weights training

nathanw0525 · 08-11-2014 04:15PM #1

I am 22 years of age i am 5 foot 10 in height and 7.5 stone which i am aware is underweight. On top of trying to eat a lot more food high in carbs i have purchased dumbells and a weights bench so i can try to build muscle to help me gain weight so that i can look and feel better. The probem is i have no idea about weights training or how much i should be lifting or when to increase my weights. I want to focus on my upper body ie biceps,triceps,chest,shoulders,back and abs but i have no idea where to start or how many sets or reps i need to do or when to rest or how long to work out. Really i want to figure out a workout routine that will cover all of the upperbody and gain muscle as quickly as possible without killing myself. Taking into consideration my age height and weight can anyone help me ??

shutup · 08-11-2014 04:31PM

I've been exactly where you are now.
Is joining a gym an option? You will get help from the employees there.
The problem with following a blueprint while at home on your own is you still won't know what to do or if you are doing it properly.
I was lucky that I had a gym rat friend who got me started. Would you know anyone like that, that could help?

nathanw0525 · 08-11-2014 04:48PM

I understand that doing it at home you still wont really know if you are doing things rite or not but to be honest going to the gym is not an option for me as i would feel very paranoid and self conscious working out as i am underweight and i dont really have any gym rat friends plus i have already spent a lot of money to buy the equipment myself for working at home. I have looked online at how to do correct lifts and everything but still i dont want to be working out if im doing everything wrong and wasting my own time. The gym would be a option down the line once i put on a bit of weight i would have no problem in going but not now. A gym rat friend would be good but unfortunatly all my friends are lazy

MightyMandarin · 08-11-2014 08:04PM

nathanw0525 wrote: »

I understand that doing it at home you still wont really know if you are doing things rite or not but to be honest going to the gym is not an option for me as i would feel very paranoid and self conscious working out as i am underweight and i dont really have any gym rat friends plus i have already spent a lot of money to buy the equipment myself for working at home. I have looked online at how to do correct lifts and everything but still i dont want to be working out if im doing everything wrong and wasting my own time. The gym would be a option down the line once i put on a bit of weight i would have no problem in going but not now. A gym rat friend would be good but unfortunatly all my friends are lazy

Trust me when I say that nobody will give a f*ck what you look like when you're in the gym. We all start somewhere, usually skinny, skinny fat or just fat, and as long as you don't look like you're going to seriously injure yourself on movements, people won't take any notice of you. You'll also find that usually the huge guys are some of the nicest people you can talk to.

The best thing for you to do right now is find the closest gym that has a decent free weights area, get an instructor/trainer to show you proper form for each movement, get on a decent program (Starting Strength is one of the best imo) and fix up your diet. Even if you don't join a gym, pay in a few times to get your form right then starting working out at home, although in my experience, you can't beat a gym atmosphere.

nathanw0525 · 08-11-2014 08:13PM

I agree with you when you say the biggest guys can be really nice i have heard that a few times from people. There is quite a few gyms in my area which are supposed to be extremely good but i dont think i would have the confidence to go just yet even though i might like it i would prefer to feel a bit more confident before i go into a gym as i said before i would be very very paranoid and that would affect me working properly in the gym its something i need to work on but for now i really just want to get myself up and running and then when i feel better and look better i will go to a gym no problem...maybie i should try harder to find a gym rat friend then maybie they can show me correct form and i can start working at home

MightyMandarin · 08-11-2014 08:35PM

nathanw0525 wrote: »

I agree with you when you say the biggest guys can be really nice i have heard that a few times from people. There is quite a few gyms in my area which are supposed to be extremely good but i dont think i would have the confidence to go just yet even though i might like it i would prefer to feel a bit more confident before i go into a gym as i said before i would be very very paranoid and that would affect me working properly in the gym its something i need to work on but for now i really just want to get myself up and running and then when i feel better and look better i will go to a gym no problem...maybie i should try harder to find a gym rat friend then maybie they can show me correct form and i can start working at home

No offence to you or anything, but if obese people can muster enough confidence just to go to the gym, so could you. If you really have bad anxiety, that's fine with me, but I don't think you should be paranoid at all, it's a gym, it's not like you're parading your body in front of a live audience, and if it feels like it, wear a hoodie and tracksuit, I did it myself when I started out. A 'gym rat' friend is useful, but not a necessity, I always prefer working out alone as it stops me from chatting all the time. You never know though, you could befriend somebody down there and then start working out with each other.

nathanw0525 · 08-11-2014 08:39PM

Point taken you are right. I have no reason to be afraid but maybie i should just go for it and give it a chance and if it doesnt work out at least i tried

cheers mate

Alf Veedersane · 08-11-2014 08:57PM

nathanw0525 wrote: »

Point taken you are right. I have no reason to be afraid but maybie i should just go for it and give it a chance and if it doesnt work out at least i tried cheers mate

You have nothing to worry about fella. Give it a go and you'll be surprised at what you learn and the confidence you get. I say that as someone who got both from not an entirely dissimilar starting point

nathanw0525 · 08-11-2014 09:01PM

Cheers mate

shutup · 09-11-2014 12:03AM

What are your local gyms? ( if you don't mind me asking )

nathanw0525 · 09-11-2014 12:06AM

All gyms in swords area

Killgore Trout · 09-11-2014 01:02AM

Don't neglect the legs, it's a noob mistake - Friends don't let friends skip leg day

Check out the guys and girls who post pictures, videos and training logs of themselves here; you won't find many that skip leg days.

Get some coaching. You'll get better value out of your weights at home, and avoid getting injured, or simply wasting time.

Check out the basics sticky at the top of Health & Fitness

nathanw0525 · 09-11-2014 01:06AM

Ok i will have to work on legs too cheers pal

deadlybuzzman · 09-11-2014 01:24AM

I know exact how you feel. Back in the day I was really really underweight and felt very self conscious going into a gym. I remember struggling to even lift some of the dumbells off the rack.
Now, while I'm nothing special I've gone from something like a 30 kg bench to 110kg and a 40 ish kg deadlift to 200 kg.
And now being on the other side of the fence I only have admiration for anyone that decides to get off their arse and make a change

nathanw0525 · 09-11-2014 01:36AM

Well im looking to make a serious change thats for sure ! Over the last year every single day someone calls me skinny or gives me abuse about my weight and i always felt i would rather be skinny than overweight but no matter what you look like people will always look to put you down and its because of that im terrified of going to a gym. I know i cant tar everyone with the same brush but thats how i feel and now its time to change !! I have quit smokin and i am fully commited to changing how i look which is why i started dis thread...i have bough the equipment but now i need to know what to do next ! I dont want to be called skinny anymore so dis is it ! And when i am built like a brick no one can say nothing anymore ! But i need to know what to do ???

MightyMandarin · 09-11-2014 03:12AM

nathanw0525 wrote: »

Well im looking to make a serious change thats for sure ! Over the last year every single day someone calls me skinny or gives me abuse about my weight and i always felt i would rather be skinny than overweight but no matter what you look like people will always look to put you down and its because of that im terrified of going to a gym. I know i cant tar everyone with the same brush but thats how i feel and now its time to change !! I have quit smokin and i am fully commited to changing how i look which is why i started dis thread...i have bough the equipment but now i need to know what to do next ! I dont want to be called skinny anymore so dis is it ! And when i am built like a brick no one can say nothing anymore ! But i need to know what to do ???

Eat until it hurts..........and then have dessert.

nathanw0525 · 09-11-2014 03:16AM

Haha shouldnt be a problem i already do that i love my food !

Mellor · 09-11-2014 05:27AM

nathanw0525 wrote: »

Haha shouldnt be a problem i already do that i love my food !

I'm sure you really enjoy your food. But if you are currently 7.5 stone then you'll need to eat a lot more.
All the weight lifting in the world won't add mass if you aren't eating enough.

nathanw0525 · 09-11-2014 05:36AM

I already eat a massive amount of food. In order for me to gain 2lb per week i should be eating close to 3000 calories a day according to my bmi and i eat 3000 a day easily but i dont gain the weight...my house mate weighs close to 14 stone and everyday i easily eat more than him yet he gains weight and i cannot gain anything...at this point i am beggining to think there is something wrong with my stomach or digestive system which i am planning on gettin checked as soon as i can get a medical card because im sure there is a issue somewhere..again i wont know for sure until i see a doctor or specialist...maybie you are right maybie im not eating enough but until i see a doctor we wont know for sure...hopefully you are right because that would mean i have no health issues and then i can eat more than i eat now which should help me gain weight.

DoYouEvenLift · 09-11-2014 06:52AM

About the point of not wanting to go to the gym because you're not a decent weight/big enough: that would be beneficial for you if anything since you don't know what you're doing because lots of people have been in your shoes and will give you tips and advice, even if just in passing, and will encourage you to keep it up. Especially if they see you're working hard and eating right to experience your noon gains since it'll show you're serious about it unlike people who try and give up all the time. Basically you'd almost be getting personal training for free. The number of people who would actually look down on someone for not being in shape are definitely far fewer than people who are genuine and will either take no notice, since most people go to the gym to get on with their own workouts and not spend time looking around at other people, or will be eager to help you learn and tell you any mistakes you might be making.

Would advise sticking to compound lifts for a few weeks/months and lifting as heavy as you can to get your strength up once you've got your form down and then adding in isolation lifts with whatever kind of split (routine) you decide to go with. Gj on trying to get the nutrition sorted early on, if someone went from having never lifted with poor diet to lifting heavy and having perfect diet, especially in their late teens and early 20s, they could have great noob gains

nathanw0525 wrote: »

I already eat a massive amount of food. In order for me to gain 2lb per week i should be eating close to 3000 calories a day according to my bmi and i eat 3000 a day easily but i dont gain the weight...my house mate weighs close to 14 stone and everyday i easily eat more than him yet he gains weight and i cannot gain anything...at this point i am beggining to think there is something wrong with my stomach or digestive system which i am planning on gettin checked as soon as i can get a medical card because im sure there is a issue somewhere..again i wont know for sure until i see a doctor or specialist...maybie you are right maybie im not eating enough but until i see a doctor we wont know for sure...hopefully you are right because that would mean i have no health issues and then i can eat more than i eat now which should help me gain weight.

Is the ~3,000 cals a 500 cal surplus? And have you counted all the calories and weighed all your food out for your typical day to make sure it actually is how much you need?

thegreatiam · 09-11-2014 05:54PM

nathanw0525 wrote: »

I already eat a massive amount of food. In order for me to gain 2lb per week i should be eating close to 3000 calories a day according to my bmi and i eat 3000 a day easily but i dont gain the weight...my house mate weighs close to 14 stone and everyday i easily eat more than him yet he gains weight and i cannot gain anything...at this point i am beggining to think there is something wrong with my stomach or digestive system which i am planning on gettin checked as soon as i can get a medical card because im sure there is a issue somewhere..again i wont know for sure until i see a doctor or specialist...maybie you are right maybie im not eating enough but until i see a doctor we wont know for sure...hopefully you are right because that would mean i have no health issues and then i can eat more than i eat now which should help me gain weight.

there is probably something wrong, but its probably not your digestive system. youre likely massively overestimating your calorie intake.

keep track of what you eat in a day and find out.

Mellor · 09-11-2014 11:16PM

nathanw0525 wrote: »

I already eat a massive amount of food. In order for me to gain 2lb per week i should be eating close to 3000 calories a day according to my bmi and i eat 3000 a day easily but i dont gain the weight.

Whats a typical days eating for you.
Foods and quantities.

deadlybuzzman · 10-11-2014 03:52PM

An alternative to counting calories is to just ask youself every day "Have I eaten more today than I would've eaten any day in the previous week?" If the answer is anything but a definite yes then go eat and the more meat the better.
You will notice a small fat gain but as you get bigger the muscle will be more noticable than the fat so dont worry about it. Being fat phobic can be a big barrier to growing.
As regards what to do trainingwise I'd have to say the gym is far superior to home weights but you can still use those for things like bicep curls.
Google Starting Strength and basically follow that. Its a very straightforward programme that will give you a great foundation

Alf Veedersane · 10-11-2014 03:57PM

I do think it would be useful for the OP to use MFP for a week, for examp[le, just to see what's in what he's getting on board. At least then he's a decent idea of the starting point in terms of how much more he needs to start eating

DoYouEvenLift · 10-11-2014 04:15PM

deadlybuzzman wrote: »

An alternative to counting calories is to just ask youself every day "Have I eaten more today than I would've eaten any day in the previous week?" If the answer is anything but a definite yes then go eat and the more meat the better.
You will notice a small fat gain but as you get bigger the muscle will be more noticable than the fat so dont worry about it. Being fat phobic can be a big barrier to growing.
As regards what to do trainingwise I'd have to say the gym is far superior to home weights but you can still use those for things like bicep curls.
Google Starting Strength and basically follow that. Its a very straightforward programme that will give you a great foundation

Counting calories would be the most accurate and you don't even have to do it all the time, after the first week or two you just get used to the amount of foods you're eating and once you know you're still getting enough cals you don't even need to weigh the food since you've a real sense for how much you've used everyday before. Lots of people get their diets down to an absolute tee and stick to it so well they don't even need to think about how much they're making, just becomes a second nature like an experienced chef who prepares the same meals in a restaurant daily

deadlybuzzman · 10-11-2014 04:20PM

Fair point. I knew a guy that used to complain about eating loads but not getting bigger so I asked him what he had eaten that day. What he listed was basically a few snacks and once every few days he might have a reasonably sized dinner.
When he actually had to think about it out loud he realised where he had been going wrong

Mr. CooL ICE · 10-11-2014 04:57PM

When I started weights, I was a somewhat skinny ex-marathon runner. I thought I had my diet down to a tee (including 2x dinners per day with meat and a ton of veg) but when I counted the actual calories, it was barely around the 2,000 mark when I just assumed it was at least 2,500. Was quite an eye opener.

DoYouEvenLift · 10-11-2014 05:33PM

deadlybuzzman wrote: »

Fair point. I knew a guy that used to complain about eating loads but not getting bigger so I asked him what he had eaten that day. What he listed was basically a few snacks and once every few days he might have a reasonably sized dinner.
When he actually had to think about it out loud he realised where he had been going wrong

Yeah. Nothing more annoying than people who claim they eat lots of food, enough to gain weight steadily, but actually aren't eating enough. Even worse if they only do it for a few days and then claim this. Pretty simple really, if someone eats at a caloric surplus consistently they WILL gain weight.

deadlybuzzman · 10-11-2014 07:58PM

DoYouEvenLift wrote: »

Yeah. Nothing more annoying than people who claim they eat lots of food, enough to gain weight steadily, but actually aren't eating enough. Even worse if they only do it for a few days and then claim this. Pretty simple really, if someone eats at a caloric surplus consistently they WILL gain weight.

It's an honest mistake that they make and I believe it comes alot of times from what you grow up with and what your expectations of what alot of food is.
Brandon Lilly said on his podcast from Dublin that when he looked around at breakfast in his hotel the Americans were eating twice what the Europeans were and that him and Wesley Smith were eating twice what the other Americans were eating.
The statement "I eat loads" is completely relative.

Meath Centre Forward · 10-11-2014 10:03PM

Some people have a fast metabolism. I doubt there's anything wrong. You're natural build is just a skinny one - nothing wrong with that. If you do manage to make a success of the weights side of things, the muscle will come out in you straight away. For example your abs will be well defined day one - a fat person does not have that luxury.

I would agree with other posters. You need a personal trainer to get you started. 6 - 8 1 hour sessions and you'll have learned the do's and don't's of all the compound lifts. If I was in your shoes, I would check out all the local gyms and inquire about getting started. All of the gym staff I've ever encountered are always very eager to help. Whichever one you feel most confident will get the best of you, go with that one. And stay committed and don't lose heart at any stage. You have to fail to improve so stick at it even if it feels uncomfortable or a lost cause, it's not. Stick at it.

By the way you should not be afraid of looking out of place in a gym. The one where I'm a member has people starting off new everyday under the tutelage of the staff and some of the improvements many of them make is inspiring to say the least. So there you go, if you make a good fist of it yourself, chances are you you'll inspire those around you.

However you should not underestimate the work involved. You will not make improvements without first rolling up your sleeves and gritting your teeth. The tone of first post has a hint of an looking for an easy solution about it. You will need to be fully committed and personally if I was you I would forget about the weight figure and just enjoy the experience of learning something new. Muscle and weight will come in time. If you're too focused on gaining weight, you're inclined to pack it in early in. It will come, that's a guarantee, but not immediately.

As regards the calories I would wonder what kind of foods your eating. If it's rubbish it's a waste of time. Start focusing on porridge, chicken, trout, salmon, eggs and nuts to start with, they would be key parts of an athlete's diet. A good big dinner every day consisting of a meat, a few spuds and some veg would do you no harm either I don't think. Pack the food into you in the morning too. Porridge preferably. Avoid chocolate, fizzy drinks, crisps and fries at all costs. I know it's easier said than done but if you really want to make improvement then a zero tolerance approach to those foods is what's required. Unfortunate but that's the harsh reality.

Best of luck.

Meath Centre Forward · 10-11-2014 10:07PM

Some people have a fast metabolism. I doubt there's anything wrong. You're natural build is just a skinny one - nothing wrong with that. If you do manage to make a success of the weights side of things, the muscle will come out in you straight away. For example your abs will be well defined day one - a fat person does not have that luxury.

I would agree with other posters. You need a personal trainer to get you started. 6 - 8 1 hour sessions and you'll have learned the do's and don't's of all the compound lifts. If I was in your shoes, I would check out all the local gyms and inquire about getting started. All of the gym staff I've ever encountered are always very eager to help. Whichever one you feel most confident will get the best of you, go with that one. And stay committed and don't lose heart at any stage. You have to fail to improve so stick at it even if it feels uncomfortable or a lost cause, it's not. Stick at it.

By the way you should not be afraid of looking out of place in a gym. The one where I'm a member has people starting off new everyday under the tutelage of the staff and some of the improvements many of them make is inspiring to say the least. So there you go, if you make a good fist of it yourself, chances are you you'll inspire those around you.

However you should not underestimate the work involved. You will not make improvements without first rolling up your sleeves and gritting your teeth. The tone of first post has a hint of an looking for an easy solution about it. You will need to be fully committed and personally if I was you I would forget about the weight figure and just enjoy the experience of learning something new. Muscle and weight will come in time. If you're too focused on gaining weight, you're inclined to pack it in early in. It will come, that's a guarantee, but not immediately.

As regards the calories I would wonder what kind of foods your eating. If it's rubbish it's a waste of time. Start focusing on porridge, chicken, trout, salmon, eggs and nuts to start with, they would be key parts of an athlete's diet. A good big dinner every day consisting of a meat, a few spuds and some veg would do you no harm either I don't think. Pack the food into you in the morning too. Porridge preferably. Avoid chocolate, fizzy drinks, crisps and fries at all costs. I know it's easier said than done but if you really want to make improvement then a zero tolerance approach to those foods is what's required. Unfortunate but that's the harsh reality.

My advice is far from that of a professional but it's based on my experiences. I came from somewhere similar to you. In time you could have your own experience to be able to talk about. The important thing is learn the basics and get the basics right day in - day out. If that means eating food you don't like and spending an hour in the gym every Tuesday and Thursday, then so be it. If you get the basics consistently and 100% of the time, you're well on the road. That applies in all aspects of life too.

Best of luck.

weights training

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