Ectomorph - Need help?

[sportboardn]

Hello,

I have been training for awhile now, not professionally or anything, and have a pretty good idea of what I am doing. However, I do have a problem with nutrtion, and eating the right foods. Basically, I do not know recipes, how to cook them or where to find good ones. I am 6' even, and stuck at 160lbs.. This is not something I am happy about, and know that I could gain weight with the right diet and supplements. I just don't know what to look at.

I am looking to gain again, both in mass, and muscle strength, and am not sure the best, and quickest way to go about it. I would like to stay away from anabolics if possible, but am open to suggestions. I have heard talk of Oxydrene recently, and am wondering if it is really a beneficial addition to my supplements. Currently, I use Myoplex Deluxe, with Glutamine, but have not really added any other supplements to my list yet. I have used phospagen, but dont' really want to use something that I will have to keep taking to maintain my size.

I am probably asking a lot, but if there is any help out there, I would really appreciate it. - Nutrition and workout routines would be great, any suggestions I can get.

Thanks

 

[sysopt]

I feel your pain man, perhaps more, I used to be about 5'10" and 135 lbs. Now I'm closing in on your weight, about 157. What's your overall nutrition look like? calories? carb/protien intake? If I were you I would eat minimum 3000 calories, maybe 3500, possibly more. Carbs should be the main piece in your diet. As far as protien intake, I don't know, because this is an extremely controversial issue. I was talking to a trainer and a damn good one at that, he trains some pro teams and he says the football players take in about 1g/1.5kg which equals about 1g/.7 lbs. That means you should take in about 115 grams. If you split it up between six meals, that would be about 20 per meal. Those football dudes seem pretty muscular to me. Good luck man.

 

[Welsh power house]

Try to eat 5 + meals a day, yeah it sounds alot but size them down and spread them out for every 3 hours.


Keep carbs the highest nutrient you are taking in, but make sure you get in around 120-160 grams of protein(that should be ok for your weight, up it when you gain some weight) take 1 protein drink a day.


Example:

meal 1: 8:00am: 80grams oats, milk, vitamins


meal 2: 11:00 am: chicken breast, potatoes or rice


meal 3: 2:00 pm: meat sanwich in whole meal bread


meal 4: 5:00 pm: myoplex drink


meal 5: 8:00pm: jacket potato, backed beans and glass of milk


meal 6: anything you want, take an above example or if you cant eat any more food, just have a myoplex in milk.


Try to eat well, and you should gain well.

Try to eat as much rice, potatoes or bread in one meal as you can.
I know eating chicken is hard all the time, but thats what it takes.....try to eat one portion of meat a day(at least) putting it into a sandwich helps, use salad as well.


It is up to you, but i would use creatine monohydrate to supplement your diet.

Dont go over board on supplements, yes a myoplex a day is good, but solid foods are better, try to stick to 1 serving a day and eat meat and veg instead(if you can get all the food down!)

Good luck bro.

W.P.H

 

[Welsh power house]

as for training, keep it simple...compound basics are what give you the best gains in strength and muscle mass.
If you are playing a sport, dont go over 2-3 workouts a week...you will overtrain!

I do two workouts a week:

day 1:

bench press 4 sets of 4 reps
dips 3 sets of maximum reps
squats 4 sets of 8-10 reps
a back combo of 6 deadlifts, 6 barbell rows and 6 shrugs(3 sets)
shoulder press 2 sets
dumbell curls 1 set to failure
pushdowns 1 set to failure


day 2:

incline bench press 4 sets
dips 3 sets
squats 3 sets
lat pulldowns 4 sets
shoulder press 2 sets
curls 1 set
pushdowns 1 set

my whole body gets worked from rugby so this is enough for me to grow from.
i am having great results in strength so far and am gaining weight!

 

[J-Ro]

About 1.5 years ago I was exactly your size, height and weight. I trained hard, but I realized that I have to eat big if I wanted size. That's all I did was eat, eat and eat some more. I'm 185 now and looking great. Diet is important if you want to grow. Just set your mind to it.

 

[mattcanning99]

http://www.t-mag.com/html/body_139pnd.html

that is a good link that i would recommend to all ectomorphs...do you know what your BMR is? ie...how many calories you burn per day...to gain 1 pound of muscle per week, ideally you would want to eat 350 calories per day more than you burn.

 

[sportboardn]

Thanks

Thanks for all the help, appreciate the info. - Now to put it to use. -

 

[mattcanning99]

Re: Thanks

Thanks for all the help, appreciate the info. - Now to put it to use. -

this is the hardest part

maybe we should start some type of online competition for all the ectomorphs here, to see who can gain the most weight by january...might be a cool idea

 

[Whiskey]

my 2 cents

hey bro, a good way to eat a "healthy" steak is to rinse it under hot water after you cook it!! It will wash away some of the fat, the same with tace meat, it will really help the taco meat since it is ground up. One other way for fat free protein, TOFU. I have been adding it to alof of stuff lately. It will take on the flavor of what you cook it with. I like to put it in my eggs. Yes, I am crazy. Mens health is a good source for low fat recipies. That is where I got those. Good luck.

Whiskey

 

[Core]

I have the same problem as you. Make sure and take a digestive enzyme after each meal. I've been using them for awhile now and they seem to really help.

 

[testbuilt]

if your having trouble gaining weight, your not eating enough. Period. Sorry if it sounds harsh, but its the truth. The basic formula is Cal In VS Cal Out = bodyweight. If you are burning more calories during the day than your taking in... your will lose weight. It sounds like you are at a maintenance level right now. Try to measure your food for one week, and calculate how many calories you are taking in, on average. Try to add about 500 cal/day for 2 weeks and see what happens. You need to be consistant and make sure that you reach your calorie goal EVERY DAY, regardless of what time you need to eat. This system worked well for me, and I was able to put on a lot of lean mass over the last 4-5 years. I am currently 5'8, 210lbs, and carrying around 11% BF. I am hoping to hit 215 by Christmas, and then 220 by march. I will gain a little more BF, but I can diet that off in the spring, and hope to hit the stage at a shredded 190+
good luck, and go hard bro
test

 

[Thaashit]

i agree with testbuilt, but disagree with another post
syspot
i think 1g/.7 lb ( or simpler 1.5 g/1 lb) is a good rule, but if he weighs 160, the math says he should take in 228 g. And I don't know if anyone else would agree with me, but protein intake is NOT controversial. Protein is the building block of muscle.
Pro trainers aren't bodybuilders, this is two different areas of lifting weights. I am a strength coach assistant for fun at my alma mater and some exercises we make the athletes do I would never touch ( air ball stability, tube pulls, spiderman (=wicked)), they are training to play sports, not for massive quads or a wide ass back.
I used to weigh 180 when i ran track in college, now I'm 210 with about the same bf % i had when i was running. I FEEL YOUR PAIN SPORTBOARDN The answer I tell everyone - EAT! 5,000 calories a day, about 200-250 grams of proein a day. 5-6 meals/day. No cardio. The most important thing..stick with it. The results won't come tomorrow, or in a week, but it will come Good luck bro

 

[calvesodeath]

Try to eat 5 + meals a day, yeah it sounds alot but size them down and spread them out for every 3 hours.Keep carbs the highest nutrient you are taking in, but make sure you get in around 120-160 grams of protein(that should be ok for your weight, up it when you gain some weight) take 1 protein drink a day.

I agree totally with this. Essentially what I did 2 years ago at 150# 6' ... now I am 175# and hope to hit 180" within the next 5-6 months

 

[sysopt]

Thaashit, if you think there are no arguments about protien intake, then you simply don't know. Don't say there aren't any other opinion's because you never heard the other side. I saw a study that showed eating more than .8 or .9 grams/pound made ZERO difference. Did you know that a pregnant woman or someone with an injury needs more protien than a weightlifter? BTW what I was telling sportboardn was simply a guideline, not an absolute. peace.

 

[Jvesti1234]

hey bro, a good way to eat a "healthy" steak is to rinse it under hot water after you cook it!! It will wash away some of the fat, the same with tace meat, it will really help the taco meat since it is ground up. One other way for fat free protein, TOFU. I have been adding it to alof of stuff lately. It will take on the flavor of what you cook it with. I like to put it in my eggs. Yes, I am crazy. Mens health is a good source for low fat recipies. That is where I got those. Good luck.

Whiskey
<br><hr>

Umm whiskey don't rinse anything under hot water, hot water loosens up lead in the drinking water pipes. it's loaded with lead

 

[p0ink]

been there

When I was a junior in high school i was 150 at 6'3. i looked like I had cancer. It was horrible to say the least. If you are after gaining size, you really have to want it, and I really mean you have to want it. You should eat, sleep, and breathe putting on size. Don't waste your money on all these flashy supplements. Stick to the basics. Get a good multivitamin, a good weight gainer (N-Large is my favorite), some flax oil, and creatine. Stick to primarily to compound movements (deadlifts, squats, bench, cleans, etc) and dont worry so much about isolation movements. Another thing, log what you eat and count your calories. This was my big mistake. I was saying all I do is eat, but when i started counting, i was nowhere near what i should be. Eat like a starving somalian. I have made very good progress since then, I am now a sophmore in college and hovering around 235. Just eat, eat, eat, eat and eat some more.

 

[VicTusDeuS]

I try to drink atleast 32 Ounces of Nesquick chocklate milk a night and a bunch of potatoe bread...its all carbs calories and protein...If u can stomach all the lactose go for it.....I built my tolerance up over the last 8 months to be able to drink all this milk. I used to wake up in the middle of the night with cramps and shit but now its not bad at all..

 

[Bulk]

1g/1.5kg = 1g/3lbs ! something is wrong, it should be 1.5g/kg (this isn't a lot...)

 

[Tadanga]

victusdeus just brought up an interesting point : the impact on the digestive system of such a sudden increase in food intake.
Since it is almost never brought up, I assume very few people had any problems doubling their protein intake or with the multiplication of meals.
I would imagine this stress on the digestive system would at least provoke bloating, excessive fatigue and poor sleep due to intense digestion or transit irregularities (constipation or diarrhea). Do these symptoms persist long after the expected initial shock to the system ?

More importantly, besides discovering that you may very well be lactose/gluten intolerant, could this diet trigger food intolerances and/or allergies ?

Has anyone experienced any of this ?

 

[slimjim1985]

talk about raising the dead