Ok so first, sorry for coming off as a dick everyone. It just frustrates me so much to see bad info or blanketed advice when that doesn't always help much. For example, in skiing everybody learns to do a 360 or slide a rail their own way, the same advice doesn't work for everybody....well in lifting it's the same way.
As I said, you shouldn't take advice from anyone who you haven't seen get results personally, and who you haven't questioned about their lifts and such.
1.) I started lifting at age 16, 130 lbs. I don't think I could even bench 95 lbs at that point. I played soccer all my life and I was sick and tired of being a string bean and getting picked on by my friends for being skinny. I am now age 24, 5'11" and 187 lbs. I have never taken steroids of any type. Main lifts when I go heavy: Bench: 295. Deadlift: 405. Squat: 405. I'm not trying to claim, i'm just saying that I have been able to get a lot stronger than when I started. Those numbers aren't even that great.
2.) Supplements I've taken and had experience with:
-Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard Whey Protein
-Optimum Nutrition Serious Mass Gainer
-Optimum Nutrition Pre Workout Creatine Complex
-BSN N.O. Xplode
-Kre-alkalyn Creatine Monohydrate
-MuscleTech Celltech Creatine
-Cytosport Cytogainer (Gainer)
-USP Labs Jack3d (pre-workout)
-generic creatine monohydrate
Ok, now then, I'm no expert, I'm no pro, I'm just somebody who's number 1 passion is lifting and who has gotten a lot of results and really believes in it. Lifting has done wonders for my self image and confidence, and it's been my therapy during tough times. The most important things I have found in my experience lifting are: dedication, hard work, proper form, knowledge, diet
WORKOUT STUFF:
During the summer time I've been doing a workout split of working every major muscle group twice a week, so this is how that went:
Monday: Chest/Back
Tuesday: Shoulders/Legs
Wednesday: Biceps/Triceps (easier day)
It's a bit of overkill because you really are killing yourself everyday so I'm switching splits soon.
In the past I have done all different combos, even doing 1 muscle group only per day, but generally I like the opposing muscle group splits best because you can super-set them real hard and heavy and still give it 100% for each exercise. (opposing muscles such as push/pull).
Intro to lifting, explanation of basics and exercises:
do you know what lateral raises are? hamstring curls? incline bench press? Read this anyway and look at the videos/pictures to learn proper form
Constructing an effective workout/muscle basics:
if you're new to lifting and can't name what muscles are in your back or legs, etc or what exercises work each one, start here and read this.
Training Splits:
great article on determining what would be best for you given your personal time allowances and schedule. also has examples of muscle groups for each split, i.e. 2 day 3 day 4 day etc.
Training Styles/Rep Methods:
this is a good one that talks about the various methods of rep styles such as supersets, dropsets, etc. Once you've got your lifting basics down, read this because you'll need to incorporate things to start upping the intensity.
Sports Nutrition/Supplements:
quality information on nutrition and foods and what they do for your body. good read prior to you even considering supplements
That should be a pretty damn good start for people who are fairly new or even intermediate lifters. I'm not going to get into supplements because truly unless I can talk to somebody on a one on one basis I refuse to make recommendations there. Everybody is different. I will say that my favorite supplements due to results are whey protein, creatine monohydrate, and N.O. pre workout stuff occasionally. Supplements won't do the work for you, but since most of us are busy and don't have time to just "eat a big piece of chicken" after working out, or getting the right allotment of complex carbs and branch chain amino acids (BCAAs) among other things, supplements can be very helpful once you know how to use them properly.
