Starting College, New lifter, need advice

Glitch267
Glitch267 Posts: 32
in Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
Please read entire post before responding. Thanks.
I am going to start with my basic stats, then move onto more in depth information, and finally pose my questions that are based on my information.
I am looking for feedback on my plan, advice, encouragement, and answers to my questions. Please don't just say read the stickies, I have. I want feedback from real people.

My stats:
5'7 inches
110~115 pounds
Male, 18 years old

I will be starting college in a week. With this, I will have access to a gym consistently. I want to use this opportunity to gain some lean muscle. I in the past have had an eating disorder but that is now behind me. I hope to use my heightened knowledge of nutrition to my advantage in my journey to gaining muscle.

Exercise:
I do not yet have my class schedule (we sign up on campus, we are a late starting school). Despite this I am hoping to lift 3 times a week: probably Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Since I am a beginner, I will do a full body work out on each of these days. I want to start with mainly machines to get correct form and then work my way up to the free weights.
Cardio wise I will do some walking everyday around campus. My school is not that big so I do not think I will walk too horribly much. I will probably not do too much intense cardio but am considering some jogging or biking for a warm up and cool down with lifting. I will spend the rest of my time sitting in classes, my dorm, etc.

Nutrition:
My calorie goal is going to be 2500 a day but may be adjusted over time. I would like to eat healthy foods mostly. My school offers nutritional info for all of the cafeteria foods on the school website so I will know what I am eating and how much. I am just wondering what all do you recommend in regards to college cafeteria foods and nutrition. I also have an unlimited meal plan so I will be able to go into the cafeterias as many times a day as I would like. My cafeteria has all the common foods: eggs, fruit, chicken sandwiches, burgers, veggie burgers, pizza, salads, soups, bagels, oatmeal, and all of the other common food items.
Outside of cafeteria foods, I really enjoy Quest bars. I will be using these as a quick and healthy protein and fiber source. I will also be eating things like nuts and nut butters for some quality fat.
I do not drink any alcohol and have no intention of starting. I am not a partner by any means.

Supplements:
I will have access to a GNC right by my dorm so I will be able to purchase any helpful supplements. Currently I am taking a caffeine supplement that I take it in the morning (320mg caffeine) and then take the second smaller dosage in the early afternoon (160mg caffeine). This supplement also has other health benefits and I plan on continuing to take it until my free trial bottle is up (this will last me another two weeks). I just want some sort of better supplement that will give me energy but I don't want something that causes water retention, I hate that bloated feeling. So this rules out creatine. I also have a fairly good tolerance of caffeine since I am taking 480 mg a day and this does not make me jittery or affect my sleep.

Questions: (numbered for easy reference):
1. How many calories a day?
2. How much protein?
3. What foods to eat from cafeteria?
4. What foods should I buy to keep in dorm?
5. How does my lifting plan look? Any recommendations on specific programs to follow?
6. Should I add cardio?
7. Any supplement ideas?

Any advice would be great. If confused on anything or if you need any more information, just tell me. Thanks.

Replies

  • Glitch267
    Glitch267 Posts: 32
    Bump
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
    Good lord- way to much.

    I don't say this to often- but TO MUCH INFORMATION. LOL
    1. How many calories a day?
    1.) Calculate your TDEE- figure out where you maintain - which means yes- you need to be counting calories- or should be.
    2.) use anywhere from 250-500 on top of maintenance to gain.
    If you aren't gaining in 2-3 weeks- eat more.
    2. How much protein?
    typically you want to shoot for like 0.8 per pound of lean mass- for most people anything over 100 is adequate- I'm aiming for 150- but if I get over 100 I'm happy.
    3. What foods to eat from cafeteria?
    you're young and male- you'll be eating ALL THE FOODS
    4. What foods should I buy to keep in dorm?
    whichever foods keep you happy
    5. How does my lifting plan look? Any recommendations on specific programs to follow?
    off to a good start
    Some programs to check
    Starting Strength
    New Rules of Lifting
    Strong lifts
    6. Should I add cardio?
    bulking = eating at a surplus
    cardio = more calories burned
    Cardio + bulking = eating a LOT of food
    so really your call- doing some for health is good- but know that that more cardio you do-the more food you need to eat- and sometimes it gets old.
    7. Any supplement ideas?
    you don't need it- just eat a lot and lift a lot- you'll pack on muscle like crazy at your age.
  • Walter__
    Walter__ Posts: 518 Member
    First and foremost - skip the machines for compound lifts. Machines have unnatural movement pattern so you're just not going to learn proper free-weight form by benching and squatting on a smith machine. In fact, you'll probably encourage improper form from the very beginning AND set yourself back even further when you start to use free weights because you'll have to relearn the proper motor pattern.



    Questions: (numbered for easy reference):
    1. How many calories a day?

    I plugged your stats into a calculator. 2500 seems about right.

    2. How much protein?

    0.8 - 1g/lb of lean body mass. I'd stick with 1.

    3. What foods to eat from cafeteria?

    Everything. Honestly you're really underweight so you need to EAT EAT EAT.

    4. What foods should I buy to keep in dorm?

    Refer to answer above. Whatever you want.

    5. How does my lifting plan look? Any recommendations on specific programs to follow?

    Looks pretty good. Full body is always good for a beginner. Try Ice Cream Fitness 5x5 routine. It's a bit more bodybuilding-oriented than your typical 5x5 program. For someone like you who seems to want to sculpt their physique, ICF should be a good start.

    6. Should I add cardio?

    No. You're very underweight as it is. No need to burn even more energy.

    7. Any supplement ideas?

    Protein powder to supplement your protein intake, and that's it. Don't waste your money on useless crap. Put it towards food instead.
  • sabified
    sabified Posts: 1,035 Member
    I would follow JoRocka's advice because she knows about this kind of stuff... only thing I would add is abt 7.

    If you're not eating any veggies/fruits then I would recommend having vitamin supplements to get your daily A and C in... try to get calcium in as well- whole milk and dairy products are awesome though so unless you're lactose intolerant, you should be able to do that.

    If you do start getting your vitamins in then you may be able to stop taking the caffeine supplements. I saw a huge boost in my energy levels when I started aiming to hit those goals (though I do it by making sure I eat fruits and veggies, not through pills, so not sure if it'll work the same way... don't see why it wouldn't though)
  • QueenBishOTUniverse
    QueenBishOTUniverse Posts: 14,121 Member
    I agree with all the advice given so far and just wanted to add my $0.02 as far as dorm food goes. If you can have a dorm fridge in your room and you like it, I would say keeping that fridge well stocked with a good greek yogurt would be the way to go. I'm a dairy fanatic though so I would probably have tons of yogurts milks and cheeses in there, maybe some celery for eating with the nut butters. Um, sliced deli meats like turkey, you can eat them on their own or keep some stuff for making a quick sandwich. Cooking isn't going to be much of an option but those types of items will keep well in the fridge, usually pack good proteins and fats and are easy to prep in a dorm room for a snack. Just some ideas anyways.

    Oh, and Ice Cream, lots of it! :laugh:
  • stevenlcopeland
    stevenlcopeland Posts: 57 Member
    You got tons of great advice and I agree with all that has been written. You are young and your body will respond fast. Make sure you do dead lifts. It will jump start your program big time. Try to work your legs all 3 days and make sure it is free weight squats. Free weight bench press, rows, and shoulder press. Don't worry about isolation lifts starting out, we need you to get some muscle on that frame of yours. Become a gym rat and you will see results. Also don't let your friends talk you into supplements except whey isolate. All the rest is a waste of your money that you need to spend on cows, pigs, chickens, turkey, fish, and peanut butter. Myself personally I do cycle creatine for faster recovery but that shouldn't be an issue at your age. Good luck and remember check your ego in at the door and go heavy and go often.

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