Help me gain weight!

[bignateyk]

Some background info:

About 9 months ago, I decided that I wanted to gain some weight. I am currently 22 years old and 5' 11" tall. When I started, I weighed 128lbs. 9 months later, I weigh 144lbs, but my goal was to reach 160 after a year, so im falling a bit short.

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I have a very high metabolism, so gaining is hard to do. First off: my diet:

Breakfast: 2 eggs, 2 slices bacon, whole wheat bagel, glass of milk + multivitamen.
Lunch: Lunch meat sandwich on whole wheat bread + potato chips
Snack1 (after gym): Whey protein shake (banana, milk, peanut butter, 30 grams whey)
Dinner: Usually consists of chicken breast of pork chop w/ potato or rice and a green veggie
Snack2(before bed): Several ounces of cheese w/ grapes and crackers.

I get 100+ grams of protein a day, and plenty of calories.

Should I consider starting to take creatine? Would this help with weight gain?

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Next off: my workout routine:

I do 3 sets of each exercise, and I start with my heaviest weight so that I max out after 9 or 10 reps in each set.

Each workout day, I also do alot of core + abs stuff inbetween each set of lifting.

I have a 3 day workout cycle:

Day 1: Chest / Triceps
Flat bench
Incline Bench
Pec Fly
One-arm tricep extension
Decline bench

Day 2: Shoulders / legs
Military Press
Lat Raise
Front Raise
Reverse Curl
Shoulder Shrugs

Leg Press
Leg Extension
Calf Raise
Squats

Day 3:Back / Biceps
I use hammer-strength machines for most back exercises
Compound Row
Underhand Row
Lat Pulldown
Dumbell Row
Bicep Curl
Wrist Curl
Reverse Wrist Curl

On the off-days, I do pushups, pullups, situps, etc...

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I have seen amazing gains with the amount of weight I can lift, but I havent gained as much weight as I was expecting.

For example, my dumbell bench has gone from 70lbs to 140lbs, and barbell bench from 95lb to 165lb. Likewise, I can dumbell curl 40lb dumbells in a set of 10, when I started with 15lb dumbells. Having a single digit body fat, and weighing 144lbs, I look extremely muscular and toned, but i'd still like to put on more weight.

Is there anything else I can do to gain weight, such as the creatine I mentioned?

I'm due to start boxing later in the spring, so i'm hoping to pack on a few more pounds.

Thanks for any suggestions!


edit: as requested: some "after" pictures. Sorry, I dont have any before pictures. The quality sucks, but its the best I could do from home...

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e102/bignateyk/Photo1.jpg
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e102/bignateyk/Photo2.jpg
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e102/bignateyk/Photo3.jpg

 

[j00fek]

keep eating

 

[tfinch2]

Your simply not eating enough.

 

[JDrake]

Eat more.
And nice job, btw :thumbsup:

 

[Jittos]

the 2 eggs, 2 slices bacon every morning don't look too healthy. Are there better alternatives for breakfast?

 

[HN]

360 posts since 2002? you simply don't post enough

 

[bignateyk]

should I be eating more protein, or just more calories in general? Would it help to eat a slow digesting protein right before bed (such as cottage cheese)?

Originally posted by: Jittos
the 2 eggs, 2 slices bacon every morning don't look too healthy. Are there better alternatives for breakfast?

not that I can think of that would give me protein a good amount of protein...

 

[Nutdotnet]

Yup you need to eat...eat....eat....eat


Also, I'd quit doing the pushups/situps on off-days...you have to give time for your muscles to rest. Muscles grow while healing & resting...

 

[purbeast0]

so hold up ... you are on a 3 day cycle?

does that mean you do those exercises every 3 days and do each muscle group 2 times a week?

 

[DougK62]

Originally posted by: Jittos
the 2 eggs, 2 slices bacon every morning don't look too healthy. Are there better alternatives for breakfast?

It really doesn't matter for his size, age, and exercise routine. He can eat whatever he wants.

 

[DaShen]

Eat more healthy stuff and more of it overall.

If you take creatine, glutamine is also good, but I wouldn't take it. It is better to let your body naturally progress. Your metabolism will slow as you age, so I wouldn't worry about putting on that much weight anyways.

Best advice I can give is talk to a specialist, like a nutritionist and get them to tell you how much calories and what type you need.

 

[everman]

Make sure it's more muscle mass you gain. That weighs a lot more than fat for the same volume.

 

[bobbybe01]

Maybe talk to Barry Bonds?

jk--I'm actually in the same predicament as you are. I'm 6'4 and I started off between 175-180 a month or so ago, now I'm about 187--still need to eat more I guess...and workout more too.

 

[Nutdotnet]

Originally posted by: Jittos
the 2 eggs, 2 slices bacon every morning don't look too healthy. Are there better alternatives for breakfast?

That's fine for him and his metabolism. At this point in the game he needs to just eat.

To the OP: you're NOT eating enough. When I was "bulking" my breafast looked like this:

6 eggs (half whole and half white-only)
1 Cup Oatmeal
1 Tablespoon PB or Olive Oil

Then I would eat every 2-3 hours after that...and I am considered a "mesomorph". My natural weight (what I am right now, I haven't worked out in nearly a year) is between 165-175 (I'm 5'10"). I was consuming over 3,000kcals a day. For someone with your metabolism you'd need to probably eat even more then that.

 

[Nutdotnet]

Originally posted by: purbeast0
so hold up ... you are on a 3 day cycle?

does that mean you do those exercises every 3 days and do each muscle group 2 times a week?

Good question.

 

[JoeFahey]

Originally posted by: Nutdotnet
Yup you need to eat...eat....eat....eat


Also, I'd quit doing the pushups/situps on off-days...you have to give time for your muscles to rest. Muscles grow while healing & resting...

QFT

After you work on a muscle for a day, give the muscle a rest the next. And like everyone else said, your problem is that you aren't eating enough. EAT MORE!

 

[edro]

Great job on your bulk. Did you take before / after pictures? You don't have to post them, just curious.

If you really want the muscle to pour on, you need to push yourself harder in the gym and EAT MORE. At every meal, add more of whatever you are eating. Gaining weight is tough and you need to eat until you want to puke.

 

[bignateyk]

I lift every other day, usually a total of 3-4 times a week. I really have a problem keeping down alot of food in the morning, so I dont think i'd be able to eat much more for breakfast. The next problem is that I then have class straight from when I leave in the morning until around 2:30 or 4:30 each day. I usually eat my lunch around 3, and then go to the gym, and eat all that other stuff in the span from like 6 until I go to bed.

I wish I could afford those protein snack barsto eat while at class.

 

[purbeast0]

Originally posted by: Nutdotnet

Originally posted by: purbeast0
so hold up ... you are on a 3 day cycle?

does that mean you do those exercises every 3 days and do each muscle group 2 times a week?

Good question.

Yah and still no answer

Also, you want a lot more than 100g protein a day. If you are bulking up, you want AT LEAST 1g of protein per pound you weigh. I would recommend going 1.5 - 2 grams of protein per pound you weigh though.

 

[purbeast0]

Originally posted by: bignateyk
I lift every other day, usually a total of 3-4 times a week. I really have a problem keeping down alot of food in the morning, so I dont think i'd be able to eat much more for breakfast. The next problem is that I then have class straight from when I leave in the morning until around 2:30 or 4:30 each day. I usually eat my lunch around 3, and then go to the gym, and eat all that other stuff in the span from like 6 until I go to bed.

I wish I could afford those protein snack barsto eat while at class.

Well i just noticed you only get 100g of protein a day. that is way too low. When I'm just maintaining I get 1g per pound I weigh (usually 2-3 protein shakes a day). When I'm bulking I take 3 shakes per day and eat like a madman.

 

[shoRunner]

creatine made a huge difference for weight gain and strength with me when i started taking it.

 

[bignateyk]

I usually do chest monday, shoulder/leg wednesday, and back friday, and then sometimes i'll lift again on saturday or sunday.

I dont really have any before pictures, but I could get a current one maybe.

 

[shortspanishguy]

Your protein is lacking. Eat like a Monster and you will grow. I weigh 161 @ 5'4'' and I get 200-250 grams of protein per day... I am growing like a weed. My goal is 175. Ill be there by the end of summer.

 

[Nutdotnet]

Originally posted by: bignateyk
I lift every other day, usually a total of 3-4 times a week. I really have a problem keeping down alot of food in the morning, so I dont think i'd be able to eat much more for breakfast. The next problem is that I then have class straight from when I leave in the morning until around 2:30 or 4:30 each day. I usually eat my lunch around 3, and then go to the gym, and eat all that other stuff in the span from like 6 until I go to bed.

I wish I could afford those protein snack barsto eat while at class.

Ok...those are just excuses.

Anyway, is this a 3-day per week workout regimen or a 3-day work regimen?

You do give yourself time to rest right? You should really only work a bodypart one time a week. What many people don't realize is that a lot of your muscles are worked out in a supportive role when you work other muscles.

For example, when you bench you work your triceps, shoulders, as well as your chest. When you do a Row, you work your back, your biceps, and your shoulders. Your stomach gets worked out in nearly every exersice that you do (it's a primary stabilizing muscle).

Over-working the muscles can have negative effects on your growth...rest is just as important as going to the gym is.

 

[TimMyMac]

my word, I probably barely touch 2000 calories a day and I'm over 200 pounds. with that kind of metabolism do you need to sleep?