Any tips to build muscle?

[neo3000]

Hello  

 

I've been wondering if anyone could give me tips to build muscle, especially in the top area. I'd love to have broad shoulders and potentially [get rid] of my skinny arms. 

A friend of mine told me that I should put on some weight first, but i'm looking to have a masculine figure and i'm afraid that would accentuate some parts I want to hide (hips, breasts, thighs...etc) 

 

If anyone is working out, can you share your tips? 

Also, what should be my expectations? I know that people who take testosterone build quicker, but I don't take anything. How long do you think I'll have to train in order to be somewhat "built"?

 

Thanks in advance ? 

 

[Jackie C.]

You are correct. Without testosterone coursing through your veins, you're more likely to have a traditionally female weight distribution to your hips, butt and thighs. While that's healthier to carry than the more masculine apple shape, it's not what you want.

 

OK, so working upper body. You're going to want to concentrate on arms, chest, shoulders, back and abdominals. I'd suggest working legs too. It'll help give your legs more definition and less of that feminine softness.

 

So here's my workout. It'll take longer with estrogen than it does with testosterone but what are you gonna do? Start light and work your way up as your get comfortable. You REALLY want somebody who knows what they're doing to show you correct form. Most people go too low or put undue stress on their joints. We're working muscle here, not joints.

Also, listen to your body. If it hurts, stop. My routine takes about 90 minutes. Longer if I'm helping someone.

 

Monday: Back day. Rowing exercises. High, low and lateral. Pull ups. One arm rows. Isolation pull downs. Back pull-overs. I can pull about 350 on a row right now, but it took me a while to work up to that. 

Tuesday: Legs. I do calves, hamstrings and glutes. Squats (ALL the squats). Deadlifts. Leg curls. Leg Press. I do adduction and abduction exercises for my glutes as well.

Wednesday: Chest and shoulders. Chest press. Incline press. Pectoral flies. Chest pull overs. Shoulder press. Shoulder raises (flat and lateral). 

Thursday: Legs again. Calves, quadriceps and glutes. Back to squats and deadlifts. Leg curls for my glutes. Leg extensions for the quadriceps and back to the abductor and adduction machines to work my butt. I have chronic white-girl butt. It needs all the help it can get.

Friday: Arm day. Bicep curls. Preacher curls. Kickbacks. Isolation curls. Cable tricep extensions (Single and double) and cable curls.

I work abdominals three times a week. Abdominal curls, leg raises and a turn on the Roman chair for my obliques, glutes and abdominals again.

 

If you want to build muscle faster, do each of those routines twice a week. Diet is important too. Limit carbs. Replace it with protein. Limit added sugars as much as you can. Be patient. It's not a quick process, but if you stick with it, you'll definitely see results. I'd absolutely take you on as a training client except for the whole, bit where I don't actually live in France. ?

 

Hugs!

[Carolyn Marie]

I'm certainly no expert on training and muscle building, if you can work out at home or at the gym there are all kinds of upper body strengthening exercises you can do, either with free weights or resistance machines.  Start with the simplest of things you can do for zero dollars; push ups, pull ups, elastic belts or straps, etc.  You can often find pull up bars at the park.

 

A set of dumbells or kettle bells will build muscle mass quickly in your arms (I use them myself).  At the gym, there are dozens of different machines and devices to build upper body mass.

 

From a nutrition angle, there are many supplements that claim to help build muscle mass.  Those usually have lots of protein in their ingredients.  Research the safest and most effective brands on the Web.

 

Good luck!

 

Carolyn Marie

[ashsfire]

Hi neo! I am in a similar situation (not taking testosterone, really skinny, don't want weight gain in the feminine areas). Here's what I've gathered from my own workout experience over a lot of years:

 

1. TTT: This Takes Time. You won't see results overnight. Don't get discouraged. My favorite saying that I repeat to myself literally on a daily basis is "One day this workout will feel like a warmup". It's true.
2. Like Jackie C. said, make sure you have good form. Hurting yourself because you're in a hurry to do more will only result in you having to do less until you recover.
3. Work at your own pace. You'll see all sorts of things about doing this many sets/reps of one exercise or another, but that's not a hard and fast rule, that's a suggestion.
4. Consistency is HUGE
5. Nutrition is equally important. Protein will help, I personally advocate for protein from whole foods rather than protein powders because you get a lot of other beneficial nutrients from whole foods at the same time as you get the protein, but that's just my own opinion.
6. Take a picture of yourself every month. You might not see anything new every single month, and sometimes it might seem pointless and that there's no progression, but I bet you'll see a difference after a few months.

I am not "built" by any standard right now, but I also have to work very slowly because I have to work around past injuries. I'm 5'11" and 120lbs right now, it's extremely hard for me to gain weight (something I'm personally working on figuring out right now) but I can tell you that at least without the extra weight, it's a bit easier to see muscle gains. 

 

My last tip is that there's a guy on youtube called Jeremy Ethier who does videos called "Built by Science". He has a TON of useful information, including how to do things with good form as well as nutrition (not just for losing weight but for also gaining muscle), all with scientific research that he provides links to. I find a lot of his info really helpful.

 

Good luck!

[jlw5ju]

Everyone is sharing such great information! Idk if you’re in TikTok or not, but I follow an account called @bodybydaddy and she creates work out routines for LGBTQ community and some are specifically geared toward creating a masculine look. 

[Drake]

Ya basically got 3 steps. Workout. Eat protein. And sleep.

 

Lateral raises are your best friend. Look up exercises that focus on the deltoids, these will give you larger shoulders!

 

And don't forget to sleep! That's when your body builds those muscles

[dandy1harper]

Train many reps with moderate weights and complete each set after the burn occurs.
The burn is the result of a buildup of lattice acid and helps build muscle tissue.
I would try to use a range of motion in which the muscle fibers are constantly tensed, and the rest intervals between sets are less than 60 seconds. Work your biceps every day in the gym with each exercise at the end... but lightly

 

And do not forget about how to recover well. Rest. It may not be superfluous to turn to the help of supplements or vitamins that contribute to a better quick recovery. You can choose unique supplement or some ready set like this one from wellabs

Or, if possible, take a post-workout massage. From the pain in the muscles there will be only a slight "smoke" and not a "fire"

[Chanelle]

Lactic acid does NOT 'help build' muscle tissue. 

 

To help build up muscle you need to;

 

1) Stay in a positive protein balance. Make sure you are consuming the correct amount of protein for you.

2) Choose the right exercises and train with weights in the 4-8 rep range. (Heavy). Make sure to include compound exercises.

3) Eat correctly, stretch rest recover correctly.. rinse and repeat.