Give me a leg-up on gaining weight?

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

I’m fairly young, but as long as I can remember, I’ve been drawn to geeky pursuits. Sadly, climbing trees and building treehuts gave way early to macking around with a childhood friend’s 333hz PC. Once Doom came out . . . well, I’ll skip the middle.

Fast forward 19 years since conception, I study media related classes, work 50% as a hotell receptionist and most of my off-time stuff consists of movies, gaming, drinking and the like. All in all, an extremely sit-still life.

And I’m starting to feel it - at 6’5" I weigh in at around 70 kilo (140 pounds?) and I’ve often got lines like “skinny like a pencil” or “just the right weight for a good fly-fishing rod” thrown to me, in jest. I don’t mind, but once my girlfriend started remarking on it, I thought - well, maybe getting bigger would be a good thing. My army preview doctor remarking on the fact that my one-year service would be hell if I didn’t start building up some size and strength put the nail in the coffin.

But, really, I’m clueless. I don’t know where to start. Well, actually, I do have one direction - I want to put on upper body weight. Not arms, specifically, much rather chest and shoulders. I’ll only rarely use those arms for something heavy, so that wouldn’t be an appropriate focus and my legs are better off than my chest.

So, if anyone cares to give a struggling teenager a leg-up, I’d appreciate it! :slight_smile:

2

[QUOTE=Gukumatz ]
My army preview doctor remarking on the fact that my one-year service would be hell if I didn’t start building up some size and strength put the nail in the coffin.
[/QUOTE]
If you are going into the Army anyhow, I wouldn’t sweat (heh) it. They will just keep recycling you until they’ve built you up enough to pass the PT. Plus all the free chow will help.

3

Two questions: what does your diet look like on an average day, and what sort of exercise facilities do you have access to?

4

Pravnik: I’ve got access to a gym. A friend of mine runs it and he’s very open about letting people in for free late in the evenings (the only part of the day when I can exercise, at any rate). It’s a pretty good one, I think - full compliment Pro Gym, tailored to the local athletes.

My died? That’s a problem. I live from paycheck to paycheck and am usually nearly dry when the end of the month comes, so I’ve never set up a regular diet. Some things are routine though - three or four slices of bread with ham for breakfast and lunch, then something quick and easy to cook for dinner, then either bread or a salad for evening food. That is, when I remember to force myself to eat. I don’t have much of an appetite.

I try to stay away from buying junk food from other places, but I guess what I’m cooking at home isn’t that much better. Hey, I’m 18, my repertoire is rather small :wink:

What should I be eating?
UncleRojelio: Heheh :wink: I kinda don’t want to disappoint the people back home by being dimmed, though and I’d rather not piss blood for a year :stuck_out_tongue:

5

The main thing you should be eating is “more.” :slight_smile: If you want to gain weight, you have to increase your caloric intake of healthy foods, and make sure you’re getting adequate protein. Most of the stuff I’ve read recommends that you eat five or six smaller meals throughout the day, if that’s at all doable. For protein, look to chicken breasts, fish, egg whites or egg substitute, and whey protein powder, if you can get some. If you don’t have much of an appetite, the protein powder can really help. It’s easier to just drink a chocolate protein shake than choke down your fourth chicken breast of the day. Your fats should be healthy, like olive oil or canola oil, and your carbohydrates should consist of stuff like whole wheat bread or other whole wheat foods, brown rice, fruits, and vegetables. Avoid white rice and white bread as much as possible.

As far as the gym goes, you’ll probably need to go a minimum of three times a week. Speaking of lifting, I have to run pick up my wife, but I’ll post more later if I can (unless a musclehead doper beats me to it).

6

pravnik’s advice on food is good, although you can probably get away with being a little less strict about your diet cause you’re young. But the key is to eat more–at your weight, you might be able to gain on as few as 3000 calories per day, but you’re going to need to bump it up eventually (and probably sooner rather than later). The most absolutely essential thing is to keep a food log where you write down everything you eat and the calorie content. Without that, it’s really easy to fool yourself into thinking that you’re eating more than you are.

The second most important thing is lifting. Under no circumstances should you take advice from the muscle magazines. You need to concentrate on the eight core lifts, and you need to have someone show you how to do them properly. The eight lifts are as follows, in no particular order:
[ul][li]Deadlift[]Squat[]Bench Press[]Barbell Row[]Military Press[]Chin-up[]CleanDips[/ul][/li]Those are all proven mass-builders, as long as you approach them with the proper intensity. That said, performing the lifts correctly and safely is much more important than lifting big weights.

7

[QUOTE=UncleRojelio]
If you are going into the Army anyhow, I wouldn’t sweat (heh) it. They will just keep recycling you until they’ve built you up enough to pass the PT. Plus all the free chow will help.
[/QUOTE]

This is probably true. My younger brother went through a boot camp/G.E.D. program for several weeks, and when I went to his graduation he looked like the Hulk, from (he said) all the enforced push-ups.

Personally I did not notice any size difference until I split my workout into separate days and began doing several exercises concentrating on that muscle group. E.g., on “chest” day I do bench press, incline press, decline press, dumbbell press, and maybe a few machines to push me past the point of exhaustion.

Since I started that (three months or so) my arms haven’t grown immensely (although they are more toned), but I notice a definite increase in mass in my chest and shoulders. (I figure when other people start to notice, I can assume I’m not just imagining it.)

I guess it depends on how much time you have to spend at the gym and how often you are able to go.

8

My brother was always skinny too. He did the high protein six meals a day and protein shake thing. You don’t want to put on cheeseburger weight. He looks a lot better now, but he did have a hard time eating that much sometimes.

And my cousin came from from Iraq looking like a damn hoss.

9

Warning: Anecdotal advice ahead!

All of this sounds like good advice, and I am sure it will work, but sometimes the genes just give a fight.

I’m very thin too. As a senior in high school I was tired of being the 115 pound weakling and decided to do something about it. I tried to eat everything in sight (which is not as easy as it sounds), I drank protein milk shakes, I worked out religiously and fervently.

I lost 5-10 pounds. Then i gained it back in muscle. In the end, I was a much more “cut” muscular 115 pound guy. I couldn’t get past that barrier. The genes said no. They told my body to just crap out the rest of the food and continue as is.

I’m 24 today, married, and I still weigh 115 pounds.

I don’t mean to be a wet blanket, but keep in mind that you will probably always be thin. You can improve some (and I think it is good for you), but you probably won’t be able to beef up like many other guys.

10

I have to agree with gotnojob…

sometimes the genes just won’t let you.

I was about 5’10" and 100 pounds when i started lifting. In the first 6 months i gained 15 pounds. In the next year and a half i gained 5 pounds. Then i just stopped gaining weight.

So i started on the super-high calorie and high protein supplements and foods, probably taking in 4000 calories a day for about a month. I gained about 3 pounds, and it was hell.

So I’m still at 120 and I’ve pretty much settled for that at the moment. I am not naturally cut out to be big, or at least not until my metabolism slows down.

11

I had success putting on muscle mass as a pretty skinny guy in my mid 20’s. I was always really skinny; going into my senior year of high school I was 6’2" and 127 at my cross-country physical. I didn’t gain much in college, either, I was about 155 at graduation, still pretty skinny. After college I decided to put on some muscle weight (partly to make my ex jealous), so I started strength training and eating to gain mass. I ate a lot of protein and drank a weight gainer called Phosphagain, which I don’t think they make anymore. By about five months I was at almost 190. That was about ten years ago. I maintain about 200 now, and I’ve been as high as 215.

12

[QUOTE=gotnojob]
Warning: Anecdotal advice ahead!

All of this sounds like good advice, and I am sure it will work, but sometimes the genes just give a fight.

I’m very thin too. As a senior in high school I was tired of being the 115 pound weakling and decided to do something about it. I tried to eat everything in sight (which is not as easy as it sounds), I drank protein milk shakes, I worked out religiously and fervently.

I lost 5-10 pounds. Then i gained it back in muscle. In the end, I was a much more “cut” muscular 115 pound guy. I couldn’t get past that barrier. The genes said no. They told my body to just crap out the rest of the food and continue as is.

I’m 24 today, married, and I still weigh 115 pounds.

I don’t mean to be a wet blanket, but keep in mind that you will probably always be thin. You can improve some (and I think it is good for you), but you probably won’t be able to beef up like many other guys.
[/QUOTE]

I will agree with this to a degree. I was always very skinny, and being 6’4", I looked even skinner.

But when I hit 30? Yikes! Let’s just say all those cheeseburgers, late-night pizzas, frozen burritos, Taco Bell and hot dogs finally caught up with me. I’m still not a hefty individual, but my genetic-produced metabolism finally slowed down. Way the hell down.

So just give it time. Which sucks for now, I know. Throughout my 20s I did everything I could to put on some weight. (Most successful thing I did: Powdered Weight Gainer 2200. Unfortunately, most of the weight went to my gut, so I ended up looking like a starving Ethiopian.) But now, I’ve probably put 30 pounds on in the past two years. Which, to someone who struggles with being overweight, probably doesn’t seem like a big deal. But for those of us who have always struggled with being “too skinny,” it’s huge. I actually kind of like the new pudgier me. I feel more comfortable with myself now than I ever did in my 20s.

13

[QUOTE=Happy Lendervedder]
So just give it time. Which sucks for now, I know. Throughout my 20s I did everything I could to put on some weight. (Most successful thing I did: Powdered Weight Gainer 2200. Unfortunately, most of the weight went to my gut, so I ended up looking like a starving Ethiopian.)
[/QUOTE]
Did you have a fairly vigorous exercise program at the time? When I was doing my first mass-gaining experiment in my 20’s after college, my hummingbird-on-meth metabolism helped keep my bodyfat ratio low but still allowed me to gain moderately. I had fairly vigorous regimen, though, six days a week, with three days of lifting interspersed with three days of cardio, and near-constant eating.

14

[QUOTE=pravnik]
Did you have a fairly vigorous exercise program at the time? When I was doing my first mass-gaining experiment in my 20’s after college, my hummingbird-on-meth metabolism helped keep my bodyfat ratio low but still allowed me to gain moderately. I had fairly vigorous regimen, though, six days a week, with three days of lifting interspersed with three days of cardio, and near-constant eating.
[/QUOTE]

I was lifting, but no cardio. I got toned, but didn’t ever really put any weight on (except for the belly).

15

If your girlfriend doesn’t appreciate you the way you are, come and live with me. I think you’re perfect, just the way you are.

16

I thought all you had to do to start gaining weight at that age was to start going to college…

17

Just imo, but I’d rather be too skinny than too fat. I was a skinny kid up through high school, then after college started getting doughy and kind of bulbous in the middle. I still look slender if you look at the top third or bottom third of me, but I have a gut/love handles, making me look like The Grinch in body proportions.