Working out / Creatine?

[The Ract]

I started college about a month and a half ago, and my roommates a fitness nut so to speak. He's just really in shape and always goes to the gym.

3 Weeks ago he got me to go, and i've been going 5 times a week ever since.

Last week I started using creatine pills and have a few questions

How long before I actually start seeing a difference in the gym (lifting more) from the creatine?

How long before I see actual results? I feel like I see some results, but i know it's just in my head.

I feel like im EXTREMELY weak.. i'm 5"5, like 120 ish lbs (this was before i started working out, and I haven't had a scale at my disposal since, so i'll find out how much i've gained when I go home in 2-3 weeks)

I've tried benching, and i can barely put out 75 lbs for 6-8 reps (15 on each side)
Curling I usually do 15 lbs or 20 lbs, but the 20 lbs usually only one set

My roommate does like double that for just warming up, and it's really disheartening.

So: all in all:
How long before I see more strength? (from the creatine + just the fact i'm working out)
How long before I see physical results? (that others can see as well)
How much weight should i be adding on every week? Like to curling, benching, etc?

Any suggestions would help immensely.
Thanks. And sorry, i'm a complete noob at this

So, I know i'm asking a lot here, but I have some more questions:

1. Can I not eat bad foods at all? Like, no french fries, no chips, no popcorn, etc? Also, does a ft long italian w/ just turkey, lettuce, oil and vinegar from Subway count as 'bad food'? Because that's my usual dinner.

2. I have 1 protein shake a day, just 1 scoop and 8 ounces of milk, this is usually after my workout or in combination with my dinner.

3. I don't really know what to eat for lunch. Would a Chicken salad be good? I know in my cafeteria they have chicken available for salads, I just don't know if it'd be filling enough for me.

4. Should I be going for mass in the start? Like, should I be doing low reps with heavier weights? It's just weird, like I can do 10 reps with one weight w/ curling, but then 5 lbs heavier i can't even get 1 up, so I don't know what to do about that.

Thanks for all the comments guys.

 

[mattytinsley]

May I ask what does your diet consist of? Your diet is key for you to gain muscle, if you want to be big you have to eat big.

It seems that your putting yourself down because you can't lift the same as your room mate? remember everyone has to start somewhere.

You shouldn't compare yourself to others, compare yourself to the person you see in the mirror. Its a patience game weightlifting stick with it and you will see progress. Push yourself to fail on every set you can do, if you manage to do more than 12 reps without fail then put the weight up.

Take pictures and make a time lapse? maybe take a picture every monday morning before you have breakfast.

 

[The Ract]

Thanks for the reply.

My diet... isn't all that good. I NEVER eat breakfast (I just never have, and never have an appetite in the morning). I'll usually have either grilled cheese fries and a salad for lunch, or pasta and a salad. For dinner it's usually a ft long turkey from subway on italian bread. Or a buffalo chicken sandwhich.

I lost about 35-40 lbs a year ago from doing absolutely nothing, but just cutting junk food out of my diet, and people thought I was anorexic. Ever since then my eating has been all fucked up :/ any tips?

 

[mattytinsley]

Not going to lie but if you want to see a change you need to sort the diet out first of all!

I'm currently trying to bulk, I'm at uni so moneys a bit tight at the moment so I'm using this diet plan.... http://www.uk-muscle.co.uk/food-die...tight-budget-check-out-diet-plan-bulking.html ...

Changing your diet is the hardest part, the first week is easy because it's a something new in your life, it's the next few weeks after that that you just need to sick it out and think about what you want at the end of it all

If your not that comfortable with a big change then just introduce it into your diet slowly, so say one day you just have and extra meal of chicken/fish just to get more protein. Then maybe the next week make it 2/7 days you have one extra meal and so on!

Hope this helped!

 

It takes the body a while to become acclimatized to lifting the heavy weights. It sucks but don't be disheartened.

You should really force yourself to have breakfast in the morning. I used to not have it but if you force yourself to eat even the smallest thing after a fortnight or so your appetite should increase. Breakfast is really important.

From what you have said it sounds like you are trying to bulk. Are you running a calorie surplus? A ~500 calorie surplus is the max you should run.

As matty said, without the right diet you won't see many gains. With gains you should be able to transform yourself in the stage of 4-6 months perhaps, depending on body type, etc.

 

[The Ract]

@Matty
The next step i'm gonna take is to change my diet, thanks to you. I do think i'll have to take it slowly, as i'm one to get bored and sick of things easily. I'll have to do some research on what will be right for me, then get back to you.
@Jack
I don't really know what I want. I just want to look good honestly. I want the changes to be noticeable, and to be in good shape. I'm not doing this so I can lift as heavy as I can or show off, I just want to look good honestly. Want to change myself. And no, i'm not running a surplus. At least I don't think so, as I don't count my calorie intake.

I'm a really small kid, so i'm hoping that it won't take as long as it might for a bulkier guy to see noticeable changes, but that's optimistic.

If you guys could give any advice / tips on diets, it would be appreciated Thanks for the replies!

 

[kmjt]

Creatine is just a supplement, it won't do miracles if you don't put in the work. If you want to know when you should be seeing strength gains, it should be almost instantly (beginner gains). If you aren't making gains at the start you are most likely doing something wrong, since you shouldn't be hitting a plateau so early as a beginner. Google a strength program if you are in it purely for strength and don't give a fuck what others around you are lifting; its all about your own personal gains.

Also can't stress enough that your diet is very important. By diet I mean get your macronutrients.

Also if you are going to take creatine make sure you drink A LOT of water. If you don't drink lots of water you may feel pain in your kidneys, not to mention drinking a lot of water helps you feel the full effects of creatine.

 

[Snow Patrol]

I wouldn't even suggest hopping on Creatine until about 6 months of dedicated working out. In the beginning your diet/water intake will definitely be off, and it's a huge strain on your kidneys.

MyFitnessPal app is what my brother and I use to track macro's. Get a routine and stick to it (Bro and I are on a 4 day Push/Pull/Legs/Rest split).

I'd recommend ICF or a full body routine when you first start out. I wouldn't do what your friend does simply because he's been at it longer and he doesn't need to be on a novice routine.

 

[Zerkeronrs7]

Read this: http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=131379243





Congratulations, you now know everything you need to as a beginner.

 

[Youv Been done]

Don't compare yourself to how much your friend lifts if you started 3 weeks ago, everyone has to start somewhere. i joined gym close to 2 months ago, and iv just started noticing more muscle

 

[Youv Been done]

oh and if you need to gain weight/muscle don't forget the protein shakes from myprotein or something goodluck

 

[Methasode Pker]

im over weight but i own a 40 pounds dumb bell and when i first got it i could only lift it 1 times now im doing 25 reps a set 5-7 sets a day bro screw those pills start taking protein shakes daily double scoops twice a day eat 3 square meals a day try it will help

 

[Youv Been done]

im over weight but i own a 40 pounds dumb bell and when i first got it i could only lift it 1 times now im doing 25 reps a set 5-7 sets a day bro screw those pills start taking protein shakes daily double scoops twice a day eat 3 square meals a day try it will help

ya i've heard bad things about creatine, and apparently when you stop taking it you lose alot of your gains anyway.

 

[The Ract]

Thanks for the replies guys:
@Metha
I've been taking a protein shake with 1 scoop everyday after my workout. Is that enough? Or should I be taking 2?
I just can't get myself to eat breakfast. I just can't :/ I've never consistently eaten breakfast my entire life and I just have no appetite in the morning.
Most of the time I get lunch in (however it's not healthy) and then dinner is usually a turkey sandwich from Subway with some sort of a side


@Youv
Yeah, i've been getting less and less self conscious about how much I lift.
As far as the creatine goes, I know that If I stop taking it you do lose alot of your gains pretty fast. But, I plan on taking it as long as I workout, so i don't really see it as an issue.

 

[YoungBuck-]

Creatine is just a temporarily thing. It will just hold the water in your body to make you look bigger. It's only to look bigger. To get big, you have to eat big. Eat a lot of protein. Chicken is your best friend along with nuts. The best would be walnuts. You don't need to expect miracles in a week or month, gaining mass is a thing that needs time. If you really need help, I could help you. From eating to work out. The only supplement you need is protein powder.

Don't believe me ? I can hook you up with a pic.

Edit:

Look at these babies.

 

[kill dank]

I've had good luck with Anadrol 50 and Bolasterone. I'm not sure on the spelling cuz I don't have my bottles with me.

 

[sourceOfGreatness]

Yo youngbuck ur small stop.... im 6.0 213lbs. I eat 4 meals a day my supper is always at 5:00 .make sure u dont eat shittt foods.. so get rid of your french fres and replace them with brown rice get rid of toast and cheeseburgers and replace them with salads. I eat chicken salad for supper sometimes and lunch I like to have salad with balsamic vingar .. vinegar eats the fatty acids away in ur stomach. Ur diet is 70% of working out 25% is dedication and 5 % is doing the excercises... so make sure u eat ur breakfast everymorning.. people say fruits are food to diet THEYRE NOT they contain a large amkunt of sugar which is fatening. U wanna eat baked carrots baked broccoli baked coliflower baked broccoli ... steam spinich. Vegetables are key big key. Contain large amount of vitamins fornur body 0 fats... drink 2 liters pf water each day you will see u will be less hungry. Which is good cus u dont want that feeling where u wanna eat a whole cow.... this is to get rid of fat and replace it with lean muscle im always on a lean program I never get off it... im on my cell so mistakes and ttpos are made please compensate. Ive been working out 4 years and it took me a while to get where I am right now when I started I was 16 I benched 110 lbs and u know what I didnt diet well the first yeae at the end 17 begining of 18 I started to diet andbi starting benching 225 now I usw 245 for my sets but max 275. Eveeyone starts somewhere. Check ur weight and check every2 weeks u shud gain weight cus of ur muscle gud kuck

 

[kmjt]

Creatine is just a temporarily thing. It will just hold the water in your body to make you look bigger. It's only to look bigger. To get big, you have to eat big. Eat a lot of protein. Chicken is your best friend along with nuts. The best would be walnuts. You don't need to expect miracles in a week or month, gaining mass is a thing that needs time. If you really need help, I could help you. From eating to work out. The only supplement you need is protein powder.

Don't believe me ? I can hook you up with a pic.

Edit:

Look at these babies.

You forgot to post the after picture. Like youngbuck says, it is mostly about eating if you want to get big.

 

[Lean]

Eat more red meats, carbs, protein, and drink whole milk. For some people it's a lot harder to gain muscle and weight then it is for others.

 

Creatine doesn't do anything for "Strength" or getting you big. It just helps you when you're lifting because it allows more water to get to the muscles so you don't get that burning feeling.
If you want to get big, do the maximum weight you can (while keeping good technique). When I'm benching I'll literally do 3 sets of 3 reps, 1 will be a struggle, 2 hard as fuck and the third will be the hardest. However I have someone spotting me at all times, which you always should when lifting your maximum.

If you're on your own and nobody is there to help (you shouldn't be on your own in a gym anyway incase of injuries etc.) just does 3 sets of 10 on an easier weight, but if you don't struggle you're not doing much for your muscles.
As people have said though, getting big is all about food
You'll need a shit load of protein and make sure you eat as much as you can really... (not junk food obviously)

You sound very much like a friend of mine I've recently got into the gym, he thinks he's weak and people are laughing at him and he feels bad because I can lift much more than him.
What I've told him is, nobody gives a shit what you lift (unless you're an asshole and brag) I started out curling 10kg on a bar and I was weak. People in the gym have all started at a low weight, we don't walk in there and start benching 100000 kg on day 1.

Just stick at it and you'll see results soon.