Starting a Weight Gaining Program - Page 2

Wow, testy. Was really just interested in clarifying for the sake of the OP, who is just getting into this, and may not realize the kind of stress he can put on his body with some of the heavier body lifts. Chill, southpaw.

you'd be surprised how completely clueless some beginners are.

Actually what lefty states is correct and time-tested. He has not mentioned anywhere about using heavy loads in his post. I think you are just being abit too uptight about things, Sartorian. It is in fact common sense that one will choose the appropriate loading based on his/her bodies ability.

For your benefit, just in case you didn't attend a single PE lessons during your time in school, all the compound exercises need not be done with any form of loading. You have a choice of how and when you want to increase the load. Are you in fact insinuating that instead of compound exercises, someone who is weak and starting out should start using isolations? Then, I'd really guess that you are clueless.

Not in the least bit.

He's been working out for months.

He's seen results.

He wants more.

A perfect candidate for heavy compound work.

I'm sure he'll be able to muddle his way through how a barbell works and what is or is not appropriate.

Anyway, I don't want to fight, slick. I dig your icon too much.

lefty

Just to it Rip style. Pick up a copy of Starting Strength. Do a cycle and drink a gallon of milk a day

Clueless? Talk about disproportionate insults. I wasn't aware I even addressed you--or lefty for that matter. I actually didn't mention lefty originally, and I clarified that above. As a skinny dude who has lifted weights and benefited without harm, let me point out to you gym rats that all the 'time-tested' tropes spewed about in a gym need to be reasonably adjusted and altered according to one's physique--also a time-tested trope. I wasn't suggesting anything other than trying to point out that the compound exercises can put more stress all over the body. It can also put stress on parts of the body you aren't focusing on when you do the exercise. And if the OP is just starting--even after a few months--he can still overdo it if he's never done it before AND as he states, he's very thin (note there are 2conditionals to the statement). It's very possible when a person is thin that he'll have the muscular strength to do a lift while not having developed sufficient bone mass or joint strength for his body to withstand the force he's putting on it. Kind of like having a teenager throw too many curveballs. For many average-sized people who get into lifting, it's no problem, their bodies can adjust as they lift, but if you have smaller bones, it's a potential issue. I simply wanted to point that out. It's not necessarily the kind of information someone in a gym will tell him; such a person might tell him, 'just start low, and work your way up in weight.' That's fine advice, but it misses the potential for joint-itis he might be inviting, and trust me, as a 35-yr-old with little back pain, I'm quite happy I worried about stuff like that. And yes, I am aware that a person can start with simply the bar, as that's how I started. However, when in a gym, there is a very common urge for a person to start loading on the weight, and this can have worse consequences for a person whose body is still relatively thin and adjusting. YMMV, basically. I simply wanted to give the OP a more nuanced perspective, and to quote lefty, 'don't want to fight.'

i'm bulking up right now and at the advice of many members on www.t-nation.com - i started doing Westside for Skinny Bastards 3.

the t-nation guys really seem to know what they are talking about; yes, their goals are probably a lot different from mine because i don't want to become nearly as big as those guys, but putting on mass is putting on mass.

anyway, Westside 3 is basically a template. you can pick and choose the lifts you want to do from the template. it's great bc it saves you time from having to search for new good routines, bc all you have to do is switch the lifts out after 4-6 weeks once you feel your body may have adapted.

anyway i was 170 to start 2.5 months ago, and now im up at 185. some of that is def fat bc i havent neccesarrily been eating clean, but i've had several people notice my shoulders and back being wider etc and giving me compliments. plus my more fitted tshirts don't really fit anymore.

also keep in mind i do 46g of protein before and after i workout and add 5g of creatine to may post workout protein. optimum nutrition double chocolate tastes the best hands down. i use micronized biotest creatine - doesn't taste like anything may make you protein drink slightly gritty but i think thats the way all creatines are

try to get into the mindset of 'oh crap, have i eaten enough today?!' - or as one guy said 'eat like if you don't, your dick will fall off!'

i think its also important to note that the Westside routine doesn't really focus on vanity areas like arms, calves, shoulders. i find this to be a good idea if you're really trying to put on mass. compounds give you more bang for your buck, plus you don't want to be that guy in the gym that has huge arms but had the tiniest legs in the gym. i also keep hearing you can't really put on mass unless your really work your legs with things likes squats deadlifts etc.

after i finish a few more months of doing this template i'm going to do this routine suggested by one of the trainers that he would use to get 'the look' of putting on 20 lbs of mass. it focuses on shoulder, traps, arms and back a lot. http://www.t-nation.com/readArticle.do?id=917176 - the workout is in the article somewhere but its 3 professional trainers talking about how they would train an actor in months for a movie role where they had to put on mass.

anyway, this is probably a lot of info thrown out you, but so far everything has been working out awesome for me, so i thought i'd share the wealth.

start light, continue to gradually add weight, work your butt off, eat a lot, and persevere. i started out at 145 4 years ago when i entered college and could only lift the bar (yeah i looked like eric on that 70's show), but we all have to start somewhere.

here's the full article for westside for skinny bastards 3 (its a pdf) http://www.elitefts.com/ws4sb/WS4SB.pdf

Hey man, I'm 6'1" amd I've gaind about 30 lbs over the course of my lifting. As for the workout routine, I'm a fan of varying it up fairly frequently, as far as the rep range, volume, etc. But in the end as your starting moving heavy Iron will help almost no matter how you do it. The most important part is diet. Eat clean, eat lots, and eat healthy. Shoot for 6 meals a day with ~30+ grams of protein per meal. Typical Bulk diet for me 1. 1 Cup oatmeal (dry measure) 1tbsp flaxseed oil, scoop protein powder, and milk 2. Handful Almonds, Banna, Half a large container of cottage cheese. 3. Whole wheat bread, 200 grams chicken or turkey, lettuce, tomato, mustard 4. Appple, banana, rest of cottage cheese. 5. PWO shake, banana, frozen strawberries, oj conentrate, water, protein powder 6. Sirloin round (or any lean meat cut), quinoa, broccoli and if I snack before bed, cottage cheese and peanut butter works as well OH and drink lots of water throught the day.

About six months ago I bought a book called "Scrawny to Brawny" and have been following its advice as best I can. Being an ecto myself, I simply can't force down the daily calories that this book recommends (4600!), but with only a few tweaks here and there, I've modified it to what I can handle, and I'm very happy with the results.

On this program, I'm in the gym 3 or 4 times a week, depending on which phase of the program I'm rotating through at the moment. Workouts are intense but mercifully short -- a little over an hour.

I'm about 6'-1" tall, and before this program I tended to weigh either 165 lbs (strong but too wirey) or 185 lbs (strong but lacking definition, especially around the midsection). Now I'm 180 lbs and very well defined. More important, I feel great! Like I could lift up the corner of my house if I needed to.

A word or caution, though: Don't expect to change your basic body structure. No workout in the world is going to make guys like us into mesomorphs. Accept what nature gave you and just work to improve upon it.