Underweight and looking for advice

[DAAJ]

All my life i've been skinny. Very skinny. I was always very sensitive and shy about it, and i'd just hang my head when i'd get made fun of. I've decided that it's time for a change, a serious change. I want to be big. I have the motivation, i just want your advice. Please keep all the jokes about my weight to a minimum, I know some of you guys are big, don't belittle me.

16 years old
5'11
104 Pounds

I've just bought a year membership at a local fitness club and i've been there every day except for today. My arms are very sore so I just did a little bit of lifting and boxing at home. I was given information on all of the machines that will help me. I also got to ask alot of questions, the people working at the club are very helpful. The advice given to me was 3 sets of 12 reps bench pressing 30 pounds. Then doing it again on an incline. Then the same for the chest press. I've already started to do more. I found out that it's easy to do alot of sets if you just rest awhile inbetween.

At first I just wanted to work on my upper body, but now i've decided to do lower too. I guess later on i'll develop a schedule but for now i just want to try everything out. So i'm thinking leg press, no running on the treadmill though, i'd burn too many calories.

I've been taking GNC Pro Performance Weight Gain 2200, but it's hard to take the suggested amount every day. It fills you up quickly and you really start to get sick. I ate a ton today, well over 3000 calories.

I've also been swimming after the workouts, and like I said earlier I box alot at home too. Are these good for cardio instead of the treadmill?

I asked about creatine and was told not to do it by the trainer at the club, i'm going to follow his advice. What are some safe supplements I can take (if any) to help me build muscle mass? I was also told that if I stay strict with a routine and work out everyday i'll start seeing results in a few weeks, is this true?

Thank you all very much for your help, I look forward to a day when I'm able to wear a t shirt and not be embarrassed.

 

[P-funk]

what does your weight training look like? Drop the swimming. the last thing you need is cardio.

what does you daily diet look like?

 

[DAAJ]

I bench press, chest press, and lift dumbells

Bench Press: 3 sets of 12 - 30 pounds
Chest Press: 3 sets of 12 - 30 pounds
Dumbells: No specific amount, just lift for awhile and go do something else : 10 pounds

Today I made a concious effort to eat more. Here's everything I ate. I sort of skipped out on breakfeast because the shake made me so damn full.

Weight Gain shake
kit kat + various candy
hot dog
atleast 12 ribs

 

[tannywild]

Now, I'm not as smart as the other people here, I am new ... But maybe I can try to throw in a few pointers..

First of all, what people would say, is to click the link about gaining mass. Read over it, and use it as a basis of your knowledge.

Secondly, training. To gain mass, you want to shock your muscles into growth. You don't do 12 reps, shorten it up, 4-8 reps of some heavy weights, close to your max. On the 8th rep you should be squeeling. Keep the workouts simple, research up online on some basic workouts, or just goto the "Training" section and I know they've got a nice chest workout video in there now. And also, training every day isn't necessary. Train M/W/F/S or whatever, 4 days a week, 5 max. Give your body a rest day or two. If you're trying to put on weight, dont do so much cardio. Keep it to 3 shorter sessions of cardio per week, 30 mins on the bike here and there, or whatever you like to do.

Third, eating. This is where the strict routine part comes in. If you want to get bigger, you have to eat, eat.. and then once you get done eating, eat some more. And I'm not saying Snickers bars, ice cream, and pizza.. I'm talking healthy foods, chicken breasts, eggs, cottage cheese. If you read over some of the "critique my diet" posts, you'll quickly learn from the "judges" how to eat, what to eat, and why you eat it. It's all a formula of eating carbs, protien, and the right kind of fat.

Last, supplements. Sure, take them. If you consider Whey to be a supplement, that'd be your first buy. Whey protein, the quick and easy mix to get your daily protein. As for Creatine, why not? For quick gains, it's done wonders for some of my friends. I personally dont take it, mostly because I can't afford it. Supplements really isnt a department in which I know much about, but I do know one thing.. get some whey.

Thats about all I've got, I'm tired of typing already.. hehe, good luck on your quest bud. The main thing you need to remember is to stick with it, and dont lose hope.

- Jared

 

[tannywild]

After viewing that post about your meal, oh dear... hehe

Want to see my daily intake? It's nothing compared to these other guys, but its a start...

MORNING:
1 and 1/2 Scoop Whey + 8oz milk + 1 cup Oatmeal + 1 banana all shaken up.
Megamen multivitamin!

Post workout: (2 hours after first meal)
12 oz milk, 2 scoops whey protein.
12 oz grapejuice + L-glutamine

2-3 Hours later:
7 egg whites w/ 2 egg yolks
1 whole wheat bagel
1 cup cottage cheese
small salad

2-3 Hours later:
1 chicken breast
Mixed veggies

2-3 hours later:
Met-rx MRP (Or more eggs)

2-3 Hours later:
Meat, eggs, whatever protein intake I can get
1 cup cottage cheese
1 tbsp flax oil

... And I dont eat very much.

- Jared

 

[tannywild]

And actually, here I go again. You're 16, didn't bother to read that... doh

Just eat more bud, whenever you can. If you're only taking in 3000 calories a day, you're not going to get bigger. Double the number, then you'll see some differences.. I think ? Someone smart post already...

- Jared

 

[P-funk]

as far as training goes focus on your entire body! You will grow all over.

 

[DAAJ]

Thanks for your help. How many days a week do you think I should be in the gym?

 

[tannywild]

Well, here's my routine.

Monday: Chest / Triceps
Tuesday: Rest
Wednesday: Back / Biceps
Thursday: Abs
Friday: Legs / Shoulders
Saturday: Rest
Sunday: Chest/Triceps
Monday: Rest
Tuesday: Back / Biceps
................
And so on, make sense? Seems to work well for me. It curves my craving to work out every single day, so I never take a full 2 days off.

- Jared

 

[LAM]

I've also been swimming after the workouts

I would stop that immediately. you can't afford to burn the calories. you need to focus on learning how to perform compound exercises. but mainly you need to learn how to diet and eat right for this sport. going to the gym and lifting weights is the easy part.

 

[ReelBigFish]

EAT, EAT, and then EAT some more. and stop the swimming. Have you ever been to the doctor about this? You could have thyroid problems or somehting. Could be genetics too, is your whole family small?

 

[Seanp156]

First things that need to get in order, obvious are training and diet. What's your current workout routine each time you go? Also, what's your diet look like? What types of food are you eating and about how many cals are you eating each day?

Don't worry, with the enough dedication and knowledge, you'll get there. When I was 15-16 I was around 130-140lbs which was pretty dang skinny too.

 

[Emma-Leigh]

Well, here's my routine.

Monday: Chest / Triceps
Tuesday: Rest
Wednesday: Back / Biceps
Thursday: Abs
Friday: Legs / Shoulders
Saturday: Rest
Sunday: Chest/Triceps
Monday: Rest
Tuesday: Back / Biceps
................
And so on, make sense? Seems to work well for me. It curves my craving to work out every single day, so I never take a full 2 days off.

- Jared

I think that someone in his position would benefit more from less of a split.

eg:
Upper
off
lower
off
upper
off
lower
off
etc

Or even:
Full body
off
off
Full body
off
off
Full body
off
off

No need to split the body like that, especially for those who are new and those who are trying to stimulate good overall muscle growth.


Also - Bump to the suggestion of dropping the cardio. Sure, stay active - but 2-3 days of a moderate intensity walk (45 mins) would be sufficient. Even 2 days of a moderate intensity 30 minute swim would be fine.


And in terms of food = JUST EAT!!!

LOTS of good complex carbs (rice, potato, pasta, oatmeal) drink LOTS of skim milk, and eat lots of FF/SF yoghurt... Snack on whole hard boiled eggs, nuts and dried fruits and whole fruit (banana's are great)... Eat tins of tuna and salmon... Snack on chicken breasts... Eat red meats (lean cuts). Add avocado or olive oil to increase your healthy fats too. Mix PB with cottage cheese and FF granola and snack on that.

JUST EAT MY BOY!!!

 

[baonilon]

hey there, I guess we're in the same boat, i'm 5'8 @ 105 .. just starting to join this forum and been getting great advices to start with. Good luck.

 

[DAAJ]

Thanks, you too. I'm going to take a picture of my upper body each month so I can see if i'm making any progess or not.

 

[Ryan-Boro]

if your a member of a gym.
get the trainer/instructor to make u a excersize program and diet plan.thats wot they are there for,i hate some of them.they are just lazy fuckers who sit about doing nothin all day,give them some work to do!!!