[Nullusion]

Well, i'm super skinny and I have been trying to gain weight lately (which obviously isn't working as im a super hardgainer), but i'm confused from reading a few stuff around. Any help is appreciated.

I read that you need to do strength exercise to build muscle whilst gaining weight. Why do they always recommend this in muscle. Isn't muscle exercise tiring and just uses up your calorie intake, hence reducing your weight gain. I tried slouching around and eating all easter holiday to gain weight, and it never worked well. Should I really be exercising on top of that?

Also, what kind of foods to eat? Where i'll read one thing is good for weight gain somewhere, i'll read its bad for weight gain somewhere else. For example, vegetables. Does it matter how MANY calories you consume for gaining weight, or can some food actually make you lose weight?

Thanks.

[Shawy89]

You have a lot to learn, seriously.

I was once like you, very skinny. Firstly, being lazy and eating junk food to gain weight is just silly. You're just going to put on fat and end up going from skinny to 'skinny-fat'.

Going to the gym 3 or 4 times per week for weight training and eating a bulking diet is how to gain weight. You'll gain muscle very quickly, trust me, as well as some excess fat, but that's OK. Yes, you burn calories at the gym, of course, but you just need to eat more.

Gaining weight is all about calories, no specific food will make you lose weight. Yes, HOW MANY calories most certainly does matter. Aim for around +500 caloires that your body needs to maintain its current weight.

You also need to make sure you're getting enough protein to build muscle too. Around 1g protein per pound of bodyweight is the generally accepted rule of thumb.

Try your best to stick to healthy foods for most of your calories - chicken, fish, eggs and nuts etc. for protein. Anything wholegrain or wholewheat for complex carbs: bread, pasta etc. and brown rice is excellent. However, you may struggle to eat enough calories every day so you may need to add in the odd cheeseburger from time to time. This is called 'dirty-bulking', it's not ideal, but it can be hard to gain weight sometimes, and the less experienced you are at training, the more aggressively you should bulk.

You'll probably want to get yourself a whey protein powder, as it can be really difficult to get enough protein in your diet without protein shakes. However, don't over-rely on them, food is always better than supplements.

When you're at the gym, ask the trainers for help, but generally try and stick to heavy compund lifts as they're the best for gaining muscle. Can't go into too much detail here, but make sure doing the following: squat, deadlift, bench press, military press, bent over row, pull-up, dips. Ask a trainer to show you the correct form.

Get yourself on a beginner routine and stick to it, you should see noticeable changes in a couple of months. Good luck!

[SEHughes]

OP, it's very simple. If you want to gain muscle, your body needs a reason, a stimulus - just like you're not going to tan without going in the sun.

Lift weight with a sensible program - Starting Strength, Bill Starr 5x5, 5/3/1. Don't mess around with the program, do it as is.

Eat. Real food.

I assume you're going to want to have some physical capacity beyond a few hours a week in the gym. So start running. Fast. Up hills if you can.

[McHumpy92]

Eat lots of pizza and drink lots of blue top milk ...like 3 pints a day. Whack extra chicken on your pizza.

Eat calorific breakfast cereal like country crisp but the cheaper brands...eat lots of peanut butter before bed.

Just stop being a twig.

[RawJoh1]

(Original post by Nullusion)
Well, i'm super skinny and I have been trying to gain weight lately (which obviously isn't working as im a super hardgainer), but i'm confused from reading a few stuff around. Any help is appreciated.

I read that you need to do strength exercise to build muscle whilst gaining weight. Why do they always recommend this in muscle. Isn't muscle exercise tiring and just uses up your calorie intake, hence reducing your weight gain. I tried slouching around and eating all easter holiday to gain weight, and it never worked well. Should I really be exercising on top of that?

Also, what kind of foods to eat? Where i'll read one thing is good for weight gain somewhere, i'll read its bad for weight gain somewhere else. For example, vegetables. Does it matter how MANY calories you consume for gaining weight, or can some food actually make you lose weight?

Thanks.

You don't want to gain WEIGHT. You want to gain QUALITY WEIGHT (in this case, muscle). If you just want to gain weight and aren't arsed about the quality of that weight, just eat ice cream all day. You'll resemble a mush of cookie dough in no time.

Eat more, primarily whole foods. Lift on a sensible routine that is appropriate to your level of training. You will grow.

[Nullusion]

(Original post by RawJoh1)
You don't want to gain WEIGHT. You want to gain QUALITY WEIGHT (in this case, muscle). If you just want to gain weight and aren't arsed about the quality of that weight, just eat ice cream all day. You'll resemble a mush of cookie dough in no time.

Eat more, primarily whole foods. Lift on a sensible routine that is appropriate to your level of training. You will grow.

Idk, thanks for the posts people but for some reason I always thought of it this way? Maybe its just my narrow-minded approach but is there no logic behind this? If I find it so hard to put on weight, but find it so easy to lose, and eating junk foods is easier to put on weight of any sort, what if I just put on weight from junk foods, became fat, then carried out loads of exercise and cardio since I love it and do it anyway and shaped up the fat into muscle.

Its easier to convert fat into muscle than build raw muscle right?

Wouldn't that be more efficient lawl

[sil3nt_cha0s]

(Original post by Nullusion)
Idk, thanks for the posts people but for some reason I always thought of it this way? Maybe its just my narrow-minded approach but is there no logic behind this? If I find it so hard to put on weight, but find it so easy to lose, and eating junk foods is easier to put on weight of any sort, what if I just put on weight from junk foods, became fat, then carried out loads of exercise and cardio since I love it and do it anyway and shaped up the fat into muscle.

Its easier to convert fat into muscle than build raw muscle right?

Wouldn't that be more efficient lawl

You can't convert fat into muscle.

[Nullusion]

(Original post by sil3nt_cha0s)
You can't convert fat into muscle.

So if I became fat, and exercise/lifted to burn it off, my arms and stuff would be teh same as before?

This is starting to sound like a cartoon the way im explaining it simply, but I have to be sure on everything so I don't have to ask again.

[Scoobiedoobiedo]

(Original post by Nullusion)
So if I became fat, and exercise/lifted to burn it off, my arms and stuff would be teh same as before?

Other than the stretch marks, yes.

[Nullusion]

What worries me if I can barely gain weight without gyming, with gyming taking up excess calories it'll be so much harder for me to make progress?

Also, for building muscle in this way as mentioned by post #2 can pull ups with an apparatus at home or push ups (both with a revised technique) work decently too?

[NB_ide]

Good luck with you eating goals for 2012.

[Alux]

3000 Calories per day.

200g of protein a day.

No more than 8 reps.

Victory.

[SEHughes]

(Original post by Nullusion)
What worries me if I can barely gain weight without gyming, with gyming taking up excess calories it'll be so much harder for me to make progress?

I can barely get a sun tan when I never go out in the sun. Do you follow?

[Nullusion]

(Original post by SEHughes)
I can barely get a sun tan when I never go out in the sun. Do you follow?

Huh? No...

[sil3nt_cha0s]

(Original post by Nullusion)
Huh? No...

You honestly don't follow that basic analogy?!

[TheInformer]

(Original post by Nullusion)
Huh? No...

So many people say that they can "eat whatever they want" and not gain weight. You simply are not eating enough.

Start off by eating 3000 calories a day, weigh yourself after a couple of weeks, if you have not gained weight, increase the calories to 3200 or so, rinse and repeat.

You just need to find how many calories you body needs and eat more than that combined with picking things up and putting them down repeatedly.

[SEHughes]

(Original post by Nullusion)
Huh? No...

Oh dear... may I suggest Zumba?

[Classical Liberal]

(Original post by Nullusion)
Well, i'm super skinny and I have been trying to gain weight lately (which obviously isn't working as im a super hardgainer), but i'm confused from reading a few stuff around. Any help is appreciated.

I read that you need to do strength exercise to build muscle whilst gaining weight. Why do they always recommend this in muscle. Isn't muscle exercise tiring and just uses up your calorie intake, hence reducing your weight gain. I tried slouching around and eating all easter holiday to gain weight, and it never worked well. Should I really be exercising on top of that?

Also, what kind of foods to eat? Where i'll read one thing is good for weight gain somewhere, i'll read its bad for weight gain somewhere else. For example, vegetables. Does it matter how MANY calories you consume for gaining weight, or can some food actually make you lose weight?

Thanks.

Are you trying to gain fat, muscle or both?

Just saying gaining "weight" is absolutely useless. You could gain weight by attaching bricks to your feet.

[kingkongjaffa]

Guy is a lost cause clearly by his responses.

Eat more. Lift more.

No fat can't turn into muscle.

No you are obviously not eating enough.

[pshewitt1]

Why does everyone think they're a hardgainer...so annoying