vitamins and supplements
 

hey everybody,

so about a week ago i decided to quit smoking and start working out. haha. anyway. it has gone well, but i need to find a good supplement to start gaining some weight. i have been 140 lbs for the past 3 years and eat like crazy and never gain weight. my goal weight is like 170-180 lbs. do you guys know what a good supplement would be to help me gain the weight? i have heard muscle milk is good.

i have started to go to the gym every day for an hour (running every day as well).
any suggestions would be well taken!

Re: vitamins and supplements
 

depends how lean you want to be.. Muscle milk will help you get to your target weight but you will not be cut unless you have an insane cardio work out and eat extremely low amounts of fat.... If you are at 140lbs now and want to hit 180 you need to know that you should expect it to take to mid-july to do it safely. I would take a straight protein supplement and work it so that you are consuming 1.6-1.9 grams of protein per pound of target body weight. In addition to that I would take glutamine before and after every work out. There are a lot of variables though.. Do you just want to look big, are you an athlete (if so, what sport), how lean do you want to be at that target weight, etc etc.....



P.S. What is your height?

Re: vitamins and supplements
 

Iso-Pure Protein FTW and generic brand glutamine FTW... Oh and don't forget a multivitamin....

Re: vitamins and supplements
 

Yeah id start with a good weight gainer, straight protein will help build muscle but you are looking to gain mass as well, which is the precursor to muscle. As Sicksubie said, you have to adjust intake to your goals. If you want to be lean cut, then just consume fresh fruits, veggies, and lean protein. More mass requires more calorie consumption along with the protein, and its easy to get more of a gut with the muscle, which you have to burn off later. It takes lots of protein intake to build up good muscle, but lots of cardio to burn off the calories associated with the extra food intake. Also beware of some of the whey proteins out there, lots of brands contain high levels of cholesterol, which is bad. Lean chicken breast is good, along with a whey supplement for pre and post workout, soy protein is good for nighttime before bed, since it digests over time and nourishes your muscles while youre asleep, the main muscle building time. Also as mentioned, a good multivitamin is vital in the morning, I use Centrum Energy.

Re: vitamins and supplements
 

You're 140 lbs. No offense, but you have no business going for a "lean and cut" routine at this point; you need to build.

A lot of people in the strength-training and bodybuilding community will recommend GOMAD (Gallon Of Milk A Day- whole milk). Do this with some real resistance training (a 5x5 program built around squats is good, like http://www.stronglifts.com) and watch the muscle build!

A lot of what we "know" about saturated fats and cholesterol is based on questionable research. Bottom line, if you're trying to build muscle you need to push calorie rich foods from sources other than sugars. Check out the slow-carb or anabolic diet (I like the slow-carb better). Eat, eat, and eat some more. Don't trust anyone who advises anything less than 2500-3000 calories for your weight.

Also, don't worry too much about getting a gut. If you're doing full body resistance exercises like squats or deadlifts, you'll be building a strong core. Muscle burns fat, so focus on building muscle primarily.

As far as a good protein powder/weight gain, I like Biotest MetabolicDrive and L-Leucine (among other stuff they have, like Receptormax); but I work for them, so I get it for free! You could possibly get similar results with the right foods and training, but not as quickly.

Good luck; lift heavy, rest often!

Re: vitamins and supplements
 

If I were you I'd alter my diet first before taking on any supplements, the right natural foods you consume will have a more significant impact on your weight/muscle growth goals than any supplement ever will. Stick to lots of meat, pork, chicken and red meat, all are loaded with protein, vegetables and drink LOTS of water. Also what is your work out regime? If you are looking to gain muscle mass, definately cut back on your cardio, too much cardio can actually burn muscle. There are so many different ways to address your goals, and what makes it more difficult is that there is no one way to reach those goals. What works for one person may not for another. It really is a trial and error process to determine what works best for you. I've been working out religiously for the past 10 years and have yet to find the "correct" regime that will get me to my goals, granted I run a lot so it is counterproductive to my muscle mass goals, and I work out 6 - 7 days a week and each workout is about 2 hours.

The internet is a wealth of informaiton, but honestly the best reference I have come across is arnold schwarzenegger guide to bodybuilding, granted many of us do not have aspirations to become Mr.Olympia, but this book documents all areas nutrition, exercises, supplements and gives a great foundation to build off of.

My personal experience with supplements to include protein shakes, creatine, weight gainer and multiple vitamins is that they are for the most part placebo's. The reality of it is that exercising is as much a mental as it is physical. Creatine allowed me to get a more cut look and increase actual muscle mass, however, it falsely gives you this idea, because creatine simply causes your body to maintain water in your muscles and gives you the bloated look. Once I was off of it I quickly shrank in size, and also creatine drastically reduced my cardio ability, I was able to run 3 miles in 20 min before, but on the creatine I could still do it but it was significantly more difficult, felt like i had lead in my shoes. For what its worth I remember watching a news program regarding supplements and a doctor stated that all supplements do is give you expensive urine.

So in conclusion, I would straw away from supplements (but that's just me), right now I am benching more and have a more defined physique without any supplements than I ever did while taking them. But you have to see what works for you, one thing is for sure is there is no one quick simple way to obtain mass.

Re: vitamins and supplements
 

And also remember..... "Its not a toomah", "Hasta la vista baby", and of course "Ill be back" should become a regular part of your daily jargon :lol: I was 165 in HS, now im 225 after a few years of dedicated training..... the hardest part is mental.... working out even though your tired, pissed, under the weather, etc.

Re: vitamins and supplements
 

Get married. It will pack the weight on in no time:D I was 120lbs before now Im a robust 170. About had a heart attack thinking rock climbing was the same when I was lighter....oh hell no. Divorced now and looking at getting to around 150 wish me luck:D

Re: vitamins and supplements
 

Chris, not to mention STOP WHINING and GET TO DA CHOPA!! Those are some of my favorite lines. That's pretty impressive that you've been able to add about 60lbs of muscle since high school. I pretty much know what my hurdle is, my diet, and that explains my lack of gaining mass. I was 160 in HS as well and now, 27, I am 180. My daily calorie intake is maybe 2000 - 2500 at most, definately need to boost that up.

Re: vitamins and supplements
 

Well.... I grew 4 inches since then also :D I WISH it were 60lbs muscle.... I do also have a little padding in the midsection.... my target weight is about 210. My hurdle is not being able to do cardio at all, I have a nerve entrapment from my hernia surgery and even walking gives me a sharp throbbing in my groin :( Upper body workouts just give me endorphins to reduce the pain.... thats my biggest motivator.

Re: vitamins and supplements
 

I highly agree that the diet plays the biggest impact. It's not so much a diet as it is a lifestyle change. I currently eat about 5-6 small meals a day and work out about 4 times a week. The muscle confusion theory works pretty well as it avoids the plateau effect.

I weighed 115 pounds a year and a half ago. 3 months ago I peaked at 162 pounds, and now am stable at 155. Age plays a big part in it too, as I've found its much easier to put on weight after finishing school. If I can i'll dig up some before and after pictures.

Re: vitamins and supplements
 

hey everybody thanks for your input! i have decided to do a multi-vitamin routine (w/ glutamine) and muscle milk for a few months. what people have said is that as long as I stay on my running habit that my cardio will help keep fat away. is that true? will I gain the weight if I continue running?

Re: vitamins and supplements
 

bacon.


its delicious, too.

Re: vitamins and supplements
 

Running will help keep you cut. You just have to keep in mind that running is a catabolic exercise, meaning that it will burn the most calories from fat, but as you run out of fat to burn you will be burning muscle. Lifting would be more of an anabolic exercise but the problem wtih that is if you dont run you will gain mass but not be cut. It's all a compromise.

Re: vitamins and supplements
 

You will also want to do cardio activity other than running. The more you do of one exercise the less energy you will be exerting. For example, say you run 2 miles within 15 minutes, you do this for about a month a 3/4 times a week. In the beginning this will be a shock to the system and as a result cause your body to burn more calories. As time goes on your body will become accustom to that exercise and hence require less calories to burn. So the alternative is to incorporate other cardio activities such as playing sports, swimming, biking, you name it anything that gets your heart rate up. For me, because I enjoy running I switch up my running workouts one day will be stamina where I'll just run 5 miles at a constant pace, another day I'll do hill intervals other days I'll do speed workouts, all to prevent my body from plateuing and constantly changing what muscles are worked.

To answer your question, if you are looking to do all at once meaning get cut, get bigger and still be able to keep up your cardio routine you need to consume many more calories at least 3 - 4,000. Again, diet is the key. Supplements will help but these are inorganic chemicals made in a factory that aren't approved by the FDA. In addition, your body will process these supplements differently then say natural sources of protein, sugars and fats, the latter having a more substantial impact on your body's nutritional requirements.

Quick question, in your first post you said that you "eat like crazy", what are you eating? In addition, when you are working out are you working out till failure? A proper weight training routine can be just as effective as a carido workout. For instance, I used to take a long time at least a minute or two between each set, now I take at most 30 seconds between each set and am breathing heavier and sweating much more. It makes obvious sense but a lot of times we become complacent in our workouts and wonder why aren't seeing gains when the issue is that we (I) am not pushing myself.