[moonlapsed]

Everywhere I've looked is a massive amount of information, but it seems like it's all geared towards LOSING weight and keeping weight down and such. Well, my problem is the opposite: I am about 6 feet tall exactly, and very skinny. I have an insanely fast metabolism, and it seems like I never have energy to workout (or to do ANYTHING at all sometimes). I try to modify my diet, drinking sometimes lots of whole milk in a day and eating as many eggs as I can among other things, but I'm still very skinny and tired and I feel like I'm on a constant plateau, I've never really seen an increase in strength from working out.

I'm still new to all of this, but I need to healthily gain weight and build muscle mass simultaneously. I can accept the fact that I have a skinny build, but I don't want it to be 'unhealthy skinny' if that makes sense.

If anyone can direct me to a good diet and beginning workout planner (like I would use at the YMCA), I would greaty appreciate it

[edit] Sorry if this may be in the wrong section, move it to where you need it

Also I have no problem meeting girls and getting numbers and such, regardless of what other people may think, I need to work out and become physically fit to please myself, not other people. This will make me feel better about myself overall.

[dsl]

You definately need to eat more and more often. Here are some articles from bodybuilding.com:

nutrition- http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/jon11.htm

training- http://www.bodybuilding.com/teen/mclane15.htm


for training just remember to do lots of compound movements because they use lots of different muscles and will help to build mass.

also don't forget to eat more than you have ever eaten in your life!!!lol

[ManBeast]

EAT, SLEEP, TRAIN, and eliminate as much cardio as possible. Try eating 5-7 times a day with 500calories per meal at the least. The workout will depend on how often you can lift. Also, like loosing fat, gaining mass can be a very slow process. It takes months to usually notice something has changed. Sticking through a grueling lifting routine for 4 weeks is hard, but after that it's fun

ManBeast

[moonlapsed]

Thanks alot, you guys have helped me a ton already. This morning I ate about 4 eggs, a bratwurst (sp?), toast with real butter and jam/preserves, 2 bananas, a granola bar, and many glasses of whole milk. Also bought one of those Centrum A to Zinc things, and took one of those. Hope that was a good start

[sage]

Originally Posted by moonlapsed

Thanks alot, you guys have helped me a ton already. This morning I ate about 4 eggs, a bratwurst (sp?), toast with real butter and jam/preserves, 2 bananas, a granola bar, and many glasses of whole milk. Also bought one of those Centrum A to Zinc things, and took one of those. Hope that was a good start

Yes, thats a good amount of calories for one sitting. I might be in the minority here but no matter how small of a frame you have, i say eat clean as possible. Whole milke and eggs are fine, since they carry quality nutrients and decent source for protein however eliminate the butter. Some might say to eat everything in site but i heavily disagree. Eat a lot and often but try to eat clean as possible, high in foods that are heavily concentrated in calories (oatmeal, rice, red meat, yams, are just a few that pops into mind. When eating whole foods get tiresome, try putting together a shake.... toss in yogurt, peanut butter, flax seed (oil or seed), banana, any fruit, milk, grounded oats, etc into a mix with some protein powder and you got a nice, high calorie nutricious meal.
Sage

[Jergo]

You need to count your calories man. This is a must. If you need help with that and choosing a P/C/F profile, lemme know.

Listen to sage, eat a ton, but make sure its' clean. Lean meats and protein powders for protein, low GI carbs such as rice, breads, etc, and good fats such as olive oils, peanut butters, etc..

Monitor your progress each week by taking measurements, etc to see how you're doing. Eat 6 meals/day at hte least. Every 3 hours, it becomes a chore, but eventually youll get used to it. At first you'll have a hard time eating so much but after ahwile your stomach will get bigger and will be able to handle more food.

Keep a training log and make sure you're not overtraining. Keep volume low and intensity moderate. Try to increase your poundages each week if not by a single rep...

Anymore, lemme know..

[Deano]

Also you might want to go over to ironaddicts.com and read some of the articles on his site. He has some great articles for someone in your situation. With the wealth of knowledge from here and over at IA you will be well on your way to putting some weight on that frame.
Dean-o

[sage]

Originally Posted by Jergo

Keep a training log and make sure you're not overtraining. Keep volume low and intensity moderate. Try to increase your poundages each week if not by a single rep...

Anymore, lemme know..

Right. I would also suggest a training log, not only to see and have an order of what your doing day in and day out, but to monitor progression throughout your stages of growth. Progress in strength mainly. To see this is almost as pleasing as seeing results in the mirror As my man Jergo mentioned, dont overlook 'overtraining'. Also, dont go into a weight room and just go through the motions of the exercises, tossing the weights around everywhere. Make sure you adapt the mind-muscle perspective and really concentrate on hitting the working muslce, using and adapting proper form. From there, more results will show .... thats a promise.
Sage

[keith1569]

ya i think having a log of what you eat and also what exercises plus what u did that day. i have been recording my working out and eating for a little over a year and it really makes a difference because if you think you havent changed just go look back about a year ago and you'll see a pretty big difference. i find lookin back everyonce and a while gives you more motivation to keep training hard.

[cookmic5]

I find that keeping a training log really helps in getting me focused to beating last week's lift. Focusing on lifting more, be it in weight or rep count, keeps the ball rolling and lets you know what works or doesn't work for you.

cm5

[moonlapsed]

Thanks alot guys, now I'm 'on vacation' right now so I can't really hit a gym (I will try though), so I have two questions:

Does your body store 'extra' protein? I mean, if you take in alot of protein but don't workout, does your body keep it for the future (in any form) or discard it?

Also, if there is a situation where you're not able to workout, is protein (and maybe other things) just as important to eat alot of as if you were able to work out?

[cookmic5]

Originally Posted by moonlapsed

Thanks alot guys, now I'm 'on vacation' right now so I can't really hit a gym (I will try though), so I have two questions:

Does your body store 'extra' protein? I mean, if you take in alot of protein but don't workout, does your body keep it for the future (in any form) or discard it?

Ummm, no, not in the way that I believe you're thinking of it. The way I read your question is that you're wondering if you could take in a 300g protein shake in the morning (which would/should make you puke) and be set for the day on protein. That is NOT how it works. Look for a thread in this section from about 2-3 weeks ago posted by IA where him and Bobo discussed how much protein and by what form one could/should take.

Also, if there is a situation where you're not able to workout, is protein (and maybe other things) just as important to eat alot of as if you were able to work out?

Simply statated, YES. Always get your protein in, should be around 1.5-2g per pound of body weight.

cm5

[moonlapsed]

Ok, here's an update. Yesterday I bought a big plastic jug of protein powder, I can just blend that with milk and peanut butter and eggs and other things in a blender so that's cool.

I went to the gym and did a good upper body workout, tried to work hard without 'overtraining'. In a nutshell, I stopped lifting when I physically couldn't lift anymore and arms were shaking :-D. I worked delts and upper back, shoulders, triceps, biceps, and pecks & upper chest (and anything in between all those, I guess). Felt very good, and lately I feel like I have more energy. Thanks for the help guys

[cookmic5]

Originally Posted by moonlapsed

Ok, here's an update. Yesterday I bought a big plastic jug of protein powder, I can just blend that with milk and peanut butter and eggs and other things in a blender so that's cool.

You should by your protein from here:

http://allthewhey.com/

They are a board sponsor and they have the best price on whey I have found.