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Muscle where art thou?

Discussion in 'Physical & Sexual Health' started by Connor22, Mar 5, 2011.

  1. Connor22

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    Ok so lately I am becoming REALLY annoyed at my, well scrawniness (did I spell that right) I mean I'm skinny and basically none of me is body fat except a thin layer, I weigh 8 1/2 stone and exercise very regularly, I do kickboxing once a week, swimming once a week, walk a mile to school every week day and run a few miles on the weekends, my problem is basically a lack of well stength and muscle, how do I change that? I mean I've heard of protein shakes etc but honestly haven't a clue about them. Any advice?
     
  2. RedState

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    Well, you are doing a lot of cardio work it seems, (running, swimming etc) which is excellent for your cardiovascular system.
    It would seem that you are also burning a lot of calories as well...and if you are really skinny you could be an ectomorph, or a hard gainer when it comes to muscle mass. Some people are like that, their metabolism is very high and it is difficult for them to put on weight.
    Yes, protein shakes can help..but it will take more than protein shakes to put on muscle mass.
    One of the biggest factors (other than going to the gym obviously) is what you eat, what your diet is like, when you eat etc.
    Protein certainly is one the biggest factors when you are trying to build muscle, but you also need a good combination of carbohydrates too.

    If you want to start putting on some mass, you may want to scale back some of your cardio work as well.
     
  3. Connor22

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    so basically a different diet and less cardio?
     
  4. RedState

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    Well, it's a little more complicated. You need to put together a good weight training routine, change those up every so often, give your body sufficient time to recover between sets, have a steady stream on nutrients flowing in your system through the day.
    The biggest factor in your case (if it is very hard for you to put on weight) is to up your caloric intake dramatically...and I'm not talking about doing that by eating cheeseburgers, but good foods and yes even throw in some simple carbs like whole wheat pasta.
    It's kinda a hassle but I try to eat clean foods throughout the day (6-7 times).
    By clean foods I mean your grilled chicken, turkey, fish..maybe some almonds here and there. for my carbs maybe 1/2 or cup of whole wheat pasta, sweet potato, whole wheat brown rice, red potato etc. I cook a bunch of stuff at the beginning of the week and prepare it before hand and carry my meals in a cooler with me to work and stuff. Granted I'm kinda a nut about this stuff, but that's what I do.
    Before I got to bed on most occasions I take in when is called Casein protein...it's a slow dissolving protein that help keeps your muscles fueled while you are sleeping.

    The important thing to remember (if you have never really weight trained before) is to take it slow, ease into and realize that you are not going to see results over night. A lot of people get injured very quickly by trying to do too much too early at the gym.
     
  5. Connor22

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    ok that sounds great, I'll give it a try
     
  6. Rikudo

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    Redstate pretty much covered everything. I'd also as how long you've been doing your exercise regiment because if you've only recently started this say for example if you're only 2 months into it then I'd say keep on sticking with it cause it takes lots & lots of time.
     
  7. Connor22

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    I've been doing this regime since September so is that enough time to shake it up or what?
     
  8. RedState

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    you mean a weight training routine?
    If it is than yes..that is way too long to stick with the same workout. If you stick with the same routine too long (from a muscle building aspect that is) your body will adapt to it and stop growing. It's called reaching a plateau. Muscle confusion is what builds more muscle. I change mine up every few weeks or so...hell sometimes I change it from week to week.

    From a weight training standpoint, there are literally hundreds of routines out there.
     
    #8 RedState, Mar 5, 2011
    Last edited: Mar 5, 2011
  9. Connor22

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    ok but I meant what I described earlier on the cardio standpoint, thanks btw
     
  10. RedState

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    oh ok.
    a good google search will give you a wealth of information (some bad, some good) on different routines.
    All you need (other than eating good clean foods) is a good protein and carb supplement. Stay way from all that junk that claims to add 20lbs of muscle in 2 months. Those are nothing but crap and they could do potential harm to your body.
    Good luck with everything!
     
  11. Connor22

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    thanks man that's really helpful, good thing too otherwise I would have gone and got some cardboard or sometihng XD