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09-23-2003, 08:40 PM
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Advice for Teen Bodybuilders/Lifters
I thought i would make a post based for the teen bodybuilders/lifters.
Most of us have trained since our teens and have learnt alot from trial and error, or just plain error lol. If we were able to start again in our teens but with the knowledge gained through years of experiance that we have now, i'm sure our muscular gains would have doubled. Hopefully, this post will help some members avoid the pitfalls most of us fell into with regards to our training, diet and supplementation regime. Training The most important thing to remember for a young bodybuilder/lifter is that more = less. When i trained years ago (and i'm sure many other members did too) i thought that by training bodyparts 3-4 times a week would help boost my gains. This is when i learnt my first bodybuilding term, "over training" lol... Large body parts like the pecs, quads, glutes, lower back etc need at least 72 hours rest after training before hitting them again in the gym. It sounds like heresy after we have read the Arnold Encyclopedia, but the most important hurdle to leap is to stop over training your body. People will argue that the recouperation and repair of muscle fibres in a teen is somewhat faster than their older counterparts, but i believe in the term 'start as you mean to go on'. By training muscle groups just once a week, you will see that your poundages will go up as the muscles are fresh and not over trained, you will have more energy for workouts and you will not be living your youth 24/7 down the local gym... The next important hurdle to leap is the flaw of improper exercise form. How many of us can admit to seeing 'billy back brace' at the gym swinging a barbell back and forth with his hips and legs thinking with the notion that his biceps are getting the best workout of there lives?! :lol: Or "Mr 1" that seems to rack up so much weight on the pec deck, that the pads move 1" before slamming back to the starting position?! :lol: We can all make jokes about these guys/gals but we have all made the same mistakes before and only because we know better, do we now laugh. The body does not adapt and create muscle because there is X amount of weight on a bar, the body adapts because of the repeated stress that is placed upon the muscle, forcing it to adapt to handle the new 'stress' in future. If you have bad exercise form, the stress is taken away from the target muscle and placed upon others. Example: Standing barbell bicep curls... by keeping your elbows pinned to your sides, keeping your back straight at all times and not swinging the weight with your hips, the biceps will get most of the stress from the exercise. If you do the opposite and let your elbows carry forward and swing with your hips to get the weight up; your front delts, lower back and hip flexors will be doing msot of the work... defeating the object of bicep curls eh?  In the exercise/workout forum, i have selected useful websites that allow you to see the proper form for exercises. I have also made a beginners workout for those who are new to bodybuilding/lifting, i used it when i first started out and so have other members and the feed back speaks for itself. (had to put the plug in guys come on! lol)
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Trample the weak.....hurdle the dead 
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09-23-2003, 09:16 PM
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Diet
Having a sound diet is the biggest foundation you can lay in terms of muscle growth. Unless your getting in the minimum daily intake of protein and carbs, you will just be spinning your wheels in the proverbial mud. However, it is easier said than done when your in your teens. Most of the teens on this board still live with their folks and for a while, have little control over their diet due to having their meals cooked for them and/or eating what the school canteen throws at them. If you do have the opportunity to select and cook your own meals, you have an added bonus of being able to find extra protein/carb sources. If not, then no worries, its all about careful selection of food... eat what you can, when you can. Resist the urge to pick up anything thats deep fried or anything that comes with loads of fatty dressings. Because i do not live state side, i do not know what school canteens serve in terms of food, what products/goods local supermarkets sell, hopefully somebody can PM me with reccomondations for this post. :wink: Back to business.... :-D The body needs/requires a healthy influx of protein and carbs in order to provide a suitable eniviorment in order to repair/grow muscle. The minimum requirements per day that you will hear are: Protein: 1g of protein per 1lb of bodyweight example: if you weigh 200lbs, you will need a minimum of 200g of protein Carbs: This is debateable but i reccommend 2g of carbs per 1lb of bodyweight. example: If you weigh 200lbs, you will require 400g of carbs This is the minimum requirements, it is not a bulking diet or a cutting diet. If you wondering what a bulking diet or cutting diet are: Bulking: High carbs, high protein.... this is when you are trying to put on alot of body mass over a set period of time. You will gain alot of muscle mass from this type of diet as the body has a surplus of protein/carbs in order to grow new muscle tissue. However, the body tends to store more fat on this diet because of the added surplus so expect to gain a few inches on your waist and lose muscle definition. When i was bulking (for 9months), i was taking in around 400g protein and 500g of carbs. I went form 165lbs to 210lbs (clean)... I put on a few inches round my waist etc, but i had the muscle mass i wanted. Cutting: High protein, low carbs.... this is when you want to shed lose some weight and shed the bodyfat %. The carbs need to be slowly reduced to a point where your burning more energy via cardio/training than your actually taking in. The protein needs to be kept high so that you do not lose muscle mass, but can be expected due to the reduction of calories. Muscle definition will increase and will give you a more 'lean look' in regards to the 'round and smooth' look when your bulking. It is important that you keep your body hydrated, the average bodybuilder/lifter requires 3litres of water a day. This keeps the body's organs humming nicely, flushes toxins and impurities out of the system and replenishes water lost through sweat during training. Dont substitute water for soda or alcohol!!! It might look stupid for me to be writing this but you'd be surprised by how many people have mentioned doing so lol. Eat your greens (as much as some hate them) and try to cut down on the amount of processed food you eat. Simple carbs and sugars are not the way to go in terms of bodybuilding nutrition as they provide little towards muscle growth but alot towards fat storage.
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Trample the weak.....hurdle the dead
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09-23-2003, 09:33 PM
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Diet cont.
Pre-post workout meals... I am trying to keep this post as simple as possible in regards to teen bodybuilding but the meals you eat before and after a workout, can heavily effect your muscle growth and recouperation. Pre-workout meals: about 1-1.5 hours before a workout, try and eat some complex carbohydrates (potatoes, rices, pasta etc). This will help provide the energy boost for your workout, complex carbs are slow 'burning' and release steady amounts of energy while you train. Anyone who has trained on an empty stomach will know that workouts can be less productive and poundages can even go down on exercises due to low energy levels. Note: if it is leg day, reduce the amount of food you take in before the workout and hitting the squat rack!!! Training your legs, balls to the wall and having a full stomach is recipe for disaster! Digestive pyrotechnics around the gym is not welcomed by other gym members lmao. :lol: Post workout meals: After you train, the body is craving energy to replenish the glycogen lost during the workout. Within 30minutes, the body slips into a catabolic state in order to find an stored energy source within the body, and can turn to muscle tissue. Muscle tissue itself can be broken down by the body to replenish energy levels and over time, can reduce your muscular gains. To avoid a catabolic state, try and take in an easy to digest protein source, i.e. a whey protein shake. If its possible, try and find a protein shake that also offers high carbs, this will help boost the body's glygogen and turn a catobolic state, into an anabolic state (from muscle breakdown to muscle growth).
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Trample the weak.....hurdle the dead
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09-23-2003, 10:09 PM
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Supplements and Supplementation
The definition of a supplement: a supplement is something that which supplements, or serves to complete or make perfect, that to which it is added or an addition to, something already organized, arranged, or set apart; specifically, a part added to, as a continuation and to make good its deficiencies or correct its errors. Translation in bodybuilding terms: a supplement is a product that is added onto an already sound diet/training regime, in order to bring up areas that are lagging like protein intake, carb intake etc... Your diet should be the basis of your supplementation, not the other way round. (is this reading like chinese stereo instructions?) Too many bodybuilders/lifters basis thier diet on X amount of supplements in order to achieve daily requirments of carbs and protein. Protein shakes and the likes, are there to help bring up lagging parts of your diet or provide a convenience to where a proper meal is not possible or practical. I.e, a post workout shake in the gym is more ideal to going home and cooking a meal while your body slips into a catabolic state lol. Cost is a factor as well when your in your teens, the supplement market is rife with products that can cost any where from $10-80... Keep things simple at this stage of your training, if your not able to get enough protein from your meals each day, then a good whey protein shake can help bring the levels up. In my opinion, the simpler you keep you supplementation now, the better. Products like ZMA, Tribulus, and other testosterone enhancers are a waste of money at this stage. You natural testosterone levels during your teen years are sky high and the % raise these supplements offer, will go un-noticed in terms of muscle growth and recouperation. Save your money, buy a decent whey protein shake. :wink: This links onto pro-hormones and steroids, couldnt leave this area out eh?! You will do your body more harm than good by taking any type of steroid or pro-hormone whilst your body is still growing, as i said before, your natural testosterone levels are already sky high... by increasing you testosterone levels higher, you can incur side effects such as stunted growth. The long bones in the body can be prematurely capped by the body's reaction to the influx of testosterone and therefore stunt potential growth. This is just one of many side effects of steroid usage at an early age. If you are seroius about using these products and substances, wait till your 20's when the natural testosterone levels have levelled off, you have a few good years of training under your belt and you have seriously thought about it and done your research....
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Trample the weak.....hurdle the dead
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09-23-2003, 10:22 PM
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Final Note
Bulks hints n tips :lol: Keep a note of your training in a diary, write down your poundages on exercises, it saves alot of time faffing about in the gym! Listen to advice people give you in the gym or on websites, but do not take it as gospel. what might work for him, might not work for you. Everyone is unique... Listen to your body, it has a brilliant way of telling you if your overtraining via being tired alot of the time, loss of appetite, lack of energy for workouts etc... Keep things simple!!!! the more supplements and advanced training plans you follow, the harder it is to tell if anything is actually working for you. At one point i was using so many supplements, i didnt actually know if some where working or not, and when i come off them, i didnt notice much if any difference! Be careful when you stretch before exercising, more injuries come about by over stretching cold muscles than by actual workout injuries. If you have any questions, post them around the assorted forums we have set up, we are all here to help. Bodybuilding and weightlifting during your teen years is an amazing experiance, i would love to be able to go back and do it all again for the shear experiance of seeing my body change through the years of lifting. Enjoy these times, have your goals and keep them in sight, dont lose motivation because you have come across a hurdle in your path... Bulk
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Trample the weak.....hurdle the dead
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09-24-2003, 03:59 AM
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Excellent post Bulk, that's really nice of you to take your time to do that! Now for the hard part.. getting most people to read & understand it! You know who I mean.. them 'testosterone-deficient' teens lol
Good stuff man!
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[img]http://img453.imageshack.us/img453/3774/eddie7sq.jpg[/img] RIP Latino Heat 
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09-24-2003, 08:24 AM
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good article, i think the journal part definately helps. What i do before i workout i goto my journal page copy my last workout, add 5 pounds to the weights, print it out, and then i have a little reminder sheet of what weights to use. As far as diet goes, i do not eat fast food or drink pop, i try to get 200g of protein a day.
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only plants grow naturally
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10-14-2003, 12:00 PM
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I'm all for keeping a journal, but for me its just to see how far I've progressed. I do as Jay Cutler and many other big names do, I go into the gym and just get a feel for what weight I can do on that day. I mean we all have days where we are really really up for lifting and find ourselves pushing more weight then we normally could. On the flipside, we also have days that we are feeling sluggish, or just can't hack it for whatever reason. You really have to know your body and know your limits, but I think that this is the best way for me to push myself everyday. Maybe you can take what I do any apply it, use the journal as a baseline and judge what you want to do from there. But for me, I don't like to have the numbers in front of me at all, cause I mean, theyre just numbers. As long as Im pushing myself as hard as I can and I feel completely satisfied after my workout, who cares how much you lifted? But hey thats just my method...does anyone else do this?
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10-14-2003, 04:25 PM
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nice post bulk. i started making a journal today actually. also i had a question about stretching before workouts. during the last chest workout and todays shoulder workout, my right shoulder has been KILLING me on every rep. i pushed through with less weight but i was wondering maybe it was becasue i am stretching cold muscles. i go right into the gym and stretch for 10 min. is this bad? should i do like 5 min cardio before then stretch for 5 min instead?
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10-14-2003, 08:15 PM
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Quote:
5 mins on a treadmill or bike to get your heart rate up, then do 1-2 light sets of the first exercise.... stretch in between your heavy sets.
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Trample the weak.....hurdle the dead
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12-06-2003, 04:38 PM
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Great post Bro!
 Thanks
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12-29-2003, 01:19 AM
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yer and teens sholdnt take pro hormones or hormone stuff cos we got loada hormones tha this time and itll just be a massive waste of money
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