I have been a thin guy was as long as I can remember. When I say thin, I mean almost anorexic looking. I have tried various things...protein shakes, regular weight lifting, and straight up eating a lot of calories. But, I've never managed to gain more than one or two pounds. I need some tips. I want to gain weight, but healthy weight. Like what to eat? how many meals a day? protein shake brand? workout regimen? and anything else.
Lift hard, but give yourself PLENTY OF REST. Muscle is built in the time while you are resting between workouts. You may want to only life like 2-3 times per week. Also, make sure you get 8 hours of sleep a night. Stuff your face with plenty of good calories. Have protein shakes mixed with skim milk a few times through the day. Have post-workout shakes with an appropriate ratio of protein and dextrose. Eat whatever meals you usually eat, but add a chicken breast on top of that. Beans are also great for caloric density, as are nuts. Use compound lifts: squats, deads, olympic lifts, etc. Don't do cardio. If that doesn't build some muscle on you, nothing will.
Eat 5 meals a day and drink a shake made up of one scoop of Protein and 3 scoops of Maltodextrin 30 minutes after you work out. You should be able to gain weight.
doesnt sound like you are trying to work-out or add muscle, but rather just put on some mass. not trying to be a smart-ass, but you really just need to eat more. foods high in protein like chicken and eggs. steak!!! eat lots of ice cream, ect. im 6' 3'' and always hovered around 170-175. i have never been a big eater - i rarely would stuff myself and too often i would allow myself to go to bed hungry, simply b/c i was too lazy to make myself some food at night. last year i started getting really bad migraines so i changed my diet - started eating better and eating more - if i get hungry, i eat! headaches have gone away and i am now 185-190. i dont 'work out' either - sit-ups and push-ups a couple times a week, a 10-20 mile bike ride a couple times a month and swimming when i can.
Pretty much dead on. I started lifting again at the start of summer under these guidelines and have gained 8 pounds. Look into weight training programs such as Max-OT, which use heavy weights/low reps and compound exercises.
Eat more. Eating "clean" and getting huge amounts of calories is hard. Don't focus so much on eating clean, just eat a lot. Eating clean is overrated if you're a thin, young guy. Calories are the key here. Keep track of your calories (and your macro-nutrients if you can). A lot of people think they eat a lot but when they actually keep track for a week they realize that the 4000 calories they thought they were averaging each day was really more like 3000 or less. You need to know how much you're putting in so you can adjust accordingly. Limit any activity that you don't need to do. If you're playing sports then you should stop. Don't take the stairs, take the elevator. If you're going to work out then keep your workout shorts and your reps low. The key here is to lower the amount of calories you're burning each day. I don't even know if you're trying to put on muscle but remember that any muscle you add will require you to eat even more calories to maintain it. You're probably not going to put on much muscle at all until you get your calories up.
Wizzy, some of us are just thin and there's not a whole lot we can do about that. I've had one Mom, the US Army, a decade of doobies and 3 wives try to put weight on me to no avail. Up to about a month ago I weighed the same as I did leaving High School....and I graduated in 74. I can probably say that I have the metabolism of a ferret so no matter what I eat or how much I eat, I never gain any weight. It wasn't until I got poison oak and shot up with steroids this summer that I finally put on any weight....and kept about 50% of it. Also, just after the poison oak thing I joined a gym and have been working out a bit. So, for now be very thankful and eat away.
Youre what bodybuilders call a hardgainer. I think if you start looking around knowing that, youll come across other people of your similar type, ectomorph?, and their success stories about gaining weight and keeping it on.
