Need advice from anyone

[johnstephenson]

Im having a problem putting on the weight, right now im 6'1 155 and thats where I stay. I dont know if its the time i work out or what i eat "which is everything". I dont want to do juice yet because im only 24 and I dont think I need it. My metabolism is sooo high and the more i eat the more goes through me. I read through most of the threads before posting this so Im just at a loss, I eat 3 full meals and 3 snacks through out the day also im drinking a shake in the morning and lunch, and before bed I did the conversion to tell how many calories i need and Im Well above what i need.. Just curious if anyone else had this problem, I have had a metabolism like this since I started school (I was a fat ass baby) maybe I need breast milk :D ... any input would be great, thanx guys.

[BBAddict]

We can give better advice if you post a typical day of exercise and food. It's not just calories that you need--it's the right amount of protein, carbs and fat. It sounds like I am very similar to you, but I've managed to put on a good 25lbs of lean mass through the right diet and exercise--not easy though!!

Cute kid in your avatar!

[johnstephenson]

Ok food first,

For shakes im taking PRECISION whey protein x3 a day.

Shake

Breakfast
3 eggs
(steak) if im lucky
hashbrowns
toast
fruit (apple, orange, banana) what ever i have.

Break (first coffee at work) only 10 minutes to eat.
Tuna sandwhich x2
fruit
bar snack

Lunch
2 lunch subs (ham & cheese, or turkey or chicken)
veggies (what ever i cut up)
fruit
muffin
shake

Break
Tuna sandwhich 1 or 2
fruit
snack (muffin or brownies whatever the wife makes)

Supper
Meat (varies between steak, chicken or ham)
potatoes
veggies
noodles
salad

Snack
Soup and sanwhich
fruit
shake

Now my workout is not as advanced as most because I only have free weights to work with.

If you could give me any pointers for a routine that would be awsome, I cant really post what I do because I have been shown how to do some excersizes, just not told the names of the exercies.. sorry to sound so dumb. You guys all sound so professional and then theres me :) But thats why I ask the pro's. If you dont mind posting a workout i'll do the searching to put the names to the excersize..Please and thanx By the way the kid in the pic is my daughter so thanks.

[SkinnyGuy84]

well im not sure if it is possible for you to do this, but are there any gyms around your area? if i were you i would go there and weight train, you can only do so much with free weights. maybe others will tell you differntly, but i dont knwo what i would do with out my membership. it makes me want to train hard when i go, because i make that effort of goin somewhere to "workout", its what im there for, to me, you diet seems pretty solid. its just the training that you need to start hitting on. do workouts that help build mass, like deadlifts or benchpresses and squats. im just tryin to help you out dude, i know how it is to be skinny.

[Gort]

Beginners don't even need weights to get out of the skinny catagory.


For weightlifting you should be doing:

Back & Biceps) chins and bent over rows
Chest & triceps) benchpress and dips
Legs) squats and deadlifts

With no bench just do pushups with feet on a chair. Strap a plate on your chest with belts or get some help with added weight.
Rows and DL's can be done with anything heavy.
Squats can be done holding weight.


Start with mostly volume training. Do 10-12 reps and rest for one minute, then repeat until you can't move.
The beauty of this is that you will be so sore that you won't waste much precious energy running around until you recover (generally 5-7 days at first).
When you become adept at this routine, slow it down. 10 reps should take at least 30 seconds. Later make it 45 seconds. Keep the rest between sets at one minute - or - superset two exercises (1 set bench straight to 1 set chins and repeat without rest). If you can do more than 8 to 10 sets of an exercise find a way to add weight to it.

Do this for at least 6 months and you WILL grow! (if yuo eat enough). By then you will be itching to add some real weight and new exercises. Don't add exercises at the beginning, this is self defeating. Get some overall strength first by going all-out on the basic exercises.

[BBAddict]

As far as the diet, I would recommend looking at your protein intake first of all. Without seeing the actual amounts that you are eating and just guessing, it seems that your protein intake is not constant throughout the day. You want to make sure that you have a constant flow of protein to your body to maintain the nitrogen balance. The most important concept I have found to gaining mass is to make sure that there is a continual supply of good, CLEAN proteins, carbs and fats to your body. It looks to me like you may eat close to enough but need to change up some of the foods you eat. Keep in mind that this isn't easy and may take significant time in the kitchen preparing meals for each day.

Theres a lot of info on here regarding the right sources of protein, carbs and fats, but to summarize some of the good options are:
protein: chicken breast, tuna, salmon, lean red meat, lean turkey, cottage cheese
carbs: sweet potatos (yams), rolled oats, brown rice (not instant), green veges (beans, asparagus, broccoli), beans, legumes, some fruit will be OK for you but it still needs to be low GI-so things like pears, apples
fats: flax seed, fish oils, nuts, some animal fat found in your protein sources
As far as how many calories you're eating, BMR is an approximation. For me to gain mass, I found that I only maintained weight at about 4000calories/day and had to increase above that to see any weight gain, so keep increasing calories until you see that scale starting to move. Again, for me, it was important to get over my hangup with fats and realize that they are crucially important to a number of physiological processes that allow muscle gain-including production of testosterone! It looks like you don't have much fat in the diet and could really use the addition of some good fats. They are also an easy way to get more calories because they have a much higher caloric density than protein or carbs.

First thing in the morning, it is important to get protein to your muscles ASAP to halt any catabolic processes that may have begun overnight. It is important to make sure that you get a good clean protein source without a lot of fat right away. If you don't have a LEAN piece of steak, I would definitely recommend doing something along the lines of 6-9egg whites with 1egg yolk. Hashbrowns are high GI carbs, not ideal carbs, that are usually fried in bad fats. I would replace the hashbrowns and toast with 1cup of rolled oats.
You have a lot of sandwiches through the day, which implies lots of bread. I don't recommend lots of bread and would prefer to see that replaced with one of the above mentioned sources of carbs like yams or brown rice, but for the occasional sandwich (not 5-6/day!!) make darn sure that it's whole grain (not just whole wheat) bread that doesn't have sugar added.
I don't mind the whey protein consumed through the day for you cause it sounds like you may be working in a manufacturing environment or something active anyway, so your body will use the whey protein, which is released very quickly as compared to most other sources of protein. However, for the last snack of the day, it may be the most important time to feed your body something that will provide nourishment through the night to prevent any catabolic processes. The best ways to do that are casein proteins, low GI carbs and some fats. Casein can be obtained through numerous sources of casein shakes. Many companies have some kind of casein-based shake, Optimum nutrition and MHP have PM proteins that are mostly casein that I have used. You can also use cottage cheese if you don't want to get casein protein powder. Again, low GI carbs here are important, so see the list above but avoid the fruits for this meal. Maybe add some nuts to the snack for some fat but the protein is most important for this meal.

Anyway, those are some comments on your diet but there are lots of sample diets posted on here that you should be able to find by searching. Just focus on the right sources of calories and remember that BMR is only an approximation and doesn't do a good job IMO of taking into account differences in personal metabolism and lifestyle activity differences (active vs. inactive occupations), so don't be afraid to greatly exceed your BMR if you don't see yourself putting on any weight.

[BBAddict]

As far as the exercise goes, there is really a ton you can do with just bodyweight and dumbells. This website on bodybuilding.com lets you see a myriad of exercises for a plethora of body parts! You should be able to get some ideas of stuff to do for each body part from there--if not, let me know and I would be glad to help some more.

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/exercises.htm

[johnstephenson]

Thanks alot guys you have been SUPER helpful.

[Scrumhalf]

Originally posted by BBAddict
.......However, for the last snack of the day, it may be the most important time to feed your body something that will provide nourishment through the night to prevent any catabolic processes. ........... You can also use cottage cheese if you don't want to get casein protein powder. Again, low GI carbs here are important, so see the list above but avoid the fruits for this meal. Maybe add some nuts to the snack for some fat but the protein is most important for this meal.

Great advice overall. I have 2 cups of cottage cheese before going to bed. The only problem I have seen is the amount of salt in it - almost my RDA right there. I don't worry about salt too much but still I wish there were cottage cheeses that had a little less salt.

I do add some grapes to it though. Makes the cottage cheese go down easier.

[BBAddict]

Originally posted by Scrumhalf
The only problem I have seen is the amount of salt in it - almost my RDA right there.

there are low-sodium cottage cheese options but definitely hard to find. Try a local organic or natural foods store-they may be your best bet. Casein protein powders are an easier and more economical alternative, although cottage cheese is a welcome change to the norm once in a while.
http://www.friendshipdairies.com/pro...t_nosalt.shtml

[Scrumhalf]

Thanks - I'll try to find a natural foods store and see if they have any.

[YellowJacket]

If you're 6'1 155, cutting out breads and high GI carbs are the least of your worries. Your primary worry is eating everything but the kitchen sink. A little fat on your frame will only do you good.

Add some healty fats to your whey shake to help slow the metabolism. Since whey is fast acting, its usually in and out of the body in around 45 minutes, you need to slow the rate in which it exists the body.

Try this shake, its cheap and very effective for putting on mass:

16oz whole milk
1/3 cup oats
2 scoops whey protein
2 scoops natty peanut butter
1 tablespoon fish oil

Fruits are useless to you as they are primarily composed of fructose, which primarily fills liver glycogen, not muscle glycogen.

With your training, add in Olympic or multi-joint lifts to improve mass and your bone mineral density. Dont worry too much what the scale says, use your mirror as your guide.

Best of luck.

[johnstephenson]

Thanks to everyone who responded, Natty peanut butter? sorry what does natty mean?? The fish oil, what purpose does it serve?

[BBAddict]

Originally posted by johnstephenson
sorry what does natty mean?? The fish oil, what purpose does it serve?

Natty means natural. Find pb that is just ground peanuts-no added ingredients.
Fish oil is for healthy fat.

[johnstephenson]

Thanks man.