reps with higher weight. but if you can manage then over 12 reps each set with high weights is fine.
Yes tight lean muscle is my goal. My ultimate goal is to lose weight for the physical traits of a gymnist and a marathon runner. My goal is to be slim, and lean. I'm assuming you are saying that the strength training aerobics is fine. It is where we do step aerobics with dumbells.

Absane has a link to a plan that seems pretty good. Would it not make more sense to gain pounds in lean muscle mass first in order to increase my resting metabolic rate? Such as following Absane's plan. Then after I have gained my lean muscle mass, to do spinning to lose weight while doing the strength training aerobics to maintain my muscle.


no creatine is not bad for you. (monohydrate). aslong as you drink plenty of water during the day and workout its fine. it is very effective with energy level and stamina increase. i dont suggest taking protein supplements or creatine if your just going to sit around and not stay hydrated. i take monohydrate caps daily along with whey and casein protein. creatine does not directly build any muscle int he first place. protein builds muscle and only protein.
Kewl! I think I will take the creatine to give me the energy to work out while I am doing my muscle mass weight gian routine. Then I will discontinue using it when I am ready to do my fat burn routine.


weight gain powder is not mainly protein based, it contains fat usualy to gain bulk. this is not ideal for gaining lean muscle.
Thanks! This is the exact information I was looking for. I had no clue that is what weight gain powder is.


fiber is a much needed part of your diet, but hemp protein is for vegans
Yes. Or folks such as myself who are avoiding any meat/dairy/cooked/processed products.

Here is my plan:
Make soy milk using raw soybeans and water.
Blend it with hemp protein (w/fiber) powder, raw almonds, raw flax seeds, raw sunflower seeds, raw carob powder, raw fruit juice(banana, apple, strawberry, grape, other), creatine. Drink this as a shake in the morning before working out. Then drink as a shake at night w/o the creatine before sleep. During the day drink lots of raw green drinks. Drink raw fruit juices seperately as the fruit juice enzymes will eat nutrients from green drinks. Eat some raw organic meal during the day. The shake should allow me to gain the muscle mass weight I need.

Yes. The objective is to lose weight, and at the same time gain strength and energy. I suffer from pretty severe cronich fatigue. I plan to do a few detox cleaning fasts next 2 week or so.

you wont hear people speak about this much but cissus is perfect for you, its the closest thing you will find to a miracle for what you need. its true name is cissus quadrangularis commonly known as veldt grape. its perfect for you, increases muscle mass, reduces fat, high in vit C/carotene/calcium/photosterols. they have done intensive studies on this in cameroon. most people dont even know of this substance, its from africa and asia. i suggest that you go and get some.



Yes tight lean muscle is my goal. My ultimate goal is to lose weight for the physical traits of a gymnist and a marathon runner. My goal is to be slim, and lean. I'm assuming you are saying that the strength training aerobics is fine. It is where we do step aerobics with dumbells.

a gymnast has a very different body to a marathon runner. a gymnast has well built rounded muscles simular to a martial artist who also lifts weights. a marathon runner is very slim with hardly any muscle mass, personaly i would go for the gymnast build not the runner.

Absane has a link to a plan that seems pretty good. Would it not make more sense to gain pounds in lean muscle mass first in order to increase my resting metabolic rate? Such as following Absane's plan. Then after I have gained my lean muscle mass, to do spinning to lose weight while doing the strength training aerobics to maintain my muscle.

i have not read the plan, gain lean muscle mass before what exactly?. hmm as a personal trainer, i have never seen anybody gain lean muscle mass without losing any weight. to gain lean muscle you need high rep workouts and cardio combined with stretches. and if you perform the above you lose weight. so i cant see how somebody can gain the lean muscle while not losing the weight, doesent make sense to me.




Kewl! I think I will take the creatine to give me the energy to work out while I am doing my muscle mass weight gian routine. Then I will discontinue using it when I am ready to do my fat burn routine.

use creatine to help with building your muscles and increasing your workout performance. dont take it on days when your not lifting weights. on my workout days i take 3 caps before a workout and 3 after. each cap contains 700 mg.


Thanks! This is the exact information I was looking for. I had no clue that is what weight gain powder is.
no problem, i personaly do not use weight gain supplements. but i know many body builders who do. i also know people who eat 7 raw eggs per day, ang again i personaly do not lol.

Yes. Or folks such as myself who are avoiding any meat/dairy/cooked/processed products.
why are you avoiding dairy and meat? i understand the cooked and processed products. but whats wrong with dairy and fresh lean meat? turkey/tuna/skinless chicken are perfect for building muscle and healthy too.



Here is my plan:
Make soy milk using raw soybeans and water.
Blend it with hemp protein (w/fiber) powder, raw almonds, raw flax seeds, raw sunflower seeds, raw carob powder, raw fruit juice(banana, apple, strawberry, grape, other), creatine. Drink this as a shake in the morning before working out. Then drink as a shake at night w/o the creatine before sleep. During the day drink lots of raw green drinks. Drink raw fruit juices seperately as the fruit juice enzymes will eat nutrients from green drinks. Eat some raw organic meal during the day. The shake should allow me to gain the muscle mass weight I need.

sure i see no harm in that, its personal choice. but personaly i think that would taste bad. taking the creatine before you sleep wont do much, take protein before you sleep, but leave the creatine for before and after workouts. also take protein before and after workouts.



peace.

This thread is arousing the Genji.

textual pornography.


peace.

you wont hear people speak about this much but cissus is perfect for you, its the closest thing you will find to a miracle for what you need. its true name is cissus quadrangularis commonly known as veldt grape. its perfect for you, increases muscle mass, reduces fat, high in vit C/carotene/calcium/photosterols. they have done intensive studies on this in cameroon. most people dont even know of this substance, its from africa and asia. i suggest that you go and get some.
I checked it out on line. They have supplements. Is it possible to get natural raw cissus?


a gymnast has a very different body to a marathon runner. a gymnast has well built rounded muscles simular to a martial artist who also lifts weights. a marathon runner is very slim with hardly any muscle mass, personaly i would go for the gymnast build not the runner.
Yes. I would like to be somewhere in between, but yes, preferably on the gymnist side.


i have not read the plan, gain lean muscle mass before what exactly?. hmm as a personal trainer, i have never seen anybody gain lean muscle mass without losing any weight. to gain lean muscle you need high rep workouts and cardio combined with stretches. and if you perform the above you lose weight. so i cant see how somebody can gain the lean muscle while not losing the weight, doesent make sense to me.
Hmm. Interesting. The trainer guy at the gym told me that as long as I eat to gain weight, do strength training(weight lifting), do minimum amount of cardio keeping my heart rate within a specific range that he showed me, stretch, I would actually gain weight. Mostly in lean muscle. The heart rate thing had to be in a certain range because if I go below, it is pointless, and if I go too high, it will affect my ability to build muscle. I wasn't too clear on the whole calculation. If anybody knows a link on how I can calculate my heartrate range, and what all that means specifically, I am interested.


use creatine to help with building your muscles and increasing your workout performance. dont take it on days when your not lifting weights. on my workout days i take 3 caps before a workout and 3 after. each cap contains 700 mg.
What is the purpose of taking creatine after the workout? Shouldn't it be taken prior only?


taking the creatine before you sleep wont do much
Yes ty. That is why I said I will take the shake w/0 creatine when I sleep. Would you happen to know where I can get some cheap? I'm looking for a good link with lots of customer reviews on best products. If I want reviews on computer parts, I can go to newegg, and see what the customers rate as the best.

This seems to be a pretty decent site:
PROTEIN (http://www.supplements101.com/info/bsntruemass/Reviews.htm)
CREATINE (http://www.supplements101.com/info/bsncellmass/Reviews.htm)

BODYBUILDING TOP SELLING:
PROTEIN (http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/opt/whey.html)
CREATINE (http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/hp/creatine.html)

you dont need all these supplements when you are starting up, dont be conned like everyone else with the pictures on the front. Creatine is completely unneccesary, that is for people that have reached their natural plateau in training and want to take it too the next level

just eat more and more regularly and make sure it is the right stuff, and hit the weights properly

you dont need all these supplements when you are starting up, dont be conned like everyone else with the pictures on the front. Creatine is completely unneccesary, that is for people that have reached their natural plateau in training and want to take it too the next level

No, that's what steroids are for.

Lixluke, I'll reply to your message when I have time for a lengthy reply.

you dont need all these supplements when you are starting up, dont be conned like everyone else with the pictures on the front. Creatine is completely unneccesary, that is for people that have reached their natural plateau in training and want to take it too the next level

just eat more and more regularly and make sure it is the right stuff, and hit the weights properly
What pictures? I thought creatine was for beginners that need to build lean muscle. OR anybody that is trying to build up.

This thread is arousing the Genji.

http://pauperedchef.typepad.com/photos/uncategorized/2007/03/18/shortribs_10.jpg

I recommend getting a job, preferably in construction. I hear there are quite a few in Miami.

PS draqon, What The Fuck is that?

I recommend getting a job, preferably in construction. I hear there are quite a few in Miami.

PS draqon, What The Fuck is that?

its imagery intended to downgrade genji.

it is overcooked rat meat which was left for two weeks outside fridge.

Tasty. I feel like going out for a burger.

Tasty. I feel like going out for a burger.

yeah right...I forgot to say that it has rat poop in it, as well as salmonella bacteria...the guy who made this did not wash hands

I recommend getting a job, preferably in construction. I hear there are quite a few in Miami.

PS draqon, What The Fuck is that?
There is quite alot of construction jobs. All of them slave jobs that pay crap for intensive very dangerous work that has the opposite effect of being good for the mind and body.

This is the creatine I found to be the best:
https://www.muscleshoppe.com/site/details.cfm?id=9458

I found the following routine to be very good.


2 hours before workout, take some nitric oxide. (NO Explode is relatively cheap and works wonders)

Workout. I usually concentrate on two muscles a day.

Within 30 mins. of working out have some whey protein and some natural protein, like peanut butter and especially meat.

theres too much conflicting advice... the best place on tinternet for this;

www.muscletalk.co.uk

massive knowledge base, they will sort you out

meat=cholesterol

peanut butter=cholesterol

Eat fish for protein....it's omega3 oils are what you seek for health while getting proteins.

There is quite alot of construction jobs. All of them slave jobs that pay crap for intensive very dangerous work that has the opposite effect of being good for the mind and body.

Well I would disagree with you about contruction being a slave job that pays shitty, but that is not the point of this thread. I will say that I do agree with you, in part, about contruction jobs not being the best choice for physical activity. Sure, you'll be strong and you'll feel manly, but you'll end up like most contruction workers: fat, fatigued, and aged. The amount of work done in the course of a week by many of them is not something the human body can do naturally (unless you are gifted or highly trained). Plus, you aren't allowed to take a "meal break" every 2-3 hours... especially if you have an asshole for a boss. This makes you fat since by the end of the day, you eat so many carbs to make up for the missed food you needed hours ago that it all gets stored as fat.

Well I would disagree with you about contruction being a slave job that pays shitty.
They do get paid shitty. And a huge majority of them are imported from mexico because mexicans are the only ones who take the shitty pay. The construction around here has been nonstop for the past few years. The entire downtown is under construction. There are tons over tons of construction workers in Miami everywhere right now. Even if they got twice as much, it still is not worth the importance of the job.

Law of supply and demand. If every single person in a nation has high level of education as such that everybody is as educated as a doctor. And everybody has high levels of physical fitness as such that everybody is as physically fit as a gymnist. Every person is physicall fit, and well educated. Who would take the important dirt jobs. Everybody qualifies for high level work. Therefore, people choose where they want to work based on desirability and incentive. Low wage jobs have the least desirability, and therefore should be paid according to what people who are highly educated would consider an acceptable amount of pay to do them.

As have already been mentioned:

-Eat nutritionally-dense food;
-Avoid animal products;
-Hemp produces the healthiest and most complete protein available for human consumption;

As haven't been yet mentioned:
-Green tea helps to burn fat, but only drink the decaf variety, since caffeine is a dangerous drug that can cause heart arrhythmia and precipitate sudden death;
-Eat a variety of foods, including leafy green cruciferous vegetables;
-Abstain from ejaculation for seven-day intervals to maximise your body's natural testosterone levels (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=12506329&dopt=AbstractPlus)

Why should he avoid animal products? I don't agree with that.

I found the following routine to be very good.


2 hours before workout, take some nitric oxide. (NO Explode is relatively cheap and works wonders)

Workout. I usually concentrate on two muscles a day.

Within 30 mins. of working out have some whey protein and some natural protein, like peanut butter and especially meat.

you should consume protein within 20 mins of a workout not 30. and also before a workout.



peace.

meat=cholesterol

peanut butter=cholesterol

Eat fish for protein....it's omega3 oils are what you seek for health while getting proteins.


are you aware of all of the different types of amino acids that are needed. fish and omega 3 alone is not what he needs. you need a variety of protein sources to sustain muscle growth.

there is no simple solution its hard work, im a personal trainer i workout every single day, i eat shit loads of protein and everything else under the sun thats good for you, and im still not even close to my goal. i have been working out for years it takes pure dedication and effort.


you have to eat alot! to gain real muscles and you have to grind away in the gym. the best advice he can be given is to be consistent and dedicated, he needs to know what to eat and when to eat it. he needs roughly 5-6 medium size meals per day. a huge breakfast, to consume 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight every day. all of his essential vits and mins, and to mix up his protein intake, not just rely on a single source of protein, you need to consume many different forms of protein from different sources.

and when your working out you have to hit the growth reps or its pointless. do you know how many people do a set, and dont hit the growth rep before stopping?, pain is gain, unless you are breaking down your muscles and consuming enough protein to repair them your going nowhere fast.

i always hear people saying "all you need to do is this its easy", yes talking about it is simple. but gaining those muscles hurts and takes it out of you. when i come home fromt he gym i can hardly lift my arm up and put the key in the door to open it. i collapse on the bed and can hardly make it up the stairs. when you come home formt he gym you should never feel "fresh", you should always feel like you just went 10 rounds with mohhamed ali.


do the obvious thing and drink enough water, eat your fruit and veg, get your RDA etc. but make sure you put in the work in the gym, intake that needed protein from various foods, and take the added supplements like creatine and protein shakes.


always eat protein before you go to sleep, thats when the muscles repair and grow the most. hardwork and dedication is what its all about. and without protein your muscles cant grow.



peace.

every month buy a magazine called "muscle & fitness" read that for all the latest scientific studies on muscle gain, and nutrition. get down your local gym apply for membership, and talk to the gym instructors for advice.


peace.

are you aware of all of the different types of amino acids that are needed. fish and omega 3 alone is not what he needs. you need a variety of protein sources to sustain muscle growth.

there is no simple solution its hard work, im a personal trainer i workout every single day, i eat shit loads of protein and everything else under the sun thats good for you, and im still not even close to my goal. i have been working out for years it takes pure dedication and effort.


you have to eat alot! to gain real muscles and you have to grind away in the gym. the best advice he can be given is to be consistent and dedicated, he needs to know what to eat and when to eat it. he needs roughly 5-6 medium size meals per day. a huge breakfast, to consume 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight every day. all of his essential vits and mins, and to mix up his protein intake, not just rely on a single source of protein, you need to consume many different forms of protein from different sources.

and when your working out you have to hit the growth reps or its pointless. do you know how many people do a set, and dont hit the growth rep before stopping?, pain is gain, unless you are breaking down your muscles and consuming enough protein to repair them your going nowhere fast.

i always hear people saying "all you need to do is this its easy", yes talking about it is simple. but gaining those muscles hurts and takes it out of you. when i come home fromt he gym i can hardly lift my arm up and put the key in the door to open it. i collapse on the bed and can hardly make it up the stairs. when you come home formt he gym you should never feel "fresh", you should always feel like you just went 10 rounds with mohhamed ali.


do the obvious thing and drink enough water, eat your fruit and veg, get your RDA etc. but make sure you put in the work in the gym, intake that needed protein from various foods, and take the added supplements like creatine and protein shakes.


always eat protein before you go to sleep, thats when the muscles repair and grow the most. hardwork and dedication is what its all about. and without protein your muscles cant grow.



peace.
Good pointers. I have been doing exercises pretty hard. I don't come home all messed up, but I think I do ok. There are lots of areas I need work on. I still have not developed an exact plan, but I am working on it. I haven't been in since Wednesday, but will be throroughly back in a routine tomorrow. I still drink hemp protein as lord hillyer suggested. I mix it in with my juice 2x per day. I have also been making raw soy milk. Also been mixing almonds, flax seeds, sunflower seeds, etc. Sometimes I add roasted carob for flavor and lightly roasted ground coffee for caffeine.

Caffeine is something I really want to stop using, but because I am still chronic fatigue, if I don't take it in some form, I will end up sleeping all day long and night. I feel that as long as I am successful in building up my lean muscle mass, I will have the strength and energy to be all natural like the great Ricky Williams (minus the weed). I don't crave caffeine like an addiction. I actually have to remind myself to take it like taking medication. I try not to forget because if I forget: zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

If you have been working out for years, I'm sure you have noticed some sort of change. Yes?

The instructions on my creatine say:
Take 1.5tsp 4x per day for 5 days.
Then 1.5 tsp 2x per day.

Is that a good idea?

Yes, thats absolutely fantastic advice.

Shouldn't this thread be in biology or something?

Shouldn't this thread be in biology or something?

mods are lazy.

I'm trying to decide between
CYTOGAINER: http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/cs/gainer.html
and
OPTIMUM: http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/opt/whey.html

Leaning towards Cytogainer
1. This dude that was totally cut said he recommends Cytogainer over all others.
2. The Optimum contains salt and artificial flavors. I get waaaay more than enough salt. Why is it necessary in a protein powder?

Still have not created a routine. I had no time. Still learning.
I have the following exercises on my list thus far:
-Romanian Dead Lifts
-8 min abs daily Cruise workout
-A set of neck stretches I have on a paper from my chiro. (I have neck probs)
-Chair Squats
-Range of motion routine that I got from when I went to this taichi class
-Pushups on knees
- These 2 machines at the gym for abs. Forgot the names. I'll get them later, and post.

Need advice on how to get rid of manboobs. Other than stop sitting in front of a computer 24/7. I don'treally have manboobs like some people. But my chest does have slight breast features.

I torred the book "Burn Fat Feed Muscle" by Tom Venuto. The first time I read it, I was PO because I was expecting all these exercise routines to learn, and found zero. But after going through it again knowing it is not exactly an exercise routine book. It is more of a theory book, I got information that I have been looking for. One of the main things I learned back in June which is one of the main things in this thread was the theory that gaining pounds in lean muscle was essential in burning fat, and ultimately shedding pounds correctly. Some dude explained this theory, but it was so vague. I wanted to write my own report about what he told me, but had not time to do research. Fortunately this book that I torred has much of that info. I'll be analyzing it, and reporting soon enough.

I really need a working flexibility routine as my ultimate goal is gymnist flexibility. I am contemplating on getting this book: http://www.amazon.com/Genius-Flexibility-Smart-Stretch-Strengthen/dp/0743270878
The title appeals to me, and I read through some of it. It was great. Does anybody have experience with developing flexibility?

The instructions on my creatine say:
Take 1.5tsp 4x per day for 5 days.
Then 1.5 tsp 2x per day.

Is that a good idea?

i dont ever take monohydrate in spoon servings lol. i would think that if its 100% monohydrate that its too much. unless he uses some bullshit creatine. i use 100% monohydrate caps.

3 caps before workout, 3 caps after workout, 700 mg per cap, you do the math. and i dont mean the simple 700 mg x 6 addition, i mean thats alot less than heap spoons lol.


peace.

I'm trying to decide between
CYTOGAINER: http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/cs/gainer.html
and
OPTIMUM: http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/opt/whey.html

Leaning towards Cytogainer
1. This dude that was totally cut said he recommends Cytogainer over all others.
2. The Optimum contains salt and artificial flavors. I get waaaay more than enough salt. Why is it necessary in a protein powder?

Still have not created a routine. I had no time. Still learning.
I have the following exercises on my list thus far:
-Romanian Dead Lifts
-8 min abs daily Cruise workout
-A set of neck stretches I have on a paper from my chiro. (I have neck probs)
-Chair Squats
-Range of motion routine that I got from when I went to this taichi class
-Pushups on knees
- These 2 machines at the gym for abs. Forgot the names. I'll get them later, and post.

Need advice on how to get rid of manboobs. Other than stop sitting in front of a computer 24/7. I don'treally have manboobs like some people. But my chest does have slight breast features.

I torred the book "Burn Fat Feed Muscle" by Tom Venuto. The first time I read it, I was PO because I was expecting all these exercise routines to learn, and found zero. But after going through it again knowing it is not exactly an exercise routine book. It is more of a theory book, I got information that I have been looking for. One of the main things I learned back in June which is one of the main things in this thread was the theory that gaining pounds in lean muscle was essential in burning fat, and ultimately shedding pounds correctly. Some dude explained this theory, but it was so vague. I wanted to write my own report about what he told me, but had not time to do research. Fortunately this book that I torred has much of that info. I'll be analyzing it, and reporting soon enough.

I really need a working flexibility routine as my ultimate goal is gymnist flexibility. I am contemplating on getting this book: http://www.amazon.com/Genius-Flexibility-Smart-Stretch-Strengthen/dp/0743270878
The title appeals to me, and I read through some of it. It was great. Does anybody have experience with developing flexibility?


salt is not 100% needed in protein powders. but as you will be sweating alot during the workout you will lose copious amounts of salt through sweat. so its good to top up before and after a workout. because you can actualy die from salt loss, this guy in the london marathon died from this. he kept drinking water without topping up on salt, and he eventualy collapsed and actualy died because his system was 100% out of salt. he ran over 26 miles and just kept drinking water water water. thats why i always tell people to drink a sports drink after a workout, they are designed to replenish your body with everything it needs.

your workout plan is ok, it is shaped around building core muscle strength wich you need. dont even attempt a split routine yet, stick tot he core muscles to start off. but for max gains you must always do sets, i see plenty of people in the gym going from 1 machine to the other like flies, doing 1 set of 10-15 reps and moving on to a different body part. seriously this will get you nowhere. its all about hitting the growth rep in each set, and making sure you actualy do many sets on each bodypart. even if you can only manage say 4 pull-ups, then just do 4 pull ups for 1 set, rest for 30-60 seconds and hit another set, and repeat again and again until you cant do anymore. also dont train to complete crashdown on every set. do that on your last set.

i have been taking part in some studies and found out that working out in the evening is better than the morning. we think it is mostly due to your muscles repair work doing more when its sleepy time. but we are still not concluded. other recent articles have suggested the same thing from university studies, but we decided to conduct some tests ourselves and it seems to be true.

also we found out that if you take a 3 min break in between each set, its not as productive as just taking a 1 min break. this has also been conducted by other fitness pros and we are also testing it to see for ourselves.

oh yeah and the push ups on your knees is the girls way. just get down and do it properly man, even if you can only manage 3-4 push ups. as i said before do as many as you can, rest and hit another set. you will increase your numbers in no time.


dont get to caught up with the sup products either man, just make sure your getting your protein and basic needs covered. workout hard and enjoy it. also when working out never try to take your mind off the workout like some people say, focus all your mind on the muscles you are breaking down. intense focus is what you want. imagine your muscles expanding and powering up. listen to some music and focus on those muscles burning hard. trust me it works.



peace.

oh yeah and the push ups on your knees is the girls way. just get down and do it properly man, even if you can only manage 3-4 push ups. as i said before do as many as you can, rest and hit another set. you will increase your numbers in no time.
I'll consider that when I get a little better at the girlie pushups. I just encountered a prob today. The thing is, I have not done any exercise in 2 weeks. I had a huge emergency that needed my total attention, and then I had my computer to deal with. Today, I just started again. About a week ago, I took about 2 teaspoons per day of creatine for 3 days even though I wasn't exercising. I figured I would take it just incase I would have time to get back into the swing of things. But then I stopped when I did my scheduling.

Needless to say, I started back exercising today, and my muscles feel more atrophied. I did a machine for my chest that looked like this:
http://www.cybexinternational.com/Products/displayproduct.aspx?id=11000

I did 2 sets plugged into the 50lb bar. Then, by the third set, I could not lift. Even when I took the plug off, and was lifting only the 10lb bar. I could not do it. Then, I went on to do my girlie push ups. I attempted one, and fell on my face. I could not even do one girlie push up.

I'm not sure what's wrong with me.

-8 min abs daily Cruise workout


Why would you want to work out any muscle daily? Unless you're not really serious about building muscle.

Why would you want to work out any muscle daily? Unless you're not really serious about building muscle.

That's not true for abs.
The abdominal group is one of the few muscle groups that you will still see a benefit even if you work them every day without recovery periods.

What are you talking about? That is what the title of this thread is about? Why wouldn't I want to work out my muscles daily?

Or should I not work out muscles daily? Exercise doesn't seem to be as easy as integrating trigonometric functions, valence electron configurations, kinematics.

I was told that if I wanted to lose weight, I should gain 10lbs in lean muscle, then loose 20lbs in fatness.

1. Does anybody know a good exercise routine using weights to gain muscle? I've never lited weights before.
2. What is a good powder to take? For weight gaining.

*I was told creatine was bad. It gives you power and energy to make lifting easier. However, I was told that it degenerates the muscles in the long run. Thereby causing the muscles to develop a dependency on taking creatine to function properly. As such, lifting after no longer taking creatine would be more difficult than lifting before you ever took it. Developing muscle would be more difficult after no longer taking creatine that it was before starting. Is this true? Are there any good links about creatine facts?


*I was told that the only thing you really need to take is protien powder in order to build lean muscle mass. There is protein powder, weight gainer powder, and meal replacement powder. Can somebody give a logical explanation of the diferrences between the three? I was told that as long as I was eating my own meals, all I would need to take is the protein powder.

I went and got hemp protein powder with fiber (http://www.manitobaharvest.com/cartshop/productview.asp?key=12). Not sure what the difference is between the one without fiber. Would this allow me to put on muscle mass as long as I eat good healthy meals?


To lean down always go with LESS weights and more repititions if you are going to work out. Don't take any powders just eat a better diet with less fat and cholesterol in. Remember, less not no cholesterol. Walking fast for 30 minutes every dat AT LEAST will help you also.

OK. Something came up with my chest situation. A few weeks ago, I was able to do a probably 10 regular pushups (not the girly kind). Today, I could not do one single push up. I set myself in position for push up. I went down. I could not for the life of me push myself up.

OK. Something came up with my chest situation. A few weeks ago, I was able to do a probably 10 regular pushups (not the girly kind). Today, I could not do one single push up. I set myself in position for push up. I went down. I could not for the life of me push myself up.

it's called over exhaustion and poor planning. Do 5 at a time every 20 minutes for each day. See were it goes. If you agree to do this, than I will do so myself (until sleep time).

So do you agree?

OK. Every 20min for the whole day I have to set my alarm? I'll do it tomorrow, but I would probably do it when I am home. If for any reason I have to go out, I don't think I will be able to get to it until I get home.

OK. Every 20min for the whole day I have to set my alarm? I'll do it tomorrow, but I would probably do it when I am home. If for any reason I have to go out, I don't think I will be able to get to it until I get home.

well than if you are doing than I am doing it. But that means every 20 minutes do 5 pushups anywhere you are...on a street...do it...home...do it.
I will start this tomorrow. Tell you the results. k.

Fewer reps, better abs: simple routines that produce results for novices, hardened gym rats and performance-minded athletes alike (http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1608/is_2_15/ai_53697966)

No the best thing to do is send off for a Charles Atlas course.

I've done all the exercises, now I'm just waiting for him to send the muscles.:p

Fewer reps, better abs: simple routines that produce results for novices, hardened gym rats and performance-minded athletes alike (http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1608/is_2_15/ai_53697966)


He's right about the crunches, but he doesn't list a single meal example that I could or would eat. Fortunately I have already have developed an eight-pack. Yes, we humble vegans can certainly do it too, even without the 'essential' tuna, salmon, and chicken breasts (yuck and unethical).

Some really really FLICKED up shit happened Saturday night. Damint!. I'm finally back to exercising today. Doing 5 girlie pushups every 20min. I'm learning a little at a time. I'll be sure to check up on those other things as soon as I get the chance.

Real sorry for not responding. If you are ready Dragon, I've started the 20min thing. If you have not started already. I don't plan to do it in some of the places I go. But if I'll be at it whenever I'm home, and in certain places going out. Good luck.

I can do 5 man pushups now. I used to could do about 10. My goal is to flatten my chest. Any good ideas on this?

Sports bra.

I can do 5 man pushups now. I used to could do about 10. My goal is to flatten my chest. Any good ideas on this?

good, stop doing those girl pushups with your knees on the floor, man push ups will train your core muscles as your weight is supported in a straight line.

remember what i told you before though, do slow push ups not fast. take 30 seconds going down, 30 seconds comming up at a steady pace. breathe as much as you like, the more the better.

push ups are not great for building your chest, too many other muscle groups assist in the movement to target just your chest. hit the bench press if you want to target your chest. you can do so many workouts on the bench. do inclines for upper and straight for middle, get on the chest press machine to target outer chest. hold the bar with a reverse grip also to shake up your workout. it can be a little uncomfortable at first but your body will adjust to it.

remember to focus on both slow and fast twitch muscles. doing high and low weights, at fast and slow speeds. also never forget pull ups/chin ups, it actualy targets your chest aswell and helps shape it. alot of people dont know this for some reason. do some bell flyers on a bench aswell for your chest.

when doing push ups you need to be doing alot of sets to get results, just doing 2-3 sets wont cut it man, you need to be trying to aim for atleast 6 sets if you can, but work up to doing 10 sets. always hit the growth rep aswell without burning out on the early sets, there is a very fine line between hitting the growth rep and maxing out your muscles, you need to be aware of this line and constantly push it forwards. the growth rep is what you should always aim for with every workout, but if you pass the growth rep and max out you wont be able to do much more sets afterwards so be carefull. keep the growth reps for the first few sets and when you are getting close tot he end of the sets try to max yourself out completely, the last 1-2 sets you should be aiming to do as many reps as your body can do, and continue until you litteraly collapse onto your front.

obviously do not max out on the bench press if you have no spotter, because you can die. i dropped the bar onto myself before, it was around 120 KG worth that nearly broke my neck, i had to roll it down my body to my waist and then sit up and drag it off. always use a spotter with heavy weights on the bench if not then you can get hurt.


peace.

To lean down always go with LESS weights and more repititions if you are going to work out. Don't take any powders just eat a better diet with less fat and cholesterol in.
Low weight and higher reps won't do much to help, except increase his muscular endurance (unless that's what he wants). Otherwise, it does nothing. It doesn't "tone" the muscle, as definition is a result of diet more than anything else.

Conversely, strength training (which involves lifting very heavy weights with low reps) would really benefit him. The common misconception when it comes to lifting heavy is that it would make one become "bulky" - which is absolutely false...unless the person were consuming WAY too many calories above their own maintenance and therefore developed muscle under fat.

Not only will strength training make you stronger (duh), but it'll increase muscle density; and muscle helps accelerate fat loss. And the more muscle you have = the more fat you'll burn from your faster metabolism.

There's nothing harmful with powders, especially if it's just whey protein. They're readily available and perfect to consume post-workout (a time at which the body is in a vulnerable state and needs to be nourished).

All there really is to achieving your desired physique is (in order of importance): a clean, proper diet and you consuming the correct amount of calories, weight lifting, and cardio. And of course, proper rest. :)