Need reliable information, basic help

[thedarknight]

I'm looking to getting back into shape this summer with regular cardio workout and weight training. I have some experience with lifting weights, but I really went at it the wrong way, being misinformed. I don't want to basically injure myself or take supplements that will have detrimental long term effects.

During that period of heavy lifting, I was looking to bulk up and I basically gained 30 lbs from 150 to 180 in one summer, eating a lot and using whey. After atrophying away and inconsistently working out for the past 3 years I'm back down to 165. I want to gain some weight, but I'm looking to just get more tone and not bulky.

So some questions:
1) What kind of supplements are good? I read these websites and they're recommending creatine, glutamine, whey, etc. I don't want to have my kidneys crash. I was planning on just taking whey, since it seems more of a "natural" product. What 'bout glutamine?
2) How often do you do cardio a week? Do you do this after lifting? I get bored running, and will try to get cardio from doing sports related activities like bball, tennis, and soccer. I plan on increasing endurance. I also hear, running sprints is good for strength training.

3) How do routines differentiate from getting cut vs. getting big? I don't really know what routine/program I'm doing. I just try to find a heavy enough weight to do 5 reps until muscle failure. I will also taper down with lighter weights during each set.

Thanks for everyone's input. Just looking for some reliable information from people who are more experienced.

[SmileyEH]

1) The supplements I take are a multivitamin in the morning, creatine post workout and I drink 2-3 protein shakes during the day (check my log for the recipes I use and when I take them). I think most people should supplement with whey protein simply because it is healthy, cheap, and most people don't get enough protein in their diets anyway. As for the multivitamin, it can't hurt unless you already get 10+servings of fruit/vegetables a day-again, which most people don't. At this point, save yourself the time and money and don't take anything else.

2)Have you checked out crossfit? They have a ton of different metabolic conditioning workouts that will improve your fitness level without being boring or catabolic. Basically low weight compound movements in the gym for time. Yes sprints are also good.

3) Don't go until failure that much. Check out the various beginner strength training workouts here like Rippetoe's Starting Strength. There is no differnece in programs between getting cut/getting big. If you want to get cut eat less, get big eat more. Strength training makes you stronger and if you eat a lot will make your muscles bigger. If you don't eat more than you burn off your muscles will stay the same size, but you'll probably be burning a lot of fat off in the process.

[Korch]

They're really into HIIT here. I never heard of it before I came here but almost everyone seems to recommend it.

[thedarknight]

Smiley you've been really helpful. Thanks for taking the time.

What is HIIT?

[Colt McCoy]

HIIT

[Korch]

personally, i find that brocure frightening. you can just do a google search to get a basic idea of what HIIT is. It's basically intervals of high intensity work with rests in between.

[Colt McCoy]

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personally, i find that brocure frightening. you can just do a google search to get a basic idea of what HIIT is. It's basically intervals of high intensity work with rests in between.

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Heh, not to mention a little homoerotic. But Tabata protocol (as described in the article) is kind of an optimal version of HIIT.

[Thremp]

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personally, i find that brocure frightening. you can just do a google search to get a basic idea of what HIIT is. It's basically intervals of high intensity work with rests in between.

[/ QUOTE ]

Heh, not to mention a little homoerotic. But Tabata protocol (as described in the article) is kind of an optimal version of HIIT.

[/ QUOTE ]

I know bodybuilding is pretty outright [censored]. But a dude in acid washed daisy dukes and combat boots all oiled up... running?!? [img]/images/graemlins/confused.gif[/img]

I'm not sure whether that is above or below pulling your posing suit up the crack of your ass to flex for thousands of screaming dudes.... Okay its less ghey than that. But not by much.

[jah7_fsu1]

[ QUOTE ]
1) What kind of supplements are good? I read these websites and they're recommending creatine, glutamine, whey, etc. I don't want to have my kidneys crash. I was planning on just taking whey, since it seems more of a "natural" product. What 'bout glutamine?

[/ QUOTE ]

If your just starting out your supplementation probably isn't really that important. Your going to see good results without any magic cures, especially if your a beginner. I would consider the only "must have" to be a multi-vitamin. However, a protein supplement will be a huge help. A lot of this is going to depend on what kind of money you are willing to spend. Whey protein is a little overrated, if you can afford a good whey/casein blend it will be a better choice. Or just pick up a whey protein and a casein based protein. The second must have supplement is of course fish oil, the benefits of it are unbelievably numerous, with more benefits coming out daily.

Asking what type of supplements are "good" is pretty hard to answer. It would take me a long time to list all the supplements I would consider beneficial for instance (I've logged probably over a hundred for various companies...you can't beat freebies.) For a beginner like yourself I wouldn't worry about supplements nearly as much as getting a proper diet down.

You don't need to worry about your kidneys and protein. Plenty of studies say your going to be fine increasing your protein intake. Just make sure your drinking plenty of water, and you'll be all right. Save creatine/glutamine for later on, although I'm not a huge fan of glutamine.

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2) How often do you do cardio a week? Do you do this after lifting? I get bored running, and will try to get cardio from doing sports related activities like bball, tennis, and soccer. I plan on increasing endurance. I also hear, running sprints is good for strength training.

[/ QUOTE ]

How much cardio you do per week should be entirely dependent on your goals. Since your trying to gain lean muscle mass you probably shouldn't go overboard on cardio. Anyone who says to flat out avoid cardio is missing the big picture, but you are going to want to burn less calories than you are taking in to gain muscle mass. Doing a lot of cardio makes this much more difficult.

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3) How do routines differentiate from getting cut vs. getting big? I don't really know what routine/program I'm doing. I just try to find a heavy enough weight to do 5 reps until muscle failure. I will also taper down with lighter weights during each set.

[/ QUOTE ]

Some programs have "tricks" to increase metabolism, increase calories burned post-workout, etc. However, you can "get cut" and "get big" on the same program. For muscle gains or fat losses the main answer is always diet, not the program your following. No one will ever design a good enough program that you can get big by eating few calories or get cut by consuming a crazy amount of calories.

The most important thing for you to do as a beginner is keep a training log. I have training logs from the last four years I've lifted. You can't know your making progress unless you know you have improved. Also, you HAVE to learn how to do proper form on every exercise you perform. Find a personal trainer, (look for someone with their CSCS if possible) strength coach, someone and get form on all the basic exercises down. Make sure you can do a perfect squat, deadlift, etc or you'll be neglecting your progress and potentially leading to imbalances/injuries.

Another thing to do that will help you out is learn about training/health/diet, etc. Don't ever look at someone's advice as dumb, especially if they have had success with individuals. I have tons of books, article printouts, notes from conferences, etc. Some of the information I would classify as crazy, ineffective, etc. You can almost always pick up one great nugget from anyone in this industry. Go to t-nation and read every article. See how often some of the authors contradict each other? Visit other forums besides this one. Anabolic minds, M&M, Iron Addicts, JP Fitness. The more you can learn for yourself the better off you will be. The bottom line is a LOT of things work, and this industry isn't old enough to call certain things complete failures.

[dms]

Creatine seems to be better if taken before workouts. Also, I would recommend Glutamine (it's natural) and BCAA's (natural).

Edit: I forgot fish oil.