My dumbass just had a second caffeine-induced panic attack at the gym fml

@miserabletogreat Squats will build all over. High rep squats used to be the most common recommendation for building size. You should use as much weight as you can handle with good form, not bodyweight. Try doing them twice a week in lieu of your regular leg workout. You can throw in some limited assistance work after you do the squats but you probably won't feel like doing much. If you do these right, you should feel nauseated after completing a set. Straight leg deadlifts are a good exercise to follow the squats with. I'd do these with at least 8 reps per set, maybe 4 sets total.

@miserabletogreat

Build muscle all over the body? Or only legs?

Squats stimulate testosterone production, which leads to greater muscle growth all over. If you only have time to lift one day per week, make it leg day.

You'll still want to work your other muscles, but squats are the most important lift.

And 20/25 reps with no weight?

Start wherever you can with good form. If it's just bodyweight, start there. If you can do 20-25 reps with 500lbs, great.

Be sure to allow rest and recovery. Don't work the same muscle group 2 days in a row.

@miserabletogreat That's one way to do it. The approach Typo-MAGAshiv outlines below is also a good one. If you are trying to build muscle, the weight on the bar isn't as important as it is with strength training, though if you are a newbie you should be increasing the weights over time. How you do the reps is just as important. If you are fairly new to training and are looking to build muscle, nothing does it like high rep squats. Work up to a set or two of 20-25 reps. It will fire your metabolism up and lead to muscle growth. For building size, squats are key.

@miserabletogreat hell yeah

@miserabletogreat

I want to build muscle, not get stronger

Does not compute.

@drake If you're getting hemorrhoids it's either:

1. Your form is fucked (assuming you're not lifting legs)

2. You're lifting WAY too heavy and you're straining your entire body when you should drop the weight to where the targeted muscle groups can handle the load

3. You have a medical condition and should consult a physician. Please do this before you continue lifting and seriously injure yourself.

How do you lift without the risk of getting hemorrhoids? I notice myself that when lifting, I contract my muscles and that makes me get temporary hemorrhoids.

I haven't been to a doctor yet because I have no other problem but I am curious whether someone has had the same problem.

Most of the times I am changing the exercise to something else that doesn't affect me much but I am curious what I am doing wrong.

@fumbor I'd still do a bit of legs if I were you, just a few sets of compounds a week to maintain. Doesn't have to be high intensity, maintenance requires a lot less effort. Girls do dig legs, especially for this thing called uhmm, well I forget but it's basically a dick pic but you are wearing underwear so they just see the outline while you flex your legs. I sent those to a few girls and got very positive responses so ya know, don't throw away what you've already got eh? XD

Good plan to focus the majority on upper though, your bench should be not that far away from your squat if you are aiming for an aesthetic build. Also, do tons of lateral raises. Shoulders are the best bang for your buck in terms of smv, specifically side delts.