Help me gain weight

[Throwdown0850]

I am 24 about 5'9" 170 lbs.

I have been working out and dieting for a while now and I need your help. 5 years ago when I was a young buck I was a bone crushing 129 lbs. I eat 5 meals a day, creatine and all my protein comes from the meals I eat. I have seemed to hit a plateau.. I keep bouncing from 166 to 170 but no higher.. maybe its my genetic boundary??

any thoughts on what I can do to put on some pounds? my goal is 185.

[mr_obvious]

Doughnuts for breakfast, cheeseburgers & fries for lunch, pizza for dinner everyday will sort you out. Oh, and be sure to drink A LOT of alcohol. Might hit GNC and pick up some weight gainer for added effect

In all seriousness, if you want to gain, you need to increase calories someway, somehow.

[KarateGeorge]

Yeah. Though genetics do play a role in our weight, diet and exercise play an integral role as well.

The trick is that though it's really not all that hard to just plain gain or lose weight, trying to specifically gain muscle is a little trickier. As mr_obvious stated, you'll need to increase overall calories, but you want to ensure that you're still consuming "quality" calories. I'm not sure what your current daily protein consumption is, but you'll probably want to increase protein intake further, maybe with a whey protein supplement, or something along those lines. Ultimately, if you're not providing your body with the proper fuel to build muscle, you're not going to really gain much mass.

As far as strength training goes, I'm not sure what you're doing now, but building muscle mass usually comes from doing less reps at a higher weight. More reps at a lower weight increases lean muscle and improves tone and definition, but higher weights and less reps is generally used for building pure strength and mass.

If you have access to a physical trainer, I would consult with them as they can examine what you're doing now in greater detail and help you develop both a diet plan and an exercise plan to help you gain weight.

[DWx]

Doughnuts for breakfast, cheeseburgers & fries for lunch, pizza for dinner everyday will sort you out. Oh, and be sure to drink A LOT of alcohol. Might hit GNC and pick up some weight gainer for added effect

I'd go with this plan. Sounds like a lot more fun than hitting the gym.

But yeah, personal trainer might have better insight to what you need to do.

[Menya]

eventually at some point or another theres probably a health limit for each body for gaining weight, right?

[todome]

It could be you're being too fussy about the type of weight you're gaining. It's not at all uncommon for bodybuilders to gain and carry a few extra pounds of fat while they're bulking up. Then they'll switch modes and lose the fat and expect to lose weight at the same time. It's done that way because trying to eat just enough extra calories to gain lean muscle mass only is just too tricky and more or less counterproductive.

You doing squats and deadlifts? If not, start.

What sort of rep ranges you working in? How much rest between sets?

[Fish]

Why do you want to gain weight?

You may just have the "wrong body type" for serious weight gain through body building. I don't think you're that light compared to your height - I'm 6'0" and only 175 lb. I try to stay toned but I don't think I'll ever be able to bulk up (I've never found it easy to gain weight even though I eat more than anyone else in my home!).

[Throwdown0850]

Doughnuts for breakfast, cheeseburgers & fries for lunch, pizza for dinner everyday will sort you out. Oh, and be sure to drink A LOT of alcohol. Might hit GNC and pick up some weight gainer for added effect

I'd go with this plan. Sounds like a lot more fun than hitting the gym.

But yeah, personal trainer might have better insight to what you need to do.

I am one. go ISSA!! haha.

its just I love goin to the gym! like.. love it! who doesnt?

[Throwdown0850]

It could be you're being too fussy about the type of weight you're gaining. It's not at all uncommon for bodybuilders to gain and carry a few extra pounds of fat while they're bulking up. Then they'll switch modes and lose the fat and expect to lose weight at the same time. It's done that way because trying to eat just enough extra calories to gain lean muscle mass only is just too tricky and more or less counterproductive.

You doing squats and deadlifts? If not, start.

What sort of rep ranges you working in? How much rest between sets?

I was doing everything at 8-10 for hypertrophy but recently been doing 6-8 because I have been seeing more results. 20-30 sec rest times. maybe a little less. already do squats and deadlifts.

[Kuma]

You may just have the "wrong body type" for serious weight gain through body building. I don't think you're that light compared to your height - I'm 6'0" and only 175 lb. I try to stay toned but I don't think I'll ever be able to bulk up (I've never found it easy to gain weight even though I eat more than anyone else in my home!).

When I was boxing in the Marine Corps, I was 5'8" and a welterweight (under 147 pounds). I'm now right around 200 pounds after about 5 years of serious training. If I can do it, anyone can do it. I have small bones too (the average wrist size is 7", mine are 6 1/2") so I am definitely not genetically gifted in that department.