alrighty so ive been going to the gym for about 1 month now
Noticed some very slight difference in size if any at all, but my friends reckon ive gotten bigger....anyway point is -

Me and my friend who go lift weights 3 times a week and do boxing (just heavy bag and mitt drills, light sparing) 5 times a weeks
Now, my goal is to build mass so I dont look so skinny, so ive been eating well and doing low rep high weights and all that jazz
but will doing boxing reduce my ability to grow? Like, will it burn away all the fat im trying to put on and convert to muscle?

thanks a lot

Cardio will burn some fat you are trying to put on BUT that not your problem.

THIS is your problem. Cardio is actually good because the better shape you are the more weight you will be able to lift.


But to build muscle, you CANT do low reps with big weights. Doing that is STRENGTH training. While MUSCLE BUILDING you need to do HIGH REPS with smaller weights. You need to work out the muscles for A LONGER PERIOD OF TIME and you need to EAT A LOT especially after the workouts. Get protein.

Hope that helps, and you're not going to achieve your goals in 1 month, but like 6-8 months is more realistic.

dont listen to omega he doesn't know what he is talking about, toneing with circut training will not make you bigger infact it cuts you down, during a bulk cycle you need to raise your calorie intake, focus on hitting a diet between 3000-4000 calories a day, stay with the high weight(80% of max), low rep (this gives you size) if you go low weight high rep it tones you out makes you lean and gives you defined muscles, you should have about a 2/1 ratio of proteins/carbs, if you are considering supplements, i suggest 1 superfood complex, the more servings of veggies in it the better, and a berry supplement, also possibly a protein supplement, but if your only going to the gym 3 times a week you don't need to protein supplement, maybe also start going to the gym more, make sure not to overtrain specific muscle groups, allways give the muscle group you worked 24-48 hours to recover, maybe 30+ min cardio a day (wouldn't go over 2 hours though) and focus on keeping your BPM above 140, (tbh depends on blood pressure and resting HR)

anyways gl, get ripped, also constantly check your BMI, soon as you go over 13% bodyfat, I would do what omega said, it will lean you out, increase cardio lower weight raise reps, change to lower calorie diet 2000-3000 calories a day and monitor BMI untill you reach 8% body fat then return to above plan, rinse repeat until you are your desired size, then hit gym 3-4 days a week just toneing with low weight high rep to maintain, also you should allways be reaching muscle failure on final set

ok cool, thanks both of you

So, should I NOT be doing boxing then?

Bodybuilding is a bit more complicated than that.
I have been doing this for 2 years now and spent countless hours researching the science behind it. If you're just doing it for girls, don't worry about the specifics.
If you want to gain size, just eat, a lot. 3000 calories is more than enough. If you go over that, it will turn into fat, not muscle. BTW, it's impossible to convert fat into muscle, not physiologically possible. Eat at least 1.2 grams of protein per lb of body weight (so if you weigh 160 lbs, eat at least 192 grams of protein). Half of your caloric intake should be carbs, the rest fat. Carbs and protein are 4calories/gram and fat is 9calories/fat. So if you weigh 160 lbs. You're diet should be 192p/375c/81f. This is just one diet. There are many others, but this is enough for beginners.
I would drop boxing because it just drains calories (you cannot bulk and cut at the same time, at least not efficiently). I would also only work out 2x a week, full body routines. Research has shown this to be the most effective frequency for beginners to gain muscle (no I'm too lazy to pull up the source).

You are going to open up a can of worms here and you are going to get 100 different people telling you 100 different conflicting things.

For some excellent info and programs check out Starting Strength as well as Stronglifts. If you follow those programs to the letter (and it will sound easy and straightforward but it is grueling to actually do it as it is written) You WILL gain strength and size to your muscles but how "big" your muscles actually get will be determined by your parents and their parents and their parents and their parents etc....in other words your genetics.

As far as boxing, if you like boxing and enjoy and do it because it's fun for you then keep doing it. It is a worthy, benificial sport. Besides some chicks dig it and will find you more interesting because of the boxing than of the bodybuilding.

If you are doing this all because you think it will make you more desirable to women, it will fail. You have to do it for you because you enjoy it and want to do it.

You are getting alot of conflicting advice here, so I'll give you some more. I've been doing this weightlifting for the better part of three years, I'm about a foot wider at the shoulder than when I started. But you know what the best part of it is? I put on at least 60% of my current size in the first month. If you've been doing it so long with out noticable effect then you're doing something wrong. Lifting weights is an incredible shock to the system and don't underestimate the power of the human body, it will adapt fast.

You need to be lifting weights almost constantly, buy your own weights and do it at home. A set in the morning, afternoon and before you go to bed. Constantly do it, don't give your body a moment to breathe. Go to the gym as well and do heavy weights and light weights, and the boxing too. As for food, fuck carbs, eat protein. If you're exercising right you'll need it. I came home from the gym one night and i swear I inhaled an entire roast chicken AND licked the plate.

I feel I have to add a disclaimer to this, what I'm proposing will get you fast results but it will fuck your body up. My knees and hips we're wrecked at one stage because they couldn't handle the weight of my upper body, and I have slight stretch marks on my shoulders and the inside of my arms. It is worth it though, you will quickly become addicted.

This stuff WILL help you out with girls. It will make you confident, it will intimidate any rival guys, and gives you something real to talk about. (it also implies you have a big dick, which is an obvious plus), I think it is a good idea to want to gain some muscle but it will take commitment and sacrifice. As with anything in life if you're not willimg, you will fail.