This is my first post here. I have been working out for the past 5-6 years (not consistently). This time I am trying to be as determined as I can to stick with something to get the results I want.
When I first started to workout, I weighed about 135lbs at 6’0. Now I am about 150lbs now. Right now I go to the gym about 4 times a week for about 45min to an hour (depends on the day and how much time I have).
I have noticed a great improvement in my strength, but when it comes to body weight, I cannot gain to what I want to see, which is about 175-180lbs.
I know that a lot to do with weight gain is the way you eat and the supplements you take. Right now I am taking Whey Maxx protein and going to start on EAS Phosphagen HP creatine (just waiting for it to be shipped :/). I know whey isn’t a gainer. I am going to finish this off and then go look at getting a gainer.
So my question is, for someone who knows a little bit, but not that much. Can someone point me in the right direction on how to start a good diet for weight gain. I want something I can stick to. Also, what suggestions do any of you have on a good protein gainer?
Excuse my lack of sympathy, but 15lbs in 4 years is all you put on? LOL.
OK, now that I got that out the way. First of all some stats would be good - age, diet sample, goals, etc. Are you a hard gai…no wait, nevermind. You are not eating enough - start a food log & write down everything you eat.
You should be eating at least 200kcal above maintenance level. Forget supplements beside fish oil & whey protein. Thats all. You don’t need a weight gainer - all you need is the right food.
Then, read these 2 articles and if you adhere to them correctly, you will start adding weight provided you are training enough with intensity.
You can figure out how many calories you eat in a day. Just eat normally, write down every thing and find out at the end of the day how many kcals that was @ nutritiondata.com
Do this for a week and find the mean (or average). Take that mean, and simply add 500 kcals to it. Of course, or workout days, you’ll need to eat more because you are burning more energy. Wait a week or two, watch the mirror as well as the scale, and if you still aren’t gaining weight, add 500 kcals more. continue this until you find you are making gains.
I suggest dividing your meals so that you eat regularly, but it is not actually of that much importance.
You can calculate how many calories you NEED @ healthstatus.com. Then, you do the same as above, adding 500 kcals every week or so until you find you are gaining weiht and muscle. Again, you will have to compensate for extra calories burned during any exercise.
Just eat an extra meal or two. Have a couple complete meals every day, along with Post workout shakes. If you still aren’t gaining, add another bowl of cereal in the morning, or a few eggs, toast, and bacon. If you are getting too fat, just eat less.
So, there you have it. Regarding prtein gainers, I think most of them are overpriced, and unnesasary. All you need is some Surge (which is by far the best Post/Pre/During WO mix I have seen around, a good diet, and consistency.
Ha, I’m going to be the one to give the most obvious advice. Eat, eat, and when you’re done eating, eat, and then eat some more. Go on the Seefood diet. See food, eat food.
Get plenty of good proteins but don’t be afraid to eat lot’s of good carbs. Have a BIG breakfast, oatmeal, eggs, water. Eat whole eggs too, not just egg whites. Lift heavy, big complex movements, squat, bench, deadlift. Don’t get too hooked on supplements, they help, but too many people think that they are going to take something like creatine and gain 20 pounds over night.
Work out hard, BE CONSISTENT, Get sleep and Eat a lot and you’ll most likely put some size on. No fancy 6 page advertisement supplements or special workouts needed.
Eat ALOT EVERY DAY. Everything after that point will be alright. Like magic. As simple as it sounds it will require some effort on your part but you will go very far just by applying this simple principle.
Thanks for the information everybody. And btw rsg, I haven’t been consistent with the gym and/or eating, so that would make for the lack of weight gain in the past I’ve been heavier then I am now, but not by too much
I disagree with the eat x amount of above maintence calories equals exact amounts of gained muscle. The body is just to complex to have things work out that way.
Ive been able to gain muscle while sometimes being at below maintence, as long as my strength was going up.
These are easy rules.
start your day with a solid no shake breakfast! its always easier to get a shake in later.
my favorite all time breakfast is grass fed beef patty with to whole eggs and either some oats or grapfruit.
next make sure you get a PWO drink in,
and 1 hour later follow that up with either another PWO drink or a protein meal with some starch, like chicken burrito, or chicken and rice yam etc.Or protein bar and gatorade works well.
the next meals should come to you instinctively I find I need ample amounts of good fats to put on muscle
so I usually make a large amount of meat or get a cooked chicken if your running around town, a tbs of fish oil works well with either a piece of fruit or veggies, and 3 hours later follow that again.
Thats a basic three meal plan wich is a good beginning point for you.
all food aside are you
increasing your deadlift? chins? incline?squat? or are u just doing chest and arms constantly?
Sometimes following two weeks of a LCD will slow your metabolism down and rebound you into gaining some muscle when you supercomensate. Something to think about anyway.
all the supps you need are a high quality multi.
good protein powder. and extra carb powder for pwo, OR SURGE.
ZMA. and maybe creatine and glutamine if you get your meals in line.
I’d like to quote nutritionist Keith Klein here: “If you’re not eating 6 meals a day forget about reaching your full potential!” Also, please read Chris Shugart’s “Quality Mass Diet” article over and over, it is mandatory reading for someone on a bulk. http://www.T-Nation.com/readTopic.do?id=1021940
I’ve been heavier then I am now, but not by too much 