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Need To Put On Some Weight, Badly?

billspaced — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 12:01:50 +0000

Here's how I answered the question on Yahoo! Answers:

Question:
Hey.. I'm a 5'11 approx 190lb guy.. I wanna pack on some weight really badly because I'm thin and approaching feminine looking. Problem is that I have a very fast metabolism and nothing I do seems to add weight. I even found a term for it. Hardgainer. So, how do I overcome this? I work a full time job and have school.. so I really don't have time to just pig out all day long. I'm single.. no gf to cook tons of meas for me.. I can cookfor myself, but I don't know what's best for gaining weight. I know to stay away from junk food.. I never touch fast food. Any suggestions for me? Oh, I've tried those weight gain shakes from the health stores.. spent a fortune on that stuff and never gained a pound. This is really frustrating because i wanna start working out hardcore, but without anything to build off of what's the point?

Answer:
Your last line tells me you don't understand how to build muscle. It's all about synergy – if you lift heavy but don't eat right, then you will gain nothing. Same if you eat a lot and don't work out (well, except with this "method" you will get fat and turn into "skinny fat guy" or "fat skinny guy").

You need to approach gaining weight (i.e., building muscle) from 3 angles:

Eat right
Train right
Recover right

Attitude is the glue that sticks it all together.

Eat 6 to 8 times a day, concentrating on protein-rich sources like eggs, beef, milk, fish, pork, and chicken. Also eat plenty of fruits and vegetables. Don't forget water!

Weight gain powders don't work well. Some people make gains, but these are the exceptions. They would have gained even without the supplementation.

Try a meal replacement powder mixed with whole milk like MetRx. Don't replace a meal, though, add it in.

Train 3 times a week. Do "limbs" one workout and "torso" the next workout. Stick to compound movements like squats, deadlifts, bench presses, overhead presses and rows. 6 to 8 reps for 1-3 sets, starting at 1 set and building to 3. Try to add weight every workout.

Get plenty of sleep, at least 7 hours a night. Try for 8 or 9; you're better off. If you cannot get 8 or 9, take a nap in the middle of the day.

Keep a positive attitude. It makes all the difference. I know it's difficult to stay positive; I used to be 120 pounds and couldn't gain an ounce. Then I figured it all out and put on 60 pounds in less than a year. Success came from simply following the program above and by staying positive about it all.

Best of luck. I know you can do this!

Muscle-Building for Teens

billspaced — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 12:00:31 +0000

Here's another answer chosen as "Best" at Yahoo Answers. The question was,

I'm a 16 yr. old male. My body type is kind of hour-glass shaped ( My body is femenish ) I weigh 140. My body has no definition what-so-ever.

I want a nice, muscular body. The pecs, abs EVERYTHING.

My question is, how do I get there? I don't need to burn off any fat, It's just a matter of taking the right course and building those muscles.

I need a guide that will get me there. Advice from the experienced would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

ANSWER – Muscle-Building for Teens

Your best bet is to begin a comprehensive weight training program that incorporates the 3 pillars – proper training, rest, and nutrition.

Nutrition makes a big contribution to your overall muscle-building program so please start there. Eat 5 or 6 smallish meals a day using whole, natural foods. Keep it raw when you can (like nuts, fruits, and veggies), cook only lightly when safe (cook meats thoroughly). Eat a balanced diet but think in terms of proteins, especially like eggs, milk, fish, beef, turkey, and chicken.

For your weight workouts, do a simple 3 times a week, full body routine, concentrating on compound exercises like squats, bench press, overhead press, and chin ups. Do 1-3 sets of 8-10 reps, moving from 1 set to 2 after a few weeks, and then moving from 2 to 3 sets after a few months.

You should begin to see improvements almost right away. First, you'll start to feel stronger, then you'll start to see body changes.

Make sure that when you're not working out that your resting well. Take 48-72 hours between weight workouts. On days you don't work out, you can do some high intensity interval training, where you do brief nearly all-out cardio, followed by several minutes of rest.

Source(s):

http://blog.muscle-build.com/category/building-muscle-in-30-minutes-a-day/
http://www.muscle-build.com/3-pillars.html

Yahoo Best Answer: Personal Muscle Building Program?

billspaced — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 12:00:29 +0000

Personal Muscle Building Program?

I am 16 and extremely athletic. I play AAA hockey as a goaltender so my legs are pretty strong. But I need a full, 100%, workout and diet program that will have me not only gaining strength, but size as well. This includes what sort of weights I should do, what vitamins I should take, what protein powders and shakes would work best for me….. Everything. If you could help, that would be great.. Here is my information:
Height: 6'0"
Weight: 160
BMI: 21.7
Body Fat Percentage: 14.03 % using the U.S. Navy body fat formula, or 10.69 % using the formula developed by the YMCA.

Best Answer – Chosen by Voters

Here's the simple answer:

1. Train right
2. Eat right
3. Recover right

Train with heavy weights 3 times a week (M-W-F). Do one workout for the torso, the other for the legs and arms. Work up to 3 sets of 10 reps for the torso and arm work, 3 sets of 12 for the legs.

Eat A LOT. Eat 5-8 meals a day, with a protein shake before, during, and after your weight workouts. Use a high-quality whey-based protein powder. Add a multivitamin-mineral, fish oil, calcium complex, and a joint complex (glucosamine, condroitin, MSM). You'll need this to keep your joints healthy.

Recovery is the most-overlooked element of the 3 pillars of building muscle. Inadequate recovery is the reason most trainers fail when trying to build muscle. Get at least 7 hours of sleep a night (more is better right now, to a point, of course, 9 being optimal).

Because you're an athlete, and very active, you will need to eat more than you could ever imagine. Eat nutrient-dense foods and don't worry too much about fat content, as long as it comes from natural, unprocessed sources like beef, fish, chicken, milk, and eggs.

A great program that has worked for decades is the "Gallon of Milk a Day" program, where you endeavor to consume a gallon of whole milk a day (in addition to your regular meals). Couple this eating strategy with high-rep breathing squats and you'll be on your way to solid muscle increases.

Source(s):

http://www.muscle-build.com/how-to-get-big-fast-using-the-gomad-diet.html
http://blog.muscle-build.com/tag/gomad/
http://www.muscle-build.com/gomad-works.html
http://www.best-exercises.com

Muscle Building Plateau?

billspaced — Sun, 16 May 2010 15:47:29 +0000

This question was asked on Yahoo Answers and my answer was chosen as the best. By the way, the Stair Step Training System virtually eliminates any chance of a prolonged plateau, simply by forcing periodic short plateaus!

Muscle Building Plateau?

I am fourteen and have been trying to improve my overall muscle build so that i do not seem so small. I have been training for about a month and a half now, about 4 to 5 times a week, one hour a day. I have defiantly seen results with my workouts. However it seems in the last few workouts ive been to, i dont feel the 'burn' of weight lifting (especially in my biceps and chest). I think i may have hit a plateau and was wondering what I should do to help get out of it.

Best Answer – Chosen by Asker

Age notwithstanding (we'll get to that in a minute), I would suggest that you cut down on your workout frequency as well as your volume per workout. Train 3 days per week for no more than 30 minutes per workout. Train with more intensity, never taking more than a minute between sets.

Hit the big bodyparts and don't worry about the "showy" muscles like the biceps. They'll grow much bigger and stronger simply by socking it to the chest, back, and quads.

Do squats, bench presses and dips, pullups, pulldowns, and rows. Do some military presses for the delts. That's really all you ought to be doing. Do 2-3 sets per exercise. Full body workouts are best at this stage.

Make sure you're eating sufficiently (i.e., a lot) – beef, poultry, fish, milk, and eggs are your best sources of protein. Oats, rice, yams, and veggies are your energy sources.

Get as much sleep as you can, with 9 hours being ideal. You're about to experience a growth spurt, in both height and possibly weight – your body grows when it sleeps. If you don't get enough sleep, your body will not grow or recover from intense workouts.

Now, let's talk about your age. I've seen lots of guys begin lifting even younger than you. And many grow very big and strong. However, I think going really heavy and doing anything close to single rep max weights is really counter-productive. Stick to sets of 10 reps and don't do any of the so-called "high intensity" stuff like forced reps, negatives, drop sets, or rest-pause. It's just too much.

Even better is to stick to body weight exercises like pushups, chins, and single-leg squats, and go for reps. You won't get massive, but you will get an athletic body. A few years down the road, you could add in some heavier lifts to add a lot of size, but for now, go for the wide receiver body.

Your joints will thank you later on in life. Trust me on this.

Source(s):

http://www.muscle-build.com
http://www.hard-gainers-manifesto.com

Yahoo Answers – How to Gain Weight and Build Muscle

billspaced — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 23:05:27 +0000

Here's some advice on how to build muscle and gain weight if you're on the skinny side -

Yahoo Answers

After a few comments that it would be better if I just posted the answer here on the blog, I've decided to do just that! So, here it is.

You need to concentrate on 3 things for building muscle:

1. Train right
2. Eat right
3. Recover right

For training, you want to lift heavy weights for 2-5 sets (more sets for more experienced lifters) of 6-10 reps on compound exercises only (exercises that use multiple muscles like squats, deadlifts, bench press, pull ups, overhead press). Train 3 times per week. Full body workouts.

For nutrition, make sure you eat at least 6 meals per day. Get 20-40 grams of protein per meal. At 160 pounds, you want at least 160 grams of protein a day. Good protein sources are eggs, milk, beef, fish, poultry, and pork. Eat plenty of raw fruit and vegetables, too. Drink lots of water.

Before your weight training workouts, mix up a protein shake. Make it a double serving. Mix whole milk and a good protein powder and drink roughly 1/3 of it about 30 minutes prior to working out. During your workout, drink another 1/3. Afterwards, finish it off.

Get at least 8 hours of sleep and rest as much as possible. Walk when you can run, sit when you can stand, lie down when you can sit. The idea is to expend as little energy as possible throughout the day.

The best system I've seen for building muscle is the Stair Step Training System (SSTS). It's a 16-week course that shows you how to build muscle, shred body fat, and get bigger, stronger, and faster all over a 4 month period.

Yahoo Answers: Does Muscle Build Up More Easily After Atrophy?

billspaced — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 12:21:17 +0000

Question

So I was into weight training last year, during high school. Then I graduated and lost my access to a gym, and most of my muscle with it. I was wondering if muscle builds up faster the second time around, if it's been developed before and then atrophied (as opposed to building it up for the first time).

Question Best Answer – Chosen by Voters

In a word, yes, your body builds muscle faster after it's atrophied. It's called "muscle memory." There was an infamous case of muscle memory back when Arthur Jones, creator of the Nautilus system, used a young and just rehabbed Casey Viator in his studies on high intensity training. Viator, a Mr America, had been in an industrial accident and had lost considerable muscle size. In fact, he lost over 30 pounds as a result of the accident and subsequent allergic reaction to one of his medications.

Jones, the marketer, sought to use Casey as a case study of the effectiveness of his Nautilus equipment and high intensity training techniques. In 28 days, Viator gained 45 pounds.

It was very easy for Viator to regain the weight that he had lost. Most of the weight gain was from muscle memory, not due to the efficacy of the training equipment or method.

An "average" man who had never attained that sort of size would have gained relatively little weight in such a short period of time.

Note, though, that gaining considerable muscle mass in a short period of time is possible, though very difficult. It's much easier to regain size than it is to build it in the first place.

This is why guys like Arnold Schwarzenegger can leave competition for YEARS (he retired in 1975 and returned to win the Mr Olympia again in 1980) and train for literally a few months and regain their previous stature.

So, long story short, it's far easier to regain size than it is to build it in the first place. You should be back in top form within 2-3 months of hitting the gym hard.

Source(s):

http://www.musclenet.com/coloradoexperiment.htm
http://www.muscle-build.com

Yahoo Answers: What Is the Best Muscle-Building Food?

billspaced — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 15:04:10 +0000

Question

I'm 45 years old, very good shape, but would love to add muscle. I'm working out but feel my diet needs more attention.

Best Answer – Chosen by Asker

Eggs are nearly perfect and if used for short periods of time (2-3 weeks), you can eat a lot of them each day. They're highly anabolic, nearly perfect in protein composition, and yield huge results in muscle gains when used appropriately.

Along with eggs, milk and the "flesh foods" (beef, chicken, fish, and pork) round out your muscle-building food.

Some trainers do very well by including 6-12 eggs a day in their diet along with the famous "gallon of milk a day" program. Of course, make sure you can stomach this sort of extreme diet and start slow. Follow this sort of diet regimen for 2-3 weeks at a time. No more.

Source(s):

http://www.muscle-build.com/gallon-of-milk-a-day.html