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Questions for in shape hackers

I've been trying to get in better shape and I've been doing 100 crunches, 50 wide grip push ups, 50 narrow grip push ups, and 3 sets of curls 5 times a week. I'm also running 3 miles twice a weeks for my legs. My goal is to gain muscle. Do you think this is a good regimen. Thanks!

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Any regimen is (usually) better than nothing. So, great start! If your goal is to gain muscle, however, I'd change a few things.

1. I don't go jogging (very much) when I'm shooting for muscle gain. The reason is that it wears down my joints and this results in poorer performance when I lift. In addition, you want to avoid burning calories when you're trying to gain muscle (especially during a recovery period).

2. Crunches will more likely hurt your back than help you make meaningful gains. If you're doing push-ups and squats correctly and in good quantity, you're getting more than enough of an ab workout. They won't show up unless you cut body fat, anyways. You can work on that after you've put on a bunch of muscle, if that's your thing.

3. Curls are mostly effective for biceps, but won't really help you make large muscle gains. If you're doing push-ups, you'll get both a bicep and tricep workout along with your chest.

4. Improve your diet! Lots of lean organic protein, no crappy carbs or sugary snacks. Increase your caloric intake during weight training, especially during recovery days.

If you don't have access to a gym, the best exercises you can do for muscle gain are push-ups, squats, and pull-ups (buy a pull-up bar). These are the best for both muscle gains and quality of life - after perfecting my form on these exercises my posture/balance/strength have never been better.

When you're ready for the gym, there are a number of really simple but effective routines you can follow. Don't pick one that's too complex or it'll be tough to stick to. A common routine that makes the rounds is StrongLifts 5x5: www.stronglifts.com. It worked well for me (been at it for a year), but I'm sure it's not the end-all system. Heed the warnings on the site if you do it. Do NOT attempt squats and deadlifts with serious weight until you're sure your form is excellent. Take it slow.

Actually it's a really good regimen. Not so sure about the curls. Depends on where you want to target I suppose. But to gain muscle you're going to have to lift heavy and to muscle failure with lots of rest, specifically squats and deadlifts. These exercises target the largest muscles and induce the most growth hormone production.

I've tried the 5x5 strong approach to lifts but haven't gained too much weight or muscle. But did get a lot stronger.

Personally, I've never been to into growing muscle. More into developing power and strength. For that I picked up power lifting and kettlebell training.

If pushups get too easy try doing one-arm pushups. One-legged squats (aka pistols) are also good. Best

To be honest, 80% of your success in gaining muscle will come from what you eat. I cannot stress how important it is for you to eat healthily. I highly recommend you check out http://nerdfitness.com/blog/ I have learned a lot from reading this website and it has really helped me get on the right track.

Sounds great! Even better if you can squeeze in another run. For me, consistency is the key...whatever I can keep doing consistently is the most helpful. For legs the best things I've found are sprinting in sand and bike riding up long hills in tall gears. The more I beg for mercy in the morning, the better the code I write in the afternoon :).

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