charles43

Hi! Im new here, and I was wondering if anyone could help.

Im in shape and I love to work out (almost everyday), and also I take protein after my workouts. The problem is I'm too SKINNY! I'm strong for my size I guess, and I'm really cut, but what I really want to do is get big, and thats been a problem for me. I'd even prefer to get a little more fat if it could make me look bigger, but I can't. My metabolism is crazy! During one summer, I ate Burger King almost everyday, two times a day, for like a month and a half (I know it was stupid, but it I was taking really tough college class, and I just didn't have time to cook or go to any place better), and I think I got only slightly bigger.
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Anyways, so I was wondering if you guys knew anything about weight gainer, and what are its pros/cons.

And also, a friend recently told me about NO2. I didn't really care about the perpetual pump, but what really got me interested was the (supposed) fact that I keep whatever gain acquired from using the supplement. I already knew about creatine, and the fact that you lose so much after you stop taking it really turned me off. NO2 at least seemed like it could help me gain some mass permanently. Do you guys know if this is true? And also I read somewhere that cuts could be more dangerous because of the dilated vessels... (please tell me thats a lie!)

Finally, if you guys have any general tips on how to bulk up (in terms of eating, how I should be exercising etc...) Id appreciate it

Thx in advance!

metalgeek

There is some good stuff here in this forum:
http://www.sosuave.net/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=21

One of my friends has really bulked up over the past year, mainly it's due to him working out 6 days a week, eating A LOT of protein, and a good balanced diet besides that.

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thingstodo

Just enjoy and be who you are. It's mostly genetics anyway, mostly. That's why women can't bulk up (without a little juicy help, that is). It's so funny that many small guys want to be bigger and many big guys want to be smaller. I'll tell you this...most chicks I know like the slimmer guys that aren't nuts!

I know, none of that helped answer your question. Often, it is really the question behind the question that deserves and answer!

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Zeraph

If you're under 23 or so it may just be your age. When I was under 20 I couldn't gain any fat it seemed. Not that I was trying my hardest or anything, but occationally (usually thanksgiving to christmas) I would eat a lot cheesecake, sweats, etc. and never varied. Now though I have to watch what I eat or I'll noticably gain weight (like 5-10lbs, but I'll always be skinny I think). When we're younger I think our metabolisms just run faster.

charles43

haha thx for the replies.

"most chicks I know like the slimmer guys that aren't nuts!"

yea thats tru thats what I've heard too! But I dunno why I still wanna get bigger lol

So noone here knows anything about weight gainer or NO2?

seizei

You should try the 'see-food' diet. That is, if you see food - eat it. Nutrition is a huge part of gaining muscle.

But not just any food. Skip anything with high amounts of refined sugar and fats. You need whole grains, high quality protein and lots of leafy green vegetables. Aim for 3000-3500 calories per day, if you are working out 4-6 times per week.

Breakfast can be 2 eggs scrambled with some added egg whites, a big bowl of oatmeal, and a few pieces of fruit. Snack later on a bagel with all-natural peanut butter. For lunch, have a chicken breast or 2, with a cup of brown rice, and a serving of any vegetable you like. Have a midafternoon snack of maybe some trail mix and an apple. For dinner, an 8oz strip, round, or flank steak, steamed broccoli, and a baked yam/sweet potato/regular potato. Have some cottage cheese (if you can stand it) or yogurt and leftover meat or lunchmeat for a bedtime snack. Substitute different foods for variety. Have a salmon fillet for dinner one night... chicken fajitas the next... whole wheat pasta instead of yams one night... etc. Try not to get bored with your food.

The key thing is to eat every 3 hours if you want to gain weight (or to lose weight for that matter ... just eat smaller amounts and do alot more cardio)

Drink a LOT of water (4 L per day - 4 large water bottles or 8 small bottles).

For supplements, you said you're taking protein after workouts. Try taking some in the morning as well. Also, within 45 minutes of finishing your workout, have a small meal with a high amount of carbohydrates (some fruit, a bagel, juice...). There's a window of opportunity where your muscles suck up those calories to refuel your energy stores, thus leaving you better healed to handle tomorrow's workout.

Consider adding glutamine to your supplementation, and maybe creatine. (edit - just reread your post and noticed that you don't like creatine. I've never had any problems with it). Both will aid in recovery, and help to increase your strength and as a result, size. After adding those two supplements myself, I beat my max weight record in almost every exercise within a few weeks

I wouldn't rely on and specific 'weight gainer' product - much better to eat right for your goals.

Oh, and make sure you aren't running on a treadmill for an hour per session for your cardio aspect. Look up HIIT (high intensity interval training) and do that instead. I warm up at a 6 mph jog for 3 minutes, then sprint at 11.5mph for 1 minute, then back to 6mph for a minute, repeating back and forth for 15 minutes. Feels awesome and doesn't exhaust my glycogen supply and, most importantly, doesn't break down muscle tissue to provide energy to keep running, which can happen in extended duration runs.

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I'm very interesting ...

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Jason762

Here's something I learned recently. The consumption of fat means more testesterone. Of course that leads to more muscles.

Just try to keep it clean and don't eat a lot of carbs (especially high GI carbs), eata lot of healthy oils (olive oi, sesame oil, coconut oil/milk), moderate "bad" fats (cheese, eggs, beef), and of course protein.

Lift low and heavy (low repititions 4-6 reps, and 80 to 85% of your one rep max).

Weight gainer = your bodyweight * 15 + 500. (Ex: 160*15+500=2900) Eat at least (answer of) bw*15+500 calories.

NO2 is just a mental thing IMO.

Oh, and if you can get and read this book: http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/bookeme.html

I know it looks like it's for wannabe juicers, this dude's stuff works no matter who you are!