I’m pretty much a rookie when it comes to lifting weights. I’ve been lifting for about 2 months now. I guess you could say I’m one of those “skinny guys”. I’m 6’4" and weigh 215. I’ve lost 10lbs since I started lifting, but that’s not what I want. I am looking for a program to help me gain weight, including the right foods to eat with no help from supplements, and the right training program. I don’t have anything against supplements, they just don’t seem to like me. My liver became very swollen after taking the recommended dosages of creatine and glutamine. It seems every food plan I see includes supplements. Thanks for any help.
Search for and check out John Berardi’s article title “Massive Eating”. Make sure to read part 1 and 2. Also, you don’t want to gain weight, you want to gain muscle, so make sure you get your body composition measured. As someone who has done research in the field of body composition, it really doesn’t matter how you get your body fat measured (skinfolds, underwater weighing, Bod Pod, DEXA, etc.) but just make sure you use the same method eat time you get measured. Get a baseline and get measured frequently (at least monthly) if you are really trying to add the muscle and minimize the fat. Good luck and I’m happy to answer any body composition methodology questions you have.
OK so a search and read "The diet manefesto, the FAQ, dawg school articles, The missing ingredient, and everything else you can get your hands on. Good luck
Supplements are fine. Never heard of a swollen liver from them either. Uh, how does one tell his liver is swollen anyway? Anywho, supps are recommended because your problem is diet related. MRPs and protein powders provide convenient ways to get good bodybuilding nutrition. For example, given my job there’s no way I could get enough protein with a couple of Advanced Protein shakes a day. There just easy that’s all. That said, you may be interested in the program Berardi is writing for T-mag. Shugart said it will be out soon and it provides a training program and a diet. But I’m sure it also suggests supplements. Biotest has good stuff though. Maybe you just got ahold of some shit products in the past. Read the articles suggested and you’ll do fine. Start with Massive Eating and the Diet Manifesto. Being a two month rookie, I doubt you’re training well either. Are you squatting, deadlifting, chinning, benching and rowing? Are you using mostly free weights in the 8-12 rep range? Lots of info at T-mag. You’ve come to the right place. Now start digging!