Ok so i’ve been involved in Olympic Lifting for about 6 months now and i’ve gotten to the point where im starting to lift some respectable weights (60kg body weight, 60kg snatch and 80kg c&j). Pretty happy with my performance so far. There’s just one thing bugging me:
I’m a skinny bastard.
At 5’6 and 60kg i’m not exactly a picture of muscular athleticism.
So what i want to know is: anyone got any ideas for putting on a bit of muscle without sacrificing my lifting goals?
This isnt just a vanity thing either (although thats definitely part of it). As many of you probably know, being on the short-and-stocky side has a lot of advantages for a weightlifter.
Why should it be different to any other sport, when it comes to putting on size? You will probably just gain muscle more slowly and have to cut when a really important compitition comes up. Considering you have been lifting for 6 months, I dont think many compititions will yet be important to your ‘weightlifting career’.
had a friend Ian Childs who I started lifting with in 1970.
At 17 in state jrs he weighed 60kgs at 5’6"
and lifted 82.5 press, snatch 70 kg (missed 75) and C & j around 95kgs.
4 years later won sr nationals with around 107.5 and 127.5 at 67.50.
go forward 6 more years was losing weight to make 82.5s in Pl nats (placed 3rd) and 5 years later finished playing US style football as a lineman probably 90kgs plus.
If you gain weight make it functional, otherwise you are giving your opposition a head start.
[quote]Invictica wrote:
Have you tried eating more?[/quote]
Yup. Ate everything in site for about 4 weeks. Put on 2-3kgs of gut without noticeble muscle gains. Although to be fair i wasn’t traning very hard over those 4 weeks. So its probably time for round two.
That said, if i had to choose between putting on 10kg, or adding 10kg to my snatch, i’d choose the latter.
[quote]Ov3rman wrote:
Invictica wrote:
Have you tried eating more?
Yup. Ate everything in site for about 4 weeks. Put on 2-3kgs of gut without noticeble muscle gains. Although to be fair i wasn’t traning very hard over those 4 weeks. So its probably time for round two.
That said, if i had to choose between putting on 10kg, or adding 10kg to my snatch, i’d choose the latter.[/quote]
You’re not going to get noticeble muscle gains in 4 weeks. Muscle Building is a long term thing. Furthermore, if you want to build serious mass, you can’t be over analyzing the bodyfat thing. It takes way longer to build muscle than it takes to cut body fat.
To answer your original question again. Just eat more. Adding weight for Oly Lifting, Powerlifting, Bodybuilding, it’s all the same. There’s nothing special or specific about Oly lifting that warrants a special diet.
Are you competing? If you aren’t I’d say just giver on eating. If you are, I’d talk to your coach and discuss weightclasses and working your diet into your annual competition cycle. I imagine fluctuating your cals with the varying levels of intensity and volumes through the year would be extremely beneficial.
A guy at my gym competes 69kgs at a height of 5’11". He lifts 100kgs snatch 125kgs Clean and Jerk. He’s 19 and has been lifting since he was 11. Every ounce in his body is functional. He only wants to put on weight if he knows it will bring up his lifts enough to make him competitive at the 77kgs category.
Just concentrate on improving your lifts. What does your coach think about putting your weight up?
You have to consider how it will affect your placement in competitions. Say you placed 5th in your last competition for 62kgs category. Have a look at the guy who placed 5th in the 69kgs category. This should give you an idea of how much your lifts should improve to warrant moving up to the next weight category.
Although this probably goes without saying, don’t easily assume that gaining weight and moving up weight classes will score you bigger lifts.
If you’re not gaining enough, start counting your calories to ensure you’re getting enough, don’t estimate or assume. I would say this early on in your training it shouldn’t be a major concern to gain weight but rather focus on the lifts.
Drink at least half a gallon of milk(and if that isn’t working, try a gallon) a day in between your meals(and each meal should be protein dense with complex carbs plus some essential fats). Good Carbs, fat, and protein all for 2 bucks per day or so.
Be easy though and build yourself up to drinking at least half a gallon by taking baby steps. Add an extra glass every couple days as long as your body can tolerate it(otherwise expect plenty of bathroom runs).
Most importantly, make sure your sleeping like a baby with heavy training and nutrition. It is much easier to make weight gains when you factor in your recovery(sleep, nutrition, stress levels) vs doing too much training.
wanna get big…EAT ALOT!
whole milk none a that skimmed crap.
natural peanut butter, just eat it with a spoon.
eggs.
avacados.
shots of olive oil.
muscle milk.(if you got the budget)
steak.
ground beef.
add in these to you diet train hard sleep and you’ll grow like a weed
I spoke to my coach about it and he agrees that i should eventually move up to the 69kg class. However he was adamant it’s got to be a long-term process (at least a year) for it to make a difference in my lifting.
So the plan is to keep doing what im doing training-wise, focusing on improving technique and strength, and eat like pig between competitions
