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Building Myself Up / Exercising...

Ok the thing is I'm nearly 18 and am quite short and small for my age. I'm always mistaken for a 13/14 year old :redface:

Since I'm going to Uni next year this has been getting to me quite a lot. Therefore i have decided to do a lot of exercise and try and bulk myself up over the summer. This way i wont look like a little kiddie. Anyway the thing is I'm Vegetarian and also don't eat eggs.

Does anyone have any advice on what sorts of exercises i should do, what sort of food i should eat. I know i need to maintain a balanced diet with a lot of protein, but whats the best food i should eat for this sort of diet? Ive heard you get drinks called "Protein shakes", any ideas what these are, are they any good, and if so where i can get them?

Thanks for any advice.

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Reply 1

Chi3f

protein shakes are usually derived from milk, so if you cant drink milk...well...
although theres soy protein availible as well made from soy

Reply 2

Anonymous #1

I can drink milk, im not vegan. Im just vegetarian, plus i dont eat eggs.

Reply 3

Caribou

You can get egg albumen shakes.. and if you can take it - hypoallergenic whey shakes - to be mixed with water.

Reply 4

PrinceOfCats

Eggs, bananas, tuna... to be eaten every two hours. (Some vegetarians eat fish, hence inclusion of tuna...)

I know bodybuilders who get through a bag of bananas a day.

Reply 5

Anonymous #1

Bananas eh... Cool, what else? (I get eat fish or eggs)

What about types of exercises?

Reply 6

Anonymous #1

EDIT: I cant eat fish or eggs)

Reply 7

Caribou

PrinceOfCats

(Some vegetarians eat fish, hence inclusion of tuna...)

Then they arn't vegetarians... :doh:

they are pescatarians..

Reply 8

Caribou

Anonymous

Bananas eh... Cool, what else? (I get eat fish or eggs)

What about types of exercises?

Because bananas contain SOoooo much protein :rolleyes:

bananas are mostly comprised of carbohydrate. The human body can turn protein into carbs but not vice versa. You need PROTEIN.

Also.. a bag of bananas a day.. is too much fruit.

Reply 9

PrinceOfCats

Strangely enough, you do actually need carbs to keep you going on all those reps...

Also.. a bag of bananas a day.. is too much fruit.

Would you care to explain this highly scientific concept, 'too much fruit', to us...

Reply 10

Caribou

PrinceOfCats

Strangely enough, you do actually need carbs to keep you going on all those reps...

Would you care to explain this highly scientific concept, 'too much fruit', to us...

ever heard of a balanced diet??

then theres the issue of fructose (sugar) overload.

A balanced diet must still be maintained whilst building muscle.

also.. too much fruit.. not so good for digestion if ya get what i mean :wink:

Reply 11

Bis

Whey protein post-workout. Get to a gym and ask a decent instructor for an intense bulking up regime.

Reply 12

gas_panic!

Eat carrots, they are high in protein..

To-Fo! Tofu.

It is important to eat a balanced diet with plenty of good quality protein (from tofu, quorn, cheese, pulses like lentils and beans and from nuts and seeds). The carbs you eat should be wholegrain as far as possible. Try to include both protein and carbs in your meals. Snack regularly as this will help you gain some weight but will not fill you up too much. Nuts and seeds are great to snack on.

Also do eat fruit and vegetables but not too much otherwise they will fill you up too much with defeats the object of what you are trying to do.

At the gym don't do any cardio. Just do the weights machines, free weights and floor work.

Good luck!

Reply 15

Austin226

yea a bag of bannanas a day man they must be on the toilet alot, dont do too much long distance runninng cos you body will then start to remove the muscle you do gain

remember to rest to give your body time to repair its muscle after a work out so go like every other day

Reply 16

lapsaJ

Bis, whats your take on the bag of bananas? Recently Ive been getting like 3 to have with my lunch mainly because they are SO cheap (25p). Still bulking btw...

Reply 17

unit101

There are prtoein shakes which can be taken with water one of the best ive taken is optimum nutrition gold standard whey protein(chocholate). However bulk up supplement such as maximuscle cyclone(your a hero if u keep it down tho,tastes vile) helped alot saw a gain of 1.5 kg of muscle using for 10 only problem is price is steep 30 quid for ten day supply.Creatine may be a better choice. monstersupplements.com have a huge range of products and set good prices for their products so have a look here. i recommend buying a protein supplement aswell as a bulk up supplement.
Also while bulking split your meals to 5/6 small meals. This will help increase your metabolism and so long as you dont pig out you will see little gain in fat. Your calorie intake should be above the maintanace level(2500 for ave male) so around 500-750 calories more.

sorry kind of rushed this hope it helps

Reply 18

Austin226

i dont know much about supplements can some one explain more clearly, to me i think i kinda get the jist, so you need bulk up drink to add wieght which you convert to muscle, and then you need the protein drink to maintain the muscle or what?

Reply 19

Anonymous #1

Yea, i dont understand these supplements either. Anybody care to explain inmore detail what unit101 was ssaying?

Also how many hours of exercise do you think i shuould get, and what time of the day?