Weight Gainers!!

Wai Jia: The Kung Fu Forum Kung Fu Training and Health
21

At least you understand that you have to eat to gain weight.

To gain weight you need a caloric surplus in your body. 3500 calories = 1lb. Now, you can eat a lot and just put on weight, or you can do mass gaining type workouts (ie. Bodybuilding style) and therefore, in essence, “direct” the protein into your muscles. This is the way to put on mass that looks good.

Since you said you were skinny and you eat a lot, you will probably never be huge.

We seem to burn all of it very fast. both hyper-active,

There is a saying in bodybuilding “Never run when you can walk, never walk when you can stand, never stand when you can sit, never sit when you can lie down, and if you can lie down, you might as well take a nap.” The meaning behind this is that in order for bodybuilders to get as big as possible, they have to burn the least amount of calories possible. As a side note, professional bodybuilders are some of the most unhealthy people in the world… many of them cannot even walk across stage without becoming out of breath. However, their goal is not to be healthy or good athletes, their goal is to become as big as their genes will allow.

Now, this is not to say you can’t add some mass an still be an excellent athlete. But, by keeping up your aerobic activity, you will by definition be burning more calories than if you didn’t. So to compensate for this you will probably have to eat more.

Putting on size is a gradual process. Do not jump in to eating thousands of calories a day. Gradually build up. Make sure you eat at least one gram of protein per pound of bodyweight once you start your mass building routine. Also, be prepared to be sore following your workouts and know that this will have an effect on your other sports as well.

Most importantly, I know at 17 it would be cool to be huge, but you may not be done growing yet so don’t rush things. I know that’s not what you want to hear, but as a 21 year old who was 145lbs at 5’9" in highschool, I know what you are going through.

One more thing, I assume you are an ectomorph (naturally skinny, low bodyfat, hard to put on muscle or fat). If this is the case, any muscle you put on will automatically be ripped because your bodyfat is naturally low. If you don’t have one already, it will be fairly easy for you to develop a six-pack.

Good luck,

IronFist

22

Since you said you were skinny and you eat a lot, you will probably never be huge.

I would say i eat a lot, compared to other friends, but I don’t really eat until I can’t eat no more, much, I guess eat more for breakfast, as that’s one that I don’t eat too much (a bowl of cereal, 2 slices of bread, just enough for me to to through the first 2 periods at school) So i guess maybe more breakfast.

There is a saying in bodybuilding “Never run when you can walk, never walk when you can stand, never stand when you can sit, never sit when you can lie down, and if you can lie down, you might as well take a nap.” The meaning behind this is that in order for bodybuilders to get as big as possible, they have to burn the least amount of calories possible. As a side note, professional bodybuilders are some of the most unhealthy people in the world… many of them cannot even walk across stage without becoming out of breath.

Yes we’re both quite fit, all round good at most ball games. I can do 20 pullups, but 15 would be around ‘normal’ 20 is bordering of exhaustion, so i can lift my bodyweight very easily. He is a bit slimmer than me (weigh same, he is 1-2 inches taller).

Is a pinch test on forearms/biceps an idicator or body fat? (haven’t tested properly) If it is, i have ‘defined’ arms, but not all cut up, as there is a layer of fat over (I don’t lift exponential amounts of weights that I can hardly pick up)

Putting on size is a gradual process. Do not jump in to eating thousands of calories a day. Gradually build up. Make sure you eat at least one gram of protein per pound of bodyweight once you start your mass building routine. Also, be prepared to be sore following your workouts and know that this will have an effect on your other sports as well.

yup thanks for that. What do you think about protein shakes? (he is maybe thinking of it) And what foods are most protein rich?

[i]Most importantly, I know at 17 it would be cool to be huge, but you may not be done growing yet so don’t rush things. I know that’s not what you want to hear, but as a 21 year old who was 145lbs at 5’9" in highschool, I know what you are going through.

One more thing, I assume you are an ectomorph (naturally skinny, low bodyfat, hard to put on muscle or fat). If this is the case, any muscle you put on will automatically be ripped because your bodyfat is naturally low. If you don’t have one already, it will be fairly easy for you to develop a six-pack.[/i]

He is quite “ripped” so to say, and while both haven’t got huge sick-packs (at the moment), as there’s fat around there (of course).

Thanks.

23

I had the same problem for a long time, eating lots and not getting any bigger. Until I found a magic elixer that helps you put on weight very quickly, it’s commonly known as beer. I don’t know where you are so I don’t know if you can get it easily and I feel guilty pusing beer onto 17yo’s so do what I used to do and eat 1 litre of ice cream every week in one sitting as well as your normal diet. You probably won’t put any weight on but it’ll give your belly a stretch. I put on 1st in about 4 months on the beer diet and i’m now 11st which i’m very happy with.

24

Believe me I know where you are coming from. When I got out of high school I was about 6’ and 125 lbs. When I graduated college I was 6’2" and 145 lbs. Now I weigh 165 lbs. I have always wondered where my high metabolism came from as my father is my height and 350 lbs, and my mother is big too (not fat, but big).

Being thin at your age wasn’t very fun. Though I was a pretty good athlete (probably due to less wind resistance). Eating more can help, just make sure you eat healthy. Though, in all honesty, the best cure is time.

Look on the bright side, a lot of obese adults would kill for your genes. :smiley:

25

Sai, protein shakes are for supplementing protein if you can’t get enough normally. For you, eating 120g of protein per day will be no problem. A small can of tuna is like 30g, a chicken breast is usually 30-35. If you eat steak, a steak can be 50+. Turkey, ham, etc is all protein. Meat is protein. When you eat meat, generally you are eating the animals muscle which is made of protein. Milk has 1g of protein per oz.

Anyway, protein shakes are not some magic pill. The main use for protein shakes is if you are trying to get like 300-400g of protein per day… it would be hard to eat that much food so you can just drink a shake to help. If you are just starting do not worry about the shakes. Don’t let the GNC salesman talk you in to anything. The only thing you need is a good MEN’S multivitamin. Make sure you get a men’s vitamin because it won’t have iron in it. Men don’t need extra iron. If you just get a random vitamin, it will probably have iron in it and too much iron can make you constipated as well as mess with your joints.

Hope this helps,

IronFist

26

So does that mean, we should eat, eat, eat, and not do our ‘hyper-active’ activities? I.e. no more ball at lunch, extra activities outside of school? Just sit around at lunchtime, eat eat eat? No weights/nothing for a few months, we’ll get fat, then burn it all off?

Or… eat eat eat, and don’t simply burn calories during the day, and burn them when doing weights?

We figured out we actually don’t eat much, we always eat till we’re ‘satisfied’ not like FULL or over-full.

thanks.

27

So does that mean, we should eat, eat, eat, and not do our ‘hyper-active’ activities?

Not exactly.

I.e. no more ball at lunch, extra activities outside of school? Just sit around at lunchtime, eat eat eat? No weights/nothing for a few months, we’ll get fat, then burn it all off?

If you eat eat eat and don’t lift weights, you will not develop big muscles. The weight will be stored as fat (even though you’re skinny… so it will just be less fat than on other people). You must lift weights bodybuilding style in order to build muscle. This must be combined with proper nutrition.

Or… eat eat eat, and don’t simply burn calories during the day, and burn them when doing weights?

It’s impossible to not burn calories. Everything burns calories… breathing, sleeping, walking, etc. Just some stuff burns more. So, if you’re interested in putting on weight, I would not do overly-aerobic activities (like no marathon running). But if you love to play basketball, don’t necessarily cut that out. The hardcore bodybuilding lifestyle is not for most people so there’s no reason to give up everything you love just to put on a few more pounds. You can still build some size and still be fairly active.

We figured out we actually don’t eat much, we always eat till we’re ‘satisfied’ not like FULL or over-full.

Uh, ok. If you could estimate your daily caloric intake it might help a bit. But for the most part, you should never over eat anyway.

IronFist

28

ok thanks alot Ironfist and others.

29

God, Sai we got the same problem. 5’9" and 135 lbs. I’ve been eating like a fat b!tch for months now and I’m just starting to put a little bit of weight on. Its a long hard struggle my friend. I’d say the most valuable thing you can learn is that you don’t have to be built like Pitt in Fight Club to be an effective fighter or happy with your body shape.

So much is down to your genes and body shape, I have come to the conclusion that my ideal body ‘look’ is just not attainable with my body. Trying to attain something that is not attainable is just going to make you frustrated. Be realistic in your goals.

But saying that, you are only 17 and I was a lot skinnier than I am now when I was 17. So all my effort and tins of tuna has paid off I suppose. In fact, looking back, I am a lot happier with my body than I used to be. And I have altered my body shape a lot.

Yeah, big up myself. :slight_smile: I used to be too skinny. Now I am skinny.
And I’m happy with that because I know its not going to change.
But that’s what I’m saying to you, be realistic in what you can attain, and only compare yourself to yourself, not to others who due to their parents (or whatever) are going to put on muscle like TWICE as easy as you.

Ectomorphs of the world unite!!

:smiley:

30

I’ll stand with ya! 5’10" and 147lbs… have been around that for many years. At first i did a lot of weights and things when i trained boxing and muay thai, but nothing much happened at all! It is a hard struggle…

Then i just accepted i am the way i am… train to maximise my potential with what i have. that’s why now i do wing chun and qigong, which work just fine with a skinny body! lol The hard qigong i am doing is also making me much stronger and my body develop in a natural way (i am filling out a little at last). Of course this can also be my age (22) and other things.

Anyway Sai, good luck with what ur doing :slight_smile:

david

31

Same here mate, I’m 22 and I think that I could do as much ‘building’ as I like but its only a combination of my training and my age that are at last filling me out.

32

Hi,

I’m going through the same thing right now. Six weeks ago I was 5’11" and 120lbs. Now I’m 140lbs (and still 5’11" :)) and still working on gaining.

I lift weights four times a week and eat a lot more. I try to take in around 175 to 200 grams of protein a day and about 300 to 400 grams of carbs. Good sources of protein are eggs, tuna(and other fish), nuts and meat. I also use protein shakes because I don’t like feeling full all the time as I did when I tried doing it with just eating. Also, it’s good to eat 5-6 meals a day instead of 3 large meals.

It’s a diet, just like an overweight person trying to lose weight. The same willpower will be needed to stick with it. As you age your metabolism will slow down and eventually when you’re pushing 40 you’ll be wondering where all this fat came from. :slight_smile:

33

Keep in mind tho (and I speak from experience) that if you are an ectomorph with a naturally fast metabolism, and you build up to eating 5-6000 calories a day, there is a chance that because your body is expecting food, your metabolism will further increase. Does that make sense? It’s like the opposite of starvation mode… when you DON’T get enough food, your metabolism slows down to preserve what you do have. When you get too much food, your metabolism speeds up to compensate.

That being said, if you do get to the point where your body is expecting 5 or 6000 calories per day, and one day for whatever reason you can’t eat very much, believe me that you will be hungry as hell. Your body expects a big meal NOW, and if it doesn’t get one, your stomach will let you know.

That, and many other reasons, are part of why I quit bodybuilding.

Just something to consider if you decide to be hardcore about building muscle mass.

Oh, and to the guy who gained 20lbs in 6 weeks, do you know your bodyfat % (before and after)? 20lbs doesn’t really mean anything by itself. You could gain 20lbs of fat and look like crap. Or you could gain 15lbs of muscle and 5lbs of fat and look pretty cool. Do you have any idea what your bf levels are?

IronFist

34

Ironfist,

I’ve been tracking that also. I started at 6% and currently at 10%. From what I understand, 10% is still pretty darn low.

But it’s all going to my gut! Darnit. :slight_smile:

35

Hey IronFist

What would you recommend for a Starving Student like myself who can’t afford $100 in extra groceries?

There are different types of ‘shakes’ - Carb, Whey, high calorie (aren’t there???) that could possibly compensate?

Later!

36

Tuna is pretty cheap :smiley:

I’ma student as well and just eat lots of meat and veg etc. But actually i don’t train weights or anything anymore, just do my gong fu training and qigong and have reaped good benefit from those :slight_smile:

david

37

gaining weight

I know that this may sound like the complete opposite of what
one would expect to hear as advice on gaining weight, but..

Try practicing some zhan zhuang (standing pole) meditation.

I put on more weight since I started meditating than all the
protein shakes and weight lifting that I did before that.

There’s something about learning how to be still (especially in the
mind) that helped my body to chill out a little and stop burning
those calories so quickly. I was always hyper and tapping my
foot and stuff and I think the meditation helped my body to
find its natural weight. You learn to breathe deeply from the
belly and become more efficient.

Also, you’re only 17; you’ll put on at least 10 pounds your Frosh
year in college…

  • Peace -
38

My advice:

Keep doing what you are doing, except eat more. Just eat, eat, and eat. Don’t worry about getting fat, if you do get fat, I’m sure with metabolism like yours you will lose it in no time.

My experience with people with high metabolism is, even when they try eating more and more, they still have trouble gaining weight, so I think getting fat is the last thing you need to worry about.

Eat a lot of potatoes.

39

I think there’s more of us out there than each one thinks :slight_smile: I don’t know about pounds and feet but I’m 185cm and 65kg at 18… But I’ve given up on the notion of a ‘buff’ look :slight_smile: I only just started doing free-weights properly cause I gotta do a lot of shoulder cuff rotator rehab after a dislocation a few weeks ago… and for some reason I don’t care about the look anymore. Function and tone is all I’m after. Consider how many Kung Fu masters or teachers are really ripped… some are, but hey, it’s in the genes. You can or you can’t, don’t stress over it.

And ironfist, you’re right about the six-pack. My stomach is an item of pride naturally :slight_smile:

One other thing, I’m sure I read somewhere that the body can only assimilate about 30g of protein an hour, so excess (ie big lumps of steak or choking down them huge shakes) only puts a burden on the kidneys… anyone confirm/disagree??

Ta

40

Holy Weight Gainer, Batman!

I was at GNC tonight looking at the weight gaining powders. I wonder who the “engineers” are that come up with some of these formulas.

I saw one a while ago (sorry, I forgot the brand) that was like 30g sat. fat per serving. That’s 150% saturated fat (the bad kind of fat) of the daily recommended value (based on a 2000 calorie a day diet). Holy shit, they should rename that stuff heart attack powder.

Then tonight I saw this other one that was called “Weight Gain 2150” or something. The 2150 is because each shake has 2150 calories in it. Holy shit! Now, that’s probably not much if you’re a pro bodybuilder eating 7000 calories a day, but that’s still quite a bit for one meal. One serving was “3 scoops”, however, so if you wanted to be normal you could use only 1 scoop and have a nice, 700 calorie shake. If you did it this way you would extend the life of the product from 7 servings to 21 servings. But for $45 that’s still expensive.

Why is that last one worth mentioning? Because of the ingredients. Out of the 2150 calories, I think 50-80g were protein. Now the funny part. In a 2150 calorie shake, only 2g was fat. That means the rest was carbs :eek: ! I remember in the RDA % column it said it was 160% of the RDA’s recommended daily carb allowance. Holy shit!!! They should rename this stuff, “Who wants to become a diabetic powder.”

I wonder who came up with that last stuff? “Hey guys, let’s make a bulking powder with no fat in it! I’m SMART.” Is it supposed to make you huge and lean? :rolleyes:

Rant over.

IronFist