…recently, but am noticing am increase in aches and stiffness. I warm up before moving over to weights, and warm down properly.

I know that alot of people use whey/protein supplements but I have no idea where to start or what to look for in the thousands of products out there..

Ideally I need something that would both make recovery and muscle development quicker. Advice would be much appreciated…

Why do you want quicker muscle development?
Are you super skinny at the moment or are you a rugby player?

I think resting is a key part of this – maybe you’ve just done too much, too soon?

You are stretching properly post exercise, aren’t you?

la muscle protein shakes are pretty decent tasting imo.

stick to vanilla/ strawberry/ chocolate is alright. mint chocolate tastes too metallic.

depends how much you train but a protein shake straight after training and one before bed should help.

you don’t need to start taking supplements, eat square meals.

as wwaswas says, you need to make sure you are resting properly. it’s as important as doing the training itself.

well i’ve been going 2/3 times a week for the last year with good 48 hour rests between sessions so it’s nothing new.
I’m not skinny but I do play rugby. Maybe I didn’t mean quicker muscle development but more effective? The recovery is the more important part..

This thread is useless without stating an ambitious goal!
Have you thought of trying to gain, say, 6kg in 3 weeks?

haha! I’ve been reading that, the contradictions between posters are incredible. Thanks tomthumb, will have a gander at those.

If you state an ambitious goal, I will do endless research to support you.

If not, quit your current regime and start doing a bodypump style class at your local gym. You may think you’re quite strong at the moment but those teeny (but perfectly formed) girls in lycra will put you to shame for the first couple of weeks at least.

After those first weeks the shake up that it provides to your regime will see you put on useful muscle at a rate you’re yet to experience. It should allow you to recover from any strains at the moment, and you shouldn’t need to take any supplements either.

Thanks Mr Yeti, will look into that! Is body pump where they use small masses with high reps and lots of diff exercises?

As a vegetarian, I use protein shakes to supplement my diet after long periods of exercise or training. I find that my muscles get quite tired and crampy if i don’t.

However, so long as you are eating sensibly you shouldn’t need supplements, and for the price of a lot of them, just eat some steak, it tastes nicer and isn’t much more expensive!

this thread is useless without pictures

(always wanted to type that) 🙄

On a serious note, let’s resurrect the Friday Bloke thread – topless so we can all salvinate admire the gym boys’ dedication. 😆

Who’s in?

.
.
besides asherh and TSY obviously.

Yes mate it is. Seriously though, start small or you’ll end up feeling a right prat.

I guess because of the small weight/high rep logic it fatigues your muscles rather than strains them. It won’t make you huge but it will give you really great toned defined mass and when you go back out into the gym proper you’ll be shocked at what benefits it has for lifting bigger weights.

If you’ve been going big guns with the weights you may have strained tendons/ligaments. Theses will have a better chance to recover doing something like pump.

Gets my vote cg.

Why can’t I play C_G? 😥

Oops – rubbish phrasing from me but sorted now. 😳

TSY – no wriggling out of Friday’s fun now. 😉

hels – excellent!

A year in and you’re concerned about muscle development – are you lifting little girl weights? Stop fretting about extraneous trivia like warming down and start lifting some weight.

Go big or go home.

That, or throw in the towel and start bodypumping.

*looks up topless photographers in the yellow pages*

*sits back and waits to see what googleads does about that last thought*

If you’ve been going big guns with the weights you may have strained tendons/ligaments. Theses will have a better chance to recover doing something like pump.

thats what i’ve done. I’m gonna try this pump lark.

why don’t I count cinnamon? Not that I fancy baring my handiwork on the internet.

TSY – surely your ‘pole-dancing instructress’ can help out, non?

why don’t I count cinnamon?

asherh – of course you do! I got so excited I couldn’t spit the words out properly. 😉

Have edited.

😆 I never went through with that C_G!

*wonders if C_G’s daughter ever looks over C_G’s shoulder whilst she perusing porn STW*

TSY – you don’t think I believe that do you?? Don’t tell me, you’re auditioning for The Chippendales. 😉

That was a quick edit there!

Daughter recommends sleazy sites for me, don’t know what I’d do if she heard of this place. 😯

oi Garry, I go big or go home every session. I thought warming down was necessary to prevent damage? If not then ill give up on that and lift for longer.

If its bulking up you want, use heavier weights and eat properly. I put a stupid skins top on after and it certainly helps with the pains the following day. Try not to go too much, your body needs recovery time.

I managed to put on 13 kilo’s in 18 months (49>62Kg), all I did was gym, biking and ate properly, currently at 5 meals a day. When I tried the protein shakes and things, I found I put the weight on and then it came straight off again once I stopped the protein shakes.

Who’s in?

Surf-Mat to the thread please.

I go big every session

My kind of guy. 😉

you need some juice in you 😀

you need some juice in you

Oh yeah?

Warm up and down more, stretch more and if you really need to gain quickly, carefully use some creatine – it does work but keep well hydrated.

Protein shakes won’t make you ache any less.

Hey Surf-Mat – you up for Friday’s fun? I hear you have quite a reputation as a poster boy. 😀

yep juice cinamon girl 😉

CG – I have posted enough dodgy topless pics for a lifetime methinks but happy to do a “summary” if needed… 😳

I managed to put on 13 kilo’s in 18 months (49>62Kg),

You weighed 49 kilos??? That is tiny! That’s also quite an alarming weight increase.

I used to be very fit and actuve in my 20s. Swam, cycled, played footie and went gym 3 times a week. Din’t put on a bean. Was very strong for my weight though. Weighed a smidge over 8 stone.

Now, I do far less, drink and care less bout it, yet am bigger and stronger. 9st 10lbs on Sunday. 😯

Swimming’s what’s given me more strength and bulk. That and middle age fast approaching.

Be warned; put on loads of bulk that’s not natural for your body, and when you’re in your 40s, unless you train loads all the time, it will all sag, turn to fayt and be unsightly excess bulk that will be hard to shift.

Best to be fit, agile and healthy, than try to look like Rambo.

Elfin – are you EXTREMELY short?!

When I was 9st 10 I was skinnier than a twig. I’m 5’8″

Only started looking a bit over bulky (went gym obsessed for a long time) when I hit 12 stone – so trimmed it back down to just over 11.

You gain muscle as you get older. I’m far far more muscular than I was at 20 even in the chest and shoulders – despite not doing any exercises on it at all 🙂

No, I’m 5ft 4.5″. Small, yet perfectly formed. At my ideal weight for my age, have perfect BMI, heart rate, blood pressure etc. I am of part Asian extraction, so have light, slender bones. A proportionately lighter skeleton than an average European of my height. I am, bar a very small ‘balti dish’ (it’s not a wok), mostly muscle.

Small, yet perfectly formed

i’ll second that…..