Need To Do This For Real

[Ekse]

hey everyone,
i am about 135lbs, 5'10" and have made a very strong conviction to gain some serious weight.
However, it is extremely difficult for me.
Secondly, everytime i want to do some research on suppliments and good products to aid in my quest, I am bombarded with a wave of new names, new companies, new hyped up formulers of creatine and what-not and new products.
It almost seems hopeless on the onset to try and go through whats out there and figure out what to use.

History: 26 years old. I am actualy an ex pro cyclist, and am talanted at many long distance sports. My size is what gave me a great advantage.
I have worked out in gyms regularly at very high levels for my cycling, often lifting far greater wieghts than the average serious wieght trianing dude (legs) despite my size, but have never gained weight.
All that happens to me is great strength gains and just become as hard as a stone but no mass.
I no longer race, and would like to bulk up and look like a normal man, and not a skinny dude.

currently i have absolutely no appetite, i spent SOOOO many years training my body to become effecient on how to use energy for 7 hour cycling races, and now that i dont do that, my body doesnt get hungry. i cant even eat a quarter of a sandwich. i cant eat breakfast, and usually skip dinner. I am never tired or run out of energy.

Please help!! i signed up at the gym, and will spend as much money as i can to eat corrctly and as much as i need to.

where do i start. How do i know which protein shakes are good and which are just another powder drink. which creatine does the latest research suggest? liquid? powder? monohydrate?
which appetite stim? black hole? grub on?
all of this adds up, and before i know it, i will be broke and fear i will have watsed money on powders that do jack.

any advice is greatly appreciated!

 

[Ekse]

i forgot to mention, i was seriously considering going to see yet another nutritionist, but i have been very disapointed everytime.
They usually give me a tyrpical by the book diet,
4 slices whole weat toast, 18oz orange juice, 4 egg whites, 1 whole egg, bowl of oats e.t.c, e.t.c, e.t.c
protein shake in between meals,
lunch; chicken breast or turkey slices eat every two to four hours blah, blah, blah, blah
this all works in most cases, but unfortunately i fear i need a more serious approuch. No matter how many times i try to explain that the time i spent training for racing made major changes to my metabolism, circulatory system and body in general
I have considered roids, but have never gotten to actually doing it.
I still think a TON of food, and proteins and good suppliments can do the trick, i just need to get the real deal stuff and non of all the crap thats out there thats all show and no go.
i have done lots of research on a traning prog for the weights for my body type and am doing it, i am getting results, but i doubt i will gain the my desired weight gains

 

[johnny mAc]

the first step i would recommend for ya is changin the way you work out. you specified that you have a great deal of cycling experience. That's incredible aerobic exercise, and has tons of benefits for overall health. Problem is if you want to gain some mass, whether it's 5lbs or 20 lbs, you need to lift more intensely, but with fewer repetitions. Remember, with mass building, you're not going to be in the gym for 2 hours, you're not going to be doing cardio right after your weight training, in fact, you should do cardio once a week max, many don't even do it when they're bulking, we got the 2 months before summer or competitions to worry about the extra belly fat.

Here's a few simple pointers that i feel would be helpful:

-eat several (6-8) meals spaced out every 2-3 hours throughout the day.

- make sure you're getting a balanced diet consisting of complex carbohydrates for the long lasting fuel you'll need (oats, whole wheats, beans and other legumes), ample amounts of protein (1-2 grams of protein/pound of body weight per day), and don't skimp on the good fats (known as Essential Fatty Acids). You get these majorly from Flax seeds, fish and fish oils)

- make sure your workouts are lasting no longer than 60 min

- intensity is key when trying to build mass. the harder you push yourself in the weight room, the more muscle fibres you tear, thus the larger your muscles become when they're repairing to fill in the tear. I would recommend getting a spot so you can push yourself to muscle failure

- lastly, this is the most important, get 8 hours of sleep EVERYDAY. like a baby, we all grow the most when we're sleeping

these were just a few "essentials" that i would recommend that came to my head. Best of luck starting your new training regiment:good:

 

[Ekse]

word,
hey thanks man. some good tips in there. the fish oils and flax and all of that, i will do much reading on that and head to the grocery store and stock up.
no more than 60min wow!! ok cool some more good info there. and the advice on lots of sleep. i admitedly am a culprit of not sleeping much, 6-4 hours. cool
thanks man, i knew i came to the right place seeking for tips and advice... im sure im gonna get lots more help... much appreciated!!!!!

 

[johnny mAc]

to add to my previous post, here's a few supplements that i found helpful

- any protein shake is good, however, like the food you're eating, some are better and more beneficial than others. Isopure, Optimum Nutrition's Pro Complex, or the new Xyience protein are good buys. These are better than, say a GNC 100% whey protein, because they are whey protein "ISOLATES", rather than "concentrates". It's exactly like juice. Hand squeezed is much more nutritional than concentrated juices. Isolated protein is simply the best and will reach your muscles faster and more effectively. The more efficient a product is, the more time is saves you to achive the results you want, which ultimately leaves a smaller dent in your wallet.

as for creatines, monohydrate was THE THING when it first came out. but with developed and contemporary research, there have been some better ways to bind creatine to other molecules, so they can saturate muscle cells faster, and with less wasted product. Nx Care's "ANAVOL", Gaspari Nutrition's "Size On", and BSN's Cell-Mass are just a few of the many new breeds of creatines out there. Look for a creatine that's in the form of an "ethyl ester (CEE)" "ethyl ester malate (CEM3)" "or alpha ketoglutarate (AKG)". sounds confusing, but if you look on the back of any product, it's clearly labled. just compare products and see if it contains one or more of the previously listed creatines (many creatine supplements now contain all three "AKG,CEM3, and CEE")

i would lay off the roids for now and attempt a more natural approach. if you're getting gains like you said you're on the right track. the only thing i would change is that negative attitude you have doubting you'll reach your goal. That mindset is why you see few people getting results, and more and more people abandoning the weights in the gym.

 

[dalto]

Try a vitamin B complex a few times a day. This will increase your' appetite a bit.

Also, keep your workouts short and stick to basic compound exercises. This will definitely boost your' appetite as your body will need food to recover.

Hope this helps.

 

[thesinner]

do squats and deadlifts. Do each of these exercises at least one day per week. You're muscle mass and appetite will jump like Lebron James if you do this.

 

[Ekse]

many thanks for the replies...

i am most certainly stocking up the artillery. i am just trying to prepare and brace for a long hard road. once committed, i am not going to take any slow progress or plateau as any sign of defeat. as i have always said, failing to prepare, is in fact, preparing to fail, so i just want to make sure i bring a gun to a gun fight, and not a knife hahaha.

a good protein and creatine was what i was really needing, appart from lots of carbs. (i have responded to creatine in the past years) lots of good info once again.

i read about 12 years ago, cant remember what book it was, that squats added to a routine in particular stimulate a lot of growth more than any other excercise alone. something about working the largest and longest muscle plus longest bone stimulate some chemicals for good growth for the whole body... and indeed increased appetite.

do any of you guys use brewers yeast tablets? this may be and old school way for getting appetite, im not sure, i think its just B complex right? im just wondering, coz this may still be a tried and tested way of getting good B complex, just as eggs and meat are still one of the best ways to get protein although there are so many suppliments. perhaps specialized B complex prducts out there have since caught up... i imagine B injections are obviously the best, but i am not sure if in the US you can but that at your local pharmacy, i havent tried.

i think with some good knowledge i am aquairing through all your help i think it will be a realativly hard but smooth road to my goals!

 

[Moyer]

By far the most important key for growth is total calories.

You need to start keeping track of your diet on a daily basis for a while. A good place to start is 2500 calories, 150g Protein, 300g Carbs, 70g Fat. The reason I wouldn't go higher on the protein is because: 1. It's not really proven to be better 2. It's more filling than carbs & fat. You may need to go higher than this in calories, but it sounds like you've been eating so little that I bet 2500 will make a big difference. If after 2 weeks you're not gaining, bump it up. You could go a little higher on the fats if it's more convenient for you.

Your appetite will slowly increase. It will take your body a little while to get used to the extra food. Grub On has gotten some good reviews around here.

I would concentrate on any high calorie food that doesn't fill you up. Stay somewhat healthy though, there's no need for pizza & fast food. Try to get most of your fats from nuts, peanut butter, olive oil. Olive oil in particular is much less filling than nuts or other fats and if you get the light flavored kind, it's basically tasteless in shakes or mixed into food.

Liquid meals aren't really optimal, but I think they're a good idea for someone struggling to eat enough, at least for a month or so until your appetite increases. Skim milk, protein powder, whole eggs or pasteurized egg whites, light olive oil, honey, fruits, oatmeal, etc blended up in your shakes.

Cereal, bagels, pasta, baked beans (or black or kidney), sweet peas, etc are all high in carbs w/out being too filling. Try to find some things you actually enjoy eating. Sucking down tons of tasteless food works for some people, but the chances of you actually sticking to the diet are a lot better if you have some things you like the taste of. This means that whole wheat crackers/pretzels & a little fruit juice are fair game as long as you only have a couple servings a day.

For protein, I'd say whatever you like the taste of that's not too incredibly fatty. I like canned chicken, tuna, hormel low fat canned roast beef, sliced fat free turkey, and whole eggs because it's all very convenient & tastey enough for me.

Cook up a lot of food on Sundays (or whatever day you have free time), and then just microwave it during the week. Any pasta dish, low fat chili, homemade burritos, chicken & rice, etc. It'll keep you from living on sandwiches & shakes. I know it keeps me a lot happier.

As far as protein & creatine, I'd go simple. Optimum Nutrition and Anabolic Innovation brand whey always get great reviews and are competitively priced. Plain creatine monohydrate works as well as any, can be mixed in any drink, and is cheap. Primaforce Creaform has worked great for me. Check out Nutraplanet.com for great prices.

Hope this helps.

 

[dlew308]

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