Training Questions and Answers

Question

Hey Lee, my girlfriend just told me that she wants to make her arms look and feel more firm, can you help me out w/some good tips. She does not want to put to much muscle on at all, but does not want the flabby look either. Will she have to lose fat all the way around, or can she target the arms on their own?

Thank you Sir.

Answer

The best way to add lean muscle and burn bodyfat is to focus on doing a total body workout routine. You will get better results by training all bodyparts equally, rather then just focusing on a few problem areas.

As for building too much muscle this will never happen. It would take at least 10+ years of hard training and proper nutrition to even come close to developing a big muscular physique. And most of the professional bodybuilders that you seen on T.V. and in magazines are using muscle enhancing drugs to get to that level of development. If you go into any gym you will see that less then 1% of the members are what you would consider big and muscular.

I have an article that has some good exercise and nutrition tips that your girlfriend can follow at: http://www.leehayward.com/art17.htm

If you need help in performing some of the exercises you can see some exercise pictures at: http://www.leehayward.com/pics/exercise.htm

Question

Lee,

If I am trying to gain weight, what is a good way to get a good cardio workout without burning the calories I need in order to pack on pounds?

Thanks
Jason

Answer

Hi Jason,

In the off season when I am trying to gain size I usually do about 10 minutes of cardio before my weight training workouts as a warm up and I do about 10-15 minutes of cardio after as a cool down. Don't worry about burning up too many calories, 20-30 minutes of cardio will only burn a couple hundred calories.

Question

How many sets and how many reps do you recomend for each wrokout? And I dont want to gain to any more weight.

Thanks for your time and help.

Answer

There is no "perfect workout routine". You could ask to 10 different people, and you would get 10 different workouts. The main thing to focus on is working the muscles hard and giving them time to rest and grow. Whether or not you gain weight depends on your diet, not your workout routine.

My current workout routine looks like this:

Workout 1: 
Chest, Shoulders, and Triceps 

Workout 2: 
Back and Biceps 

Workout 3: 
Legs and Abs 

I workout every second day. So this gives my body plenty of time to rest and recover between workouts. I usually do about 3-4 exercises per bodypart, 3-4 sets per exercise, and 6-10 reps per set. The exercises that I do vary, but I usually start off with a couple heavy free weight exercises and finish off with a couple machine exercises.

Question

Dear Mr. Hayward:

I have a problem. When I first started doing the dead lift, I would always use an underhand grip with my left hand, and a overhand grip with my right hand. Not until later did I begin to alternate. Because of this, my left bicep is larger than my right, and my right lat is larger than my left. Could you help me balance this out? I'm merely looking to balance out size, I'm fairly sure the strength is more of less the same on each side.

Thanks,
-Dustin Roderick

P.S. Love the site!

Answer

Hi Dustin,

To correct the problem you will have to alternate the grips you use when dead lifting (or use lifting straps and an overhand grip) so that each side gets worked equally. You should also include several back and bicep exercises that work each side of your body equally. Dumbbells are great for this as well as machines that allow each arm to move independently (such as the hammer strength rowing machine).

Overtime this should correct the imbalance.

Question

hey lee,

just wondering if u could answer a few questions for me. firstly, do you know of any good ways to build up the lower chest. is a declined bench press good for this? i use about a 10 degree decline. is this about right?

secondly, when i do situps, my lower back gets really sore after about 15. are there any good excersises to concentrate only on my abs and exclude my back?

keep the website going its a great help.

thanks,
alan

Answer

Hi Alan,

For the lower chest some of the best exercises include:

Dips
http://www.leehayward.com/pics/dip1.jpg
http://www.leehayward.com/pics/dip2.jpg

Decline bench press
(when doing the decline bench press a 10-20 degree decline is fine)
http://www.leehayward.com/pics/declinebench.jpg

Flat bench press (lower the bar to the bottom of your chest)
http://www.leehayward.com/pics/bench1.jpg
http://www.leehayward.com/pics/bench2.jpg

Push ups
http://www.leehayward.com/pics/pushup1.jpg
http://www.leehayward.com/pics/pushup2.jpg

For your abs cut out doing sit ups and focus on doing crunches and leg raises. Do the reps slowly and really feel the abs contract with each rep.

http://www.leehayward.com/pics/crunch.gif
http://www.leehayward.com/pics/legraise1.gif
http://www.leehayward.com/pics/legraise2.gif

Question

Dear Lee,

I have been lifting now for many years and have developed a nice body. I perform all of my lifts with super strict form and moderate weight, all to failure. This system has worked extremely well for me and I have gained much muscle from it.. With regard to my shoulders they are quite broad and big with the exception of my anterior delts.. they are flat as pancakes. No matter what I do I cannot get them to increase in size.. My shoulder workout is as follows.

military press 3 set to failure 
side laterals 3 to failure 
front raises 3 to failure 
and rear delts flys 3 to failure 

Jerry Cimino

Answer

Hi Jerry,

You will work the front delts (anterior) a lot from your chest workouts. Exercises like bench press (barbell, dumbbell, flat, and incline), dips, flyes, pec deck, etc... all work the front delts hard. To stimulate more growth in the front delts here is a good workout routine that you can do:

front db raises 
3-4 sets of 10-12 reps 

seated db shoulder press 
have the bench at a 80 degree angle 
to work the front delts more 
3-4 sets of 8-10 reps 

upright rows (from a low cable pulley) 
3-4 sets of 8-10 reps 

rear delts flys 
3-4 sets of 10-12 reps 

barbell shrugs 
3 sets of 10 reps 

It is slightly different from your current routine and it will help to stimulate some new muscle growth in your shoulders. Try this routine for a month and let me know how it works for you.

Question

Hi Lee,

Here's my story; I'm a 35 y.o. white male, body type is a mix of ectomoph/mesomorph, 6"-1', 176 lbs, been weightlifting on a consistent basis for 17 years, on benchpress I do 225LBS for 8 reps, max bench is about 285. I am a ex-Division 1 basketball player and in general I have a lean athletic build, although I would say that my build in the last 4 years has gone from lean to a more of a "thick" look with less definition. I have not changed my eating or workout habits during this time.

My questions are:

1) My abs - I have been genetically gifted with abs in that, until age 26, I had a 6- pack and never had to do ab exercises. After age 26 my abs slowly went from a 6-pack to a 4-pack and small love handles began to develop. During this period I never changed my eating habits or workout habits (I assume it's just the age process). About a year ago I decided to start working my abs and I can't get my 6-pack back. Worse than that, I can't seem to get rid of the small side handles. I have tried a variety of ab exercises for my sides but I don't seem to get to them. Do you have any suggestions on how to best rid of these side handles and to deveolp muscle on my side abs? How can I get back the abs I had when I was 25?

2) My legs - I have the standard skinny basketball legs. My upper body has always responded well to weight training but my legs don't seem to respond. What excercises are the best to put size on my legs? What reps? How often should I train my legs? This inability to put size on my legs has been a problem for over 10 years!

Thanks for your time. Any suggestions would be great!

Thank You
Pat Fischer

Answer

Hi Pat,

As we age our metabolism slows down and we tend to gain bodyfat. Your abs are disappearing simply because you are gaining bodyfat. I suggest that you work your abs hard a couple times per week to develop the ab muscles.

You also need to increase your cardio and cut back slightly on your food intake to burn off excess bodyfat. The best time to do cardio for fat loss is first thing in the morning before eating or after your weight training workouts. At these times you have little or no food in your system so your body resorts to burning bodyfat for fuel. Also try to avoid eating before going to bed, this may take a bit of getting used to, especially if you like to have a bed time snack. But in the long run it will really help to speed your fat loss.

There are two types of workouts that I find work really good for developing the legs.

Workout 1 (pre exhaust your legs first)
----------------------------------------
Leg extensions
3-4 sets of 10-15 reps

Leg curls
3-4 sets of 10-15 reps

Leg press
3-4 sets of 10 reps

Squats
3-4 sets of 10 reps


Workout 2 (do mass exercises first)
----------------------------------------

Squats
3-4 sets of 6-10 reps

Leg press
3-4 sets of 6-10 reps

Leg extensions
3-4 sets of 8-10 reps

Leg curls
3-4 sets of 8-10 reps

Each time you work your legs, alternate between workout 1 and workout 2. Give these tips a try for a month or two and let me know how they work for you.

Question

Hi,

I'm wondering if you could give me some advice... When I'm doing inclined flyes, my right should cracks. It doesn't make a sound, but I can feel it. I think it could be a tendon.

What do you think I should do to avoid this?...

Answer

The best way to avoid that cracking in your shoulder when doing incline flyes, is to not do incline flyes :-) Seriously, if an exercise doesn't feel good then do not do it.

I very rarely do incline flyes. I do not feel comfortable doing them. I find that I get a much better pump and muscle stimulation from doing incline dumbbell bench presses then from incline flyes. The only flye exercise that I use in my chest workouts are pec deck flyes.

Question

hey lee,

i have a question about my back. ive use a lot of weight, but see no results. what are some exercises to do for size, like the triangle look, or just some changes. every thing else looks fine just my back.

please help!!! thanks ;)

mike
toronto, canada.

Answer

Instead of trying to lift a lot of weight for your back workouts, cut back on your poundage's and really focus on doing perfect form. Try to feel your back muscles squeeze at the top and stretch at the bottom of each rep.

Start your workouts with chin ups, cable pull downs, and seated cable rows because these are a great exercises for pumping and pre exhausting your lats. Then move on to free weight exercises such as bent barbell rows, dead lifts, etc.

Give these tips a try and let me know how they work for you.

Question

hi lee,

im 6ft 205lbs i do a full body workout once a week, and cardio 3 times a week. ive lost 65lbs but i need to lose about 20 more. i cant seem to get that last 20 off. i dont want to be big i just want that lean shredded look. how many calories should i be taking in a day. also what do you think about 7-keto, do you think its a good supplement.

THANKS FOR ALL YOUR HELP.
signed Gary

Answer

Hi Gary,

Congratulations on losing so much bodyfat, that is quite an accomplishment!

At your size you should be eating approx. 2500 calories per day. Shoot for 200 grams of protein and 300 grams of carbohydrates each day.

To lose that last bit of bodyfat you need to focus more on weight training. I suggest that you workout 4 times per week. A good routine would be:

Monday - upper body
Tuesday - lower body
Wednesday - REST
Thursday - upper body
Friday - lower body
Saturday - REST
Sunday - REST

Don't worry about getting too big or muscular. This will not happen. Building muscle is a hard slow process. I have been involved with fitness and bodybuilding for over 10 years and I have never met a person who thought that they were "too muscular".

Weight training is more important for fat loss then cardio. When you do cardio you burn the majority of the calories while you are exercising. But adding lean muscle though weight training will burn fat and calories 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

The only way to get that lean and shredded look is to have a routine that is primarily based on weight training and supplemented with cardio. At the gym where I train I constantly see some people spending endless hours on the cardio equipment, and a lot of them do little or no weight training. Not to put them down, but most of these people look terrible. It is especially noticeable in the locker room, they have skinny arms, skinny legs, and a fat pudgy belly. If they focused more on weight training and less on cardio they would firm up and develop a much better shape.

As for 7-KETO DHEA it is a good supplement for people who are over the age of 40. As we age our body produces less hormones and by supplementing with 7-KETO DHEA we can help to increase hormone levels and increase lean muscle mass. It wouldn't have any effect on younger people because their bodies are producing adequate amounts of natural hormones.

Question

Mr Lee

my name is John, I am in the Army and I have a problem with maintaining. In the Army we are required to run 2 miles, 2min situp and 2 min push-up. My problem is when I train to maintain my 2 mile objective. I lose hard earn muscle and become weak. When I focus on strength and size, my run time suffers. Is there a training routine I can do to maintain strength and size while allowing me to keep my 2mile run time under 13:18 min. Also what supplements do you recommend. I appreiciate any assistance you can provide.

Thanks
John
US Army

Answer

Hi John,

You can build up muscle size and strength while maintaining good cardiovascular endurance.

You didn't mention what kind of workout routine you are following, but here are some suggestions that you can use.

Alternate between doing heavy weight, low rep workouts with doing lighter weight, high rep workouts. This will allow you to make better progress then if you just focused on all heavy training or all light training. Lets say that it takes you 2-3 workouts to work your entire body. For those 2-3 workouts lift enough weight so that you can only do between 6-8 reps per set. The next time you go through your workout routine lift enough weight so that you can do 12+ reps per set. (For push ups and sit ups do as many reps as you can do.)

Focus on basic exercises such as the ones I have listed below. You do not have to do these exact exercises, but it will give you an idea of what you should be including in your workouts.

Chest:
dumbbell and/or barbell bench presses
weighted dips (for your heavy days)
push ups (for your light days)

Back:
chin ups
barbell and/or cable rows
dead lifts

Shoulders:
seated dumbbell and/or barbell press (military press)
barbell shrugs
lateral raises

Legs:
squats
leg extensions
leg curls
calf raises

Biceps:
barbell curls
dumbbell curls

Triceps:
push downs
lying barbell extensions
close grip bench press

Abs:
crunches
leg raises
sit ups

A good workout schedule that you can follow is:

Workout 1: chest, shoulders, and triceps
Workout 2: back and biceps
Workout 3: legs and abs

After each workout do 15-20 minutes of cardio such as the treadmill, stair master, stationary cycle, jogging out doors, etc. Work hard enough so that you are breathing heavy and working up a good sweat. This will help to improve your cardiovascular endurance.

As for supplements, here are some of my favorites:

Optimum 100% Whey Protein
- take 2-3 servings per day to get extra high quality protein in your diet.

Sport Pharma Promax Bars
- have 1-2 bars per day for a quick and convenient high protein meal.

AST Multi Pro 32X
- take with breakfast and evening meal to ensure that you are getting all of the essential vitamins and minerals that your body needs.

ECA Stack
- when you need an energy boost take this before your workouts on an empty stomach. Take it only a few times per week, save it for when you really need extra energy.

Question

Hi,

My name is Derik, and i was wondering how do i get my abs and how to burn fat in that area without all those pills and stuff because there are abs there i just can find them. And I play football and wrestling, and football will be comeing up soon and i want to be a strong as can be. And i hurt my lower back and it gives me troubles sometimes so is there a way to make it stronger??? Thanks for your time and please get back to me, send me a e-mail that would be nice.

your friend,

Derik Garrels

Answer

Hi Derik,

In order to lose fat in your abs you have to lose fat all over. You cannot spot reduce a certain part of your body. A lot of people say that they want to lose their "belly fat". But in reality they have to lose fat everywhere. It is almost like if you cut your finger you would not say that you are losing "finger blood", you would just say that you are losing blood. The same thing applies to fat, you don't lose "belly fat", you just lose fat. Anyway, with that said I have a good article that you should read at: http://www.leehayward.com/art17.htm This article will give you some great fat loss tips that you can use to trim some excess bodyfat.

To see your abs you will need to get your bodyfat really low (i.e. about 6% or less). If you don't know what your bodyfat percentage is you can get a bodyfat tester at: http://totfit.safeshopper.com/20/cat20.htm These are very easy to use and they instantly tell you what your bodyfat percentage is, this is much more accurate then judging your progress by your bodyweight. With a bodyfat tester you can tell exactly how much muscle and how much bodyfat you have.

A great exercise to build up the lower back is the "hyper extension" or some people just call it the "back extension". I have a picture of this exercise at: http://www.leehayward.com/pics/hypext.gif Do 3 sets of 15 reps of this exercise 2 times per week. As you get stronger increase the number of reps. Also be sure to work your abdominals at least 2 times per week. Having strong abdominals and a strong lower back will help to stabilize your entire torso.

Question

I am 63 years old and have gotten very interested in competitive bench pressing - I weight 163 lbs, 5'11" and presently can bench 215 or so. There is a match in March using the swartz formula. If you guys think that you can be of help to me I would be willing to consider your bench press program.

Also interested in what you have to say about bench shirts.

Look forward to you reply:

Respectfully,
Pete

ps: I am not a novice weight lifter 20 years Navy and some special ops - but this is the first time I have considered competing

Answer

Hi Pete,

I suggest that you give the "Blast Your Bench" program a try. If you can bench 215 right now, I am confident that you will be able to bench approx. 250 lbs. after following the program. This program produces real results. Go ahead and try the program for yourself and if you are not happy with your progress I will refund your money.

Bench shirts can instantly increase the poundage's you lift. I recommend that you practice lifting with a bench shirt for the last few weeks before your contest. During this time your main focus will be on perfecting your lifting technique. For the rest of the time do not use a bench shirt. Over use of support items such as wraps, lifting straps, weight lifting belts, bench shirts, sqaut suits, etc... will not allow for complete development of your muscles, joints, and tendons. Save them for when you need them (i.e. an all out heavy set of squats, dead lifts, etc.).

Question

hi lee,

I was just wondering if you could give any advice as to how I could improve my six pack through different exercises.

thankx,

Paul, Bringham, England

Answer

Hi Paul,

The best way to improve your abdominals is to lose bodyfat. Everyone has 6 pack abs, but for most people they are covered in a layer of bodyfat. If you lose the bodyfat you will be able to see the abs.

As for exercises to work the abs crunches, reverse crunches, leg raises, etc... all work well. The main thing with working the abs is that you have to slow down the exercises and feel your abs contract and work with each rep. Pick 3 different abdominal exercises. Change the exercises that you do every now and then to prevent boredom and to work the muscles from different angles. Do 3 sets of 15-25 reps for each abdominal exercise. Work your abs 2 or 3 times per week at most, abs are like any other muscle group and they need time to rest and grow as well.

Question

Hi lee,

I have a problem with my body I have small legs and Calves I workout my calves every time I go to the gym which is 3-4 times a week. I see that they are a little cut but they are not getting bigger. My leg workout is at least 2 times a week. Do you have any tips to help my lower body get bigger..
Alex

Answer

Hi Alex,

You should try working your calfs every second day after your weight workouts. I suggest that you do one day with heavy weights and the next with light weights. This will help to work both the fast and slow twitch muscle fibers. Here is the routine that you should follow.

(Note: always stretch and warm up your calfs with some light sets before doing heavy sets)

Workout 1:

Standing calf raises
4 sets of 5-10 reps with heavy weights

Seated calf raises
4 sets of 5-10 reps with heavy weights

Bodyweight calf raises
(just stand up and do calf raises with no weight, you may want to place you hands against a wall for balance)
2 sets of 100 reps (these will burn like crazy)

Workout 2:

Standing calf raises
4 sets of 20+ reps with light weights

Seated calf raises
4 sets of 20+ reps with light weights

Bodyweight calf raises
2 sets of 100 reps

Try this workout for a month and let me know how it works for you.

Question

Hello Lee,

My name's Carlos residing in Auckland, New Zealand. I really need some advice to streghthen my back. I'm a software engineer and I sit a lot. I've had back pain right in the middle but from what I've read I need to exercise and build my back. What do you recommend to build my back?? I've been doing push-ups and sit-ups which has helped with the pain. I'd really like a gradual program (exercises, their repetitions, how often, etc) for my back.

Thanks a lot in advance,

Carlos.

Answer

Hi Carlos,

When you workout you should work your entire body. This will help you develop your muscles much better then if you just worked on one particular area (i.e. your back). You can prioritize certain bodyparts, but you should always work your entire body.

You never mentioned what kind of physical shape you are in, but basically there are 3 types of people. Those who are thin and want to build up strength and muscle size. Those who are overweight and want to trim down and tighten their bodies. And those who are not really thin or overweight, but they just want to "get in shape" by losing a few pounds of bodyfat and gaining a few pounds of muscle.

It would be helpful if I knew which category you fit in to, but here are some general guidelines for strengthening your body and especially your back.

You will need to have access to a gym or at least some basic weight equipment (i.e. barbell, dumbbells, bench, assortment of weight plates, etc.).

Here is a sample workout that you can do: (If you need help performing the exercises you can check out: http://www.leehayward.com/pics/exercise.htm for some exercise pictures.)

Push Ups - 2 sets of as many reps as you can do

Dead Lifts - 2 sets of 10 reps

Bent Over Barbell Row - 2 sets of 10 reps

Squat - 2 sets of 10 reps

Barbell or Dumbbell Curls - 2 sets of 10 reps

Crunches - 2 sets of 25+ reps

Side Bends - 2 sets of 15 reps

With all of the exercises make sure to start off with light weights and get the proper exercise form down pat. Proper exercise form will help you make good results and avoid injury.

This is a beginners weight training workout. I have a great article that you should check out called Bodybuilding for Beginners. This article has a lot of great exercise and nutrition tips.

Question

Lee,

i workout my arms twice a day and legs twice a day but never on consectutive days will i over train?

thanks,
steven

Answer

Hi Steven,

When you work a bodypart you stimulate muscle growth. Then you need to rest and give the muscle time to grow. There is no advantage to training a bodypart, then several hours later train the same bodypart again. It hasn't had enough time to recover from the first workout. If you want to train 2 times per day work different bodyparts with each workout. For example, work your chest in the morning and work your back in the evening, or work your arms in the morning and work your shoulders in the evening, etc...

Question

Mr. Hayward,

I have one more question for you. Right now, I am about 5'9" and weigh about 185 lbs. When I was 15, I lost a lot of weight in a short amount of time. (127 lbs. in 5 months). I started lifting here and there for a little bit but I just recently got into lifting hard (1.5 years) Everything is getting more defined and bigger except for my arms. They are getting stronger but they are still pretty much the same size. Is there any pointers you could give me on this issue? I used to do one body part a week and I just switched routines last week. I now do a body two times a week....one light and one heavy day. I follow the same routines as my budy and his arms are huge! What can I do?

Thanks,

Chris Esasky

Answer

Hi Chris,

In order to get bigger arms you have to focus on using perfect exercise form when you do your arm exercises. No excess body movement. For example, when you are working your biceps, do not swing the barbell or dumbbells. Use a slow and controlled movement all the time and really feel the biceps working. The same applies for triceps.

The triceps make up 2/3 of your upper arms while the biceps only make up 1/3. So you should do more work for your triceps then you do for your biceps. For example, you can do 3 exercises for biceps and 4 exercises for triceps.

Big biceps look great and really add to the shape of the arms, but most of the arm size is in the triceps.

Question

I hope you dont mind my asking for a piece of advice as i would value your opinion.

I recently took part in two natural bodybuilding comps every one i have spoken to has told me what great condition i was in but that my my lats are a bit small.

I already do weighted chins wide and narrow grip also various other exercises but they dont seem to be making much gains.

Any suggestions?

Hope to hear from you soon,

thanks
Stevie

p.s. I am 39 and totaly natural.

Answer

Hi Stevie,

The best back exercise ever is dead lifts. It is not an isolation exercise, but dead lifts will pack on muscle to every part of your back - lower back, middle back, lats, traps, etc.

I suggest that you do dead lifts 2 times per week. One workout use heavy weights and low reps, then next workout use lighter weights and high reps.

Dead lift workout 1:
- 10 reps with light weight (warm up)
- 8 reps with moderate weight (warm up)
- 5 reps with a heavy weight
- 5 reps with a heavy weight
- 2-3 reps with a heavy weight

Do not train to failure when doing heavy sets and low reps, make sure that you can complete every rep. Each heavy workout add 5 lbs to the bar and try to get the same number of reps.

Dead lift workout 2:
- 15 reps with a light weight (warm up)
- 12-15 reps with a moderate weight
- 12-15 reps with a moderate weight
- 12-15 reps with a moderate weight
- 12-15 reps with a moderate weight

Start off the set with a weight that you can do for 15 good reps. As you fatigue, keep the weight the same and reduce the reps (i.e. 15 first set, 14 second set, 13 third set, etc.)

After you do 5 sets of dead lifts, add in a few sets of chin ups, pull downs, or some other back exercises. However, the main focus of your back workout should be the dead lift.

Follow this routine for the next month and then e-mail me back and let me know how it works for you.

Note: to see some good dead lift pics visit: http://www.leehayward.com/pics/exercise.htm

Question

Hey Lee,

I turn 14 in April, i am 5,9 125lbs(not good). I do not have acess to a gym, maybe next year. Everyday at 6 i use my tiny dumbells and work out for about 40 min. I start off with 115 bench press reps and then 70 ab crunches, then 90 bench press reps and then 70 crunches. I then do 115 bicep curls (i think thats what they are called) and 70 ab crunches. I then do another 90 bench press reps and 70 crunches etc. My weights are tiny so i do as many reps as i can. I am writing to you because i go to other websites for answers and they give me short lazy answers such as Inclines, Deadlift, etc. I dont even know these terms (what they mean). I was hoping you could give me a work out, or improvement, with more detail and explanation. I wanna get muscular, especially CHEST. Please write a.s.a.p

Thanx for ur time,

Diego

Answer

Hi Diego,

First off you need to eat big in order to get big. For protein eat foods such as: beef, chicken, turkey, fish, eggs, milk, protein shakes, etc. For carbs eat foods such as: bread, rice, cereals, potatoes, pasta, fruit, vegetables, etc. You should also eat a moderate amount of fats from foods such as: peanut butter, cheese, regular milk, butter, salad dressings, etc. Don't go overboard with it but a little extra fat will help give you more calories and energy to help you add bodyweight and build muscle. Eat a small meal every 2-3 hours. You also need to drink at least 10 glasses of water each day to help keep your body hydrated, help with digestion, rid your body of toxins, etc.

As for a good home workout routine you can try the following:

Push ups with your bodyweight (works the chest, triceps, and shoulders)
This is a pretty basic exercise but it works great
do 2 sets of 25+ reps

Squats with your bodyweight (works the thighs)
Just stand with your hands on your hips and squat all the way down and back up
do 2 sets of 25+ reps

Shoulder dumbbell press (works the shoulders and triceps)
Sit on a chair and press your dumbbells above your head and lower to shoulder level
do 2 sets of 20+ reps

Dumbbell curls
do 2 sets of 50+ reps

Calf raises with your bodyweight (works the calfs)
Just stand on your tippy toes for a second then lower yourself
do 2 sets of 25+ reps

Crunches (works the abs)
Another basic exercise that works great
do 2 sets of 50+ reps

If you have a chin up bar you can include these in your workouts as well. If not then you should try and get one of those chin up bars that fits in a door way. Chin ups are great for working the back and bicep muscles. You should try and get some adjustable dumbbells and a barbell and an assortment of weight plates. This will help you do different exercises and use more weight. You can usually pick up some weights at garage sales, flea markets, etc. fairly cheap or you can go to a department store and buy a basic weight set, Wal-Mart has some good prices on home gym equipment.

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