how to gain weight and get BIG?

[skinnywhiteboy]

hey guys, i just joined the forum so ill start out by introducing myself, my names ryan, im 17, i weigh about 135 and im about 5,8. yes im pretty small, smaller than i would like to be anyways. im trying to find a diet to get big. im not currently working out or doing any excerises at all. i will be once im out of high school though which will be in rougly 5 months, i was wanting to know until then what can i do to gain weight? i obviously dont want to be fat, just a bigger guy in general and eventually muscular. i can start doing excercises anytime. I woild also would like to know how long until i see results. Thank you.

[beefcurry1]

If you do a little looking around on the site you'll find the information you're looking for. I know .V. has posted a general rule of thumb for caloric intake based on curent bodyweight COUNTLESS times to folks asking the same question you are.

my approach is a little less systematic. when i was in high school i was always trying to put on weight. i was 5'9" 165 as an offensive lineman. you can imagine how frustrated i was. i thought i was eating a ton of food. shortly after i graduated, someone here suggested that i do a calorie log to see exactly how much food i was taking in. i did that for a week, ran the numbers, and i realized i wasnt taking in NEARLY enough food to promote muscle gains. i encourage you to do the same. see where you are, then figure out how you can get that number up to 3000 calories a day. there's no point rounding up to make your numbers look bigger. you'll only cheat yourself. remember the following with diet:

meats - fish > chicken > beef > pork
veggies - raw > sauteed > baked > steamed > boiled
fats - avacados and nuts good > french fries and fast food bad
carbs - try to get as many of these from veggies as possible (limit potatoes and corn, as they offer very little nutrients vs the huge number of calories) pastas and breads can be good, but dont overdo them.

monitor yourself for about a month. if you're gaining more flab than flex, drop the cals 200/day, then monitor for another month and adjust accordingly.

exercise - dont touch machines. the focus of your workouts should be squat, deadlift, bench, overhead press, pull ups, and rows (as i call them "the big 6"). these are compound strength gaining exercises. do them first in your workout. if you feel the need, add a little isolation at the end (bis, tris, calves) but dont overdo it. too much can be worse than too little. if you do enough compound exercises, your body wont need much isolation at all.

for beginners, a lot of folks really like 5x5. there is a sticky explaining it in detail. it's a good program that gets results.

side notes: squat ass to grass (at or slightly below parallel), pull deadlifts from the floor (never roll your back over. poke your chest out, keep your back straight). bar touches chest on bench every single rep. NEVER start your workout with leg press, curls (of any form), or tris.

form and range of motion are 10x more important than the weight.

as for supplements, you'll hear a lot of people say you dont need them, which you dont, but sometimes they are a good thing. personally, i think there are 4 worth mentioning:

protein powder - whey protein post workout. this should be a fairly low calorie supplement. it should be whey protein and not much else. you want it for quick digestion and absorbsion. (i like combat powder by muscle pharm)
multi-vitamin - all your vitamins and minerals + joint support + all kinds of good things. find a good one. (i like orange triad or animal pak)
creatine - dont buy the expensive stuff. it's a waste of money. you'll be paying for expensive sugars. buy super cheap creatine monohydrate powder, mix with grape juice or gatoriad powder, drink it. the juice or gatoraid gives an insulin spike for quick absorbsion. (i like creatine monohydrate by AST)
high cal MRP - (meal replacement powder) obviously, food is best. but if you need to get in an extra 400-500 cals and cant squeeze in a meal, these can be a good thing. (I like universal real gains. very high calories per dollar and good quality product.)

Eat, sleep, lift, and grow... that's all there is to it.

Nice post, beef. Nothing really to add to it.

[krix23]

im 17, im 5'11 and weigh about 163. i have been working out for a year dead on 4 times a week, some times 2 times or once a week depending on my sched, but i havent built any muscle, i do an hour and a half exc. for leg and torso, esp.. torso , like arms shoulders and stuff but u havent been shown any real results, and its really agravating me, i want to be ripped, not big, but idk want to be forced to use roids or anything, i eat good too, no soda, no candy for atleast 6 months, i want to look good but train good for soccer.. help me

[2dumb2quit]

You say you do an hour-and-a-half of exercise 4 times a week. Strictly weightlifting? Cardio? What lifts? You say your diet has no soda or candy. Is it grain heavy? Meat heavy? Vegetable heavy? Give us more information on how you eat and workout and we'll be able to help more.

And scroll up two posts and read what beefcurry said. That'll help.

[Yibi Chen]

A few tips from my side to gain weight : Take creatine before work out , ceasin protein before going to bed , and whey protein daily after work out , and lots of carbs and calories but from good source , not from sources such as candy etc...also i would suggest supplementing with a weight gainer...

[Neville]

For easy weight gain take the healthy and balanced diet at least four times a day and also a good gym.
Eat more protein foods in your diet and do proper weight exercises to gain the weight in shape of muscles and not in shape of fat.