Trying to bulk up

bazelbrush

Right first off I'm completely new to all this and haven't really got a clue where to start!!

But basically I just want to bulk up I've been skinny all my life (genetics has a big part in this) and im sick of it.

I'm 21 years old, male, around 10 and a half stone and 6ft. I feel as if I need to go to dietician or fitness instructor to get advice ?

Can anybody recommend one or any ideas where to start?
Any help is appreciated, cheers

Alf Veedersane

Do you go to a gym at all yet or do you want advice on gym and food?

The food part is fairly simple: eat more of it. If eating a lot of food is difficult, you can just eat more calorie-dense foods.

But you also need to be working hard in the gym to put the food to use.

bazelbrush

Not yet no, I think for now I'd be best just getting a bench and lifting at home ?

Yeah I've read that a lot but is there anyway to calculate how many calories I'd actually need to consume before I'd start gaining weight ?

Alf Veedersane

Couple of calorie calculators that are decent are the one here on boards or Scooby's workshop.

To track what you're getting on board, to make sure you're eating as much as you need, you log everything you eat and drink into MyFitnessPal.

You could invest in training gear at home but you're unlikely to invest a lot straight off the bat and what you do have might be somewhat limiting. Not impossible but more likely to be limited to a narrow range of exercises. Are there any gyms near you that you could try out?

DoYouEvenLift

The best thing to do is just start. Don't waste time researching every little thing before starting, your knowledge will grow over time as you gain interest and motivation, just join a gym and start eating more. Once you've started getting used to the idea of going to the gym most days and making a conscious effort to eat more, start thinking about ways to improve everyday and do the research to aid in that improvement.


The only thing you really should try to learn a lot about from the start is your form when doing certain lifts. Compound lifts (deadlifts, squats and bench press) are the best way to start increasing strength and size as a beginner. Do fuking not try to go heavy on these lifts until you have gotten your form sorted and feel comfortable with increasing the weight. Once you do, it's important to continuously increase the weight you're lifting week by week as much as possible. Sometimes the increase may be tiny but it's still progress.


Keep the details out of it all as much as possible when starting as there is so much conflicting information online that you could become confused and discouraged. You still shouldn't get a personal trainer or dietician though as the information is still all available for free online, it just takes personal effort over time to seek it out and put it to use. After a couple of months of consistent progression with your deadlifts, squats and benching your strength should have really improved to a decent enough point to start a suitable split (weekly routine) for you and your goals. At that point: congratulations, you are now in the world of lifting and will have noticed how good it makes you feel and seeing the gains you've made will make you more motivated to keep going and seeing progress and constant self improvement. From there just do a little bit of research every other day to keep bettering your workouts and nutrition. Make sure you're consistent with getting your calories for the day.


Since you're looking to bulk, I'll give one extra bit of advice: make it your priority to get your proteins for the day. Carbs and fats are both also important as well but just prioritise protein intake. Don't be too worried about gaining fat as you can do a cut (lose weight/body fat) to keep it in line.


God this post is way too long. My bad.

bazelbrush

Straight to the point I like it haha

makes sense though yeah, I think I was researching things to much and I haven't even started ! Eating will be the toughest but ill get there 💪

gazzer

bazelbrush wrote: »

Straight to the point I like it haha

makes sense though yeah, I think I was researching things to much and I haven't even started ! Eating will be the toughest but ill get there 💪

What is your diet like at the moment? What do you eat during the day?

bazelbrush

Pretty bad..
bowl of bran flakes for breakfast
Ham sandwich for lunch
Usually a big enough dinner spuds chicken/ham and a vegetable
I would snack during the day as well fruit,chocolate etc..

Caliden

I struggled with trying to keep my calorie count up. I found it a chore and actually sickening to get my calories from solid food alone so instead in the evenings I would have a calorie dense shake (fruit, peanut butter, greek yogurt, whey protein, oats).

bazelbrush

Yeah I was thinking about mass gainers, some friends recommend optimum nutrition serious mass.But I think it may be a bit early for that kind of thing !

Alf Veedersane

bazelbrush wrote: »

Yeah I was thinking about mass gainers, some friends recommend optimum nutrition serious mass.

They're just an expensive mix of stuff that gives you wnat you can get yourself for a fraction of the price. Oats, peanut butter, milk...get it inta ya, Cynthia

MartyMcFly84

I find having doubling up on meals helps. Seems like you are just not eating that much

1.)Eggs/cheese or meat or both etc
later
2.) Oats and protein powder porridge with milk

Lunch
1.Brown rice veg/salad and meat
2.Something similar to your dinner I tend to avoid spudz and supplement buckwheat or sweet potato

Snack
Cottage Cheese
maybe a little Almond butter on wholegrain

Training

Protein shake or bar

Night meal: Meat/fish and veg

will56

http://www.elitefts.com/education/5-quick-and-easy-ways-to-add-calories/

gazzer

This is what I had yesterday. I am on a bulking diet since the middle of January and have gained 2KG so far. I am also training in the gym 5 times a week

8am 150g Oats, 50g Almonds, 1 TbSp Olive Oil, 50g Protein Powder blended with a litre of water
11am 150g Chicken Breast, Brocolli, 120G Rice
2pm Same as 8am
5pm Same as 11am
7.30pm After workout: 30g Protein Powder, 50g Greek Yoghurt, 1 banana blended with a litre of water
8.15pm 200g Steak, 200g Potatoes and veg
10.30pm 150g Chicken Breast, 3 rice cakes with 2 tablespoons of Peanut butter
11.30pm Glass of milk before bed.