What is it with the Garfield boxers?.. Anyway, just lift basic compound exercises and build up in volume, and last but not least you got to eat, eat & eat…
ginoxstyle,
Welcome to T-Nation! You’ve definitely come to the right place for nutrition and lifting advice. You are young. Don’t be discouraged by what some of us say on this site.
To be honest, I’m really more into power-lifting. You say you want to lean-up. In that case, try eating a ratio like this:
PROTEIN - 35%
CARBS - 25%
FATS - 40%
-NOTE- By FATS, I mean the good unsaturated variety. Virgin olive oil, flaxseed oil, pumpkinseed oil, peanuts (Most nuts for that matter), and anything with Omega 3 and Omega 6 in it.
I don’t feel you are eating 5 to 6 times daily either. Try eating small meals 5 to 6 times a day consisting of the combination of Protein, Carbs, and Unsaturated Fats listed above. These meals should total up to, or above, 2500 calories daily.
Learn what hypertrophy means and incorporate that into your workout. If you cannot get to a gym, train the old-fashioned way. Push-ups, Sit-ups, Pull-ups, Sprinting/Running, Biking, or even loading up a rucksack with weight and going for a walk.
You’ve come to the right place! So dig around about what you can find. Learn the basic three about bodybuilding:
- NUTRITION -
- PROPER LIFTING -
- REST -
Good luck!!!
OD
[quote]jsbrook wrote:
Professor X wrote:
Kablooey wrote:
Some of the guys here don’t mind carrying around quite a bit of fat, so I’d take their “what fat?” comments with a grain of salt.
Take that comment with a grain of salt? Who would look at this kid and think he had tons of fat to lose instead of tons of muscle to gain? What does anyone else’s methods have to do with stating the obvious? By this comment it shows that you may not add much weight, but all it does is confuse any newbie reading it.
He doesn’t have tons of fat by any means. But he’s quite smooth for someone that age, particularly for being so skinny. A serious bulk from the getgo is not necessarily the best option. Because he could gain some serious muscle and strip fat and see some good definition by training hard and eating the right foods to satiety. Then, a bulk in earnest is in order by all means.
[/quote]
He’s smooth because he has no muscle. If he lifts weights, he’ll gain size and strength and be just fine.
But he needs to eat and lift weights first.
[quote]Nate Dogg wrote:
jsbrook wrote:
Professor X wrote:
Kablooey wrote:
Some of the guys here don’t mind carrying around quite a bit of fat, so I’d take their “what fat?” comments with a grain of salt.
Take that comment with a grain of salt? Who would look at this kid and think he had tons of fat to lose instead of tons of muscle to gain? What does anyone else’s methods have to do with stating the obvious? By this comment it shows that you may not add much weight, but all it does is confuse any newbie reading it.
He doesn’t have tons of fat by any means. But he’s quite smooth for someone that age, particularly for being so skinny. A serious bulk from the getgo is not necessarily the best option. Because he could gain some serious muscle and strip fat and see some good definition by training hard and eating the right foods to satiety. Then, a bulk in earnest is in order by all means.
He’s smooth because he has no muscle. If he lifts weights, he’ll gain size and strength and be just fine.
But he needs to eat and lift weights first.
[/quote]
Yes-he needs to lift. And he needs to eat. Plenty. And good food. But not necessarily Massively.
[quote]jsbrook wrote:
Yes-he needs to lift. And he needs to eat. Plenty. And good food. But not necessarily Massively.
[/quote]
Depends on your definition of massively. If the kid has been eating 1500 calories a day and hasn’t been doing much training, then going on a 3000-4000 calorie diet is not going to help. This might be what he needs according to Berardi’s “Massive Eating” article/calculations. But that works best for someeone who has already been eating and training hard. A beginner needs to take small steps.
If he is consuming 1500 calories a day and starts off adding 250-500 more per day while hitting the weights and eating a fairly clean and consistent diet, then he can put on good size and strength without turning into a fat slob.
I think this is the approach anyone should take when trying to lift and gain size/strength. Start slow, and add more over time. It’s a slow and steady approach that works best. Those “bulk up” routines rarely work unless using assistance, especially when putting on 20-30 pounds in two months.
No one wants to put 20lbs on in the first month with most of it being fat! You have to think of it as building blocks. You add a little weight to the bar/exercise when you can. You add a few more calories each day and let your body adjust. Consistency is key along with hard work and constant improvement.
[quote]Nate Dogg wrote:
jsbrook wrote:
Yes-he needs to lift. And he needs to eat. Plenty. And good food. But not necessarily Massively.
Depends on your definition of massively. If the kid has been eating 1500 calories a day and hasn’t been doing much training, then going on a 3000-4000 calorie diet is not going to help. This might be what he needs according to Berardi’s “Massive Eating” article/calculations. But that works best for someeone who has already been eating and training hard. A beginner needs to take small steps.
If he is consuming 1500 calories a day and starts off adding 250-500 more per day while hitting the weights and eating a fairly clean and consistent diet, then he can put on good size and strength without turning into a fat slob.
I think this is the approach anyone should take when trying to lift and gain size/strength. Start slow, and add more over time. It’s a slow and steady approach that works best. Those “bulk up” routines rarely work unless using assistance, especially when putting on 20-30 pounds in two months.
No one wants to put 20lbs on in the first month with most of it being fat! You have to think of it as building blocks. You add a little weight to the bar/exercise when you can. You add a few more calories each day and let your body adjust. Consistency is key along with hard work and constant improvement.
[/quote]
I agree. That’s basically what I’m saying. An untrained newbie like him should be able to train hard, and with a proper diet, gain muscle and lose fat at the same time. And with his body, that’s the approach I recommend taking. Some of the people who first post are so disgustingly skinny that I tell them to bulk like crazy, fat be dammned. But that’s not the case here, in my opinion.
[quote]Professor X wrote:
Kablooey wrote:
Some of the guys here don’t mind carrying around quite a bit of fat, so I’d take their “what fat?” comments with a grain of salt.
Take that comment with a grain of salt? Who would look at this kid and think he had tons of fat to lose instead of tons of muscle to gain? What does anyone else’s methods have to do with stating the obvious? By this comment it shows that you may not add much weight, but all it does is confuse any newbie reading it. [/quote]
Somehow I doubt that, PX. First of all, I don’t presume the kid is incredibly dumb, or even a little dumb. Second, I think your usual zeal is more likely to confuse anyone. For instance, I made no remark about “tons” of fat. So why mention it? That was from you. Nor did I assume that his immediate goals are the same as his long-term ones. As a matter of fact, I addressed that in my post.
Long-term, he may well want a body that is both much trimmer than your ideal and one that is less bulky, whether for his choice of sport or just how he likes to look and live. That can be accomplished, but I didn’t tell him to go on a diet to do it, or even to make it much of a priority. I told him exactly the opposite, in the very next paragraph, as I recall.
This is a young kid, and whatever anyone else’s goals or opinions, no matter how confidently or vociferously they are proclaimed, he’ll do well to take it easy and not fall head over heels for any program or advice until he’s done quite a bit of solid reading and thinking about it.
Nothing personal, but yeah, that includes yours. Mine too. We aren’t him, and our word not being taken as gospel shouldn’t be a terrible blow to our egos. Anyone really interested in the kid’s welfare will want him to keep an open mind. The world of diets, general nutrition, and exercise are about as full of fads and hyped up advertising as could be imagined, and each can have a convincing presentation, especially to people as keen on quick results and taking the easy way out as kids typically are.
Taking a step back from everyone’s pet obsessions to be sure you’re evaluating them correctly and have at least a little knowledge base from which to do so is a very good idea for anyone, especially when it comes to one’s health. And, I’d say, especially when it’s an impressionable young kid we’re talking about. A little caution and skepticism will stand him in very good stead.
[quote]Nate Dogg wrote:
jsbrook wrote:
Yes-he needs to lift. And he needs to eat. Plenty. And good food. But not necessarily Massively.
Depends on your definition of massively. If the kid has been eating 1500 calories a day and hasn’t been doing much training, then going on a 3000-4000 calorie diet is not going to help. This might be what he needs according to Berardi’s “Massive Eating” article/calculations. But that works best for someeone who has already been eating and training hard. A beginner needs to take small steps.
If he is consuming 1500 calories a day and starts off adding 250-500 more per day while hitting the weights and eating a fairly clean and consistent diet, then he can put on good size and strength without turning into a fat slob.
I think this is the approach anyone should take when trying to lift and gain size/strength. Start slow, and add more over time. It’s a slow and steady approach that works best. Those “bulk up” routines rarely work unless using assistance, especially when putting on 20-30 pounds in two months.
No one wants to put 20lbs on in the first month with most of it being fat! You have to think of it as building blocks. You add a little weight to the bar/exercise when you can. You add a few more calories each day and let your body adjust. Consistency is key along with hard work and constant improvement.
[/quote]
Agreed. Suddenly doubling or tripling your caloric intake could cause a heck of a lot of gastric distress, and if the kid pursues that kind of path, he should ease into it.
Another thing is that his parents will probably have a good deal of control over how he eats and when. Hopefully he can convince Mom or whoever does the shopping to pick up the type and quantity of quality food he needs.
I remember when I was a skinny teenager, my mom saw that at a local farmers market she could be eggs really cheap for me, back when I was doing the Rocky thing of gulping down raw eggs every day. Anyway, she got them in stacks of slabs of like 30 eggs each, and in that quantity they were way cheaper and I could basically have as much as I wanted.
Hopefully he can get his folks on his side in this, because kids usually don’t have all that much input in what the family diet is. Whether it’s getting extra protein powder, some more chicken to cook up and munch on throughout the day, more milk to drink, whatever, hopefully he can get Mom and Dad on board.
Hey,
WOW! That?s a lot of advice! I read through a lot of it (by the way, those of you assuming my age, I?m 15) and am going to try and just
a) Start lifting weights and biking / jumping rope for building muscle and cardio.
b) Change my diet, and yeah, try and get my parents to buy more stuff. They won?t go for protein powder of any of that, but they pretty much don?t really care what / when I eat. Someone suggested
35% Protein, 25% Carbs, 40% Fats.
Even if I have good fats, I still think that seems like a bit much fat, so I?m going to aim for eating 2000 calories per day and eating 40% protein, 30% carbs, and 30% fats (which is the same thing as the Zone diet, if I?m not mistaken). I guess that would classify as a low-carb diet, but I?m not going to gorge on red meat, mostly try and get my protein and fats from chicken/fish/soy/dairy (allergic to nuts) and all my carbs from vegetables & products like oats and barley. I?m going to try and cut almost all the sugar/fructose and bread/bread products out of my diet since that?s just empty carbs.
If you guys have any ideas/suggestions/corrections to my plan, please advise me!
Thanks,
Adam
[quote]Original_Demon wrote:
ginoxstyle,
Welcome to T-Nation! You’ve definitely come to the right place for nutrition and lifting advice. You are young. Don’t be discouraged by what some of us say on this site.
To be honest, I’m really more into power-lifting. You say you want to lean-up. In that case, try eating a ratio like this:
PROTEIN - 35%
CARBS - 25%
FATS - 40%
-NOTE- By FATS, I mean the good unsaturated variety. Virgin olive oil, flaxseed oil, pumpkinseed oil, peanuts (Most nuts for that matter), and anything with Omega 3 and Omega 6 in it.
I don’t feel you are eating 5 to 6 times daily either. Try eating small meals 5 to 6 times a day consisting of the combination of Protein, Carbs, and Unsaturated Fats listed above. These meals should total up to, or above, 2500 calories daily.
Learn what hypertrophy means and incorporate that into your workout. If you cannot get to a gym, train the old-fashioned way. Push-ups, Sit-ups, Pull-ups, Sprinting/Running, Biking, or even loading up a rucksack with weight and going for a walk.
You’ve come to the right place! So dig around about what you can find. Learn the basic three about bodybuilding:
- NUTRITION -
- PROPER LIFTING -
- REST -
Good luck!!!
OD[/quote]
Good advice
[quote]ginoxstyle wrote:
a) Start lifting weights and biking / jumping rope for building muscle and cardio.[/quote]
Stick with a good workout plan that keeps you in the 8-12 rep range. There are several programs you could use on here. I suggest full-body workouts, squat-push-pull, or upper/lower body splits.
That’s fine. At your age, you will be able to get plenty of protein and nutrients from whole food. Be sure to eat plenty of vegetables and fruits, and get a variety of protein sources.
Stay away from soy products. Not good for males, unless you want man tits and other female side effects.
Do get your protein from red meat, chicken, fish, canned meats (tuna/chicken), eggs, milk, cottage cheese, yogurt, beef jerkey, etc.
Get your carbs from veggies and fruits as well as beans, oatmeal and whole-wheat bread, pasta and brown rice.
Stay away from packaged shit, junk food, sugar, etc. You’ll be way ahead of the game than most.
[quote]ginoxstyle wrote:
Hey,
WOW! That?s a lot of advice! I read through a lot of it (by the way, those of you assuming my age, I?m 15) and am going to try and just
a) Start lifting weights and biking / jumping rope for building muscle and cardio.
b) Change my diet, and yeah, try and get my parents to buy more stuff. They won?t go for protein powder of any of that, but they pretty much don?t really care what / when I eat. Someone suggested
35% Protein, 25% Carbs, 40% Fats.
Even if I have good fats, I still think that seems like a bit much fat, so I?m going to aim for eating 2000 calories per day and eating 40% protein, 30% carbs, and 30% fats (which is the same thing as the Zone diet, if I?m not mistaken). I guess that would classify as a low-carb diet, but I?m not going to gorge on red meat, mostly try and get my protein and fats from chicken/fish/soy/dairy (allergic to nuts) and all my carbs from vegetables & products like oats and barley. I?m going to try and cut almost all the sugar/fructose and bread/bread products out of my diet since that?s just empty carbs.
If you guys have any ideas/suggestions/corrections to my plan, please advise me!
Thanks,
Adam
[/quote]
The thing that sticks out the most to me is the soy.Most people here stay away from Soy at all cost for a variety of reasons.Use the search engine for a couple of articles on the subject.Other than I think your on the right track.Everyone here has given ya great advice.I like the protein,carb,fat ratios but at this point I wouldn’t get too caught up in that stuff.
Get the basics down(much like everyone has said).Look at it this way…your way ahead of the game,I wish I had started lifting when I was 14 or even 16 for that matter.
Hey again,
OK well here?s the plan which I?ve put into place and plan to start as of Thursday (since that?s the day once my parents get all the groceries in) anyways?
WORKOUT:
Jump rope for 10 mins
Crunches (3 sets x 15 reps)
Reverse crunches (3 sets x 15 reps)
Curls w/ my dumbbells (2 sets x 10 reps per arm)
Dumbbell Flys (2 sets x 10 reps)
Is that enough? I plan to do that every Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday)
DIET:
Ok, here?s where I?m still confused. If I understand right, for fat burning/muscle building, I should try and follow a somewhat low-carb diet, but when I took my calorie allowance (2000 cals/day) and calculated how many grams of fat/protein/carbs I should aim for to get 40% protein, 30% fat, and 30% carbs, I got
Carbs: 150 g/day
Protein: 200 g/day
Fat: 75 g/day
Now, this seems WAY, WAY off, and like I?d eating nothing but whole wheat bread and chicken all the time?so maybe someone could advise or correct me here. Like I said, I?m aiming for 2000 calories a day with 30% fat, 30% carbs, and 40% protein?or would upping the carbs to 40% and lowering the protein to 30% be better? Like I said, I?m more or less clueless, so HELP!
Thanks,
adam
You either need to get a gym membership, or use your schools weight room. Two 25 pound dumbbells aren’t going to do anything for you.
Does your school have an open weight room or a weight training class?
[quote]ginoxstyle wrote:
Hey again,
OK well here?s the plan which I?ve put into place and plan to start as of Thursday (since that?s the day once my parents get all the groceries in) anyways?
WORKOUT:
Jump rope for 10 mins
Crunches (3 sets x 15 reps)
Reverse crunches (3 sets x 15 reps)
Curls w/ my dumbbells (2 sets x 10 reps per arm)
Dumbbell Flys (2 sets x 10 reps)
Is that enough? I plan to do that every Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday)
DIET:
Ok, here?s where I?m still confused. If I understand right, for fat burning/muscle building, I should try and follow a somewhat low-carb diet, but when I took my calorie allowance (2000 cals/day) and calculated how many grams of fat/protein/carbs I should aim for to get 40% protein, 30% fat, and 30% carbs, I got
Carbs: 150 g/day
Protein: 200 g/day
Fat: 75 g/day
Now, this seems WAY, WAY off, and like I?d eating nothing but whole wheat bread and chicken all the time?so maybe someone could advise or correct me here. Like I said, I?m aiming for 2000 calories a day with 30% fat, 30% carbs, and 40% protein?or would upping the carbs to 40% and lowering the protein to 30% be better? Like I said, I?m more or less clueless, so HELP!
Thanks,
adam
[/quote]
I don’t think that it matters too much.It looks to be more your preference.As far as the chicken and wheat bread goes…never underestimate the power of beef.Honestly I eat more beef overall than I do chicken(more of a preference than anything)Don’t forget the fruit and veggies.Especially the veggies.The greener the better.
[quote]ginoxstyle wrote:
Hey again,
OK well here?s the plan which I?ve put into place and plan to start as of Thursday (since that?s the day once my parents get all the groceries in) anyways?
WORKOUT:
Jump rope for 10 mins
Crunches (3 sets x 15 reps)
Reverse crunches (3 sets x 15 reps)
Curls w/ my dumbbells (2 sets x 10 reps per arm)
Dumbbell Flys (2 sets x 10 reps)
Is that enough? I plan to do that every Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday)
[/quote]
your legs aren’t going to grow only skipping rope (although jumping rope is a great cardio exersize)…if you don’t have a gym membership I would suggest start running short sprints…if you have a bike try sprinting your bike up a steep hill…
up the volume on the crunches and reverse crunches…
dump the arm curls and start doing pullups and chinups…
replace dumbell flys with pushups…lots of pushups…
from week to week do your best to keep uping your volume on all exersizes…
doesn’t sound like you workout at a gym so try these things out…they’re free…
when you’re old enough get a gym membership somewhere that allows weighlifting…
good luck kid!
Like everyone said, you should really get a gym membership. But if that’s impossible, do a search on here for bodyweight exercises so you can get some more variety.