New, needs help and much advice

natethompson30

Hello

I'm pretty bad at introductions so I'll just start right off with info about myself and what my goals are. I'm currently 18, somewhat active (with me being a food cook/server always running around on my feet for 6+ hours, and playing basketball/ other actives with friends every now and then) but the problem is I'm a pretty skinny guy and I want to change that. My goal is to gain some weight (me being around 135) and gain muscle mass/definition.

I've been planning to get a gym membership within the next month or so (waiting to get some extra money) the problem is I'm jumping into this whole thing blindfolded, I want to know what foods to eat, if I should start a diet, good recipes, what fitness plan will be best, what type of protein powder to use or if I should use any at all.

I could just google "how to get big" or something just as generic, but I'd rather get advice and information from real people who have been in my position before or would like to someone who's inexperienced. Anything will help.

~your average skinny guy

AnvilHead

There is a lot of good information about diet/nutrition in the "sticky" threads found at the top of the page: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10300326/most-helpful-posts-goal-gaining-weight-must-reads#latest

As to training, you would do well to start with one of the beginner programs listed in this thread: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10332083/which-lifting-program-is-the-best-for-you/p1

The basics are that you need to eat more calories than you burn (caloric surplus), get adequate protein intake, and engage in regular, consistent strength training. And be patient, it takes lots of time and hard work to build muscle.

BrianKMcFalls

You are pretty much the perfect trainee Mark Rippetoe wrote Starting Strength for, so I would definitely look into that program if I were you. Now if you go full on GOMAD you're probably going to get fatter than you would like, but you can get bigger and stronger doing it with or without going that route.

You didn't mention height, how tall are you?

natethompson30

BrianKMcFalls wrote: »

.

You didn't mention height, how tall are you?

I'm around 5 10", 5 9 1/2"

Robertom8375

Get a good workout routine going and eat,eat eat

Rusty740

You should take some time to really understand the basics and how bodies work.

A few simple things you should google.

Find out your Basal Metabolic Rate and your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE). The folks that are telling you to eat lots are saying that to gain weight (muscle or fat), you need to eat more than your TDEE. You can only gain about 2 lbs per month of muscle, this is approximately 4-5 lbs of body weight because some fat will be added with it. The amount of fat will be dictated by the amount of calories over your TDEE you eat and how much workout you do. You're not going to be able to get an exact number for this but st your age and weight it's probably good by to be in the 250-500 extra per day maybe more, if you're working out. More than enough eating will make you bigger but it'll just be fat. Maybe that's ok with you.

Don't worry about protein powder or any supplements, more than likely you don't need any. The benefit of protein powder is that it's convenient, not necessary. Eating your calories is generally better for you than drinking them. Despite what you might hear, more more more protein is not what you need. Don't get me wrong, a good amount about 0.8 g/lb body weight is about right, but too much more won't help much.

Find a good simple workout. See the sticky on here called "which workout is best for you" pick one and stick with it for at least 6 weeks.

Check out a YouTube named vitruvian physique and you won't go too far off base. There's a lot of people trying to sell stuff you don't need so beware.

trigden1991

Rusty740 wrote: »

You should take some time to really understand the basics and how bodies work.

A few simple things you should google.

Find out your Basal Metabolic Rate and your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE). The folks that are telling you to eat lots are saying that to gain weight (muscle or fat), you need to eat more than your TDEE. You can only gain about 2 lbs per month of muscle, this is approximately 4-5 lbs of body weight because some fat will be added with it. The amount of fat will be dictated by the amount of calories over your TDEE you eat and how much workout you do. You're not going to be able to get an exact number for this but st your age and weight it's probably good by to be in the 250-500 extra per day maybe more, if you're working out. More than enough eating will make you bigger but it'll just be fat. Maybe that's ok with you.

Don't worry about protein powder or any supplements, more than likely you don't need any. The benefit of protein powder is that it's convenient, not necessary. Eating your calories is generally better for you than drinking them. Despite what you might hear, more more more protein is not what you need. Don't get me wrong, a good amount about 0.8 g/lb body weight is about right, but too much more won't help much.

Find a good simple workout. See the sticky on here called "which workout is best for you" pick one and stick with it for at least 6 weeks.

Check out a YouTube named vitruvian physique and you won't go too far off base. There's a lot of people trying to sell stuff you don't need so beware.

Apart from the YouTube recommendation, this is good advise.