hey everyone, i'm not going to lie to you.. i'm completely new to this site and have no true experience with any sort of weight lifting, but i glanced over some of the stickies so i hope i don't bring up any constantly asked questions. i also hope this is posted in the right place. but anyway, i'm a 19 year old male, about 5'11'' and 125lbs. "little guy" that doesn't really bother me, but i'm looking to put on some weight to fill out. i don't know if this sounds ridiculous, but i was looking to put on maybe twenty pounds? i don't even really know if that sounds reasonable because i know i have a small frame in the first place, but just as a hobby really and health because i don't exercise like i used to. but what is recommended for diet (i've been researching creatine too, i think i may try it)? and what exercises do i need to focus on in the gym? thanks for the help.
where to start?
- Thread starter tpage
- Start date
Focus on the big compounds (deadlift, squat, bench etc), especially when starting out, they’re your biggest mass gaining lifts. But of course to gain weight you need to eat a surplus of calories. Google BMR and work out roughly how many calories you need to be consuming to gain weight, then eat in excess of that. I’m going to stay diplomatic here and say that most people eat between 200-500 Kcals a day in excess of their maintenance level in order to gain muscle while minimising fat gain (but some eat a lot more than that 
)
And 20lbs is very reasonable, you could probably do that in about 12-18 months with minimal fat gain if you watch your diet and train hard, even as a thin framed guy
)And 20lbs is very reasonable, you could probably do that in about 12-18 months with minimal fat gain if you watch your diet and train hard, even as a thin framed guy
Well with no true expeirence in lifting, your bound to have those quick beggineers gains in strengths for the first couple months. 20lbs of bodyweight is a reasonable gain with the 200-500 KCal increase a day in your diet going from the BMR. And your coumpound exercises would be the ideal choice. Its your preference on whether to do a FBW (Full Body Workout), or some sort of split wither Push/Pull or Upper/Lower. But I'd say for a beggineer, keep to the FBW for now.
ok cool. yea i have heard about first time lifters getting exponentially stronger at first but then plateauing after a time. i've been through periods where i lifted a little bit but never ended up continuing, but i think i want to make a commitment this time. what about using supplements like creatine?
all right and one of those periods that i lifted for a little while i had a friend of mine lift with me. he's a big guy like 6'1'' and 245lbs. but he had my doing a reverse pyramid style of lifting. you know, starting at your limit and working your way down through reps. any objections to that? because i kind of liked doing it that way.
ok so i tried exceeding my calorie limit today but after about 1500, roughly, i got full and i'm still not hungry now. am i supposed to kind of trick my body into it? i know some people say eat a bunch of small meals throughout the day so you're always hungry and can eat more, but i've also heard this will speed up your metabolism so it seems like you'd almost continue to lose if you didn't eat way in excess.
Well becasue your very light your going to be full quicker. So it wil take some time to get used to eating more. In your case go with the smaller portions. Yes it would speed up metabolism but that allows you to eat more as you burn calories quicker. Doesn't mean your going to lose weight, thats why you have to find the right amount of surplus. You have to expeirmwnt some to find what works to gain the weight.
good advice up to now from the guys above,stick with mostly compounds,do a 3x a wk fullbody workout IMO,if you cant eat enough its probably because your stomache is not used to taking in so much food,it should get easier try some liquid like protein shakes or if you dont have the money good old fashioned milk is very good.
dont do to many exercises and keep the cardio to a minimum for now.
dont do to many exercises and keep the cardio to a minimum for now.
thanks for the info guys it's a big help but i do have one more question. what types of food should i be eating? my friend that's been lifting for a while keeps stressing calories, but not just any. he just uses the term good calories which i assume is different from the type you find in snack foods and fast foods. what do i need to get next time i go to the grocery store and what am i looking for when i go to eat out?