Massive Muscles in 30 days?

[smallstar]

Cheers, I was wondering...

Is it possible to significantly increase your muscle mass during a trial of just 30 days?

As "significant", I mean results that would be clearly visible in "before-after" photos, or measurable with some other metric (I have no idea what that could be), but not just as the ability to lift more iron.

For background info: I'm male, 28 years old, 181/82, normal diet which I do not want to change. Currently in an average shape, good endurance but weak muscles. I currently train 3-4 times a week (swimming, aerobics, badminton), and could raise it to 5 for the trial.

What would you suggest for me to do?

If visible results cannot be achieved in 30 days, what would be the minimum time to see some results?

[The David]

Steroids!

[Frans]

LOL, The Dave

Smallstar, what's your bodyfat percentage?
Your BF% tells us more about your physical appearance than your weight and height.

[Ibanez]

Significant, no.

If you are just doing swimming, aerobics, badminton you won't see that much.

You would need some form of weight training and even then it depends on a couple factors. So really the only way to find out is to try it.

[Lonewolf]

If you put on 5kg of muscle that will make a significant visual difference. It is possible that a complete beginner could do this in one month. I suggest you stop all aerobic/badminton activities and concentrate on very heavy bodybuilding, four days per week. Get a book called "Super Squats" which gives details of the 20 rep squat program which is the best natural way to put on a lot of size quickly. You will have to eat and drink all of the time, that is, every waking moment you will be consuming something, especially milk, to the point where you are almost about to vomit. At 3am you will have to get up and drink some more milk then before going back to sleep. You will have to sleep at least 9 hours every day, throwing in a siesta and one or two shorter breaks during the day.
If you do what I say then it is highly likely that you will achieve the indicated result. Why don't you post a pic before and after and we shall see what happens.
I am assuming of course that you are not obese; if that is the case then you are better off doing a really strict diet.

[stephencp]

I used it myself many years ago and would agree with SuperSquats the book,
Amazon.com: Super Squats: How to Gain 30 Pounds of Muscle in 6 Weeks: Books: Randall J. Strossen (Ph.D.)

After completing that check out www.ironmind.com

I would substitute some other kind of protein instead of gallons of dairly though.

Stephen
Power-Book Library: Free personal development, success, inspiration and motivational classics

[Ibanez]

The 20 rep is good stuff, but I don't think a beginner should use it though. I think he should get the proper biomechanics of the movements down and get his conditioning up to par before attempting something like that.

[rossio]

I agree that all of the aerobic stuff would have to go and you would have to commit to pretty much 5-6 days a week of heavy heavy lifting, with a routine to ensure that you did not overtrain any particular muscle group.

I also agree with lonewolf in that you would have to eat a LOT!

It is doable I would say, but I wouldnt expect to look 'ripped' at the end of it as you will likely put on at least some body fat alongside the muscle if you are eating enough.

I think it is possible, but from a health perspective I would wonder why...

Going for a 60-90 day challenge would be more healthy IMO. A personal trainer once a week would be a good move too - as you have never done this sort of thing before he/she would make sure your form is right and that you don't do yourself any damage.

Just my 2c worth!

Have a superb day
Ross

[smallstar]

Cheers,

Why 30 days - basicly for motivational reasons. It is simply more fun to do something aerobic, swimming, running, etc.

I have done serious weight training before for three or four times, and all of them have ended after a month from frustration "this is boring, and I'd rather be doing X, I have done this for a month with no results, maybe I'm doing something wrong!" or getting slightly injured and deciding that this is not worth it.

I know from my usual motivation span that the first 2 weeks can be done purely from the initial impetus, the following 2 weeks can be done with willpower, but my motivation will ultimately crash after that if I don't have any visible results, and I'd rather be drinking tar than continuing my trial after that - see you again in a year (or more) then.

The other thing is that I have so many 30-day trials waiting in line to be started and I don't want to postpone them too much by taking a huge 60 to 90 day trial (or probably I'll need to start multitasking at some point...)

[Amadeus]

I'd forget about gaining much muscle mass in a month. However you can make them look bigger by lifting weights. They'll get filled up with blood. If you already have a thin body, you will definitely look bigger by lifting.
I read in a book by Arnold Schwarzenegger that a person can only gain 2 to 3 pounds of real muscle mass per year. I know that there are a lot of articles out there that say you can gain 20 or 30 pounds of muscle per year. I just don't believe it.
Look at the former 8 time Mr. Olympia Ronnie Coleman (lost to Jay Cutler in Sept.) He didn't start winning Mr. Os until he was in his 30s. It wasn't that he wasn't a great bodybuilder, it just took several years for his muscles to reach the mass to win Mr. Olympia's. It took time along with hard work. He won his 8th Mr. O at the age of 41 (it's all down here from there though). Arnold was winning Mr. Os in his early to mid 20s, but remember he started at 17 and was really compeiting against hobbiest.
Lift to look good. However, I hope no one on here wants to bodybuild for a living. You'll live a poor and unsatisfied life, even if you are on the top. If you are not at least 5 foot 9, forget about it. Look at Ronnie Coleman who was the top of the World for 8 years, but he lives in just a modest house. They don't get paid hardly anything for advertising, because Mr. O owners take all the money. The bottom half doesn't earn anything and the next in line wins only a $1,000. Ridiculous! I'd recommend you watch videos from Netflix showing training for the Mr. Os and training by Coleman and Cutler. You'll learn a lot about body building.

[Frans]

Some people who appear to be lean at first sight, are in reality "skinny fat" because most of their fat is concentrated in a certain area of the body.
So it is very important to measure your bodyfat before you can develop a workout scheme.

[Jehosephat]

Bodybuilding advice from Frans to PUMP- you up! Where's Hans? (sorry, couldn't resist, little girly-men)

[Jehosephat]

But seriously... I know you can get a BMI from your height and weight, but how do you measure bodyfat?

[WanderingOak]

Originally Posted by Jehosephat

But seriously... I know you can get a BMI from your height and weight, but how do you measure bodyfat?

I think there is a method using skin conductivity or something like that.

To Smallstar, I think you can gain noticable results in 30 days, just don't expect to look like Arnie or Stalone in that amount of time. Others recomended a trainer once a week, I think that is a good idea, especially if you haven't lifted weights much before. If you go this route, pay attention to what he says. Proper lifting 'form' isn't just about looking good, but it will also keep you from hurting yourself. A light aerobic warm-up/cool-down is also advisable. I'm not sure what supliments are available in Finland, but I would suggest avoiding them alltogether. The 'pro's' are usually juiced to the gills, which is how they got so big, but there are so many side-effects that it isn't worth it.

[Frans]

Originally Posted by Jehosephat

But seriously... I know you can get a BMI from your height and weight, but how do you measure bodyfat?

If you were a bodybuilder or fitness freak, you wouldn't ask.

The simpliest way to measure bodyfat is with a skinfold measurement on the suprailliac (approximately one inch above the point of your right hipbone).

A skinfold calipers costs only a few dollars and you can measure your bodyfat by yourself.

[smallstar]

Originally Posted by WanderingOak

To Smallstar, I think you can gain noticable results in 30 days, just don't expect to look like Arnie or Stalone in that amount of time.

***** bless me from ever looking like that (not to mention how big turn-off it would be for my fianceé ), I'll accept any noticeable results.

Originally Posted by WanderingOak

Others recomended a trainer once a week, I think that is a good idea, especially if you haven't lifted weights much before. If you go this route, pay attention to what he says. Proper lifting 'form' isn't just about looking good, but it will also keep you from hurting yourself.

Those things cost a lot around here. (Hint: average tax rate 40%.) My current contract with the sports center gives me an hour of counseling twice a year. I'll have to think something about it.

Originally Posted by WanderingOak

I'm not sure what supliments are available in Finland, but I would suggest avoiding them alltogether. The 'pro's' are usually juiced to the gills, which is how they got so big, but there are so many side-effects that it isn't worth it.

Yeah, my appetite would advise to avoid them anyway.

Originally Posted by Frans

Some people who appear to be lean at first sight, are in reality "skinny fat" because most of their fat is concentrated in a certain area of the body. So it is very important to measure your bodyfat before you can develop a workout scheme.

Yeah. I'm very lightly built, and I looked normal even when I was 181/68. Now I have some 10-15 kgs of extra fat, mostly around the waist and in the stomach. How does this affect the scheme?

[Scipio]

Originally Posted by smallstar

What would you suggest for me to do?

If you are not going to change your diet, you are not going to gain muscle. Muscle needs to be created out of something.

The best bet to getting visibly more muscular is to not actually gain any muscle at all. Go on a diet while maintaining your muscle mass--work out and increase your lean protein intake. Dropping bodyfat makes you appear more muscular much faster. If you hate lifting weights, do gymnatics and sprints.

[Susie]

I just want to pipe in that you can definitely see results in one month if you do the right things. You aren't going to get MASSIVE muscles in that timeframe of course, but you can definitely experience noticible changes-- I'm speaking from experience. Good luck!

[WanderingOak]

Originally Posted by smallstar

Those things cost a lot around here. (Hint: average tax rate 40%.) My current contract with the sports center gives me an hour of counseling twice a year. I'll have to think something about it.

If you can't afford a trainier, you should at least find a workout partner. If nothing else, you will need a spotter if you are going to be working with free weights. I used to work with somebody who did not use a spotter, and he wound up cracking a few ribs when he got too exhausted to lift a barbell off of his chest. Injury will definitely put a cramp in your 30 day weight-lifting start.

[Scott Bird]

Originally Posted by smallstar

I have done serious weight training before for three or four times, and all of them have ended after a month from frustration "this is boring, and I'd rather be doing X, I have done this for a month with no results, maybe I'm doing something wrong!" or getting slightly injured and deciding that this is not worth it.

I had a similar experience, and I didn't actually see a benefit from weight training until I found a form I enjoyed. Enjoyment makes an enormous difference.

If you don't like doing it, try a different gym, different types of resistance, different workout partners etc.

[impaul99]

I actually tried this and did it for 30 days. I documented the results on my blog. Here are the links to my articles:

Find out if Bowflex and MuscleTech Supplements Work
30 Day Workout Trial Results - Week 1 & Week 2
Have FUN exercising on a treadmill!

and the results here: Bowlfex Kicks Butt, 30 Day Results

In the results I show the difference in my Body Fat %, Weight, and Amount of Weight I was able to lift.

I hope it helps to answer your question.

[rossio]

Originally Posted by WanderingOak

If you can't afford a trainier, you should at least find a workout partner. If nothing else, you will need a spotter if you are going to be working with free weights. I used to work with somebody who did not use a spotter, and he wound up cracking a few ribs when he got too exhausted to lift a barbell off of his chest. Injury will definitely put a cramp in your 30 day weight-lifting start.

Great advice - it is really important to be able to push yourself to absolute failure and you just cannot do this on your own.

And regardless of anything else, having a buddy really does make sure that you push yourself every time. When you're on your own it is really easy to convince yourself that you have done enough for the day, when being with someone else would make sure that you put that extra 10% in.

Ross

[Isis Kali]

I was an assistant manager at a gym. Maybe I can help!

First of all, don't overdo it! That's the first thing that people do, thinking it'll help them, and it won't. In order to condition the muscles, you have to leave them enough time to assimilate what you've done, and to reach a "reset" point, of sorts. In other words, they have to reach statis, and be completely rested, so that you can exert them again. They'll build up better that way.

Muscle is built with protein. Eat meat and eggs. One trainer at our place would eat whole chickens for lunch. Drink protein shakes. That'll do it. Watch that you don't get stinky, because some of them will produce a smell when extruded from your body.

Don't do a lot of cardio.

That's some of things I recall. You should see some results with some good weight training, too.

[Conan Stevens]

RUBBISH.

No chance. The first month your muscle fibres will adapt, you will see no growth but you will see massive strength increases.

If you want a real answer from a professional check my site look at some of my photos then PM me and I'll take the time to respond fully.

[Iamsuperman]

After my first month of weight training i noticed a significant increase in muscle definition, and a slight increase in mass.

Are you planning on training after the 30 days are up?

If you are then i would recommend that you don't push yourself too hard (training to failure) because you will begin to associate too much pain to weight training and you'll eventually quit. You should also switch exercises every 1-2 months to add variety to your workout and to hit the muscles from different angles.

If you aren't planning on going past 30 days then all the strength and muscle mass you gained will eventually disappear.

[Conan Stevens]

Why would you even exercise for just 30 days? It should be a life long commitment.

If you train for only 30 days thn the net effect over a year you may as well sit on your butt and not do anything.

Anyway, I plan on looking like Stallone when I am 60 as well so off to the gym I go now.