I'm in your shoes. I'm a skinny guy with a fast metabolism. In the last year or so I've done a lot of research and am on my way to putting on the strength and pounds, so here's my take on it if you want:
Sort through the fitness and diet message boards at
www.menshealth.com There are a lot of knowledgeable folks there. Also, go to the "Massive Eating" nutrition articles at this site:
http://www.johnberardi.com/articles/nutrition/index.htm Use the calculator at
www.fitday.com to figure out your calorie needs.
Basically, when your goal is to put on bulk you have to get plenty of sleep each night, do compound exercises with heavy weight, and EAT.
All the exercise in the world does nothing if you don't get enough calories. Enough calories in your case could easily be up over 3000 or 3500 for gaining. Aim for 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight. Avoid fatty or overprocessed junk foods. Have chicken, steak, eggs, wheat bread, veggies, yogurt, fish, nuts etc. Read labels, you wouldn't believe how much nutrition is in 1 can of tuna with a little mayo on whole wheat bread!
A good routine to start with is called "Homegrown Muscle" which you can find in the Men's Health site. It starts from the ground up and can take you through the first two years of training. It also includes videos of each exercise performed with perfect form. It's a great tool. If you want to make your own routine, make sure it's full of compound movements, meaning exercises that work large muscle groups. Something like this:
bench press
military press (overhead press)
bent-over rows
dips (between two chairs/tables or use a dip station)
squats
deadlifts
weighted sit-ups
pull-ups (palms facing away
chin-ups (palms facing you)
This workout works all the major groups. You could experiment with splitting it up into upper/lower body days if you want. For me it's easier to give my all with 4 exercises a session than 8 or so. IE:
Workout A: bench, rows, mil press, pull/chin ups
Workout B: Workout squats, deadlifts, sit ups, dips
Mon/Fri A, Wed B. Next week: Mon/Fri B, Wed A.
Or Mon/Thurs A, Tues/Fri B. Mix it up from time to time.
Aim for multiple sets of low-reps and heavy weight (that you can do with proper form), like 5 sets of 5 reps for example. Working your lower body with exercises like squats and deadlifts is important, since they are large muscle groups. The more muscle that gets utilized, the more testosterone is releasead and the more it will help the rest of your body grow. Plus these are "practical" exercises that will give you real-world strength. Deadlifting is also excellent for the shoulders, lower back, forearms, etc.
Don't bother with isolation exercises like curls or tricep extensions, since they will get worked plenty with the presses, dips, and chin-ups (palms facing toward you). If you can't do chin/pull ups, use a chair to boost yourself to the top of the movement and slowly lower yourself down. Eventually you'll be able to do the full movement without assistance.
**Personal aside: I think the amount I can squat/deadlift and the amount of pull-ups I can do are far more important than things like how much I can curl to impress my friends. What will curling ever do for me? Compare that with the ability to pull myself back up if I'm hanging from something like a ladder or my gutters. Compare also to lifting heavy things, or being able to lift a heavy object off of someone or something, or lift and carry a heavy person out of danger. Scoff if you want, but what condition will you be in if it happens? Curls and tricep extensions aren't going to do jack except give you a number to brag with. Compound exersises can make life easier, or even save yours or someone else's. Food for thought. I'm a firefighter, btw.
Remember, think heavy weights and compound movements to work the most muscle possible. You WILL feel it in your biceps after you do chin-ups, in your traps after you do deadlifts, and in your triceps after bench press, military press, and especially dips.
Lastly, REST. 2 or 3 workouts a week can be plenty, maybe 4 if you split upper/lower. Your muscles don't grow when you work out, only when you rest. Lifting properly gives your muscles the stimulus to grow: microscopic damage to the fibers. The muscles then need time to rebuild themselves in response. You can see how working out every day will seriously over-train your body.
As far as cardio, too much is going to suck away those bulking calories. Of course it all depends on your goals. Cardio is good for the heart and lungs, but the trade off is slower weight gain. Rather than running for endurance you may want to try a form of cardio called HIIT (High-Intensity Interval Training). It involves a mix of jogging plus sprints which can give you that cardio and muscle-building balance. You can do it on a bike, too. I like running since I have a park nearby.
To address your initial questions: Stick with freeweights. They work all the small stabilizing muscles that don't get used when you perform a restricted motion like you get with a machine. If you're able to lift that weight easily with the barbell, but have trouble keeping it steady, that means the stabilizers are lagging behind. You're risking injury if you keep going. Lower the weight until you can do clean, smooth reps (ie: 2 counts up, 3 down). Gradually increase the weight. Form is the most important thing to avoiding injury and making your workouts actually accomplish anything. Don't rely on momentum to get weight up. Patient and smooth is the way to go.
Notice I didn't mention creatine or supplements. At the most, a multi-vitamin and a post workout drink is recommended. Sugars and protein in liquid form are great after working out. Trust me on this: vanilla whey protein mixed with gatorade powder. Think creamsicle. Just keep track of your calories/protein, don't work out hungry (your body is begging for nutrition, it's bad to make it work harder in this situation!), and get some calories/protein after you exercise.
Hope this helps, be sure to check out the MH forums for a lot of good advice.
Edit: I just noticed how odd my signature looks after this big of a post.
Good luck!
