5'7 133lbs lookin to gain weight

[Buu]

Hello.. I'm looking for some advice to gain weight which seems to be hard for me. I'm 5"7 and weigh 133 lbs. (23 yrs old) I started working out at the gym about 3 months ago and started at 129 lbs. In my research on the net I keep reading that you should eat about 5 times a day.. but eat what? I find it hard sometimes to eat as much as I would like because I get full so easy, and don't have much of an appetite. But I'll keep eating anyway and have noticed my appetite has slowly increased. I work out at the gym about 3 - 4 times a week. 1hr or less before the workout I will drink this Max loader that the gym sold me. It's a drink that apparently has loads of calories etc.. after the workout, I have a protein shake and then eat dinner. My workout schedule started out at 10-12 reps of some light weight weights.. 3 sets. But after reading info on the net, I've started to change that schedule myself and now I am doing heavy weights, 4 sets, small reps.. like 8 reps. Is that ok?
I work a 9-5 type job and was just wondering if someone could direct me to where I might find a diet plan to gain some weight?

I would very much appreciate any input, thanks in advance.

 

[JKurz1]

Lay down your current daily regimine in detail......wake, full eating patterns, sleep, etc.

 

[JakeDaddy]

The whole getting full thing should not be hard to over come. I started out at about your size but have gained nearly twenty lean pounds since then. I had the same problem with the getting full, but someone once told me eat until you feel like you are going to vomit and then eat a little more. If you plan on getting as big as a bodybuilder you better eat like one. I did that for a while and can now out eat guys twice my size.

 

[RottenWillow]

My workout schedule started out at 10-12 reps of some light weight weights.. 3 sets. But after reading info on the net, I've started to change that schedule myself and now I am doing heavy weights, 4 sets, small reps.. like 8 reps. Is that ok?

yes. You're 23, you just started working out, and you have testicles so you have a lot of latitude right now in terms of workouts that will allow you to gain muscle. One simple bit of advice though...dont constantly tinker with your workouts, settle on a basic one and stay on it consistently for at least 8 weeks to see if it is going to work. And for God's sake keep a training journal...log sets, reps, intervals between sets, everything. This is going to be how you begin to understand what works for your body and what doesnt.

Aim for 40g of protein at your first meal and 30 for each one thereafter, you'll end up with plenty by the end of the day. Drink your weight gainer earlier in the day, even skinny guys like you can quickly get yourself a little innertube going if you drink them in the evening.

If you ride a desk for a living and dont get any other exercise besides pumping iron then 2500 calories a day will probably be enough to get you gaining, at least for a while. As you begin to gains pounds of muscle your body will gradually need a little more calories to continue gaining, but dont worry about that yet.

 

[Buu]

Thanks everyone for your responses.

JKurz1, as for my currently daily regime.. I don't really have one. I'm trying to plan one. Usually it's like this..

=== 7:30 or so I'm having breakfast.. and a multivitamin i bought at GNc..have a bowl of oatmeal and maybe a banana, and a couple glasses of milk.
=== Go to work (ride a desk, i'm a computer nerd) and I'll have a snack in the morning.. like some fruit. A banana, some yogurt, carrots etc..
=== Have lunch,.. trying to eat healthier now. yesterday I brought some rice and beef. Today I have some pasta.
=== Have another snack later in the day.
=== When I go home, I either go to Martial Arts class, if no class that day,
I'll drink that max loader calorie shake that mixes in water, wait an hour and go to the gym.
=== When the gym is done with, (there usually an hour or more) I'll go home, drink a protein shake, and either eat dinner right away, or wait a little while and then eat dinner.
=== Later in the night I'll try to have another snack.

I also smoke a little.. I'm trying to quit. yesterday I had two cigerettes..im also not drinking nearly as much cofee as i used too, as i hear these two things increase your metabolism..

I really like to rollerblade,. on the weekend mornings I go rollerblading on the bikepaths for a good few hours.

JakeDaddy, lol I have heard the same thing. Eat till you puke, then eat some more. But it's hard. Although I'm slowly increasing how much I can eat, I guess I need to be patient. I ordered these pills that are supposed to help incease your appetite and slow your metabolism.. they are called Weight Gain plus. I'll let ya'll know how those work out. The truth is, I'm not hoping to get bodybuilder size.., my goal is to reach 160 lbs and I'll be happy at that. I'm just fukin sick of people telling me that if I turn sideways, i'm invisible. fuck them, I figure, if you're going to do something, it has to be because it's what you want to do to change yourself to become a better person.

Anya, thanks for the advice. I'll try not to tinker too much. I'm trying to plan a two day cycle where one day I'll workout the upper body, and the second day I'll workout the lower body. So is it the protein that helps you gain weight or the calories? or carbs? I keep seeing conflicting information on this subject.. so what you're saying is, drink a glass of that weight gainer (high calorie) mix early in the morning? should i drink another glass of it before i work out still?

Thanks again everyone for your help.

Buu

 

[RottenWillow]

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Anya, thanks for the advice. I'll try not to tinker too much. I'm trying to plan a two day cycle where one day I'll workout the upper body, and the second day I'll workout the lower body. So is it the protein that helps you gain weight or the calories? or carbs? I keep seeing conflicting information on this subject.. so what you're saying is, drink a glass of that weight gainer (high calorie) mix early in the morning? should i drink another glass of it before i work out still?
Buu

We have a thread in the women's forum right now debating the relative importance of protein vs calories. You are likely to hear a lot of differing opinions about this too.

An extremely simple (but workable) metaphor you'll often here is that protein is the parts and calories are the labor. Both are essential to building muscle, but which is more important is something people dont agree on. One thing for certain, if you do not consume an excess of calories each day you will not build muscle, but you dont need more than a 200-300 Kcal surplus daily to gain. No need to worry about your protein intake....aim for the totals at each meal I mentioned before and you'll be getting enough.

You didnt say what your activity level is each day. If you are sedentary apart from pumping iron then like I said 2500 will be enough for you to gain weight. You can add a 2nd gainer shake if it's more convienent than a meal, just dont go over that 2500 daily total. Last meal of the day should have a little more fat in it (which will slow your digestion) so your protein is very slowly metabolized while you sleep.

If you work a physically demanding job then that would increase both your protein and caloric requirements to gain muscle.

 

[Buu]

Thanks Anya! That is some very helpful information.
As for my activity level, I work a desk job so other than pumping iron, the only other fitness i have is ninjutsu, and rollerblading on the weekends if its warm enuff. Since I live in Canada, rollerblading will be out of the question in about a month's time. I try not to do too much cardio as i was told to try and burn as little calories as i can, because my body burns so many naturally. which makes it hard for me to figure out how i can get washboard abs cuz even though i work those out all the time, i see no definition. and abs = cardio + diet. Yeesh, they weren't kidding when they said that fitness is a science tailored to a specific individual. =)