I can't give you specific details on how to get bigger, as every body type is different. But here a some general guidelines that apply regardless of your size/weight and your goal. (I've been doing this for years, so these tips are all from personal experience.)

1) It's a way of life. If you think you can get into it for a few months, than stop, and expect to keep those results.. don't waste your time starting. You must maintain it.

2) BREATHE. Be sure to breathe consistently while lifting the weights. Must have oxygen flow to the tissue. NEVER hold your breath.

3) FORM. Keep good form. Saying you can curl 100 lbs may sound impressive, but if your back is rocking while doing it, you look like an idiot, your not working the target muscle, and, eventually you'll tear something.

4) Don't worry about the "guy beside you" who's pressing 8 plates. Do your own thing, and within you own limitations.

5) Once you know what your doing, your goal for every work out is complete muscle fatigue/tear down. Remember, your muscle only gets bigger AFTER the workout and it has time to rebuild.

6) Change your routine every couple of months. The body is inherently lazy, and your muscles will find the easiest way to perform the exercise. Changing the routine will "shock" the muscle and make it work harder.. therefore grow bigger.

7) Don't over exercise. Once you get going for 6-8 weeks, be sure to take a week off. Your body needs it to recoup. If you just continue to beat on it, it will break. Trust me.. no matter how good, or how strong you feel, something will eventually give.

Also, be sure to give your body a rest while you are working out. Going 7x a week is asking for torn body parts! 3-4x is plenty.

8) It's not a race... don't lift the weights fast. The muscle is fatigued on the "down swing", so go slow. For instance, if your bench pressing, when you are pushing up, you want to "Explode" up. Use full force to push. But when you're lowering, resist it. Make it come down slowly.

9) Supplements. This one can be discussed/debated to death, but here's some info from my experience:

Creatine - it adds weight, makes you look bigger, but it's all thru water retention in the muscle. Your FRIST time using it is the most successful. And if you work out like a mad man, you will retain 40-70% of what you put on. Subsequent uses will not achieve anywhere close to these results.

Nitric Oxide - be careful with this one. Every body reacts differently. It did work for me, but gave me bad headaches and greatly increase blood pressure. To me, it's not worth it.

Protein - must have it. For hardcore body building, you need 1 gram of protein for every pound you weight. ie 200 lbs = 200 grams of total protein intake. The shakes help you achieve that goal. And yes, they make a difference. Try "on" a week, then "off" a week. You'll see what i mean. (if your just going for general fitness, then 1/2 - 3/4 gram of protein per lb is fine)

Roids - don't be stupid.. avoid juice.


Other things to note:

- If you are sub 160 lbs, and your goal is bulk, then you got a long road ahead of you. Keep in mind, you can't make a boulder from a stone. So, first and foremost, you have to eat. Eat.. eat and eat some more! You need to put mass on, and the only way is with food/calories.

- If you already have the mass, than your goal is lean out. So, that means diet, cardio and weight training. You need all 3 to be successful. (This is why many people fail when they are dieting.. the food intake is important for obvious reasons, the cardio burns the calories, but the one that's forgot is the weight training. Muscle gain burns more calories, therefore, your body loses weight more rapidly, and it keeps it off.)

- If you are willing to work within your existing frame size, and are just going for good muscle definition and tone, then it'll be a bit easier.

Hope that helps a bit.