For the past while I’ve been eating about 2500 - 2700 calories a day and while I’ve noticed results im still staying quite skinny and not putting on the mass I want to be putting on, I’ve seen kids that are eating 4000+ calories a day and going from super skinny to lean in about 6 months but I don’t want to risk getting fat nor do I think I’d be able to take in the calories without the help of a mass gainer, any advice?
17
165 lb
5 11”
Roughly 13% body fat
Add 200-500 calories a week until you are gaining at a rate you are comfortable with. How much weight are you gaining per week?
Yes, like Allberg said. I made the mistake of eating as much as I could when I was younger. I definitely maximized my muscle gain, but I gained more fat than I would’ve liked every time.
Shoot for about 2lbs per month if you want to stay lean and be mindful of the fact that muscle gains will slow after the initial 15-20lb gains.
Baum when are you going to get a log up here?
Training log? Is that what people do in here? I’m a long time T-Nation reader, but new to the forum. I’ve been on Jason Ferruggia’s forum for about 6 years, but getting a bit burned out there.
I think so, I’m pretty new myself! But I’ve seen you around and you tend to say stuff that makes sense so I’d be in for your log.
2lbs is a great target. I like to think in weeks and metric units, so I’ll leave that here for @jamie1357, between 200-300 grams per week (tend towards the lower end).
Try one day to eat 4k calories clean, it shouldn’t be that hard. Don’t forget to eat your veggies though!
Thanks I appreciate that. Yeah, I’ll make one. Just need a catchy title, haha.
About a fifth of a pound per week
Okay, thanks for the advice
Okay. I’ll try that for now thanks for the help
Your stats are really good for your age. At 17 you can go for it with out too much concern of getting fat. It wouldn’t kill you to take a weight gainer at your age, if you are even somewhat active you wont get fat. It’s hard for us thin guys to put quality weight on. If you can eat 2500 cals a day and throw in a weight gain shake you will make gains. Rather than buy one of the sugary weight gain products in the stores make your own with a scoop of your fav flavored whey and peanut butter, bananas, yougurt, fruit, eggs etc
I dunno, man. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with this, but as a teenager you can eat cheeseburgers and pizzas and be just as awesome. This is probably the last time in your life you can do this, so why miss it?
Or maybe I just love eating like a child
Sorry bro, but given your previous posts, I don’t think you’re in any position to give nutrition advice.
Same - just eat whatever you want, don’t miss out on what you can gain, and adjust your goals once you feel like you’re getting fat. A fifth of a lb a week is mad negligible. If you’re concerned, calculate your macros and eat slightly above.
Doing some loaded carries should help you get some conditioning/cardio that’ll help your overall progress and manage body comp
There’s always got to be at a least a few of you guys lol. And bro,rather than worry about advice I gave, why don’t you contribute something for the kid?
See above posts
I do not want to derail this thread, but are you that big a believer in carries? I’ve also seen @flipcollar, @T3hPwnisher and CT talk about them. Leads me to believe I’m leaving a real opportunity on the table… And it’s likely a form of conditioning I wouldn’t completely hate = win.
weighted carries and sled pull/pushes are absolutely great for building conditioning and ‘real world’ strength.
Obviously you can get big muscles and a great physique just with standard bodybuilding work (dumbbells, barbells, cables). I would never suggest loaded carries are important for that sort of goal. They’re obviously not, too many counterexamples out there. But as a competitive athlete, I think loaded carries are incredibly underrated by a lot of people. I wish I had started doing them long ago. It would have made everything else so much easier.
I personally don’t like to run, at all. I would rather my conditioning come in short bursts of intensity, and that’s essentially how loaded carries and sled work are generally done. It doesn’t take a lot of time either. You can get a lot of work done very quickly. And the carries will further contribute to the muscle building process. Specifically, they’re great for the upper back and hip strength.
Apart from that, it’s important to remember that loaded carries are a very basic human movement. Dan John lists the push, pull, hip hinge, squat, and loaded carry as the basic movements everyone should train for a ‘complete’ program, and I agree with that philosophy.