Questions from a starter

[dmkidd]

Hello, well im new to working out / bodybuilding. I'm 16years old, weigh about 120lbs and height at 5'6. Just some questions i would like to ask.

1.) I've read alot on these forums and understand that proper diet, good workout routine and rest; along with patience and dedication is whats needed to reach any goals when it comes to body building. So i would assume weight will be gained but how many calories should i aim for a day in order to gain weight?

2.) How many times should i eat a day? I've read 6-8

3.) and lastly... any tips for a starter?

Thanks alot in advance.

 

[Goldfish]

1) Depends on your metabolism (which will speed up as you exercise), but I'd aim for 2,500-3,000kcal starting out, and increase in small amounts (about 200kcal jumps every few weeks until you start seeing gains) if that doesn't work.

2) 6-8 would be good, but is not essential. The benefit of eating that often is that you can eat 500kcal 6 times a day (or perhaps 700kcal 3 times and 300kcal 3 times), which is far less intimidating than 1,000kcal 3 times a day for most people. Furthermore, you can only utilise so much nutrition at any given time. According to the very reliable interwebs, consuming 30g protein 6 times a day (for 180g total) is more efficient than consuming 60g protein 3 times a day.

3) Increase portion sizes, drink your milk and eat your veges. Don't fret about fat content so much, but do pay attention to how processed your food is. Avoid things with "diet" on the label...actually, I'd give that advice to someone even if they were trying to lose weight, because most "diet" products are poison. Fruit juice is not your enemy, so long as it's natural/fresh squeezed. And I'll say it again, drink your milk!