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I dont think a big bench or a huge squat will do you much good in an army. But either way ill take it as a compliment.

Hey 2005, exactly how would one get both bigger AND stronger? Could you lead me in the right direction?

Well theres a wealth of info that may be usefull to you.

First off know that getting big, and I dont mean just increasing your muscle size a little, I mean getting BIG is alot of genetics. Im one of the few people in my faimly that posses good genes for big size, and two of my other uncles also. My grandfather and most of his brothers and my dad and his brothers are all pretty small, none being over 5"6 in height and most of them are pretty small in through the chest, neck, back, arms, and legs compared to me. Im probably about 3x bigger then my dad. But there is one or two decently big people, if there are one or more in your faimly, you may posses these genes.

Nutrition is also another big factor, make sure your getting enough proteins ( I suggest 1g of protein per lb of bodyweight and thats what I follow, some people say 1.5 per lb but I think its a waste and I cant afford it). I use protein shakes because my diet is pretty poor protein wize... so I get an extra 60-100g right there depending on how much I drink.

It is also important not to overtrain, you could post up your routine if you like and ill have a look see. You must train legs, and I think you do anyways... but thats very important. Since when you train your legs your body releases the most ammount of testosterone, a growth hormone.

Generally you may hear people say that lower weight and higher reps are better for building muscle. That may be true but you dont want to be benching 60lbs 100 times. From what I've researched on the matter, you should stick to an extreme most of 12 reps on any given set. The muscles acheive hypertrophy in the 6-10 rep range, which is where they break down and while your resting your body repairs them. That is also key, your not growing in the gym while your lifting... you grow while your resting. Id suggest a bare minimum of 8 hours per day, and would try for 9.

Now to get strong you have to lift heavy, strength is generally achieved in the 1-3 rep range. When I training raw strength, Ill generally do something like 3x5... or maybe a 5x4x3x2x1 starting with a lighter weight and adding as I drop reps down to my one rep max. Quite opposite is if im trying to pack on lean mass... Ill go 10x8x6 reps and adjust the weight heavier each time I drop 2 reps.

These "Cookie Cutter" routines arn't end all be all routines, you wont get huge off of them. The best routine for me might not do anything for you, and not because its not hard enough. Ronnie Coleman is a tank, he raw benches 400+lbs, squats 800lbs and leg presses over 2,250lbs. If I trained the way he did, Id probably end up hurting my self if anything... my body isnt ready for a routine that intense just yet. If you like Ill post up a routine that I started on and you can try it out.

I do something like this... Monday is Bicep/Forearm.. Tuesday is calfs and hamstrings.. Wednesday is back/triceps/ chest.. Thursday is quadriceps and prosterior chain.. and friday is Delts/Lats/Traps with some ab work. Being a 5 day a week event, I take off the weekend and this way I have a full 48 hours in between each muscle group (upper body and lower body). Also people like to max out alot, I suggest you dont try to max out any more then once a month at the very most. I only max every other month and Im due to max at the end of this month (probably on wednesday). Maxing puts tremendous stress on your muscles and it may take a week to fully recover, but dont not lift because of that... just know you wont be 100%.

Thats alot to think about right there, so soak that in and Ill dig up a few links to some really good reads if your interested.