Ok, so I have a problem with weight. No, it's not what you'd expect. I'm very underweight. And before anyone asks, no, not anorexic, bulemic, or any other under the effects of any other dietary disorder.
I'm a six-foot-two (approx) 18 year old guy, and when I last checked my weight (about a week ago) I was 137 (lbs for you whacky non-Americans). The main reason for my concern is I'm a month into college, and I've lost weight (was 145 at the end of summer). As far as I know, I don't have any tapeworms or other parasitic entities that can cause weight loss. I've always been a skinny guy (I don't think I've ever broken 150), but the fact that I'm losing weight when I'm supposed to be gaining it (freshman 15 and all) is kinda wigging me out. I haven't really changed my eating habits (except it isn't as healthy as Mom's cooking), and I'm eating a good two-and-a-half to three squares a day, but weight gain has always been tough for me (I have a high metabolism).
The other reason I worry about this is actually my girlfriend's concern. She's about a foot less than me, but now that I've lost weight she's almost 10 lbs heavier than I am. She is perfectly normal for a girl of her age, but when she thinks about how she weighs more than me, she gets all flustered and is upset about weighing more than a six-foot plus guy. Obviously, I'm the exception rather than the rule, but I really love this girl and feel guilty about making her upset. (Just as a side note, not sure if it'll help, but I can still lift her relatively easily, so I'm not just skin and bones.)
So what advice does the inter-webz have for a college kid (with no real money to speak of) who wants to gain weight? I'd prefer to bulk out, but I don't really have the body type for that. I'd settle with just lean muscle, something to make the GF feel better about herself (because as all attached men know, that's what matters).
The Gym memberships here (at my college) are mad expensive, so if anyone wants to suggest excesize, I'd appreciate a routine that doesn't involve a trainer and/or heavy equipment.
I'm about 20 years older than you. When I was your age, I knew some people in the same predicament. Most of them have big pot bellies now. If I were you and I had no interest and/or funding for weight training, I would just try to accept the fact that your metabolism will inevitably slow down and you will eventually gain weight as long as you take in more than 2000 calories per day.
but the fact that I'm losing weight when I'm supposed to be gaining it (freshman 15 and all) is kinda wigging me out.
That's only true if you can't moderate your own diet once your parents are out of the picture. I'm a sophomore right now and I've been losing weight when I'm away from home.
A simple way to gain weight is merely eating more calories, you gain weight if more go in than out. That simple. Just don't eat too much more than you're used to right away.
On the other hand, if you're gaining weight, you might as well gain muscle mass, in which case you'll want to eat more protein in addition, and lift some weights. Since it seems like you don't have good access to weights, you should go for alternative methods, like pull-ups and chin-ups. Just be aware that cardio is really not that great for building upper-body muscle (somewhat less true for swimming).
I'd still recommend at least getting a pair of dumbbells, they alone allow you to work quite a lot of your upper body and they aren't very inconvenient.
And yea, what Rabid said is true. I used to have a fast metabolism and it was awesome. I stayed around 120-125 for several years, then about mid high-school things started slowing down and now I have to lightly keep an eye on and moderate some things if I want to stay at about the weight I like.
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Actually you do not need a gym membership or specialized tools to exercise in a way that gains body mass.
Eating more calories will result in fat. what you most likely want is long-term body mass, or muscle.
Also regular exercise will steady a fast metabolism.
get a heavy duty backpack and some gallon milk jugs. start out with like a gallon of water and jog for an hour a day. As you get less tired add more water. when you can get to about 3 milk jugs you should notice quite a good bit of muscle mass added.
Get some buckets and fill them with rocks and lift them with your arms in classic arm lifts. Also put a bucket in each hand and do calf raises.
You'll look like a total cheapskate while doing this, but the results will be comparable to a membership in a gym. Just be creative. I personally use large tomato sauce cans for my forearm workouts.
Unless if you're doctor is telling you "gain weight or something bad will happen," *&^% other people if you're healthy. If you want to gain weight, try working out or something useful like that. You're entering young adulthood when you'll be "filling out." Might as well work with nature as you age into your twenties.
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I got exactly same problem like you, am the same age, have the same length, and weigh the same, but I learned to accept it for now. It is quite fun to be able to eat kilos of döner each week (4000 of my weekly calories I can attribute to döner, and those are just 'snacks') and not gaining any weight. Just drink lots of beer and eat döner while it's possible. Enjoy!
Sphinx is really good. Control will play it and be able to protect him just fine, hes a much better finisher then Jwar Isle and thats saying a lot considering how good he alone is. Bazzar Trader.dec now has 16 threaten effects. Thats really, really, really,really good. Really good.
The answer is simply eat more, you don't eat as much as you think you do, eat more than what you do now, if no weight gain repeat step 1, repeat until heavier. Also bulking without lifting is a terrible idea and a great way to just get fat.
Ok, so I have a problem with weight. No, it's not what you'd expect. I'm very underweight. And before anyone asks, no, not anorexic, bulemic, or any other under the effects of any other dietary disorder.
I'm a six-foot-two (approx) 18 year old guy, and when I last checked my weight (about a week ago) I was 137 (lbs for you whacky non-Americans). The main reason for my concern is I'm a month into college, and I've lost weight (was 145 at the end of summer). As far as I know, I don't have any tapeworms or other parasitic entities that can cause weight loss. I've always been a skinny guy (I don't think I've ever broken 150), but the fact that I'm losing weight when I'm supposed to be gaining it (freshman 15 and all) is kinda wigging me out. I haven't really changed my eating habits (except it isn't as healthy as Mom's cooking), and I'm eating a good two-and-a-half to three squares a day, but weight gain has always been tough for me (I have a high metabolism).
The other reason I worry about this is actually my girlfriend's concern. She's about a foot less than me, but now that I've lost weight she's almost 10 lbs heavier than I am. She is perfectly normal for a girl of her age, but when she thinks about how she weighs more than me, she gets all flustered and is upset about weighing more than a six-foot plus guy. Obviously, I'm the exception rather than the rule, but I really love this girl and feel guilty about making her upset. (Just as a side note, not sure if it'll help, but I can still lift her relatively easily, so I'm not just skin and bones.)
So what advice does the inter-webz have for a college kid (with no real money to speak of) who wants to gain weight? I'd prefer to bulk out, but I don't really have the body type for that. I'd settle with just lean muscle, something to make the GF feel better about herself (because as all attached men know, that's what matters).
The Gym memberships here (at my college) are mad expensive, so if anyone wants to suggest excesize, I'd appreciate a routine that doesn't involve a trainer and/or heavy equipment.
Thanks in advance for all your help!
Ok here's my personal advice that I did myself. But keep in mind that you will be spending money one way or another. Invest in some protein. This can be in the form of powder you mix with milk (make sure it's skim milk, less fatty) or premade protein shakes. From what I'm gathering you are looking to bulk up, so you are going to want a high calorie, high protein diet. Two protein powders I used where Mass Tech (by Muscle Tech) and True Mass (by BSN). A typical protein shake is going to be between 650-800 calories a shake and you will take 2 maybe 3 shakes a day between meals. This stuff gets expensive fast so keep that in mind. The important thing to remember is to go by the directions of the protein. They time it to where you can take one and still have room for food, so your diet routine will play a major key in this. Also a good number to remember is you need at least 1 gram of protein for each pound you way to start with. So make sure you're hitting that bare minimum. Your meals also play a big part in this. You want to stay away from fried, greasy foods and closer towards the foods that are good for you. Hard boiled eggs are a great source of protein, just remember not to eat the yolk (high cholesterol).
Now for working out. One way or another you will need to hit a gym. My personal experience is to stick with a gym with more free weights (dumbbells barbells) than the ones that have the cool nifty cable machines. Don't get me wrong cable machines do have their uses but there are a few things to keep in mind. Free weights don't sit on tracks and cable forcing you to use your stabilizer muscles more which will go a big way to getting bulk. Also with free weights you can change up position on your body to get a completely different workout. So if you're concerned with spending money at an expensive gym consider looking at the "mom and pop" type fitness centers. A lot of times they will have everything you need for a fraction of the cost and they're more personable.
If you absolutely cannot afford a gym then I would suggest looking into P90x or Insanity workout program. I've personally done Insanity and it's cardio out the box so I'm not sure if that's what you're looking for. From what I gathered about P90x is that it's more strengthening. You can find both online if you're resourceful.
As for routines that all depends on what you want to do. I found this site out here and it's pretty much been a workout bible to us. www.bodybuilding.com and www.elitefts.com. They have everything you need and if you have any questions you can ask it there and they are awesome with help.
The most important thing of all is to remember that you must be commited to this. You can't do it for a week stop for a week etc and expect to see results. This will take time and can be frustrating at times. Also, when it comes to working out, listen to your body. There's nothing wrong with taking 3 days in a row off if you're body can't handle that many workouts in a row. When I first started I was workign out an hour a day 6 days a week. There were times where I did take a week off to recoup but I made sure to hit the grind again. Now I've slowed down a little more since I'm going heavier and heavier with more muscle groups. So I only hit the gym 5 days a week now.
Hope this helps you out.
Experience : I've been working out for the past 6 months. I started at 170lbs and now I'm sitting at 190.
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Not sure if putting those two sites up is against any type of rule since it's a reference, but if it is just let me know I'll remove them and PM the OP instead. Thanks.
I am 6'2, and from my teenage years through the first half of college I was about 140 lbs. I even went through the thing with a girlfriend stressed out because she weighed more than me.
So, your sure your college charges for gym memberships? I don't go to a particularly great school and they have a nice, free gym. If that's not an option, a commercial gym is probably out of the question. Golds, for instance, is like... $500 a year. Ridiculous and unnecessary imo.
So... there is no way to convey the information you need in a single off-topic forum post. But I'd highly recommend a door frame mounted pull-up bar. Should set you back about $30. Either using a program like p90x (which isn't really revolutionary, just easily digestible) or your own, based on pullups, pushups, core excercises. With this alone I was able to put on about 15 pounds of lean mass in a matter of months.
Without weights, you'll only get so far; but that might be far enough. If you really can't get access to a gym, your options are limited. If you're willing to spend a few hundred dollars, you can find a used barbell set on craigslist, and a squat rack and bench to go with it. I was able pick the set up for about $350, a purchase I don't regret even though I have access to a gym. I'll be able to sell it for at least that much next time I move.
Lastly, from one naturally skinny guy to another: if you aren't gaining weight you aren't eating enough. Personally, I have to painstakingly count calories or I won't eat enough. You need, at the very least, 2500 calories daily if you have any sort of serious desire to bulk.
Eat, eat, eat (and exercise). Good food doesn't have to be expensive.
Eggs
Tuna
Peanut butter
Carrots (don't forget your veggies!)
Spaghetti
Bananas (and other fruits)
Chicken (highest protein per ounce in meat)
Oatmeal
Whole grain rice (with meat)
Whey protein / shakes / bars
Frozen veggies
Beans, canned
Boxes of cereal, just buy the cheap stuff
etc.
Do your research on high protein foods and scavenge your dining hall or cheap grocery store for them. Thankfully you're skinny so you don't have to count carbs or watch what you eat as much as the endomorph down the hall.
I'm with you - not quite at your height, but was 6ft X 120lbs for a large part of my late teens and early 20s. I completely understand how tough it is to be an ectomorph. Thankfully, weight WILL come with age - you can trust me on that one.
Peanut butter goes well on bagels, toast, and on english muffins. Add a thin layer of real butter before you add the peanut butter. Nuts are great - I prefer the lightly salted mixed nuts in giant jugs. Beef jerky is good, because you can eat a ton of it and it doesn't taste like sewage. I would stay away from large amounts of cinnamon, and large amounts of sugars. You certainly don't want to replace low weight with a medical condition.
There are a ton of things out there that will put on weight, you just have to eat a craptonne of calories. Although you'll gain pounds quick, I'd stay away from stuff like the Starbucks venti mocha - 580 calories and 15 grams of saturated fat. With your metabolism you can get away with an entire truck load of food every day, but I would recommend eating specific food in moderation (aka, don't eat ONLY twinkies for a day). Things like pork sausage and beef really packed on the pounds for me when I entered my 30s. Avocado is the fattiest fruit you can eat. Cheese will add a brick to your belly, but dairy can also be very high in protein.
Michael Phelps eats a 12,000 calorie diet. If someone like you or me ate that, we'd probably be 250+ lbs in a few short months, despite our genes and metabolism. Also, if you haven't thought about seeing a nutritionist, you should. The good ones can be pricey, but it only takes one or two sessions to develop a quality diet that won't kill you, but will gain you a ton of weight.
No diet will put on the pounds as well as a good diet mixed with exercise. Buy a set of push-up plates (perfect pushup is 20$ on amazon) and a pull-up bar (20-30$ - get one of the p90x bars). Dumbbells are nice too, but can be pricey, especially with your body type since you'll go up in weight quickly in the beginning. I do the following routine every other day:
* 3 sets of pushups to exhaustion followed immediately by dumbbell press (or dips)
* 3 sets of pullups (or negatives if you can't do any - www.fiftypullups.com)
* Crunches till your abs burn
* 3 sets of Lunges or squats (with dumbbells or milk jugs if possible)
* 2 sets of Dumbbell curls (substitute dumbbells for other heavy objects and curl them)
http://www.exrx.net/Lists/Directory.html is a great resource to see which exercises hit certain muscles, and also to find exercises that don't need expensive equipment.
It takes me 30-45 minutes to do this routine every other day, and while it isn't an absolute complete workout like you could get at a gym, it will hit the vast majority of your upper body and pack on muscle quickly if accompanied by a decent protein diet. And you don't even need to leave your dorm room. My "natural" weight is around 130-150lbs and after 3 months of this workout I was 166lbs with virtually no fat. Medium teeshirts that I wore for 10 years became too tight for me quickly.
There is nothing that I've ever experienced that boosts your long-term confidence as much as a decent body. Your girlfriend will like it, and you'll feel much better overall. We're skinny dudes, so we'd have to devote our lives to bodybuilding or a sport to have the same build as a mesomorph that hits the gym every day. But unless you're driven to that for some reason, why bother? A skinny guy with muscles is about as good as it gets... and people will be envious of you after 6 months of working out and eating better than you do now. Other than doing major harm to your body through other means, eating right and working out will accomplish your goal of gaining weight, and also includes several other perks that are worth it on their own.
You can PM me if you need any advice, I've lived with your body type my entire life, so I completely get it.
uh, first off, if you're comfortable with yourself right now and you have no health problems don't bother doing this. there's always the chance it could horribly backfire on you, so make sure you're doing it for yourself and not just for your girlfriend (at your age, the hard truth is relationships are incredibly ephemeral and possibly hurting yourself for one is dumb).
second off, go to a nutritionist and don't listen to people on the Internet. seriously. shell out the cash and go to a pro who knows what he's talking about.
Take your monoblack deck, then set aside 14 swamps. Add 4 Creeping Tar Pits, 4 Darkslick Shores, 4 Drowned Catacombs, and 2 Jwar isle Refuge and add 4 Jace, the Mindsculptors. Your monoblack deck is instantly better. Better yet, drop those refuges, throw in some islands and some mana leaks, and lo and behold, you're now playing a real deck. Congratulations. Welcome to the world of competitive M:TG.
Calisthenics. Cut back on distance running, do a lot of short burst type cardio like sprinting. Go for 150 push ups a day to start, and 200 sit ups. This may sound like a lot, but do it in increments of 50 for each. 50 isn't a lot, and if you can't do 50 push ups at first give it about a week or two and you'll be able to catch up quickly.
It's really only fat people that have trouble with push ups, because the human body is naturally capable of supporting it's own weight in that position, unless there's an excess of dead weight. (I.E. body fat or being stuck under something heavy.)
You may notice some results at first, but this will slow down, even if you up the number you do. This is normal.
Find other exercises to do. I personally do triple clap pushups, (also because it's really impressive to watch) which is where you start in push up position, and clap your hands under your chest, over your back, and then under your chest again before landing.
Yes, I can actually do this. Yes, it looks extremely difficult. Yes, after a very small amount of practice you should be able to do it too. The trick is timing and vertical lift more than anything, and if you can get enough vertical lift to perform a triple clap you're well on your way to gaining weight.
Protein is key, but since you're low on funds as you said, just eat a LOT of nuts. Cut almost all the sodium out of your diet because nuts are typically high in salt, and in total fat, but not necessarily saturated fat. as much as i despise them, nuts are an excellent source of protein. however you'd never catch me eating them, ever, but that's a personal taste.
MILK. Lots of it. A gallon a day.
also. You need a strong back and chest as well as arms. Pushups help predominately with your arms, but if you widen your reach it'll work your chest more, as well as some of your back.
Just google "chest calisthenics" and search around, you'll find it.
I went from 125 lbs when I started college to 155 lbs at the end of freshman year (Hit a peak of 195 lbs at my absolute strongest, and am now a leaner 180 lbs on a 5'7" frame). I didn't lift weights when I started, just did pushups and stuff, but in about a year I was doing over 300 lbs squat, 225 bench, and could do tons of pullups and pushups. I tried a bunch of stuff, but the main things that worked were the following:
1. Eat more. Go from 3 square meals a day to 6 meals a day. Aim for about 1 gram of protein daily for each pound of bodyweight. Try to base your meals around a good protein source, like eggs, beef, chicken, fish, milk, and some good carbs like vegetables. But at the beginning you just need to eat, eat, and eat.
2. Move a lot of weight. Focus on exercises like pullups, pushups, squats, and deadlifts. These will work large muscle groups as well as multiple muscle groups simultaneously. Sure, you can do things like bicep curls, but don't make those the focus of your workout. You need to lift a lot of weight to force your body to adjust. Just be smart about it, and don't overdo it at the beginning. If you don't know your strength limitations, start a little lighter and move up to a weight you can handle with good form. (You'll hear about cheat reps and negatives and other such techniques, but those are advanced moves and it doesn't sound like what you need right now.)
If you don't have access to weights, just go to a playground, where you can do pushups, pullups and squats with just your bodyweight. Loading up a backpack can add some weight to make these exercises more challenging.
3. Rest. You need to prioritize sleep. Your muscles need time after workouts to rebuild themselves. You need rest so that you can perform your workouts at the desired intensity. Also, if you do not get enough rest, this can have a negative impact on your immune system. If you are sick, you can't work out.
4. Write stuff down. Get a notebook and write down what you eat, how much water you drank, how much sleep you got and when, what you did for your workout, how long it took, how you felt before, during, and after, etc. All these details will take a lot of guesswork out and let you see what works and what doesn't work for you. For example, you might think you are eating enough, but when you go back and read what you ate and calculate the calories/nutrients, you may find that you actually need to eat more.
OP, your an ectomorph(look it up). A lot of people share your struggles when it comes to gaining weight and gaining mass. I'd first suggest browsing the bodybuilding forums / google reputable articles on gaining weight. There are tons of new supplements out that are very effective at adding pounds + mass.
Ok, I've learned how to eat and gain weight. In high school I was 130 and that's where my body wants to be at 5'7". But I do powerlifting competitions and my leverages are best at the 198 weight class. I have worked all the way up to 215 to give you some idea on what I've been able to put on. To start out, I'm willing to bet if you're in college, your campus has a rec center that you're already paying for in your tuition. You can lift weights there.
For eating, you are not eating nearly enough. Like has been suggested get some protein, it's good quick source of calories. Get a basic whey protein, don't get anything fancy, it's generally just cheap sugar fillers. Then go and get some quick oats and blend them up. Now use at least 2-3 scoops of whey (should be about 50-75g of protein) and put about 30-40g of oats into the shake. This will give you a good source of carbs, protein and some fiber too. Good start for breakfast plus its fast. You can even add some good oil to the shake such as olive or coconut oil for some good fats and calories.
For your other meals I would suggest you go pick up a food scale. This will give you a good idea on what your eating. First component of every meal is protein, the cheapest protein sources for whole food are chicken breasts and ground beef. You want to eat at least 8oz, should give you about 50g of protein. Then add some good carbs and fats to that.
Before you lift weights, take in some protein about an hour before (50g). Then when you get done lifting, taking in a lot of carbs and some protein (I regularly take in 120-140g of carbs post workout)
Lastly, keep a log on fitday or a site like it to give you an idea on what you're eating. If you aren't gaining weight or are losing weight, adjust your calories. I would say give yourself about 2 weeks to adjust after you change calories to see how your body is reacting.
Hope some of this info helps you out, if you have anymore questions, let me know.
I was 6'2" and 140 lbs when I went to bootcamp when I was 19. When I left bootcamp, I weighed 168 lbs (9 weeks). But we didn't do all this weight training, I was put on double protein for my underweight. If I can recall
Breakfast was two scoops of scrambled eggs and 4 slices of bread (w/ the rest of the breakfast)
Lunch/Dinner was double the meat for that day
That was the only increase in my diet.
Daily exercise was roughly 2-4 miles of running. Around 150 pushups (more if we were bad that day), and more excercises like 8-Count Body Builders, sit ups, jumping jacks, etc. The week we got approved for physical activity, I was able to do 10 pushups (weak right...lol), at the end, I was in the upwards of 70.
So when you go eat, just double up on the meat at your cafeteria, or get more protien based foods (milk, eggs). Also you can go get a big canister of Muscle Milk, or any other protien shake. Drink 2 a day and that will help with the daily intake of calories and protien.
Then do 15-20 pushups 5-6 times a day for a few weeks, then go to 20-25 pushups 5-6 times. Do alot of squats as well. The best exercises for gaining weight are those that affect your quads, your triceps/biceps, your chest and back.
Good luck!
P.S. Now I weigh 210 and need to lose weight as age has slowed my metobolism alot and I've slacked off on the basketball and exercises...lol
I'm a six-foot-two (approx) 18 year old guy, and when I last checked my weight (about a week ago) I was 137 (lbs for you whacky non-Americans). The main reason for my concern is I'm a month into college, and I've lost weight (was 145 at the end of summer). As far as I know, I don't have any tapeworms or other parasitic entities that can cause weight loss. I've always been a skinny guy (I don't think I've ever broken 150), but the fact that I'm losing weight when I'm supposed to be gaining it (freshman 15 and all) is kinda wigging me out. I haven't really changed my eating habits (except it isn't as healthy as Mom's cooking), and I'm eating a good two-and-a-half to three squares a day, but weight gain has always been tough for me (I have a high metabolism).
The other reason I worry about this is actually my girlfriend's concern. She's about a foot less than me, but now that I've lost weight she's almost 10 lbs heavier than I am. She is perfectly normal for a girl of her age, but when she thinks about how she weighs more than me, she gets all flustered and is upset about weighing more than a six-foot plus guy. Obviously, I'm the exception rather than the rule, but I really love this girl and feel guilty about making her upset. (Just as a side note, not sure if it'll help, but I can still lift her relatively easily, so I'm not just skin and bones.)
So what advice does the inter-webz have for a college kid (with no real money to speak of) who wants to gain weight? I'd prefer to bulk out, but I don't really have the body type for that. I'd settle with just lean muscle, something to make the GF feel better about herself (because as all attached men know, that's what matters).
The Gym memberships here (at my college) are mad expensive, so if anyone wants to suggest excesize, I'd appreciate a routine that doesn't involve a trainer and/or heavy equipment.
Thanks in advance for all your help!
A simple way to gain weight is merely eating more calories, you gain weight if more go in than out. That simple. Just don't eat too much more than you're used to right away.
On the other hand, if you're gaining weight, you might as well gain muscle mass, in which case you'll want to eat more protein in addition, and lift some weights. Since it seems like you don't have good access to weights, you should go for alternative methods, like pull-ups and chin-ups. Just be aware that cardio is really not that great for building upper-body muscle (somewhat less true for swimming).
I'd still recommend at least getting a pair of dumbbells, they alone allow you to work quite a lot of your upper body and they aren't very inconvenient.
Parts of this might be a helpful resource.
And yea, what Rabid said is true. I used to have a fast metabolism and it was awesome. I stayed around 120-125 for several years, then about mid high-school things started slowing down and now I have to lightly keep an eye on and moderate some things if I want to stay at about the weight I like.
Eating more calories will result in fat. what you most likely want is long-term body mass, or muscle.
Also regular exercise will steady a fast metabolism.
get a heavy duty backpack and some gallon milk jugs. start out with like a gallon of water and jog for an hour a day. As you get less tired add more water. when you can get to about 3 milk jugs you should notice quite a good bit of muscle mass added.
Get some buckets and fill them with rocks and lift them with your arms in classic arm lifts. Also put a bucket in each hand and do calf raises.
You'll look like a total cheapskate while doing this, but the results will be comparable to a membership in a gym. Just be creative. I personally use large tomato sauce cans for my forearm workouts.
Anyways, I would hit some light weights. And just eat whatever you want to I suppose.
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Here is my principle: Taxes shall be levied according to ability to pay. That is the only American principle.
Ok here's my personal advice that I did myself. But keep in mind that you will be spending money one way or another. Invest in some protein. This can be in the form of powder you mix with milk (make sure it's skim milk, less fatty) or premade protein shakes. From what I'm gathering you are looking to bulk up, so you are going to want a high calorie, high protein diet. Two protein powders I used where Mass Tech (by Muscle Tech) and True Mass (by BSN). A typical protein shake is going to be between 650-800 calories a shake and you will take 2 maybe 3 shakes a day between meals. This stuff gets expensive fast so keep that in mind. The important thing to remember is to go by the directions of the protein. They time it to where you can take one and still have room for food, so your diet routine will play a major key in this. Also a good number to remember is you need at least 1 gram of protein for each pound you way to start with. So make sure you're hitting that bare minimum. Your meals also play a big part in this. You want to stay away from fried, greasy foods and closer towards the foods that are good for you. Hard boiled eggs are a great source of protein, just remember not to eat the yolk (high cholesterol).
Now for working out. One way or another you will need to hit a gym. My personal experience is to stick with a gym with more free weights (dumbbells barbells) than the ones that have the cool nifty cable machines. Don't get me wrong cable machines do have their uses but there are a few things to keep in mind. Free weights don't sit on tracks and cable forcing you to use your stabilizer muscles more which will go a big way to getting bulk. Also with free weights you can change up position on your body to get a completely different workout. So if you're concerned with spending money at an expensive gym consider looking at the "mom and pop" type fitness centers. A lot of times they will have everything you need for a fraction of the cost and they're more personable.
If you absolutely cannot afford a gym then I would suggest looking into P90x or Insanity workout program. I've personally done Insanity and it's cardio out the box so I'm not sure if that's what you're looking for. From what I gathered about P90x is that it's more strengthening. You can find both online if you're resourceful.
As for routines that all depends on what you want to do. I found this site out here and it's pretty much been a workout bible to us. www.bodybuilding.com and www.elitefts.com. They have everything you need and if you have any questions you can ask it there and they are awesome with help.
The most important thing of all is to remember that you must be commited to this. You can't do it for a week stop for a week etc and expect to see results. This will take time and can be frustrating at times. Also, when it comes to working out, listen to your body. There's nothing wrong with taking 3 days in a row off if you're body can't handle that many workouts in a row. When I first started I was workign out an hour a day 6 days a week. There were times where I did take a week off to recoup but I made sure to hit the grind again. Now I've slowed down a little more since I'm going heavier and heavier with more muscle groups. So I only hit the gym 5 days a week now.
Hope this helps you out.
Experience : I've been working out for the past 6 months. I started at 170lbs and now I'm sitting at 190.
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Not sure if putting those two sites up is against any type of rule since it's a reference, but if it is just let me know I'll remove them and PM the OP instead. Thanks.
Complainers that are complaining about the art and complainers complaining about the complainers that are complaining about the art. Complainception.
Anyway, if the art's intended for another audience, I can deal with that. They can stick with what they like, and I'll stick with what I like.
I am 6'2, and from my teenage years through the first half of college I was about 140 lbs. I even went through the thing with a girlfriend stressed out because she weighed more than me.
So, your sure your college charges for gym memberships? I don't go to a particularly great school and they have a nice, free gym. If that's not an option, a commercial gym is probably out of the question. Golds, for instance, is like... $500 a year. Ridiculous and unnecessary imo.
So... there is no way to convey the information you need in a single off-topic forum post. But I'd highly recommend a door frame mounted pull-up bar. Should set you back about $30. Either using a program like p90x (which isn't really revolutionary, just easily digestible) or your own, based on pullups, pushups, core excercises. With this alone I was able to put on about 15 pounds of lean mass in a matter of months.
Without weights, you'll only get so far; but that might be far enough. If you really can't get access to a gym, your options are limited. If you're willing to spend a few hundred dollars, you can find a used barbell set on craigslist, and a squat rack and bench to go with it. I was able pick the set up for about $350, a purchase I don't regret even though I have access to a gym. I'll be able to sell it for at least that much next time I move.
Lastly, from one naturally skinny guy to another: if you aren't gaining weight you aren't eating enough. Personally, I have to painstakingly count calories or I won't eat enough. You need, at the very least, 2500 calories daily if you have any sort of serious desire to bulk.
Workout more.
With a cheap budget Dips+Pull ups+variations of curls and sit ups are all attractive options.
Get you some cement blocks and rope and a broom handle and there is a pretty wide range of workouts open to you.
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Eggs
Tuna
Peanut butter
Carrots (don't forget your veggies!)
Spaghetti
Bananas (and other fruits)
Chicken (highest protein per ounce in meat)
Oatmeal
Whole grain rice (with meat)
Whey protein / shakes / bars
Frozen veggies
Beans, canned
Boxes of cereal, just buy the cheap stuff
etc.
Do your research on high protein foods and scavenge your dining hall or cheap grocery store for them. Thankfully you're skinny so you don't have to count carbs or watch what you eat as much as the endomorph down the hall.
I'm with you - not quite at your height, but was 6ft X 120lbs for a large part of my late teens and early 20s. I completely understand how tough it is to be an ectomorph. Thankfully, weight WILL come with age - you can trust me on that one.
Peanut butter goes well on bagels, toast, and on english muffins. Add a thin layer of real butter before you add the peanut butter. Nuts are great - I prefer the lightly salted mixed nuts in giant jugs. Beef jerky is good, because you can eat a ton of it and it doesn't taste like sewage. I would stay away from large amounts of cinnamon, and large amounts of sugars. You certainly don't want to replace low weight with a medical condition.
There are a ton of things out there that will put on weight, you just have to eat a craptonne of calories. Although you'll gain pounds quick, I'd stay away from stuff like the Starbucks venti mocha - 580 calories and 15 grams of saturated fat. With your metabolism you can get away with an entire truck load of food every day, but I would recommend eating specific food in moderation (aka, don't eat ONLY twinkies for a day). Things like pork sausage and beef really packed on the pounds for me when I entered my 30s. Avocado is the fattiest fruit you can eat. Cheese will add a brick to your belly, but dairy can also be very high in protein.
Michael Phelps eats a 12,000 calorie diet. If someone like you or me ate that, we'd probably be 250+ lbs in a few short months, despite our genes and metabolism. Also, if you haven't thought about seeing a nutritionist, you should. The good ones can be pricey, but it only takes one or two sessions to develop a quality diet that won't kill you, but will gain you a ton of weight.
No diet will put on the pounds as well as a good diet mixed with exercise. Buy a set of push-up plates (perfect pushup is 20$ on amazon) and a pull-up bar (20-30$ - get one of the p90x bars). Dumbbells are nice too, but can be pricey, especially with your body type since you'll go up in weight quickly in the beginning. I do the following routine every other day:
* 3 sets of pushups to exhaustion followed immediately by dumbbell press (or dips)
* 3 sets of pullups (or negatives if you can't do any - www.fiftypullups.com)
* Crunches till your abs burn
* 3 sets of Lunges or squats (with dumbbells or milk jugs if possible)
* 2 sets of Dumbbell curls (substitute dumbbells for other heavy objects and curl them)
http://www.exrx.net/Lists/Directory.html is a great resource to see which exercises hit certain muscles, and also to find exercises that don't need expensive equipment.
It takes me 30-45 minutes to do this routine every other day, and while it isn't an absolute complete workout like you could get at a gym, it will hit the vast majority of your upper body and pack on muscle quickly if accompanied by a decent protein diet. And you don't even need to leave your dorm room. My "natural" weight is around 130-150lbs and after 3 months of this workout I was 166lbs with virtually no fat. Medium teeshirts that I wore for 10 years became too tight for me quickly.
There is nothing that I've ever experienced that boosts your long-term confidence as much as a decent body. Your girlfriend will like it, and you'll feel much better overall. We're skinny dudes, so we'd have to devote our lives to bodybuilding or a sport to have the same build as a mesomorph that hits the gym every day. But unless you're driven to that for some reason, why bother? A skinny guy with muscles is about as good as it gets... and people will be envious of you after 6 months of working out and eating better than you do now. Other than doing major harm to your body through other means, eating right and working out will accomplish your goal of gaining weight, and also includes several other perks that are worth it on their own.
You can PM me if you need any advice, I've lived with your body type my entire life, so I completely get it.
second off, go to a nutritionist and don't listen to people on the Internet. seriously. shell out the cash and go to a pro who knows what he's talking about.
It's really only fat people that have trouble with push ups, because the human body is naturally capable of supporting it's own weight in that position, unless there's an excess of dead weight. (I.E. body fat or being stuck under something heavy.)
You may notice some results at first, but this will slow down, even if you up the number you do. This is normal.
Find other exercises to do. I personally do triple clap pushups, (also because it's really impressive to watch) which is where you start in push up position, and clap your hands under your chest, over your back, and then under your chest again before landing.
Yes, I can actually do this. Yes, it looks extremely difficult. Yes, after a very small amount of practice you should be able to do it too. The trick is timing and vertical lift more than anything, and if you can get enough vertical lift to perform a triple clap you're well on your way to gaining weight.
Protein is key, but since you're low on funds as you said, just eat a LOT of nuts. Cut almost all the sodium out of your diet because nuts are typically high in salt, and in total fat, but not necessarily saturated fat. as much as i despise them, nuts are an excellent source of protein. however you'd never catch me eating them, ever, but that's a personal taste.
MILK. Lots of it. A gallon a day.
also. You need a strong back and chest as well as arms. Pushups help predominately with your arms, but if you widen your reach it'll work your chest more, as well as some of your back.
Just google "chest calisthenics" and search around, you'll find it.
Good luck!
1. Eat more. Go from 3 square meals a day to 6 meals a day. Aim for about 1 gram of protein daily for each pound of bodyweight. Try to base your meals around a good protein source, like eggs, beef, chicken, fish, milk, and some good carbs like vegetables. But at the beginning you just need to eat, eat, and eat.
2. Move a lot of weight. Focus on exercises like pullups, pushups, squats, and deadlifts. These will work large muscle groups as well as multiple muscle groups simultaneously. Sure, you can do things like bicep curls, but don't make those the focus of your workout. You need to lift a lot of weight to force your body to adjust. Just be smart about it, and don't overdo it at the beginning. If you don't know your strength limitations, start a little lighter and move up to a weight you can handle with good form. (You'll hear about cheat reps and negatives and other such techniques, but those are advanced moves and it doesn't sound like what you need right now.)
If you don't have access to weights, just go to a playground, where you can do pushups, pullups and squats with just your bodyweight. Loading up a backpack can add some weight to make these exercises more challenging.
3. Rest. You need to prioritize sleep. Your muscles need time after workouts to rebuild themselves. You need rest so that you can perform your workouts at the desired intensity. Also, if you do not get enough rest, this can have a negative impact on your immune system. If you are sick, you can't work out.
4. Write stuff down. Get a notebook and write down what you eat, how much water you drank, how much sleep you got and when, what you did for your workout, how long it took, how you felt before, during, and after, etc. All these details will take a lot of guesswork out and let you see what works and what doesn't work for you. For example, you might think you are eating enough, but when you go back and read what you ate and calculate the calories/nutrients, you may find that you actually need to eat more.
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For eating, you are not eating nearly enough. Like has been suggested get some protein, it's good quick source of calories. Get a basic whey protein, don't get anything fancy, it's generally just cheap sugar fillers. Then go and get some quick oats and blend them up. Now use at least 2-3 scoops of whey (should be about 50-75g of protein) and put about 30-40g of oats into the shake. This will give you a good source of carbs, protein and some fiber too. Good start for breakfast plus its fast. You can even add some good oil to the shake such as olive or coconut oil for some good fats and calories.
For your other meals I would suggest you go pick up a food scale. This will give you a good idea on what your eating. First component of every meal is protein, the cheapest protein sources for whole food are chicken breasts and ground beef. You want to eat at least 8oz, should give you about 50g of protein. Then add some good carbs and fats to that.
Before you lift weights, take in some protein about an hour before (50g). Then when you get done lifting, taking in a lot of carbs and some protein (I regularly take in 120-140g of carbs post workout)
Lastly, keep a log on fitday or a site like it to give you an idea on what you're eating. If you aren't gaining weight or are losing weight, adjust your calories. I would say give yourself about 2 weeks to adjust after you change calories to see how your body is reacting.
Hope some of this info helps you out, if you have anymore questions, let me know.
Breakfast was two scoops of scrambled eggs and 4 slices of bread (w/ the rest of the breakfast)
Lunch/Dinner was double the meat for that day
That was the only increase in my diet.
Daily exercise was roughly 2-4 miles of running. Around 150 pushups (more if we were bad that day), and more excercises like 8-Count Body Builders, sit ups, jumping jacks, etc. The week we got approved for physical activity, I was able to do 10 pushups (weak right...lol), at the end, I was in the upwards of 70.
So when you go eat, just double up on the meat at your cafeteria, or get more protien based foods (milk, eggs). Also you can go get a big canister of Muscle Milk, or any other protien shake. Drink 2 a day and that will help with the daily intake of calories and protien.
Then do 15-20 pushups 5-6 times a day for a few weeks, then go to 20-25 pushups 5-6 times. Do alot of squats as well. The best exercises for gaining weight are those that affect your quads, your triceps/biceps, your chest and back.
Good luck!
P.S. Now I weigh 210 and need to lose weight as age has slowed my metobolism alot and I've slacked off on the basketball and exercises...lol
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