How to gain mass/weight?

[BritNoob]

I signed up to a gym yesterday and got myself weighed for the first time in while I was surprised by how litle I weigh. Since I started Karate a few months ago i have changed my dieting habits and have lost weight off my stomach area but I've always been a skinny, lanky guy and I've noticed that during Karate my partner will always find it easy to get me off balance because I am tall and mainly because I weight so little.

 

I am 6'2" and just under 11st and the machine told me I need to gain about a stone to be ideal weight.

 

Anyway, as I've signed up to this gym i'd like to know what exercises and what machines to use to build up my mass. I want to put weight on without putting it on my gut. I aim to work on my upper body, mainly the arms, shoulders, chest and abs as these will help me in Karate. I find that where I am skinny it's easier to land a hit on a bony shoulder for example

 

I don't want to get massive, I just want to get a little chunkier and stronger. How many reps and sets of each exercise are good to begin with? I do plenty of sit ups and push ups during Karate so my Triceps and abs are used to the exercise but my deltoids and biceps aren't so accustomed to it.

 

I'd appreciate some tips frm the experts here, thanks in advance

[Rich67]

In order to gain mass, you must do the following:

 

1) Consume more calories in the form of protein

 

2) Lift heavy and use compound movements

 

Simply put, if you want to gain lean body mass while keeping low bodyfat, you need to have a perfect balance in your daily caloric intake. This means you need to take in high quality carbs and protein while making sure the total calories aren't too much...I can't get into all the details here. It'd take forever. Main thing is, eat a little more but not too much, and make sure most of that is in the form of high protein meals.

 

As for lifting, stick to compound exercises. Bench (incline and flat), squats, rows, dips, chins or pullups, straight bar curls and overhead presses. Keep the reps from 5-12.

[Croy]

pretty much what rich said, what worked for me was eating LOTS of protein, your gonna have to learn to love tuna or start buying protien shakes and such. your chest and legs will be contributing most of the added weight do to the fact that those are the larger muscle groups. i can't remember the exact equation for protien intake, but i'm currently 6'0 and 190lbs (lost 10 over past few weeks preparing for a tourny), but i believe i'd have to eat like 6 cans of tuna a day just to make the minimum. i'm not 100% sure on this info, but it did work for me and i highly recommend it if you feel your too thin. PROTEIN PROTEIN PROTEIN

 

hope this helps

Edited September 10, 2004 by Croy

[Vito]

talk to any guy who could be defined as a weight lifter or bodybuilder. theyll know.

[Rich67]

pretty much what rich said, what worked for me was eating LOTS of protein, your gonna have to learn to love tuna or start buying protien shakes and such. your chest and legs will be contributing most of the added weight do to the fact that those are the larger muscle groups. i can't remember the exact equation for protien intake, but i'm currently 6'0 and 190lbs (lost 10 over past few weeks preparing for a tourny), but i believe i'd have to eat like 6 cans of tuna a day just to make the minimum. i'm not 100% sure on this info, but it did work for me and i highly recommend it if you feel your too thin. PROTEIN PROTEIN PROTEIN

 

hope this helps

It's usually 1 gram of protein for each pound of bodyweight. (190 pounds, between 160-190 grams a day). I accomplish this by having lots of fat free milk, a couple protein shakes, tuna, lean red meat, fish and chicken, and some protein bars.

[WolverineGuy]

High protein, low fat, low carb. Lots of it...I mean a ton. You have to eat big to get big, as the bodybuilders say. As for what to do for lifts: Bench press, Squats, and Deadlifts are the big three, but any compound movement is good.

[daeinwolf]

I would advise against going low carb. You need a good amount of complex carbs to fuel your workouts and your body throughout the day. You just taper them off towards the end of the day. Good sources of complex carbs are: brown rice, plain oatmeal, bagels, and sweet potatoes. Also, one thing that is invaluable is a before bed time snack of a slow absorbing protein, such as 5 egg whites. This will keep your body from going catabolic in your sleep.

 

And big bump on the compound lifts. I would also add deadlifts and wide-grip chinups to help add mass to the back.

 

SiK---Joshua

[WhiteBelt]

Damn I haven't posted in a long time. Anyway, recipe for getting big:

 

1. Eat big.

 

2. Lift big.

 

3. Sleep big.

 

Eat carbs. Eat protein. Eat fat. If you really want to get big eat all three. You can't get big and stay 'cut' at the same time.