Bay Area muscle. Have any training tips?

[devenir]

Hey guys. Living in San Francisco for awhile now. Looking to meet anyone with training advice for a young guy with little gym background. My goal is to gain about 25-30lbs over the next year and a half.

21 year old college student. Trying to decide on a gym I can afford and get to easily from school and work. I've been riding my bike up and down all the hills of SF over the past two years and accidentally got a good start on my legs. Time to work on the rest now. (:

-devenir

http://img413.imageshack.us/img413/3301/dsci0542g.jpg

[traveller]

I recommend you choose a gym that provides an atmosphere that encourages you to continue working out, and has trainers who can teach you how to use the equipment and set up a workout and diet program. I don't know your how much money you're willing to spend, but you may want to consider taking weightlifting classes at the local community colleges or state universities, if those classes haven't been cut due to the California budget crisis. Some of the instructors for the weightlifting classes are graduate students studying human performance/kinesiology. They can provide a lot of diet and exercise information as part of their coursework. Also, working out at a school gym may be cheaper than paying for membership elsewhere.

Take a look at http://startingstrength.com; it has some useful information. One of the books mentioned on that site, Starting Strength by Mark Rippetoe & Lon Kilgore, has detailed information about desired form for basic lifts.

Hope this helps...

-traveller

[devenir]

Thanks traveller! The web site looks like a good starting point. I'll have to go to the library soon too.

Unfortunately my college can't afford to stay open this summer so I won't be able to register for new classes until August. Maybe by then I'll know my way around and have some extra muscle to show off!