Expert: Brian - 7/21/2006

Question
I am a 19 year old boy that will be entering college this upcoming fall.  I want to make the transition as smooth as possible.  That is why I am beginning to lift.  (One less thing to worry about is the embarrassment of not looking like a college freshman.)  I have a genetic makeup of an ectomorph.  I was told by other fitness instructors to eat at least 2500-5000 calories a day.  (One small jar of peanut butter a day with the addition of other meals.)  I am wondering how many days of the week should I lift without overtraining?  Any guidance would be great.  When could I expect to see any results?

Answer
Results take a long time to see. Think in terms of months, and years, not in terms of weeks.

Too many calories (5000 is an awful lot!) you'll end up going to college and be the fat kid instead of the skinny kid.

You can work up to 6 days a week without overtraining. The key is to work a different group of muscles each day. A good plan might look like this:

Day 1 - chest
Day 2 - back
Day 3 - legs
Day 4 - shoulders
Day 5 - triceps
Day 6 - biceps
Day 7 - rest!

--Brian