Bodybuilding Forums

first thank you for taking the time to read this second and the main point:
im 13 180 cm (6ft)
150 pounds
im looking to both gain some muscle and loose some fat
if you have any advice for either that would be great
id love to buy mr mcmanus's book but lack of a credit card stops me from doing so
i have acces to a good gym and his videos are great but i know almost nothing so any tips would be great

The book you need a credit card for is TSPA, and at 6' and 150, I gotta suggest you do THT. You're actually on the low end of normal weight, and at 13, the hormones are going to take care of what I'd bet money is just leftover baby fat. The THT book is free, available from the main page of the site, and you should start there. You should also go back to musclehack.com and hit the link for the "best bodybuilding diet ever" on the right hand side of the main page. Also, here in the forums, you will find the Free Workout Logs section, which you can peruse and pick out one to use. Modifications should not be warranted and are typically best avoided, but if a specific move gives you issues we can certainly talk through that.

Ultimately, my best advice to you starting out, for one, I hope you get routine physicals, and if not, tell your parents you are starting a workout routine and ask them to take you for one. For two, it is absolutely imperative that you know how to execute the moves in whatever workout plan you choose. I have to strongly recommend that you watch the videos here as well as www.BodyBuilding.com (they're clearer and narrated, plus there's way more of them), and start with very light weight until you know you can maintain correct form throughout. You are very young and still growing, so an injury caused by poor form will be absolutely disastrous for you at this juncture. Please consult the staff at your gym on how to operate the equipment. They should be more than happy to show you how to operate every last machine they have. Just like with free weights, do not go heavy with the weights until you know you can use the machine correctly.

As to recommendations for you specifically... until you do your homework and take the plunge, we're not going to have enough information to go on. Familiarize yourself with your gym, get your form down, then pick a week of when you're going to do it, and then go at it. It'll generally take only a few weeks for you to identify your weaknesses or issues, and then you can go about tackling them once you know what they are.

thanks, i already downloaded the book and am going to look at the diet as for injuries dont worry i wont go heavy on the weights for a while yet

Hi,

start with a weight you are comfortable with and just go on from there. start by doing something you will fail within 8-12 reps and increase the weight from then on by 5 pounds. make sure to also change exercises after every few weeks. you can get pretty big when you are still young if you want to. you also have to eat a lot. i read somewhere that brock lesnar was already pretty big by the time he was out of high school n i also knew someone who was really huge by the time they were only just a freshman in high school.

tony

Sadly at age 13 life feels aweful try to put ur self around people that make you happy. Im guessing you feel like no one makes u happy tho. But dont spend a ton of time alone try to be with friends an family find something you really like an get involved witn it as much as you can like music or writing working out helps clear the mind also just remember ur a smart beautiful young girl who has a hole life to live even if rite now isnt going so good. Good luck hun

Speaking from a medical perspective, you should NOT do a low carb ketogenic diet of any kind at your age unless you are using as treatment for epilepsy. I will probably get flamed for posting this on a low carb message board but it is **believed** that ketogenic diets or very low carbohydrate diets can influence brain function as well as overall development.

At your age, eat clean foods. Record everything that goes between your lips (keep a diet log) track your calories. If you are training in a gym, have someone that actually knows what they are talking about show you proper multijoint exercise form (squat, deadlift, benchpress). Keep your calcium intake up. Remember...clean whole foods. Chicken, lean beef, "healthy fats" (in quotations on purpose) ...keep the fat profile diverse...saturated, monounsaturated (olive oil and nuts), and polyunsaturated. Also look at things like coconut oil etc. Get involved with sports if the opportunity safely arises. Find a gym partner that is as motivated or MORE than you.

Young man, you have all the potential in the world. Get a strong foothold on nutrition and exercise now. Your body will be VERY good to you when your hormones start kicking in.

Good luck to you young man, one of my greatest regrets in life is not partaking in "bodybuilding" at a younger age.