Advice putting on weight

Shanotheslayer

Hi,

Am looking for advice to put on weight without going on Protein.

I'm on 16, and have such a great interest in fitness.
I usually workout every second. Started out on weights the other day but feel Im very skinny and would like to put and extra stone or 2 on.

Weighing just under 9stone. My height is 5ft8/9

I usually try and eat more in the morning and at night then what I've been used to.

Eg. Instead of just a Cereal or toast. I eat both.

But is there anything thats good for putting on weight? For stronger muscles etc. Any advice would be appreicated.

Thanks all:)

AARRRGH

Could you post an example of your daily diet?

Also, how much cardio do you do on a daily/weekly basis?

Shanotheslayer

Well my daily diet changes alot.

But usually in the mornings its Weetabix and Toast as well as Tea and Orange Juice.

Lunchtime it Varies between Mcdonald's or just small snacks.

Dinner is usually either Fish,Meat,Pasta,Casserole etc.

I usually try eat fruit inbetween and chocolate bars that are fattening:)


As for my Cardio.

I used to do mostly jogging every day. But I got a bad chest infection that lasted 2months.So If I quickend my breathing it would result to me coughing very heavily. So I stopped jogging. I do alot of walking tho. Few Miles a day i'd say.

Zippitydoo

At 16 you're still quite young and clearly haven't developed properly yet, considering how light you are. Over the next few years you most likely will though, so I really would not recommend taking a protein supplement.

Your diet is pretty bad and if you want to put on the right sort of weight in the years to come then McDonalds and "chocolate bars that are fattening" are not the right thing to eat. Breakfast is a very important meal but with school and the rushing involved with it it's understandable how a small one sometimes has to suffice. If I were you I'd start packing my own lunch (Tuna sandwiches, fruit, snacks such as nuts/dried fruit, and the odd chocolate bar as every school kid needs one!). Give up the maccy D's and start make sure you get a good dinner in, which by the looks of things seem to be ok.

I'd stay away from weights at your age (considering your size and weight). Stick to push ups and sit ups and get yourself a pullup bar. These exercises will provide you with a great base to work off in the years to come.

So pretty much... eat more, but healthier, and stick to compound exercises, you'll notice results don't worry!

Shanotheslayer

Thank you replies:)
I've been doing Situps and Push ups since I was around 14:)


I found the situps great but not so much the pushups.
Must get myself a Pullup bar tho:)


I appreicate the comments. I know my diet is full of fail. So eating healthy is the way to go:)

AARRRGH

My advice -

I was skinny when I was your age. I am no longer skinny. There are a couple of simple things I did which solved my problem.

1. Reduce the amount of cardio you do. If you want to get big, you can't afford to burn calories by doing much cardio.
2. Cut out caffeine. I noticed I lose weight easier when I regularly drink tea/coffee. I'm guessing this is because caffeine aids digestion and messes with your adrenal glands.
3. Stop drinking alcohol. (I know you're 16, but...)
4. Eat small meals regularly. If possible, make them healthy (i.e. not McDonalds) but the goal is to constantly feed your body with as many calories as possible.

You're only 16 though. It's fairly normal to be slim at 16. And as stated above, you probably should be doing any heavy weight work.

Zippitydoo

Yup pretty much- you can't go wrong eating healthily. Eat lots of lean meat, and fish. Brown rice and pasta, oats etc for energy. Lots of dark green veg- the darker the better.

What didn't you find beneficial about push-ups? They've had great results for me. Google the different types of push-ups out there- plenty of variety!

Shanotheslayer

Well suprisingly for a 16 year old I don't drink alcohol that regularly. Unlike some:)

What I found unbenefical about the push up's was I couldn't really see a change in my arms. The next day I could feel my muscles being tighter from the workout but after continueing it for awhile nothing.

With sit-ups I found that my stomach was getting harder etc etc.

With the weights I got there not that heavy. 4.5kg they give me a list of exercisers to do the following:

Lifting for Biceps
Rowing with Dumbells
Front Elevations
Side Elevations
Strengthing of the Tpapezius Muscles
Pull over
Straight arm bends Lying down
Triceps

It also shows a picture of each and how to do them:) I find these help my arms as when I'm doing them I can feel the muscle working.

Altho I do struggle with the Side Elevations:)

Roper

Zippitydoo gave good advice in his first post, although I'd add in that there's nothing really wrong with properly supervised weight training at your age.

My standard "hey teenager go join a sport" rant:
For fitness, socialising, strength and fun go join a sport. Be it football, boxing, martial arts, rugby athletics or whatever. At your age, the more general your training the better and whether you believe it or not, sooner or later you'll want to get out of the weight room and onto a court, field or wherever. After that you can always weigh train to be stronger for your sport. That's my advice.

WolfForager

2 words! Martial art!

I've been doing TKD since i was about 8 and all my life i've always been about a stone heavier than other guys my age and size. Mostly because where they had fat or nothing at all, i had muscle. That provided a great base for me to start lifting weights, when i got into weights first of all with a few of my friends i was lifting almost 1.75 times the amount they were which meant i started putting on weight quickier than they did (albeit that i had a good diet with supplements and they didn't).

So basically, like Roper, my adivce is to start a sport! But think along the lines of a martial art.

Shanotheslayer

I used to do all that stuff. And I do socialize.

But I always found starting off new say a new Martial arts group. Its frighting?if that would be the word to describe it.

Going in they know there the better fighter then you so they already have the advantage . Always thought of going into boxing or Kickboxing. Struggle to lift the leg that high tho:P. Alot of my friends do boxing and think its great. But between studying and Social life I would find it hard. At least with my own workout. I have my own times etc

WolfForager

Shanotheslayer wrote: »

But I always found starting off new say a new Martial arts group. Its frighting?if that would be the word to describe it.

Going in they know there the better fighter then you so they already have the advantage . Always thought of going into boxing or Kickboxing. Struggle to lift the leg that high tho:P. Alot of my friends do boxing and think its great. But between studying and Social life I would find it hard. At least with my own workout. I have my own times etc

They're not gonna put you in against seasoned veterans of international competitions here mate lol. You'll either be put into a beginners class or you'll be put into a normal class and have to fight people of your own age and similar experience. Flexibility comes over time. I've seen guys in their 30's-40's joining, not being able to raise their foot above their knee, 6 months later they're trying to kick me in the head!

Degsy

AARRRGH wrote: »

My advice -

I was skinny when I was your age. I am no longer skinny. There are a couple of simple things I did which solved my problem.

1. Reduce the amount of cardio you do. If you want to get big, you can't afford to burn calories by doing much cardio.
2. Cut out caffeine. I noticed I lose weight easier when I regularly drink tea/coffee. I'm guessing this is because caffeine aids digestion and messes with your adrenal glands.
3. Stop drinking alcohol. (I know you're 16, but...)
4. Eat small meals regularly. If possible, make them healthy (i.e. not McDonalds) but the goal is to constantly feed your body with as many calories as possible.

You're only 16 though. It's fairly normal to be slim at 16. And as stated above, you probably should be doing any heavy weight work.

Can you explain how drinking keeps you skinny?
I'm just curious.

rubadub

Degsy wrote: »

Can you explain how drinking keeps you skinny?
I'm just curious.

I presume he meant giving up booze helped him to train and put on muscle. (rather than drinking makes you skinny)

OP- get that chinup bar!!

For Hypertrophy (muscle gain) most will recommend training 3 sets of exercise with 8-12 repetitions of that exercise. I expect you can do loads more than 12 pushups or situps. I would ditch the situps in favour of weighted squats, or leg & knee raises on the chinup bar. Also for pushups you can incline your legs, stick them up on your bed or chair, this means more bodyweight acts on your arms so your reps will lower. You might even manage handstand pushups against a wall at your low weight.

check www.exrx.net and www.simpefit.org

Roper

Shanotheslayer wrote: »

I used to do all that stuff. And I do socialize.

But I always found starting off new say a new Martial arts group. Its frighting?if that would be the word to describe it.

Going in they know there the better fighter then you so they already have the advantage . Always thought of going into boxing or Kickboxing. Struggle to lift the leg that high tho:P. Alot of my friends do boxing and think its great. But between studying and Social life I would find it hard. At least with my own workout. I have my own times etc

It shouldn't be intimidating, and if it is then I wouldn't stick around with that club. As for times, if you love sopmething you find the time, and believe me no matter how little time you think you have now, when you start working, paying bill etc. etc. you'll wish you'd done it all at 16!

I wasn't implying you don't socialise by the way, just that you would meet new people in any new sport. The U16s I train have better social lives than me.

AARRRGH

Degsy wrote: »

Can you explain how drinking keeps you skinny?
I'm just curious.

I find when I'm hungover I don't eat correctly (skip breakfast/lunch). Alcohol also kills my motivation and saps me of energy. There may be other reasons too, but all I know is since I gave up alcohol I am able to completely control my weight (i.e. put on weight if I want, or lose weight if I want.)

Colm_OReilly

Starting Strength is ideal for kids like you, looking to put on healthy weight. It's what I get my teens to do who are starting out.

Like the others have said, you need to eat healthy. To help put on the weight, drink plenty of milk.

Go to www.startingstrength.com and buy the book.

startingstrength.wikia.com/startingstrength is also a great resource.

corribdude

AARRRGH wrote: »

I find when I'm hungover I don't eat correctly (skip breakfast/lunch). Alcohol also kills my motivation and saps me of energy. There may be other reasons too, but all I know is since I gave up alcohol I am able to completely control my weight (i.e. put on weight if I want, or lose weight if I want.)

Im exactly the same, I can hardly eat anything the day after being on the beer and there's no way Id be able to get any exercise done. So I agree that for some people alcohol can keep you from putting on weight, with others it doesn't affect there appetite at all tho.

Degsy

corribdude wrote: »

Im exactly the same, I can hardly eat anything the day after being on the beer and there's no way Id be able to get any exercise done. So I agree that for some people alcohol can keep you from putting on weight, with others it doesn't affect there appetite at all tho.

I see your point but to say alcohol keeps you skinny isnt correct.
For a start alcohol is exteremly high in calories,something like 200-300 per pint.
Then there's the compulsion to eat a load of crappy carbs on the way home....kebabs,snack box,pizza or whatever.
In my experience,booze does anything but keep you skinny although it can interfere with your motivation.

arybvtcw0eolkf

Degsy wrote: »

Can you explain how drinking keeps you skinny?
I'm just curious.

I'll direct this at the men, drinking raise's your estrogen levels - bad for gaining muscles, good for gaining moobs!.

.

Shanotheslayer

Thanks for the advice all:)

Really greatly appreicated.

I'll try doing the push ups again tomorrow.As wont be working out today. Got a killer headache:(

Was at the gym today at school and found I could do a few pull ups better then I could of done say a month ago which I'm fairly happy with.

Just need to work on the diet and i think shall be fine:)