I was looking for some opinions on the “best” way i should train to gain mass? iam 16 years old , and weigh 160-165 pounds iam nearly 6ft tall, so iam pretty skinny , chest mesures like 37 inches relaxed and left bicep is 14 inches and right bicep is 13.3 inches
waist is 31 inches
been lifting since the beginning of last summer
Iam kind of leaning towards a good 3 day a week full body routine , as that is what ive heard to be best for me to do ,
Go read everything in the archives…
Dorian Yates former Mr. Olympia read all he could about weight lifting for a year before he even stepped into the gym. When he went in, he had a plan, and knew exactly what he wanted to accomplish. I’m sure that by that approach his gains were above normal.
the keys everyone will tell you are
-eat big
-sleep a lot
Thats pretty much all you need for your age.
Squats, Deadlifts, Chins, Dips, Overhead press, Bench press, Bent over Rows.
Those should be your primary exercise selection.
If you get the chance learn to clean & jerk and to Snatch. Those will become beneficial later on.
If you want a program
ABBH 1 & 2, should do you just fine for right now.
I would also refer you to Ian King’s “Bulk Building Workout”.
The “archive” and “search” function are your two best friends.
Listen to John Berardi’s recent audio segment on this site. It may apply to you.
I agree with Xen on his points, except don’t get the idea that you should stay out of the weight room and study. Lift and lift as hard as you can now. At 16, you got the natural juice going for you, or you soon will, so use it. In the meantime, learn all you can.
Compound lifts - document what you do - get stronger every week (don’t settle for less) - solid form - full range of motion - lift intense - sleep more than you think you should - back off when you are tired, don’t lift until you are ready to be stronger than the last time
Berardi’s massive eating article - read it
supplements: creatine, protein, multivitamin - just the basics for now
Use Xen’s exercises. They should work for at least the first 25 years. Learn to squat right from the beginning. Also, don’t get stuck on sets of 10. If you follow ABBH it won’t be a problem, but if you get on a higher rep program, go for heavy sets, and at the beginning level you may even want to max out every other workout because it will help you find out what your really capable of.
Here’s a routine I like, for someone new to lifting or anyone who wants to get bigger and stronger.
Monday:
Military Presses
Power Cleans
Wednesday:
Chins
Squats
Friday:
Deadlifts
Bench Presses
That’s it. Two exercises a day, three days a week. Are these the six best exercises? Of course not, there’s no such thing. But they are six exercises that are great for packing on mass and increasing strength.