Genetics...why am i not gifted

[YoungIntricateMuscle]

doesn't it make you mad about some guys who are just big and musclular without ever lifting weights and some guys coming to the gym once a month and still be toned and muscluar? Im a 5ft 7 135 pound ectomorph and very skinny. No matter how much i eat and how i eat my muscles don't want to get bigger. When i try to increase fats and calories i just increase bodyfat and my stomach gets bigger. My arms and shoulders stay the same. I eat up to 270 grams of protein a day and for a very long time.

Sometimes i can understand people who take steroids because its not their fault their born that way, but i can't understand those guys who want to take shortcuts and the easy way out with out chaning much like diet and training harder. No matter how much compound lifts i do i still won't get bigger. Squats, deadlifts, rows, bench, i do all of it but my strength goes up only a little at a time and i try not to overtrain. I stayed at 135 after a whole year of weight training. Im 16, but at least i could be 148 after a whole year. Then it pisses me off at looking at people on roids when they already got a big frame and i have to be naturally small and working out like hell infront of all those people. It sucks being really skinny and unmuscluar after working out for so long and looking at more muscular people who never worked out. I never plan on giving up. My rage just builds up and i put it all out on the weights. But even with all the rage and power i put into getting the weights up my muscles stay the same. Its been way too long. I really need some motivation. I was inspired by the movie pumping iron in which got me into bodybuilding, but its taking way too long for results to come in and my friends have to call me small when they never workout and are just naturally big. Its hard to stay in the game of bodybuilding. For everyone who thinks they aint getting any results, trust me don't worry about it. That was just some rage i had to get out from today. Tough day. Well i guess tomorrow i got to get in the gym and work 10 times harder. I think im up at 10,000 times working harder. Well you can't nver stop working harder i guess. The gym is mine. I own all those weights. There nothing. Kids weights. I got it.

 

[Sassy69]

Well, speaking as someone now entering their 40s and fighting my whole life to not be the girl w/ 15 extra pounds even though I can build nice big muscle - everyone freeking thinks I'm a powerlifter. That's not the look I was goign for, you know?

Anyway -- my brother was always the one w/ the smaller build so I sorta know where you are coming from. You are 16 right now and I know the time probably doesn't seem like it goes fast enough for all the work you do - but you do have two things in your favor -- you are still coming into your optimum natural testosterone production -- so even for those big guys who get into the roids at your age -they are sort of fucking themselves when they should be using what God gave them instead of stunting their own natural production. And second, you're still growing. Not done yet.

Right now, despite all the work and the apparent limited results, you are building up both your knowledge of nutrition & training, developing tight form and a solid base to build on as you go. "Fitness" is never really a destination but rather an ongoing evolution - everything you put into it doesn't get wasted - it may not be physically apparent like you'd like it to be, but it all goes towards constant improvement in your results, your knowledge & your overall health.

I totally acknowledge your rant, but don't ever let your frustrations keep you from movign forward because one day when you least expect it you'll be "the stud" in the group.

Look into training & diet specifically for hard gainers so that can optimize what you do for your body type. But also remember that you will probably never have the issues of gaining extra bodyfat easily and for all those poor guys who have to do craploads of cardio & dieting to get rid of the excess fat you will be the most hated person they know.

 

[fortunatesun]

Rage is good.

Focused rage is even better. At your age if you're not growing,there's probably something in your training plan that you're not considering.

As an ectomorph, it's important that you stick with the basic heavy movements for every bodypart. None of that isolation stuff. That means squats for legs, stiff leg or Romanian deadlifts for thighs, bench for chest, dumbell or military/push presses for shoulders, close-grip benchpress and skullcrushers for tris, chin-ups, barbell rows, T-bar rows, deadlift for back.
You need to lift as heavy as possible, increasing your rest time between sets if necessary. Don't work the same bodypart twice without at least 72 hrs. rest between workouts. Make sure you get enough sleep. 8hrs. is enough, though, because you need to wake up and start eating again.

I don't know how you eat, but I still suspect DIET is the major reason you're not putting on any weight. Check out these short articles for the basics:

The Top 25 Ways To Pack On Serious Mass I
Serious Mass II Serious Mass III

 

[Sassy69]

If you havent' already, stick your diet in a food counts program like www.fitday.com - post up on the diet board & get some feed back on it - never hurts to see if what you are doing is fueling what your goals are.

 

[Tweakle]

You're 16. I was about 130 at your age, although I never lifted and lived off snickers and coke... don't expect any serious progress at your age unless you're a meso, which apparently you aren't. You're not done growing yet

 

[s8nlilhlpr]

Just to add to it, I was 140lbs when I graduated high school, and ~145 after culinary school. 23, finally up to 175.....still slowly climbing but its a battle to keep those lbs on. As an ecto, you can't afford to miss any meals.

 

[YoungIntricateMuscle]

thanks for the help.....here is my diet below

g=grams of protein
Meal 1 – 29g – 7:00 am
4 boiled eggs – 24g
1 serving oatmeal – 5g

Meal 2 – 25g – 10:30 am
1 slice multigrain bread – 5g
3 ounce oven roasted healthy choice turkey breast – 15g
Monterey Jack cheese – 5g
w/ lettuce and a thin slice of tomato

Meal 3 – 35g – 12:00 pm
5 ounce Breaded Fried/Baked Chicken Breast Strips – 35g
Or
Can of tuna in water with lemon squeezed and cracked pepper – 35g
with diced up yams or potatoes

Meal 4 – pre-workout – 24g – 3:00pm
1 serving Bipro with oatmeal powder – 24g

Basketball - 3:00pm-4:30pm
Workout – 4:30pm- 5:30pm

Meal 5 – after-workout – 20g – 5:30pm
1 serving Bipro with 25g dextrose and 25g maltodextrin – 20g

Meal 6 – 55g - 7:00pm
7 ounces steak/lamb/flounder/tilapia/chicken -50g
Buckwheat/Brown Rice – 5g
Broccoli/Asparagus/tomatoe and cucumber salad

Meal 7 – 55g -
7 ounces steak/lamb/flounder/tilapia/chicken
Buckwheat/Brown Rice – 5g
Broccoli/Asparagus

Meal 8 – 31g
Low fat Cottage Cheese or Low fat Farmer’s Cheese – 15g
2 glasses skim milk

Daily Total – 270g of protein

My weight 135 x 2 = 270
and yes i do compound exercises only and no islolation only when supersetting after the compound exercises for only one set.

 

[s8nlilhlpr]

ok, it looks like you are eating enough calories to stay 135 without LOSING weight. Protein is only 4 cals per gram, that means you eat ~1000 cals of protein. 1 oatmeal, 1 slice of bread, 2 servings of vegetables. Barely anything, though I know, to you it seems like you are constantly eating. Right now, I hate to say it, you need to drop the complex carbs for breakfast/snacks. Yes, in the long run they are great and nutrient dense, but they also fill you up for a long time, and have low cals. There's a diet plan somewhere on t-nation about bulking a "skinny man". Basically, kill yourself on simple carbs, which digets quickly. Any chips that are fat free, pretzles, instant mashed potatoes, mac and cheese, etc. Protein is good for you, but not as important as CALORIES. Say it with me now, CALORIES. drop the canned tuna, and "lean" deli meats. Get chicken/beef, fry it/deep fry it/saute it then douse it in a calorie rich sauce.

 

[fortunatesun]

Great post, s8nlilhlpr. I think I found that article you mentioned:The Skinny Bastard Diet

I just want to emphasize a point made in the article. Those fish oil supps he wants you to take are important. You mentioned yourself how upping your cal. and fat intake makes you look fat. The fish oil will help a good deal with this. They are a good source of calories by themselves, but they will also help you metabolize your increased intake so it's not stored. If you buy the liquid form it's much less expensive. You have to allow for a little leeway though. If you want to gain weight (and I think you already know this) you've got to consume an excess amount of calories. Not all of it can be utilized as lean mass. But at least this way you'll be able to cut down on the bloating.

 

[Illuminati]

ok, it looks like you are eating enough calories to stay 135 without LOSING weight. Protein is only 4 cals per gram, that means you eat ~1000 cals of protein. 1 oatmeal, 1 slice of bread, 2 servings of vegetables. Barely anything, though I know, to you it seems like you are constantly eating. Right now, I hate to say it, you need to drop the complex carbs for breakfast/snacks. Yes, in the long run they are great and nutrient dense, but they also fill you up for a long time, and have low cals. There's a diet plan somewhere on t-nation about bulking a "skinny man". Basically, kill yourself on simple carbs, which digets quickly. Any chips that are fat free, pretzles, instant mashed potatoes, mac and cheese, etc. Protein is good for you, but not as important as CALORIES. Say it with me now, CALORIES. drop the canned tuna, and "lean" deli meats. Get chicken/beef, fry it/deep fry it/saute it then douse it in a calorie rich sauce.

s8nlilhlpr----i finally figured out what the hell your login name says!


youngintricatemuscle---- dont even worry about everybody else. concentrate on yourself, and trying to make improvements every week. i know that is easier said then done. just like everybody else, I have my own story. I remember being 16, and getting pinned under a bar doing bench press with 25lb plates on each side (95lbs), and having a very attractive looking college girl pull the bar off of me. this game takes time and persistance. just keep plugging away.
one thing i would question at your age, is are you getting enough sleep?