Gain first, then work out? Or....

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adobrev
adobrev Posts: 108 Member
in Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
Hi everyone :)

I'm a little confused when it comes to the topic of gaining weight and converting it to muscle.

I weigh 86.5 lbs and I'm 20 years old.
I want to weigh 105-110.

The question is... Do I gain the weight first and then start doing squats and dead lifts, or do I eat a surplus and do the exercises as well?


Thank you so much :)
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Replies

  • breezybree511
    breezybree511 Posts: 20 Member
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    At 86.2 pounds, I would actually start doing some very light strength training before you start gaining weight, so your body will be more likely to put those extra calories towards muscle rather than fat. You do need to gain some fat as well, but strength training and being active while you're bulking up is good for your body.
  • Sarauk2sf
    Sarauk2sf Posts: 28,072 Member
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    How tall are you?

    You can only gain muscle if you resistance train (and include progressive loading) - you need to stimulate your muscles.
  • adobrev
    adobrev Posts: 108 Member
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    I'm 5'1 and a half, but let's just stick with 5'1 to make it easier. :)
    What are some types of strength training and resistance training?
    I'm clueless when it comes to weight and exercise :(
  • iteese
    iteese Posts: 6 Member
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    To answer your first question, yes... "eat a surplus and do the exercises as well". Exactly.

    Squats, deadlifts, push ups, bench press, pull ups, lat pull downs, overhead press, burpees, Turkish getups, lunges, bent over rows, back extension... Anything you can do that moves a weight against a resistance, even if it's your own body weight against gravity, is a form of resistance exercise. You'll need to use resistance training with progressive overload (as mentioned by @Sarauk2sf ) to build muscle. You'll also want to read about macro nutrients, nutrient density and calorie/kilojoule expenditure vs intake.
    Check out many of the online resources, here's two I enjoy:
    http://breakingmuscle.com
    http://www.evidencemag.com
  • adobrev
    adobrev Posts: 108 Member
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    Thank you so much for including all the types of work outs ! That's very helpful!
    The thing is, won't I be losing a lot of weight first, before I start gaining the muscle?
  • breezybree511
    breezybree511 Posts: 20 Member
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    adobrev wrote: »
    Thank you so much for including all the types of work outs ! That's very helpful!
    The thing is, won't I be losing a lot of weight first, before I start gaining the muscle?

    As long as you're not overdoing it on the cardio (just use it as a warm up for strength building exercises, don't go jogging for hours) you shouldnt have any problems gaining weight if you're eating enough..

  • stevencloser
    stevencloser Posts: 8,911 Member
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    adobrev wrote: »
    Thank you so much for including all the types of work outs ! That's very helpful!
    The thing is, won't I be losing a lot of weight first, before I start gaining the muscle?

    As long as you're eating enough you won't lose weight.
    There is no "conversion" happening.
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,139 Member
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    OP look into starting strength, new rules of lifting for woman, or strong lifts. pick one of those programs and run it for four to six months. Oh, and yes start eating more now.
  • AliceDark
    AliceDark Posts: 3,886 Member
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    Just a note: if there's a medical reason you're underweight (say, an ED history), you need to be checked out by a doctor before you start lifting, or doing any other kind of new exercise. That's a special circumstance and it might not be safe for you to exercise in that case.

    Disclaimer: I'm not saying you have/don't have/whatever any kind of ED history, but if you do, the recommendation would be different. In that case, see a doctor first.
  • FitForL1fe
    FitForL1fe Posts: 1,872 Member
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    you gain weight *and* muscle simultaneously

    you don't gain weight and then "convert it"

    start hittin dem weights yo
  • breezybree511
    breezybree511 Posts: 20 Member
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    draznyth wrote: »
    you gain weight *and* muscle simultaneously

    you don't gain weight and then "convert it"

    start hittin dem weights yo


    Pretty much everything summed up in three lines
  • adobrev
    adobrev Posts: 108 Member
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    Thank you everyone !!:) thanks for all the work out recommendations and answering my questions :)

    Alice dark, I checked with my doctor previously. I'm good to go. :)
  • ruby82d
    ruby82d Posts: 2 Member
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    Hi. I'm small also and I'm on a weight gain journey. Being that my doctor says I'm under weight he prescribed me some appetite stimulators called cyprohetptadine 4mg. I eat constantly all day. Me personally I have a super mass shake from gnc that I drink in the morning it has 1900 calories with milk n peanut butter it's around 2000 calories, I also added boost plus some days with my meal to boost up calories. I can't take too much milk everyday so I do boost on weekends cause I don't drink a shake on Saturday or Sunday. Just a helpful hint that this could also help you. I plan to gain weight then exercise to help convert to muscle or a toned body. Iagree with the others to check with doctor also they could be more helpful healthy ways to gain. Good luck!!!
  • adobrev
    adobrev Posts: 108 Member
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    ruby82d wrote: »
    Hi. I'm small also and I'm on a weight gain journey. Being that my doctor says I'm under weight he prescribed me some appetite stimulators called cyprohetptadine 4mg. I eat constantly all day. Me personally I have a super mass shake from gnc that I drink in the morning it has 1900 calories with milk n peanut butter it's around 2000 calories, I also added boost plus some days with my meal to boost up calories. I can't take too much milk everyday so I do boost on weekends cause I don't drink a shake on Saturday or Sunday. Just a helpful hint that this could also help you. I plan to gain weight then exercise to help convert to muscle or a toned body. Iagree with the others to check with doctor also they could be more helpful healthy ways to gain. Good luck!!!

    I have the super mass shake from optimum nutrition that's like 1250 calories if I take the recommended serving, but my ex boyfriend said it doesn't help, if I don't eat the necessary amount im supposed to eat daily. He said if I have to eat 2040 per day, I need to hit that goal first and then take the shake. But, when I eat my recommended daily calorie goal, I don't feel hungry enough to take the shake so I skip it.

    Have you found yourself gaining weight if you take the shake without eating actual food?
  • FASTFUELXXX
    FASTFUELXXX Posts: 89 Member
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    DATZ RITE. U WILL HV 2 EAT ALL UR CALS THEN TAKE DA SHAKE. U STILL WNT GAIN WEIGHT JUX BCZ ITZ A SUPER MASS SHAKE. ITZ STILL JUX 1,250 CALS. IF U TAKE DA SHAKE ND DNT EAT ENUFF IT STILL DSNT MATTER. P.S. IM NT HOLLERING @ YA DATZ JUX HOW I TEXT. LOL!!!!
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,876 Member
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    you need to lift while you eat to put on muscle...otherwise you're just going to put on more fat...fat doesn't convert to muscle later on just because you're working out.
  • FitForL1fe
    FitForL1fe Posts: 1,872 Member
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    FASTFUELXXX wrote: »
    DATZ RITE. U WILL HV 2 EAT ALL UR CALS THEN TAKE DA SHAKE. U STILL WNT GAIN WEIGHT JUX BCZ ITZ A SUPER MASS SHAKE. ITZ STILL JUX 1,250 CALS. IF U TAKE DA SHAKE ND DNT EAT ENUFF IT STILL DSNT MATTER. P.S. IM NT HOLLERING @ YA DATZ JUX HOW I TEXT. LOL!!!!

    well said
  • jmule24
    jmule24 Posts: 1,404 Member
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    draznyth wrote: »
    FASTFUELXXX wrote: »
    DATZ RITE. U WILL HV 2 EAT ALL UR CALS THEN TAKE DA SHAKE. U STILL WNT GAIN WEIGHT JUX BCZ ITZ A SUPER MASS SHAKE. ITZ STILL JUX 1,250 CALS. IF U TAKE DA SHAKE ND DNT EAT ENUFF IT STILL DSNT MATTER. P.S. IM NT HOLLERING @ YA DATZ JUX HOW I TEXT. LOL!!!!

    well said

    +1

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