been slim my whole life, how to gain weight?

oh yea real quick, is there a difference between weight gainers and protein shakes? or are they basically the same? the guy at the store told me that they were different, but im not sure if he was being honest, or being a salesperson.
 
thats some great info Virus, thanks man i really do appreciate it.
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Ok man, im glad you appreciate it.

I wanted to save you alot of uncertainties and wasted time lifting too little weight like most guys do the 10 reps thing, I know i wasted months, and didn't really see improvement untill I was doing the 3 sets of 7 with maximum weight. I tried 666, but I think I saw better results with 777. do a 4th set of 10 of a lighter weight so you the painful burning to gain more muscle in less time ( we are talking months of working out, so its worth it to spend an extra minute on that last one )

But don't just jump in if you haven't lifted before, or you will be sore for like a week. Start slow.

bizzy420 said:
oh yea real quick, is there a difference between weight gainers and protein shakes? or are they basically the same? the guy at the store told me that they were different, but im not sure if he was being honest, or being a salesperson.
Click to expand...

protein is the stuff your body uses to build muscle, its found in high amounts in meat and dairy, (how would a baby or a baby cow grow up big and strong if it didn't? )

A protein shake is no replacement for real food, but could be used as a supliment. I've never really noticed any difference from using this stuff but some people swear by it, so it can't hurt.

Weight gainers .. Im not sure about these, they make you so full that you don't have as much appetite, and like the protien shakes, they are no replacement for real food. PLus they are generally a pain in the ass to mix up - they stay in huge lumps and wont mix properly, and unless you find a lucky brand, they do not taste good, bordering on disgusting.

I don't think you need any of this stuff, and I don't recommend them. My friend swears by this stuff though, so its up to you. The important thing is to buy weights. Drinking some magical elixir doesn't work. Sorry. It may help, if you have extra money after buying enough wieghts to do some workouts with...

Just get some Vitamins from Wal mart or someting, dont pay $10-$50 for vitamins at GNC thats just rediculous. Get the kind for your age, and activity level if you see that kind.
 
Okay I'm going to a store to buy some weights. Should I get two of the same size so I work both sides of my body at the same time? Or just one, and work one half of my body at a time?

I can curl 50 lbs, but I have a hard time lifting that much weight over my head (I honestly don't know what you'd call that, it's simply pushing the dumbbell over your head as high as you can). Should I go for lighter than 50 lbs (like 40 lbs I can lift)
 
you should always do equal weights/equal amounts on both sides, because otherwise you're body will end up quite disproportionate as is the case of a few friends of mine.
 
MiccyNarc said:
Okay I'm going to a store to buy some weights. Should I get two of the same size so I work both sides of my body at the same time? Or just one, and work one half of my body at a time?

I can curl 50 lbs, but I have a hard time lifting that much weight over my head (I honestly don't know what you'd call that, it's simply pushing the dumbbell over your head as high as you can). Should I go for lighter than 50 lbs (like 40 lbs I can lift)
Click to expand...

Like evil milk said, you always want to have weight in both sides except in rare circumstances that I won't go into. Having the wieght in both hands, helps balance your body and keep your spine straight. Otherwise you are looking to be injured, and you are spending twice as much time to do the workout, since you have to alternate.

whenever possible, using 2 dumbells is better than using the longer barbell (commonly used for benchpressing, but is actually not as good as 2 dumbells for this either )becuase there are small muscle groups and tendons that get stronger from trying to balance and control the weight. these small muscle groups are crucial to help prevent injury and to make lifting higher weights much easier in the long run. there are so many muscle groups in the body, the more different muscles you work out, the better the results.

Alot of people have wieghts and they only do 3 types of excersizes, like chest, shoulders, and biceps, which is better than nothing, but you can become out of proportion, and you need to build up all your muscles - else if you just build 1 muscle group and keep working on it, eventually, the muscles you haven't been working on just aren't strong enough to even keep the weight balanced while you work on that 1 muscle group.

Also, like i said before:
Most of you know what the bicep muscle is. If you work the bicep, and then work out the tricep, your arms will start getting much bigger and nicer looking than if you just work out the bicep. Much of the force of a punch is actually the tricep muscle, and the bicep does very little, so the triceps are very important. This is just 1 example. The tricep is the opposing muscle of the bicep, and does the opposite. It is the muscle that allows you to straighten your arm.

Lifting the weight over your head is called a military press, and it works out your shoulders and arms. Its a great routine, and doesn't require lots of equipment.

If you can't lift 50 over your head than you will obviously never be able to unless you start smaller. So yes, 40 is the better option, but consider the different dumbell types before buying.

The easiest thing is to buy a large set of the various weight sizes, but its alot more space saving and cheaper to buy the 2 dumbells (the bars by themselves), and several clamp on weights of various sizes.

Switching weight amounts on the clamp-on style can be a pain in the ass, but its not that bad, and like i said its cheaper. Do what you got to do.
 
Drink mercury. Eat tungsten. Eat uranium.
 
VirusType2 said:
lol. Hes not trying to glow in the dark, hes trying to gain some weight.
Click to expand...

Well, it would be an added bonus. :p
 
Eat Mcdonalds.


Hey! I didn't tell you to stop, get some more!
 
Virustype2: Thanks alot for the advice! Like the OP I've been underweight my whole life and I'm sick of it.
 
MiccyNarc said:
Virustype2: Thanks alot for the advice! Like the OP I've been underweight my whole life and I'm sick of it.
Click to expand...

No problem. I know the feeling. If you stick with it, and make it a part of your life for years, you will have the added benefit since you are lean, your muscles will really look bigger than they are, and you will automatically have tone since you are lean. Your mate will likely be going ape-shit over you.

...Damn I miss this one work out buddy lil girlfriend I had when I was a teen. I met her at the gym. She was NAPALM hot, and she was one bad ass little freaky girl. :sigh: Actually I met some other girls there that were really fun. If you have a chance, might think about a gym membership ppl. ..


Just keep at it, it works like a charm, and will really skyrocket your self-esteem, but avoid breaking out the tank-tops and wife-beater shirts too soon to avoid redicule. You won't turn into Arnold Shwarzenegar over-night.


EDIT: I know I said this already, but once you get used to working out, try skip more than 1 or 2 days, its sort of addictive, but you can lose your ambition really quick and get lazy, making it hard to start back up again.

-v
 
Working out with 40 lb weights made me realize how underdeveloped my pecs are relative to my arms. Curling these weights is a piece of cake, but any exercise involving my pecs is murder :-\
 
VirusType2 said:
I don't think the victims of the Chernobyl disaster would agree with you. :sad:
Click to expand...


Well, when Stalker actually comes out we can make a better assumption, now can't we?

As for gaining weight, it is simple. You have to consume as many calories that exceed your metabolic rate. Unless you have a thyroid problem, or other health complication, which I assume you don't or you would have stated it.
 
Max35 said:
Well, when Stalker actually comes out we can make a better assumption, now can't we?

As for gaining weight, it is simple. You have to consume as many calories that exceed your metabolic rate. Unless you have a thyroid problem, or other health complication, which I assume you don't or you would have stated it.
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Protein > calories.

And yeah, if you want to get fat, just don't exercise, eat all sorts of crap, and voila!
 
Protein is essential, yes, but if he just wants to gain a few pounds, then it doesn't need to be a strict diet, well, it depends I suppose. And also some controversial studies have concluded that prolonged protein consumption in high amounts can lead to liver disease. Our ancestors had an average of %15 protein in their diet, anything severly beyond that is overkill I think.\
 
MiccyNarc said:
Working out with 40 lb weights made me realize how underdeveloped my pecs are relative to my arms. Curling these weights is a piece of cake, but any exercise involving my pecs is murder :-\
Click to expand...

Thats the problem most people have. The pecks are nearly useless, although of course they do assist some arm movement and offer a layer of protection for the organs. So therefore, they aren't normally built up on people that don't work out.


And yeah, if you want to get fat, just don't exercise, eat all sorts of crap, and voila!
Click to expand...
if only it was that simple.

I was born, i've been skinny all my life. So for me, I can't just eat all sorts of crap becuase my body doesn't need it. I can't eat like an obesse person becuase thats way too much food for me. My actual stomach is smaller and I have less muscle to fuel, meaning I just don't have the appetite for it.

The only thing that has helped me gain weight was working out. That gave me up to 3 times the appetite, and I was eating healthier.

Your body sort of seems to know what it needs. Notice sometimes you crave certain things? When you build muscle, you will likely be craving a really nice dinner, not potatoe chips and cookies. :x
 
One of my problems is that I love to just eat bad foods...and alot of them. By rights I should weigh 500 lbs and never be able to leave my comp chair. Farm work works wonders for keeping weight off.
 
Working out to gain weight is a good idea, as long as it isn't alot of cardio, that would burn way too many calories, especially for an ecto.
 
Move to Orlando.
More all-you-can-eat places than you could imagine
 
I'm bad at giving advice for this because I don't have to work out to be as strong as I am. Just like 20 minutes per day and I'm huge... I don't know how. I am 250 pounds with a flat stomach.
 
My shoulder has started popping a little, should I be worried?
 
Jonz0r said:
Healthy dose of Steroids? + hour of swiming >.<
Click to expand...

Well, if his metabolism is horribly fast, and his diet is poor, he would gain a little more muscle, but loose weight (test also increases metabolism) and I don't think he wants to do it that way.
 
VirusType2 said:
Do not concentrate on the same muscle group every day.

Do each muscle group every other day. Do not take a day off if you can help it.


Work out opposite muscle groups like if you work out your chest, then immediately afterwards work out your back.

If you work out your biceps, then afterwards work out your triceps (back of upper arm)

If you work ouit your stomach, work out your lower back.


So on even days you can work out your arms, stomach, shoulders, back and chest, and on Odd days you can work out your legs, calves, and butt.
Click to expand...

I imagine it depends from person to person, but I use to do that exact routine on even and odd days and found that it wasn't giving my muslces enough rest time. So instead I switched to:

Day 1: Chest/Back/Stomach
Day 2: Shoulders/Arms
Day 3: Legs
Repeat.

But even that didn't seem to give a couple muscle groups enough rest. So I finally switched to:

Day 1: Chest/Back/Stomach
Day 2: Legs
Day 3: Shoulders/Arms
Day 4: Cardio/No weights
Repeat.

That way every single muscle group gets a minimum of 48 hours rest. Doing it the other way I found I was getting too much overlap between some groups. For example, doing my back one day and my arms the next day wasn't letting me rest my biceps enough, since it's rather difficult to work the back without a lot of focus on the bicep as well.

Don't know, that's just what seems to work for me.
 
i have a fool-proof solution to your dilemma. go to carl's jr.
 
Meatball sub, ice cream, beer, soda, bread, pizza... hell ya. hell ya.... OH and bacon western cheeseburger <--- eat like 20 of those cuz they are good
 
VirusType2 said:
Like I said, I read a couple books, worked out for years.

Excersize burns fat and calories, and makes you lose weight generally. To gain muscle and wieght, you need to do low repetition, very high weight.

Yes push-ups and other excersizes are really healthy for you and improve your cirulatory system, heart and lung strength, and they can increase muscle strength and muscle tone (cut) but you won't gain weight from it. nothing really.


At least buy some dumbells, borrow some, or get some from Wal-mart or something


Read a book on how to work out specific muscle groups if you don't already know.


Many people will tell you to do 3 sets of 10 reps. This is for people trying to gain muscle defenition and tone, and for people trying to lose weight. Do not listen to them. Listen to tha masta.

I speak from experience and from some friends of mine, to gain muscle faster
do 3 sets of 7 repetitions
and the new discovery is that 1 final set of 10 repetitions of a lighter weight to make it burn gives the greatest results the fastest. So thats 4 sets.

For the 3 sets of 7, use as much weight as you can so on the last set you may not even be able to get 7. 5 or 6 is fine, but if you can do more than like 10 on the 3rd set you need to do more weight. 7 7 7 10 is the best for gaining huge muscle bulk quickly ( as in a few months) But remember you need to be pushing yourself to its very limit. Im sure you have seen movies where the guy is benchpresing, and his spotter is yelling," come on! 1 more, give me 1 more" Well thats basically it. You have to push yourself harder than you thought you could.

They say add a little weight everytime you work out that muscle group, but this usually means like a minimum of 2.5 lbs. on each side, so if thats too much do a couple more reps. You will want to write it down for each muscle group so you know where you left off.



rest as little as you can in between sets, no more than 30 seconds to a minute.

you can drink water at any time. Water can give you some energy


Do not eat 1 hour before or after working out.

Take vitamins.

Creatine is helpful but remember that healthy food is the best way. Yogurt, cheese, meat, bread. hearty bread gives you lots of energy

Do NOT smoke or you are really holding yourself back becuase your body is always spending its resources trying to get the smoke out of your lungs.


Do not concentrate on the same muscle group every day.

Do each muscle group every other day. Do not take a day off if you can help it.


Work out opposite muscle groups like if you work out your chest, then immediately afterwards work out your back.

If you work out your biceps, then afterwards work out your triceps (back of upper arm)

If you work ouit your stomach, work out your lower back.


So on even days you can work out your arms, stomach, shoulders, back and chest, and on Odd days you can work out your legs, calves, and butt.

Working out your legs can be done by holding the dumbels in your hands and standing on 1 foot and squating to the floor up and down


It takes about a month to say to yourself " i have definately put on some muscle"

After that it seems to go faster, but it takes alot of time.


Im sure you have heard that if you break a bone in your body, your body will repair that bone so its even stronger than before.

Muscle building is the same concept.

Remember that working out tears the muscle fibres and damages them, so if you aren't eating and sleeping right, you are actually losing muscle.


Your appetite should double or tripple since you are working out

Your body will repair the muscles after you finish working out, especially while you are sleeping, so rest well

You know how when you wake up in the morning you are stiff? Well that is why I recommend working out about 1 hour after lunch, so your body has been stretched out some by daily activities. Otherwise you may pull a muscle.

So if your new to working out, you will be sore for a long time after your first work-outs, thats fine, you will get used to it to the point where you don't really feel sore anymore the next day.

Especially if you are new to physical excersize you need to stretch - you know, touch your toes, reach for the sky, that sort of thing.

-v
Click to expand...


virus, i was wondering if you could gimme some more help.

http://www.fitrx.com/fitrx/package_...61420068162244&product_id=15205&package_id=41

its like a sample package for 10 bucks. would any of these help me gain a little bit of weight? i looked at em, and have no idea if these are the right types of drinks i need to help me gain weight. do they all taste pretty crappy?

anyways a friend of mine loaned me some weight ( just a few dumb bells ) and damn,it made me realize that i am extremely out of shape.
 
MiccyNarc said:
My shoulder has started popping a little, should I be worried?
Click to expand...
Um I think maybe thats ok but you might want to speak with a trainer or doctor.

I seem to recall something like that happening and it was becuase I had rotated my arm in a strange manner. You should avoid doing whatever you did to pop your shoulder out of socket if possible.

If it persists than Im not sure you should continue with that work out routine. There is more than one way to skin a cat .. meaning find another way to work out whatever muscles you were working on when your shoulder popped. Im sure with internet access you should have no trouble finding every workout routine ever known.



virus, i was wondering if you could gimme some more help.

http://www.fitrx.com/fitrx/package_s...&package_id=41

its like a sample package for 10 bucks. would any of these help me gain a little bit of weight? i looked at em, and have no idea if these are the right types of drinks i need to help me gain weight. do they all taste pretty crappy?

anyways a friend of mine loaned me some weight ( just a few dumb bells ) and damn,it made me realize that i am extremely out of shape.
Click to expand...
Well just take it slow, don't do the marathon olympic workout if you are just starting out, anything is a step in the right direction.


EAS is probably the most highly regarded brand in nutritonal supliments so anything they sell is more than likely going to help do what they say it will.


If you are worried about taste, get chocolate when you have that option, chocolate seems to be the only one that I've tried that tasted OK. But i've only tried a few flavors.

Most people don't work out becuase it feels good, and don't drink weight gainer becuase it tastes good, but both are tolerable, and they both work.
 
bizzy420 said:
anyways a friend of mine loaned me some weight ( just a few dumb bells ) and damn,it made me realize that i am extremely out of shape.
Click to expand...

Hey man relax...back in January I was 113 lbs 5'9 and could barely bench 100 lbs..now in march Im 130 lbs 5'9 (still not that big but still working at it Im kinda stuck at 130), and I'm working on benching 150. It may not seem like it but give it a few weeks and you will start seeing results. In january my arms had like no muscle, no definition. Now theyre much more defined, muscular, harder..ect. Just keep working at it and you will see results. No you don't need some expensive gym membership, I did all mine by myself (of course lots of pasta, meats, and a few protein bars) push ups, sit ups, dumbell curls, stuff like that
 
WOW zeus thats great news man. 15 pounds in 3 months!! i hope im able to gain 15 pounds that fast.

zeus, where did you go to find info on the types of exercises to do?

man i dont even know where to start, what type of routine should i do?
i just know the most common excercises like bench press, and arm curls, but thats it.


Virus once again thanks you so much for the information you have given me, i really do appreciate it.
 
bizzy420 said:
WOW zeus thats great news man. 15 pounds in 3 months!! i hope im able to gain 15 pounds that fast.

zeus, where did you go to find info on the types of exercises to do?

man i dont even know where to start, what type of routine should i do?
i just know the most common excercises like bench press, and arm curls, but thats it.


Virus once again thanks you so much for the information you have given me, i really do appreciate it.
Click to expand...

welcome.

Yeah working out works.

I was able put on 30 lbs. in 30 days once when I was in jail. As soon as they put me in the holding cell, i was so bored and pissed that I began doing pushups and stuff. This helps you sleep more and eat better.

I ate everything I could stuff into my body cavity. Anything anyone didn't want and had my mother deposit my last pay check into my jail account so I could order as much food as they would allow ($50 every other week or whatever)

My first day there they sent me to the physician and checked my weight, bloodpressure, things like that, and made sure I didn't have TB or other communicable diseases/viruses. When I got home I weighed myself and I was 30 lbs heavier. Amazing. 1lb per day. It can be done.

30lbs. of course was water and fat as well, not 30 lbs. of pure muscle but it looked better none the less.
 
bizzy420 said:
WOW zeus thats great news man. 15 pounds in 3 months!! i hope im able to gain 15 pounds that fast.

zeus, where did you go to find info on the types of exercises to do?

man i dont even know where to start, what type of routine should i do?
i just know the most common excercises like bench press, and arm curls, but thats it.


Virus once again thanks you so much for the information you have given me, i really do appreciate it.
Click to expand...

Actually I gained the 15 in less than 2 months...I have just been slacking off on my weight gaining lately. Well I just ate a lot of meat, pasta, bread, bought some protein bars at Walmart and worked out every other day (and of course ate lots of cheezits). I just did lots of curls, pushups, situps and didnt do a lot of research. Except I just read youre not supposed to work out the same muscle groups every day..so I just worked out every other day and it seems to have worked. I'm very satisfied that I'm no longer classified as 'underweight' by the BMI any more, I'm still working on my weight gain but I'm stuck at 130 a.t.m.

It may seem like your not gaining weight for a while and sometimes I feel that way too...but the thing is..I got stuck at 115, then 120, 124/125, 127, and now 130. Just keep working at it, and always remember your not the only one trying to gain weight..Im doing it too at least. I remember the day in january I stepped on the scale and it read 113...I just said to myself 'u know what Im tired of being the little weak kid'..from that point on I started working out, eating a lot more, and now Im 130 and my arms are more defined, ect..so hopefully reading this will give those trying to gain weight some inspiration
 
A problem for me is that I don't have the option of not working out everyday as I work on a farm. :-\
A plus to this is that I already have great biceps.
Anywho, I've been working at this for a week, still haven't gained weight, but I can tell I'm getting stronger and my appetite has already gone through the roof (I have to drink milk at work or I get too hungry by the third hour, heh)
 
Okay, if you want a decent tasting shake that will help you pack on the pounds, try something called Suplimed. It helped me gain a little, but my thyroid is out of whack (even tho my doc refuses to do anything about it) so I am not the best candidate for something like that. It did work somewhat, I'd give it a try.
 
MiccyNarc said:
A problem for me is that I don't have the option of not working out everyday as I work on a farm. :-\
A plus to this is that I already have great biceps.
Anywho, I've been working at this for a week, still haven't gained weight, but I can tell I'm getting stronger and my appetite has already gone through the roof (I have to drink milk at work or I get too hungry by the third hour, heh)
Click to expand...

Yea they say that by the time you actually feel thirsty you are actually dehydrated. Similarly with hunger. So eat whenever you get a chance.

Your muscles can't repair without food, and they have to share this food - most of it goes to burn for energy
 
Follow your dreams...you can reach your goals, I'm living proof...Beefcake, BEEFCAKE!!!!!!
 
Virus, you disabled your PMs so I'm going to say this here. I'd just like to thank you for your workout advice, it has worked wonders. I've already gotten compliments, I've had a major improvement. Thanks again :)
Oddly this hasn't really been reflected on the scales, I've gained about 5-6 lbs, but that came in a growth spurt about 2 weeks ago.
 
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