morning workouts - eating plan for weight gain - some guidance please

templeville

hey there,

I need your advice guys on diet as opposed to training.

I go to the gym in the morning before work (mon-fri) and also on Saturday morning.

tuesday & thursday & saturday - 30-45 minutes spin class

monday, wed & friday - weights (alternate between legs & chest and arms & shoulders), I have a good routine from the trainers at the gym so I am happy enough with the excercises they have given me. I can get regular revisions of the routines also when I get bored of them.

I am
Male
36
189 cm
81Kg
16% body fat

My problem seems to be diet but not in the usual sense, I enjoy eating good, wholesome low fat food but I just don’t seem to eat enough.

Bearing in mind that I get up at 6'ish and go to the gym, what should I eat & when?

I will do whatever it takes to gain weight, (that sounds desperate), what I mean is If I have to do something I will do it, I don’t hold back or make half-arsed attempts.

The problem I have is getting a diet plan that is geared towards morning workouts.

So, can someone advise me on what I should be eating (protein shakes welcome) and when.

Also, I sometimes go for a swim after work so should I make any adjustments to my eating plan for these (such as shake before/after).

Thanks in advance
happy lifting!

Limousine Fred

There's a nutrition and diet thread in this forum just do a search, also bodybuilding.com have lots of weight gain meal plans if you search the site!!

Brian?

Have a look at the stickies at the top of the page.

Don't look at bodybuilding.com , too many supplement fiends on there the last time I looked.

Have a look at this:
http://www.70sbig.com/food/

Remmy

briankeating wrote: »

Have a look at the stickies at the top of the page.

Don't look at bodybuilding.com , too many supplement fiends on there the last time I looked.

Have a look at this:
http://www.70sbig.com/food/

+1

Mellor

For some at your height (over 6'2") your are quite light. This combined with the 16% body fat would mean you have lowish muscle mass.

Simply need to add muscle. Read the stickies but basically.
Lift heavy weights
Eat lots (milk is good) with a good amount of protein. 160-200g/day

skstretch

i am 196cm and I now weigh 111kg
before i ever hit the gym i was 92kg I got up to 123kg but am much fitter nd have less bodyfat now at 111kg

make ur self eat nd eat try for every 2-3 hrs have 6-7 meals they dont have to be huge have shakes in between. the more u eat the more u get used to this nd it becomes easier. try get into a routine for eating regular like this

after working out get recovery into you, a combination of cards protein nd the likes. try creatine too if u want.
every night before i sleep i eat a tub of tesco's lighter choices cottage cheese. its 28g protein 4g fat, they say it digests slowly over the night ull find many a forum on it. this worked for me. its cheap too.
there r many good books you can buy
I wud presume the book going to depend too on why u want to get heavier,
is it for sports or for the way u want to look

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Complete-Guide-Sports-Nutrition-Guides/dp/1408105381/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1302233772&sr=1-2-spell

templeville

hey guys, thanks for getting back to me, my goal is to bulk up but get lean, I dont want to be one of those bulky guys who have a lot of fat on them.
It is purely for aesthetics, no other requirements other than being healthy and looking fit (that sounds vain...but hey!)

I had a look at the 70's big website but it is very american in its outlook (the food looked so bloody unhealthy), i will look at it again and see if I can wrok with that.
cheers for your help so far

Brian?

templeville wrote: »

I had a look at the 70's big website but it is very american in its outlook (the food looked so bloody unhealthy), i will look at it again and see if I can wrok with that.
cheers for your help so far

the lads like to joke aroun a good bit but the food is not that unhealthy if you leave out the fried potato variations and bread.

Read meat gets too bad a rap.

Brian?

BTW, you're the same height as me and 30 kg lighter, so I assumed you were a skinny guy looking to get bigger. Worry about being lean when you get big, otherwise you'll never get big.

gymsoldier

I dont know how youre functioning going to the gym that early, I personaly wont hits the weights untill ive had aleast two meals in me.

Is it just breakfast and go for you?

templeville

hey there
i normally have a protein shake and a bannana before i go to the gym but as i live 5 mins from the gym i have this about 10-15 minutes before i start, i read that you should eat an hour before you go, is this true?
i am in JS in rathfarnham and it is very busy at any other time than the morning, which is a pain in the stones so i will stick to the morning workouts, i just need to figure out the best way of doing this.

I dont want to be 70's big, i just want to be lean, defined and a bit on the muscly side,
cheers

gymsoldier

templeville wrote: »

hey there
i normally have a protein shake and a bannana before i go to the gym but as i live 5 mins from the gym i have this about 10-15 minutes before i start, i read that you should eat an hour before you go, is this true?
i am in JS in rathfarnham and it is very busy at any other time than the morning, which is a pain in the stones so i will stick to the morning workouts, i just need to figure out the best way of doing this.

I dont want to be 70's big, i just want to be lean, defined and a bit on the muscly side,
cheers

A protein shake and banna sugar... Is it really that busy to go later, I wouldnt be hitting the weights with only that in my stomach, and with so little time to digest.

acerelic

templeville wrote: »

My problem seems to be diet but not in the usual sense, I enjoy eating good, wholesome low fat food but I just don’t seem to eat enough.

Didn't you answer your own question here?

If you don't like to train with food/fluid in your stomach don't have anything before your workout, You are not getting any energy from it anyway because you're working out 15mins later.
If you prefer having something have a protein shake.

If you're not gaining even a fraction of a pound in a week add another scoop of protein or more milk to a protein shake until that happens.

1 cup of oatmeal + 1 cup of milk + 1 scoop of protein powder + 3/4mins in the microwave = 600/700 calories

gymsoldier

acerelic wrote: »

1 cup of oatmeal + 1 cup of milk + 1 scoop of protein powder + 3/4mins in the microwave = 600/700 calories

Use "quick oats", shake and drink.

Brian?

templeville wrote: »

I dont want to be 70's big, i just want to be lean, defined and a bit on the muscly side,
cheers

You seem to have missed my point. It wasn't that you should want to be 70s big it was: You need to eat more.

It doesn't matter what you eat before your morning workout, if you don't get enough of a calorie surplus for the entire day you won't put on muscle.

Are you telling me this fella is not lean :

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_p47Aa2K8l-E/S8ot7gP3wvI/AAAAAAAAAKM/-p4h8keYNNw/s400/doug-young.jpg

gymsoldier

^^^^ Sasquatch