Underweight Man

Jonandmandy
Jonandmandy Posts: 3
in Introduce Yourself
Okay,
I am 45 years old. Man. Weigh 160 lbs and would like to get to 180 with muscle. Any ideas???

Replies

  • dmarien
    dmarien Posts: 58
    You made me smile today. I don't think many of us have your same problem.:wink: I would say eat more but you of course want to eat healthy. Maybe add an extra protein shake or two a day.
  • Nicolee_2014
    Nicolee_2014 Posts: 1,572 Member
    Carbs. Protein. Lift?

    But I'm not a professional of course :smile:
  • littlelady2b
    littlelady2b Posts: 104
    Yes join a gym if you haven't already and have someone show you around and get you started on weights, reps and sets for putting on muscle. Look into drinking protein shakes increasing your protein intake will help you. Keep track of your food intake eat healthy fats, protein, carbs and stay hydrated. Not sugar carbs either sugar turns to fat and you need solid good carbs. You are making a lifestyle change towards a healthy life just like those of us trying to lose weight you are trying to gain healthy weight. There are a lot of people on here that can help you better than me but those are the basics. You probably have a high metabolism and burn a lot of what you eat. That's why you need to use muscle building and protein. Good luck!

    Btw I use to be a BC girl and I ran my own cheer leading squads for the Mission niners and I use to take the cheer leaders to meet the BC lions cheerleaders and we would watch the games. A couple times they were able to perform for the Lions half time with other teams it was fun. Go Lions! Go Canucks!
  • Otterluv
    Otterluv Posts: 9,083 Member
    Lift and eat at a surplus (make sure to get some good protein in there), so do a bulk. You will add fat as well as muscle, so you'll probably need to cut afterwards as well.

    Anyway, 'tis what I see the lucky bulkers on my FL do, flaunting their 3500 calorie goals at the rest of us :angry:

    I'd recommend checking out this group for more specific advice: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/forums/show/10067-eat-train-progress-

    The two people who run it are insanely knowledgeable, and both have successfully changed their physique. In fact, Sara is doing a bulk right now.
  • grantdumas7
    grantdumas7 Posts: 802 Member
    Make sure you are consuming enough calories to build muscle but not much too much that you gain excess bodyfat. Since you are or I am assuming you are a beginner then you may actually lose or maintain the same bodyfat and gain muscle. Once you get past the "newbie" gains your goal is to only gain a little bodyfat while trying to gain muscle. Remember it's a long process but keep at it.
    There are few good youtube channels. One is called IceCream Fitness hosted by Jason Blaha. Here is his 5x5 for beginners.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=feY6vi6ORXo
  • daniilee89
    daniilee89 Posts: 6
    my boyfriend was very much the same, but he succeeded: his story was basically three things:

    1. Disciplined weight training- 5 times a week single muscle groups works, but also not neglecting compound movements (dead rows, dead lifts etc). He said it took 2 years to see good results. He was quite slim, and barely any muscle. Moral of the story…be patient, changing your body can take a while.

    2. Good balanced diet: he used to under eat! I eat more than him still, however he was determined to gain muscle so I started cooking him meals with decent amounts of carbohydrates (brown rice, legumes - high nutrient carbohydrates, low GI) and decent amounts of protein (red meats and poultry - generally unprocessed and lean). He also takes a supplement during a workout, it's got branch chain amino acids in it. I prefer the natural way through food, but he likes the supplement. He was also eating high sugar foods (when he was slim), with LOW nutrient value, which for a bodybuilder is not a good idea. High nutrient natural foods are what is needed to replenish the loss of glycogen and protein stores in the muscle after a workout. Eggs and good (all the essential amino acids)


    3. genetics: it has taken a total of 5 years for his body to change to complete satisfaction. He still even says he will never be huge like competitive body builders. But he is happy with his size now. He went from 70Kg (154 pounds) to 95Kg( 209 pounds).
  • TomfromNY
    TomfromNY Posts: 100 Member
    Barbell Training and eating.

    Get the book "Starting Strength" by Mark Rippetoe. It is a book for beginners (although 95% of the people you see in the weight room would qualify as beginners). He describes the basic barbell lifts in great detail - the squat, bench, press, deadlift, power clean... - how to do them, the physics behind them, how they work with your anatomy to create strength. Also outlines a basic program that works for kids, middle-aged people, and the elderly. Very simple 3 x a week program using those 5 basic lifts (3 lifts per session) - the idea is that every session you increase the weight.

    If you followed that program, with good eating habits and rest between workouts, I bet you could gain 20 pounds in 3-6 months.
  • Jonandmandy
    Jonandmandy Posts: 3
    Thank you all for your input. I will look into all of your suggestions. I think that my biggest issue is that I am very active. have a very fast metabolism, don't eat enough, smoke, drink, etc... I don't eat fatty foods, hate mayonnaise based sauces and would rather eat a salad than pasta or fries. Some might say I am fine the way I am. I get the opposite comments that most people normally hear. I get the 'you are so thin or skinny'. It really pisses me off when heavy people say that I am so thin. I feel like saying that I am thin but you are fat but i don't because I don't want to offend them even though they have offended me.. Double standard... Politically correct...

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