Hey all, I'm new here and a beginner!

[DamonLansing]

Just a quick Hi to everyone here, roamed around the forum before making an account and a lot of the information on here has helpt me get started into a proper routine and already highly motivated.

A little information about me. I play Table Tennis at a good level, current 17 years old weighing at 178 lbs and 6ft in height. Come from a mixed background, one parent being from the Caribbean and the other from the UK. Previous attempted body building but didn't diet at all and hardly made gains.

So I'm just starting out, working one body part each week day with at least 5 x 20 minutes cardio a day (I do a lot more just have no idea on the measurements exactly). I'm eating correctly (high protein and carbs, low fats) and currently only taking whey protein powder (twice a day) and been recommended to take Creatine from a close friend of mine (body builder).

That's my introduction note. If anyone can see any flaws in it please don't hesitate to criticize.

Thanks =)

[powergraham]

Hey man, nice to see you posting.

Are you doing 20 minutes of cardio 5x a week or per day ? If per day, why such a high amount ? TT practice ?

What's your goals ? Bulking ? Cutting ? At your weight and height I'm gona guess it's the former lol.

Plus, how many days a week do you train ? Are you looking to become stronger for a paticular goal, such as to forward your Table Tennis, or are you just looking to add some muscular size ?

Whey and Creatine are considered the two staple supplements, as they are generally the one's everyone will take. I'm personally not a fan of creatine at all, it's rarely added anything to my workouts, but for some, it should give you increased endurance, and maybes give you more size as with some people they will hold more water.

Hope this helps you out man.

[MusclesMarinara]

what are your goals? gain muscle/ lose bodyfat?

[DamonLansing]

5 x a week, TT practice does provide a large amount of cardio but I still think jogging for 20 minutes a day will help me out.

Training 5 days a week with the weekends as rest (unless I feel I need a mid week rest) Isolating each major body muscle each weekday e.g. Monday - Chest, Tuesday - Shoulders, Wednesday - Back etc.

I wanna work towards having a teenage movie start body, nothing incredibly big, but something the chicks will recgonise and say wow when I walk past.
I'm getting into modelling and film extras (maybe even decent acting roles) in up and coming months, so the body will help me create a better selling point.

I think I'm going to buy half a kilo of creatine and see where that takes me.

Thanks for the speedy reply.

[powergraham]

If your looking for that, it shouldn't be hard to achieve, but with the already high amount of cardio you are doing, I would drop back the training days to 2 or 3 a week.

The reason for this is increased recovery time. With the amount of training you are doing, it is very taxing on your body, and it needs to recover. Since you obviously can't stop doing that high amount of cardio, it is better to reduce your training days, and have more time to recover overall.

For a training split, you could either do a fullbody workout 2 or 3 times a week, or split like Chest and Arms, Back and Shoulders, and Legs.

Again, hope that helps you a bit more.

[DamonLansing]

I'm gonna cut down my cardio to twice maximum a week for 20 minutes a time and follow DC training seeing where that takes me in the next 4-6 weeks!
Thanks for ya'll inputs.

[powergraham]

DC is something a lot of people rave about. I'm not a fan, but will fit perfectly into your regime due to it's added recovery time and workout cycles. Good Luck man, keep us informed.

[DamonLansing]

Seeing some good gains in my chest, lats and traps. Still waiting on my arms to fill out, I wonder how long it'll take for me to reach my desired goal. Anyone have any ideas?

[powergraham]

There isn't really. You get products that proudly disclaim "gain 30lb of muscle in just 4 weeks", but, unfortunately, that's a lie lol.

Your first few months of solid training will always be where you put on the best gains, as your isn't use to it, so it has to re evaluate how it works it's recovery, and overcompensating your muscles to provide growth and strength as your weights go up.

Don't worry about how long it will take, how many inches or how many lbs you'll put on, because if you turn it into a numbers game, you'll inevitably become dissappointed, and over look your hard work. Just keep eating, keep training, and be pleased with the mirror over time.

[DamonLansing]

Alright, thanks for the much appreciaited advice Graham. I am becoming pleased with how things are changing in the mirror and my motivation levels are still on a high.

I'm creating a journal of each day I work out to monitor improvement and keep track of the amount of protein I am eating a day. Changing my diet around hasn't been a struggle for me (8th day on diet).

I was thinking to start taking a weight gainer but I don't think this would be needed as I'm already weighing in at 181 lbs at 6 ft and instead reduce my cardio to only sport and walking.

Thanks again for all help!

[MusclesMarinara]

whole food > supplements (weight gainer).

if your a hard gainer (ecto), limit your cardio to your sports IMO. its hard to say without pics.

[DamonLansing]

I'll get round to post pictures within a week!

[DamonLansing]

Got a pic up as my avatar and profile pic. Haven't figured out how to put pictures on here yet. Lats are finally coming through, still need to work on them though slacking the most!

[MusclesMarinara]

for me the easiest way is to set up a photobucket account (photobucket.com). then it gives u a http link which u paste into the space when u icon 2nd from the right. (looks like a mountain).

[MusclesMarinara]

you are very lean... IMO i wouldnt do any cardio other than your sports.

just make sure your gettin in a good amount of food (does ALWAYS have to be clean, but keep it clean for the most part). And get your rest, thats when you grow. Not while your training.

[DamonLansing]

Any estimates on my bf%?

[emerald muscle]

Hey bro pretty new to the forums myself.Like a few of the guys said earlier just drop the cardio a bit.Best advice for someone starting out is to eat to the point of fealing ill every meal,add maybe 2 shakes of 50g whey isolate and 100g oats a day just to increase ur calorie intake.Dont be too caught up in the creatine debate yet because ur first year or so training u should grow like a weed because of the shock onto your body.Keep up the good work anyway bro,keep us posted!

[GirlyMuscle]

Welcome to RX, Damon. I'm gonna give you my 17 yr old pep talk. (you being 17 not the talk...lol) Now is a great time to start bodybuilding. At 17 yrs old you have so much natural testosterone running through your body it's like you're on steriods. Take advantadge of that, lift heavy and eat big, and you will GROW like there's no tomorrow. Don't worry about bodyfat at this point. You have visible abs...you're fine. :) Good luck with your trianing and most of all HAVE FUN!

[FATPANDA]

Creatine really you could use if your bulking which to me doesnt sound like you are so i would just stick with protien but if you do want to get some bulk creatine should do.

[john283594]

Hey bro, I was about your age when I first got into this, just stick with it and you'll be fit the rest of your life. It will pay dividends.