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[MelloR1]

best way to get "bulk" is just to slow down your cardo, and to bild mass you need to be free wates and be power lifting...(IE) do 3 reps of 150lbs vs 10 reps of 100lbs but still do 3 sets.

power lifting I do (2 times a week, parkour the other 5)

do all 3-5 reps, at 3 sets and do ALL you can do

(olny upper body, to lazy to write the rest)
Bench. (flat, invurted, and decline)
Cleans.
dead lifts.
Push press.
Dips (use feet to hold wates).
Flys.

there are 1,000,000 others I know of but those are the most basic to do and work the best at bilding your UPPER CORE and packing on good LBS.

Deadlifts are good for the entire body "but" may be to advanced for novice lifters that have not been introduced to basic movements. If done incorrectly your in for a world of hurt.
Bench Press is good but the type of chest workout will determine how your chest will look. If you do flat bench that will pretty much bulk your chest or give you what they call a barrell chest. Incline will work more of the upper chest to give you a "shelf". Decline will work lower chest to raise pecks up then you have the flies that will give the creese or part with seperation down the middle.
Dips are ok but if your tricepts are not conditioned to do them you'll just discourage yourself. I would stay away from that depending on your skill level. Good movement for definition though "cuts". Yes eliminating cardio or reducing will help in bulking up but I would still incorporate cardio but not much to help with indurance. If you don't have indurance you will not last long in the gym. The 3-5 rep cycle is good but not on a consistant basis. I would only cycle that into a regular regimen of 10-12 then test yourself once a month with 1 rep max lifts for shock therapy. Lastly when you go to the gym try not to stay to long. This is where alot of people make their mistake. Everyone has a window of excitment that is about 30-45 minutes then after that your basically there wasting time. Do what you have to do then leave. Ok that was it for todays free lesson.

[finn1016]

Personally; keep the cardio and do it every other day like you do right now.  While your at it, on the days you don't run build functional muscle by doing push-ups and the like; (manual labor is good too). your diet is important too, Chicken, spinach, and fish are great... eat 5 or 6 medium sized meals a day; in my case: Breakfast, Lunch, one meal at around 2:15, dinner, and one about an hour before bed. Your body builds muscle at night, if you feed it.

the cardio keeps your heart in good shape, with all that eating you need it. Finally, agility training is great... try running a mile worth of 40 yard sprints every so often, It works muscle differently than distance running.

[5L3v3N_]

i gained 30 something pounds 5 years ago by eating eggs every morning and pb and j's all throughout the day.  proud former football player willing to post advice on eating      yum yum.....

[08kecarv]

how do you bulk up? Join Marching band and play Lead Trumpet

[TheProblem]

Wow, I am going to college partly for ACE certification in Physical Training. I saw this thread and rubbed my hands together... only to see that they've pretty much covered it. I know you said you wanted to stay away from lifting, god knows why 'cause it's the fun stuff and it makes an 8lb M16 float in your hands like it weighs nothing, but load bearing exercises are what causes hypertrophy (increase in muscle fiber size and capability). You wanna bulk up? pumping iron is the only good way.

BTW, if you want REALLY good protein supplements, I find the EAS Myoplex protein shakes to be the best. They come premixed and ready to drink, with 42 grams of protein plus a lot of other vitamins and minerals formulated to help muscle hypertrophy. I started using these things, went from benching 115lbs to 190lbs in 4.5 months. Downside is they are $25 for a pack of 12 at BJ's.

[Yial]

-Edit:  That REALLY was not necessary. ~Chaser

[airsoftmaster276]

don't make fun of me but I'm a midget
4'6, 60-65 lbs. (depends on what mood I'm in)
(and you call yourself small! )

edit: p.s. I'm not joking!

[old boy 5226]

i think the best way to 'bulk up' is through a variety of weight lifting. at a minimum all you need is on bar and weights for curls and such. i started out struggling to do 10 curls with 20lbs, now it's decently easy to do 16 curls with 30lbs. just make sure you do your repetitions and stay committed, for me i got a sheet of paper and wrote down how many curls i could do in each rep. it was nice to watch how fast you can progress. also try to vary your routine with other exercises with your weights, including over head shoulder lifts. if you have the oppurtunity to work with other people, use it, especially on excercises such as pull-ups, push-ups, and sit-ups. on my last pt test i achieved 69 sit-ups in a minute. it felt great to know i could do that, i was very suprised. you seem to be doing a great job on your running, i slacked off on aerobics during the colder months and am really having to work now to get up to par. best advice is to stick with it and stay disciplined.

[djhanken55]

eat meat, and personally, i'd lift weights. Thats what i do

[Raptor5191]

Here is the secret all of us real secret squirrel types have.   We all drink this.  It is what makes us "teh awesum":

http://www.tardhard.com

[m1ndl3s]

if you take protein powder of any sort, make sure you work out afterwards or before
or else you'll become fat quickly.

[DYEterminator]

I actually recommend swimming combined with weight lifting.  Swimming will make you stronger because it targets nearly all the muscle groups at once.  Also, do bodyweight training (i.e. sit ups, push ups, pull ups) but be creative and VARY you exercises a LOT in order you prevent your body from adapting. 
In your down time make sure to stretch, stretch, stretch. It will not only prevent injury, but it will REALLY help your muscles grow to their full potential.
                                                                          Terminatus

[ACdafab04]

Seeing how people covered most of everything. I'll just add in another couple things.
The 2 most important things is
a good diet with extra protein (go for beef, tuna, peanuts/cashews,eggs<- purest form of protein) Drink Plenty and plenty of water.
get plenty of rest!
then worry about the whey protein powder.

definitely have to lift if you want to gain muscle mass. deadlifts and squats will gain you muscle mass pretty quickly. The squats will also help your running(well sprinting and jumping) If you are worried about gaining fat from eating all that food. make sure you keep up with ur cardio AFTER lifting, it promotes maximum fat loss. Though it doesnt sound like you have much to lose..

If you want to pick up weight lifting, its a definitely great idea to find a workout bud that knows what hes talking about and to guide you along, also to spot during lifting sessions of course.

I second the stretch and muscle confusion.

[malkavian333]

push ups and situps are good for working your arms and core, and running will make your legs stronge, for airsoft that's about all you need. if you want to get big and ripped you should lift weights though. the ones I said build strength not muscle, it won't make you big, but you will be stronger.

[RLB]

maxrezn, here are my qualifications for advising you on this matter:

I spent 12+ years as a competitive powerlifter (nationally ranked). During that time I trained both powerlifters & bodybuilders. I lifted in the 148 lb weight class (never weighing more than 145 at the time) and had competitive lifts of - Squat: 560 lbs. Bench Press: 330 lbs. Deadlift: 570 lbs. (The weights were actually in kilos, but I have forgotten what the exact weight in kilos were)

If you are interested in my advice, contact me.

[Raptor5191]

I have bodybuilding and powerlifiting creds as well.  I trained under and with some very successful pro bodybuilders when I was in SoCal.  I also did more than my share of powerlifting and have won my share of competitions in both powerlifting and bodybuilding.  However, I do not think that they really translate to tactical fitness.  RLB...what is your thought on that?

I have found that when I stopped training specifically for those "sports" (I have a hard time calling them sports, as I know several people who are pretty successful at them who are not good overall athletes) and integrated those training methodologies into a program which gave proper time to other types of conditioning I feel much better and hurt WAY less.

And I KNOW you know what I am talking about with the "hurt" part.  Knees, ankles, shoulders, elbows....

[RLB]

Raptor, I agree that bodybuilding & powerlifting don't translate to tactical fitness. When I started playing hockey, for instance, I had to back out of a total powerlifting regimen because it was too brutal on my body (Lol! Yes, the 'hurt part').

What maxrezn needs to do is clearly define what he would like to do (truly put additional muscle mass on, for instance) and then recognize the pros & cons of taking that avenue. When I was a competitive powerlifter I pretty much did not participate in other sports (with the exception of some cross training) knowing that my energies & focus needed to be totally dedicated to powerlifting for me to make improvements.

If you want to 'bulk' up you have to sacrifice in other areas of fitness. If you want to have a fitness regimen that enhances your physical performance on the airsoft field, that's a different direction. You also have to look at what is realistic in long term & short term goals.

Daily calorie consumption is important also. When I was lifting competitively, I was consuming 5,000+ calories a day just to maintain my body weight at 145 lbs.

[maxrezn]

Basically I am very lenky and I just need to add some muscle definition to my physique. I would also like to have nice abdominals. I know that you need below 10% body fat for abs and I am at about 12-13%. My top 2 packs are visible and my pectorals are also very defined from pushups and pull ups. I would also like to get more muscle in my shoulders and back.

Here's another question. Should I get my body fat below 10% before I start weight lifting to get good muscle definition?

[Raptor5191]

Raptor, I agree that bodybuilding & powerlifting don't translate to tactical fitness. When I started playing hockey, for instance, I had to back out of a total powerlifting regimen because it was too brutal on my body (Lol! Yes, the 'hurt part')....

You have to be kidding me.

Hockey was what brought me to that realization as well.  It did not factor in as bad with semipro football, sprinting, etc...but hockey was killing me.  By the time I was playing AA, I knew that I was going to HAVE to lighten up a bit on trying to hold such a high bodyweight.  My competition weight was either 165 or 176 depending on the event (I am 5-5) and offseason I had been pushing the 200lb mark...while maintaining sound cardio fitness.  It was killing my joints, though.

[darlinsniper]

where do you want to build the muscle
for 135 lbs
135-202 grams of protein
270-405 grams of carbs

[Raptor5191]

That caloric and macronutrient content is not necessarily correct.  You have to figure in BMR, activity level, and several other factors.

It is also WAY too high for him probably.

[darlinsniper]

ya i just got done reading that articale and you would be spending about 2-3 hours in the gym a day

[RLB]

... you would be spending about 2-3 hours in the gym a day ...

Hmmmmm ... I used to do that ...

[darlinsniper]

i wish i could

[sss]

If you want to be in THE top shape for airsoft, I think everyone needs to start doing parkour.