Wokrout/ Martial Arts DVDs?

Question

To start I'm roughly 5 6 maybe 5 7 and 143 pounds. I'm looking to get to 150 (or close to) in a little over a month. (for when school starts) I want it to be muscle though. I do full body lifting 3x a week, and 3 hours of martial arts 2x a week (would go more but gotta work). So on the days i can't go to M.A. I would run or elliptical machine, but that gets boring. I was wondering if there are any tough cardio DVDs out there i could pop in and do in my room. Something that will get my heart racing and tone me up. I want a real workout , not a little warm up. Also hopefully a video that will help with my martial arts, maybe with stretching or something. Please, no richard simmons. Thanks in advance

Answer 1

Martial is 100% correct as far as putting on weight - low rep/high weight routine in the gym will do it fast.  The cardio part of your workout is toning/weight loss, so ease up on cardio if you want to gain weight.

Putting on 7 lbs of muscle in a month is pretty un-realistic though, no matter how hard you work out.  I've never heard of someone adding 2 lbs a week...

You'll need a ton of calories if you are going to pack on the weight though - don't neglect your diet.  Clean carbs (pasta, oatmeal, wheat bread, etc.), clean protein (low in fat, not fried chicken), and a lot of fruits and veggies for the vitamins / minerals will help.  

Keep yourself hydrated, too - water will keep everything functioning smoothly.  You are asking a lot from your body - you need to give it a lot too.

Edit re: your strength training.  An hour is fine - you should be making good progress at this point.  Just don't expect 7 lbs of muscle mass gain in a month.   You can do more if you think it's needed, but make sure you recover.  Over-taxing the muscles will actually reduce the mass gains you are trying to make.

Answer 2

First off, if you want to put on weight and muscle, cardio is going to do the exact opposite.  You are actually going to drop more weight and lean out.

If you want to put on muscle, size, and strength I would suggest changing your workout routines to incorporate mass building exercises.

For example, you could use the simple routine of Squat, Bench, Deadlift with the 5x5 principle.

One day a week you go heavy squats, light/medium bench, light/medium deadlift, the other day, heavy bench, light/medium deadlift, light/medium squat, and the last day heavy deadlift, light/medium bench, light/medium squat.

You do 5 reps for 5 sets, progressively increasing the weight.  On your heavy days, during your last set, if you get 5 reps, the next time you go heavy, you increase the weight from 5-10lbs.

This is a VERY simple routine that will pack on pounds and make you much stronger.

Another routine to look at it that I have had very good success with (though freaking brutal) is the 20-rep Squat Program (google it).

If you want to get up in weight, and be as big and as strong as possible for your frame.  Start lifting heavy.

Matt

http://www.martialfighter.com

http://www.fightauthority.com