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2004/10/08, 02:13 AM
Hi!
I'm wondering if this community could help me out with figuring out a good regime.
Let me introduce myself, before anything. I'm 18 years old (19 in January), and attending University (Mathematics if anybody is curious). I did competitive track and field (triple jump) with a team in Ottawa (Canada) for a few years, and most of my weight training revolved around that. I did, however, stop training competitively during my final year of high school.
I've always been small (~140 lbs, 5'7), but (with all modesty) incredibly strong for my weight. When I stopped doing competitive track, I was peaking at 450 lbs on the full squat, and I could pretty much max out any free weight machine with quad extensions. My upper body was not as well developped, though I could muster about 180 lbs bench at one point. Speed was always an issue, as was ab strength, so I did have very good ab strength, and could do 90+ good form pushups in a minute. (Oddly enough, I didn't have big muscles)
In about a years time, I've lost a bit of muscle mass (weirdly enough, I still have a 6-pack, but that seems to be all I have, lol). I'm not doing track anymore, but I want to put on some bulk, especially in my arms and upper body. I've been working out 3 times a week (MWF) at the University gym, where I have free access, and this is my current regime.
Horizontal Chess Presses*
90-95% max weight 8 reps * 3 sets
100% max weight 1 set, as many reps as possible
Preacher Bicep Curls
90-95% max weight, 8 reps * 3 sets
100% max weight 1 set, as many reps as possible
Forearm curls**
90-95% max weight, 8 reps * 3 sets
100% max weight 1 set, as many reps as possible
...and...that's it (so far)
So I've got two questions, one for my routine, one for nutrition:
Routine:
I've got about an hour to workout, that includes warmup. This should be ample time, as I have heard (and agree) that the most effective workouts are <30 minutes. My biggest concern is chest and forearms. Everything else is secondary. What other exercises can I do? How should I change my workout for the better? I don't enjoy the 'hardcore bodybuilder image' with gigantic muscles. The difference is between the image of a bodybuilder and the image of a world class sprinter, if you know what I mean.
Nutrition:
This is a standard Protein vs. Creatine question, as I'm running on a student's budget. I have heard that, when faced with choosing one or the other, protein is the way to go, although the two substances are not in direct competition, but compliment each other. I can spend some more for Creatine, but I'd rather not if the gains are not substantial.
What I mean is that, given my workout (3 days a week, relatively short), how effective will Creatine be? I have heard that it is extremely effective for those bodybuilders that work out a lot, so my guess would be that, since I'll only be modestly working out, the difference between creatine use and no creatine use in less intensive workouts will not be worth the cost.
*(not sure what these are called, resembles bench presses but sitting up on a 'chair')
**(barbell behind back, palm facing backwards, curled upwards)
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